Karen Docter's Blog, page 259
October 2, 2014
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special** with Sharon Black!
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **AUTHOR SPECIAL** with SHARON BLACK!
Welcome to my Friday bonus feature called Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special**!! Today, in lieu of one of my own recipes, I’m going to introduce you to a new author who will share one of her favorite recipes. Not only will you and I occasionally learn how to make something new and delicious, but we’ll get a chance to check out some wonderful authors. Introducing author, SHARON BLACK, and her favorite recipe for FISH PIE!
GOING AGAINST TYPE
By SHARON BLACK
Book Blurb
Some would say Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Regan has it all. Beautiful, smart, athletic and a great job working as a journalist – in the almost exclusively male sports department. But Charlotte is not quite so sure as she seems. Recently split from her overbearing boyfriend, she escapes for weekends, surfing in the Atlantic, and spends her free nights watching sports, roaring at the TV.
Derry Cullinane is a fashion writer, gossip columnist and sophisticated man-about-town. The go-to guy for any woman seeking expert advice on what fabulous outfit to wear for any given occasion. He’s also tall, dark, good looking – and straight! So what’s the snag? He has a track record of dating glamorous, vain and shallow women.
Charlie gets an opportunity to write a new column under the pen name Side Swipe, but soon is drawn into a war of words and wit with a rival paper’s columnist The Squire – and their verbal fireworks get readers and editors talking. Yet neither Charlie nor Derry knows just who the opponent is…
When Charlotte and Derry meet at the Races, the attraction is instant. As their relationship develops, so much more proves at stake than protecting their alter egos. But a blunder puts Charlotte’s job in jeopardy just as Derry’s past makes front page, and Charlotte begins to doubt her feelings. When Side Swipe and The Squire are finally forced to reveal themselves, will they revert to type – or confound everyone’s expectations?
~~~
GOING AGAINST TYPE
By SHARON BLACK
Excerpt
Charlotte had waited years for Donal to utter those magical words. This morning he’d finally said them.
‘We’re trying you out as a columnist, Charlie. Go grab ‘em by the…’
‘Thank you, Donal,’ Charlotte replied fervently. Yesssss!!!! She mentally punched the air. ‘I won’t let you down.’
Maybe not the magical words every girl longed to hear, but for Charlotte Regan – sports reporter for Ireland Today – they were music to her ears.
Now she sat at a blank computer screen in the noisy sports department and thought hard about her first column. The sports editor had given her carte blanche. She grinned mischievously as she typed her introduction.
What witless wonder dreamt up the idea of men’s underwear with the logo ‘Small’ emblazoned on it?
And what was English striker Adam Small thinking when he recently dunked his two big feet into the tacky world of big brand fashion?
‘Charlie?’
‘Donal!’
‘What are you down to do this weekend?’
Oh, let’s see. Paint my toenails. Bathe in goats’ milk. Have wild sex with that gorgeous new reporter in the newsroom.
‘I’m covering the hurling match on Sunday…’
‘I need you to get down to Cork. There’s open war! Nine months’ stand-off and the players have called a strike from next week. No-one gets that GAA bloodletting the way you can.’
‘Uhhmm. I was there yesterday. Just drove up last night.’
‘Yesterday? Monday? You were in Cork?’ Donal’s eyes widened. Charlotte nodded. What other yesterday was there? Maybe he was surprised she’d gone down on a day off.
‘And I got a story.’
Donal rubbed his nose as he stared in bewilderment at Charlotte. ‘What are you talking about Charlie?’
She smiled patiently.
‘I mean, I went into the dressing room last night and got a story. JJ Nevin’s not being disciplined. The selectors haven’t been stood down. Nevin’s switching codes. He’s going to sign for Galway. He’ll be playing soccer in the Airtricity League.’
Donal, Charlotte thought – not for the first time – did a great goldfish impression.
‘When were you going to tell me?’ he managed finally. Then, as an afterthought, added, ‘Hang on, you went in where last night?’
‘The dressing room.’
Donal glanced over at the deputy sports editor, Tim Hanlon, who grinned and shrugged. ‘They let you in?’ His eyes narrowed.
‘Not the first time I’ve been in a men’s dressing room,’ Charlotte said, enjoying herself now.
‘Well yes, but…’
‘What am I supposed to do? Let the male reporters steal a march? Who’d stop me anyway? After JJ was substituted, he was taking a shower. I’d never get a story if I were shy!’
‘Nobody could accuse you of being shy, Charlie,’ John Dempsey, the soccer correspondent announced as he strode in and threw a newspaper down on the adjacent desk. ‘We talking about the weekend activities?’
Charlotte rolled wide-set, hazel green eyes and grinned.
‘Not yet.’ She switched her attention back to Donal. ‘Anyway, Nevin–clothed in a towel, I might add–and I had a long talk. He filled me in on the whole thing. They’re announcing the signing on Thursday.’
‘And we lead with the story tomorrow in the supplement!’ Donal said, slapping his hand down delightedly. ‘You boys hearing this? None of you will ever be half the man Charlie is!’
About the author…Sharon Black.
Sharon Black trained as a journalist and worked for The Evening Herald and The Irish Examiner.
She has had short stories published and she won the 2010 Dromineer Short Story Competition.
She lives in Sandymount, Dublin, with her husband and their three children.
~~~
Links to Sharon’s website, blog, books, etc.
Going Against Time Buy Link ~ Tirgearr Publishing
Amazon and Goodreads buy links.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NJ2OL4M
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NJ2OL4M
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23213024-going-against-type
www.tirgearrpublishing.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sharon-Black-Author-Page/1433997893531882?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
http://sharonblackauthor.blogspot.ie/
@AuthorSharonb
I hope you enjoy the recipe Sharon is sharing with us today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy eating!
