Beth D. Carter's Blog, page 80

Hump Day Hook- End of January 2013

I’m very excited to say that I sent in my novel, Otherworldly, to Siren.  So please keep fingers crossed that they pick it up.  It’s the first book in a three part series…I know, I’ve been talking about this for some time!  But now that I’ve sent in the first book, I feel confident in revealing the Blurb:
Otherworldly (McKnight, Perth & Daire 1) Blurb:
Charlotte Perth is all about sass because her job is reminds her all too well the limits of human life.  She’s clairvoyant but her gift is unique.  She can only summon murdered souls and interprets the visions they send her.  When she’s hired by a wealthy woman to determine the fate of her great nephew, little does Charlotterealize this is one ghost that refuses to cross over.
Detective Jonas Daire feels Charlotteis a fake, out to swindle money from his rich aunt.  When Charlotteproclaims the nephew is not only dead but has been murdered, Jonas feels especially disgusted at Charlotte’s “profession”.  But when his cousin’s body is discovered in the place that she said it would be, with detailed accounts of how he died, he places her under suspicion. 
Jonas and Charlotte work together to find the killer.  As the two grow closer together, another malevolent force won’t stop until the truth is buried…until Charlotte’s ghostly visions are her own.
And now, here is my paragraph for Hump Day Hook…from the (fingers crossed) upcoming novel, Otherworldly:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++One minute Zach stood near the water and the next he stood in front of her, practically touching her nose with his.  His eyes were cloudy, as if death had already started eating at him in the afterlife, but the panic shining from them couldn’t be misinterpreted.  He shook his head and held a finger to his lips then flashed out of sight.  The brightness had her shielding her eyes and when she opened them the warehouse had disappeared and Charlotte found herself back in Alice Braddock-Masters’ house, only she was no longer in the den but in the formal dining room.  Her belly rested against the mahogany table.  Mrs. Braddock-Masters and Jonas stood behind her.++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Thanks for reading!  Please check out the other paragraphs at: http://kerriannecoombes.wordpress.com/

Hump Day Hook - 16 January 2013

Happy Wednesday!  It’s taken me a few weeks to get my life back into some semblance of order.  Over the holiday I had to move so everything had been a bit chaotic.  I’ve neglected my Hump Day Hook passage for a few weeks and for that I apologize.  So I’ll be short and sweet this Wednesday.
The paragraph I’m sharing today is from a WIP I’m about halfway through.  The set up is quite funny, a scene where the heroine Charlotte had to shut up her two bickering boyfriends and so used the only method she had.  Charlotte has a tendency to talk when she’s nervous and right now, she’s very nervous at being caught in public.             ***********************************************************
“I didn’t think being in a ménage relationship could work,” she said.  “Well, of course I thought about the benefits and I’m realizing reality is far different than fantasizing, especially with said benefits in my hands.  So I’m coming to the conclusion that because I’ve been so focused on doing the normal thing which, you know, is for other’s sensibilities, I hadn’t much thought about my needs and my desires.  I’m a liberated woman, a woman with-”“Good god,” Jonas groaned, interrupting.  “Is this really the time to talk about this?”***********************************************************  Thanks for visiting!  Make sure to visit the others for Hump Day Hook at: http://kerriannecoombes.wordpress.com/

Happy New Year 2013!

Another year is here.  The passing of 2012 is the end of a decade for me as I turned forty, leaving my stress filled thirties behind.  I remember my 30th birthday and thinking that my thirties were going to be awesome.  Now, I KNOW my forties will be spectacular.  I’m not bothered in the least with the number clicking over, except for the fact that I’ve entered the decade where the body starts to decrease certain youthful abilities…like producing collagen.
I’m now thinking of all the great things coming up in 2013.  Like movies I want to see.  Most of mine are based on books: The Host, Catching Fire (Hunger Games 2), and City of Bones: The Mortal Instruments.  And of course, there are book sequels coming out that I’m excited about.  Oh, and my own books coming out, as well!
I’ve decided to go gluten free in 2013, although right now I don’t know how I’m going to start that. I’m doing it for health reasons, not because of a fad or anything. But it’s hard when you’ve just eaten anything you’ve wanted over the past 40 years.  Any tips out there would be greatly appreciated!  
And I hope that in 2013 we (mankind as a whole) can finally discover that the most precious resource is ourselves, and stop killing each other.  That’s probably never going to happen but I can dream and hope, can’t I?  So good-bye 2012, I won’t say I’m sorry to see you gone.  I raise my glass and toast to the promise of a new beginning.  Happy writing.  Happy reading.

