Dead Zone

by Bethany Maines

Welcome to the day where no one is on-line, but everyone is at the grocery store. Hopefully, you are successfully home from such an excursion and have yet to launch into the holiday madness of bake, travel, eat, travel, flop face first onto the pile of laundry on your bed because you didn't have time to put it away before you left. My hope for you, dear reader, is that your home with your feet up reading a good book and sipping hot cocoa, cider, or the nog of your choice. That is also my dream for myself, so let's dream the impossible dream together.

The dream starts with good books. Check this space on Friday for a Stiletto Gang book guide featuring some awesome giveaways, sales and just a general list of good things to read. But here are some of mine that you can snag for a quick, easy and cheap!

Blue Christmas - Want a hilarious romantic holiday thriller? Simply join my newsletter and get this one for free. It's as easy as that.
Link: bethanymaines.com/free-e-book/

An Unseen Current - Murder, mystery, a hunky Sheriff's Deputy, a granddaughter / granddad detective duo, oh, and there's a dog.  The third in the series, An Unfamiliar Sea, comes out in January.  Grab book one for $.99!
Link: Amazon

Shark's Instinct - Crime, humor, and a heroine and hero that are more than they seem, the Shark Santoyo Series follows a duo that have the odds stacked against them.  Buy book one for $.99 or check it out on Kindle Unlimited.
Link: Amazon

  

Now let's talk Nog.  I personally do not believe in egg nog.  Too much egg.  Not enough nog.  But I do believe in cocktails.  So with that in mind I suggest the Moscow Mule.  Served in a festive copper cup (but really can be drunk out of anything) try this drink with a slice of lime as a garnish.

Main alcohol: Vodka
Ingredients: 4 oz Ginger beer, 1 1/2 oz Vodka, 1/6 oz Lime juice
Preparation: Combine vodka and ginger beer in a copper mug or highball glass filled with ice. Add lime juice. Stir gently and garnish with a lime slice.
Served: On the rocks; poured over ice.
Drinkware: Copper mug or highball glass

Good luck out there my friends. Don't let the holidays be anything less than jolly!

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Bethany Maines is the award-winning author of the Carrie Mae Mysteries, San Juan Islands Mysteries, Shark Santoyo Crime Series, and numerous short stories. When she's not traveling to exotic lands, or kicking some serious butt with her black belt in karate, she can be found chasing her daughter or glued to the computer working on her next novel. You can also catch up with her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and BookBub.

Free Book! Free Recipe! Free Time?

by Bethany Maines

Ok, it’s the day before Thanksgiving and that means that you are either baking like a mad fiend or you’re kicking back while someone else bakes and wishing that you could be done with work so you could go home and get your holiday on.  My mom does the hosting for Thanksgiving and that means I skate by making the easy stuff like cookies, pies, and the cranberry sauce.  Only I make cranberry relish because it’s easier, and far, far tastier than the gelatinous glop that comes out of a can.  (See below for the recipe!)

Hopefully, you’re in a similar position when it comes to the holiday cooking and you’ll have a little free time to read something new this weekend. And because I’m feeling ever so thankful for readers like you, the first 5 people to comment get a free e-book version of my short story collection Tales from the City of Destiny. I will also be drawing one name after the five person cut off, so leave a comment no matter what, and then hop over to the Girlfriends Book Club for a second chance to win on my second blog of the day!  I will contact all winners by Friday 11/27.

Cranberry Relish:

• 1 bag cranberries (the bags usually have holes, so a quick tip is to rinse them while they’re still in the bag and let the water drain out)
• 1 orange (don’t forget to remove the sticker)
• 1 cup white sugar (use less or more depending on taste)
• Optional: pinch of cinnamon 

Directions: Rinse everything.  Chop orange in quarters.  Put orange and cranberries into food processor and chop.  Add cup of sugar.  Chop until everything is of relish consistency.  Put in bowl.  Pretend you slaved for hours.  Eat.

Bethany Maines is the author of the Carrie Mae Mystery series and Tales from the City of Destiny. You can also view the Carrie Mae youtube video or catch up with her on Twitter and Facebook.

Thanks!

By Bethany Maines

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I feel it would be traditional to catalog the things I’m thankful for.  Currently, I’m thankful that I don’t have to pee. 

For those of you who aren’t Facebook friends or who missed the announcement, I am, what the old novels describe as, “in the family way.”  All the magazines these days describe it as having a baby bump.  I describe it as having someone jump up and down on my bladder all day long.

It is our first foray into parenthood and we’re looking forward to it.  Clearly, we’re not looking forward to it as much as our parents and some of our “Auntie” friends.  Which I figure is only natural – they get to have all the fun of a baby with none of the actual work.  My father, in particular, seems to be laying in stocks of sugary snacks, and cataloging noise making toys.  He’s taking grandpa-hood seriously and if this baby girl doesn’t think he’s the awesomest grandpa ever, it won’t be for lack of a well-organized campaign that includes flanking maneuvers, propaganda, and bribes. 

Meanwhile, my brother seems to be on permanent rant about which baby names are “stupid.”  As far as I can tell he doesn’t like any baby names.  Which is very freeing in the sense that any name my husband and I pick will obviously fall short of the extremely ridicu… er… lofty rules my brother seems to have.  Not that I was planning on obtaining his opinion on a name anyway, but it’s always nice to know where one stands.

All of which, leaves me feeling extremely grateful. For as annoying as my friends and family are, well, the fact remains that I have a whole truck-load of friends and family! How could I be any luckier?  (I could win the lottery.  Just throwing that out there God, in case you’re listening.)  Tomorrow, I will be baking pies and trying not to over stuff myself surrounded by people who love me and will also love my baby.  And that really, is pretty much the definition of a good thanksgiving.  I can only hope that you out there in Stiletto land will be as lucky.  And in appreciation for welcoming me onto your computers I offer up this extremely simple recipe that has replaced cranberry sauce at our house.

Cranberry Relish

Ingredients:

• 1 bag cranberries
• 1 large orange
• 1 cup sugar

Directions: Place all ingredients in food processor and chop finely.  You may need to quarter the orange to fit into the food processor, but you do not need to peel it.  Add more sugar and a touch of cinnamon if desired.  Keeps for at least 2 weeks in fridge, but it doesn’t usually last that long.  Also great on pancakes and toast.

Bethany Maines is the author of the Carrie Mae Mystery series and Tales from the City of Destiny. You can also view the Carrie Mae youtube video or catch up with her on Twitter and Facebook.