Welcome to Mary's Garden

Interview with Terri J. Lynn

2012-01-25T01:00:00.045-07:00

Did everyone have a good winter holiday? It’s been fairly calm in the Salt Lake Valley, only a little dusting of snow here and there. But still the cold goes through to you bones if you’re not dress warm. So grab some of the lap quilts I have stacked on the table next to the refreshments. Make yourself a plate while you’re at it. Today we have Terri J. Lynn with us. She one of my URWA fellow chapter members. I know you’ll enjoy getting to know her.

Mary: Welcome, Terri I am glad you decided to join us. So tell us a bit about you, your background. I particularly would love to hear about the descendant that can be traced back to the Mayflower.

Terri: I've lived in several different states including Washington, Montana, Arizona and Utah. I think, if there’s any gypsy blood in my family, it’s all concentrated in me. I have always loved to travel and particularly enjoy the desert southwest and the Caribbean.

The ancestor referred to in my bio is Stephen Hopkins, my great (I don’t know many times great) grandfather on my father’s maternal side. He was a tanner and merchant who is found on the passenger list of the Mayflower in 1620. He settled in Plymouth Colony. He was recruited to help with the colony's ventures, as well as help with the governing of the colony. He was not part of the Pilgrims’ religious congregation but was an assistant to the governor of the colony through 1636. My sister, Margaret, has made a second career of genealogy, and she has found and verified all of the above information about him.

Mary: How interesting, and fun to be able to trace your ancestor back that far. 1620-WOW. Have you always wanted to write? Even when you were pursuing your business career?

Terri: I’ve loved to write since my early teens. However, once I married, had children and started a business career, I could no longer devote the time necessary. Since I left the business world, it’s been a true joy to develop the characters that were lurking inside my head all these years.

Mary: What part of Washington State are you from? I have relatives in Kent and Yakima. And friends in Tacoma, who used to live in Gig Harbor. Personally I wouldn’t have moved. I love Gig Harbor. I have a funny story about one summer visiting my cousins in Kent. But this is your interview. Have any funny stories about growing up in Washington? Did you dig for Guey Ducks (I found it spelled Geoduck too—along with a you tube video. LOL) For those who do not know this is a LARGE clam, and they’re good.

Terri: Boy, it’s a small world, isn’t it? I was born in Yakima. My family moved to Seattle when I was about three years old, and I still have many relatives in the Seattle, Tacoma, Spanaway and Yelm areas. My sister and brother-in-law still live in Seattle, as well as both my nephews.

Oh, yes, I remember clam digging. They were great times. We’d find out when the lowest tide was going to be since it’s easier to dig for guey ducks (or goeducks) then. We’d get together with some of our cousins, drive to Camano Island and go clam digging, have a picnic and, all in all, have a great day.
It was really wonderful growing up in Seattle, but the smaller towns like Gig Harbor have a unique beauty all their own.

Okay, funny stories, let’s see. Well, there are a couple that l remember. When I was a child, my sister and I were both upstairs (behaving for once), when my mother yelled at us to quit jumping on the beds. Then she turned around and realized all her cups hanging on little cup hangers were swinging in unison. She yelled for us to get out of the house – it was an earthquake.

My sister, Margaret, was one of those people who did everything by the book (or so everybody thought). One year (when my sister was in college and I was in high school) we decided to surprise mom and give her a special birthday party. To get everything ready, we had to start early, so I had to get out of going to high school that day. Margaret wrote a note that I was to be excused and signed mom’s name (perfectly I might add). Until now, no one but the two of us knew she was an accomplished forger.

Mary: That last question went on like the EverReady bunny, so everyone stand up and stretch. Replenish your plates and fill your cups.

Mary: Everyone ready? Okay so Terri, tell us a bit about your latest release. Share a blurb, buy links whatever you think we’d find interesting.

Terri: My latest release is Out of the Past. It is published by Siren-Bookstrand. I’ve placed the links to it below the blurb. It can also be found on Amazon and at Barnes&Noble in both eBook and paperback. Below is a short blurb.

Blurb: Amateur genealogist, Melissa Wendell, inadvertently uncovers a secret from the past, putting her in the cross-hairs of an assassin’s rifle.

Detective Mike Rawlins is assigned to the case and hunts the assassin while trying to uncover secrets long buried in her family past. Her sister seems to sense the evil that lies ahead, and Melissa believes in her sister’s psychic ability, but Mike Rawlins is skeptical of any such claim.

After a second attempt on her life, Melissa leaves Seattle for Boston where she discovers that her grandmother is reaching out from the grave. An unknown assailant follows her there, and soon, she is once again fighting for her life.

For her survival and the love they’ve found together, can Mike and Melissa unravel her long-buried family secrets before a killer finds her again?

Links:
BookStrand
Barnes&Noble
Amazon

My next book will come out as an eBook in April, published by Siren-Bookstrand. It’s titled Shadow of Time.

Mary: That sounds awesome. Thanks for sharing. So what do you have new coming up? In other words what are you working on?

Terri: I am working on a contemporary romance titled The Mirror, which is the story of Chelsea, a 25 year old artist, who accidentally falls through the time continuum. She wakes up on the floor of a saloon, unaware that she is in 1891. A tall, handsome, no nonsense cowboy comes to her rescue even though he thinks she’s probably crazy.

Mary: Time travel, one of my favorites! When you’re not writing or hanging with your family—I include your pets too? When it’s rainy outside and you want to curl up with a good book, what would it be?

Terri: I love to read romance novels. In fact, I have read your book, Meet Me in Fantasyland, and am planning on reading Classic Murder Mr. Romance. I like different genres, such as romantic suspense, western historical, and contemporary. Just give me a good book, and I’m set for hours. I also am very interested in psychic ability, time travel and true ghost stories. There is just so much we don’t really know about our world, and it fascinates me. One (and sometimes all) of these will be found in most of my books.

Mary: Thank you! I'm glad you liked Meet Me In Fantasyland. Let me know how you like Adam and Katie (Mr. Romance) If one of your new fans would like to find you, can you share your web site, blog, social media, one or all of the above?

I’d loved to have all of you stop by. The door is always open. . .well, you know what I mean. See who’s going to be guest authors on my blog for the months of January and February.

Terri: Web site: http://www.terrijlynn.com
Blog: http://terrijlynn.blogspot.com
Facebook: Terri J. Lynn

Thank you, Terri, so much for your time today. I know I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you, Mary. I’ve had a great time!

Waiting By Doree L. Anderson - Launch Party

2012-01-23T01:00:00.033-07:00

Everyone please welcome, Doree Anderson back to the garden. You may remember her from the roundtable discussion at Mysteries and Margaritas on Firefly Part I and Part II. I loved that discussion. Anyway the weather here at the garden can’t decide what it wants to do, rain, snow or shine, so bundle up, find a heater to sit under and let’s begin.

Mary, it is such a delight to be again. Thank you. As a huge fan of your novels, this is an honor for me. And on Firefly, I'm still going through withdrawals. Thank goodness for the November 26th marathon. Starting on January 3, the cable station Ovation will air a week-long prime-time marathon of Joss Whedon's sci-fi/western series including Firefly.

Mary: Tell us a bit about Doree, the person.

Doree: I'm from the mid-west and even though I've been in Utah for decades, I will always be a mid-west girl. I married young and 35 years later, still hanging with the same guy. When I opted to give up my 'career' in nursing and 12 hour shifts on my feet, I decided to put my first love into action. Writing is my release for all the characters and stories ricocheting in my mind. I love it more than reading and I love to read! I do a mean cross-stitch and dabble in sewing, but once the grandbabies are home, I'm behind the computer.

Mary: I know you’re a member of RWA (Romance Writers of America) so why aren’t you writing mushy Romance? Why did you decide to do Middle Grade? Can you explain the ages this would attract?

Doree: Yes, I am a member of RWA but I'm also with SCBWI (Society of Childrens Books Writers and Illustration) for Middle Grade. Mushy is fun, no doubt about it and my usual area of writing. This book started out as a simple romantic Young Adult, but after going through an agent who told me to make it paranormal, I changed a lot of it and noticed that the fifteen- year- old isn't into mushy yet. The 'change' also took it away from being a romance as well as the age criteria for a Young Adult. I believe "Waiting" is geared more for Eight to 16-year-olds.

Mary: Oh, I've never heard of SCBWI, as I'm working on a middle grade with the boys, I guess I better check it out. LOL. How do you come up with your characters? Do you have a process? Are they patterned after people you know?

Doree: Mary, I have been blessed with four grandchildren. These special people are daily influences. I've learned that if you chuckle at their words...write them down. Seriously! My characters are a modge podge of the people I've met through out a life of moving. During my childhood, I lived in 6 different states and more than one house in each. When I moved to Utah, I lived in seven different houses my junior year and attended three different high schools.

Mary: There’s something going on all over the net, it’s called ‘Book Bomb’. What the heck is that?

Doree: Thank you for asking. I'm relatively new to this term but I'm going to give it a try. Prior to the day your book comes out, you announce that you will be having a book bomb on as many networking sights as you can, giving the exact day and time your book is coming out. Then on the day of your release, you announce it again. This gets out information to those interested in purchasing the book, where and for what. My humble teachings on this is that it boosts up your ratings with the e-publishing companies and can place you on the best selling lists which gives the book more national recognition.

Mary: Sounds very interesting, I'll have to try that out myself. I have posted a blurb for your Waiting. It’s release date is today, January 23, 2012, correct? Can you add the Amazon buy link and the times for your ‘Book Bomb’ if any?

Blurb:
No teenage girl likes to share, especially her closet space with a WWI ghost.

With her braces off, summer vacation a week away, and a member of the sophomore cheerleading squad, only life altering uprising could destroy Dani McCarty's happiness. So when her mother declares, "We're moving". Dani's calm life is destroyed and she feels like she's tumbling down the proverbial drain.

Her hard landing is a haunted, dilapidated, abandoned, military hospital that her family is turning into a bed and breakfast. Add a pro bono nanny job, a bad boy boyfriend with a drug problem, and a ghost in her closet, and you have one grouchy teen. When WWI ghost Lieutenant William Raleigh announces that she's his salvation and his only chance to leave his state of limbo, she realizes that her fifteen year-old life is taking on some major changes.

Doree: The 'bomb' for Waiting is at 12:00 noon. Amazon has an extensive list of books titled 'Waiting' so for easy access, put in Waiting, doree.
Amazon Link

Mary: Okay everyone, this is a great book, so today at 12:00 noon, let's all support Doree over at Amazon. Do you have any other pertinent information you have for us? Web site, blog, Facebook, Twitter or anything else?

Doree: Yes, I do. My website: www.doreeanderson.com,
Facebook, Twitter and blog

Thank you, Doree, for joining us again at the garden. Good luck with Waiting!

Mary, it was wonderful being with you today. Also, I'd like to mention that I am looking forward to March when your "The Beckett Series" comes out.

Late for New Year's Goals

2012-01-20T01:00:00.032-07:00

Some of you may think the 20th of January is way late to be talking about New Year's goals and resolutions. Everyone has posted it all over the blogs and the emails. And here I am, just bringing it up yet again. The reason being is this; In order to do the things I wanted, I had to start on January 1, 2012.

2012 is my test model year. I've tried so many avenues in this crazy book publishing industry and I have started to carve out my small, very small, piece of the pie. However, this is not enough for me. I want the dream. I know you're all nodding your heads as if to say 'don't we all'. If I don't plan and act on that dream it won't happen. There's no magic genie who's going to jump out of my wine bottle and grant me my wish.

I have tried all the conventional ways to promote my work also. So my 2012 test model year is two fold;

Plan my year and stick to it.
Come up with a innovative marketing/promotion plan.

That is what I've been working on this whole time. I've finished with my 2012 Writing and time outline. The first three month details everything week by week. The rest of the year is pretty generic, but at the end of March I'll revise and reevaluate and fill in the details for the next three months, and go on from there.

Next I have done a 2012 One Year Business plan. A few years ago I received a template at my URWA PRO meeting. I used that and love it.

Next I did a 2012 monthly budget. I had considered using a publicist but when I received the proposal back at $3200 per month (two month minimum) with a $750 fee for a Media Packet, well after I scrapped myself up off the floor I determined I could do my own publicity/marketing/promotion. After all I have been doing promotion and marketing for myself all this time. I just needed something innovative.

Finally I researched and came up with a 2012 outline for a Marketing/Promotion plan. It's all doable with a lot of hard work. And I balanced all of it with how many hours per week to spend, after my 8 hour day job. In other words, made my plan(s) as realistic as possible.

I am now working on the first stages of my own media kit. A database with Arts & Entertainment editors from all the national and as many small town newspapers as possible. When that's done, my first national press release will go out.

I am also doing an outreach to other authors who have promotional items, like postcards, business cards, etc. The best place for these items are reader hangouts. Small coffee shops, independent bookstores, libraries. If any author would like me to place your items in these types of places around my town I will, in exchange for you doing the same for me. If you're interested email me at mary (@) marymartinez (dot) com.

Think about it. If you could get your cards all over outside of your home town. If one person picks up your card in each state, buys your book and loves it, they'll tell someone. And then that someone.... you get my drift. It's called word of mouth the best marketing tool out there.

Now you know all my secrets for 2012. If you'd like to share yours that would be great!

Most important--- I BELIEVE IN MYSELF!

Key West

2012-01-09T13:24:00.000-07:00

Hi from sunny Key West! Well at the moment not so sunny!

My husband and I are on a much needed vacation. We are having a blast. I have no way to download pictures on my iPad but will share when I get home!

This morning we rented bicycles and rode to Stock island to have lunch at the Hogfish. I am so out of shape but we had a good time. Meanwhile I am catching up on my reading. I am going to have some great books to recommend when I get home!

Everyone take care and I will share when I get home!

Congratulations!

2012-01-02T21:26:00.001-07:00

Congratulations goes to Patti P!

For participating, by commenting, Patti has won the Holiday Blog Contest here at Mary's Garden. She has won:

And signed copies of:

And a bunch of other goodies!

And the WINNER IS....

2012-01-02T10:47:00.000-07:00

Count down to the winner!

I'm still going through all the comments and making sure I have emails.

Stay tuned.

The winner for the Book bag full of books and goodies will be announced soon!

Good luck to those who participated.

LAST CHANCE

2012-01-01T11:36:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year! May 2012 be the best year ever.
Today is the last day to enter the contest for a Book Bag full of Books and goodies. All you need to do is leave me a comment and your email to be placed in the drawing. But not just a comment saying you'd like a bag, but a comment about one of the recent posts at the Garden. Or you can post one of your 2012 goals.

Good luck!

Review on: Who Do, Voodoo by Rochelle Staab

2011-12-30T01:00:00.020-07:00

I've reviewed a fun mystery called Who Do, Voodoo by Rochelle Staab. This is her debut novel, so obviously I've never read anything by Ms. Staab before. Here's a bit about the book first. I've 'lifted' a blurb from Ms. Staab's website.

Blurb:

When Liz Cooper's friend Robin Bloom finds an unusual tarot card tacked to her front door, Liz writes it off as a prank. Robin refuses to ignore the omen—her late husband drew the same card, the three of swords, in a reading the night before he was killed in a car accident. As more cards and darker threats appear, Liz realizes someone very dangerous is upping the ante.

Liz turns to her brother's ex-college roommate, occult expert Nick Garfield. As Nick leads her into the voodoo community to locate the origin of the deck, she can't ignore their attraction to each other. Then a woman is found murdered and Robin becomes the prime suspect. Determined to clear her friend, Liz joins forces with Nick to unravel otherworldly secrets and seek help from beyond—or risk being outwitted by a cunning killer...

I was pleasantly surprised by this first novel. Very fun mystery with lots of twists and turns. And the best thing of all, I hadn't figured out 'who' the culprit was until basically when it was revealed. One of my biggest pet peeves is a mystery that doesn't keep you guessing, and one that is predictable. I'm happy to say Ms. Staab not only kept me guessing, but it was far from predictable. If there was one draw back it was to much description. I am not a fan. But that's just me. I recommend that you pick Who Do, Voodoo up and enjoy!

I rate this 4 Dahlias.

Available at Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Review on: Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts

2011-12-27T01:00:00.008-07:00

Once again I've read the great Ms. Roberts. And she always manages to keep me on the edge of my seat. Why can't I write like that? I wish I knew how she does it. I loved Chasing Fire, I didn't know much about fire jumping, but Ms. Roberts makes it interesting even as she tells a compelling story.

Here's the blurb (Again borrowed from her web site)

There's little as thrilling as firefighting-at least to Rowan Tripp. The Missoula smoke jumpers are in Rowan's blood: her father is a legend. She's been fighting fires since her eighteenth birthday. At this point, returning to the wilds of Montana for the season feels like coming home-even with reminders of the partner she lost last season still lingering.

Fortunately, this year's rookie crop is one of the strongest ever-and Gulliver Curry's one of the best. He's also a walking contradiction, a hotshot firefighter with a big vocabulary and a winter job at a kids' arcade.

Everything is thrown off balance when a dark presence lashes out against Rowan, looking to blame someone for last year's tragedy. Rowan knows she can't complicate things with Gull-any distractions in the air or on the ground could mean the end-but if she doesn't find someone she can lean on, she may not make it through the summer. . .

Take about living on the edge. How do real people do it? The only complaint I have, once again, are that the characters do seem very similar to some of her other stories. But I still read them because I can't seem to get enough. I would recommend this to anyone who loves to read!

Nora is where I got the Black Dahlia from. Anyway I give it 4.5 Dahlia's!

Let me know how you like it!

December 26

2011-12-26T11:39:00.000-07:00

Hope you've had a good holiday, winter season so far. Or in some places of the world, summer season. We had utter chaos yesterday for Christmas. The kids swooped in opened their presents in a frenzy and swooped back out again! Our kids are the best.

I received my pottery platter I'd been hinting about--apparently not well enough because my daughter in law had to call my friend who creates the pottery to find out what I wanted.

And not only that she had her make me two soup bowls with a U in them. Most of you know I'm a big University of Utah fan, so I love them.

In case you don't know her, Tiffinie Helmer of Hobble Creek Pottery

Another thing I'd like to share is what Santa brought my granddaughter. She's not quite 5 yet. My son is the motorcycle enthusiast, both street and dirt. And of course out of 7 grandkids 5 boys and 2 girls, he has the girls.

I hope the rest of your holiday season is safe and wonderful. Remember to leave a comment to be entered into the drawing. Click on the bag to the right for details!

Happy Holidays

2011-12-25T01:00:00.011-07:00

I hope all of you, no matter what you celebrate whether it's Christmas, Hanukkah, the winter solstice or nothing at all, just the season, have a wonderful day! May all your dreams come true in the new year. I hope you are blessed in the new year to come also.

Thank you for all of your support!

Review on: Castle TV Series and Heat Wave by Richard Castle

2011-12-23T01:00:00.002-07:00

What should I review first? Mmmm Decisions... First, who actually wrote the books? Richard Castle? Who is the real life author? Does anyone know, I checked Wikipedia and couldn't find out, what's up with that? So if you know, please tell us in a comment! I do know that the screenwriter of Castle is, Andrew W. Marlowe, but does he write the novels?

Let's go with Heat Wave By Richard Castle first.

Blurb:

A New York real estate tycoon plunges to his death on a Manhattan sidewalk. A trophy wife with a past survives a narrow escape from a brazen attack. Mobsters and moguls with no shortage of reasons to kill trot out their alibis. And then, in the suffocating grip of a record heat wave, comes another shocking murder and a sharp turn in a tense journey into the dirty little secrets of the wealthy. Secrets that prove to be fatal. Secrets that lay hidden in the dark until one NYPD detective shines a light.

Mystery sensation Richard Castle, blockbuster author of the wildly best-selling Derrick Storm novels, introduces his newest character, NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat. Tough, sexy, professional, Nikki Heat carries a passion for justice as she leads one of New York City's top homicide squads. She's hit with an unexpected challenge when the commissioner assigns superstar magazine journalist Jameson Rook to ride along with her to research an article on New York's Finest. Pulitzer Prize-winning Rook is as much a handful as he is handsome. His wise-cracking and meddling aren't her only problems. As she works to unravel the secrets of the murdered real estate tycoon, she must also confront the spark between them. The one called heat.

I had a very hard time getting into this book. I couldn't reconcile Jameson Rook as Richard Castle, of course I know it's not really the same but it is. Odd though it sounds. Finally about midway through it began to get mildly entertaining to me. It was okay, not the greatest book, not the worst either. I most likely will NOT read the others.

I give Heat Wave 3 Dahlia's. It's okay to read.

On to Castle the TV Series. I absolutely love Nathan Fillion. The characters are great. Even my husband watches every week. And if my DVR messes up, Comcast watch out! No one messes with my Castle recording.

If you haven't seen it, it's Monday nights on ABC. Check your local listings for time. And if you have Comcast you can find it On Demand. I know so therefore I should never miss an episode.

I give Castle a HUGE 5, I need a 5.5 just for this.

Interview with Caroline Clemmons

2011-12-21T01:00:00.027-07:00

Welcome everyone. Have you finished all your holiday shopping and other duties of the season? Settle in for a treat. Fill your plates with treats also--there are the usual hot drinks, so load up and find a seat. Today our guest is Caroline Clemmons, everyone say ‘hi’.

Mary: I’m glad you could join us today, Caroline. Could you please tell us a bit about you? (something not on your web site.

Caroline: My sweet husband has become a house-husband since he took early retirement, and he prepares our meals and takes care of all those annoying, time-consuming errands so I have more time to write. You can easily understand why I call him Hero on my blog!

I love family history. My brother and I have almost completed a book on our father’s Johnson/Johnston/Johnstone family and some allied lines. All that’s left before sending it to the publisher is proofreading and adding a gazillion photos. My daughter is arriving early for Christmas to help me proofread.

Mary: I see that you’re a fan of Nora’s (Nora Roberts). I am also, I have a picture someone took for me at RWA Nationals of the two of us together. She is my writer role model. So tell us a bit about what your favorite Nora books are. Which ones do you recommend.

Caroline: My favorite of her series are the Chesapeake and Born In trilogies. My favorite of her stand- alone books is the one set in Montana about three half-sisters who inherit a ranch. I love almost everything she writes, but prefer those with suspense.

Mary: I agree, the Chesapeake series was awesome. I see that you write full time. What is a day in the life of Caroline Clemmons?

Caroline: As if there’s a normal day! :-) After a leisurely breakfast while my husband and I talk and watch the birds at our feeders, I check email. Then I write and/or promote for the rest of the day. Usually I skip lunch and we have an early dinner about five. After that, I often write more. I do love spending time with my Hero, so sometimes we watch a TV show or movie in the evening or just sit and read together. But--as with everyone--life often turns my plans--and our lives--topsy-turvy.

Mary: And where can her fans find her? Web site? Blog? Social Networks?

Caroline: I post three times a week on my blog, A Writer’s Life, at http://carolineclemmons.blogspot.com, where I have guest authors, interviews, book reviews, personal ramblings and an occasional book giveaway.
Website at www.carolineclemmons.com
Twitter: @CarolinClemmons (no E in Caroline)
Facebook, Goodreads, LinkedIn, etc.
I’m also involved with team blogs:
On the 26th each month at http://sweetheartsofthewest.blogspot.com
On the 20th each month at http://slipintosomethingvictorian.wordpress.com (American Victorian)

Everyone need a stretch? Fill up your plate with goodies, and warm your hands by the fire pit and then settle back in and we’ll continue.

Mary: If you weren’t writing, is there anything else you’d be?

Caroline: Of course, I’d still read a lot, probably much more than I do now. I’d probably paint in oils on canvas and I’d engage in amateur photography more than I do now. I enjoy those, but not as much as I love writing.

Mary: What holiday do you celebrate this time of year? Do you have traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation? If so, what are they?

Caroline: We celebrate Christmas in a big, BIG way at our house! I love the anticipation, sounds, decorations, and celebrations of this time of year, and am always a bit sad when December 26th arrives. Our family tree looks forlorn with no gifts underneath, but we leave it up until at least 12th Night. As Beth Trissel said recently on her blog, “I always take the tree down before Easter, unless it’s early that year.” ;-) (Beth is such a wonderful writer and fun person.)

Family traditions handed down are the Scripture reading of the Christmas story from the Book of Luke on Christmas Eve before we pass out and open gifts. After TexMex, my husband reads the Nativity story, then we have a prayer thanking God for all He’s given us this year. Then our youngest daughter passes out gifts and we dig into our presents. Then, there are more snacks.

Another handed down tradition is the special food we serve. My mom’s divinity fudge, my aunt’s chocolate fudge, the cookies our now-grown kids love: snickerdoodles, spritz, chocolate chip, and (Hero’s favorite) oatmeal. Due to our waistlines, we try to curb our love of these treats, so I don’t make as much of each as in the past.