Post Blog Hop & Gluten Free Cookies

Thanks to everyone who took time to visit with me over the past week.  Congrats to Cassandra and Mydurango618 from the Candy Kane Kink blog hop!

I know the tragedy of Newtown CT has been talked about incessantly, but I want to encourage everyone to practice the 26 Acts of Kindness to honor the memory of the victims.  I have done 5 already. 

And finally, I've posted a gluten free cookie recipe below.  I've recently found out I'm going to have to go gluten free and though I know it's going to be extremely hard and I may slip and slide along the way, at least I can start practicing now.

Please have a wonderful and safe holiday! 

Iced Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Ingredients: 1 stick butter, softened2 cups gluten-free flour (we used Bob's Red Mill all-purpose)1/2 teaspoon xantham gum2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spiceDash of salt1/2 cup brown sugar1/4 cup white sugar1 egg1/2 cup pumpkin puree1 teaspoon gluten-free vanillaCream cheese icing
Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar and butter until fluffy. Add in egg and vanilla and beat until fully mixed.In another bowl, whisk the flour, xantham gum and pumpkin pie spice. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and stir after each addition.Roll about 1-1/2 tablespoons of dough (each) into balls and place 1 inch apart on the cookie sheet. Bake for about 11 minutes, or until golden brown and puffy.Once chilled completely, ice with cream cheese icing!

Candy Kane Kink Blog Hop!

Another year is on our doorstep.  Out goes 2012 and in comes the promise of something new, something better.  New Year’s Eve builds our hope that the coming year will be different.  That we’ll be different.  Some will vow to finally lose weight.  Some will vow to quit smoking, work harder, be a better person or spend more time with the kids.  Resolutions are a tradition and yet breaking them is also a tradition.  Some of us even make bets on when they’ll be broken.
2012 was a sad and happy year for me.  I lost my father unexpectedly in February.  I got a call from my step-mom that she was taking my father to the hospital, that gangrene had settled in his toes (from a stroke 2 years ago) and the next thing I knew he was being driven to Springfield, Missouri for massive other reasons.  I flew to my father’s bedside and sat with him for four days, holding his hand, until he was taken off life support and he succumbed to a body that was no longer functioning.
But in 2012 I was able to pay off debt and buy a house with my boyfriend/partner, Brian.  I have a healthy little boy who started First Grade.  And I was able to publish five books this year.  
Oh, and in one week I will be turning 40.  It’s a big change, moving to a new decade.  The only problem I’m having is not the fact that I’m now 10 years away from being “middle age”, but that now I know it’s the time when my body changes drastically.  I asked myself, would I go back to 20 if I could.  And the answer is no.  Really, truly, no.  Sure, I loved being able to eat anything I wanted and not gain an ounce or that I could stay out and party all night.  But trade my knowledge, my experience, my lifefor the girl I once was?   Not a chance.
I have decided against making a New Year Resolution.  Yes, I could vow to lose the extra 30 pounds I’ve been holding onto since my son was born.  But I already know I have to eat right and start exercising.  No, what inspires me now is, of course, my writing.  I am finishing up the second novel in a series I hope Siren will pick up, a cross between Ghost Whispererand Cold Case.  I have ideas and plans for many more and I’m only limited by how fast I can or cannot type. 

Happy New Year, the birth of 2013.  I raise my glass and toast to the promise of a new beginning.  Happy writing.  Happy reading.
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To be entered to win this wonderful gift prize that includes a t-shirt, a desk calendar and a $10 gift card from Barnes & Nobel, just leave a comment! (If you've already left a comment below don't worry- I haven't forgotten you!) One winner will be chosen at random by my wonderful assistant (AKA:SON).  A second winner will be able to pick one of my titles (winner’s choice) for a free PDF ebook!  Thanks for visiting with me!  Have a wonderful holiday season!

