Hump Day Hook- End of January 2013

I’m very excited to say that I sent in my novel, Otherworldly, to Siren.  So please keep fingers crossed that they pick it up.  It’s the first book in a three part series…I know, I’ve been talking about this for some time!  But now that I’ve sent in the first book, I feel confident in revealing the Blurb:

Otherworldly (McKnight, Perth & Daire 1) Blurb:

Charlotte Perth is all about sass because her job is reminds her all too well the limits of human life.  She’s clairvoyant but her gift is unique.  She can only summon murdered souls and interprets the visions they send her.  When she’s hired by a wealthy woman to determine the fate of her great nephew, little does Charlotte realize this is one ghost that refuses to cross over.

Detective Jonas Daire feels Charlotte is a fake, out to swindle money from his rich aunt.  When Charlotte proclaims the nephew is not only dead but has been murdered, Jonas feels especially disgusted at Charlotte’s “profession”.  But when his cousin’s body is discovered in the place that she said it would be, with detailed accounts of how he died, he places her under suspicion. 

Jonas and Charlotte work together to find the killer.  As the two grow closer together, another malevolent force won’t stop until the truth is buried…until Charlotte’s ghostly visions are her own.

And now, here is my paragraph for Hump Day Hook…from the (fingers crossed) upcoming novel, Otherworldly:

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One minute Zach stood near the water and the next he stood in front of her, practically touching her nose with his.  His eyes were cloudy, as if death had already started eating at him in the afterlife, but the panic shining from them couldn’t be misinterpreted.  He shook his head and held a finger to his lips then flashed out of sight.  The brightness had her shielding her eyes and when she opened them the warehouse had disappeared and Charlotte found herself back in Alice Braddock-Masters’ house, only she was no longer in the den but in the formal dining room.  Her belly rested against the mahogany table.  Mrs. Braddock-Masters and Jonas stood behind her.

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Thanks for reading!  Please check out the other paragraphs at: http://kerriannecoombes.wordpress.com/

Hump Day Hook - 16 January 2013

Happy Wednesday!  It’s taken me a few weeks to get my life back into some semblance of order.  Over the holiday I had to move so everything had been a bit chaotic.  I’ve neglected my Hump Day Hook passage for a few weeks and for that I apologize.  So I’ll be short and sweet this Wednesday.

The paragraph I’m sharing today is from a WIP I’m about halfway through.  The set up is quite funny, a scene where the heroine Charlotte had to shut up her two bickering boyfriends and so used the only method she had.  Charlotte has a tendency to talk when she’s nervous and right now, she’s very nervous at being caught in public.

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“I didn’t think being in a ménage relationship could work,” she said.  “Well, of course I thought about the benefits and I’m realizing reality is far different than fantasizing, especially with said benefits in my hands.  So I’m coming to the conclusion that because I’ve been so focused on doing the normal thing which, you know, is for other’s sensibilities, I hadn’t much thought about my needs and my desires.  I’m a liberated woman, a woman with-”

“Good god,” Jonas groaned, interrupting.  “Is this really the time to talk about this?”

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 Thanks for visiting!  Make sure to visit the others for Hump Day Hook at: http://kerriannecoombes.wordpress.com/

Happy New Year 2013!

Another year is here.  The passing of 2012 is the end of a decade for me as I turned forty, leaving my stress filled thirties behind.  I remember my 30^th birthday and thinking that my thirties were going to be awesome.  Now, I KNOW my forties will be spectacular.  I’m not bothered in the least with the number clicking over, except for the fact that I’ve entered the decade where the body starts to decrease certain youthful abilities…like producing collagen.

I’m now thinking of all the great things coming up in 2013.  Like movies I want to see.  Most of mine are based on books: The Host, Catching Fire (Hunger Games 2), and City of Bones: The Mortal Instruments.  And of course, there are book sequels coming out that I’m excited about.  Oh, and my own books coming out, as well!

I’ve decided to go gluten free in 2013, although right now I don’t know how I’m going to start that. I’m doing it for health reasons, not because of a fad or anything. But it’s hard when you’ve just eaten anything you’ve wanted over the past 40 years.  Any tips out there would be greatly appreciated!  

