Well I’ve done a bit more experimenting and come up with another grain free recipe. (Though in truth this one wasn’t too hard, as you will see).

Okay, for Moroccan Chicken you will need

• ~ 500g free range chicken breast
• Zest and juice of one lime
• 1 Tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cumin Seeds
• A pinch each of oregano, coriander and thyme (or your favourite herbs)

Place the zest, juice, spices and herbs in a bowl and mix. Add the chicken breast, cut into preferred sizes. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for at least 15 minutes – the longer you marinate the better.

To cook, hand over to your barbecue specialist and let him/her take charge.

This marinade has a fresh, zesty aftertaste. Your first mouthful might not grab your tastebuds, but by the end of the mean you’ll be repeating, ‘that was really nice’. At least I hope you will.

I found thick garlic mash potato (I use only butter and a dollop of organic cream to mash) and some steamed pumpkin accompanied the chicken very well.

Hope you enjoy it!

Sandy

And these clouds must be upmarket because they have a gold lining, not silver.

Sandy

It’s…dah-dah

June 19th.

And this is my beautiful cover.

Alien, Mine Book Cover

And here’s the blurb:

THE BLUTHEN HAVE ONE CONSUMING PASSION: THEMSELVES.

IN THEIR EXPANSION ACROSS THE GALAXY, THEY WILL GO TO ANY LENGTHS TO DOMINATE SPECIES THEY ENCOUNTER.

Torn from modern day Earth and stranded on the far side of the Galaxy, Sandrea Fairbairn must use every particle of courage she possesses to adjust to her new life and live for a new day.

Eugen Mhartak, a general in the Tri-Race Alliance Army, refuses to bow to the merciless Bluthen. Haunted by the loss of far too many innocent lives he has vowed to drive the ruthless invaders from Alliance space.

The strength and valour of Eugen Mhartak attracts Sandrea as no man ever has, but she struggles to read the enigmatic general’s heart. Determined to help him triumph over the Bluthen she uncovers a diabolical plot against the Alliance.

Drawn by the courage and exotic beauty of Sandrea, Mhartak battles to overcome the barriers of cross-cultural differences that separate them and claim her ardent interest. He must conquer his deepest fears to be the man she needs. When his principles are betrayed by his own government and he is faced with the impossible prospect of taking Sandrea’s life in order to save his home planet, Mhartak desperately searches for a way to keep safe both his world, and the magnificent woman who has stolen his heart.

I’m starting to get a wee bit excited. I have one blog tour in place and am lining up another in the States.

Sandy

First of all I thought it was an owl, then I realised it was a Tawny Frogmouth. Their diet includes slugs and snails, so he’s very welcome in my garden.

Sandy

Sandy

EB Footprints

Then the kids did me the favour of cleaning up after him.

Hunting Easter Eggs in the Garden

I hope your Easter is filled with love and fun.

Sandy

My words were diffidence, violin and beautiful.

Image courtesy of Wiki commons

This is my story:

Diffidence trembled through Camilla as she stretched a hand toward the violin resting haphazardly on a shelf amidst a jumble of other discarded treasures. The old wood shone with the burnish of long use over many years. How much of the world’s beautiful music had flowed from its strings? How often had a musician held it against their breast in a loving embrace?

The occasional quiet knock, and murmur of conversation echoed around the hushed ambience of the antique store. The smell of old wood and by-gone years settled like a presence in the cluttered space.

She ran her gaze over the imperfect surface of the instrument, searching for the marks that would identify it as the one she sought. Where the neck met the body, a blob of glue, aged to amber, and a dent shaped like a crescent moon just below it, spoke in silent affirmation. A surge of trepidation burned through her.

She reached a careful hand and turned the price tag. Her heart lurched against her ribs.

Could she afford to buy it?

A shiver twisted across her nerves.

Could she afford not to?

Sandy

If you said yes, you would be correct. If you said no, well you’re eyesight works as it should. To see an explanation go here.

Here’s the proof:

©1995, Edward H. Adelson. These checkershadow images may be reproduced and distributed freely.

Need more proof?

These are screen shots I took of check A, check B, the light coloured check on the far left, bottom (in shadow) and the light coloured check on the far right, bottom (not in shadow)

Try it yourself!

Sandy

A while ago my writing group had an exercise where we had to start a story with an odd line. I can’t remember what mine was exactly, but I had my hero strapping on a buoyancy vest preparatory to mowing a strip of grass on the edge of a cliff. It occurred to me that a recent activity of ours could fall into that same category.

We had an infestation of Bronze Orange Bugs (BOBs) in our Blood Orange Tree. These pesky little beggars suck the life out stems and the result is a loss of leaf and fruit. We Googled the problem (as you do) and it turns out the most effective method of removal is vacuuming. If they are disturbed, they emit a dreadful stink and if you brush up against them they’ll emit a toxin that burns your skin. (Yeah, got that)

So, did we back away from the challenge of vacuuming our orange tree? No way!

Unfortunately, these aren’t the sort of creatures that can just be relocated (like carrying a spider from inside the house to outside). If we released them, they’d simply return or go and devastate someone else’s garden. Yes, they had to go to the big orange tree in the sky. So they got slayed as humanely and quickly as possible.

So, have you read or written any stories that began in an abnormal place in your hero or heroines ‘normal’ world?

Sandy

Close to full moon behind a glowing pink sunset

Hazy moon on an evening blue sky

Where’s the plane?

Close to full moon hiding behind a glowing orange/pink sunset.

Sandy