Writer Wednesday – Shirley Bourget

Let’s welcome author Shirley Bourget to Writer Wednesday on the blog!! I haven’t had a chance to read any of Shirley’s books yet, but I LOVE – and have loved every time I’ve seen it – the book cover (below) for her novel, Awakened (Living Ink)! This regular Writer Wednesday spot is working against my productivity – too many books I want to read!!

Made by Shirley Bourget

There’s no memory altering magic in these mushrooms like the ones in Living Ink, but there is a magic ingredient that makes them delicious and oh so velvety smooth – Avocado!  – Shirley

Magic Mushroom Truffle Cups

Magic Mushrooms

1 medium ripe avocado (soft to the touch)
1 cup high quality cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark 100% Cacaco)
3 cups 10X confectioners’ sugar (have extra on hand) (aka icing sugar – Meg)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 tsp. shortening for each batch of mushroom top coating
14 oz. vanilla (white) candy melts (or one 11 oz. bag white chocolate chips)
1 large chocolate bar for holding mushrooms in candy cups
shredded coconut (for grass)
decorator sugar sprinkles
decorator candies for “eggs” (I used Stix but jelly beans work well too)
red, yellow, and green food coloring

Step 1. Melt butter in microwave or pan, being careful not to burn.

Step 2. Peel and pit the avocado. Place the avocado, melted butter and vanilla in a blender and mix until smooth – you don’t want any lumps. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

Step 3. Add the cocoa to the mixture and stir well. Add confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time, making sure there are no lumps. (Mixture will resemble soft dough. If it is too sticky to handle, add more sugar ¼ cup at a time until dough reaches the right consistency and is pliable.) Refrigerate for 15-30 minutes or until firm enough to shape.

Step 4. While mixture is firming, sprinkle some shredded coconut into a plastic baggie. Add 6-8 drops of green food coloring and squeeze bag to mix. Set aside. This will be your “grass” for the cups.

Step 5. Roll chilled dough in the palm of your hand to form a small ball. Pinch one side of the ball and pull out a stem shape. Place stem side up in an ice cube tray or candy cup and freeze for 10-15 minutes.

Step 6. Decorate truffles by melting ½ cup white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl (about 30 seconds). Remove truffles from freezer and dip stem sides into melted chocolate. Return to tray/cup, and return to freezer for a few minutes to harden. (Melt additional chocolate coating as needed.) Once stems are coated, melt 1 cup chips, and 1 tsp. shortening. Mix in a few drops of red and yellow food coloring for mushroom tops. Dip tops to coat and immediately sprinkle with decorator sugar (sugar won’t stick once coating starts to dry.) Set truffles aside.

Step 7. Melt the candy bar and spread a thin layer into the bottom of a candy cup. Push truffles into mixture and sprinkle with coconut “grass”. Add egg candies and enjoy your magic mushrooms!

Um, okay I know I said that Lee’s beer bread recipe sounded a little dangerous to me last week, but I may have to repeat myself, because I’m not entirely convinced by Shirley’s “no memory altering magic” statement above with these ones. I think Shirley might be priming us to read her book – LOL!!

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Awakened (Living Ink)

$0.99 on Amazon through Valentine’s Day!!

Awakened book cover

Synopsis: A tattoo is for life. But what if its ink marks you for death? Tattoo artist Ivy Gillis does killer tattoos-literally. They’re coming to life and to Ivy’s defense. Just as she’s beginning to understand the link with her artwork and her magical past, she finds herself falling in love with two different men. But as passion fuels magic she cannot control, things become deadly.

Shirley Bourget - author photo“I’ve always wondered about other people’s lives. Where they live? What they do? If they’re as nutty as I am? Growing up in a large family and being poor gave me a wild imagination. I had to make up stories about other people just to stay sane! I often got into trouble for “staring”, but that didn’t stop me. I used those stories to keep myself and my siblings entertained. They often eased some of the harder times and gave us the life we wished we had. When I learned to read, I knew that I wanted to be a writer someday – to become a life giver. Even at a young age I knew that words were powerful things, and could inspire and give hope where there was none, or take away the hard parts of living- even for a short time. I think I was destined to become a writer.”

After devoting the early years of her career to teaching in various settings, Shirley’s mission is to encourage a lifelong love of learning and reading. She writes Epic Paranormal Fantasy & Romance. Visit her website for samples of Shirley’s work or to see a list of her books.

