Camy Tang's Blog, page 142
January 3, 2012
Street Team Book List excerpt - The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen
Camy here: Here's another book I added to my Street Team book giveaway list! You can win this book by joining my Street Team--Click here for more info!
The Maid of Fairbourne Hall
by
Julie Klassen
Pampered Margaret Macy flees London in disguise to escape pressure to marry a dishonorable man. With no money and nowhere else to go, she takes a position as a housemaid in the home of Nathaniel Upchurch, a suitor she once rejected in hopes of winning his dashing brother. Praying no one will recognize her, Margaret fumbles through the first real work of her life. If she can last until her next birthday, she will gain an inheritance from a spinster aunt--and sweet independence. But can she remain hidden as a servant even when prying eyes visit Fairbourne Hall?
Observing both brothers as an "invisible" servant, Margaret learns she may have misjudged Nathaniel. Is it too late to rekindle his admiration? And when one of the family is nearly killed, Margaret alone discovers who was responsible. Should she come forward, even at the risk of her reputation and perhaps her life? And can she avoid an obvious trap meant to force her from hiding?
On her journey from wellborn lady to servant to uncertain future, Margaret must learn to look past appearances and find the true meaning of "serve one another in love."
Excerpt of chapter one:
The Maid of Fairbourne Hall
Print book:
Barnes and Noble
Amazon
Christianbook.com
BOOKSAMILLION.COM
Ebook:
Nookbook
Kindle
Christianbook.com
BOOKSAMILLION.COM
The Maid of Fairbourne Hallby
Julie Klassen
Pampered Margaret Macy flees London in disguise to escape pressure to marry a dishonorable man. With no money and nowhere else to go, she takes a position as a housemaid in the home of Nathaniel Upchurch, a suitor she once rejected in hopes of winning his dashing brother. Praying no one will recognize her, Margaret fumbles through the first real work of her life. If she can last until her next birthday, she will gain an inheritance from a spinster aunt--and sweet independence. But can she remain hidden as a servant even when prying eyes visit Fairbourne Hall?
Observing both brothers as an "invisible" servant, Margaret learns she may have misjudged Nathaniel. Is it too late to rekindle his admiration? And when one of the family is nearly killed, Margaret alone discovers who was responsible. Should she come forward, even at the risk of her reputation and perhaps her life? And can she avoid an obvious trap meant to force her from hiding?
On her journey from wellborn lady to servant to uncertain future, Margaret must learn to look past appearances and find the true meaning of "serve one another in love."
Excerpt of chapter one:
The Maid of Fairbourne Hall
Print book:
Barnes and Noble
Amazon
Christianbook.com
BOOKSAMILLION.COM
Ebook:
Nookbook
Kindle
Christianbook.com
BOOKSAMILLION.COM
December 18, 2011
You can now give Nookbooks!
Captain's Log, Stardate 12.18.2011
I am so happy! My beloved Barnes and Noble has finally gotten with the program and now allows people to give Nookbooks to others!
Okay, I won't bash Amazon because Amazon is like chocolate to me--indispensable--but I had been very sad that Barnes and Noble wouldn't let people give Nookbooks to others when Amazon would.
I have lots of people on my Street Team who love ebooks, but when a Street Team member was able to claim one of my books as a prize, I could only offer Kindle ebooks and not Nookbooks, and if they had a Nook and not a Kindle, they were out of luck.
However, now I can give away Nookbooks! Hooray!
This also means that OTHER PEOPLE can give away Nookbooks! Hooray for me!!!!!!
(Okay, so that's a bit selfish. Sue me. I love receiving books as gifts!!!!!)
(Oh, I just realized that it also means other people can give my novels away as Nookbooks to others! Woohoo! Go buy my books and give them to people for Christmas! Nookbooks and Kindle books are instant delivery to a person's email Inbox, and they don't need a Nook or Kindle to read them--they can read the ebook on their computer!)
Sorry, sorry, my seizure of wild self-promotion has now passed.
Anyway, I'm VERY happy now that people can give Nookbooks!
I am so happy! My beloved Barnes and Noble has finally gotten with the program and now allows people to give Nookbooks to others!Okay, I won't bash Amazon because Amazon is like chocolate to me--indispensable--but I had been very sad that Barnes and Noble wouldn't let people give Nookbooks to others when Amazon would.
I have lots of people on my Street Team who love ebooks, but when a Street Team member was able to claim one of my books as a prize, I could only offer Kindle ebooks and not Nookbooks, and if they had a Nook and not a Kindle, they were out of luck.
However, now I can give away Nookbooks! Hooray!
This also means that OTHER PEOPLE can give away Nookbooks! Hooray for me!!!!!!
(Okay, so that's a bit selfish. Sue me. I love receiving books as gifts!!!!!)
(Oh, I just realized that it also means other people can give my novels away as Nookbooks to others! Woohoo! Go buy my books and give them to people for Christmas! Nookbooks and Kindle books are instant delivery to a person's email Inbox, and they don't need a Nook or Kindle to read them--they can read the ebook on their computer!)
Sorry, sorry, my seizure of wild self-promotion has now passed.
Anyway, I'm VERY happy now that people can give Nookbooks!
December 14, 2011
A Rant About Out of Print Books
Captain's Log, Stardate 12.14.2011
Forgive me, but this is going to be a full-on rant.
My friend let me borrow her copy of Practice to Deceive by Patricia Veryan, a Georgian romance author who died a few years ago. Practice to Deceive was published in hardcover in 1985 (with a rather nice pencil drawn cover) with one other English version, mass market paperback with a truly horrid cover in 1986.
Practice to Deceive is the first book in the Golden Chronicles, one of the Georgian romantic intrigue series that Patricia Veryan was famous for. The series premise is fascinating--in the months after the Jacobite rebellion in England, there was a six part cypher that pointed to the location of Prince Charlie's treasure and also the names of his financial supporters. The series is about the six parts, each carried by a different man, escaping the agents of the Crown.
The book was incredibly entertaining, but I also knew, even before I started reading it, that the copy I held was extremely rare. The paperback copy sells for a minimum of $45 on Amazon! It's because the book is out of print, and the publisher no longer prints copies of it. Therefore, the few copies left out there are for sale for exorbitant prices.
I'm returning my friend's copy to her (carefully stored in a plastic bag to protect it), and I'd like my own copy of this book but I can't afford it! I think it's ridiculous how some of these out of print books are being sold for so much!
Most of the time, readers just want to read the story, they're not out to collect the books. Readers might want a copy (like I do) to reread occasionally, or to let someone else borrow it. Most typical readers don't need pristine copies to keep on their climate-controlled collectors' bookshelves.
(Okay, well, I'll admit I'd prefer a nice copy but only because I'm a germaphobe, not because I need a pristine copy to collect. But I'll settle for a used copy just to have the book to reread.)
Why do books go out of print? Why can't publishers go through the contract processes to reprint them? Why do online book sellers have to charge an arm and a leg?
Why is it so hard for a reader to read a good book???????
