30 December 2012

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 30th 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.





22 December 2012

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!

19 December 2012

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.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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!

18 December 2012

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.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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.

13 December 2012

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!

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. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
To be entered to win this wonderful gift prize, just leave a comment! 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!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Please visit the others in the Blog Hop: 

11 December 2012

Hump Day Hook - 12 December

There is always one album that seems to define a generation.  I grew up during the ‘80s, a time that became a decade of upheaval in many aspects of the world, from politics to fashion.  I am happy that I grew up during this period, but I guess everyone says that about the time they lived.

Music was so radically different from what had come before in the 50’s, 60’s and even 70’s.  Though women had began to burn their bras in the sixties I think the true change of women’s attitudes really began in the eighties.  I remember watching MTV and seeing the first video ever aired on it, and I remember seeing Madonna and thinking “She’ll never last.”

Ha!  Good thing I’m not a betting person! 

One album stood out to me, bringing to light all that I was afraid of during the political turmoil of the fall of the Soviet Union to the unification of Germany.  I’m glad that I lived through such times, lived through a lot of history that my child will one day only read about.  That album was “The Dream of the Blue Turtles” by Sting.  Published in 1985, it became my anthem of unease in a world bordering on destruction.  Of course, the world once again feels like it’s bordering on destruction so I popped in the cd the other day and listened to the songs.  You can basically take the lyrics of “Russians” and substitute “Iraians” or “North Koreans” and the song becomes instantly another cry of hope.

For this weeks Hump Day Hook, I decided to post a paragraph from my book Kismet. This book is the sequel (of sorts) to Spirals, set at the same time but with different characters.  Evie is a woman who travels around helping people because she gets visions, and her visions have led her to LA.  I could never fully comprehend what it must have felt like to live in a country that was suddenly torn apart, but in the words of Sting: We share the same biology, regardless of ideology.
 *******************************************************

Shalana leads us all around her “city,” listening, asking questions, and inviting people into the discussion. I can see the resentment of our being there in some faces, happiness and relief in others, and I wonder what I would have done had I lived here in Los Angeles when the earthquake had hit. If I had survived it, that is. Would I have huddled together as these people had done or would I be the person I am today, standing on my own two feet and surviving on my own? I figure it would take a strong person to do exactly that. I could have stayed in Georgia, or returned to Louisiana and joined a family community, surviving, but my visions have given me the drive to find more, be more, so my nomadic existence has made me stronger. Or so I like to think.

 *****************************************************
Thanks for visiting!  Make sure to visit the others at:  http://kerriannecoombes.wordpress.com/
And be sure to come visit with me this Friday, December 14th for the two Christmas Blogs I'm participating in!

06 December 2012

Zombies- How....Romantic???




There isn’t any doubt that Zombies are the new IT monster.  We’ve had ghosts, vampires, and werewolves and now, finally, the Zombie is getting the respect it deserves.  Admittedly, Zombies are a harder sell.  They’ve gotten a bad rap over the countless depicts on screen as being mindless flesh eating creatures….and yes, they are, but I think there’s more to a Zombie than that.  

Let the imagination soar.  

Zombie themed love stories are starting to filter into Young Adult titles.  Books like Dearly Departed: A Zombie Novel by Lia Habel, Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter, and Chivalry is Undead (Just Another Zombie Love Story) by M.A. Rogers are starting to grace bookshelves.  It's a theme that's catching on, and not just in print.  Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion is an upcoming motion picture set to be released next year.
I have my own idea for a Zombie romance but since I’ve got a list of stories to write it might be a while before that story sees some life…no pun intended.

Now, I’m not a big horror fan, so I have to admit that I haven’t seen that many Zombie flicks.  My favorites are ones that have a little humor thrown in, so my #1 favorite flick is Shaun of the Dead.  #2 is Night of the Comet (though some will argue that this is not a Zombie movie). And finally, #3 Zombieland.
  
Zombie legends are steeped in the occult of African Voodoo to Haitian Vodou, and described as a person without consciousness or self-awareness.  The Oxford Dictionary states that the word “Zombie” first appeared in English when Robert Southey mentioned it in his book History of Brazil(1810).  Yet how the person is turned into a Zombie, either living or dead, has many different connections.  In modern day culture, we’ve taken it a step further by making it a disease, or a plague.  And with the way this world is going with biological warfare, it doesn’t stretch the imagination all that far, does it?

