writing blog
Mistletoe & Murder Excerpt
Here’s an audio excerpt from Mistletoe & Murder.
Christmas Scavenger Hunt Round-Robin: Mistletoe & Murder
Merry Christmas! Welcome to the next blog in this Christmas Round-Robin! At each author’s blog post, you will find a question that can be answered by checking out the free Amazon preview of their book. Provide the answer on this Google Form. Note: You must answer the questions for every author in the round -robin to be considered to win one of three amazing prizes! First place is $300 Amazon gift card, second place is $150 Amazon gift card, third place is $75 Amazon gift card!
Sure wish I could enter instead of giving you this great opportunity to win a little something for yourself. At the end of my post is a link to the next blog, who will provide a link to the next blog, etc., to the very end.
Now on to the fun stuff! Let me introduce you to my Christmas novella, Mistletoe & Murder. I enjoyed writing a tighter romantic suspense story with a Cyrano de Bergerace storyline. Alec Stratman, recently retired from a decade in the Army, comes home for the funeral of his beloved Great-Aunt Heloise only to find out she’s been murdered.
As a second-generation emigrant, Isabella has to contend the loss of her employer and mentor but also the suspicion of the police and relatives who see her as a schemer out for Heloise’s money. Little does Isabella know that Alec was the man behind the words her former fiance—and Alec’s Army superior—used to woo her during a deployment.
With a houseful of scheming relatives, Alec has little time to confess his duplicity to Heloise’s housekeeper, Isabella Montoya. Alec and Isabella have to navigate the secrets that threaten to derail their budding romance while searching for the truth about Heloise’s death.
I’ve always enjoyed writing modern versions of older stories, such as having an O’Henry twist in my Christmas short story, “Christmas, Cold & Gray,” which readers can get for free when signing up for my newsletter.
Now, it’s time to continue the scavenger hunt! Go to the book on Amazon at this link. What kind of sandwiches does Isabella serve? When you have the answer, fill out this form and head on to the next blog!
Thank you so much for visiting! The next author on the tour is Richard L. Mabry, MD , who is telling us all about his Christmas book Silent Night, Deadly Night. You can find it at this link. Remember that the round-robin will end on December 16th at 11:59 PM EST!
A One-Pot Meal Inspired by Dangerous Christmas Memories
What meal would you whip up in a cabin with only some canned and boxed goods?
In Dangerous Christmas Memories, Luc has to come up with something tasty from some cans of black beans, mixed veggies, barbeque sauce packets, and elbow macaroni. Priscilla and Luc find the results quite tasty—even the bad guy has a second helping!
I decided that to see if the dish was as delicious on paper as it was in person. I whipped up a double batch of Luc’s Black Bean Pasta Bowl, and boy was it a hit! Even my kids had second helpings. We added fresh parmesan cheese and sour cream, a luxury not available to Luc and Priscilla, which made the dish even tastier.
In the future, I would probably add some ground beef or turkey, or perhaps kielbasa or other sausage to add a little bit more zing. However, it’s quite good as a vegetarian dish.
Enjoy!
Luc’s Black Bean Pasta Bowl
Makes: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
2 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can of mixed veggies, drained
¼ cup barbecue sauce
1 cup water
13 ounces elbow noodles
Mix beans, veggies, water and barbecue sauce in a sauce pan. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Cook pasta according to the directions in a separate pot. Drain the noodles, then add the noodles to the bean mixture. Stir and serve hot. Add freshly shredded Parmesan cheese and a dollop of sour cream if you’d like! Hot sauce can also spice things up.