If you'd like, you can also contribute to the discussion on my Goodreads group.
Forgive me, but this is going to be a full-on rant.
My friend let me borrow her copy of Practice to Deceive by Patricia Veryan, a Georgian romance author who died a few years ago. Practice to Deceive was published in hardcover in 1985 (with a rather nice pencil drawn cover) with one other English version, mass market paperback with a truly horrid cover in 1986.Practice to Deceive is the first book in the Golden Chronicles, one of the Georgian romantic intrigue series that Patricia Veryan was famous for. The series premise is fascinating--in the months after the Jacobite rebellion in England, there was a six part cypher that pointed to the location of Prince Charlie's treasure and also the names of his financial supporters. The series is about the six parts, each carried by a different man, escaping the agents of the Crown.
The book was incredibly entertaining, but I also knew, even before I started reading it, that the copy I held was extremely rare. The paperback copy sells for a minimum of $45 on Amazon! It's because the book is out of print, and the publisher no longer prints copies of it. Therefore, the few copies left out there are for sale for exorbitant prices.
I'm returning my friend's copy to her (carefully stored in a plastic bag to protect it), and I'd like my own copy of this book but I can't afford it! I think it's ridiculous how some of these out of print books are being sold for so much!
Most of the time, readers just want to read the story, they're not out to collect the books. Readers might want a copy (like I do) to reread occasionally, or to let someone else borrow it. Most typical readers don't need pristine copies to keep on their climate-controlled collectors' bookshelves.
(Okay, well, I'll admit I'd prefer a nice copy but only because I'm a germaphobe, not because I need a pristine copy to collect. But I'll settle for a used copy just to have the book to reread.)
Why do books go out of print? Why can't publishers go through the contract processes to reprint them? Why do online book sellers have to charge an arm and a leg?
Why is it so hard for a reader to read a good book???????
If you'd like, you can also contribute to the discussion on my Goodreads group.
December 11, 2011
Christmas decorations
Captain's Log, Stardate 12.11.2011
I'm watching a TV show about the lights other people put up for Christmas. Some of them put in SO much time and work into their Christmas lights! Many of them synchronize their lights with music. One guy starts in September!
We are very low key in general. We have a fake wreath that I've decorated with Hawaiian themed Christmas ornaments and a string of lights, which we pull out every year. This year we might get a small tree, too.
What do you guys do for Christmas decorations? Post pics on my Goodreads thread if you can!
I'm watching a TV show about the lights other people put up for Christmas. Some of them put in SO much time and work into their Christmas lights! Many of them synchronize their lights with music. One guy starts in September! We are very low key in general. We have a fake wreath that I've decorated with Hawaiian themed Christmas ornaments and a string of lights, which we pull out every year. This year we might get a small tree, too.
What do you guys do for Christmas decorations? Post pics on my Goodreads thread if you can!
December 5, 2011
Excerpt - F.A.I.R.I.E.S.: Baptism by Fire by M. C. Pearson
Camy here: I'm just terribly excited to post this excerpt of this book because M.C. Pearson has been an internet friend of mine for a long time. This is perfect for a tween girl in your life who loves fantasy--I would have loved this when I was 11 or 12. Actually, the illustrations reminded me of the Harry Potter books a bit, making it even more enjoyable. I hope you enjoy this excerpt!
Today's Wild Card author & illustrator is:
M. C. Pearson
and the book:
F.A.I.R.I.E.S.: Baptism by Fire
FIRST Wild Card Press (December 5, 2011)
***Special thanks to M. C. Pearson of FIRST Wild Card Press for sending me a review copy.***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
M. C. Pearson graduated from San Jose State University with a B. A. in art, served as a multi-media illustrator in the United States Army, earning the rank of sergeant, and spent four years as a house parent for at-risk youth. Now married over 20 years, she homeschools her two children, volunteers with her church youth group, and runs a book review blog alliance (FIRST Wild Card Tours) while writing and drawing. F.A.I.R.I.E.S.: Baptism by Fire is her first novel.
Visit the author's website.
SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Unwittingly chosen to join an army of fairies, who fight for the Light of the One, a teenaged girl learns about spiritual warfare as she attends a military academy with fantastical beings.
FROM THE BACK COVER:
Here lies a most precious treasure,
Awaiting one Chosen to deliver.
Seek out the red cousins in the East,
For on this your greed mustn't feast.
The wealth of a species now in your hands,
Do with it as the light demands.
Give them your gift to unite,
For it is the darkness we all must fight.
EDITORIAL REVIEWS:
Product Details:
List Price: $17.99
Paperback: 482 pages
Publisher: FIRST Wild Card Press (December 5, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0615530222
ISBN-13: 978-0615530222
AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:
Four thousand seasons shall pass while our swords grow rusty.
Where once one chose to divide, another shall be chosen to unite.
One changed the past, the other shall change the future.
One must emancipate the other to allow the light its dominion.
The realm, now torn, allows the shadow to abide, as humanity lies blind to its peril.
The bond of friendship must endure, for the army of shadows awaits another tear.
Dust off your swords.
Unite the realm.
Destroy the strongholds.
Foretelling of Didasko Gnome Digdeep
†
PART ONE
MANY ARE CALLED
BUT
FEW ARE CHOSEN
†
CHAPTER ONE
Off and Running
t was an accident!" Mellie yelled, not caring who heard or stared. Tears streaked her face as she fled down the Santa Cruz coastline, away from her family.
You don't need them, a voice hissed in her ear, Escape. Run away.
Scorching sand burned at her feet and bitterness ate at her heart. Mellie pumped her legs as fast as they would go. Her feet pounded with the rhythm of her emotions, beating a tempo with the crashing waves. Run-a-way. Run-a-way. Run-a-way. Adrenaline pulsed through her veins, quickening her step.
Why did I have to be the youngest? Only 12 years old. Never smart enough. Never athletic enough. I just wish they loved me.
Once, just once, she wanted to do something that would make her sisters see that she wasn't the stupid, awkward, ugly, little baby sister.
As she ran, she wiped away some tears with the palm of her hand. Her fingers settled on her large nose, a gift from her dad's Hungarian ancestry.
Chelsea got the ski-slope shaped nose. I had to get Half-Dome. It just isn't fair.
Her hand dropped to her side and she pinched at her stomach. It still had some of its baby fat.
Ugh, why are my sisters so perfect? What happened to me?
Pushing her short bangs from her forehead in disgust, she mumbled, "Maybe I'll find treasure. I'll be the rich one, and then they'll have to accept me." But she knew better. California didn't hold any more undiscovered treasures.
The sand, hot and coarse, cut at her feet. I wish I had remembered my shoes. She wore only a black, one-piece swimsuit and a San Jose Sharks sweatshirt tied tightly around her waist.
Breathing rapidly, she began to tire. She slowed her pace to a walk and looked back across the beach. The sand was so hot that waves of heat rose from it and blurred her view. A lone seagull screeched overhead.
Her sisters were nowhere in sight.