Mary: Do you have any new ones you’ve created since your kids were born?

Caroline: We’ve incorporated two new traditions regarding food. On Christmas Eve, we have TexMex (the favorite of everyone in our family). I grew up always having ham on Christmas Day. Our youngest is vegetarian and the other daughter doesn’t like turkey or ham. Since it’s just the four of us, on Christmas Day we take the easy road. We enjoy a lazy, late breakfast after we check out stockings. For a mid-afternoon dinner we buy Stouffer’s five-cheese lasagna and frozen cheesecake (both favorites of our daughters). No muss, no fuss, all day to enjoy one another.

A tradition our youngest started when she was about ten is surprises for Christmas stockings. When she learned I filled the stockings, she said that was unfair because I always knew what I was receiving in my stocking on Christmas morning. She began slipping a surprise into my stocking. Later, for fear her dad might have his feelings hurt (he wouldn’t have), she included him, then her sister. Now each of us puts a surprise in the stockings of the other three. Nothing major, just a nice treat like a gift card or something else small.

Mary: You mentioned a recipe in a comment on my blog, can you share with us? I love recipes. If you read my blog you know that.

Caroline: Since I’ve slept since then, I don’t remember to which recipe I referred. ;-) I think it was the following Sweet Potato Casserole, a truly yummy dish to go with any meat. It’s from a friend who has since passed away, Doris Shelton. I am always asked for the recipe when I serve this dish or take it to a pot luck.

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE
2 cups sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed (I used canned--easier)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 stick margarine
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix all together and pour into buttered 9 x 13 casserole and bake in 400 degree F oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cover with the following topping:

TOPPING
3/4 cups crushed corn flakes
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 stick margarine, melted

Combine these ingredients and pour over potatoes. Return to oven for 10 minutes.

Mary: Sounds very good! Thanks for sharing. Before you say ado, please give us a blurb of your latest release along with any buy links.

Caroline: Happy to! By the way, HOME, SWEET TEXAS HOME is available in print or e-book.

Courtney Madison has battled poverty her entire twenty-five years, but is determined to make a safe and happy home for her teenaged brother after the recent death of their mom. Her mom’s illness left Courtney with a mountain of hospital bills, her formerly sweet brother Jimmy is now cutting class and hanging with a rough crowd, and she’s just learned she’s being downsized in two weeks. Hanging on by the threads of a fraying rope, she learns she’s inherited two million dollars from a kind, elderly man she befriended when he was in the hospital across the hall from her mom. She thinks her inheritance in West Texas is the answer to all her prayers--but Courtney learns that, while money improves her life, it doesn’t guarantee happiness. This modern Cinderella encounters problems even a fairy godmother couldn’t imagine.

Rancher/entrepeneur Derek Corrigan has incredible instincts for flourishing in the business world. With women, not so much. In fact, his friends bemoan he’s King Midas where money is concerned, but his judgment of women is pathetic--evidenced by his late wife and now the flamboyant woman he’s been escorting. As far as Derek is concerned, all he wants is to be a good dad to his children Warren, aged 8, and Meg, aged 5. Derek suspects the worst of his new neighbor and vows to fight his attraction for her. The only way he can protect his children and himself is to keep his private life very private. Besides, he knows what women do to him--they always leave and take chunks of his heart with them. He's been there, done that, had the vaccination, and is cured. Isn't he?

Buy link www.thewildrosepress.com/caroline-clemmons-m-638.html and also at Amazon, Digi-books, and other online stores.

Mary, thank you very much for letting me visit with your readers. This has been a fun visit.

Thank you, Caroline, for joining us today. I’ve had a great time. I hope you drop by again.

Welcome back Regan!

2011-12-19T01:00:00.029-07:00

It’s been a very busy December for me. I have had so many interesting and fun guests in the garden. And guess what? I have another guest. Regan Taylor, has visited before. And we always love having her, today we’re going to talk traditions and you may be surprised by what comes up. Pile your plate full and then find a seat. Don’t forget the holiday blog contest, if you haven’t heard about it you can check my web site.

Mary: Regan, can you tell us a little about your growing up years? Have you always lived in northern California?

Regan: No, actually I grew up on Long Island. I moved to California for college.

Mary: Do you celebrate the traditional Christmas holiday? If not, what do you celebrate, the winter solstice? Can you tell us your ritual?

Regan: I celebrate the winter solstice, Yule. It’s a pretty simple celebration where we have a yule log with three candles. For some pagans they represent Mother, Maiden and Crone. For me they represent Isis, Osiris and Horus. I also have two other candles, one for Bastet and another for Sekhmet. We light the candles, offer blessings, do some readings and end with cakes and ale. This year it is on December 22.

Mary: Can you explain to us a bit about the Solstice, I know it’s an astronomical event that happens twice a year, please correct me if I’m wrong.

Regan: Yes, it is an astronomical event but for us it is something more. For us it celebrates the rebirth of the Great horned hunter god, Cernunnos who is viewed as the newborn solstice sun. For Isians it is the time we talk about the story of Isis and Osiris which dates back over 10,000 years. Some Isians believe it dates back over 20,000 years and elements of their story may seem familiar to others.

The Story of Isis and Osiris (from Egyptian Myths – see link below for the full story told with some wonderful drawings and complete descriptions)

Before Ra, who created earth, left the earth he knew that if the goddess Nut bore children, one of them would end his reign among men. So Ra laid a curse upon Nut - that she should not be able to bear any child upon any day in the year.

Full of sorrow, Nut went for help to Thoth, the thrice-great god of wisdom and magic and learning, Ra's son, who loved her. Thoth knew that the curse of Ra, once spoken, could never be recalled, but in his wisdom he found a way of escape. Thoth helped Nut to give birth to four children: Osiris, Horus, Set, Isis and Nephthys.
When Osiris was born many signs and wonders were seen and heard throughout the world. Most notable was the voice which came from the holiest shrine in the temple at Thebes on the Nile where it was proclaimed to all men that Osiris, the good and mighty king, was born to bring joy and peace to all the earth. When Osiris was grown up he married his sister Isis, a custom which the Pharaohs of Egypt followed ever after. And Set married Nephthys.

Osiris, went on to teach the people of Egypt how to live peacefully and happily together.
But evil Set envied Osiris and hated Isis. The more the people loved and praised Osiris, the more Set hated him; and the more good he did and the happier mankind became, the stronger grew Set's desire to kill his brother and rule in his place. Isis, however, was so full of wisdom and so watchful that Set made no attempt to seize the throne while she was watching over the land of Egypt. And when Osiris returned from his travels Seth was among the first to welcome him back and kneel in reverence before "the good god Pharaoh Osiris".
Bet Set was busy at work and with the help of seventy-two of his wicked friends Set obtained the exact measurements of the body of Osiris, and caused beautiful chest to be made that would fit only him. Then he held a feast to honor Osiris and then enticed his brother into the a coffin like box made exactly to Osiris’ measurements and proceeded to nail it shut and sealed every crack with molten lead, so that Osiris died. Set and his companions took the chest which held Osiris’ body and cast it into the Nile to be carried it out into the sea.

Meanwhile in Egypt Isis was in great fear. She had always known that Set was filled with evil and jealousy, but kindly Osiris would not believe in his brother's wickedness. But Isis knew as soon as her husband was dead, though no one told her, and fled into the marshes carrying their child Horus with her. She then went to seek Osiris’ body and finally found him, but he had been separated into thirteen parts. Out of her great love for her husband Isis reformed his body enabling him to rise from the dead. Through Isis’ magic Osiris was reborn.

Their full story can be found at: http://www.egyptianmyths.net/mythisis.htm

At this time of year, on Yule, we celebrate the rebirth of Osiris and the hope that comes with that transformation. We also honor Isis because it is through her great love we can be reborn. Being reborn doesn’t necessarily mean you have to die and return from the dead. It can be a fresh start, a new idea, a new direction or just a change in perception that makes our lives better.

Mary: Thanks Regan, that was a great history on the solstice. I love learning new things. Now I’m going to switch gears to writing. Can you share a blurb with us from your book, Her Eyes?

Regan:

What would you do to be with the one you love? Would you be willing to die and then find a way, any way possible, back to them?

When Frank White married Catherine he took to heart the words “for better or worse.” With Catherine he got the worst of the worse….or did he?

And if I might, please check out the Links page on my website where I have some information on organ donation and the amazing gift anyone can leave behind. http://regantaylor.com/Links.htm

Mary: And where can all your new fans find you? Web site, Twitter, Facebook, Blog and anywhere else you can think of.

Regan: Tweet me at: http://twitter.com/MsReganTaylor
My blog at http://regantaylor.blogspot.com

Thanks for joining us today, Regan. I’ve had a blast as always.

Thanks for having me Mary! Love visiting the garden!

Review on: In Seconds by Brenda Novak

2011-12-17T01:00:00.010-07:00

In September I reviewed the 1st book the Bulletproof series, Inside, you can read the review here. A couple of days ago I finished the 2nd book, In Seconds. Here's a blurb:

In the whole state of Montana, there's nowhere to hide. . . Laurel Hodges has changed her identity twice. She's been on the run for the past four years, trying to outdistance the men who blame her for the death of one of their own. She's finally found the peace and stability she needs, for herself and her two children, in the small town of Pineview, Montana. But just when she thinks they're safe — the nightmare starts all over again. The Crew, a ruthless prison gang with ties to Laurel's brother, will never forget and they'll never forgive. And now that they've finally found her again, they'll stop at nothing. It could all end in seconds. Only Sheriff Myles King stands between Laurel and the men who want her dead.

As always Brenda Novak delivers. Your on the edge of your seat waiting to turn the page. I would recommend that you read this. But first you want to read Inside, because this book will give you a bit of what happened to Virgil and Peyton, and if you loved those two as much as I did, then you want to know! Now I can't wait to read the 3rd in the series. In Close!

I give In Seconds 4.5 Dahlia's

Chat with you after I read the next!

Interview with Judy Baker

2011-12-16T01:00:00.033-07:00

Good Morning everyone, today I’d like to welcome a very good friend of mine, Judy Baker. I met her a few years ago at Utah Romance Writers of America. I’ve enjoyed her friendship ever since. Everyone bundle up, it’s a bit cold in the garden. Help yourselves to treats as always. Don’t forget I’m having a Holiday Blog Contest, check my web site.

Mary: Thanks again, for visiting, I’m so excited I don’t know where to start. Tell us a bit about Judy. Where did you grow up, and how and when did you start writing?

Judy: Mary, I’m thrilled to be here today. Thank you so much for having me.

I was born in Clarksville, Tennessee, and after graduating from college I accepted a teaching position in Nevada. While there, and to my amazement, this southern girl fell in love with the West, met and married a cowboy. It wasn’t until we had our three children, and while working fulltime that I took a pencil in hand and wrote my first story. I was so proud of myself because I had actually completed my story, and then, I boxed the 400 plus page manuscript away for fifteen years. As time moved on, so did my children, but my desire to write pushed me to dig out that completed novel from underneath the bed. Now my mind is still spinning with stories. Check out my Christmas novels at my alter-ego website, Anna Sugg: http://anna_sugg.coffeecup.com. Blurbs on my historical books can be found on http://judybaker.coffeecup.com.

Judy is a member of several writing groups and credits them with all that she has learned about writing and the many friends that she has made throughout the years.

Mary: Do you have holiday traditions? If so, can you share them with us?

Judy: Yes, we have a couple of traditions. Christmas Day is spent with all my children and grandchildren. Part of their Christmas present is a prime rib dinner. My husband, Brett, cooks the best prime rib. We started this family Christmas dinner about fifteen years ago with the five of us and now totaling eleven, it’s a tradition that we all love. To set the Christmas atmosphere, there’s a formal table with china, crystal and candles, as well as Christmas music playing in the background. After dinner we open presents and take loads of pictures. This has become a magical evening for our entire family. It’s joy to see the excitement on my four grandkids’ faces when they arrived at Nana and Papa’s house for Christmas.

Our other tradition has been going on for over twenty years – Sherry’s Carrot Cake. It’s amazing how a tradition happens – it creeps upon you and it a “tradition” without realizing. For the holidays, we also have a cheeseball that no one wants to do without. I would give you the recipe, but Brett adds his secret season concoction and would tell you what’s in it, but as he says, he’d have to kill you! Hmm, I could call it “BB’s Special Seasoning” and sell it for $2.00 a bottle. What do you think?

Mary: What is your favorite holiday memory from your childhood?

Judy: As a small child, we would go to my grandparents’ farm in Tennessee for Christmas. While there we would bundle up and walk through the woods, looking for the perfect Christmas tree. I can’t tell you how much fun it was, especially when the snow had fallen, which always brought to mind Robert Frost’s poem, “Stopping by on a Snowy Evening.”
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
My daddy would cut down the perfect tree, and we’d hurry to the farmhouse to decorate our special Christmas tree.

Everyone stand up and take a minute to replenish your plates, jump in place to warm up if needed. I’ll throw some logs on the fire.

Mary: Judy, do you have a favorite recipe you can share with us? (This is really for my benefit, I love new recipes)

Judy: Of course – Sherry’s Carrot Cake (the traditional dessert for our Christmas dinner)
Sherry’s Carrot Cake
2 cups of sugar
1 ¼ cups of vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 ½ cups cake flour
2 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 cups finely shredded carrots
3 ½ cups black walnuts
Combined sugar, oil, egg (one at a time) Mix well after each egg
Stir in carrots
Add nuts
Sift together: flour, baking soda, cinnamon
Stir into mixture
Pour into 3 greased 9 inch round cake pans
Bake 30-35 minutes
Cool

Cake Icing
1 8oz package cream cheese – softened
1/4 cup butter – softened
1 lb box soft confection sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoon lemon juice
Blend cream cheese and butter until smooth
Add sugar, gradually mixing
Stir in lemon and vanilla

Mary: A little bird told me something exciting is happening July 2012, can you share? Or is that a secret?

Judy: No secret, well, not exactly. I haven’t announced it at work yet. But, then again, I have been living two lives. My work life and my writing life. No one at work knows that I love to write romances, or that I’m published. Hence, my alter-ego, Anna Sugg. There are some people that would not think it appropriate that I’m a romance novelist. It’s sad, but that’s life sometimes. I did blog about a Christian writing non-Christian novels at http://judyswriting.blopspot.com on July 1, 2011. With that said, I’ll tell you that I’m so excited to move forward with my writing career once I retire. I won’t hold back on marketing my books at that point.

Mary: Where can all your new fans find you? Web site, Twitter, Facebook, Blog and anywhere else you can think of.

Judy: Websites: http://judybaker.coffeecup.com this site is my historical site and has an excerpt for my work in progress which is an historical western, set in 1858 – I’m really enjoying writing this one and love the research. You can also see my book cover and blurb for The Quartering Act with The Wild Rose Press.

My alter-ego, Anna Sugg website is http://anna_sugg.coffeecup.com

Twitter: twitter.com/bakerbooknews
Facebook: facebook.com/bakerbooknews

Blogs: http://anna-sugg.blogspot.com; http://judyswriting.blogspot.com

Mary: Will you share a blurb from your latest book? And include a buy link too.

Judy: My latest books are part of Santa Series e-books: Book two is Santa’s Secret Gift and book three, Mainland Santa.

Santa’s Secret Gift
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006359FE8
Madison Sanford never dreamed a gift from a secret Santa could give her hope and a chance to take her daughter and run. Once safe in the arms of the sisters at St. Paul’s shelter, their new life melts into days of happiness, until her past catches up with her and her secret Santa shows up at the shelter, homeless. Now, to correct a malicious feat, she must leave the happy life behind and return to the man that could destroy her.

Mainland Santa
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0063671S4
Dr. Brianna Sanford would miss the smell of the salty ocean air, the winter Hawaiian nights with their perfect conditions for stargazing, and the island’s constant eighty-two degree temperatures.
As her job at the prestigious Hawaiian hotel nears an end, Brianna meets Cagney Malloy. Since breaking off an engagement, Brianna Sanford has decided all men have only two things on their mind: sex and secrets. Cagney Malloy is no different. He has a secret. She wouldn’t care, except her feelings for the man had become more than she expected.

Thank you Mary, it’s been fun. I sincerely wish you, your family and your readers a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.

Thank you, Judy, for spending the day with us. I had a blast!

Review on: Christmas in Cold Creek by RaeAnne Thayne

2011-12-15T01:00:00.001-07:00

As you know, RaeAnne Thayne is one of my auto buys, so naturally she's one of my Fav's. And I love to read Christmas stories around the holidays. Duh who doesn't right? Well RaeAnne has one Christmas in Cold Creek. I remember Trace from A Cold Creek Baby. I have no idea why I didn't review it, but I loved it and wanted to hear more about Trace. WELL I got my wish!

Blurb: Christmas in Cold Creek
She claimed to be a waitress and a single mother, but Rebecca Parsons doesn’t look like any hash-slinger Pine Gulch Police Chief Trace Bowman has ever seen. And she doesn’t seem particularly maternal toward her little girl, either. Still, one look in her vulnerable green eyes and his protective instincts go into overdrive. Attention from local law enforcement is the last thing Becca needs. She’ll do anything to protect her little sister Gabi from their con-artist mother, even lie about their identities. When Trace shows up at their house carrying a Christmas tree and stirring desires she can’t afford to indulge, she longs to surrender to the magic of the season with him. But Becca’s past is catching up—fast. Can her sexy police chief perform a Christmas miracle?”

When this ended I pouted for a few days. I also read until about 3am to finish it because I couldn't put it down, and I had work the next day. I think I was a zombie all day. I wanted it to go on and on. I wanted to find out what happened with Gabi the next day. This is so hard not to give anything away. So you just have to read it!

I give Christmas in Cold Creek 5 Dahlia's!

If you read it, please let me know how you like it!

Interview with Tammy Dennings Maggy

2011-12-14T01:00:00.040-07:00

Welcome to my garden, Tammy. It’s the holiday season and I’ve planned accordingly. Please have some holiday treats and don’t forget the wassail, it’s nice an warm. From now until January 1st anyone who is a guest on my blog or comments has their name placed into a drawing for a book bag filled with goodies, click here for the details. Without further ado, please say ‘hi’ to Tammy Dennings Maggy.

Mary: As I always do, I look over my guests web site before I begin the interview. And my biggest question is, how did you go from Veterinarian to writer? Do you use your background with healing animals for your stories?

Tammy: Thank you for having me today, Mary. I've never had wassail and this takes fantastic! Definitely my kind of drink, mmmm. I've always been a writer, just too scared to send anything in to a publisher until this year. Becoming a veterinarian was a childhood dream of mine and now that I've accomplished that, I thought it was time to explore my other passion. With this series, I am actually incorporating a lot of my life as a veterinarian and as an over 40 woman who finally finds her happily ever after. Having the medical background, I can make those scenes believable for my characters and for the readers.

Mary: I know I jumped ahead a bit, so let’s back track. Tell us a bit about Tammy, where you call home, etc.

Tammy: I live in the San Francisco Bay area of California, but home for me will always be Michigan. That is where my family all reside and where I grew up. Those midwestern values are ingrained in me and are a huge part of who I am as a person and as a woman. That's why I made several of my characters from Michigan. I love to cook, bake, knit and crochet. I guess I am what you would call a modern day nurturer.

But I have to say, living in the Western part of the United States also has it's advantages and quite a bit of material for my writing. There is Disneyland and Las Vegas too. Two more of my favorite places on earth and that I write about. Those places play very big rolls in my own fantasies and I get to share them with the world. What more can a girl ask for?

Mary: OH! One of my favorite place, San Fran! Do you celebrate the holiday’s, or maybe I should say what holiday do you celebrate? What are your traditions? We’d love for you to share your favorite holiday recipe. (I love recipes.)

Tammy: My family is filled with just about every religion so the traditions are many. Growing up we always celebrated the holidays big with family gatherings and food...lots of food! Shopping and preparing for those events sometimes weeks in advance is just as fun as the day itself. I learned to put a bit of me into all of my preparations so that the day would be special for my family, so that we could feel the love in each decoration and item on the menu.

I've rediscovered my own faith as a Wiccan so the holidays have become even more special for me. Having a soul mate who supports me in this has been the best blessing. This will be my first Yule celebration and I am going all out. With my boyfriend's Irish Catholic background and Druid beliefs we are going to have a very ecclectic house filled with fun and love.

One of my favorite recipes is one that has been passed down from my Grandpa Fila. He loved Harvey Wallbanger cakes and basically tweaked a couple differerent recipes. There are several online but this is the one that I follow.

Harvey Wallbanger Cake
1 box Yellow Cake mix (such as Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker)
1 small box of vanilla instant pudding
1 cup vegetable oil/salad oil
5 eggs
1/4 cup vodka
1/4 cup Galliano
3/4 cup unsweetened orange juice (any brand will do)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Grease and flour a bunt or Angel food pan
Mix together all of the ingredients until well blended, then pour into the pan.
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean
While still hot, turn the cake out onto a platter, completely cover and pack in powdered sugar. Seal up the entire thing for at least 24 hours before serving.

When ready to serve, remove the wrapping and cut the cake into the size slices you wish. Most of the powdered sugar will be hard rocks and will fall away from the cake easily. When I was a kid we used to fight over these sugar pieces! The cake is super moist and full of flavor. Enjoy!

That sounds delicious, now everyone is hungry so I think it's time for a bit of a stretch. While you're at it, fill up your plates and glasses. I hope everyone is enjoying Tammy’s tale.

Mary: Welcome back everyone. Wiccan, huh? Another time and another interview I think. Another tidbit I found on Tammy’s web site, she’s a poet. Where does that fit in? And can you share some with us?

Tammy: Poetry helps me express me feelings at any given point in my life. I've written about love and loss, pain and suffering and a fantasy poem that is the inspiration for another series I am writing. People have told me that I have conveyed exactly how they've felt in the same situations as I have gone through. They've thanked me for putting their feelings into words. I think that's the biggest compliment anyone could ever give to me. The poem I want to share with you today is the inspiration for the second book in my Now and Forever series.

My Love, My Friend
Moving through the years with blinders on.
One track and one goal in mind:
Be the Best in school.
Be the Best and excel in my career.
But in the end these things were achieved alone.
No one to share it with
No one to stand by my side.
No one to call my love, my friend.

Pictures hold precious memories of a love unrequited.
Feelings unreturned and gone unnoticed;
Never confessed to my love, my friend.

Heart and Soul kept locked tight
Behind thick walls of pain and sadness.
Bound by chains of self doubt;
Barricaded behind steel doors of shyness and loneliness.
Terrified of rejection from my love, my friend.

The years fly by.
Lovers come and go.
But none were ever allowed
Completely through all of the defenses
Guarding my secret:
The identity of my love, my friend.

One day we meet again.
Time stands still.
Talk comes with ease.
Secrets shared, pain and hurt confessed.
Forever enduring love finally proclaimed
To my love, my friend.

Could it be true?
He feels the same?
Could we try to see if the fantasy could be our reality?
All signs from our past and present
Point us in that direction…
But will he hold true?
Will he really be my love, my friend?

His heart is torn.
Stay with the life and “love” he knows
And the empty comfort she offers,
Or try something new.
Something he thought was lost
And never could be.
Will I lose him once again…
My love, my friend?

Time will tell and heal all wounds
Laid bare by his rejection.
The feelings get locked away once again.
The walls go back up;
The pieces of my broken heart find each other
And repair ever so slowly and grieve
For my love, my friend.

Our lives move forward.
Messages still sent to each other.
Wishing to be together;
Unable to break free…
At least not yet.
False promises of love and life changes
Hold him in place.
He knows it will fail,
But is more afraid of rejection from a love
So long endured and cherished.

Afraid to take the chance
That true love will win.
Afraid he doesn’t deserve it.
Afraid he cannot live up to it.
So he settles for the pain he knows
Until the day he realizes he is worth it.
He is special;
He has always lived up to the fantasy.
He is and has always been
My love, my friend.

©Tammy Dennings Maggy
11/09/2010
Days Inn
Detroit Metro Airport

Mary: Very nice! Tammy now that everyone has met you, they’re going to want to be able to find you and your books. Do you have a web site? Twitter? Blog? Or Facebook? Please share.

Tammy: I have two blogs Behind Closed Doors is also my main web page http://authortammydenningsmaggy.wordpress.com/
Not Enough Time in the Day http://tammydenningsmaggy.blogspot.com/
Facebook Fan Page http://www.facebook.com/Author.TammyDenningsMaggy
Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/dochappycamper

Mary: Please give us a blurb for your newest book, and buy links if you have them.

Tammy:

Quinn Lee Hollis is a forty-three-year-old veterinary surgeon who has reached a crossroads in her life. Stuck in a loveless and emotionally abusive marriage, she decides that she has had enough and vows to cut loose and enjoy herself in Las Vegas with her sister.

