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Catherine Castle

~ Romance for the Ages

Catherine Castle

Category Archives: Uncategorized

Catherine’s Comments—HAPPY DANCING!

01 Friday Oct 2021

Posted by Catherine Castle in Blog, Catherine's Comments, Uncategorized

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

broken bones, broken shoulder, Catherine Castle, Catherine's Comments, Happy Dancing, Physical therapy rehab

Image courtesy of Pixabay

I’m doing the happy dance at my house. Want to know why?

I have new bone growing in my broken shoulder and my broken foot. I’m healing!

I still have a way to go before those cracks are completely filled in, but after five weeks of being immobilized in a sling, I’ve finally been released from my cloth prison. I’m allowed to move my left arm, which means I can now reach the computer keyboard.  Now the real work to regain full mobility in my shoulder begins as PT moves from gentle hanging pendulums, to keep my shoulder from freezing up, to those lovely cane movements, pulley lifts, and overhead exercises that all recovering shoulder injury patients love…NOT! I may not love those exercises but, having shattered my right shoulder two years ago, I know the value of rehab.

It amazing how much one forgets in five weeks. I had to look up passwords that I’d previously typed in from memory. I couldn’t remember where I’d downloaded things people had sent me on my phone. After five weeks of playing the piano with only my right hand, the left hand got very rusty.  And my touch typing looks something like this—owhelkjng kioethin. Doejtgo. Iwljt.. But, all those skills should return as I continue to practice them.

I’d like to thank all my readers and followers who sent me well wishes and included me in their prayers. That means so much to me. And thanks to all the guests who so graciously agreed to have their posts moved to later dates. I’ll be in contact with you all very soon.

Beginning Monday October 4, all the blog series will resume. So, if you have a post coming up please send your information to me and we’ll get the blog rolls going again.

Thanks for your support!

Catherine

About the Author:

Multi-award winning author Catherine Castle loves writing. Before beginning her career as a romance writer she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit, under her real name, in the Christian and secular market. She also lays claim to over 300 internet articles written on a variety of subjects and several hundred poems. In addition to writing she loves reading, traveling, singing, theatre, quilting and gardening. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances. You can find her award-winning Soul Mate books The Nun and the Narc and A Groom for Mama, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, FB or her blog.

Broken…Again by Catherine Castle

25 Wednesday Aug 2021

Posted by Catherine Castle in Uncategorized

≈ 14 Comments

Hello my faithful readers and followers. I’ll apologize in advance for any irregularities In this post as I’m writing it from my phone. First time I’ve ever done a post this way.

Normally, you’d see a guest author today, but Sunday I took a spill and broken my left shoulder and my left foot and hot my head in a wall in the way to the ground. Yes, I don’t do many falls simple. LOL. I have an at-risk fracture( actually 3 fractures) in the top of my humerus and I must keep the shoulder as immobilized as possible to help it heal and avoid surgery.

So, for at least in the month of September, all posts on my blog series will be suspended and rescheduled for later dates. My hope is that my healing will have progressed enough by October that I will be able to start loading the guest blogs again. The simplest things take twice as long to accomplish when you are hogtied on one side so I need to simplify life while I heal.

Thanks for your patience and understanding as I heal from another fall.
Catherine Castle.

A Writer’s Garden–Theme Gardens by Emma Lane

05 Thursday Aug 2021

Posted by Catherine Castle in A Writer's Garden, Blog, books, cozy mystery, garden blog series, Guest Authors, mystery, Romance, romance author, Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

A Writer's Garden, cozy mystery, Emma Lane, flowers, Theme Gardens, Whispers of Danger and Love

from Emma Lane

Theme gardens can be fun for adventurous gardeners who want to shake things up.

Photo by Emma Gossett on Unsplash

Colorful annuals. Their raison d’etra, reason for living, is to bloom and make seeds. To keep them full of their bright and beautiful blossoms frequent culling of the old blooms is the secret. Paying attention to color combinations will enhance bedding petunias such as blue and yellow; red, white and blue; primary colors-red, yellow and blue; all pastels.

 

Perennials are friends forever. The trick here is to plant staggered bloomers. Daffodils and tulips for spring give way to lupine and peonies in April and May. June is for roses (and brides) and July owns lilies. Hibiscus and other members of the family (Rose of Sharon) for late summer, and we all appreciate summer’s wind up with splashes of intensely colored mums and sunflowers. There are many beautiful perennials to be planted in between. Careful attention to foliage varieties is also important for a successful perennial bed: spiky Crocosmia, spreading Dianthus, and pretty round-leafed Baptismia australis which has an herbal gray cast to its foliage.

