Growing up Pug

Welcome to my blog and the Authors in Bloom Blog Hop!

I have two dogs: a Pug named Flapjack, and a Puggle named Fritter.

Fritter is four and Flapjack just turned one.

Before I got Flapjack, Fritter and I loved to spend time in the garden.  She would lay out in the sun while I weeded.  She would lay out in the shade, while I weeded.  She would go back inside, while I weeded.

Then we got Jack, and everything changed.

Jack was born in March, north from where I live and closer to the mountains.  When I got him in May, the breeder told me he had never seen grass before, since she still had snow in her yard.  So his first experience with grass was a game changer.  Of course to a Pug, especially a puppy, it was the BEST THING EVER!

Then we got busy in the garden.  Another fun fact the breeder told me was that this certain Pug loves peas.  I filed that info away and didn't think much about it.

Flapjack and Fritter got along, mostly.  Jack followed Fritter EVERYWHERE and was pretty much what every younger sibling was supposed to be; annoying. They played and rolled in the grass.  

Fritter showed him the hole under the shed where she had dug out a hiding place.  She showed him where to find the BEST STICKS EVER!

If we didn't see Jack for awhile, we knew he was probably trying to drag a stick inside.

The garden grew, and before I knew it, I had peas.  I started to bring Jack out to the garden and would pick a pea for him.  OMG! It was the BEST PEA EVER!  Thus everytime I went out into the garden, Jack would follow and patiently wait by the peas for me to give him one.

Then soon, he stopped being patient.  I wondered why there were only peas from my knee height and up.  Then I noticed that the pea vines were on the ground.  Finally I noticed the half-gnawed-on pods. That dang Pug was pilfering my peas!

Luckily I had peas-a-plenty, and other things began to sprout that caught his attention.  However, it never failed if anyone went out to the garden to weed or harvest, they were confronted by the pea-eating Pug.

And really, how can you say no to a face like this.

This is a recipe from my favorite cooking show/magazine/website (Cooks Country) and is worthy for any pea loving Pug.

Bacony Peas

SERVES 4

Do not thaw the peas before adding them to the skillet. You can use half a medium red onion in place of the shallot.

INGREDIENTS

• 4slices bacon, chopped
• 1shallot, minced
• 1garlic clove, minced
• 1(1-pound) bag frozen peas
• 2teaspoons dark brown sugar
• 1tablespoon unsalted butter
• Salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. RENDER BACON Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate and pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan.
   2. COOK PEAS Cook shallot and garlic in bacon fat until softened and fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in peas and sugar and cook, covered, until heated through, about 4 minutes. Off heat, stir in butter. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with bacon. Serve.

Pass the Peas!

My big giveaway!

To celebrate Spring and the recent release of my second book, I will be giving away copies of both Angel's Code and Angel's Betrayal.  One lucky winner will win both copies and two others will receive their choice of one or the other.

Angel's Code

Danny Murray is a restless young Londoner.  Bored with his studies as a web designer, he longs for something new and exciting.  He attracts the attention of an enigmatic American hacker who goes by the screen name "The Fallen Angel."  Angel agrees to train him, as long as he becomes a member her team.  Oliver Murray, Senior Investigating Officer for London's Metropolitan Police's Cyber Crime Division, and Danny's older brother, has different plans for his troublesome brother.  But when Oliver is abducted, it comes down to Danny and the illegal skills he's learned to save him.

Angel's Betrayal

It's summertime and insects are not the only things flying in the London skies.

Oliver and Danny Murray return in this explosive second-in-the-series novel.

When two CIA agents appear in Oliver Murray's office, he knows nothing good could come from it.  An American drone has gone missing and the agents believe that one of their own may have taken it.  The agent in question is Sara Parsons, also known as Fallen Angel.

Maintaining her innocence, Angel tries to find the real culprit, but when one of the agents sent to apprehend her turns up dead in her flat, Oliver has a hard time believing her.  With the help from his brother, Danny, Oliver betrays his own instincts and decides to help Angel find the true murderer and drone thief.

The winners will be able to choose between a signed paperback or a digital copy.

Please leave a comment with your email below.  Plus if you are interested in my books and want to be kept in the loop, please indicate that you would like to be put on my newsletter mailing list.

