Tuna Noodle Casserole - recipe

Terry White’s Tuna Noodle Salad

2 cups macaroni, uncooked
½ cup low-fat mayonnaise
1 can tuna packed in water, drained
1 can peas drained, or 1 cup leftover peas
1 cup diced celery, or 1 tsp celery seed
½ teaspoon coarse ground pepper
½ teaspoon salt
Diced onion to taste.

Boil macaroni in salted water, drain and chill. Add other ingredients and mix well. A good one-dish meal on a hot day. Most of the salt goes down the drain. This will keep in the refrigerator for two or three days. Makes enough for four.

Contributed by Terry L. White author of FIRST WALTZ, the latest title in the Chesapeake Heritage Series.

Catching UP!

Books that went to press, or back to press this week:

ALL ABOUT ME...ROOTIE'S HOUSE, by Elaine Simmons, done for Pig-E Arts Press.


Galleys that went out, or went out again:

SNOW ESCAPE, by Roberta Goodman


Galleys still with the authors:

DRAGON SPEAKER, by Ray Morand


Work began or continued on the following:

HIDDEN GOLD OF MU, Milton Brown, print

GHOST AT STALLION'S GATE, e-book editions

A FRIGHT OF GHOSTS, by Helen Chappell, e-book

LOOKING FOR MIDNIGHT, by helen Chappell, e-book

PORTALS, by Eleanor Cross, print

CLASS REUNION, by Michael E. Field, print

SNIPER ON THE ROOF, by Warren Graffeo, print


Best Sellers at Fictionwise, for Write Words, Inc. books only:

Best Sellers for ebooksonthe.net

Based on data gathered within the last 20 days. Icon explanations 1. A Medic in Iraq: A Novel of the Iraq War by Cole Bolchoz [Mainstream] 2. Memoirs of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs [People] 3. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie [Mystery/Crime/Classic Literature] 4. Dark Pool [Sequel to Banners of Alba] by Jen Black [Historical Fiction] 5. Calamity Jane by Martha Jane Cannary [History] 6. Lilah and the Locket by Nikki Leigh [Mystery/Crime] 7. Diary of a Teenage Hustler by Edward Petty [People] 8. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen [Romance/Classic Literature] 9. Modified by Ray Morand [Science Fiction] 10. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte [Classic Literature/Romance]

Highest Rated for ebooksonthe.net

Based on highest average ratings by at least 5 readers. Icon explanations 1. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett [Classic Literature/Children's Fiction] 2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen [Classic Literature] 3. Minder's Oath [High Places Series: Book 2] by Nina M. Osier [Science Fiction/Mainstream] 4. Ghost Dancer by Arline Chase [Historical Fiction] 5. Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini [Suspense/Thriller/Classic Literature] 6. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie [Mystery/Crime/Classic Literature] 7. The Secret Adversary [Tommy and Tuppence Book 1] by Agatha Christie [Classic Literature] 8. Dark Elf: [Book 2 of the Red Knight Chronicles] by Ray Morand [Science Fiction/Mainstream] 9. Slow Dancing with the Angel of Death [Hollis Ball and Sam Westcott Series Book 1] by Helen Chappel [Mystery/Crime/Humor] 10. Tortured Souls [Arbiter Series Book 2] by Matthew L. Schoonover [Horror]

Lemon Balm Tea -- recipe

Kate Stanhope's Lemon Balm Tea (Non-Poisonous)

2 cups boiling water
3 tbsp lemon balm leaves
Honey to taste
Few drops of lemon juice

Wash the lemon balm leaves and put them in a tall drinking glass. Pour 2 cups of boiling water over the leaves. Strain. Add Tbsp of honey and 1/4 Tsp of fresh lemon juice. This is good for frazzled nerves, headaches and is an all-around delightful drink.

Contributed by Nancy Madison, author of Clues to Love...Investigating a murder, DCI Nick Connor concludes Kate was the intended victim....While Nick struggles to find the elusive killer, he falls in love with Kate, in spite of his vow to never love again. Can Nick catch the killer before he finds Kate?

