C.D. Hersh's Blog, page 118
April 19, 2018
Friday Feature Sautéed Sea Scallops Recipe
Guest chief
Sloan Taylor
shares a quick & easy meal
Here is a quick and easy meal that is sure to impress your special someone, family and friends. Serve with sliced tomatoes, orzo, and a bottle of dry white wine. Be sure to drizzle plenty of sauce over the pasta.
Allen0417 Pixabay
SAUTÉED SEA SCALLOPS
1 lb. sea scallops
1 ½ tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. butter
2 tsp. garlic, chopped
Freshly ground pepper to taste
¼ cup dry white wine
1 tsp. chives, snipped for garnish
Have everything measured and ready to go before you start cooking. This recipe only takes a few minutes so you must be prepared.
Preheat oven to 210° F.
Rinse and pat dry the scallops.
Add olive oil and butter to a frying pan set on medium-high heat. Add the scallops when the foam subsides. Sear 2 – 4 minutes per side. Make sure they are golden edging into brown before you turn them.
Add garlic when you turn the scallops.
When they have reached the proper color, remove the scallops to a bowl and set in the oven to keep warm while you make the sauce.
Spoon out the garlic from the frying pan. Skim off some of the fat that has floated to the top. Carefully add the wine, all the while scraping in any browned pieces on the sides and bottom of the pan. Cook until the mixture reduces by about ⅓.
Lay the scallops on a bed of orzo either on a platter or individual plates. Lace the sauce over the dish, top with chives and serve.
May you enjoy all the days of your life filled with laughter and seated around a well laden table!
Sloane
Sloane Taylor is an Award-Winning author with a second passion in her life. She is an avid cook and posts new recipes on her blog every Wednesday. The recipes are user friendly, meaning easy.
Taylor currently has seven romance novellas released by Toque & Dagger Publishing. Her first solo venture into non-fiction is a cookbook with eighty of her favorite recipes DATE NIGHT DINNERS, Meals to Make Together for a Romantic Evening releasing June 5, 2018.
Excerpts from her books can be found on her website, blog, and all popular vendors. Connect with Taylor on Facebook and Twitter.
April 17, 2018
Wednesday Special Spotlight Pumpkin Pancakes with maple syrup for days trapped inside
Shines On
Sharon Ledwith
Have you ever been shack-whacky? You may be familiar with other terms for this word—cabin fever or stir crazy? All of which mean the state of being restless or irritable from staying indoors or in one location for a long period. Yup, I’m sure we’ve all been there. Sometimes it happens when you’re on vacation at the cottage, and all it does is rain. Or those pesky mosquitoes or blackflies manage to keep you in your tent or trailer for hours on end. Grrr… And don’t forget snowstorms when all you want to do is dream of a Caribbean vacation.
So to make a bad situation into a good one, why not indulge yourself and your crew with a hearty meal? These stick-to-your-ribs pancakes are good any season but taste best when there’s a nip in the air.
Shack-Whacky Pumpkin Pancakes
Photo by Editor Bob Pixabay
1½ cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp .salt
Mix together milk, pumpkin, egg, oil, and vinegar in a large bowl.
Combine the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl. Gradually stir this blend into pumpkin mixture, but just enough to combine.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately ¼ cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot, topped with your favorite brand of maple syrup.
After you’ve had your fill of pancakes and maple syrup, relax in your favorite chair, or lie back on your bed and crack open the first book in my teen psychic mystery series, Lost and Found. You may just find yourself wanting to visit Fairy Falls.
Fairy Falls was bores-ville from the get-go. Then the animals started talking…
The Fairy Falls Animal Shelter is in trouble. Money trouble. It’s up to an old calico cat named Whiskey—a shelter cat who has mastered the skill of observation—to find a new human pack leader so that their home will be saved. With the help of Nobel, the leader of the shelter dogs, the animals set out to use the ancient skill of telepathy to contact any human who bothers to listen to them. Unfortunately for fifteen-year-old Meagan Walsh, she hears them, loud and clear.
