PETS - LIKE THEM IN YOUR BOOKS OR NOT?

I like books with pets in them. I hate if an author kills off a pet. People are fine, just not a pet. Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum has a pet hamster named Rex. Some characters have fish. Other writers’ characters have cats, or birds, like parrots.

Rita Mae Brown co-authors her books with her cat, Sneaky Pie Brown.

Some writers have horses in their books. In my Hawkins’ Ranch series it takes place on a ranch in Montana and there are several horses. Many of the characters have their own horses. And in HUNTED the first book in the series I have a Merle Australian Sheepdog, named Blue. He also appears in MISSING. In Targeted the heroine finds a scruffy white terrier, named Lucky.

In my other published Holly Devine, Assistant PI series, she has a black Scottie dog or Scottish terrier (also known as an Aberdeen Terrier). I named him Bruce, after Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland.

I usually write a dog into most of my stories. I have two dogs of my own. I’m sure you’ve seen them on my site. They’re Shiba Inu’s, Japanese Hunting dogs, called Yoshi and Sachi. They’re family.

Do you write about pets? Do you have pets in your books? Do you like to read about pets? I’d love to hear about them, or your favorite books with pets in them.

5 Secrets (What No One Knows About My Book)

Our guest author today is Jamie Lee Scott, who is going to share some tidbits about the writing of her book that no one knows--until today.

     Jamie Lee Scott is the USA Today Bestselling author of the Gotcha Detective Agency Mysteries.

     Originally from the Central Coast of California, Jamie was swept off her feet by a dashing Iowa farm boy and moved to the Midwest.

After several years of running a restaurant with her husband, she felt the urge to kill people. Rather than going postal, she decided to start writing fiction.

     Jamie writes mysteries, suspense, romantic suspense, and New Adult fiction. Look for her Cowboy Up series in early 2014.

     Unable to leave the California life behind, Jamie also writes screenplays for movies and TV. Though she has yet to sell to Hollywood, her short script, No One Knows, was sold in 2012, and made the film festival rounds in 2013-14. No One Knows has been nominated for multiple awards, and won its category at the Bare Bones Film Festival.

     She lives on a small farm with her family, 2 dogs, 2 cats and 3 horses.

     When she's not reading or writing, she's riding horses and competing at barrel races.

 

Secrets of (B)AD VICE

 

1. Bad Vice was supposed to be released in February, but lots of hurdles prevented it. In the long run it good that the release didn’t happen, because an eventual complete rewrite made it a better story.

2. This was my first time writing first person from two different points of view.

3. I want to be Charles.

4. The major twist came from a Facebook news feed story from my hometown TV news.

5. I didn’t even know who the killer was when I started writing the story. I thought I knew, but the story took a major u-turn on me.

 

Blurb from (B)AD VICE

 

Bad Vice is the 5th book in the Gotcha Detective Agency Mysteries

(Let Us Prey, Book 1, is currently free on Amazon and Kobo, Google Play and Apple)

Now that Mimi Capurro and Charles Parks are co-owners of Gotcha Detective Agency, and Mimi is single again, all should be going well, especially since they just landed a cushy new contract with the local police department. The prostitution decoy sting operation is in full swing and has the stamp of approval from the chief of police. And everything is going great until one of the decoys disappears from the sting operation. Now the Gotcha detectives must find the woman, and find out who would want her to disappear, possibly for good, before
the police department vice squad realizes she’s gone.

To Buy Let Us Prey, Book 1 go to http://www.amazon.com/Gotcha-Detective-Agency-Mysteries-Series-ebook/dp/B005ALW6GU/ref=tmm_kin_title_0

You can find Jamie at:

Webpage:http://www.jamieleescott.com/
Blog: http://blog.jamieleescott.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJamie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorjamie
 

Thanks for checking out Jamie and her secrets. If you have any comments or questions Jamie will be around to answer them today.
 