Catch up with Shirley online at her website

Fiction Friday #5 – new releases and great deals

Note: Every Friday I’m going to (attempt to) list any great looking books or deals I’ve come across earlier in the week. Often, I won’t have read these books myself yet – seeing as I’m supposed to be writing one (!!) – but these are deals or books I thought looked good enough to share. All links – for ease of linking – are to Amazon.com but most, if not all, of these books are available on all platforms including paperback. Hint, if you are in Canada or the UK (etc) and want to buy just change the .com in your browser to .ca (etc).

First up, Author Traci Tyne Hilton with her 20,000 word romance novella, Hearts to God, which is FREE until Feb 9, 2014.

Keeping with the romance theme, Suzie O’Connell has NEW RELEASE this week with her contemporary romance, Wild Angel (of the Northstar Angels Series). $4.99

Lily, a short story by Robert Thomas, described as “artistry with words” by one reviewer is $0.99 this week.

And last, but very much not least, author Trish Marie Dawson has a NEW RELEASE! It’s a sci-fi romance, The Drylands: a Hutch and A’ris novel for $4.95. And yes, I have already downloaded the sample chapters. It is RIGHT up my alley!! Now, I just need a moment to read!

Writer Wednesday – L.S Burton

Let’s welcome author L.S. Burton to Writer Wednesday on the blog!! I haven’t had a chance to read any of Lee’s books yet, but the book cover (below) alone for his novella, Ella, looks compelling and heart wrenching!

Made by L.S. Burton

For my Made By Meghan recipe, I bring you Beer Bread — buttery, delicious, utterly versatile, and, best of all, absolutely simple to make.

I’m not much of a cook or a baker, but I’m a world class eater, and this is my go-to for potlucks, book clubs, and just generally being a hungry writer, wracking my brains and perpetually shoveling my driveway.

Credit where credit is due. Though I first learned of this recipe from a friend, I’ve since backtracked it to Rebecca Crump’s blog.

This same friend, whenever my beer bread got kudos from people at events, would invariably hover around where it was being discussed, chewing on her lip, until the pressure grew too great and she had to remind everyone that it was originally her creation, which I had since borrowed. And just recently my lovely foodie girlfriend, feeling under the weather, asked if I could make her a loaf for a potluck of her own. I was happy to dash off a couple loaves for her, which were then well received. – Lee

Beer Bread
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 bottle (12 ounces) beer
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted (Note: Feel free to reduce to 1/4 cup.)
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-x-5-x-3-inch loaf pan.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
  3. Using a wooden spoon, stir the beer into the dry ingredients until just mixed.
  4. Pour half the melted butter into the loaf pan. Then spoon the batter into the pan, and pour the rest of the butter on top of the batter. Slide a baking sheet onto a lower rack to catch any butter that might overflow from the loaf pan.
  5. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until golden brown. Serve immediately.

The recipe being versatile, I substitute regular butter for the unsalted the recipe calls for, and then omit the tablespoon of salt. I’ve also learned that, while it almost seems counterintuitive, ordinary beers make for better results than craft beers; and while whole wheat flour is usually more valued as a dietary choice, regular flour seems to produce more flavorful results.

I’ve added cranberries, partridge berries, and cinnamon to good effect. Goes wonderfully with wine, tea, and a variety of cheeses. But be careful, it’s a heartbreaker. There’s never any left to take home after a party, so it’s best to make two.

I hope you enjoy.

Lee

Um, this recipe sounds a little dangerous to me! As in, why make two when you can make three and eat one all to yourself before anyone gets home and even realizes you’ve baked … ahem, but maybe that’s just me.

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Ella

Ella bookcover by L.S. Burton

Synopsis: A biography of an imaginary friend. Isabella adores her little girl, Ella. She loves to let Ella cut her hair, loves Ella’s delight at petting the lions in the zoo. She can’t understand why Ella, when she gets older, grows cold towards her. Isabella begins to feel as if she doesn’t matter anymore, that she doesn’t exist. As time passes, Isabella comes to realize that this may, in fact, be very close to the truth.

