HAPPY NEW YEAR
To Everyone All Around the World
from Studs, Sloane, and all the Taylors
Monday, December 31, 2018
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
SCONES, When You Need Something Special
from Chris Pavesic
These vanilla scones feature chocolate chips, which melt slightly into the dough around them as they bake, making for an especially enticing presentation. Top with sparkling course sugar or my family’s favorite--salted caramel chocolate truffle spread.
SCONES
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
6 tbsp. butter, cut into pieces
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 large eggs, beaten
¼ cup vanilla yogurt
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. Key Lime juice
Milk a few tbsp.
2 tbsp. course sparkling sugar to sprinkle on top, optional
Salted caramel chocolate truffle spread, optional
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Lightly grease the scone pan.
Add the dry ingredients to a bowl. Add the butter and work it into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly using an electric mixer or spoon. Gently mix the chocolate chips with the dry ingredients.
Stir together the eggs, yogurt, vanilla extract, and Key Lime Juice. Add to the dry ingredients and stir very gently, just until combined. The dough will be resemble cookie dough.
Scoop the dough into the scone pan. Sprinkle the top of each scone with milk and (optional) sprinkle with coarse sparkling sugar.
Bake the scones for 20 to 24 minutes, or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into a scone comes out dry. Remove from the oven, and serve warm.
Optional: Top with salted caramel chocolate truffle spread and let it melt slightly before eating.
Scones can be stored at room temperature for several days. Freeze for longer storage.
Enjoy a brief glimpse into my latest novel Travelers Zone , book two in The Revelation Chronicles series, while you delight in your scones.
Above the tree line floats an airship close to three hundred feet long with a slightly rounded wooden hull. Ropes attach the lower portion of the ship to an inflated balloon-like aspect, bright white in color with an identification symbol, a red bird with white-tipped feathers extended in flight, inside a round yellow circle in the center of the canvas. The deck is manned with archers and swordsmen. There are two sets of fore and aft catapults.
What I don’t see are cannons or any other type of a gun large enough to account for the sound of the explosion.
The ship pivots in the air, coming around to point directly at what looks like an oncoming flock of five large birds. Or creatures. They are too big and too strange looking to be birds. They drift closer, flapping their wings.
A moment passes before I realize that they are not creatures either. They are some sort of gliders. A person hangs below each set of the feathered wings, which flap and move with mechanical precision in a sky washed out by the morning sun.
The archers nock their arrows and aim at the flock.
The gliders draw in their wings and dive toward the deck, covering the distance in a few heartbeats. Most of the arrows fly uselessly past the attack force and fall like black rain from the sky. The archers aimed and released the volley too late.
The forward catapult releases a torrent of small rocks at the lead glider. It is a scatter-shot approach that proves effective. There are so many missiles that it is impossible to dodge them all.
But at the moment the stones strike, the other four let loose with fireballs. Spheres of crackling flame spring from their hands, glowing faintly at first and then with increasing brightness. The balls of fire shoot from their hands like bullets from a gun and fly toward the ship, exploding. Pieces bounce off the hull and fall to the ground, throwing hissing, burning globs of magic-fueled fire in all directions, setting everything they touch aflame.
Want to learn more about The Revelation Chronicles? Click HERE for updates on this and the other series by Chris. Watch the video on YouTube.
Chris Pavesic is a fantasy author who lives in the Midwestern United States and loves Kona coffee, steampunk, fairy tales, and all types of speculative fiction. Between writing projects, Chris can most often be found reading, gaming, gardening, working on an endless list of DIY household projects, or hanging out with friends.
Learn more about Chris on her website and blog.
Stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, and her Amazon Author Page.
These vanilla scones feature chocolate chips, which melt slightly into the dough around them as they bake, making for an especially enticing presentation. Top with sparkling course sugar or my family’s favorite--salted caramel chocolate truffle spread.
SCONES
 |
| Photo by Florencia Viadana on Unsplash |
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
6 tbsp. butter, cut into pieces
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 large eggs, beaten
¼ cup vanilla yogurt
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. Key Lime juice
Milk a few tbsp.
2 tbsp. course sparkling sugar to sprinkle on top, optional
Salted caramel chocolate truffle spread, optional
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Lightly grease the scone pan.
Add the dry ingredients to a bowl. Add the butter and work it into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly using an electric mixer or spoon. Gently mix the chocolate chips with the dry ingredients.
Stir together the eggs, yogurt, vanilla extract, and Key Lime Juice. Add to the dry ingredients and stir very gently, just until combined. The dough will be resemble cookie dough.
Scoop the dough into the scone pan. Sprinkle the top of each scone with milk and (optional) sprinkle with coarse sparkling sugar.
Bake the scones for 20 to 24 minutes, or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into a scone comes out dry. Remove from the oven, and serve warm.
Optional: Top with salted caramel chocolate truffle spread and let it melt slightly before eating.
Scones can be stored at room temperature for several days. Freeze for longer storage.
Enjoy a brief glimpse into my latest novel Travelers Zone , book two in The Revelation Chronicles series, while you delight in your scones.
What I don’t see are cannons or any other type of a gun large enough to account for the sound of the explosion.
The ship pivots in the air, coming around to point directly at what looks like an oncoming flock of five large birds. Or creatures. They are too big and too strange looking to be birds. They drift closer, flapping their wings.
A moment passes before I realize that they are not creatures either. They are some sort of gliders. A person hangs below each set of the feathered wings, which flap and move with mechanical precision in a sky washed out by the morning sun.
The archers nock their arrows and aim at the flock.
The gliders draw in their wings and dive toward the deck, covering the distance in a few heartbeats. Most of the arrows fly uselessly past the attack force and fall like black rain from the sky. The archers aimed and released the volley too late.
The forward catapult releases a torrent of small rocks at the lead glider. It is a scatter-shot approach that proves effective. There are so many missiles that it is impossible to dodge them all.
But at the moment the stones strike, the other four let loose with fireballs. Spheres of crackling flame spring from their hands, glowing faintly at first and then with increasing brightness. The balls of fire shoot from their hands like bullets from a gun and fly toward the ship, exploding. Pieces bounce off the hull and fall to the ground, throwing hissing, burning globs of magic-fueled fire in all directions, setting everything they touch aflame.
Want to learn more about The Revelation Chronicles? Click HERE for updates on this and the other series by Chris. Watch the video on YouTube.
Chris Pavesic is a fantasy author who lives in the Midwestern United States and loves Kona coffee, steampunk, fairy tales, and all types of speculative fiction. Between writing projects, Chris can most often be found reading, gaming, gardening, working on an endless list of DIY household projects, or hanging out with friends. Learn more about Chris on her website and blog.
Stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, and her Amazon Author Page.
Monday, December 24, 2018
Thursday, December 20, 2018
FRESH FROM THE OVEN
Sally Baker, the lovely wife of Action-Adventure author Elliott Baker, is here with her latest cookie creation. These cookie bars include the Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate Brownie recipe found on the inside of the packaging and are absolutely delicious.
Sally Baker's Muddy Boots
1 family sized tube of Pillsbury Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
½ family sized tube of Pillsbury Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
Bag of M&M caramels
Baker's Brownie Mix prepared with the following ingredients:
4 oz. Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate
¾ cup butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
Preheat oven 350° F.
Cut parchment paper to fit a 9 x 13-inch pan. Insert the paper and then grease it.
Break up the chocolate chip dough into chunks and fill the pan.
Break up the peanut butter dough and scatter across the chocolate chip dough.
Make the brownie mix. Stir in half of the M&M caramels.
Pour the brownie mix over the cookie dough.
Sprinkle remaining M&M caramels over the top.
Bake at least 35 minutes or until a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool and then cut into squares.
How about a glimpse at Sally's husband Elliott and his books while you're munching these awesome cookie bars?
For three thousand years a hatred burns. In seventeenth century France two souls incarnate, one born the child of a prosperous merchant, the other, determined to continue an incarnation begun long ago.
In ancient Egypt, there were two brothers, disciples of the pharaoh, Akhenaten. When the pharaoh died, the physician took the knowledge given and went to Greece to begin the mystery school. The general made a deal with the priests and became pharaoh. One remembers, one does not.
The year is 1671. René Gilbert’s destiny glints from the blade of a slashing rapier. The only way he can protect those he loves is to regain the power and knowledge of an ancient lifetime. From Bordeaux to Spain to Morocco, René is tested and with each turn of fate he gathers enemies and allies, slowly reclaiming the knowledge and power earned centuries ago. For three thousand years a secret sect has waited in Morocco.
After ages in darkness, Horemheb screams, “I am.” Using every dark art, he manages to maintain the life of the body he has bartered for. Only one life force in the world is powerful enough to allow him to remain within embodiment, perhaps forever. Determined to continue a reign of terror that once made the Nile run red, he grows stronger with each life taken.
Award winning, international playwright Elliott B. Baker grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. With four musicals and one play published and done throughout the United States, New Zealand, Portugal, England, and Canada, Elliott is pleased to offer his first novel, Return, book one of The Sun God’s Heir trilogy.
A member of the Authors Guild and the Dramatists Guild, Elliott lives in New Hampshire with his beautiful wife Sally Ann.
Learn more about Elliot Baker on his website. Stay connected on Twitter and Facebook. Like Elliott's Author Page on Facebook to learn all his latest news.
Sally Baker's Muddy Boots
½ family sized tube of Pillsbury Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
Bag of M&M caramels
Baker's Brownie Mix prepared with the following ingredients:
4 oz. Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate
¾ cup butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
Preheat oven 350° F.
Cut parchment paper to fit a 9 x 13-inch pan. Insert the paper and then grease it.
Break up the chocolate chip dough into chunks and fill the pan.
Make the brownie mix. Stir in half of the M&M caramels.
Pour the brownie mix over the cookie dough.
Sprinkle remaining M&M caramels over the top.
Bake at least 35 minutes or until a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool and then cut into squares.
How about a glimpse at Sally's husband Elliott and his books while you're munching these awesome cookie bars?
