Great Read for a Snow Day!

Newly married, former NYC police Lt. Jo Garcia leaves the city to become the first woman officer in the small upstate community of Indian Cove. When the head accountant in the local school district dies at her desk after a late night, local law enforcement assume it’s a natural death, but Jo is suspicious. When a second death occurs, Jo sets out to find the truth, despite direct orders her new Chief.

 HOT SOUP FOR A COLD DAY!

You can read while it's heating up.

What You Need

1/2 pound ground raw chicken or turkey

1/4 cup  chopped onion

2 cloves  garlic, minced

2cups  milk

1 10-3/4-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 7-ounce can whole kernel corn with sweet peppers, drained

 

1 medium  tomato, chopped (3/4 cup)

1 4-ounce can diced green chiles, drained

2 tablespoons  snipped fresh cilantro or parsley

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

 

1 cup  shredded Monterey Jack cheese (4 ounces)

 Fresh cilantro or parsley (optional)

Make It

1. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven cook ground chicken or turkey, onion, and garlic until chicken or turkey is brown and onion is tender. Drain fat from pan.

2. Stir in milk, cream of chicken soup, corn, chopped tomato, chili peppers, cilantro or parsley, and ground red pepper. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cheese; cook and stir until cheese melts. Garnish each serving with additional cilantro or parsley, if desired.
 
Makes 4 servings.

Great Read and Southern Fried Chicken

A Great Read and

Happy Martin Luther King Day!

First Place Winner Dragonfly e-Book Awards

   A desperate flight from brutal oppression—and everything to lose if it fails...

   Two women, undertake a harrowing flight with the aid of the Underground Railroad. Will slavery’s powerful tentacles hold them? 

Or will they find the freedom they crave?

Classic Fried Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cup(s) buttermilk
• 2 tablespoon(s) hot pepper sauce
• 1 tablespoon(s) salt
• 2 chickens, each cut into 8 pieces
• 2 cup(s) flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon(s) black pepper
• 1 teaspoon(s) paprika
• 5 cup(s) vegetable oil for frying
  or
• Purists claim Lard is the necessary shortening ingredient to truly fry SOUTHERN chicken.

---

Directions

1. In extra-large (2- to 2 1/2-gallon) zip-top plastic bag, combine buttermilk, hot pepper sauce and 1 tsp. salt. Add chicken pieces, turning to coat. Seal bag, pressing out excess air. Place bag in bowl; refrigerate chicken for 2 to 24 hours to marinate, turning bag over once.
   
2. In pie plate or bowl, stir flour, baking powder, pepper, paprika and remaining 2 tsp. salt until well mixed. Remove a few pieces of chicken from buttermilk mixture, shaking off excess liquid. Add chicken to flour mixture, turning to coat well. Place chicken on wire rack set over waxed paper, without letting pieces touch. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces, using a second rack if necessary; let stand 15 minutes to set coating. Discard buttermilk mixture.
   
3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 250ºF. Line two large cookie sheets with paper towels. Divide shortening between two 12-inch skillets, preferably electric (there should be about 1/2 inch of oil in each skillet) and heat over medium heat until temperature reaches 360ºF on a deep-fry thermometer.
   
4. To each skillet, add 4 pieces of chicken, skin side down, being careful not to crowd pieces. Cover skillets and cook until chicken is light golden brown on the bottom, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn pieces over and cook, covered (reducing heat to medium-low, if necessary, to a temperature of 300ºF), 8 to 10 minutes longer for white meat, and 13 to 15 minutes longer for dark meat, turning pieces every 4 or 5 minutes.
   
   Chicken is done when well browned on all sides and juices run clear when thickest part is pierced with the tip of a knife. Transfer chicken to lined cookie sheets to drain. Keep warm in oven. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Catching UP!

