Penny Watson's Blog, page 86

Coming Soon! The Language Of Souls

I am really looking forward to this book. Lena Goldfinch, who is a fellow NECRWA member, has her debut novel coming out October 20. It looks great! Here's the book blurb and an excerpt for this sweet quickie. (It's published under the Faery Line with Wild Rose Press, which is the same line as my Klaus Brothers Series). How gorgeous is this cover! Lucky duck!

Book blurb for The Language of Souls ...

Actions speak louder than words...

Solena, a young healer with a generous heart, is desperate to heal her dying grandfather. When she ventures into a hostile territory to find a rare herb, she finds out just how much she's risked when she's captured by the enemy and accused of being a spy.

As a soldier, Rundan has struggled all his life to please his father, a ruthless army commander, but when he's ordered to take the beautiful trespasser to the royal courts, where she'll be summarily tried and executed, he's plagued by the most inconvenient desire to protect her at all costs.

Though terrified and anxious to escape, Solena is confused by the handsome young soldier who cruelly captures her and then displays uncommon kindness. When he risks his own life to save her, she discovers she may have risked more than her life… she may have lost her heart.


EXCERPT:

Rundan continued watching her as he ate. When the food was gone, he took a votif stand from his things and set it carefully by the fire. Then he untied his votif from his belt and, after removing its cork, began breathing prayers over it. Solena watched his every inhalation and exhalation in rapt attention. She couldn't have moved or looked away if she'd wanted to.

After placing his votif in the stand, he glanced at her from under the sweep of unexpectedly dark lashes. After some hesitation, he removed the cork from her votif as well and breathed a quick prayer over it. He reached to place it in the votif stand, stopped mid-reach, and then replaced the cork and tied it again to his belt. With this done, he rubbed the back of his neck for some time and avoided her eyes.

Solena opened and closed her mouth with a snap.

He'd prayed over her votif?

The action was so unexpected, so shocking, she could barely connect her thoughts. What he'd done was the most intimate of acts. What a father might do for his child. Or a husband for his new bride.

Rundan's unusually pale eyes met hers briefly and the flash of vulnerability in them disconcerted her. The expression fled as quickly as it had come and the cool mask he always seemed to wear slid into place. He was again Rundan: captor, soldier, enemy.

Solena moistened her suddenly dry lips and stared into the fire, desperately trying to make sense of her thoughts—and of the strange tightness in her chest.

Happy Thursday,Penelope

Lemon Garbanzo Salad

Since I have embarked on my new heart healthy lifestyle, I have been eating a lot of salad! :)
Here's a great recipe for a chick pea salad, adapted from Cooking Light . The chick peas add a lot of protein, which I need since I eat mostly a vegetarian diet. Also, I used couscous instead of bulgur (you could also use whole wheat couscous).
Lemon Garbanzo Salad with Feta
Couscous (or Bulgur)Fresh lemon juice1 can chickpeas (I used no-salt added)1/2 cucumber, finely chopped1 large celery, finely chopped2 T. finely chopped red onion (or more if desired)2 T. feta crumbledhandful fresh dill, choppeddrizzle of extra virgin olive oilfreshly ground pepper
Cook couscous (or bulgur) according to directions on back of box (for 2 servings). Rinse and drain chickpeas. Gently mix chickpeas, cuke, celery, onion, feta, dill, and pepper together in a medium sized bowl. Drizzle olive oil on top, and squeeze juice from 1 lemon on top. When couscous has cooled, squeeze some lemon juice on top, then add it to the veggie mixture. (If you are so inclined, you could add a pinch of salt!).
You can eat this chilled or at room temperature. It's great stuffed into a whole wheat pita pocket with some lettuce.
Happy Eating!Penelope

Play Nicely With The Other Children: 7 Rules of Etiquette for Book Bloggers

First let me say that I'm not a big rule gal. Especially about book blogging. None of us are "professional" reviewers, so our blogs should be conducted in any way we want. I love the fact that some blogs are more formal, some more relaxed, some mix it up, and some have special themes. Every blog has a distinct personality, and that's why they're so cool.
Having said that, there are a few things book bloggers should keep in mind that fall under the heading "common courtesy".....
1) Give a...

Review of Tied Up, Tied Down by Lorelei James

I finally jumped into the Rough Riders series by Lorelei James. Lots of folks on Goodreads are reading them, and the covers look intriguing. I decided to start with Tied Up, Tied Down even though it's #4 in the series.....the book blurb appealed to me (M/F sex with the H/h instead of mega-multiple-partner stuff like some of the other ones--I was in the mood for a more "old-fashioned" story instead of menage-arama this time). Here are some observations.....
1) You need an Excel spreadsheet to...

Beard of the Day

I've been listening to a lot of Nickelback lately...it's great music for my powerwalk. I LOVE Chad Kroeger's growly, sexy voice. He is definitely channeling the bad boy rock star in this photo. His beard is rough and sexy, just like his voice. Oh yeah!
Hope everyone has a great weekend,Penelope

Best Run-On Sentence Ever

"It was unthinkable that his physical desire for the carnal pleasure afforded by one of those western women who came to the Gulf ready to trade their bodies for the lifestyle they thought their flesh could buy--a woman ready to give herself on the smallest pretext, shamelessly openly--should have driven him to the point where he felt his only escape from it could come from the same place where he had sought solace for the loss of his mother."
Nuff said.
Penelope

Weenie Carrots

Introducing....weenie carrots! Hee hee hee....
This is what happens when you don't thin your seeds properly, and forget you planted carrots under the pumpkin patch. Surprisingly, they are tasty and sweet.
Martha Stewart would heartily disapprove of my crazy, disorganized garden. But hey, I am still harvesting cherry tomatoes (which I didn't plant, they sprouted up from last years' seeds), basil, pumpkins, nasturtiums, mint, etc. My cute little watermelons are coming along nicely, too.
I have...

A New Book Contract: Go, Oskar!

Yay! The Wild Rose Press has offered me a contract for Sweet Magik, book #2 of the Klaus Brothers Series. It will be coming out for the holiday season in 2011. (For Christmas 2010, Penelope will be stringing cranberries and popcorn for the tree, drinking low-fat eggnog and listening to Celine Dion's xmas album.....bring it on!).
Book #2 is Oskar's story (that's a photo of him.....nice!!!!!!!!!). Here's the book blurb:
***

Sweet Magik

Job Title: Director of Elfin Resources

Location: The North...

Penelope's Super Quick Impressions About A Whole Bunch Of Books

Virgin River by Robyn Carr. Jack, you are way too good to be true. Where are you? Where? Where? You're an incredible lover, can accessorize a house, fly fish, shoot a bear, are super patient and a handy-dandy carpenter. Plus a war hero. Where are you again? My number is HURRY-UP-AND-FIND-ME!
Wolf! by Marie Beau. Short, sexy and sweet paranormal with a scrum-diddly-icious hero named Wolfe. This book is fast-paced...just the way I like it. Love the animalistic instincts, love the "furry pelt...

Penelope's Bucket List

After visiting author Mia Marlowe's blog this past week, I was inspired to create my own "bucket list" of goals for the year. (Thanks, Mia!). Mia has two lists--one professional and one personal--of items she would like to accomplish in the next 9 months. I actually think this is a great idea for everyone...it makes you really think about things you want to do, love to do, wish you could do, need to do. After my heart attack scare in early August, I decided to add some things onto my list...