Vampires of Crimson Bay #2 has a title!

Vamped Up!

It's release date is December 6th and the blurb can be found in the "Books" tab above. I'm very excited about this story. Ruan and Eve were great characters to write--I really put them through the ringer! Not to mention, I think the book contains some of my best writing to date.

If you purchased a copy of InterVamption, the first chapter of Vamped Up is given as a teaser at the end.

I should have a cover to share soon.

In other good news, I'm going to be posting bi-monthly on the Darker Temptations blog. I'll be posting every other Thursday. Other fabulous authors included in the blog are Danica Avet, Cynthia Eden, Erin Kellison, Katie Reus, Marcella Burnard, Rebecca Zanetti, and Sayde Grace. I'm very excited to be a part of such a talented group of writers. I'll give you the heads up when it gets up and running.

Until then...

Trying something new--stuffed manicotti

I'm a creature of habit. I tend to cook the same things for my family. I order the same things off menus of familiar restaurants. I'm not that spontaneous. And I steer clear of certain aisles in the grocery store all together.

So when Husband came home with portobello mushroom smoked chicken sausage, I thought what the hell am I doing to do with that?

Husband offered to eat the links raw, which convinced me he really is the rugged mountain man I thought he was.

Instead, I went to the store, picked up a few easy ingredients, came home and cooked THE BEST pasta dish EVER. It tasted like something we ordered from Macaroni Grill. Husband kept blinking at me during dinner, like I was a mirage...wearing a chef's hat.

So, of course, I want to share the recipe with you. It's easy cheesy.

Portobello Mushroom Sausage and Cheese Manicotti

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup dry red wine. (I used a 2008 Gnarly Head Merlot)
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
dashes of Italian seasoning
15 oz ricotta cheese
2 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded or diced
3 oz Parmesan cheese, graded
3 links portobello mushroom sausage, chopped
pepper
10 manicotti shells

Directions:

Heat oil in large saucepan. Add onions and garlic, saute until translucent. Add red wine, tomatoes and Italian seasoning. Simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat, set aside.

In medium mixing bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses. Stir in sausage and season with pepper to taste.

Boil manicotti. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread 1/4 cup sauce along bottom of oiled 13x9x2 glass dish. Fill each pasta shell with about 1/3 cup cheese-sausage mix. Arrange stuffed manicotti in single layer in dish and cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese over top. Bake uncovered until heated through and bubbling, 20-30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

That's it! Easy, right? This isn't a dish I'd make frequently, but it's definitely going to be one we treat ourselves with from time to time.

To top it off, Husband did the dishes after dinner! Score!

**WRITING UPDATE: Vampires of Crimson Bay Book #2 will have a title and cover soon. I can't wait to share them with you! Intervamption continues to get great reviews--THANK YOU, readers! I'm chugging away through Book 3 in the Vampires of Crimson Bay Series. Tentative finish date is November. (I'm really gonna need Fall rain to get me through.)

Intervamption now available in print!

Huzzah! The kinks are all worked out! You can now order Intervamption in print format at all the major e-retailers.

A heads up, though...if you preordered the book through Amazon, you may need to double check you shipping summary. I went in this morning to check the status of my book shipment, and an account warning stated that since there was a delay in shipping, I had to REAPPROVE the order before they could ship my books.

Thank you all so, so, so much for your patience. I can't wait to hear what you "print readers" have to think. :grin:

Glitchety-Glitch

Technology can be both a blessing and a pain. The e-version of Intervamption released July 26th without a hitch. Reviews have been great (check out the new snippets on the REVIEW tab above), and I couldn't be happier with the outpouring of support from friends, family and new readers.

But today was supposed to be the smooth-sailing release of the print version of Intervamption. We've encountered some problems. They're being worked out (never fear) as I sit and type this. Ebook sellers like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Borders are showing the book is "Out of Stock" or "Temporarily Unavailable for Purchase". Between Super Agent Nalini and Editor Extraordinaire Esi, the issues will be resolved ASAP.

So...yes, there is a glitch. Intervapmtion is available in print. You can pre-order it on Amazon and it will be shipped once we iron out the kinks.

Please keep checking back. I'll post something here as soon as I have the good news. And, hey, if you have a minute, why don't you take a look at the new box on the sidebar that shows all the wicked cool blogs I'm visiting this month!

Review, Interview and Florence and the Machine

There's a few things I want to point out today.

1-Kristin, over at My Bookish Ways, gave an awesome 4/5 hat review for Intervamption. I'll be guest blogging for a paranormal/urban fantasy event on the site in late August or early September. I'll keep you posted on the deets as I get 'em.

2-I did an interview for Kaitlyn at Nocturnal Readings. If you're interested in the inspiration for Intervamption or which character is my favorite, that's the blog to visit.

3-I'm blogging over at Pensfatales Friday, tomorrow, August 5th. The post topic is "SEXY" and it was oh-so-much-fun to write!

4-Florence and the Machine is totally bad ass...in case you didn't know already. I found the video below on youtube last night, as I was reeling through songs to listen to while I write Vampires of Crimson Bay #3. It's obviously not an official video and because of that, I'm not sure how long it'll last on my page before it's pulled. If you get to view it, count yourself lucky. It's true artistry. No Lady Gaga theatrics. No KISS pyrotechnics. No Beiber side-swiped hair. Just a voice that can shiver you to your toes.

(Edited to add: you have to click the black screen to cue video.)



And just in case that one doesn't last long, here's another.



Wow. Just wow.