It's New Year's Eve!

Break out the bubbly and the munchies and celebrate with...

Hmm...  Who would you like to kiss at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve?


















Derrick?

Benji?

The BIG Chief, Daniel?

Marco?

Yvan?

Rafael?

Cody?

Or John?

No matter who you choose, it's bound to be fun!


HAPPY NEW YEAR!

And the winner is...

I hate to leave anyone hanging, so without further adieu, the winner of the ARC of Stud is.... shauntih!

Email me at cheryl.brooks52@yahoo.com with your mailing address and I'll get the book to you asap!

I'll be having more giveaways as soon as my author's copies arrive. Stay tuned!

Thursday Thoughts

Thinking.... thinking.... thinking.....

I've already been pretty "thoughty" this holiday season. Maybe it's time for a bit of frivolity, perhaps even a giveaway...

So, with that in mind, post a comment for your chance to win an advance copy of Stud!

This contest will not be posted anywhere else; it is purely for my loyal Yah Yahs!

I'll announce the winner on tomorrow's blog.

Good luck!

Snowy Whopping Weasel Wednesday!

We didn't have a white Christmas this year, but we did have a white December 27th. This is the view off the deck at about 11:30 yesterday morning.

 Sam and I should have been in Indianapolis for his doctor's appointment at that moment, but the road was so slick a few miles east of here, we turned around and came home. We probably would have made it if we'd kept going, but we'd have been so late they would have made us reschedule anyway. So I got to do something I don't often do: stay home and watch it snow.

It hasn't always been that way. I've made the 30 mile drive back and forth to work in conditions I had no business driving in. I've made it home even when the police were telling everyone to stay off the roads. The closest thing I've had to an accident was sliding off the road down a very steep embankment. My trusty little Honda slid gracefully down the hill and landed quite gently at the bottom. Neither I, nor the car got so much as a scratch. I didn't even have to call a tow truck because someone else had already called one for another accident nearby. Basically, I've been lucky.

I mention all of this because today is my 56th birthday. If I'd kept going to Indy yesterday, I might not have lived to see it. Strange how getting older makes you less reckless with your life and the lives of those dear to you. I didn't raise Sam all these 22 years only to kill him on a trip that wasn't absolutely essential. I've learned to put things in a better perspective; tasks that seemed so critical just a few years ago aren't nearly as important as staying safe and warm at home.

So I'm sitting here at my computer appreciating the beauty of a late December snowfall, rather than attempting to drive through it. The fire is warm, the tea is hot, and the dogs are sleeping in the living room by the wood stove. They understand the importance of being cozy and dry, even if people sometimes don't.

Speaking of things that are hot and cozy, here's a little something for your Wednesday enjoyment.

*smiles wickedly* Happy Birthday to ME!

Tasty Tuesday Rye Bread, Outback Style!

My son Sam loves the bread at Outback, as do a lot of other people, so I've been experimenting with some recipes. I shall continue tweaking, but this is what I've come up with so far. Though it's not exactly like their bread, (theirs is softer and darker) it's still pretty tasty. I realize that the full experience can only be had if you also spread it with honey butter, but I have thus far managed to resist that temptation. It would be very easy to make--stir a bit of honey into softened butter--but that would make the bread too irresistible, and freshly baked bread is tempting enough on its own. 

Cheryl's Outback Bread

















Ingredients

Whisk together in a large bowl and let stand until foamy:

1/2 cup warm water
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 pkg yeast

Then add:

1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 cup dark molasses
1/4 cup brown sugar (optional) 
1 tbsp salt
3 tbsp cocoa
1/4 cup soft butter
2 cups rye flour

Mix well and stir in:
2 cups all purpose flour

Continue adding more all purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups) as you knead the dough until it is elastic and non-sticky. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with a damp towel and allow it to rise until doubled in bulk.
Knead the dough again, then form into 2 loaves. Place in greased loaf pans, cover with a damp towel, and allow to rise until doubled in bulk. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes. Remove from pans, slice, and enjoy with the hunk of your choice!

Wildcats and Monday Moons!

I finished writing Wildcat on  Christmas Eve at about 3PM. Sure, it's just another book in what is hopefully a long line, but if it is indeed the last of the Cat Star Chronicles, this is a very bittersweet time for me. Those cats have been a big part of my life since 2006--almost six years now. They'll continue to play a role for at least another year, because Wildcat won't be released until February of 2013. There will be edits and rewrites, but probably not another book. Still, nine books is a big accomplishment, and though they've enabled me to establish friendships with many wonderful people, my characters are friends, too, and saying goodbye to friends is never easy.

Thankfully, I have some old friends to revisit. I'll be working on the rewrites of existing manuscripts, but probably won't write anything entirely new for a while--unless inspiration suddenly strikes, which it has a habit of doing. It helps to be open to those bolts from the blue when they come, and to recognize them for what they are. Hopefully, I'll come up with another idea that's as good or better than the cats. I'm a better writer than I was when I was first published, and I can be more objective now. Still, Cat and Jack will always remain as dear to me as any friends I've ever had. There's a part of me in them, and they taught me a few things, too.   

