BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--GUEST AUTHOR LOIS WINSTON

Besides writing those books about moi, author Lois Winston writes other books. Today she shares with us the story of how she came to be an author. Learn more about Lois at her website. -- AP

At Long Last...an eBook!

This is the story of one book’s journey and how it changed my life. I was not one of those kids who knew growing up that I wanted to write books. Frankly, the thought never occurred to me. So back in 1995 when I couldn’t shake a recurring dream, it wasn’t the most obvious of decisions to write the dream down.

Funny thing about dreams, at least my dreams, I rarely remember them. This dream was different, though. It unfolded every night like the chapters of a book. Eventually, I began daydreaming about my nightly dream, and it started taking over my life. It was a story that wouldn’t let go of me. Much of this probably had to do with the fact that I’d gone through several very rough years at that point and was feeling burned out. I guess my subconscious mind was trying to tell me that I needed a break.

Life must go on, though, and this dream was taking up too much of my time. One day I had a brainstorm: If I wrote the dream down, maybe I’d get it out of my system. So I began to write. The next thing I knew, I’d written a 50,000 word romance that spanned thirty-five years. So I thought I’d try to get the book published. Obviously, I knew nothing about the publishing world at that time. I soon discovered no one is interested in publishing a 50,000 word novel which spans thirty-five years.

However, the writing bug had sunk its teeth into me and wouldn’t let go. So I went about finding out how to write a book that stood some chance of getting published. I joined several writing organizations, went to workshops and conferences, and began to network. Fast forward ten years, almost to the day, and I’ve sold my first book to a New York publisher. Not the 50,000 word romance that spanned thirty-five years. My first published book was Talk Gertie to Me, a humorous women’s fiction. Along with learning how to write, I discovered I had a humorous voice lurking within me. Who knew? I’m the person who never remembers the punch line to jokes!

Over the years that first attempt at novel writing called to me from time to time, and I would haul it out from under my bed, sweep off the dust bunnies, and work on it. Eventually, that 50,000 word romance spanning thirty-five years transformed into Love, Lies and a Double Shot of Deception, a 74,000 word romantic suspense that takes place over a few months. It became the second book I sold.

Love, Lies and a Double Shot of Deception was released in 2007. It received some great reviews and won several fiction awards, including the Winter Rose Award for Excellence in Romance Fiction, The More Than Magic Award, and the Laurie Award. Unfortunately, this was around the time that my New York publisher started having financial problems. Authors stopped receiving statements and royalty checks. None of us had any way of knowing how much money we were owed. Eventually, the publisher went out of business, owing hundreds of authors hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The good news is I got the rights back to both Talk Gertie to Me and Love, Lies and a Double Shot of Deception. Talk Gertie to Me has been available as an ebook for nearly a year. And now, after a long story that I won’t bore you with, I can officially announce that Love, Lies and a Double Shot of Deception is also available as an ebook. This book has a special place in my heart because it started me on my writing career. As I spent the last few weeks getting it ready for upload as an ebook, I rediscovered why this story had such an emotional pull on me. Along with being a gripping romantic suspense and a love story, it’s also a story about empowerment. And I’m so grateful that dream wouldn’t leave me alone.

Love, Lies and a Double Shot of Deception

Life has delivered one sucker punch after another to Emma Wadsworth. As a matter of fact, you could say the poor little rich girl is the ultimate poster child for Money Can’t Buy Happiness — even if she is no longer a child.

Billionaire real estate stud Logan Crawford is as famous for his less-than-platinum reputation as he is his business empire. In thirty-eight years he’s never fallen in love, and that’s just fine with him — until he meets Emma.

But Emma’s not buying into Logan’s seductive ways. Well, maybe just a little, but she’s definitely going into the affair with her eyes wide open. She’s no fool. At least not any more. Her deceased husband saw to that. Besides, she knows Logan will catch the first jet out of Philadelphia once he learns her secrets.

Except things don’t go exactly as Emma has predicted, and when Philadelphia’s most beloved citizen become the city’s most notorious criminal, she needs to do a lot more than clear her name if she wants to save her budding romance with the billionaire hunk someone is willing to kill for.

