Kate Collins's Blog, page 141

All I Want is a Decent Pizza

by Leann


Deadlines are the most stressful times. I hardly sleep, I worry, I procrastinate, I think of stuff in the shower that I don't write down that would be awesome to include in the latest and all of a sudden I find stuff I should have researched better. That is why this blog will be very short. I am pressed for time and I am a wreck.

What do I want the most during this time--besides a full-time housekeeper and a chef? I want a decent pizza. I could settle for delivery except there is no delivery in our neighborhood. I know! What the heck is wrong with this picture?

Thing is, I haven't had consistently good pizza since we moved from New York decades ago. Real New York pizza with just sauce and whole milk mozzarella. Nothing else. The kind of pizza you can fold in half because the slice is so big. Okay I have tortured myself enough. I recently bookmarked a recipe for New York pizza crust, but until I can dedicate myself to actually cooking a decent meal again, it will have to wait. If you live in the Northeast, have a slice for me! See you on the other side of a finished manuscript!

FALLING IN LOVE IN PARIS (WITH FALAFEL)

By Mary Kennedy                                
 I found a new love in Paris a couple of months ago. (Relax, I'm still with my terrific Brit husband). My new love is...that delicious Middle Eastern treat known as falafel!                                                          Why did I have to go to Paris to discover the ultimate falafel recipe? After all, I'm from New York, where falafel is a popular staple on food trucks. It's usually served in a pita bread with veggies and is really popular in Manhattan.                                                                               But there was something about the falafel served at a tiny garden restaurant called Bench that was amazing.                                                           Bench is tucked away on a narrow, winding street in the Marais district and unless you're looking for it, you might pass it by. It's at 4 Bis Rue des Rosiers, 75004, Paris.                                                           The falafel at Bench is served with a delicious selection of veggies--braised red cabbage, cold sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, shredded carrots, etc. A generous ring of hummus is spread on the outer rim of the plate (for dipping) and as an alternative, a ring of Greek yogurt. I was in heaven. I've been experimenting with falafel recipes since I returned from Paris and I want to share my favorite with you. It's very easy and uses canned garbanazo beans (also known as chick peas)   My Favorite FalafelIngredients one cup canned chick peas, rinsed and drainedone cup chopped onionone teaspoon baking powderone teaspoon cumin4 tablespoons flourfresh parsley, minced Directions  This is so easy. Just throw everything in the food processor and pulse. I used a lot of parsley from the garden, love the fresh taste it adds. Now store the mixture in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, it is easier to form into balls or patties.                                                          The falafel at Bench was served in little balls the size of ping pong balls. You can also make patties. This recipe makes 8 balls or patties and two or three should be enough for a pita (especially if you pack the pita with loads of fresh veggies.) You need four or five for a veggie plate or it will be too skimpy. Now you have a choice. You can remove the mixture from the refrigerator and shape into balls (or patties) and you can 1) bake them on a cookie sheet for about 15 or 20 minutes at 350. This is probably the healthiest choice but it is hard to get that "authentic" taste that way.                                                           Instead, I sprayed a non-stick frying pan with cooking spray and added a very thin coating of olive oil. (Seriously, just a smidgen.) This worked fine. They had that "fried" taste, without all the oil and calories.                                                     I like them served with a lot of fresh veggies as they were at Bench, and I add a ring of hummus and a ring of yogurt around the plate for dipping. The yogurt is actually plain Greek yogurt--I shredded some cucumber into it and let it sit in the refrigerator for half an hour. It's probably wise to double the recipe. These are so tempting, it's easy to gobble them up. I gave the recipe instructions for a small amount, in case you want to try them for yourself, for lunch. Hope you enjoy this recipe and will give it a try. Bon appetit! By the way, photo credits to my talented son, Sean, who took the picture of the Eiffel Tower at the top of this post. Mary Kennedy

Need a little help from iBooks readers

by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett

For those of you who purchase my books via iBooks , or read on your iPad via an app -- HELP! 

Last fall, I lost ALL reviews for my Jeff Resnick mystery series on the iBooks website.  Since readers rely on reviews to gauge interest, I've seen a terrible loss of said interest.

Reviews are the single-most important thing a reader can do to help an author be discovered by new readers!

Murder On The Mind had over 600 reviews.  A year later, it only has 55.  The other books have even less.

If you've read and enjoyed any of the Resnick books and short stories, I hope you'll consider replacing (or writing) your review on the iBooks site.  Here's the link for Murder On The Mind.

And speaking of Jeff, his short story collection, A Jeff Resnick Six Pack is now available in trade paperback, audio, and all ebook formats.
Trade Paperback:  Amazon US | Amazon CA  | Amazon UK

Audio:  Audible US | Audible UK | iTunes | Amazon US | Amazon UK

ebook:  Kobo | iBooks | Nook | Kindle US | Kindle UK | Kindleworldwide

Have you seen the video book trailer Ellery Adams and I made?  Just click this link! 

