Sloane Taylor's Blog, page 65
December 10, 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.
BUY LINKS Amazon Kindle - Amazon Paperback - Barnes & Noble Mirror World Publishing ebook
Mirror World Publishing Paperback
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
1⅓ cups all-purpose flour⅔ 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.
BUY LINKS Amazon Kindle - Amazon Paperback - Barnes & Noble Mirror World Publishing ebook
Mirror World Publishing Paperback
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.
December 9, 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.
Photo courtesy of Cody Board UnsplashWhen 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?”
AMAZON BUY LINKS KINDLE - PAPERBACK
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.
Photo courtesy of Cody Board UnsplashWhen 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?”
AMAZON BUY LINKS KINDLE - PAPERBACK
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 .
December 5, 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 mangos, peeled and pitted2 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 .
December 4, 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
Photo Courtesy Jennie Brown Unsplash2 – 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
Photo Courtesy Jennie Brown Unsplash2 – 8 oz. blocks cream cheese, softened1 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
December 3, 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
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?
BUY LINKS
AMAZON Barnes & Noble - Apple - Kobo - Scribd - 24Symbols - Thalia
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 orange1 cup raisins
⅓ cup walnuts, chopped well
2 cups four
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
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?
BUY LINKS
AMAZON Barnes & Noble - Apple - Kobo - Scribd - 24Symbols - Thalia
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 .
December 2, 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.
AMAZON BUY LINKS E-BOOK - PAPERBACK
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 .
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. Well 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.
AMAZON BUY LINKS E-BOOK - PAPERBACK
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 .
December 1, 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.
AMAZON BUY LINKS Kindle - Paperback
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.
Thumbs-Up Ham and Potato Soup3½ 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.
AMAZON BUY LINKS Kindle - Paperback
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.
November 30, 2018
At the Stove with Lizzie T. Leaf
Our grocery stores occasionally send special prices on a few items for card members. One of ours for August was sweet potatoes, or yams as the notice read. So of course, I had to take advantage of the deal.
Thank you to Elise who shared her recipe on Simply Recipes. Hers was delicious even without the tweaks I made to spice it up a little. Enjoy!
Roasted Sweet Potato Soup
Photo by tiramisustudio 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1½-inch cubes
4 large shallots, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. ground thyme
1 tsp. ground marjoram
¼ tsp. cumin seeds (or ground cumin)
3 cups chicken stock
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tbsp. sour cream or plain yogurt (Greek or regular, omit for paleo version) optional
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Combine potatoes and shallots in a large bowl. Drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt, thyme, marjoram, and cumin. Toss so all pieces are well coated with olive oil and seasonings.
Spread the sweet potatoes and shallots out on a foil lined baking sheet. Roast for 25 minutes or until cooked through and nicely caramelized and browned around the edges. Remove from oven.
Heat the chicken stock in a 2-3 quart saucepan on the stove until steamy.
Place the cooked sweet potatoes and shallots in a blender or food processor. Add the hot chicken stock a half cup at a time. Purée until smooth.
NOTE, when blending hot liquids, fill the blender or food processor bowl no more than a third full, and start with short pulses. Depending on the size of your equipment you may need to work in batches.
Taste for seasoning, add more salt and pepper to taste. Serve in bowls with a good size dollop of sour cream.
Serves 2 to 4
Here's a brief intro to my vampire story that is guaranteed to warm your winter nights.
Socialite Deb Stein lives a life of luxury until she takes the hunk dressed as a vampire to her bed. When she wakes up one of the living dead, she’s pissed-off. To complicate matters more, she has to find a new identity since everyone thinks she's dead. Plus, if she’s dead, she can’t touch her trust fund, and that means she has to work! How can someone who has never held a job find one?
And her social life is in the tank. Her new friends are a street guy called Rat and fellow strippers at the dive where she works. If she ever sees Aaron Lowell again, she’ll put a stake in his heart.
Aaron Lowell feels guilty he took his mentor’s advice and left town after taking the sexy socialite into the undead world. Concerned, he returns to check on her and discovers she’s become a stripper—and not a very happy one when she sees him. But she’s still hot, and he can’t stay away from her, even if their meetings are explosive.
Can two vampires move beyond anger, combined with a strong sexual attraction, to find the kind of love they both crave?