And don’t forget to check back next Thursday to find out even more author secrets about their book.

BOOK REVIEW TUESDAY

Book reviews - I don't know how much you use them to choose a book or an author, but the first Tuesday if each month I'm going to review a couple of books. Hopefully you'll enjoy the reviews and you might find a new book to read or a new author to try.
My first book this Tuesday is
The Black Palmetto by Paul Carr

A great suspense with lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing as to motive as the body count rises. This adventure with Sam Mackenzie involves secret organizations, spies and missing money, as well as murder. Sam and Simone are both interesting individuals with unusual background and skills. If you like murder, suspense, and lot of well-written fight scenes this book's for you. I recommend it. It can be find on Amazon and other e-book stores.

 

The next book I reviewed is

Ascending Spiral by Dr. Bob Rich

This is a complex book spanning a period of 12,000years to the present through Pip’s eyes.
Pip travels through time as various souls, first descending downward into violence and cruelty and then climbing back up as he learns how to become a better man, one who can work to save humanity.
He needs to “...learn the lesson of forgiveness; heal hurt, and lead people from despair and helplessness to strength and Love...what it’s like to be without the pain of loving.”
It’s a plea to look at the world as it is and what we’re doing to it and to create a sustainable society.
It’s not your typical read or a specific genre as it touches on history, reincarnation, the paranormal, contemporary, and love.
The story is well written and it will grip you and keep you reading from one century and one chapter to the next. I highly recommend it and particularly liked the message at the end. It can also be found at Amazon and other e-book stores.

Comments?

Have you read a great book? Want to recommend it? Let me know. You can email me at beverley1@shaw.ca.

Back the first Tuesday in May with more reviews.

5 SECRETS (What No One Knows About My Book)

Our guest author today is Victoria Adams, who is going to share some tidbits about the writing of her book that no one knows--until today.

Victoria Adams, (no photo – too shy) author of the Circle Trilogy was born and raised in Ontario, Canada. Victoria lives in the country where she takes long walks on her quiet country road and in the summer tends her flower gardens and vegetable patch and in the winter dreams about them, while they are buried under two feet of snow. Her large farm house now holds only her cat, herself, her husband and a ghost.

5 Things you Don't Know about Dancing in Circles (Book 1 – Circles Trilogy)

- The three cities in the book are all based on real cities. Westland is Ottawa, Ontario, Langston is Toronto, Ontario and Dorchester Lake is Lake Placid, NY.

 

-Robert's nickname is Dragon - because when he's angry it looks like he's about to breathe fire. His gang tagged him with the nickname. I used the nickname in a couple of scenes, but they were cut from the story.

- Julie - if she couldn't dance wanted to be a photo journalist. She has an innate love of art and if she couldn't express that through her dancing, she wanted to capture the beauty of the world through the lens of a camera.

-When I read it, there is a section where I can tell I wrote it after watching Mel Gibson's Hamlet. I can't point out how my voice changes, but when I read that section I flash to the lobby outside the theatre where I sat and waited for my ride and scribbled a scene in my notebook.

- This book was written so long ago, cell phones didn't exist. So I had to rewrite updating and changing scenes to fit the current cell phone obsession. There were scenes where someone couldn't be reached because there was no phone. In today' culture, that's pretty rare. At least once, I cheated and had the person have a dead battery in their cell.

Dancing in Circles (Book 1 – Circles Trilogy) – One born into privilege and a charmed life surrounded by love and family. The other born to a life of violence on the streets as the solemn gang leader of the notorious Shoresmen. A young, idealistic co-ed, Julie, meets a jaded, cold gang member, Robert, and cracks his icy shell, allowing the warmth of her love to awaken his soul.

