Kathleen Rowland's Blog, page 31
June 14, 2014
People craft– taking care of ourselves
Like most busy writers, the pressure of finishing projects keeps me occupied minute to minute. Hobnobbing is important, and so is friendship. Today I’m attending our Orange County California Chapter of Romance Writers of America. Our motto runs deep, One Hand Stretches Back to Hold Another. We are a group of serious professionals who mentor each other.
June 11, 2014
People appreciation
You know talented writer Tina Gayle from her contemporary family-centered love stories. If you know Tina personally, she sets a cozy mood by making everyone feel at home. Prop your plushest pillows, smell the bouquet, and settle in for a couple of minutes while I spotlight Tina Gayle’s latest book, Fallen Leaves, the second book in the unfolding saga of the psychics and talents associated with the Winston estate. At this sheltered place, the past, present, and future are woven into a single dramatic tapestry of love and desire. The tale spans multiple generations, multiple eras, and offers something special for all ages of reader. A sexy, erotic winner, with an assortment of couples to appeal to most tastes. 
Here’s a blurb: As autumn comes to the Winston estate in Ohio, Amber Harrison learns further lessons in her new position as keeper for the spirits and ghosts who haunt the estate–and further lessons in love, too. She and her love, Carter Miller, grapple with the fears and passions of new love, while caught up in the storm of ancient family drama.
Excerpt:
“How long before you install the new cabinets?”
He turned on the ladder. His dark brown eyes captured her, engulfing her in an encompassing warmth. She melted under his heated gaze, which ran from the top of her head to the white socks on her feet. He lifted a brow at her attire, but he didn’t comment on her pink sweat suit.
“With the old cabinets out of the way, I need to knock down this wall and tear up the flooring. The electrical work is next on the agenda.” He climbed off the ladder, yanked off his gloves, and slid a hand through his thick, wavy hair.
“It might be awhile before we install the new cabinets. Right now, we’re simply working to remove the old stuff so we can start fresh.” He smiled, which didn’t hide the dark circles under his eyes or the fatigue in the slump of his shoulders.
“There’s no hurry. If you’re busy with something else, this can wait until your Dad and Mattie come home next week.”
“No, Dad doesn’t want her dealing with this mess.” Carter unbuckled his tool belt and placed it on a workbench. “I promised him I’d have it done.”
“Is Grant helping?” Amber stepped around several pieces of sheetrock and stray bits of wood, to the bottom of the stairs.
He walked to the backdoor. “Friday, his classes are over at noon.”
With his hand resting on the doorknob, he appeared anxious to leave. “I’m headed to lunch, and then I need to drop by the office for a while. Are you sure you’re okay here by yourself?”
Amber toyed with the idea of saying no. She missed the taste of his lips and the strength of his arms, but she nodded instead. “Yes, I’m fine.”
After opening the door, he paused. “I guess I’ll see you later.”
She waved and turned to head to her room, satisfied she’d at least gotten him to talk. Her leaden feet trudged up the steps. Unexcited, she contemplated her latest assignment from the family council. How could she achieve such an impossible task of convincing her great grandmother’s ghost to cross over?
Purchase links: Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JOTY270
Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/428955
allromanceebooks https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-fallenleaves-1479048-140.html About Tina Gayle
Tina Gayle grew up a dreamer and loved to escape into the world of books. After years of working in the business world doing a variety of jobs, she decided to try her hand at writing and hope to incorporate the joy of being a mother into her books.
Currently working on a series about four executive wives, she is excited about combining elements of women fiction with the passion of romance. The first three books have been released and the last one is coming out in 2014.
She’s also started a paranormal romantic mystery series called the Family Tree series. With a family of spirits guiding the lives of their keeper, Amber has a number of tasks to accomplished like solving a two hundred year old mystery. Married twenty-five years, she and her husband love to travel and play golf. She can’t wait for Mike to retire so they can do more of both.
Read the first chapter of any of her books by visiting her website.