BUY LINK
To read excerpts from other books by Lizzie T. Leaf please click onto Amazon .
Lizzie T. Leaf loved books since she opened her first one. Her dream was to write them herself. Lost in the hectic day to day world of family, job, laundry and housework, writing became a distant memory. When the twinkling ember did spark, it was usually doused by someone demanding their share of her time.
Lizzie's life went full circle. The desire to put the stories that continued to play in her head on paper emerged stronger than ever, and at a time when there was someone who encouraged. Now she lives her dream.
Learn more about Lizzie T. Leaf on her website and blog . Connect with Lizzie on Facebook and follow her on Twitter .
See all of Lizzie's book on Amazon .
Thank you to Elise who shared her recipe on Simply Recipes. Hers was delicious even without the tweaks I made to spice it up a little. Enjoy!
Roasted Sweet Potato Soup
Photo by tiramisustudio 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1½-inch cubes4 large shallots, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. ground thyme
1 tsp. ground marjoram
¼ tsp. cumin seeds (or ground cumin)
3 cups chicken stock
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tbsp. sour cream or plain yogurt (Greek or regular, omit for paleo version) optional
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Combine potatoes and shallots in a large bowl. Drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt, thyme, marjoram, and cumin. Toss so all pieces are well coated with olive oil and seasonings.
Spread the sweet potatoes and shallots out on a foil lined baking sheet. Roast for 25 minutes or until cooked through and nicely caramelized and browned around the edges. Remove from oven.
Heat the chicken stock in a 2-3 quart saucepan on the stove until steamy.
Place the cooked sweet potatoes and shallots in a blender or food processor. Add the hot chicken stock a half cup at a time. Purée until smooth.
NOTE, when blending hot liquids, fill the blender or food processor bowl no more than a third full, and start with short pulses. Depending on the size of your equipment you may need to work in batches.
Taste for seasoning, add more salt and pepper to taste. Serve in bowls with a good size dollop of sour cream.
Serves 2 to 4
Here's a brief intro to my vampire story that is guaranteed to warm your winter nights.
Socialite Deb Stein lives a life of luxury until she takes the hunk dressed as a vampire to her bed. When she wakes up one of the living dead, she’s pissed-off. To complicate matters more, she has to find a new identity since everyone thinks she's dead. Plus, if she’s dead, she can’t touch her trust fund, and that means she has to work! How can someone who has never held a job find one?And her social life is in the tank. Her new friends are a street guy called Rat and fellow strippers at the dive where she works. If she ever sees Aaron Lowell again, she’ll put a stake in his heart.
Aaron Lowell feels guilty he took his mentor’s advice and left town after taking the sexy socialite into the undead world. Concerned, he returns to check on her and discovers she’s become a stripper—and not a very happy one when she sees him. But she’s still hot, and he can’t stay away from her, even if their meetings are explosive.
Can two vampires move beyond anger, combined with a strong sexual attraction, to find the kind of love they both crave?
BUY LINK
To read excerpts from other books by Lizzie T. Leaf please click onto Amazon .
Lizzie T. Leaf loved books since she opened her first one. Her dream was to write them herself. Lost in the hectic day to day world of family, job, laundry and housework, writing became a distant memory. When the twinkling ember did spark, it was usually doused by someone demanding their share of her time.
Lizzie's life went full circle. The desire to put the stories that continued to play in her head on paper emerged stronger than ever, and at a time when there was someone who encouraged. Now she lives her dream.
Learn more about Lizzie T. Leaf on her website and blog . Connect with Lizzie on Facebook and follow her on Twitter .
See all of Lizzie's book on Amazon .
November 27, 2018
Savor the Good Taste of Life
from Chris Pavesic
This family favorite dessert is a little bit like a cookie, a little bit like a candy bar, and 100% delicious.
COOKIE BARS
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 tbsp. vanilla
1 egg
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 package (12 ozs.) semisweet chocolate chips
1 package (12 ozs.) butterscotch chips
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Mix sugars, butter, vanilla and egg in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff). Divide dough. Set half of the dough aside for later.
Stir in chocolate chips. Press the chocolate chip dough into one 9 x 13-inch pan.
Stir butterscotch chips into the second half of the dough. Press this dough into the second 9 x 13-inch pan.