There she meets and falls in love with two men. Both bring out the fire and passion in her that she has longed for her whole life. Steve Eischer is a Vegas tycoon who wants to fulfill her every fantasy, and Jake Hartley is a classic bad boy who awakens desire in her so strong that it nearly destroys her.

Both Steve and Jake have claims on her heart, but only one can share a connection so strong that nothing can keep them apart
Siren Bookstrand
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Thank you, Tammy, for sharing the day with us.

Thank you for having me!

Lindsay Downs is back in the Garden

2011-12-12T01:00:00.030-07:00

Good Morning! It’s a new day, a new interview! Lindsay, Lindsay, Lindsay welcome back to the garden. One of my favorite guests. Thanks for agreeing! Everyone pile on the food—I say as I watch ever calorie I take in—you guys eat it all I won’t be tempted. Don’t forget to comment, I have a holiday blog contest going strong. Check the details on my web site.

Mary: So Lindsay, when you were a small one, what was your favorite holiday tradition? And what is the one tradition you’ve let go of and you regret?

Lindsay: My favorite holiday tradition, my parents let us kids open one, and only one, present of our choice before going to bed. First though we had to put up our stockings for Santa to fill and make sure there were cookies and milk for him.

Over the years I’ve developed my own holiday tradition, giving back to the community. To learn more about that please stop back to http://breaessex.blogspot.com.

Mary: Okay to be honest, I’ve had you as a guest so many times I’m trying to remember what I’ve asked you in the past so I won’t repeat myself. However, I just hopped over to you web site, and remembered you have a new Christmas book coming out. SOOOO.. Please share a blurb and a buy link from your new book.

Lindsay: Blurb: When a call for paws goes out, five friends bring their collies without question to a friend’s house. They learn the collies are needed to help seven children with the grief of losing a parent in Iraq or Afghanistan. Now, with seven friends, four collie yearlings and their mother, they set out to help the children
Not far away a mother hopefully leads her seven puppies to safety from a man intent on selling them for illicit purposes.
By a miracle of fate the two mother collies find each other right before the man sells the puppies.
That Christmas morning will be one the children will remember all their lives and they are united with the puppies.

LINKS FOR A DOG GONE CHRISTMAS

To request an autograph on your kindle (my author page)
http://kindlegraph.com/authors/ldowns2966

Buy links for A Dog Gone Christmas

Astraea Press
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
All Romance

Let’s all stand up and dance naked in the snow. Just kidding. It’s a bit cold so why don’t you all warm up your drinks and grab some more snacks.

Mary: What inspired you to write this story?

Lindsay: For those who don’t know or aren’t aware, the original Kebi was a rescue collie. The original plan was to have Kebi, the fictional character, and her first litter, with partners, get together for the holidays. Somehow they would find and rescue a group of puppies and their mother. Then I thought about the children who won’t be seeing or talking with their deployed, in Iraq or Afghanistan, parent because said parent had been killed. These children suffer as much, if not more, than we know or are aware.
One of the many talents the original Kebi had was that of a therapy dog so I thought it would be an interesting idea to have the collies do just that to a group of very young children. And as typical with me I had no idea what was going to happen when.

Mary: And now please tell all the new people who are reading this where to find you. Web site, Facebook, Twitter, blog and anywhere else you can think of.

Lindsay: I would also like to point out that for every copy of the book sold I’ll be making a donation to the collie rescue groups where I found my Kebi.
Murders and Mysteries
Facebook
Twitter
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Thanks Lindsay for visiting us again. You’re always a welcome guest.

Traditions

2011-12-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

Traditions. This month is all about traditions, anyway it is to me. I love the holidays when it snows and your mom fills the kitchen with the smell of vanilla. As you can see I have a holiday blog contest going check out the details here.

I'd love to hear what your traditions are!

One of our traditions is Candied Yams. This year at Thanksgiving, I added a twist--well I didn't dare cut out the candied ones or my kids would never forgive me. So I had two dishes. Traditional and Jamaica Yams. I thought I'd share the recipes.

Candied Yams -- Too many calories to count.
4 large yams cleaned, peeled an sliced about 1/4 inch thick
1 bag of miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
dash of cinnamon
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place a row of sliced yams on the bottom of an oven safe baking dish. Put bits of butter over them, sprinkle with brown sugar and add a row of marshmallows. Repeat until the dish is filled. sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake for an hour.

Jamaican Yams
4 Yams cleaned, peeled and sliced about 1/4 inch thick
Canola butter
1 1/2 tsp Jamaican spice
Add a row of yams to the bottom of a oven safe baking dish, then add some low cal butter and sprinkle with Jamaican spice, then repeat until dish is full.
Spice:
1/8 tsp Allspice
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp Thyme
1/2 tsp Onion powder
1/8 tsp Clove (Ground)
1/2 tsp Ground Chili's
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder.
Use mortar and pestle to grind until powdering.
After sprinkling you should have some left. Great rubbed into pork and then grilled.

Remember to comment for a chance to win! Happy holidays.

Interview with Carla Angela

2011-12-09T01:00:00.031-07:00

Welcome to the garden today. I must admit I didn’t have a clue that there were so many of my author mates over on Siren-BookStrand who live in Australia. The one place I’ve wanted to go since I was old enough to travel. Anyway, you know the drill, fill your plate with goodies and pour your favorite beverage then find a seat. Don’t forget about my Holiday Blog Contest, click here for details.

Everyone welcome my guest today, Carla Angela.

Mary: So if I say, Good Day Carla, is that lame? Yeah I thought so. Please tell us a bit about your background, where you group, etc.

Carla: Haha, saying G’day is perfectly fine! I’m more of a “hi/hello” kind of Aussie, but there are definitely those crocodile-wrangling types out in the Outback, who would use the Down Under greeting. Oh, and Russell Crowe lookalikes, I’m sure!

Beautiful garden, by the way! My mum’s a green thumb and she’d be very impressed.

My background’s in journalism, though since about the age of five I’ve had a not-so-secret yearning to pen novels (yep, I’m one of those pesky people whose dreamed about it since Day Dot and has bored my loved ones to tears about it!) I’m a member of various writers’ groups now… they help me feel a little less mad, and are more willing to listen ha.

Mary: Don't be too impressed with the garden, well that I had anything to do with it. My picture was taken at Red Butte Gardens in Salt Lake City, UT. Oh and I think Russell Crowe is HOT!

Do you celebrate the Christmas holidays in Australia? And if so, is it the same as in the US? Can you tell us your holiday traditions, if not Christmas whatever holiday you do celebrate?

Carla: Yes, Christmas is a big tradition Down Under, provided you are, of course, Christian. The Adelaide Christmas Pageant is like the starter pistol for the festive season here. It’s said to be the largest event of its kind in the world (reportedly inspired by the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade). Think floats, bands, clowns, dancing groups, and walking performers, all culminating in the arrival of the man himself: Father Christmas. When it kicks off in late November, it gives everyone the green light to suddenly adorn their houses with Christmas lights, put up their Christmas trees, and join the mad rush to buy festive gifts.

I imagine Christmas celebrations in Oz are fairly similar to the US – except for one biggie: it’s summer time here. So there’s less of the roasts and puddings on the menu and more of the salads, seafood and barbecued meat! Oh, and we might hit the beach afterwards to work off all our feasting, and not the ice rink.

Like many Aussies, I tend to spend my day going between the houses of my family and that of my hubby’s. And then wind up on the couch at night with a full belly, making a resolution to cut down on my calorie intake in the New Year (and failing by Jan 2)!

Mary: Do you have a favorite holiday—or non-holiday—recipe you can share with us?

Carla: Gosh, my hubby’s actually the chef in our household sorry haha! So instead, I thought I’d be cheeky and pass on a link from Taste.com.au for an Aussie Christmas banquet (think seafood platters and BBQ classics!) It’s here… http://www.taste.com.au/recipe+collection/articles/1309/aussie+christmas+lunch

I see some empty plates and glasses, let’s take a little break to refresh.

Mary: Everyone comfortable? Let’s continue then. Carla, when did you first know you wanted to write?

Carla: I thank my Mum for giving me a very healthy appetite for reading, which, in turn, inspired my writing. Visits to the library were frequent, and hence, even on family road trips, I’d always have my head buried in some book or magazine. From Enid Blyton to Sweet Valley High, Babysitters’ Club and Judy Blume, I could never devour enough reading material.

In my school holidays, as a teen, I used to hand-write 100-page, young adult-style novels. I’d have a rough idea of a plot in my head and somehow it would all just flow, because there was no pressure back then. I just did it all for my own enjoyment.

It’s taken me awhile to get back to that kind of carefree, creative head space after the hard slog of journalism.

Mary: Do you have a day job? If so, what?

Carla: I’m a freelance writer. I’ve gone from being a full-time print journalist to working from home. The idea was to give myself more time to concentrate on my true love: fiction writing! But somehow I still only manage to get time to work on the fiction side of things a few hours every other night. If I’m lucky. The dream is to do it full-time, combined with going for beach runs in the morning and window-shopping in the arvos. (Yeah, I’m a real dreamer!)

Mary: Hey, I'm right there with you, dreaming! Where can people find you? Website, blog, twitter, Facebook or any other places?

Carla: I have a blog! www.carlaangela.com But I’m an email addict as it is, so I’ve steered clear of Twitter et al thus far.

Mary: Carla, can you share with us a blurb for your latest book, and any buy links?

Carla: For sure! Here’s the blurb… When photographer Lake Silva helps her best friend trawl online dating sites in her search for love, she is appalled by some of the pictures men upload. Totally unflattering!
So Lake takes it upon herself to do something about it with a brainstorm for a new business venture—professional online dating photos. Slick, appealing, and sizzling hot...with Lake behind the camera lens! What she doesn’t count on is meeting one male client who stirs up more than just business sense in her.
Hunter Dex is not Lake’s usual customer. He lives in a palatial abode, and he has ocean-blue eyes and a tanned, muscular body.
Despite a photography exhibition of nudes also keeping Lake busy, she can’t help having dirty fantasies about Hunter. But such a gorgeous, rich playboy like him could never be seriously interested in a feisty tomboy like her...could he?

Oh, and for those who are mad keen to buy it hehe, here’s a link: http://www.bookstrand.com/full-exposure

Thank you, Carla for joining us today. I’ve had a blast.

Interview with Nicole Morgan

2011-12-07T01:00:00.035-07:00

Good Morning everyone! I have hot chocolate, coffee and some holiday goodies, help yourselves. If you’d prefer something stronger, there’s also wine and Bailey’s for your coffee. Please welcome Nicole Morgan to the garden today. I’m having a lot of fun with all my guests this month for my Holiday Blog Contest, please check out the details on my web site.

Mary: Nicole I’m so glad you agreed to visit the garden. I read over your web site, and found you write hot erotica. However, nothing really about your background, so of course I’m intrigued and inquiring minds want to know all about you. So??? Tell us about where you call home, please.

Nicole: First Mary, let me thank you for having me as your guest today. The hot cocoa and goodies were an unexpected but pleasant surprise. I live in the Rocky Mountain region, only about a half an hour from the mountains and often times I love to take drives up there to take in the beautiful scenery. Most recently I took a short trip up there and saw the beautiful orange and red colors of autumn as the trees changed, preparing themselves for winter.

Mary: I live near the Rocky's too.... What, if any, holiday’s do you celebrate? Do you have traditions?

Nicole: I generally celebrate all holidays. I’ve always loved to decorate no matter how small the holiday seemed. Entertaining and spending time with family and friends is one of my favorite things to do and would call it one of my favorite traditions.

Mary: This is always my favorite question, do you have any holiday—or non-holiday—recipes you can share with all of us?

Nicole: It’s not much of a recipe, more of a trick I learned. Whenever I cook a roast chicken or turkey I always get rave reviews. Everyone assumes I’ve spent hours coming up with just the right spice combination to give it that fantastic flavor. Then they comment on how the inside is so moist and tender but the outside skin is crispy and brown. I’ve told a few friends my ‘secret’ but they think I’m teasing them, refusing to give up my secret recipe. LOL. I am no Colonel Sanders. My secret is in a can. A spray can to be exact. PAM Cooking Spray has an Olive Oil version. Instead of applying butter to the outside of the bird, I use the Olive Oil spray. It is healthier for you and it gives the bird a much better flavor. Then I just season to taste. I can assure you it is not the few seasonings I use that give it the fantastic flavor. I have made birds with the same spices, using both olive oil and butter. I’m here to tell you, in this case butter does not make it better.

Sounds good to me, so everyone are your plates empty? Let’s take a minute to re-fuel. And warm up. Baby it’s cold outside. Oh that’s a song. LOL.

Mary: Everyone settled? Let’s continue. Nicole, will you please share what your most fond memory of childhood is?

Nicole: I have many fond memories from my childhood, so it would be hard to pick just one. If I had to choose one, I would pick one of my earliest memories. I can remember being very little and building a snowman with my dad in front my Grandfather’s house. I’m not sure why this memory has always stood out to me, but its definitely one of my favorites.

Mary: Would you please share a blurb of your newest book? Also any buy links, etc.

Nicole: Of course, I would be happy to and thank you for asking. My latest book is titled “Beck and Call” and it’s published by Total-E-Bound.

Jenny Somers is the General Manager at a resort hotel in the beautiful Caribbean. She loves her job, but she hates her boss. Constantly cutting corners to meet budget constraints she finds herself doing handyman work just to keep the hotel running.
Beck is a drifter who comes to Jenny’s rescue during a plumbing emergency at the hotel. He is arrogant, cocky and absolutely everything that Jenny despises in a man of his type.
Together Jenny and Beck find out just how real the term “opposites attract” is, and along the way find something they weren’t quite expecting along the way.
Direct buy link: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=1295

• This book is available in all eReader formats and can also be find on various other eBook sites such as: Amazon (Kindle), Barnes and Noble (Nook), ARe and Fictionwise.

Mary: Do you have a place where your new fans can find you? A web site, blog, Facebook and/or Twitter and everyplace else you can think of.

Nicole: In one way or another, I’m all over the web. Places that they can find me are:
My website: http://nicolemorgan1.webs.com
My blog: http://nicolemorganauthor.blogspot.com

Social networking sites:
http://facebook.com/nicolemorganauthor (Friend me here)
http://facebook.com/nicolemorganfanpage (“Like” my Author page here)
http://twitter.com/mornic1

Author pages:
http://amazon.com/author/nicolemorgan
http://manicreaders.com/nicolemorgan
http://www.authorsden.com/visit/author.asp?authorid=104745

Thank you, Nicole, for sharing your time with us here at the garden.

Thank you so much for having me, Mary. It has been wonderful. The hot cocoa and goodies were fantastic! I must admit I think I ate way too much of them though. Thanks again and have a wonderful Holiday season! ~ Nicole Morgan

Interview with Jan Graham

2011-12-05T01:00:00.037-07:00

Good morning, or evening depending on what part of the world you’re in. Please welcome Jan Graham to the garden. Go ahead and fix yourselves a plate of goodies, and grab your favorite drink and then we’ll settle in. Also, a quick reminder about my Holiday Blog Contest check my web site for details.

Mary: I’m excited to have you at my garden, Jan. I’ve been reading over your site, very interesting. Can you tell everyone a bit about yourself? Something they can’t find on your web site, where you grew up, things like that.

Jan: Hi Mary, thanks for having me here today. As for a little bit about me, well, I’m Australian, I currently live on the outskirts of Sydney but grew up in a city called Newcastle. It’s about a three hour drive up the coast from Sydney. Newcastle has lots of beaches, a lovely harbor, it’s more relaxed and easy going than the major city’s of Australia. It has some great pubs and cafés and a very nice atmosphere, I love going back there to visit friends.

Mary: What holiday’s do you celebrate? Can you share your traditions with us?

Jan: I celebrate Christmas and Easter although I don’t make a huge deal out of them. I think a lot of our holiday celebrations are so commercial now and we’ve lost the meaning of how they began. The Christmas message, whether it’s a Christian or a Pagan philosophy that people believe, has gotten lost under the hype of what to buy and how much to spend. So I celebrate by being with family and friends, we still share gifts but don’t go overboard. For Christmas I always go back home to Newcastle and stay for a few weeks, I catch up with everyone that’s important to me.

Mary: What is your favorite childhood tradition or memory that you wished you’d continued to honor, or carry on?

Jan: When I was a child every Christmas Eve the family and a whole lot of friends used to gather together for a dinner and then we would sit and watch Carols by Candlelight which is always televised live from the Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne. I think the carols by candlelight might be an Aussie thing so I’ll explain it because it’s something that happens all over the country throughout the month of December. It’s basically a big concert style sing-a-long of Christmas carols, everyone sits outside, often in a park and has a picnic dinner. As it get’s dark everyone lights a candle and enjoys the festive atmosphere of the concert. It’s always fund and with all the candles burning it’s a beautiful sight.

Mary: Do you have a very Australian holiday—or non-holiday—recipe you can share with us? I love new recipes, especially when they’re from another country. Something will bring a little different culture to my dinner table.

Jan: This is really difficult to answer. Most of our Christmas recipes come from other cultures. Australia is such a multicultural place we’re like a melting pot of a society. So traditional Christmas fair stems from whatever cultural back ground a person has. Because it’s hot in Australia at Christmas we tend to eat a lot of salad, seafood, and roasts are often barbequed rather than cooked on an oven. So I’ve got a prawn recipe (I think in the U.S. they’re referred to as shrimp).

Marinated barbecue prawns with summer salad (serves 4)
• 24 green king prawns, peeled leaving tails intact, deveined
• 1 1/2 tbs rice vinegar
• 3 tsp sesame seeds
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 fresh red Birdseye chilli, halved, deseeded, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp Chinese five spice
• Lemon wedges, to serve
• Summer salad
• 1 carrot, peeled
• 1 Lebanese cucumber
• 1 x 100g pkt baby Asian greens
• 100g bean sprouts
• 1 x 250g punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup firmly packed fresh coriander leaves
• 1 1/2 tbs rice vinegar
• 3 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp light olive oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 1/2 tsp fish sauce
Thread 3 prawns onto each skewer and place in a glass or ceramic dish. Combine the vinegar, sesame seeds, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, chilli and five spice in a small bowl, and spoon over prawns. Turn prawn skewers to coat in the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 20 minutes to develop the flavors.
Meanwhile, to make the salad, use a vegetable peeler to slice the carrot and cucumber lengthways into thin ribbons. Place in a large bowl. Add the baby Asian greens, bean sprouts, tomato and coriander, and gently toss to combine. Place the vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, sesame oil and fish sauce in a screw-top jar and shake until well combined.
Preheat a barbecue or char-grill on medium-high. Add the prawn skewers and cook for 3 minutes each side or until prawns change color. Transfer to serving plates.
Drizzle salad with dressing and toss to combine. Divide salad among serving bowls and serve with prawn skewers.

That recipe sounds delicious! Whew, I need a break, what about you? While I throw a few more logs in the fire-pit to keep us warm why don’t the rest of you help yourselves to some more goodies.

Mary: Okay are we set? I’ve always wanted to travel to Australia, do you travel outside of your country, if so where?

Jan: I haven’t been overseas for a few years now, but have traveled around a few places in America. I’m planning on visiting the states again because I have a brother living over there at the moment who I haven’t seen for quite a few years, but I haven’t set a date as yet. I’d like to go to Europe but haven’t managed to get there yet either. As a kid most of our holidays were within Australia, my parents believe that we should see the country we lived in order to understand who were are as people, so I’ve been pretty well everywhere down here.

Mary: Can you tell all your new fans where to find you? Web site, blog, Facebook, Twitter and anywhere else.

Jan: Oh, I’m everywhere on the net…lol. I have all of the ones you mentioned as well as Goodreads which is an excellent site for booklovers. The addresses are:
Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
So as you can see there’s a social site for everyone. I only go on to the internet once or twice a day, but anyone can contact me through any of the sites and I get an alert. I’d love to hear from anyone interested in my new book Finding Angel and also my upcoming releases, I do like a chat 

Mary: Would you share a blurb from your newest book? Also, a buy link if possible.

Jan:

Blurb: Angel Wylde is a woman with a complicated existence, a damaging past, and a desire to be normal. Unfortunately, what’s normal to Angel is unconventional to the rest of us. A crime boss will kill to get an incriminating ledger from her. Detective Steve Jax also wants the ledger from Angel, but the infuriating woman has disappeared.
Christian and Daniel Shore, Steve's two best friends, don’t know about the ledger. They just want Angel. A chance meeting has them taking her home and deciding she is the only woman for them—yes, both of them. Obviously, Angel isn’t the only one with unconventional desires. So who does Angel trust? Two kinky Doms she just met, a cop she doesn’t know anything about, or a nasty crime boss? Trusting all of them may save her life, and falling in love with two Dominant brothers is the icing on the cake.
If you’d like to buy the book you can go to http://www.bookstrand.com/finding-angel

Mary: If there is anything, you’d like to share please do.

Jan: I’d just like to say thanks again for having me here today, I hope everyone who reads Finding Angel enjoys it and I’d love to hear from readers about what they think.

Thank you, Jan for sharing your day with us.

Welcome back Phyllis

2011-12-03T01:00:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! How’s all the holiday shopping? Or are you not celebrating? Well I wish you all the best with whatever you’re doing. Today we have another of our favorites here in the garden, Phyllis Campbell. So gather up some food, settle in for a chat. Remember to check out the details on my holiday blog contest on my web site—you don’t want to miss out.

Mary: You’ve shared with us a bit about your growing up before. So can you share with us your favorite holiday tradition that you’ve carried on from childhood?

Phyllis: I’d love to, Mary! For as long as I could remember, my mother always made Applesauce cake for Christmas. Even though she made these cakes throughout the year, the Christmas holiday is what stays in my mind. Probably because we made goodie-plates for neighbors and these little cakes were on them. Now I am the one that makes the cakes and takes them to our neighbors. Here is the recipe. They’re really easy to make!
Applesauce Cake
1 cup butter 1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup sugar 1 cup nuts
1 egg ½ teaspoon cloves
1 ¾ cup flour (or so) 1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup applesauce

Blend butter, sugar. Add eggs. Add applesauce with soda. Mix well. Add spices, choc chips and nuts. Add flour. Bake 350 for 50 minutes in greased and flour bread pan.

Mary: I love the sound of this recipe! What holiday traditions have you developed over the years with your own children?

Phyllis: While growing up, my family always put up the Christmas tree on my sister’s birthday – Dec. 13th. Once I married and started having kids of my own, we decided that was too late in the month to put up our tree. So we started a new tradition. Our tree goes up the day after Thanksgiving – without fail! Funny, because now that my daughter has her own family, she’s starting earlier than that and wants her tree up on her birthday – Nov. 23rd.

Everyone warm enough? I’ll turn up the heater and grab some more blankets.

Mary: So I heard a rumor you have a Christmas Anthology out, is this true? Can you share a blurb from it and offer up a buy link?

Phyllis: This is true! I was invited to be with 11 other authors to join this Regency Christmas Anthology. There are four books with three authors’ stories. The story I’m in is titled, “Summons From His Grace”. All the stories focus around one person – our character’s grandfather, the ornery Duke of Danby. My story is titled, “Becoming A Lady”. These anthologies can be found on Kindle, Nook, or any other e-reader programs. Here’s the link to my story http://amzn.com/B0061CFACY

Dorothy Paxton is not pleased when a handsome Englishman walks into her inn and announces he's taking her back to England to reunite with the grandfather who turned his back on her years ago. Her escort, Calvin Seton, bribes her by paying her brother's doctor's bills, and soon she's on the ship sailing for London. Little by little, Calvin's charm softens her heart. While her lady's companion teaches her to become a lady, Dorothy is secretly wishing Mr. Seton would do some teaching of his own...in his bedroom. Yet she must control her desires or she's no better than her mother who succumbed to a nobleman, only to have him leave her. Dorothy will not repeat history. Or will she?

CONTEST!! All of the authors in this anthology are doing a giveaway contest. All you have to do is comment on this blog leaving your name and email addy and you will be entered. Click here to read more about this contest – where the grand prize is a Kindle!

Mary: Sounds great! Where can your new fans find Phyllis? Web site, blog, twitter, Facebook and anything else you can think of.

Phyllis: I do have a Facebook page. Just look for Phyllis Campbell. My website and blog are combined – http://phylliscampbell.blogspot.com I’d also love for you to follow me on Twitter - @phylliscampbell If you are a member at www.wattpad.com, I have some of my books up there as well.

Mary: Can you offer any words of wisdom to the struggling new author?

Phyllis: If writing is something you love, do NOT give up! It’s a rough business, but the rewards are worth every struggle and every heartbreak. Continue to perfect your talent, and you will achieve your dream!

