M.A. Church's Blog, page 77

Pucker Up Monday

Welcome to Pucker Up Monday. It's not what you think, lol. Since Mondays do tend to suck, I though I'd try to start the week off right for y'all.

Finicky Friday Halloween Style - Brownie Bat Truffles

F



PREP TIME: 25 MINS
TOTAL TIME: 3 HOURS 25 MINS
LINK: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a43946/brownie-bat-truffles-recipe/


INGREDIENTS

1 13"-x-9" pan fudgy brownies, baked and cooled
1/2 c. Chocolate frosting
7 Oreo cookies, halved and stuffing removed
11 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
2 c. Black sanding sugar
28 royal icing eyes or red M&Ms minis


DIRECTIONS

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, roughly crumble brownie by hand. Mix in chocolate frosting and gently knead mixture until evenly moistened.

Using a cookie scoop, portion out 1 tablespoon brownie frosting mixture and roll into small balls. Insert two halved Oreo cookies on either side to create wings. Place brownie balls on the prepared baking sheet and freeze until firm, 2 hours.

Remove balls from freezer and let come to room temperature, 15 minutes.

Melt chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 5-second intervals. Dip bat brownie truffles in chocolate and dust with black sanding sugar. Decorate with royal icing eyes or M&Ms.

Tuesday Teaser

It's time for Tuesday Teaser, and time for more Harvest Young. I think I'm going with Bound by Love for Hamza's book, mainly because the last book with be called Bound by War. You know... love and war theme? It seems like this book would fit the war title, but Laken's book is last and his mate really fits that whole idea.

**TRIGGER WARNING**

TRAUMA FROM A BOMBING/SOME GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF WOUNDED. (It's not as bad as the 2nd part of this chapter, and when I do post that it *will* def be graphic.)