Photo by Matthew T Rader on Unsplash

Butterfly and humming bird gardens are always fun. Certainly the tiny hummers appreciate blooms where they can dip in and steal a drop of nectar, but I’ve seen them take a tiny taste of flat but colorful yarrow. My son gifts me a huge fuchsia for Mother’s Day which is the very day I usually spot the first humming bird. They love this plant! Hummers prefer trumpet shaped blooms they can dip their long bills to drink the nectar, but I have observed them sipping from a daisy.

 

Shade gardens are wonderful underneath shaded walkways. Besides the enormous varieties of hosta, spring bulbs can be followed with blue bells and other shade loving perennials. Brunneria is a precious substitute for hosta. Deer treat it with disdain. Begonias have a large variety for annual shade; my favorite is non-stop begonia in their vivid colors. Spring blooming shrubs are glorious such as rhododendrons, azaleas, dogwood and many others that liven up the woods before the trees leaf out.

Cutting gardens are wonderful for those who appreciate fresh cut bouquets for inside. Reserve a bed especially for: gladiola, tall zinnias, phlox, sunflowers, snapdragons, lisianthus, lilies, just a few of the varieties that are splendid cut flowers.

 

… which leads me to call attention to my latest Cozy Adventure/ Mystery, Whispers of Danger and Love.

The heroine is a landscape architect who speaks gardening. She struggles with a client who demands a cutting garden midsummer, (and a hunky detective who seems bound to destroy her plants.) I enjoyed relaxing in her garden even as I created it from my own imaginings. It was also fun to watch the sparks fly between a couple who knew each other as children but must readjust their thinking as adults.

About the Writer/Gardener

Emma Lane is a gifted author who writes cozy mysteries as Janis Lane, Regency as Emma Lane, and spice as Sunny Lane.

She lives in Western New York where winter is snowy, spring arrives with rave reviews, summer days are long and velvet, and fall leaves are riotous in color. At long last she enjoys the perfect bow window for her desk where she is treated to a year-round panoramic view of nature. Her computer opens up a fourth fascinating window to the world. Her patient husband is always available to help with a plot twist and encourage Emma to never quit. Her day job is working with flowers at Herbtique and Plant Nursery, the nursery she and her son own.

Look for information about writing and plants on Emma’s new website. Leave a comment or a gardening question and put a smile on Emma’s face.

Stay connected to Emma on Facebook and Twitter. Be sure to check out the things that make Emma smile on Pinterest.

Tasty Tuesdays–Cheesy Olive Bread from Tina Griffith

25 Tuesday May 2021

Posted by Catherine Castle in food, Recipes, Tasty Tuesdays, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

appetizer or complete meal, bread, food blog, recipe, Tasty Tuesdays, Tina Griffith

from Tina Griffith

You decide. This recipe is easy to prepare and a favorite with my husband and me. We usually add a crisp salad and Voila! we have a complete dinner in a flash. Of course a bottle of red wine adds to the festivities.

CHEESY OLIVE BREAD
1 large crusty loaf French bread
1 – 6 oz. can pitted black olives, drained and sliced
⅓ cup red onion, chopped fine
2 ripe tomatoes, diced
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
½ – ¾ cup mayonnaise
Preheat oven to 325° F.

Cut bread in half lengthwise and then in half across the width. You now have four pieces, tops and bottoms. Set them onto an aluminum foil lined cookie sheet.

Add olives, onions, tomatoes, shredded cheese, and mayo into a medium size bowl. Mix together thoroughly. Use a spatula to smear the mixture onto the white part of the bread.

Now pop it into the oven. That’s it. When the cheese melts, 15 – 20 minutes, the bread is ready.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tina Griffith, who also wrote twenty-seven children’s books as Tina Ruiz, was born in Germany, but her family moved to Canada when she was in grammar school.

After her husband of 25 years passed away, she wrote romance novels to keep the love inside her heart. Tina now has eleven romance novels on Amazon, and while all of them have undertones of a love story, they are different genres; murder, mystery, whimsical, witches, ghosts, suspense, adventure, and her sister’s scary biography.

Tina has worked in television and radio as well as being a professional clown at the Children’s Hospital. She lives in Calgary with her second husband who encourages her to write her passion be it high-quality children’s books or intriguing romance.

Stay connected with Tina (Griffith) Ruiz on her Facebook group Tina Speaks Out.

