New to Paperback, OVER THE RIVER, THROUGH THE WOODS

Over the River, Through the Woods:

Now available in paperback via Amazon.com

as well as for purchase at your local bookstores. 

Ask for it at your favorite booksellers!

Life is made up not of days, but of moments. What if, in one moment, everything you knew about your life changed forever? 

Jennifer and David Brookehouse have an ecstatically happy marriage and thriving careers. She, a noted photographer, and he, an anesthesiologist with University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. She performs in musical theater and he competes in bicycle races for charity. 

Jenny could never have foreseen how her life would change when she sent her husband off to a race in Vermont. In a moment, his body and mind are shattered by a drunk driver. He nearly dies and spends weeks in a coma. When he awakes, he is a changed man. Just when things seem to be getting back to normal, David disappears without a trace. Jenny must swim a sea of red tape just to get the police involved in a search with no clues and no witnesses. When no one believes he can be found and brought home alive, Jenny has faith and refuses to give up. 

As her life begins to fly out of control, Jenny meets her childhood crush, British actor, Karsen Langford, at the musical theater where she volunteers. Their growing friendship will cause tongues to wag, and the press to link them romantically. Though innocent of any wrong-doing, Jenny will face judgment and scorn, all while desperately searching for the husband she loves.

The Iron Masters is Unput-downable

The Iron Masters by Graham     Watkins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Graham Watkins' epic saga, “The Iron Masters” grabs the reader from the start, and doesn't let loose of them until the final words are read. Reminiscent of C.S. Forester in it's scope, the story is of the clever and ambitious Nye Vaughn, and follows him from the grips of poverty to staggering wealth, in the service of war in the iron works of Merthyr Tydfil. The depth of detail shows the due diligence Watkins put into his research for this unput-downable volume. This piece has something for everyone, but most especially for those who, like myself, have a passion for well-written historical fiction. Weaving real events and people into a rich tapestry of his own characters, Watkins doesn't fail to satisfy.


View all my reviews

Mardi Gras 2015

The day is almost upon us, less than a week away.

This is my first Mardi Gras since my mother passed back in November. It feels different somehow, if for no other reason than that link to my Cajun heritage is now gone. I often think, I want to go back to visit, but whom would I see now? Being single, I have no one to share this longing for home with.

Living up here on Whidbey Island (Washington) is a bit like being on the moon, celebration-wise. I often imagine floats making their way down sleepy little Pioneer Way, masked revelers tossing beads, doubloons, and favors, and that cheers me up. I wonder what the locals would make of Zulu coconuts. After 14 years here, shouldn't I be considered a local? A million years here won't take the Louisiana out of my blood, though.

I am throwing a party on the day. It'll be my first party in many years. I'm making my chicken and sausage gumbo--beef instead of andouille, which I couldn't find this year--shrimp boil, and a King cake I've ordered from Gambino's bakery. Randazzo's was sold out when I tried to place my order last week. That idea makes me somehow more homesick in ways I can't exactly explain.

I flash back to eating King cake at the tiny kitchen table in my then mother-in-law's house. I got the baby nearly every time. She liked to ignore the fact that I'm half Cajun. She preferred to call me a Wop, like the salad at Rocky & Carlos' down in Chalmette. That's okay, though. It's been enough years since she first did it that the sting is long gone.

I flash back to my first parade in the French Quarter--the Krewe of Clones. Of seeing flambeaus and a giant cow that was spraying the crowd from it's udders with God only knew what. I want to believe it was only water. It's one of those sights that makes you say, "Only in New Orleans."

I flash back to getting drunk on cold meds and Hurricanes at Pat O's with the ex, as if we were tourists and new comers to the city that care forgot. He told me you could always tell the outsiders by the way they sat, as if their wallets were too fat to sit their butts flat in a chair. He pointed out examples and that would always make me laugh.

Mardi Gras always makes me homesick for the early years of my marriage as well. Though my friend, Roxanne, says that such longing is for the things we wish had been, not what really was. I think she's right. Still, I'd pay good money right this moment to be standing, shivering in an unseasonably chilly night, watching a truck parade with the my mother, the ex and his mother, if for no other reason than to feel Mardi Gras one more time.

The Proof is in the Pudding?

I'm always glad to see the UPS man, but today he brought something very special indeed. The proof copy of my novel, OVER THE RIVER, THROUGH THE WOODS.

All I could say was, "Oh my God," over and over again as I held it in my hands for the first time. Seeing my name on the cover has become a surreal experience. It doesn't feel real somehow as it sits here on my desk. I've had a byline for years in newspapers and magazines, but this. . .this. . .is something else entirely.

The cover art is more beautiful and apt than I could've ever imagined. The photo of the bridge as if Jenny had been there to snap it. The cornflower blue of the background. The blurb. It all comes together perfectly.

This leaves one last thing--getting the typesetting corrected--before it can go to print and be sold in bookstores everywhere.

Now that's a thought that just took the top of my head off.

I think as writers we all become so divorced from the final product in our passion for putting the words down on the page. In our need to tell the story. I want to ask Stephen King and Patricia Cornwell if it ever gets old, this getting a book into print. They're both on Twitter. I think I'll do just that and see what (if) they say.

Damask Rose

A rose by any other name. . .