Books that went to press

or back to press this week:  

ROYAL PRINCESS: WIFE AND MOTHER, Royal Hearts of Mondoverde Series, Vol. 1 by Anna Dynowski  

    Prince Stefano, Crown Prince of Mondoverde, never shirks the responsibilities attached to his privileged position. Born to reign and trained from birth, he accepts his life is not his own and does not complain about his duties to the House of Graziani, at least, not publically. But now he must wed and produce the next heir to the throne. Can he find a woman who is willing to take him on, embrace the public life of a royal princess, and produce the required heir? 

A VANISHING BREED, by Tom Ward

    Heroic firefighter Robert J. Doyle is back, still struggling with his inner demons, the result of an incident in wartorn Lebanon, when he ordered the destruction of a complete village. As he walked through the carnage, Doyle vowed one day to pay for the loss of innocent lives.

Galleys that went out, or went out again, this week:

THE CHILD ON THE TERRACE: A Dangerous Journeys Mystery, Vol. 4, by Virgina Winters

    Anne McPhail, retired pediatrician, shattered by her experience in Bermuda, rents a tiny house in Setenil, Spain, hoping to reconcile what she learned about herself and Thomas after the gunfire in that dark room on the island.

Work began or Continued on the following:

 

Work began or Continued 

on the following books:    

 

PIRATES OF THE EASTERN SHORE, by Andy Nunez

    Another in Andy Nunez's popular Eastern Shore Series. This one explores Pirates treasure buried along the Atlantic seaboard, visits to the Delmarva Penninsula by Captain Kidd and Blackbeard, to the Oyster Wars of the 20th Century.

 

THE KIDNAPPING OF SEN. ANDY THOMPSON: Adventures on Capital Hill Series, Vol. 2. 

   by Celine Rose Mariotti
  

    Do you ever wonder what it would be like to have U.S. Senators who really did their job, got along well, and stood up for what was right? This is not your typical book about politics.  It’s the perfect U.S. Senate!  Throughout the book, there is an ongoing health care debate.  Senators Andy Thompson and Hunt Wagner lead the way with a resolution to try to stop President Robinson and Secretary von Schumann from sending troops to Botswana.  But a real adventure begins when Senator Thompson is kidnapped and Brian Travors, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State is suspected of being involved.  Senators Hunt Wagner and Darius Clemens head a committee hearing to get to the truth.  President Robinson suffers a heart attack and Vice-President Barry Newman takes over temporarily.  This book is a real page turner!  Read it and you’ll have hope for tomorrow!

  

  THEN CAME HEAVEN,  by Gilda Arruda. 
    A novel of love, loss, and faith.

 

Earthquake in Messina Italy, in the early 20th Century

STORYBOOK II, by Elena Dorothy Bowman

      Within the pages of this book are stories that my mother once told me; of certain incidences that she remembered. But mostly it is compiled of the memories that were a part of all our lives.
    There were happy times and there were sad times. It was a time of struggle, of prosperity, of joblessness, of wondering where the next paycheck would come from.  Times when a “breadwinner” didn’t have the money to buy a quart of milk, put bread on the table, or a dime to ride the trolley to work. Even a time when the poor didn’t know they were poor. But always, a family that stood together no matter what problems they were facing.  

 
THE MURDER OF SEC. JUDD KANE: Adventures on Capital Hill Series, Vol. 2. 

   by Celine Rose Mariotti
       Do you ever wonder what it would be like to have U.S. Senators who really did their job, got along well, and stood up for what was right? This is not your typical book about politics.  It’s the perfect U.S. Senate!  Throughout the book, there is an ongoing health care debate.  Senators Andy Thompson and Hunt Wagner lead the way with a resolution to try to stop President Robinson and Secretary von Schumann from sending troops to Botswana.  But a real adventure begins when Senator Thompson is kidnapped and Brian Travors, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State is suspected of being involved.  Senators Hunt Wagner and Darius Clemens head a committee hearing to get to the truth.  President Robinson suffers a heart attack and Vice-President Barry Newman takes over temporarily.  This book is a real page turner!  Read it and you’ll have hope for tomorrow!

