Incredible Breakfast Goodies

from Anne Montgomery

In my quest to discover the world’s greatest chocolate desert, I took a bit of a left turn and discovered the world’s greatest chocolate breakfast. These delightful squares have wholesome ingredients, yes they do. Oatmeal, for one. You know, the stuff with fiber and all those heart-healthy nutrients. Then there’s dark chocolate that lowers our blood pressure and provides antioxidants. And let’s not forget the nuts: those wee power-packed pieces of protein that provide something delightfully called “good-fat.” And then…and then…OK, there are some other things in these babies that are really unhealthy, but something’s going to kill us. Death by Chocolate Oatmeal Bar might not be a bad way to go.

Chocolate Oatmeal Bars

3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1½ cups semisweet chocolate cut into pieces
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 tbsp. butter
½ cup chopped walnuts
2 tbsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°F

Stir together oats, flour, baking soda, and salt.

Cream butter in a large mixer bowl. Add brown sugar. Beat until fluffy.

Add eggs and 2 tsp. vanilla. Beat well.

Add dry ingredients. Beat well.

Melt chocolate pieces, condensed milk, and butter in a heavy saucepan or double boiler. Remove from heat. Stir in chopped nuts and 2 tbsp. vanilla.

Pat ⅔ of oat mixture into the bottom of a 15X10X1 inch baking dish.

Spread chocolate mixture on top.

Dot with remaining oat mixture.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until oat mixture is lightly browned. (The chocolate layer will still look moist.)

Cool on a wire rack.

Here's a brief introduction to my soft mystery for your reading pleasure while you much those yummy bars.

A Light in the Desert traces the story of a pregnant teenager who bears an odd facial deformity, a Vietnam veteran and former Special Forces sniper who, as he descends into the throes of mental illness, latches onto the girl, and a group of Pentecostal zealots – the Children of Light – who have been waiting over thirty years in the Arizona desert for Armageddon.

The Amtrak Sunset Limited, a passenger train en route to Los Angeles, is derailed in their midst’s, a deadly act of sabotage. Their lives are thrown into turmoil when local and state police, FBI investigators, and a horde of reporters make camp by the twisted wreckage of the Sunset Limited. As the search for the saboteurs continues, the authorities find more questions than answers. The girl mysteriously vanishes, the assassin struggles to maintain his sanity, and a child is about to be born in the wilderness.

To read more from A Light in the Desert please click a vendor's name: Sarah Book Publishing - Amazon - Barnes & Noble

Anne Montgomery has worked as a television sportscaster, newspaper and magazine writer, teacher, amateur baseball umpire, and high school football referee. She worked at WRBL‐TV in Columbus, Georgia, WROC‐TV in Rochester, New York, KTSP‐TV in Phoenix, Arizona, ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut, where she anchored the Emmy and ACE award‐winning SportsCenter, and ASPN-TV as the studio host for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. Montgomery has been a freelance and staff writer for six publications, writing sports, features, movie reviews, and archeological pieces.

When she can, Anne indulges in her passions: rock collecting, scuba diving, football refereeing, and playing her guitar.

Learn more about Anne Montgomery on Wikipedia. Stay connected on Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.

Shopping: Is it in Our Genes?

by Anne Montgomery

I’ve been a teacher for 15 years and, when meeting new high school students, I often ask them about their interests. Without fail, numerous kids list shopping as their favorite hobby. These students, so far, have been female.

I try not to roll my eyes and then explain that a hobby is generally something where one might engage in creative or artistic pursuits, collect themed objects, or perhaps play a sport. Still, the girls smile and insist that shopping is their hobby.

I read recently that the average woman spends approximately 400 hours each year shopping. Conversely, men quickly get board with those trips to the mall, losing interest after just 26 minutes, while women can shop blissfully for two hours before tedium strikes.

I know what you’re thinking. It’s the women who usually spy the empty cupboards and resupply the milk and toilet paper and dog food and all of the other stuff needed to run a household. So, of course, they spend more time at the store. But, even when we discount those we gotta have it now moments, women are still in shopping mode much more than men.

I wondered why. I put on my history teacher cap and thought about our ancient ancestors: those hunter-gatherers who foraged for food and resources until they started to settle down in permanent communities about 12,000 years ago. The hunters, we suspect, were generally men. The gatherers: women. It’s estimated that 80% of our ancestors’ diet consisted of wild fruits and vegetables. While the men were out looking for something to kill and drag home, women and girls were peering intently at foliage and digging in the ground, looking for groceries. And their rummaging probably wasn’t restricted to foodstuffs. No doubt a pretty rock or feather might have found its way into a woman’s basket, perhaps to use for barter later on when food ran out.