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TRAVEL WITH ANASTASIA AND LOIS--AIX-EN-PROVENCE

La Rotonde Fountain, Aix-en-Provence

Today, we’re taking you to Aix-en-Provence, one of the stops on author Lois Winston's (and my) recent trip to the Mediterranean. Stop back over the next several Thursdays to read about other stops on her(our) trip.

One of the main boulevards of Aix-en-Provence, this one featured artwork
of local school children.

Saint-Sauveur Cathedral

Aix-en-Provence was the capital of Provence from the 12th century to the French Revolution. It’s a university town famous for its music and literature as well as being the birthplace of artist Paul Cezanne. The places and landscapes he painted are evident in the town and its nearby countryside.

Mont Sainte Victoire by Paul Cezanne

architectural detail of Saint-Sauveur Cathedral

After Paris and Versailles, Aix-en-Provence has the largest collection of Baroque architecture in France, as well as architecture preserved from other centuries. 

sculpture inside Saint-Sauveur Cathedral

Saint-Sauveur Cathedral, for example, features every architectural style from the 5th to the 17th centuries because those cathedrals took forever to build. Amazingly, much of this fabulous architecture has survived two world wars. 

MONEY MATTERS WITH SHEILA--BOOKSTORE WITHOUT BORDERS

There’s a new kid on the block: Bookstore Without Borders is an exciting new online bookstore. What makes them different and special is twofold: First, they only feature independently published books. Secondly, they take no commission from authors on the sales of their books. This is a pretty big deal when you consider that most authors only make 25% royalty on the sales of their traditionally published ebooks (those books being published by publishing houses) and 35-70% royalties on their indie published ebooks from online bookstores such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Apple’s iBookstore.

Contrary to popular opinion based on the incomes of E.L. James, J.K. Rowling, James Patterson, and a handful of others, most authors, whether traditionally or indie published, can’t afford to quit their day jobs. So if you’re looking to fill your Kindle, Nook, or iPad, check out Bookstore Without Borders. You’ll find some great reads in a large selection of genres.

COOKING WITH CLORIS--VINTAGE CANDY MAKING WITH MARCELA DE VIVO

Marcela De Vivo is a freelance writer in California whose writing specializes in DIY, health, tech and marketing. She loves making homemade candy with her three children. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook for more delectable tips like these!

How to Make Vintage Candy

Making candy is a bit of a lost art form as far as the average American kitchen is concerned. Even at a time when homemade and organic foods are making a strong comeback, homemade candy isn’t yet a popular item.

Part of the reason, along with the homemade and organic food craze, is that there has also been a steady increase in the awareness of health and the quality of what we put into our body.

While that’s definitely a good thing, it has also kept things, like homemade candy and heavy desserts, off the radar for the most part.

Candy is a treat and should always be thought of as such. To have a steady diet of it (homemade or otherwise) is never a good idea; however, if you’re just wanting to spend some time creating something unique and cooking something in your kitchen that you’ve never thought of, homemade candy may be an excellent option for you.

Besides, candy is quite expensive in the store, so we’ll look at a few different ways that you can make your own.

(Click on the links for the recipes.)

1. Caramel -- Caramels are really simple to make. Because butter, sugar and corn syrup are the main ingredients here, just keep in mind that this is a treat, therefore, it makes sense to have lots of sugary goodness in the ingredients list.

Caramel typically comes in either a soft or hard variation, but if you have kids, they may prefer  a softer “melt in your mouth” style of caramel.

2. Peanut Brittle -- If you like sweet and salty candies, this has got to be one of the all-time best options, partly because it’s incredibly simple to make. Two cups of sugar, one cup of shelled peanuts and some white syrup is pretty much all you need.

Once it cooks down and hardens, just crack the pieces and wrap it up in fancy candy containers.

3. Taffy -- As you might have already noticed, most of these vintage candy recipes involve the same ingredients, so there’s not going to be any really complex changes when dealing with saltwater taffy.

You can make a lot of different kinds and you can pretty much make any flavor you want-- whether it be peppermint, mango, peanut butter or any other flavor. The base is going to be sugar, corn syrup and butter for just about all of them.

