C.D. Hersh's Blog, page 131
April 25, 2017
Wednesday Special Spotlight The Scent of Rain
Shines On
Anne Montgomery
Anne brings to light the physical and emotional abuse too many young people are forced to suffer on a daily basis.
Two Arizona teens find their fates intertwined. Are there any adults they can trust? Can they even trust each other?
Rose Madsen will do anything to keep from being married off to one of the men in her Fundamentalist Mormon (FLDS) community, even endure the continued beatings and abuse of her mother. But when her mentally handicapped baby sister is forced to strangle the bird she loves at the behest of the Prophet, Rose frees the bird and runs away.
Adan Reyes will do anything to escape the abusive foster care system in Phoenix, even leaving his good friends and successful high school athletic career behind him. Ill-prepared for surviving the desert, Adan hits the road only to suffer heat stroke. Found by a local handyman, he catches a glimpse of a mysterious girl—Rose—running through town, and follows her into the mountains where they are both tracked and discovered by the men of the FLDS community.
With their fates now intertwined, can Rose and Adan escape the systems locking them into lives of abuse? Will Rose be forced to marry the Prophet, a man her father’s age, and be one of dozens of wives, perpetually pregnant, with no hope for an education? Will Adan be returned to the foster home where bullying and cruelty are common? Is everyone they meet determined to keep them right where they belong or are some adults worthy of their trust?
Amazon Buy Link
Anne Montgomery has worked as a television sportscaster, newspaper and magazine writer, teacher, amateur baseball umpire, and high school football referee. She worked at WRBL‐TV in Columbus, Georgia, WROC‐TV in Rochester, New York, KTSP‐TV in Phoenix, Arizona, ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut, where she anchored the Emmy and ACE award‐winning SportsCenter, and ASPN-TV as the studio host for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. Montgomery has been a freelance and staff writer for six publications, writing sports, features, movie reviews, and archeological pieces.
When she can, Anne indulges in her passions: rock collecting, scuba diving, football refereeing, and playing her guitar.
Learn more about Anne Montgomery on Wikipedia. Stay connected on Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.
April 24, 2017
Tell Again Tuesday Draw Reader into Scene
A blog series where we shamelessly share posts from others that we have enjoyed.
Are You Using Texture in Your Writing?
Posted on February 8, 2017 by Trish Jackson, Author
Texture is a method of including the influence of the environment in descriptive writing, using the five senses to draw readers into the scene and help them feel a connection to the setting.
Every time your character is in a different location, you need to describe the scene, but lengthy descriptions can distract the reader, and slow the pace of the writing. Most writers learn early on that the ‘information dump’—long passages of explanations often given by a third person—is the worst method of imparting data to the reader, and that background information is best filtered in through dialogue and short paragraphs.
On the other hand, . . .
For the rest of the blog go to: https://smpauthors.wordpress.com/2017/02/08/are-you-using-texture-in-your-writing
April 20, 2017
Friday Feature Promised One Free
A visit with
Rhys Temple
Hero
The Turning Stone Chronicles
Moderator: Today we are talking with Rhys Temple, the hero in The Promised One (The Turning Stone Chronicles) but, also, announcing that the book is free from April 21 to 25.
Rhys: They’re giving away the first book of our series?
Moderator: Correct but, for a limited time only so folks have to go here to get the book.
Are you ready to answer some questions?
Rhys: Fire away.
Moderator: Was it difficult working with Alexi Jordan while falling in love with her?
Rhys: Difficult? No, I wouldn’t say it was difficult, especially with the way she looks and moves. Working with her was easy as we seemed to fit together very well, and as our love grew, going to work got easier each day. Things only became difficult when I found out about her secret and the Turning Stone Society.
Moderator: Did you suspect that Alexi had feelings for you?
