Michelle M. Pillow's Blog, page 50
November 3, 2014
When sexy alphas are allowed to take over
When our characters are allowed total control…well, over the interviews anyway.
Come say hello to Mandy M. Roth and Michelle M. Pillow and see what happens when we let our sexy alphas ask the questions!
Prince Zoran from the Bestselling Futuristic Romance Series, Dragon Lords by Michelle M. Pillow interviewing author Mandy M. Roth.
Striker (Dougal) McCracken from the Bestselling Paranormal Romance Series World, Immortal Ops by Mandy M. Roth interviewing author Michelle M. Pillow.
Read the interviews here!
http://www.kindlepost.com/2014/11/when-fictional-alpha-male-supernaturals-ask-an-author-questions.html
The post When sexy alphas are allowed to take over appeared first on Pillow Talk Blog.
November 1, 2014
Seductive Saturday- Apple Cider Caramels
So, today’s post is courtesy of my bestest (yes, I know this isn’t a word) friend Amanda Knutson. Amanda is a trained cook and has taken the time to write this recipe up and try it out several times. The first time didn’t work out so well. She used un-buttered waxed paper, so the caramels stuck to the paper. I hope you all enjoy these caramels as much as she did making them and as much as I will eating them, when they get here. Psst Amanda, hurry up! I want caramels!
Apple Cider Caramels
Ingredients
• 4 cups apple cider
• 1 cup heavy cream divided into 2/3 and 1/3 of a cup increments
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp grated nutmeg (I grated mine from a whole one, you can use ground as well)
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 2 1/2 Tblsp water
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter cut into 1 Tblsp chunks
• 1/2 tsp salt (I used kosher salt
• Sea salt, or finishing salt for garnish
Directions
• Put cider in a large saucepan, set over med-high heat and simmer until reduced to approximately 1/3 of a cup. I reduce mine until it is a syrup consistency and call it good but 1/3 of a cup is the benchmark. You can measure it or just eyeball it and it shouldn’t hurt the caramels too much. This is used as the main flavoring.
• I used silicone candy molds but you can also use a baking pan lined in parchment to cool the caramel in. If you use parchment paper make sure it is buttered extremely well so that the caramel doesn’t stick.
• In a small bowl whisk together 2/3 cup of the cream, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, nutmeg and cider mixture. This is our flavoring for the caramels. Taste it. Does it taste like it needs more of something? Make sure it is a condensed version of a taste you like. (the sugar syrup will dilute the taste a little.) Then in a 3-quart saucepan combine sugar, 1/3 cup cream, corn syrup and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the mixture appears combined. Then allow it to cook while stirring occasionally until mixture reaches 234 degrees. You can use a candy thermometer or a high temperature thermometer. I like my Comark brand thermometer. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly stir in the flavor mixture. Whisk until incorporated. Add butter and stir to melt. The trick to the butter is to add one pat at a time, adding a new one when the last one is ½ melted. (I learned this in culinary school, it really adds to the luster.) Then return the pan to medium heat, stirring occasionally until the caramel reaches 250 degrees.
Once the caramel is at 250 degrees it is time to transfer it to the silicone mold, or the parchment lined baking sheets. Allow to cool at room temperature or in the refrigerator. The trick to getting the caramels out of the silicone molds is to put it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. They’ll pop right out. Sprinkle sea salt or finishing salt on top and wrap in waxed paper or cellophane. These will store for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
The post Seductive Saturday- Apple Cider Caramels appeared first on Pillow Talk Blog.
October 31, 2014
Michelle’s big costume reveal!
Michelle’s big costume reveal!
Earlier this month we needed your help to decide on Michelle’s Halloween costume. We had 5 costumes for you to choose from: Viking Maiden, Witch, Alien Abductee, Renaissance Princess & Zombie.
The results have been tallied and the winning costume has been chosen…
VIKING MAIDEN
HERE WE HAVE MICHELLE SHOWING HER VIKING BATTLE CRY! SCARY.
Author Michelle Pillow representing her people, cause Vikings were tough-ass warriors n scary n stuff.
I THINK SHE COULD GIVE LAGERTHA (VIKINGS) A RUN FOR HER MONEY.
(find more info about Vikings:http://www.history.com/shows/vikings)
BELOW MICHELLE LOOKS A LITTLE MORE APPROACHABLE.
I LIKE THE CALM VIKING MAIDEN LOOK ON HER.
Author Michelle Pillow . Readers voted the costume and this year I’m a Viking Maiden. I really thought I was going to be abducted by aliens when this whole thing started, lol. I was ready for the Dragon Lords to come.MAYBE MICHELLE WILL FIND A RAGNAR OF HER VERY OWN? OR WAS THERE DRAGON LORDS DURING THAT TIME!