Thank you, Phyllis for joining us again today. I always have a great time when you visit!
Thanks, Mary! I certainly enjoy popping in for some hot chocolate!

Welcome Simone Sinna to the Garden!

2011-11-28T01:00:00.013-07:00

Welcome to my garden. Everyone snuggle up, I hope you brought blankets because winter is here. I’ve placed a few heaters around, and there’s hot cocoa and some mint schnapps if you’d like. As always fill your plate with goodies, pick a beverage of your choice and settle in. We have an exciting and well traveled guest today.

Please say Hello, to Simone Sinna.

Mary: Thank you for joining us today, Simone. Where people can find you, your web site, face book, etc.

Simone: Thank you for the invitation! My website is up and should be fully operational by January (www.simonesinna.com) but I’m also up on Manic Readers and my book is at Siren (www.bookstrand.com/simone-sinna ), not to mention twitter (@simonesinna)

Mary: Why did you want to write fiction when you write non-fiction?

Simone: My non-fiction is part of my job, which I am passionate about but it is work! Writing fiction can be hard work too (particularly the editing) but I love the creative process part of it that is missing in non-fiction. I started writing stories at age 8 and haven’t ever really stopped, and both writing and reading fiction (I read at least a couple of books a week) is a great way to escape and wind down. And you can choose so many different places to escape to!

Everyone take a minute to stretch, refill you’re plates if you’d like. A bit more hot Cocoa maybe?

Mary: I read over your web site, and we do have the love of travel in common. Some of my favorite cities are New York, San Fran, Seattle for the US and then there is Paris and Rome, but nothing compared to Venice. I want to go back to Italy so bad. So enough about me, where are some of your favorite places, and why?

Simone: Like a lot of people born in Australia, I have the wanderlust! Part of it is that though not so much now, but when I was growing up, we seemed a long way away and everything important was happening elsewhere. All my grandparents were from the UK so I also felt a strong pull there. So since 18 I have travelled every opportunity I can. This has included living and working in the USA, where I adore New York, but also the fabulous national parks which I need to go to more! Fall in New England is amazing. Because in Australia we have mostly evergreens, we just don’t get that dramatic color change. We also have a house in France, so are there at least once a year, and I have lived there for extended periods. Our children went to school there so speak fluent French (which is more than I can say for me) and we love the food and wine. We can order wine in France (and therefore no taxes) and have it delivered ready waiting in our three hundred year old cellar. Near Beaujolais, the farmhouse is in bucolic surrounds and the French know how to eat and drink well! Other favorites are Italy and Spain, but Istanbul and Cairo are both amazing places too in a different, exotic way. I spent time in Spain recently, walking to Santiago via the coastal route. Great weather (April this year, we were lucky), crisp cold Rose and some great pulpa (octopus). San Sebastian is beautiful and fabulous Tapas bars.

Mary: Tapas, my weakness.... I understand you’re off to sample some restaurants in Amsterdam and Paris, so tell us, do you jet off like that often? If so, please share with us some of your favorite restaurants.

Simone: Both my husband and my work takes us overseas to conferences/ give training so we always add something social- and usually a trip to our French house. At the moment he’s training at the Hague so I’m meeting him in Amsterdam (went there last year in Summer and it was gorgeous) and catching the train to Paris, where we will eat and do some Christmas shopping. Friends are going to then stay with us in our farmhouse.
I heard a radio interview of a Francophile restaurant reviewer who said everyone who could get there should, once in their life, go to a three star Michelin restaurant in France, and I’d have to agree – as long as you don’t think about how much each mouthful costs. It’s an experience, not just the food. But that said, if you don’t really like and appreciate food the subtleties will allude you. That said, my mother (whom definitely missed the finer details) still talks about George Blanc, and this is my favorite because it is a complete experience. In Vonay, about an hours drive north of Lyon, George Blanc basically owns everything in town. He has accommodation – very nice but expensive, but also some more reasonable. The restaurant is very elegant, huge hanging tapestries and you enter walking down a moat on one side and pictures of the G8 and the then looking into the kitchens (spotless) on the other. In the main part of the hotel are pictures of all the stars who have stayed there (including the Clintons, Tom Cruise etc). Staff are every where and very gracious (and they speak English). The food is superb - you must taken a set menu because you get loads of extras, dessert and cheese trolleys roll up and you can have as much as you want. Be sure you’re hungry!
My other absolute favorite, though no longer open, was El Bulli north of Barcelona. Again, not just food but a total experience.

Mary: Do you celebrate any of the winter holidays? If so, can you share with us your traditions? And maybe a fun recipe.

Simone: In winter we sometimes have a mid year Christmas with the turkey, because of course winter in Australia is in June. At Christmas we then tend to go for seafood because it’s hot!
My favorite recipe which I would serve warm in winter, with a salmon on top, or good cold in summer, is quinoa salad. I discovered quinoa when I was walking in Peru (Macchu Picu is amazing). It’s a grain a bit like couscous and is easy to digest which was important because we were at high altitude. It’s very good for you, but also easy (and low calorie!) and when done my way (which you vary a lot) is delicious. All our supermarkets now have it so I imagine you can get it in the USA.
1. Wash the quinoa and then throw into a hot wok and fry (stirring to stop sticking) for about five minutes. It will ‘pop’. Doing this step gives it a bit of a smoky flavor but if you’re in a rush you can go straight to the next step.
2. Put the quinoa (1 cup does about four-six; mix the white, brown and black colors, it looks better) in boiling water for exactly 8 minutes then drain.
3. Now add what you like! One can of chick peas (drained) is fairly essential, as is cut up red peppers (adds color), at least half a bunch of coriander and mint and up to a cup of cranberries. I’ve also added pistachios, onion fried in turmeric. Don’t forget the salt- this needs it!

Mary: Sounds awesome, thanks! Before we say good bye, please share a blurb of your latest book.

Simone: Thanks Mary. Seen as we’ve been talking about restaurants, I’ve picked an excerpt from Embedded where Stephanie, an investigative journalist working under cover is dining with her employer (whom she is investigating on drug charges but is very attracted to). They are at La Rosa Nautica which is a real restaurant in Lima that I will provide a photo of to Mary and hopefully she can add it to put you all in the mood!

Mary: I was able too, and now I want to visit there. It's just below the cover.

Excerpt:

The arrival of a plate of ceviche—the house specialty of raw fish marinated in lime juice—was perhaps fortuitous. Gabriel expertly changed the topic, but she sensed an anger simmering. Maybe it was time to prod it rather than run from it. She let him eat in peace, making small talk, whilst all the while, her whole body was on alert, ready to pounce—or be pounced upon.
Gabriel didn’t suggest dessert and called for the bill, seeming keen to end the evening. But she was wrong, or at least he had business with her to attend to first. As soon as they were in the car, he closed off the window between them and the driver. ‘First, let me be clear. Marguerite was a tragedy. We don’t speak of her often, and that probably suggests I’m still grieving, but I assure you, it was a long time ago.’
Stephanie could smell the maleness of him, his controlled anger, yet rather than fearing it, she was mesmerized. A moth to the flame.
‘I did blame myself,’ he continued. ‘But it is not my world. I blamed Ramon and the drug cartels far more. Myself, I have forgiven, and to some degree, also Ramon. But them, never.
‘As for women? I assure you, nothing about my relationship with you is in any way typical of anything.’ He looked momentarily at a loss but regained his composure so quickly that Stephanie wondered if she’d been mistaken. ‘You asked why I employed you. Believe me, I ask that myself often.’
Stephanie held her breath. Now he was going to really give it to her.
‘You have to be the most frustrating, annoying, impossible woman I have ever met.’
Stephanie straightened up. ‘Now you listen to me,’ she began, finger pointing, but she didn’t get a chance to say more.
He grabbed her arm, almost tight enough to bruise. ‘No, you listen to me.’ Except it seemed that words failed him and, as if battling against himself, he pulled her toward him and kissed her hard on the mouth. His lips and tongue took over her own, melding so that she was lost in him. It felt, for all its wild unexpectedness, inevitable. As she felt the tension in him release, he put one arm around her, the other touching her breasts and legs in a frenzied passion. All Stephanie was aware of was the intense presence of the man. Her body responded unquestioningly, and she kissed back as hard as he kissed her.
He pulled back, almost pushing her away. The car had stopped outside their hotel. Gabriel released a brief bitter sigh and turned away to open the door. ‘I’m sorry. That was totally unacceptable, and I apologize. It won’t happen again.’
Stephanie, stunned, stared after him as he disappeared inside.
Stephanie’s hotel room resembled a bomb site when she finally crumpled into bed. She had called Gabriel every expletive she could think of and flung anything that wasn’t bolted down. The consolation of anger was that it was better than crying, but she did some of that, too. What was wrong with the man? And why was she such an idiot?

I love the excerpt, I'm glad you shared, of course we all want the book now. Oh, that was the point. Thank you so much for joining us, Simone, I hope you come back and visit often.

Breakfast Burrito's

2011-11-21T01:00:00.026-07:00

Today it snowed. Not the first, but more than it has so far this winter. I'm ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas but I'm SO not ready for snow on the roads. Snow, please stay in the mountains. I wish I actually had power over that. But I don't do we're staying in today and just hanging around the house. We're going to watch the Utah vs. Washington game later. GO UTES!

Anyway, since we had no agenda today, the first time in months, I scrambled for breakfast. Meaning, I didn't want my usual coffee and bagel and neither did Ron. So I scrambled through the fridge and came up with some fun stuff to literally throw together. I thought I'd share. I did take a picture of the final burrito, but my camera ate it somehow. But I'm sure you all know what a burrito looks like.

Breakfast Scramble Burritos - 2 servings

1 small orange sweet pepper - chopped
1 small red sweet pepper- chopped
2 tbsp chopped onion
1/4 jalapeno chopped (seeds optional)
1 large brown mushroom-sliced
5 eggs whipped with a bit of milk, dash of salt and pepper
1 cup cooked instant rice (boil 1/2 cup water, add 1/2 cup rice and let sit for 10 minutes)
3 tortilla's
4 oz. shredded pepper jack cheese.

Saute all the chopped veggies in oil sprayed pan, until tender. Add a dash of pepper and savory (optional) Add whipped eggs and scramble until done. After warming a tortilla on the burner, place on plate and spoon some rice in the center of the tortilla. Add scrambled eggs, sprinkle with cheese and roll. Add the hot sauce of your choice. Serve with sausage, ham or bacon.

Not a bad breakfast for a snowy Saturday morning. I'm sure many of you have already discovered this dish. But it's still fun to post.

Don't forget I have a holiday blog contest check the details here.

Pappardelle Al Sugo

2011-11-16T01:00:00.002-07:00

I love pasta, what can I say. On my anniversary my husband and I went to a little Italian Restaurant in Downtown Salt Lake City. Cafe Molise. This is the dish I had. Of course, I had to try it. So armed with the name of the pasta my husband and I made a trip to Tony Caputo's I love this place. I wish we lived closer.

Anyway we found what I was looking for and from memory of what I thought was in the dish and what it said on the menu I came up with a recipe.

Pappardelle Al Sugo
1/4 lb ground pork (hot optional) browned and crumbled as fine as possible.
1/4 lb ground beef browned and crumbled as fine as possible.
5 Tomatoes seeded and chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 onion finely chopped
1/2 can tomato w/zesty chili's
2 tsp Savory
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp grated asiago cheese
18 Oz Pappardelle

Add all ingredients, except asiago cheese and pasta, into a sauce pan and cook on medium low for 2 hours, then turn to low for 2 hours.

Cook Pappardelle in large pan until almost done. Drain water and place back in pan. Add sauce and cheese and toss lightly with pasta and serve.

Sprinkle asiago check over the top as desired.

Goes well with a light red Italian wine.

Enjoy!

Scampi Alla Diavola

2011-11-11T01:00:00.013-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted a recipe. That's because I never have time to experiment. This weekend I had the opportunity to plan a wine dish for a dinner party. I had a great time. And either everyone lied or my Scampi was a hit. So here is how I made it.
Scampi Alla Diavola
1 lb Raw Shrimp - peel and remove tails
3 cloves Garlic finely chopped
5 tomatoes -- seeded and chopped
1/4 onion finely chopped
1/2 can (14.5 oz) Diced tomatoes w/zesty green chilis
1 jalapeno finely chopped (optional--I know not Italian, but if you like it hot...)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt.
18 oz home made Fettuccine (You can find this at an Italian specialty store)

In a crock-pot or pot slow cook all ingredients except shrimp and Fettuccine.

After 3 to 4 hours cooking on high turned to low and add peeled shrimp. Cook until pink.

Cook Fettuccine until almost done, drain and then put back in pan and toss with the sauce.

Serve with Asiago cheese grated over the top.

An Italian Barbera D'Asti pairs with this dish.

Enjoy!

Holiday Blog Contest

2011-11-07T01:00:00.019-07:00

Holiday Blog Contest

Two ways to win!

Be a guest on my blog!

Email me if interested (mary@marymartinez.com)

Make a comment on any blog post

Easy! (Don’t forget to add your email address)

Contest runs until January 1, 2012.

Winner announced January 2, 2012

What do you win?

A book bag with all 4 of my books and other goodies!
For more details....

I'm back!

2011-11-05T15:48:00.000-06:00

I know, I've been remiss with my blog. I could whine and tell you my sad story of why, but I'm not going to bore you.

So stay tuned for some fun things I hope I can organize. I have a couple of new (though similar) recipes coming this week.

I'm also working on a holiday contest. You'll win this book bag with all 4 of my books-- all pictured on the bag!

You'll have to wait to find out how. (I don't know yet.)

Welcome back Caroline!

2011-10-18T01:00:00.011-06:00

Everyone settle in! I'm excited to have Caroline Fyffe in the garden again. She visited us last summer (2010) when her Montana Dawn. We had a fun conversation that included wine and I just happen to be leaving tomorrow for Napa Valley! Anyway, I hope you enjoy our treat!

Thanks so much for giving me the opportunity to talk about my new release, TEXAS TWILIGHT, book two of the McCutcheon Family series. When I was in the throes of writing MONTANA DAWN, I had no idea how attached I’d become to all the family members. So now, TEXAS TWILIGHT continues the story of the McCutcheon dynasty. But instead of being set in Y Knot, Montana, it takes place in Rio Well, Texas, with all the extended relatives. John McCutcheon, fourth brother and hero of this book, is a newly degreed doctor. He butts heads with Dustin and Chaim McCutcheon, his young-buck cousins, and struggles to relate to Becky and Madeline McCutcheon, whose girly-girl ways are so far from his sister Charity’s rough and try-to-take-charge personality that he can hardly believe they’re related at all. Charity shows up in TEXAS TWILIGHT too, and is reunited with her long-time love, Brandon Crawford (whether he wants it or not!). I hope you enjoy….

Here’s an excerpt—
Chapter one
Texas Badlands, 1886

The stagecoach lurched. John Jake McCutcheon opened his eyes and saw the young woman next to him grasp the leather loop that hung from the coach’s ceiling to keep from being tossed around. She tipped precariously to the right, then left, bumping forcefully into his shoulder. With an apologetic glance she moved away, then dabbed at her brow with a folded handkerchief. She looked at her elderly aunt.
“Tante Harriet? Are you all right?” she asked in a soft German accent. She opened the fan she held and swished it back and forth in front of the tiny woman. “Your face is extremely red.”
“Of course, Lily,” Harriet Schmidt said in a raspy voice laced with exhaustion. The old woman’s hair was swept up atop her head and fastened in a bun, but after the miles and miles traveled on the dusty, sun-baked road, it looked more like a weather blown tumbleweed after a storm. She patted her niece on the knee. “Thank heavens we’re almost there. Just one more day and we’ll be out of this oven.”
John glanced away, not wanting to seem impolite. He’d met both Harriet Schmidt and her niece, Lily Anthony, when they’d boarded the stage together in Concepción. He’d seen them on the train from Boston, too, but they’d kept to themselves, never speaking with anyone else.
John gazed out the window, thinking. He was finally finished with his medical training and heading to West Texas. Anticipation coursed though him.
Rio Wells was a long way from his family ranch in Montana, but he’d get used to it. His plan to return to Y Knot after graduation hadn’t panned out. His hometown already supported two full-time physicians. If he really wanted to make a difference in people’s lives as a doctor and surgeon, he had to strike out in a place where the townsfolk were in need. At least he wouldn’t be a complete stranger in Rio Wells. Uncle Winston and his family were there. And his fiancée, Emmeline Jordan, would be joining him this fall.
John closed his eyes, recalling Emmeline’s elegant profile and dark, alluring eyes. In his mind’s eye, her mouth drew down into a seductive little pout, a manipulation he knew all too well, but one that, all the same, fueled his blood. She was like a beautiful, exotic bird, needing care and affection.
“Oh, just to take this corset off,” Harriett said to no one in particular, then chortled softly at her niece’s shocked expression at her bluntness. “It pinches horribly. I think I’ll throw it away for good.” She paused, thinking. “No…” Her eyes twinkled mischievously. “Actually, I’ll burn it.”
Cyrus and Jeremiah Post and Abigail Smith, the other passengers cramped uncomfortably on the opposite seat, just smiled, now used to the old woman’s antics. Miss Smith, a teacher, had been hired by the same town council that had hired John, and he felt a small kinship with her.
“You know, Doctor McCutcheon,” Harriett Schmidt went on, trying to catch his eye, “my Lily doesn’t need a corset. Her waist is eighteen inches without one.”
“Tante Harriett. Please.”
John chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. He’d tried not to notice something like that, but it had been difficult, if not impossible. The girl had practically been snuggled to his side for several days.
Without warning, the driver called out sharply to the horses and the coach picked up speed. The two guards riding on top of the stage scuffled around and one shouted something unintelligible. John glanced out the window.
A shot rang out. One second later, one of the guards fell from the top of the stage, past the window, landing with a thunk as the stage rolled on. Lily gasped and threw her arms protectively around her aunt. Abigail screamed and then fainted, flopping over onto Cyrus’s shoulder.
The driver bellowed to the horses again and the stagecoach heaved forward as the six-horse team was propelled instantly into an all-out gallop. Three more shots were fired, and the sound of horses’ hooves thundered from behind.
John looked back through the dust to see a number of riders racing toward the stagecoach, eating up the distance between the two. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He was a doctor. He’d taken the Hippocratic Oath to heal not three weeks before. His job was taking bullets out, not putting them in. But then, he’d also been raised on a rugged Montana ranch, where the unwavering reality was hard. Sometimes staying alive meant killing someone else. Besides, everyone’s lives were on the line, not just his. It would be especially bad for the women aboard. These hills were a common hiding place for Comancheros. They used women in the worst ways and then sold them into prostitution in Mexico. As pretty as she was, Lily Anthony would fetch top price. Hell, they’d sell the skinny teacher and the old woman, too.
Smoke and dust filled the coach. Pop. Pop. Pop. Lily covered her ears. Her elderly aunt coughed as she struggled to hang on. Abigail, now fully awake again, filled the small space with one shrill scream after the other, never even pausing to take a breath. John reached for his satchel under the seat, withdrew a Colt 45, and strapped on his holster. Carrying his guns was a habit he hadn’t been able to break even after his years at school. With hands nimble from experience, he loaded and fired several shots out the window. Two riders fell.
“You have another gun?”
John was surprised to see old Harriet Schmidt eyeing him expectantly. One hand was outstretched while the other grasped the windowsill as the coach careened down the road, jerking violently this way and that. “I’m not letting those filthy dogs take my Lily!”
“Can you shoot?”
“I wouldn’t ask if I couldn’t. My derringer’s not worth diddly.”
John squeezed off three more shots, then pulled another gun from his bag, handing it to Harriet. He pushed the bag toward Lily. “Bullets.”
Cyrus Post fired out the other side of the coach just as a bullet hit Cyrus’s brother in the chest, slamming Jeremiah violently against the back of the seat. Jeremiah gasped several times as he tried to hold back a rush of crimson that spurted through his splayed fingers, soaking his clothes. With just a glance, John could see he wasn’t long for this world. Abigail’s eyes grew round as she took in the blood. With a gasp, she fainted again, blessedly putting an end to her screams.
“Son of a bitch! “ Cyrus cried out. “There’s too many. Prepare to meet your maker.”
“Hush your mouth, you old coot,” Harriet shouted as she hefted the heavy gun and shot out the window. “I have more faith in God than that.”
The coach rounded a corner dangerously fast and then slowed up a bit as it began an uphill climb. One side of the road dropped off, falling some forty feet to a bed of jagged rocks.
Seizing the moment, John holstered his gun and opened the narrow door. He climbed the side of the rocking coach using the window as a step, and grasping the luggage rack, pulled himself up. He flopped onto his stomach, facing the oncoming killers and picked up the fallen guard’s Winchester. He took aim.

In celebration of my launch, I’m offering an E-Book of TEXAS TWILIGHT and a signed copy of MONTANA DAWN to two different commenter’s. Two books! Two winners! Just tell me your favorite family character, from either a book, TV program or movie, and what makes them stand out.

Here's where you can purchase!
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Thanks again, Mary. It’s good to be back!

Well, Caroline, it's great having you back! Everyone leave a comment, I know I am!

Interview with Mary Martinez in the Garden

2011-10-14T01:00:00.000-06:00

Good morning, welcome to the garden. It's beginning to get a bit cool so I've placed a few space heaters around and also added coffee, tea and cocoa to the refreshments. And peppermint schnapps as a little extra. Fill up your cups and your plates and find a seat.

As you know, next week on October 20th I'll be doing a book signing at a winery in Calistoga California with four other authors. (Details click here) Today, my fellow authors/signee's will interview me. So I hope I can keep you entertained. Shall we begin?

Julia: Tell us about your background - did you begin as a writer?

Mary: Did I begin as a writer? I honestly don't know. I've wanted to be one as long as I remember. I grew up on a 40 acre farm in a small town (now it's not so small) in Utah. Picture Doc Hollywood. Our fourth of July celebration was very similar to squash day from that movie. I had a great childhood. I loved to read Harriet the Spy and Boxcar Children. I wrote a few short stories when I was in Junior High and High School, but there were bad. Then I got married and tried when my kids were small, to write. Since that was in the era before home computers 3 small kids at the library didn't go over very well. So I decided to wait until they were grown and write. And here I am.

Regan: What is the best part of being an author?

Mary: The best part? By far it would be that I get to play with imaginary friends and people don't think I'm crazy. Well maybe they do. My characters have always been my friends. Also, all my life I've had a very active imagination. Writing keeps that alive.

Tawny: What inspires you to tell a story?

Mary: I don't know. That sounds strange, I know. But inspiration comes at odd times. On the way to work. Watching a movie. Surfing the internet. I have a small note pad I carry with me at all times to jot down ideas. I know a lot of authors who do this. I've been known to scribble something on a napkin at a restaurant. I'm not sure if that answers your question or not.

Now what inspires me to continue to write in general? I can answer that, the wonderful authors I know through writing organizations, such as RWA and my local chapter URWA. RaeAnne Thayne is one. She writes the most amazing stories, and she is a full time mom and wife. Through the years that I've known her she has had life crises' thrown at her, and still she writes.

Same with Sherry Lewis, whatever life throws her way, she tucks and rolls and comes up with great emotion and story telling.

I want to be both of them or a combination of them when I grow up to be an author...

Regan: What do you know now you wished you knew when you were first starting out?

Mary: The basics. I had never heard about a writing organization, I knew they probably was a group in the area, like a book club. But I had no idea about Romance Writers of America, or Fiction Writers, Sisters in Crime, etc. I wished I'd known to do my homework. I had no idea what a query was. I didn't know agents didn't represent ALL genre's. Hell I didn't even know what genre meant. I wished I'd known about a large group like RWA and joined before I started to query my first book. It would have saved me a lot of time, money, and embarrassment.

Tawny: If you could change any one thing about your writing process, what would it be?

Mary: Stay home from my day job and write full time. Oh, not what you meant? LOL. Okay what would I change. A lot of things. Like the ability to stick with one project at a time. Focus on that until I'm done. When I write a book, the minute I write THE END, I'm ready to start something new. I guess that's fine, but no one is going to edit and polish the one I just finished for me. That's where my process needs to be changed. I HATE to edit. So that's when I flit from one thing to another and it's very hard to finish so I can submit. And so then I tend to submit before they're ready. This is a bad habit. So then when I finally stop and do the editing and polishing I've already submitted to my dream agents and received a rejection. So cross your fingers I can knuckle under and edit/polish on completed manuscript until it's ready before I submit the first time.

Julia: What are your favorite off-hour activities?

Mary: That's easy! Papa and Nana night, every Tuesday evening after work the family gathers at our house for a BBQ or a pot of spaghetti and visit. Next on the list is college football! Go Utes. And of course I love to cook, until I got my current job I was posting new recipes. It's frustrating not to have the time to experiment any more. Soon I hope that changes. And my husband and I LOVE to travel. But we need to hit the lottery to go to all the places we would like to visit.

