Sandra Cox's Blog, page 89

Did You Know

 Sad fact. Did you know, one in five people can't read? 

One of my greatest joys is reading.  I can't imagine not being able to.

IWSG Wednesday

 

The first Wednesday of every month is officially IWSG day. Members post about their doubts and fears, discuss struggles and triumphs, and offer words of encouragement to others who are struggling.

Thanks, as always, to Alex Cavanaugh, founder and Ninja Captain extraordinaire and our awesome co-hosts.

The IWSG monthly question can be found under the IWSG Sign-up tab on the Insecure Writer's Support Group Blog.  Remember it’s optional.

October  question: When you think of the term working writer, what does that look like to you? What do you think it is supposed to look like? Do you see yourself as a working writer or aspiring or hobbyist, and if latter two, what does that look like?

It comes down to the meaning of the term working writer. I consider myself a writer. Is it a hobby? No. Am I aspiring? Well, I’m always aspiring to improve my writing. So, am I a working writer...I'm still mulling on that. What about you, how do you see yourself? And what is your answer to this question?

 

AND…

September/October reviews:

SWEPT AWAY by Elizabeth Seckman

I was thrilled to get a hard copy of this in the mail. 

Here’s my review.

This story is a solid romance sprinkled with a dusting of paranormal and several dollops of mystery. Tucker Boone, a young man on a search for a half-sister he’s never met meets Josie McCoy, a young woman whose life is laced with mystery. Both are fighting their own demons and find in each other kindred spirits. By the end of the story I found myself on the edge of my seat, turning pages as fast as I could read them as one life-threatening situation after another came hurtling at them. While I trusted the author to have written an HEA, I was getting nervous as I approached the end. All I can say is whew. Well done, Elizabeth Seckman.

Amazon

 Trad:

WHERE THE FOREST MEETS THE STARS by Glendy Vanderah

This was a recommend from my vet, who I exchange books with.

It’s well written and held my interest. The premise is unusual. A young biologist comes across an unusual  little girl who she befriends. Most of the book has the reader guessing as to whether the child is the alien she claims to be or an abused child trying to protect herself.

 

THE SHADOW AND BONE TRILOGY by Leigh Bardugo

I sucked down this trilogy. It’s a wonderful, page turning YA/NA fantasy and is soon to be a Netflix movie. It has a common theme but very well done. A young orphan discovers she has magical powers and finds herself the reluctant heroine designated to save her world.

AND...Sherry Ellis has a recent release.
An ancient Mayan civilization!

That's what Bubba and Squirt find when they travel through the mysterious vortex for another wild adventure. There they meet archeologists who are unearthing priceless artifacts.

But someone is stealing them. And an encounter with the Tate Duende awakens magic within Bubba. Throw in the mysterious Alux and a new discovery and things get sticky.

Will Bubba and Squirt solve the mystery, or will they be stuck forever in the jungles of Belize?Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083S1VQ14
AND...

It's Tuesday

 Callie is making Frank look like an angel. Hard to believe I know, but there it is. She runs flat out--All. The. Time. The HH and I were playing board games the other night. Our first game was Memory. I had just got a handle on where some of the cards were that I hoped to pounce on before the brain cell holding the information dissipated, when Callie leaped on the table and ran straight through the cards scattering them. 

Then we switched to Yahtzee and she took off with one of the dice and rolled/dropped a five. Luckily I came back from that one, but went belly up on Memory. Not that I claim to have any.

AND...I was getting stressed out by political news so I switched channels and got Sleepy Hollow, flipped the channel and got The Exorcist, neither guaranteed to lower my stress level. Finally, found Jumanji. Whew. 

AND The eternal garden pics.

Baby Mums 

Ha.

It's still blooming....

Got flowers? Got crazy critters?

Friday's Great Read

 

Rouladen Recipe – A Guest Post by Chrys Fey

 

Growing up, my family always had Rouladen, sans pickles, for our special Christmas Day feast. I can still recall the smell of the bacon grease from the fried bacon and the scent of chopped onions lingering in the air. And, oh boy, there was nothing like the flavor of the thin meat wrapped around the bacon and onion stuffing, held together by three toothpicks. That’s coming from a vegetarian, too, who no longer eats meat—GASP! But, hey, we never forget the things that made our taste buds go wild as a child, and I am comfortable admitting that the smell of bacon is still ah-mazing.

 

My mom got the recipe from her mom, who got the recipe from a couple who came to Michigan from Germany. (Although, my maternal grandma was German, herself.) After she got the recipe, my mom only made Rouladen once a year as well, since it involves a lot of cooking and the meat can be quite expensive.

 

My mom kept that tradition for us while we were growing up, so I decided to give that tradition to Donovan’s mom and grandma, who live in Michigan, too.

 

EXCERPT:

“Here. I also wanted to give this to you.” Meredith reached into her apron pocket and pulled out an index card.

 

Beth took it. On the top it read, “Rouladen— Goldwyn Family Recipe.” It was the recipe passed down to all Goldwyn women.

 

“I should’ve given it to you a long time ago,” Meredith said.

 

“I wouldn’t have known how to make it if you had.”

 

Meredith patted her hand. “When you make it the first time, we can video chat, and I can walk you through it.”

 

“We may have to do that the second time, too.”

 

“As many times as you need.”

 

Beth tucked the index card into her pocket with the snowball cookie recipe.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“You’re welcome.”