Karen
P.S. We’re at 164 recipes and counting with this posting. Hope you find some recipes you like. If this is your first visit, please check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. In the right hand column menu, you can even look up past recipes by type. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, Author Specials, etc.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SHARON BLACK’S FAVORITE RECIPE
This fish pie is easy to make and relatively cheap. It’s also good for you and provides perfect comfort food when the evenings start to get a bit colder.
Better still, you don’t have to put the same vegetables into it each time. So it’s perfect for using up whatever you have – within reason. My whole family loves this meal – so clean plates all round. Serve with a green salad if you like.
This makes enough for six, but you have to judge the fish yourself – it depends on how much your own family will eat.
* Any amount of chopped, mixed fish (often you can get ready-diced mixed fish in your supermarket, especially for fish pies).
* 2 red onions.
* Any mix of the following veg: leek/courgette/celery/cherry tomatoes/frozen peas.
* Enough butter and flour to make a roux.
* Milk.
* White wine (optional).
* Seasoning (salt/pepper/parsley/dill – whatever you like)
* Olive/other cooking oil.
1. In a pot of water, gently bring the fish to a boil. The minute it’s boiled, take out the lightly cooked fish with a slotted spoon and retain the water.
2. In a pan, heat the oil and lightly fry the chopped onions, leeks, courgettes and/or celery. Then turn off the heat.
3. Make a decent amount of roux in a clean pot. Start to whisk in about half a pint of milk. You’re aiming for a reasonably thick sauce. Gradually, start to add some of the water you cooked the fish in. At this stage, it’s a matter of judging and tasting, to see how much of each you want. A splash of white wine is lovely. Once the sauce is made, check for seasoning.
4. As you’re making the roux, steam enough peeled potatoes to make a generous mash covering for the pie.
4. Line a pie dish with the fish and lightly fried vegetables. This is the time to add frozen peas and raw cherry tomatoes.
5. Mash the potatoes well in a pot, and cover the pie with the mash. Finish with a couple dots of butter and a grinding of black pepper.
6. Put it in an electric oven at 200 degrees/ Gas mark 6. It should be cooked in about 40 minutes, but all ovens are different. Keep an eye on it. The potato should turn golden if you’re using a bit of butter on top, but don’t be afraid to take the pie out after 20 minutes and make a hole in the middle to ensure it’s cooked right through.
Thanks for stopping by to share your story and favorite recipe with us, Sharon!
October 1, 2014
Congratulations Week 09-22-14 Giveaway Winner!
CONGRATULATIONS WEEK 09-22-14
GIVEAWAY WINNER!!
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s with COLLEEN L. DONNELLY!!
Giveaway: Colleen is giving away a signed paperback copy of MINE TO TELL to one lucky winner (U.S. only) who comments on her Killer Fixin’s blog. Thanks, Colleen, for sharing your story and your favorite recipe with us!
WINNER!! bn100!!
[All winners chosen by random.org. Thank you.]
September 30, 2014
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: Dawn of Steam: Gods of the Sun by Jeffrey Cook with Sarah Symonds
KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
DAWN OF STEAM: GODS OF THE SUN
By Jeffrey Cook with Sarah Symonds
Rejoin Gregory Conan Watts and the crew of the airship Dame Fortuna as they continue the adventure begun in Dawn of Steam: First Light.
~
February 1816
My Dearest Cordelia,
We have been deceived.
Both friends and strangers have been lying to us all along – the former with better cause than the latter, but it is no less jarring. As we deal with more and more international entanglement and expose more and more secrets, I am left with even more questions about the war, about commonly-accepted standards of our society, and about whether I am capable of being comfortable with certain responsibilities. Furthermore, this journey is not likely to end any time soon – assuming we can ever make it home at all.
All my love,
Gregory Conan Watts
Book Blurb
In 1816, Gregory Conan Watts’s chronicle of the adventures begun in Dawn of Steam: First Light continues – as does the Year Without a Summer. The crew of the airship Dame Fortuna travel to four continents and are embroiled in combat on three of them: conflict with New Spain in Britain’s American colonies, an ambush in Machu Picchu, and entanglement in the Maori Potato Wars in New Zealand. As they progress through darkened skies, Gregory gradually discovers that nothing at all was as he thought it was. All his assumptions are cast into doubt: what their orders are, which tales of foreign lands are true, and what parts of the social order as he knows it really are natural. Also in doubt is whether they will all survive the experience.
Dawn of Steam: Gods of the Sun is an alternate-history, early-era Steampunk epistolary novel.
DAWN OF STEAM: GODS OF THE SUN
By Jeffrey Cook with Sarah Symonds
Excerpt
From the journals of Gregory Conan Watts,
January 24th, 1816
New Orleans, 29º57′N 090º04′W
Hope and help came from an unexpected source. We had suffered through the first few checks by the soldiers loyal enough to Col. York to be entrusted with checking in on us, enough to gain some idea of their schedule. When we had been here for a time, and I had almost started my letter a dozen times, only to stop myself each time, Miss Penn finally risked whispering to Miss Coltrane. She suggested that she still had her bodice knife, and if Miss Coltrane could get to it, they might be able to cut their bonds.
There were multiple difficulties with this, of course. Not only getting to the small blade, but also that even freed, we were in no position to fight our way out of the room or make an attempt at escape with our comrades in danger or captured. Miss Coltrane reminded her of all of this, but it was eventually agreed that she should try to get free, and with some greater options than simply sitting, we might be able to assess our slightly expanded options. Though it would quickly become obvious if Eddy were freed, for example, the women could easily conceal their freed hands amidst their dresses, and without close scrutiny, no one just happening into the room on a check would notice. This left only a single difficulty now.