Thanks for the great questions I had fun. Usually I'm the one interviewing. Please visit us in Napa if you can. We're going to have a great time.

Hope to see you all there. And just so you know, I now do Kindlegraphs. Check it out on my web site!

Thank you for dropping by for my interview. All those who leave a comment will be entered into a drawing for a free download of Meet Me In Fantasyland.

Holiday Boutique and Book Signing

2011-10-07T01:00:00.012-06:00

If you can't read this you can check out my Facebook page for more information, but I hope to see all of you (In Utah/Salt Lake City) there.

Interview with Regan Taylor

2011-10-05T01:00:00.018-06:00

Welcome my final author who will be joining me in Calistoga, Regan Taylor, everyone please say ‘Hi’. Appetizer’s and beverages are over in the shade as always. Find a plate and fill it, then a seat and relax. Let’s get started.

Mary: First things, first. As I said, everyone can find out about your books from your site, etc. So please give everyone information on how to find out about your books. Web site, blog, Facebook, Twitter and anything else you can think of.

Regan: You know, the easiest place to find all my other places is on my website at www.Regantaylor.com. Go to the contact me page and it’s all there and then some.

Mary: Thank you, now we have that out of the way. Since I’ve interviewed you before in the garden, I’m not sure what to ask. What I’m going to do is give you a bit of free reign about what you want to do. Why don’t you tell us something about yourself, I’d never think to ask you. Or maybe wouldn’t dare?

Regan: Hmm, I’m actually pretty introverted and don’t have an easy time talking about myself. I lead a pretty quiet life and like it that way…I try to keep it a drama free zone with all the excitement coming from my writing or books I’m reading. I’m not much for TV or movies but do enjoy the old black and white classics—no thanks on the colorized versions. Books are my passion as far as things go. There is nothing like the escape to another time and place. With any or all of my three furfaced children, commonly called cats, beside me life is pretty nice.

Mary: What are you looking forward too, in the coming years? Something on a personal level, not career wise.

Regan: Personally? More peace and quiet. My life is actually pretty happy and stable and I look forward to having more of that. Pretty dull, huh?

Mary: When it’s rainy outside, and there’s nothing on TV, what is your favorite thing to do to pass the time?

Regan: LOL, I LOVE the rain. Cold, dark and rainy are my absolute favorites. I’m so not a fan of the sun and heat. My favorite jobs of all time were those working nights and weekends. As to TV, well, I don’t watch much, usually the news and I tape Jay Leno at night; I enjoy his monologue. I’m happiest sitting and writing or reading.

Mary: Maybe you should live in Seattle, LOL. Before we say goodbye, please tell us what your favorite words of wisdom are. In general—again not career wise. Remember we’re getting to know you. Not the author.

Regan: Hmmm, wisdom. You know, what works for me may not work for anyone else and I suppose that would be it. We’re all individuals with our own likes, dislikes and preferences and we need to step back and appreciate the differences between us and others. It can make for a very full life.

For more information about the Book Signing and Wine Tasting Extravaganza please check out my web site here.

Thank you, Regan, for joining me again. Please drop back any time. I’m really looking forward to meeting you finally.

Tawny Weber is in the garden today!

2011-09-28T01:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome one of the authors joining me in Calistoga, Tawny Weber, everyone please say ‘Hi’. Appetizer’s and beverages are over in the shade as always. Find a plate and fill it, then a seat and relax. Let’s get started.

Mary: First things, first. As I said, everyone can find out about your books from your site, etc. So please give everyone information on how to find out about your books. Web site, blog, Facebook, Twitter and anything else you can think of.

Tawny: Sure, thanks, Mary. My website is www.TawnyWeber.com and you can find me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TawnyWeber.RomanceAuthor or on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TawnyWeber

Mary: Thank you, now we have that out of the way. I’m very excited to have you here in the garden, and I want everyone to know you better as a person. What can you tell us about your growing up years? How did they shape you to be the person you are today?

Tawny: My favorite thing growing up was always make-believe. I grew up playing story with my Barbies and paper dolls. I loved nothing more than making up stories for them to act out. When I was twelve, I told my parents I wanted to be three things when I grew up – a mom, a gypsy and a writer. I love being a mom, I love being a writer, and since I’ve been a tarot reader and Reiki practitioner for years, I tell myself I’ve managed the gypsy part, too.

Mary: Where is your favorite vacation spot and why? And along those lines, you’re favorite food and why?

Tawny: My family has a cabin in the forest in Idaho, just outside the Seven Devils Mountain Range that’s so peaceful and relaxing. It’s a great place to vacation! My favorite food? Oh man, anything chocolate for sure.

Mary: Do you have any siblings? Do they share your same passions? Do they support your writing? (And that’s the only question I’m asking on that.)

Tawny: I have two brothers who are awesome. They are fabulously supportive and both very creative themselves so they understand the ups and downs of living off your imagination LOL.

If you need to stand up and stretch do so. In fact, everyone pour yourselves some more wine, or something. Once everyone is settled, we’ll begin again.

Ahh, thanks! I’m going to get a bowl of grapes to snack on, too. Want some?

Mary: Oh I love grapes in or out of a bottle LOL. What are your hobbies? And why? Do you find time to do the things you love? If so how important is that to you?

Tawny: I scrapbook. I love the creativity of it and how it’s also practical. When I’m done with an album, it’s something the family can enjoy or it makes a nice gift. And the process of it is a more visual creative outlet for me than writing. I tend to bounce between pages and scrapbook layouts when I’m deep in a story. When I get stuck on a scene, I work on the scrapbook layout. I’m still in the creative mode that way, and usually shifting gears lets me relax and find the scene answer I’m looking for.

Mary: When it’s rainy outside, and there’s nothing on TV, what is your favorite thing to do to pass the time?

Tawny: READ!!! I love to read. I love nothing more than curling up with a book and relaxing into a story.

Mary: Aw, me too! Before we say goodbye, please tell us what your favorite words of wisdom are. In general—again not career wise. Remember we’re getting to know you. Not the author.

Tawny: Love yourself. I think that’s the most important gift we can give ourselves, and give others. If we love ourselves, we’re more patient, more supportive and more fun to be around.

For more information about the Book Signing and Wine Tasting Extravaganza please check out my web site here.

Thank you, Tawny, for joining me again. Please drop back any time. I’m really looking forward to meeting you in Calistoga to share a glass of wine.

Thanks so much, Mary! What a fun interview. I’m really looking forward to spending the day with you.

Review on: Inside by Brenda Novak

2011-09-26T01:00:00.052-06:00

Brenda Novak is an author I have on auto buy. If you're not familiar with that term it means: You automatically buy any new book that comes out. I have several authors on this list, but Brenda is one of my top picks, along with RaeAnne Thayne and Nora Roberts.

I just finished -- a couple of weeks ago, the day job has really set me behind on blogging and everything else--Inside. GREAT book. This is the 1st book of the Bulletproof Series.

Blurb:

Virgil Skinner served fourteen years for a murder he didn't commit. He's finally been exonerated, but he can't escape the gang he joined in order to survive. They'll do anythingto keep him from telling what he knows. And if they can't get to Virgil they'll go after his sister and her kids.

The California Department of Corrections needs someone to infiltrate another gang, one that's taking control of the state's most notorious supermax. Virgil's the perfect candidate — and he'll do it in exchange for his sister's protection.

Assistant deputy warden Peyton Adams is opposed to having Virgil in her prison. How will she protect him if things go bad? Besides, she's attracted to him; she might even be falling in love with him. That makes her all the more desperate to keep him safe — and it gives him someone else to lose.
You can buy it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble or eHarlequin or many other book stores.

I give this a 4.5 rating

The minute Peyton and Virgil meet sparks fly, but how can these too make it work. You have to read it to find out. Full of twists and turns, and definitely surprises.

I can't wait to read the next book in the series: In Seconds. Okay I have to hop over to Amazon or Barnes and Noble to buy it!

Happy Reading!

Interview with Dee Brice

2011-09-21T01:00:00.030-06:00

Welcome another author who will be joining me in Calistoga, Dee Brice, everyone please say ‘Hi’. Appetizer’s and beverages are over in the shade as always. Find a plate, fill it, then a seat and relax.

Mary: First things, first. As I said, everyone can find out about your books from your site, etc. So please give everyone information on how to find out about your books. Web site, blog, Facebook, Twitter and anything else you can think of.

Dee: First, thanks for having me. Your garden is beautiful. As for the information, here it is.
Web: deebrice.com; Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dee-Brice/230424546974171; blogs: I do two. Mine is deesdites.blogspot.com, the second is goddessesofstorytelling.blogspot.com. I have a Twitter address, but it's linked to my Facebook page and I haven't a clue how to access it.

Mary: Thank you, now we have that out of the way. I’m very excited to have you here in the garden, and I want everyone to know you better as a person. What can you tell us about your growing up years? How did they shape you to be the person you are today?

Dee: Only child with an overactive imagination. Wanted to be an actress, but liked eating too much to risk going to LA or NYC and starving. I did a lot of community theater as both a child and an adult which fulfilled the acting need. Wrote when the need struck, which was pretty much all the time. I worked in a job where I traveled a lot, but spent hours waiting for others to do their work. Pen and paper, windows down to blow out my cigarette smoke=perfect conditions in which to write.

Mary: I looked over your web site, and found this statement, “Dee lives in northern California with her inspiration, best friend, and husband.” So tell us a bit about your husband. How did you meet? Was it a true romance?

Dee: We met at Stagedoor Comedy Playhouse where DH was set and lighting designer, set builder and stage manager. I was cast in a play titled "Norman, Is That You?". We liked each other's sense of humor and the sexual attraction was immediate. As for romance… We were together for twenty-eight years before we married and will celebrate our 10th next year. Guess the romance is alive and well.

Mary: Another thing from your web site caught my eye, “wannabe actress”? There has to be a story there. Will you share?

Dee: My much older than my mom father played the Orpheum circuit in the days of vaudeville. He was also a movie theater manager for Fox West Coast when I was a kid. I think I "was born in a trunk" in a figurative sense. Bitten by the acting bug at an early age and stayed infected until I committed more of my "free time" to writing.

Time for a break everyone! Help yourselves to some more wine, or something. Once everyone is settled, we’ll begin again. I hope you're enjoying meeting my new friends! I know I am.

Mary: Have you lived anywhere else? If so, where and why did you move to northern California?

Dee: I was born in LA, raised in Fresno, and moved to the Sacramento area in 1969. The best thing about being from Fresno is being FROM Fresno. I definitely don't miss the summer heat or the winter tule fog.

Mary: Do you watch TV or Movies? If so what are your favorite type of TV programs or Movies? Do you have a favorite series? I love Dexter, actually I also love Castle, and the list goes on and on. So please share….

Dee: The last movie I saw in a theater was "Blazing Saddles." DH and I order films we like and watch them at home. We both love well-written, well-acted films and lean toward comedies--not Neil Simon whose plays don't translate well to film. Either that or the screenwriters are--Never mind. Anyway, I love Castle, Chuck, Eureka, Warehouse 13, Drop Dead Diva and certain soaps. Gotta love how those writers construct transitions. Wish I could write them half as well!

Mary: Before we say goodbye, please tell us what your favorite words of wisdom are. In general—not career wise. Remember we’re getting to know you. Not the author.

Dee: Wisdom? Separate me from the author? I'm not sure I can do that. Based on my experience as a wannabe published author my word of wisdom is Perseverance. It took me fifteen years to sell my first novel (2006) and I'm now about to write book twenty.

For more information about the Book Signing and Wine Tasting Extravaganza, please check here!

Thank you, Dee, for joining me again. Please drop back any time. I’m really looking forward to meeting you in Calistoga to share a glass of wine or two.

Dee: Thanks for having me.

Interview with Julia Barrett

2011-09-14T01:00:00.022-06:00

Welcome one of the authors joining me in Calistoga, Julia Barrett, everyone please say ‘Hi’. Appetizer’s and beverages are over in the shade as always. Find a plate and fill it, then a seat and relax. Let’s get started.

Mary: First things, first. As I said, everyone can find out about your books from your site, etc. So please give everyone information on how to find out about your books. Web site, blog, Facebook, Twitter and anything else you can think of.

Julia: All information about my books, and a whole lot about what I think, is on my website: http://juliarachelbarrett.net I tweet about my books and interesting articles I run across: @JuliaRBarrett and I do have a Facebook account under Julia Barrett, but I can’t figure out the URL for the life of me.

Mary: Thank you, now we have that out of the way. I’m very excited to have you here in the garden, and I want everyone to know you better as a person. What can you tell us about your growing up years? How did they shape you to be the person you are today?

Julia: I was born and raised in Iowa. The state will always be my real home. My family had lived there since the railroad arrived. Now everyone is gone. My sisters and I live in the West and my parents moved out here eight years ago to be close to their grandchildren. Farm country is in my blood and you can almost always find a mention of the Midwest in my books.

Mary: I happened to cruise through your web site and saw this statement: “I come from a long line of amazing cooks.” Anyone who keeps up on my blog will understand why I honed in on this. Sooooo…. Tell us about your amazing cooks.

Julia: LOL! One of my great-great grandmothers was a chef for the Hungarian royal family. She passed on her recipes and abilities to her daughter who passed on her skills to her daughter-in-law, my grandmother. My mother and my two sisters and I all love to cook. Even my kids cook. My mother, one of my sisters and I were gifted with super sensitive palates – which makes us very picky about food!

Mary: Do you have any siblings? Did any of them grow up to be chef’s? And why didn’t you?

Julia: Yes, see above – I have two sisters. All three of us have baked professionally. Two of us are trained pastry chefs.

If you need to stand up and stretch do so. In fact, everyone pour yourselves some more wine, or something. Once everyone is settled, we’ll begin again.

Mary: Do you like to travel? If so, do you prefer big cities like New York, Chicago or San Francisco? Or small resort towns, like Carmel, Park City or Key West? Or something totally different?

Julia: I love to travel. I get so restless! I’ll go to a big city or climb a mountain. My favorite trips have involved hiking, rafting, kayaking and horseback riding. Put me outdoors and I’m happy.

Mary: Do you listen to music? If so what is your favorite? Rock, Opera, Country? And why?

Julia: I’m not a huge opera fan, but I don’t hate it. I’m a big fan of rock and roll, blues, Motown, jazz. I do like some country music. Patsy Cline is one of my favorites.

Mary: Before we say goodbye, please tell us what your favorite words of wisdom are. In general—not career wise. Remember we’re getting to know you. Not the author.

Julia: Wow. I don’t really have any, other than remember to tell the people you love that you love them.

For more information about the Book Signing and Wine Tasting Extravaganza please check out my web site here.

Thank you, Julia, for joining me again. Please drop back any time. I’m really looking forward to meeting you in Calistoga to share a glass of wine.

Hope all of you can join us in Calistoga. If not, join us for a virtual signing, details to be posted soon.

Guest Blogger -- Chip Bagnall

2011-09-09T01:00:00.013-06:00

Good morning everyone. Please find a shady spot to sit, pour yourself the beverage of your choice and fill your plate. I guess you should take care of the food part before finding yourself a seat. LOL. Anyway I have a guest blogger today, so welcome Chip Bagnall.

History as Comedy
By Chip Bagnall

I am plummeting from the ivory tower I never actually stood upon – at a great rate of speed.

We’ve all read, or at least attempted to, the dense tomes that inundate the bookshelves of our respective institutions of higher education. In my case it was mostly of the historical ilk. And I wanted a part of it. Growing up in a small college town, I basked in the shadows of Georgian architecture and shades of tweed. As soon as my undergraduate career got under way, I was utterly infatuated with the dry, objective world of academic historians. I became a purist, and anything that entered the realm of narrative history was quickly deemed sacrilegious. My mind was directly headed to a PhD American History program shortly after graduation. However, there was a slight pain in the side of my head. The knowledge that I may be buried in scholarly monographs and the cyclical nature of academic literature scared the crap out of me – a world of dust and death.

At about the same time I had a similar passion, a greater one in fact, for improvisational comedy. Reading Gordon Wood and Howard Zinn during the day, and then expounding on the hilarities of poop jokes in the evening. It was a dilemma. Either go to graduate school and become socially inept, or move to Chicago and become a professional clown. I chose the latter much to the silent chagrin of my perpetually supportive parents. Still, years down the road I experienced that same itch; a passion not yet fully satisfied. Thus the inception of Half-Baked History, my first volume of short comedic renderings of some of the most notable events in American and World History. Even though I respected the career of a historian (and I certainly still do idolize the lifestyle), I was always cynical of the back and forth nature of the subject – there were infinite possibilities to interpret one event. So, why not mesh my two passions together and deface one of them?

Some of the best works I have ever read – whether it is fiction or non-fiction, prose or poetry – often hint at the author’s other passions in this earthly life. James Joyce, for example, artfully places his love of the Latin language and Italian culture within the pages of Ulysses. I, on the other hand, slather my enjoyment of history onto the pages of a humor book. I’m not quite there yet, but I’m gunning for you Joyce. Write what you love.

Description of Half-Baked History (Available for just $2.99 on the Kindle and coming soon in paperback for $6.99):
Half-Baked History is a 20,000-word collection of 37 historical events, spanning both time period and geographical location. Boring? No. Half-Baked History is a satire of some of history’s most notable and notorious events. Posing as the esteemed Professor Chip Bagnall, the supposed scholar takes historical facts and bluntly labels them as myth. Dr. Bagnall has one sole motive: to rectify the purported “facts” that have cursed the pages of our children’s history textbooks. Reeducate yourself so the next time you try to impress your boss, a love interest, or even Professor Bagnall with a fun fact from the history annals, you don’t seem like an idiot.

Biography: Chip Bagnall, originally from Davidson, North Carolina, is a comedian, writer, and history-buff living in Chicago. After graduating from Colorado College with a BA in History and failed attempts at entering a PhD program in Early American History, Bagnall decided to intertwine his two passions: history and comedy.

Book Signing and Wine Tasting Extravaganza

2011-09-07T01:00:00.003-06:00

Welcome to my garden. It’s been a while since I’ve had a guest interview, but you’re all in for a treat. In October I’m going to be doing a signing with 4 other authors. It will be at a winery in Calistoga California. I’m very excited, especially since I’ve only met my author friends on line.

I want to get to know everyone before we meet. Anyone can go to their web sites and find out about their books, etc. But I want to know each as a person.

Over the next couple of weeks you'll be meeting each.
September 14: Julia Barrett
September 21: Dee Brice
September 28: Tawny Weber
October 5: Regan Taylor
October 12: Mary will in the interview seat!

When I'm finished with the interviews, you'll want to find your way to the Napa Valley to join in the fun.
So let me tell you a bit about it:

Book Signing and Wine Tasting Extravaganza

Date: Oct. 20, 2011

Time: 6 to 8 Pm

Where:

Tasting Room

www.rioswine.com

1307-A Lincoln Avenue

Calistoga, CA 9451

You’re invited to join five authors for a

great evening of wine tasting and

books. Find a new favorite wine and

find a new favorite author, what’s not

to enjoy?

Who are these authors?

Julia Barrett

www.juliarachelbarrett.net

Tawny Weber

www.TawnyWeber.com

Dee Brice

www.deebrice.com

Regan Taylor

www.Regantaylor.com

And Myself: Mary Martinez

www.marymartinez.com

The fun doesn't stop there!

Anyone who buys a book or a bottle

will be entered in a drawing for this

book bag full of goodies!

So if you're in the area, please do not miss the excitement drop by for some hors d'oeuvres and wine. OH and books!

Football season!

2011-09-05T01:00:00.021-06:00

Fall is here, woohoo! My favorite time of year. The temperatures drop, to comfortable, leaves start to turn glorious colors and FOOTBALL and TAILGATING!

This is when you see me I'm usually in red for the UTES! Last Thursday was our first game against Montana State University. Utes 27, MSU 10. You may say great start, but we're worried. This is the big boys, the Pac 12. And we should have been more like 47. Our offense left everyone scratching their heads and wondering what was going to happen next week against USC. YIKES.

Here are some of the highlights from our game last week! I know most of you really don't care, but I have fun posting them.

Touchdown!
Okay, I'll give it a rest, oh wait a few more pictures!

And I can't not post our smiling faces....

Yeah I know, we're geeks!

End of summer?

2011-09-02T01:00:00.002-06:00

Summer's drawing to a close, but we're going to be out on our patio even when it's cold. In anticipation of the cold, we have a fire pit and a gas heater (like the ones on restaurant patios) So just because the summer is almost over don't think I won't be posting more grilled recipes.

So again we had some friends over. This time we had some of the Cajun chicken I've made in the past and I made a new summer squash recipe. Turned out awesome if I do say so myself.

Summer Squash
2 Yellow squash -cut into chunks
1 large Zucchini - cut into chunks
1/2 onion chopped
1/4 green bell pepper chopped
1/4 purple (or red) bell pepper chipped
1/4 cup white balsamic citrus basil marinade
1/2 cup feta cheese (basil & tomato)
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Savory

Chop and/or chunk all veggies and put in a boil. Add marinade and mix thoroughly. Add spices and 1/4 cup feta and mix thoroughly again. Place in fridge for a couple of hours. Then place in a 13x 9" foil pan place on the grill when it's almost done sprinkle the other 1/4 cup feta over the top and finish cooking.

Dinner was served with (for those who wanted white) a nice crisp Riesling and some had a Pinot Grigio both paired well. For those who like red we had a Cabernet Sauvignon.

Review on: Blackberry Summer - RaeAnne Thayne

2011-08-31T01:00:00.021-06:00

Okay last week I did a review of Nora, one of my favorite authors. Today is another of my favorites, and the bonus is, RaeAnne is a friend. Anyway I call her one. I met her a few years ago when I joined Utah Romance Writers of America. She is such a mentor to the chapter and a wonderful story teller. If you've never read one of her books--get to the store now and get one. You'll be hooked for life.

Blurb - Blackberry Summer

Claire Bradford needed a wake-up call.

What she didn’t need as a tragic car accident. As a single mom and the owner of a successful bead shop, Claire leads a predictable life in Hope’s Crossing, Colorado. So what if she has no time for romance? At least, that’s what she tells herself, especially when her best friend’s sexy younger brother comes back to town as the new chief of police.

But when the accident forces Claire to slow down and lean on others – especially Riley McKnight – she realizes, for the first time, that things need to change. And not just in her own life. The accident – and the string of robberies committed by teenagers that led up to it – is a wake-up call to the people of Hope’s Crossing. The sense of togetherness and community had been lost during those tough years. But with a mysterious “Angel of Hope” working to inspire the town, Riley and Claire will find themselves opening up to love and other possibilities at the end of an extraordinary summer.

BUY now:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

I give this a 5!

RaeAnne has created a town of wonderful characters. I can't wait until the next book. I loved Claire, she wasn't perfect but she was close, and she loves to bead. I do too, and some of the scenes brought back beading sessions with my own friends. And Riley? Well, he wasn't perfect either. That's what I love about these characters they're your friends, people you want to meet and have tea or coffee with. Or in my case a glass of wine with. And when it ended I almost cried. Not because the ending was sad but because I didn't want it to end. I recommend this book to everyone!

Dinner with the neighbors

2011-08-29T01:00:00.013-06:00

A couple of nights ago we made dinner for a few neighbors. I didn't know what to do, since I'd be at work all day. So I made a deal with Ron (Hubby) that he'd take care of the meat and I'd take care of salad and rice when I got home.

Then there was an accident on the freeway and I was later getting home than usual. Isn't that the way it always happens? Yup, it is for me. But I was able to squeak by in just enough time with my recipe for my Rice Pilaf. I sort of made it up as I went. And everyone seemed to like it. Of course if I'm at someone's house I've been known to keep quiet if I didn't like what they made. What about you? But I liked it.

Rice Pilaf 6 servings.
1 pkg. Long Grain & wild rice Rice A Roni
1 cup of Long Grain white Rice
2 Cans (14 oz) Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1/4 Green bell pepper chopped
1/4 onion chopped
1/4 purple bell pepper chipped (if available or substitute with red)
1 stalk celery sliced thin
Fresh basil shredded about a dozen leaves or so, to taste
1 tbsp butter/margarine
Sautee veggies in butter until tender add season packet from Rice-a-Roni mix and then add broth and rice. Bring to boil, then lower to medium/low heat and cook--stirring occasionally--for 25 minutes. Then serve.

Because I used the box of Rice-a-roni and didn't make it with their recipe, etc. I'm guessimating the calories to be about 220 per serving. We served it with Teri-yaki chicken, sunflower honey bread and salad. Great combo...