REVEREND CASTLE'S CRISIS, Rev. Castle series, Vol. 2 by Celine Rose Mariotti
   Rev. Castle is back in another cozy mystery.

BLEEDING HEARTS: Killian Kendal Mystery Series, Vol. 1
   Winner of the Stonewall Society's 2002 Pride in the Arts Literary Award in the Whodunit Category!

REAP THE WHIRLWIND: Killian Kendall Mystery Series, Vol. 2,  by Josh Aterovis.
   Suicide, or murder? That's the question in the second Killian Kendall mystery. Will Smith suspects murder when an old childhood pal drowns, and asks his friend Killian for help in solving the mystery.

TRUTH OF YESTERDAY,  by Josh Aterovis

ALL LOST THINGS, by Josh Aterovis

CHANGE  OF WORLDS, by Josh Aterovis
 

Jack's News!

  by your bookstore cat, 
gossip columnist, and feline friend.

My good friend Virginia Winters sent us a copy of the press release she is sending out as soon as we get her book back to press.  It was delayed a bit for the new cover.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

Fourth novel in Virginia Winters' Dangerous Journeys series released by Write Words Inc., publisher.

LINDSAY— Dr. Virginia Winters has a new book out, "The Child on the Terrace" just released by Write Words Inc., available online at http://www.writewordsinc.com

Anne McPhail, shattered by her experience in Bermuda, rents a tiny house in Setenil, Spain to come to terms with the shooting and Thomas's role in the CIA. But she sees a child on the terrace of the local café who doesn't seem to belong and soon Ari, the Mossad agent who saved her life seeks her out with a plan to rescue the child from the kidnappers. Can she trust him? Three days later, she is on the run with Ari and the little girl with killers on their trail. How far will she go to save Naomi?

 

I like her new cover a lot. Except for one thing. What it really needs is a cat! I do understand the little girl in the story has a stuffed toy donkey.  Surely, it coulda been a feline! Oh well, donkeys are cute, too.

Arline is mailing the checks. So much time-consuming work involved when she can't pay by Paypal, but all of you should have your money soon. If you haven't heard from us by the middle of next week, you can assume you had no sales for the fourth quarter of 2014. :(

Don't forget to let me know what you are all up to! 
Just send me an e-mail with "News for Jack" in the subject line, and I'll make sure it shows up here. 
Thanks!

 

Dialogue Question

When Nancy Hunter meets Peter Allen, sparks don't exactly fly, but there is definitely something worth exploring between them. Imagine their surprise when they discover they have loved each other for centuries, through life after life after life.

Question from the e-mail:  I see in your submission guidelines that you say "Everything a person says should go in one paragraph, even if they change the subject." I was always taught to change paragraphs whenever the topic changed. And if someone continues to speak, not to close the quotes.  Why isn't that correct.

Answer: Good to hear from you Sherry.  I'm sure you were taught well. Those are the rules most of us are taught in college. You were probably also taught that the period always goes outside the quotation marks, too. That is correct, if you are typing an term paper, but not if you are writing a book.

In a book dialogue is when two characters talk to one anoyther. The object of the punctuation there is not to give two arguments that say the same thing, and from two different sources, but to make clear what emotions each character is showing, or concealing.

Writing teachers have lots of rules. Publishers only have two:

NEVER confuse the reader.

NEVER make work for your editor.

Now punctuating dialogue is a bit tricky. First of all, you never let two characters talk in the same paragraph. Commas and other punctuation go inside the quotes. And you must paragraph each time a new person speaks.

Finally, Everything a person says at one time (even if they change the subject) goes in the same paragraph. There are exceptions to that rule, for instance if someone is making a formal speech at a graduation or political rally. But in conversation, don't use the new paragraph, no close quote deal as most readers expect a new person to speak when a new paragraph appears and not giving them that cue will CONFUSE them.

When an editor sees that in a ms. it signals two things.