What does this have to do with the modern female shopper? Here I have a completely unscientific hypothesis, though one that makes perfect sense to me. Human beings – and all creatures alive today – had to adapt in order to survive. So, perhaps, buried in our DNA is a “shopping” gene, passed on from our ancient female ancestors. Those women, who had to examine fruits and berries and roots and leaves, were forced to take great care and time to make sure they selected items that didn’t poison their families. They also had to stock up enough goods to make it through the harsh times of the year. So hunting and gathering were probably their main pursuits. Thanks to their abilities to pick the best available provisions, they were able to survive and pass their genes down to us.

So, don’t feel too badly about enjoying that time at the mall, just leave your beau at home. I, in the meantime, will try to stop rolling my eyes at my students.

Here's a brief introduction to my soft mystery for your reading pleasure.

A Light in the Desert traces the story of a pregnant teenager who bears an odd facial deformity, a Vietnam veteran and former Special Forces sniper who, as he descends into the throes of mental illness, latches onto the girl, and a group of Pentecostal zealots – the Children of Light – who have been waiting over thirty years in the Arizona desert for Armageddon.

The Amtrak Sunset Limited, a passenger train en route to Los Angeles, is derailed in their midst’s, a deadly act of sabotage. Their lives are thrown into turmoil when local and state police, FBI investigators, and a horde of reporters make camp by the twisted wreckage of the Sunset Limited. As the search for the saboteurs continues, the authorities find more questions than answers. The girl mysteriously vanishes, the assassin struggles to maintain his sanity, and a child is about to be born in the wilderness.

To read more from A Light in the Desert please click a vendor's name: Sarah Book Publishing - Amazon - Barnes & Noble

Anne Montgomery has worked as a television sportscaster, newspaper and magazine writer, teacher, amateur baseball umpire, and high school football referee. She worked at WRBL‐TV in Columbus, Georgia, WROC‐TV in Rochester, New York, KTSP‐TV in Phoenix, Arizona, ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut, where she anchored the Emmy and ACE award‐winning SportsCenter, and ASPN-TV as the studio host for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. Montgomery has been a freelance and staff writer for six publications, writing sports, features, movie reviews, and archeological pieces.

When she can, Anne indulges in her passions: rock collecting, scuba diving, football refereeing, and playing her guitar.

Learn more about Anne Montgomery on Wikipedia. Stay connected on Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE CAKE

by Anne Montgomery

Cake

One of the finest inventions known to man.

Unfortunately, too often cake is a second thought; a mere conveyor of mounds of icing and cute decorations. In the interest of cake, and understanding the fact that few of us have time to make the confection from scratch, here’s a simple way to – I can’t help it – have your cake and eat it too.

This recipe was created by my foster son Troy who is working hard to become a pastry chef.

Jazzed Up Chocolate Cake
1 chocolate cake mix (use Devils Food)
Eggs, oil, water: according to box directions
1 cup walnuts
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Mix the cake as directed on the box.

Finely chop the walnuts. You can also use a food processor. The idea is to reduce them to tiny pieces. (It’s the oil in the walnuts that makes the cake rich.)

Stir the walnuts and mini chocolate chips into the batter, pour into prepared pans, and bake according to the directions on the box.

You can eat the cake plain, or decorated as Troy has done to his masterpiece.

We like a not terribly sweet vanilla buttercream. Use whatever frosting works for you or plop on a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

Just remember, it’s all about the cake.



While you enjoy a slice of the delicious cake you've created, how about a glimpse into my latest novel?

The past and present collide when a tenacious reporter seeks information on an eleventh century magician...and uncovers more than she bargained for.

In 1939, archaeologists uncovered a tomb at the Northern Arizona site called Ridge Ruin. The man, bedecked in fine turquoise jewelry and intricate bead work, was surrounded by wooden swords with handles carved into animal hooves and human hands. The Hopi workers stepped back from the grave, knowing what the Moochiwimi sticks meant. This man, buried nine hundred years earlier, was a magician.

