Kate Collins's Blog, page 294

Salsa or Salad

by Lucy Arlington
When I say salsa, you think of a kind of condiment, right? Chopped tomatoes and other veggies, onions, spicy pepper, something to dip your tortilla chips in. Well today I'm going to share with you a recipe for a salsa that I have been serving as a salad during the past hot summer months. Now I'm not really sure what to call it. Because I also serve it at times with tortilla chips. It's a multi-tasking salsa.

The first time I had this, I was at a luncheon with my sister. It was served as a side to a grilled chicken breast and was so delicious that my sister boldly asked the chef for the recipe. He obliged, and now this salsa/salad is a staple for both my sister and me for parties, dinners, and potlucks. Even for a snack. It always receives rave reviews, and inevitably I get asked for the recipe.

And it's so simple. Chop, chop, chop, open some cans, squeeze some limes, add salt and pepper, and you're done. The tartness of the lime along with the floral essence of the cilantro complements the sweetness of the corn and tomatoes and the bite of the red onion. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Avocado and Black Bean Salsa (or Salad)2 ripe avocados2 ripe tomatoes½ small red onionA handful of cilantro sprigs1 can Black Beans1 can Niblets cornTwo limesSalt and Pepper to taste1. Chop the avocado and place into a large bowl.2. Squeeze all the juice from the two limes over the avocado and gently toss. This will prevent the avocado from turning brown.3. Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the pulp and seeds and discard. Chop the tomatoes and onion into small pieces and add to the bowl. 4. Drain and rinse the black beans and add to the bowl. Drain the corn and add to the bowl.5. Chop the cilantro and add to the bowl.6. Season with salt and pepper and gently stir everything together, being careful not to mash the tomatoes and avocados.That's it. You're done. Enjoy!

Mystery+Female Sleuth+Cheap but Good= Happy Reader

by Deb Baker/Hannah Reed

Now that I've read all the Cozy Chicks' eBooks (if you haven't, click on Cozy Chicks E Books right above this post), I'm surfing for something new to dive into for the long weekend. Since I have a Kindle, Amazon is where I'll shop. And I'm in the mood for a specific type of story.

My first criteria - A mystery
Second criteria - with a female sleuth
Third criteria - really cheap

One thing I've noticed lately is how fabulous some of the indie authors are. The ones who are a little outside the box, with strong characters and unique voices. And some of the titles crack me up, make me have to try them, so without further ado, here's today's list of possibilities, all priced right at $.99:

Too Dead To Dance
Never Buried
Death by Honeymoon
'Scuse Me While I Kill This Guy
Ms America and The Offing On Oahu
Take the Monkeys and Run
Okay, I cheated on that last one, because I've read it. But it's really good, so you should check it out.

You can even download the very first Miss Marple mystery for FREE - The Murder at the Vicarage

I hope this doesn't open the ongoing debate about ebooks vs print books. I love them both, usually purchase traditionally published prints and read the indie stuff on my Kindle. If you are still on the fence, but want to try out an eReader, you can download a FREE Kindle to your pc or mac and take it for a test drive. And the titles you download to your computer will automatically transfer to a Kindle later on.

So then, have you discovered any new, exciting authors recently? Any fun titles to share?

New Friends and Old Friends

by Maggie Sefton

Reporting in from the Chicago area: Last weekend I was at the large knitting Expo, STITCHES---Midwest, where I met at least 200 knitters as I signed copies of the Kelly Flynn knitting mysteries. It was a blast!

Right now, I'm visiting with old friends in the suburban Chicago area, Lake Barrington. Some of you may remember my mentioning Lake Barrington last June when I was here after the release of the latest in the Kelly Flynn mysteries, UNRAVELED. I stayed with my friends then and posted about the beautiful old barn that graced the edge of their property, the last vestige of a farming past.

I'm visiting with a very dear old friend, who I met years and years ago at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Dr. Kathryn N. Black, a gifted clinical psychologist and researcher, who is also a renowned expert in the area of the education of gifted and talented children. Age has slowed my dear friend's physical abilities but her mind is still as sharp and her insights as incisive as ever. She just finished another article on the subject of gifted and talented education for publication.