First and most important, they will have to scour all the dialogue in the book to fix it. That will take a lot of extra time and, if the book is a good one and they get distracted too much by the story, they are bound to miss some.

It also means the writer either hasn't read the submission guidelines, or he thinks the rules don't apply to him.

I can't stress too much how important it is to punctuate dialogue correctly.

Escape the terrible Winter...eat dragon toes

Book One of Six 

Exciting Sword and Sorcery Adventures

Fans of Tolkein will love it.

This will keep you reading for awhile!

In Book One of the Red Knight Series, Judicator, Gwendolyn the Celebate, is kidnapped to join an “army of the dead” led by Victor. She embraces the future and her new identity as Captain Isobel. Isobel revels in her acceptance by the other warriors, and tries not to be too disturbed by some shady areas in Gwendolyn’s past. She is impressed by the Army’s domestication of dragons, and the sophisticated magical powers possessed by some of them. Though “Gwendolyn” has died and Isobel has taken her place, it soon becomes clear that someone is trying to kill her, or Victor, or both.

Dragon Toes Recipe

Ingredients

24 habanero peppers
24 scallops, muscles removed
24 slices bacon
Special equipment: 8 wooden skewers

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Slice the tops of the peppers off and discard the tops but keep the membranes. Place the scallops inside the peppers. Starting at one end, roll each pepper in 1 slice of bacon. Skewer the dragon toe through the center, placing 3 toes per skewer.

Roast in the oven for 12 minutes.

For the snowbound

Shannon Delaney's writing assignment in San Diego opens new doors for her young career. She has no idea that her temporary home, the Victorian-era Blackthorne House mansion is a portal to a century-old mystery. On her first night a ghostly encounter entagles her in the spectral mission of the mansion's original owner-Eric Blackthorne, master magician. Complicating matters is Alex Blackthorne, handsome and charming descendent of the ghostly magician. Also, there's Zach Zavala, who has guy-next-door good looks and a straightforward manner. Plus, Zach's grandfather Francisco is a retired detective and a kindred spirit who appreciates Shannon's apprehension about her paranormal experiences.

The first in a series of five. 

Great read for anyone snowbound.

Recipe for Snow Cream

Ingredients

• 1 cup of milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cups sugar
• CLEAN Snow

Preparation

Put on your warm clothes and take the kids outside to collect 4 - 5 cups of fresh, clean snow. Don't pack the snow, just scoop it up. Bring it in the house and set it in the freezer while you prepare the other ingredients.
Mix together the milk, vanilla, and the sugar. Stir this mixture until the sugar is dissolved. Slowly add the snow to your mixture, stirring constantly, until it is as thick as ice cream. Now it is ready to east and enjoy

Characters?

Night was beginning to fall in the tranquil mountain valley, and the long workday at the Topps’ family farm had come to an end. The unmistakable sound of the elks’ trumpeting calls had also returned to the valley - announcing the beginning of their mating season. It was truly a wondrous time for the elk, but it could also be a very dangerous time; especially when the elk began wandering down the old wagon train trail from the mountains, down to where the early morning frost had not yet fallen on the tender green grasses.

 Question from the e-mail:  How do you describe a Character?

Answer: Basic description when we first meet the character! Later references to an emotional expression or other important feature.

Be careful about that first description, though. Don't let it get to be an information dump.

Describing a character feature by feature can get to sound like a catalogue. I like a general description or to describe one thing and leave the rest up to the reader’s imagination. The key thing is to describe them when they are first mentioned, before the reader’s imagination kicks in.

There’s a good example of how to do this in my mystery story, “Final Exit’ Free for an e-mailed request if  you wanted to see the description of the two main characters, a brother and sister.

       Jill leaned closer. “That woman over there thinks we’re twins.” She nodded toward a woman in large improbable pearls who surveyed them through opera glasses.

   Actually, Jon knew they looked alike. Same dark eyes, same straight nose, same generous mouth. But his hair was dark where Jill’s was fair, and his jaw was square while Jill’s pointed chin gave her face a heart shape.