Spooktacular #Author #Giveaway! $150 #Cash #Grand #Prize! #Free To #Enter!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

There's a new giveaway for Halloween!  Please take a moment to check out the Spooktacular Author Giveaway!!  There are lots of awesome books and prizes!! :-)  It's free to enter, there are over 100 prizes, and the grand prize is $150 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! :-)

#APC #Spotlight: Dragon Dreamer by J. S. Burke!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I've got Jenny Burke in my APC spotlight, today! Jenny is an active and supportive member of the  Authors-Professional Co-op Facebook group and her science fantasy novel, Dragon Dreamer, looks great! Here's the description:

Arak is a misfit dragon called "Dreamer". Determined to prove himself he leaves on a dangerous quest, is caught in a fierce sea-storm, and crashes on ice. Wounded and alone he faces death. Then a fearless undersea shape-shifter named Scree heals him and an unlikely friendship begins. When an undersea volcano erupts it triggers a towering tsunami and a deadly chain of events. Can Arak use his unique talents to save the dragons?

Sound good?  If you think you might enjoy this, go ahead and grab your copy here:

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

#NewRelease #Announcement: Thursday's Child By Jolie Mason With #Bonus #Recipe!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

My friend, Jolie Mason, is releasing a new book this week and she wanted to share a little treat with you that was inspired by her book. Jolie, take it away! :-)

Jolie:

Met Cuisine

Hello, everyone! I’m Char Hamilton, and this is Met Cuisine. Today, we’re preparing a manly favorite, Cheeseburger Quiche, and here to help me is my guest, the hero of the Met this morning, Detective Hayden Thursday. Thank you so much for appearing on the show today.

Thursday: Thank you for having me on.

Hamilton: And you dress so practically. I love it, darling. Now, let’s get right to it, shall we? For the audience at home, here’s our recipe.


1lb Ground Beef
1/3 cup chopped onion
4 eggs
½ cup mayo
½ cup skim milk
2 tbsp of flour
¼ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp salt.
¼ tsp pepper
6 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded and divided.
deep dish pie shell (9 inch)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a skillet, brown ground beef and onion; drain and set aside.
3. In a bowl, beat the eggs, then whisk in the mayo, milk, flour, oregano, salt and pepper.
4. Stir in beef mixture and 1 cup cheese.
5. Pour mixture into pie shell.
6. Bake for 40-45 minutes until eggs are firm.

Hamilton: As you can see, this is simple, so simple. Detective, if you could preheat our oven for us. Thank you, darling. So, you don’t have an easy job, I know. How do you cope with the pressure of home/work balance?

Thursday: Well, I suppose I’m not very good at it. I work a lot. I have two fish, though. Paisley and Delilah. They’re really big fish, so it’s kind of like having a dog… sort of.

(Hamilton continues browning her beef)

Thursday: My partner is like my family. He and his wife are the best. I eat there a lot.

Hamilton: Now, we whisk together the egg mixture until it’s nicely blended. You eat at your partner’s house all the time, dear? Do you cook at all?

Thursday (blushing): Not really. I make sandwiches. I make great sandwiches. (laughter)

Hamilton: (looks at the camera) Well, even the detective can make this dish. (Hands Thursday the bowl and whisk)

Thursday: Oh, I wouldn’t be too sure about that.

Hamilton: (prepares the pie crust and pours the ground beef into it) Now we’re going to evenly layer this beautiful cheese throughout the quiche. Keep it even. Detective pour in our quiche.

Thursday: Are you sure you want me to do it?

Hamilton: Of course, darling. It’s not quantum physics.

(Thursday moves closer to pie pan and trips on wires) (more laughter)

Hamilton: Oh, dear. Well, she tried to warn me. Almost anyone can make this Cheeseburger Quiche. Thank you for being here, Detective. It was a good effort. (awkwardly pats Thursday on shoulder)

Thursday: No, thank you. Do you have somewhere I can change?

#Agent Thoth's #Personal Log: Day 614

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 Six-Hundred-Fourteen:

Once again, my hominid-servant is bent on disturbing the tranquility of my domicile. I don't understand what drives her, but it must be a powerful instinct as she seems to have these urges cyclically. And I don't know how, or even if it is possible, to dissuade her.