Man, I thought for sure that Chelsea was going to chase me down and kill me.
She had to admit that it was a little gratifying to see the sand fly from her foot, covering Chelsea's sub-sandwich and freshly oiled stomach. Grinning slightly, the tears stopped flowing. She rubbed her eyes.
Mellie looked in the direction of her sisters. "You guys can never take a joke." Flipping her golden hair, she turned her head back toward her chosen path. She no longer smiled as she stomped her feet in the cold surf, remembering the hateful words that had been said.
"Oh, waa waa, you stupid cry baby! Go tell mommy! Maybe she'll feel sorry for her ugly, fat baby. Why don't you grow up? We don't want you near us. Can't you understand English? You are so dumb. Look at her mouth open. Oh wait, here she goes…come on, baby…cry!"
Mellie knew she couldn't go back. They would only ridicule and torment her further. Her mom would never believe it was Chelsea's fault. No, the evidence was on Chelsea's side. Who was the one with the sand all over her oily, coconut-smelling body? Who was the one who had a sandwich full of sand? Mellie walked on.
After her temper finally cooled, it occurred to her that she had never walked so far alone.
How far have I gone?
A shadow passed over her, and she looked up. Nothing was there. A cool breeze from the ocean created a stark contrast to the scalding sand. She shivered but kept walking, lost in her loneliness.
Not until she stubbed her toe on a large broken clamshell did she look at the beach. A chill snaked up her back. Nothing appeared familiar. The sounds of the surf were still there, yet something was decidedly different. She felt dizzy. Looking around, she could not quite pinpoint the change. Then it struck her.
No people.
Where did everybody go?
Even though she could see no one, Mellie could swear that she felt eyes staring at her.
She looked inland across the sand, saw movement near some eucalyptus trees, but decided that the wind must have caused it.
Trees? So close to the beach?
Something shook the trees again, causing goosebumps to stand out on Mellie's arms. Alarmed, she checked the skyline. The sun was close to setting. She hoped that the police weren't out looking for her.
Suddenly cold, she pulled at the arms of the sweatshirt still tied around her waist. It fell to the sand. Bending to pick it up, she once again saw a blur of movement, except this time it came from a rocky outcrop by the waves. She shook the sand out of the sweatshirt and hurriedly tugged it over her head.
"Okay, I'm seeing things." Mellie yanked at her hair, pulling it out of the sweatshirt. She stared at the sinister rocks. "Hel-lo?" Her voice cracked as she spoke louder. "Is someone the-ere? Hello?" No answer. The shadowy rocks seemed to quiver with excitement, beckoning her closer.
Hmm…probably just a seagull.
Even if it was a bird, she did not want to see it.
There's no way I'm going over there.
The wind picked up and blew her hair into her eyes. The sand spun with the wind.
Yes, definitely time to move. I need to find a road.
She turned back toward the sweet smelling, oddly placed trees.
Mellie arrived at the base of the first, colossal eucalyptus tree. Without warning, one of the branches fell in front of her, then seemed to get up from the ground and pose its bottom stems in a military-like stance.
Mellie screamed and jumped back. "Branches don't stand."
"They do if they are walking sticks." The eucalyptus branch chuckled, stretching to its full height, considerably taller than Mellie's meager five feet.
She gasped, grabbed the branch, and threw it like a javelin, as hard as she could.
As she took off running, she heard a bark and halted. Turning, she saw a golden retriever bounding toward her with the stick in his mouth. The dog dropped it at her feet. She watched the dog run into the grove of trees and disappear before she fearfully turned back to the possessed stick.
It had already gained its footing again and stood over her. Mellie was too frightened to move this time.
A face emerged from the skinny twig and took on the characteristics of a male human, but none like Mellie had ever seen. He had hair made up in rolls as if it were a powdered, green-silver wig, the same color as the leaves that grew all around his skinny body. His face was long and his forehead high. The twiggy man smiled and said in a distinctly British, albeit breezy, accent, "Do not worry, you are safe."
Mellie couldn't answer.
"Ahh…I love new recruits. They are so easily addled."
Feeling more confused than threatened, Mellie found her voice. "What? What do you mean, new recruits?" She rubbed her eyes, shaking her head. "Okay, I'm talking to a stick now. Yes, I have lost it. I have gone totally mental."
"Oh, I say, am I to understand that I am the first to be revealed to you?" With round, leathery leaves, the branch resembled a toddler toy with rings stacked on one another.
She dropped open her mouth and nodded.
"Well, let me do this properly, then. Ahem. Mortal, made of clay, you have been Chosen to join the Fantastical, Aerial, International, Reasonably Inconspicuous, Emancipation Squads."
"What? What are you? You look like a stick…but you can talk."
"Yes, child," the stick replied with a sigh. "But, I think we are quite past that by now. Have you not heard me? You have been Chosen."
Mellie opened her mouth wider, closed it, frowned, and opened it once more. "Chosen? For what?"
"You did wish to be different? To change who you were? 'Twas an especially strong desire, yes?" The branch crossed its arms and tapped its twiggy foot.
"Umm…"
"Dear me, this is highly unusual. You made a choice to run away from a miserable life and asked to be set free? Correct?"
"Well, I, ah…yeah. I guess so. What did you say about recruit for some squad?"
"Humph. I see that I was not understood. Yes? Let me elucidate. The Fantastical, Aerial, International, Reasonably Inconspicuous, Emancipation Squads , or shall I say F.A.I.R.I.E.S.? have accepted you into their organization. You asked. You were answered." The branch attempted a smile, but looked impatient instead.
"Fairies? I don't believe in fairies." Mellie winced, half expecting him to fall down and writhe in pain until she clapped her hands.
"Quite right. You are not supposed to. If humans truly believed we existed, we would never get anything accomplished."
Mellie laughed and looked around for a hidden camera, thinking this must be a joke. "Right. Ah…heh…okay, bud, brilliant costume," she said, imitating the branch's accent. "Where's the zipper?" She reached toward him and touched a soft leaf.
The branch slapped her hand away and stamped its foot with a loud cracking noise. "I beg your pardon. I have not been a bud for over 800 springs!" He paced, his leaves crumpling, mumbling to himself about humans and why, in the One's name, did he listen to that confounded gnome who told him that he needed to stand gate duty. With his rank!
"I'm sorry I upset you. Please, I'm very confused. I'm lost, and I just want to go home." Mellie bit her lip.
The branch stopped mid-pace. "Home? Earlier, did you not wish for a new life? And riches? I know you wished for treasure, hmm?"
"How do you know that?" Mellie furrowed her brow. "Have you been reading my mind?"
The twig man didn't answer her questions, asking his own instead. "Ahh, so, you admit this, yes?"
She narrowed her eyes. "Yes, but…well, this really isn't what I had in mind."
The branch threw up its twiggy fingers. "Oh, well, of course you did not have this in mind. After all, we are reasonably inconspicuous, especially to humans. How could you have this in mind? However, is it not superior of the One to think that this is what you would have chosen had you known about us? Anyway, 'tis irrevocable now. So, if you would just follow me, we shall get you signed in and enrolled for training."
