Start the New Year with Tasty Tuesdays—Mountain Mist Tea recipe from Catherine Castle

Tags

Catherine Castle, Hot Tea Month, inspirational romantic suspense, New Year, Recipes, Tasty Tuesdays, Tea history, tea recipe, The Nun and the Narc

Tasty Tuesdays

Mountain Mist Tea recipe

from Catherine Castle

 

Hi, everyone! Happy New Year to you!

 

This year I’m starting the blog off with a new series called Tasty Tuesdays. On various Tuesdays I’ll be sharing recipes from my family’s recipe boxes and my original recipes. In addition to my recipes, I’ll have guest authors sharing their original recipes and recipes from the cookbooks and recipe boxes of their family and friends. You’ll also get a sneak peek at our books, so you’ll have something new to read with your cup of tea or whatever recipe you’ll discover on the blog this year. I hope you’ll follow us on this new blogging journey and discover some new recipes, books, and authors.

To kick off the blog I’m celebrating Hot Tea Month with a tea recipe. Did you know January is Hot Tea Month? There’s no better way to warm up on a chilly winter day or a cold rainy day than with a cup of hot tea, a cozy blanket, and a book. After all, who doesn’t love tea? I know I do.

Tea is one of the oldest drinks in the world. According to Chinese legend the discovery of tea dates back to 2737 B.C. when the Emperor Shen Nung was boiling water out in the open one day and the leaves of a tree fell into his pot and brewed, thus inventing tea. Over the centuries the Chinese developed the tea plant, Camellia Sinesis, and the tea ceremony surrounding the drinking of tea to such heights that at one point in history it was forbidden to export tea from China, which is probably why it took centuries for the drink to reach the rest of the world

The Portuguese were the first to bring tea to Europe. The Portuguese princess Catherine of Barganza brought tea to Britain in her royal dowry when she married Charles II in 1662. Tea had a rough start in England as coffee was well established. The clergy declared that tea, which had originated from a heathen country, was a sinful drink. Doctors claimed it was not good for one’s health, and brewers lobbied it for fear it would replace ale as a breakfast drink. The government decided they needed no better excuses for taxation, and so they laid a heavy tax on the foreign drink. The taxation on tea made it a drink of the wealthy until about 1784 when the taxation on tea was reduced and Britain became a nation of tea drinkers.

Today tea is a favorite drink across the world and comes in an array of flavors that is staggering.

My pantry is chock full of teas of all sorts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I tend to go on tea kicks and drink the same one for a while until I tire of it, then I start on a new box. Right now, I’m drinking Mrs. Patmore’s Pudding tea from Republic of Teas Downton Abbey collection, and pumpkin flavored and gingerbread flavored teas. Pumpkin-flavored creamer goes great with the last two, and while it’s seasonal I make sure I get my winter teas in.

To start off the new blog I’m sharing a recipe for Mountain Mist tea. Years ago I bought a box of tea called Mountain Mist and I fell in love with it. When I went to buy a new box of the tea I couldn’t find it anywhere. So I started experimenting with the basic teas listed on the box, using loose teas, and came up with this blend which was pretty close to the original.

Here’s the recipe. It will go great with those leftover Christmas cookies.

 

Mountain Mist Tea (by the cup)

 

Ingredients:

½ tsp. (rounded) loose peppermint tea

½ tsp. (rounded) loose alfalfa tea

½ tsp. (rounded) chamomile tea

Directions:

Place teas in a tea ball and put in a cup. Add boiling water. Steep for three minutes. Sweeten with honey or sweetener of your choice. Enjoy!

Note: I think when I originally made this I didn’t have loose teas on hand and had no alfalfa tea. I did have peppermint and chamomile in tea bags. So, I bought some alfalfa tea bags and tore them open, along with a bag of peppermint and chamomile, and started experimenting until I came up with the right blend.

How about you? Do you have a favorite hot tea?

 

The Nun and the Narc

Multi-award-winning book

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.

About the Author:

Multi-award-winning author Catherine Castle has been writing all her life. 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. Besides writing, Catherine loves traveling with her husband, singing, and attending theatre. In the winter she loves to quilt and has a lot of UFOs (unfinished objects) in her sewing case. In the summer her favorite place to be is in her garden. She’s passionate about gardening and even won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club.

Her debut inspiration romantic suspense, The Nun and the Narc, from Soul Mate Publishing was an ACFW Genesis Finalist, a 2014 EPIC finalist, and the winner of the 2014 Beverly Hills Book Award and the 2014 RONE, as well as placing in several other contests. Her sweet romantic comedy/drama A Groom for Mama, also from Soul Mate Publishing, is the recipient of the 2018 Raven Award.