Hump Day Hook - 19 December

I want to say congratulations to Krysta B and Mary Francis, the winners of my Holiday Gift of Love Blog Hop!  If you didn’t get a chance to enter, never fear…I have another blog hop happening, running through until Friday midnight!

As I said in my blog hop, I was going to put a recipe for divinity but couldn’t get it to work.  I’m not sure why so I am reposting it now, for this hump day hook!  Speaking of which, I decided to take this week’s paragraph from my novel An Innocent Heart.  Harry is on the trail of the man who murdered his best friend and his wife, and though he;s met a woman who can heal his soul, his quest for vengeance blinds him to her love.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Harry looked from his desk out the window, absently noting the frostsurrounding the panes of glass. Winter had set in with a nasty vengeance.Christmastime would be upon them in no time. The holidays brought Louisato mind and Harry gave a frown. After almost four months apart, he shouldhave forgotten the way her dark eyes lit up with amusement or darkened toblack pools when angered. He should not have remembered how perfect herfreckles were on the bridge of her pert little nose. He definitely should notbe getting aroused by the memory of her breasts straining against her shirt,the damp skin making the material cling to the rounded mounds.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Thanks for reading and make sure to visit the others on Hump Day Hook: http://kerriannecoombes.wordpress.com/
And be sure to come back here tomorrow for the last few days of the Candy Cane Kink Blog Hop!
DIVINITY
Ingrediants4 cups sugar 1 cup white corn syrup 3/4 cup cold water 3 egg whites 1 teaspoon pure vanilla DirectionsIn a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stir together the sugar, corn syrup, and water. Stir only until sugar has dissolved. Do not stir after this point. Cook syrup mixture until it reaches 250 degrees F on a candy thermometer, bringing it to a hard ball stage.
While the syrup is cooking, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Once the sugar mixture reaches 250 degrees F, carefully pour a slow steady stream of syrup into the stiffly beaten egg whites, beating constantly at high speed. Add the vanilla and continue to beat until mixture holds its shape, approximately 5 minutes.
(You can mix in 2 cups Pecans at this point if you’d like)
Using 2 spoons, drop the divinity onto waxed paper, using 1 spoon to push the candy off the other. This may take a little practice because the technique is to twirl the pushing spoon, making the candy look like the top of a soft serve ice cream. If the candy becomes too stiff, add a few drops of hot water. You will need to work fast when making this type of candy. After you spoon the cooked sugar and nuts onto the waxed paper, you're done. Cool the candies on racks completely. You can store them in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Holiday Gift of Love Blog Hop

Happy Holidays!

I was born on December 21st so the Winter Solstice is a very important day for me.  It is the time of death and rebirth, to celebrate the rebirth of the sun, who warms the frozen land.  Winter Solstice is the shortest night of the year.  From this day forward, the days will become longer.



Growing up in Missouri, we had snow.  Every Christmas felt special because it was cold, school let out, and the anticipation of Santa was overwhelming.  Now I live in Los Angeles, and the only time I've seen snow was when we travel to Big Bear for snowboarding.  I try hard to keep that Christmas feeling alive for my own son, but year after year the traditions of my childhood seem so far away.

With Christmas being so commercial now-a-days, tradition has become very important to me.  I have a six year old son that certainly expects Santa to bring him presents but I also teach him that he's to give back to those families who may not have enough at this time of year.  I read a special book called 'The Shortest Day; Celebrating the Winger Solstice' by Wendy Pfeffer and Jesse Reisch.  But I also read to them The Christmas Story, The Night Before Christmas, and There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Bell.  And though I may not be very religious I don't shield my son from religion, I simply teach him that there are many beliefs and he must pick his own path.

My Christmas tree might be fake, but the decorations were hand picked by my son, including the decorations he made in school.  To the right of the tree I have a Menorah to honor our Jewish friends.  I also have the spring of mistletoe and smell of pine lingering in the air.  I have Rudolf the Red-nose Reindeer recorded on the DVR.  Of course, for me, holidays are about food.  I reserve the Winter Solstice for making only the special once-a-year kind of food.  Like cakes soaked in cider, eggnog, snowflake shaped sugar cookies, and divinity. (I tried adding a recipe for divinity but it's not showing for some reason so I'll try again on Wednesday for my Hump Day Hook!)

