#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!

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! :-)

#Interview With Gus Kenney!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

Gus Kenney is joining us today. Gus, can you tell us a bit about yourself and how many books you have written?

Gus:  I have written 3 books as part of a YA fantasy series that I call the Complications of Being Lucy. It contains the titles, starting with the first, The Changeling and The Cupboard, The Changeling and The Borrowed Family, and Traitor's Niece. I live in western New York with my wonderful wife and our 3 puppy dogs.

Me: Ah! A fellow New Yorker! ;-) What's the name of your latest book and what inspired it?

Gus: Traitor's Niece is the latest installment in the Complications of Being Lucy and it continues the adventures of the main character Lucy Bison as she deals with a significant loss in her life. I wasn't originally inspired by anything other than continuing the series as intended, but it became more of a vehicle to deal with the losses in my own life that occurred during the year that I was writing it.

Me: I'm very sorry to hear you've been dealing with losses, I hope things get better for you. What are you working on now?

Gus: Presently I'm working on the next book in the series titled Daughter of Ash. I'm also trying to get another series started up but keep losing traction as soon as someone asks me about Lucy.

Me: Juggling multiple series can definitely be a challenge. What authors, or books, have influenced you?

Gus: House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski and The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls by Emilie Autumn have been very influential as they showed me alternative ways to present a narrative to a story. Ways I had never considered before from reading fantasy growing up. The visual additives were also an interesting feature, just nothing I would ever have the talent to incorporate.

Me: I agree, reading other people's work can definitely help you find your own voice in writing. What are you reading now?

Gus: A girl (and I only call her that because she looks so damn young) that I met through the wonderful whirlwind that has been marketing my books, has recently completed her first book and I offered to give it a look over. So far it looks great and I hope it does well for her when it comes time for her to share it with the world.

Me: That's wonderful! :-) Always good to hear more great stories are in the works.  For those who might consider reading your book, what would you tell them to expect?

Gus: The Unexpected! The characters and archetypes in the books are not your typical personifications. Creatures often depicted as monsters are now the heroes. It is an adventure story that ultimately has much to do with family.

Me:  Sounds like fun! :-) What is your favorite part of being an author?

Gus: Writing. The power to create something from words is euphoric. Spinning stories from my mind is the best part of being an author.

Me: Yes, there's nothing quite like the feeling when the muse is whispering in your ear and your fingers fly over the keyboard to bring the story to life. :-) Do you have a day job as well?

Gus: Unfortunately. Four days a week I get to bury myself up to my elbows, or deeper depending on the task, into a grease pit that is supposed to be a locomotive and try to bring it to life.

Me: Ha! Well, many of us have to bring a little elbow grease to make a living. ;-) What are the hardest and easiest parts of being a writer?

Gus: Coming up with ideas is the easiest part–sometimes too easy. The hardest part is sharing the stories with the world once they are ready, because they never feel ready (or that just may be me). There always feels like one more tweek would make it perfect. Maybe just changing one little thing and it would be flawless. And you want them to be flawless because, like children, you want them to be accepted and not bullied.

Me: Amen! :-) What genre do you place your books in?

Gus: They are YA fantasy, though the YA part is slightly misleading. They are safe for young ones is all that really means. I didn't write the book to appeal to a specific demographic and have since found out that people of many ages have enjoyed it. The fantasy part is legit. Witches, elves, all that are in there.

Me: That's awesome! :-) Is there anything else you'd like to tell your readers?

Gus: Sorry for the delay on Traitor's Niece. I'd say it won't happen again but that would be a huge lie. I'm terrible with keeping deadlines. So expect Daughter of Ash sometime after the day you read this. That is as much as I can say for a time. And of course thank you all for the wonderful support. It has meant so much to me!

Me: And so these fine folks can find your work, are there any links you'd like to share?

Gus:

Buy Link: http://smarturl.it/traitorsNieceb3
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gus.kenney
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/LucyBison
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucybison/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13628983.Gus_Kenney
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Gus-Kenney/e/B00UPGZ7SY/
Website: https://www.guskenney.com/
Email: guskenney@yahoo.com

Me: Perfect! That's so much for being here today, Gus. And thank you to the rest of you who dropped by as well. Don't forget to check back tomorrow for the latest in Mistral Dawn's Musings! :-)