I gathered as many of the heroes and heroines together from my previous books as possible for a few scenes in Wildcat. Getting all of them in was impossible, and would have been very confusing for new readers, but those of you who have been with me throughout this journey will have no difficulty remembering any of them. I'm sorry I won't be answering all the questions about the future of everyone in the series, but I think you'll get the idea. It's been a fun time, and I truly do hate to see it end.

Speaking of ends...
Here's one I think you'll enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire... 

 

Jack Frost nipping at your nose.

Yuletide carols being sung by a choir,

And folks dressed up like Eskimos.

 

Everybody knows a turkey

 

And some mistletoe

Help to make the season bright!

 

Lovely Yah Yahs with their eyes all aglow

Will find it hard to sleep tonight!

They know that Santa's on his way.

 

He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh!

 

And every one of you is gonna spy

To see if reindeer really know how to fly.

And so I'm offering this simple phrase

To kids from one to ninety-two.

 

Although it's been said many times many ways....

 Merry Christmas to you!

Saturday's Christmas Hunk of the Day!

This is it gang. The last shopping day before Christmas, and Santa doesn't appear to have any toys in his pack.



No, wait. I see it now... Silly me...

Friday Fun!

Wondering what to get for that jogger on your list this Christmas? Here's the perfect gift!

Jog Strap... It's even big enough to carry this in it!

Only TWO shopping days left until CHRISTMAS!!!!
Slave is now on sale for $1.99 and Entanglements is now available from Amazon!

Thursday Thoughts

I went over 99,000 words on Wildcat yesterday. The manuscript was originally due on Dec 31st, but now I've got until March before I have to turn it in. I could probably finish the whole book today, but I DON'T WANT TO!!! I'm going to miss those cats something awful.

I made the Outback bread yesterday. It tasted great, but it's a bit more coarse than the stuff in the restaurant and has a thicker crust. I think it was the rye flour. Mine was stone ground I think the restaurants use a finer-ground version. I'll post the recipe next week. It's definitely worth a try if you like to bake.

My son Mike came home from college Tuesday night, so last night we had sort of a special dinner. I had some rib eye steaks in the freezer that I'd bought for the Fourth of July and forgot about. Yeah, I know. I'm getting senile... Anyway, I did something then that I know I've never done before. I actually cooked the steaks on the grill. On the deck. In December. Right before the winter solstice. During a light drizzle.

I love rib eyes, but there's about as much fat on them as there is meat. Peaches and Bugsy, however, were delighted with the scraps and did NOT complain. They're eating a little better now, and the hair is starting to grow back on Bugsy's face from where the skunk sprayed him. He still looks a little beat-up, though. They've been spending the nights in the house, and they love it!
















We've had a problem with the water hydrant near the well freezing up in winter, and yesterday, the guys came and dug it up. Imagine a backhoe in your yard, digging a hole that was easily eight feet square and at least that deep through standing water. They they replaced the hydrant and the expansion tank. We've got better water pressure than we've ever had, but the place they dug up looks like chocolate icing on top of crumbly brownies, as opposed to a part of the lawn. Guess we know what I'll be doing in the spring...

While the guys were out digging up the yard, I put on some Christmas music, wrapped all the presents, and put them under the tree. Then I spent a pleasant afternoon talking with Mike while the steaks were thawing and the bread was rising. It already feels like Christmas. Mike's only request is for eggnog. I've got plenty of eggs, but no powdered sugar or cream. Guess I'll be going back to the store one more time....

But enough about that.
You're here for the hunks,
So here's one for your stocking.

 

No, wait, there are four!
But they're a bit young,
So I'll give you one more!



























This guy is too pretty,
Not hairy enough.
So I'll give you another,
Who's got the right stuff!

Only THREE shopping days left until Christmas!!!

Whopping Weasels and Christmas Goodies!

I went shopping after my riding lesson yesterday, which requires changing out of my sweaty riding clothes in a very chilly tack room. However, it was worth a few shivers, because while I was in Bloomington, I wanted to make one last stop at a couple of my favorite groceries before Christmas. You know the kind I mean--the ones that have so many interesting and exotic items you can't begin to try them all.
My first stop was at a store on 3rd Street called Sahara Mart that has beer and wine from all over the world, plus cheese, chocolate, spices, coffee, rice, beans, olive oils, and huge crocks filled with olives. You name it, they've got it, along with some stuff I wouldn't even know what do do with. I could spend hours sniffing all the soaps, and they have an entire aisle of nothing but tea. It boggles the mind. The miraculous thing is that I only spent about $40. I could spend thousands in that store.
I'm going to make some bread over the next week or so, and I'll let you know how it turns out. I found a recipe for that fabulous bread they serve at the Outback restaurants. I already had the rye flour, so all I needed was dark molasses. Sounds utterly decadent, doesn't it? Like dark chocolate or a tall, dark, and handsome hunk... Oh, yeah...
Anyway, the import grocery didn't have dark molasses, so I went to the Marsh store down the road, and just stood inside the door for a minute, taking it all in. The smell of roasted chicken. The blaze of poinsettias in every size.