Rhys: There were some signs, hints you might say, over the years. Alexi has a very intense way of looking and reacting when she is interested in something. I could see that appear in her when the other women in the office made any overtures toward me. Gladys said Alexi really went at a couple of the women when they were deciding who was baking my birthday cake. Glad I wasn’t in the squad-room for that.
Moderator: Were the consequences of admitting your love worth the risk?
Rhys: Yes. But, the risks just keep coming with loving Alexi. Each book brings more and more risk to our relationship and our lives in the shifter world. I have to say though; if you don’t take a risk on love then I’m sure you are going to miss out on a lot. Took me some time to understand that.
Moderator: How long have you known you loved Alexi?
Rhys: Ha! Everyone seems to ask that question. Of course, she looked great from the beginning, so I was attracted. But it was her drive, determination and, I think, dedication to the police work that really drew me in. If I have to pick a specific point that would be about a year after we started working together. There was a murder case, about a dock-worker, where she didn’t wait for me to get to her location before she charged in. For some reason something told me to go around to the back side of the warehouse to enter. That put me behind the guys who had tied Alexi up and were going to use her as a hostage. I was able to take one of them down but the other one almost stabbed me in the back. Even tied up, Alexi was able to block the knife, but she got sliced on her arm. From that point on I realized I loved her.
Moderator: What’s next for the two of you?
Rhys: At this point we’re just trying to keep the family together and the rogue shifters from taking over the world. To say more would give away too many spoilers.
Moderator: Okay, now that Rhys has answered some questions from us, what question would you like to ask him?
=========================================================
In the first book of the series, THE PROMISED ONE, the partnership between Rhys and Alexi ha s been described as extremely powerful and one that hits you immediately from the beginning of the book. So here is a brief excerpt that shows that partnership.
Tucking his gift under her arm, she started to leave.
“Hey.” He pointed at the other gifts. “Aren’t you going to add yours?”
“Nope. I’ll give it to you later, when we’re alone.”
“Ooh. Something special. Mineral or animal?” His right eyebrow raised, his smile growing.
Alexi laughed. “Just embarrassing.”
“For you or for me?”
“I’m not telling.”
Sidling close to her, he backed her against the wall. “Come on. Just a hint,” he said, a purr in his tone as he placed his hand on the wall next to her shoulder and moved into her personal space with the ease of a lover. One of his famous melt-the-girl looks smoldered in his gaze. The golden flecks in his green eyes lit up like fireworks. Hot fireworks.
Enjoying his closeness and the raw sensuality emanating from him, she lingered for a minute, then slowly moved away. Standing this close she could get burned, and she wasn’t ready to play with fire . . . not yet. She shook her head. “Not a chance.”
He crossed his arms, obviously irked that she hadn’t succumbed. “My irresistible charms work on everyone else. Why not you?”
Oh, if you only knew. She had to fight to resist him. She flashed him a smile. “Because I’m special. And I’m your partner. Keeping your back safe is more important than getting you on your back.”
He laughed, a deep, throaty, and utterly sexy sound.
She locked her knees to keep from melting into a puddle.
“I like the sound of that.”
Of course you would. She felt her face flame.
Comments from the author’s:
The series is a paranormal romance about folks who use magic to shape shift, and it is not the ordinary animal shape shifting. We think readers will be surprised. Amazon reviewers have called the story line “totally unique,” and “a book that keeps you turning the pages to the end.”
InDtale Magazine review 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. . .”
The series is to be six books with the first four already out on Amazon. Here is a little more about the series, each book and links to them.[image error]
TITLE: The Turning Stone Chronicles
GENRE: Urban fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
HEAT LEVEL: Sensual
BLURB:
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
Book one of the chronicles titled “ The Promised One ” currently available on Amazon in eBook and paperback.
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.
Book two of The Turning Stone Chronicles titled “ Blood Brothers ” currently available on Amazon in eBook and paperback.