Tasty Tuesdays–Corned Beef from Sloane Taylor

06 Tuesday Apr 2021

Posted by Catherine Castle in food, Recipes, Tasty Tuesdays, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Corned Beef, dinner, entree, food blog, recipe, Sloane Taylor, St. Patrick's Day, Tasty Tuesdays

Many Americans cook this meal as a traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal, which is only a St. Paddy’s Day tradition in the good old USA. You’ll never find corned beef served anyway on the Old Sod. That’s right. Our Irish brethren look at us in amazement, but that’s never stopped us Yanks from creating traditions. Here’s another news flash. You don’t have to reserved Corned Beef for the wearing o’ the green. So get out your pots and enjoy this non-traditional non-Irish meal from cookbook author Slaone Taylor anytime of the year.

MENU
Corned Beef
Cabbage
Carrots
Potatoes
Bakery Rye Bread
Horseradish Sauce
Mustard
Irish Beer and plenty of it

Corned Beef

1 5lb. corned beef brisket*
2 med. onions, peeled and quartered
4 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
3 bottles of beer, not Lite
water to cover

Preheat oven to 300 F°.

Place beef in a Dutch oven. Add remaining ingredients, including spice packet that comes with the beef.

Bring to a boil on stovetop. Place in oven and roast for 3 hours or until meat is fork tender.

*Don’t stint on the beef. It cooks down to approximately half. I learned this lesson the hard way.

Here’s a tip from my butcher Raoul. Always buy corned beef flat cut. It has less fat than the point. Therefore you get more meat for your money.

Vegetables
6 med. red potatoes, peeled and quartered
6 carrots, scraped and cut into 2″ pieces
1 celery stalk, cut into 2″ pieces
1 med. green cabbage, cut into 8 wedges
1 cup corned beef cooking liquid
water

You can prep all the veggies and store in a large container covered by cold water until you’re ready to cook them. Refrigerate so vegetables remain crisp.

Place veggies in a large pot. Stir in corned beef cooking liquid. Add water to cover vegetables by 2 inches. Cover pot. Set cooking temp at medium. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat so the pot doesn’t cook over, but maintain a soft boil. Cook about 30 minutes or until veggies are fork tender.

Horseradish Sauce

1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp. prepared horseradish
1 tsp. fresh chives, snipped short

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir well.

Transfer to a serving dish, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

May you enjoy all the days of your life filled with good friends, laughter, and seated around a well-laden table!


Sloane

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sloane Taylor is an Award-Winning romance author with a passion that consumes her day and night. She is an avid cook and posts new recipes on her blog every Wednesday. The recipes are user friendly, meaning easy.

Learn more about Taylor’s cookbooks, Date Night Dinners and Recipes to Create Holidays Extraordinaire on Amazon.

Connect with Sloane on her website, blog, on Facebook and Twitter.

Christmas Reads–Christmas Bouquets and Sweet Regency Christmas Romances from Emma Lane

24 Thursday Dec 2020

Posted by Catherine Castle in Christmas Reads, clean romance, historical romance, Holiday Reads, Sweet romance, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

A Regency Christmas Collection, Christmas Bouquets, Emma Lane, Flower Arrangements, Thursday Christmas Reads

from Emma Lane

I love to create festive bouquets for any season, but my personal favorite is Christmas. The holiday colors are vibrant and a joy to bring together in stunning arrangements. So let’s talk a little about how you can create masterpieces for your home and as hostess gifts. The work isn’t hard. It simply takes a little patience.

It looks easy, but the greenery for bouquets is more complicated than you might think. I’m fortunate because there is a veritable forest in my front and back yards. I deliberately refrain from trimming the evergreen shrubs out front until the holidays. That gives me a very fresh start to my bouquet which is difficult to match with store bought greenery. If you have any type shrub in your yard it will work. If not then you are forced to purchase them. I strongly recommend you visit your local nursery for the foliage you want.

There’s a combination of old-fashioned yew shrub because it holds the needles for a good while. I add cuttings from a blue spruce just because I love the tinted color. Then my secret choice for Christmas is clippings from a juniper shrub for its heady, wintry seasonal fragrance. I once made a bouquet using only juniper but quickly learned why that wasn’t a good idea. They dry out rapidly and lose the rich green color most desired. So, tuck them in to smell good but toward the back. There are plenty of other types of evergreen shrubs for possible Christmas decorations. By all means, bring them inside and test their worthiness.