The fruit, the wines, and yes, the bread.

If you've ever watched the movie Scrooge and seen the part where the Ghost of Christmas Present has a feast all laid out with tinsel and garland for Ebenezer, you get the idea. I was only there for butter and molasses, but you know I found more stuff to toss in my cart.

I know a lot of you live in larger cities where stores have everything from everywhere, and the IGA in Bloomfield does remarkably well for a small town independent grocery, but sometimes, I just have to make a run into Bloomington and indulge my inner globetrotting gourmet. *sigh*

Now for today's whopper, who is, of course, tall, dark, and exotic!

Enjoy!

Tasty Tuesday Curried Chicken with Apples!

 I've been making variations of this for years, and it's always been a favorite with my guys. Easy and tasty! You can use any kind of rice or apples you like. I prefer Fuji apples 'cause they're so sweet--like today's hunk!
 


Curried Chicken with Apples

2 boneless, skinless breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
1 large apple, cored, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp curry powder
1 cup milk
1 tbsp flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup wild and brown rice mix, cooked according to package directions

Directions
Saute onions in olive oil until translucent. Add apples and saute two minutes or so. Lightly season the chicken with salt and pepper, then add to the apples and onions and cook until browned and done all the way through. Whisk flour and curry powder with the milk and add to skillet. Cook until sauce is thickened. Season to taste with more curry powder, salt, and pepper if desired. Serve over rice. Serves 2-3.

Alicia! You're the winner of the PDF of Mistletoe & Menage! Will email it to you sometime today! Congrats and Merry Christmas!

Monday Moons and Mistletoe & Menage Release Day!

Okay. These have to go down in history as the rock-hardest buns ever!


I'm blogging from my treadmill. Gotta have something to show for not working full time, even though M & M does release today. I finished my Christmas cards earlier, (I'm writing this on Friday afternoon) went to the post office and the grocery, came home.... and took a nap. This life of leisure is wearing me out! So I'm on the treadmill, trying to at least regain a little of my stamina. I am NOT the  woman I once was. There was a time when I could work like a mule all day long and still have energy left over.
I think I need to write a new book: Reflections of a Fiftysomething Nurse/Romance writer.
Actually,  what I really need to do is to start writing the blogs for Stud's blog tour. But to do that, I've got to get off this treadmill and back onto my other computer. This little bitty one is driving  me crazy! It's a wonder I can write anything on it.

But, I digress. I'll be giving away a free PDF of M & M for one  lucky commenter today. The more you comment, the more chances you  have to win! I'm posting this on Facebook, too. So, line up and tell me what you want for Christmas!

And while you're waiting in line, check out the 5 Star Review of M & M on Booked Up!

In other news, the Kindle version of Slave is now on sale for $1.99, just in time for Christmas!

Sunday's Hunk of the Day!

Okay, ladies! Time to play Write Your Own Caption!

Can't wait to see what you come up with for this one!

Saturday's Hunk of the Day!

Here's another furry fellow guaranteed to keep you ladies warm this winter.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Friday Cowboy Fun!

Two Texans were out on the range talking about their favorite sex positions. One said, "I think I enjoy the rodeo position the best." 

"I don't think I have ever heard of that one," said the other cowboy. "What is it?"

"Well, it's where you get your wife down on all fours and you mount her from behind. Then you reach around and cup each one of her breasts in your hands and whisper in her ear, 'Boy, these feel just like your sister's.' 
Then you try and stay on for 8 seconds." 

 Hmmm.... Somehow I don't think anyone would buck this guy off, even if he pulled a stunt like that! 

Thursday Thoughts

Thought for the day:
Women over 55 should never read the Pickle Pleasing book (thank you again, Donna!)  in bed while drinking a glass of wine after working all night. I finished the book, but fell asleep immediately afterward.
Sad, but true. I woke up from my nap, took a shower and was about to dive back into bed when I remembered I hadn't written today's blog.
So here I am at 11PM, typing away on my computer, hoping to say something witty before I post a hunk and go to bed.
Sorry, don't feel witty. Just sleepy.
Here's the hunk.

No, wait. There are two of them.

I'm not anywhere near tipsy enough to be seeing double, so there really must be two of them.

Enjoy!

Whopping Weasel Wednesday!

I'm blogging today on Casablanca Authors. Our theme this month is what we'd like to find under our tree this Christmas. After you finish drooling, come on over!