Mariposa's Musings

Besides choosing what to wear , deciding where to go can be one of the greatest challenges in dancing particularly if you’re flying solo. Even if you discover the latest trendy venue there’s nothing worse than cooling your heels at the hottest place in town.  Here are a couple of suggestions to get you out there. Dance socials Many dance studios host a monthly/weekly social.  The social begins with a group lesson followed by a couple of hours of open dancing.  Often these events are free to the public as a means of attracting more students for private lessons. Socials are best for beginners, but are also great for experienced dancers to brush up on their skills. Club lessons Some of the more savvy venues will host a weekly free dance lesson followed by open dancing.  The inspiration for Package Deal ’s Eclipse generally attracts the twenty-something crowd willing to pay the cover charge and for pricey drinks.  On Friday nights at 7:30, this club w...

What inspired you to be a writer? Fred Keyes was one of the strictest English teachers in my high school and I had him for both my junior and senior year. He challenged me to think outside the box and to write beyond anything I’d thought myself capable of. I knew the basics of grammar, but he taught me how words can transform and create stories that capture the imagination. Who are your favorite romance characters (besides your own?) Jamie Fraser is my all-time favorite hero in any book, series or movie. Long before the STARZ series on TV – I read Outlander when it first came out, even before it was a best seller. Nils Sorenson, from a trilogy by Elizabeth Ogilvie – High Tide at Noon, The Storm Tide & The Ebbing Tide . I read these books when I was a teenager and loved the setting and the hero.  The heroine, not so much, Joanna was too much like me. Perhaps I saw the things I liked least about myself in her? But Nils was everything I pictured myself wanting in a lo...