July Reading Summary

Total number of books read: 10 (I'm actually surprised I got through that many this month as I slacked quite a bit in July.)

Monthly reading goals:

1. 1 new-to-me author each month -- Stacey Kennedy
2. 4 genres/sub-genres each month (I'm adding to that at least one book a month must be non-fiction and/or writing related.) -- Non-fiction (No More Blank Screen: Blogging Ideas for Fiction Authors by Krista D Ball), Romance (Indian Moon by Carolyn McCray), M/M Romance (Conquest by SJ Frost), Steampunk (The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale by Catherine Bell), Paranormal Romance (Stolen Dreams (The Lingering Spirit) by Stacey Kennedy),
3. Alternate male and female authors (I will say at least one male author per month.) -- didn't happen this month
4. Write a note to 1 author each month -- hasn't happened yet but will

Craving Perfect

My blogging friend, Liz Fichera, has a new release coming out next week, Craving Perfect.

A Life Less...Hers

Grace Mills craves being perfect almost as much as she craves raspberry scones. In fact, her life would be perfect if only she could lose ten more pounds, if only the pastry café she co-owns with her sister would turn a profit, if only the hottest guy at the gym would look her way...

And then "if only" comes true. Grace is suddenly straddling two lives: an alternate reality where she's a size two, weathergirl celebrity and being chased by the hot guy. Only Mr. Gorgeous isn't very nice, and she doesn't get to eat...anything, much less bake!

In her other life, she's starting to realize her sister is less than happy running the family café, and hunky Carlos, the gym's janitor, seems to have a secret crush on her. Maybe there's more to him than meets the eye...

Grace is living two lives and it's beginning to cost her. Is there a way to pick one...that's perfect?

Does that not sound delicious? It comes out on the 25th and I can't wait to get my hands on it :)

Congrats, Liz!

Author Krista D. Ball is in the house!

I met Krista D. Ball through Maria Zannini and have enjoyed getting to know her through her blog. When the chance came to read and review a story or two (Flying Kite, Crashing Ship and Harvest Moon) for her blog tour I jumped at the chance. A woman after my own heart, she has a recipe -- Bannock sounded so Scottish I had to look it up :) -- for you today.

Please welcome, Krista D. Ball!

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Where's the Bannock

In Western Canada, bannock ("ban-nick") is a widely-recognized aboriginal food. It is a combination of lard, flour, and water. It’s then wrapped around a stick and cooked over a campfire. At home, it’s common to add raisins or another kind of dried fruit and bake it on a large cookie sheet. Then, you cut it into large squares afterwards. Other recipes deep-fry the dough. I've even seen hamburgers made with it!

Bannock became integrated into aboriginal cuisine post-European Contact as part of the fur trade, inter-marriage, and the eventual relocation of First Nations peoples to reservations. There's some talk that it might have existed in the US, but there's no evidence that it did in Canada.

The world of Dancing Cat is pre-Contact. She would not have eaten wheat flour in Northern Alberta. So, I could not include it, even if bannock is delicious!

When I worked at the homeless agency, I looked after their evening meal program. A large percentage of our regulars were aboriginal men. They relentless hounded me to make bannock and (oddly enough) liver with onions. I didn't tell any of them, but I planned with a large volunteer group to make bannock for our huge Thanksgiving meal. It took us all day but we cooked a full turkey dinner and 900 pieces of bannock the size of my palm! I used cranberries in my recipe, since it is a local fruit.

Here's the recipe for baking it. Give it a try, though I do recommend baking some on a stick over a campfire at least once. Kids love it!

June, Patsy, and Krista's Combined Bannock Recipe (this avoided any fighting in the kitchen!)

6 cups flour
1 cup shortening
3 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp salt
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
3 to 3 1/2 cups of water

Mix the flour and shortening together by hand until well combined. Add the baking powder, salt, and cranberries. Add half the water and mixed until just combined. Add the rest until you have a just-mixed dough. If you want to bake it over a fire, use a little less water than if you were going to bake it in the oven.

To cook in the oven, spread across a sided and greased baking sheet and bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 20 minutes.

To cook over the fire, wrap clumps of dough around a stick and cook until golden.