Connect with Catherine at here on her blog or at:

Goodreads Twitter @AuthorCCastle or Facebook

 

 

Advertisements

Story Sparks Blog Tour–Story Sparks from Catherine Castle’s Imagination

Tags

A Groom for Mama, author Catherine Castle, Bidding on the Bouquet, ebook giveaway, Story Sparks Blog Tour, Story Sparks from Catherine Castle's Imagination, Sweet romance, The Nun and the Narc

 

Welcome to the Story Sparks multi-author blog tour. Between May 21-26, 2018 readers get a chance to enter and win ebooks from six different authors. Today Catherine Castle (That’s me!) is the featured author. Catherine’s winner may choose an ebook from any of her three books listed above on her book spine. Today Catherine will talk about the story sparks that started each of these books rolling. Read on to discover what inspires Catherine’s creativity and to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway .

 

Story Sparks  from Catherine Castle’s Imagination

By Catherine Castle

Hi, everyone!

I began my writing journey as a stringer for a local weekly newspaper. The hardest thing about that job was finding ideas to write about. I was in Writer Heaven when the editor called with a story idea. It was like getting a bright, shiny gift topped with a beautiful ribbon. The problem was those editorial gifts didn’t come in as fast as I wanted them to when I first started writing. So, I had to figure out where to find more ideas to write about. And of course, the burning question back then was, “How do I find an idea?”

It’s also the question most people ask me when they find out I’m a writer. Now I know the answer.

After I published my first book, a multi-award-winning inspirational romantic suspense titled The Nun and the Narc , my daughter bought me a tee-shirt that read Careful, or you’ll end up in my novel. I’m not sure if she knew how true that quote is, but I suspect she did, because whenever I’d hear, see, or read something interesting, she heard me say, “There’s a story somewhere in that.” For me story ideas are everywhere and within everyone. I find story spark ideas in: the things I’m interested in, in other stories, in the news, in things people do, in things people say, at museums, in places I visit, in places other people visit, in magazines, and even through the tidbits of information on the backs of cereal boxes.

The Nun and the Narc originally started with the heroine as a missionary to Mexico building houses for the poor. I’d been working on some news articles about Habitat for Humanity for the newspaper, which probably spurred the original story plot. But the story wasn’t working for me. I couldn’t get my head wrapped around the missionary heroine. Then a critique partner suggested I consider making the heroine a novice in the Catholic Church. Now, I am fascinated by nun stories. “The Sound of Music” is my favorite musical, and I loved the television series “The Flying Nun.” As a stringer for the local newspaper, I interviewed a nun who left the order to marry, and, in real life, I knew a nun who had also left the convent to marry. I do admit to having a curiosity about how those women dealt with leaving the convent, and I think part of that curiosity spurred my story.

 

The Nun and the Narc

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.

 

Although the book was a hard sell—the Christian market doesn’t usually like you to name denominations—the story was so intriguing to me, because of my interest in nuns, that I wrote it anyway, knowing it might never leave my hard drive. It was a book of my heart—inspired by my own interests and my feature stories for the newspaper.

My second book, a sweet romantic comedy with a touch of drama entitled A Groom for Mama, got its inspiration from a radio play my husband and I wrote years ago, entitled a “Bride for Mama.” The original play finaled in the contest, but my hubby and I never did anything more with it. When I was searching for something new to write, I remembered the radio play. I asked my husband if he minded it I took the original premise—a dying mother wants her son to find a bride before she leaves this earth—and turned the plot on its ear, creating a new story. He agreed and A Groom for Mama was born. I found inspiration in another story.

 

A Groom For Mama

Beverly Walters is dying, and before she goes she has one wish—to find a groom for her daughter. To get the deed done, Mama enlists the dating service of Jack Somerset, Allison’s former boyfriend.

The last thing corporate-climbing Allison wants is a husband. Furious with Mama’s meddling, and a bit more interested in Jack than she wants to admit, Allison agrees to the scheme as long as Mama promises to search for a cure for her terminal illness.

A cross-country trip from Nevada to Ohio ensues, with a string of disastrous dates along the way, as the trio hunts for treatment and A Groom For Mama.

 

My most recent release, a contemporary inspirational romance entitled Bidding on the Bouquet, was ripped from an internet headline about a bride who was making her wedding attendants bid for places in her bridal party. My story, however, bears little resemblance to the news story. With plot twists and character changes I created a new story. All I needed was spark of an idea provided by the Bridezilla who wanted to get money for her wedding.