After some brief and uncomfortable discussion between the two, Miss Penn thrust her chest forward like the most wanton of women seeking attention, and Miss Coltrane, with much polite and ladylike cursing, shifted herself about in her bonds as much as she could and attempted to fish the knife out with her teeth. While I should very much like to say that I looked away, or at least that Eddy did, I am afraid that the truth is that it was quite impossible not to watch this unusual feat in the doing. Eventually, she succeeded somehow or other in producing the knife. She managed to drop it onto the bed and turn herself back about.
About the author, Jeffrey Cook…
Jeffrey Cook lives in Maple Valley, Washington, with his wife and three large dogs. He was born in Boulder, Colorado, but has lived all over the United States. He’s the author of steampunk epistolary novels Dawn of Steam: First Light and Dawn of Steam: Gods of the Sun and has contributed to a number of role-playing game books for Deep7 Press out of Seattle. When not reading, researching, or writing, Jeffrey enjoys role-playing games and watching football.
Co-contributor Sarah Symonds also lives in Washington. Born and raised in Seattle, she left for college and promptly came back. Sarah has been writing for fun since high school and tends towards short-shorts or novels. When not working on her own novels, Sarah enjoys costuming, fiber arts, and making Jeff explain football.
~~~
Links to Jeffrey’s website, blog, books, etc.
Book web site: www.dawnofsteam.net
Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1500848271 (print)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N5D9BK4 (Kindle)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IOC6HNU (first book in series)
Author FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/jeffrey.cook.54390
Series FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/dawnofsteamtrilogy
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffreyCook74
Tumblr: dawnofsteam.tumblr.com
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23153086-dawn-of-steam
~~~~
Thanks for stopping by to share your newest release, Jeffrey!
September 28, 2014
**Author Peek** Interview with Jeffrey Cook
**AUTHOR PEEK** Interview with JEFFREY COOK
INTRODUCING…Jeffrey!
1. What genre(s) do you write and why?
I mostly work in sci-fi and fantasy of various kinds. All the novels I’ve published so far have been steampunk, because that was the kind of setting the first two characters I created for the series could both live in.
I have a YA science fiction story coming out early next year, along with the third and final (for now) volume of Dawn of Steam.
2. If you were to choose one superpower, what would it be?
Regeneration. I’d love for my knees to heal, and be able to get around without pain, or having to deal with further upcoming surgeries.
3. Do you ever get stuck when you’re writing a book? What do you do to get “unstuck”?
I get stuck all the time. Usually, customized music to whatever I’m writing, short breaks to play games and refresh my mind, and occasional pokes from my editor help me get back to work. Occasionally I’ll need to at least make notes for other ideas and inspirations to get them out of my mind before getting back to my main work in progress.
4. What is your least favorite part of writing?
The part that comes after. I’m glad I’ve got an editor now.
5. If we came to your house for dinner, what would you prepare for us?
My wife or possibly my editor would be doing the preparing (my wife makes some amazing mashed potatoes). If we have to rely on me for food, we’re all eating pizza.
6. What is your typical day like?
I usually get up around 10 (I work best late at night), take painkillers, read e-mail, then play with the dogs. After that, the work day starts, whether working on writing, editing, technical writing, or side projects. Eventually people get home, so spend a while with them, have dinner, tend to the dogs a bit more, etc. Eventually, put my wife to bed, and get back to work until 3 or so.
7. What is most difficult for you to write? Characters, conflict or emotions? Why?
I like to think characters are the heart of my writing, and most of my story ideas start with the characters. Occasionally, because they are the heart of the story, they can be the hardest to write while keeping everything consistent and making sure there’s no conflict with other parts of the story at hand.
8. How likely are the people you meet going to end up in your next book?
Some characters may be an amalgamation of a lot of different people. My main heroine from a YA book later next year has severe ADHD, so I’ve been taking a lot of information from friends and contacts who have gone through dealing with it, for example. Despite using that information, I very rarely write people who are direct translations of people I know.
9. Tell us about your hero. Give us one of his strengths and one of his
The narrator, Gregory, is a nice guy who’s trying really hard to keep an accurate journalistic account of everything that’s happening. That doesn’t make him a reliable narrator. Even in the second book, he’s still in the process of overcoming a lot of preconceptions as an English male of the early 19th century.
10. Tell us about your next book & when is it being published?
I have two books slated for early next year. One has been written for some time, but is undergoing editing and cover creation through Fire & Ice Press, the YA imprint of Melange books. I’m hopeful that that book, The Accidental Inquisitor, will be out in February.
The Accidental Inquisitor follows a girl in a slightly more authoritarian future, where careers are assigned based on aptitudes, and microchips are implanted to give you the skills needed to do your job. The girl, Mina Cortez, has long been hoping to be a ballerina, but has largely given up hope on that dream, expecting to run her parents’ flower shop instead. Imagine her surprise when she wakes up with the skills and assignment of a detective and secret agent. She’ll need all the help her best friend, Amiko Kimura, and Amiko’s undead Chevrolet, Vlad the Impala, can provide if she’s going to solve a kidnapping that turns into a far deeper conspiracy.
In March, the third book of the Dawn of Steam series will be out, completing the story for now.
~~~~~~~
Links to Jeffrey’s website, blog, books, etc.
Book web site: www.dawnofsteam.net
Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1500848271 (print)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N5D9BK4 (Kindle)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IOC6HNU (first book in series)
Author FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/jeffrey.cook.54390
Series FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/dawnofsteamtrilogy
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffreyCook74
Tumblr: dawnofsteam.tumblr.com
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23153086-dawn-of-steam
~~~~
BE SURE TO COME BACK to read more about Jeffrey Cook, his new release, and an excerpt from DAWN OF STEAM: GODS OF THE SUN, on Wednesday’s Karen’s Killer Book Bench. Happy Reading!
