Writer Wednesday – C. A. Newsome

Let’s welcome author C. A. Newsome to Writer Wednesday on the blog!! I haven’t had a chance to read any of Carol Anne’s books yet, but her mystery series is getting a lot of buzz!! It averages 4 stars out of 197 reviews on Amazon – NICE!!

Made by C. A. Newsome

I began researching brain foods after a head injury in 2001. Food has an enormous impact on your ability to concentrate, as well as your levels of energy, your mood and your health. After years of experimentation, I’ve settled on the following recipe as the best way for me to start my day. This recipe makes about one quart. You can serve it up as breakfast for two, or do what I do and have half for breakfast and half for lunch.

My main character shares many of my food quirks. Her boyfriend, Peter, prefers Pop Tarts. He refers to the following recipe as Lia’s Pond Scum Smoothie. – C.A.

Lia’s Pond Scum Smoothie
Put 1 cup of blueberries (fresh or frozen) in your blender
Add enough chopped kale to fill the rest of the blender without packing (I use pre-washed, chopped kale. Baby kale has a lovely texture and milder taste, but it’s expensive and doesn’t last as long in the fridge).
Add 12 ounces water or almond milk
Blend.
Add 1 banana and 1 avocado
Blend until smooth, adding additional water or almond milk until you reach your desired consistency.
Option: Add a Tablespoon of green powder.
Option #2: 1-3 Tablespoons ground chia seed for extra fullness, protein and Omega 3s

Green powders are a great way to supplement. Chlorella and spirulina are excellent brain foods. I make my own green powder, combining 4 ounces each cracked cell chlorella and spirulina with 2 ounces each of wheatgrass powder and barley grass powders. I put these in a glass quart jar, then close the lid and gently roll the jar around until they combine. – C.A.

I’ve been doing a green smoothie every morning in 2014 so far – yes, an actual New Year’s resolution – so I’m totally looking forward to trying Carol Anne’s recipe. Also, her main character, Lia, has “food quirks”? I think MANY of my characters could relate – LOL.

————————

A Shot in the Bark

Synopsis: Would you recognize a serial killer if you met one? Talked to one every day? Artist Lia Anderson doesn’t, and neither does anyone else who frequents the Mount Airy Dog Park.

When Lia’s boyfriend, Luthor, dies violently, Detective Peter Dourson is assigned to the case. Peter penetrates the close-knit group of dog lovers with the help of Viola, the dead man’s dog. The more he learns, the more he is convinced that someone is not who they seem. As the investigation uncovers Luthor’s secrets, Lia struggles to make sense of her feelings about Luthor and her growing attraction to Peter. Meanwhile, a killer hides in plain sight and anyone can become a target.

AMAZON – iBOOKS – BARNES & NOBLE

∞

C. A. (Carol Ann) Newsome writes the Lia Anderson Dog Park Mysteries, a series of fun, romantic suspense/mystery novels which are inspired by and centered around her mornings at the Mount Airy Dog Park with her trio of rescues (rowdy hooligans).

A life-long lover of fiction, Carol turned to books and audiobooks during her decade-long recovery from a head injury that occurred when she and her bike were struck by a car. Years of immersing herself in popular fiction lead to imagining the book she wanted to read, and wondering if she could actually write it.

She is also an artist with an M.F.A. from the University of Cincinnati. You’ll see portraits of some of her favorite four-footed friends on the covers of her books. She enjoys creating community-based public artworks. As an artist, she is best known for her New Leaf Global Good-Will Guerrilla Art Project.

Her other interests include astrology, raw food and all forms of psychic phenomena. She likes to sing to her dogs. The dogs are the only ones who like to listen.

Catch up with Carol Ann online at her website. Pssst, she’s been known to do LOTS of giveaways!!

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!!

————————

Awakened (Living Ink)

$0.99 on Amazon through Valentine’s Day!!

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.

AMAZON –BARNES & NOBLE

∞

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

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.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-x-5-x-3-inch loaf pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Using a wooden spoon, stir the beer into the dry ingredients until just mixed.
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.
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.

————————

Ella

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.

AMAZON – SMASHWORDS

∞

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

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!

∞∞∞

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!

AMAZON – SMASHWORDS

∞∞∞

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.

WEBSITE – TWITTER – FACEBOOK

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

250g 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!)

————————

*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 website, Facebook, and Tumblr.

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

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.

————————

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.”

The 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 PAPERBACK – NOOK

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

Writer Wednesday – Michael Meyer

An introduction: I was very fortunate to have been invited into an amazing online writer’s group in the summer of 2013. At current count there are 81 members in this group, and they range from newbies to well-established hybrid and traditionally published authors. They write in every genre and form imaginable. The Kiss Anthology, in which I have a short story, The Graveyard Kiss, will also feature 30 writers from this group. The anthology is due out at the end of the month and will be available for free. Yes, the groups’ bestselling authors are contributing right along with all of us lesser knowns. And that says A LOT about the great group dynamic.

I thought you might like to meet some of these fantastic people and check out their writing. I haven’t found the time to read all of these writers, but I’m hoping you will find a few that sound interesting to you.

Plus!! Each writer is also contributing a favourite recipe. Yes, I made them ‘tithe’ to the blog. Why not??!!

So, without further ado, here is my first Writer Wednesday!

Made by Michael Meyer

Spicy Cajun Seafood Stew

1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces smoked andouille sausage, diced (1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 bell peppers, red and/or green, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
One 8-ounce bottle clam juice
One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 pound firm white fish, such as halibut, grouper or black sea bass, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp (21 to 25 shrimp)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Kosher salt
Cooked white rice, for serving

1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Cook the sausage until browned, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the sausage and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted and the meat is well coated, about 2 minutes. Add the Cajun seasoning, garlic, peppers and onions and continue to cook until the vegetables are softened, 5 minutes. Add the clam juice, tomatoes and 4 cups water, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, and increase the heat to bring to a simmer.

2. Lower the heat slightly and simmer until the stew is thickened and the flavors are melded, about 30 minutes. Gently stir in the fish and shrimp. Cook, making sure the stew is not bubbling vigorously, stirring once or twice, until the shrimp and fish have just turned opaque, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley. Season with salt and serve over rice.

————————

OMG! This looks SO good!! I wonder if it would work without the sausage?

This was the meal that Mike and Kitty ate on their first date. Want to know more? I’m guessing you have to read The Three Kitties That Saved My Life.

AN UPLIFTING TRUE STORY OF LOVE – from love and loss to love renewed – a feel-good read

Losing loved ones is an awful fact of life; losing one’s loving spouse, one’s day-to-day partner through life, especially in the prime of life, is one of the most unbearable tolls that we humans are forced to endure. This is the true story of my journey from grieving widower, not caring if I lived or died, to the once-again happily married man I am today, a man who both loves and cherishes life. My three kitties have given me a new zest for living.

Equally inspiring and entertaining, my story begins with loss and tears, but it ends with lots of love and laughter. I think that you will find yourself moved by my journey.

BUY NOW ON AMAZON

Michael Meyers Author Photo — Author Michael Meyer

Michael Meyer is a retired English professor. He literally taught at universities throughout the world: Thailand, Saudi Arabia, the Virgin Islands, and he spent the last 25 years of his 40-year career at a California community college. He lives in Southern California wine country with his wife, Kitty, and their two adorable rescue cats.

Amazon Author Page — Facebook — Goodreads