 

The timer for the last batch of cookies went off. Meredith pulled it out of the oven, not knowing how much those two recipes in Beth’s pocket truly meant to her. They were a Christmas present on their own, more valuable than anything that could be bought in a store.

 

 

Rouladen Recipe:

 

Ingredients:

-        8 pieces round beef slices, 6 inches, ¼ inch thick

-        ½ cup minced onion

-        ½ pound of fried, cut-up bacon

-        Pinch salt

-        Pinch black pepper

-        Quartered, peeled potatoes

-        For gravy, you’ll need flour and water.

 

Instructions:

 

1. Cut up bacon and fry.

 

2. Remove bacon. Sautee minced onion in the bacon grease.

 

3. Remove onions from pan. Keep the bacon grease in the pan.

 

4. Mix bacon with the onion in a bowl. Sprinkle on salt and pepper.

 

5. Lay out prepared beef slices. Add a generous heap of the bacon and onion mixture into the center of each slice.

 

6. Roll up the beef slices. Use toothpicks to secure each end and the middle shut. Three toothpicks usually do the trick.

 

7. Brown the rouladen bundles in the bacon grease, on all sides.

 

8. Remove the rouladen bundles and put in a roasting pan. Add some water to the bacon grease pan. Scrape up all the goodies. Pour over the rouladen bundles. Don’t drown them, just enough to reach half-way.

 

9. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.

 

10. Halfway through the baking time, add the quartered, peeled potatoes around the rouladen bundles, into the juices.

 

11. It’s done when the potatoes are tender. Transfer rouladen and potatoes to a dish or platter.

 

12. Gravy:Add more water or substitute beef broth to the pan if a lot of the juices cooked down. Put pan on burner and boil. Now, in a separate bowl, mix flour and water together. Add the flour mixture to the boiling juices until thick. If you need to thicken it more, make more flour and water mixture and then add to the juices. Keep mixing.

 

QUESTION: Did you family have a special meal for Christmas (or any other time of the year)?

 

 

When disasters strike around every corner, is it possible to have a happily-ever-after?

BLURB: Beth and Donovan are expecting their first child. Life couldn’t get any better…until a stalker makes his presence known. This person sends disturbing messages and unsettling items, but it isn’t long before his menacing goes too far.

Hoping for a peaceful Christmas, Donovan takes Beth to Michigan. Days into their trip, a winter storm named Nemesis moves in with the goal of burying the state. Snowdrifts surround their house, and the temperature drops below freezing.

Except, the storm isn’t the only nemesis they must face. Everyone’s lives are at stake—especially that of their unborn child. Will they survive, or will they become a frozen crime?

BUY LINKS: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iTunes

  

***HUGE DISASTER CRIMES GIVEAWAY*** 

 

Prizes: 4 eBooks (Disaster Crimes 1-4: Hurricane Crimes, Seismic Crimes, Tsunami Crimes, Flaming Crimes) + Girl Boss Magnets (4), Inflatable Cup Holder (1), Adventure Fuel To-Go Cups (2), Anchor Fashion Scarf (1), Mermaid Nail Clippers (2), Citrus and Sea Salt Scented Candle (1), Snowflake Handmade Bookmark (1), Insulated Cooler Bag (1)

 

Eligibility: International

Number of Winners: One

Giveaway Ends: October 30, 2020 12:00am Eastern Standard Time

LINK: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/76132e0221/?

 

***FREE EXCLUSIVE EBOOK***

 

To get the exclusive prequel to the Disaster Crimes series, sign up for Chrys’ newsletter. By signing up, you agree to receive Chrys Fey’s newsletter. After you confirm subscription, you will receive an email (so check your inbox and spam folder) with directions on where to snag your eBook copy of THE CRIME BEFORE THE STORM.

Click here to sign up and get The Crime Before the Storm FREE!

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Chrys Fey is author of the Disaster Crimes Series, a unique concept that blends disasters, crimes, and romance. She runs the Insecure Writer’s Support Group Book Club on Goodreads and edits for Dancing Lemur Press. https://www.chrysfey.com

Author Links:

Website / Blog / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Amazon

 

Did You Know

 Did you know a new study shows that overweight seniors are outliving their thinner counterparts? The thinking is that fat fuels the body and protects the bones.

AND...Happy October.

Writerly Wednesday

 

It's Tuesday

 Greetings, Blogger Buds. Hope your weekend, and Monday, was a good one.

I am just stunned. My Iris is blooming again. I thought I'd get my one or two re-blooms and that would be it, but it's still a going;)

 

I bought and planted some more bulbs and baby mums. The tulips I planted last year didn't come up. I have a sneaking suspicion, my little gardening buddy dug them up, so I planted these deeper. Let's hope that wasn't a mistake.

Got bulbs? Got helpers?

Weekend Wishes

 AND...

Wondering why the tools? The bro has just finished building his third house, nearly single-handedly.

Did You Know

 Did you know red, blue and yellow vegetables and fruits can keep your heart from getting achy, breaky? They contain antioxidants that protect the heart.

Writerly Wednesday

 

And a copy and paste from Alex Cavanaugh's blog:Urgent! My friend Roland Yeomans is homeless due to Hurricane Laura. He lost almost everything and if he doesn’t find a place to stay by the end of the month, he will be homeless and lose his cat, Midnight.
You can help him by donating to his PayPal account - rxena77 @ yahoo.com