Helen B. Henderson's Blog, page 73

A heritage -- Lokse #MFRWauthor

The 52-week challenge is winding down. It has been a wild run, with revelations into my writing life and insights into the world of other writers. This week's challenge is to share a favorite recipe. Various recipes were considered and tossed aside. Finally, to go with the end-of-year and end-of-challenge theme I settled with a heritage recipe. Lokse is a potato pancake from my Slavic coal-country ancestry that was traditionally cooked on a cast-iron stove. It can still be found at holiday festivals with different toppings, although my favorite and the one most used by my family is just plain butter.

The following instructions have been modified for modern cooking. Instead of cooking atop an old-fashioned, coal-fired, cast-iron stove, a good substitute is a cast-iron frying pan. (Note: these don't work well on a ceramic cooktop.) It is suggested to make small batches at a time unless you are like my Old World grandmother who could create the dough, roll it out to the right thickness without using so much flour it got too soft, place the pancake into the flying pan without it falling to pieces, and spin and flip the pancakes using her fingers.

So here's an actual recipe.
Boil potatoes until soft. Coarsely mash and let cool. Mix in 2 eggs and 1/2 cup flour. Add additional flour as needed until a soft dough forms. Roll out by 1/4 cup balls on a floured board. Sprinkle a pinch of salt in the bottom of an iron flying pan, and place the pancake in the pan. Prick with a fork. Brown on one side, spinning occasionally. Flip over and brown on other side. When done, rub with a stick of butter on both sides. Fold into a roll and eat. (For those more elegant circumstances, you can cut the roll into inch-long sections and eat with a fork.) To avoid a rush, they can be wrapped in foil and kept warm in a toaster oven. That is if you can stop them from disappearing as soon as they come out of the frying pan.

Thanks for allowing me to share my heritage.

~till next time, Helen. And be sure to visit the other authors to see their favorite recipes.



 

Filling the Bucket #MFRWauthor

WEEK 48 OF THE CHALLENGE is another of those personal topics. This post is going to be short. Despite my age, I try to tell myself I'm too young for a bucket list (just ignore the silver hair.)
Two activities tease the back of my mind. An inn-to-inn bicycle tour and a camping trip on horseback in Montana or Wyoming.

Other items are trips to:Hawaii - I want to visit Kīlauea and while there honor Pele by tossing a lei into her cave. Then a hike through the rain forest with a slide down a waterfall to cool off.
Photo by Emily Roesly at Morguefile.com
Scotland - honor my ancestors with a trip to the land of my heritage. And while across the pond, use the trip to research Ireland and Wales.
And if there is any money left over (yeah, right) attend the writers' and readers' conferences I've missed over the years.
For an off-the-wall, never-gonna-happen item, write a best-seller novel.As a result of my work as a correspondent and feature story writer, a few items have already been taken out of the bucket. I've had backroom tours of the stacks of several major museums, and watched vintage aircraft perform while I sat in the exclusive pilots area. If I miss next week, it's because I'm emptying an item from the bucket. While I'm gone, be sure to see what's in other buckets.

~till next time, Helen

Tuesday Title: Not Broken by Meka James

They say love can heal all wounds... are there some too deep?

Title:  Not Broken: The Happily Ever After
Author:  Meka James

Date of Release:  11/23/2017
Genre:  Contemporary Romance

Buy Links: Amazon  /   Barnes and Noble

Blurb:

They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger...

Calida Jokobi doesn’t see it that way. Surviving an abusive relationship with a sadistic, manipulative man changed her. She has spent the last two years carefully constructing her new persona with two goals in mind: to keep the remaining pieces of her heart safe and her deepest secrets buried. One man puts it all at risk.

Malcolm has been a part of Calida’s life for as long as she can remember. A friend. Her first teenage crush. Now he's asking for something she swore she'd never give again: her heart.

Calida must decide if she should risk the fragile façade she’s created and give Malcolm the chance he’s asking for.

They say love can heal all wounds…

Malcolm Frankel wants to prove to Calida it’s true. She survived a hell most people couldn’t fathom. He’s been by her side fulfilling whatever role she needs him to play. All except the one he wants most. It took nearly losing her to make Malcolm realize he couldn’t keep denying his feelings.

He knows no one goes through an ordeal like that and comes out unscathed, but the closer they get, the more he learns just how deep Calida’s wounds go.