September 27, 2014
Congratulations Week 09-08-14 & 09-15-14 Giveaway Winners!
CONGRATULATIONS WEEK 09-08-14 & 09-15-14
GIVEAWAY WINNERS!!
Karen’s Killer Book Bench with JANA MISHO!!
Giveaway: Jana is giving away a .mobi or PDF copy of COFFEE, CIGARETTES AND CRISIS to one lucky reader who comments on her Monday Interview or Wednesday Book Bench blog. Thanks, Jana, for sharing your story with us!
WINNER!! KIMBERLY DAWN!!
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s with JESSICA ASPEN!!
Giveaway: Jessica is giving away an ebook copy of GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS PAST to one lucky winner who comments on her Killer Fixin’s blog. Thanks, Jessica, for sharing your story with us!
WINNER!! GLENDA!!
Karen’s Killer Book Bench with RACHAEL L. McINTOSH!!
Giveaway: Rachael is giving away a signed hard cover copy of LITTLE YELLOW STICKIES to one lucky reader who comments on her Monday Interview or Wednesday Book Bench blog. Thanks, Rachael, for sharing your story with us!
WINNER!! PATRICIA M DENKE!!
[All winners chosen by random.org. Thank you.]
September 25, 2014
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special** with Colleen L. Donnelly
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **AUTHOR SPECIAL** with COLLEEN L. DONNELLY!
Welcome to my Friday bonus feature called Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special**!! Today, in lieu of one of my own recipes, I’m going to introduce you to a new author who will share one of her favorite recipes. Not only will you and I occasionally learn how to make something new and delicious, but we’ll get a chance to check out some wonderful authors. Introducing author, COLLEEN L. DONNELLY, and her favorite recipe for ICE BOX DESSERT!
MINE TO TELL
By COLLEEN L. DONNELLY
Book Blurb
Annabelle Crouse is determined to reopen her great-grandmother’s boarded-up house – and her shunned life. Many years earlier, after an unexplained absence, Julianne was relegated to a separate home by a rigidly unforgiving husband, and the Crouse women have suffered the disgrace of her assumed guilt ever since.
Despite her family’s strong disapproval, Annabelle is driven to pursue her mission through cobwebs and dust, finding the clues and the coded story left behind by her great-grandmother—Why did she go? And why did she return? Annabelle has to know.
Only one person, a man she grew up with but never noticed, stands with Annabelle as she discovers the parallels between her story and her great-grandmother’s—two women, generations apart, experiencing what love truly is.
~~~
MINE TO TELL
By COLLEEN L. DONNELLY
Excerpt
An excerpt from early in the story of “Mine to Tell,” a novel about love that was at first warped and marred by others, but then set free. It’s never too late for love, no matter how your story began. And it’s never too late for your real story to be told.
“Mine to tell,” Kyle said suddenly. It was a jolt. I was yanked from my mental tumble into a pit of unredemption. Alex looked up too, a quizzical expression on his face. “Julianne left a story behind,” Kyle continued. “Some of it speculation and rumors by people who don’t know, and the rest of it by her own hand. It was a love story. One that was countered with suffering.”
We were all quiet. I looked at him, my heart melting as I heard his masculine voice speak of love and suffering. I wanted to lean across the table and hug him, but I was too afraid.
Alex leaned back in his chair. “What my father went through didn’t feel like love when we were little.”
“But maybe it was,” Kyle persisted, his tone smooth and even. “Does love always turn out the way we want it to?” Then he looked at me. “Julianne Crouse was a fine woman. We haven’t finished her story, but she suffered, and she was fine indeed.”
Tears came to my eyes. “Thank you,” I squeaked. Kyle stood and walked around the table to me. He helped me stand as he thanked them for their time. He retrieved Julianne’s picture, took my hand, and together we went to the door, Alex and his wife following us.
“I hope you’re right,” Alex said, running his hand through his thin, brittle hair as we stepped outside. “My father had some things to come to terms with, but he was a good man. A better man later in life, when he told us he was sorry. I never knew for what.”
About the author…Colleen L. Donnelly.
Colleen L. Donnelly lives in the rural Midwest where life is generally quiet, but her imagination never is. Even in the midst of writing, editing, and working, she never stops searching for that next plot, that next relationship predicament that will make a worthy tale.
Colleen has worked in the academic environment for years, a day job of test tubes and beakers made more colorful by a wide variety of cultures and nationalities bringing their own stories her way.
Colleen always knew she was to write, but she saved the bulk of her efforts until her education was complete, her children were raised, and her career humming along at a steady pace. Now she writes continually with two novels already published, one waiting for its release date, and one going through birth pains on her laptop. Life is good.
~~~
Links to Colleen’s website, blog, books, etc.
Author email: colleenldonnelly@gmail.com
Facebook Author Page: facebook.com/ColleenLDonnelly
Blog: http://colleenldonnelly.wordpress.com/
Website: www.colleenldonnelly.com
I hope you enjoy the recipe Colleen is sharing with us today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy eating!
Karen
P.S. We’re at 163 recipes and counting with this posting. Hope you find some recipes you like. If this is your first visit, please check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. In the right hand column menu, you can even look up past recipes by type. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, Author Specials, etc.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Note from Colleen: Appropriate for “Mine to Tell,” this recipe was passed from my grandmother to my mom, all of us farm families and as frugal (poor) as they came. This was a special treat, and I begged for it often as a small girl. Memories of my mom pulling it from the icebox to surprise me are special, even more special now that I’ve become one of those gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free healthy types.
ICE BOX DESSERT
Cream thoroughly:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 heaping Tb. cocoa
¼ cup butter
Stir in:
2 beaten egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla
Dash of salt
Fold in:
2 beaten egg whites
Layer the bottom of a greased 9” square pan with crushed Vanilla Wafer crumbs.