In ancient Egypt, there were two brothers, disciples of the pharaoh, Akhenaten. When the pharaoh died, the physician took the knowledge given and went to Greece to begin the mystery school. The general made a deal with the priests and became pharaoh. One remembers, one does not.
The year is 1671. René Gilbert’s destiny glints from the blade of a slashing rapier. The only way he can protect those he loves is to regain the power and knowledge of an ancient lifetime. From Bordeaux to Spain to Morocco, René is tested and with each turn of fate he gathers enemies and allies, slowly reclaiming the knowledge and power earned centuries ago. For three thousand years a secret sect has waited in Morocco.
After ages in darkness, Horemheb screams, “I am.” Using every dark art, he manages to maintain the life of the body he has bartered for. Only one life force in the world is powerful enough to allow him to remain within embodiment, perhaps forever. Determined to continue a reign of terror that once made the Nile run red, he grows stronger with each life taken.
Buy Links
A member of the Authors Guild and the Dramatists Guild, Elliott lives in New Hampshire with his beautiful wife Sally Ann.
Learn more about Elliot Baker on his website. Stay connected on Twitter and Facebook. Like Elliott's Author Page on Facebook to learn all his latest news.
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
The Sweet Life
from Emma Lane
I love this recipe for its ease of variations on a theme. I think you will, too.
Fast and Easy Fruit Pudding
1 qt. fresh or canned fruit, drained
2½ tbsp. sugar or sweeten to taste
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup milk
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla flavoring
Preheat oven to 400° F.
Place fruit in glass baking dish. Sweeten if preferred.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
Stir together egg, milk, oil, and vanilla in a small bowl. Add to flour mixture. Stir to mix only, do not beat.
Pour mixture over fruit. Bake 30 minutes.
Use your imagination and have fun to vary this Fruit Pudding such as:
Country Peach – add a ½ tsp. nutmeg to liquid mixture.
Spicy Apple – use 1 tsp. cinnamon or premixed apple spice mix.
Hawaiian Delight – combine pineapple, apricot, and banana to make one qt. fruit. Sprinkle lightly with coconut after baking. Top each serving with a maraschino cherry.
My latest Cozy Mystery is a novel that introduces you to Detective Kevin Fowler and the intriguing murders which infect this small town Americana. The series follows the detective, colleagues, friends, and lovers through a whirlwind of events, good and bad, over the next three novels. I hope you enjoy this peek.
A killer is attacking respectable citizens in picturesque Hubbard, NY, and leaving corpses on their front steps in the middle of the day. Detective Fowler isn’t certain who causes him to lose the most sleep, a certain sexy reporter with bouncing curls and sparkling black eyes, or the elusive psychopath creating panic in his small-town community. Together, the detective and the reporter race to find the monster in their midst and return the town to the desirable place where people come to raise their families in peace and contentment. Can they sort through their differences to find romance even as they search for a determined stalker with murder on his mind? The clock ticks down on a man in a rage with a deadly mission.
Janis Lane is the pen-name for gifted author Emma Lane who writes cozy mysteries as Janis, Regency as Emma, and spice as Sunny Lane.
She lives in Western New York where winter is snowy, spring arrives with rave reviews, summer days are long and velvet, and fall leaves are riotous in color. At long last she enjoys the perfect bow window for her desk where she is treated to a year-round panoramic view of nature. Her computer opens up a fourth fascinating window to the world. Her patient husband is always available to help with a plot twist and encourage Emma to never quit. Her day job is working with flowers at Herbtique and Plant Nursery, the nursery she and her son own.
Look for information about writing and plants on Emma's new website. Leave a comment or a gardening question and put a smile on Emma's face.
Stay connected to Emma on Facebook and Twitter. Be sure to check out the things that make Emma smile on Pinterest.
I love this recipe for its ease of variations on a theme. I think you will, too.
Fast and Easy Fruit Pudding
2½ tbsp. sugar or sweeten to taste
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup milk
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla flavoring
Preheat oven to 400° F.
Place fruit in glass baking dish. Sweeten if preferred.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
Stir together egg, milk, oil, and vanilla in a small bowl. Add to flour mixture. Stir to mix only, do not beat.
Pour mixture over fruit. Bake 30 minutes.
Use your imagination and have fun to vary this Fruit Pudding such as:
Country Peach – add a ½ tsp. nutmeg to liquid mixture.
Spicy Apple – use 1 tsp. cinnamon or premixed apple spice mix.
Hawaiian Delight – combine pineapple, apricot, and banana to make one qt. fruit. Sprinkle lightly with coconut after baking. Top each serving with a maraschino cherry.
My latest Cozy Mystery is a novel that introduces you to Detective Kevin Fowler and the intriguing murders which infect this small town Americana. The series follows the detective, colleagues, friends, and lovers through a whirlwind of events, good and bad, over the next three novels. I hope you enjoy this peek.
Read more of the cozy mysteries by Janis Lane on Amazon
She lives in Western New York where winter is snowy, spring arrives with rave reviews, summer days are long and velvet, and fall leaves are riotous in color. At long last she enjoys the perfect bow window for her desk where she is treated to a year-round panoramic view of nature. Her computer opens up a fourth fascinating window to the world. Her patient husband is always available to help with a plot twist and encourage Emma to never quit. Her day job is working with flowers at Herbtique and Plant Nursery, the nursery she and her son own.
Look for information about writing and plants on Emma's new website. Leave a comment or a gardening question and put a smile on Emma's face.
Stay connected to Emma on Facebook and Twitter. Be sure to check out the things that make Emma smile on Pinterest.
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
A Treat from Down Under
from Vonnie Hughes
Deserts do not have to be difficult to prepare. This one is delicious and simple and that's why it's a favorite of mine.
EASY-PEASY PUDDING
4 eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp. vanilla essence, vanilla extract
½ cup butter
½ cup plain flour
1 cup shredded coconut
Preheat oven to 180c 250° F.
Butter a pie dish. You can also line with baking paper to make sure the pudding comes out intact.
Combine all ingredients into a blender. Mix well.
Pour mixture into prepared dish. Bake about one hour until the center is firm.
Whipped cream and fresh or stewed fruits are wonderful accompaniments.
Now sit back and enjoy your pudding while you scan my latest romantic suspense.
Who can you trust if you can’t trust your own mother? Through the clammy fog, Celie Francis hears the chilling message. “I know who you are, Celie. I know where you live.” And in the terrifying aftermath she reconnects with her dysfunctional family in ways she had never imagined.
BLURB:
Abused and abandoned as a child, Célie Francis knows better than to trust anyone. But after she witnesses a murder, she's placed in the Unit "New Zealand's witness protection program" where she's expected to trust strangers with her life.
It's psychologist Brand Turner's job to ease witnesses into their new identities, not to protect them, but Célie stirs feelings in him that are far from professional. When it appears someone is leaking critical information that could endanger Célie, Brand will do anything to protect her. But first he has to convince her to trust him.
Adrift in a frightening world, Célie would like to believe the handsome psychologist is everything he seems, but as witnesses are murdered and danger swirls around them, Célie must decide "can she trust Brand with her life?
Vonnie Hughes is a multi-published author in both Regency books and contemporary suspense. She loves the intricacies of the social rules of the Regency period and the far-ranging consequences of the Napoleonic Code. And with suspense she has free rein to explore forensic matters and the strong convolutions of the human mind. Like many writers, some days she hates the whole process, but somehow she just cannot let it go.
Vonnie was born in New Zealand, but she and her husband now live happily in Australia. If you visit Hamilton Gardens in New Zealand be sure to stroll through the Japanese Garden. These is a bronze plaque engraved with a haiku describing the peacefulness of that environment. The poem was written by Vonnie.
All of Vonnie’s books are available on The Wild Rose Press and Amazon.
Learn more about Vonnie Hughes on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Goodreads.
Deserts do not have to be difficult to prepare. This one is delicious and simple and that's why it's a favorite of mine.
EASY-PEASY PUDDING
2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp. vanilla essence, vanilla extract
½ cup butter
½ cup plain flour
1 cup shredded coconut
Preheat oven to 180c 250° F.
Butter a pie dish. You can also line with baking paper to make sure the pudding comes out intact.
Combine all ingredients into a blender. Mix well.
Pour mixture into prepared dish. Bake about one hour until the center is firm.
Whipped cream and fresh or stewed fruits are wonderful accompaniments.
Now sit back and enjoy your pudding while you scan my latest romantic suspense.
BLURB:
Abused and abandoned as a child, Célie Francis knows better than to trust anyone. But after she witnesses a murder, she's placed in the Unit "New Zealand's witness protection program" where she's expected to trust strangers with her life.
It's psychologist Brand Turner's job to ease witnesses into their new identities, not to protect them, but Célie stirs feelings in him that are far from professional. When it appears someone is leaking critical information that could endanger Célie, Brand will do anything to protect her. But first he has to convince her to trust him.
Adrift in a frightening world, Célie would like to believe the handsome psychologist is everything he seems, but as witnesses are murdered and danger swirls around them, Célie must decide "can she trust Brand with her life?
BUY LINKS
Vonnie was born in New Zealand, but she and her husband now live happily in Australia. If you visit Hamilton Gardens in New Zealand be sure to stroll through the Japanese Garden. These is a bronze plaque engraved with a haiku describing the peacefulness of that environment. The poem was written by Vonnie.
All of Vonnie’s books are available on The Wild Rose Press and Amazon.
Learn more about Vonnie Hughes on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Goodreads.
Monday, December 17, 2018
Exciting NEW Release from Yasmine Phoenix
If paranormal and urban fantasy are your thing then you are sure to enjoy The Chronicles of the Red Silk Dress. Book Two in the Witches Brew series is a stand alone novel perfect for all the fantasy lovers on your Holiday list. Here's a peek.
When love stalls, who are you going to call? Red a mystical and magical red dress created to help women discover love and recognize their self-worth.
Delphine Richards is the founder and CEO of Plum Events a successful party planning company in Chicago. The holidays are the busiest and Valentine's Day is the last one of the season. Her employees work hard to create spectacular parties and stay out of Delphine's way. She hates this day for lovers.