The post Michelle’s big costume reveal! appeared first on Pillow Talk Blog.
October 30, 2014
Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween READERS from Michelle M. Pillow and Mandy M. Roth (The Raven Books & Raven Happy Hour)
MichellePillow.com
MandyRoth.com
TheRavenBooks.com
RavenHappyHour.com/blog
The post Happy Halloween! appeared first on Pillow Talk Blog.
October 29, 2014
The Hottest Costumes, who’s knockin’…
So who’s knockin’ on your door this Halloween?
Attending a few halloween parties this year, I’ve seen the normal group: vampire, witch, serial killer, doctor, priest, and skeletons.
But a few new costumes I ran across deserve an honorable mention:
Boobs: this is a fun couples costume. Don’t worry, they are separate and can move about individually.
Day of the Dead, Sugar Skull inspired costumes. I saw quite a few of these skulking around. I really love the makeup.
One of the cutest costumes out there are all the Minions from Despicable Me. This video from YouTube shows a little boy in his homemade minion costume. So Cute!
Forbes listed the top 15 most-searched costumes for 2014, seven are film-related:
1. Frozen – 1,192,000 (includes searches Elsa, Olaf & other characters)
2. Zombie – 863,000
3. Ninja – 863,000
4. Pirate – 796,000
5. Clown – 659,000
6. Witch – 588,000
7. Vampire – 565,000
8. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – 536,000
9. Book of Life – 308,000
10. Flapper – 277,000
11. Batman – 251,000
12. Despicable Me – 233,000
13. Maleficent – 227,000
14. Monster High – 206,000
15. Star Wars – 148,000
Read the full article: http://tinyurl.com/ojfgmfb
How Adults pass time on Halloween…
Need something to do while passing out candy on the Spooky evening? I recently saw a meme suggesting a drinking game for parents on Halloween. You drink every time ELSA come to the door Trick or Treating. By the results of the above Forbes stats (1,192,000) you might have quite a busy night.
No matter what you do, be safe and have a Happy Halloween!
The post The Hottest Costumes, who’s knockin’… appeared first on Pillow Talk Blog.
The Hottest Costumes, who’s coming knockin’…
So who’s coming knockin’ on your door this Halloween?
Attending a few halloween parties this year, I’ve seen the normal group: vampire, witch, serial killer, doctor, priest, and skeletons.
But a few new costumes I ran across deserve an honorable mention:
Boobs: this is a fun couples costume. Don’t worry, they are separate and can move about individually.
Day of the Dead, Sugar Skull inspired costumes. I saw quite a few of these skulking around. I really love the makeup.
One of the cutest costumes out there are all the Minions from Despicable Me. This video from YouTube shows a little boy in his homemade minion costume. So Cute!
Forbes listed the top 15 most-searched costumes for 2014, seven are film-related:
1. Frozen – 1,192,000 (includes searches Elsa, Olaf & other characters)
2. Zombie – 863,000
3. Ninja – 863,000
4. Pirate – 796,000
5. Clown – 659,000
6. Witch – 588,000
7. Vampire – 565,000
8. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – 536,000
9. Book of Life – 308,000
10. Flapper – 277,000
11. Batman – 251,000
12. Despicable Me – 233,000
13. Maleficent – 227,000
14. Monster High – 206,000
15. Star Wars – 148,000
Read the full article: http://tinyurl.com/ojfgmfb
How Adults pass time on Halloween…
Need something to do while passing out candy on the Spooky evening? I recently saw a meme suggesting a drinking game for parents on Halloween. You drink every time ELSA come to the door Trick or Treating. By the results of the above Forbes stats (1,192,000) you might have quite a busy night.
No matter what you do, be safe and have a Happy Halloween!
The post The Hottest Costumes, who’s coming knockin’… appeared first on Pillow Talk Blog.
October 27, 2014
How to find your URL for your Amazon Review
Need to find your Amazon Review URL to turn it in for reviews? Follow these simple steps.
1. Sign in to your Amazon Account and go to “Your Account”> “Account”
2. Go to personalization > Your public Profile
Under your profile picture, go to Activities>Reviews
Find the book you need the link for. And click “Permalink”
When the new screen comes up for the review, highlight the address, copy it, and then paste it where you need it to go.
And that’s it. The link you need to send in to report your review to the review coordinator.
The post How to find your URL for your Amazon Review appeared first on Pillow Talk Blog.
October 25, 2014
How to Spot a Dragon, holy C*@P!
(To be sung or spoken aloud)
When you walk along the ground and above you hear a sound,
It’s a dragon?
Wings and terror in the air, claws and fangs that rip and tear.
It’s a dragon?