Evenly spread the above creamed mixture on top of the crumbs.
Cover the top of the creamed mixture with another layer of Vanilla Wafer crumbs.
Chill overnight in ice box.
Cut in squares and serve with whipped cream.
Yummy!
**SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Colleen is giving away a signed paperback copy of MINE TO TELL to one lucky winner (U.S. only) who comments on her Killer Fixin’s blog. Don’t miss this chance to read this great story! Thanks, Colleen, for sharing your new release and recipe with us!
September 24, 2014
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: The Witchling Grows Up by Mary Moriarty
KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
THE WITCHLING GROWS UP
Family Pendragon #1
By Mary Moriarty
Book Blurb
Dylan Pendragon is not what she appears to be. She appears to be a twenty something, hippy, new-age follower… When in fact she is a ninety-year-old, witchling from one of the oldest families connected with witchcraft.
She has yet to get any powers so to speak. But she is destined to be the most powerful witch of them all…
And she is a virgin.
Justice is a seven thousand years old Vampire. He is the oldest friend to his former king of their kind, Cormac O’ Heachthanna. There are three things that vampires love. Blood, fighting and sex and not necessarily in that order. Justice lost his wife about six thousand years ago, so he has devoted his life to keeping mankind safe… and he has had no sex in that many years.
The Dark One has one thing on his mind. Capture Dylan Pendragon and take what he thinks is his… her virginity and her power which will blossom like a rose once she is taken. He will do anything to get her and that power or die trying.
In the course of one night under a full moon two become connected and set into motion events that can’t be stopped that will ultimately bring victory for some or one and the rest will be cast into the underworld for eternity and beyond.
Can Justice show Dylan he wants to protect her without touching her? Will he listen to his heart where love that has been dormant for so long, and is waiting to be released?
Will Dylan allow Justice to protect her so she can figure out how to get her powers and be strong enough to fight the Dark One? Or will she fall and be the sacrifice that the Dark One intends her to be.
THE WITCHLING GROWS UP
Family Pendragon #1
By Mary Moriarty
Excerpt
Early 1920s, London, Belgrave Square
Rose looked up into her Uncle’s face. She sat in bed, all ruffles and lace. A maid had just left to get her a pot of tea. Her Aunts and cousins all had left the room when William Pendragon had arrived from the continent.
“So Uncle Will what do you think of her? Isn’t she beautiful?”
Will looked down at the wee baby at his niece’s breast. It was funny, she was hundreds of years old but didn’t look a day over twenty. Now finally she had had a baby, but out of wedlock. Was that to be the way the women of his family conducted themselves?
He reached down and touched the sleeping baby’s face. “She is truly beautiful. She has that little mark, just like my beloved sister, on her chin. It looks like a flame… but no one would ever know… it would look more like a strangely shaped strawberry to mortals.”
Rose smiled. Did grandmother ever know from that mark, that would be the way she went out of this world, by fire?”
Will shook her head. “She was powerful but didn’t have the gift of second sight” He sat down on his niece’s bed, his ward of all these years. They had settled in London, had blended with all the other aristocrats. Will had made sure of that. They had rode out all the turbulence of the years unscathed. His fortunes rose and with that property being bought. He bought the two homes side by side on Belgrave Square soon after it was built. One was for him and Rose, the other for the women of his family. He had bought up a great deal of land in Cornwall and Glastonbury. Now with the new babe, he would be giving that baby a gift.
“What of the father, Rose?”
Rose kissed the baby’s forehead and smiled. “What of the baby’s father? I don’t give a fig about convention and you never have either.
“What name will you give her? Her father’s?”
Rose shook her head. “No, she will be Dylan Pendragon. She should carry on the family’s ancient name.”
William sat down. He felt old all of a sudden. He let his finger touch the babe’s silky hair.Why had he never settled? He knew because he had spent his life on revenge all these years… the sun went behind a cloud and cast a shadow over the baby. He heard Rose start to chant. Looking up he saw her eyes closed as she recited an ancient protection spell. Listening to the words he knew he would never settle. His job would be protecting the women of his family… forever.
Reaching for the babe after Rose was done. He took the baby up in his arms. Like all the females of his family she already had those bewitching eyes. Holding her up, he said his own blessing. He spoke in the Gaelic more times than not and this would be her mother tongue. “efallai y byddwch yn yr un foretold i ddod â’r holl greaduriaid at ei gilydd.”
Rose watched her uncle bless her baby. She watched as stardust fell from the ceiling and then a whirlwind came and in it a dragon.
It circled and flapped it wings, blew out fire and smoke then landed on the chair next to Rose and the baby.
William and Rose watched the beast. Though no larger than a small lap dog or crow it sounded like a lion with it purr.
Lord, why did you call me out of my sleep?
William smiled. “Because you have a job to do, one that will last for a millennium or more.”
The dragon nodded its head. I have been waiting, where is my charge?
William put the baby closer to the dragon.
The dragon looked down on the baby from his perch. Ah, the newest Pendragon. I have waited for such a time as this. She will be mine until such time her protector comes…
William shook his head. “Even then you will never leave her. Only with you will she have the power she needs. We still must watch for the darkness and never allow it to overtake.”
The dragon nodded his head. He sat looking at the babe. Then with quick movement flew to William’s arm. Getting a closer look he let his wing touch the babe. The baby sighed in her sleep and it looked like she was smiling.
The dragon looked up to William and then at Rose. It is good you called me… she is mine and I am hers, she is the one foretold who will bring all creatures together.