Kevin Poe, her fiancé, broke up with her a year ago on Valentine's Day. Since then she's dedicated her life to growing her business. Love won't destroy her again.
Kevin Poe loves Delphine but her constant interference in his teaching career drove a wedge between them. When one of Kevin's students needed him, Delphine neglected to tell him. That was the final straw. If Delphine couldn't stop trying to change him, then they shouldn't be together.
Enter Red, a mystical and magical red dress sent to help Delphine rediscover love and realize she can't control everyone and everything - including herself.
Yasmine 'Yas' Phoenix was born and raised in Virginia but calls Chicago home. She loves tennis, professional and amateur and plays in local leagues. Her writing block is the four major Grand Slams, Indian Wells, and other tournaments. No, she can't tape then watch. Yas loves to read, especially murder mysteries. She is a Terry Pratchett, Discworld fan, and scans the news for potential plot ideas. Melding romance and paranormal in her stories is her goal. Yas always asks the question, "What if?" She is a sucker for old black and white movies like Casablanca on one hand, and Deadpool on the other. She believes her family is her greatest gift and support.
Learn more about Yasmine Phoenix on her website. Stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Delphine Richards is the founder and CEO of Plum Events a successful party planning company in Chicago. The holidays are the busiest and Valentine's Day is the last one of the season. Her employees work hard to create spectacular parties and stay out of Delphine's way. She hates this day for lovers.
Kevin Poe, her fiancé, broke up with her a year ago on Valentine's Day. Since then she's dedicated her life to growing her business. Love won't destroy her again.
Kevin Poe loves Delphine but her constant interference in his teaching career drove a wedge between them. When one of Kevin's students needed him, Delphine neglected to tell him. That was the final straw. If Delphine couldn't stop trying to change him, then they shouldn't be together.
Enter Red, a mystical and magical red dress sent to help Delphine rediscover love and realize she can't control everyone and everything - including herself.
Learn more about Yasmine Phoenix on her website. Stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Friday, December 14, 2018
Exciting New Release
from J.F. Posthumus just in time for the necromance lover on your Holiday list!
What would you do if you had the power to destroy the world…
In her younger years, Catherine Woulfe was known as the Lady of Death…but those days are long past. Now, at over 300 years old, she is older, wiser…and painfully dull. Instead of using her necromancy skills for things like killing people and taking over governments, she now works as a private investigator, helping people find their lost treasures.
But when a charismatic stranger walks through her door, searching for one of the most powerful artifacts ever created, she is drawn into a case where she must use all of her old powers—including several forbidden ones—if she is to find the missing amulet. When the last person to see the amulet goes missing, she realizes it’s time for the Lady of Death to summon her minions and go on the warpath.
Angels and demons are searching for the amulet, as is a mysterious dark elf about whom little is known. Everyone is stalking her, waiting for her to find it so they can grab it for their own; meanwhile, her client has awoken feelings long suppressed, which is proving to be…distracting. Can Catherine find the trail of the thief and recover the amulet before the thief uses it to summon a deity that will destroy the Earth? More importantly, if she gets it, will she give it back?
EXCERPT
A knock on the door pulled my attention away from the emails I was sorting through for the day. I lifted my brows in surprise at the visitor standing in my doorway. Dark eyes met mine, and it took every bit of willpower to keep from admiring the way his designer clothing fit his body. He wore the perfectly tailored three-piece suit with the same ease most wore jeans and a t-shirt. His face was elegant and had aristocratic features, which fit his six-foot-three-inch frame perfectly.
Thankfully, unlike most people, I wasn’t intimidated by his height, stature, or handsomeness. Or his reputation.
“The Consigliere,” I said. “To what do I owe this dubious pleasure?”
“Dubious?” The Consigliere’s honey smooth baritone carried across the room. “You wound me, Lady Catherine. I am here on good business.”
“That’s Miss Woulfe to you. Good for whom?” I said through gritted teeth I hoped looked like a smile.
“For all parties concerned, naturally.”
Naturally.
I drew in a breath and let it out slowly as he entered my office, allowing the door to shut with a soft whisper behind him.
The man was handsome and immaculate from his brown hair to his loafered feet.
He could have been a model for Men’s Fitness or a Chippendale’s dancer. There was sensuality in his movements, and he exuded confidence. We moved in similar circles, and his reputation preceded him wherever he went. While I was spoken about in cautious whispers, he was spoken about in awe, if not longing.
And the bleeding sod refused to take his twinkling brown eyes off me.
His gaze made me want to check my snug, professional-looking chignon to make sure no stray, black strands were flying loose. At least I didn’t have to worry about my long-lasting lipstick.
I paused a moment and glanced away as though I were pondering his unspoken request. When I met his eyes again, I replied in a flat, cold tone, “No. Whatever it is you’re trying to sell, you can take elsewhere. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
“You don’t know what my business is; nor do you know who besides you could benefit…yet you dismiss it.” He was still looking at me, smiling, while his words poured from between his yummy lips. “Is my reputation that sullied in the circles in which you walk that you won’t even listen, or is there another reason for your behavior?”
I snorted. “Not hardly, and you know it. There are few reasons you, of all people, would desire my services, and it isn’t for the appraisal of any occult item.”
“Are you as wrong in your appraisals as you are in your presumptions?” Fergus Sterling taunted before continuing, “Your reputation must have been paid for.”
He held out a photograph.
My impulse was to cursorily glance at the picture, but my eyes locked on it once I saw the item captured on the paper. Ancient workmanship surrounded a jeweled eye of blue. The amulet was legend, myth, and history.
“Ilygad Amon,” I said, realizing a moment later I had said the words under my breath instead of speaking properly.
Sterling’s voice was smug. “So, you do know some of what is reputed.”
Ignoring his attempt to rile me, I took the picture and looked closer at it.
“The captured eye of the Christian demon, Amon,” I explained, “transmogrified into a jewel by ancient fae Magick—some claim by traveling gypsy witches, others give credit to followers of Anubis—and locked into a box made of equal parts gold and lead. It’s ancient and used only in the darkest Magick.”
“Would you be willing to help track down this piece, verify its authenticity, and turn it over to parties who wish it to remain unused or, at least, contained from further use?” Sterling asked. I could hear the smile in his voice as he waited to see how I would react.
“How do you know I won’t try to keep it for myself? I am, after all, a practitioner of the Dark Arts, or to be more precise, a necromancer of considerable talents.” I offered him a placating smile. “Or is that why you came to me? You could easily authenticate this piece, unless my parents were incorrect when they said you’ve been alive since the middle ages.”
“How sweet of them to make me younger than I am,” he replied jovially. “I could do the job, but my age and reputation are considered disadvantages to the interested parties. They want someone who has less experience with such powerful objects.”
“Then they obviously aren’t aware of half the items I possess,” I replied. “Who are the ‘interested parties?’ I don’t go into anything blind.”
“You know my reputation, so you know I don’t give out my clients’ identities.” Sterling countered. “They were referred to me by Zeus and Merlyn.”
I wasn’t going to touch that one with a fifty-foot pole. Instead, I rolled my eyes and leaned back in my chair.
“Have a seat, and let us discuss fees.”
Once Sterling was seated in the plush, antique chair opposite my oak desk, I nodded. The Eye of Amon was an artifact I’d only heard about growing up. Finding it and verifying that it was more than myth would certainly add to my resume. The job would have to take precedence over any opinion I had of the arrogant, but delectable, male in my office. “My standard fee for such a task is $250,000, plus expenses.”
“A quarter million?” he retorted. “That’s all?”
It really annoyed me that I couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or incredulous.
“You have a problem with my fee?” My voice was sharp, like a whip’s crack.
“Had I known you charged bargain prices, I would have sought you out sooner, for other clients.” He smiled cattily. “Of course, I’d only do so if you deliver what’s being asked for.”
I knew I was leaning toward him, narrowing my eyes and smiling tightly. I didn’t care, though. “Of course. And, of course, you won’t have a problem signing a contract. Correct?”
“Correct.”
Turning slightly, I opened the drawer to my left and removed one of the contracts I kept there for such occasions. I had two types of contracts: one for mundane, normal people and another for anyone of a Magickal, supernatural, or preternatural persuasion. The latter contract was binding in multiple ways.
It took less than five minutes for me to fill it out, then I slid the papers across the desk to Sterling.
“You know how this works: read, sign, and date. No blood is required for this particular contract.”
Wife and a mother of five, J.F. Posthumus is an IT Tech with over a decade of experience. When she isn’t arguing with computers and their inherent gremlins, or being mom to the four younger monsters (the eldest has flown the nest and is doing quite well on his own), she’s crafting, writing, or doing some other sort of art. An avid gamer, she loves playing Dungeons & Dragons, and a variety of other board games with her family and friends. J.F. is also a hopeless romantic, thanks to all the fairy tales she cut her eyeteeth on. They were what she learned to read before discovering the Boxcar Children Mysteries. From there, J.F. Posthumus fell into the rabbit hole that’s reading, where she discovered a love for mysteries, fantasy, and the occasional romance. Since writing was her favorite subject, J.F. naturally incorporated her love of murder, mysteries, and fantasy into her works.
When J.F. came up with the idea of a body being found at a local building, it was only natural to create a necromancer for the job. From there, Catherine’s story unfolded, complete with monsters, magic, and a little bit of romance…
Learn more about J.F. Posthumus on her website. Stay connected on Facebook and J.F.'s Facebook Author's Page.
In her younger years, Catherine Woulfe was known as the Lady of Death…but those days are long past. Now, at over 300 years old, she is older, wiser…and painfully dull. Instead of using her necromancy skills for things like killing people and taking over governments, she now works as a private investigator, helping people find their lost treasures.
But when a charismatic stranger walks through her door, searching for one of the most powerful artifacts ever created, she is drawn into a case where she must use all of her old powers—including several forbidden ones—if she is to find the missing amulet. When the last person to see the amulet goes missing, she realizes it’s time for the Lady of Death to summon her minions and go on the warpath.