When Delaney Ramsey is enlisted to help train two of the most powerful shape shifters the Turning Stone Society has seen in thousands of years, she suspects one of them is responsible for the disappearance of her daughter. To complicate matters, the man has a secret that could destroy them all. Bound by honor to protect the suspect, Delaney must prove his guilt without losing her life to his terrible powers or revealing to the police captain she’s falling for that she’s a shape shifter with more than one agenda.
The minute Captain Williams lays eyes on Delaney Ramsey, he knows she’s trouble. Uncooperative, secretive, and sexy, he can’t get her out of his mind. When he discovers she has a personal agenda for sifting through all the criminal records in his precinct, and secretly investigating his best detective, he can’t let her out of his sight. He must find out what she’s looking for before she does something illegal. If she steps over the line, he’s not certain he can look the other way for the sake of love.
Book three of The Turning Stone Chronicles titled “ Son of the Moonless Night ” currently available on Amazon in eBook and paperback.
Owen Todd Jordan Riley has a secret. He’s a shape shifter who has been hunting and killing his own kind. To him the only good shifter is a dead shifter. Revenge for the death of a friend motivates him, and nothing stands in his way . . . except Katrina Romanovski, the woman he is falling in love with.
Deputy coroner Katrina Romanovski has a secret, too. She hunts and kills paranormal beings like Owen. At least she did. When she rescues Owen from an attack by a werebear she is thrust back into the world she thought she’d left. Determined to find out what Owen knows about the bear, she begins a relationship meant to collect information. What she gets is something quite different-love with a man she suspects of murder. Can she reconcile his deception and murderous revenge spree and find a way to redeem him? Or will she condemn him for the same things she has done and walk away from love?
Book four of The Turning Stone Chronicles titled “The Mercenary & the Shifters” currently available on Amazon in eBook .
A desperate call from an ex-military buddy lands a mercenary soldier in the middle of a double kidnapping, caught in an ancient shape shifter war, and ensnared between two female shape shifters after the same thing … him.
Social Media Info:
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April 18, 2017
Wednesday Special Spotlight The Sun God’s Heir: Rebirth, Book 2
Now Available
A new Historical Fiction by, Elliott Baker!
The Count of Monte Cristo meets ancient Egypt in this riveting sequel to The Sun God’s Heir: Return.
Set during the wave tossed years of white slavery and Barbary pirates, this is the epic story of René Gilbert, a journey that defies time as he must draw on a larger awareness earned in previous lifetimes.
The plague’s dark fingers curl around Bordeaux. René must return home to save those he loves. But first he has to escape a Moroccan sultan’s clutches. In Bordeaux, an enemy waits, filled with a hatred three thousand years old. Only René can defeat this dark power, and only if he reclaims his own ancient past. In this arena, death is but the least of failure’s penalties.
Amazon Pre-Order Link
Grab Book 1, The Sun God’s Heir: Return, Book 1 on Amazon
Award winning novelist and international playwright Elliott Baker grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. With four musicals and one play published and performed throughout the United States, New Zealand, Portugal, England, and Canada, Elliott has turned to writing novels. His debut novel, The Sun God’s Heir: Return, Book One of the trilogy, was released this past January. Rebirth, Book Two will release April 18th, followed in July by the third and final book of the series, Redemption.
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 17, 2017
Tell Again Tuesday History As We Write It
A blog series where we shamelessly share posts from others that we have enjoyed.
Highlighting Historical Fiction welcomes
Joan Leotta
History is not a collection of dates and lists of people. We think this is so when we are in school, but for me, history was listening to my Grandma talk about what went on in her life. What were people’s reactions when our entry into World War Two was announced? What was life like when there was no television?
Wondering about the ordinary in extraordinary times is what set me up to write . . .
For the rest of the blog go to:
http://www.carolinewarfield.com/2017/02/history-as-we-write-it/
April 13, 2017
Friday Feature What’s Next
Guest talks about
Cookies!
by
Chris Pavesic
This is a new family favorite. I made these in place of my traditional Christmas Cookies last year, and have requests to make them for all upcoming holidays. For New Years I made an extra batch to store in the freezer for any time an unexpected guest visits, and they lasted about a day.