To Buy Dancing in Circles go to http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009PFNPMG

You can find Victoria on these links:

Blog – Victoria's Pages of Romance – http://victoriaadams.blogspot.com

FaceBook - http://www.facebook.com/victoriaadams.romancewriter

Facebook Author Page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Victoria-Adams/244325918978641

Facebook - Circles Trilogy Page - http://www.facebook.com/CirclesTrilogy?ref=hl

Twitter – http://twitter.com/_VictoriaAdams

Website - http://victoriaadamsromance.wix.com/victoria-adams

Google+ - Victoria Adams

Wattpad - http://www.wattpad.com/user/VictoriaAdams

Plus – Triberr, Amazon Author, LinkedIn, SocialOmph, Goodreads etc

Thanks for checking out Victoria and her secrets. If you have any comments or questions Victoria will be around to answer them today.

And don’t forget to check back next Thursday to find out even more author secrets about their book. 

 

THE LATEST HEALTH FOOD TRENDS AND A RECIPE

It’s 2014, so of course the trendy foods you should be eating have changed. Here are seven of the latest trends. I am not recommending them, just letting you know what they are. And I’ve added a yummy vegan desert recipe at the end.

Okay – kale is out this year. It’s been replaced by cauliflower. It is low in calories and fat, and high in protein and fiber. It’s flexible and can be prepared in so many ways – roasted, mashed or sautéed. And you can eat it raw. It’s always been part of veggies and dip. And if you really want to be trendy there is orange cauliflower and it has twenty-five more vitamin A

Swiss chard is back and replaces kale and spinach. It’s high in vitamin C, iron, and calcium

The acai berry is out and mangosteen is in. (What is mangosteen? – that’s what I asked) It’s a tropical fruit, rich in antioxidants. It’s reddish-purple with a thick rind and juicy, white flesh.

Ancient Grains are back, partly because of the gluten-free trend. They include amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, millet, freekeh and teff.

Arctic char, branzino and barramundi will be coming to your restaurants this year. Arctic char has been named a “best choice” for the environment.

Kimchi is a Korean pickled cabbage dish and is becoming popular as part of the growing trend in fermented foods. “They” say it improves cholesterol and blood pressure and may help with weight loss.

Coconut is still on the list. Coconut oil has no cholesterol or trans-fats and improves brain function and aids in weight-loss.

So now you know what to expect this year.

Here’s a Vegan dessert for you to try.

Chocolate-Blueberry Crumble (8 servings)
2 c. fresh or thawed blueberries            Grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 c vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips   ½ c quick cooking oats
½ c plus 2 tbsps sugar                         ¾ c all-purpose flour
¾ vegan margarine, melted                 2 tsps ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine the blueberries, chocolate chips, 2 tbsps sugar and zest. Mix well. Spread the mixture evenly into a 9” pie plate. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oats, remaining ½ c sugar,   margarine and cinnamon. Mix until crumbly. Sprinkle the mixture evenly on top of the blueberries. Bake about 25 minutes until the top is lightly browned. Cool at least 15 minutes before serving. And you could top it with Vegan Whip Cream.                                                                                                     
2 tbsps. vegan margarine                      2 tsps. pure vanilla extract    
1/2 c sugar                                          1 (10.5OZ) package firm silken tofu -   
drained and blotted dry                                                                                 
In a small saucepan, melt the margarine over medium heat. Add the sugar and  soy milk and cook over low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Combine the sugar mixture and the tofu in a blender and blend until very smooth and creamy. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until chilled. This tastes best if used the same day it’s made

Courtesy of Vegan on the cheap by Robin Robertson

 

Anybody have anything to add to the 2014 trendy foods - or comments?

5 SECRETS (WHAT NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT MY BOOK)

Our guest author today is Martha O'Sullivan, who is going to share some tidbits about the writing of her book that no one knows--until today.

Martha O'Sullivan has loved reading romance novels for as long as she can remember. Writing her own novels is the realization of a lifelong dream for this stay-at-home mom. Martha writes contemporary and erotic romances with traditional couples and happily ever after endings. She is the author of the Chances trilogy from Red Sage Publishing. Her current work-in-progress in a sweet and steamy Christmas novel set in Costa Careyes, Mexico. A native Chicagoan, she lives her own happy ending in Tampa with her husband and two daughters.

