Interview with Jennifer Rardin

Jaz Parks and her vampire boss, Vayl, have already fought demons, vampires, and reavers… curious yet? I certainly was and I wanted to know more, more about the Jaz Parks “Bitten” series and more about the author Jennifer Rardin.

I asked Jennifer to introduce herself to MSM readers, and this is what she had to say: “I'm a redhead, chocoholic, and author of the Jaz Parks series. {6^th book now released} My kids are nearly grown, hubby's a big kid at heart, and I'm on my second childhood, so we all get along pretty well. Except when we play Wii curling. Then the gloves come off, baby!”

I was instantly drawn in, after all, we all know that it’s a battle zone in the Wii curling world! ~smiles~ Jennifer’s wonderful sense of humour catches you right off- she is the kind-a girl you could hang with over a beverage and enjoy a few laughs. It was certainly my pleasure to get to know her, and I have a funny feeling you will as well.

MSM: What's the single thing you want the listener/viewer to know about your books?

JR: You're gonna laugh. Out loud. Probably in public, in which case you might want to have a good excuse ready. I suggest you tell people the guards didn't even see you slip through the barrier fence. You'll probably never have to share a seat on the train again.”

MSM: What was the motivation behind the Jaz Parks series?

JR: I've always loved vampire stories, so when hubby encouraged me to write one I twisted my arm behind my back and said, "Well, if you insist." Because I just can't say "no" to the man. He's cute.

MSM: Why do you think vampire books are so popular?

JR: I'm sure it has nothing to do with the rampant, graphic, stellar sex, since mine are doing well too. I've gotta say it's the lure of immortality. Because we all suspect we're going to be turned sooner or later. And we really need to know how to spend the next couple of hundred years without driving ourselves stark, raving mad. The answer seems to lie somewhere between gainful employment and eternal love.

MSM: How do you plan on hooking new readers to give your books a try?

JR: Bribery works wonders for me. Unfortunately I've nearly waded through my entire buyoff budget, leaving me with only pickle-loaf sandwiches and navel lint to tempt potential readers. So all I can do now is suggest you read the sample chapters on my webpage. And maybe talk to the fans who meet me there every day. They're the best in the universe. No contest.

MSM: What three things does your book give the reader?

JR: Laughs, Love, and Bubblegum

MSM: Who is the author behind the pen?

JR: I'm just a regular person with a head

full of stories. It finally got to the point where I had to write them down or go nuts, and I found that once they transferred to paper I felt a helluva a lot better. My house is clean but not spotless. My family is amazing. And I can't shake the feeling that I don't quite deserve all this good fortune.

MSM: What age group, gender have you found is attracted to your stories the most? Why do you think that is?

JR: Jaz entertains a startling array of readers. My youngest (so far) has been an eleven-year-old boy and my oldest has been a granny. However, the writing does seem to attract mainly young women in their twenties which, when you realize that Jaz is twenty-five, you kind of understand how they might connect with her.

MSM: Who is the force behind Jaz Parks? Where do you draw her traits from?

JR: Jaz began as a voice in my head (a lot like her own inner character) maybe fourteen years ago, and got too loud to

ignore while I was writing Once Bitten, Twice Shy. She grew, in part, out of reaction to all the heroines I objected to in my reading at the time. I thought they'd given up too much of their vulnerability and femininity in exchange for their power. Many of her traits also had their genesis in my daughter. But

Jaz quickly became her own character, which is how every good heroine should develop.

MSM: Do the books need to be read in sequence, or can a newbie pick up any one of the "Bite" books without having to read the one before?

JR: The books are written to stand alone, and I reference previous action enough so that a newbie should be able to figure everything out no matter which book he/she picks up. However the characters and their relationships do progress as the series moves along, so I'd suggest you start at the beginning.

MSM: Last thoughts/comments

JR: One of the joys of being a writer has been interacting with fans. So please feel free to visit me on the web. I'm there nearly every day!

http://www.jenniferrardin.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Rardin/19356585468?ref=share
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/477469.Jennifer_Rardin
http://reluctantadults.blogspot.com/
http://www.twitter.com/JenniferRardin

I highly recommend that you go to Jennifer’s website (http://www.jenniferrardin.net) and read a sample chapter of the Jaz Parks series, if you are like me, you won’t be able to stop reading, instead of getting your work done! So….if the magazine is late coming out…I am blaming it all on Jennifer!

Tilly Rivers

As seen in the April Issue of Main Street Magazine

Copyright MSM

Canadian ISSN: 1920-4299

April Contest

Win a dinner with our founder and CEO, award winning author Tilly Rivers!

Check out the April Issue of MSM for details.