Chocolate Chip Chocolate Cookies
½ cup unsweetened baker’s chocolate powder
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter (plus an additional amount for coating the baking tray)
1 tbsp. vanilla
1 egg
2 ¼ cup all purpose flour (plus an additional amount for coating the baking tray)
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. sea salt
1 package (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
¼ package raw pecan halves
½ cup (approximate) coarse sugar or sanding sugar
Preheat oven to 375° F.
Prepare the baking sheet by coating the surface with butter and then dusting with flour. This will help ensure the cookies do not stick.
Prepare the plate. Sprinkle the coarse or sanding sugar on the surface for pressing the cookie dough.
Mix chocolate powder, granulated sugar, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and egg in a large bowl until blended.
Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt until mixed. (The dough will be stiff.)
Stir in chocolate chips until evenly mixed.
Using the tablespoon-sized measuring spoon, scoop one cookie and drop it onto the plate.
Using your fingers or the back of the spoon, press and mold the dough until it is shaped the way you desire. (My family likes the traditional rounded cookie shape—but you do you!)
Lift the cookie and place it sugar-side up on the baking sheet. Press one of the pecan halves into the center. Repeat for the remaining cookies.
Space the cookies about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool slightly. Remove from the cookie sheet. Finish cooling on a wire rack.
This recipe makes about 36 cookies.
What’s Next?
I am currently working on two projects. I have a two book epic fantasy in the draft/beta reading stage and I am working on a LitRPG novel concept. For those who might not be familiar with the genre, LitRPG is a subgenre of science fiction and fantasy which describes the hero’s adventures within an online computer game. Finally my love of gaming and writing are coming together! I knew all of those nights I stayed up playing MMORPGs would pay off someday. Right now I am in the world-building stage for my LitRPG.
It all boils down to more time in front of the computer and putting words on the screen. Over the next few months I will make more announcements as events warrant. Until then my short stories are available on Amazon.com and are free if you have Kindle Unlimited.
Praise for Heart & Mind
“The author has managed to weave an intricate web about being true to yourself. One shouldn’t be guided or led by others. Above all, feel the magic in your own heart. As the fairy godmother believes sometimes it is best not to mess with destiny.” –Chief, USN Ret…VT Town—a Top 500 Reviewer on Amazon.com
Praise for The World In Front of Me
“Picked up this short story because I noted it was previously published in Penumbra, which was a pretty high quality publication. And this story lived up to my expectations for a professional quality piece.
The story’s main idea reminded me a lot of the Lakeside community in Neil Gaimon’s American Gods, but I won’t say anymore about that for fear of giving away spoilers. But fans of Gaimon should really enjoy this story. Fans of strong women who make tough choices should enjoy this as well”—KSluss—Review on Amazon.com
Praise for Going Home
“This is an excellent short story that is full of surprises for the reader. Martial law is about to be imposed in the colony.
A secret room, trips on a train and a clandestine meeting are all part of this superb short story.
Most highly recommended”—Off Grid . . . And Loving It—a Top 500 Reviewer on Amazon.com
Praise for Wonderland
“The writing is beautiful, the characters are complex and thoroughly developed and the story is fascinating. All of it together creates a world you don’t want to leave when the book ends. I am so glad I discovered this author and I cannot wait for her next book”—Mary—Review on Amazon.com
Read excerpts from all of the books written by Chris Pavesic on Amazon.
Chris Pavesic is a fantasy author who lives in the Midwestern United States and loves Kona coffee, steampunk, fairy tales, and all types of speculative fiction. Between writing projects, Chris can most often be found reading, gaming, gardening, working on an endless list of DIY household projects, or hanging out with friends. Learn more about Chris on her website.
Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter.
