Stick-To-Your-Ribs Ratatouille #Recipe!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I don't know about where you are, but it's still pretty cold here. And, right about now, when the weather has been cold and dreary for a couple of months, I like to make something warm and hearty, but with plenty of bright veggies to remind me that the sun actually does still exist...somewhere. ;-) Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 15oz cans diced tomatoes
2 15oz cans chickpeas drained and rinsed
1 cup dry red wine or 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1.5 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
2 onions chopped fine
1 bell pepper chopped
1 zucchini diced
1 butternut squash roasted and diced
1 carrot shredded
1 eggplant roasted and diced
6 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup fresh oregano shredded
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves shredded
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes or chili powder (optional)
1/4 cup cornstarch slurry
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large, deep-sided skillet, add the olive oil and onions and saute until golden brown. Add the squash, zucchini, eggplant, pepper, carrots, garlic, chickpeas, dried seasonings, and butter and saute until the pepper softens. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as necessary. Deglaze the pan with the wine or vinegar and add the tomatoes and the rest of the seasonings. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Add the slurry and continue simmering for 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and serve over pasta, rice, potatoes, or by itself with a side of crusty bread.

Bon Appetit!

Lovestruck #Authors & #Bloggers #ValentinesDay #Giveaway! $100 #Cash #Grand #Prize! #Free To #Enter!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

There's a new giveaway for Valentine's Day!  Please take a moment to check out the Lovestruck Authors And Bloggers Valentine's Day Giveaway!!  There are lots of awesome books and prizes!! :-)  It's free to enter, there are over 30 prizes, and the grand prize is $100 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! :-)

#Interview With Connie Cockrell!

Hey Everyone!

Please join me in welcoming Connie Cockrell to my blog, today! Connie, will you please tell us about yourself and how many books you have written?

Connie: I only started writing in 2011, for the National Novel Writing Month. I was challenged by my daughter when she came home from a visit with a friend all excited about this writing challenge she had decided to take on. I asked how hard is it to write 1667 words a day and she said, “If you think it’s so easy, you do it!” So I borrowed her copy of Story Engineering by Larry Brooks and started planning. It was already mid-October. On November first I began and won that NaNoWriMo and have been writing ever since. I’m just releasing Tested, the fourth book in my Brown Rain series, the eighteenth book I’ve published. I have some others written, but not yet edited or published.

Me: Wow! Busy lady! :-) What's the name of your latest book and what inspired it?

Connie: Tested is my latest published book. But I just finished a draft of my fourth cozy mystery series book, Mystery at the Reunion. My Jean Hays series is about a fiftyish woman, retired Air Force and divorced who moves to a small Arizona town to start over. I like writing about an older woman, and yes, she’s a lot like me, though I’ve never found a dead body. Jean is fun and has made friends with a local woman, Karen Carver, and they get into all sorts of adventures together. It’s fun to set up the problems and see how she gets out of them.

Me: That does sound like fun! And diversity in literature is something that should always be encourgaged. ;-) What are you working on now?

Connie: I’m finishing up a fantasy that I’ve been publishing weekly on my website. I have been doing a free, flash fiction (1000 words or less), for about 5 years now. I started off thinking I was just writing a flash or short story, but I’ve been adding to this every week for over 40 weeks now. It’s become a novella. I’m also writing a YA series of novellas set in the current era, which I call All About Bob. Every book’s main character is a Bob or Bobbi. I’ve finished drafting the first one and have four more to do. I plan on putting this into the Kindle Unlimited system when the series is completed.

Me: Sounds great! :-) What authors, or books, have influenced you?

Connie: I discovered science fiction when a childhood friend brought me a whole box of classic science fiction from a paper drive she’d participated in. It was July and I spent the rest of that summer reading every book in that box. I was totally hooked. It had Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, and all of the other classic authors. That’s what inspired me to start my writing with a science fiction book, Bad Seed. It’s set in the current era and is about what happens if our food is genetically modified.

Me: I agree, sci-fi is a great genre! What are you reading now?

Connie: Right now I’m reading Euphoria Lane, by Tina Swayzee McCright. I attended a small mystery conference with her a couple of years ago and promised her a review. It’s taking me some time but I’m getting to it. The book is part of her Homeowners’ Association Mystery series. And I’m loving the concept.