Forced to live with her Aunt Izzy in the safe and quiet town of Fairy Falls, Meagan is caught stealing and is sentenced to do community hours at the animal shelter where her aunt works. Realizing Meagan can hear her, Whiskey realizes that Meagan just might have the pack leader qualities necessary to save the animals. Avoiding Whiskey and the rest of shelter animals becomes impossible for Meagan, so she finally gives in and promises to help them. Meagan, along with her newfound friends, Reid Robertson and Natalie Knight, discover that someone in Fairy Falls is not only out to destroy the shelter, but the animals as well. Can Meagan convince her aunt and co-workers that the animals are in danger? If she fails, then all the animals’ voices will be silenced forever.
BUY LINKS
Amazon Kindle – Amazon Paperback – Barnes & Noble – Mirror World Publishing ebook – Mirror World Publishing Paperback
Sharon Ledwith is the author of the middle-grade/YA time travel series, THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS, and the teen psychic mystery series, MYSTERIOUS TALES FROM FAIRY FALLS. When not writing, researching, or revising, she enjoys reading, exercising, anything arcane, and an occasional dram of scotch. Sharon lives a serene, yet busy life in a southern tourist region of Ontario, Canada, with her hubby, one spoiled yellow Labrador and a moody calico cat.
Learn more about Sharon Ledwith on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter, Google+, Goodreads, and Smashwords. Look up her Amazon Author page for a list of current books. Be sure to check out THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS TIME TRAVEL SERIES Facebook page.
April 16, 2018
Tell Again Tuesday BargainBooksy promotion #reducedprice #99¢
A blog series where we shamelessly share posts from others that we have enjoyed. But not today!
We have a Bargain Booksy promotion going on.
The first book of our Turning Stone Chronicles Series is on sale for 99¢ through the 21st and we wanted to give our followers a chance to get a copy at the reduced price.
If you don’t know about our series or the first book here is some information about the book and the blurb for the book and the series.
About the book:
The Promised One (The Turning Stone Chronicles) is the first book of a paranormal romance series. Set in the weeks leading up to Samhain (Halloween), which is the annual gathering time of The Turning Stone Secret Society, the book has elements that will surprise readers. The Society is caught in a battle between rogue and good shifters who are vying for control over the world. Not your typical were-people, the characters use the magic of a Celtic ring to gender shift and animal shift. Amazon reviewers have called the story line “totally unique”, and “a book that keeps you turning the pages to the end”.
InD’tale Magazine said “The Promised One takes paranormal and turns it on its ear, taking shape-shifting to a whole other level. The bad guy perspective is particularly unique and fun, and the characters three-dimensional.”
Blurb for— The Promised One (The Turning Stone Chronicles) [image error]
In the wrong hands, the Turning Stone ring is a powerful weapon for evil. So, when homicide detective Alexi Jordan discovers her secret society mentor has been murdered and his magic ring stolen, she is forced to use her shape-shifting powers to catch the killer. By doing so, she risks the two most important things in her life—her badge and the man she loves.
Rhys Temple always knew his fiery cop partner and would-be-girlfriend, Alexi Jordan, had a few secrets. He considers that part of her charm. But when she changes into a man, he doesn’t find that as charming. He’ll keep her secret to keep her safe, but he’s not certain he can keep up a relationship—professional or personal.
Danny Shaw needs cash for the elaborate wedding his fiancée has planned, so he goes on a mugging spree. But when he kills a member of the secret society of Turning Stones, and steals a magic ring that gives him the power to shape shift, Shaw gets more than he bargained for.
Amazon buy link for The Promised One
Blurb for The Turning Stone Chronicles
Three ancient Celtic families. A magical Bloodstone that enables the wearers to shape shift. A charge to use the stone’s power to benefit mankind, and a battle, that is going on even today, to control the world. Can the Secret Society of shape shifters called the Turning Stone Society heal itself and bring peace to our world? Find out in The Series The Turning Stone Chronicles.[image error]
April 12, 2018
Friday Features the Energy Around Us
Guest
Elliott Baker
talks about the universe in which we live.