Link to Follow Tour:
http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/07/the-witchling-grows-up-by-mary-moriarty.html
Goodreads Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22854175-the-witchling-grows-up?from_search=true
About the author, Mary Moriarty…
I grew up in New England surrounded by a lot of history and storytelling by my father who was from the Mid-Coast of Maine. What I remember of my mother was her love of fairy tales, the wee people and poetry. So it’s no wonder I would one day write.
When I am not writing, I read. Of course I love Romance but can’t read the same genre that I write so I read mysteries, memoirs and history… I love history, especially Medieval and WWII.
I don’t generally watch TV but I love Downton Abbey.
My favorite authors… Mmmm, well let me see. Jane Austen, the late Elizabeth Peters, LM Montgomery, Loretta Chase, J.R.Ward , Sharon Kay Penman and Pamela Kaufman to name a few that come to mind.
What do I do when I am not writing? I am a mother of seven, four still at home. I have a home filled with pets, four dogs and six cats. I write seven days a week.
~~~
Links to Mary’s website, blog, books, etc.
Website: http://marymoriarty.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Author.Romance?ref_type=bookmark
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaryMoriarty1
Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/178005.Mary_Moriarty
Buy Links
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Moriarty/e/B008MHW830/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-witchling-grows-up/id889822966?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/447931
~~~
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**
September 23, 2014
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: Silver Storm by Michele Callahan
KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
SILVER STORM
Timewalker Chronicles – Book Two
By Michele Callahan
Book Blurb
Silver Storm – Expanded and Revised Sept. 2014!
Lost…
On a hot summer night twenty-five years ago a freak lightning bolt struck Sarah St. Pierre on Lake Michigan. Presumed dead, her body was never found. She simply…vanished.
Hunted…
Timothy Daniel Tucker retired, but the group of people he once worked for aren’t willing to give him up so easily. They watch him, waiting for him to crack, waiting for an excuse to bring him back in to finish what he started.
When Tim finds a beautiful naked woman floating in Hendrick’s Lake, he suspects a trap. She claims to be the same woman who disappeared over two decades ago, but she hasn’t aged a day. Worse, she knows intimate details about his covert work on a weapon that could destroy all of humanity. Trust is impossible, but Tim will not stop until he discovers all of her secrets, until he uncovers the truth.
Hunted by an unseen enemy, Sarah claims to see things no one else can see, to know things about the future that no one could possibly know. And she has a frightening power no human should wield. Falling in love is an unacceptable risk but Tim can’t walk away from her visions, her power, or the fierce desire she ignites within him. Predator or prey? Truth or lies? Love or duty? Decisions must be made. Millions of lives hang in the balance…and the clock is ticking.
SILVER STORM
Timewalker Chronicles – Book Two
By Michele Callahan
Excerpt
Editor’s Note: Some language. To maintain a PG-13 rating, the *F words in this excerpt have been replaced with symbols. The rest of the excerpt is intact.
Prologue
“Evening, Sir.” The armed guard would serve Tim’s purpose tonight, not his commander’s, not the Department of Defense’s, and not the company’s. Tonight the guard would keep out anyone who might be able to stop Tim, but the kid didn’t know that. The young soldier was wide-eyed and enthusiastic, traits Tim admired and had once shared. But that was before, back when service and duty had meant everything to him, and to his father.
Tim hoped the poor kid would be far enough away that the blast wouldn’t kill him.
“Have a good night.” Tim nodded at the guard and scanned his badge for the last time. The darkness of night closed in behind him as Timothy Daniel Tucker walked into the lab building that had been his second home for the last few months.
He’d taken this job because his father insisted. Senator Tucker was a high-ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and had pulled some strings to get his prodigal son into the civilian sector working in this weapons development program once his Army gig was up.
Senator Tucker was powerful, a former Army Ranger, West Point grad, and all-around badass, even at sixty-two.
He’d wanted his only son to follow in his footsteps. And Tim had tried. West Point followed by Flight School and his own command. But he’d never been able to leave his test scores and mathematics degree behind him. They’d both followed him around like skunk spray, arousing interest from very dangerous people.
His dad had gotten him this job. Tim had done what his father and his country had asked of him, until he realized that the DOD didn’t care about space travel or unlimited green energy. The people footing the bill only cared about power and control, about military superiority.
He’d warned his dad what was coming, what kind of weapon he would create. The Senator had spoken up in committee.
And then the Senator and his wife of over thirty years had died in a tragic car accident on the way home from a fundraiser.
They’d f*^&ing killed his parents.
Tim had no proof, but the writing was on the wall. The timing too perfect. The suits that had been following him ever since? Well, they had relaxed the last few weeks.
“Their mistake.” Tim whispered the words under his breath as the glare of artificial lights flash bombed his pupils, much too bright after the dark outside. He ignored the cameras spaced along the sterile hallways, watching him like all-seeing eyes.
It had taken him several days to set everything up. But after tonight, no one would ever set foot in this space again. He’d make sure of it. His parents’ death would not be in vain. He’d see this through, come hell or high water. No f*(&ing way he was going to be the obedient dog on a leash now that they’d murdered his parents.
“F(*& you, pricks.” Tim opened the door to his lab, stepped inside, and locked the door behind him. Standard protocol.
What he did next, was not.
“Come on, baby. Time to play.” Tim switched on the separate power generators and waited for them to charge. He was alone tonight, but he often worked late hours alone. He did his best thinking when the world was quiet. No red flags there.
He walked to the safe, entered his access codes and pulled out his laptop and notes. Exotic Matter. Negative Matter. The stuff had a couple different names now. It wasn’t anti-matter, dark matter, or any other variety of theoretical particle known to science. This one was new, and made by conscious choice in a lab, not born to the universe. It promised unlimited power, travel to the stars at faster than light speed, and a whole new arena in electromagnetics and quantum physics. Space travel. Time travel. Wormholes. “Beam me up, Scotty.”