Kathryn shares my enjoyment of Sci Fi movies and television and introduced me to a few new Sci Fi-type TV shows I'd missed: Alphas, Eureka, and Warehouse 13. Have any of you seen these new shows? What did you think?

Are You Religious or Spiritual?

By Kate Collins

The theme of a series of sermons at my church this month has been on religion versus spirituality. According to a book by a leading theologian from the Harvard School of Divinity, young people aren't impressed by the dogma of organized religion, and long-standing traditions don't have much meaning for them. What they are looking for is a connection between their lives and the Divine. They want to feel hopeful. They want to have faith that their lives have meaning. Spirituality seems to be the way they are finding that. According to the theologian, it's the wave of the future.

I know my own children were turned off by the political games they saw being played out in the name of organized religion. They felt disgusted by the hypocrites who showed up in church "religiously", then went back to their jobs or high-powered positions on Monday morning and continued to cheat and lie as usual. They wanted, but were not finding, a connection between the "rules" of organized religion and having faith in God.

I can't fault them for that. I've often found deeper meaning through helping others, and through reading books about faith than I have in many years of attending church, and I know friends who feel the same. Being a good person doesn't translate to attending a service out of a sense of obligation or for show. Walking the talk is what it takes to be a good person.

My new minister is making a case for spirituality, and I applaud him for not only bringing back a feeling of hope in coping with the world, but also for bringing back the younger generation. Faith is about hope, and we sure can use a big dose of that.

Do you see the shift away from religion and toward spirituality? Where do you see yourself on the spectrum, if at all?

The Cat Show ... People and Objects

by Leann



This weekend I had the great good fortune to have a two day signing at the Houston Charity Cat Show along with my good friend Miranda James aka Jimmie Ruth Evans aka Dean James. I met so many wonderful readers and cat lovers. The kind people at Murder by the Book brought our books to sell, as well as many other cozy titles that either have a cat theme or a cat on the cover. I was very heartened to see so many people still in love with books made of paper. They are friendly, nice and passionate about reading.



The cats and kittens were wonderful to see--so precious, so gorgeous and such a variety. As a writer, I must say I loved the opportunity to also "people watch" as much as "cat watch." I saw a woman in a gorgeous dress--obviously custom made as it fit her figure like a glove. She really caught my eye and only after a second look did I realize the fabric had cats all over it. Her companion wore a vest made from cat-covered fabric, too. Dean and I also saw a very unusual looking man with what I can only describe as "big hair." Like Liberace hair, as Dean so succinctly pointed out. Liberace hair and a deep fake tan made me wonder if this guy had just escaped from a Vegas magic show. Some of the other clothing I must keep to myself because I plan to describe some of these outfits in future books--most probably worn by Lydia Monk. If you know my books, you kind of get the picture.



At shows like this, there are many different vendors. Homemade jewelry is everywhere. T-shirts and cat toys, too. Caps complete with kitty ears, as well. The amazing amount of cat jungle gyms sold had us all wondering if the guy selling the carpet covered contraptions would retire to a tropical island by Monday. Then there was the vendor right across from where Dean and I were signing. Cat clothes. Lots and lots of cat clothes. My cats would never stand for frilly outfits, but apparently there are many cats who apparently don't mind at all. The only problem was the stuffed red cat used to "model" one of the outfits. The vendor set it on top of a stand so it was at my eye level. All I can say is ... creepy. Very creepy.



How about you? Ever been to a cat show? Or to a similar event where you might just see the unexpected?

Party envy

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

I have always been a geek.

There, I said it.

I was never popular.  The one time I thought I had a shot at it, I was sitting there waiting to get asked to a school dance and the guy said, "Hey, Lori (I was known as Lori back then), do you want to go to the dance with me?"  I was about to protest (once) and say, "Aw, I don't think so," when my best friend at the time (also known as Lori) chripped up, "Yes!"

