Name That Story

When my latest work-in-progress completed the critiquing stage, I knew it was time to send it into the world. But...I really wasn't fond of the working title I'd been using. Over the year or two I've worked on this story, I called it  The Red Feather for lack of anything better.

Now, there is a red feather in the story. I use it as a means of helping undercover agents identify each other. But, it really doesn't play an important part in the story. 

So, for a few weeks now, I've been racking my brain, trying to come up with a catchy title. So I'm throwing the ball into my readers' court. 

My husband's suggests "Morgana's Choices." What do you think of Morgana's Choice? Or, perhaps, your imagination can conjure up something even more catchy? Below is the synopsis of this romantic suspense story.

UNTITLED ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

A mysterious fire kills Morgana Grant’s parents and destroys her home. Morgana’s search for answers draws her to the attention of Inspector Bouchard, head of a Special Investigative Team determined to bring down the nefarious Belvedere Coalition.

Morgana goes undercover as a tutor of the Marchand children whose step-father is suspected of being a leader of the Belvedere Coalition. Kristin, Elyse, and Emmanuel  offer Morgana challenges, but it is their uncle, Gregory Walker, who creates emotional turmoil for Morgana.

When Shawn Hennessey, another undercover agent, join the staff as chauffeur, sparks fly.

A fire in the classroom, set off by Kristen in an unsupervised science experiment, forces Morgana to overcome her terror of fire to save him. Later the boy discovers a scrapbook and shows it to Morgana. Inside is a newspaper clipping telling about the fire that killed Morgana’s parents. As she flips pages, Morgana realizes this scrapbook holds the key to the Belvedere Coalition’s downfall.

Shawn’s midnight attempt to retrieve the scrapbook results in his being shot and his cover blown. The beating that follows convinces him that Morgana’s safety is compromised. He makes a furtive attempt to convince her to run away with him. But Morgana cannot desert her charges…and there is the growing relationship with Gregory. Frightened by Shawn’s desperate appeal, Morgana confides in Gregory.

Meanwhile, a frustrated Shawn follows the Marchands to Paris where he sets up an opportunity to kill Mr. Marchand in a car bombing. Morgana is no longer in danger and Lillian Marchand, despite the deception, urges Morgana to stay on as her children’s tutor. And Gregory agrees wholeheartedly.

the thrill of growing your own

Harvested my first meal of new potatoes. I uncovered one while doing some weeding. With a bit of careful probing, I discovered several more beneath the plants.

It all started with one forgotten potato that had begun to sprout. I cut it into pieces, each with several 'eyes' and planted the pieces in an empty area of the garden.  Looking forward to more yummy meals as the plants continue to produce their 'storehouses of food.'

I recently found one of my sweet potatoes has developed several sprouts. A little bit different procedure is called for with a sweet potato. I'll need to dislodge the sprouts and stand them in water until they form roots. Then I'll be able to put the started plants in the ground to continue their magic.
Sweet potatoes, however, create a vine so I'll need to provide space for them to sprawl.

Hm-m-m, is that indicative of region? Northern white/red potatoes grow into an upright plant and southern sweet potatoes need an area to spread out?

As queer as a nine bob note

A bob is slang term for a shilling, part of British currency before decimalisation. Of course, nine bob notes never existed. As shillings came in ones, twos and tens, a nine-bob note would be a forgery, and therefore very bent indeed.

The date of the phrase's coinage isn't known, but the American version 'as queer as a nine-dollar bill' dates from at least 1965, when it was included in John Trimble's 5000 Adult Sex Words and Phrases:

Nine-dollar Bill... An Absolute Invert or Homosexual. From the inference that one is "Three times as queer as a three-dollar bill".

In the UK, until 1971, when they ceased to be legal tender, the brown ten shilling notes were a commonplace. They were popularly called a 'ten bob note' or 'half-a-nicker' (a nicker was a pound).

The British version had variants; for example, 'as queer as a nine-bob watch', which would be suspect on account of its unrealistic cheapness