4. Rock Candy -- One of the most simple and basic candy recipes in the book, taking us all the way back to the 1930’s, is rock candy. You can add food coloring to make it more interesting, but to be honest, it’s just sugar-- nothing more and nothing less.

The recipe sounds like more of a science experiment, as you’ll fill a glass with hot water and dissolve as much sugar in it as possible. Then, poke a hole in the jar’s lid and lower a piece of string down into the water.

After a few hours, you’ve got yourself some rock candy! You can also repeat the process until the crystals are as big as you want them.

You’ve probably seen these in gift shops before, so next time you do, you’ll know exactly how they were made. In fact, you may even prefer to make it yourself if you desire a specific flavor.

A Vintage Activity

Making candy is a nod to America’s past, and if you want to give your candies an even more nostalgic feel, present them in vintage canisters, like metal tins, and then wrap them in wax paper.

Even if you don’t want to eat it all yourself, homemade candy makes great gifts, particularly because of the thoughtfulness that goes into making them.

CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--PERLE COTTON CARNATION

Make a dozen of these Perle Cotton carnations in the colors of your choice for a crafty bouquet that doesn’t need watering and won’t wilt, turn brown, and drop their petals.

Perle Cotton Carnation

Materials: one skein DMC #5 Color Variations Perle Cotton (your choice of color), floral wire, 12 white stamens, green floral tape, two green silk leaves, pliers, scissors, ruler.

1. From floral wire cut one 16” piece and six 4” pieces. Fold each piece in half.

2. Cut the loop at one end of the skein of Perle Cotton. Remove the labels, unfold the skein and lay flat. Cut the 18” length skein into six 3” lengths. Remove knot.

3. Place two pearl stamens on top of each of the six cut pieces of Perle Cotton.

4. To form petal, place one section of Perle Cotton with stamens centered between folded end of small wire. Twist wire together. Repeat for remaining five petals.

5. Twist all six petals into fold of larger wire. Secure with floral tape, wrapping around base of petals and top 1/2” of wire.

6. Twist on the leaves.

7. Continue twisting floral tape from bottom of leaves to end of wire stem.

BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--ANASTASIA TALKS ABOUT MOSAIC MAYHEM

Every once in awhile, an author booked to do a guest post disappears. Repeated email reminders go unanswered. Such was the case with today’s scheduled guess. However, sometimes the universe works in mysterious ways, and that, too, is the case today because it enables me to tell you about the latest way author Lois Winston has put my life in danger.

When I discovered Lois had decided to have Zack Barnes, my tenant-turned-lover, jet me off on a three-day romantic European getaway, I figured it was her way of making up for all the crap she’s dumped on me over three books and a novella.

Boy was I wrong! Within hours of arriving, Lois has me staring down the barrel of a gun. I should have known I couldn’t trust her.

Parc Güell

Mosaic Mayhem is the second of the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mini-Mysteries and takes place in Barcelona, Spain. Here’s an excerpt to whet your appetite:

Not again! I stared down the barrel of a big black bad-ass gun pointed at my chest. Ever since last winter when Karl Pollack, my not-so-dearly-departed husband, died suddenly, people have been trying to kill me. First, Karl’s loan shark. Then a crazy co-worker. Most recently, a hired assassin.

My name is Anastasia Pollack. I’m a debt-ridden, pear-shaped, middle-aged single mom, and crafts editor at a woman’s magazine. I’m also apparently a killer magnet, not only in my home state of New Jersey but also across the Atlantic Ocean in Spain.

Worst of all, unlike my three previous run-ins with killers, I had no idea who this guy was or why he wanted me dead. He apparently didn’t speak English, and my Spanish is limited to a few words and phrases picked up from watching Sesame Street years ago with my kids. My Catalan is non-existent.

So much for a quick getaway to Barcelona.

After the relief of finding that my passport hadn’t expired, I thought my biggest problem would be arranging extra care for my semi-invalid mother-in-law during my three-day absence. Silly me.

I landed in this situation thanks to Zack. When Karl dropped dead, leaving me with debt that rivaled the gross national product of an average third-world country, I was forced to rent out the apartment over my garage and move my studio to my dingy, unheated basement. Little did I know at the time that my new tenant, award-winning photo-journalist and possible spy (although he vehemently denies the latter) Zachary Barnes, would segue from renter to lover.