Author photo L.S. Burton
L.S. Burton lives in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, where he works as an author and freelance editor. Though his stories are diverse, they all revel in the music of words and celebrate imagination. In 2011, Burton was awarded the Percy Janes Award for Best Unpublished First Novel in the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts and Letters Competition for his novel Raw Flesh in the Rising. In 2013, he branched out into science fiction with his first installment of his genre-defying This Land series.
Catch up with Lee online at his website or on Twitter

Fiction Friday #4 – new releases and great deals

Note: Every Friday I’m going to (attempt to) list any great looking books or deals I’ve come across earlier in the week. Often, I won’t have read these books myself yet – seeing as I’m supposed to be writing one (!!) – but these are deals or books I thought looked good enough to share. All links – for ease of linking – are to Amazon.com but most, if not all, of these books are available on all platforms including paperback. Hint, if you are in Canada or the UK (etc) and want to buy just change the .com in your browser to .ca (etc).

The Kiss Anthology in which I have a short story, The Graveyard Kiss, finally went free on Amazon this week – YAY! It can also be found for free on all the other major ebook sites. It contains 31 short stories from 31 different writers, from romance to horror to my own young adult urban fantasy. I’m sure you will find one or two that you love!!

Author Randall Morris’s Minor Demons is also FREE through Sunday. If you do grab this book this weekend, please consider leaving Randy an honest review after you read. Thanks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And last, but hopefully not least, you can still grab Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Bloody Magic for $0.99 from now through sunday!

Writer Wednesday – Corrie Fischer

Let’s welcome new author Corrie Fischer to Writer Wednesday on the blog!! I haven’t had a chance to read Corrie’s book yet, but the early reviews look very enticing!

Made by Corrie Fischer

For chocolate lovers with limited cooking supplies, this is the recipe for you – Corrie

Simple Homemade Fudge

1 stick or 1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar or splenda blend
3 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter
Instructions: With the stove on low heat, slowly melt the butter in a large pot.  Do not allow the butter to boil.  Once the butter is fully melted, remove from heat.  Then, mix in sugar, cocoa, and milk.  Return the pot to medium heat, stirring occasionally.  After approximately five minutes, the mixture should start to boil.  Allow it boil for one minute then remove from heat.  Blend in peanut butter and vanilla and beat for approximately one minute.  Finally, pour the mixture in low level pan and allow it cool.  Within thirty minutes, you will have delicious fudge!

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I’m sorry were you looking for me to comment further? I was in the kitchen making this fudge! Yes, please!

Oh, right! Corrie’s book! I love the cover, BTW.

REM COVER

REM – Shattered Sky Series

Three young women are all confined by the same enchantment. It is an ever powerful, eternal demon that rests within their very hearts and minds. It is fear. The feeling consumes each one of them like a plague, influencing their every decision. When all three women are forced to confront their inner horrors, their paths cross in an unimaginable way that will leave you breathless!
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Author Corrie Fischer
Author Corrie Fischer
Biography: When I was sixteen years old, I started attending college.  At the age of eighteen, I was accepted as a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.  Life circumstances challenged my completion of a degree, but I graduated from Northwest Arkansas Community College in 2013.  I currently reside in my Fayetteville, Arkansas home with my two dogs and a leopard gecko.

Fiction Friday #3 – new releases and great deals

Note: Every Friday I’m going to (attempt to) list any great looking books or deals I’ve come across earlier in the week. Often, I won’t have read these books myself yet – seeing as I’m supposed to be writing one (!!) – but they’re deals or books I thought looked good enough to share. All links – for ease of linking – are to Amazon.com but most, if not all, of these books are available on all platforms including paperback. Hint, if you are in Canada or the UK (etc) and want to buy just change the .com in your browser to .ca (etc).

First up, the contemporary romance, Loving From Afar, from fellow Canadian Mona Ingram is FREE from now to January 26th. This novel averages 4.6 stars over 19 reviews. I think you better snatch it up quickly!

Stephen Arseneault’s alien invasion novel, Sodium Two, is $0.99 today. 4.3 stars out of 23 reviews – nice! And the first book in the series, Harbinger is currently FREE.

Writer Wednesday – Kate Aaron

Let’s welcome bestselling gay romance author Kate Aaron to Writer Wednesday on the blog!! I haven’t had a chance to read any of Kate’s books yet, but if the cover of this one is any way to judge they look chocolate worthy!!

Made by Kate Aaron

My recipe is Grantham Gingerbread. Not something everyone has heard of! This is a traditional English recipe dating back to the 1740s and, unlike other ginger ‘breads’, Grantham gingerbread is a sweet, crunchy biscuit with a hollow, sticky honeycomb centre. Absolutely delicious, they’re usually no sooner out of the oven than they’re eaten in my house. And the best thing is, this isn’t a recipe that calls for dozens of exotic ingredients or hours of prep: usually I’ve got everything already to hand whenever I get the urge to make them, and they’re quick, simple, and wonderfully versatile. – Kate

Grantham Gingerbread

grantham gingerbread250g self-raising flour
115g butter
340g caster sugar
1 egg
As much ground ginger as your tastebuds can tolerate (1.5tsp for the unadventurous).

