Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day

 

Deadlocked by a legend, Kellach must find her kidnapped mother to remove the Dark Druid's curse and save her people from the rampaging Norse. Bruic the Badger must find local trading ports for the Norse in order to save his sons, who are held hostage by a Norseman, and to find his siblings, lost when he was captured in his youth. Neither has time for love. Ah! Fate and circumstance take the advantage away from them both...

Sorry, we missed St. Patrick's Day, yesterday.  Maybe it was the 9 inches of snow on the ground???

My Granny always planted potatoes on St. Patrick's day, but not this year!!!

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Ingredients Edit and Save

Original recipe makes 5 servings Change Servings

• 3 pounds corned beef brisket with spice packet
  
• 1/2 cup red cooking wine
   
• 10 small red potatoes
  

• 5 carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch pieces
  
• 1 large head cabbage, cut into small wedges
   

Directions

1. Place corned beef in slow cooker or Dutch oven and cover with water. Add wine and the spice packet that came with the corned beef. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer approximately 50 minutes per pound or until tender. IF using slow cooker cook slow all day.
   
2. About 45 minutes before serving, add more water, raise heat to boiling. Add whole potatoes and carrots, and cook approx half an hour, or until the vegetables are almost tender. Add cabbage and cook for 15 more minutes. Remove meat and let rest 15 minutes.
   
3. Place vegetables in a bowl and cover. Add as much broth (cooking liquid reserved in the Dutch oven or slow cooker) as you want. Slice meat across the grain.

ChocolateLoversCake-recipe

Like a heat-seeking missile, his gaze burns her from across the room. Tall, blond and muscular, he's perfect. They meet and start to fall in love when Cyndia Simmons discovers the awful truth. Todd Whitlow is a Sheriff's Deputy and she doesn't date men in law enforcement, ever.

Chocolate Lovers' Favorite Cake

What You Need

1 pkg.  (2-layer size) chocolate cake mix

1 cup  BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Greek Style Sour Cream & Nonfat Yogurt

1 pkg.  (3.9 oz.) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding

4 eggs

1/2cup  oil

1/2 cup  water

1 tub  (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

1 pkg.  8 oz Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

1-1/2cups  fresh raspberries

Make It

HEAT oven to 350ºF.
 
BEAT all ingredients except COOL WHIP, semi-sweet chocolate chips and berries in large bowl with mixer until blended. Pour into 12-cup fluted tube pan or 10-inch tube pan sprayed with cooking spray.
 
BAKE 50 min. to 1 hour or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan 10 min. Loosen cake from sides of pan; invert onto wire rack. Gently remove pan. Cool cake completely. Transfer to plate.
 
RESERVE 2 Tbsp. COOL WHIP.

Microwave remaining COOL WHIP and chocolate in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after each minute. Drizzle over cake. Immediately drop scant teaspoonfuls of the reserved COOL WHIP around top of cake; draw toothpick through center of each to resemble star. Fill center of cake with berries.

Catching UP!

Books that went to press this week:

SWANNEE RIVER MOON, by Thornton Parsons
   When their plans for their Charleston vacation are sidelined, Bonnie and Sue find that Savannah offers more than meets the eye. Ghosts. Murder. And mysterious music in the night.

 
Galleys that went out this Week:


THE MORGENSTERN MURDERS: Jonas McCleary Series, Vol. 2, by C. M. Albrecht

Sequel to the popular SAND BLUFF MURDERS, detective Jonas McCleary moves to the city and finds himself facing a serial killer.  

When a prominent surgeon and his wife are murdered, the family’s daughter comes under suspicion and in order to clear her name and track down the killersof her parents, she hires Jonas to investigate. 

SOLID OIL

The rainforest’s secret is known to a very few. But each is perfectly placed to profit from it. The secret is lithium— sometimes described as the oil of the 21st century—and the knowledge of it has spawned a crime cabal led by Vietnamese gangster-turned-investor Johnny Ho and including a diverse cast of fellow crooks.

RETURN TO MANDALJARA, by Romona Hilliger
    The scars of betrayal burn deep in his the soul of Hunter Kincaid. The tall, striking cattle king remembers, only too well, his teenage love--the girl who betrayed him. Now she's coming back.

 

Work began or continued on the following titles:

 

THE KIDNAPING OF SEN. ANDY THOMPSON, Adventures on Capital Hill, by Celine Rose Mariotti

   A political mystery, suspense, with a touch of humor.  

 

  A VANISHING BREED: The Volunteer Series, Vol. 2, by Tom Ward.

Heroic firefighter Robert J. Doyle is back, still struggling with his inner demons, the result of an incident in war torn 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.


DOING DEAD MAN'S TIME, by Matthew L. Schoonover

     From the author who brought you the supernatural thrillers of The Arbiter series and the impossible mysteries of The Tornado Man series comes a new tale of supernatural suspense. Phil Talbot is in the here-after, awaiting judgment. He is given the opportunity to come back to the mortal plane and fix the one mistake that changed his supernatural fate. 


MOONLIT BAY, by Elena Bowman
   A paranormal novel

MINISTER'S SHOES, VOL. 2 by Celine Rose Mariotti
   Rev. Castle is back in another cozy mystery.