I’m fascinated by quantum theory. Wait, don’t run. Won’t be any formulas. I write fiction, after all. So we live in a huge soup of informed energy. What? Matter is energy that has decided to act in one particular way. Who decided? Stay with me here. Remember I’m not a scientist, just someone who thinks the universe is a fascinating place. A place worth thought. So these keys that I’m pounding on aren’t really solid. They look solid to me. Well, from what I read, if you look closely, they end up being energy moving along defined tracks with a ton of space between the tracks. Kind of like looking out into space. Why doesn’t the Enterprise run into stuff if it’s traveling many times the speed of light? Because space wasn’t named space for nothing. (Just re-read this last sentence. I crack myself up.)
So in my macro world, the world of keyboards, I’m looking at the letters and numbers on the keyboard, and I can’t see any space between the electrons. But I can imagine it. Evidently in the world of quantum physics, energy can choose to be either a particle or a wave, matter or energy, or both at the same time. I find this interesting, but way more interesting to me is if we are energy beings, and the energy is invisible, what do we do with it? How do we get it? Do we take it from each other?
When you are hungry, you feel a certain discontent. When you are really hungry, it grows to a demand. The vehicle each of us rides in requires fuel which is turned into a form of energy that can be used by our cells, creating all kinds of power, motive, thought, emotion, etc. Plants take energy directly from the sun. Is it possible that we also take energy directly from the sun. We’ve evolved or maybe devolved so that we get our energy second or third hand. From the sun to plants, to animals, to us. Before the advent of science and its sensory enlarging tools, the best man could do was reason from effects to causes. For the writer of fiction, it’s still a pleasant trip. Plants thrive in sunlight or die if left in darkness, therefore, sunlight is crucial to the plant’s survival. What about humans. Is McDonald’s the only way we get energy? A better question might be: Is McDonald’s the only way we can get energy?
If you’ve ever watched a live comedian on stage really killing the room, the person almost seems to glow. They’re on a emotional high. What is happening? It’s a small comedic venue, only thirty or forty people in the audience, but these people are hyper-focused on the comedian. Anyone who has been on stage knows the high I speak of. You feel good, excited, full of energy. Are the people in the audience sending energy to those on stage? It’s temporary, but while the attention of an audience is on you, it’s glorious.
If energy is exchanged in a situation like that of performer/audience, what about two people having coffee? Do we exchange energy with each other all the time? James Redfield thinks so. The Celestine Prophesy came out twenty years ago. According to Mr. Redfield, not only do we exchange energy with each other, we forcibly take it. Who could imagine that? We’re such sweet little monkeys. We would never take something from anyone else. Redfield speaks of control dramas which we learn as children to defend ourselves from the energy vampires which surround us. Vampires. Now you’re talking. Ever wondered why the vampire is such an icon in our literature. Where could we have possible have gotten that idea?
In most martial arts, focus and concentration are key elements along with specific movements. The greater the focus and concentration, the greater the power behind the movement. Most of us live fragmented lives jumping from one thought to another. I don’t mean that in a negative way, just that we’re not trained Kung Fu masters able to meditate for a day on one blossom of a flower. The benefits of meditation are patently obvious, but not so easy to attain. In Aldous Huxley’s book Island a cynical journalist is shipwrecked on an island where trained Mynah birds continually say the word “Attention.” We don’t. Don’t pay attention. Not really. And that is the crux of the matter. If we exchange energy, and I think we do, we do it through the medium of attention. We (And I include myself. Oh, look a bird.) seem to wander around at the whim of our senses, switching our attention to the thought or impression of the moment. Flashlights instead of lasers. Like Redfield, I believe energy can be obtained from many different agencies, not just other people. And in unlimited amount.