Next are the luscious red berries. They grow on a native shrub named winterberry (ilex, a member of the holly berry family) in slightly swampy terrain. No, don’t go wild crafting unless you wear high waterproof boots! Fortunately, our brilliant horticulturists have propagated this shrub for home gardeners. Consider planting them in your yard. You must have a male and female to get berries and it takes patience. They are not fast growers, but well worth the effort. Plant toward the back of the garden. The bush itself is not all that attractive until the Fall berries appear. Then you begin a vigil to pick them before the flocks of robins descend during migration. Cedar Waxwings love them too, but they are so beautiful I give in just for the pleasure of watching. Winterberries are frequently found for sale at late Farmers’ Markets and in craft and florist shops. They will dry out but seldom fall off unless bumped or roughly handled.

You all know about poinsettia, the official Christmas potted flower. It’s the brackets that have the color. The flower itself is the small yellow center bloom. I personally find them boring, but one day an idea came to me. I cut them as if for a cut flower bouquet. Here are a few photos to better explain.

 

Once I bought a pink one and lightly sprayed it a tinted blue, as a blue bouquet was what the customer needed, pairing it with sprayed-gold milk weed pods.

The last one is a pale pink mixed with dried dock and milk weed pods, the red berries tucked in here and there with a brass colored vase. I’m particularly fond of this one. Christmas bouquets need not always be red to be lovely.

 

I wish you all a beautiful healthy and happy holiday season!

Emma

Enjoy the holiday season with one or both of Emma Lane’s sweet Regency Romances collections. Here is a brief intro for you.

 

Families can be troublesome, but a next door neighbor can sometimes be even worse. Caroline is
a strong-willed young lady and refuses to be bullied by a handsome duke. Four sweet Regency romances to get you in the mood for the season.

Amazon Link


Winter storms swirling snow and unexpected guests on the eve of Christmas, the pungent fragrance of fresh pine boughs, springs of mistletoe hung with red ribbons, and a stolen kiss underneath the kissing ball comprise scenes of Christmas in the country. Ice skating anyone? Have a cup of wassail and toast your toes in front of a warm fire while you enjoy four short stories of sweet Regency Christmas
romances.

Amazon Link

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Emma Lane is a gifted author who writes cozy mysteries as Janis Lane, Regency as Emma, and spice as Sunny Lane.

She lives in Western New York where winter is snowy, spring arrives with rave reviews, summer days are long and velvet, and fall leaves are riotous in color. At long last she enjoys the perfect bow window for her desk where she is treated to a year-round panoramic view of nature. Her computer opens up a fourth fascinating window to the world. Her patient husband is always available to help with a plot twist and encourage Emma to never quit. Her day job is working with flowers at Herbtique and Plant Nursery, the nursery she and her son own.

Look for information about writing and plants on Emma’s new website. Leave a comment or a gardening question and put a smile on Emma’s face.

Stay connected to Emma on Facebook and Twitter. Be sure to check out the things that make Emma smile on Pinterest.

Musings from a Writer’s Brain–Shedding Light on 2020 by Gail Kittleson

07 Monday Dec 2020

Posted by Catherine Castle in Uncategorized

≈ Comments Off on Musings from a Writer’s Brain–Shedding Light on 2020 by Gail Kittleson

Tags

essay COVID, Musings from a Writer's Brain, WWII fiction

           

 During the past two weeks, we’ve been dealing with a pesky squirrel.

Our granddaughter climbed a ladder to staple beautiful blue lights along our front rafter, and then draped several strings around one of the pine trees near the porch.

She and I got going on this before Thanksgiving because things seemed so gloomy. Light is my answer to that, so why not brighten up our corner of the world a little early this year?

 For a week or so, everything was going great. Then suddenly, the tree lights stopped working. Upon investigation, we discovered that some creature had bitten the wires in two.

 Okay, so we put up a second set of strings. They lasted another few days, until…you guessed it:

  We live in a town of 1,000, so the two stores that sell lights were out of blue. Nonplussed, we opted for multi-colored strings. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and, possibly, our phantom harbors a distaste only for the color blue…

           

            We rather like the effect, and the image created after dark sort of goes with a consistent theme from the past year: things might not go the way you intend. Recollecting on the myriad plans that have gone awry in our nation during 2020, I could rephrase that about a hundred different ways.

You never know what might happen.

Be ready for surprises.

Have a Plan B…and C…etc.

I also could quote a line from Robert Burns’ poem “To a Mouse”: “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft a-gley.”

 Perhaps in ten years, we’ll still look back at 2020 as the year everything seemed to fall apart, but then, we don’t know what lies ahead, do we? We do know that people of past generations have come through some very difficult times, and studying about them reminds me that LIGHT, in any shadowy circumstance, is still the answer.