The Search by Nora Roberts - Review

2011-08-24T01:00:00.007-06:00

If you know me, you know that Nora Roberts is one of my favorite authors--she's my idol, I want to be like her when I grow up. So I'm older than her and time's running out, I'm still going to be like her. As far as someday I'll have a successful book with a big publishing house. Meanwhile I love reading her books. I think my favorite series is still her Bride books. No maybe the Irish, the Gallagher's, Or..... I don't know I can't make up my mind.

Anyway, I've read one of her new books The Search. Here's a blurb borrowed from her bookstore web site:
To most people, Fiona Bristow seems to have an idyllic life-a quaint house on an island off Seattle's coast, a thriving dog-training school, and a challenging volunteer job performing canine search and rescues. Not to mention her three intensely loyal Labs. But Fiona got to this point by surviving a nightmare...
Several years ago, Fiona was the only survivor of the Red Scarf serial killer, who shot and killed Fiona's cop fiance and his K-9 partner.
On Orcas Island, Fiona found the peace and solitude she needed to rebuild her life. But all that changes on the day Simon Doyle barrels up her drive, desperate for her help. He's the reluctant owner of an out-of-control puppy, foisted upon him by his mother. Jaws has eaten through Simon's house, and he's at his wit's end.
To Fiona, Jaws is nothing she can't handle. Simon, however, is another matter. A newcomer to Orcas, he's a rugged and in-tensely private artist, known for the exquisite furniture he creates from wood. Simon never wanted a puppy-and he most definitely doesn't want a woman. Besides, the lanky redhead is not his type. But tell that to his hormones.
As Fiona embarks on training Jaws, and Simon begins to appreciate both dog and trainer, the past tears back into Fiona's life. A copycat killer has emerged out of the shadows, a man whose bloodlust has been channeled by a master with one motive: to reclaim the woman who slipped out of his hands...

I really liked this book. The only thing is, I think her characters were very similar to another book I've read of her's recently. BUT alas, I love them all so it was okay.

I give it a 4.5
If you can read this, I'd recommend it highly. Another great book Ms. Roberts, how do you do it? I can't wait to read Chasing Fire.

Sunday brunch

2011-08-22T01:00:00.001-06:00

Yesterday my husband and I went to a Farmer's Market in downtown Salt Lake City. We found some baby red potatoes, among other things. So this morning I figured I'd make breakfast, but I was very slow. Took my time etc. So it turned into brunch.

Also if you're watching your calories, or portions this is one of those times you truly combine breakfast and lunch. Menu:

Scrambled eggs, turkey sausage links, baked cheese potatoes, tortilla's and mimosa's (made with Riesling instead of bubbly)

Baked Sunday Potatoes - 4 servings
10 - small baby red potatoes cut into large slices
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 jalapeno chopped
1 tbsp fresh basil chopped
1/2 tbsp. virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic chopped
1/4 tsp. Black pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 oz. Black Pepper Cheddar Cheese - grated.
Add veggies to bowl, add oil and stir make sure everything is coated. Put into small baking pan and put in the oven at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and cook for 5 more minutes and then serve.
Calories 389, Total Fat 7g, Saturated Fat 3g, Cholesterol 15mg, Sodium 132mg, Total Carbohydrate 69g, Dietary Fiber 6g, Sugars 5g, Protein 12g. Vitamin A 6%, Vitamin C 75%, Calcium 14% and Iron 14%.

Hope you enjoy!

Ted Saves the World blog tour winners.

2011-08-16T01:00:00.003-06:00

Dear All

Thank you so much for commenting on the posts for my "Ted Saves the World" blog tour. There were over 100 entrants with many entrants posting on multiple blogs (giving themselves multiple chances to win). Here is a log of all 28 blog posts I wrote for the tour: http://www.build-creative-writing-ideas.com/blog-tour-for-ted.html

Before I reveal the winners, I want to give everybody one more chance to win and to win big.

I had planned on giving a 5th $25 Amazon gift card if my book "Ted Saves the World" made it into the Top 100 Kindle sales on Amazon by August 15th. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

Since I REALLY want that to happen :), I am going to do a drawing for a $100 Amazon gift card on Friday, August 19th if the book gets into the Top 100 at any point between now and the end of the day on Friday (I will check frequently). Yes, that means one of you will win a $100 Amazon gift card if it sells like hotcakes. Since all the entries are in, the only way to improve the chances of winning a $100 gift card is to buy the book and to spread the word to all your friends and family!
Here is the "Ted Saves the World" sales page: http://www.amazon.com/Ted-Saves-World-Novella-ebook/dp/B0058EUSCI

The winners of the $25 Amazon gift cards (as selected by Random.org) are:
Reviews By Abby
Tweety B99
Dead Tossed Waves
Abby Dillon 16
Congratulations! I will be contacting you all individually so that I can get you your prize!

Thanks again to everybody who entered. Your words touched my heart and made me feel validated for all the hard work I put in during the tour. Feel free to keep in touch whenever you'd like by dropping me an e-mail at this address. I hope to be e-mailing all of you again on Saturday morning with a $100 winner! Have a fantastic week!

Sincerely,
Bryan Cohen
Author of Ted Saves the World
http://www.amazon.com/Ted-Saves-World-Novella-ebook/dp/B0058EUSCI

Annual Midway Trip

2011-08-15T01:00:00.041-06:00

For the last eight years our friends have hosted a golf / camping trip in Midway, Utah. We started going around five years ago, and now it's an annual trip for us. We have so much fun. I don't golf--next year I hope to though--but my husband does. So while the golfer's golf, I do whatever. Sometimes I stay in camp and read, other times I bead and make bracelets, and this year I went on a hike.

I was gone an hour and a half. No it wasn't like strenuous, I'm too out of shape. I took a trail. And I realized after about 40 minutes, other than wearing sturdy shoes, I'd done every no-no in the book. First as I left the camp, I hadn't planned to actually follow any trail, just go for a walk. So I didn't take any water.

As I walked along the road, I looked over to the golf course, and there was my husband and his foursome on the first hole. What are the odds? It couldn't have happened if I'd planned it. So I stood and watched--probably jinxed him--and then continued. I found a path and though ummm why don't I follow this?

There were beautiful flowers--a big patch of sunflowers, my favorite--along the way. And as the path continues, I saw signs for different trails. I took the visitor center loop. The view of the valley was awesome. After I'd been gone awhile, I realized I'd forgotten to take anything for my allergies that sometimes kicks up nor did I think about the bugs, so I hadn't used any propellant.

As I continued the path narrowed into a trail, then narrowed into a sort of trail through lots of greenery. I determined to myself if it got to the point of 'bushwacking', a term my friends use (I'm not sure if it's an official hiking term or not), I'd turn around. It never got to that point. But finally after about 45 minutes and the trail still, as far as I could figure, wasn't really looping, so would it be further to turn and go back or continue? While I was trying to decide what to do, I heard rustling up a head. Immediately pictures of news reports about lone hikers and runners encountering cougers crossed my mind. I pulled my phone out, I figured I ought to tell someone where I was. No service.

I turned around.
So, here are the things I learned, if you're hiking/walking by yourself:
1. Take water.
2. Tell someone where you're going. If you find a trail go back to camp and let them know, or call while you have service.
3. Put on Insect repellent.
4. Take your allergy pills.
5. Plan how far you're going to go before you start off.

In my defense, it's been a long time since I've gone on a hike, and also I hadn't really intended to. I had a great bit of ME time...

Saturday evening after everyone returned to camp after the day's golf and adventures we had--as we do every year--pot luck. I tried a new recipe, it turned out so good, I'm sharing. (Of course)

Black bean & corn salad 10 servings.
1 can corn, rinsed and drained
3 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 Red Bell Pepper chopped
1/2 Green Bell Pepper chopped
1/4 large Red onion chopped
1 Jalapeno chopped (seeds optional)
2 tomatoes seeded and chopped
1 Tbsp Lime Juice
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp Basil
1 tsp Cilantro leaves
1/2 tsp savory
1/4 tsp. Black ground peppers
Place all in a big bowl and stir thoroughly. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
Makes 10 - 1/2 cup servings
Calories 173, Total Fat 3g, Saturated Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 629mg, Total Carbohydrates 29g, Dietary Fiber 8g, Sugars 5g, protein 9g. Vitamin A 1%, Vitamin C 28%, Calcium 3% and Iron 12%.

Hope you enjoy!

This wraps it up!

2011-08-10T01:00:00.032-06:00

Welcome everyone to the last day of the Mystery we Write Blog Tour. Jackie King is in the garden and she’ll be entertaining us for the next little bit. Everyone have some wine or other beverage and fill your plate with hors d’oeuvres, settle in and let’s get started.

Mary: Jackie, before telling all about you as an author, please tell us about you… Jackie. Where you grew up, your background etc.

Jackie: My earliest memories are of listening to or imagining stories. Mother was a single, divorced parent back when such a status raised eyebrows. She was an actress, a story-teller and a writer in Beaver, a small town in the Oklahoma panhandle. (To earn a living, she also taught school.) When I was very young she couldn’t find a teaching job, so we lived on government commodities; forerunner of food stamps.

Mother could concoct a story about any subject, and she told my sister, brother and me, an exciting tale each night. She also read books from the library to us. I don’t remember having any toys, and entertained myself during the day by telling stories to myself. I starred as the heroine, of course, and was most usually, a princess. Because of Mother’s artistic temperament, we moved around a lot. (Translation: her teaching contract was often not renewed.) This may sound hard, and sometimes it was, but life was also exciting, adventurous and fun. Although we were usually cash-strapped, we never considered ourselves ‘poor.’

I started college at 16, and was married by 18. (What can I say? My brain hadn’t stopped growing by that time, at least according to Dr. Phil.) During these two years I studied journalism at Oklahoma University because writing had always been my dream. For the next 30 odd years I was a happily married wife and mother of three children. I also worked full time as an accountant and was too busy to write.

Mary: Now you can tell us all about your writing. What do you write? And how long have you been writing?

Jackie: Mystery and romance are my choice of topics. I love mysteries because these stories end with justice, at least mine do. I started writing again when I found myself suddenly single. (I was happily married…guess he wasn’t.) My first published novella, FLIRTING AT FIFTY, is a humorous account of my divorce. (The divorce wasn’t very funny, but who wants to read about that?) This tale was included in an anthology titled CHIK~LIT FOR FOXY HENS, stories for women of a certain age.

My cozy mystery THE INCONVENIENT CORPSE features Grace Cassidy, who also found herself suddenly single…and broke…and friendless in a strange town. I always have fun writing my stories; I make my characters very human and show them, warts and all. Grace gets through life by making lemonade from the lemons that come her way.

Mary: Is there someone who inspired you to write? If so, who and why.

Jackie: When I was about four years old, my mother told me I would be a writer when I grew up. (I doubt if she thought it would take almost 50 years for that to happen.) Perhaps I told her some of the stories I wrote in my head. I never doubted her, even though I worked in the corporate world for many years to pay bills.

Mary: The Inconvenient Corpse I don’t know about anyone else, but that title alone is a hook. How did you come up with the title?

Jackie: The first scene of the book flashed into my mind when I was vacationing in northern California. That was my first experience of staying in a Bed and Breakfast, and I loved every moment. Like my character Grace, I had walked through a historical Victorian neighborhood and down to the beach. After returning I stretched out on my bed and began daydreaming:

What would I do if I were stranded in a strange town with no friends and no money? Oh, and I’ll throw in a corpse—a naked one—in my bed. Could I survive using my own determination, brains, and moxie? I felt impelled to write the book to find out the answers. Plus, I added an older teenaged son and a cat to make Grace’s life even more complicated, and thus more interesting. The title came from a bit of dialogue spoken by Theodora, an aging school-teacher, who called the victim, “That most inconvenient Mr.…”

Here’s the opening scene from the book:
“Grace Cassidy stared at the stranger’s body. He was about sixty, pot-bellied, naked, and very dead. She knew he was dead because his skin was the color of concrete. Worst of all, he was lying smack dab in the middle of her bed.”

Mary: Can you tell us a bit about your book? And other books? Where can we purchase them?

Jackie: As I said, Grace Cassidy finds herself alone in a strange town. She has no credit cards, no cash, no resources, and no job skills. Fleeced and abandoned by her husband, she is also the prime suspect in a bizarre murder.
Buy on Amazon or Barnes & Noble

I also have published 5 novellas that are part of a series called The Foxy Hens series. I’ve mentioned the first. The next three are historical mysteries set in Oklahoma Territory at the time of the Land Run in 1889. The last one is a contemporary mystery set in Tulsa, where the heroine tangles with a serial killer. It’s not a cozy.

All of my books are available in trade paperback or on Amazon Kindle or B&N Nook for $2.99 each.

Everyone okay? Let’s take a bit of a stretch break, grab some more refreshments if you’d like.

Mary: Jackie, when it’s time for some ‘me’ time what do you do? Travel? Cook? Do you have a favorite recipe you could share with us?

Jackie: My favorite thing is spending time with my family and friends. My only nonfiction book, Devoted to Cooking, is a collection of family stories written with my daughter (a chef), Jennifer Sohl. I enjoy cooking, but she’s the family star in the kitchen. Because most of my best friends are either writers or avid readers, there is always lots of lively conversation at gatherings.

Mary: If there is one thing you could tell a new author what would it be?

Jackie: Never give up on your dream. The most successful published writers are those who are the most disciplined. Make up your mind to write every day (at least 30 minutes) and to submit what you write. This is a sure-fire formula for success.

Mary: Where can people find you? Do you have a web site, Facebook, blog? Tell us, please…

Jackie: Thanks, Mary, for inviting me into your garden and letting me chat with your friends and readers. I’ve loved every minute. I can be found at my website:
www.jacqking.com

My Blog: Cozy Mysteries & Other Madness
Blog url: http://bnbmysteries.blogspot.com

I’m on Facebook as Jacqueline King, and would love it if readers would “friend” me.

Thank you, Jackie, for joining us today. Drop by often and say ‘Hi’.

Red Beans and Rice Mary style

2011-08-05T01:00:00.012-06:00

I love this recipe, there may be a lot out there similar but this is my creation. And I forgot to take a picture, so the picture is courtesy a free stock photo LOL.

Stock photo

Red Beans & Rice Large pot full....

2 lb Red Beans (soaked overnight and rinsed)

16 oz. long grain rice (2-3 more water when adding rice)

6 cups water

2 links Cajun Sausage sliced

2 cups Tomatoes

1 Green Bell Pepper chopped

1 lg Onion (2 1/2cp) chopped

4 cloves Garlic

2 St. Celery chopped

6 oz pork shredded

2 Tbsp Cajun Mix

1 tsp. Thyme

1/2 Tsp. Sage

1 tsp. Parsley

2 bay leafs

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Add everything to Crock pot except rice and extra water. Place on high for 4 hours. Then add more water and the rice and cook on high for 4 hours. Stir frequently.

Enjoy. I'm not even going to tell you how many calories are in this. Let's just say, keep it to a small portion as you do with everything else, and have this for a party or special occasion.

A crisp sweet white wine goes well with this.

Welcome Sharon Ervin

2011-08-03T01:00:00.025-06:00

Everyone please welcome Sharon to the garden. We're going to cozy up in the shade by the falls today. Please grab some refreshments and settle in and lets begin.

First a bit about SHARON ERVIN
Sooner born, Ervin has a degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma. Once a newspaper reporter, she now works in her husband and son’s law office half-days, gleaning material and characters for more novels. She is married to McAlester, Oklahoma attorney Bill Ervin and has four grown children.

Website address: sharonervin.com
Blog address: sharonervin.wordpress.com

AGENTS/EDITORS AND REJECTION
“A friend of your friend is my friend,” I once wrote to an agent.
A young man I watched grow up here in our small Oklahoma town is now a celebrity photographer in New York. He asked one of his famous author friends to recommend me to the friend’s agent, then told me to write to said agent, dropping her well-loved client’s name.

She was gracious, but had a full stable of authors. Maybe another time. I have tried again. She has a great reputation. She doesn’t need me.

Four times I have actually signed with agents. Two of those immediately suffered career-ending ailments. I swear said ailments had nothing to do with me or my work.

A fledgling agent who had worked in publishing for years, liked my writing quite a lot. For weeks we telephoned back and forth, tweaking the manuscript. She had sound ideas and genuinely liked the work and me. We had great rapport. When we agreed the pages were ready, she hand-carried the manuscript to an editor friend.

She called me that evening in tears. We had our first rejection. I tried to comfort her as she sobbed long minutes over the phone, but she was inconsolable.

“I cannot stand this,” she said. “I’m not tough enough to take this kind of treatment.”

“What do you mean? Rejection is part of the game. It will get easier.”

“I don’t want to get used to it,” she said.

“We’ll try again, won’t we?” I asked provoking the sobs all over again.

“She (the editor) is a good friend of mine. If we had any chance of being published in New York, she could make it happen,” she continued, refusing to be comforted.

“What does that mean?” I asked, fearing the answer.

She blew her nose. “Is there any way...could you...make it...” her voice cracked, “Could you make it more compelling? That’s what she said. It just wasn’t compelling enough for her.”

“Sure, I can. I can do that.” Then I thought about it. “What does that mean? I mean, the story itself, or the characters, or what?”

She squeaked, “I don’t know. I’ll call you back tomorrow.” And she hung up.

Her new career was over before it had begun.

When that book was published, eventually, I called to tell her that I’d found a publisher who liked it almost as much as she and I had. We had a lovely visit. I still like her.

Among the rejections, there have been some happy moments. One morning a famous editor called to ask about a manuscript that was finished in draft form, but not polished. Knowing how long publishers take to respond, I hadn’t worried, had sent the first three chapters on a Tuesday. She called Monday of the next week. She suddenly had an empty slot, thought my book was just right. I begged for time. She asked how much time I needed. Three weeks? She gave me two. I hit the deadline, but the book had not developed quite as well as she had anticipated. Plus, she had filled the slot with something else. It was a hard lesson. I have never again queried before I thought a manuscript was ready.

It took me a while to learn there are degrees of rejections. Some are written “To Whom It May Concern,” obviously designed to discourage future queries. Some are form rejections, but signed by a person. Better. Others are addressed to the author by name, may even refer to the work by title, plus they are signed.

Those rejections that contain thoughts, notes on how the work might be improved, are gold. A writer can take heart in those, make suggested changes and resubmit. One must hurry, however, as editors move from house to house fluidly, and available slots close quickly.

The best self-addressed envelope, however, is the one where the enclosure reads: “We have read your submission and, if it is still available, we would like to offer a contract.”

For me, that one came 17 years after I penned the first manuscript. Naturally, I thought it must be a scam. But it wasn’t. Nine of my nearly 20 manuscripts have been published. Now I’m fretting about Number Ten.

And the beat goes on. Some wonderfully successful authors say, “I never feel like I am in, never know if the next book will sell or not.” Me neither.

Buy Links:

Kindle books
All Sharon's books

Thank you, Sharon, for visiting with us today.

Best Cheeseburger EVER

2011-07-29T01:00:00.002-06:00

It's summer, it's BBQ time and it's always cheeseburger time. Yesterday Ron (my husband, he's on the left side of the picutre) was in charge of dinner for our guests. He'd heard a secret about the perfect burger. And all I can say is, it was the best cheeseburger I'd ever had.

He went to the store and found Tri-tip and then had the butcher grind it 2 times. Yup steak. A bit on the expensive side. The measurements are done guy style meaning, I'm going to do the best I can telling you how much to use.

Cheeseburgers 6 burgers
4 lbs Ground Tri-tip
1/2 yellow onion - chopped
1/2 green bell pepper - Chopped
1/2 red bell pepper - chopped
12 Slices mushrooms
Ground Pepper
Montreal Seasoning
Garlic Powder
Salt
Olive Oil

In a oblong 9x13 pan he placed foil. He coated the foil in olive oil. He made 6 1/4 lb. patties placed on the foil. Placed two slices of mushrooms on each and sprinkled them all with the chopped veggies. Then he added the spices. When he was done he made 6 more 1/4 lb. patties and placed them on top of the others and mashed (for want of a better word) them together.

He sprinkled any left over veggies or what had fallen onto the pan over the top of the patties. And sprinkled with spices. Then he barbecued. Right before they were done he placed a slice of mild cheddar and a slice of provolone cheese on each. He used bakery fresh buns, served them with corn and a salad.

I'm not even going to try to do the calorie count on these. Just plan for that to be your only meal if you're counting. They were well worth it!

Welcome Pat Browning

2011-07-27T01:00:00.014-06:00

Everyone, please welcome Pat to the garden. I've put some fans around the area and arranged for us to have relax in the gazebo, I thought it would be cooler. Help yourselves to some refreshments and find a spot to listen.

A little bit about Pat:

Pat Browning was born and raised in Oklahoma. A longtime resident of California's San Joaquin Valley before moving back to Oklahoma in 2005, Pat’s professional writing credits go back to the 1960s, when she was a stringer for The Fresno Bee while working full time in a Hanford law office.

She is a veteran traveler. Her globetrotting in the 1970s led her into the travel business, first as a travel agent, then as a correspondent for TravelAge West, a trade journal published in San Francisco. In the 1990s, she signed on fulltime as a newspaper reporter and columnist, first at The Selma Enterprise and then at The Hanford Sentinel.

At the Enterprise, her lifestyle coverage placed first two years in a row in the California Newspaper Publishers Association Better Newspapers Contest. She was also a co-finalist for the 1993 George F. Gruner Award for Meritorious Public Service in Journalism. The award was for a story she and a colleague wrote about AIDS, which was a recent phenomenon at the time. At the Sentinel, her feature story on the Japanese-American "Yankee Samurais" of World War II, placed second in the CNPA contest.

Pat's articles on the writing life have appeared in The SouthWest Sage, the monthly journal of SouthWest Writers, based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is building a new website. Slowly. Slowly.
http://patbrowning.weebly.com (under construction)
http://authorsden.com/patbrowning
http://pbrowning.blogspot.com/

IT’S ALL ABOUT PEOPLE

In my writing world plots grow out of character and setting, which is how I like it. For me, people come first. And where do we get our people? It’s a question readers always ask.

My answer would be: Look around you. Go to WalMart, stand in line or sit on a bench and watch shoppers come and go. There are enough characters to fill a dozen books. All you have to do is ask yourself “why” and “what if?”

Recently at WalMart, a well-dressed, middle-aged man stood at the end of the checkout counter and bagged groceries as the clerk rang them up. He was smiling, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do. I didn’t ask, but I wondered. Was he was paying forward a kindness done for him in his past? What if he was doing community service as part of a sentence for, say, shoplifting? There was a character with possibilities.

On another day I got in line behind a young woman whose shopping cart was piled high with loaves of bread, bags of candy and small toys. I asked. She said she was shopping for a pre-school center. She didn’t seem rushed or pushed or unhappy with her lot in life. I could imagine her surrounded by a gaggle of wiggling, giggling children.

I remembered an interview of a pre-school teacher I did during my newspaper days. The teacher lined up her little charges to leave the building for recess, and each child placed a hand on the wall. Apparently it kept them in an orderly line, preventing a stampede.

My mind wandered back to a novel I read about India, with a scene where a widow to be burned alive on her husband’s funeral pyre swiped her hand against a wall to leave a record. The practice was a Hindu ritual known as suttee or sati, and has been outlawed for years, although occasional reports surface. It doesn’t take much to stir the imagination.

The characters in my book(s) come in bits and pieces, from people I have known, friends, family members, as well as bits and pieces of myself. They become fiction but have some basis in reality.

Novelist Charles Dickens wrote some of the most memorable characters in the English language. Years ago I read a quote from Dickens that I never forgot but never could find again. In essence, he said he found his characters, especially his villains, within himself, for there is something of all of us in each of us.

Years ago, a friend bragged to me about his handsome four-year-old son. He said the little boy “has eyes like ripe olives.” I loved that image, and have used it twice. The first time was in an article I wrote about a room service attendant I met when I visited Goa, a small bit of paradise on India’s Malabar Coast overlooking the Arabian Sea. My hotel was the Cidade de Goa.

Goa belonged to Portugal until 1961 and the hotel’s design suggested a 16th century Portuguese village. Public areas were open, with strategically placed shrubs and pillars. Small flights of steps fanned out to guest rooms. The design was magical at night with corridors and courtyards illuminated.

Here’s an excerpt from an article I wrote in 1991 for The Selma (California) Enterprise:

(Quote)
If there is anything to be learned from travel, it is that ordinary people everywhere are much the same, whatever their color, language or religion. We all want a chance at life, a niche of our own, a dream to pursue. We want to savor the "hot taste of life, lifting green cups and gold at the great feast," as the Hindu poet Bilhana wrote a thousand years ago.

In Goa, on Indian's Malabar Coast south of Bombay, I checked into a hotel so new that workmen were still hammering it together. In the lobby bar, a movie on videocassette was blasting away. It was a war epic called "The Iron Cross," starring James Coburn, in English and in color.