Instructions: Firstly sift the flour and ginger together and mix well. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar until the butter lightens. Add the egg to the butter and sugar. Add the flour 1/3 at a time — the mixture will get very firm, like a soft dough, so the mixing is better done by hand rather than with an electric whisk. Then simply roll the dough into small balls (be careful not to compress them too much) and bake on a lined tray in a medium-hot oven for 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and hard to the touch. These biscuits will naturally flatten during baking, although it’s your choice what size you make them — they are equally delicious when they’re a handful, or make them very small as an alternative to Amaretti biscuits (just remember to reduce the cooking time accordingly!)

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*Note: for my America readers: you can download a great Units app to your phone (etc) or just type the amounts into Google to help with converting Kate’s recipe.

Something else as English as Grantham gingerbread is Wimbledon, and Ace is my very own homage to the tournament – with a difference, of course. – Kate

ACE book cover

Ace

Tennis has been Brian Scagill’s life since he was six years old, raised to be a champion by an overbearing mother eager for fame and fortune. Now twenty-two, World No.6 and Britain’s No.1, Brian’s at the top of his game–but is that really where he wants to be?

Lexi Horvat wasn’t even expected to qualify for England’s famous Grand Slam tournament. Raised in an American Academy thousands of miles from home, he’s used to looking after himself.The two players might be rivals in their field but off court the attraction they feel for each other is undeniable. Starting a new relationship in the middle of a tournament is a horrible idea, even without those around them trying to keep them apart. As their private, public, and professional lives collide, Brian and Lexi are forced to reconcile who they are with who they were supposed to be.

AMAZON – ALLROMANCE – iBOOKS.
Kate Aaron lives in Cheshire, England with two dogs that won’t behave, a parrot that won’t talk, and a bearded dragon named Elvis. She has the best of friends, the worst of enemies, and a mischievous muse with a passion for storytelling that doesn’t know the difference between fact and fiction.
Catch up with Kate online at her websiteFacebook, and Tumblr.

Fiction Friday – new releases and great deals

Every Friday I’m going to (attempt to) list any great looking books or deals I’ve come across earlier in the week. Often, I won’t have read these books myself yet – seeing as I’m supposed to be writing one (!!) – but they’re deals or books I thought looked good enough to share. All links – for ease of linking – are to Amazon.com but most, if not all, of these books are available on all platforms including paperback. Hint, if you are in Canada or the UK (etc) and want to buy just change the .com in your browser to .ca (etc).

Okay, I was crazy excited that Scott Fitzgerald Gray (aka editor extraordinaire) released a new book this week. I immediately snatched it up, but haven;t found the time to crack it open yet (hopefully this weekend). Sidnye is a young adult speculative fiction and the sequel is due out in a month!! YAY!

 

Also new this week is Kellie’s Diary #4, a horror/zombie graphic novel by Thomas Jenner and Angeline Perkins. Kellie’s Diary #1 is currently available free and has a 4.2 star rating over 127 reviews!!

 

Russell Blake‘s Black will be FREE TODAY ONLY!! Yes, a freebie from the author everyone has been talking about this week, including the Wall Street Journal and The London Times. 4.3 stars over 42 reviews!

 

 

Also new and free from Jan 17th to the 19th is Death, This Way Do Come by Cleve Sylcox. This is brand spanking new, so grabbed it while it’s free! If you like what you read please consider leaving Cleve a review, because honest reviews really do matter!!

 

 

Suzy Stewart Dubot’s  novella Garnets is $0.99 instead of $2.99 on Smashwords (aka any format) when this coupon is used in the next two weeks: RE82X. Young adult fantasy romance regency fiction? Interesting!

Last but not least, Author Elizabeth Jasper’s Meggie Blackthorn – a story about coming of age in Newcastle, England in the 1960s –  is free from January 17th to the 21st. It ranks 4.8 stars over 13 reviews!!

 

 

 

Writer Wednesday – Sharon Delarose

Let’s welcome author and photographer Sharon Delarose to Writer Wednesday on the blog!! I haven’t had a chance to read any of Sharon’s books yet, but they look super cool (in that creepy, hopefully not in my backyard, sort of way – LOL).

