Travel has been on my mind a lot lately. Among other trips, last year I took an Alaskan cruise with friends and family, and went on some really great small tours from the ship. I hope for more cruises in the near future.
But this year—at the end of last month—I took a wonderful whale watching bus tour down Baja.
During the days, we mostly got to observe the Baja landscape, which was largely desert and mostly uninhabited. We saw it from the bus, and we also took brief hikes to look more closely at the plant life. We spent nights at different, but similar, hotels.
One day we also drove through an amazing, large bird sanctuary—osprey nesting on tops of poles, cormorants, herons, egrets and more. Loved that.
But the expedition was all about the whales!
Hey—can you guess that I love animals? Dogs especially, but I really enjoy wildlife, too.
No writing on this tour. Most times when I travel I bring a laptop along, but there was no time or location where I could work. But the break was worth it
We had three inlet tours of approximately two hours each, plus time on the water getting into those inlets, on small pangas in the water—open boats that seat about ten people. Of course we all wore life vests. Two tours were out of San Ignacio, and one off Guerrera Negro. We saw whales most near San Ignacio. They were gray whales who’d migrated to that area for the winter; summers they spend off northern areas like Alaska—though I don’t think I saw any during our Alaskan cruise. And in the winter, these whales mate and have babies, which we sometimes saw—although baby whales are huge, too.
And guess what! The whales were also people watching. They came over to the pangas to meet us—and let us pet them. Some people also kissed them. Gray whales have barnacles all over their back—and lice within them, too. But feeling the soft, rubbery skin of these huge and friendly animals? Amazing!
So now I’m back home and working on some Harlequin Romantic Suspense books that were on temporary hold before. Of course I enjoy writing them. But my mind is also working on determining a way to use what I saw on the whale tour in a story or two or more.
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When Marianne isn’t working on A Slice of Orange, she might be writing short stories, funny romances, or quirky murder mysteries, but this could be a rumor. She also could be knitting.
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When the year grows colder and the veil between worlds grows thin—or so they say—comes the time for stories to make you shiver. The Bluestocking Belles bring ghosts, and ghoulies, and spirits of all kinds, each leading to love, the greatest madness of all.
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Today is publication day for Illusive Worlds Sweet, Funny, and Strange® Tales of Science Fiction and Fantasy
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When Marianne isn’t working on A Slice of Orange, she might be writing short stories, funny romances, or quirky murder mysteries, but this could be a rumor. She also could be knitting.
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When Marianne isn’t working on A Slice of Orange, she might be writing short stories, funny romances, or quirky murder mysteries, but this could be a rumor. She also could be knitting.
AN ELEMENT OF MYSTERTY: SWEET, FUNNY, AND STRANGE TALES OF INTRIGUE
Dare you read our latest Sweet, Funny, and Strange® Anthology?
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FUR, FEATHERS AND SCALES: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Animal Tales
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ONCE UPON A TIME: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales for All Ages
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ONCE AROUND THE SUN: Sweet, Funny, and Stranges Tales for All Seasons
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UNTETHERED: SWEET, FUNNY, AND STRANGE TALES OF THE PARANORMAL
Stoke the campfire and get ready for some chills and goosebumps when you open this paranormal addition to the award-winning Bethlehem Writers Group’s “Sweet, Funny, and Strange” anthologies.
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A READABLE FEAST: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales for Every Taste
Yearning for a tantalizing tale?
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TO L.A. WITH LOVE: A CHARITY ANTHOLOGY
When wildfires destroyed two beloved Los Angeles public libraries in January 2025, the romance community answered with heart.
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To L.A. With Love Volume 2
When wildfires damaged two beloved Los Angeles public libraries in January 2025, the romance community answered with heart.
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CELEBRATING: 20 Years of Sweet, Funny, & Strange Tales
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Illusive Worlds: Sweet, Funny, and Strange® Tales of Science Fiction and Fantasy
Enter our worlds of imagination!
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