Camy Tang's Blog, page 134

Lunch with MaryLu Tyndall

I’m really fortunate to have several Christian novelists who live nearby and I can have lunch with them! Yesterday I had lunch with Christy-nominated author MaryLu (M.L.) Tyndall. We went to Cheesecake Factory and had their wild mushroom soup (YUM!) and salads. Yes, we were very good girls. :)



If you haven’t read any of MaryLu’s books, you should try the one coming out in July, Veil of Pearls. It’s set in the Regency time period in America, and I mean, just look at that cover!!!



Back cover blurb:



Be swept away to Charleston of 1811, a city bustling with immigrants like Adalia, who is a runaway slave so light-skinned that no one guesses her past. Terrified her secret will be discovered, she settles into a quiet life making herbal remedies for a local doctor. But when Morgan, the handsome son of a prominent family, sweeps her into his glamorous world—a world in which the truth about Adalia’s heritage would ruin them both—suspicions and petty jealousies are aroused. What will Morgan do when he discovers that the woman he has fallen in love with is a runaway slave?



Preorder the book below. Her editor said it’s the best book yet by her, so I’m anxious to read it!



Print book:

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

Christianbook.com

Booksamillion.com



Ebook:

Nookbook

Kindle

Christianbook.com

“Louder” by Charice

I absolutely love Charice--she has an amazing voice--and I love this newest song from her!







"Louder"



Louder [x4]



I'm staring out of my window

And the rain is pouring down

When you left, I was so low

But I'm not gonna drown



I don't need no shoulder

I'm gonna be a soldier

I just wanna feel somethin' I don't understand



I'm just gonna run right through the rain

I'm just gonna dance right through the pain

I just wanna feel that rhythm, feel that drum

Let my heart beat louder

Let my heart speak louder than my head (head, head, head)

Heart beat louder than my head (head, head, head)

Heart speak louder

Wanna feel that rhythm, feel that drum

Let my heart beat louder

Let my heart speak louder than my head



I, I am over overthinking of how to get you back

I'm checking out for the weekend

And I ain't going back



I don't need no shoulder

I'm gonna be a soldier

I just wanna feel somethin' I don't understand



I'm just gonna run right through the rain

I'm just gonna dance right through the pain

I just wanna feel that rhythm, feel that drum

Let my heart beat louder

Let my heart speak louder than my head (head, head, head)

Heart beat louder than my head (head, head, head)

Heart speak louder

Wanna feel that rhythm, feel that drum

Let my heart beat louder

Let my heart speak louder than my head



Oh, letting go

Yet it feel so good, so right

Oh, all I know

Is that I let my heart beat

Heart speak louder than my louder than my

Heart beat heart speak louder than my louder than my

Heart beat heart speak louder than my louder than my louder, louder, louder, louder



I'm just gonna run right through the rain

I'm just gonna dance right through the pain

I just wanna feel that rhythm, feel that drum

Let my heart beat louder

Let my heart speak louder than my head (head, head, head)

Heart beat louder than my head (head, head, head)

Heart speak louder

Wanna feel that rhythm, feel that drum

Let my heart beat louder

Let my heart speak louder than my head



Camy: I like it because the lyrics are so empowering!



You can also buy the MP3 from Amazon.

What would you do with a 400-year-old diamond?

Sotheby’s is auctioning off a 35 carat diamond that’s 400 years old, estimated 2-4 million dollars. I think the diamond’s history is pretty darn neat, but really, what do you do with a diamond like that? I mean, seriously, would you set it as a pendant and wear it to a party?



A jewel like that is probably only for display. If it goes to a private collector, it’ll be in some private vault or display case that maybe a couple hundred people will ever see. That kind of saddens me, but I guess that’s the way things go with valuable jewels like that.



I think I’d rather spend the money buying books. Yes, I have just confessed my plebian tastes to the entire blogosphere.

Need title ideas

I wrote a book for Guideposts that’s one in a continuing series and I need a title for the book. Here are the themes in the book, in no particular order:






Lighthouse

Maine coastline

Beach

Tourist town

Old historical church building (250 years old)

Bell tower in the church

Bronze bell in the church bell tower

Secret rooms in the church

Mysterious times when the bell inexplicably rings to warn of danger

A cipher found in the back of an old (250 years) Book of Prayer

A secret treasure hidden in the bell tower

A woman novelist working on her second book, and also working on interviews and guest blogs for a blog tour

A pastry chef shipping cakes, cookies, and other goodies in an internet business

A widow selling her husband’s grand home and packing up the remnants of her married life, needing to move on but it’s difficult

An artist whose painting has been stolen from her gallery






My editor said that titles should be only TWO WORDS.






So who’s game to help me out? Any ideas?




Update: Sorry guys, I didn't realize that it had cut off earlier! I corrected it and here's the full post.

Unusual grilled cheese sandwiches!

I couldn’t resist when I saw this article on Yahoo about unusual grilled cheese sandwiches. I could totally try some of these at home, I think.



I’d actually like to try the glazed donut grilled cheese (I can hear your collective eeewwwwwww!!!s). Captain Caffeine would probably enjoy the short ribs grilled cheese--since he smoked ribs yesterday maybe we should try it!