Find Tina everywhere
Home – www.tinagayle.net
Blog – www.tinagayle.blogspot.com
Twitter – https://twitter.com/#!/AuthorTinaGayle
Goodread – http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1641826.Tina_Gayle
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/tina.gayle
Google + – https://plus.google.com
Linkin – http://www.linkedin.com/pub/tina-gayle/11/689/759
June 6, 2014
People craft– taking care of yourself
Sleep is absolutely essential for a person’s health and wellbeing, according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF). Yet millions of people do not get enough sleep and many suffer from lack of sleep. For example, surveys conducted by the NSF (1999-2004) reveal that at least 40 million Americans suffer from over 70 different sleep disorders, and 60% of adults report having sleep problems a few nights a week or more. Most of those with these problems go undiagnosed and untreated. In addition, more than 40% of adults experience daytime sleepiness severe enough to interfere with their daily activities at least a few days each month – with 20% reporting problem sleepiness a few days a week or more. I was surprised to know 70% of children experience one or more sleep problems a few nights or more during a week.
We’re smarter after a good sleep!
June 5, 2014
Eat– for Good Health
Lemon Chicken for dinner tonight requires a Greek inspired lemon sauce.
3 medium lemons, thinly sliced and seeded
3 seeded lemons1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
CHICKEN
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, (about 1 pound total), trimmed
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons drained capers, rinsed
2 teaspoons butter
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
PREPARATION
To prepare roasted lemons: Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange lemon slices in a single layer on it. Brush the lemon slices with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Roast the lemons until slightly dry and beginning to brown around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare chicken: Cover chicken with plastic wrap and pound with a rolling pin or heavy skillet until flattened to about 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish and dredge the chicken to coat both sides; shake off excess (discard remaining flour).
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Add broth and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in capers. Boil until the liquid is reduced to syrup consistency, 5 to 8 minutes, turning the chicken halfway. Add the roasted lemons, butter, 2 tablespoons parsley and more pepper, if desired; simmer until the butter melts and the chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley and serve.
June 4, 2014
Wordsmith– I also write books
Just released my New Adult futuristic, interracial sweet romantic suspense, A BRAND NEW ADDRESS! Here is a review from Amari Barash, PhD:
At once humorous, solemn, and moving, Kathleen Rowland’s A BRAND NEW ADDRESS is a quirky coming-of-age story taking place during Earth’s 22nd-century Second Ice Age. The novel’s engaging and plucky heroine, Yardley Van Dyke, faces a fiendish combination of family tensions, personal insecurities, and life-threatening cold; she is a teenager with whom any intelligent young reader, female or male, can immediately identify.
As the story develops, Rowland tells parallel, multi-layered stories about Yardley, Marchand, her twin brother, and their companions: the characters experience the typical laughs, anxieties, and ups and downs of everyday life; their trajectories, though, are riddled with moments of deathly seriousness as they are forced to confront the realities of Earth’s dwindling resources and the grave dangers of space travel. Caught between her attachment to her greenhouse in frigid California and her desire to join suave, intrepid Marchand LaFont on the intergalactic adventure of a lifetime, Yardley blossoms as a person, flourishes as an intellectual, and is physically transplanted to a new environment – as is her beloved vegetable garden.
Rowland’s prose, which seems to mirror both the wisdom and the awkwardness that shine through her dreamy yet shrewd adolescent characters, imparts a flexibly casual feeling along with an unusual richness of vocabulary, style, and imagination. By peering into the minds and hearts of personalities as diverse as a corrupt octogenarian CEO, unsavory tattooed jailbirds, and young sisters who suddenly lose both parents, Rowland never shies away from the sobering tragedies, the terrifying uncertainties, or the unfair nature of many of the challenges we face as both youths and adults – using profound metaphors drawn from nature to both explain and alleviate the uglier aspects of human nature. But far from a simple cautionary tale, A BRAND NEW ADDRESS is also a satisfying love story, an erudite romp through space, and a courageous call to protect the soaring potential of the human spirit.
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May 16, 2014
People craft– taking care of yourself
We are leaving tomorrow morning for a 2-week trip from California to Europe. It’s fun to be a nomad. Here are some of my ideas for packing in a rolling 21- to 25-inch suitcase. Not too small! When moving from place to place, every few days, and a small suitcase is easier to manage. I’ll pack enough clothing for one week of travel, even though we’re travelling longer. Some clothing can be washed by hand. A 2-week supply of socks and undies doesn’t take up much space. I’ll bring comfortable clothing, having checked the weather, and planned for it.. This is May, and there’s rain. The travel umbrella is in my suitcase. For our overnight flight I will wear lightweight workout clothing. Little tip: even though my ankles never swell, they do after five days of standing. I’m going to wear support hose this time!