Bake both pans for 25-30 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). The chocolate chip dough will cook faster than the butterscotch dough. Cool and then slice into bars.
Enjoy a brief glimpse into my latest novel Travelers Zone , book two in The Revelation Chronicles series, while you much your fresh Cookie Bar.
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.
AMAZON BUY LINK SMASHWORDS BUY LINK
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 .
This family favorite dessert is a little bit like a cookie, a little bit like a candy bar, and 100% delicious.
COOKIE BARS
¾ cup granulated sugar ¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 tbsp. vanilla
1 egg
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 package (12 ozs.) semisweet chocolate chips
1 package (12 ozs.) butterscotch chips
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Mix sugars, butter, vanilla and egg in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff). Divide dough. Set half of the dough aside for later.
Stir in chocolate chips. Press the chocolate chip dough into one 9 x 13-inch pan.
Stir butterscotch chips into the second half of the dough. Press this dough into the second 9 x 13-inch pan.
Bake both pans for 25-30 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). The chocolate chip dough will cook faster than the butterscotch dough. Cool and then slice into bars.
Enjoy a brief glimpse into my latest novel Travelers Zone , book two in The Revelation Chronicles series, while you much your fresh Cookie Bar.
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.
AMAZON BUY LINK SMASHWORDS BUY LINK
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 .
November 26, 2018
JUST RELEASED!
Straight from Carpenter Country is an exciting new book by HL Carpenter. This intriguing cozy mystery keeps you engrossed and is sure to deliver reader satisfaction. It's an ideal holiday gift for everyone on your Kindle list.
A letter from beyond the grave brings accountant Fae Childers face to face with murder, embezzlement, romance, and a hidden family legacy.
Certified public accountant Fae Childers is not an embezzler, despite the belief of the accounting firm that fires her for stealing. But proving her innocence is harder than convincing an IRS agent to allow a deduction. She's lost her mother, her job, her fiancé, and her self-respect. She's running out of money and the lease is about to expire on her apartment.
Then the fortune-telling grandmother Fae never knew existed, whose name and psychic abilities she now learns are also hers, issues a challenge from beyond the grave—a challenge that brings Fae face to face with murder, embezzlement, romance, and a hidden family legacy.
When the mystery of Fae's past collides with the troubles of her present, the situation veers out of control. Her very life is threatened. Who can she trust? The man she's falling in love with? The former fiancé who has already betrayed her once? Or only herself?
With justice, romance, and her future at stake, Fae must overcome personal and professional obstacles to save herself and those she loves. And she's going to have to do it fast, before someone else dies.
EXCERPT
The letter arrived on the last Thursday in April, two weeks to the day after I got fired from the accounting firm where I worked for the past decade. August Palmer, my landlord, hand-delivered the letter in person, saying, "The mail carrier stuck this in my box by mistake, Fae."
I took the envelope without bothering to look at it and glanced past Gus, at the patch of brilliant cloudless blue sky framing his shoulders.
Tampa, Florida on the cusp of summer, full of birdsong and the scent of warming pavement.
"Beautiful morning," I said, as if I cared.
"Afternoon," Gus said, his voice a low rumbly growl, the product of too many cigarettes and whiskeys in his happily misspent youth. He stood outside the tiny apartment my mother and I rented from him for the past two years and eyed me. "Still mopin', girl?"
He had shown up on my doorstep every day since the firing with the same question.
Adhering to our new routine, I answered the same way I always did, except this time I didn't bother pasting on a fake smile to accompany the words.
"Nope. Not my style."
"'Scuse me." His tone was as dry as the month he was named for. "Forgot you've been hidin' in the apartment, tap dancing with glee."
I met his gaze. "For hours at a time. Any complaints about the noise?"
He clicked a nicotine pellet against tobacco stained teeth and kept his silence. I regretted my sarcasm. In my forbidden childhood game of describing people in colors, I would have painted Gus early-morning-yellow, the shade of the summer sun before the friendly sheltering coolness of night gave way to the brutal heat of day.
The description would have horrified him.
"How are the treatments going?"
He grunted. "They tell me I ain't gonna croak this week."
"Glad to hear it. You might want to keep your distance from me, though. I'm jinxed."
Gus shook his head. "You gotta get over them fools, girl."