Thank you!

P.S.   You DID know that Murder on the Mind is FREE for all ebook formats, didn't you--and not just in the US but WORLDWIDE.


Kindle US | Kindle UK | Kindle CA  | Kindle AU
Kindle Worldwide


iBooks | Kobo | Nook |  Smashwords

Now that's a distraction!

 By Mary Jane Maffini aka Victoria Abbott


And here's a word from the world’s most distractable woman!As Victoria Abbott, my daughter and I are asked how The Hammett Hex (book five in the book collector series) is coming along.  Actually it’s coming very well and we are having fun planning Jordan’s book-related trip to San Francisco.  But of course we have to keep at it.  Some days that is a bit harder than others. We all know the common rules: Writing is 90 % perspiration and 10 % inspiration and If you want to write, you have to learn to stay in the chair. We offer this post as Exhibit A for why it’s sometimes REALLY HARD  to stay in that chair. 








In the backyard of our house (circa 1972) we had a number of trees planted by the original owner that didn’t survive this past winter. The good news: there are still lots of trees left.  The bad news: For the second time in two years, we had to call the tree removers.  The distraction news: no way could I stay in my chair when 8 Scots pines (RIP) were removed.   In case you too would like a distraction (why should you be immune?), here are some of the shots that took our breath away from the moment that truck (valued at $450,000!) rolled up. 
 All the very professional employees were arborists or arborists in training.  Who knew that might mean these kind of adventures?  

As the adventure unfolded, the workers were lifted over the house 



and into the trees.
 



 hooked on the cable,


 rapelled down (using ropes), 

and cut the trees. 
We decided to keep the stumps because they look nice with plants in pots in the summer.
 

The tree was then lifted over the house (!)  



and then the over wires to the waiting wood chipper.  


Here's the woodchipper truck.


The fun did take a couple of hours.  Writing did not happen. Thinking about plot did not happen either, although as I type this I wonder if there isn’t a possibility down the road. It’s too late for The Hammett Hex, but that kind of equipment would just have to come in handy in a book collector mystery. If you’ve read the last three, you know that “Cherie”, Uncle Kev’s special friend, never met a ladder or a cable she didn’t love.  Who knows what the future holds for her and us?

We did want to share this with you today.  And we always like to know your experiences: any dramatic work taking place? What about tree removal?  Hope you enjoyed our photos!

Things we learn from our pets…

Just in case you think you have all the answers I’m here to remind you that your pet is probably wiser than you are. 
Okay, you can drive a car and get the jokes on Saturday Night Live and you can vote but when it comes to the really important stuff our pets get it way more than we do.
I just have cats...Dr. Watson and Spooky, but my kids have dogs...Maddy, Sophie and Ginger. So what have I leared from these furry friends? Plenty! And it’s the stuff that’s counts in life.
From Spooky and Watson I learned …
-nothing beats a warm place to nap and that a place in the sun is the best place of all to spend time.
-you do not have to eat all the food in front of you!

-snuggling is fun
-never trust a two-year-olds to stay out of trouble
-fish is good for you
-sitting and doing nothing recharges your batteries
-you can sense things that aren’t visible
-some healthy food really does taste like crap
-make some noise when you’re happy
-it’s okay to hiss when you’re not
-napping is great
-fuzzy blankets are the best
-and…I am the boss and don’t you forget it


Things I’ve learned from my kids’ dogs …
-you think you rescued me but I really rescued you
-if I wasn’t around who would you blame for those farts
-loyalty is everything

-snacks are good for the soul
-when feeling down having a BFF helps a lot
-meat is good no matter what the doctors tell you
-nothing beats coming home to a friend
-getting left behind on vacation sucks
-don’t trust everyone

-don’t bite when a growl will do
-there is never a bad time for a walk
-play is good
-falling asleep on the couch is the best sleep of all

-don’t panic if the barber cuts your hair too short...your friends love you anyway
These are some things I’ve learned from pets. They simplify life, get to the root of what is really important and get rid of the clutter that occupies too much of our lives.So, what about you? What have you learned from a pet?

- -

It's Scary Time Again

by Maggie Sefton

I have written a short short story featuring the Kelly Flynn characters called "Halloween Scare."  You'll find it online on Ebooks.  Here's the cover for the story. 

In almost two weeks from now, we'll be celebrating Halloween, and our neighborhood streets will be filled with children from elementary to junior high.  The tallest ones do raise some eyebrows, though.  Usually our yards are filled with small children and some so young their parents bring them in their arms.  In my elementary school days---the High Time for Halloween---just us school age kids were out trick or treating our neighborhoods.  Junior High school age was really the last time you could go out and 8th graders were usually the oldest.