 Chapter Two “Stupid, war-mongering, batshit crazy females.” Neo darted around hospital personnel, his white lab coat flapping behind him. Three of his royal guards kept pace. When he arrived at the ER, a multitude of males rushed about, getting ready for the worst of the wounded from Castron, Lowbrett, and Kiton. Being a hospital located in the palatial city had its perks. One being they were the biggest and most advanced. Only the worst of cases were transported to them. Of course, the flip side of that was… well, they got the worst cases. Like now.He snagged a fellow doctor by the arm. “Status?”“Transporting to start in two unit minutes, Dr. Kere, over there.” The other doctor pointed at a large empty area. “Thank you.” Neo moved away from the designated transporter site. His guards moved to the rear of the room. He spared them a glance and then promptly forgot them. Usually he only had one shadowing him, but not today. Not with what was currently going on. He had a few unit minutes to calm himself and focus his mind. And prepare for the worst. His dad, who’d been a medical doctor on Earth during the last harvest, had taught him how important this was when Neo finally earned his medical degree.  His dabba, who had served as Chief Medical Officer under Captain Shou, had agreed. Was it any wonder then, with both his dad and his dabba in the medical field, Neo became a doctor too? Medicine was his life, and in his opinion, he was a damn fine physician.Neo took a deep breath, held it, then gradually released it. The nerves dancing through his body had nothing to do with the horrors coming his way. He’d learned how to appear stoic. Professionally distant even. He could don a professional mask of indifference at a moment’s notice. Such tricks were necessary for him to do his job. He was, after all, not only Tah’Narian, but also a doctor. And he was prince consort since he was mated to Prince Hamza Duran, the only young birthed to the Tah’Narian king, King Duran.He found himself taking deep breaths, often. Sure, there were occasions he fell apart because of tragic events. Even as technologically advanced as they were, awful things happened. Death still came calling, and it wasn’t always the old it claimed. In Hamza’s arms Neo could let go and shed his tears. No, what had his nerves jangling was what Hamza told him right before he left. Their planet was under attack, thus the reason he had three guards instead of the customary one. War had come to Tah’Nar once more. It didn’t help that he hadn’t heard from Hamza since they parted. He also worried about Dayo and Szin, who were giving birth. A slight buzz lifted the hair on the back of his neck as a series of vertical lines appeared. “Here we go.”Numerous medibed appeared. Doctors rushed forward, medical staff following. The silence was eerie, thanks to the sedation the patients were under. Neo ran to a patient and seized the small tablet at the end of the bed. Quickly he read over it. “Adult hybrid male with human DNA. Age mid-thirties.” Blood streaked the male’s facial features. “Traumatic amputation of left arm—limb not found. Multiple fractures with spinal cord injury. Eye penetration. Abdominal hemorrhage and perforation. Airway epithelial damage. Plasma burns over 90 percent of body. Gods.” He grabbed an attending. “Straight into surgery with him.”“Yes, doctor!”Neo sprinted from patient to patient, evaluating the worst of them and sending them on. He paused by a teen. It was a marvel he was still alive. As Neo watched, the young drew a last breath. Pain ripped through Neo. He was so young. Too young for his life to be brutally ended.Fucking females. He sincerely hoped Hamza blew them out of the skies. Time lost meaning as Neo and the other doctors moved from patient to patient. The ones who weren’t as critical, he did what he could to help while waiting for a surgeon. The cloying scent of blood stuck to the back of his throat. Another wave of patients transported in, and Neo started the process all over again. He was assessing another male, and treating the injuries, when one of his guards stepped to his side. “My prince?”Surprised, it took a moment for Neo to respond. At his request, they didn’t often address him by his title. It made him uncomfortable. He was only a prince by mating, not by birth like Hamza. “Yes?”The guard lowered his voice. “Three more battleships have dropped out of orbit. I’ve been told that—”The scream of a plasma torpedo streaking past shook the hospital. The ground under Neo’s feet shifted. He clutched the medibed to keep from falling over. “What the…!” Too close. That was entirely too fucking close. The hospital’s lights flickered. The guard grabbed Neo’s elbow. “Darkkit palace is being attack.”Neo jerked his head up. “What?”“The Ne Reynains have attacked the palace.” The guard hesitated. “And the Planetary Defense building.”Outside, sirens blared a warning. He heard the high whine of more plasma torpedoes. Voices in the room raised. “Any word? At all?” Neo demanded. What about Dayo? Szin? Oh gods, both his dad and his dabba were there for the births. All the families were. Hamza. Was Hamza okay? Were any of his loved ones okay?The guard shook his head.Questions were asked, then shouted. Someone screamed, pointing. Glancing out a window, he saw a flash of light shoot across the sky and into a tall office building. His mouth dropped as the upper floors exploded outward. Debris fountained out from the destruction in a volatile arch. The hospital rocked again. The raised voices turned to frantic yells. “By the gods,” Neo whispered, unable to believe what he witnessed. There were people in that building.“Access the patients we have here, get them moved to the second floor to make room, and set up triage. I require every available doctor who isn’t already in surgery to get ready. We’re going to have wounded coming in soon!” A senior doctor snarled. Neo thanked the guard, then leaped into action. Moments later, they saw smoke and heard the first cries. Males of all ages staggered in, covered in gore. Limbs were missing. Objects were sticking from their bodies. There were plasma burns. And coughing. And choking despair. Ambulatory services arrived, carrying more wounded. Screams of pain filled the air. Blood, suffering, and horror were his companions as he and the others worked frantically. “Doctor Kere!”Neo glanced up, his hand buried in the chest of another young male. “The Royal Physician has requested your presence,” a guard shouted over the cries, moving toward him. “It’s urgent.” Oh gods. No. Please. “Why? What was…?”“Now, my prince.”“Okay! Fine, let me….” Frantically Neo glanced around for someone to take his place. Another doctor ran toward him. “Go. I got this. Go, Neo!”

Pucker Up Monday

Welcome to Pucker Up Monday. It's not what you think, lol. Since Mondays do tend to suck, I though I'd try to start the week off right for y'all.

Rerelease of Wrapped in Leather (and a new cover!)