Scaly hyde just like a snake, with mighty roar the ground will quake.
It’s a dragon?
Quick, now run! you must make haste, I think they know how good you’ll taste.
It’s a DRAGON!
Ok, that was a Kelly O. original, you’re welcome. Now back to the subject: How to spot a Dragon. Unless you find yourself in an episode of Game of Thrones, I don’t think you’ll run into any dragons walking down the street. But, if you do, RUN! Not all of them are nice, fluffy and wise like Falkor in the Neverending story.
So how much do you know about dragons? After researching for this post, I found that my knowledge was lacking in this regard; but now I have graduated from “oh look, a big reptile thingy with wings!” to “I know what kind of dragon that is”. So are you ready to be amazed? Stunned? ok, I’ll settle for mildly interested in my dragonly wisdom. 
SEA SERPENTS
NESSIE!
Well, Loch Ness is a myth, so they say… and it could be classified as a Sea Serpent.
Yes, that’s is a dragon; a wing-less non-flying dragon that lives in the water.
Here is what Wikipedia says Loch Ness looks like…supposedly.
EASTERN DRAGONS
Also known as Chinese dragons, they are legendary creatures in Chinese mythology and Chinese folklore. The dragons have many animal-like forms such as turtles, fish, and imaginary creatures, but they are most commonly depicted as snake-like with four legs that can fly.
WYVERN DRAGONS
Wyvern were said to live among the mountains and cliffs at higher elevations. They are known for their wing talons that help them scale vertical surfaces and long whip like tail for defense. They are a winged dragon with 2 rear limbs and hawk-like talons.
WESTERN DRAGONS
The European , aka Western Dragon, is pictured above on the Welsh Flag (courtesy of Wikipedia). You can identify this dragon the easiest due to it’s popularity in movies. A Western dragon has wings, 4 limbs and can fly.
WYRM DRAGON
Also known as a Basilisk, the Wyrm Dragon is snakelike in appearance and has no limbs or wings. These dragons prefer dark places and usually have venomous fangs or poison tipped prongs along their body and secrete a noxious gas or paralytic ooze. Think Harry Potter on this one, that’s what was down under the school.
I feel smarter already, how about you? What do you like about dragons? Personally, my favorite dragon is Toothless from How to Train your Dragon, he would be considered a European Dragon.
Need more dragons? Dragon Shifters?
Check out Michelle’s latest book: http://www.michellepillow.com/thedragonsqueen.html
The post How to Spot a Dragon, holy C*@P! appeared first on Pillow Talk Blog.
October 24, 2014
Seductive Saturdays- Agro’s Roasted Baudrons W/Roasted vegetables
Hi, everyone! My name is Leah and I’ll be doing Seductive Saturdays. Each Saturday I will be posting a new recipe for you to try out. Some will be Dragon Lords themed. Some not so much. I’m hoping that with my recipes and instructions that maybe Michelle won’t starve or have to beg her readers to feed her on Facebook anymore. What do you all think……. can I teach Michelle to cook? Hmmm, I don’t know. You’ll have to come back each week to see what new goodies I’ve cooked up and to see if Michelle has mastered last week’s recipe. This week’s recipe is a savory comfort dish that comes with a snippet. I hope you all enjoy these recipes as much as I’ve enjoyed making and sharing them with you. —Leah G.
The Dark Prince–
“Why were you looking for me?” Yusef asked, turning serious. “Has anything happened?”
“No, nothing like that.” Agro latched his hands to his waist and rolled back on his feet. Eyes narrowing, he turned serious. “Word is you just got back from a hunting trip to the north last week.”
Yusef laughed, as if already knowing where this was going.
“That I did,” Yusef said, nodding.
“Catch anything?” the man asked.
“Maybe,” Yusef said, drawing out the suspense.
“Could be you want some company over at that house of yours to help you cook it?” Agro persisted.
Olena watched the friendly ritual in amusement.
Yusef scratched his chin. “I don’t know. I might have to clear it with the wife first.”
Agro turned his wide eyes to Olena. Gazing through his bruises, he said, “My most gracious lady, would you do me the honor of telling your husband to take his—”
“Hey.” Yusef growled in mock battle. The low rumbling sound caused a small shiver to work over Olena’s spine.
“What?” Agro gave an innocent shrug.
“I already have several times” Olena said. “The stubborn man won’t listen to me.”
Yusef threw his hands in the air, clearly not able to fight an attack on both fronts. Agro’s hearty laugh rang out over the village, drawing smiles from around them.
“You don’t need an invitation from him, Agro,” Olena said. “You just come on over and we’ll help ourselves to whatever is in the fridge.”
“Now, you’ve done it,” Yusef said with a mock frown, “This giant will eat us out of house and home.”