Former television journalist Kate Butler hangs on to her investigative reporting career by writing freelance magazine articles. Her research on The Magician shows he bore some European facial characteristics and physical qualities that made him different from the people who buried him. Her quest to discover The Magician’s origin carries her back to a time when the high desert world was shattered by the birth of a volcano and into the present-day dangers of archaeological looting where black market sales of antiquities can lead to murder.

BUY LINKS
Sarah Book Publishing
Amazon

Anne Montgomery has worked as a television sportscaster, newspaper and magazine writer, teacher, amateur baseball umpire, and high school football referee. She worked at WRBL‐TV in Columbus, Georgia, WROC‐TV in Rochester, New York, KTSP‐TV in Phoenix, Arizona, ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut, where she anchored the Emmy and ACE award‐winning SportsCenter, and ASPN-TV as the studio host for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. Montgomery has been a freelance and staff writer for six publications, writing sports, features, movie reviews, and archeological pieces.

When she can, Anne indulges in her passions: rock collecting, scuba diving, football refereeing, and playing her guitar.

Learn more about Anne Montgomery on Wikipedia. Stay connected on Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.

Magic and Mystery Equal a Chilling Tale

Introducing Nothing But Echoes, the latest suspense novel from creative Anne Montgomery. I hope you enjoy this book as much I did.

The past and present collide when a tenacious reporter seeks information on an eleventh century magician...and uncovers more than she bargained for.

In 1939, archaeologists uncovered a tomb at the Northern Arizona site called Ridge Ruin. The man, bedecked in fine turquoise jewelry and intricate bead work, was surrounded by wooden swords with handles carved into animal hooves and human hands. The Hopi workers stepped back from the grave, knowing what the Moochiwimi sticks meant. This man, buried nine hundred years earlier, was a magician.

Former television journalist Kate Butler hangs on to her investigative reporting career by writing freelance magazine articles. Her research on The Magician shows he bore some European facial characteristics and physical qualities that made him different from the people who buried him. Her quest to discover The Magician’s origin carries her back to a time when the high desert world was shattered by the birth of a volcano and into the present-day dangers of archaeological looting where black market sales of antiquities can lead to murder.

EXCERPT
The man screamed again. The kwewu never paused. The animal tore at the one causing the pain. Massive jaws clamped down on the woman’s upper arm, breaking skin as the wolf dragged her to the dirt floor.

Badger dropped his hold on the man’s injured arm, and for a moment stood rooted in place, unable to move, unsure of what he was seeing. A giant white wolf—was the creature animal or spirit? Then he saw the arrow sticking from the creature’s side and knew it was of flesh, blood, and bone. Kaya’s screams drove Badger toward the animal, which now had her pinned to the floor. Bloody saliva dripped onto the healer’s face as she tried to push the creature away. An awful growl rose in the animal’s throat.

“Ahhkk!” The sound emanating from Badger was almost as terrifying as the rage of the wolf. The animal turned toward this new threat, a human who stood close to her master. The kwewu leaped away from the woman on the floor into Badger’s outstretched arms. The big man tucked in his chin, protecting his throat, and squeezed with every ounce of strength in his massive arms. The wolf writhed, scratching his naked torso with her nails, and caught the lobe of his right ear in her teeth. A crimson river streamed down Badger’s neck as he crushed the beast to his chest.

The kwewu cried out, but that was not the reason Badger relaxed his grip.
“No! No!” The blue-eyed man yelled. “Down!” Holding his injured arm, he tried to stand, but wobbled back onto the bed.

Badger again tightened his grip on the wolf, fully intending to crush the thing to death. Strangely, the animal had gone limp. Still, its eyes were open. Then the animal looked at the blue-eyed man and began to whimper.

Badger knitted his brow, unsure of what to do next. Kaya sat up, holding the wound on her upper arm, blood seeping between her fingers. Seeing the damage the wolf inflicted, the blood smearing Kaya’s face, Badger intensified his hold on the animal.

Deer Runner suddenly appeared in the doorway with two other hunters. He leveled an obsidian-tipped arrow at the wolf.

“Drop the animal, Badger! I cannot shoot. Get out of the way!”

The big man turned with the creature in his arms then let the wolf fall to the ground.

“No! Please do not kill her!” The blue-eyed man cried in a language only he understood. He righted himself and staggered, falling down and covering the kwewu with his body. The wolf heaved with exhaustion, breath coming in ragged gasps as he buried his face in her bloodied white fur.

Deer Runner drew the arrow back as the group of villagers swelled at the doorway.