The branch marched off between the trunks of two large eucalyptus trees.
Mellie slid uncontrollably after the walking stick. She planted her feet firmly, refusing to budge, but she slid after him anyway. Grasping at branches of nearby trees, she panted heavily as she struggled to resist following the branch. Some kind of invisible tie connected her to him. He seemed to pull her along with his every step.
Mellie thought about her sisters and how mad they were at her. I'm dead meat if they find me. Mellie quickly gave up her battle and ran after the eucalyptus branch, barely keeping up with his stride.
†
The sand changed to coarse dirt, with pebbles and sticks. More and more trees filled Mellie's vision. Bushes scraped against her bare legs and slapped her face as she moved deeper inside a forest of eucalyptus and redwood trees. She winced in pain as a razor-sharp rock sliced her foot. Stopping to nurse it, she wished once again for her forgotten shoes.
"Excuse me, sir?" Mellie looked around. She could not see the branch anywhere.
"Do not call me 'sir', I work for a living." The branch peeked out from around one of the gigantic trees. "And please, try to keep up. We need to reach the gateway."
Mellie limped up to him. "Sorry, sir…I mean…umm, what should I call you then?"
"Oh, well, we did skip that. Did we not? Yes, all right, an introduction then." The branch man seemed to enjoy formal etiquette for he gave an elaborate wave and bowed. "My name is Regnans, family of Myrtaceae, born member of the F.A.I.R.I.E.S., Britannia Wing, rank of Master Nymph Dryad."
"Nice to meet you, Reg…Reg?" Mellie chewed on the inside of her mouth. Never good at remembering names, she knew she would offend him with her lack of manners.
Sure enough, the dryad raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips. "Regnans." He gave a hurt sniff, then drolly sneered. "If you find that a difficult name, you should meet the rest of my family, all seven-hundred thirty-four of them."
"Sorry, I just…well, it is a lot to remember. It's a nice name, though. My name is Maryellen Goodwin of Bret Harte Middle School, San Jose, California. But everyone calls me Mellie." She stuck out her hand, intending to shake. Regnans stared at her.
"That is a strange curtsy. However, I guess 'twill do. We must get moving now. The shadows abound, you know." Regnans made an about face and marched off faster than before.
Another hour passed, and still they strode along the forest floor. Mellie's feet were now cut, blistered, and bleeding. She kept up as best she could with Regnans's long stride. Whenever she tried to stop, he would pull her on with that invisible force of his.
Stupid, pompous, magical Star Wars freak.
She whimpered as she limped. Darkness and mist now covered the woods. As she was about to plead for a break, Regnans stopped. Except for her heavy gulps of air, all seemed quiet.
Regnans stiffened even more than usual. Nothing on him moved, apart from his eyes, which darted around quickly.
"All is safe, we may proceed." He held up a twiggy finger to his woody mouth. "Please do not speak, and try not to breathe so abominably loud."
Mellie nodded with a disgusted frown. Sweat dripped from her bangs. She tried to calm her breathing, even though her vision blurred, and her legs wobbled. Her blisters had popped by now and oozed wetness.
Regnans moved again, yet this time he took slow, deliberate steps, all the while scanning his surroundings. He walked up to a massive redwood tree and stroked its bark.
A breeze stirred up, rattling the leaves, sounding almost like spoken words. Mellie thought herself crazy again. However, the longer she stood there, the more she sensed that it really was the tree's language, as if she had never listened to trees properly before. It said, "If you love, you will say the one true love that leads the way."
Regnans whispered in a leaf rustling voice, "Ah-gaw-pay."
A loud grumbling sound, as if someone awakened after a long sleep, shook the grove. The redwood tree opened two eyes, each the size of Mellie's head, and blinked. A great fissure erupted below the eyes in the shape of a crescent, and redish-brown wooden teeth emerged. A long, knobby branch pushed its way out above the mouth and inhaled deeply.
The tree chuckled. Instead of the whispering leaves, a low, rumbling utterance of human speech came from the redwood tree. "Regnans? What brings you to my neck of the woods?" He blinked again. "And who is this? A new recruit? A human? A Chosen?"
Mellie knew she looked silly, standing there with her mouth in an 'O' shape, but she couldn't move. This was simply impossible. There is no such thing as fairies!
"Yes, yes. Please open the gate, we must not dawdle here…they may be watching." Regnans looked agitated.
A deep laugh resounded from the redwood. "Oh, Regnans. There are none who watch here."
Regnans mumbled something about hamadryads and their pride, then proclaimed in a slightly louder voice to the tree, "We must be sober, be vigilant, because the shadow walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom it may devour."
The hamadryad looked chagrined. "You speak true, dryad. Forgive me for acting like an arrogant seedling." He glanced at Mellie, and with a lowered voice asked, "And what is your name, little human?"
Mellie managed to squeak out, "Mellie Goodwin."
"Ah, 'tis always nice to have a Good Wind." The hamadryad laughed heartily.
"Sorry to interrupt this lovely tete-a-tete," Regnans said, "but would you please open the gate? I left Westside completely unguarded."
An annoyed creak came from the base of the redwood, followed by a sigh. "Yes, Regnans. Agape you said, and agape it is. Go with the light, my friends." The large, joyous eyes closed, and the hamadryad whispered in his leaf rustling voice, "Until we meet again, Good Wind." His face disappeared, and his roots lifted and pulled apart, exposing a tunnel within his trunk.
Regnans grabbed Mellie's hand with his rough, wooden one, and pulled her inside the opening. The tree closed itself abruptly and left them in total darkness.
Regnans cleared his throat and said, "Let there be light."
A burst of dazzling brightness sparkled from the tunnel's wall. Mellie glanced around and noticed a long, winding stairwell leading down into the ground.
"Shall we, then?" Not waiting for a reply, Regnans started down the steps.
Available at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com.
It is time for a
FIRST Wild Card Tour
book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
Today's Wild Card author & illustrator is:
M. C. Pearson
and the book:
F.A.I.R.I.E.S.: Baptism by Fire
FIRST Wild Card Press (December 5, 2011)
***Special thanks to M. C. Pearson of FIRST Wild Card Press for sending me a review copy.***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
M. C. Pearson graduated from San Jose State University with a B. A. in art, served as a multi-media illustrator in the United States Army, earning the rank of sergeant, and spent four years as a house parent for at-risk youth. Now married over 20 years, she homeschools her two children, volunteers with her church youth group, and runs a book review blog alliance (FIRST Wild Card Tours) while writing and drawing. F.A.I.R.I.E.S.: Baptism by Fire is her first novel.
Visit the author's website.
SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Unwittingly chosen to join an army of fairies, who fight for the Light of the One, a teenaged girl learns about spiritual warfare as she attends a military academy with fantastical beings.
FROM THE BACK COVER:
Here lies a most precious treasure,
Awaiting one Chosen to deliver.