Is My Character Stupid? --question from the e-mail

Question: People in my writer's group complain that my character acts like a nitwit. She takes stupid chances and ought to just go and call the police. But that wouldn't help my story at all. I write romantic suspense. She has to be the one to solve the mystery. What can I do?

Answer: Sounds like a motivation problem to me. Motivation is the reason characters do things, plain and simple.

You can let a character make any kind of foolish decision or take any kind of dangerous chance if you give them a good enough reason for the reader to feel as if they might have done the same thing in the given circumstances.

In a nutshell, to coin a cliche, that is motivation. Good characters keep secrets, tell lies, and take risks for good reasons. (Thank YOU Alice Orr, for teaching me that, a long time ago.) Bad characters keep secrets, tell lies, and take risks, for bad reasons. But they all have a REASON to keep secrets, take risks, and tell lies.

That reason is the character’s motivation. One reason writers of romantic suspense get criticized is because the dimwit heroine always goes blindly into the House of Hell that is obviously filled with weird characters and murderers, just because she is determined to solve the mystery herself, when any sane person would go away and be safe. If she does that go on her own, she’s an Idiot!!

Now suppose her baby sister is inside and the heroine has been told her sister will die if she calls the police, then she has a Good Reason to go sneaking around Hell House trying to find out stuff on her own.

IWWG Problems and recipe

Yesterday, members of IWWG received a notice from the Board of Directors that all future IWWG conferences and events were cancelled forthwith and that a lawsuit has been filed against the organization. Members were give an e-mail address where they could post their "thoughts."

I have recommended this organization to women writers of my acquaintance since 1978 when I joined. Over the entirety of my time as a woman writer, I have found IWWG to be an invaluable resource to one and all and because of the Guild and the women I met there, I am a far better person than I might have been otherwise.

Today, I sent my thoughts to the organization. Those thoughts may or may not be correct and have no place being discussed in an open forum such as this one. Such thoughts and ideas should be confined to the membership and the Board. It is the duty of the Board, and of all the individuals involved to find a solution to any problems in a manner that will not "throw the baby out with the bath water."

My thoughts are on record with them. Yes, I made assumptions. Yes, they may be in error.

If so, I plan to cook and eat the following:

Crow Casserole

6 to 8 Crow breasts (Discard the rest of the crows)
6 or 8, Bacon strips
2 medium or one Large Onions, diced
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
4 cups Ritz crackers, crushed
3/4 to 1 cup white cooking wine
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Bay leaf.

Remove crow breasts. Soak overnight in salt water to remove the "wild" taste. Parboil for 1/2 hour. Brown in butter. In a Covered Casserole, place a bed of 1 1/2 inches of crushed Ritz crackers, a layer of chopped onion. Place crow breasts on top and sprinkle with powered garlic.

Cover each breast with bacon strips. Add Bay Leaf. Cover with more of onions and more cracker crumbs. Pour white wine over the whole thing. Cover tightly and Bake for 2 hours at 350 degrees.

If it still tastes like crow, you did something wrong.

Serve to any and all friends who speak before they have all the facts.

Catching UP!

What with the computer virus, not a lot got done this week.

No books went to press, or back to press. No paper or e-books at all.


Galleys went out, or went out again, on the following:

DRAGON SPEAKER, by Ray Morand.

SNOW ESCAPE, by Roberta Goodman.



Work continued, or began on:

Rootie II, by Elaine Simmons. We submit work to the printer as a favor for the publisher at Pig-E Press.


WWW's BEST SELLING KINDLE BOOKS for the month of December, 2011:

A GHOST AT STALLION'S GATE, by Elizabeth Eagan-Cox
this is the latest in the Shannon Delaney series and was followed closely in sales by the others in that series.

SNOW ESCAPE, by Roberta Goodman

A MEDIC IN IRAQ, by Cole Bolchoz

HOUSE TO KILL FOR, by Judy Reveal

STILL LIFE WITH MUSIC, by C.M. Albrecht


Please remember these are the best selling among Write Words, Inc.'s own titles, NOT the best selling on the amazon.com site.