Second Chance

1. It took me almost five years to write Second Chance, the Chances trilogy opener. I can honestly say that I revised it 100 times. Before I sold it! Granted, I had started writing Chance Encounter during that time. But every time Second Chance was rejected by a publisher or lost a contest, I’d go back and rewrite based on the feedback. And as disheartening as that was, it made me a better writer in the end. Conversely, I wrote Last Chance in four months while editing the two previous installments of the trilogy.

2. All the characters in my books are based on someone in my life, including myself. There’s some of me in each of the three heroines in the trilogy, but I’m most like one of them. Both of my friends whom Lindsay Foster and Delaney Richards are based on figured out who they were right away.

3. All the facts about Lake Tahoe and San Francisco in the books are true. The architecture, geography, lingo, history, cultural events, streets, etc. are real. Of course there are also fictional places and things in the book to move the story along.

4. I changed the title of my first book four times before I finally went back to Second Chance, which was the original title. It will always be the book of my heart.

5. There is one phrase that the hero in each book says to the heroine. It’s something my husband says to me. Identify it in my upcoming contest and be entered into a drawing to win an Amazon gift card. Stay tuned to my web site at  marthaosullivan26.wix.com/marthaosullivan for details.

 

Blurb from Second Chance

Lindsay Foster has convinced herself that marrying lifelong Paul Webster is the right thing to do. But an inadvertent reunion with Brian Rembrandt rekindles the unfinished business between them. And Lindsay finds herself torn between the life she's always wanted and the man she'll always love.

Brian's up for that fight; he's used to getting what he wants. And he still wants Lindsay.

 

But this love triangle has an extra side. Lindsay's best friend Moira Brody has a game-changing secret.  And she's not the only one.  Even Brian is no match for what happens next. The chain of events set in motion on the tranquil shores of Lake Tahoe come to an astonishing end on a foggy San Francisco night. And alter the course of four lives forever. 

 

To Buy Second Chance go to

http://www.amazon.com/Second-Chance-Chances-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00EX631GM/ref=sr_1_17?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1378129953&sr=1-17&keywords=red+sage+publishing
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/second-chance-martha-o-x2019-sullivan/1116810263?ean=2940148803621 
http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Second-Chance/book-hXS7TbFdaEGFhDCk_FflBQ/page1.html?s=VxhxFGbPAk2KnfFXUA1Iag&r=6
http://www.bookstand.com/second-chance-5
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-secondchance-1278782-356.htm
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/second-chance-martha-o-x2019-sullivan/1116810263?ean=2940148803621
http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Second-Chance/book-hXS7TbFdaEGFhDCk_FflBQ/page1.html?s=VxhxFGbPAk2KnfFXUA1Iag&r=6
http://www.bookstrand.com/second-chance-5
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-secondchance-1278782-356.htm

You can find Martha on these links

 

https://www.facebook.com/martha.osullivan.50 https://twitter.com/@m_osullivan26                                       http://www.pinterest.com/ mfrworg/erotic-contemporary-romance/marthaosullivan.blogspot.com

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7254612.Martha_O_Sullivan    

website marthaosullivan26.wix.com/marthaosullivan

Thanks for checking out Martha and her secrets. If you have any comments or questions Martha will be around to answer them today.

And don’t forget to check back next Thursday to find out even more author secrets about their book.

My New Cover

I'm not posting a new blog today, because I did the Baton Blog Hop yesterday.
So if you didn't read it - check it out.

However, I did get my new cover for A Murder to Forget. It's the second in the series.
I mentioned it yesterday, but in the middle of the blog so I'm posting it again today.

And here's the cover from book one.

I'd love to hear what you think about my new one, A Murder to Forget..