Authorsday:Tara Nina

Today Tara Nina is under the microscope. Let's see if she squirms.

1. Do you plot or do you write by the seat of your pants?

I am a pantser, most definitely. I hate to plot. I listen to the voices of my characters and they tell me where they want to go and what route they want to take to get there. And let me say, they never take the easy way 



2. What drew you to the subject of Devilish Delights?

My latest book “Devilish Delights” was the brainstorm of a few too many ‘hurricanes’ at a bar in Dallas. I was sitting in a group of authors and somehow one of my best friend’s, author C.H. Admirand, brings up the subject of Ben Wa Balls and their use. How do they stay in? And best of all, what would happen if they fell out in a public place? The rest is history.



3. If you could ask your readers one question, what would it be?

What is their favorite book and why? What touched them so much that it became their favorite? Hopefully, it would give me some insight into how to make my next book better.

4. If you have a day job, what is it?

Unfortunately, I have to work outside of the home. I work as an MRI tech for a local hospital. My dream is to become a full-time writer.



5. What do you know now that you are published that you didn’t know pre-published that you wish you knew?

Writing is a job filled with more obstacles than any ‘normal’ day job. How you handle those obstacles makes you a better, stronger writer and keeps the adventure of creating novels interesting and fun.

6. What do you consider your strengths in terms of your writing?

My characters. I love each and every one of them (even the villains, they need love too). Without these characters talking, acting out and guiding me, there’d be no story to tell.



7. What do you consider your weakness and what strategies do you use to overcome it? Writing too many things at once. I have a bad tendency to work on several projects at the same time. It slows the process. Now I try to focus on one at a time until I reach the end, switch to the next until I reach it’s end then go back and read through the first one with a fresh eye.



8. What’s your writing schedule? I steal every second I can get. Not being a full time writer makes it tough to find time to create especially with family and work requiring a huge slice of my day.



9. What three things would you want with you on a desert island?

Gerard Butler, Guinness, and my laptop with Internet access so I could document my adventures and share 



10. What place that you haven’t visited would you like to go?

Scotland and Ireland.



11. What’s your favorite food?

Ice Cream



12. Who is your greatest cheerleader?

I’m very lucky. I have two I can lean on at any time. Authors C.H. Admirand and Anne Elizabeth

13. Where do you write?

Outside on my deck when the weather is nice. I like the outdoors and try to spend as much time outside as possible.



14. What was the hardest scene to write?

The hardest scene for me to write was the first sex scene in my first novel. I never realized how hard it is to keep body parts in order and not make it an impossible action to physically complete. Hands, feet, legs and arms and other body parts have to actually be able to go in the direction you’ve got them going or else someone’s gonna say “that can’t physically be done unless you’re an acrobat.”



15. What was your favorite scene to write?

The first encounter between Ericka and Gavin in Curse of the Gargoyle. She’s level headed and doesn’t believe in paranormal events and right before her eyes a solid stone statue breaks apart and out steps this gorgeous Scottish God of a man.

Recipe Wednesday: Pork Loin with Cous-Cous

Pork Loin with Mediterranean Glaze and Moroccan Cous-Cous
(From the cookbook of Mike Orenduff)

Ingredients for the pork loin:

I pork loin, 1 – 1 ½ lbs
1 cup red wine

I cup extra virgin olive oil

6 cloves of garlic, minced

4 tablespoons of fresh rosemary, finely chopped

8 anchovies, finely minced

4 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons smoked paprika powder



Combine the last seven ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer until the liquid is reduced by approximately one third, or until the liquid begins to have the consistency of syrup.

Season the pork loin with salt and pepper to taste. Rub the pork loin generously with the glaze mixture.

Place the loin under a broiler set on high. The pork loin should be close to the broiler, approximately 4 to 5 inches. Slide the pork loin out when surface facing the broiler has begun to brown, about 3 -4 minutes. Rotate a quarter turn and baste with more glaze. Repeat every 3 or 4 minutes, watching to see that you are accomplishing a surface that is dark but not burned, using plenty of the glaze.

Depending on the size of the pork loin and the temperature of your particular broiler, the meat should be done in about 15 minutes, and you will have broiled it all the way around. This may sound like too short a cooking time, but if you have the meat at the right distance from the broiler, it will suffice. You can check with an instant-read thermometer. Brush more glaze all over when the meat comes out, then let it rest for five minutes. Slice and serve with an appropriate side. The following cous-cous works well.


Moroccan Cous-Cous

4 Roma tomatoes, chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled

½ cup of mint

½ cup of flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon smoked paprika powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

Juice and zest of one lemon

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Red pepper flakes to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Pulse the last nine ingredients in a food processor until the mint and parsley are chopped, but do not blend too much. You want a bland, not a puree.

Prepare cous-cous as per container directions. When the cous-cous is done, stir in the blended mix and the chopped tomatoes.

ExcerpTuesday: Robert Walker

Today I welcome author Robert Walker to share a part of his new book, The Pier. Welcome Robert.
The Pier at Woods Hole Institute, Massachusetts, April 11, 2012

The screeching pelicans and seagulls overhead seemed quite out of their minds with the unusually early morning activity surrounding the bizarre-looking research vessel in its slip at the harbor. Human activity. Human excitement. It must mean food scraps for them. What else might it portend, wondered David Robert Ingles, feeling a bit like Ishmael of Moby Dick fame, readying for the voyage with the mad Ahab—in this case Captain and Doctor of Oceanography, Juris Forbes, a man obsessed with Titanic, but then who wasn’t?

The research vessel, Scorpio IV—four times the size of anything else docked here in Woods Hole—was jam packed with superstructure that supported two enormous cranes, affording sea birds all manner of handy perches; in fact, the birds patiently awaited any opportunity for scraps and fish heads to eat. However, the primary purpose of the two super cranes was hardly for the birds, but rather for lifting tons of weight from the depths of the ocean and positioning heavy objects weighing tons onto Scorpio’s deck. In a matter of weeks, the computer operated, hydraulic cranes would be hauling up treasures plucked from the mysterious interiors of the one-hundred-year-old shipwreck named Titanic. The treasures would be placed in sealed vaults to protect them from the change in pressure from the deep to the surface.