"That's no way to talk about my former bosses." Especially since I looked at the real fool in the mirror each morning. I had believed dedication, loyalty, and hard work were appreciated by the partners of Slezia + Fyne, CPA, PA.
Ha, ha.
"Anyway, I am over them. Way over."
"Yeah?" He was not convinced. "You over the suit, too?"
"Sure am." Once again, I stuck with our new routine and gave him the same answer I always did. "I have moved on."
Once again, the lie carried the bitter taste of betrayal. The suit was Scott Piper, former co-worker, fiancé, and man of my dreams. The suit dumped me the day of the firing.
Gus snorted. "Funny how much movin' on resembles standing around feeling sorry for yourself."
In my opinion, wallowing in self-pity was marginally more mature than throwing a temper tantrum. Even if it hadn't been, I didn't have the energy for a tantrum. I barely had the energy to maintain my half of the daily conversation with Gus.
"Have you been watching that big bald guy on television again?"
He stuck out his chin. "Don't get smart. You know I'm right. You're mopin'."
"Only because I can't tap dance."
He was right. In the eight months since my mother's death, I had slogged through an ever-darkening morass of the malady Gus called moping, and what his favorite celebrity psychologist might consider the early stages of depression. The firing and the accompanying fallout shoved me even closer to the edge of a black abyss.
My moping was self-absorbed, given the burdens others faced, but what could I say? One woman's detour was another's stop sign.
"You ought to call your girl pal, that one you worked with. What's her name? Sarah? Have you heard from her?"
No. And I didn't want to hear from her, much less call her.
I shook my head.
"Your ma would have been annoyed with you."
A lump in my throat closed off my voice and I could only nod. He was right about that too. My irrepressible mother believed in taking the positive approach to life. To her, saying negative words or thinking negative thoughts was the same as asking them to come true. She had little patience for pity parties.
Focus on your strengths, Fae, and always keep moving.
My ability to follow her advice vanished with her death. I was slowly turning into the type of recluse the Japanese call hikikomori. Even the simple task of cleaning out Mom's bedroom was beyond me.
"So? You gonna open the letter?" Gus asked.
I turned over the envelope in my hand.
Heavy, officious, dirty white, and mildly threatening, the envelope shrieked of the intimidation perfected by lawyers and the Internal Revenue Service and jolted me right out of my apathy. My breath hitched in my throat.
Had Gary Slezia and Richard Fyne gone back on their word? Had they decided to forego their distaste for publicity and press charges against me?
Amazon Buy Link
Mother/daughter author duo HL Carpenter write family-friendly fiction from their studios in Carpenter Country, a magical place that, like their stories, is unreal but not untrue. When they’re not writing, they enjoy exploring the Land of What-If and practicing the fine art of Curiosity. Visit their
website
to enjoy gift reads and excerpts and to find out what’s happeni
ng in Carpenter Country.
Stay connected on Twitter , Pinterest , Linkedin , Google+ , GoodReads ,
and their Amazon Author Page .
A letter from beyond the grave brings accountant Fae Childers face to face with murder, embezzlement, romance, and a hidden family legacy.
Certified public accountant Fae Childers is not an embezzler, despite the belief of the accounting firm that fires her for stealing. But proving her innocence is harder than convincing an IRS agent to allow a deduction. She's lost her mother, her job, her fiancé, and her self-respect. She's running out of money and the lease is about to expire on her apartment.
Then the fortune-telling grandmother Fae never knew existed, whose name and psychic abilities she now learns are also hers, issues a challenge from beyond the grave—a challenge that brings Fae face to face with murder, embezzlement, romance, and a hidden family legacy.
When the mystery of Fae's past collides with the troubles of her present, the situation veers out of control. Her very life is threatened. Who can she trust? The man she's falling in love with? The former fiancé who has already betrayed her once? Or only herself?
With justice, romance, and her future at stake, Fae must overcome personal and professional obstacles to save herself and those she loves. And she's going to have to do it fast, before someone else dies.
EXCERPT
The letter arrived on the last Thursday in April, two weeks to the day after I got fired from the accounting firm where I worked for the past decade. August Palmer, my landlord, hand-delivered the letter in person, saying, "The mail carrier stuck this in my box by mistake, Fae."
I took the envelope without bothering to look at it and glanced past Gus, at the patch of brilliant cloudless blue sky framing his shoulders.