This next weekend I'll buy some of those larger bags filled with individually wrapped candies and others with assortments of wrapped candies.  I still remember when we were older elementary age, my  childhood friends Nancy and Diane and I joined with other kids from our neighboring streets and started going house to house.  Our parents didn't drive us to other neighborhoods, either.  There were plenty of kids all around our streets and the adjoining streets.  We were part of that huge demographic bulge the Baby Boom.  So. . .there were a whole lot of us trick or treating.

And we got simpler treats, too.  Two or three wrapped candies or one of those Tootsie Roll pops, which we immediately started enjoying.  We weren't greedy.  We were content with whatever the neighbors gave us.  There was one elderly couple, the Snyders, who lived on the corner of 9th Street and Barton Street in Arlington, the crossroads of our neighborhood.  They always sat in their rockers on their screened front porch and watched us as we played outside.  We loved playing outside games, racing around playing tag and various imaginary games.  The Snyders always saved special treats for us when we came knocking on their door each Halloween.  They gave the other kids regular candies, but when we came knocking----they gave each of us one of those king-sized Hershey bars.  We always squealed in delight and thanked them profusely.  Now that I think back to those fond old memories, I don't recall ever seeing any children or grandchildren at the Snyder's house.  So, maybe Nancy and Diane and I were their substitute grandchildren.  Maybe so.

What are some of your memories from your Halloween childhoods?

THE AFFLUENZA DEFENSE

by Kate Collins
Did you happen to see the show “48 Hours” Saturday night? It was about the sixteen year old boy who drove drunk with a truck full of teenagers and killed four people -- and then was given probation. If you didn’t see the show, the recap is that his wealthy parents gave him his own house where he lived by himself, got himself off to school, and did a lot of drinking/partying and drugs with friends.
What came out was that his parents had pretty much bought his way out of trouble starting from when they first let him drive a truck at age 12. He was never told no. His mom couldn’t remember the last time she’d disciplined him. His friends said she knew about the drinking and parties but never tried to prevent them.
After the horrific accident, when the boy was accused on five different charges, his parents settled out of court, and it went to the judge for sentencing. She gave him probation. The people in town were naturally horrified. The sentiment was that the boy had never been held responsible for anything and now he was getting off again.  That judge, by the way, retired the following year. She couldn’t take the criticism thrown at her.
I don’t know how you view the case, but being a writer, I’m accustomed to jumping into other people’s heads to see things from their point of view. As a former teacher, I also have a background in psychology, and I remember from my class on gang psychology, young people who are “abandoned” by their parents, whether from neglect, abuse, or being orphaned, often are so lonely – soul-deep lonely – that they turn to drugs, alcohol, and/or a new family, i.e. gangs, to fill that void in their lives. 
So although part of me saw this young man as a spoiled brat used to getting his own way and buying his way out of trouble, the other part of me saw an abandoned child. His parents bought a place for him to live out of their lives. What kind of message does that boy receive? It’s not “Here, honey, this is to pamper you.”  It’s “Go away and leave us in peace. We don’t care what you do.” 
Who do you punish in a case like this? The boy, who’s basically been punished all his life for being the son of people who didn’t seem to care about him? Or the parents, who didn’t have a clue what they were doing to him? 
The obvious victims, of course, are the families who lost loved ones in the crash. But  in my writer’s eyes, this spoiled young man is a victim, too.

What would your decision have been if you’d been the judge?

This Really Happened

by Leann

This coming Tuesday is not a release day for one of the Cozy Chicks, but rather for someone I love very much--my daughter's husband Jeffrey Cranor. He and Joseph Fink created a podcast called Welcome to Night Vale three years ago. (Podcasts are free, you know. You can subscribe through iTunes.) The planets aligned, the creative genius was there and the podcast went viral. There have been more than 100 million downloads of Welcome to Night Vale to date. Yes. All those zeroes.

Night Vale is a fictional town set in the American Southwest and is presented to listeners as "community radio" and conspiracy theories abound. It's been called Garrison Keillor meets Stephen King, to give you sort of an idea of this special genre. Not really mystery but definitely mysterious. After writing two episodes a month, they decided to create a live show. They toured to wonderful crowds. They toured some more. They toured Europe. AND they wrote Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel. But the good news is not just wonderful early reviews but that Jeffrey and Joseph just appeared on national television--The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to be specific. You've seen the pictures on my facebook page, no doubt, but I am thrilled to bring them to you again.

I'm proud of these guys and they deserve all the good things that are sure to come their way.

CRANBERRY TEA? YOU BETCHA!