Blurb:

To celebrate his decision to take the next step with his boyfriend Ian, Toshi Baylor plans a romantic evening at their favorite steak house. Toshi starts the special weekend with a bang by surprising Ian at home with lunch. There’s a bang all right, but it’s between Ian and another guy.Jase Taylor’s auto repair shop and the BDSM club, Wrapped Up, keep him busy while he waits for Mr. Right, instead of Mr. Right Now. He’s a Dom, but playing with the club’s submissives isn’t providing the usual stress release. After a day from hell, he deserves a good meal at his favorite steak house.Toshi and Jase find a mix-up with their reservations: a table for Baylor, not Taylor. When Toshi invites Jase to dine with him, they discover a mutual affection for leather and a shared belief that trust must be earned.Before they can explore their common interests, Toshi suffers a series of attacks by vandals. Jase’s protective instincts kick in, but both wonder if it can lead to anything permanent.

Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQNL5X6
The paperback of this will be coming soon too.~M

Finicky Friday Halloween Style - Peanut Butter Spider Cookies

Materials
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter or margarine softened
1 egg
1 1/2 cups Flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Extra granulated sugar


Cookie Toppings
72 chocolate whopper balls
72 candy eyes
Melting chocolate


Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In large bowl, beat 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, peanut butter, butter and egg with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon, until well blended. Stir in flour, baking soda and baking powder until dough forms.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls then into the additional sugar. Put them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8-10 minutes until the edges are brown. Use a small spoon and indent the middle. Let cool on a cooling rack.

Once fully cooled. Pipe some chocolate dots in the middle of the cookie then stick the milk duds in. Use some for the candy eyes then draw legs coming out of the body.

Let harden and cool. Enjoy!


Link: https://www.craftymorning.com/peanut-butter-spider-cookies/?fbclid=IwAR1jicsnnn_hvs-4pgw-UMdehheeIY8OokMLlsJ7bWGcWmnhgpPDzHkemlk

Welcome to Pucker Up Monday. It's not what you think, lol...

Welcome to Pucker Up Monday. It's not what you think, lol. Since Mondays do tend to suck, I though I'd try to start the week off right for y'all.

Finicky Friday - White Chicken Enchiladas

Yield: 4 people
Materials2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheddar cheese8 flour tortillas soft shells3 tablespoons butter1 cup sour cream1 4 oz can of diced green chiles2 cups shredded chicken about 1 big chicken breast3 tablespoons flour2 cups of chicken brothSalt and pepper

InstructionsPreheat the oven to 425 degrees.Cook/shred your chicken breast and mix it with 1 cup of shredded cheese.Lay 8 tortillas out and fill each one with the chicken mixture making sure they are all even. Roll them up tightly and put them in a greased 9×13 baking dish.In a saucepan, melt the butter and add in the 3 tbsp of flour. Mix and cook for about one minute.Add in the 2 cups of chicken broth, whisking until it’s a smooth consistency. Whisk over medium heat until it is thick and creamy (usually takes about 5-8 minutes).Mix in the sour cream, salt/pepper, and the can of chilies to the pan.Pour the creamy sauce over the rolled up tortillas evenly.Add 1 cup of the cheddar cheese over the top.Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown. Add salsa or cilantro and you’re ready to eat!

Link: https://www.craftymorning.com/white-chicken-enchilada-sour-cream-sauce-recipe/

Welcome Jodi Payne and BA Tortuga!

Land of Enchantment By Jodi Payne and BA Tortuga 

Book Link (It's in KU right now): http://bit.ly/BuyLOE



Blurb:
East meets west. City meets country. Though there’s no denying opposites attract, can a college kid from New Jersey and a New Mexican cowboy learn to speak the same language, let alone trust each other?

When Mason Wild heads west to escape his past, he doesn’t have a plan or a penny to his name. Luckily he finds a job with a roofing company run by a rodeo cowboy who’s kind, easy to work for, and even with his jaw wired shut, hotter than July in the high desert.

Bull rider Levi Yost knows what it’s like to be down on his luck. He’s not much older than Mason, but he’s been around the block a few times, or at least around the rodeo arena. He takes a chance on the kid, giving him a job and a place to live on his ranch. The two of them discover a surprising amount of common ground, but trouble has a way of finding each of them. Mason has to learn to be fully honest with Levi, who in turn has to realize he’s not just riding out for himself anymore.