Here’s more info on clothing:
Tops: five to seven shirts/blouses. These can be tanks, scoop-neck t-shirts, and you can layer with a sweater or jacket. Pack at least one lightweight cotton sweater to cover bare shoulders if you plan to visit churches or places of worship in destinations such as Italy or Hungary.
Pants: three to five pair of jeans, Capri pants, and a skirt. Choose those that you can wear more than once before washing and that dry quickly. Lightweight cotton khakis and hiking pants are generally a better choice than blue jeans, which can be heavy. Have you seen a clothing tag called “moisture-wicking”? These items are typically made of materials that have “dry” or “cool” in a trademarked name on the tag.
Jacket: a lightweight windbreaker or cotton sweater. This will keep you warm in air-conditioned restaurants, and places such as Ireland can be cool in the evenings year round. If I were going in winter, I’d bring a heavy winter coat, gloves, a hat and a scarf. Germany can be cold and snowy. I’m planning for rain with a rain jacket.
A dress– one is enough for a show or upscale restaurant. My husband will bring a pair of dress slacks and oxford button-down. We bring accessories such as an extra tie or a colored scarf to change the look of the outfit so you can wear it multiple times if necessary.
Shoes: walking shoes, flip-flops for a pool, and dress shoes. Choose what is comfortable to you. Take only three pairs of shoes. Choose one pair that is comfortable for walking and hiking. Leather loafers are more common in Europe, but tennis shoes or hiking sandals are ideal as well.
Extra items: Hats, gloves, sunglasses, the fore=mentioned travel umbrella, a lightweight poncho, and a swimsuit.
Toiletry items: pack the essentials. I need makeup, deodorant and specialty hair care products. I tape the tops of bottles, but my husband like the small travel size, refillable bottles. If we run out of anything, pharmacies and supermarkets are everywhere in Europe.
Bring the PJs you like to sleep in at home. In Europe the hotel rooms have two double beds.
A 21- to 25-inch suitcase is all you need for a European trip.
May 6, 2014
Places– of Charm
This morning I brought a mug of coffee to a bare spot in my front yard to scatter Columbine seeds. Sunny with partial shade is fine, and they survive in droughts. Funny thing, on our outdoor patio table, I used seed packets in flower pot decorations at our block party. My daughter Janice told me a neighbor asked if I actually planted seeds. I do! Now those countryside perennial seeds are in the ground. Here is a yellow bloom–
Columbines come in red, blue, purple and white. Some are bi-colored. They are airy plants with attractive foliage (clover-like when young), reaching two feet. Columbine plants bloom in late spring to early summer and self-seed readily if you don’t deadhead. If you are a hiker on the East Coast, they are indigenous in the woods.
May 3, 2014
Eat– for Good Health
Tzatziki Chicken Salad is tangy, and it’s served on toasted pita bread. If you read the invitation I posted a few days ago, neighbors are asked to bring one thing (salad, entre’, or dessert). Since we are hosting, I’m making three items, and this is one of them.
Ingredients:
2/3 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
salt and pepper to taste
1 cucumber, seeded and shredded
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
3 ounces multigrain pita chips
Preparation: Combine first 8 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add chicken; toss to coat. Serve with pita chips.
May 2, 2014
Eat– for Good Health
Friends, as an experienced pot luck block party hostess, I know people often bring lasagne. It’s always delicious. Another popular entre is creamy mushroom fettuccini. For our gathering this Sunday evening, I will make my Blueberry Field Greens Salad. Tomorrow I will post another recipe I’ll make for the party.
Ingredients:
a package of mixed field greens
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola or blue cheese
1/4 cup chopped and toasted walnuts or pecans
Bottled vinaigrette
Preparation:
Toss together first 4 ingredients; drizzle with desired amount of vinaigrette, tossing gently to coat.
Note: For testing purposes only, we used Newman’s Own Light Raspberry & Walnut vinaigrette.
May 1, 2014
Eat– for Good Health
One of the items I’m making for our block party is Flank Steak.
What could be easier? Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil, and then swirl to coat pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Before adding anything else, cook the steak to desired doneness and remove. Sauté thinly sliced garlic cloves, a sliced shallot, and green onions if desired until brown. Add 1/4 cup wine vinegar and cook until most of the liquid evaporates. Add vegetables– thin carrot slices, cherry tomatoes, bean sprouts, cabbage or anything your heart desires. Add fresh basil leaves and pour over sliced steak.