           
                 Thank you for visiting during this blog hop.  To continue your hop, click below.
Remember, to be eligible for the grand prize you must visit and comment on each author's page.  Good luck!

Upcoming events

Spring is finally here!

I wanted to inform you all about the upcoming events.

First, on Monday starts the Author's in Bloom Blog Hop, hosted by Dianne Venetta. It is 10 days of daily giveaway, the grand prize being a Kindle or a Nook AND a $25 ebook gift card.

I will be giving away copies of both my books to one lucky person and one copy of either Angel's Code or Angel's Betrayal to two others.

Next on my Calendar is my Virtual Book Tour, organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

I will be a guest on several blogs for several weeks, and will be giving away copies of my books there as well.

Stay tuned for updates on where I'll be.

Last but not least, I'll be guest on an internet radio show, hosted by Barry Eva.

Also stay tuned for when the interview will be made available.

So that's it for now. 

A Clever Gift Becomes Oddly Relevant

So my parents were being a bit cheeky this Christmas and got me this...

Ha ha, a good laugh was shared by all.  I dramatically read the back of the box then opened it and read the inside...

A code?  Like "Angel's Code?"  

It gets weirder...

A small envelope was contained inside the box.  An invitation... hmm.  I secreted into my room and opened it.  A small folded piece of paper inside read:

"You have fallen under the spell of Angel's fleeting star."

Wow.

Then another sheet of paper read:

"By adopting Angel... you enter the boldest of all universes, where your dreams and fantasies come true."

With the code, I was invited to enter a "Circle."  How exclusive!  An inner circle of trust.  

Anyhoo, I'm pretty freaked out by this.  I always find it amazing how unrelated things often connect.

I hope you all had an equally surprising and wonderful Christmas.

P.S. The perfume ain't too shabby either.

Stuffed with Thanks

Hello, and Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.

Today starts the end of my blogstop tour of the character descriptions for Angel's Code.  For the next three days you can read about Angel on Lorrie Struiff's blog.  Click Here to read it.

If you have missed any of the other characters you can read about Danny Here and Oliver Here
Of course you can always read about the inspiration of my first book on a previous post below.

Thank you for all the people who have hosted me this month, and thanks to all who have joined in and checked it all out.

All Over the Character Oliver

Today will be part three of my guest blog series/character studies.

Please visit Amber Daulton's blog here, to read about the enigmatic character Oliver.

Need to catch up?

Check out my previous blog about the inspiration for the Angel's Code story and also find out more about Danny here.

Angel's Code

My first book was released on Sept. 17th.  It was quite the learning process, publishing a book.  I would like to thank a few people who helped along the way.

First, my mentor and friend, Danica Winters.  If it weren't for her, I would have never started this process.  Her guidance helped me develop, edit, rewrite, edit, rewrite and finally submit my book.
I'd also like to thank the other women in my critique group, Kristi Fitzgerald, Melanie Calahan.  I couldn't have written as much as I did without you.

Second, I'd like to thank Jennifer Conners and the staff at Books to Go Now for their hard work and dedication to new authors.

Third, I thank my family and friends who supported my endeavor.  It was quite the trial.

So in the name of self promotion, here are the links where you can find the book. :)  I hope you enjoy it.

Amazon copy
Barnes and Noble copy

The Calm Before the Storm

This  past week I've been thinking about how quiet it was.  Too quiet.  It reminded me of this line from one of my favorite actors, Gary Oldman, in one of the first movies I saw him in, "The Professional." (BTW was also one of the first roles done by Natalie Portman - it's an excellent movie.  I highly recommend it.)

Anyhoo, here's the clip.  Warning: it does get a tad violent.

Did I say tad?

So it's been calm.  Calmer at work, calm at the market, calm at home. It's beginning to freak me out!

I have finished the final looks of my debut novella.  Yea!

Here's the cover

Isn't it awesome.  The artist over at Books To Go Now really did a great job.  

So now what....

                                    ....we wait.

Fortunately, you don't have to wait long!  Angel's Code will be available for download Sept. 17th.  That's in six days people!  How stoked are you?

So.... like I said, the calm before the storm.  Go rent "The Professional" while you wait.