April 11, 2017
Wednesday Special Spotlight The Soul Mate Tree book four
Shares
The Trail to Love
by
Tina Susedik
Donald calls this an enjoyable, interesting, and captivating story that keeps you reading.
ABOUT TINA SUSEDIK:[image error]
Tina Susedik is a multi-published author with books in both fiction and non-fiction, including history, children’s, and military books. Her favorite is writing romance stories where her characters live happily ever after. She lives in Northwestern Wisconsin and is a member of Wisconsin Romance Writers of America.
This is her sixth book with Soul Mate Publishing.
The legend of the soul mate tree:
I am old, I am ancient, my purpose is clear
To give those who are needy a treasure so dear.
They who come to my roots, touch my bark, stroke my leaves
Find the soul of their lives if they but believe.
When I call and you listen, your prize will be great
If your heart remains open and you don’t hesitate.
Do you yearn? Be you lonely? Is your time yet at hand?
Reach for me and I’ll give to you. I’m yours to command.
For your trust, for your faith, keep my secrets untold
And I’ll gift you forever, to have and to hold.
An ancient legend spanning eras, continents, and worlds. To some, it’s nothing more than a dream. To others, a pretty fairy tale handed down through the generations.
For those in critical need of their own happy ending, a gift.
Jack Billabard, mourning the loss of his wife and baby in childbirth, vows to never to love again. After their funeral at Fort Laramie, he rides into the Wyoming hills beyond the ranch he built for his wife. Through his grieving tears, an ancient tree appears, giving him the hope he doesn’t believe is possible. For the next four years, he acts as a guide on the Oregon Trail, taking families to a new life while his looms lonely and stagnant.
The night before her abusive husband’s death, an ancient tree appears in Sarah Nickelson’s yard as she agonizes over how to survive her marriage. The tree gives her hope she can’t help but reject. After all, a tree doesn’t just appear out of nowhere. After her husband ‘s death, and with no options as a widow in Independence, Missouri, Sarah decides to travel to Oregon City as a Mail Order Bride.
During their trek west on the Oregon Trail, Jack and Sarah encounter one another, each afraid of being hurt again. Can they survive dogs and puppies, wind and rainstorms, Indians and unfavorable fellow passengers, while their love blossoms? Will the tree fulfill its promise?
Amazon Buy Link: https://amzn.com/B06WLHXMDX
Book Trailer for The Soul Mate Tree:
Short Excerpt:
Cold seeped into his bones. Something warm blew across his face and ears. Jack swatted at his ears and peeled one gritty eye open.
“Papaya!” He pushed at the horse’s nose. “Go away.” Papaya continued prodding at him. “Damn horse.” He rubbed his cold hands together.
In the dim light, he wasn’t sure if it was morning or evening. The previous day’s events came back to him. He sat up and wiped a hand over his stubbly chin. Tears burned behind his eyes.
Papaya tugged at his sleeve until the only thing he could do was stand. “Dammit, horse, leave me alone.” He pushed the horse to the side. The sun rising behind the mountains from the east cast a shadow on a tree Jack swore hadn’t been there the night before.
Standing at least twenty feet high, the trunk was twisted and gnarled like the arthritic hands of his grandfather. Several roots rose from the ground making it look as if it would walk away. Some of its massive branches drooped close to the ground, like arms dragging across the grass.
As the sky lightened, he realized that, unlike the rough bark of the pines at this altitude, the tree’s light brown bark was smooth. Was it the lighting, or did some of the bark actually seem golden while in other places it was rough and dark brown? The surrounding trees paled in comparison.
Jack stepped closer. Pale green, oval leaves reminded him of an elm tree, only much smaller. When the wind blew, the undersides shimmered with a silvery glow.
Had he been so distraught yesterday he’d missed the massive structure? The tree seemed to beckon, calling him to its embrace. He dipped beneath its branches.