THE DEPUTY, by C.M. Albrecht
   A dark mystery from popular author C.M. Albrecht

HIS SON, HER DAUGHTER, by Ludima Gus Burton
   A single mother takes a job as a nanny to a wealthy businessman who assumes custody of the year- old son he never knew he had.

I HAVE A FRIEND ON JUPITER, Celine Rose Mariotti
   Paperback edition of the popular e-book.

THE PROMISE, by Kaarina Brooks
   A new title by an author who appeals to "New Adult" readers.

REWIND FORWARD, by Michael E. Field
  Another great mystery by popular author Michael E. Field.

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 and gossip columnist. 

Word has it that the Epic Award Winners were announced at Epicon last week, but the list of winners is not yet posted on the Internet. Or if it is, I can't find it. Of course even six-toed cats have difficulty typing.

I don't know if any of our people went, but some of our authors did enter the awards.  Naturally I didn't get to go, but I hear the food was great! Salmon in aspic!!

Don't forget Ray Morand's ARMY OF THE DEAD is still free to celebrate the relelase of the sixth in her series, and to applaude e-books everywhere! Here's the link, in case you missed it:

http://www.writewordsinc.com/army-of-the-dead-e.html 

Dialogue question.

When money goes missing from his firm, stockbroker Mike Wolfe, despite his innocence, is convicted of embezzlement. After his early release from prison due to firefighting, Mike is determined to set the record straight. Then a man from Mike's old firm is brutally murdered and he finds himself, once again, suspect number one. A great read!

Question from the e-mail?  How much dialogue is too much?  My writers' group says I put in too much dialogue "that doesn't go anywhere." Any idea what they mean by that?

Answer:  First of all, in dialogue, nobody has small talk.  No one says, "Hi, how are ya?" And the second thing is not to let the characters repeat stuff that the reader already knows.

This is a guess, okay? Because I haven't read your story. But maybe the dialogue is  not about what's happening next in the story, but about what has happened...

In a story, you only need to write dialogue when they are talking about something important. The rest can go into narrative and a lot can be assumed. For instance, take this story situation: In Scene one, Sally’s brother John was in a 40-car pile up on the Interstate. He lies for hours, pinned in the car, then finally is picked up and taken to the Emergency Room, by an ambulance.  There he is rushed into surgery while (end of scene hook) a nurse tosses his wallet to the ward clerk, yelling, “Call his next-of-kin.”  In scene two: Sally rushes out of the house and meets her neighbor, Paul, a friend of John’s. Here’s scene two:

    Sally grabbed her jacket and headed for the door, frantic to get to the hospital and find out how badly John was hurt. (Opening Hook) It wasn’t until she actually got into the garage that she remembered John had been driving her car the night before, because his was in the repair shop. (Shows confusion caused by the emergency situation)  Without a second thought for her damaged car (shows her first concern is her brother’s life), Sally hurried out to the street and all but ran  toward the bus stop.
    Half a block down the street, Paul Anderson, a friend of John’s, put down his rake and caught up with Sally. “Where are you going in such a hurry? What’s wrong?” (Now in reality he would probably have said, “Hey, Sally. Wait a minute. I want to talk to you.” But that would not have moved the story forward. Dialogue should always move the story forward and it should always be about something important. Plus you never have to waste dialogue telling a character something the reader already knows. Let them get on with what happens next.
    “It’s, John! He’s in the hospital.” Sally told Paul about the accident. (Narrative used about the accident. No need to repeat all the stuff about the 40-car pile-up and John’s being pinned in the car for hours — the reader already knows that.)
    “No wonder you are upset. Come on, I’ll drive you.” Paul took off his gardening gloves and headed for his pickup. By the time he got the driver's door open, Sally was already waiting inside.
    “Hurry!” Sally gave Paul a worried look. “I have to find out how he is.”

Lynn Slaughter Local Publicity

Author Lynn Slaughter had a great article

in her local newspaper.

See copy Below

It will shortly be followed 

by a review in a national dance magazine.

More on that later!

By Lynn Slaughter

A nerve-wracking audition for a summer ballet workshop reminds fifteen-year-old Cass how much she wishes her mom hadn’t died so young. Her dad isn’t exactly Mr. Encouragement when it comes to her dancing, and he shuts down whenever she asks about her mother. Cass feels as though her life is a puzzle with a giant piece missing.

Dancing has become her safe place where she doesn’t have to think about why her father won’t discuss her mother, or why her best friend and boyfriend are acting weird.

But as she moves closer to her dream of a career in ballet, Cass uncovers secrets her friends have been keeping. Then, in the midst of an intensely competitive summer dance program and the beginnings of a new romance with a fellow dancer, she makes an even more devastating discovery, a betrayal that leaves her questioning whether she even wants to dance at all.

In a year when everything Cass has ever believed about her life turns out to be false, can she heal and forgive? And can she find her own way to pursue her passion for dance?

Catching UP!

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

by Barbara Garro

With Vol. 3 of her popular Jesus Series, Living the Call of God, Barbara Garro suggests a new approach to giving glory to God through service.