The boy who brought a pot of tea to my room had eyes like ripe olives. He was wearing western-made clothes and he wanted to talk. He wanted to know where I was from, where I had been, where I was going. I wished desperately for a map, but settled for drawing pictures on a notepad.

He said that he had always wanted to travel abroad but probably would never have enough money. I assured him that everything is possible. He said that he was a good Hindu. He didn't drink, smoke or eat meat, but he had one addiction—foreign films. He watched foreign films so he could learn about the rest of the world.

Gunfire from the movie below kept drifting up to the room. A fine foreign film to teach a good Hindu boy about the world, I thought.

His yearning was palpable. In the olive-eyed boy, I saw the dreamy-eyed girl I once was. In the red clay hills of Oklahoma, or on the sandy beaches of the Malabar Coast, it is always the same, that yearning for the "hot taste of life."

Early on the morning of my departure, the olive-eyed boy brought me tea and toast, lingering only for a moment. I had to catch a plane to Bangalore, and it was a long ride to the airport. He wished me well and then demanded, "You will remember me?" I said that I would, and I do.
(End Quote)

I’ve never had occasion to use that boy in a work of fiction but I used the image again when I wrote ABSINTHE OF MALICE, my first Penny Mackenzie mystery. The police chief romances Penny’s mother and I describe the chief this way:

“I had to admit that he was a sweet guy, solid as a brick, big face with a cleft chin, eyes like ripe olives, dark hair speckled with gray, its natural waves wet combed and hand-shaped to form a modest pompadour. So he was a bit of a chunk. Who knew what passions lurked within that chunk?”

I have almost forgotten but I think the wet-combed, hand-shaped pompadour came from an old boyfriend. I can tell you the year and the place where I heard about eyes like ripe olives. The image is burned into my memory.

ABSINTHE OF MALICE is Book #1 in my series-to-be, and I’m half way through Book #2, working title METAPHOR FOR MURDER. Here are the loglines for both.

ABSINTHE OF MALICE, published in 2008 by Krill Press:
“It’s just another Labor Day weekend in a small California town until discovery of a skeleton in a cotton field leads to murder—and romance.”
An extensive excerpt can be read at Google Books --
http://tinyurl.com/23pojdm.

METAPHOR FOR MURDER, a work in progress:
“Small town reporter Penny Mackenzie tracks an offbeat Christmas story and finds herself in the middle of a murder and the mysterious desecration of an old Chinese cemetery.” Stay tuned …

My thanks to Mary for inviting me to be her guest blogger today. Happy reading to all!

Pat Browning

Review on: The Man in the Rockefeller Suit by Mark Seal

2011-07-25T01:00:00.020-06:00

The Man in the Rockefeller Suit By Mark Seal

A real-life Talented Mr. Ripley, the unbelievable thirty-year run of a shape-shifting con man.

The story of Clark Rockefeller is a stranger-than-fiction twist on the classic American success story of the self-made man-because Clark Rockefeller was totally made up. The career con man who convincingly passed himself off as Rockefeller was born in a small village in Germany. At seventeen, obsessed with getting to America, he flew into the country on dubious student visa documents and his journey of deception began.

Over the next thirty years, boldly assuming a series of false identities, he moved up the social ladder through exclusive enclaves on both coasts-culminating in a stunning twelve-year marriage to a rising star businesswoman with a Harvard MBA who believed she'd wed a Rockefeller.

The imposter charmed his way into exclusive clubs and financial institutions-working on Wall Street, showing off an extraordinary art collection-until his marriage ended and he was arrested for kidnapping his daughter, which exposed his past of astounding deceptions as well as a connection to the bizarre disappearance of a California couple in the mid-1980s.

The story of The Man in the Rockefeller Suit is a probing and cinematic exploration of an audacious imposer-and a man determined to live the American dream by any means necessary.

Review by James Hoggan

I very much enjoyed the exploits of Christian Gerhartsreiter/Christopher Chichester/Clark Rockefeller. I felt like I was riding shotgun to Mark Seal as he investigated this charlatan. How could anyone be duped by this man? Could they really believe he was who he said he was? Or was he just a great conversation piece and the life of the party? From beginning to end I kept wondering if he would get caught in his sham and what on earth could he do next? Would his own arrogance be his undoing?

I’m not the type to reread much of anything because there are so many good books to read. This book could easily come up in conversation and I would recommend it to others, if it came up in conversation.

3

Buy Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Review on: The Seance by Heather Graham

2011-07-22T01:00:00.024-06:00

THE SEANCE
Heather Graham
MIRA BOOKS
ISBN-13:978-0-7783-2916-9 | ISBN-10:0-7783-2916-X

A channel for the dead—a warning to the living

A chill falls over Christina Hardy’s housewarming party when talk turns to a recent murder that has all the hallmarks of the so-called “Interstate-Killer” murders from fifteen years before. To lighten the mood, the guests drag out an old Ouija board for a little spooky fun…and that’s when things become truly terrifying.

Summoned by the Ouija board, the restless spirit of Beau Kidd, the lead detective—and chief suspect—on the original case, seeks Christina’s help: the latest killings aren’t copycat crimes, and he wants his name cleared. Back in the real world, cop-turned-writer Jett Braden is skeptical of
Christina’s ghostly encounters, but his police sources confirm all the intimate details of the case—her otherworldly source is reliable, and the body count is growing.

The spirits are right. The Interstate Killer is still out there, and Christina’s life is hanging in the balance between this world and the next.

Review:
Who am I to review the Great Heather Graham you ask? Well I'm a dedicated reader of Ms. Grahams. I remember reading her stories: One Wore Blue / July 1991, One Wore Gray/April 1992, And One Rode West /November 1992 One of my ALL time favorite series. The list goes on and on. I believe that's a review in itself don't you? I read her long before that even. In fact, now I've looked up my favorite series, guess what I checked they're available to download yup I'm going to revisit.

Okay on to my review of The Seance, Christina was a strong women, not easily intimidated. But Ms. Graham led us on a merry chase, each time I thought I had it figured out, another bend in the road. I really enjoyed this story. The only thing holding it back from a perfect 5 is the fact I did figure out who. Still even after that there was a bit of a twist. So if you think you know, think again...

I give this a 4 1/2

You can purchase all of Ms. Graham's books from links on her web site http://www.eheathergraham.com or from Amazon

Beth Anderson is in the Garden

2011-07-20T01:00:00.000-06:00

Today we have Beth Anderson in the garden. Everyone please fill your plates with refreshments, pour yourself a tall cool glass of your choice of beverage and find a nice shady spot to relax.

Mary: So Beth, please tell us a bit about yourself.

Beth: When I discovered one of the 2011 Murder We Write bloggers was going to be Mary Martinez, I went back and took another look at her lovely website and blog. This time it registered that from time to time she shares great recipes with her followers, and as one who is constantly printing out recipes because gourmet cooking is one of my favorite things, after writing, of course, I asked her if she’d like to hear about my search for the Perfect Mac and Cheese recipe. She said yes, so here’s the background:

Last fall, when I was visiting my daughter and son-in-law in Washington State, one of our dinners out was at a small but well-known restaurant called Geppetto's Italian Bistro in Yakima, Washington, smack in the middle of Washington Wine Country. A truly wonderful gourmet restaurant, even their pizzas were paper-thin delicate and almost too beautiful to eat, although I did. My daughter ordered the Mac and Cheese she’d heard so much about and gave me a taste of it. I knew in that moment that I had entered the closest trip to paradise you can find here on earth. It was like no other macaroni and cheese I’d ever tasted. But what exactly had they put in it to give up that elusive perfection? We talked about it off and on for weeks after I got home and neither of us even came close to knowing what it was.

I wanted that recipe. Had to have it. Would have it if I had to tear the whole Internet apart to find it.
I searched everyplace I knew of to search. No author or mystery buff ever looked for a clue like I did for whatever was in that beautiful, multicolored, delectably creamy sauce. I looked in my own cookbooks. No luck, not even Julia or Jacques had that one. I’d know it when I found it, I was certain of that. I knew it was just a matter of one, maybe two things that set it apart.

I was getting desperate, unwilling to give up The Search when one afternoon, after staring at my computer for a while, it finally hit me. If anyone would have it, if it wasn’t a top secret recipe locked up in the National Archives, Bon Appetit would. Mentally smacking myself upside the head because I hadn’t thought of them first, I began my search in their online recipe files and it wasn’t long—in looking for clues time—before I saw The One. It had to be. HAD to be! Now, I had always known about nutmeg in many cheese dishes, and Gruyere cheese in some of them. But who would ever think of also adding two teaspoons of fresh chopped thyme leaves and Brie cheese? You could not taste the thyme but you knew something was there. And who ever heard of adding Brie to mac and cheese?

Well, Bon Appetit did.

I made it that same night after a hasty trip to the store to collect everything I needed, which actually was most all of it because Brie never lasts long in my house and neither does Gruyere. I actually tore up the entire kitchen trying to make it the way the recipe said and learned one thing. Unless you love grated knuckles, either grate all the cheese before you even start the rest of the recipe, or have a food processor handy. Either way, you’ll still have to cut up the Brie by hand. Do it all first or you and your kitchen will be sorry. I had pots and pans and bowls stacked up three feet, I’m not kidding you, and all because I didn’t grate/prepare the cheese first. So for your gastronomic pure pleasure, here it is:

Cheesemonger’s Mac and Cheese
8 servings, unless you’re me. Then, six. Maybe.
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups coarsely grated Gruyere cheese
1-1/2 cups coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese, about 6 ounces
1-1/2 cups diced rindless Brie (cut from a 1 pound wedge)
5 Tablespoons unsalted good butter, divided
¼ cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
¾ teaspoon nutmeg (scant, more will overpower)
4 cups whole milk (fat free will never do it for this dish)
1-3/4 cups fresh breadcrumbs made from crustless French bread
1 pound Penne pasta
8 teaspoons whipping cream (if making 1 day ahead, and you can)
Their Tip: It’s easiest to remove the rind and dice the Brie if you put it in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm it up first. My tip: Keep the rind, it’ll have Brie on it and it’s great on appetizer crackers another day.

Preparation:
Grate and mix all cheeses. Set aside 1 cup for topping; cover the one cup and chill. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir until mixture turns a golden brown, about 4 minutes. Add thyme and nutmeg. Gradually whisk in milk. Simmer until thickened and smooth, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Add cheeses from large bowl. Stir together until melted and smooth.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add breadcrumbs, toss. Stir until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer to plate. (This, by the way, is one of the secrets, it adds a lot of beautiful buttery flavor and crunch.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cook pasta in boiling salted water until tender but firm to bite. Drain. Transfer to large bowl. Pour cheese sauce over, toss. Either pour it into a large capacity oblong bowl or divide among eight 1-1/4 cup custard cups. Sprinkle with the remaining one cup of cheese. (DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover all with foil and chill. When you uncover them drizzle each with 1 teaspoon cream. Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes. (My tip: Made in a large pan, it takes closer to 20/25 minutes.) Uncover. Sprinkle partially baked chilled or just assembled cups with breadcrumbs. Bake pasta until beginning to bubble and tops are golden, about 20 minutes, longer if it’s one big dish.
That’s it! All you need with it is a nice tossed salad and a fairly light dessert because this cheese dish is extremely rich and filling. And if you’d like to pair it with a nice white wine, try Alexandria Nicole 2009 Shepherds Mark. You get it in Washington Wine Country or also online. Bon Appetit!

Author Bio
Beth Anderson is a multi-published, award winning author in several genres including romance and mainstream crime fiction. A full time author, she lives in a Chicago, Illinois suburb. She has appeared on Chicago's WGN Morning Show, The ABC Evening News, as well as numerous other radio and cable television shows. She has guest lectured at Purdue University and many libraries and writers' conferences. She loves music, particularly jazz. Her website and blog are both at http://www.bethanderson-hotclue.com
Links to my author pages on Amazon and Barnes & Noble:
http://www.amazon.com/Beth-Anderson/e/B000APMRR4
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Raven-Talks-Back/Beth-Anderson/e/2940012515407/?itm=1&USRI=beth+anderson
Website and blog: http://www.bethanderson-hotclue.com
Publisher's Website: Krill Press http://www.krillpress.com/books.html

RAVEN TALKS BACK ISBN #: 9780982144398
Book blurb for RAVEN TALKS BACK by Beth Anderson:
Raven Morressey is living the good life. Nice home, husband, three healthy children, and it's finally summertime, when life is again lovely in Valdez, Alaska. All this explodes one morning when builders, digging up her back yard, uncover a recently murdered headless, handless female body covered with scarification—hundreds of colored designs cut into the skin to resemble tattoos. As if this isn’t enough, where the corpse’s head should have been is a large rock with a face painted on that resembles an Alaska Native mask.
Raven's eight year old son, Timmy, is the first one to see the body and is suddenly unable to walk or respond in any way. On that same day, Raven hears the voice of her long dead Athabascan father coming from Timmy, who is unaware of the ancient hunting chants he sings in his sleep and the words he suddenly speaks in Raven’s native tongue—a language he does not know.

Jack O’Banion, Valdez’s Chief of Police for the past few years, faced with his first murder case in Valdez, begins his official investigation. Everywhere he goes he finds nothing but deception. The town seems to have closed into itself and nobody will tell him anything that might help him solve this case. Then one murder quickly morphs into two, then three, and the Alaska State Troopers are hot on his back to find the killer now.
Between Raven’s voices and the visions she develops, and Jack, whose career as well as his contented life in Valdez are on the line, they both feel they have to find the killer and restore some sanity to the town—not to mention their own lives, which are quickly unraveling out of control.

Thank you, Beth, for joining us today. Your recipe sounds yummy, I can't wait to try it. Please drop by anytime.

Ted Saves the World Blog Tour and Giveaway

2011-07-17T01:00:00.017-06:00

Good morning everyone, today I have a guest blogger, Bryan Cohen. Pull up a chair, pour yourself a glass of your preferred beverage, fill up you plate with goodies, and sit back and enjoy!

Building a World
By Bryan Cohen

The other day, I could not help but be drawn into a Harry Potter marathon on ABC Family. While I’d read all the books and seen each of the movies separately, I’d never watched two consecutive movies back-to-back. Accomplishing this lazy Saturday afternoon feat made me realize one of the things I love the most about J.K. Rowling’s work. She has gone to great lengths to create an astounding, complex and majorly interesting world.

A universe in which magic is a key ingredient is a world of surprise. Swords appear out of hats, overachievers can take two classes at once using time travel, and dastardly villains can leave pieces of their souls lying around. Literally anything can happen!

Before I read all of the Harry Potter books to impress a girl (true story), I likewise loved the open-ended world of Joss Whedon’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” For those of you who haven’t seen the show, it’s not just vampires and teen angst. Because the main town of Sunnydale, Calif., is located on a hellmouth, a gold mine of mystical energy, all sorts of evil creatures pop in and out of the show’s mythology. It’s a major achievement of the writing to create a situation where the reader/watcher is drawn into the world and is willing to believe all of the crazy stuff that goes on inside of it.

It is this world building that I was most excited about in starting my Ted Saves the World series. In the first book, the main character Ted finds out that there are a near infinite number of universes with Earth as one of the main battlegrounds of a war between very powerful creatures. As the series goes on, readers will learn that these different dimensions lead to very strange and unusual beings travelling to Earth on a regular basis.

While I can only hope to reach the benchmark of a fictional world as set by authors like J.K. Rowling and Joss Whedon, I am grateful to have such wonderful role models to live up to.

--

Description of Ted Saves the World (Available for just $0.99):
A possessed cheerleader. A cursed gang of criminals. Mysterious telekinetic powers. An angry ex-girlfriend in gym class? One second, sophomore in high school Ted endures his first breakup in his favorite place in town. The next, a mysterious blue light turns him into a worldwide superhero sensation for taking down a posse of grisly murderers. As his views on YouTube increase and his friend Dhiraj tries to capitalize on the marketing potential, his dangers increase as well when a presumed-dead cheerleader begins taking a personal interest. Can Ted survive his first week as a superhero in the public eye? This novella is the first taste in a series of full-length novels about the adventures of Ted Finley and Erica LaPlante. The book is also available on Barnes & Noble and Smashwords for $0.99.

Giveaway:
Bryan Cohen is giving away four $25 Amazon gift cards, one for each week of his month long blog tour. To enter, simply comment with your e-mail address (feel free to substitute @ with (at) or other tricks to stop spammers from getting it). Bryan will draw the four names at the end of the tour, picking one entrant at random from each week’s set of blog posts. Entries will be counted through Monday, August 15th, 2011. Enter on as many sites as you want, follow the tour at Build Creative Writing Ideas. If Ted reaches the Top 100 on Amazon at any point during the tour, a fifth $25 card will be added to the giveaway.

Biography:
Bryan Cohen is a writer, actor and comedian from Dresher, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2005 with degrees in English and Dramatic Art and a minor in Creative Writing. He has written seven books including 1,000 Creative Writing Prompts: Ideas for Blogs, Scripts, Stories and More. Contact Bryan through his Ted Saves the World blog, his Build Creative Writing Ideas site or Twitter.

Thank you, Bryan for joining us in Mary's Garden today, we've really enjoyed it. Please come by and visit often.

Healthy Grilled Burgers

2011-07-15T01:00:00.013-06:00

I have the BBQ warming, so when I'm ready here, I'll serve. Everyone find a spot in the garden, a glass of your favorite beverage. Since it's burgers, you may want to grab a beer. However, they are turkey burgers so a nice crisp white wine will complement also.

Turkey = Healthy, but doesn't have to = tasteless and boring. Here's a great recipe, and you can serve on or w/o a bun. A ear of corn and a salad.

Healthy Turkey Burgers 4 servings
1 lb Ground Turkey
1/2 Jalapeno chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/8 cup Red Bell Pepper chopped
1/8 cup Green Bell Pepper Chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
1/4 tsp Sage
1/2 tsp Thyme
1/2 tsp Rosemary
1/2 tsp Marjoram
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Crushed Chili Pepper
Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix thoroughly (I use my hands to blend it) then form into 1/4 lb patties and grill on the BBQ.

1 Patty - Calories 162, Total Fat 7g, Saturated Fat 2g, Cholesterol 65mg, Sodium 85mg, Carbohydrate 3g, Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 1g, Protein 22g. Vitamin 6%, Vitamin C 20%, Calcium 1% and Iron 13%

So go forth and enjoy!

2011-07-13T01:00:00.050-06:00

Good morning everyone, welcome to our next installment of the Mystery We Write, Blog Tour. Today our guest is Anne K. Albert. As always, there are refreshments for all. Pull up a seat or settle on the grass so we may begin.

Mary: Anne, let’s begin with contact information. Please tell everyone where we can find you. Web site, social media, blog etc.

Anne: Hi Mary, it’s great to be here!
Readers can visit my website: http://www.AnneKAlbert.com
My main blog: http://anne-k-albert.blogspot.com
My MRM blog: http://muriel-reeves-mysteries.blogspot.com
I’m also on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AnneKAlbert
And Twitter: http://twitter.com/AnneKAlbert

Mary: Please tell us about you growing up, where are your roots?

Anne: I grew up on the outskirts of a small, rural community where everyone knew everyone else…and their business. My ancestors came from Ireland during the Potato Famine of the 1840s. I grew up in a large, extended family where everyone played the piano, violin, or ‘spoons’, but somehow I never inherited that musical ability. Family gatherings were frequent and the perfect excuse to dance a jig. I had no idea how Celtic my upbringing was until many, many years later.

Mary: Do you know what you chose the Mystery/Suspense genre? Or did it pick you? Did your growing up years color your choice?

Anne: I suppose it was a little of both. The first books I read as a series were of Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys and Trixie Belden. From there I discovered Agatha Christie and Erle Stanley Gardner. I’ve always loved a cozy mystery.

Mary: Everyone comfortable? Please feel free to refill your glass whenever you’d like. And don’t miss out on the stuff mushrooms. Ready to continue? Anne, I see that you like to write in series, why?

Anne: It just feels like a natural thing to do, really! Returning to a story setting, visiting with characters who’ve appeared in a previous book, and introducing new characters is just a whole lot of fun for me as an author. I think readers like that kind of familiarity as well.

Mary: What was the first book you remember that you read over and over? Was it a mystery?

Anne: Actually, it was a Tom and Jerry picture book. Jerry and his friends stole cupcakes from the human’s kitchen, and of course, Tom wanted to stop them. I can remember the images of those delicious cupcakes in vivid color. The only mystery to me is why I’ve hung onto that particular image all these years!

Mary: What advice would you give to someone who is about to set pen to paper for the first sentence? Or finger to keyboard, as the case may be.

Anne: Just have fun. Go with it. Finish the story. Then start another. Writers learn by writing.

Mary: Do you recommend that someone new to the industry belong to a writing organization? If so which one/ones, and why?

Anne: Oh, definitely. Belonging to a professional organization is a must. Taking that first step shows you’re serious about writing. I highly recommend Romance Writers of America, Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.

Mary: Okay, Anne, it’s time to get down and personal. No I’m not asking about secrets in your closet—though if you want to share… What I want to know is, what does Anne do for fun, enjoyment or relaxing when she doesn’t have her writer hat on.

Anne: I love to travel and discover new places, but I rarely stay put in one place very long, and hardly ever return for a second visit. There are just too many wonderful places to see before I die.

I could very well be a nomad, or a full-time RVer (even though I’ve never set foot in one!) I’ve crisscrossed America many, many times, and still have so much more to see. Plus, touring Ireland is on my bucket list.

Mary: Is there anything you’d like to share with us that I haven’t thought to ask?

Anne: I’d like to say thank you for featuring me, Mary, it’s been so much fun. I’d like to invite readers to drop by my Muriel Reeves Mysteries blog http://muriel-reeves-mysteries.blogspot.com and leave a comment mentioning this interview, I’ll enter their name in a draw to win a pdf copy of FRANK, INCENSE AND MURIEL. I’ll announce the winner at the conclusion of the tour, sometime during the week of August 22, 2011.

Mary: Thank you, Anne, for joining us today in the Garden. I’ve had a blast and I’m sure everyone else has also.

Anne: It was my pleasure, Mary. Thank you!

Concerts with a bang!

2011-07-11T01:00:00.011-06:00

Yes we went to another concert last night. This one was at the baseball park. We'd never attended one there before, and our seats were awesome. We were a bit worried about the dark, no black, clouds over head. Luckily it blew for a bit, spattered us with rain, but by concert time everything had settled in for a nice evening.

Blues Traveler's started off with the intro from Star Wars. And rocked from there on! I recorded a bit, you can list if you'd like.

It may be a bit loud. Then we had the longest wait, or so it seemed before Chris came out. The seats were pretty good, there was no one directly in front of us, and we had a bit of a ledge. Used it as a table. But I still like Red Butte Gardens as a music vendor better.

Finally have much anticipation our boy came up. Chris Isaak, what's not to like?

And of course I got a bit of him. This is when they're just coming on stage so there is a bit of drama and build up. Then of course I enjoyed the concert and didn't take any more pictures or video's. Again watch the volume.

But that wasn't all, as Chris and his band left the stage the fireworks began. What a display. I took a few pictures and then put the camera way-way too soon!

On a whole, the evening was a 5 1/2!

I know everything we see is a 5 1/2, but hey I'm a Concert Ho!

Continue Concert Ho Reviews

2011-07-08T01:00:00.000-06:00

Continuing our concerts we saw Sheryl Crow at Red Butte Gardens. As usual it was awesome. We arrived at 9 am to sit in line. Chat with everyone else crazy enough to get there that early. There were some who'd come the night before to camp out. We're so not that dedicated. Our friends came by on and off during the day. Kris brought much needed food at lunch. I read on my iPad, relaxed and got a sunburn.

We had several friends meet us there. The opening act was okay, but I can't even remember his name, if that's any indication--not good. Then Sheryl came on, and it rocked from there. I don't think any of us sat in our chairs after that. There was dancing, and singing. As you can see in this video. (it's loud you may want to turn it down)

All in all I believe I'll give this concert a

5 +

Vivian Zabel is today's visitor in the garden

2011-07-06T01:00:00.025-06:00

Okay so what happened to spring? The garden has been cold and wet. Now it’s hot and dry and miserable. Find some shade to slip under and welcome Vivian Zabel. There is ice cold beverages for everyone, please help yourselves.

Mary: Before we begin on the writing, tell us a bit about Vivian the person. Where you grew up, etc.

Vivian: I was born under the flight path at Randolph AFB, Texas. However, I grew up all over the world. Even though I started school in San Antonio, Texas, second grade found me on Guam. Third grade I attended two schools in Enid, Oklahoma. By the time I graduated from high school in Limestone, Maine, I had 22 school changes, including almost two years in Morocco. For the past thirty-some years, I’ve lived in the Edmond, Oklahoma area

I’ve always been a story teller since I could talk. I entertained my siblings and friends with stories. When I learned to write, I began to put the stories and poems on paper.