 

Bidding on the Bouquet

The chance to catch a bridal bouquet containing a solid gold rose makes underprivileged, down-on-her-luck grad student Marietta Wilson pawn everything she owns to come up with a bid to win a bridesmaid spot in the most prestigious wedding of the season.

 When he discovers his sister is auctioning off bridesmaid spots in her wedding party, wealthy, elitist Chip Vandermere is appalled. Not only is it in poor taste, but no self-respecting lady would stoop so low as to bid. Convinced Marietta is a gold digger, Chip sets out to thwart her plans.

A social climber and a social misfit. Can a bridal bouquet unite them?

 

So, you might want to be careful the next time you ask a writer, “Where do you get your story ideas?” They might just say, “Why, from you, of course.” Because everything is fodder for the imagination of a writer.

Thanks for coming by today and don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for a chance to win books from these six authors: Carole Brown, Catherine Castle, Linda Matchett, Amber Schamel, Terri Wangard, and Jodie Wolfe. Click on the link below to enter to win a free ebook. My winner may choose either The Nun and the Narc, A Groom for Mama, or Bidding on the Bouquet.

A Rafflecopter giveaway

 About the Author:

Multi-award-winning author Catherine Castle loves writing, reading, traveling, singing, theatre, and quilting. 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 books The Nun and the Narc, A Groom for Mama, Bidding on the Bouquet and Trying Out for Love boxed set on Amazon. Connect with Catherine on her website and blog, FB, or Twitter @AuthorCCastle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Writer’s Garden with Catherine Castle

Tags

A Groom for Mama, A Writer's Garden, Catherine Castle’s garden blog series, fall pictures, Sweet romantic comedy, The Nun and the Narc

Photo © Catherine Castle

Fall is about to arrive in Southern Ohio, for real this time. At least that’s what I’m hoping.

I love the crisp, but not freezing, temperatures that accompany fall weather. We’ve had an unusual summer—wet to start and then dry, with a very few 90 degree temps and more than normal lows in the 50s. This past week we dropped into the 30s with highs on some days in the 40s. That’s not fall sweater weather, it’s winter coat weather!

Unfortunately, I won’t see the beautiful fall colors in the picture above, which I captured several years ago while traveling to Massachusetts. We haven’t had enough rain, and October has been in the low 80s too many times to create the leaf color I crave. So, I’ll have to depend on pictures to satisfy my fall color yearning.

I’ve been waiting all summer for the cooler weather to arrive, specifically for the temps to drop to the 40s so all the chiggers in the foliage on my hillside garden will die. It’s the one place I can’t weed easily. After my hubby and I got eaten up by chiggers one summer, we avoid this hillside. And boy does it show this year.

Photo of Catherine’s back hillside garden © C. Castle

Because I used all my discretionary garden funds hiring a team of young gardeners to clean up the beds after I injured my back this spring, I can’t afford help this fall. So I must tackle this job alone. My fall plans are to clear as much dead stuff out while the temperatures are crisp, yet not freezing, and the bugs gone, so I won’t have as much work to do in the spring when the wasps and other six-legged creatures start coming out with the warmth. It’s much easier to stay warm while gardening than to stay cool under a hot sun. In my humble opinion.

After what I saw crossing the road the other day in front of our house I’ll be skittish about the work, praying I don’t flush out a smelly creature from the underbrush. Skunks rate right up there with snakes, chiggers, wasps and other stinging insects, and bats on my hate-them-a-lot list. I don’t mind all the lizards that run around the stone walls of my gardens, mostly because they eat bugs and skitter away from me when they see me coming. As long as they stay outside, I’ll let the lizards alone.

As this gardening season closes, I’d like to thank all my author buddies who’ve contributed to A Writer’s Garden. It’s been a joy seeing your flowers, herbs, trees, and every other garden thing you’ve shared this year. I hope you’ll all return next spring with more beautiful photos of your gardens.

About the Author:

Catherine Castle has been writing and gardening all her life. 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. Besides writing, Catherine loves traveling with her husband, singing, and attending theatre. In the winter she loves to quilt and has a lot of UFOs (unfinished objects) in her sewing case. In the summer her favorite place to be is in her garden. She’s passionate about gardening and even won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club.

Her debut inspiration romantic suspense, The Nun and the Narc, from Soul Mate Publishing was an ACFW Genesis Finalist, a 2014 EPIC finalist, and the winner of the 2014 Beverly Hills Book Award and the 2014 RONE Award. Her newest book, a contemporary, romantic comedy with a touch of drama, entitled A Groom For Mama, is now out from Soul Mate Publishing and available on Amazon. You can follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, Facebook or here through her blog Romance for the Ages.