At least twice during each revolution of this planet around its star, she finds it necessary to move all the furniture and either rearrange it or remove any detritus that has gathered beneath it before returning the furniture to its place. She also compulsively sorts through the contents of my domicile and randomly targets specific items for elimination. Which is disconcerting, to say the least.

Currently, she is focused on her sleeping room. It has been impossible for me to either rest or concentrate on my research for the past several days, which is most distressing. If I could isolate the factors that trigger such behavior in hominids, I would eliminate them from my servant's environment so that I could have some peace! Hopefully, this mania of hers will pass soon.

Ah! Those crazy hominids! ;-) 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!

Aliens Among Us!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I'm back with another glimpse at Alyce's adventures. Enjoy! :-)

Excerpt from sci-fi satire novel:
He gargled at me and then tucked his clipboard under one of his tentacles. "Apologies, young human. I have been responding to the multiple queries that my updates to the records concerning your planet have prompted. But, you're correct, such things can wait." He stretched his tentacles, craning his head to look over the exhibits. "Right now all we need is… Ah! There he is."

At Squid-boy's exclamation, I turned to see what he was talking about and gasped. Coming towards us was what looked like the embodiment of the classic description for Satan. The alien towered above me, at least nine feet of hard muscle and gleaming red skin, and I couldn't help it; I gaped at him. My eyes kept running from the hooves that looked like they belonged on a goat, up those backwards-turned legs, to the thick-muscled thighs that were covered in black shorts, to the washboard abs, sculpted chest and broad shoulders, to the pointed cleft chin, past the full lips and straight, pointed nose right above them, up to the wide, tilted, blood-red eyes that were framed by the black, glittering ram's horns that curled out from the top of his head, and back again. Even for an atheist like me, the sight of such a creature was…startling.

It took me a minute, but I realized Squid-boy was talking to the Devil incarnate as if he was just another person. "Greeting, Yaxurg, this is the human that was brought to help with some of the exhibits. Are you ready to begin?"

Satan turned to look at me, his gaze showing interest and curiosity. His perusal made me feel like a roast he was considering having for dinner. My eyes widened even more and my heart stuttered in my chest as a forked tongue flickered out past his lips towards me.

"A human female, Paxtiguantialablingondintalblinganham? I've heard of such creatures before. According to rumor, they can be quite…friendly." His voice was a bass rumble that raised the hair on the back of my neck.

Gazing down at me, he grinned, showing a row of pointed, black teeth, and crossed his arms over his chest. I just continued to gape as his biceps bulged and shifted. When I tore my eyes away from his chest and focused on his face again, he winked at me.

Which was like a bucket of cold water over my head. I might not know why the personification of evil was standing in front of me, but I knew I was being rude. And my mamma raised me better than that.

Hmmm....I wonder what this is all about? ;-)  Thank you all for stopping by today. And don't forget to check back tomorrow for the latest in Mistral Dawn's Musings! :-)

Something Worth Watching?

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I'm back today with another video I wanted to share. I think this is a really good analysis of the gimme deal for the rich that the Republicans will most likely succeed in shoving through. It's a little long, but please consider watching all the way through.

Yummy Spinach Manicotti #Recipe!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

Ingredients:
1 package manicotti shells
1 15oz container ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese
1 10oz package frozen spinach thawed and squeezed dry
2 onions minced fine
4 cloves garlic minced fine
4 tsp fresh parsley chopped
2 tsp fresh basil chopped
2 tsp fresh oregano chopped
1 egg
4 cups tomato sauce (Recipe Here)
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, mix ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella, 1/4 cup of the Romano, spinach, onion, garlic, basil, oregano, 2 teaspoons of the parsley, salt and pepper, and egg. Spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Stuff the uncooked manicotti shells with the ricotta mixture, and arrange in a single layer in the dish. Cover with the rest of the tomato sauce and sprinkle with the remaining parsley, mozzarella, and Romano. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 to 55 minutes, or until cheese is browned and manicotti shells are soft.

Buon Appetito!