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Bio: Krista D. Ball was born and raised in Deer Lake, Newfoundland, where she learned how to use a chainsaw, chop wood, and make raspberry jam. After obtaining a B.A. in British History from Mount Allison University, Krista moved to Edmonton, AB where she currently lives.

Somehow, she’s picked up an engineer, two kids, seven cats, and a very understanding corgi off ebay. Her credit card has been since taken away.

Like any good writer, Krista has had an eclectic array of jobs throughout her life, including strawberry picker, pub bathroom cleaner, oil spill cleaner upper and soupkitchen coordinator. These days, when Krista isn’t software testing, she writes in her messy office.

You can find Krista on her blog.

June Reading Summary

Total number of books read: 10 -- So, halfway through the year. My grand total thus far is 72, yep, well on my way to my 100 for the year goal. (Though I plan to make a bit of an adjust at the end of the year because some of these stories/books are shorter works.)

Monthly reading goals:

1. 1 new-to-me author each month -- Louisa Bacio
2. 4 genres/sub-genres each month (I'm adding to that at least one book a month must be non-fiction and/or writing related.) -- Well, I started the non-fiction but haven't finished it yet. Paranormal Romance (The Vampire, the Witch and the Werewolf: A New Orleans Threesome
   by Louisa Bacio), Erotic Historical Romance -- is that even a genre? -- (The Debutante's Dilemma by Elyse Mady), Paranormal Mystery (Dead in the Family (Sookie Stackhouse) by Charlaine Harris), Fantasy (The Old Warrior by Dale Broda Jr.)
3. Alternate male and female authors (I will say at least one male author per month.) -- Dale Broda Jr.
4. Write a note to 1 author each month -- Wrote a review for Louisa Bacio

The Devil to Pay

My lovely friend Maria Zannini has a new book out, The Devil To Pay.

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions and bad tequila. Shannon McKee finds herself at the end of her rope, and she offers her soul to whoever can save her first.

Unfortunately, she sends that request to both agencies. Shannon’s plea is answered immediately by two men who couldn’t be more different from one another. Yet they share a bond and an affection for the stubborn Miss McKee that even they don’t understand.

When Heaven and Hell demand their payment, Shannon has no choice but to submit. No matter who gets her soul, she’s not getting out of this alive.

This is Maria's first foray into indie publishing and I'm so excited for her! Isn't that cover stunning?! I can't wait to start reading :) The Devil to Pay is the first book of the Second Chances series. Forget everything you thought you knew about Heaven and Hell. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

Congrats Maria!

Upcoming Guest Blogger

Coming up in July, author Krista D. Ball is going to be stopping by the blog.  Yes, my little ol' blog is going to have a visitor!

Oh, and all my Canadian relatives better stop by to support a fellow Canadian :)

May Reading Summery

Total number of books read: 11

Monthly reading goals:

1. 1 new-to-me author each month -- Carolyn McCray
2. 4 genres/sub-genres each month (I'm adding to that at least one book a month must be non-fiction and/or writing related.) -- Non-Fiction (When Love Is Not Enough by Nancy L. Thomas), Paranormal Romance (Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men (Jane Jameson, Book 2) by Molly Harper), Paranormal Historical Romance (Fated by Carolyn McCray), Historical Romance (Captive Spirit by Liz Fichera), Romantic Fantasy ( Dragon Actually (Dragon Kin, Book 1) by GA Aiken), and lots more of the same
3. Alternate male and female authors (I will say at least one male author per month.) -- Failed again, which is kinda crazy as I have quite a few male authors on my TBR list
4. Write a note to 1 author each month -- Wrote a review for Carolyn McCray

Blog Tour de Troops

The fine folks over at the Indie Book Collective have put together the most awesome event this weekend to say a big huge THANK YOU to our military men and women.

A number a fabulous authors are donating a FREE book to every comment posted to the participating blogs. In addition these FABULOUS authors are donating a second FREE book to the troops for every comment!

This is what we call a win WIN folks. You get a FREE read and a service man or woman gets a FREE read. There are so many genres available I guarantee there's something for everyone.

What are you waiting for? Hop on over to the Indie Book Collective and start the tour!!

Happy Release Day

The only place left to hide was in the past.

Fire Elemental Leda and her plainfolk companion, Grey, are running from a man obsessed with creating a creature who can read thoughts. Convinced that Leda can produce this unnatural child, he has threatened to hunt her down to the ends of the earth—and he has kept his word. Their only escape is a one-way trip through the time portal.

