What #Price Would You Pay For #Freedom?

Hey Everyone!!

I'm back with another peek at what Petri and her friends are up to. It seems there may be light at the end of the tunnel, but nothing good comes without a price. ;-)

Excerpt from book two of the Petri Dish Chronicles:
Chessie shook her head. "What do you think the Arcanum are going to do now?"

"I don't think. I know."

"How?" asked Daji.

"When I attacked the Collective, I broke through all their barriers. I saw what they are planning."

"You saw all their plans?"

"Yes. I don't understand them all, but I saw them. And I know what they're going to demand in exchange for letting us go."

"You think they will let us go, now that you have attacked them?"

Petri nodded firmly. "Yes. No one was killed or permanently harmed in my attack, and the Arcanum have really strict rules against killing people they consider sentient. They won't kill me, and they won't want to try to hold me against my will anymore."

"So what will they do?"

She sighed. "When I told you before that everything the Arcanum told me was common knowledge among them, that wasn't completely true. Most of what they told me was, but I had to trade to get the information about the Hatari. That's something that only a few of the oldest of them know."

Chessie reached out and gripped Petri's hand. "Will they be angry that you told us?"

Petri shook her head. "No. They don't consider you people, so they don't care what you know or don't know. It would be like if Daji told one of your secrets to Kivuli. You wouldn't care."

Looking over at the tessa in question, Chessie relaxed and let go of Petri's hand. The animal responded to the sudden attention she was receiving by preening and wrapping even more of Sadaka's hair around herself. The silent child reached up to pet and settle the animal down, and the adults at the table smiled, the small injection of humor cutting the tension in the room.

"All right, then, hun, what did you have to trade for that information?"

Grimacing, Petri took a deep breath. "The Arcanum who trained me went through my mind before I learned how to keep it out. It couldn't see everything, which is why it agreed to bargain with me, but it saw some of what happened on Upworld."

"Well, that's not so bad," said Chessie, slowly, a look of confusion on her face. "Unless…"

Hm... Unless what, I wonder? I guess you'll all have to read the book to find out. ;-)  Yeah, I know, I'm horrible. But I'm really hoping to be able to release it in the next couple of months, so it won't be too much of a wait. :-)  Thanks for stopping by, everyone, and don't forget to check back tomorrow for another edition of Mistral Dawn's Musings! :-)

Something Worth Watching?

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I'm back today with another video I wanted to share.  If you follow this blog at all, then you've probably already heard me speak about Jordan Chariton, a TYT investigative reporter, and how much I admire his dedication to uncovering the truth. Today, I'd like to share another example of what real journalism looks like. Jordan is back in North Dakota, and he has been covering the sham trials of the water protectors who have been arrested on trumped-up charges. The farce that these kangaroo courts are making of our justice system is alarming, but at least there are a few dedicated people like Jordan who are willing to speak truth to power.

A #Pie In A #Pot? ;-)

Hey Everyone! :-)

I'm back with another recipe to share. This one is for all those other lazy cooks out there. :-)

Pot Pie In A Crockpot Ingredients:
6 potatoes washed and cubed
3 carrots peeled and chopped
1 bag frozen peas
1 large onion finely chopped
1 12 oz package sliced button mushrooms
1 zucchini chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
1 head of broccoli chopped or 1 bag of frozen chopped broccoli
1 cup vegetable stock
1 can refrigerated biscuit dough
2 tbsp vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
4 cloves of garlic chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Put all the ingredients except the broccoli and biscuit dough in a crockpot and cook on high for 4-6 hours. Remove the bay leaves, add the broccoli, and stir the contents. Cook for another hour or so. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Remove the biscuit dough from the can (you know them, they're the kind that pops when you open them) and separate the individual biscuits. Remove the cover of the crockpot and place the biscuits on top of the vegetables in an even layer. Put the whole crock (the ceramic part that sits in the metal part only, not the metal part with the controls) in the oven without the cover and bake according to the directions on the biscuit package.