In my book The Sun God’s Heir: Return Book One, which is currently FREE on Amazon the protagonist and antagonist were once brother disciples of the Pharoah Akhenaten. In that incarnation three thousand years ago they learned not only to control the energy that made up their physical envelopes, but to see and manipulate energy on different levels than the one customarily seen by humans. In The Sun God’s Heir trilogy, energy crosses time in the form of karma and if there is one universal law, it must be that of balance.
If there is discomfort in the universe it must in the form of imbalance. Since according to quantum physics, time appears to be merely a construct, the universal demand for balance does not seem to find our limited perception of time to be an obstruction. At least in my imagination it doesn’t.
The two ancient brothers, return to 17th century France, one in the normal way, birth, childhood, adulthood, and the other… Well the other has taken a darker route borrowing the body of a downstream incarnation. One remembers the powers taught at the feet of the pharaoh Akhenaten, the other must remember in order to survive and protect those he loves.
The Sun God’s Heir: Return should be shelved under Historical Fantasy for the time being. For a moment, imagine yourself in 1672 sitting and tasting the newest beverage, hot chocolate. Someone at the table speculates that there may be invisible waves that can carry sound and pictures. Just sayin’.
Amazon FREE Link
Award winning, international playwright Elliott B. Baker grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. With four musicals and one play published and done throughout the United States, New Zealand, Portugal, England, and Canada, Elliott is pleased to offer his first novel, Return, book one of The Sun God’s Heir trilogy.
A member of the Authors Guild and the Dramatists Guild, Elliott lives in New Hampshire with his beautiful wife Sally Ann.
Learn more about Elliot Baker on his website. Stay connected on Twitter and Facebook. Like Elliott’s Author Page on Facebook to learn all his latest news.
April 10, 2018
Wednesday Special Spotlight BUILD A BETTER BREAKFAST
Shines On
Lizzie T. Leaf who brings us her latest idea for breakfast.
I love smoked salmon and enjoy the sides of thinly sliced red onions, sour cream, and capers usually served with them. Then I came up with the idea of having it for breakfast, but turning into a smear. After trying several different smoked salmons the one we enjoyed the most in the smear version was honey smoked.
Photo courtesy of Piviso Pixabay
SALMON SMEAR
1 cup honey smoked salmon, flaked
¼ cup red onion, chopped
½ cup sour cream
2 tbsp. capers
Mini-bagels or slider buns
Honey mustard to taste (store bought is easier)
Mix first four ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl.
Spread a large dollop of Smear on one side of the bread of your choice. Bagels are chewier, but slider buns are softer.
Drizzle mustard over the Smear. Dress it up with green onion tops and then cover with other piece of roll and enjoy.
Here is a little from my latest spicy romantic release. I hope you enjoy it.
Following the Powers directive to unite soul mates, a Scottish Cailleach’s magic will have repercussions in several realms.
Mixed-blood author Ian McCabe, grandson of Fae and gods, tries to deny his powers while hiding his true origins from the human world. When he discovers mortal, Emma Grant unconscious at his front door, his world starts to change.
Tour director Emma Grant leads a group of senior ladies through Scotland. The breakdown of their bus on a rural Scottish backroad has her sloshing through the rain and mud on foot. Her efforts to seek help results in a fall that knocks her unconscious. She awakens to find the man of her dreams staring into her eyes.
Both feel an instant attraction, but will his secrets and her distrust of men keep them apart.
A few lines that tweak a grin.
Yep, at this rate, a long three weeks lay ahead. No one had told Emma that the dozen school teachers ranged in ages from sixty-nine to eighty-eight. Good grief, what happened to women at this age sitting on the front porch and enjoying their rocking chairs?
Mildred waved away the correction “Of course, dear. Whatever you say. I just want to know, will we see any men in kilts soon? I want to see what they wear under them.”
Dirty old woman. She asked that question at least half a dozen times before we got on the bus and stated the reason just as often.
Read the first chapter on Amazon.