It was now April 2012—precisely one hundred years—the Centenary of Titanic’s launching and her demise when she struck an iceberg at 22 knots.

David Ingles took notice of the birds—thankful the seagulls weren’t a flock of albatrosses. He gave a flash thought to his reading of The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, imagining he would undoubtedly run into an ancient sailor on board Scorpio this trip—old timers with short fuses and little patience for the young and foolish who got men killed at sea as quickly as scratching an itch. If the old timers aboard Scorpio knew his history, or his latest failed mission, they’d surely be wary of him the entire way out and back.

Ingles came aboard without fanfare and no one to greet him. Everyone on the pier and on board busily work at their jobs. It was obvious orders were to ship out within the hour.

At the center of Scorpio, Ingles found the ‘oil well’ over which the largest derrick supported a myriad of equipment strung with cable as thick as hemp on a Cutty Schooner. But this ship was far from a schooner, and while faster, hardly as romantic or beautiful. Essentially a high-tech outfitted drill ship, Scorpio’s primary drilling derrick stood amidships. But rather than use a traditional drill pipe, Scorpio’s gleaming derricks supported her enormous cables—hundred pound Cryo-Cable to be exact. Her cable could withstand the most frigid conditions on Earth—or rather below the seas—including the bottom of the North Atlantic exactly two and a half miles below the surface.

Ingles, carrying his gear, now ran a strong hand along the huge steel derrick. With her electronically controlled pulleys, Scorpio could hoist anything imaginable, even a Titanic-sized bulkhead if need be. If the Titanic were in one piece and not the ripped apart, pancaked-in-on-itself ship that it’d become, David had no doubt that the mighty little Scorpio could “Raise the Titanic.” She was that strong.

However, their mission was not to raise Titanic so much as to raid and plunder her. Some news accounts used the term ‘rape’ her, but Ingles didn’t see it that way. Not in the least. It was well documented in the literature that Titanic took down many treasures with her—far more than dishware—and the belief held that even the sealed hold that carried a treasure-trove of vintage automobiles would be perfectly preserved at the depths where Titanic resided. Even a sandwich at such depths would be perfectly preserved and edible unless found in a Stover’s lunchbox—which would be permeated then with corrosive salts and more toxic than sea water. So what of the stash of mailbags crossing the Atlantic in 1912? They resided in a sealed section of the ship. A wealth of letters, documents, and bank notes alone. So what of all the jewelry stowed in the safes aboard yet to be discovered? Not to mention brass and gold fixtures and shipboard items within the ship? The treasures that had survived all these years—museum pieces for world showcases, and each item itself worth a fortune!

It was just a matter of using modern means to salvage the treasures awaiting them from what remained inside the various safes aboard, the staterooms, the varied first, second, and third-class dishes and silverware, the mailbags, the secret cargo in the holds—like the rumored crates of Vickers automatic machine guns destined for the US Army, and a stash of now quite antique automobiles. Not to mention an Egyptian mummy on its way to New York.

Authorsday - Diane Scott Lewis

Today I welcome Diane Scott Lewis.

1. When did you know you wanted to be a writer? As soon as I put pencil to paper as a child, I knew I loved to write stories. I also loved to read, which inspired my imagination. I’d create scenarios in my mind, adventures in ancient Rome, time-travel, and pen little stories around them.



2. How did you pick the genre you write in? I always enjoyed historical movies as a child, being transported into the past, an exotic island or a different country and time. That’s why I love historical fiction, reading and writing in the genre. I don’t like to follow a formula, so Romance was out. Writing mainstream Historical Fiction with Romantic Elements fits me perfectly. (see my novel blurb below)

3. Do you plot or do you write by the seat of your pants? I’m definitely a “pantzer”, which can be a liability. When I first wrote The False Light, the plot wandered all over the place with no outline to follow. The first judge who looked at TFL said I had enough story elements for several novels. I worked hard to narrow the focus of the story. I’m still a pantzer, but a more disciplined one.

4. What drew you to the subject of The False Light? I like to write “fish out of water” stories, that is putting a person into a strange place they’ve never lived in before and watching them struggle and thrive. I knew I wanted the story to take place on the wild coast of Cornwall, England. Everyone was writing Victorian or Regency, so I chose the earlier time-period, the late 18th century. Since it was the time of The French Revolution, my perfect heroine was a noble French girl thrown into the lower classes of England. The story grew from there.

5. Did you encounter any obstacles in researching it? Yes, most of the books I found locally focused on the Victorian era. I had to travel to the Library of Congress for in-depth research on the 18th century. What a fantastic resource!

6. How many rejections have you received? With this novel, over a hundred. That was from my query letter for the most part. I must write the worst query ever!

7. What was the best writing advice someone gave you? A well-published author told me to never stop improving my work, and never give up trying to sell it.

8. What was the worst? Did you know it at the time? “Write what you know” is the worst advice for an historical author. I did know it at the time. We must dig deep into the past and investigate places we’ve never been or know little about. Meticulous research is the key.

9. Why did you pick the publisher that ultimately published your book? I’d rewritten and polished this novel for over ten years. Tired of rejection, I spoke with a good friend of mine, wonderful western writer, Ginger Simpson, and she recommended her publisher, Eternal Press. They loved my prose and offered a contract. I’ve received excellent reviews and readers have loved my story.