A Groom for Mama

Beverly Walters is dying, and before she goes she has one wish—to find a groom for her daughter. To get the deed done, Mama enlists the dating service of Jack Somerset, Allison’s former boyfriend.

The last thing corporate-climbing Allison wants is a husband. Furious with Mama’s meddling, and a bit more interested in Jack than she wants to admit, Allison agrees to the scheme as long as Mama promises to search for a cure for her terminal illness.

A cross-country trip from Nevada to Ohio ensues, with a string of disastrous dates along the way, as the trio hunts for treatment and A Groom For Mama.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Writer’s Garden–Exploring Colonial Gardens with Catherine Castle

Tags

A Groom for Mama, A Writer's Garden, author Catherine Castle, Colonial Garden history, Colonial Williamsburg garden pictures, The Nun and the Narc

Celebrating Colonial Gardens

 

Colonial Williamsburg garden

It’s early September in my neck of the woods, and my garden is overgrown with weeds, thanks to the 1-2 inches of rain we’ve had weekly, an injured back this spring, and my numerous trips this summer. So, since my gardens are not in any semblance of photographic beauty, I thought I’d talk about American Colonial gardens and share some photos I have of the Colonial gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia.

The Colonial period ranged from 1600 to 1775 and during that time most American Colonial gardens were planted in the style the gardeners were familiar with, which was the European and British gardens they had left behind when they immigrated to America.

These gardens tended to be square, rectangular, or pie-shaped beds framed on the outer edges with tree saplings Plantings were enclosed with hedges or picket fences to protect them from animals and damaging winds. Sometimes the beds were ground level, other times they were raised. Walkways of soil, gravel or crushed clamshells surrounded the beds. A larger, central walkway led to a focal point in the garden, which was often a well, a stone feature, or a bench, or topiary as seen below.

Topiary in Colonial Williamsburg garden

The size of a garden reflected the size of the household and the wealth of the home’s owners. Poorer colonists didn’t have the time or the resources to create the lavish gardens of the rich. Their gardens would mainly been simple kitchen gardens, located adjacent to the home for easy accessibility, and filled with plants they needed to survive. Here’s an example of what an average kitchen garden might have looked like.

Gantz early American kitchen garden

 

Kitchen gardens of wealthy and poorer colonists would have both held medicinal and seasoning herbs mixed in with the fruits and vegetables. A typical kitchen garden might have included: squash, cucumbers, cabbage, beans, peas, melons, lettuce, carrots, radishes, and peppers. Medicinal herbs could have included horehound, which was a popular remedy for asthma and coughs, and Angelica, which was used for colds and bronchial problems. Winter savory was used as an antiseptic and to relieve the pain of bee stings. Oregano was popular for toothaches and headaches. Other medicinal and cooking herbs included: sage, calendula, hyssop, lady’s mantle, nasturtium, parsley, rosemary, thyme, lavender, bee balm, and mint.

Note the difference between the example above of what a kitchen garden of a poorer colonist might have looked like and that of the governor of Williamsburg, pictured below. This kitchen garden is a tiered garden on the hillside behind the exterior kitchen building of the palace compound. Wouldn’t you love to have this garden on your hillside?

Colonial Williamsburg governor’s kitchen garden

Aside from the necessary kitchen gardens of all the colonists, ornate gardens, that served no economical function, were popular among the wealthy. I have to admit it was great fun to stroll in these gardens and imagine myself as a wealthy colonist in my sweeping gown and wide-brimmed hat taking an evening constitutional in the cool of the garden trees.

Williamsburg Governor’s Palace garden

My garden, in its early years after planting, looked nothing like the carefully laid out, symmetrical expanses of the Williamsburg Governor’s Palace. It was, and still is, cottage-like in its composition. I will admit, though, that like the wealthy colonial gardeners of yesteryear, I tried to design my garden for looks first.

It has, however, taken on a life of its own, less constructed than when I planted it, but just as full of those pesky weeds I’ve been fighting for fourteen years. As I age, I envy the tidy Colonial beds I love to visit, but I’m thinking more and more of filling my raised beds with gravel and lining them with big pots that I don’t have to bend to work in.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this stroll through Colonial Williamsburg’s gardens. What about you? What kind of garden do you have?

 

About the Gardener/Author:

Catherine CastleCatherine Castle has been writing and gardening all her life. 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. Besides writing, Catherine loves traveling with her husband, singing, and attending theatre. In the winter she loves to quilt and has a lot of UFOs (unfinished objects) in her sewing case. In the summer her favorite place to be is in her garden. She’s passionate about gardening and even won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club.