Seek out the red cousins in the East,
For on this your greed mustn't feast.
The wealth of a species now in your hands,
Do with it as the light demands.
Give them your gift to unite,
For it is the darkness we all must fight.
EDITORIAL REVIEWS:
"Imagination runs wild in F.A.I.R.I.E.S. Pearson brings young readers through a looking glass and into a world bursting with adventure, heroism, and fascinating creatures. Readers will be inspired to be true to the One and left with anticipation of more to come."
--Jill Williamson, award-winning author of
By Darkness Hid, and other books
"Sprinkled with delightful illustrations, and brimming with a full bestiary of magical creatures, F.A.I.R.I.E.S. is a fun, clever romp through the alternate landscape of the most magical world of all, our own. Read, and take up the call: 'Defend and Emancipate!'"
-- D. Barkley Briggs, author of
The Book of Names, and other books
"F.A.I.R.I.E.S. will appeal to readers who love the interplay of fantasy and reality. A rich cast of eccentric characters and exotic settings make this a fun addition to the folklore of the battle between good and evil."
--Mike Hamel, author of
YA fantasy series: MATTERHORN THE BRAVE
"F.A.I.R.I.E.S. is one of those rare gems I want to tell everyone about. It's highly imaginative, packed with adventure, and full of hope. A must read for kids and for kids at heart. Even better than Narnia! I was thinking about Pearson's wonderfully memorable characters for days."
--C.J. Darlington, author of
Thicker than Blood
"Ms. Pearson's extravagant and imaginative F.A.I.R.I.E. kingdom will surely delight the young and the young-at-heart in this tale of good and evil, light vs. darkness. The fantasy-loving reader will not be disappointed!"
--Linore Rose Burkard, award winning author of
Before the Season Ends, and other books
Product Details:
List Price: $17.99
Paperback: 482 pages
Publisher: FIRST Wild Card Press (December 5, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0615530222
ISBN-13: 978-0615530222
AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:
Four thousand seasons shall pass while our swords grow rusty.
Where once one chose to divide, another shall be chosen to unite.
One changed the past, the other shall change the future.
One must emancipate the other to allow the light its dominion.
The realm, now torn, allows the shadow to abide, as humanity lies blind to its peril.
The bond of friendship must endure, for the army of shadows awaits another tear.
Dust off your swords.
Unite the realm.
Destroy the strongholds.
Foretelling of Didasko Gnome Digdeep
†
PART ONE
MANY ARE CALLED
BUT
FEW ARE CHOSEN
†
CHAPTER ONE
Off and Running
t was an accident!" Mellie yelled, not caring who heard or stared. Tears streaked her face as she fled down the Santa Cruz coastline, away from her family.
You don't need them, a voice hissed in her ear, Escape. Run away.
Scorching sand burned at her feet and bitterness ate at her heart. Mellie pumped her legs as fast as they would go. Her feet pounded with the rhythm of her emotions, beating a tempo with the crashing waves. Run-a-way. Run-a-way. Run-a-way. Adrenaline pulsed through her veins, quickening her step.
Why did I have to be the youngest? Only 12 years old. Never smart enough. Never athletic enough. I just wish they loved me.
Once, just once, she wanted to do something that would make her sisters see that she wasn't the stupid, awkward, ugly, little baby sister.
As she ran, she wiped away some tears with the palm of her hand. Her fingers settled on her large nose, a gift from her dad's Hungarian ancestry.
Chelsea got the ski-slope shaped nose. I had to get Half-Dome. It just isn't fair.
Her hand dropped to her side and she pinched at her stomach. It still had some of its baby fat.
Ugh, why are my sisters so perfect? What happened to me?
Pushing her short bangs from her forehead in disgust, she mumbled, "Maybe I'll find treasure. I'll be the rich one, and then they'll have to accept me." But she knew better. California didn't hold any more undiscovered treasures.
The sand, hot and coarse, cut at her feet. I wish I had remembered my shoes. She wore only a black, one-piece swimsuit and a San Jose Sharks sweatshirt tied tightly around her waist.
Breathing rapidly, she began to tire. She slowed her pace to a walk and looked back across the beach. The sand was so hot that waves of heat rose from it and blurred her view. A lone seagull screeched overhead.
Her sisters were nowhere in sight.
Man, I thought for sure that Chelsea was going to chase me down and kill me.
She had to admit that it was a little gratifying to see the sand fly from her foot, covering Chelsea's sub-sandwich and freshly oiled stomach. Grinning slightly, the tears stopped flowing. She rubbed her eyes.
Mellie looked in the direction of her sisters. "You guys can never take a joke." Flipping her golden hair, she turned her head back toward her chosen path. She no longer smiled as she stomped her feet in the cold surf, remembering the hateful words that had been said.
"Oh, waa waa, you stupid cry baby! Go tell mommy! Maybe she'll feel sorry for her ugly, fat baby. Why don't you grow up? We don't want you near us. Can't you understand English? You are so dumb. Look at her mouth open. Oh wait, here she goes…come on, baby…cry!"
Mellie knew she couldn't go back. They would only ridicule and torment her further. Her mom would never believe it was Chelsea's fault. No, the evidence was on Chelsea's side. Who was the one with the sand all over her oily, coconut-smelling body? Who was the one who had a sandwich full of sand? Mellie walked on.
After her temper finally cooled, it occurred to her that she had never walked so far alone.
How far have I gone?
A shadow passed over her, and she looked up. Nothing was there. A cool breeze from the ocean created a stark contrast to the scalding sand. She shivered but kept walking, lost in her loneliness.
Not until she stubbed her toe on a large broken clamshell did she look at the beach. A chill snaked up her back. Nothing appeared familiar. The sounds of the surf were still there, yet something was decidedly different. She felt dizzy. Looking around, she could not quite pinpoint the change. Then it struck her.
No people.
Where did everybody go?
Even though she could see no one, Mellie could swear that she felt eyes staring at her.
She looked inland across the sand, saw movement near some eucalyptus trees, but decided that the wind must have caused it.
Trees? So close to the beach?
Something shook the trees again, causing goosebumps to stand out on Mellie's arms. Alarmed, she checked the skyline. The sun was close to setting. She hoped that the police weren't out looking for her.
Suddenly cold, she pulled at the arms of the sweatshirt still tied around her waist. It fell to the sand. Bending to pick it up, she once again saw a blur of movement, except this time it came from a rocky outcrop by the waves. She shook the sand out of the sweatshirt and hurriedly tugged it over her head.
"Okay, I'm seeing things." Mellie yanked at her hair, pulling it out of the sweatshirt. She stared at the sinister rocks. "Hel-lo?" Her voice cracked as she spoke louder. "Is someone the-ere? Hello?" No answer. The shadowy rocks seemed to quiver with excitement, beckoning her closer.
Hmm…probably just a seagull.
Even if it was a bird, she did not want to see it.
There's no way I'm going over there.
The wind picked up and blew her hair into her eyes. The sand spun with the wind.