Zack looks like his DNA cavorted in the gene pools of George Clooney, Pierce Brosnan, Patrick Dempsey, and Antonio Bandares. What he sees in me, I’ll never know, and yet here we are—a couple. I’m not complaining.

I’d spent most of the summer working a second job every weekend, and I was beyond exhausted. So when Zack invited me to tag along with him while he photographed architect Antoni Gaudi’s Parc Güell for a National Geographic spread, I cashed in some of my comp time and packed a bag.

Torre Rosa ceiling

We arrived in Barcelona early in the morning, dropped our luggage at a hotel off Plaça de Catalunya, and headed to the park, a fairytale inspired masterpiece that resembled a miniature city. While Zack took a meeting with the director in Torre Rosa, the park’s museum and former Gaudi home, I wandered the enchanting grounds and buildings, snapping photos of the whimsical Hansel and Gretel gatehouses, the Sala Hipostila marketplace with its multi-domed ceiling, and the main terrace, ringed with an intricately decorated serpentine bench—all embellished with Gaudi’s trademark mosaics. I planned to use the photos as part of a feature on mosaic art for a future issue of American Woman, the magazine where I worked.

Sala Hipostila mosaics

Afterwards, I set off on one of the many trails weaving through nearly forty acres of steep hillside in order to enjoy some of the spectacular views of the city spread out below. I was in a secluded area with no one else around when a bear of a man with a short dark beard that did little to hide his acne scarred cheeks stepped from the wooded area onto the path in front of me. Like so many other men on the streets of Barcelona, he wore a red and gold soccer jersey, but unlike all the others, this guy accessorized his outfit with a deadly weapon.

A gasp froze in my throat.

He might as well have been speaking Swahili for all the good my Sesame Street Spanish did me. Zack had warned me that pickpockets trolled the streets of Barcelona, preying on hapless tourists. He hadn’t mentioned anything about armed gunmen, but common sense told me I was being robbed.

“Take it,” I said, dropping my handbag at his feet. But this was no robbery. He didn’t scoop up my bag and run. Instead, he grabbed both the bag and my arm.

Mosaic Mayhem is a novelette, available as an ebook.

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TRAVEL WITH ANASTASIA AND LOIS--BARCELONA

Barcelona from harbor

Author Lois Winston (she who writes those books about me) and I are giving Serena a break and taking over the travel column for the next few weeks. Lois cruised the Mediterranean back in May, and I tagged along, at least in my imagination and hers. Of course, Lois being Lois, she didn't exactly let me enjoy the trip. I wound up getting kidnapped. You can read more about that tomorrow and in Mosaic Mayhem, the latest Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mini-Mystery.

Today we’re going to tell you a little bit about Barcelona, the first stop on our trip and the setting for Mosaic Mayhem.

fortress overlooking the Barcelona harbor

Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, is a gem of a city that sits on the Mediterranean. It’s founding is steeped in legend heralding back to the time of the Romans. Today it contains one of Europe’s best-preserved Gothic-era medieval city centers as well as the whimsical creations of Antoni Gaudi’s Modernista style architecture and modern skyscrapers.

La Sagrada Família

La Sagrada Família, a basilica that looks like it was constructed from wet sand dripping from the heavens, is the most visited tourist attraction in all of Spain. Begun in 1882, the design and construction were taken over by Gaudi a year later, and it’s still under construction today. (If you look at the upper right of the top photo, you'll see a crane from the construction site.)

Parc Güell

Mosaic terrace at Parc Güell

While working on La Sagrada Família, Gaudi lived in a house situated in Parc Güell, a masterpiece of municipal gardens, mosaic-clad terrace walls, and fanciful architectural elements reminiscent of the witch’s house from Hansel and Gretel. 

La Rambla

La Rambla is a tree-lined pedestrian boulevard filled with shops and restaurants that runs for three-quarters of a mile through the heart of Barcelona from Plaça de Catalunya to the harbor.

one of the courtyards that branch out from narrow alleys off La Rambla

Barcelona is also home to many wonderful museums, including Museu Picasso which houses an incredible collection of Picasso’s early work and plays a pivotal role in Mosaic Mayhem.