I guess what makes Zombies truly terrifying is the thought of someone possessing us, our life after death being controlled by either our curse or our desire to kill others.  Zombies don't get to be cool like Vampires or strong like Werewolves.  All they get is blood and gore and maggots wriggling out of eyeball sockets.

So are Zombies more science or science-fiction?  Are they truly scary, the stuff of horror best stayed in the dark to terrify those brave enough to enter their realm?  Or can they be given a chance to evolve, become more than just mindless creatures?  Die hard fans might be horrified at the notion that Zombies could be more but fans like me looks for an angle to make Zombies more…well, human.  I’ve never been much interested in monsters (including the human kind) that kill for no more reason that to “Eat...brains…” but finding the spark of humanity left intact, or finding how Zombies can bring humanity closer, to me that’s fascinating.

Up for one lucky winner is this pictured Shaun of the Dead hat (front & back).  It’s rare, I’ll tell you that!  And though not in perfect shape, it’s still awesome to add to any collection.  This cap is a promotional item someone gave me, and though I treasure it, it’s been stuck in a container in my closet.  It really needs to find a good home.  As you can see, some of the bullseye is starting to come off, but the cap is still pretty cool!.  So if you'd like it, all you have to do is leave a comment!  My trusty assistant…AKA: Son…will pick one name at random.  So make sure to leave an email so I can contact you!  Thanks for visiting with me today and be sure to hit the other in the hop!

04 December 2012

Hump Day Hook - 5 December 2012



Because I’m getting ready to participate in a Zombie Blog Hop, this week I decided to focus on my book Spirals.  No, it doesn’t have any Zombies in it but it’s centered in a dystopian world and right now that’s as close as I have to Z-land.

Dystopian stories scare the hell out of me, probably because they can become our reality.  Our own culture loves watching reality television, so it’s not that hard to believe that in a future not so different from ours we will be watching kids battle each other to the death.  Or our obsession with youth and beauty having us die by age 21, when the lotus on our palm turns black on Lastday. 

(I’m sure many of you get the first reference.  How many gets the second?)

Spirals has a sequel titled Kismet, but many know I’m slightly disappointed with the end result of Kismet.  It was the first (and only!) time I listened to editors about how the story should flow and I really regret bowing to pressure.  It’s still a good story (don’t get me wrong!), just creatively I wish it had gone in a different direction.

That being said, here is my paragraph from Spirals.  It’s actually two paragraphs but they’re small.  I think it sets up a terrifying world:

*************************************

A band of men, decked out from head to toe with weapons, are dragging three bodies entangled in chains. I have no doubt the victims are dead; there's just not enough body left for them to be alive. The men are laughing, probably congratulating each other on a job well done.
After all, three scavengers are a lot.
People like me, people who steal what they can find to survive, are on top of the most hunted list. This city is basically lawless, run by gangs who consider the territory off-limits to strangers. And if I happen to be caught, it will be a very bad day for me.


Thanks for visiting and make sure to visit the other paragraphs at: http://kerriannecoombes.wordpress.com/

*Also: come visit with me today at Cassandra Carr’s sight to win a free PDF ebook!

02 December 2012

Exciting December

December is a magical time, at least it is for me.  It's my favorite month because I love to give back to friends and family, reminding myself how lucky for the people I have in my life.  And, of course, my birthday is in December. 

I have some exciting things coming up in December.  First, I'll be guest blogging with Cassandra Carr on Wednesday the 5th, and one lucky commenter will receive a free PDF ebook!

 http://booksbycassandracarr.com/wordpress/

Next, I'm departing a little bit from romance by participating in the Zombie Blog Hop on December 7th!  Why?  I love zombies!  There are two upcoming zombie movies I'm really looking forward to: World War Z and Warm Bodies

http://www.preciousmonsters.com/p/zombie-blog-hop-on-december-7-2012.html

And then I have not one but TWO Christmas blog hops happening on December 14th!  The Holiday Gift of Love and the Candy Cane Kink blog hop!  Both have huge gift give-a-ways from me...I'm talking t-shirt, desk calendar and a gift card from Barnes & Noble!  Check back here for these!

And finally, I'll be finishing up December guest blogging at When One is not Enough menage blog! 

Plus, every Wednesday I participate in the Hump Day Hook, where authors post a paragraph from a WIP or a finished novel.  

Have a wonderful week and see ya on Wednesday!!!