Her debut inspiration romantic suspense, The Nun and the Narc, from Soul Mate Publishing was an ACFW Genesis Finalist, a 2014 EPIC finalist, and the winner of the 2014 Beverly Hills Book Award and the 2014 RONE Award. Her newest book, a contemporary, romantic comedy with a touch of drama, entitled A Groom For Mama, is now out from Soul Mate Publishing and available at Amazon. You can follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, Facebook or here through her blog Romance for the Ages

A Groom for Mama

Beverly Walters is dying, and before she goes she has one wish—to find a groom for her daughter. To get the deed done, Mama enlists the dating service of Jack Somerset, Allison’s former boyfriend.

The last thing corporate-climbing Allison wants is a husband. Furious with Mama’s meddling, and a bit more interested in Jack than she wants to admit, Allison agrees to the scheme as long as Mama promises to search for a cure for her terminal illness.

A cross-country trip from Nevada to Ohio ensues, with a string of disastrous dates along the way, as the trio hunts for treatment and A Groom For Mama.

 

 

Stitches Thru Time 4th Birthday Bash Giveaway!

Tags

Amazon Gift Card Giveaway, Birthday Bash giveaway, Happy 4th Birthday Stitches Thru Time, Stitches Thru Time, The Nun and the Narc

This month the Stitches Thru Time Blog, that I contribute to, is four years old. To celebrate we are giving away a $50 Amazon gift card and books by the blog’s great lineup of authors, including an e-book copy of my mutli-award-winning book, The Nun and the Narc.

 

All you have to do to be eligible to win is leave a comment on any of this month’s blog posts. You’ll have great content to read, too. Stop on by at Stitches Thru Time: http://stitchesthrutime.blogspot.com/ and leave a comment on any post. Spread the word, please, and I hope to see you there! I’ll be posting this Friday at Stitches Thru Time.

 

 

Wednesday Writers—Finding Your Character’s Name by Catherine Castle

Tags

award-winning author Catherine Castle, book excerpt from The Nun and the Narc, Catherine Castle, Catherine Castle's Wednesday Writers blog series, finding your character’s name, The Nun and the Narc

I have an empty slot today on Wednesday Writers, so I’m going to talk about how my characters got their names in my Inspirational romantic suspense The Nun and the Narc and give you a peek at how Sister Margaret Mary and the hero Jed met.

In some ways I feel like my characters told me who they were going to be. Sister Margaret Mary was originally Mary Margaret O’Connor. When I changed her from a missionary to a novice, I added the sister to her name. But when the hero, Jed, came on the scene he kept calling her Maggie, a name she hated, and she told him so repeatedly. But he wasn’t listening to her, or me who kept typing in Sister Mary Margaret. So I eventually obliged and changed her name to Margaret Mary. I thought it would less confusing for the reader for her to refer to herself as one name and the hero to be constantly reversing her names.

Jed’s name was a bit of a surprise, too. He’s introduced to the reader as Jed Barringer, but when he gave Margaret his undercover name, he threw me a curve, calling himself, “Bond. Jed Bond.” As I wrote those three words, I kept hearing the lilt of Sean Connery saying, “Bond. James Bond.” Apparently so did the good sister, because the name unhinged her. I got such a charge out of the scene where he told her his undercover alias that I just went with it, and I’m glad I did. His undercover name It provided a lot of humorous moments in between the suspense and action of the book.

Here’s the scene where Sister Margaret Mary learns the hero’s undercover name. I hope you enjoy it!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

The Nun and the Narc

By Catherine Castle

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.”

Margaret slid deeper into the front passenger seat, grabbing the door handle as the car careened around a corner.

I’m going to die. In a car crash. With a strange man. Heart pumping madly, she let go of the door handle just long enough to cross herself then grabbed it again as the car swerved. A guardian angel would be good here, Lord. And make it Dale Earnhardt! They swerved around another corner and she held on for dear life.

Oh, Mother Superior, maybe you’re right. Maybe I’m not good nun material after all. Who else in the convent could get themselves into a mess like this?

“Are you a drug dealer?” she asked as they whizzed by a stand of woven tapestries.

The car swerved to the right, barely missing a burro. “That’s a need to know answer.”

Margaret braced herself against the seat when they careened past the animal. “Under the circumstances, I need to know.”

The man didn’t reply.

Margaret felt her temper rising. “Who are those guys and why are they after you?”

“After us,” he corrected.

Us? Panic scrabbled at her insides. Will people think I’m part of his illegal plan? Mother Superior will kick me out of the convent for sure.

“I haven’t done anything,” she protested.