WWII definitely sent the people living through it into a situation where it seemed their world was falling apart. But they managed to survive in spite of all odds. Check out Until Then, Gail’s inspiring story of the women who persevered among the trials and hardships of war.  

Until Then is available on Amazon.

Until Then

By Gail Kittleson

March 3, 1943

Bethnal Green, London’s East End

Shortly after a quarter past eight, a siren split the air. Marian Williams lifted her sleeping daughter from her bed and darted down the stairs. Her mother and father-in-law, off on air warden duty, had left the front door unlocked.

She hugged her youngest child close. The blackout made the going difficult, but her husband’s instructions echoed in her brain: “Whatever you do, get down inside the station fast as you can.”

She hoped for a spot near the canteen, with access to milk. Uneven light shone over the paved steps. Then she tripped. Her knee hit the concrete, then something bashed her left side. Someone cried out. Another blow scraped her arm on the landing floor. Where was her baby? She attempted to get up, but an even heavier weight slammed her face down. A crushing burden descended, then all went black.

Riding in the backs of Army trucks across North Africa, throughout the Sicily campaign, up the boot of Italy, and northward through France into Germany, Dorothy Woebbeking served as a surgical nurse with the 11th Evacuation Hospital.

During World War II, US Army nurses worked and slept in tents through horrific weather, endured enemy fire, and even the disdain of their own superior officers, who believed women had no place in war. But Dorothy and her comrades persevered, and their skills and upbeat attitude made a huge difference in the lives of thousands of wounded soldiers.

Dorothy and Marian’s stories converge on a simple, hand stitched handkerchief.

About the Author:

A rural Iowa child, Gail Kittleson appeared at her local library counter every Saturday to haul home a new pile of books. Later, she taught English as a Second Language and college expository writing. Over a ten-year period, writing a memoir led to her addiction to the World War II era. Her World War II fiction, including the Women of the Heartland series, honors this era’s make-do women, and she loves to cheerlead others through facilitating writing workshops/retreats. Gail and her husband enjoy grandchildren and gardening in northern Iowa, and the Mogollon Rim’s beautiful Ponderosa forest during the winter months.

Connect with Gail on her social media at :

http://www.gailkittleson.com/

www.facebook.com/GailKittlesonAuthor

http://amazon.com/author/gailkittleson

           

Wednesday Writers–Excerpt: When Valleys Bloom Again by Pat Jeanne Davis

02 Wednesday Dec 2020

Posted by Catherine Castle in Uncategorized

≈ 24 Comments

Welcome to Wednesday Writers.

Today’s guest is author Pat Jeanne Davis with an excerpt from her  WWII Inspirational Romance When Valleys Bloom Again, which is an excellent read, BTY. She’s also offering a giveaway, print or eBook, to one lucky commenter. So, be sure and leave your comment to be entered to win.  The excerpt Pat Jeanne is sharing takes place on December 7, 1941, an event that catapulted America into the WWII fight. Welcome, Pat!

    Thanks, Catherine,

        Seventy-nine years ago this December 8th in the chaotic hours after radio bulletins alerted US residents of the attack, President Franklin D. Roosevelt on a national radio broadcast went before a joint session of the U.S. Congress and began with the following words: “Yesterday, December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” The President requests a declaration of war against Japan.

            This horiffic act by the Empire of Japan and the President’s course of action that swiftly followed would forever have a significant impact on the life of Abby Stapleton, daughter of a British diplomat, and her future with Jim Wright, the man she loves.

When Valleys Bloom Again

by Pat Jeanne Davis

As war approaches in 1939 Abby Stapleton’s safety is under threat. Her father, a British diplomat, insists she go back to America until the danger passes. Abby vows to return to her home in London—but where is home? With her family facing mortal danger so far away and feeling herself isolated, she finds it hard to pray or read the Bible. Did she leave God behind in war-torn London too? Then Abby becomes friendly with Jim, a gardener on her uncle’s estate.

Jim can’t get Abby out of his mind. Did she have a sweetheart in England? Was it foolish to think she’d consider him? He curses his poverty and the disgrace of his father’s desertion and drunkenness haunts him. Can he learn to believe in love for a lifetime and to hope for a happy marriage?

Abby couldn’t know the war would last a long time, nor that she would fall in love with Jim—soon to be drafted by the U.S. Army—or that she’d have to confront Henri, a rejected suitor, determined by his lies to ruin her reputation and destroy her faith in God’s providence. Will she discover the true meaning of home?