Galleys went out on the following books: 

SWANNEE RIVER MOON, by Thornton Parsons
   When their plans for their Charleston vacation are sidelined, Bonnie and Sue find that Savannah offers more than meets the eye.



EXIT PLANS,  by Terry L. White
   A group of senior citizens form a group to try to control their fate.


THE MORGENSTEIN MURDERS: Jonas McCleary Series, Vol. 2, by C. M. Albrecht

Sequel to the popular SAND BLUFF MURDERS, detective Jonas McCleary moves to the city and finds himself facing a serial killer.  

 

Work began or continued on the following titles:

A VANISHING BREED: The Volunteer Series, Vol. 2, by Tom Ward.

Heroic firefighter Robert J. Doyle is back, still struggling with his inner demons, the result of an incident in war torn 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.


ADVENTURES ON CAPITAL HILL, by Celine Rose Mariotti
   A political mystery, suspense, with a touch of humor.



DOING DEAD MAN'S TIME, by Matthew L. Schoonover

From the author who brought you the supernatural thrillers of The Arbiter series and the impossible mysteries of The Tornado Man series comes a new tale of supernatural suspense. Phil Talbot is in the here-after, awaiting judgment. He is given the opportunity to come back to the mortal plane and fix the one mistake that changed his supernatural fate. 


MOONLIT BAY, by Elena Bowman
   A paranormal novel

MINISTER'S SHOES, VOL. 2 by Celine Rose Mariotti
   Rev. Castle is back in another cozy mystery.


THE DEPUTY, by C.M. Albrecht
   A dark mystery from popular author C.M. Albrecht


I HAVE A FRIEND ON JUPITER, Celine Rose Mariotti
   Paperback edition of the popular e-book.

THE PROMISE, by Kaarina Brooks
   A new title by an author who appeals to "New Adult" readers.

REWIND FORWARD, by Michael E. Field
  Another great mystery by popular author Michael E. Field.

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 and gossip columnist. 

In the good news from authors department, Lynn Slaughter's book WHILE I DANCED, got some great publicity in her local paper, and will be getting more national coverage with a review in a DANCE SPIRIT magazine. The news article will be posted here, as soon as Arline gets the scanner to remember how to work.

CONGRATULATIONS to both Gunter Kaesdorf, author of BURIED TRUTH, and Thornton Parsons, author of GO TELL AUNT RHODY, and SWANEE RIVER MOON, who are getting ready for a string of personal appearances this spring. Way to go!
  
Shame on Arline Again!!! Boy I wish Shelley was still around to keep her straight! Not to be catty about it, but I can't do a thing with her myself.  

We heard this week from Celine Rose Mariotti, whose titles disappeared from this list awhile ago by mistake. I know we didn't mean to do it, because they're great (and popular) books. Goes to show ya that  the copy and paste method of reproducing this list every week is fallible.

Don't forget Ray Morand's ARMY OF THE DEAD is still free to celebrate e-books everywhere! Here's the link, in case you missed it:

http://www.writewordsinc.com/army-of-the-dead-e.html 

It's almost over now, but HAPPY NATIONAL "READ AN E-BOOK" WEEK, EVERYONE!

Happy Ash Wednesday!

2011 EPIC Finalist in the Non-Fiction Book Category!

by Barbara Garro

Barbara Garro writes for the people in the pews, because she's been one of them for over 50 years. She makes the New Testament come alive using St. Anthony's style of writing for all to understand and grow spiritually. Families and Bible study groups will find thirty-three of Jesus's parables in a discussion-friendly format.

Orecchiette with Broccoli, Rabe, and Chickpeas

Yields: 2 servings, 2 cups each

Total Time: 30 min

Prep Time: 20 min

Ingredients

U.S.

Metric

• 4 ounce(s) (about 1 1/2 cups) whole-wheat orecchiette or chiocciole
• 1/2 bunch(es) broccoli rabe, ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup(s) vegetarian chicken-flavored broth (see Note)
• 2 teaspoon(s) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 clove(s) (large) garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) minced fresh rosemary or 1/8 teaspoon dried
• 1 can(s) (8-ounce) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 teaspoon(s) red-wine vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper

---

Directions

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Cook pasta for 6 minutes. Add broccoli rabe and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the pasta and broccoli rabe are just tender, about 3 minutes more. Drain. Rinse and dry the pot.
2. Whisk broth and flour in a small bowl. Heat oil in the pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic and rosemary and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Whisk in the broth mixture. Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, until it thickens. Add chickpeas, vinegar, salt, pepper, and the pasta mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until heated through and coated with the sauce, about 2 minutes.
   
   Exchanges: 4 starch, 1 1/2 vegetable, 1 very lean meat, 1 1/2 fat. Carbohydrate Servings: 3 1/2. Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (240% daily value), Vitamin A (210% dv), Iron (25% dv), Calcium (20% dv).

---

Tips & Techniques

Note: Chicken-flavored broth, a vegetarian broth despite its name, is preferable to vegetable broth in some recipes for its hearty, rich flavor. Sometimes called "No-Chicken Broth," it can be found with the soups in the natural-foods section of most supermarkets.