10. What would you like to tell potential readers? Since my publisher is primarily an e-press—though the book is also out in paperback—readers and bookstore owners tend to narrow their eyes and wonder if my novel is any good. There are so many excellent writers published by e-presses today. Even the so-called big publishing houses are now slipping into e-press venues. Don’t judge the novel on the type of publisher, but on its own merit. The False Light has received excellent reviews at The Historical Novel Society Blog, Examiner.com and won a CTRR award from Coffee Time Romance. The e-book is available at www.eternalpress.biz; and the paperback at www.amazon.com. For more info, please visit my website: http://www.dianescottlewis.com







Author Bio:



Diane Parkinson grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, joined the Navy at nineteen and has written and edited free-lance since high school. She married in Greece and raised two sons in Puerto Rico, California, Guam and Virginia. She writes book reviews for the Historical Novels Review and has worked as an on-line book editor. Diane served as president of the Riverside Writers in 2007-2008. She published her first historical novel, The False Light, with Eternal Press in April 2010. She writes as Diane Scott Lewis and lives with her husband and dachshund in Locust Grove, VA







Book Blurb:



Forced from France by her devious guardian on the eve of the French Revolution, Countess Bettina Jonquiere must deliver an important package to further the royalist cause. In England, she discovers the package is full of blank papers, the address false and she’s penniless. Stranded in a Cornish village, Bettina toils in a bawdy tavern and falls in love with a man who may have murdered his unfaithful wife. Tracked by ruthless revolutionaries, she must uncover the truth about her father’s murder—and her lover’s guilt—while her life is threatened.

Recipe Wednesday - DianeGilbert Madsen

Recipes Associated with HUNTING FOR HEMINGWAY By Diane Gilbert Madsen

The second DD McGil Literati Mystery, Hunting for Hemingway, is about – you guessed it – Ernest Hemingway. Today I’m blogging with some of his favorite recipes I gleaned from various places as I did research on my mystery novel. We all know Hemingway was famous for his great literature, beautiful women, and strong drink. So much so, that there’s one recipe I didn’t include - Hemingway’s Death In The Afternoon cocktail recipe. It uses Absinthe, which is illegal. And yes, there’s now a legal alternative, but instead I’ve included the Americanized version that uses Pernod.

You’ll also find some wonderful corn-based recipes from the Graue Mill in Oak Brook, Illinois, which is where the exciting climax of Hunting for Hemingway takes place. The Mill, opened in 1852, is the only operating waterwheel gristmill in Northern Illinois and was once a stop on the underground railway. If you visit the Chicago area be sure to stop by to see this wonderful mill and watch them grind their own corn. You can take a peek what the inside of the Mill looks like if you check out my book trailer video on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb3v3DfyXjg or go to my website - http://www.dianegilbertmadsen.com Hope you enjoy all the recipes!


HEMINGWAY’S FAVORITE DAIQUIRI RECIPIE – THE PAPA DOBLE - Courtesy of A Summer with Hemingway – Drink Recipies and Books

There seem to be three versions of the Papa Doble and they vary by including or excluding light vs dark rum, the simple sugar and the grapefruit and marascino or maraschine liqueur. I like to host a Hemingway Cocktail Party and have my guests vote which one they enjoy the most!



Version 1.of the Papa Doble

It is widely known that Ernest Hemingway enjoyed a drink or two and that he was quite picky about what he was drinking - he definitely had his preferences and the Daiquiri was one of them. In 1921 Contstanino Ribailagua, of El Floridita in Havana, created this variation in honor of his Daiquiri-loving regular. At the bar it was often served frozen and that's easy to do, just add 3/4-1 cup of ice to a blender. For Hemingway himself the Hemingway Daiquiri (or Papa Doble) was served without sugar and is almost always printed that way although most people prefer the sweetness.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz white rum

• 1/4 oz maraschino liqueur

• 1/2 oz grapefruit juice

• 3/4 oz lime juice

• 3/4 oz simple syrup

•

Preparation:

1. Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.

2. Shake well.

3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.




Version 2 of the Papa Doble

Floridita Daiquire or Papa Doble

John Apodaca of Daddy-O’s Martinis has tried to eliminate the controversy and confusion over the recipe for the La Floridita Daiquiri also called the E. Hemingway or Papa Doble that was invented in the La Floridita bar in Havana Cuba in 1934. This bar is where Ernest Hemingway would drink this concoction invented by the then head bartender and later owner Constantino Ribalaigua. There was a 1934 edition of a souvenir hand book of the cocktails from this bar with the recipe for this drink and later additions with similar drinks and American versions with misinterpretations due to a translation error. The original ingredients include light rum, juice of 1/2 a lime, sugar or sugar syrup and and maraschino liqueur blended with ice.



When Americans had translated the recipe, the word for lime in Spanish is limon verde here in the States that was interpreted as lemon thus the first error. Another version added half a grapefruit and some even thought of using maraschino juice from the jar of cherries and even blending it with ice in a machine, that's how far it has gone. In Ted Haigh's book Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails he's researched the matter, found the various errors, additions, number of recipes and has found the original cocktail that was a favorite of Ernest Hemingway.



Floridita Daiquire or Papa Doble



2 oz of light rum such as Bacardi silver or Havanan Club, Brugal.

Juice of half a lime ( if the lime is small use a whole thing)

1 teaspoon of powdered sugar or simple syrup

1 teaspoon of maraschino liqueur.



Graue Mill Recipes
CORN BREAD - CORN MUFFINS - CORN STICKS

1 cup milk, 1 cup cornmeal, 1 egg, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt.

Sift flour and baking powder, mix in milk and eggs, stir in cornmeal; add remaining ingredients in order and bake in well-greased pan in 425" oven for about 20 minutes. May bake in 8X8 pan and cut into squares.



CORNMEAL GRIDDLE CAKES

2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, ½ cup cornmeal, 1 ½ cups milk, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 2 eggs separated, 1 teaspoon salt, 4 tablespons melted butter.

Combine dry ingredients, add milk, egg yorks, butter and egg whites, stiffly beaten. Bake on greased griddle.



CORN DOGGERS

1 cup cornmeal, 1 rounded tablespoon butter, 2 cups boiling water, 1 beaten eggs, ½ teaspoon salt.

Pour boiling water over cornmeal and cook slowly for 3 or 4 minutes. Remove from fire and add salt, butter and egg. Mix thoroughly. Drop a teaspoon at a time on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 40 minutes in 350° oven or until delicately brown. If desired, add grated cheese to mixture. Very tasty when served on a canapé tray.


Enjoy!