To read excerpts from other books by Lizzie T. Leaf please click onto Amazon.
Lizzie T. Leaf loved books since she opened her first one. Her dream was to write them herself. Lost in the hectic day to day world of family, job, laundry and housework, writing became a distant memory. When the twinkling ember did spark, it was usually doused by someone demanding their share of her time.
Lizzie’s life went full circle. The desire to put the stories that continued to play in her head on paper emerged stronger than ever, and at a time when there was someone who encouraged. Now she lives her dream.
Learn more about Lizzie T. Leaf on her website and blog. Connect with Lizzie on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.
April 9, 2018
Tell Again Tuesday Passion
A blog series where we shamelessly share posts from others that we have enjoyed.
How to Write A Fiction Novel, Part 10 – Love Scenes
By Susan Hanniford Crowley
Let’s not be shy. If you’re going to be a romance author, you will be writing love scenes. The “sweet” romances don’t go past kisses and hand-holding. But other romances whether they be contemporary, paranormal, or historical, have passion unleashed.
There are many books and workshops on this matter that give a great deal more details that I can give in one blog post.
Most authors agree that. . .
For the rest of the blog go to:
April 5, 2018
Friday Feature QUICK and EASY GOURMET
Guest talks about
Red Salmon meal for all groups
by
Emma Lane
This meal may be served from ladies’ bridge to hefty dinner guests. Just increase the size of the proportions. Pop out this meal in a hurry and enjoy a cocktail with your company.
Red Salmon with Zesty Italian Dressing
Succotash or substitute Broccoli or Asparagus
Poached Pear Halves with Ricotta Cheese
Green Salad
Platter of Interesting Crackers
Dinner roles with Jam and Butter
SALMON
1 can red salmon, depending upon number of guests
Zesty Italian Dressing for drizzling
Clean bones and skin from salmon retaining pieces intact as possible. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while finishing prep.
SUCCOTASH
Frozen lima beans
1 small can creamed corn
1 tbsp. butter
Cook beans until tender, 20 minutes from boil. Drain and mix in the corn and butter. Keep warm in a 210° F oven until ready to serve.
POACHED PEARS
½ fresh pear per guest (Increase to two halves for a dinner)
1 – 3 drops almond flavoring per pear half
1 tbsp. ricotta cheese per per half
Nutmeg
Sugar, optional
Remove core from pears. Turn flesh side down in two inches water in microwavable dish. Poach on high until tender, 2 – 3 minutes. Check for tenderness with a toothpick. Remove from oven, flip over and place in attractive dish, in custard cup, or on a bed of lettuce. Dribble almond flavoring on pears. Fill halves with cheese. Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg. Sprinkle on sugar.
TO SERVE
Arrange salmon on dinner plate and drizzle salad dressing lightly over fish. Add serving of succotash or other desired green vegetable. Garnish with lettuce or parsley. Offer a platter of interesting crackers. Serve poached pear halves on the side or scooped onto the plate. Pass basket of dinner roles and jars of jam.
Sounds like a lot of fuss, but it goes fast. The meal is light on calories so with guilt free conscience, serve a piece of your favorite pie or cake with ice cream or whipped cream. Some guests will decide poached pears suit them as a dessert.
Here’s a teaser from one of my Regency books while you wait for your guests to arrive.
What happens when a strong heroine meets an arrogant, but handsome hero? Sparks fly. It’s a Regency Romance Romp!
Miss Amabel Hawkins acknowledges her unusual upbringing, but she thinks James Langley, the Duke of Westerton, might be a tad unbalanced when he protests her efforts to right his badly managed properties. The duke, who has been away on the king’s business, demonstrates no respect for the beautiful but managing Miss Hawkins. Amabel has taken refuge at Westerton, fleeing from a forced marriage to a man who claims to be her relative in order to gain control of her young brother’s estate.