My thanks for taking the time to visit with me during this wonderful season!  As part of my own appreciation, I have a wonderful gift package for one lucky winner, which includes a t-shirt, a desk calendar, and a $10 gift card from Barnes & Nobel.  All you have to do to enter is leave a comment and my assistant (AKA: son) will pick one name when the blog hop is over, so please leave a way to contact you!  I will also give away one PDF ebook of any of my titles (winner's choice) to the second name drawn.

Please visit the others in the blog hop!

Candy Kane Kink Blog Hop!

Another year is on our doorstep. Out goes 2012 and in comes the promise of something new, something better. New Year’s Eve builds our hope that the coming year will be different. That we’ll be different. Some will vow to finally lose weight. Some will vow to quit smoking, work harder, be a better person or spend more time with the kids. Resolutions are a tradition and yet breaking them is also a tradition. Some of us even make bets on when they’ll be broken.

2012 was a sad and happy year for me. I lost my father unexpectedly in February. I got a call from my step-mom that she was taking my father to the hospital, that gangrene had settled in his toes (from a stroke 2 years ago) and the next thing I knew he was being driven to Springfield, Missouri for massive other reasons. I flew to my father’s bedside and sat with him for four days, holding his hand, until he was taken off life support and he succumbed to a body that was no longer functioning.

But in 2012 I was able to pay off debt and buy a house with my boyfriend/partner, Brian. I have a healthy little boy who started First Grade. And I was able to publish five books this year.

Oh, and in one week I will be turning 40. It’s a big change, moving to a new decade. The only problem I’m having is not the fact that I’m now 10 years away from being “middle age”, but that now I know it’s the time when my body changes drastically. I asked myself, would I go back to 20 if I could. And the answer is no. Really, truly, no. Sure, I loved being able to eat anything I wanted and not gain an ounce or that I could stay out and party all night. But trade my knowledge, my experience, my life for the girl I once was? Not a chance.

I have decided against making a New Year Resolution. Yes, I could vow to lose the extra 30 pounds I’ve been holding onto since my son was born. But I already know I have to eat right and start exercising. No, what inspires me now is, of course, my writing. I am finishing up the second novel in a series I hope Siren will pick up, a cross between Ghost Whisperer and Cold Case. I have ideas and plans for many more and I’m only limited by how fast I can or cannot type. Happy New Year, the birth of 2013. I raise my glass and toast to the promise of a new beginning. Happy writing. Happy reading. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
To be entered to win this wonderful gift prize, just leave a comment! One winner will be chosen at random by my wonderful assistant (AKA:SON). A second winner will be able to pick one of my titles (winner’s choice) for a free PDF ebook! Thanks for visiting with me! Have a wonderful holiday season!
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Please visit the others in the Blog Hop: 

Hump Day Hook - 12 December

There is always one album that seems to define a generation.  I grew up during the ‘80s, a time that became a decade of upheaval in many aspects of the world, from politics to fashion.  I am happy that I grew up during this period, but I guess everyone says that about the time they lived.

Music was so radically different from what had come before in the 50’s, 60’s and even 70’s.  Though women had began to burn their bras in the sixties I think the true change of women’s attitudes really began in the eighties.  I remember watching MTV and seeing the first video ever aired on it, and I remember seeing Madonna and thinking “She’ll never last.”
Ha!  Good thing I’m not a betting person! 
One album stood out to me, bringing to light all that I was afraid of during the political turmoil of the fall of the Soviet Union to the unification of Germany.  I’m glad that I lived through such times, lived through a lot of history that my child will one day only read about.  That album was “The Dream of the Blue Turtles” by Sting.  Published in 1985, it became my anthem of unease in a world bordering on destruction.  Of course, the world once again feels like it’s bordering on destruction so I popped in the cd the other day and listened to the songs.  You can basically take the lyrics of “Russians” and substitute “Iraians” or “North Koreans” and the song becomes instantly another cry of hope.
For this weeks Hump Day Hook, I decided to post a paragraph from my book Kismet. This book is the sequel (of sorts) to Spirals, set at the same time but with different characters.  Evie is a woman who travels around helping people because she gets visions, and her visions have led her to LA.  I could never fully comprehend what it must have felt like to live in a country that was suddenly torn apart, but in the words of Sting: We share the same biology, regardless of ideology. *******************************************************
Shalana leads us all around her “city,” listening, asking questions, and inviting people into the discussion. I can see the resentment of our being there in some faces, happiness and relief in others, and I wonder what I would have done had I lived here in Los Angeles when the earthquake had hit. If I had survived it, that is. Would I have huddled together as these people had done or would I be the person I am today, standing on my own two feet and surviving on my own? I figure it would take a strong person to do exactly that. I could have stayed in Georgia, or returned to Louisiana and joined a family community, surviving, but my visions have given me the drive to find more, be more, so my nomadic existence has made me stronger. Or so I like to think.
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Thanks for visiting!  Make sure to visit the others at:  http://kerriannecoombes.wordpress.com/
And be sure to come visit with me this Friday, December 14th for the two Christmas Blogs I'm participating in!