With death on their heels, salvation appears in the form of two strangers. Seemingly ordinary people, Tom and Cassandra assure Leda and Grey that they are here to help. They claim they are repaying a debt—Leda and Grey helped them once, 1200 years ago.

The trip through the portal offers no escape, as Leda and Grey discover that evil transcends time. Can their presence in the past stop the eventual apocalypse that forms their future?

My friend Maria Zannini has a new book, Apocalypse Rising, coming out today. It's the long awaited (at least for me *grin*) sequel to Touch of Fire which I reviewed here.

What are you waiting for? Go grab yourself a copy, you can't go wrong with a Maria Zannini read *grin*

April Reading Summary

Total number of books read: 15

Monthly reading goals:

1. 1 new-to-me author each month -- Stacia Kane
2. 4 genres/sub-genres each month (I'm adding to that at least one book a month must be non-fiction and/or writing related.) -- 2, count 'em, 2 non-fiction this month (Smashwords Style Guide by Mark Coker & We Are Not Alone: The Writer's Guide to Social Media by Kristen Lamb), Mystery (Twelve Sharp (Stephanie Plum #12) by Janet Evanovich), Urban Fantasy (Unholy Ghosts (Downside Ghosts #1) by Stacia Kane), Paranormal Romance (Wicked Highlander (Dark Sword) by Donna Grant), Historical Romance (Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale)
3. Alternate male and female authors (I will say at least one male author per month.) -- Mark Coker
4. Write a note to 1 author each month -- fail

March Reading Summary

Total number of books read: 16 (crap, I out did myself!)

Monthly reading goals:

1. 1 new-to-me author each month -- Nicky Charles
2. 4 genres/sub-genres each month (I'm adding to that at least one book a month must be non-fiction and/or writing related.) -- Mystery (To the Nines (Stephanie Plum)by Janet Evanovich), Paranormal Romance (Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson)by Molly Harper), Romantic Suspense (Kill for Meby Karen Rose), and lots more of the same so I didn't make the 4 and/or the non-fiction, oh well.
3. Alternate male and female authors (I will say at least one male author per month.) -- yeah, didn't get this covered either
4. Write a note to 1 author each month -- not yet

Happy Release Day

So many books, so little time...

Highlander's Curseby Melissa Mayhue

Eternal Rider (Lords of Deliverance)by Larissa Ione

Lady Doctor Wyre: Jane Austen Space Opera, Book 1by Joely Sue Burkhart

Dead in the Family (Sookie Stackhouse)by Charlaine Harris

My One and Onlyby Kristan Higgins

Vampire Mineby Kerrelyn Sparks

Lover Unleashed (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 9)by JR Ward

What are you waiting for? Run out for, or download to your e-reader of choice, some new reading material. Or if you already did, what are you reading?

I just finished Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Book 1)by Molly Harper which was a fun romp if reminiscent to the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris.

E-book Week

Wallpaper courtesy of Pickyme Digital Artist

Who knew?  LOL

Here's an awesome chance to try out a new author for free or at a huge discount. A few links to get you started --

Cate Masters

KM Weiland

Shiloh Walker

Angelina Rain

Alison Kent

General e-book specials from the main site.

Happy reading!

February Reading Summary

Total number of books read: 12

Monthly reading goals:

1. 1 new-to-me author each month -- Lindsay Buroker
2. 4 genres/sub-genres each month (I'm adding to that at least one book a month must be non-fiction and/or writing related.) -- Non-Fiction (GMC by Debra Dixon) -- yay me I got it in this month, Mystery (High Fiveby Janet Evanovich), Urban Fantasy (Shadowfeverby Karen Marie Moning), Fantasy (The Emperor's Edge by Lindsay Buroker), Fantasy Romance (The Bloodgate Guardianby Joely Sue Burkhart)
3. 4 release years each month -- N/A
4. 1 book from glommed author (A glommed author is someone whose books you’ve bought a bunch of after reading one or two that you love.) -- N/A
5. 1 book from unfinished pile till depleted -- N/A
6. Alternate male and female authors (I will say at least one male author per month.) -- Moses Siregar III
7. Write a note to 1 author each month -- see #1