His hand shook as he reached out to touch the trunk. The instant he came in contact, his icy fingers warmed. Then his arm. He tried to pull away, but he couldn’t move.
Warmth spread through his body then settled in his aching heart. Was he hallucinating or was the tree humming? Had the tree actually whispered, “Love will come.”
A calmness settled over him and the darkness of the past few days diminished.
Between the hanging branches a person, surrounded by a foggy haze, appeared. Actually, two people. One tall, the other waist high, with a smaller version of Jack’s hat on its head. Suspenders held up too-short pants over the little one’s plaid shirt. A woman and a boy? They held hands, swinging them back and forth as if they hadn’t a care in the world. The woman’s bonnet hung down her back, loose hair flowing to her waist.
Was the tree showing him what Lily and his child would have been like if they’d lived? His heartbeat pounded in his ears, and he swore his heart cracked. As quickly as the despair washed over him, the tree hummed again and his heart warmed and peace settled through him.
Then the woman looked over her shoulder. This wasn’t Lily. The sun struck the vision. Instead of his wife’s dark hair, this woman’s shimmered like gold. Even from this distance, her sparkling blue eyes pierced through him.
Her smile beckoned him, and when she crooked her finger, all he could do was follow. The closer he came, the farther away they moved, until their bodies faded and nothing stood before him except the large boulder he’d slept against.
The tree. What if he touched the tree again? He pivoted on his foot, ready to run back and feel the twisted branches. What the hell? Maybe he’d lost his bearings while chasing the woman and boy. He spun in each direction. Nothing. The tree was gone. Poof. Was he losing his mind and dreaming the whole incident?
Something light brown on the ground caught his eye. Jack picked it up, his fingers warming at its touch. Bark from the disappearing tree? Had it all been real after all? If so, then where had the woman and boy gone?
Jack retraced the steps he’d taken to follow them. Only his own impressions in the dirt showed. He was going crazy. That was it. Crazy from grief. Maybe what he needed was to get away from the land and the memories it held.
Papaya pushed against Jack’s back, nearly knocking him to the ground.
“What do you think, old boy?” He ran his hand over the horse’s soft nose and recalled Samuel Hunt’s offer of a job from before he’d married Lily. “Should I see if Sam still needs someone to help take those crazy emigrants to Oregon?”
As if he understood what Jack was saying, Papaya nodded his large head.
“Well, since I’m already crazy, I might as well listen to you.”
After a quick breakfast of cold biscuits and hard tack, he swung onto Papaya’s back and headed back down the mountain. Back to his empty home and future.
LINKS FOR TINA SUSEDIK:
Website
Twitter: @tinasusedik
Facebook: Tina Susedik, Author
Goodreads
Pinterest
[image error]
April 10, 2017
Tell Again Tuesday Publishing & Marketing
A blog series where we shamelessly share posts from others that we have enjoyed.
Streamlining Your Writing, Publishing, and Marketing Process to Become a More Profitable Author
2016 was a tough year for a lot of indie authors, with people reporting everything from flawed reporting and not getting credit for page reads in Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program to no longer being able to get Bookbub ads to no longer being able to afford Facebook ads due to their increasing popularity with authors. Every year, there’s more competition, with more ebooks than ever for readers to choose from. Where the Kindle Store was once flooded with mediocre covers and blurbs full of typos, we’re now seeing lots of self-published books that look as good as (or better than!) trad published books.
The industry has matured, and a lot of authors are finding . . .
For the rest of the blog go to:
http://lindsayburoker.com/e-publishing/streamlining-your-writing-publishing-and-marketing-process/
April 6, 2017
Friday Feature The Sun God’s Heir
Guest talks about
Memories are funny things
by
Elliott Baker
Yes, they are. Sometimes they’re there when we want them, and sometimes they’re not. Unless you’re one of those eidetic folks who can remember every minute of their lives, early memories are often of higher emotional occurrences like birthdays or the time you broke your arm. I grew up with four sisters and brothers and for whatever the reasons, we rarely went out to eat. When we did, it was usually a special occasion. As a food lover, something about being in a restaurant has always been magical to me and has served as an anchor for more memories than I might have been able to recall without.