December 7, 1941

After attending church with her aunt and uncle, Abby parked the car, ran into the house and raced upstairs. She would meet Jim on the river bridge for a walk, then they’d attend the concert in the park. Perfect weather for a perfect Sunday.

She switched on the radio and sat at the vanity dressing table, half listening. Even before that mad dash a few minutes ago, she was breathless. Tugging at the snags in her long hair, she replayed that enchanted scene in the conservatory, unable to take in fully the rapid turn of events. First, she was friendly with Jim, then forced to be aloof, then more than friends, and—who knows what next? She still couldn’t believe it.

At the full-length mirror on the door, she turned sideways. “Best I can do,” she said out loud, before glancing at the clock. It would take ten minutes to reach the bridge.

Dropping on all fours, she rummaged beneath the bed for her walking shoes.

The symphonic music stopped, followed by a burst of staccato speech.Cockingher ear, she caught one sentence.“The Empire of Japan has attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor.” It was enough. Her spine stiffened and she sucked in her breath. War is here.

In her stocking feet, she ran down the hall to her uncle’s office.

He sat at his desk, head resting in his hands.

She tapped on the door, trembling.

He looked up. “You heard, then?” He sighed. “I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised. All the signs were there. Still …”

She dropped into the chair beside him. “Does this mean America will go to war?”

He stared out the window “Nothing short of it.”

“Where is Pearl Harbor?”

He eased himself out of his seat, shuffled to a large world map mounted on the wall and peered at it through a magnifying glass. “Right here.”

Abby went over to where he stood.

“See. Hawaii,” he said, stepping aside for her. “A big naval facility.”

Abby turned away. “Do you think Aunt heard?”

“I’ll go and break the news to her myself.” Uncle Will put his arm around Abby’s shoulder, and they walked across the room.

At the door he stopped and half-turned, his voice quivering. “I’m sorry for all you young people. I think our generation has let you down.” He shook his head. “The sins of the fathers are visited upon the children once more.”

Taken aback and unable to think of anything to say, she watched him disappear down the hallway.

She whirled around and caught sight of her parents in the photograph her uncle kept on his desk. It was an old one, early 1920s, taken when their own bitter memories of the Great War were probably still fresh. Now she would be a comrade with them in their present suffering. But even this meager consolation yielded to a fear closer at hand. What would all this mean for Jim?                                               

Want to read more?

When Valleys Bloom Again can be purchased at Amazon

About the Author

PAT JEANNE DAVIS  has a keen interest in 20th Century United States and British history, particularly the period of World War II. Her longtime interest in that era goes back to the real-life stories she heard about family members who served during the war. When Valleys Bloom Again is a debut inspirational romance set in WWII. She enjoys flower gardening, genealogy research and traveling with her British-born husband.  She writes from her home in Philadelphia, Pa. Pat has published essays, short stories and articles online and in print. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. 

Connect with Pat Jeanne Davis on her

Website:  Goodreads: Amazon Author Page

Tasty Tuesdays–Freezing Corn for the Future from Tina Griffith

21 Tuesday Jul 2020

Posted by Catherine Castle in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

by Tina Griffith

When buying corn, check to make sure the ears are not rotten on the ends. You can certainly buy it and cut that part off, but I try to select ears as fresh and clean as possible.

After shedding the leaves and ‘soft hair’, drop corn in boiling water until it’s golden yellow.

Remove ears from pot and then rinse under cold water to cool them down.

Stand ears on end and carefully slice kernels off the cob. Once you’ve tasted fresh corn like this, you’ll never buy frozen or canned store-bought corn again.

I put the shaved corn from two or three cobs into each baggie, which is approximately a measured cup. This is perfectly portioned for my husband and myself.

These bags must be placed into freezer bags so the corn doesn’t get freezer burn. Two sandwich bags fit well into one medium sized freezer bag.

Squeeze out as much air as possible without crushing the corn. Place bags into your freezer. When you’re ready to prepare dinner, empty the baggy into a pot of boiling water. Heat just long enough for the kernels to get warm. I drain them and add garlic butter or regular butter before serving, but you can eat them with just salt and margarine.

Here’s an interesting fact about the corn cobs;

After you shave the kernels off, you can put the cobs into freezer bags and keep them for when you make soups.

Get your big pot out and add the left-over stems from broccoli and the discarded cobs of corn into the water. This will not only add flavor to whatever you’re making, but it will add some much-needed nutrition.

About the Author

Tina Griffith, who also wrote twenty-seven children’s books as Tina Ruiz, was born in Germany, but her family moved to Canada when she was in grammar school.