The Duke arrives home to find his estate under the firm control of a beautiful but managing female. His suspicions are fueled by his recent task of spy-hunting and he wonders if Amabel Hawkins is just who she seems. While a dastardly spy lurks, a wicked man poses as her cousin threatening to take over the guardianship of her young brother. Amabel might be falling in love, but she knows for certain the duke would never approve of a meddlesome woman, and she decides to flee his estate. Will the duke finally realize the true value of the woman he loves or will his prejudice ruin his chances forever?
Amazon Buy Link
Emma Lane enjoys leaving her garden for a few hours to dip into the romance genre Regency era of history. Join her for a glimpse of a half selkie fairy as she teases a powerful duke and fights the curse of a lowly, evil warlock. Other Regency romances are available on Amazon and Wild Rose Press. As Janis Lane she writes a series of Cozy Mysteries for Soul Mate Publishing.
Look for information about writing and plants on her new website. Leave a comment or a gardening question and put a smile on Emma’s face.
April 3, 2018
Wednesday Special Spotlight Xi Force series
Shines On
The prolific S. C. Mitchell who brings us his latest captivating book in the Xi Force series. Be sure to get your copy today!
Xi Force book 2:
Phaze
By S. C. Mitchell
She could walk through walls, but she couldn’t escape love.
Blurb:
When Kayla Armstrong is attacked in her lab, she falls into a chemical stew. Now she’s walking through walls and falling through floors.
As the leader of Xi Force, Joel Weisberg is always looking for new superheroes for his team. What he wasn’t looking for was sexy Kayla Armstrong falling through the ceiling of his apartment right into his bed. Still he isn’t complaining when the event finds him a new Xi Force member and a new love. Now she just needs some training and some time.
But when an old enemy comes back with new powers and captures Joel, it’s up to Kayla to lead the Xi Force against her. But can they rescue Joel before he’s murdered . . . again?
S. C. Mitchell: World Builder. Dream Weaver.
As a writer of paranormal and sci-fi romance, fantasy, and science fiction, S. C. Mitchell crafts unique and wondrous worlds where his characters explore, romp, and fall in love. Whether traveling through dark, demon filled dimensions, the edge of wild space, or ancient mythological heavens, his heroes and heroines, guided by their adventurous hearts, discover hidden strengths on their pathway to enduring love.
Links:
April 2, 2018
Tell Again Tuesday Naming your book
A blog series where we shamelessly share posts from others that we have enjoyed.
Creating a Tantalizing Book Title
By Kim Hotzon
You know that saying, “It’s all in a name”? It’s true for book titles. You’ll come up with a story line and then . . . a great title. Or, perhaps you have a title that pops into your head, and the story follows. For me, the story line always comes first. My novel’s title may miraculously appear early on in my writing, say Chapter 1 or 2 but more often I’ll finally decide on a title halfway through. Arriving at your book’s title is one thing—whether it’s a catchy, memorable one is another story.
Book titles are important—artistically and commercially. A good title resonates with a reader and will. . .
For the rest of the blog go to:
March 29, 2018
Friday Features Out of the frying pan, into the…
Guest talks about
Cooking fish
by
HL Carpenter
Fellow cooks, the time is now—the time to flop your fish out of the frying pan and into the oven, that is. Sure, deep-fried candy bars have a place in every healthy diet. But on days besides Fryday, you might want to make a meal using that other appliance that takes up space in your kitchen.
You can start with this oven-baked version of a recipe that’s usually fried. We promise the end result is every bit as delicious. And remember, you can always deep-fry a Twinkie for dessert.
Baked Fish and Hush Puppies
3 pounds fresh fish fillets or strips (we used pollock)
2 tbsp. butter
½ box Cajun seafood fry mix or fish seasoning mix of your choice (or less spicy version, use ¼ of a box)
Preheat oven to 425° F.
Set baking pan in oven until the pan is warm (not hot). Remove pan from oven. Put butter on pan, let melt and spread over pan.
Pour Cajun seasoning mix in a large plastic bag. Add fish and then shake gently to coat evenly. Remove fish from bag, place on buttered pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until fish is flaky.