Yes, definitely time to move. I need to find a road.
She turned back toward the sweet smelling, oddly placed trees.
Mellie arrived at the base of the first, colossal eucalyptus tree. Without warning, one of the branches fell in front of her, then seemed to get up from the ground and pose its bottom stems in a military-like stance.
Mellie screamed and jumped back. "Branches don't stand."
"They do if they are walking sticks." The eucalyptus branch chuckled, stretching to its full height, considerably taller than Mellie's meager five feet.
She gasped, grabbed the branch, and threw it like a javelin, as hard as she could.
As she took off running, she heard a bark and halted. Turning, she saw a golden retriever bounding toward her with the stick in his mouth. The dog dropped it at her feet. She watched the dog run into the grove of trees and disappear before she fearfully turned back to the possessed stick.
It had already gained its footing again and stood over her. Mellie was too frightened to move this time.A face emerged from the skinny twig and took on the characteristics of a male human, but none like Mellie had ever seen. He had hair made up in rolls as if it were a powdered, green-silver wig, the same color as the leaves that grew all around his skinny body. His face was long and his forehead high. The twiggy man smiled and said in a distinctly British, albeit breezy, accent, "Do not worry, you are safe."
Mellie couldn't answer.
"Ahh…I love new recruits. They are so easily addled."
Feeling more confused than threatened, Mellie found her voice. "What? What do you mean, new recruits?" She rubbed her eyes, shaking her head. "Okay, I'm talking to a stick now. Yes, I have lost it. I have gone totally mental."
"Oh, I say, am I to understand that I am the first to be revealed to you?" With round, leathery leaves, the branch resembled a toddler toy with rings stacked on one another.
She dropped open her mouth and nodded.
"Well, let me do this properly, then. Ahem. Mortal, made of clay, you have been Chosen to join the Fantastical, Aerial, International, Reasonably Inconspicuous, Emancipation Squads."
"What? What are you? You look like a stick…but you can talk."
"Yes, child," the stick replied with a sigh. "But, I think we are quite past that by now. Have you not heard me? You have been Chosen."
Mellie opened her mouth wider, closed it, frowned, and opened it once more. "Chosen? For what?"
"You did wish to be different? To change who you were? 'Twas an especially strong desire, yes?" The branch crossed its arms and tapped its twiggy foot.
"Umm…"
"Dear me, this is highly unusual. You made a choice to run away from a miserable life and asked to be set free? Correct?"
"Well, I, ah…yeah. I guess so. What did you say about recruit for some squad?"
"Humph. I see that I was not understood. Yes? Let me elucidate. The Fantastical, Aerial, International, Reasonably Inconspicuous, Emancipation Squads , or shall I say F.A.I.R.I.E.S.? have accepted you into their organization. You asked. You were answered." The branch attempted a smile, but looked impatient instead.
"Fairies? I don't believe in fairies." Mellie winced, half expecting him to fall down and writhe in pain until she clapped her hands.
"Quite right. You are not supposed to. If humans truly believed we existed, we would never get anything accomplished."
Mellie laughed and looked around for a hidden camera, thinking this must be a joke. "Right. Ah…heh…okay, bud, brilliant costume," she said, imitating the branch's accent. "Where's the zipper?" She reached toward him and touched a soft leaf.
The branch slapped her hand away and stamped its foot with a loud cracking noise. "I beg your pardon. I have not been a bud for over 800 springs!" He paced, his leaves crumpling, mumbling to himself about humans and why, in the One's name, did he listen to that confounded gnome who told him that he needed to stand gate duty. With his rank!
"I'm sorry I upset you. Please, I'm very confused. I'm lost, and I just want to go home." Mellie bit her lip.
The branch stopped mid-pace. "Home? Earlier, did you not wish for a new life? And riches? I know you wished for treasure, hmm?"
"How do you know that?" Mellie furrowed her brow. "Have you been reading my mind?"
The twig man didn't answer her questions, asking his own instead. "Ahh, so, you admit this, yes?"
She narrowed her eyes. "Yes, but…well, this really isn't what I had in mind."
The branch threw up its twiggy fingers. "Oh, well, of course you did not have this in mind. After all, we are reasonably inconspicuous, especially to humans. How could you have this in mind? However, is it not superior of the One to think that this is what you would have chosen had you known about us? Anyway, 'tis irrevocable now. So, if you would just follow me, we shall get you signed in and enrolled for training."
The branch marched off between the trunks of two large eucalyptus trees.
Mellie slid uncontrollably after the walking stick. She planted her feet firmly, refusing to budge, but she slid after him anyway. Grasping at branches of nearby trees, she panted heavily as she struggled to resist following the branch. Some kind of invisible tie connected her to him. He seemed to pull her along with his every step.
Mellie thought about her sisters and how mad they were at her. I'm dead meat if they find me. Mellie quickly gave up her battle and ran after the eucalyptus branch, barely keeping up with his stride.
†
The sand changed to coarse dirt, with pebbles and sticks. More and more trees filled Mellie's vision. Bushes scraped against her bare legs and slapped her face as she moved deeper inside a forest of eucalyptus and redwood trees. She winced in pain as a razor-sharp rock sliced her foot. Stopping to nurse it, she wished once again for her forgotten shoes.
"Excuse me, sir?" Mellie looked around. She could not see the branch anywhere.
"Do not call me 'sir', I work for a living." The branch peeked out from around one of the gigantic trees. "And please, try to keep up. We need to reach the gateway."
Mellie limped up to him. "Sorry, sir…I mean…umm, what should I call you then?"
"Oh, well, we did skip that. Did we not? Yes, all right, an introduction then." The branch man seemed to enjoy formal etiquette for he gave an elaborate wave and bowed. "My name is Regnans, family of Myrtaceae, born member of the F.A.I.R.I.E.S., Britannia Wing, rank of Master Nymph Dryad."
"Nice to meet you, Reg…Reg?" Mellie chewed on the inside of her mouth. Never good at remembering names, she knew she would offend him with her lack of manners.
Sure enough, the dryad raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips. "Regnans." He gave a hurt sniff, then drolly sneered. "If you find that a difficult name, you should meet the rest of my family, all seven-hundred thirty-four of them."
"Sorry, I just…well, it is a lot to remember. It's a nice name, though. My name is Maryellen Goodwin of Bret Harte Middle School, San Jose, California. But everyone calls me Mellie." She stuck out her hand, intending to shake. Regnans stared at her.
"That is a strange curtsy. However, I guess 'twill do. We must get moving now. The shadows abound, you know." Regnans made an about face and marched off faster than before.
Another hour passed, and still they strode along the forest floor. Mellie's feet were now cut, blistered, and bleeding. She kept up as best she could with Regnans's long stride. Whenever she tried to stop, he would pull her on with that invisible force of his.
Stupid, pompous, magical Star Wars freak.
She whimpered as she limped. Darkness and mist now covered the woods. As she was about to plead for a break, Regnans stopped. Except for her heavy gulps of air, all seemed quiet.