Angels and demons are searching for the amulet, as is a mysterious dark elf about whom little is known. Everyone is stalking her, waiting for her to find it so they can grab it for their own; meanwhile, her client has awoken feelings long suppressed, which is proving to be…distracting. Can Catherine find the trail of the thief and recover the amulet before the thief uses it to summon a deity that will destroy the Earth? More importantly, if she gets it, will she give it back?
EXCERPT
A knock on the door pulled my attention away from the emails I was sorting through for the day. I lifted my brows in surprise at the visitor standing in my doorway. Dark eyes met mine, and it took every bit of willpower to keep from admiring the way his designer clothing fit his body. He wore the perfectly tailored three-piece suit with the same ease most wore jeans and a t-shirt. His face was elegant and had aristocratic features, which fit his six-foot-three-inch frame perfectly.
Thankfully, unlike most people, I wasn’t intimidated by his height, stature, or handsomeness. Or his reputation.
“The Consigliere,” I said. “To what do I owe this dubious pleasure?”
“Dubious?” The Consigliere’s honey smooth baritone carried across the room. “You wound me, Lady Catherine. I am here on good business.”
“That’s Miss Woulfe to you. Good for whom?” I said through gritted teeth I hoped looked like a smile.
“For all parties concerned, naturally.”
Naturally.
I drew in a breath and let it out slowly as he entered my office, allowing the door to shut with a soft whisper behind him.
The man was handsome and immaculate from his brown hair to his loafered feet.
He could have been a model for Men’s Fitness or a Chippendale’s dancer. There was sensuality in his movements, and he exuded confidence. We moved in similar circles, and his reputation preceded him wherever he went. While I was spoken about in cautious whispers, he was spoken about in awe, if not longing.
And the bleeding sod refused to take his twinkling brown eyes off me.
His gaze made me want to check my snug, professional-looking chignon to make sure no stray, black strands were flying loose. At least I didn’t have to worry about my long-lasting lipstick.
I paused a moment and glanced away as though I were pondering his unspoken request. When I met his eyes again, I replied in a flat, cold tone, “No. Whatever it is you’re trying to sell, you can take elsewhere. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
“You don’t know what my business is; nor do you know who besides you could benefit…yet you dismiss it.” He was still looking at me, smiling, while his words poured from between his yummy lips. “Is my reputation that sullied in the circles in which you walk that you won’t even listen, or is there another reason for your behavior?”
I snorted. “Not hardly, and you know it. There are few reasons you, of all people, would desire my services, and it isn’t for the appraisal of any occult item.”
“Are you as wrong in your appraisals as you are in your presumptions?” Fergus Sterling taunted before continuing, “Your reputation must have been paid for.”
He held out a photograph.
My impulse was to cursorily glance at the picture, but my eyes locked on it once I saw the item captured on the paper. Ancient workmanship surrounded a jeweled eye of blue. The amulet was legend, myth, and history.
“Ilygad Amon,” I said, realizing a moment later I had said the words under my breath instead of speaking properly.
Sterling’s voice was smug. “So, you do know some of what is reputed.”
Ignoring his attempt to rile me, I took the picture and looked closer at it.
“The captured eye of the Christian demon, Amon,” I explained, “transmogrified into a jewel by ancient fae Magick—some claim by traveling gypsy witches, others give credit to followers of Anubis—and locked into a box made of equal parts gold and lead. It’s ancient and used only in the darkest Magick.”
“Would you be willing to help track down this piece, verify its authenticity, and turn it over to parties who wish it to remain unused or, at least, contained from further use?” Sterling asked. I could hear the smile in his voice as he waited to see how I would react.
“How do you know I won’t try to keep it for myself? I am, after all, a practitioner of the Dark Arts, or to be more precise, a necromancer of considerable talents.” I offered him a placating smile. “Or is that why you came to me? You could easily authenticate this piece, unless my parents were incorrect when they said you’ve been alive since the middle ages.”
“How sweet of them to make me younger than I am,” he replied jovially. “I could do the job, but my age and reputation are considered disadvantages to the interested parties. They want someone who has less experience with such powerful objects.”
“Then they obviously aren’t aware of half the items I possess,” I replied. “Who are the ‘interested parties?’ I don’t go into anything blind.”
“You know my reputation, so you know I don’t give out my clients’ identities.” Sterling countered. “They were referred to me by Zeus and Merlyn.”
I wasn’t going to touch that one with a fifty-foot pole. Instead, I rolled my eyes and leaned back in my chair.
“Have a seat, and let us discuss fees.”
Once Sterling was seated in the plush, antique chair opposite my oak desk, I nodded. The Eye of Amon was an artifact I’d only heard about growing up. Finding it and verifying that it was more than myth would certainly add to my resume. The job would have to take precedence over any opinion I had of the arrogant, but delectable, male in my office. “My standard fee for such a task is $250,000, plus expenses.”
“A quarter million?” he retorted. “That’s all?”
It really annoyed me that I couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or incredulous.
“You have a problem with my fee?” My voice was sharp, like a whip’s crack.
“Had I known you charged bargain prices, I would have sought you out sooner, for other clients.” He smiled cattily. “Of course, I’d only do so if you deliver what’s being asked for.”
I knew I was leaning toward him, narrowing my eyes and smiling tightly. I didn’t care, though. “Of course. And, of course, you won’t have a problem signing a contract. Correct?”
“Correct.”
Turning slightly, I opened the drawer to my left and removed one of the contracts I kept there for such occasions. I had two types of contracts: one for mundane, normal people and another for anyone of a Magickal, supernatural, or preternatural persuasion. The latter contract was binding in multiple ways.
It took less than five minutes for me to fill it out, then I slid the papers across the desk to Sterling.
“You know how this works: read, sign, and date. No blood is required for this particular contract.”
When J.F. came up with the idea of a body being found at a local building, it was only natural to create a necromancer for the job. From there, Catherine’s story unfolded, complete with monsters, magic, and a little bit of romance…
Learn more about J.F. Posthumus on her website. Stay connected on Facebook and J.F.'s Facebook Author's Page.
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
Chocolate - the Elixir of Life
from Alicia Joseph
This is a favorite holiday cookie for my family. Mom whipped them up and us kids fought to lick the spoons. Now as adults, we try to have a little more decorum as we wait for these delicious chocolate balls to come out of the oven. Although I must admit, I do swipe my index finger in the bowl when no one is looking.
CHOCOLATE BALLS
1 stick butter
1 ½ cup sugar
½ cup cocoa
4 cups flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. cloves
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. vanilla
1 cup coffee at room temperature
Preheat oven to 350° F.
COOKIE DOUGH
Mix butter, sugar, and cocoa together in a medium-sized bowl. Add the other ingredients in a large bowl. Stir well. Blend in the butter mixture.
Form the dough into little balls.
Bake 10 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE. The balls will get hard.
FROSTING
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp. milk
½ tsp. vanilla
Add milk slowly to the sugar to make right consistency. Stir in vanilla. Mix well. If too thin, add more sugar. If too thick, add a few more drops of milk until you get a spreadable consistency.
Grab a few chocolate balls and then pour yourself a glass of milk. Get comfy and enjoy a little from my latest release.
“When a train runs over a penny, the penny changes form, but it can still be a penny if I want it to be. Or, I can make it be something else.”
Lyssa and her best friend Abbey discover a hideout near the train tracks and spend the summer before sixth grade hanging out and finding freedom from issues at home. Their childhood innocence shatters when the hideout becomes the scene of a tragic death.
As they’re about to graduate from high school, Abbey’s family life spirals out of control while Lyssa is feeling guilty for deceiving Abbey about her sexuality. After another tragic loss, Lyssa finds out that a penny on the track is sometimes a huge price to pay for the truth.
I was jerked from my sleep while the phone was still buzzing its first high-piercing ring. I glanced at the clock on the nightstand beside my bed. It read 4:17 a.m. I knew something was wrong.
The second ring was abruptly broken up and my mother’s muffled voice carried into my room. I was already sitting upright in my bed when my bedroom door squeaked open. My mother’s slight figure appeared as a shadow near my door.
“Lyssa? You up?” she asked.
“What’s wrong?” My voice was no louder than a whisper.
I watched my mother slowly make her way into the dark room. I couldn’t make out the expression on her face, but the stiff movement of the outline of her body was hesitant.
She turned on the lamp and sat down beside me. Her face was pale. She let out short, shallow breaths. It seemed difficult for her to look me in the eyes.
“What is it?” I asked. “What’s happened?”
Finally, my mother looked at me with pain in her eyes. “Lyssa . . .” She smoothed her hand gently across my arm. “Abbey’s dead.”
I took in her words without an ounce of denial. The reality of what my mother had told me was instant.
My best friend was dead.
Alicia Joseph grew up in Westchester, Illinois. Her first novella, Her Name, was published by Musa Publishing in 2014. Her Name is a sweet, romantic story about a woman who believes the beautiful woman she dreams about is the real love of her life.
Loving Again is her second published novella. Alicia is currently working on a new novel called A Penny on the Tracks, a coming of age story about love and friendship. Alicia has many works-in-progress that she hopes to finish soon.
When she is not writing, Alicia enjoys volunteering with animals, rooting for her favorite sports teams, and playing “awesome aunt” to her nine nieces and nephews.
Learn more about Alicia Joseph on her blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter.
This is a favorite holiday cookie for my family. Mom whipped them up and us kids fought to lick the spoons. Now as adults, we try to have a little more decorum as we wait for these delicious chocolate balls to come out of the oven. Although I must admit, I do swipe my index finger in the bowl when no one is looking.
CHOCOLATE BALLS
1 ½ cup sugar
½ cup cocoa
4 cups flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. cloves
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. vanilla
1 cup coffee at room temperature
Preheat oven to 350° F.
COOKIE DOUGH
Mix butter, sugar, and cocoa together in a medium-sized bowl. Add the other ingredients in a large bowl. Stir well. Blend in the butter mixture.
Form the dough into little balls.
Bake 10 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE. The balls will get hard.
FROSTING
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp. milk
½ tsp. vanilla
Add milk slowly to the sugar to make right consistency. Stir in vanilla. Mix well. If too thin, add more sugar. If too thick, add a few more drops of milk until you get a spreadable consistency.