If you click the link on the bottom of the article, you’ll be taken to a few more grilled cheese sandwiches, and one of them caught my eye because it’s so unusual: brioche bread, black bean hummus, guava jam, smoked gouda cheese, and pickled jalapenos! It sounds so weird I want to try it!



Which one would you try?

Smoked meatloaf

Captain Caffeine fired up the smoker yesterday and made meatloaf and ribs. The meatloaf was a little bit of an experiment. He combined veal chorizo and ground beef (1:1 ratio), plus 3/4 cup oatmeal and 1/4 cup crushed saltine crackers, one egg, 2/3 cup milk, and 1-2 tablespoons of ketchup.





It turned out extremely tender and delicious. The chorizo spices were so strong that even cut by the ground beef, the meatloaf had a chorizo kick to it. I would have expected it to be a little drier, because of the veal, but it was actually very juicy. The Captain even poured off some of the oil that pooled on top and the sides.



Any favorite meatloaf recipes you want to share? I absolutely love meatloaf!

Garden of Madness by Tracy L. Higley giveaway winner

The winner is apshokes! Congratulations! I’ll be emailing you.



I know, those of you who didn’t win it are crying in your coffee right now. Why not order a copy? There are links below. You won’t be disappointed--I read it in one sitting, it was that good!



The untold story of King Nebuchadnezzar's daughter



For seven years the Babylonian princess Tiamat has waited for the mad king Nebuchadnezzar to return to his family and to his kingdom. Driven from his throne to live as a beast, he prowls his luxurious Hanging Gardens, secreted away from the world.



Since her treaty marriage at a young age, Tia has lived an opulent yet oppressive life in the palace. But her husband has since died and she relishes her newfound independence. When a nobleman is found murdered in the palace, Tia must discover who is responsible for the macabre death, even if her own freedom is threatened.



As the queen plans to wed Tia to yet another prince, the powerful mage Shadir plots to expose the family's secret and set his own man on the throne. Tia enlists the help of a reluctant Jewish captive, her late husband's brother Pedaiah, who challenges her notions of the gods even as he opens her heart to both truth and love.



In a time when few gave their hearts to Yahweh, Tia must decide if she is willing to risk everything-her possessions, her gods, and her very life-for the Israelites' one God. Madness, sorcery, and sinister plots mingle like an alchemist's deadly potion as Tia chooses whether to risk all to save the kingdom-and her family.



"The biblical story of Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar's seven years as a madman, found in the Old Testament Book of Daniel, deepens and broadens thanks to veteran author Higley's historical research and vivid imagination . . . Readers will find much to enjoy here: fine writing, suspense, mystery, faith, love, and a new look at an old story." -Publishers Weekly



Read an excerpt at Christianbook.com.



Print book:

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

Christianbook.com

Booksamillion.com!



Ebook:

Nookbook

Kindle

Christianbook.com

Dark chocolate digestive biscuits, part deux

I ordered the McVitie’s dark chocolate digestive biscuits last week and they came today!!!!



I can totally understand why people snarf these down by the packetful. They are SO good!



Now, I’ve had the Le Petit Ecolier (The Little Schoolboy) chocolate cookie-biscuits by LU Biscuits and I loved them. I was expecting the McVitie’s biscuits to be similar, and they are, but at the same time they’re very different.



McVitie’s chocolate biscuits have a thinner layer of chocolate that melts more easily, so rather than a block of chocolate in my mouth, it’s a delicate, creamy chocolate flavor. The McVitie’s biscuits are also more crumbly than what I remember of the Le Petit Ecolier biscuits, and I kind of like the more toothsome texture of the McVitie’s, which I think is from the whole wheat flour.



Of course, now I will have to get the Le Petit Ecolier cookies again, just to compare, you see.

Dark chocolate digestive biscuits

I've come across "digestives" in the Betty Neels books I've read and finally today I looked up what it was. They're cracker-like cookies called "biscuits" in the UK although they're nothing like Southern-style biscuits.



I had read about chocolate digestives and decided to try some, and lo and behold, Amazon has them. So I bought some.



I am about to embark on some British culture, folks. :) I hear they're fantastic. The milk chocolate digestives are the most popular but I couldn't resist getting these dark chocolate digestive biscuits.



And according to Wikipedia, they're called "digestives" because originally they were thought to have antacid properties due to the sodium bicarbonate used to make them. I think these days, the ingredients make them a decent source of fiber.



Anyone had these before? I just hope the weather stays cold so they won't melt before I get them.

Ashley Judd is my new hero

I have always loved Ashley Judd as an actress because I think she's gorgeous and I've liked her in all the movies she's done that I've seen. I have been loving her in her new TV series "Missing" but recently heard about the critics who said she's clearly had work done because her face looks puffy and because she has no wrinkles. Really? Figure out what you're saying, people.



Ashley wrote this column to refute the critics (she's amazingly articulate--I had no idea) and also here's a short video:







Why are we so quick to criticize a woman's appearance? I'm ashamed of every time I've thought an actress looked like she gained weight.



I actually really like Ashley in "Missing" because she looks about the right age to have a college-aged son, as opposed to other shows where the actress looks like she's in her late twenties and yet she has a teenager.



What do you think of all this?