BUY LINKS
Sarah Book Publishing
Amazon

Anne Montgomery has worked as a television sportscaster, newspaper and magazine writer, teacher, amateur baseball umpire, and high school football referee. She worked at WRBL‐TV in Columbus, Georgia, WROC‐TV in Rochester, New York, KTSP‐TV in Phoenix, Arizona, ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut, where she anchored the Emmy and ACE award‐winning SportsCenter, and ASPN-TV as the studio host for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. Montgomery has been a freelance and staff writer for six publications, writing sports, features, movie reviews, and archeological pieces.

When she can, Anne indulges in her passions: rock collecting, scuba diving, football refereeing, and playing her guitar.

Learn more about Anne Montgomery on Wikipedia. Stay connected on Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.

New Release for Sam Cheever

If you're into dark fantasy, magic, and erotic romance, you're going to adore Demon's Mate, a new novel from Sam Cheever.



Book 1: Royals of Sheoldris

What if real love began in the pages of a paranormal novel? And what if that love leapt off those pages, and into an avid reader’s arms?

Terra fell in love with Jacobin when he was the hero in a sexy paranormal novel, but when he showed up at her door she thought she was losing her mind. Imagine how she felt to learn her fate had been scribed onto magic pages and could just as easily be erased. Would she be willing to give up everything, just to hold onto a love she never dreamed she’d have?

~~*~~

They left her alone for hours. At some point someone brought her a meal of fruit and cheeses with a dark, sweet wine but other than that she saw nobody except the two big men wearing diapers who guarded her door.

Finally, the woman who’d put her there returned, bringing the two big men into Terra’s rooms with her. And she was demanding that Terra take a bath. With all three of them in the room. Terra of course refused.

“If you do not cooperate, I’ll have the eunuchs carry you to the bath and hold you in the water as they bathe you.”

Terra glared at the demoness she’d learned was called Gemma. “I’m not going to polish myself up like a piece of fruit for that bully.”

Gemma nodded at the two men standing behind her. They stepped forward and grasped Terra’s arms, and she shrieked in outrage.

“Leave us!”

The two eunuchs and Gemma bowed low, stepping away from Terra. “Sire. We were just trying to do as you asked.” Gemma slid Terra a look of such hatred she wondered if the woman would murder her in her sleep.

“It seems my mate needs to learn some manners. I’m the one who must handle that little chore.”

Terra gave an outraged chirp. “I need to learn manners? Me? I didn’t drag you from your house and your… planet to a strange place and turn you into a prisoner.”

The demon king glared at his three servants until they left and then turned to her, his densely muscled arms crossed over his chest. Despite her anger, Terra couldn’t help noticing how hot he looked in the tight leather pants and sheer shirt that was open to the waist, showing a perfect, golden-brown chest. “You wouldn’t be treated as a prisoner if you didn’t act like a fool.”

She gave another outraged chirp and advanced on him, her hands clenched into fists. “I’m just trying to retain some kind of freedom --”

“Freedom? By chaining yourself to a low-level demon like the lowliest concubine?”

“How the hell am I supposed to know? I don’t know anything about this stupid place. They offered to help me, and I was grateful for their help. Once I got past the gate --”

Jacobin stepped closer, lowering his angry face to hers. “Once you got past the gate he would have locked you up and tried to ransom you to me. All the while enjoying your lush body for his own pleasure.”

Terra’s mouth slammed shut on an angry retort as his words sank in. “You’re lying.”

He lowered his head until his lips hovered over hers, his hot breath sweet against her face. “You know that I am not.”

Unfortunately she realized, far too late, that he was probably right. In her desperation and ignorance she’d almost put herself in greater danger. At least there, in the castle, she was under the king’s protection. But Terra was too angry to back down. “It wouldn’t be any worse than being kept prisoner here.”

His big hands came out and grasped her arms, pulling her to her toes as he stepped closer. Terra bit her lip against a wave of lust as his heat and hardness pressed against her. “Then you shouldn’t mind that I stopped you, mate.” Without warning, he gave her a gentle shove, and she fell backward into the huge, sand-bottomed pool.

She came up sputtering with outrage, her hands skimming water out of her eyes. “You ass! Now you’re trying to drown me?”

Toeing off his soft boots, the king reached to tug the shirt off his broad chest. “It appears I will need to bathe you like a babe, since you refuse to do it yourself.”

BUY LINK