Me: Cool! And I agree, it's important for us all to support our fellow authors. :-) For those who might consider reading your book, what would you tell them to expect?

Connie: Whatever genre of mine you pick up, SciFi, Fantasy, Cozy Mystery, Western or YA, I write about characters who are making a difference. Much of my work tends toward promoting the individual over giant corporations or governments. Not preachy but intense! You root for the main character every time.

Me: Stories with a message, I love it! What is your favorite part of being an author?

Connie: I love creating the world, world-building the background. Even in my cozy mystery series, set in a fictional central Arizona town, there’s world-building going on.

Me: World-building is my favorite part of writing, too. :-) Do you have a day job as well?

Connie: I do not have a day job, unless you count the fact that I’m a volunteer for the Payson Book Festival (the Director, actually, since I started the festival) and am a board member of the local Northern Gila County Fair. Both of those are major events and take up a lot of time.

Me: Sounds like it! What are the hardest and easiest part of being an author?

Connie: The easiest part is writing the story. The hardest part is editing.

Me: I think a lot of authors would agree with you there. What genre do you place your book in?

Connie: My newest release, Tested, is a YA Post-Apocalyptic story. Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic stories are a favorite of mine.

Me: I love dystopian fiction too. :-) Is there anything else you’d like to tell your readers?

Connie: Yes! I sell other products on my site under the tab My Books and Other Products. I’ve created mugs with my book covers on them and new for 2018, a calendar. The pictures on the calendar were taken by my husband here in Arizona. Some are from our yard, others from hikes we’ve taken in the area.

Me: How creative! And so these fine folks can find your fun swag, are there any links you’d like me to post?

Connie: I would! My website is www.conniesrandomthoughts.com. You can find me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ConniesRandomThoughts/. On Twitter I’m @ConnieCockrell. On Instagram I’m at https://www.instagram.com/conniesrandomthoughts/. I have a BookBub account as well at https://www.bookbub.com/profile/connie-cockrell (@conniecockrell). Thank you so much for having me on your blog!

Me: Wonderful! You're welcome, and thank you so much for stopping by, today. Thank you to the rest of you who joined us, as well, and don't forget to check back tomorrow for the latest in Mistral Dawn's Musings! :-)

#APC #Spotlight: Valentine's Day by C A Keith!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I've got C A Keith in my APC spotlight, today! C A is an active and supportive member of the  Authors-Professional Co-op Facebook group and her short ghost story, Valentine's Day, is part of the Ghostly Writes Valentines Anthology 2017, which looks great! Here's the description:

From the minds of writers from around the globe, Plaisted Publishing presents a collection of ghost stories that will chill you, haunt your heart, and steal your soul from eternal devotion to undying love. International authors include: C.A. Keith, Audrina Lane, Karen J. Mossman, Adele Marie Park, Jane Risdon, Jennifer Deese, Lynn Mullican, and a poem from Kyrena Lynch

 If you think this sounds like something you might enjoy, go ahead and grab your copy here:

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

#Agent Thoth's #Personal Log: Day 686

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-Eighty-Six:

As I previously mentioned, cardboard containers are left outside my domicile at erratic intervals and to mysterious purpose. My hominid-servant never fails to retrieve these containers; however, she also never fails to thwart all my attempts to examine them before she meddles with them.

Naturally, once she has handled the containers, I can no longer vouch for the integrity of the contents. I can offer anecdotal evidence surrounding the appearance of certain hominid artifacts after one of these containers have been emptied. But, of course, such does not equate with the same standard as actual observation and recording.

I will continue to investigate this phenomenon and report back with any new developments. On a side note, I have also been considering various methodologies for preventing hominid interference in my studies. Again, I will be sure to report back with any additional data on this front.

Those dastardly hominids and their interference! ;-) 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!

When The Powerful Feel #Fear...