“Ach, off with you,” he said to Yusef, before bowing over Olena’s hand. “Tonight I’m a guest of the lady.”
“You’d better bring the wife,” Yusef said. He casually draped his arm over Olena’s shoulders and steered her away. “I might need help keeping you at bay.”
“She’d love it,” Agro announced, grinning like a fool. “She’s pregnant again, by the way.”
“Congratulations, friend,” Yusef called, leading her away. “Why don’t you bring the boys with you?”
“Will do,” Agro called, saluting gallantly as he trotted off to the practice field.
“I like him.” Olena enjoyed the feel of Yusef’s hand on her shoulders, but artfully slipped out of his embrace with the pretense of picking a yellow flower from the ground. When she stood, she kept out of his reach. Keeping her expression guarded, she took a little too much time studying the flower without seeing it.
“I could tell.” Yusef said.
“What exactly does he want you to cook?” she asked.
“Agro has a terrible fondness for roasted baudrons. They are only found in the north hunting grounds. I already planned on asking him over, as is our tradition after each hunting trip.”
“Did I ruin your tradition?” She flicked her finger over the top of the flower.
“No.”
“How many sons does he have anyway?”
“I think, with Cordele pregnant again, this will be twelve.” Yusef turned his steps back home. “Do you need anything else while we’re in town?”
Agro’s Roasted Baudrons w/ Roasted Vegetables
(Roast beef w roasted vegetables)
1- 2 pound baudron roast (I used a ribeye roast)
2 small onions
2 medium potatoes
½ cup baby carrots
1 package dry onion soup mix
½-1 cup water
Preheat oven to 400* F. Spray a roasting pan with non-stick spray and set aside. Spray a frying pan with non-stick spray. Sear baudron roast on ALL sides and place in roasting pan. Cut onions in half. Then again in half and slice into quarter ringlets. Spread cut onions in roasting pan around the roast. Cut baby carrots in thirds and spread them around the roast. Cut potatoes in quarters first and then into bite size chunks. Place in pan with the rest of the vegetables. Sprinkle dry onion soup mix over everything in the pan. Pour water into bottom of pan (to keep roast moist) and cover with foil. Place in oven for about 45 mins to an hour or until roast is done and vegetables are tender. Remove foil and let sit for 10 mins before cutting. Serve and enjoy. I served this roast with the roasted vegetables and steamed broccoli.
*** I had extra potatoes so I tossed them in a little olive oil, just enough to coat, paprika and parsley for color with a little seasoning salt to taste. I then broiled them on hi for about 10-15 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy and a fork inserts easily. ***
The post Seductive Saturdays- Agro’s Roasted Baudrons W/Roasted vegetables appeared first on Pillow Talk Blog.
October 22, 2014
Dragon-Shifters: The Dragon’s Queen by Michelle M. Pillow
Dragon Lords: The Dragon’s Queen by Michelle M. Pillow
I really loved working on this book. It was fun to do a woman shifter that can take charge of all the alpha men and still maintain all those qualities that make women awesome.
***
CATCH UP ON THE SERIES!! – http://www.michellepillow.com/dragonl...
***
Dragon Lords: The Dragon’s Queen by Michelle M. Pillow
Bestselling Futuristic Dragon Shifter Romance
Mede of the Draig knows three things for a fact: As the only female dragon shifter of her people, she is special. She can kick the backside of any man. And she absolutely doesn’t want to marry.
Mede has spent a lifetime trying to prove herself as strong as any male warrior. Unfortunately, being the special, rare creature she is, she’s been claimed as the future bride to nearly three dozen Draig—each one confident that when they come for her hand in marriage fate will choose them. When the men aren’t bragging about how they’re going to marry her, they’re acting like she’s a delicate rare flower in need of their protection.
She is far from a shrinking solarflower.
Prince Llyr of the Draig knows four things for a fact: He is the future king of the dragon shifters. He must act honorably in all ways. He absolutely, positively is meant to marry Lady Mede. And she dead set against marriage.
Llyr’s fate rests in the hands of a woman determined not to have any man. With a new threat emerging amongst their cat shifting neighbors, a threat whose eyes are focused firmly on Mede, time may be running out. It is up to him to convince her to be his dragon queen.
Learn more: http://www.michellepillow.com/thedrag...
***
Dragon Lords Series by Michelle M. Pillow
Barbarian Prince
Perfect Prince
Dark Prince
Warrior Prince
His Highness the Duke
The Stubborn Lord
The Reluctant Lord
The Impatient Lord
The Dragon’s Queen
***
Thanks Book Chick for the awesome book trailer!
The post Dragon-Shifters: The Dragon’s Queen by Michelle M. Pillow appeared first on Pillow Talk Blog.