That's when I truly knew that I would never be popular.  I did go to the dance, and I danced with the above-mentioned guy's best friend.  (Mr. Liar.  He told me his father knew Gene Roddenberry because he had once lived in California ... but I never did ascertain if he ever even lived in LA.) 

Here I am at ... mumble-mumble age ... and I've yet to have a birthday party.  Okay, the birthday I have listed on Facebook is NOT my real natal day -- for any of my personae (if only to stave off identity theft).  I had an almost party when I was 12 ... but it wasn't quite real because the people I babysat for put it on out of pity and the only attendees were three women and the kids I babysat.  Not a friend in sight.

I have many wonderful acquaintances and several people online that I feel very close to, but nobody to come over on a Saturday night to chew the fat, have a couple of drinks, and share a pizza with.

Last week our summer neighbors had a small party.  Two other couples joined them on their porch.  They drank, had appetizer's, and then they jumped in their boat and headed off to the big marina and the fanciest restaurant within miles to have dinner.  It was probably a business dinner.  My neighbor is a well-known co-owner of a fairly large insurance agency and he often entertains clients.  They have a lot of fun next door.  They have parties, and bonfires, and toddies, and many good times that last far into the night.

We're very quiet.  We read.

I have never fit in at parties. In fact, Mr. L and I used to have an annual Christmas party but we gave it up when more than half the people we invited decided we weren't fun enough to come.  (Most of them family.)

We read.  That's the kind of people we are.  We aren't boisterous.  We don't hoot and holler. We're boring.

But just once, I'd like to have a birthday party with a big cake and tons of friends and family to sing happy birthday.

Instead, I'll spend my birthday with Mr. L and we will lift a glass and then we will read.

If nothing else, books have always saved me.
 
I don't mean this to be a pity party. You are what you are and if you don't fit in, you get used to a quiet life and you manage.  I have learned to manage.

Are you a wallflower, too?  (And is it any wonder my next book is called The Walled Flower?)

Just a Salad

By Heather Webber/ Heather Blake

Thanks to my (mostly) gluten free diet, I eat salads most days for lunch. I figure if I have to eat all those salads, I ought to at least have the goodies I want atop it.

And I like lots of goodies.

My salads typically consist of romaine lettuce, cheddar cheese cubes, bacon bits (that I fry and crumble myself), black olives, and occasionally Boar's Head ham strips. I have to be careful with salad dressings (also have to be GF), so I usually alternate between French and raspberry vinaigrette. I'm wild and crazy, I know.

The thing is that lately I've noticed less and less lettuce on my plate and more and more toppings... And if that's wrong, I don't really want to be right.

What are your favorite salad toppings? Anything unusual?

Mid-Life Reinvention

by Sylvia May

Have you ever had to pack up your life and move? Leave everything behind and start over again?

In The Unraveling of Abby Settel, Abby's husband loses his job. When he finds a new one, they must relocate, away from their young adult children, away from Abby's aging parents, away from everything familiar. It is a story of mid-life reinvention, letting go and embracing the present, and the importance of friends.

I, Sylvia May, am the author and this is my debut novel. Most of you already know me as half of Lucy Arlington—together with Jennifer Stanley I'm co-authoring the Novel Idea Mystery Series, of which the first book, Buried in a Book, will be released in February. We write as equal partners on the series that we're sure you'll enjoy reading.

The Unraveling of Abby Settel is my solo project. It is not a cozy but is a story that speaks to most women. It was released just this week and I can't begin to describe how thrilled I am to see my manuscript turned into a real book!

I find it an interesting challenge to shift back and forth between writing the Novel Idea cozies with Jennifer and my own women's fiction. I've always been in awe of the cozy writers who write more than one series at a time, wondering how they keep it all straight in their heads. And one day I realized that's what I was doing too. I have to keep switching my brain from characters in a cozy little town dealing with a murder, to real-life situations that someone like you or I cope with in our lives (not murder!). I've certainly had a whirlwind introduction to the life of an author, and I'm having a blast.

Visit my website to find out more about The Unraveling of Abby Settel. It is available from Amazon or directly from my publisher, Turquoise Morning Press.