Join us as we reflect on the past year and celebrate our 1st year anniversary!

Check out our April Issue for all the fun.

Gizmos and Gadgets

March Gizmo’s and Gadgets celebrates the cigar smoker. There are only two stands that people seem to take when it comes to cigar, love it or hate it. Surprisingly, more and more women are becoming cigar smokers, so let’s take a look at a nice little gadget for her:

Lipstick {Cigarette/Cigar} Lighter
This Ladies lighter is fashionable, light weight (40 g), silver and ‘bling’ give it an added touch of fun that will be sure to match up with any outfit or occasion. Electronic ignition, easy and convenience to use and is refillable. Market Value about $16.99, US $

Spanish Cedar Cigar Trays

As your cigar collection grows, and you start to use larger cigar storage devices such as coolidors and large cigar cabinets, a Spanish cedar cigar tray might be one of your favourite cigar gadgets. Most cigar cabinets and coolidors are geared towards box storage. If you are storing a bunch of boxes that are half full, you are wasting a lot of space. To Increase the storage capacity of your coolidor or large cigar cabinet, buy yourself some Spanish cedar cigar trays for your single cigars and empty out those half full boxes into your new trays. The cigar trays measure approx. 12.5″ x 7.5″ x 2.25″ and will hold about 30- 40 cigars. At a cost of about $9.99, US $ per tray, these Spanish cedar cigar trays will be a valuable additions to your cigars.

Debra Young

As seen in the March Issue of Main Street Magazine

Copyright MSM

Canadian ISSN-1920-4299

Just a Moment......

March: May the Luck of the Irish be with you.

We could not let March pass us by without doing a tribute to St. Patricks Day.

Not that I am Irish, well maybe a 'wee bit'.....but it is a great excuse to have fun, enjoy some green beer, and pull out the green t-shirt that you only wear once a year!

A gentle reminder, no matter how you celebrate this month, be it Claire Jackson's special St. Patricks Day cocktails at a house party or go to the pub, please drink responsibly, have a designated driver, take a cab, or plan a sleep-over. After all, we, like your family and friends love you, have fun and be safe, if you drink, do not drive.

Inside the pages of MSM this month we have added some history behind St. Patricks Day, and the interesting link between St Patrick annd the Goddess Bridget (Anciient Mystic Article).

Chef of Merit, Fashion Sense, Main Street Music Scene, The Entrepreneur, Go Green and Moving Forward articles are all here. Fun Quick Tips gives us a fun new decorating tip, and the Pennies article adds some Irish fun, and gives tribute to James Joyce.

This month we have featured the book, 'Love Your Body:Love Your Life' an empowering read to rid us of negative Body Obsession.

Next month marks our one year anniversary and you do not want to miss that!!

So, as always, kick back, relax and enjoy.....

~Tilly Rivers~

As seen in the March issue of Main Street Magazine
Copyright Main Street Magazine
Canadian ISSN:1920-4299

Missing Woman

Please Help find Donne O'Rielly
http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/News/Local_News/NB/ID=1432794551

A St. Patrick's Day at-home film festival? Okay sounds good to me, but than movies are my passion, and my at-home theatre equipped with comfy couch, junk food and in this case some green Guinness, sounds like heaven!

I have picked some “Irish’ films to celebrate in style. You might not want to add all of these

movies to your home collection, so I suggest you rent them first, they are worth watching, and I bet one or two make it into your collection!

The list below is in no particular order they are all worth a look-see.

All in favour say “AYE!”

The Boondock Saints (1999): Directed by Troy Duffy and starring, Willem Dafoe, Sean Patrick Flannery, Billy Conelly, and Norman Reedus. The film opens with mass in a Boston Catholic church, where Irish American fraternal twin brothers Connor McManus (Sean Patrick Flanery) and Murphy McManus (Norman Reedus) pray while a sermon is read, mentioning Kitty Genovese, a real-life crime victim brutally murdered while her neighbours watched without intervening. The brothers take it upon themselves to do something about the injustice, and believe it is their calling. This is one of the movies you will either love or hate, but worth seeing at least once.

State of Grace (1990) :If you like films like Gangs of New York and The Godfather, State of Grace is a good St. Patrick's Day film for you. State of Grace tells the story of a group of Irish gangsters in New York City's infamous Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood . ''State of Grace'' has a comparable figure in Jackie Flannery, (played by Gary Oldman) the toughest and most volatile of the Hell's Kitchen Irish-American hoods who are this film's unflinching focus. Jackie is someone who can open his freezer and cheerfully show off a pair of severed hands, explaining that these fingerprint-producing props are the perfect thing for someone who's tired of throwing away his favourite gun after every killing. He's someone who, when torching a building, prefers to drop his lighted cigarette far inside rather than at the front door, just to see how fast he can run!