Regnans stiffened even more than usual. Nothing on him moved, apart from his eyes, which darted around quickly.
"All is safe, we may proceed." He held up a twiggy finger to his woody mouth. "Please do not speak, and try not to breathe so abominably loud."
Mellie nodded with a disgusted frown. Sweat dripped from her bangs. She tried to calm her breathing, even though her vision blurred, and her legs wobbled. Her blisters had popped by now and oozed wetness.
Regnans moved again, yet this time he took slow, deliberate steps, all the while scanning his surroundings. He walked up to a massive redwood tree and stroked its bark.
A breeze stirred up, rattling the leaves, sounding almost like spoken words. Mellie thought herself crazy again. However, the longer she stood there, the more she sensed that it really was the tree's language, as if she had never listened to trees properly before. It said, "If you love, you will say the one true love that leads the way."
Regnans whispered in a leaf rustling voice, "Ah-gaw-pay."
A loud grumbling sound, as if someone awakened after a long sleep, shook the grove. The redwood tree opened two eyes, each the size of Mellie's head, and blinked. A great fissure erupted below the eyes in the shape of a crescent, and redish-brown wooden teeth emerged. A long, knobby branch pushed its way out above the mouth and inhaled deeply.The tree chuckled. Instead of the whispering leaves, a low, rumbling utterance of human speech came from the redwood tree. "Regnans? What brings you to my neck of the woods?" He blinked again. "And who is this? A new recruit? A human? A Chosen?"
Mellie knew she looked silly, standing there with her mouth in an 'O' shape, but she couldn't move. This was simply impossible. There is no such thing as fairies!
"Yes, yes. Please open the gate, we must not dawdle here…they may be watching." Regnans looked agitated.
A deep laugh resounded from the redwood. "Oh, Regnans. There are none who watch here."
Regnans mumbled something about hamadryads and their pride, then proclaimed in a slightly louder voice to the tree, "We must be sober, be vigilant, because the shadow walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom it may devour."
The hamadryad looked chagrined. "You speak true, dryad. Forgive me for acting like an arrogant seedling." He glanced at Mellie, and with a lowered voice asked, "And what is your name, little human?"
Mellie managed to squeak out, "Mellie Goodwin."
"Ah, 'tis always nice to have a Good Wind." The hamadryad laughed heartily.
"Sorry to interrupt this lovely tete-a-tete," Regnans said, "but would you please open the gate? I left Westside completely unguarded."
An annoyed creak came from the base of the redwood, followed by a sigh. "Yes, Regnans. Agape you said, and agape it is. Go with the light, my friends." The large, joyous eyes closed, and the hamadryad whispered in his leaf rustling voice, "Until we meet again, Good Wind." His face disappeared, and his roots lifted and pulled apart, exposing a tunnel within his trunk.
Regnans grabbed Mellie's hand with his rough, wooden one, and pulled her inside the opening. The tree closed itself abruptly and left them in total darkness.
Regnans cleared his throat and said, "Let there be light."
A burst of dazzling brightness sparkled from the tunnel's wall. Mellie glanced around and noticed a long, winding stairwell leading down into the ground.
"Shall we, then?" Not waiting for a reply, Regnans started down the steps.
Available at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com.
It is time for a
FIRST Wild Card Tour
book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
December 2, 2011
BarnesandNoble.com coupons
For those of you shopping online for Xmas gifts, here are a few online coupons to share with you. There are two, one for if you are a member of Barnes and Noble and one if you are not:
Barnes&Noble Member Coupon! Save an Extra 25% Off - Use Coupon Code F7P4K8P at Checkout!
Barnes&Noble Non-Member Coupon! Save an Extra 20% Off - Use Coupon Code T3N9N3L at Checkout![image error]
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November 27, 2011
November 21, 2011
Comfort reading food
(I also posted this over at Goodreads.com in case you wanted to join the discussion there.)
So here's a random question that occurred to me, so I thought I'd put it out there for you guys:
When you read, do you have "comfort food" you go for? Especially when you have a really good read?
I was thinking about this and realized that I have definite habits when it comes to my eating and reading.
I love enjoying tea with my reading, usually English style tea with milk and honey, but sometimes Japanese green tea (genmaicha, specifically).
I also love eating Sensible Portions Garden Veggie Straws while I read. In fact, I have a bag open right now! I get them from Costco and they're slightly lower in fat than potato chips, plus they're light and crispy. I used to like eating potato chips, but they tend to be too greasy after a while, whereas Veggie Straws are a bit lighter.
I also love reading while eating ramen or any type of soup, really. I set my book in front of my plate and read while eating. I know it's terrible to do that but when I have so many solitary meals, I've come to really look forward to my reading and eating ramen in the middle of the day. It used to be harder with paperback books, and I would use a book weight to keep the book open. But now I use my Nook and turning pages is just a touch to the screen.
I will especially turn to one of these three if the book I'm reading is REALLY REALLY GOOD! It's as if I want to milk maximum enjoyment from my time, so I combine a great story with food I love.
So do you indulge in comfort food while reading? What do you tend to do?
And for those of you already forming your Christmas wish lists:
So here's a random question that occurred to me, so I thought I'd put it out there for you guys:
When you read, do you have "comfort food" you go for? Especially when you have a really good read?
I was thinking about this and realized that I have definite habits when it comes to my eating and reading.
I love enjoying tea with my reading, usually English style tea with milk and honey, but sometimes Japanese green tea (genmaicha, specifically).
I also love eating Sensible Portions Garden Veggie Straws while I read. In fact, I have a bag open right now! I get them from Costco and they're slightly lower in fat than potato chips, plus they're light and crispy. I used to like eating potato chips, but they tend to be too greasy after a while, whereas Veggie Straws are a bit lighter.
I also love reading while eating ramen or any type of soup, really. I set my book in front of my plate and read while eating. I know it's terrible to do that but when I have so many solitary meals, I've come to really look forward to my reading and eating ramen in the middle of the day. It used to be harder with paperback books, and I would use a book weight to keep the book open. But now I use my Nook and turning pages is just a touch to the screen.
I will especially turn to one of these three if the book I'm reading is REALLY REALLY GOOD! It's as if I want to milk maximum enjoyment from my time, so I combine a great story with food I love.
So do you indulge in comfort food while reading? What do you tend to do?
And for those of you already forming your Christmas wish lists:
November 14, 2011
Deep Fried Collard chips
Captain's Log, Stardate 11.14.2011
I made collard chips yesterday, but it was because of the French fries.
I seriously love French fries. I go into withdrawal if I don't have them once every two to three weeks or so. Captain Caffeine will actually go out and buy them for me when I start climbing up the walls.
(Incidentally, our favorites are from Yiassoo's Greek restaurant, which for some reason has an awesome fryer and great fries, and also Kirk's Steakburgers because their steak fries ROCK!)
We've gotten a lot of potatoes lately in our organic co-op, so I decided to make French fries. I got out my Fry Daddy and whipped up several batches a few times this past week.