The man ducked as a bullet shattered the left rear window. Margaret let go of the door handle and covered her head.

“Lady, you’re guilty by association.” He threw his arm over the seat and fired off a couple more shots. He cursed then spit a question at her. “Who are you anyway?”

“You first. I’d like to know I’m going to be dying with. What’s your name?”

“Bond. Jed Bond.”

A frantic giggle bubbled up inside of her at the familiar lilt of the phrase and his English accent. “And I suppose you’re in Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Jed Bond,” she said.

The giggle changed into a crazed laugh, a defense mechanism from her youth. She’d learned that if she appeared fearless when her two older brothers razzed her, they derived little pleasure from torturing her. The ploy had saved her on many occasions.

Jed stared at her as if she were insane. If the truth were known, she did feel a bit crazy at the moment. And lightheaded. And out of control. She hated being out of control.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“You don’t know?”

“Why don’t you tell me, Miss . . . whoever you are?”

“Margaret Mary O’Connor. Sis¾” Her introduction changed into a scream. “Look out!”

 

Want to read more? Go to Amazon to read an excerpt and to purchase the book. Book is Available in print from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

 

About the Author:

Catherine Castle is a multi-award-winning author. Her book The Nun and the Narc, from Soul Mate Publishing was an ACFW Genesis Finalist, a 2014 EPIC finalist, and the winner of the 2014 Beverly Hills Book Award and the 2014 RONE Award.

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. Besides writing, Catherine loves traveling with her husband, singing, attending theatre, and writing and directing plays with her husband at their church. In the winter she loves to quilt and has a lot of UFOs (unfinished objects) in her sewing case. In the summer her favorite place to be is in her garden. She’s passionate about gardening and even won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club.

Her newest book, a romantic comedy with a touch of drama entitled A Groom for Mama, releases September 2017 with Soul Mate Publishing.

You can read more of her blog posts right here on Romance For the Ages by searching for her name, or follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, Facebook, or through her Amazon Author page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Writer’s Garden 2017—Through the Garden Gates with Catherine Castle

Tags

A Writer's Garden, Catherine Castle, container gardening, garden puns, gardening fever, raised bed gardening, The Nun and the Narc, When does a gardener stop being a gardener.

When Does A Gardener Stop Being a Gardener?

 

columbines from Catherine’s garden

It’s that time of the year again. Spring! And with spring comes the annual A Writer’s Garden blog series.

Soon, when it finally stops raining, we writer/gardeners will be able to get up from our computers, dust off the garden gloves, and hit the weed patches. I’ve already got some writer/gardeners lined up for the April, May and June, and will be filling the rest of the spots soon. So be sure and follow by email so you can get the garden posts, in all their pictorial glory, as they appear each Thursday, beginning April 13.

The mowers and weed whackers are going strong in the neighborhood as I write this post, disturbing a sunshiny and otherwise peaceful Sunday afternoon—one of the few non-rainy days we’ve had recently in my neck of Southern Ohio.

As I sit at the computer listening to the motorized racket, I’m pondering a particular question: When does a gardener stop being a gardener? I ask this because as my body ages (my back in particular) gardening gets harder and harder, especially the clean-up. I’ve hired a local landscaping company to come in and do my clean-up this year, and a monthly weeding, because I’m just not physically able to put in the hours needed to clean up last year’s dead flowers and dig out the ground-level weeds.

I’m also considering graveling a number of ground-level beds alongside the house and installing raised potting systems in the gravel beds. Of course that will mean I have to water more often, so some sort of self-watering or drip line will have to be installed. I need a planting surface that is high enough that I can pull my garden stool alongside, sit, and plant and harvest in the raised pot.

Years ago, when I was younger, I wrote a piece for the local newspaper about a raised bed system in a retirement/nursing home. The wooden beds were fairly shallow and the bottom high enough that wheelchair-bound residents could roll their seats under the planter and reach the edges of the bed to dig in the dirt. At the time, I thought it was interesting, but not something I wanted to see in my yard. Flowers growing at ground level intrigued me more. I dreamt of cascading waves of blooms sweeping across the lawn and a vegetable garden that rivaled my grandmother’s, complete with picket fence. She canned all of her and Poppy’s food for the winter from her own garden. I never achieved those heights of horticulture, but the dream and desire was there.

Now, I’m perusing garden catalogs and lusting over galvanized tubs and gigantic, self-watering planters big enough to plant corn in. My how one’s perspective changes!

My ability to do the physical side of gardening is becoming more and more limited, but that doesn’t stop my desire to dig in the dirt, watch the plants grow, pick a bouquet of flowers from my yard, or harvest my own tomatoes.