She’s the only woman he’s ever loved, and Malcolm is ready to put his own heart at risk for a chance at mending hers.

Behind the Scenes:

Not Broken is the follow to my debut novel, Fiendish: A Twisted Fairytale. At the end of that book, Calida's story didn't feel complete to me. She went through a lot and she deserved to find her happy ending.

Not Broken has been written in a way that allows it to be a standalone. I did that because Fiendish was darker in nature so it's not a book that appeals to everyone, and I wanted new readers to be able to enjoy Not Broken without feeling forced to read Fiendish.

Author Bio:

I'm a Southern gal. A born and raised Georgia Peach as it were. Most people find it somewhat amazing that I'm actually from Georgia. Not sure why, a lot of people live in the state they were born. I'm happily married to a man that is probably my polar opposite, but we work. We work well enough to have four kids. One girl, whom I affectionately call The Girl and 3 boys. The Boy a.k.a Man Child these days (they got their names before the younger two came along), Curly Top, a.k.a Thing 1, and Munchkin a.k.a Thing 2. No they are not twins, but close in age.

We are a family of animal lovers. We have three dogs. Pixie, a Weimaraner, Loki, a Weim/Pit mix, and Thor, a German Shepherd. All from rescues because that's how we roll. We also have a pet turtle named Leo, and The Hubs and kids have a snake (I take no ownership of that).
 
For more on Meka and her works, find her on the web at: AuthorPage / Twitter
 

Hooked on FIrst Change; The Chosen One #MFRWauthor #MFRWHooks

The dragshi are more than just a man or woman. Each are two beings–one a dragon, the other a human–sharing one body in space in time and able to change forms with the other at will. Their world and the adventures of the dragon shifters are recorded in the Dragshi Chronicles

Within each of the chronicles, the ceoltiers, the keepers of the past and teachers of the present, recount some legend. As with all such tales, some contain larger than life deeds. Others are the simple story of a man or woman doing what must be done, regardless of the cost. Sometimes embellished, the ceoltiers use the stories of times and actions past to educate and inspire.

Unlike the previous works in the series which related to the trader girl Anastasia and Lord Branin Llewlyn, First Change features the real story behind the legends told in the previous volumes. First Change contains five stories of duty and honor, love and loss, happiness and despair from the chronicles. As with all such tales, some contain larger than life deeds. Others are the simple story of a man or woman doing what must be done, regardless of the cost.

Excerpt from Fire and Ice:

Others supplicants can be heard, but not me. My petition will never be made. 

Resentment threatened her control, to release the tears. Wrapped in the dignity of her rank, Mirabeesh held them at bay. I am Empress. I fear no man—or god, the woman in the gong declared. But the red eyes hidden behind the veil proclaimed the truth. She was afraid to die.

~ * ~

Buy Links: List of ebook sellers is at https://www.books2read.com/u/49PMZp

And if you missed Hatchling's Vengeance , an excerpt from the fourth book in the series can be found here.

We're all hooked on books. Follow the links below for more teasers.

Space - Beyond the Room #MFRWauthor

Writing space -- How would you interpret those two words which are part of an author's existence. Is it a comfortable recliner? Or maybe a corner of the kitchen counter. Or the response could be as simple as "wherever I am." This post answers the question. However, there is a second part that goes "beyond the room."

I'm one of those whose answer is "wherever I am." A hard plastic chair in the emergency room or the only slightly more comfortable one in a room in the intensive care unit are two of the more unusual writing spaces that helped spawn my novels. Of course, these spots required using pen and paper and a small clipboard. And the scenes had to be extracted from the numerous medical notes scribbled on the pages.


My normal writing space is a comfortable recliner in the living room so I can keep an eye on family and be available as need be or a desk cluttered with reference books in what is jokingly called "my office."







My favorite writing spot is the deck of a mountain cabin overlooking the lake. No television means a lot of writing can get done. That is after room and board was earned. Daylight was reserved for caulking, painting, and staining. At least until the afternoon shower rolled in to signal the end of the outdoor work day.

Now to the second part, the space beyond the room. Writing like many creative activities can also contain a mental space. A centering of spirit that opens our psyche to contact with our characters and lets the muse take control of our thoughts and fingers.  When weather permits (and it does more often in the mid-South than my native northeast) a glider on the front porch with a glass of white wine spritzer or sweet tea on the ground next to me, calms my soul so I can hear the muse.