My damask rose,

fragile pearl beyond price.

The sadness in your eyes,

that cuts my heart.

A new day is coming,

across this vast, intimate distance.

Hold on to all that you are.

I will catch you when you fall.

Cool Water Woman

A storm is coming across the island.

It brings a dark rainbow made entirely of gray.

The wind is wet, but doesn't chill me.

It makes the blinds rattle, chatter like frightened teeth.

The windchime protests in discordant notes.

I brush Cool Water Woman on my skin;

Watch the white caps upon the harbor.

Night is coming fast.

You've been looking for me all your life.

Now, I'm looking for you, too.

The Cat House on the Kings – No Kill Sanctuary

At a loss for words?

If you're a writer, then you know all about the "at a loss for words" feeling. It doesn't even have to be a blank page or glaring white Word document staring you in the face. It can sneak up at you in the middle of a revision. It's always lurking just around the corner waiting to ruin your writerly day. When that happens, don't panic. Go to the Madlib Poetry Generator! Great art it might not be, but at least it's laugh-worthy. And who knows, coming up with that many adjectives and nouns may just scare away the "loss for words" gremlin for awhile.

all in beautiful went my cat running

All in beautiful went my cat running
on a terrific parade of loud
into the stealthy kitchen.

obsessive hungry dream ed sluggish and ing
the daring car before.

depressed be they than sleepy ocean
the wonderful outrageous car
the outrageous daring car.

obsessive outrageous clouds at a slovenly rain
the generous road before.

hat at dog went my cat running
runing the farm down
into the stealthy kitchen.

obsessive hungry dreamed sluggish and ing
the tedious cow before.

brilliant be they than sugary outrageous horse
the hungry slovenly car
the facetious sluggish n car.

obsessive facetious pickle at a loud tractor
the terrifying jet before.

lunch at bed went my cat running
runing the firehose down
into the stealthy kitchen.

obsessive hungry dreamed sluggish and ing
the terrifying flag before.

gratingly be they than silently newspaper
the sadly divinely car
the hideous gorey car.

obsessive hideous computer at the beautiful firehose
the gorey carpet before.

All in beautiful went my cat running
on a terrific parade of loud
into the stealthy kitchen.

obsessive hungry dreamed sluggish and ing
my sofa slam lunch before.

-- Jacqui L. Landry and e.e. cummings

Create Your Own Madlib on LanguageIsAVirus.com

Peanut Coconut Thai noodles with Pork

This is a recipe I made up off the top of my head while craving Pad Thai. Since I didn't have tamarind paste or fish sauce, this is what I came up with. If you like the spicy, sweet traditional Thai Satay dipping sauce, you'll love this recipe.

Peanut oil is used because it tolerates the high temperatures necessary for authentic wok cooking.

This recipe can also easily be made with beef, chicken, shrimp or tofu as you prefer.

Prep time approximately 20 minutes

Cooking time: 15-20 minutes

Serves 6

Peanut Coconut Thai noodles with Pork

1/2 pound very lean pork, thinly sliced

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup canned coconut milk

1/2 medium onion, sliced lengthwise

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 small carrot, diced

2 ribs of celery, sliced

1 cup bean spouts

2 green onions, sliced

2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced

3 eggs

1/2 cup chopped peanuts (for garnish)

1/4 peanut oil (for cooking)

SAUCE:

1/2 cup all natural or organic peanut butter, warmed to room temperature (I recommend Adams brand)

1/2 cup canned coconut milk

2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 Tablespoon fresh minced ginger

1/4 cup sweet hot chili sauce

1 Teaspoon Sriracha Garlic Hot Sauce (preferably Huy Fong brand)

1 Teaspoon dried red pepper seed (add more if you like it hot)

1 package Pad Thai noodles, OR mung bean threads OR similar Oriental noodle

Place pork in bowl with 1/2 cup lime juice and 1/4 cup coconut milk, marinating at least 1 hour prior to cooking (preferably overnight).

Blend all ingredients for sauce in a medium bowl, also allowing to marinate (again, preferably overnight).

Beat eggs until fluffy. Heat 2 TBS of the peanut oil in wok over high heat until very hot. Pour eggs into hot oil, stirring gently with cooking chopsticks until they begin to solidify. Turn over with a spatula to finish cooking; approximately 1 minute. Remove from wok to a paper towel-lined plate. Slice into small, bite-sized pieces.

Pour remaining peanut oil into wok and heat on high as before. Drain pork, then place into hot oil, stir frying until throroughly cooked. Remove pork from wok, stirring into the sauce bowl. Allow to marinate while boiling noodles and stir frying vegetables.

Bring water to a bowl in 3 quart saucepan, add noodles, cooking for 3 minutes. Drain immediately, rinsing in cold water. Return noodles to saucepan and cover them in cold water to prevent sticking.

Return wok to high heat to saute onions and garlic. Be certain not to overcook them. Toss in remaining vegetables, stir frying for 1 minute. Add sauce and meat, stirring continuously. Lastly, drain noodles thoroughly, then stir them into the wok. Turn heat to low while stirring mixture, making certain noodles are completely coated.

Garnish with the sliced scrambled egg, chopped peanuts, minced cilantro and a wedge of lime.