By Mary Kennedy                                  
                                                            
 Here at the Cozy Chicks, we're still celebrating the release of our TEA TIME with the COZY CHICKS book, and I wanted to share a couple of my favorite tea recipes, Cranberry tea and Russian tea.  First, cranberry tea. Yes, you can buy it (Twinings has a nice version of this tea) but it is so easy to make. The home-made version is delicious and spicy with just the right amount of tang and sweetness.  Ingredients: 4 cups cranberry juice cocktail4 cups water2 tea bags1 stick cinnamon5 whole clovesjuice of 1/4 lemon Directions:  Put the cinnamon and cloves in a little bag made of cheesecloth. (If you don't have any cheesecloth in the house) put the cloves in one of those cute little "tea balls" and it will be just fine.                                                        You can just add the cinnamon stick to the pot and it will be fine, too. Add all ingredients to a pot and bring to a boil, and then simmer for 10 minutes. Remove tea bags, cloves and cinnamon stick. Your tea is ready to drink! Serve warm, you can leave it right on the stove on low. It's good served hot or cold and it serves 8.                                                            Another delicious tea is Russian Tea (I don't use Tang, I make it the old-fashioned way with orange juice, pineapple juice and spices.). Very easy! The recipe below serves 20 so it's great for a party. Ingredients: 5 cloves2 cinnamon sticks3 quarts water3 tea bags2 cups orange juice1/2 cup lemon juice1 and 1/2 cups sugar2 and 1/2 cups pineapple juice Directions: Boil water and add tea bags and spices. Steep for 5 minutes. Now add juices and sugar, simmer for 15 minutes. Remove spices and serve.  For some great recipes, plus fun facts about tea and our very own "tea memories" (mine is about a Perfect Yorkshire Tea) be sure to grab a copy of our book, TEA TIME with THE COZY CHICKS.                                        Here's how you can order it, and be sure to watch the fun video, using the bottom link on this page. I hope this inspires you to host a tea party for your friends!. Trade Paperback:  http://amzn.to/1L43KZRAmazon:  http://amzn.to/1L43KZRKindle:  http://amzn.to/1UwMAFaKindle Worldwide:   http://authl.it/B014OE31SAKobo:  http://bit.ly/1KvhHBrNook:  http://bit.ly/1M8iBmViBooks:  http://apple.co/1ilw3rASmashwords:  http://bit.ly/1JFfDEOWatch The Video:  http://bit.ly/1Gt3P3H by Mary Kennedy

CRANBERY TEA? YOU BETCHA!

By Mary Kennedy                                  
                                                            
 Here at the Cozy Chicks, we're still celebrating the release of our TEA TIME with the COZY CHICKS book, and I wanted to share a couple of my favorite tea recipes, Cranberry tea and Russian tea.  First, cranberry tea. Yes, you can buy it (Twinings has a nice version of this tea) but it is so easy to make. The home-made version is delicious and spicy with just the right amount of tang and sweetness.  Ingredients: 4 cups cranberry juice cocktail4 cups water2 tea bags1 stick cinnamon5 whole clovesjuice of 1/4 lemon Directions:  Put the cinnamon and cloves in a little bag made of cheesecloth. (If you don't have any cheesecloth in the house) put the cloves in one of those cute little "tea balls" and it will be just fine.                                                        You can just add the cinnamon stick to the pot and it will be fine, too. Add all ingredients to a pot and bring to a boil, and then simmer for 10 minutes. Remove tea bags, cloves and cinnamon stick. Your tea is ready to drink! Serve warm, you can leave it right on the stove on low. It's good served hot or cold and it serves 8.                                                            Another delicious tea is Russian Tea (I don't use Tang, I make it the old-fashioned way with orange juice, pineapple juice and spices.). Very easy! The recipe below serves 20 so it's great for a party. Ingredients: 5 cloves2 cinnamon sticks3 quarts water3 tea bags2 cups orange juice1/2 cup lemon juice1 and 1/2 cups sugar2 and 1/2 cups pineapple juice Directions: Boil water and add tea bags and spices. Steep for 5 minutes. Now add juices and sugar, simmer for 15 minutes. Remove spices and serve.  For some great recipes, plus fun facts about tea and our very own "tea memories" (mine is about a Perfect Yorkshire Tea) be sure to grab a copy of our book, TEA TIME with THE COZY CHICKS.                                        Here's how you can order it, and be sure to watch the fun video, using the bottom link on this page. I hope this inspires you to host a tea party for your friends!. Trade Paperback:  http://amzn.to/1L43KZRAmazon:  http://amzn.to/1L43KZRKindle:  http://amzn.to/1UwMAFaKindle Worldwide:   http://authl.it/B014OE31SAKobo:  http://bit.ly/1KvhHBrNook:  http://bit.ly/1M8iBmViBooks:  http://apple.co/1ilw3rASmashwords:  http://bit.ly/1JFfDEOWatch The Video:  http://bit.ly/1Gt3P3H by Mary Kennedy