Grab a few chocolate balls and then pour yourself a glass of milk. Get comfy and enjoy a little from my latest release.
“When a train runs over a penny, the penny changes form, but it can still be a penny if I want it to be. Or, I can make it be something else.”Lyssa and her best friend Abbey discover a hideout near the train tracks and spend the summer before sixth grade hanging out and finding freedom from issues at home. Their childhood innocence shatters when the hideout becomes the scene of a tragic death.
As they’re about to graduate from high school, Abbey’s family life spirals out of control while Lyssa is feeling guilty for deceiving Abbey about her sexuality. After another tragic loss, Lyssa finds out that a penny on the track is sometimes a huge price to pay for the truth.
Prologue
1993
I was jerked from my sleep while the phone was still buzzing its first high-piercing ring. I glanced at the clock on the nightstand beside my bed. It read 4:17 a.m. I knew something was wrong.
The second ring was abruptly broken up and my mother’s muffled voice carried into my room. I was already sitting upright in my bed when my bedroom door squeaked open. My mother’s slight figure appeared as a shadow near my door.
“Lyssa? You up?” she asked.
“What’s wrong?” My voice was no louder than a whisper.
I watched my mother slowly make her way into the dark room. I couldn’t make out the expression on her face, but the stiff movement of the outline of her body was hesitant.
She turned on the lamp and sat down beside me. Her face was pale. She let out short, shallow breaths. It seemed difficult for her to look me in the eyes.
“What is it?” I asked. “What’s happened?”
Finally, my mother looked at me with pain in her eyes. “Lyssa . . .” She smoothed her hand gently across my arm. “Abbey’s dead.”
I took in her words without an ounce of denial. The reality of what my mother had told me was instant.
My best friend was dead.
AMAZON BUY LINKS
Loving Again is her second published novella. Alicia is currently working on a new novel called A Penny on the Tracks, a coming of age story about love and friendship. Alicia has many works-in-progress that she hopes to finish soon.
When she is not writing, Alicia enjoys volunteering with animals, rooting for her favorite sports teams, and playing “awesome aunt” to her nine nieces and nephews.
Learn more about Alicia Joseph on her blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter.
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Nostalgic Christmas Treats
from Sharon Ledwith
Here’s a new twist on an old favorite that will leave you longing for those good old days when family holiday get-togethers were spent hanging with your cousins, and playing with your new toys at your grandparents’ house. Not only perfect for the dessert table, these holiday-inspired muffins also make wonderful gifts. Fill a festive tin from the dollar store to create the perfect present for teachers, baby-sitters, hair-stylists, and neighbors.
Christmas Pudding Muffins
1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
⅔ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
½ cup milk
1¼ cups mincemeat
6 glace cherries, halved
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Insert cupcake liners into a 12-cup muffin pan.
Whisk flour with sugar and baking powder in a large bowl.
Whisk eggs with butter and milk in another bowl, then stir into flour mixture.
Stir in mincemeat.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin. Bake until a skewer inserted in a muffin comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.
Cool completely in pan.
Glaze
1 cup icing sugar, powdered sugar
2 tbsp. milk
Glace cherries
Whisk icing sugar with milk. Brush muffins with glaze and top with glace cherries.
While you’re waiting for your muffins to cool, take a seat in your favorite cozy chair and crack open one of my books. May I suggest a visit to Fairy Falls? I guarantee this book will take you on a journey far away from the busyness of the holiday season.
Fairy Falls was bores-ville from the get-go. Then the animals started talking...
The Fairy Falls Animal Shelter is in trouble. Money trouble. It’s up to an old calico cat named Whiskey—a shelter cat who has mastered the skill of observation—to find a new human pack leader so that their home will be saved. With the help of Nobel, the leader of the shelter dogs, the animals set out to use the ancient skill of telepathy to contact any human who bothers to listen to them. Unfortunately for fifteen-year-old Meagan Walsh, she hears them, loud and clear.
Forced to live with her Aunt Izzy in the safe and quiet town of Fairy Falls, Meagan is caught stealing and is sentenced to do community hours at the animal shelter where her aunt works. Realizing Meagan can hear her, Whiskey realizes that Meagan just might have the pack leader qualities necessary to save the animals. Avoiding Whiskey and the rest of shelter animals becomes impossible for Meagan, so she finally gives in and promises to help them. Meagan, along with her newfound friends, Reid Robertson and Natalie Knight, discover that someone in Fairy Falls is not only out to destroy the shelter, but the animals as well. Can Meagan convince her aunt and co-workers that the animals are in danger? If she fails, then all the animals’ voices will be silenced forever.
Sharon Ledwith is the author of the middle-grade/YA time travel series, THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS, and the teen psychic mystery series, MYSTERIOUS TALES FROM FAIRY FALLS. When not writing, researching, or revising, she enjoys reading, exercising, anything arcane, and an occasional dram of scotch. Sharon lives a serene, yet busy life in a southern tourist region of Ontario, Canada, with her hubby, one spoiled yellow Labrador and a moody calico cat.
Learn more about Sharon Ledwith on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter, Google+, Goodreads, and Smashwords. Look up her Amazon Author page for a list of current books. Be sure to check out THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS TIME TRAVEL SERIES Facebook page.
Here’s a new twist on an old favorite that will leave you longing for those good old days when family holiday get-togethers were spent hanging with your cousins, and playing with your new toys at your grandparents’ house. Not only perfect for the dessert table, these holiday-inspired muffins also make wonderful gifts. Fill a festive tin from the dollar store to create the perfect present for teachers, baby-sitters, hair-stylists, and neighbors.
Christmas Pudding Muffins
⅔ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
½ cup milk
1¼ cups mincemeat
6 glace cherries, halved
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Insert cupcake liners into a 12-cup muffin pan.
Whisk flour with sugar and baking powder in a large bowl.
Whisk eggs with butter and milk in another bowl, then stir into flour mixture.
Stir in mincemeat.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin. Bake until a skewer inserted in a muffin comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.
Cool completely in pan.
Glaze
1 cup icing sugar, powdered sugar
2 tbsp. milk
Glace cherries
Whisk icing sugar with milk. Brush muffins with glaze and top with glace cherries.
While you’re waiting for your muffins to cool, take a seat in your favorite cozy chair and crack open one of my books. May I suggest a visit to Fairy Falls? I guarantee this book will take you on a journey far away from the busyness of the holiday season.
The Fairy Falls Animal Shelter is in trouble. Money trouble. It’s up to an old calico cat named Whiskey—a shelter cat who has mastered the skill of observation—to find a new human pack leader so that their home will be saved. With the help of Nobel, the leader of the shelter dogs, the animals set out to use the ancient skill of telepathy to contact any human who bothers to listen to them. Unfortunately for fifteen-year-old Meagan Walsh, she hears them, loud and clear.
Forced to live with her Aunt Izzy in the safe and quiet town of Fairy Falls, Meagan is caught stealing and is sentenced to do community hours at the animal shelter where her aunt works. Realizing Meagan can hear her, Whiskey realizes that Meagan just might have the pack leader qualities necessary to save the animals. Avoiding Whiskey and the rest of shelter animals becomes impossible for Meagan, so she finally gives in and promises to help them. Meagan, along with her newfound friends, Reid Robertson and Natalie Knight, discover that someone in Fairy Falls is not only out to destroy the shelter, but the animals as well. Can Meagan convince her aunt and co-workers that the animals are in danger? If she fails, then all the animals’ voices will be silenced forever.
BUY LINKS
Sharon Ledwith is the author of the middle-grade/YA time travel series, THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS, and the teen psychic mystery series, MYSTERIOUS TALES FROM FAIRY FALLS. When not writing, researching, or revising, she enjoys reading, exercising, anything arcane, and an occasional dram of scotch. Sharon lives a serene, yet busy life in a southern tourist region of Ontario, Canada, with her hubby, one spoiled yellow Labrador and a moody calico cat.
Learn more about Sharon Ledwith on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter, Google+, Goodreads, and Smashwords. Look up her Amazon Author page for a list of current books. Be sure to check out THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS TIME TRAVEL SERIES Facebook page.
Monday, December 10, 2018
Sparking a Writer’s Creativity
by Leigh Goff
If I struggle with writing a descriptive scene, I know it’s time to step outside my present environment (the sofa, a hot cup of coffee, and a fluffy dog at my feet) and explore the world around me—really explore it. There’s something about traveling and sightseeing that stimulates my senses and creativity and it might be just what other writers need, too.
When I was little, I loved traveling to visit my grandparents every summer. I remember counting down the days and planning what to pack in my blue and red-striped suitcase. I remember the excitement of my first airplane ride and my first trip to Disney World. Disney was like nothing else I’d ever experienced. It went something like this—the Florida sun blazed hot against my skin while the magical kingdom around me smelled of caramel apples and mouth-watering vanilla waffles. And, oh, the stomach-whirling water rides and fantasy-filled adventures that swept me away while I was there. When I arrived home after that first visit, I wrote all about it in my diary, every scrumptious detail. I didn’t want to forget where I’d been and what it felt like to be there because if I didn’t go back ever again, I would be able to revisit that dream-like place in my diary.
I’m an adult now, however, I still need to explore different worlds in order to get my writer’s creativity flowing. Whether my travels include walking in the woods, trekking through London, or taking a ghost tour of the historic buildings and cemeteries in my hometown, every trip is filled with descriptive possibilities. I don’t know if a future main character will end up lost in a city café ordering escargots and later singing along to a street musician’s rendition of ‘Chevaliers de la Table Ronde,’ but I’ll be able to describe it with accuracy because I’ve done it.
One memorable sightseeing trip was to Paris, which included a stop at the Louvre. Breathtaking. I’m talking about the artworks—every single one I saw, including Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. The masterpiece was smaller than I’d imagined, but she was a rock star. Crowds lined up outside the salon for a glimpse of her. Finally, it was my turn. She was beautiful, mysterious, wise, and timeless.