Diane Gilbert Madsen

www.dianegilbertmadsen.com

Hunting for Hemingway

ExcerpTuesday Larian Wills

Blurb and excerpt, pg, from “It’s Still Tomorrow”


Fired from her job, her apartment firebombed, and her small amount of money dwindling too quickly, Sarah ran. Knowing that the terror would follow, she took the only refuge available to her, an unfinished house she’d inherited. She didn’t know she would also inherit a long legged hunk of good looking man that would set off every buried desire she’d ever had. Her vow to never practice witchcraft again ended when the terror threatened Dem. Her enemies learned that like vicious dogs, they should have let the sleeping witch lie.

She sat on the floor, one knee raised, elbow on the knee and hand hanging in front of her. She rubbed her thumb and fingers together furiously while she stared at a microwave in pieces in front of her.

“What are you doing?” he asked, wondering if the micro meant she was considering eating something cooked besides a hard-boiled egg.

“Just about giving up.” She pointed at the innards. “It worked fine when I put it in the car. Now it won’t even light up the display. I thought it might be a loose wire or fuse of some kind, but I can’t find anything.”

As she unplugged it by jerking the cord, he said dryly, “Maybe the plug is bad.”

“Tried that; put on a new one.” She turned the chassis to give herself a different angle and began pressing and pushing every connection she could see.

“Did you test the wall plug?”

“Clock worked fine,” she answered in preoccupation.

“I think you’re fighting a lost cause,” he told her going to the door. “You’ve got a new one anyway, when I can get to it. I’m going to hang the light over the mirror so the power will be off.”

Still preoccupied, she said slowly, “Don’t touch the…” Realizing he was already gone, she lunged up and ran. “Don’t touch the…”

She wasn’t talking or running fast enough. Dem touched the main lever on the breaker box, and his arm flew back as he yowled. She skidded to a stop behind him.

“Oops,” she said with a grimace as he backed off, shaking his arm.

“Oops!” he shouted at her furiously. “What the hell did you do?” Looking at the wire wrapped around the base of the lever to the battery it came from, he didn’t wait for an answer. “You shock wired it to a battery for an electric fence strong enough to knock a horse down?”

“Only jolt,” she answered. “Here, let me—”

She started towards him, reaching for his arm, and Dem backed away.

“What the hell did you shock wire it for?” he demanded, wondering also when she had done it.

“Stand still,” Sara ordered, catching him with one hand at his shoulder and the other at his wrist.

He stood only to avoid a wrestling match. Okay, so her hands felt cool as she ran them from his throbbing shoulder to his fingertips. Each time the throbbing from the high voltage shock lessening, like she was rubbing it out, down his arm and out his fingertips. It felt good, too good.

“That’s fine,” he told her abruptly and backed away. “Now tell me what’s going on.”

“You don’t want to know,” she said without resentment, leaning down to turn off the charge box for a system normally used to keep obstinate livestock in a fence. She flipped off the main, adding, “You want to complete your obligation, stay uninvolved, and get on with your life.”

He did. That had been exactly his intention and precisely why he hadn’t asked any questions about the things he had noticed. “You should report it,” he retorted defensively. It wasn’t his responsibility. It was the sheriff department’s.

“Naw,” she said slowly. “One of those ‘living in the country is different than living in the city’ lectures was enough for me, thank you.” She pointed at the charge box before walking away. “Don’t forget to turn it back on when you’re through.”

Following behind her, he told her, “Not everyone in the sheriff’s department is an ass. Hodges is…”

“The one they keep referring me to,” she finished for him. “He figures I can’t tell the difference between a dog shape and a man shape.”

Dem grabbed her shoulder to stop her, jerked back, and yowled again.

“Now,” she stated, turning back to face him, “you’re being a baby.”

“It surprised me,” he retorted. “You don’t expect to get shocked from touching someone.”

“Static electricity.”

Dem suppressed a desire to growl while asking, “Who’s doing it?”

“Don’t know and you are right, it’s not your problem.” She walked off five feet before she turned back. “Is it safe to ask a question?”

“What?” he growled, since he hadn’t said it wasn’t his problem even if he had been thinking it.

“It can wait,” she said with a flip of her eyebrows and walked off.

It took four of her steps with him following before Dem could take a deep breath and release it slowly. “What?” he asked again in a softer tone.

“I just wondered if you could put in the pantry shelves next.”

“I thought you’d want the kitchen so you can cook.”

“I never cook if I don’t have to. I would like a refrigerator though. Since I have a microwave, dare I hope one of those, too?”

“All of the appliances.”

“Can you get to it?”

“Not until after I move the cabinets.” He walked off. “I’ll start bringing them over in the morning. Turn your power back on. I’m through for the day.”

She returned to the box, flipped switches for the power and her booby trap, then stood staring at the space where he had been, the fingers and thumb of both hands working furiously. Even though the bland, empty expression on her face didn’t change, the motion began to slow but the pressure increased. When she did move, it was inside to the disassembled microwave. With both index fingers extended and the rest in a fist, she touched the offending appliance. Sparks flew, and there was a loud crack.

“If you don’t work now,” she told it calmly, “you’re going in the garbage.”

This week on my blog

Coming to this blog this week are:
Larian
Diane Madsen
Diane Scott Lewis

Stay tuned.

Authorsday - Donna Crow

Thank you so much, Chris, for inviting me to guest on your blog in celebration of the North American release of my ecclesiastical thriller A VERY PRIVATE GRAVE. Since it released in the UK in June the wait until September has seemed very long so I’m ready to celebrate! Tea and truffles, anybody?



1. How did you pick the genre you write in?
I hope it doesn’t sound too cliched to say that the genre, or really subgenre, chose me. I have written in many genres: romance, historical, mystery, children’s, cookbooks, plays, nonfiction. . . But when it came to telling the story of St. Cuthbert’s strange journey the ecclesiastical thriller just seemed to fit the adventure I wanted to share with my readers.