One of my favorite memories was dinner at Patti’s. This large, many roomed, Italian restaurant was a staple of Jacksonville, Florida dining. The people were friendly, the atmosphere, at least to a twelve-year-old boy was about as elegant as possible, and the food was good and more important to my twelve-year-old memory, plentiful.
If you were there for your birthday, you were served a small everything pizza. I was assured by my father we didn’t have to be there on the exact day of someone’s birthday. In fact we sometimes missed it by months. The restaurant didn’t seem to be concerned, and neither did I. Great pizza.
This restaurant is where I was first introduced to chicken parmesan which I have loved ever since. My memory of the dish combines the excitement of being there with the actual preparation of the food, but given how busy the restaurant was, I don’t think its popularity was due only to the free birthday pizza.
I came across this a while ago and would like to share it with you.
Restaurant reviews
Thursday, March 1, 2001
Duplicating Sauce an Inexact Science
By Dan Macdonald
Jacksonville Times-Union food editor
“Here’s the sad truth — you won’t be able to replicate Patti’s famous Boneless Chicken Parmesan at home.
This dish was the most popular menu item during the restaurant’s history, nightly outselling everything else 3 to 1, said John Patti, grandson of founder Peter Patti and a former chef.
You won’t be able to make the sauce exactly as it was made in the restaurant. It’s doubtful that you’ll want to buy a large round of goat’s milk Romano cheese to hand grind. It’s unfathomable that someone would go to the trouble of making bread from scratch just for the bread crumbs.
————–
PATTI’S STYLE SAUCE
Place all ingredients in a large pot and stir together. Simmer on low heat for 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
4 (10-ounce) cans tomato puree
2 (6-ounce) cans tomato paste
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons salt
24 ounces water
Pepper to taste
Yield: 2 quarts.
Source: John Patti.
—————
Or maybe Patti is just being coy.
When asked for the recipe, Patti said he didn’t know it. At least he didn’t know how to make it in anything less than 15-gallon quantities. As unbelievable as it sounds, he doesn’t make it at home for the family.
“I have a [bottled sauce] that I use, Classico Four Cheeses Di Parma, It’s a little more seasoned than what we used at the restaurant, but it is pretty good stuff,” Patti said.
While he wouldn’t give us a specific recipe, he did describe how to make the Chicken Parmesan.
First, the sauce (an approximation of the recipe follows). It is made from a thick tomato puree. The restaurant would buy it in No. 10-size cans. The puree had to be thick enough so that if you stuck a kitchen knife into the center, it would stand up.
The puree was diluted somewhat with water and seasoned lightly (a light hand is necessary) with oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper. It is then covered and left to simmer for five to six hours.
That’s it. However, the quantities remain a mystery. Patti suggests preparing 2-quarts of sauce (enough for four servings of Chicken Parmesan and some spaghetti side dishes).
Patti’s served a whole chicken breast. When it was de-boned, they left them connected at the top. When served, the breast halves were pushed together to give the appearance of a super large half-breast.
The chicken was dredged in flour then an egg wash and then in dried bread crumbs.
At the restaurant, the chicken was deep fried, though pan frying at home in a good vegetable oil is more practical.
Once the chicken is fried, it is placed in a baking dish and then lightly covered with the tomato sauce (it shouldn’t be smothered), dusted with the Romano cheese and the covered with a rather thin slice of provolone cheese. The provolone should be so thin that when placing it on top of the fingertips, you can see the fingers make an indentation without tearing it.
Place under the broiler long enough to allow the cheeses to melt and blend together with the sauce.
But wait, where’s the Parmesan?
“You got it,” Patti said. “You discovered the secret. We left out the Parmesan. That’s what put us on the map.”