As I stood there before her, I thought about the Da Vinci Code written by Dan Brown. I found myself recalling his vivid descriptions of the museum including its parquet floors, vaulted archways, glass pyramid, and the paintings’ gilded frames. Being there in person was amazing, but if I hadn’t had that experience, Dan Brown’s descriptions of the Louvre and a few of its precious contents were the next best thing to being there.
Writers create or recreate worlds with words and traveling experiences can be the spark for those words. As author Larry Brooks once said, “Writers experience the world…in a unique way. We look for meaning. We see it when we are not paying attention…We are scribes to the ticking of the days, and we have a job to do.” We just need to get out there and experience it for ourselves.
Here is a little from my latest novel for your reading pleasure.
Sixteen-year-old Hannah Fitzgerald has always known she is descended from a royal legacy of dark magic. Although a stranger to her coven in Annapolis, she is no stranger to grief and denial. However, when an ancient prophecy reveals the rise of a young, powerful witch and the impending death of another, she realizes she can no longer afford to suppress the magic that has taken away so much. She seeks out the frighteningly scarred, yet mysterious W who is destined to change her life, but even he cannot prepare her for the danger that lies ahead.
Engaged in a deadly game and not knowing whom her true rival is, Hannah isn't certain she will survive, and if she loses, she may lose everything, including the ones she loves.
EXCERPT
The imposing entrance segued into the main part of the old family chapel. Shadows flickered across the white walls as candlelight streamed down from an ornate iron chandelier cradling clear-colored hurricanes. Angelic sculptures hung between the arched windows and beneath the cloud-painted ceiling that Michelangelo himself would have envied, four wooden pews graced each side of the aisle.
I tiptoed farther in and spotted another black-lined white envelope on the altar. I was definitely in the right place.
My fingers trembled as I traced the letters that formed my name. This was way beyond ordinary, but why and—more importantly—who?
“W?”
A hint of the Shadow’s amber and woods scent mixed with the faint candle smoke of the chapel. “No. Way.” I spun around ready to stomp right out of there.
In that moment, a heavy gaze fell on me and the air felt charged with electricity. I searched right and left, seeing no one. “W? Whoever you are, show yourself.”
“This will be the hardest thing you’ve ever done.” His potent voice reverberated off the walls and seemed to come from everywhere, including the inside of my head.
I locked my wandering gaze on the loft above the entrance where I spotted his silhouette. “Was leaving me in a burning wreck the hardest thing you ever had to do? Was it?” I raised my volume. “Who are you? Why did you leave me for dead?”
His intake of breath was audible. “I would never. I mean. I didn’t want to do that. I don’t.”
“Oh, lucky me.” I stuck my hands on my hips and tapped an impatient foot on the floor. “If you don’t want to finish me off, then you lured me here to do what, exactly?”
“To help you. I want to help you.”
“Ha!” The sarcastic laugh burst out before I could stop it. “You’ve done a bang up job inspiring my confidence and trust in that department.”
He simmered in silence for a moment. “What do I have to do to inspire you to follow my directions?”
Following someone else’s directions was definitely not my strength. I grimaced, but curiosity got the better of me. “What do you want?”
“You read the note.”
His desire to remain in the shadows was increasingly irritating. “I consider myself a very smart girl, so when a guy who left me in a burning car tells me he wants to help me take on a different deadly problem, I have to wonder if he’s not setting me up to fend for myself again. What’s your motive?”
I dropped my eyes to the envelope, turning it to and fro.
“Emme Blackstone is a mutual enemy and means us both harm.” A tinge of anger laced his tone.
The anger, I understood. After all, we were talking about Emme, but there was also a hint of sadness that intrigued me further. “Why do you think Emme means you harm?”
“It’s inevitable—because of what I am.”
What was he besides completely contemptible?
“It’s in her blood and I believe it’s in her destiny to wreak havoc, especially against someone who can challenge her in talent like you can.”
I dropped my hands to my sides, still clasping the enveloping. “Whoa. Like me? You don’t know me. You don’t know anything about me. How could you? I’ve been gone for the last year.”
A chortle caught in his throat. “What’s a year when you come from a bloodline with hundreds of years of history? A history that’s written down and available to certain people with the right—pedigree.”
Confused, I creased my brow as I continued to stare at his silhouette. “Have you been cyber-stalking me on Ancestry.com or something?”
“Hardly.” There was disdain in his voice as if he considered cyber-stalking to be worse than leaving a girl to die.
“Look, whatever you think you know about my family, I’m not like them. I’m not talented, and I don’t want to challenge Emme. I just want to live a normal life. Normal.” My voice escalated. “Do you hear me all the way up there?”
He huffed. “Normal? You don’t get to pretend to be normal when you’re not. It doesn’t work like that. Not in Annapolis. Someone always knows. Someone always unravels your secrets.”
I thought of the Witch’s Grave. I pictured the women’s slender figures dangling from sturdy, gnarled branches. Their tragic endings proved what I already knew. Magic only brought suffering and death. “You make it sound like I don’t have a choice. I’m telling you I do, and I won’t be a part of this.” I stomped my foot hard on the floor.
He shifted from the shadows into a dim ray of light, seething. “You read the note and you know Emme won’t stop. You need my help.”
I glared, trying desperately to make out the details of his face. “I don’t need anything from you.”
“You don’t have to like it, but that doesn’t change the fact that you are a part of this. You know you are or you wouldn’t have come here. However, if that’s how you feel then you should leave.” The cold in his voice crystallized.
My pulse escalated. “Yup. That’s how I feel. And I’m only leaving because that’s what I want to do, not because you suggested it. Bye.” I marched to the door and wrapped my hand around the knob. I yanked it open. From the moment I’d first laid eyes on him, he’d been nothing but trouble. Horrible, awful trouble. However, as much as I hated to think it, he knew about me and the other witches in town. He was full of answers—answers I needed. I shut the door and turned back around. “How do you know all this about Emme and me?”
Leigh Goff loves writing young adult fiction with elements of magic and romance because it's also what she liked to read. Born and raised on the East Coast, she now lives in Maryland where she enjoys the area's great history and culture.
Leigh is a graduate of the University of Maryland, University College and a member of the Maryland Writers' Association and Romance Writers of America. She is also an approved artist with the Maryland State Arts Council. Her debut novel, Disenchanted, was inspired by the Wethersfield witches of Connecticut and was released by Mirror World Publishing. Leigh is currently working on her next novel, The Witch's Ring which is set in Annapolis.
Learn more about Leigh Goff on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Goodreads.
If I struggle with writing a descriptive scene, I know it’s time to step outside my present environment (the sofa, a hot cup of coffee, and a fluffy dog at my feet) and explore the world around me—really explore it. There’s something about traveling and sightseeing that stimulates my senses and creativity and it might be just what other writers need, too.
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| Photo courtesy of Cody Board Unsplash |
I’m an adult now, however, I still need to explore different worlds in order to get my writer’s creativity flowing. Whether my travels include walking in the woods, trekking through London, or taking a ghost tour of the historic buildings and cemeteries in my hometown, every trip is filled with descriptive possibilities. I don’t know if a future main character will end up lost in a city café ordering escargots and later singing along to a street musician’s rendition of ‘Chevaliers de la Table Ronde,’ but I’ll be able to describe it with accuracy because I’ve done it.
As I stood there before her, I thought about the Da Vinci Code written by Dan Brown. I found myself recalling his vivid descriptions of the museum including its parquet floors, vaulted archways, glass pyramid, and the paintings’ gilded frames. Being there in person was amazing, but if I hadn’t had that experience, Dan Brown’s descriptions of the Louvre and a few of its precious contents were the next best thing to being there.
Writers create or recreate worlds with words and traveling experiences can be the spark for those words. As author Larry Brooks once said, “Writers experience the world…in a unique way. We look for meaning. We see it when we are not paying attention…We are scribes to the ticking of the days, and we have a job to do.” We just need to get out there and experience it for ourselves.
Here is a little from my latest novel for your reading pleasure.
Engaged in a deadly game and not knowing whom her true rival is, Hannah isn't certain she will survive, and if she loses, she may lose everything, including the ones she loves.
EXCERPT
The imposing entrance segued into the main part of the old family chapel. Shadows flickered across the white walls as candlelight streamed down from an ornate iron chandelier cradling clear-colored hurricanes. Angelic sculptures hung between the arched windows and beneath the cloud-painted ceiling that Michelangelo himself would have envied, four wooden pews graced each side of the aisle.
I tiptoed farther in and spotted another black-lined white envelope on the altar. I was definitely in the right place.
My fingers trembled as I traced the letters that formed my name. This was way beyond ordinary, but why and—more importantly—who?
“W?”
A hint of the Shadow’s amber and woods scent mixed with the faint candle smoke of the chapel. “No. Way.” I spun around ready to stomp right out of there.
In that moment, a heavy gaze fell on me and the air felt charged with electricity. I searched right and left, seeing no one. “W? Whoever you are, show yourself.”
“This will be the hardest thing you’ve ever done.” His potent voice reverberated off the walls and seemed to come from everywhere, including the inside of my head.
I locked my wandering gaze on the loft above the entrance where I spotted his silhouette. “Was leaving me in a burning wreck the hardest thing you ever had to do? Was it?” I raised my volume. “Who are you? Why did you leave me for dead?”
His intake of breath was audible. “I would never. I mean. I didn’t want to do that. I don’t.”
“Oh, lucky me.” I stuck my hands on my hips and tapped an impatient foot on the floor. “If you don’t want to finish me off, then you lured me here to do what, exactly?”
“To help you. I want to help you.”
“Ha!” The sarcastic laugh burst out before I could stop it. “You’ve done a bang up job inspiring my confidence and trust in that department.”
He simmered in silence for a moment. “What do I have to do to inspire you to follow my directions?”
Following someone else’s directions was definitely not my strength. I grimaced, but curiosity got the better of me. “What do you want?”
“You read the note.”
His desire to remain in the shadows was increasingly irritating. “I consider myself a very smart girl, so when a guy who left me in a burning car tells me he wants to help me take on a different deadly problem, I have to wonder if he’s not setting me up to fend for myself again. What’s your motive?”