And I hope that in 2013 we (mankind as a whole) can finally discover that the most precious resource is ourselves, and stop killing each other.  That’s probably never going to happen but I can dream and hope, can’t I?  So good-bye 2012, I won’t say I’m sorry to see you gone.  I raise my glass and toast to the promise of a new beginning.  Happy writing.  Happy reading.

Post Blog Hop & Gluten Free Cookies

Thanks to everyone who took time to visit with me over the past week.  Congrats to Cassandra and Mydurango618 from the Candy Kane Kink blog hop!

I know the tragedy of Newtown CT has been talked about incessantly, but I want to encourage everyone to practice the 26 Acts of Kindness to honor the memory of the victims.  I have done 5 already. 

And finally, I've posted a gluten free cookie recipe below.  I've recently found out I'm going to have to go gluten free and though I know it's going to be extremely hard and I may slip and slide along the way, at least I can start practicing now.

Please have a wonderful and safe holiday! 

Iced Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 2 cups gluten-free flour (we used Bob's Red Mill all-purpose)
• 1/2 teaspoon xantham gum
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• Dash of salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla
• Cream cheese icing
  

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar and butter until fluffy. Add in egg and vanilla and beat until fully mixed.
3. In another bowl, whisk the flour, xantham gum and pumpkin pie spice. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and stir after each addition.
4. Roll about 1-1/2 tablespoons of dough (each) into balls and place 1 inch apart on the cookie sheet. Bake for about 11 minutes, or until golden brown and puffy.
5. Once chilled completely, ice with cream cheese icing!

Candy Kane Kink Blog Hop!

Another year is on our doorstep.  Out goes 2012 and in comes the promise of something new, something better.  New Year’s Eve builds our hope that the coming year will be different.  That we’ll be different.  Some will vow to finally lose weight.  Some will vow to quit smoking, work harder, be a better person or spend more time with the kids.  Resolutions are a tradition and yet breaking them is also a tradition.  Some of us even make bets on when they’ll be broken.

2012 was a sad and happy year for me.  I lost my father unexpectedly in February.  I got a call from my step-mom that she was taking my father to the hospital, that gangrene had settled in his toes (from a stroke 2 years ago) and the next thing I knew he was being driven to Springfield, Missouri for massive other reasons.  I flew to my father’s bedside and sat with him for four days, holding his hand, until he was taken off life support and he succumbed to a body that was no longer functioning.

But in 2012 I was able to pay off debt and buy a house with my boyfriend/partner, Brian.  I have a healthy little boy who started First Grade.  And I was able to publish five books this year.  

Oh, and in one week I will be turning 40.  It’s a big change, moving to a new decade.  The only problem I’m having is not the fact that I’m now 10 years away from being “middle age”, but that now I know it’s the time when my body changes drastically.  I asked myself, would I go back to 20 if I could.  And the answer is no.  Really, truly, no.  Sure, I loved being able to eat anything I wanted and not gain an ounce or that I could stay out and party all night.  But trade my knowledge, my experience, my life for the girl I once was?   Not a chance.

I have decided against making a New Year Resolution.  Yes, I could vow to lose the extra 30 pounds I’ve been holding onto since my son was born.  But I already know I have to eat right and start exercising.  No, what inspires me now is, of course, my writing.  I am finishing up the second novel in a series I hope Siren will pick up, a cross between Ghost Whisperer and Cold Case.  I have ideas and plans for many more and I’m only limited by how fast I can or cannot type. 

Happy New Year, the birth of 2013.  I raise my glass and toast to the promise of a new beginning.  Happy writing.  Happy reading.

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To be entered to win this wonderful gift prize that includes a t-shirt, a desk calendar and a $10 gift card from Barnes & Nobel, just leave a comment! (If you've already left a comment below don't worry- I haven't forgotten you!) One winner will be chosen at random by my wonderful assistant (AKA:SON).  A second winner will be able to pick one of my titles (winner’s choice) for a free PDF ebook!  Thanks for visiting with me!  Have a wonderful holiday season!

Hump Day Hook - 19 December

I want to say congratulations to Krysta B and Mary Francis, the winners of my Holiday Gift of Love Blog Hop!  If you didn’t get a chance to enter, never fear…I have another blog hop happening, running through until Friday midnight!