As always, I prefer my pot pie without meat, but you can add any meat you like. Just please make sure the meat is cooked before you add it to the crockpot because food poisoning sucks. Also, you can of course remove or add any vegetables you like. This recipe is more about a process than about a specific ingredient list. Likewise, you can adjust the seasonings however you like to suit your taste.

Bon appetit! :-)

For The #Love Of #Books #Valentine #Giveaway! $135 #Cash #Grand #Prize! #Free To #Enter!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

There's a new Valentine giveaway!  Please take a moment to check out the Love Of Books Valentine Giveaway!!  There are lots of awesome books and prizes!! :-)  It's free to enter, there are over 100 prizes, and the grand prize is $135 cash payable through PayPal!! :-)  Now isn't that worth taking a few minutes to check out? ;-)   Here are all the details:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you so much for stopping by today!  And don't forget to check back tomorrow for the next installment of Mistral Dawn's Musings! :-)

Something Worth Watching?

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I'm back today with another video I wanted to share.  The question that is on most American's mind at this time is, how do we turn things around and take our government back?  To date, this is the group that seems to have the most concrete, substantive answer that I've heard to that question.  Take a look.

If it sounds good to you and you'd like to learn more, you can find the organization here:

Justice Democrats Website

And remember, my friends, #WeAreTheMajority. Peace!

#APC #Spotlight: #Bound To Blackwood By Sharon Lipman!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

Today, I've got Sharon Lipman in my APC spotlight!  Sharon is an active and supportive member of  the  Authors-Professional Co-op Facebook group and her vampire paranormal romance, Bound To Blackwood, sounds fantastic! Here's the description:

Would you surrender your soul for the love of the King?
Lena, a vampire and a Guardian of the Order, has been honour-bound to protect human souls all her life. Acting first and thinking second is what's saved her skin time and again in the war against the Fallen, but her disregard for orders soon catches up with her when her boss is seriously injured. Forced to take responsibility for her actions, Lena is thrust into the path of her very own kryptonite; Thorn. The raw power of his soul calls to her and his mere presence lights a fire within her that she cannot contain.
With Vampire magic waning and the race in crisis, can either of them afford to ignore Nature's call? If they do, the future of the race is in jeopardy. If they don't, they will both lose the most precious part of themselves. Their souls.

If you think it sounds as good as I do, you can grab your copy here:

Thank you all so much for stopping by! Happy reading! :-)

#Agent Thoth's #Personal Log: Day 465

Hey Everyone! :-)

Agent Thoth discusses more of the trials and tribulations associated with living with hominids. Incidentally, if you've missed Agent Thoth's earlier entries, you can find them here: Thoth's Journal

Department for the Preservation and Confirmation of Intelligent Life (DPCIL)

Agent Thoth's Personal Log

Day Four-Hundred-Sixty-Five:

I remain unable to concentrate on my research due to the continued presence and disruption of the infant felid. I have attempted every means at my disposal to communicate to my hominid-servant that the presence of the small beast is unacceptable. I even resorted to urinating on the creature to express my displeasure, but all that achieved was causing my hominid-servant to flap her arms and screech at me and lock me in the small box that she uses when she considers my actions to be unacceptable.

But it is not my behavior that needs adjustment in this case! The tiny monstrosity has got to go! If it were not for the fact that the felid is an infant of its kind, I would have already challenged it to a duel and ripped out its throat! Such is the appropriate penalty for trespassing in another's domicile. However, as things are, its age precludes any type of violent response, and so I am left to devise other methods to express my extreme discontent. I will see if my ingenuity is up to the task.

Ugh! Hominids can be so dense! I wonder if poor Agent Thoth will be able to adjust to the invasion of his territory or if he'll decide to abandon his mission. You may have noticed that Agent Thoth has a new look. I hope you like his new picture as much as I do, but I'd love to hear your thoughts, either way. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments. ;-) Happy reading, everyone!