Tampa, Florida on the cusp of summer, full of birdsong and the scent of warming pavement.
"Beautiful morning," I said, as if I cared.
"Afternoon," Gus said, his voice a low rumbly growl, the product of too many cigarettes and whiskeys in his happily misspent youth. He stood outside the tiny apartment my mother and I rented from him for the past two years and eyed me. "Still mopin', girl?"
He had shown up on my doorstep every day since the firing with the same question.
Adhering to our new routine, I answered the same way I always did, except this time I didn't bother pasting on a fake smile to accompany the words.
"Nope. Not my style."
"'Scuse me." His tone was as dry as the month he was named for. "Forgot you've been hidin' in the apartment, tap dancing with glee."
I met his gaze. "For hours at a time. Any complaints about the noise?"
He clicked a nicotine pellet against tobacco stained teeth and kept his silence. I regretted my sarcasm. In my forbidden childhood game of describing people in colors, I would have painted Gus early-morning-yellow, the shade of the summer sun before the friendly sheltering coolness of night gave way to the brutal heat of day.
The description would have horrified him.
"How are the treatments going?"
He grunted. "They tell me I ain't gonna croak this week."
"Glad to hear it. You might want to keep your distance from me, though. I'm jinxed."
Gus shook his head. "You gotta get over them fools, girl."
"That's no way to talk about my former bosses." Especially since I looked at the real fool in the mirror each morning. I had believed dedication, loyalty, and hard work were appreciated by the partners of Slezia + Fyne, CPA, PA.
Ha, ha.
"Anyway, I am over them. Way over."
"Yeah?" He was not convinced. "You over the suit, too?"
"Sure am." Once again, I stuck with our new routine and gave him the same answer I always did. "I have moved on."
Once again, the lie carried the bitter taste of betrayal. The suit was Scott Piper, former co-worker, fiancé, and man of my dreams. The suit dumped me the day of the firing.
Gus snorted. "Funny how much movin' on resembles standing around feeling sorry for yourself."
In my opinion, wallowing in self-pity was marginally more mature than throwing a temper tantrum. Even if it hadn't been, I didn't have the energy for a tantrum. I barely had the energy to maintain my half of the daily conversation with Gus.
"Have you been watching that big bald guy on television again?"
He stuck out his chin. "Don't get smart. You know I'm right. You're mopin'."
"Only because I can't tap dance."
He was right. In the eight months since my mother's death, I had slogged through an ever-darkening morass of the malady Gus called moping, and what his favorite celebrity psychologist might consider the early stages of depression. The firing and the accompanying fallout shoved me even closer to the edge of a black abyss.
My moping was self-absorbed, given the burdens others faced, but what could I say? One woman's detour was another's stop sign.
"You ought to call your girl pal, that one you worked with. What's her name? Sarah? Have you heard from her?"
No. And I didn't want to hear from her, much less call her.
I shook my head.
"Your ma would have been annoyed with you."
A lump in my throat closed off my voice and I could only nod. He was right about that too. My irrepressible mother believed in taking the positive approach to life. To her, saying negative words or thinking negative thoughts was the same as asking them to come true. She had little patience for pity parties.
Focus on your strengths, Fae, and always keep moving.
My ability to follow her advice vanished with her death. I was slowly turning into the type of recluse the Japanese call hikikomori. Even the simple task of cleaning out Mom's bedroom was beyond me.
"So? You gonna open the letter?" Gus asked.
I turned over the envelope in my hand.
Heavy, officious, dirty white, and mildly threatening, the envelope shrieked of the intimidation perfected by lawyers and the Internal Revenue Service and jolted me right out of my apathy. My breath hitched in my throat.
Had Gary Slezia and Richard Fyne gone back on their word? Had they decided to forego their distaste for publicity and press charges against me?
Amazon Buy Link
Mother/daughter author duo HL Carpenter write family-friendly fiction from their studios in Carpenter Country, a magical place that, like their stories, is unreal but not untrue. When they’re not writing, they enjoy exploring the Land of What-If and practicing the fine art of Curiosity. Visit their
website
to enjoy gift reads and excerpts and to find out what’s happeni
ng in Carpenter Country.
Stay connected on Twitter , Pinterest , Linkedin , Google+ , GoodReads ,
and their Amazon Author Page .