Now while you mull over why Patti decided to leave out the Parmesan, how about a brief intro to my action adventure story? I hope you like it.
For three thousand years a hatred burns. In seventeenth century France two souls incarnate, one born the child of a prosperous merchant, the other, determined to continue an incarnation begun long ago.
In ancient Egypt, there were two brothers, disciples of the pharaoh, Akhenaten. When the pharaoh died, the physician took the knowledge given and went to Greece to begin the mystery school. The general made a deal with the priests and became pharaoh. One remembers, one does not.
The year is 1671. René Gilbert’s destiny glints from the blade of a slashing rapier. The only way he can protect those he loves is to regain the power and knowledge of an ancient lifetime. From Bordeaux to Spain to Morocco, René is tested and with each turn of fate he gathers enemies and allies, slowly reclaiming the knowledge and power earned centuries ago. For three thousand years a secret sect has waited in Morocco.
After ages in darkness, Horemheb screams, “I am.” Using every dark art, he manages to maintain the life of the body he has bartered for. Only one life force in the world is powerful enough to allow him to remain within embodiment, perhaps forever. Determined to continue a reign of terror that once made the Nile run red, he grows stronger with each life taken.
Read more on Amazon.
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 4, 2017
Wednesday Special Spotlight Abbey’s Search for Sanctuary
Shines On
Eris Field
Amazon Best Selling author Eris Field leads us into an exotic world seldom experienced by Western women. Abbey’s Search for Sanctuary is book one of the Destiny: Choice or Chance Trilogy. This contemporary international romance was released by Soul Mate Publishing March 15, 2017. This is one well-written novel that sweeps you away. A definite must read.
Honor killings aren’t common in Buffalo, NY. But Turkish-American nurse Abbey knows she must protect her dead sister’s infant daughter, Jenny. Abbey’s sister was murdered by her Muslim husband for leaving him when she learned his mother would perform the cruel ritual of female circumcision on Jenny.
Once a fighter and medic with the Kurdish forces in Iraq, Rami now works with the refugees in Buffalo. Shunned by his grandfather for failing to demand retribution when his arranged marriage failed, Rami has mastered the art of avoiding emotional attachments. That is until he meets Abbey.
Warning Abbey that honor killings are family affairs and she and Jenny are in danger, Rami offers her a way out: a marriage of convenience and a safe place to live–his homeland, Kurdistan where they’ll be protected by the clan.
Abbey has vowed to do what it takes to protect Jenny. Can she face going back to the world of her childhood, a world of headscarves and submission, a world she escaped once?
Eris Field was born in the Green Mountains of Vermont—Jericho, Vermont to be precise—close by the home of Wilson Bentley (aka Snowflake Bentley), the first person in the world to photograph snowflakes. She learned from her Vermont neighbors that pursuit of one’s dream is a worthwhile life goal.
As a seventeen year old student nurse at Albany Hospital, Eris met a Turkish surgical intern who told her fascinating stories about the history of Turkey, the loss of the Ottoman Empire, and forced population exchanges. After they married and moved to Buffalo, Eris worked as a nurse at Children’s Hospital and at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
After taking time off to raise five children and amassing rejection letters for her short stories, Eris earned her master’s degree in Psychiatric Nursing at the University at Buffalo. Later, she taught psychiatric nursing at the University and wrote a textbook for psychiatric nurse practitioners—a wonderful rewarding but never to be repeated experience.
Eris now writes novels, usually international, contemporary romances. Her interest in history and her experience in psychiatry often play a part in her stories. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and the Western New York Romance Writers. In addition to writing, Eris’s interests include: Prevention of Psychiatric Disorders; Eradicating Honor Killings, supporting the Crossroads Springs Orphanage in Kenya for children orphaned by AIDS, and learning more about Turkey, Cyprus, and Kurdistan.
Learn more about Eris Field on her website. Stay connected on Facebook.