2. Do you plot or do you write by the seat of your pants?

Because my stories are always heavily based on my research, and my research in England is 7000 miles away from my home in Idaho, I have to have a pretty good grasp of what places I’m going to need to visit before I set out. The story unfolds from there. In the case of A VERY PRIVATE GRAVE because Felicity and Antony have to follow the trail of St. Cuthbert’s posthumous journey to find and rescue the treasure amassed around his relics, the general outline of my plot was set centuries ago.

3. What drew you to the subject of A VERY PRIVATE GRAVE?

I first visited the magical cathedral city of Durham 25 years ago as a side trip to other research I was doing. As soon as I heard St. Cuthbert’s strange story I knew I wanted to tell it. I had actually signed a contract to write this book (something similar) three times before it took its present shape and found a home with Monarch Books. One time my editor moved, another time the contrct was unacceptable, another time we decided to go ahead with a different story. But always I wanted to tell this story.

4. What was the name of the first novel you wrote?

My first novel was BRANDLEY’S SEARCH an historical romance. Writing it was a wonderful experience because I got the character of Brandley in my head after reading Gerogette Heyer’s VENETIA. It was like being pregnant. That story had to come out. I wish all my stories would just present themselves like that.

Did you try to publish it?
Oh, yes, but not until I had written several other books. I had to learn my craft and rewrite it about 100 times. BRANDLEY’S SEARCH became Book #3 in The Cambridge Chronicles and was later reissued as WHERE LOVE BEGINS.

5. What was the best writing advice someone gave you?

The same advice I pass on to any beginning writer who asks me: Write from your passion.



6. Describe your book.

Felicity Howard, a young American studying for the Anglican priesthood at the College of the Transfiguration in Yorkshire, is devastated when she finds her beloved Fr. Dominic brutally murdered and Fr. Antony, her church history lecturer, soaked in his blood.

A Very Private Grave is a contemporary novel with a thoroughly modern heroine who must learn some ageless truths in order to solve the mystery and save her own life as she and Fr. Antony flee a murderer and follow clues that take them to out-of-the way sites in northern England and southern Scotland. The narrative mixes detection, intellectual puzzles, spiritual aspiration, romance, and the solving of clues ancient and modern.

7. What do you consider your strengths in terms of your writing?

Background is one of the most important aspects of a novel to me, whether I’m reading or writing. I always look for well-developed backgrounds in interesting locations when choosing a book and I try to deliver that to my readers. I try very hard never to write about a place I haven’t actually visited. Then I try to share that experience with my readers by giving them a “you are there” experience.



8. What do you consider your weakness and what strategies do you use to overcome it?

Plotting is always the hardest thing for me when writing and the thing I find least memorable when reading. I once told an editor that and said, “I suppose I should read more thrillers.” He ardently agreed and sent me a box of books by John D. MacDonald to get me started. I continue to read good mysteries to get my own creative juices flowing. I also cheat a bit by using historical events as often as I can, so I don’t have to make it up.



9. What authors do you admire?

Dorothy L Sayers is my all-time favorite mystery writer, but I try to read widely in my subgenre of clerical mysteries: Kate Charles, Phil Rickman, Julia Spencer-Fleming, Susan Howatch. I have just discovered a wonderful new (to me) writer Andrew Nugent, an Irish Benedicting monk. I believe P. D. James has written the all-time best clerical mystery in her DEATH IN HOLY ORDERS.



10. What was your favorite scene to write?

To me a great deal of the fun of writing The Monastery Murders Series is going to be growing Felicity up. She starts out thinking she knows everything, which gets her into some very interesting spots. It gradually it dawns on her that she has a bit to learn. I love an early scene in Private Grave where she has discovered her flat turned upside down by, she assumes, some male, cassock-clad fellow ordinands:

Was this an anti-women-clergy thing? Had she underestimated the extent of the resentment? Or was it an anti-American thing? The American president was widely unpopular in England. Had he done something to trigger an anti-American demonstration? Felicity would be the last to know. She never turned on the news.

Well, whatever it was, she would show them. If someone in the college thought they could scare her off by flinging a few books around she’d give them something new to think about. She stormed out, slamming her door hard enough to rattle the glass pane and strode up the hill at twice the speed she had run down it, her mind seething. If those self-righteous prigs who posed as her fellow students thought they could put her off with some sophomoric trick—

She approached the college building, practicing the speech she would deliver to all assembled for dinner in the refectory: “Now listen up, you lot! If you think you can push me around just because your skirts are longer than mine. . .”


Praise for A VERY PRIVATE GRAVE

“A Knickerbocker Glory of a thriller. At its centre is a sweeping, page-turning quest through the atmospherically-depicted North of England, served up with dollops of Church history and lashings of romance. Donna Fletcher Crow has created her own niche within the genre of clerical mysteries."

--Kate Charles, Deep Waters

"History and mystery and murders most foul keep the pages turning in A Very Private Grave. Two scholars, Felicity and Antony, embark on an unusual spiritual pilgrimage, following the journey of Saint Cuthbert, even as they're pursued by friends and foes, who don't reveal their true colors to the very end. A fascinating read."

--Liz Curtis Higgs, Thorn in My Heart



Amazon USA

Donna Fletcher Crow is the author of 35 books, mostly novels dealing with British history. The award-winning GLASTONBURY is her best-known work, an Arthurian grail search epic covering 15 centuries of English history. A VERY PRIVATE GRAVE, book 1 in the Monastery Murders series is her reentry into publishing after a 10 year hiatus. THE SHADOW OF REALITY, Book 1 The Elizabeth & Richard Mysteries, is a romantic intrigue available on Ebook.

Donna and her husband have 4 adult children and 10 grandchildren. She is an enthusiastic gardener. To see the book video and pictures from Donna’s research trips go to www.DonnaFletcherCrow.com

Recipe Wednesday -Ratatouille

Vijaya Schartz, here. Like all French people, I love cooking, and this is my favorite recipe: FRENCH RATATOUILLE, from the south of France, Provence, to be exact.

FRENCH RATATOUILLE:

Ingredients:



Mild Italian sausage

Zucchini

Eggplant

Red bell pepper

Green bell pepper

Onions

Tomatoes



Seasoning:

Basil, Tarragon, Thyme, Garlic, Olive oil, salt, pepper.