The metaphysical, new age, religious fanatics who’d been spouting about a “mirror world” for years would crow and shout in celebration. Where they’d see vindication and a new era of knowledge, he saw nothing but death.
Tim had spent every moment of his life in service to his country, practically from birth. His father had been a hardcore military man his whole life, his mother a regular rock star on the fundraising circuit, and his upbringing more about fitting their perfect mold than living a real life.
He’d kept his head down and done what was expected of him. Perfect son. Perfect soldier. Perfect scientist. This new experiment in theoretical physics had garnered him a lot of attention from a lot of very serious people.
“Dead f(*&ing serious.” Tim set his laptop and notebook down at his workstation and braced himself on stiff arms, gathering his courage for what came next. This move was inevitable, the only way he could atone for what he’d done. He’d realized too late exactly how deep this rabbit hole would go.
The men in suits and sunglasses were his constant shadows now. He’d tried to quit this supposedly civilian contractor’s job months ago. They’d wheedled and cajoled him, tempted him with ridiculous bonuses and new lab equipment. He’d stayed.
Then, a few weeks ago, he’d had some success in the lab, and realized what was coming. His dad had agreed with his total end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it assessment and tried to pull the plug on the program.
And then? Dead.
Coincidence? He’d thought so the first few hours, walking around in a numb haze, trying to piece his life back together, ever loyal to cause and country.
Their deaths were the end for him, that and his success. He’d done it…created Negative Matter from nothing, measured it. Stabilized it. Done it again.
Created humanity’s destruction. The atomic bomb? Child’s play. The Hadron Collider? Anti-matter? They had nothing on this.
“Jesus. I’m a one-man Manhattan Project.” He rubbed his hand through the dark hair he hadn’t bothered to cut in three months. At first, he’d done it for the thrill of the chase. The challenge had been irresistible. But he was in deep shit now. The suits wouldn’t be able to comprehend the danger of weaponizing the stuff. They’d do what they were told, and trust their superiors to call the shots. It was what they all did. What they were trained to do.
Not anymore. Death didn’t scare Tim, he’d faced it too many times in the field during his Army years. Being the next human being responsible for creating a weapon of mass destruction? The sad, haunted look on Oppenheimer’s face on those interview tapes when he spoke about the atomic bomb? His haunting quotation of, “I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.” Being that guy? That scared the holy shit out of him.
He had to destroy it all. Tonight. All the pieces were in place for the colossal accident to occur. And he had to get the Casper Project off his back. That group had been investigating his past Army ops, listening to recordings. They were breathing down his neck, too, wondering how he knew what he knew, how he’d warned his team about stuff before it happened.
Tonight he’d kill two birds with one stone. This might be the most brilliant plan he’d ever come up with. Or the most stupid.
“Okay, baby. Let’s do this.” Tim slid his arms into the sleeves of his fire-resistant lab coat while he talked to his computer and did a visual recheck of his earlier wiring. It was still in place.
Everything he’d accomplished had been done in this room. Nowhere else. No one else knew what had happened here, or how he’d done it, and now they never would
The hair on his arms and neck rose as the magnetic energy built in the air around him. Magnetricity, that potentially unlimited power source, sparked to life in the controlled space.
Instead of monitoring the flow of power, turning it off and controlling the amount of energy passing through the experimental graphene plates, Tim let it grow.
“Time to forget what you know, sweetheart.” Tim pulled several highly charged magnetite blocks from a nearby cubby and laid them flat on top of his laptop’s keyboard. The screen went crazy, then black. The magnets would erase all the data on the computer’s hard drive. If anything managed to survive, what came next would be the knockout punch.
Tim reached over and plugged the laptop’s power cord into the wall. He was going to blow every breaker in this building. Hell, more likely for a half-mile radius. He had to assume the data from the vid monitors would be erased as well. They were on an automatic backup off-site, but he knew the sync schedule, and he still had a good ten minutes. He only needed two.
“Here we go.” Tim walked to the first switch he needed to blow, and flipped it. The small electrical explosions started on the opposite side of the room.
Crackling now with a life of its own, the energy built and jumped all around him like a giant lightning bolt trapped inside his lab. Classic arc flash, but bigger, and more powerful than most electricians would ever see. The energy was beautiful, frightening, and it did its job.
Everything blew up. His laptop jumped off the counter, smoking. The magnetite bars hit the ground and the arc flash moved on, jumping from wires in the walls, to lab equipment, to him.
The last thing he remembered was smiling as the white light jumped into his body and lifted him from the floor, throwing him backward into the wall. It hurt like hell, the right side of his head and neck burned with searing heat, and he smelled cooked human flesh, but he wasn’t dead. Yet. Guess he could thank his rubber-soled shoes and FR-rated lab clothing for doing their jobs.
More explosions followed, but Tim’s ears got fuzzy, then stopped working. He tried to follow the arc flash’s growing destruction with his eyes. The fire suppression system activated, but it wouldn’t help. Red warning lights flashed once from the ceiling, then exploded. This thing was better than an EMP. It would wipe out everything until one of the generators actually exploded, breaking the circuit.
“Mr. Tucker? Sir?” He heard pounding on the door as the building activated their emergency protocols and the rescue team tried to get into the lab.
He didn’t answer. He couldn’t. His jaw muscles were locked. It didn’t matter if he opened the door or not. Either way, they’d come in.
Every light bulb in the ceiling exploded in a rain of glass and sparks. It was beautiful. He heard cursing from the hallway, and car alarms going off outside. The camera lenses in the corners shattered and the wires started to smoke. The windows went dark as all of the building’s exterior lights exploded.
Mission accomplished.