Zombies- How....Romantic???

 http://www.preciousmonsters.com/p/zombie-blog-hop-on-december-7-2012.html
There isn’t any doubt that Zombies are the new IT monster.  We’ve had ghosts, vampires, and werewolves and now, finally, the Zombie is getting the respect it deserves.  Admittedly, Zombies are a harder sell.  They’ve gotten a bad rap over the countless depicts on screen as being mindless flesh eating creatures….and yes, they are, but I think there’s more to a Zombie than that.  
Let the imagination soar.  
Zombie themed love stories are starting to filter into Young Adult titles.  Books like Dearly Departed: A Zombie Novel by Lia Habel, Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter, and Chivalry is Undead (Just Another Zombie Love Story) by M.A. Rogers are starting to grace bookshelves.  It's a theme that's catching on, and not just in print.  Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion is an upcoming motion picture set to be released next year.I have my own idea for a Zombie romance but since I’ve got a list of stories to write it might be a while before that story sees some life…no pun intended.
Now, I’m not a big horror fan, so I have to admit that I haven’t seen that many Zombie flicks.  My favorites are ones that have a little humor thrown in, so my #1 favorite flick is Shaun of the Dead.  #2 is Night of the Comet (though some will argue that this is not a Zombie movie). And finally, #3 Zombieland.   
Zombie legends are steeped in the occult of African Voodoo to Haitian Vodou, and described as a person without consciousness or self-awareness.  The Oxford Dictionary states that the word “Zombie” first appeared in English when Robert Southey mentioned it in his book History of Brazil(1810).  Yet how the person is turned into a Zombie, either living or dead, has many different connections.  In modern day culture, we’ve taken it a step further by making it a disease, or a plague.  And with the way this world is going with biological warfare, it doesn’t stretch the imagination all that far, does it?
I guess what makes Zombies truly terrifying is the thought of someone possessing us, our life after death being controlled by either our curse or our desire to kill others.  Zombies don't get to be cool like Vampires or strong like Werewolves.  All they get is blood and gore and maggots wriggling out of eyeball sockets.
So are Zombies more science or science-fiction?  Are they truly scary, the stuff of horror best stayed in the dark to terrify those brave enough to enter their realm?  Or can they be given a chance to evolve, become more than just mindless creatures?  Die hard fans might be horrified at the notion that Zombies could be more but fans like me looks for an angle to make Zombies more…well, human.  I’ve never been much interested in monsters (including the human kind) that kill for no more reason that to “Eat...brains…” but finding the spark of humanity left intact, or finding how Zombies can bring humanity closer, to me that’s fascinating.
Up for one lucky winner is this pictured Shaun of the Dead hat (front & back).  It’s rare, I’ll tell you that!  And though not in perfect shape, it’s still awesome to add to any collection.  This cap is a promotional item someone gave me, and though I treasure it, it’s been stuck in a container in my closet.  It really needs to find a good home.  As you can see, some of the bullseye is starting to come off, but the cap is still pretty cool!.  So if you'd like it, all you have to do is leave a comment!  My trusty assistant…AKA: Son…will pick one name at random.  So make sure to leave an email so I can contact you!  Thanks for visiting with me today and be sure to hit the other in the hop!