The Crying Game (1992): Starring one of Ireland's best, Stephen Rea and Forest Whitaker, the Crying Game follows a couple of underdog characters trying to navigate through the reign of the IRA. British soldier Jody (Forest Whitaker) is taken captive by Fergus (Stephan Rea), Jude (Miranda Richardson), Maguire (Adrian Dunbar) and others. He is held to be exchanged for a IRA prisoner the British are holding. During the three days Jody is held, he and Fergus become friends as they talk about their lives. Jody tells Fergus about his girlfriend back in London named Dil. Jody says she is his type of woman. Jody tells Fergus he won't shoot him when it's time because it's not in Fergus' nature. He tells him a parable about the scorpion and the frog. The scorpion asks the frog to take him across the river because the scorpion can't swim. The frog says no because you'll sting me. The scorpion says trust me. Half way across, the frog feels a sharp sting and says to the scorpion as they sink, why did you sting me? Now we'll both die. I couldn't help it, said the scorpion, it's in my nature. If you're looking for an intense story carried by the weight of it's characters, this is the one for you.

So there you have it my fellow movie madness cohorts. Be sure to let me know which ones you loved! movies@mainstreetmagazine.net Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

By Suzzanne McNab

As seen in the March Issue of Main Street Magazine

Canadian ISSN:1920-4299

St. Patricks Day is an enchanted time, a day to begin transforming winters dreams into summer's magic.

-Adrienne Cook

Chef of Merit - Chef Trevor Simms

Written By: Tilly Rivers

Copyright 2010, Rain Enterprises/MSM (Main Street Magazine)
As seen in the February issue of MSM



This month MSM has focused on love. February is after all the time of Cupid, romance and couples enjoying a wonderful meal. So, I hunted for a location and chef that would create that certain something-something for any couple to enjoy.

Chef Trevor Simms and the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront fit the bill! Trevor is from Southern Newfoundland, so I can only guess that when the opportunity came up in 2007 to go back to the East Coast Trevor jumped all over it, even if that meant taking a slight demotion from Executive Chef at the Renaissance Hotel in Niagara Falls Ontario, to Executive Sous Chef at the Halifax Marriott for a time. Sometimes passion means more than a 'title.'

Chef Simms is quoted ad saying "After spending an eye opening season at Dismas Leblanc's The Four Fishermen Bistro under Chef Stefan Czapalay, I learned total kitchen operation from Grand Opening (Carpentry Skills a must) to gardening and dealing with local organic growers. Stefans ideas were specific. Clean lines, dramatic pairings and artful presentation. From there, I traveled to Jasper Park Lodge to seek experience with Canadian Pacific Hotels under the tutelage of David McGillivary. He taught me a simple respect for indigenous products and presentation. Drama was this Chef's hallmark, known for creating Menus and Buffets with Canadiana Flair.

With the east calling, I traveled to Sackville, New Brunswick to cook at the Marshlands Inn and further on to the St Martins Country Inn. This tour of inns gave me an interesting insight into business operations at every level, but the big challenge came when Ontario called and needed talent to open a Casino and recently opened a 5 star hotel with 9 restaurants and a world of prospects. While there I moved around the operation to gain an understanding of large volume cooking and small Italian, Asian and French cuisine, even a tour in Pastry. With Chef Raymond Taylor at the helm he teaches bold flavours, lots of height and hands on approach to managment that is truly inspiring."

Trevor spent five years at Casino Rama in Orillia Ontario as the Sous Chef. With the promotion to Executive Chef he created culinary delights at both The Lake Joseph Club and the Renaissance Hotel for another five years before going back to the East Coast.

Trevor, now the Executive Chef at Halifax Marriott will delight your taste buds and tease you palette with such menu offerings as the Lighthouse Chowder, Roasted Heritage Salmon and of course no East Coast cuisine is complete without Fresh Nova Scotia Lobster. Let us not forget the "Now Famous" Shellfish Bowl or Sweet Potato Fries.

As a vegetarian, I do eat seafood on occasion, but save it for special moment with special chefs, and was not disappointed with either Chef Trevor Simms culinary talent or the great ambiance at the Marriott!

Bonn Appetite my friends, be sure to visit the Halifax Marriott at the Harbourfront the next time you find yourself enjoying some great East Coast hospitality!

44 North, Halifax Marriott Harbourfront

http://www.44northrestaurant.com/restaurant/hotels/hotel-information/travel/yhzmc-halifax-marriott-harbourfront-hotel/

As seen in Main Street Magazine
Canadian ASSN-1920-4299