Made by Sharon Delarose

If you’re following a low carb diet, traditional pizza becomes taboo with a typical slice of pizza being loaded with carbs. One slice of bread can hold 13-30 grams of carbs. Imagine the carbs in your pizza crust! Another series of high carb items are the tomato sauce products. A half cup of plain tomato sauce has 9 grams of carbs while a half cup of tomato paste holds a whopping 25 grams of carbs. Do you know what type of sauce they are using on your pizza Now imagine a pizza that replaces the high carb crust with a low carb lunch ham and eliminates the tomato sauce altogether. Even better, what if this pizza was loaded with flavor? Welcome to the Low Carb Pizza Casserole.

Low Carb Pizza Casserole

Atkins Pizza Casserole

1 green bell pepper – chopped
1 medium onion – chopped
1 pint (10 oz.) cherry or grape tomatoes – halved
20 oz. sugar free or smoked lunch ham
24 oz. shredded pizza cheese
3.5 oz. (50 pieces) pepperoni
Spanish olives (optional)
Basil
Oregano
Thyme
Italian seasoning
2 bread loaf baking dishes (9x5x3)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using 1/4 of the ham per baking dish, cover the bottom of each baking dish with ham slices. Ideally the ham will come up about an inch around the sides. Now you can begin layering the other ingredients.

Divide the pint of cherry or grape tomatoes between the two baking dishes creating a layer of cherry tomatoes in each dish. This will use up the tomatoes.

Using 1/4 of the onions and peppers per dish, add one layer of onions and one layer of bell peppers. Liberally sprinkle with basil, oregano, thyme and Italian seasoning. This is much of your flavoring so don’t skimp.

Optionally you can add a layer of olives (about 10 uncut olives with or without pimentos) after each spice layer.

Follow up with a thick layer of cheese, using 1/4 of the cheese per baking dish. Top off each dish with 12 pepperonis and cover it up with a layer of ham, using up the rest of the ham slices. The baking dishes will look almost full and the ham should overlap the sides of each dish, folding upwards around the edges.

Divide the rest of the peppers and onions between the two baking dishes, add olives if desired, then sprinkle liberally with the four spices. Top it off with the rest of the cheese and pepperonis.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. The cheese should be tinged golden brown.

After cooking, carefully drain the juices out of each dish. This recipe makes four man-size servings or six smaller servings.

If you need to accommodate both low carb dieters and non-dieters, you can add ingredients to the second baking dish for the non-dieters. Add mushroom slices (15-20 pieces per layer), pineapple (8 small chunks per layer), and pre-cooked breakfast sausage patties (one half sausage patty per layer) on top of each onion/pepper layer.

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Goodness!! I think I’d be worried about the cheese as much as the bread!! But I have a feeling you’d have a line up of meat lovers out the door if you made this one!!

Sharon says, “my husband, Bear, came up with this recipe while on the Atkin’s low carb diet. We were missing out on regular pizza, so he came up with this low carb alternative. It’s absolutely delicious, and even when not on Atkin’s, we eagerly indulge in this Low Carb Pizza Casserole.”

wizard Of Awe book coverThe Wizard of Awe: An Acre of America Backyard Nature Series

You don’t need to travel to the Galapagos Islands, Hawaii, Australia, or the Amazon jungle to witness nature’s magic wand as it dances with creatures that seem to be out of this world, and plants that spawned science fiction movies.

From bright orange tree blobs to blobs that ooze across the ground, witch’s curses, Halloween legends, and insects that give grown men the heebie jeebies, Mother Nature invented the wow factor. Toaster pastry spiders, Chinese dragon caterpillars, mummies hanging from a peach tree, and mushrooms that send dogs rolling in orgasmic ecstasy are just a few of the wonders we’ve discovered in our own back yard.

Explore the creatures living right under your nose through photos and stories, facts and legends. Take a walk on the wild side in your own back yard. Be in the moment and forget the bustle of the busy world. Take a few minutes out of your week to bask in nature’s bounty. Marvel at Mother Nature’s artistry and originality. Be as a child again and you might find that there’s no place like home.

AMAZON KINDLE  – AMAZON PAPERBACKNOOK

Biography: Sharon Delarose is the author and photographer of the three-book An Acre of America Backyard Nature Series, as well as a variety of other books including non-fiction Bad Dog to Best Friend, Alien Nightmares, Ancient Aliens and the Lost Islands, and Yankee Go Home.

SHARON’S BOOKS – SHARON ON FACEBOOK