In a frying pan, pour olive oil and heat. Brown the diced sausage on medium heat.

In a large deep pan, pour some olive oil and sauté diced onions until golden.

Dice all the vegetables. When sausage is brown, dump the grease and throw the sausage with the onions and the vegetables in the larger pan (or in a crock pot). Add herbs, salt and pepper, mix well and cook for 2 or 3 hours on low heat (longer in a crock pot).



Serve hot, on brown rice if desired. Also excellent reheated.





Vijaya Schartz bio:



Born in France, award-winning author Vijaya Schartz never conformed to anything and could never refuse a challenge. She likes action and exotic settings, in life and on the page. She traveled the world and claims she comes from the future. Her books collected many five star reviews and literary awards. She makes you believe you actually lived these extraordinary adventures among her characters. Her stories have been compared to Indiana Jones with sizzling romance. So, go ahead, dare to experience the magic, and she will keep you entranced, turning the pages until the last line. Find more at http://www.vijayaschartz.com





CHRONICLES OF KASSOUK – Book Two – RED LEOPARD



In charge of the fortress of Kassouk in the King's absence, what is Terek to do when a Goddian spacecraft lands in his medieval backyard, and the striking woman leading the galactic party insists on colonization?

Galya, the Goddian Princess commanding the geological vessel, is bent on finding a crystal with unusual hyperconductor properties. And the futile resistance of the local population isn’t going to stop her. Not even that defiant tribal chief nicknamed Red Leopard, like the infernal feline that follows him everywhere.



Terek and his band of swordsmen and felines must defend their people’s freedom, no matter the cost. But with this unexpected arrival, an old prophecy surfaces, taking new meaning and carrying a new threat...



When political intrigues, greed, murder and betrayal tip the scales, whom can Galya really trust? Her fellow Goddians? the Mutants bred to serve her race? or her primitive Human enemy?

ExcerpTuesday - Rosanne Dowell

Roseanne Dowell is an avid reader and writes various types of romance - paranormal, contemporary, and mystery. She has several books published as well as over 40 articles and short stories published in magazines such as Good Old Days, Nostalgia, and Ohio Writer and several online publications. Besides teaching writing courses for Long Story School of Writing www.lsswritingschool.com ,she also taught two writing courses for the Encore Program at Cuyahoga Community College.


Roseanne lives in Northeast Ohio and where she enjoys life as a wife, mother of six, grandmother of fourteen and great grandmother of one. Besides writing, Roseanne enjoys embroidery and quilting, especially combining the two.

Visit Roseanne at her website www.roseannedowell.com or her blog http://roseannedowellauthor.blogspot.com/
Wendy waited at the elevator until he got his key and headed towards her.


“Bill, I was thinking, and…uh...if you still want to have that drink, give me a few minutes to freshen up and I’ll meet you in the bar.”

“I don’t know about you, but I could go for a bite to eat, too. I haven’t had dinner yet.”

Wendy shrugged. Why not? Why look a gift horse in the mouth? “Sure, sounds good.”

The elevator door opened and they stepped in. Wendy pushed three. “What floor?”

“Three. Looks like we’re neighbors.”

Wendy couldn’t believe it. This was too eerie. As long as he wasn’t right next door. That was just too close for comfort.

The elevator doors opened and Wendy stepped into the hall and turned to the left. Bill followed behind. Wonderful, his room was in the same corridor as hers. She stopped in front of room 324. “I’ll see you downstairs in...” she looked at her watch. “Say fifteen minutes?”

Bill looked at her, a silly, lopsided grin on his face. “You aren’t going to believe this.”

“What?”

He held out his key envelope. Room 324 was stamped on it.

“No way!” This absolutely couldn’t be happening. “There had to be some mistake.” She blocked the doorway. “Look, I don’t know how this happened, but no way am I sharing a room with you. I suggest you go back to the desk and sort it out.”

Bill leaned against the doorframe and smiled. “I’m afraid you have no choice. According to the clerk when I registered, this was the last room.” He straightened up and crossed his arms over his chest. “And I’m not sleeping in the lobby.” He reached around her and inserted his key card, pushed the door open and went inside.

He walked toward the farthest bed and threw his duffel bag on the chair. “I’ll take this one.” He fell on the bed and leaned back, putting his hands behind his head.

Wendy stood at the door. “Oh no, you don’t. Damn it! I AM NOT sharing a room with you.” She dropped her bag near the doorway and hurried into the room. She picked up his duffel bag, walked to the door and set it out in the hall. “Sorry, Mr. Johnson, but this is my room.”

Thanks Roseanne for stopping by.

Authorsday - Chicki Brown

Today I welcome author Chicki Brown.
Chicki Brown began writing in response to an inner urge to record the stories that had been accumulating in her head. A job layoff nudged her into the decision to write full time. She is the author of Have You Seen Her? a contemporary, multicultural romance and is currently working on her eighth manuscript.

A New Jersey native, and the mother of two grown daughters, she and her husband live in metro Atlanta, Georgia.

Her web site is http://www.chicki663.webs.com/.
1. How long have you been writing?


Back in 2002, while I was working for a company that was experiencing a downturn in business. In an effort to keep myself occupied, I began typing a story that had popped into my head, which gradually morphed into a 400-page novel. The company laid me off a few months later, and I haven’t stopped writing since.

2. Do you plot or write by the seat of your pants?

I am definitely a plotter. The first thing I do before I write a word is to do a rough outline of the story. Next I complete character profiles for all of the main and secondary characters. Once I figure out the setting, I start researching the city, neighborhood, etc. The research continues as the story unfolds.

3. Why did you pick the publisher that ultimately published your work?

My decision was a long time coming. For several years I submitted to agents and editors on my own without success. I signed with an agent who didn’t sell a thing for me for two years. I terminated our relationship and recently signed with a well-known New York agent who is interested in my current manuscripts.