After her husband of 25 years passed away, she wrote romance novels to keep the love inside her heart. Tina now has eleven romance novels on Amazon, and while all of them have undertones of a love story, they are different genres; murder, mystery, whimsical, witches, ghosts, suspense, adventure, and her sister’s scary biography.

Tina has worked in television and radio as well as being a professional clown at the Children’s Hospital. She lives in Calgary with her second husband who encourages her to write her passion be it high-quality children’s books or intriguing romance.

Stay connected with Tina (Griffith) Ruiz on her Facebook group Tina Speaks Out.

Catherine’s Comments–Do You Have This Human Weakness? by Catherine Castle

10 Friday Jul 2020

Posted by Catherine Castle in Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

bibliophile, Carl Sandberg’s library, Catherine Castle, Catherine's Comments, essay, excerpt from The Nun and the Narc, Henry WArd Beecher quote, The Nun and the Narc

Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?-

-Henry Ward Beecher

 

When I read this quote I said, “Oh, that is soooo me.”

As a kid going into the library, I could never choose just one library book. Three was the minimum, and I’ve been known to go as high as seven, or ten, if I was checking out non-fiction for research or skimming.  I always returned before the two week borrowing limit was over and checked out another armload of books. Of course, back then I had the luxury of time on my side. No housework, cooking, gardening, or other jobs to do. I don’t read books as fast as I did as a teen, but I still collect them. I haven’t lost my love of books, or my weakness for the written word.

That love of books bled into bookstores, and my pocket book, as I grew older. My kindle is filled with books: books I’ve bought, free books I’ve downloaded, and books given to me by other authors to review. In fact, I’ve even got books on my phone—a place I never thought I’d read books on. I have a stack of snail mail advertising books that I think I might like to buy someday. And we won’t even mention the home book shelves. Or maybe we will, since this post is about my human weakness when it comes to books, and bookstores. They, too, are crammed full and spilling onto the floor with fiction of all genres, non-fiction of all sorts, cookbooks, crafting books, research books, writing books and even dictionaries. A quick glance around the shelves in my office and I can find at least 5 different dictionaries.  Really, who needs that many dictionaries?

I am without doubt a confirmed bibliophile, a disease that apparently even Henry Ward Beecher had, as well as many of America’s wealthy homeowners, as witnessed by some of their great libraries.

Pictured above are the book shelves in the living room of poet CARL SANDBURG. Every room, including the bathroom, and every hallway had shelves like these. All I wanted to do was stop and peruse them, but the docent wouldn’t let me. Sigh.

I’ve always thought it would be fun to work in a library or a bookstore. Being surrounded by all the tomes filled with historical knowledge, poetry, facts and tips about anything you were interested in, and stories that could carry you away to foreign lands, imaginary lands, and let you live vicariously through the characters’ lives has a great appeal. But as I grew older and the desire to own those volumes began to overtake me, I realized I wouldn’t make any money working at a bookstore, because I’d spend my entire pay on the store’s merchandise.

In fact, the disease, and the accompanying human weakness, is so bad that while signing my books at a book store, the author next to me mentioned a book that sounded interesting, and I popped onto my phone and downloaded it using my Kindle app. It was the only book bought at my signing table that day. LOL. When I attended the Lori Foster RAGT event, and couldn’t find a book that interested me (which is a wonder in itself), I ended up buying books for my niece!

Here are just a few titles to which I’ve succumbed most recently. I’m in the process of reading some, some have been read, and others are on the TBR list.

  • Alienated by Melissa Landers
  • Gateway to Gannah series by Yvonne Anderson
  • Iced Chiffon by Duffy Brown (a cozy mystery)
  • Mama, I am Yet Still Alive: a composite diary of 1863 in the Confederacy, Jeff Toalson, Editor
  • Best of the Covered Wagon Women, editor Kenneth L. Holmes
  • Desperate Deeds by Patricia Gligor
  • Confederato de Norte by Linda Bennett Pennell
  • Hog Insane, by Carole Brown
  • Dating Cary Grant by Emelle Gamble
  • The Marital Bargain: Wife for Five Months by Eris Field
  • Recipes to Create Holidays by Sloane Taylor
  • Hair Calamities and Hot Cash by Gail Pallotta
  • My Fair Guardian  by Suzanne G. Rogers
  • A Season for Killing Blondes by Joanne Guidoccio
  • A Musket in My Hands by Sandra Merville Hart

This is only a sample of my 50 Kindle pages of books, plus a few print books from my shelves. I have many more on my wanta-buy-list.