Excerpt:
Chapter One Mason Wild’s first stop after leaving New Jersey was a rest area west of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he met a truck driver in the men’s room who was headed down Interstate 81 toward Roanoke. It was the farthest away from home he’d ever been. He had a little money on him but not much, and he had to stretch it pretty far because it was slow going finding rides after that until he’d passed through Knoxville and Nashville and landed in Jackson, Tennessee. By then he was a kind of hungry he’d never been in his whole life. He asked around, found some day work, and stayed there two days, keeping his head down and moving rocks around. It was shit money, but it was better than nothing, and nobody cared what his name was. From Jackson he hitched a ride to Memphis. He was doing his best to be a good passenger, be polite like his mom taught him and just keep his stupid mouth shut. That was hard. He usually liked people and could talk about whatever when he wanted to, but right now he didn’t want to be too memorable. Outside Memphis, he finally found a truck driver who was on a long haul. The guy was headed all the way to El Paso, and Mason figured what the hell, that was pretty damn far away, right? On the way, while the driver talked on and on for hours, he looked out the window as everything he understood disappeared in the rearview mirror and the world around him got flatter and drier. It felt like he spent weeks in that truck. When he got to El Paso, he lucked into a stretch of work gutting some houses in town, but man, that was a long week. It was hot out and not only did the guys he was working with all seem to know each other, but they all knew what they were doing too. He knew some Spanish—you didn’t grow up in North Jersey and not know some Spanish—but apparently only enough local slang to figure out when he was being made fun of. Still, he was pretty much the biggest guy on the job, and he managed to hold his own even if they didn’t like his sneakers. Mason hated them lately too. Everybody he knew wore sneakers at home, but out here, not only did he stand out as a city kid, but they were totally useless. He demolished a kitchen with a couple of guys one morning and stepped on a screw sticking up out of a cabinet door. It went right through his sole but luckily not into his foot. After that he spent half his time making sure he didn’t step on anything else or drop anything on his toes either. He couldn’t afford to do the hospital thing. He was pretty sure he had enough money for some decent boots now, though, and he decided he’d buy some at his next stop—not that he knew where that was yet. But he was running out of real estate and he’d better figure something out soon. He couldn’t travel much farther away than he already had. From El Paso the interstate only went north. He found a guy headed up 25 through Albuquerque, and hitched a ride, hoping he could bail somewhere near civilization. It was an amazing drive—the grays and the tans and pinks seemed to be everywhere, the mountains and mesas like a whole foreign landscape. “You know where you’re headed, kid?” The old cowboy didn’t look the slightest bit worried about picking him up. In fact, “Almon Ryder from right outside Dallas, pleased to meetcha, I do have my conceal carry permit,” looked like he might enjoy a bit of a fight. “No.” Mason glanced over at him, wondering how polite the old guy expected him to be. He wasn’t planning on fighting anyone again. Ever. “Uh… no, sir. I’m just looking for work. You know.” Not too friendly, keep it to small talk. He’d gotten pretty good at riding in the passenger side of a semi and mostly pretending he wasn’t there, but a pickup was closer quarters. “I do. There’s always work for guys that are willing. I’m going to see my son at UNM. He plays baseball there.” Mason had no idea where that was. Baseball was awesome, though. “Yeah? That’s cool. Is he on a scholarship?” “Yeah. He’s a good kid. My youngest. I have eight.” “Sons?” “Children. Seven of them are girls.” “Holy crap!” He winced. “Uh. I mean, wow. That’s great. You’re totally outnumbered. And lucky. You’re very lucky.” He rolled his eyes. He should be keeping his stupid mouth shut. “Sorry.” “I am totally outnumbered, kid. I lost my wife to breast cancer five years ago, with three still in school. Thank God for the oldest girls or the youngest might have starved.” The huge laugh boomed out, filling the cab. Whoa. Small world. “I’m sorry, man. I lost my mom two years ago, same thing.” What a horrible time that had been. His whole senior year. “What was your wife’s name?” “Sueann. She was a good woman. I’m sorry about your momma. It ain’t right.” “Sueann. That’s a pretty name.” Nope. It wasn’t right. He used to think there was a bigger plan, but he wasn’t so sure anymore. He was just glad he didn’t have to break Mom’s heart when he left home. “So your youngest is in college. Where’s your oldest?” “Married with four babies in Dallas. She’s an ER nurse. Her husband does something on the computer for work. He’s good to her and loves those babies, so I suppose I won’t have to kill him.” “Uh. Well, that’s good, I guess?” Jesus. Everything he’d ever heard about Texans was true. Other things were true too, like this guy was super friendly and kind, but the whole gun-toting, bigger-than-life, major-accent thing? Totally true. And awesome. He’d never met anyone from Texas before now. Or wait, one of the truck drivers? The guy who’d driven him from Harrisburg to Roanoke… no wait, he was from Georgia. His stomach growled. Loud. He looked out the window and pretended like he didn’t notice. Almon grinned over at him. “You too, huh? There’s a McD’s up here. I’ll buy you a burger. You ain’t a vegetabletarian, right?” He cheeks got hot. He hated handouts, but he wasn’t exactly flush at the moment. “Not me. If it’s food, I’ll eat it. That’s really nice of you. Thanks.” Vegetabletarian. Awesome. “I hate eating alone, and I been down on my luck once or twice.” “I’ll figure it out. I can work. I don’t know how to do much, but I’m big enough and I learn fast.” He had no choice, right? Thank God he didn’t have eight kids to feed. Whoa.             “Then you’ll be fine.” Almon pulled off and parked. “Let’s go in. Christ, my ass is too old to make this drive for a ball game.”



Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48080929-land-of-enchantment?ac=1&from_search=true


Our Links:
jodipayne.net
Social Media: https://linktr.ee/jodipayne

batortuga.com
Social Media: https://linktr.ee/batortuga

Tuesday Teaser - Hamza's book

Chapter One (continued)
Hamza and his guards transported to the war room and walked into controlled chaos. All branches connected to planetary security—space and ground, plus their subunits—were housed here, along with the Space Academy. Harried males read reports from Castron, Lowbrett, and Kiton. Others dealt with status updates on the deployed fighter’s or news on starships en route. Each relayed the information to their commanding officers.  Hamza prowled into the middle of the chaos. “The Onfre are sending help, so be ready to assist when their warbirds arrive. Now, give me a report on the situation with—” “Prince Hamza! Readings show a new wormhole opening! It’s not the Onfre. Three more Ne Reynian battleships are coming through. I repeat, three more Ne Reynianbattleships have come through and are entering the atmosphere.”Hamza snarled. The buzzing and eerie glow from the red alert annoyed his already frayed nerves. “Get a read on them. I need to know their targets.”“Battleships descending unbelievably fast.” A male shouted from a computer. “It looks like…. Prince Hamza, according to long-range scans, one is aiming for us, and the other is targeting the palace. The last ship seems to be acting as a guard for the other two. ETA is five unit minutes for them reaching their targets.”“Activate the red alert for Darkkit palace. Send a message through King Duran’s comm that they’re about to be under attack!”“Yes prince!” “On viewing screen. I want to see what we’re dealing with.” The last of the three battleships acting as a guard appeared. It was huge, ugly, and loaded with weaponry. Gods. Hurry, dabba. “We need starships engaging the enemy now. Update?” Hamza snarled at one of the commanders. “The starship Archon’s ETA for the palace defense is fifteen unit minutes. Two more starships are due to disengage from space dock within five unit minutes. Add another twenty unit minutes to that before they can engage.”“Too long,” Hamza whispered. “Palace on screen, please.”                                                                                                                 There simply wasn’t enough coverage. The palace was located in the heart of Darkkit, so the palatial city was in jeopardy too. All those people, helpless. Running for their lives. Neo’s at the Darkkit Hospital too. His heart pounded. No. Can’t think of that. If something happened to Neo, to any of his loved one…. “Fighters are engaging enemy ships, Prince Hamza.” Powerless, he watched as a battleship targeted Darkkit palace. There was nothing he could do but pray. Please, please let them be okay. Please.“Photon torpedo in-coming. Target is Darkkit palace,” someone yelled.The flashed of light lit up the viewing screen as the palace sustained a direct hit. Hamza clenched his fists. Rage built as long unit minutes passed as the battleship relentlessly fired. “Palace shields are holding but they can’t take many more hits like that, my prince.”“Understood,” Hamza said. Please let them be okay.“Sensors show the