I got so fry happy that I decided to try deep fried kale chips, which turned out absolutely completely AWESOME!!! Unfortunately I didn't take pictures.
So then I thought I'd try collard greens and see how that tasted, and they turned out great too! They're a bit more "green" tasting than the kale--the kale chips actually tasted a little sweet, maybe from caramelization. But the collard chips were just as crispy and tasty as the kale chips. Plus I had two huge bunches of collards and was thrilled to find a new way of eating them.
Deep Fried Collard Chips
1 bunch collard greens (One bunch of chopped collards (maybe 4 or 5 packed cups) yielded a large colander full of chips.)
Fry Daddy
Canola oil
Salt
Metal splatter screen
Metal deep frying strainer
Pour oil into the Fry Daddy up to the fill line on the inside and plug it in. Wait 15 minutes for it to heat up.
Wash collards and remove ribs. Pat dry as well as you can. Cut into about 2-inch squares.
Once those collards hit the hot oil, the water is going to make the oil boil and make a lot of noise and mess, so I put a metal splatter screen over my Fry Daddy. I load a metal deep frying strainer with chopped collards, then quickly lift up the splatter screen, dump the collards in the Fry Daddy and replace the splatter screen as fast as possible. The first time it happens, the boiling oil sounds massively scary, but you're okay as long as you have the splatter screen on top.
Let it fry for about 1 minute.
Remove the collards into a metal colander set into a metal bowl to catch the dripping oil. Wait a little while for the chips to drip before sprinkling with salt, tossing with the metal strainer, and then moving the chips to a new bowl.
I wanted to know approximate nutritional value and guessed that kale/collard chips compare (oil-wise) to potato chips. One ounce of potato chips has 9.8 grams of fat, and since potatoes by themselves have no fat, I think it's safe to guess that the fat is all from the frying. 9.8 grams of fat equates to 0.7 tablespoon of oil per ounce of potato chips.
Going by the potassium and carb levels, one ounce of potato chips equates to approximately 0.6 cup of raw potatoes.
So when I was adding the collard chips into my SparkPeople nutrition diary, I added 0.6 cup collards plus 0.7 tablespoon oil for every ounce of collard chips I ate, and I think it's close enough.
Two ounces of collard chips ended up being approximately 190 calories, 3 grams of carbohydrates, 20 grams of fat, and 1 gram of protein.
Here is a collander of fried collard chips.
I removed the stems and ribs of the collard greens by folding them in half and then whacking the ribs off.
Here's my set up: Fry Daddy with the splatter screen over it, and next to it a metal colander seated in a metal bowl so the chips could drain. I also have a metal deep frying strainer in the colander for adding and removing the collards from the oil.
A close up of the draining collard chips.
A collard chip. It's very crispy.
And of course, Snickers was waiting with bated breath for droppage to occur.
I made collard chips yesterday, but it was because of the French fries.
I seriously love French fries. I go into withdrawal if I don't have them once every two to three weeks or so. Captain Caffeine will actually go out and buy them for me when I start climbing up the walls.
(Incidentally, our favorites are from Yiassoo's Greek restaurant, which for some reason has an awesome fryer and great fries, and also Kirk's Steakburgers because their steak fries ROCK!)
We've gotten a lot of potatoes lately in our organic co-op, so I decided to make French fries. I got out my Fry Daddy and whipped up several batches a few times this past week.
I got so fry happy that I decided to try deep fried kale chips, which turned out absolutely completely AWESOME!!! Unfortunately I didn't take pictures.
So then I thought I'd try collard greens and see how that tasted, and they turned out great too! They're a bit more "green" tasting than the kale--the kale chips actually tasted a little sweet, maybe from caramelization. But the collard chips were just as crispy and tasty as the kale chips. Plus I had two huge bunches of collards and was thrilled to find a new way of eating them.
Deep Fried Collard Chips
1 bunch collard greens (One bunch of chopped collards (maybe 4 or 5 packed cups) yielded a large colander full of chips.)
Fry Daddy
Canola oil
Salt
Metal splatter screen
Metal deep frying strainer
Pour oil into the Fry Daddy up to the fill line on the inside and plug it in. Wait 15 minutes for it to heat up.
Wash collards and remove ribs. Pat dry as well as you can. Cut into about 2-inch squares.
Once those collards hit the hot oil, the water is going to make the oil boil and make a lot of noise and mess, so I put a metal splatter screen over my Fry Daddy. I load a metal deep frying strainer with chopped collards, then quickly lift up the splatter screen, dump the collards in the Fry Daddy and replace the splatter screen as fast as possible. The first time it happens, the boiling oil sounds massively scary, but you're okay as long as you have the splatter screen on top.
Let it fry for about 1 minute.
Remove the collards into a metal colander set into a metal bowl to catch the dripping oil. Wait a little while for the chips to drip before sprinkling with salt, tossing with the metal strainer, and then moving the chips to a new bowl.
I wanted to know approximate nutritional value and guessed that kale/collard chips compare (oil-wise) to potato chips. One ounce of potato chips has 9.8 grams of fat, and since potatoes by themselves have no fat, I think it's safe to guess that the fat is all from the frying. 9.8 grams of fat equates to 0.7 tablespoon of oil per ounce of potato chips.
Going by the potassium and carb levels, one ounce of potato chips equates to approximately 0.6 cup of raw potatoes.
So when I was adding the collard chips into my SparkPeople nutrition diary, I added 0.6 cup collards plus 0.7 tablespoon oil for every ounce of collard chips I ate, and I think it's close enough.
Two ounces of collard chips ended up being approximately 190 calories, 3 grams of carbohydrates, 20 grams of fat, and 1 gram of protein.
Here is a collander of fried collard chips.
I removed the stems and ribs of the collard greens by folding them in half and then whacking the ribs off.
Here's my set up: Fry Daddy with the splatter screen over it, and next to it a metal colander seated in a metal bowl so the chips could drain. I also have a metal deep frying strainer in the colander for adding and removing the collards from the oil.
A close up of the draining collard chips.
A collard chip. It's very crispy.
And of course, Snickers was waiting with bated breath for droppage to occur.
November 10, 2011
What Kind of Reader Are You?
Captain's Log, Stardate 11.10.2011
This is a post by Maureen Lang and it's hilarious but also totally true!
http://christiansread.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/what-kind-of-reader-are-you-posted-by-maureen-lang/
Camy here: I think I'm several different types of readers, but I can relate to almost all of them. What type(s) are you?
This is a post by Maureen Lang and it's hilarious but also totally true!
http://christiansread.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/what-kind-of-reader-are-you-posted-by-maureen-lang/
Over the years I've belonged to or visited a number of book clubs, which taught me there are many different reader styles. After posing this topic to my voracious-reader daughter, I decided to define the ones we've either been or encountered and list them here in no particular order. See if you can identify with any . . . or some . . .
Camy here: I think I'm several different types of readers, but I can relate to almost all of them. What type(s) are you?