As I said in my blog hop, I was going to put a recipe for divinity but couldn’t get it to work.  I’m not sure why so I am reposting it now, for this hump day hook!  Speaking of which, I decided to take this week’s paragraph from my novel An Innocent Heart.  Harry is on the trail of the man who murdered his best friend and his wife, and though he;s met a woman who can heal his soul, his quest for vengeance blinds him to her love.

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Harry looked from his desk out the window, absently noting the frost

surrounding the panes of glass. Winter had set in with a nasty vengeance.

Christmastime would be upon them in no time. The holidays brought Louisa

to mind and Harry gave a frown. After almost four months apart, he should

have forgotten the way her dark eyes lit up with amusement or darkened to

black pools when angered. He should not have remembered how perfect her

freckles were on the bridge of her pert little nose. He definitely should not

be getting aroused by the memory of her breasts straining against her shirt,

the damp skin making the material cling to the rounded mounds.

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Thanks for reading and make sure to visit the others on Hump Day Hook: http://kerriannecoombes.wordpress.com/

And be sure to come back here tomorrow for the last few days of the Candy Cane Kink Blog Hop!

DIVINITY

Ingrediants

• 4 cups sugar
• 1 cup white corn syrup
• 3/4 cup cold water
• 3 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla

Directions

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stir together the sugar, corn syrup, and water. Stir only until sugar has dissolved. Do not stir after this point. Cook syrup mixture until it reaches 250 degrees F on a candy thermometer, bringing it to a hard ball stage.
While the syrup is cooking, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Once the sugar mixture reaches 250 degrees F, carefully pour a slow steady stream of syrup into the stiffly beaten egg whites, beating constantly at high speed. Add the vanilla and continue to beat until mixture holds its shape, approximately 5 minutes.
(You can mix in 2 cups Pecans at this point if you’d like)

Using 2 spoons, drop the divinity onto waxed paper, using 1 spoon to push the candy off the other. This may take a little practice because the technique is to twirl the pushing spoon, making the candy look like the top of a soft serve ice cream. If the candy becomes too stiff, add a few drops of hot water. You will need to work fast when making this type of candy. After you spoon the cooked sugar and nuts onto the waxed paper, you're done. Cool the candies on racks completely. You can store them in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Holiday Gift of Love Blog Hop

Happy Holidays!

I was born on December 21st so the Winter Solstice is a very important day for me.  It is the time of death and rebirth, to celebrate the rebirth of the sun, who warms the frozen land.  Winter Solstice is the shortest night of the year.  From this day forward, the days will become longer.



Growing up in Missouri, we had snow.  Every Christmas felt special because it was cold, school let out, and the anticipation of Santa was overwhelming.  Now I live in Los Angeles, and the only time I've seen snow was when we travel to Big Bear for snowboarding.  I try hard to keep that Christmas feeling alive for my own son, but year after year the traditions of my childhood seem so far away.

With Christmas being so commercial now-a-days, tradition has become very important to me.  I have a six year old son that certainly expects Santa to bring him presents but I also teach him that he's to give back to those families who may not have enough at this time of year.  I read a special book called 'The Shortest Day; Celebrating the Winger Solstice' by Wendy Pfeffer and Jesse Reisch.  But I also read to them The Christmas Story, The Night Before Christmas, and There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Bell.  And though I may not be very religious I don't shield my son from religion, I simply teach him that there are many beliefs and he must pick his own path.

My Christmas tree might be fake, but the decorations were hand picked by my son, including the decorations he made in school.  To the right of the tree I have a Menorah to honor our Jewish friends.  I also have the spring of mistletoe and smell of pine lingering in the air.  I have Rudolf the Red-nose Reindeer recorded on the DVR.  Of course, for me, holidays are about food.  I reserve the Winter Solstice for making only the special once-a-year kind of food.  Like cakes soaked in cider, eggnog, snowflake shaped sugar cookies, and divinity. (I tried adding a recipe for divinity but it's not showing for some reason so I'll try again on Wednesday for my Hump Day Hook!)

My thanks for taking the time to visit with me during this wonderful season!  As part of my own appreciation, I have a wonderful gift package for one lucky winner, which includes a t-shirt, a desk calendar, and a $10 gift card from Barnes & Nobel.  All you have to do to enter is leave a comment and my assistant (AKA: son) will pick one name when the blog hop is over, so please leave a way to contact you!  I will also give away one PDF ebook of any of my titles (winner's choice) to the second name drawn.

Please visit the others in the blog hop!