He watched his new baby jump around the room for as long as he could before the world went black…
About the author, Michele Callahan…
Michele Callahan is a wife, mother, romance and science fiction addict, and founder of RomCon, the only Fan Convention geared toward women who read romance and genre fiction. She suffers from a dangerous case of sci-fi/fantasy fever and never turns down an opportunity to sit through a Star Wars, True Blood, or Matrix marathon. Her favorite things in books; hot heroes, superpowers, freakish things that can’t be explained by modern science, and true love! Her past jobs include fast-food drive through goddess, nurse’s aide, cashier, anatomy & physiology instructor, medical office manager, and entrepreneur. When she’s at home her life is ruled by her family plus two 100 pound rescue dogs and their wagging tails (which should really be classified as dangerous weapons).
~~~
Links to Michele’s website, blog, books, etc.
Book 1, RED NIGHT: http://goo.gl/FR4qx4
Book 2, SILVER STORM: http://goo.gl/FJm7pc
Book 3, Blue Abyss: Oct. 26
Book 4.5, CHIMERA BORN: http://goo.gl/3CeqsE
Book 4, Black Gate: Nov. 2
Book 5, White Fire: Nov. 9
Blog: http://michelecallahan.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michele.callahan.142
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MicheleCallahan
~~~
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**
September 22, 2014
**Author Peek** Interview with Michele Callahan
**AUTHOR PEEK** Interview with Michele Callahan
INTRODUCING…Michele!
1. What genre(s) do you write and why?
I write what I call “science based paranormal” because seeing someone say a magic word and and having super-power without cause is fun, but not as exciting to me as something that could actually be happening. So, all of my characters have incredible gifts, time-travelers, elementals, etc…but the reason they have the power is based on quantum physics, metaphysical theories of existence, etc… Wondering ‘what if this were real’ is my favorite thing to do.
2. If you were to choose one superpower, what would it be?
That is really, really hard for me. On a selfish day, I say flying. On any other day, healing.
3. Do you ever get stuck when you’re writing a book? What do you do to get “unstuck”?
All the time. My books have a lot of time loops, paradoxes, and other stuff I have to keep track of. Sometimes my brain just refuses to play. I actually posted a funny blog about this called: Crazy Ass Things That Can Happen In White Fire. That’s how I get unstuck. I imagine super alpha, badass heroes in ridiculous situations. One of the things on my crazy list was “pink bunny slippers.” I laugh, and then my Muse decides to like me again.
4. What is your least favorite part of writing?
Being stuck. LOL.
5. If we came to your house for dinner, what would you prepare for us?
I’m not much of a cook. That’s the honest truth. So, probably takeout pizza. 
6. What is your typical day like?
Chaos. I have three kids.
7. What is most difficult for you to write? Characters, conflict or emotions? Why?
Ummm (ducking head under the table here) sex. Writing love scenes makes me insane. They are so intensely personal, such a window into the soul of the relationship, that they are extremely difficult for me. I never, ever feel like I do them justice.
8. A penguin walks into your office, right now, wearing a sombrero. What does he say to you and why is he here?
“Hey, chica, what’s the emergency?” He’s a volunteer firefighting penguin.
9. If you could wave a magic wand, what ill in the world would you solve and why?
I’d make it impossible for anyone to lie. So many people die, go to war, commit crimes, oppress others, etc… If only truth existed in the world, we could really start fixing stuff.
Tell us about your next book & when is it being published?
Well, I’m working on Book 5 of the Timewalker Chronicles, WHITE FIRE. I’m very excited because I’ve worked really hard the last two years to produce four stories in that series. So, expanded and revised editions of Red Night, Silver Storm, and the novella Chimera Born came out this year. Starting Oct. 26, I’ll have three books out in three weeks. I can’t wait!
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Links to Michele’s website, blog, books, etc.
Book 1, RED NIGHT: http://goo.gl/FR4qx4
Book 2, SILVER STORM: http://goo.gl/FJm7pc
Book 3, Blue Abyss: Oct. 26
Book 4.5, CHIMERA BORN: http://goo.gl/3CeqsE
Book 4, Black Gate: Nov. 2
Book 5, White Fire: Nov. 9
Blog: http://michelecallahan.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michele.callahan.142
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MicheleCallahan
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BE SURE TO COME BACK to read more about Michele Callahan, her new release, and an excerpt from SILVER STORM, on Wednesday’s Karen’s Killer Book Bench. Happy Reading!
~~~
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**
September 19, 2014
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s: Corn Casserole
It’s time for Karen’s Killer Fixin’s! Over the years, I’ve filled two 4-inch, 3-ring binders with my own creations as well as recipes my family and friends were willing to share with me. I simply love to cook and want to share that love with my readers. So every Friday, I share one recipe I think you and your family might enjoy. It might be a main course recipe. A cookie or baked item. Candy. Salads. Whatever strikes my eye and fancy…which today is CORN CASSEROLE!
I grew up with this staple at barbecues and BASD (bring a side dish) social events. It’s easy to fix and satisfying. This is one of the few ways I actually enjoy corn bread because it’s moist. Instead of bringing the standard green beans or baked beans to your next party, try this corn casserole instead.
I hope you enjoy today’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy eating!
Karen
P.S. We’re at 162 recipes and counting with this posting. Hope you find some recipes you like. If this is your first visit, please check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. In the right hand column menu, you can even look up past recipes by type. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, Author Specials, etc.
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s Blog
CORN CASSEROLE
1 package of corn bread mix
8 oz. of sour cream
1 stick of butter
1 can corn – drained
1 can cream corn
Shredded cheese
Mix together the first five ingredients; bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes – pull out of the oven and cover with shredded cheese and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Check it after 20 minutes and make sure it is not burning.
NOTE: Easily doubled for parties and barbecues.