I dropped my eyes to the envelope, turning it to and fro.
“Emme Blackstone is a mutual enemy and means us both harm.” A tinge of anger laced his tone.
The anger, I understood. After all, we were talking about Emme, but there was also a hint of sadness that intrigued me further. “Why do you think Emme means you harm?”
“It’s inevitable—because of what I am.”
What was he besides completely contemptible?
“It’s in her blood and I believe it’s in her destiny to wreak havoc, especially against someone who can challenge her in talent like you can.”
I dropped my hands to my sides, still clasping the enveloping. “Whoa. Like me? You don’t know me. You don’t know anything about me. How could you? I’ve been gone for the last year.”
A chortle caught in his throat. “What’s a year when you come from a bloodline with hundreds of years of history? A history that’s written down and available to certain people with the right—pedigree.”
Confused, I creased my brow as I continued to stare at his silhouette. “Have you been cyber-stalking me on Ancestry.com or something?”
“Hardly.” There was disdain in his voice as if he considered cyber-stalking to be worse than leaving a girl to die.
“Look, whatever you think you know about my family, I’m not like them. I’m not talented, and I don’t want to challenge Emme. I just want to live a normal life. Normal.” My voice escalated. “Do you hear me all the way up there?”
He huffed. “Normal? You don’t get to pretend to be normal when you’re not. It doesn’t work like that. Not in Annapolis. Someone always knows. Someone always unravels your secrets.”
I thought of the Witch’s Grave. I pictured the women’s slender figures dangling from sturdy, gnarled branches. Their tragic endings proved what I already knew. Magic only brought suffering and death. “You make it sound like I don’t have a choice. I’m telling you I do, and I won’t be a part of this.” I stomped my foot hard on the floor.
He shifted from the shadows into a dim ray of light, seething. “You read the note and you know Emme won’t stop. You need my help.”
I glared, trying desperately to make out the details of his face. “I don’t need anything from you.”
“You don’t have to like it, but that doesn’t change the fact that you are a part of this. You know you are or you wouldn’t have come here. However, if that’s how you feel then you should leave.” The cold in his voice crystallized.
My pulse escalated. “Yup. That’s how I feel. And I’m only leaving because that’s what I want to do, not because you suggested it. Bye.” I marched to the door and wrapped my hand around the knob. I yanked it open. From the moment I’d first laid eyes on him, he’d been nothing but trouble. Horrible, awful trouble. However, as much as I hated to think it, he knew about me and the other witches in town. He was full of answers—answers I needed. I shut the door and turned back around. “How do you know all this about Emme and me?”
AMAZON BUY LINKS
Leigh Goff loves writing young adult fiction with elements of magic and romance because it's also what she liked to read. Born and raised on the East Coast, she now lives in Maryland where she enjoys the area's great history and culture.
Leigh is a graduate of the University of Maryland, University College and a member of the Maryland Writers' Association and Romance Writers of America. She is also an approved artist with the Maryland State Arts Council. Her debut novel, Disenchanted, was inspired by the Wethersfield witches of Connecticut and was released by Mirror World Publishing. Leigh is currently working on her next novel, The Witch's Ring which is set in Annapolis.
Learn more about Leigh Goff on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Goodreads.
Thursday, December 06, 2018
MANGOES IN SOUP!
Absolutely! Carrie Gable from Unforgettable You is here to share her easy and tasty soup recipe. Surprisingly, this delicious soup works any time of the year.
CARRIE'S EASY MANGO SOUP
2 mangos, peeled and pitted
2 cups orange juice
12 oz low or non-fat plain yogurt
2 limes, juiced, plus more as needed
Dice mango.
Use a blender to puree mango, orange juice, yogurt, and lime juice until smooth. Add more lime juice to taste.
Pour into a bowl. Chill for at least 2 hours.
Serve cold and perhaps garnished with a sprig of mint.
Enjoy!
Carrie Gable
Here's a brief introduction to Carrie's story.
Widow Carrie Gable is desperate to care for her ailing mother-in-law at home but the mounting medical bills are becoming more than she can handle. A request to board a handful of Hollywood’s most elite actors at the manor comes just in time to save her from bankruptcy. If she can survive a few months with demanding houseguests, she won’t have to worry about bills and can focus on caring for Doreen.
Will Walker has agreed to a project he has no interest in but has been reassured will save his fading career. The script is lackluster and his costar is impossible, but being around the down-to-earth innkeeper and her mother-in-law make the filming bearable. The more time he spends with Carrie, the more he longs for a simpler life, but his ties to LA aren’t ready to let him go.
With stardom pulling Will in one direction and the need to care for Doreen tugging Carrie in another, will their love be strong enough to survive their real lives?
Amazon Buy Link
As a teen, Marci Boudreaux skipped over young adult books and jumped right into the world of romance novels. She's never left. Marci lives with her husband, two kiddos, and their numerous pets. She is a freelance writer appearing monthly in a variety of local magazines as well as a contest editor. She now focuses on writing and her work as a content editor.
Romance is her preferred reading and writing genre because nothing feels better than falling in love with someone new and her husband doesn't like when she does that in real life.
Learn more about Marci Boudreaux on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter.
CARRIE'S EASY MANGO SOUP
2 cups orange juice
12 oz low or non-fat plain yogurt
2 limes, juiced, plus more as needed
Dice mango.
Use a blender to puree mango, orange juice, yogurt, and lime juice until smooth. Add more lime juice to taste.
Pour into a bowl. Chill for at least 2 hours.
Serve cold and perhaps garnished with a sprig of mint.
Enjoy!
Carrie Gable
Here's a brief introduction to Carrie's story.
Will Walker has agreed to a project he has no interest in but has been reassured will save his fading career. The script is lackluster and his costar is impossible, but being around the down-to-earth innkeeper and her mother-in-law make the filming bearable. The more time he spends with Carrie, the more he longs for a simpler life, but his ties to LA aren’t ready to let him go.
With stardom pulling Will in one direction and the need to care for Doreen tugging Carrie in another, will their love be strong enough to survive their real lives?
Amazon Buy Link
Romance is her preferred reading and writing genre because nothing feels better than falling in love with someone new and her husband doesn't like when she does that in real life.
Learn more about Marci Boudreaux on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter.
Wednesday, December 05, 2018
An Appetizer for All Seasons
Our longtime friend, Janine Sullivan, bakes a fabulous onion dip that we coerce her to bring for every gathering, no matter the event or time of year. Thankfully, it's super easy to make so Janine is happy to satisfy our craving.
JANINE'S BAKED ONION DIP
2 – 8 oz. blocks cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
5 oz. parmesan cheese, grated
1 med. onion, chopped fine
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Spray ovenproof dish with Pam.
Mix all ingredients together well.
Bake 1 hour.
Serve warm with corn scoops, corn chips, pita chips, bagel chips or whatever excites your taste buds.
May you enjoy all the days of your life filled with laughter and seated around a well laden table!
Sloane
JANINE'S BAKED ONION DIP
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| Photo Courtesy Jennie Brown Unsplash |
1 cup mayonnaise
5 oz. parmesan cheese, grated
1 med. onion, chopped fine
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Spray ovenproof dish with Pam.
Mix all ingredients together well.
Bake 1 hour.
Serve warm with corn scoops, corn chips, pita chips, bagel chips or whatever excites your taste buds.
May you enjoy all the days of your life filled with laughter and seated around a well laden table!
Sloane
Tuesday, December 04, 2018
TASTY MEMORIES
from Nancy Kay
Nothing says Holiday to me more than my mom's famous cake. Every year she filled our home with the beautiful aroma of baking. Great restraint was displayed while we waited for the cake to come out of the oven. Time never moved so slow. This year I'd like to share a little of our family tradition with you.
MOM’S ORANGE CAKE
1 orange
1 cup raisins
⅓ cup walnuts, chopped well
2 cups four
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
½ cup shortening (Crisco)
¾ plus ¼ cup whole milk
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Grease a rectangular cake pan (aprox. 11 x 15 inches).
Peel orange, but save the skin. Juice orange in a small bowl. Seed and quarter the orange.
Combine orange, skin, raisins, walnuts in a blender or food processor. Blend only enough to break up the skin.
Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Blend in shortening and ¾ cup milk. Add eggs and remaining milk. Mix well.
Fold in the orange raisin mixture.
Spread mixture evenly into prepared pan.
Bake 40-50 minutes.
Remove cake from oven and while still hot drizzle with reserved orange juice.
FROSTING
⅓ cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ cup walnuts, chopped
Mix three ingredients together. Sprinkle mixture over the warm cake.
You know every cook should taste their masterpiece before they serve it. Therefore, pour your favorite beverage and then slice off a piece of cake. Sit back and enjoy while you take a peek at my romantic holiday story.
Federal Wildlife Officer Michael Donovan faces a dilemma. Christmas is days away, a blizzard looms, and Mike must either track an injured moose or deliver bad news to Samantha Gates about her grandfather.
Samantha is determined to reach her grandparent's cabin for Christmas. She'll soon be off to veterinary school and this holiday is special. Hampered by driving snow, Sam ditches her SUV avoiding an injured moose. Mike discovers her aiding the wounded animal, and they get the ungainly patient to shelter, but as Sam doctors the moose the blizzard traps them.
As the storm rages outside, alone inside attraction sizzles between Sam and Mike. Outside danger escalates. Sam insists all will be fine by Christmas. Mike isn't so sure. Will the storm end and bring a Christmas miracle? Or will Mike's news ruin the holiday and their chance for a future together?
Nancy Kay resides near Lake Erie in Western Pennsylvania with her husband, a former member of the Marines and the Pennsylvania State Police Department who provides valuable insight for her stories. Nancy is a long time member of Romance Writers of America. Her stories are set in small towns and inland communities scattered along the shores of the Great Lakes. They focus on romance, intertwined with the love of hearth, home, and family. Yet, they are sprinkled with suspense, danger, and intrigue. Learn more about Nancy on her website and blog.
Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter.