Hush Puppies
For the baked hush puppies (makes 12 mini pups)
Cooking spray
⅔ cup cornmeal
⅓ cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
⅓ cup coconut milk
1 egg
1 tbsp. oil
While the fish is baking, coat a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
Measure dry ingredients in a bowl and mix with a fork. Add wet ingredients and stir with fork until blended. Spoon the batter into the muffin tin.
Remove the fish from the oven and turn the oven up to 450°F.
Bake the hush puppies for 10 minutes or until a tester pick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Serve fish and hush puppies with ready-made coleslaw.
Tips and Tricks
If the fish you’re using is not moist, dipping the fillets into milk or water before coating with seasoning will help the seasoning mix stick.
For the hush puppy recipe, you can substitute full-fat cow milk for the coconut milk.
Coleslaw helps cut the effect of the spiciness of the Cajun seasoning on your tongue, but potato salad is a good substitute.
While you’re enjoying your delicious lunch, we invite you to enjoy an excerpt from our satirical short story, The Demise of Fyne Literature.
Who killed Fyne Literature?
The Fictional Book Investigation Agency is on the case—and the lead investigator is closer to the culprit than he realizes.
Ivy League wants to learn who murdered the love of her life. The Fictional Book Investigation Agency agrees to take the case, and soon discovers a surplus of suspects.
Is the killer one of the victim’s many enemies? Is there more to the story than anyone knows? The Agency’s profiler has a clue, yet she’s remarkably reticent.
For the lead investigator, unraveling the plot means confronting the mystery within.
EXCERPT
Ivy League walked into my office as I cracked the spine on an old murder book. I identified her immediately, courtesy of my mythical detecting skills. Well, those and her cute little uptilted nose, which I recognized from news reports about a recent gruesome killing.
She said, “I want you to find out who’s behind the demise of Fyne Literature.”
“I thought the cops already closed the book on his demise.” I slapped shut the hardcover in my hand to punctuate my sentence.
She jumped.
I said, “Word is, your lover was done in by an explosion of serial killer potboilers.”
“He was – he is – the love of my life, not my lover.” She perched on the edge of the chair opposite my bargain-priced government surplus desk, and looked at the painting on the wall behind me. “You’re no angel.”
Apparently I wasn’t the only one possessed of mythical detecting skills. The picture depicts a kneeling, white-winged warrior, weary yet steadfast as another day rises – or sets, depending on your point of view – on a ravaged city. You only need to glance at him once to know he did not weep, to know he would not, even in the midst of destruction and defeat; to know he understands war, in the way true warriors do. He knows the creed as well, the one limned by the glowing-eyed cat at his side: Show no weakness.
A grateful and talented character created the picture after I pulled her from the shadowy world where illusions take corporeal form and people merely think they can see. I can tell you horror stories, like the one depicted in that drawing, with entire civilizations reduced to smoldering ruins.
I’ll spare you and myself as well. I meet my shadow every time I plunge into the murk of those battles, and the reality is too gruesome for me to revisit, at least in the daylight hours when I have a choice.
Ed the glowing-eyed cat would say the same, if you understood his language. I’m not the angel in the painting, though my features vaguely resemble his, but Ed’s real, as real as I am.
I said, “Fortunately you need a detective, not an angel.”
“Yes,” Ivy said. “And you meet both criteria.”
I’ve always been a sucker for a woman who can properly pluralize ancient Greek.
Amazon Buy Link eBook and Audio
Florida-based mother/daughter author duo HL Carpenter write sweet, clean fiction that is suitable for everyone in your family. The Carpenters write from their studios in Carpenter Country, a magical place that, like their stories, is unreal but not untrue. When they’re not writing, they enjoy exploring the Land of What-If and practicing the fine art of Curiosity. Visit their website to enjoy gift reads and excerpts and to find out what’s happening in Carpenter Country.
Stay connected on Pinterest, Linkedin, Google+, and their Amazon Author Page.