I taught English and writing for nearly 30 years, with poetry, articles, and short stories published along the way. I attended writing workshops, classes, and clinics every year – not only to be a better writing teacher, but also to hone my own skills. After “graduating” (retiring) in 2001, I had time to write longer works, and my books began.

Mary: I see you wear many hats, not just an adult mystery writer. Tell us about all that you do, included 4RV publishing.

Vivian: What all do I do? I edit other people’s writing; I do some book design work, but little; I have final say over what 4RV publishes; I care for a disabled husband; I try to care for a disabled me; I travel to book festivals; I head a writing group; and then I squeeze in some writing every chance I get. My brain is always “writing” even if not my fingers.

4RV Publishing keeps me rather busy, and much of what I have to do has little to do with writing or book, except maybe accounting books. I had no idea how busy the business would keep me. Other than keeping books, the hardest part of the publishing business is rejecting manuscripts, knowing that someone will be hurt. That’s why when we do reject, suggestions go with the “We’re sorry but” message that will help the writer improve his/her work.

Mary: Tell us a bit about your hobbies—other than writing. Do you travel? Sing? Sew? We want to know it all.

Vivian: I used to sing in the church choir, but can’t stand long enough or climb the steps now. I read, read, read, read. I attend as many of my grandchildren’s ball games and activities as possible, and great-grandchildren’s, too.

At one time, my husband and I traveled every summer. We’ve covered most of the United States, including Alaska, and some of Canada.

Let’s take a stretch your legs break. Pour some more ice tea if you need some.

Mary: Everyone has something they’d like to do before they pass on to new adventures in the great beyond. However, is there something on your bucket list you need to do?

Vivian: Other than have enough time to finish the 30 books still in my head? One thing at the top of my list is to have all of my family together at least one more time, and I don’t mean at my husband’s or my funeral. I want to see all my children, their spouses, my grandchildren, and my great-grandchildren together with my husband and me, at least one more time.

Mary: Do you have a favorite food and would you like to share a recipe with us today?

Vivian: My favorite food any more is something someone else fixed. *laugh* One recipe that is soooo good and sooo easy is slow-cooker lasagna.

1. brown ground beef (and onions if desired) and add to favorite spaghetti sauce.
2. cover bottom of cooker with thin layer of sauce and about 1/8 cup water
3. place a layer of lasagna noodles on bottom of sauce layer, break into sizes that fit if necessary.
4. add layer of grated mozzarella cheese
5. add layer of noodles
6. add layer of sauce
7. add layer of cheese
8. at last, add a layer of noodles and then top with cheese
9. cook on slow heat for 6 – 8 hours.

Mary: I love Lasagna, I'll need to try it. What do you tell young writers who come to you for advice?

Vivian: First learn your craft and read as much as possible. Read good books. Read bad books. Learn the difference between the two. Don’t be afraid of criticism, learn from it. Know correct grammar and use it. Continue learning how to write even as you write. Don’t give up.

Mary: Please share with us a bit about Stolen.

Vivian: When my ex-son-in-law “stolen” two of my grandchildren, I had to do something with the pain, frustration, agony, and hopelessness. So, I began to write, giving all that emotion to characters, who became real people to me. It’s not a true story, because I fictionalized it, but the emotions and tears and heartaches are true.

About the book: When the joy is ruthlessly ripped from Torri’s life, she has two choices: dwell in torment and regret, or pick up the pieces and live. However, when a nightmare invades her world, leaving her battered and torn, she doesn’t know if she can continue – her children are stolen.

Vivian’s blog: http://vivianzabel.blogspot.com
Vivian’s website: http://VivianZabel.com
4RV Publishing http://4rvpublishingllc.com
Stolen http://Stolen.yolasite.com
Orders (other than from bookstores, online suppliers) http://4rvpublishingcatalog.yolasite.com

Thank you, Vivian, for joining us in the garden today. I hope you come back to visit often.

Happy Fourth of July!

2011-07-04T01:00:00.014-06:00

Good Morning! And happy birthday to the US of A! I hope all of you have a wonderful day, whether you live in the states or not. In honor of the holiday I am going to give away a signed copy of Romance and Misconceptions.

All you need to do is, leave a comment about your holiday plans, or whatever you're doing today. What you are grateful for. Whether you live in the US or not, comment for a chance to win.

We are celebrating our day in our small (which is growing every minute) town Magna, Utah. We begin the day in the park at the Lion's Club breakfast. Then we gather our chairs and find a spot for the parade. After the guys are golfing and in the evening BBQ at Papa and Nana's house. (That's me and my hubby) I love this holiday. I grew up in a small town and this brings back so many fun memories. Be safe on your travels or activities. And thanks to all the service men and women!

Don't forget to comment!

Jennifer DiCamillo is in the Garden

2011-06-29T01:00:00.098-06:00

Good morning everyone. It's a nice day in the garden. I hope none of you have allergies because the flowers are in bloom. I want to welcome, Jennifer, it also looks like she has brought some friends. Everyone please help yourselves to some refreshments and then we'll begin.

Jennifer: Hi, Mary. It’s so nice of you to invite me to your blog. I brought along two friends of mine. I hope you don’t mind.

Mary: Of course not, everyone’s welcome here. Wait. I recognize these detectives. Folks, we are lucky to have Detectives Beth Thompson and Mike Barber from that serial killer case chronicled in Jennifer DiCamillo’s book FOUR DEAD.

Mike: My pleasure. (Mike reaches around Beth to shake Mary’s hand.)

Jennifer: If they hadn’t been after a serial killer, I could’ve named my book after The Dating Game, you know that game show of the 70’s?

Mike: But we were after a serial killer.

Beth: And we caught him, too!

Mike: I had to, for my own sanity.

Mary: That’s right, he was after reheads, wasn’t he? Like Beth?

Beth: Yes, women who fit my profile. I have to tell you, it was eerie looking at our S.K. board—all those pictures of his victims. (She shudders.)

Jennifer: I’d rather talk about The Dating Game. Beth made Mike crazier than the serial killer did. Didn’t you, Beth?

Beth: Oh, I hope so! He plays his emotions close to his chest, so close you’d think love was a poker game.

Mike: Ok, I’ll admit it—it was all I could stand, watching her go out with my brothers that last week of the case.

Mary: Isn’t that a time when you’d normally work round the clock? Feeling the heat, so to speak?

Beth: Yes. But I thought I was a target. I didn’t want to die before I found true love. So, you could say the timeline the serial killer set had me on edge in more ways than one.

Mary: So, what’s this about dating his brothers? The two of you are engaged, aren’t you?

Beth: Yes! (She holds out her ring finger which sports a single carat of SI diamond in princess cut.) We are now. But back then, well, I had to meet them when I saw their pictures.

Jennifer: All very handsome men.

Beth: Very different though.

Mike: I’d rather talk about the serial killer.

Beth: You’ll have to excuse Mike, he has some jealousy issues.

Mike: Only because they, uh, you taunted me during that last hellish week… All I wanted to do was keep her safe.

Beth: I just wanted to find love. The fairytale, Happy Ever After, all the things a girl dreams of.

Mike: (Through gritted teeth) We were chasing a serial killer!

Mary: Pretty grueling case?

Beth: Frustrating. We had very few leads.

Mike: Four bodies found in back alley dumpsters over the course of four months.

Jennifer: It was in all the papers.

Beth: We had a map with four pin points.

Mike: We did the routine background checks.

Mary: Anything connect?

Beth: That was another thing, the only thing the victims had in common was hair color.

Jennifer: There were more clues. I should know, I wrote the book. I don’t think we should talk about the case any more. It hasn’t gone to trial yet.

Mary: So, are you saying this killer may go free?

Jennifer: If he does, I’d write a sequel to Four Dead. I’m talking to my publisher, Mojocastle, right now, about the possibilities.

Mary:: I thought most of their titles were overly graphic.

Jennifer: Not bloody, but yes.

Mary: But you let them publish your masterpiece anyway?

Jennifer: (Laughing) Masterpiece? There is a little sex in it.

Beth: Well, the book is good. She pegged Mike perfectly.

Mike: And Beth gave her all the particulars about what distractions we had to deal with on the case.

Beth: You know a good book is all in the details, Mike, just like any sensational case…any case for that matter.

Mary: What will you do now that you’re retired, Beth?

Beth: Well, I hope he’ll follow through on his promise of marriage.

Mike: I’m a man of my word.

Beth: His father wants a grandchild to pass on the family name.

Mike: (groans) It’ll just be another one of his pawns.

Beth: (aghast) Mike! How can you say that? On the internet where things never disappear?

Mike: He’ll use it to his advantage or won’t be satisfied with just one.

Beth: The man has nothing sons. Ever think he’d just be happy with one little girl grandbaby?

Mike: (groans again)

Jennifer: On that note, I think we should go. Mary, thanks again for having us. Come over to my blog http://www.jenndicamillo.wordpress.com sometime soon.

Thank you Jennifer, Mike and Beth for visiting my garden, I hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as we did.

Welcome Clare O'Donohue

2011-06-24T01:00:00.014-06:00

I'm very excited to have as a guest blogger, Clare O'Donohue! Everyone pour yourself some wine and find some shade. Without further ado, here's Clare:

Recently, I was trying to explain to someone that I wrote my latest novel, Missing Persons, in ten weeks. It is, by far, the fastest I have ever written a book, and considering it’s also my longest novel, at just over 85,000 words, it’s a pretty mean feat. The best explanation I could come up with for how it happened so fast is that I vomited this novel. Nice image, huh.

But that’s, more or less, what it felt like. This book, its characters, its story… all came to me fully formed. I often woke up in the middle of the night with a scene so clear in my head that it was easier to turn on my computer and write the pages then try to go back to sleep. I wrote for ten or twelve hours on some days, spending more time with fictional people than with real ones. But I had no choice. My main character, Kate Conway, would just not go away until I told her story. Who knew imaginary people could be so insistent?
Part of the speed was certainly because I’d been kicking around two ideas for a while. One was about a TV producer of a true crime show. My day job is as a TV producer and I know from personal experience that you meet a lot of nutty people in that job, so it seemed ripe for a mystery series. I had this idea for a missing nursing student, a seemingly perfect young woman who might have had a lot of secrets. Exploiting those secrets would make for great TV but would hurt the family, and Kate would be stuck between her instincts as a producer, and her humanity.

The other idea was about a woman in the middle of a divorce when her about-to-be-ex-husband dies. This, thankfully, is not based on any real life experience, but on an observation I made one day. When a marriage, or any relationship, ends, there is a tendency to focus only on the bad about a person. But when someone dies, there is a tendency to focus only on the good. It seemed a great place to start a character, someone in the middle of hating her husband, when his death shifts the narrative and forces her to confront her own mixed feelings about her marriage.

When I put these two ideas together, I realized I had something. As a TV producer your job is often about manipulating emotion, but it’s hard to do when your own life is an emotional roller coaster. Kate is sarcastic and often dislikes being too involved with people, so to pump up the emotion even more, I added her opposite. A kind, friendly woman named Vera, who happens to be Kate’s late husband’s mistress.
With all that going on, I knew immediately where it was going. I knew how the television show would work out, I knew what had happened to the missing woman, and I knew exactly what that final moment in the book would be. It was as if I knew Kate and Vera, and all the others in the book. At that point is was about getting the scenes written as fast I could type, so Kate would let me get some sleep. With that kind of pressure, and a growing exhaustion, it’s almost surprising it took so long to write.

Missing Person's blurb:

The debut of an exciting new mystery series featuring a sarcastic television producer turned amateur sleuth.

The cause of death is "undetermined," but the cops peg Chicago television producer Kate Conway as the main suspect when her soon-to-be ex-husband, Frank, is found dead. To make matters worse-and weirder- Frank's new girlfriend suddenly wants to be friends.

Happy for the distraction, Kate throws herself into a new work assignment for the television program Missing Persons: the story of Theresa Moretti, a seemingly angelic young woman who disappeared a year earlier. All Kate wants is a cliché story and twenty-two minutes of footage, but when the two cases appear to overlap, Kate needs to work fast before another body turns up-her own.

Reviewed by Christine:

Rating: 5

I really enjoyed the sit on the edge of your seat style about this book. It is as if you are reading two mysteries in one! In the beginning of the book it is as if Kate Conway is a cold hearted TV producer. Keep reading and you will never guess how this turns out until the very end. This is defiantly a book that I could not put down. I would recommend this book to anyone who would listen.

Regan is in the garden

2011-06-22T01:00:00.002-06:00

Welcome my good friend Regan. It’s finally spring or maybe summer in the garden, so the flowers are in bloom. I hope no one has allergies, back in the day it was hay fever. Have some wine or a beverage of your choice, I believe there are some mint mojito’s. Anyway help yourself to drink and appetizers and settled in for a great interview.

Mary: I would love to hear all about ‘Regan’ that is not the writer. Where did you grow up, and what shaped your life?

Regan: I grew up in a small town on Long Island. My grandmother, Nana, was probably the best part of my life growing up. She had make sense values that are still applicable today.

Mary: Tell us about living in/or by one of my favorite valley’s, Napa. I’m so jealous. LOL. *Regan if you do not want to answer this because you don’t want people to know you live in or around Napa just delete.

Regan: I live about a half hour away from the Napa Valley but in terms of place, it’s like entering a whole other world. One of my favorite places there is the Castello Di Ameroso. It’s a replica, down to the exact stones in the courtyard, of a 15th century Moorish castle. No matter what time of year there is always something going on and, of course, wine tastings for the best in the world.

Mary: Oh, I'm glad to hear that, we are going to visit Castello Di Ameroso when we visit my sister in law this fall. Now tell us about Regan the writer. Also, what books influenced you growing up.

Regan: Anything and everything by Alexandre Dumas and Charles Dickens. My favorite days were the ones where I could sit alone in my room reading for hours on end. It’s still one of my favorite things to do.

Mary: Do you have a some you admire? Someone who you reflect on when you’re ready to throw in the towel and give up writing?

Regan: No, not really. I mostly write because, well first I can’t not write and second, it’s my way of traveling to any time and place that interests me. Through research and my own imagination I get to be where ever my characters take me

Everyone take a moment to stretch and refill your glasses and plates.

Mary: Regan, what books do you have out? And where can we find you, such as a web site, etc.

Regan: My 18th is due out this summer. Sometimes I find it hard to believe I’ve written, and had published, that many. Then I chat with friends of mine like Sherry Derr-Wille who just released, I think, her 100th or close to it. My website is www.ReganTaylor.com and my blog is http://regantaylorsworld.blogspot.com.

I’m published with Awe-struck (www.awestruck.net), eXtasy (www.extasybooks.com), The Dark Castle Lords (http://www.thedarkcastlelords.com) and Siren-bookstrand (www.siren-bookstrand.com)

Mary: What is the one thing you wished someone had told you before you embarked on this crazy writing journey?

Regan: You know, I’ve been pretty lucky. All along the way I’ve had great advice from people who have been in the business a long time. So many of them are incredibly generous with their time and advice.

Mary: Now for the fun stuff. When you’re not working or writing, what do you do to relax?

Regan: Relax? Himmmm. Okay, I work a 40 hour a week day job with an hour commute each way every day. I do read 3-4 books a week during that commute. Until about a year ago I had a kitty named Molly who had kidney disease the last 5 years of her life—she lived to her 22nd birthday which is quite a feat for a kitty, especially one with the kind of health issue she had. Her medial regime which included fluid therapy twice a day took time each day plus her brother, Mel, needed attention as well. Whatever I did for Molly (and at one time my kitty Ginny) Mel had to have too. Molly had a sub-q fluid set up; Mel had a bag – empty but it had a line and I’d have to hold it near his neck so he “got” fluids too. Molly needed several medications and Mel also had a bottle of “meds” – it was a vial of water with a syringe just like Molly’s and he also got “meds”. And when it was all done, he’d look at me and wait for me to tell him he was a good boy – just like I told Molly she was a good girl.

With their care on my plate and my work schedule, free time just didn’t happen. My escape though, my whole life, has been reading, pretty much anything and everything. You know the phrase “so many books, not enough time”? That would be me.

Mary: What type of food do you like? Do you have a favorite restaurant in your area you’d recommend?

Regan: Pretty much anything except scallops and sea cucumber. My absolute favorite are chocolate covered cherries. My favorite restaurant is the Red Lobster cause I do love lobster. Although, we have a restaurant in my town called Stars that has a variety of dishes that are fabulous. We go there at least once a week and always have our favorite waitress, Nicky, to chat with.

Mary: As you know I love to post recipes at the garden, do you have any to share?

Regan: You mean like cooking? Um, well, I boil a decent egg, but that’s about it for me. If it doesn’t go in the microwave, it doesn’t happen. That said, I have a solid appreciation for anyone who does cook!

Thank you, Regan, for entertaining us in the garden today. Please come back and visit.

Concert Ho Series in the garden continues

2011-06-20T15:19:00.000-06:00

Sorry I've been a bit MIA this last week, however, I've still had this stupid head cold. It's all I can do to get through the day job. I missed Big Head Todd and the Monsters, and concert ho that I am, you know I had to be almost dead sick to miss that. Ron said that it was awesome. In fact, the opening group was so good that he though the Big Head Todd would be a let down. He was pleasantly surprised.

My last Friday evening though, even though I'm not 100%, I was not about to miss another concert. I am so glad I made it. We saw Buddy Guy, and opening for him was Mavis Staples. I couldn't believe how good they were. I'm not sure how old Mavis is, but Buddy is 74. I'm a lot younger and wished I had his moves. Good grief the man can play the guitar. I came home and bought one of his albums on iTunes.

And as always the Venue, Red Butte Gardens was awesome and relaxing. I had taken some video's with my phone, but for some reason I can't get them to play. So here are some links and pictures.

Mavis Staples - I'll take you there (Though the one I did at the concert was much more fun, dang phone)

Buddy Guy - Sweet Home Chicago (This was in 2006 so he was a bit younger)

On a whole I give this concert 5 1/2

Wine and Murder

2011-06-14T13:53:00.000-06:00

Last week I had an interview with some wonderful people from the Kiler Grover Winery where I had my wine tasting and book signing on June 10th. And since then I've pretty much been MIA. That's because even though I had the best time at the signing, I was also coming down with something and the cool air in the wine making room hammered the nail in my sinus cold. I've been sick and miserable since. Next time? I'm wearing a dress jacket.

Enough complaining about my cold. For those who could not make the signing, here is a recap. We had a tasting, the winery had 4 wines to taste--all were awesome:
2008 Trebbiano - http://www.kgwwine.com/Product.aspx?prdid=23
2009 Interpretation - http://www.kgwwine.com/Product.aspx?prdid=27
2005 Zinergy - http://www.kgwwine.com/Product.aspx?prdid=4
2007 Zinergy - http://www.kgwwine.com/Product.aspx?prdid=20

Then next to the tasting we had my daughter-in-law and her mom, LeeAnn, designs in glassware.

And of course I was the last in the chain of tables.

No wait the last table held two give-aways and the food. Probably the most popular.

I feel that the even was a total success, we all had fun and I believe sold some of our wares.

Thank you to everyone who dropped by. I hope to do it again soon!

Cajun Black Beans and Rice

2011-06-10T01:00:00.014-06:00

Once again I've found a use of the Cajun spices I mixed up. Ron (my husband) says this recipe has a bit of Mexican thrown in because I use Jalapeños. Those are optional, especially if you do not want a kick.

Cajun Black Beans & Rice 6 - 1 cup servings
15 oz. Black Beans, drained
4 cups cooked white rice
1/2 jalapeño chopped - Optional (Seeds will make it hotter also)
1/4 cup onion chopped
1/4 cup red bell pepper
1/4 cup green bell pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp Cajun Spice

Add beans and chopped veggies to a pan and warm while cooking rice. When rice has started to soften add to beans and mix thoroughly as you add the spices. Cook until rice is tender.
214 Calories per 1 cup serving. 0 Trans fat, 0 saturated fat, 0 Cholesterol, 573 mg Sodium, 45 g Carbohydrates, 5 g Dietary Fiber, 2 g sugars and 8g Protein. Vitamin A 5%, Vitamin C 25%, Calcium 4% and Iron 14%

Serve with Louisiana Hot Links (170 Calorie per link) Salad and a crisp white wine. If you go with the spicy jalapeño Riesling is the best.

Marilyn Meredith, is in the garden today

2011-06-09T01:00:00.006-06:00

Good morning everyone, today we have Marilyn Meredith. AKA F.M. Meredith, I just love saying AKA, don’t you? It’s finally spring, almost summer here in the garden. Pull up a chair or make yourself comfortable on the grass. Help yourself to some refreshments if you’re hungry. Before we start, here is a bit of background on our guest.

F.M. Meredith, also known as Marilyn Meredith, is the author of nearly thirty published novels. Her latest in the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series, from Oak Tree Press, is Angel Lost. Marilyn is a member of EPIC, Four chapters of Sisters in Crime, including the Internet chapter , Mystery Writers of America, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America.

Visit her at http://fictionforyou.com and

her blog at http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com

Mary: Rocky Bluff sounds like a great series. If you don’t mind I’m going to call you F.M. mostly so Mary and Marilyn doesn’t get confusing. Now for our guest, but for me. I’m sure I’d mess up and put the same name for answer and question. Anyway, if everyone is settled in with their refreshments, let begin. I have your blurb on Angel Lost.

As plans for her perfect wedding fill her mind, Officer Stacey Wilbur is sent out to trap a flasher, the new hire realizes Rocky Bluff P.D. is not the answer to his problems, Abel Navarro’s can’t concentrate on the job because of worry about his mother, Officer Gordon Butler has his usual upsets, the sudden appearance of an angel in the window of a furniture store captures everyone’s imagination and causes problems for RBPD, and then the worst possible happens—will Stacey and Doug’s wedding take place?

And here’s one from a fellow author that I love:

"A pervert threatens women joggers on the beach, a robber threatens wealthy homes on the bluff, and an angel watches over the townspeople from a downtown window. F. M. Merediths' latest Rocky Bluff P. D. novel is a gentle human drama about loneliness and change, through which the reader is pulled, page after page, by an assortment of compelling criminal curiosities."

C. N. Nevets is an author of psychological suspense.

Mary: Wow, this sounds great! F.M. can you tell us where to buy, and find more information about this book?

F.M.: Angel Lost is available from Amazon.com and for an autographed copy, you can order from my website http://fictionforyou.com and you can read the first chapters of most of my books there as well.

Mary: You have some great reviews on this, can you steer our guest to where they can read them? Also, how do you find review sites for your books?

F.M.: Most of my reviews are on the Amazon.com website under the book. I’ve collected review sites over the years and you can always do a Google search for mystery reviewers. If you belong to DorothyL you can offer a book for someone to review and do a drawing. Good reviews on DorothyL are really helpful.

Mary: I’ve been scavenging your web site, it’s a great site by the way, anyway do you do your own trailers? If so how do you compose them, organize, etc. If now how do you find people to do them for you?

F.M.: I love my trailers, but I can’t take credit for any of them. The latest were done by Cheryl Malandrinos who did it for me as part of a paid blog tour. There are lots of folks out there who do them though, and one way to find them, of course, is to look at the credits at the end of a trailer, another of course, is to go to Google. There is a great deal of difference in how much people charge, so take that into consideration too.

Mary: Is everyone comfortable? There’s more wine and appetizers, if you’d care for some. So, F.M. can you tell us what was the first book you read over and over until the pages were dog eared? And how old were you at the time?

F.M.: The only book I remember reading over and over was Gone with the Wind. I read it when I was a pre-teen and as a teen and again as an adult. My mom and I went to see the movie five times.

Mary: Good grief, do you know how many pages that book has? I know it's on my night stand. Who inspired you growing up? Was it that person who inspired you to dream of being an author?

F.M.: My dad thought I could do anything and bragged to everyone how good I was at everything from writing stories to swimming. When I was an adult with kids he told my teenaged nephew that I could beat him swimming. The kid had his own pool to swim in and I only had the ocean. I wasn’t too happy with my dad, but we raced across the pool and I won by sheer determination. I don’t think I took one breath. Because of my dad, when I decided to become and author I just kept on writing, submitting, rewriting, submitting, until I finally found a publisher—sheer determination kept me going.

Mary: Is there anything you’d like to add? Anything you’d like to tell young authors?

F.M: Read the kind of books you want to write. Learn as much about writing as you can through books, going to writers’ conferences, and finding a critique group to join. Learn to really edit your work. When you’re ready to send out queries and manuscripts follow the agents’ and publishing houses’ guidelines exactly. Each one wants submissions in different ways. And never ever give up.

Thank you, Marilyn, for joining us in the garden today. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed having you.