What is your writing space? Is it an actual space or a state of mind? Leave a comment below and be sure to visit the other authors to read about their "writing space."

~till next time, Helen

Stars and More Stars #MFRWauthor

Welcome to the 52-week challenge. Only a few more weeks to go and the topic is about bragging. We can brag about our children or grandchildren. Or, something else close to our hearts. Everyone in the challenge are authors. We've spent months, years, or even decades creating a book. They are part of us. Yet we send them out into the hard, cruel world. This week allows us to brag about them. So as a proud writer, here's a few words from the four and five star reviews and other comments made about my babies. Oops, I mean my creations.

And, if one of the books looks interesting, click on the cover at the top of the blog for excerpts and buy links. And don't forget the bragging by the other authors in the challenge. You might find your next favorite author. ~till next time, Helen





 Comments on The Windmaster Novels

Windmaster
 
"Not to be missed"

"You are hereby warned: this fascinating story will keep you up all night, turning those pages!"

"A great read by an author with magic in her veins."

"This beautifully crafted novel is filled with fascinating characters."

Windmaster Legacy

"The magic of the fantasies Henderson weaves will stay with you forever. Don't miss this beautifully written, powerfully evocative sequel."

"Fascinating story and wonderful characters make for a great read. Sit back, let your imagination flow, and enjoy!"



About the Dragshi Chronicles

Dragon Destiny

"one of the best dragon shifter stories I have ever read."

Helen "gives the reader a powerful tale of young love, of holding back, of understanding and of making life work."

"You find yourself being pulled into the story and not wanting to put it down."

Hatchlings Curse

"Any fantasy lover would enjoy this epic tale."

Hatchling's Mate

"An enjoyable fantasy read, especially for fans of dragons."

Hatchling's Vengeance


"The complexity of the story, the romance, the number of secondary characters and the strength of the world building make this novel a true keeper."




Henderson "puts the reader right in the middle of the action, painting pictures vividly for their imagination"

"an entertaining tale with plenty of dragon fun!!"

Here's the rest of the posts on this week's topics. Stop by to see what the others brag about.

Never Forget #mfrwauthor

By the time they've reached a certain age, most people have experienced a number of unforgettable events. Graduation from high school and maybe later college, getting married and the birth of their first child, or the death of a loved one. I decided to go elsewhere for the post and select another day that will take generations before we forget it -- September 11, 2001.

The impact of the date goes beyond the attack on the national psyche it was personal. Although the fall of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and the crash of  United Flight 93 near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, can technically be considered two events, for me they are one, inextricably entwined. No I did not forget the losses at the Pentagon, but read on and you'll see why the other two crashes affected me more.


On the date now simply called 9-11, I lived across the bay from lower Manhattan and stood on the boardwalk watching the smoke rise from the buildings. Other connections were working in the north tower for several years and knowing someone who died on Flight 93. The picture is the tower of light memorial that was held for several years on the anniversary of 9-11. Hundreds of local residents would go to local boardwalks to view the tribute. Even if it was only a slow drive along the shore road or a few moments of quiet prayer standing at the water's edge.


Tribute in Lights (Used under Creative Commons CCO License, via Pixabay) September 11th also impacted me as a writer. At the time I was finishing up a local history. The impact to the nation and on the community dictated the event be acknowledged in the book. Especially considering town resident's lost in the towers and on Flight 93. What was initially planned as a few lines turned into a chapter--and a warning. With emotions so raw at the time, purchasers were warned about the final chapter in the book so they wouldn't be blindsided. Those same emotions of anger and loss reared again years later when another local history, this time one of an organization was written. One of those lost on Flight 93 was a leader of the church and included in the book, which meant reliving those dark days.

What's a day you'll never forget because of its impact on you? Feel free to share in the comments and be sure to visit the other posts in the challenge. 

~till next time, Helen

Thank you for your service

In the past Ive said "thank you for your service," by posting a poem inspired by a doughboy statue, giving a nod to a local program, or mentioning a special effort such as the K9 Sgt. Denny Project.

This year, in honor of those who wore the uniform as well as those who held the homefront together while awaiting their return, a new release that was years in the making. Hearth and Sand is twelve tales of duty and honor, love and romance. 

Set universes apart and separated by decades in time, the stories in Hearth and Sand reflect a continuity of service from the past to the present and into the world of tomorrow. Although the events are fictional, the voices captured within these pages came from historical notes, veterans’ own words, letters left by their ancestors, or contemporary events. Pen was put to paper while watching fighter planes land in the Philippine Islands and in the shaded woods of a stateside farm.