Some people get cabin fever every spring. I get gardening fever. I have it today. My fingers are itching to pull some weeds, reposition some flowers, and stroll through the garden center for veggies and a big tray of marigolds. I love marigolds! Even when my back twinges at the thought of bending, I still have the desire to garden.

So, to answer the burning question of the day—When does a gardener stop being a gardener?—I think NEVER! And now for a really bad gardening pun.

Old gardeners don’t stop being gardeners—they just don’t do it as mulch. ☺

 

 

About the Gardener:

Gardener/writer Catherine Castle has been gardening all her life in pots, plots, and wherever she can find dirt. Her favorite thing about gardening is the satisfaction she gets from a well-weeded flowerbed. When she’s not gardening she’s writing sweet and inspirational romance.

Her debut novel, The Nun and the Narc, is a multi-award-winning inspiration suspense romance.

Captured by the local Mexican drug lord after she interrupts a drug deal, novice Sister Margaret Mary risks losing her life, her vocation, and her heart when she falls for undercover DEA agent Jed Bond who is imprisoned with her. Nuns shouldn’t look, talk, act, or kiss like Sister Margaret Mary. Jed knows she’s off limits, but his heart can’t help wanting this woman who’s been promised to God.

Her next novel, a romantic comedy with a touch of drama, entitled A Groom for Mama, is slated to release in September 2017. Follow Catherine through this blog or on  Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorCCastle

 

Origami Heart Corner Bookmark-A Quick Valentine Gift

Tags

Author Catherine Castle's blog, Catherine's Crafts, Orgami heart bookmark, The Nun and the Narc, Valentine gift

 

I’ve been fascinated with origami for a long time, but haven’t tried my hand at it much. My daughter has given me a number of origami folded dollars as birthday and Mother’s Day gifts—flowers, rings, hearts—and I can’t bear to disassemble them and spend the money. LOL.

While researching for a Valentine’s Day blog last year on a group site I post on, I discovered this adorable heart corner clip bookmark at a URL that doesn’t exist anymore. So I hunted for one similar to the picture above and I found one at http://origami.about.com/od/Origami-Decorations/tp/How-To-Fold-An-Origami-Heart-Bookmark.htm.

I made the original in the picture using some scrapbook card stock and thought I’d share it with you. The card stock is a little heavy, and I would suggest scrapbook papers or origami papers, if you have some on hand. My corner bookmark is a bit on the large side because I wanted to make folding it easier. (I know, I shouldn’t have used card stock if I wanted easy folding, but it was the first thing I came across in my disorganized scrapbook stash that had a pattern in it.) I used a 4 1/2 inch square. As you can see from the photo below,

my bookmark is a bit large for the interior pages of the trade-sized book I used it on. I would suggest using a smaller square to make a more comparable page to bookmark fit. And practice with something besides card stock. ☺

I think this would be a cute, and quick, gift for your reading-addicted Valentine, as Valentines for your reading club ladies, or even as giveaway swag attached to your business card or on the corner of the books you sell at a book signing. They’re unique, easy to make, and you can get a bunch from an 8 x 11 ½ sheet of scrapbook paper.

And while you’re creating this adorable bookmark, why not pick up a copy of my multi-award-winning inspirational suspense book, The Nun and the Narc, available at Amazon. Doesn’t the heart look adorable on the cover?

Happy Folding!

Catherine

 

 

Wednesday Writers—Catherine Castle and The Nun and the Narc

Tags

award-winning romance, book excerpt from The Nun and the Narc, books by Catherine Castle, Catherine Castle's Wednesday Writers blog series, inspirational romantic suspense, spunky heroines, The Nun and the Narc

 

Hi, everyone, and welcome to my Wednesday Writers blog series. I’m filling an empty spot today on my guest list, and I’m going to share some background snippets about the characters in my multi-award-winning inspirational romantic suspense, The Nun and the Narc. I’m also presenting one of my favorite excerpts from the book.

Everyone is curious about novice Sister Margaret Mary. She’s a spunky heroine with adventure in her soul. She eats chapulines (fried grasshoppers) from the Mexican market, wields a skillet against the bad guys, and rushes into situations when she should think twice before acting. A tomboy life with her brothers taught her how to be daring. She also likes to do less risky things, like garden, so she gets garden duty at the convent. Unlike a lot of the sisters in the convent, she can still kneel—another reason why you’ll find her in the convent’s gardens most of the time. Because she’s younger than most of the sisters, and because Mother Superior is questioning her commitment to her upcoming vows, Sister Margaret was chosen to go to Mexico on a housebuilding trip. While she’s there she befriends a teenage boy named Rafael who loses his mother as the charity is building their house. Sister Margaret can relate to his hurt, because she lost her mother and knows how that feels. Her attempts to keep the boy out of trouble land her in the middle of a drug deal where she gets kidnapped by the local drug lord’s thugs, along with the hero of the story, Jed Bond. And when Sister Margaret finds herself inexplicable attracted to Jed, he becomes more dangerous than the men who have captured them, because he is making her doubt her decision to take her final vows.