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I've got a little more of Alyce's adventure to share with you, today! Enjoy! :-)

Excerpt from sci-fi satire novel:
"As I said, the people who are powerful fear that the rest of us will one day wake up to the fact that we can force them to share if we just work together. So, they use a lot of different strategies, some of which we've discussed, to keep us divided. But, when people get too angry and start to take action, they'll try to use the police to disrupt any protests and bully the protesters into backing down."

"Are the police part of the ruling elite in your society?" asked Squid-boy.

I shook my head. "No. That's part of the genius of their strategy. Cops are just working stiffs like the rest of us. Most of them are good people and they become police officers because they actually do want to help others and keep them safe. But the way the powerful have structured the legal system makes it almost inevitable that the police will end up at odds with the communities they're supposed to serve. And that means that regular people end up viewing cops as 'the enemy' and, so, cops end up returning the favor and viewing regular people as 'the enemy', too."

"When, in reality, it's the people who are pulling the strings who are the enemies of both groups," murmured Yax.

I pointed at him. "Bingo. That's it, exactly."

"But how does your legal system set up such a dysfunctional dynamic?" asked Squid-boy.

"Oh, there are lots of ways. One is the drug laws we talked about, before. They criminalize normal human behavior and then selectively enforce those laws. People will take drugs because it feels good to them to take drugs, and it doesn't really matter what the laws say. The people in power know this, that's why they make such laws. And they're careful to only criminalize the drugs that poor people tend to prefer; the drugs that are more common among the rich are either not illegal or there are less severe penalties associated with possessing them."

"So, they set up a situation where police feel they have a right to peer into people's private affairs," said Yax.

"Yep. And, let's be honest, just making laws like that is a huge overstep of authority by the government. After all, it's one thing for the government to regulate the manufacturing of goods or to mandate certain warnings be issued about the likely effects of a given substance. But who are they to tell consenting adults what they may or may not put into their own bodies? Why should free citizens allow their personal, private behavior to be controlled like that?"

"So, the laws surrounding these mind-altering substances only exist to create tensions between law enforcement officials and the rest of the community?"

"Pretty much."

"Then why do your people allow these laws to exist?"

"Well, that goes back to the divisions that have been created between people with different skin colors and between people from different parts of the country. Again, the drug laws aren't enforced equally and they don't apply equally to all drugs. So, the government uses propaganda to make it seem like some drugs are more dangerous than they are and those are generally the drugs that are typically used by people who are poor or who have darker skin or both. So, that makes people with lighter skin or people with slightly more money start to think that the people in the communities that are associated with the drugs the government has convinced them are dangerous are dangerous themselves. So, they vote for politicians who want to keep the drugs illegal because they think that will protect them from the people. Also, the corporations that manufacture pharmaceuticals want other drugs to be illegal because they are competition for those corporations. And, so, the corporations bribe politicians to keep those laws in place. So, there is more than one reason for the laws."

"But can't the people who live in the communities that are most affected by these laws organize to change them?" asked Squid-boy.

I nodded. "They can, and some of them have started to do that, but it's not easy. Those tend to be the communities that are the most disenfranchised. The laws we talked about before that keep people from voting tend to affect those communities the most. Plus, they are generally poor, which means most of the people who live in them work two or three jobs just to put food on the table, which doesn't leave them with a lot of time or energy for political engagement."

Yax frowned. "That seems awfully convenient for those who are in power."

I snorted. "Of course it is, that's how they designed the system. Also, you have to keep in mind what happens when the people in those communities finally do come together to protest." I pointed at the robots dressed like militarized police in the exhibit we were standing in front of. "This doesn't usually end well for the protesters."

Something Worth Watching?

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I'm back today with another video I wanted to share.  Last week, the most popular politician in the US, Bernie Sanders, participated in a Town Hall at which Medicare for All was discussed. Now, I'll warn you, it runs for about an hour and three quarters, but it's definitely worth watching. Representatives from all different parts of the healthcare system were present to answer questions and there were even international healthcare experts there who answered questions about how the single-payer healthcare systems in their countries worked and whether they were popular among their people, or not. Basically, the concept of instituting a Medicare for All, single-payer system in the US was dissected and analyzed and a lot of really interesting points were discussed. So, I hope, despite the length, you'll join the more than one million people who have watched this Town Hall and take the time to listen to what these people had to say. Peace!