The tales cross genre from contemporary to historical, and science fiction to poetry. More on the tales can be found here.

Buy Links: one click list of ebook sellers

And on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, thank you for your service and prayers that peace will someday render war unknown. 

Ancestry Inspires #mfrwauthor

It's Week 44. Where has the year gone? Surprisingly, I made it this far. This week's topic in the challenge required a lot of thought. It was officially "A Person who Inspires Me." Did I want to go personal or professional? To expound on a religious figure or an author whose books I love? (However books and their creators was already covered in some form or other in weeks 20, 25, and 39.)



A blend of personal and professional might be an author who acted as a mentor in my younger days. Or a young author who through receiving the mentoring gave me much more back.


I could focus on learning responsibility, honor, and duty from my kin. I am the grand-daughter, daughter, niece, wife, sister-in-law, and aunt of those who served their country in uniform during times of war, whether declared or otherwise. They are acknowledged in my upcoming release Hearth and Sand --  Tales From the Front Lines And The Homefront.

The topic said "A Person." So that restricts it down even further. So, I'm taking the easy way out and writing about two women who inspired me--my mother and my grandmother. Both instilled in me an independence that was ahead of its time. A love of reading helped me to become a correspondent, a writer, and an author. My grandmother was a talented seamstress and craftsperson. One ability skipped a couple of generations (don't ask me to sew on a button), but I do love crafts.

My mother and grandmother also inspired in how they lived, through hard times and loss, peace and war, their own sickness and that of others. Today I honor the one by using her name as my penname for my historical westerns, and the other as the basis for a character. I hope when the time comes to measure my life that it is written I lived it as well as they did with dignity, love, and kindness.

On some of the topics in the challenge, the poster took odds as to how many others would give a specific answer. Stop by the rest of the blog to see how many picked a parent or ancestor as the "Person Who Inspired."

~till next time, Helen

PS - you'll notice there are no pictures of the ladies. One is passed and the other didn't want her picture taken. And since my mother works out with a personal trainer every week, she's stronger than I am so I obeyed her wish.



The gremlins ate spaces or dots in the following posts, so follow these links if you get a 404 (aka not found).

Valerie Ullmer/

Tuesday's Title - The Burning By J P Seewald

What can and should a desperate man do
to protect his family during a major disaster?

Title:  The Burning
 
Author:  J. P. Seewald

Date of Release:  11/08/2017
Genre:  Literary Novella
Publisher: Annurlunda Enterprises

Buy Links: Publisher /  Amazon / iTunes /  Kobo or your favorite ebook store.


Blurb:

George Ferris has worked hard to make a good life for himself and his family without going into the coal mines that shortened his father’s life. Now, a slow-moving catastrophe is threatening to take it all away.

How far will he go to protect everything he has worked for? And will he realize what really matters before it is too late? Inspired by true events.

Behind the Scenes: 

The Burning is based on a play Seewald wrote that won the Playhouse 22 Playwrights Award in the late 1980’s and was performed on stage. Part fact, but also fiction, the story is about what happens to a family in Pennsylvania as the result of a coal fire burning under the town. Members of the Ferris family face his or her personal hell, barely coming through it alive, forced to acknowledge painful truths. The Burning is based on real events that occurred in Centralia, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, such problems continue to plague coal-mining communities in different places. And there are no easy answers.
 
Author Bio:
 
Multiple award-winning author, Jacqueline Seewald, has taught creative, expository and technical writing at Rutgers University as well as high school English. She also worked as both an academic librarian and an educational media specialist. Seventeen of her books of fiction have been published to critical praise including romances THE CHEVALIER and TEA LEAVES AND TAROT CARDS as well as romantic mysteries: THE INHERITANCE, THE INFERNO COLLECTION, THE DROWNING POOL, THE TRUTH SLEUTH, DEATH LEGACY and THE BAD WIFE. Her short stories, poems, essays, reviews and articles have appeared in hundreds of diverse publications and numerous anthologies such as: THE WRITER, PEDESTAL,SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERY MAGAZINE, OVER MY DEAD BODY!, GUMSHOE REVIEW, THE MYSTERY MEGAPACK, LIBRARY JOURNAL, and PUBLISHERS WEEKLY.

Find Seewald on the web at: http://jacquelineseewald.blogspot.com