I had been reading author Joe Konrath’s wonderful blog for the past few years, and was fascinated by his experience publishing directly to Amazon’s Kindle. As a result, I decided to perform an experiment of my own by publishing my debut novel through Amazon’s Digital Text Platform. With them I control the content, the cover and the price. The freedom to get my work out to readers is exhilarating.

4. What do you consider your strengths in terms of writing?

Dialogue is definitely my strength. I love recording the conversations I hear in my head between characters. Strangely, I’ve been told by my critique partners that I write male dialogue particularly well. Go figure. 

5. What do you consider your weakness and what strategies do you use to overcome it?

My weakness is pacing. If I’m not careful my stories can wander in the middle. Thankfully my critique partners are faithful to alert me when the pacing begins to lag.

6. What’s your favorite quote?

My favorite writing quote is from Nora Roberts, “If you need to believe in the muse, let’s say, fine and dandy. Whatever works for you. But don’t tell me you can’t work today because the muse has left you. Go track down that fickle slut, drag her back, chain her to your keyboard, and get to work.”

My favorite non-writing quote is from the Bible, “Blessed is she who has believed, for there shall be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.” – Luke 1:45

7. What three things would you want with you on a desert island?

A knife (for food and protection)

A box of 5,000 matches (for cooking and warmth)

My Bible (for comfort and focus). They are all necessary for survival.

8. What’s your favorite thing about your book?

My hero, Taylor Villanova, the delicious bi-racial nightclub bouncer. He’s a real alpha male, and I had a ball writing him. Even though wrote this story almost three years ago, and I can still visualize his every move in different scenes. There is one particular scene where Dani sees him in a club where a certain song is playing. Every time I hear that song, the details of the scene flash back into my mind.

9. Who is your greatest cheerleader?

The ladies in my critique group. They assist, correct, encourage and most of all, understand me. I couldn’t find a better group of women anywhere in the world. We’ve been working together for several years now.

10. Where do you write?

Mostly away from home. Even though I have a lovely home office, it’s a must that I get away from the Internet, because I am very easily distracted. If I’m anywhere near a computer, I compulsively check my e-mail, read Facebook and Twitter messages and visit blogs. In order to get any work done, I take my AlphaSmart and head to Atlanta Bread Company, my favorite spot to write. Also, when the weather is cool enough (I’m in Hotlanta), I drive to a local lake and park by the water.


Thanks for this opportunity to share my book with your readers, Chris.
Marcia Hadley, Santa Barbara, California socialite has been married for seven years to the heir of a family fortune. He sees to it that she has the finest home, cars and clothes. Yet that isn’t enough to keep Marcia from running.

------

Dani Reynolds, Atlantic City nightclub cocktail waitress works on her feet seven hours a night, five days a week for less than minimum wage in a crowded, smoky nightclub. She lives in an aging, run-down apartment, rides the city bus, and she’s happier than she’s ever been.

Marcia and Dani have more in common than anyone could imagine. They are the same woman.

Only Taylor Villanova, the club’s sexy bouncer can help her reconcile her two distinct personas, face her greatest fear and discover a love greater than she’d ever imagined.

Recipe Wednesday

Vijaya Schartz, here. Like all French people, I love cooking, and this is my favorite recipe: FRENCH RATATOUILLE, from the south of France, Provence, to be exact. (Chris here. I'm going to gush. I LOVE France. French cooking. French wine. French people. C'est bon!)

FRENCH RATATOUILLE:

Ingredients:

Mild Italian sausage
Zucchini
Eggplant
Red bell pepper
Green bell pepper
Onions
Tomatoes


Seasoning:

Basil, Tarragon, Thyme, Garlic, Olive oil, salt, pepper.

In a frying pan, pour olive oil and heat. Brown the diced sausage on medium heat.

In a large deep pan, pour some olive oil and sauté diced onions until golden.

Dice all the vegetables. When sausage is brown, dump the grease and throw the sausage with the onions and the vegetables in the larger pan (or in a crock pot). Add herbs, salt and pepper, mix well and cook for 2 or 3 hours on low heat (longer in a crock pot).

Serve hot, on brown rice if desired. Also excellent reheated.

Vijaya Schartz bio:

Born in France, award-winning author Vijaya Schartz never conformed to anything and could never refuse a challenge. She likes action and exotic settings, in life and on the page. She traveled the world and claims she comes from the future. Her books collected many five star reviews and literary awards. She makes you believe you actually lived these extraordinary adventures among her characters. Her stories have been compared to Indiana Jones with sizzling romance. So, go ahead, dare to experience the magic, and she will keep you entranced, turning the pages until the last line. Find more at http://www.vijayaschartz.com

CHRONICLES OF KASSOUK – Book Two – RED LEOPARD

In charge of the fortress of Kassouk in the King's absence, what is Terek to do when a Goddian spacecraft lands in his medieval backyard, and the striking woman leading the galactic party insists on colonization?



Galya, the Goddian Princess commanding the geological vessel, is bent on finding a crystal with unusual hyperconductor properties. And the futile resistance of the local population isn’t going to stop her. Not even that defiant tribal chief nicknamed Red Leopard, like the infernal feline that follows him everywhere.



Terek and his band of swordsmen and felines must defend their people’s freedom, no matter the cost. But with this unexpected arrival, an old prophecy surfaces, taking new meaning and carrying a new threat...



When political intrigues, greed, murder and betrayal tip the scales, whom can Galya really trust? Her fellow Goddians? the Mutants bred to serve her race? or her primitive Human enemy?




In charge of the fortress of Kassouk in the King's absence, what is Terek to do when a Goddian spacecraft lands in his medieval backyard, and the striking woman leading the galactic party insists on colonization?

Galya, the Goddian Princess commanding the geological vessel, is bent on finding a crystal with unusual hyper-conductor properties. And the futile resistance of the local population isn’t going to stop her. Not even that defiant tribal chief nicknamed Red Leopard, like the infernal feline that follows him everywhere.

Terek and his band of swordsmen and felines must defend their people’s freedom, no matter the cost. But with this unexpected arrival, an old prophecy surfaces, taking new meaning and carrying a new threat...