What about you? Do you have the Bibliophile disease and the weak human nature that Henry Ward Beecher speaks of ? Be honest, and let me know how it has manifested itself in your reading life.

Catherine hopes you’d like to add her books  to your list  of  wanta-read-books. Here’s a teaser from her multi-award-winning inspirational romantic suspense The Nun and the Narc.

The Nun and the Narc

By Catherine Castle

Where novice Sister Margaret Mary goes, trouble follows. When she barges into a drug deal the local Mexican drug lord captures her. To escape she must depend on undercover DEA agent Jed Bond. Jed’s attitude toward her is exasperating, but when she finds herself inexplicable attracted to him he becomes more dangerous than the men who have captured them, because he is making her doubt her decision to take her final vows. Escape back to the nunnery is imperative, but life at the convent, if she can still take her final vows, will never be the same.

 

Nuns shouldn’t look, talk, act, or kiss like Sister Margaret Mary O’Connor—at least that’s what Jed Bond thinks. She hampers his escape plans with her compulsiveness and compassion and in the process makes Jed question his own beliefs. After years of walling up his emotions in an attempt to become the best agent possible, Sister Margaret is crumbling Jed’s defenses and opening his heart. To lure her away from the church would be unforgivable—to lose her unbearable.

 

Excerpt:

A drug deal! Of all the things Rafael could do, this was the worst.

Esperanza had fought so hard to keep her son away from bad influences. Now he appeared to be involved in the very thing she’d hated most. Margaret imagined Esperanza banging on the gates of purgatory, trying to get out and rescue her son.

She hesitated for a moment, hearing Mother Superior’s admonishment. Stay out of trouble while you are in Mexico, Sister.         

Silencing the nagging voice in her head, Margaret charged forward, protective instincts in full swing.

Stopping Rafael and talking to him about the dangers of drugs surely wouldn’t qualify as trouble. Bluntness, maybe, but not trouble. It was more like saving. Yes, that’s it. I’m saving him.

Margaret grabbed Rafael by the shirt. “I’ve been searching for you, young man.” She faced the stranger, giving him her best withering stare. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

The man stuffed the plastic bag into his jacket pocket. “Who is this?”

“Some crazy gringa.” Rafael shrugged, hard, trying to escape her grasp.

The plastic bag contained something white. Heroin? Cocaine? Margaret tightened her hold and drew Rafael closer. She would save him whether he wanted to be saved or not.

“Get out of here,” Rafael snarled.

“What would your mother say if she saw this?”

Rafael’s expression darkened. “Leave my mother out of this!” He wrenched out of Margaret’s grip and spun around to face her. His expression morphed from anger to fear. “¡Madre de Dios!”

The man’s head jerked around. “Get down!” he shouted.

Rafael took off running down the street as the top row of pottery in the stand exploded like popcorn.

Margaret jumped at the loud noise and whirled around searching for the source. The man removed a gun from his jacket, swung around, and scanned the area.

Margaret’s knees buckled at the sight of the handgun. Her body tensed, her gaze frozen on his weapon. He fired off a couple of shots. Heart thumping like a jackhammer, she ran for cover behind the open car door. The window glass shattered as bullets whizzed over her head. She scrambled into the car and crouched on the floorboard. Another row of pottery shattered, sending fragments into the car like tiny projectile rockets. Sending up a quick prayer, she covered her head.

Slamming the door shut as he passed, the man leapt over the trunk. He jerked open the driver’s door then jumped behind the wheel. Jamming the car into gear, he roared out into the market street. Shoppers and vendors screamed, leaping out of the car’s path.

Margaret scrambled into the passenger seat. “Stop this car immediately!”

“Keep down,” he ordered, “unless you want to get shot.”

The rear window glass erupted into the car’s interior, punctuating his words. The man fired at the attackers through the shattered back window.

“Shot?” Her voice rose an octave. “Oh, dear Lord in Heaven, what have I gotten into?”

“Trouble, Lady.” He fired off another round. “Big trouble.

BUY LINK

 

About the Author:

Multi-award winning author Catherine Castle loves writing. Before beginning her career as a romance writer she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit, under her real name, in the Christian and secular market. She also lays claim to over 300 internet articles written on a variety of subjects and several hundred poems. In addition to writing she loves reading, traveling, singing, theatre, quilting and gardening. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances. You can find her award-winning Soul Mate books The Nun and the Narc and A Groom for Mama, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, FB or her blog.

 

 

 

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