Nothing says Holiday to me more than my mom's famous cake. Every year she filled our home with the beautiful aroma of baking. Great restraint was displayed while we waited for the cake to come out of the oven. Time never moved so slow. This year I'd like to share a little of our family tradition with you.
MOM’S ORANGE CAKE
1 cup raisins
⅓ cup walnuts, chopped well
2 cups four
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
½ cup shortening (Crisco)
¾ plus ¼ cup whole milk
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Grease a rectangular cake pan (aprox. 11 x 15 inches).
Peel orange, but save the skin. Juice orange in a small bowl. Seed and quarter the orange.
Combine orange, skin, raisins, walnuts in a blender or food processor. Blend only enough to break up the skin.
Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Blend in shortening and ¾ cup milk. Add eggs and remaining milk. Mix well.
Fold in the orange raisin mixture.
Spread mixture evenly into prepared pan.
Bake 40-50 minutes.
Remove cake from oven and while still hot drizzle with reserved orange juice.
FROSTING
⅓ cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ cup walnuts, chopped
Mix three ingredients together. Sprinkle mixture over the warm cake.
You know every cook should taste their masterpiece before they serve it. Therefore, pour your favorite beverage and then slice off a piece of cake. Sit back and enjoy while you take a peek at my romantic holiday story.
Samantha is determined to reach her grandparent's cabin for Christmas. She'll soon be off to veterinary school and this holiday is special. Hampered by driving snow, Sam ditches her SUV avoiding an injured moose. Mike discovers her aiding the wounded animal, and they get the ungainly patient to shelter, but as Sam doctors the moose the blizzard traps them.
As the storm rages outside, alone inside attraction sizzles between Sam and Mike. Outside danger escalates. Sam insists all will be fine by Christmas. Mike isn't so sure. Will the storm end and bring a Christmas miracle? Or will Mike's news ruin the holiday and their chance for a future together?
BUY LINKS
Nancy Kay resides near Lake Erie in Western Pennsylvania with her husband, a former member of the Marines and the Pennsylvania State Police Department who provides valuable insight for her stories. Nancy is a long time member of Romance Writers of America. Her stories are set in small towns and inland communities scattered along the shores of the Great Lakes. They focus on romance, intertwined with the love of hearth, home, and family. Yet, they are sprinkled with suspense, danger, and intrigue. Learn more about Nancy on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter.
Monday, December 03, 2018
EXCITING NEW READ from TINA GRIFFITH
The Elusive Mr. Velucci is a passionate love story that will have you rooting for the hero an heroine to succeed while they fight against all odds. In paperback or e-book, this is the ideal holiday gift for those on your list that truly love a good romance.
Sadie was twenty-one years old when she met the very handsome and charming Enrico Velucci. Even though they were both aware that he would only be in New York for a few months, they ended up falling deeply in love. When it was time for him to board the enormous ship back to Italy, they were sobbing while uttering their final goodbyes. We'll keep in touch every single day! they agreed as one heartbreaking voice. The passionate promise lingered in the air like a delicate mist while the large vessel sailed away from American soil.
Since that fateful day, life had become tattered with many surprises and unexpected complications. Sadly, it was enough to keep the young couple separated for much longer than they had hoped. And after not speaking for a little more than twenty years, Enrico was shocked to find himself standing face-to-face with Sadie Adams the mother of the girl who his son wanted to marry.
How could Sadie tell Enrico that he is the father of her daughter? Because she still loved him, she knew she had to, and it needed to be done as soon as possible.
Tina Griffith, who also wrote twenty-seven children's books as Tina Ruiz, was born in Germany, but her family moved to Canada when she was in grammar school.
After her husband of 25 years passed away, she wrote romance novels to keep the love inside her heart. Tina now has eleven romance novels on Amazon, and while all of them have undertones of a love story, they are different genres; murder, mystery, whimsical, witches, ghosts, suspense, adventure, and her sister's scary biography.
Tina has worked in television and radio as well as being a professional clown at the Children's Hospital. She lives in Calgary with her second husband who encourages her to write her passion be it high-quality children's books or intriguing romance.
Stay connected with Tina (Griffith) Ruiz on her Facebook group Tina Speaks Out.
Since that fateful day, life had become tattered with many surprises and unexpected complications. Sadly, it was enough to keep the young couple separated for much longer than they had hoped. And after not speaking for a little more than twenty years, Enrico was shocked to find himself standing face-to-face with Sadie Adams the mother of the girl who his son wanted to marry.
How could Sadie tell Enrico that he is the father of her daughter? Because she still loved him, she knew she had to, and it needed to be done as soon as possible.
After her husband of 25 years passed away, she wrote romance novels to keep the love inside her heart. Tina now has eleven romance novels on Amazon, and while all of them have undertones of a love story, they are different genres; murder, mystery, whimsical, witches, ghosts, suspense, adventure, and her sister's scary biography.
Tina has worked in television and radio as well as being a professional clown at the Children's Hospital. She lives in Calgary with her second husband who encourages her to write her passion be it high-quality children's books or intriguing romance.
Stay connected with Tina (Griffith) Ruiz on her Facebook group Tina Speaks Out.
Sunday, December 02, 2018
Cook Up Something Good
Sharon Ledwith joins us in the kitchen with one of her famous soups. Take it away, Sharon!
In my book, Legend of the Timekeepers—the prequel to The Last Timekeepers series—Istulo, a high priestess from the Black Land is a whiz when it comes to concocting potions and elixirs. But I bet she’d trade an arcane secret or two just for a taste of this mouth-watering ham and potato brew. Easy to prepare with a prep time of 20 minutes and cook time of 25 minutes, this heavenly soup will get a thumbs-up from even the fussiest high priest or priestess in your brood.
Thumbs-Up Ham and Potato Soup
3½ cups peeled and diced potatoes
⅓ cup diced celery
⅓ cup finely chopped onion
¾ cup diced cooked ham
3¼ cups water
2 tbsp. chicken bouillon granules
½ tsp. salt, or to taste
1 tsp. ground white or black pepper, or to taste
5 tbsp. butter
5 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
Combine potatoes, celery, onion, ham, and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil. Lower temp to medium heat. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt, and pepper.
Melt butter over medium-low heat in a separate saucepan. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Stir in milk slowly as not to allow lumps to form. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4-5 minutes.
Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through.
Serve immediately.
Now, while you’re waiting for the potato and ham soup to digest why not put your feet up and relax with a good book? Ready for a trip to Atlantis?
There is no moving forward without first going back.
Lilith was a young girl with dreams and a family before the final destruction of Atlantis shattered those dreams and tore her family apart. Now refugees, Lilith and her father make their home in the Black Land. This strange, new country has no place in Lilith’s heart until a beloved high priestess introduces Lilith to her life purpose—to be a Timekeeper and keep time safe.
Summoned through the seventh arch of Atlantis by the Children of the Law of One, Lilith and her newfound friends are sent into Atlantis’s past, and given a task that will ultimately test their courage and try their faith in each other. Can the Timekeepers stop the dark magus Belial before he changes the seers’ prophecy? If they fail, then their future and the earth’s fate will be altered forever.
Sharon Ledwith is the author of the middle-grade/YA time travel series, THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS, and the teen psychic mystery series, MYSTERIOUS TALES FROM FAIRY FALLS. When not writing, researching, or revising, she enjoys reading, exercising, anything arcane, and an occasional dram of scotch. Sharon lives a serene, yet busy life in a southern tourist region of Ontario, Canada, with her hubby, one spoiled yellow Labrador and a moody calico cat.
Learn more about Sharon Ledwith on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter, Google+, Goodreads, and Smashwords. Look up her Amazon Author page for a list of current books. Be sure to check out THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS TIME TRAVEL SERIES Facebook page.
In my book, Legend of the Timekeepers—the prequel to The Last Timekeepers series—Istulo, a high priestess from the Black Land is a whiz when it comes to concocting potions and elixirs. But I bet she’d trade an arcane secret or two just for a taste of this mouth-watering ham and potato brew. Easy to prepare with a prep time of 20 minutes and cook time of 25 minutes, this heavenly soup will get a thumbs-up from even the fussiest high priest or priestess in your brood.
3½ cups peeled and diced potatoes
⅓ cup diced celery
⅓ cup finely chopped onion
¾ cup diced cooked ham
3¼ cups water
2 tbsp. chicken bouillon granules
½ tsp. salt, or to taste
1 tsp. ground white or black pepper, or to taste
5 tbsp. butter
5 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
Combine potatoes, celery, onion, ham, and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil. Lower temp to medium heat. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt, and pepper.
Melt butter over medium-low heat in a separate saucepan. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Stir in milk slowly as not to allow lumps to form. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4-5 minutes.
Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through.
Serve immediately.
Now, while you’re waiting for the potato and ham soup to digest why not put your feet up and relax with a good book? Ready for a trip to Atlantis?
Lilith was a young girl with dreams and a family before the final destruction of Atlantis shattered those dreams and tore her family apart. Now refugees, Lilith and her father make their home in the Black Land. This strange, new country has no place in Lilith’s heart until a beloved high priestess introduces Lilith to her life purpose—to be a Timekeeper and keep time safe.
Summoned through the seventh arch of Atlantis by the Children of the Law of One, Lilith and her newfound friends are sent into Atlantis’s past, and given a task that will ultimately test their courage and try their faith in each other. Can the Timekeepers stop the dark magus Belial before he changes the seers’ prophecy? If they fail, then their future and the earth’s fate will be altered forever.
AMAZON BUY LINKS
Sharon Ledwith is the author of the middle-grade/YA time travel series, THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS, and the teen psychic mystery series, MYSTERIOUS TALES FROM FAIRY FALLS. When not writing, researching, or revising, she enjoys reading, exercising, anything arcane, and an occasional dram of scotch. Sharon lives a serene, yet busy life in a southern tourist region of Ontario, Canada, with her hubby, one spoiled yellow Labrador and a moody calico cat.Learn more about Sharon Ledwith on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter, Google+, Goodreads, and Smashwords. Look up her Amazon Author page for a list of current books. Be sure to check out THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS TIME TRAVEL SERIES Facebook page.
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