When political intrigues, greed, murder and betrayal tip the scales, whom can Galya really trust? Her fellow Goddians? the Mutants bred to serve her race? or her primitive Human enemy?

ExcerpTuesday - Firebrand

Today you get two for the price of one. P.K. Eden are two friends of mine who write together. (And model their elves after me.)
FIREBRAND

By P. K. Eden

(Patt Mihailoff and Kathye Quick)

Amber Drake is the only person who can save three worlds from annihilation.

Only she doesn’t know it yet.



When the Garden fell at the beginning of time, the First One divided what was left into three:

Humans – administered by the descendents of the Adam and Eve

The Fae – watched over and protected by those who came from the Angel of the Garden

Trolls – ruled by those who evolved from the Snake who tempted

Each world was given a sword to protect those who would come and hope for the future in the form of a prophecy that foretold the coming of one born of all three bloodlines who could bring peace and harmony to all worlds and restore the Garden to glory.

But the tribred’s birth also initiates a series of events that start the Arpeggio Clock to begin the countdown to Armageddon and not everyone wants the clock to stop.


available by download at www.cerridwenpress.com

ISBN 9781419911323

A Cerridwen Press Publication

FIREBRAND Excerpt


The light was gone and so was Amber.

David felt the sharp edge of a rock sting his back but his right leg hung down, dangling in open air. Rolling to his left, he repositioned himself so he lay flat on his stomach. Leveling his gaze, he discovered he was on a stone ledge overlooking a deep precipice. He rose to one knee and rested his arm on his thigh as he tried to grasp some measure of reason.

He looked out over the barren landscape. Mountains of rock rose and fell before his eyes as the ground shook, the tremors rocking him from side to side. He held out his arms for balance until the shaking stopped. Below him fissures sliced the ground, the earth bleeding great rivers of molten rock running in lava streams in all directions.

Where was he and where was Amber?

Above him, he could hear men shouting and horses snorting in response to the sharp crack of splitting rock. “Here,” he shouted. “Down here!”

From overhead, a rope snaked its way toward him. “Grab on,” a voice called out in response to his cries.

David looped the end around his wrist. “Ready!” he called out. A moment later he dangled above the crag as his ally pulled him upward. At the top, a strong arm reached out and grabbed him, dragging him out of the air and across the edge of the pit. Once on solid ground he rolled onto his back and looked up into the face of his rescuer. “Father!” he cried, springing to his feet.

Sean McTavish grabbed his son solidly by the shoulders. “I’m glad you’re here, me boy.”

They clasped forearms in a firm greeting of father and son as a shadow fell over them. They looked up in unison. A winged shape passed overhead like a black cloud passing in front of the moon. Several of the soldiers nearby crouched, holding their arms above their heads as if to ward off a blow from above.

“The Dullahan,” Sean said. “The messenger of Gorash. The storm is coming. His army is close.”

“Have you seen Amber?” David asked above the ever-building wind. “We were together when she activated the Triad altar I was holding her, I swear I was, and then she was just gone.”

Sean could feel the overpowering anguish within his son and was about to offer what comfort he could when suddenly the earth shook with in a deafening rumble as a halo of light rose just beyond the gathering.

“Prepare yourself, son. It has begun.” He turned and as he did, the line of men behind him parted, a path appearing that led toward the glow.

He looked at his father’s face. Sean nodded slowly and David took off running toward the light. When he got to the corona, he dropped to his knees. He extended his hand toward the radiance. A single word rose above all other sounds swirling in the darkness.

“Amber!”
________
P. K. Eden

P. K. Eden is the alter ego of writing partners Patt Milhailoff and Kathye Quick. From a mutual interest in fantasy and a love of the sci-fi channel, P. K. Eden was born in the living room of Patt Mihailoff’s home. Firebrand is the result of that unique blending of writing styles.

Kathryn Quick

Bio

Kathryn Quick writes contemporary and career romances for Avalon Books and romantic comedy for Wings Press. She is a founding member of Liberty States Fiction Writers. An organization formed to help further fiction writing in all genres.


Kathye’s fifth hardcover romance, ‘Tis The Season (Avalon Books), a holiday romance complete with Santa Claus, a sleigh ride and a New England snowfall. ‘Tis The Season was a 2006 HOLT Medallion finalist. Avalon has just released Kathye’s a three book contemporary romance series, GRANDMOTHER’S RINGS, a series that follows the Archer family and their quest to find love using rings given to them by their Grandmother. The books are entitled Amethyst, Sapphire and Citrine, the real-life birthstones of Kathye’s family. She is pleased that Sapphire was a 2010 National readers Choice finalist.


Kathye considers meeting Patt Mihailoff, the other half of the P. K. Eden writing team, only of the most extraordinary things in her life. With Patt as her writing partner, Kathye can release her interest in fantasy and love of the sci-fi channel onto paper. This unique partnership produced Firebrand, the first in what they hope is a three book series called The Treamen of Eden.



In her “other” life, Kathye works for Somerset County government. She is married with three sons.

Patt Milhailoff

Bio

2009 RWA/NYC Author of the Year, Patt Milhailoff, credits her mother for listening to her stories when she was young and encouraging her to do whatever she wanted to do. Always having a love of storytelling, she decided to enter a contest in Essence Magazine, which led her to begin her career in writing

Her first novel, Ring Dancer’s Destiny was released in October 2007 with Cerridwen Press. Upcoming releases include in 2007 The Baby Papers from Cerridwen press and for 2008 Zane’s Caramel Flava II and a C.N. Nesbitt’s powerful, A Dream Deferred Anthology from Streber Books/Simon and Schuster.

Because the cosmos are ever changing, the forces blew apart and released Kathye Quick into her life. An amazing turn of events led them to write their debut novel Firebrand released in Print in May 2010 by Wings ePress. This work of fantasy but realism to their lives and forged and unbreakable friendship and they are preparing for sequels to their novel.

Patt lives in Hillsborough, NJ with her husband, George.

I'm in Pandora's Box