I hope you give it a try, and read how Abby coped with her mid-life reinvention. What was your biggest mid-life change? Did you move? Start a new career? Become an empty nester? How did you face the challenge?

Hoppel Poppel

by Deb Baker/Hannah Reed
In Wisconsin, we don't eat to live. We live to eat. That's why we are part of the "breadbasket" of America and also considered the supreme dairy state. German's settled here bringing beer, sauerkraut, and sausage. We love our brats (no, those aren't naughty children, they are sausages). My favorite German breakfast is called hoppel poppel.

Hoppel poppel is a fried hodgepodge of ingredients, but it always has to include potatoes and eggs. Other than those two staples, anything goes.

Start with a little oil in a large pan, add chunks of potatoes (I like to steam them a little first, otherwise it's a while before I can toss in the rest).

When the potatoes are coming along, add chopped onions (any kind), mushrooms, herbs, corned beef, sausage, whatever. Use your imagination, have fun.

Why not throw in cubes of sturdy bread, which will come out crunchy and flavorful, sort of  like French toast?

After all that is nice and brown, add eggs (three or four or more) and scramble them.
And because we are the dairy state, finish your creation with shredded cheese over the top.
Take it off the burner, cover, and let that wonderful  Wisconsin cheese melt over the whole mess.

What a way to start the day!
What about you? What's your favorite breakfast indulgent? Have you had hoppel poppel?

Mountain Escape

by Maggie Sefton









Last week I ran away from home---for a day. It might not sound like much, but it was exactly what I needed at the time. After finishing revisions for the first in the Molly Malone mysteries and sending it off to my editor, I needed to "get my head" back into writing the second in the Molly mysteries. I'd started it last summer, but due to an intensive travel schedule I had only written five chapters. I was looking forward to getting back into the story, but I was also re-doing some of the plotline, tinkering. That's when the idea of escaping into the mountains came to me.





Getting outside and into Nature has always stimulated my creative Muse. Whether it's a simple walk in the trees, sitting on top of one of the high ridges on the western edge of Fort Collins looking down into Horsetooth Resevoir, hiking in the foothills, sitting beside the Cache La Poudre River in the canyon of the same name----all of it nourishes me---and my Muse. Ideas start flowing and new ideas show up suddenly. So---I've gotten into the habit of "escaping" into Nature whenever I start a new writing project or pick up an interrupted project and start up again.





This time instead of escaping into Poudre Canyon, I went to another favorite place---Estes Park at the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park. In addition to the gorgeous park, there are also scores of scenic hotels & lodges dotted all around the park and the picturesque little town filled with shops and cafes. I like to try new places whenever I'm "hit" with the Escape Bug, so this time I went to a resort I'd checked out a couple of months ago---Deer Creek Resort. It's located on one of the main routes that run through and around Estes Park, leading up to one of the park entrances.



The rooms are nice and comfy with all the expected furnishings, electronics, etc, but it's the setting that attracted me. You can walk right outside your door onto a wide green sweep of grass that stretches all the way from the buildings to the river bank. There are also benches, swinging benches, and Adorondack chairs scattered all around the greens, which make it perfect to sit and watch the river.



The Fall River runs all along the edge of the property, splashing over rocks, creating eddies, and tumbling over a small waterfall. It's beautiful. And, it's noisy. Wonderfully noisy and loud when you're close. So noisy that it drowns out other people's conversations, even if they're seated several feet away. You don't even hear them. That's perfect for a writer. We want to disappear with the characters who are talking inside our heads. We really don't want to hear other people's conversations. :)





It was Heaven. Truly. I sat in a couple of different shady spots that first afternoon and brainstormed for three hours before I went into Estes Park and tried a new cafe for dinner. The next morning, I was outside on the green beside the river again for another 2+ hours, getting more ideas. And-----getting my head back into the mystery novel. It was so productive, I've promised myself I'll be back for another "sleepover" in September and maybe again in October. I'll still be writing the second Molly mystery---so I'll need another excuse to escape.



Do you have favorite places you like to escape to think or get ideas or simply relax?

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