Jed Bond, which is his undercover name, comes from a long line of cops, but he’s the first undercover agent in the family. He started out as FBI undercover agent and later joined the DEA because a drug user killed his father. Jed has a sweet tooth, as witnessed by the amount of candy he consumes while waiting in the Mexican market for his drug contact. He also likes working alone. So when Sister Margaret comes on the scene, she complicates his drug bust operation, in sooo many ways. In spite of the way she hampers his escape plans with her compulsiveness and compassion, Sister Margaret begins crumbling Jed’s defenses, and he finds himself opening his heart to the novice who shouldn’t look, talk, act, or kiss like Sister Margaret Mary O’Connor does. After years of walling up his emotions in an attempt to become the best agent possible, Jed begins to question his own beliefs as he falls in love with the sister. To lure her away from the church would be unforgivable—to lose her unbearable.

 

Excerpt From The Nun and the Narc

By Catherine Castle

 

Margaret inched forward, hoping to hear what they were saying. A mariachi band nearby blared out a tune, the polka-like melody destroying any hope of eavesdropping. The shriek of off-key brass sent chills up her spine. She covered her ears and moved closer to Rafael and the stranger.

After a couple of minutes of conversation, the man removed an envelope from his jacket and pulled out a handful of bills. He folded them in half and then slipped them into Rafael’s extended hand. With a furtive glance around, Rafael moved closer to the man, blocking Margaret’s direct view, and handed something to the stranger.

A wave of apprehension swept over Margaret. The chapulines she’d snacked on earlier that morning threatened to see the light of day.

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.

 

The Nun and the Narc is the recipient of The 2014 Beverly Hills Book Award and The 2014 Rone Award and was a finalist in the 2014 Epic contest, 2014 Carolyn Readers Choice Award, the ACFW Genesis contest, and the 2^nd place winner in the Dixie contest.

You can find The Nun and the Narc in EBook and print format at Amazon and print format at  Barnes and Noble

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Through A Writer’s Garden with Catherine Castle–Garden Sleeves

Tags

A Writer's Garden, Catherine Castle, Garden blog, garden craft, garden sleeves, The Nun and the Narc

Garden Sleeves

 

While weeding and trimming, have you ever stuck your arms into a mass of stems and come out covered in stickers? Prickly weeding and trimming isn’t too bad in the fall when my arms are covered in a flannel shirt, but in summer I hate getting my arms stabbed and pricked.

Or maybe you’ve accidently brushed up against some poison ivy while working bare-armed and later broken out in a rash.

I’ve suffered both of those gardening problems.

Rather than overheat by wearing a heavy, protective flannel shirt in 80+ degree temperatures, I made some garden sleeves that protect my arms when I’m digging in tall weeds.

 

Here’s what you need:

Supplies:

1. One pair of lightweight, cotton knee socks or men’s calf-length socks, long enough to pull up to your elbows. (I used 100-percent, white cotton because it’s cooler; easier to see the stickers, so you can pick them off; less itchy and more absorbent than a darker polyester blend.)

2. A pair of scissors

Directions:

1. Cut off the toe end of each sock. Don’t cut off too much. You can always cut more if necessary, but you can’t put it back on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Put the sock on your hand, noting where your thumb is in relationship to the toe opening.

3. Cut a thumb hole in the side of the sock where you thumb strikes the fabric. Again, start with a smaller hole. You can always enlarge it as needed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Pull on the sock sleeve and go garden!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: You will have a lumpy spot in the sleeve where the heel of the sock is. If you want that spot to be on the same side of each arm take extra care when cutting the finger and thumb openings. Personally, it doesn’t bother me if one heel bulge is on the inside and the other on the outside, but my hubby wants them to be symmetrical.

About the Author:

Gardener/writer Catherine Castle has been gardening all her life in pots, plots, and wherever she can find dirt. Her favorite thing about gardening is the satisfaction she gets from a well-weeded flowerbed. When she’s not gardening she’s writing sweet and inspirational romance. Her book The Nun and the Narc is a two-time award-winning novel. Check out her book at Amazon. You can learn more about her at right here on this blog https://catherinecastle1.wordpress.com