If you like reading sweet romace, where falling is love is out of the question but happens anyway, ask for BED AND BREAKFAST BLUES at your library or buy a copy from Avalon Books or one of the on-line book sellers.
Happy Holidays
Susan Ralph
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Cover for December Book
Pretty Cute Huh? As sweet as he looks, this dog takes up with the enemy--a right man who shows up at the wrong time.
If you like reading sweet romace, where falling is love is out of the question but happens anyway, ask for BED AND BREAKFAST BLUES at your library or buy a copy from Avalon Books or one of the on-line book sellers.
If you like reading sweet romace, where falling is love is out of the question but happens anyway, ask for BED AND BREAKFAST BLUES at your library or buy a copy from Avalon Books or one of the on-line book sellers.
Friday, October 14, 2011
My December Book
I got a look at my cover for Bed and Breakfast Blues which will be out in December. It isn't what I pictured in my mind, but the covers never are. I have no credentials for cover art so I trust the judgment of those who do. I'll try to post the cover here in the next couple of days.
And maybe I'll post the recipe for salmon burgers that are incredibly declicious. I made them tonight, and I have to say they are "the bomb"-if that expression is still in use. Most of the time I am way behind the times on my expressions, but in this case I think "the bomb" fits. One of the ingredients is chipotle chile canned in adobo sauce which gives them a nice zing.
Another thing I've made recently is sliced fresh tomatos with slices of mozzrella, fresh basil, olive oil and salt. It always looked too simple to be delicious. But I found some good tomatoes and made it. It got raves from my husband and that is a real coup. Most of the time things don't get a much higher rating that its okay.
It's almost time for his birthday and I'll be baking a chocolate cake using brown sugar. I'm torn between frosting it with a cooked brown sugar frosting or the chocolate genache they used in the recipe.
Fall here is beautiful. Still not the flash of color on the trees one sees at higher latitudes but the weather is delightful. I hope if I can talk my hub into another beach trip before cold weather sets in?
From my ocean dreams to yours,
Susan
And maybe I'll post the recipe for salmon burgers that are incredibly declicious. I made them tonight, and I have to say they are "the bomb"-if that expression is still in use. Most of the time I am way behind the times on my expressions, but in this case I think "the bomb" fits. One of the ingredients is chipotle chile canned in adobo sauce which gives them a nice zing.
Another thing I've made recently is sliced fresh tomatos with slices of mozzrella, fresh basil, olive oil and salt. It always looked too simple to be delicious. But I found some good tomatoes and made it. It got raves from my husband and that is a real coup. Most of the time things don't get a much higher rating that its okay.
It's almost time for his birthday and I'll be baking a chocolate cake using brown sugar. I'm torn between frosting it with a cooked brown sugar frosting or the chocolate genache they used in the recipe.
Fall here is beautiful. Still not the flash of color on the trees one sees at higher latitudes but the weather is delightful. I hope if I can talk my hub into another beach trip before cold weather sets in?
From my ocean dreams to yours,
Susan
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Time, where does it go?
Here we are in October and I am way behind on everything.
Time is not my friend. I do not manage it well. It always escapes me.
I gave my speech. It went well. I spent a lot of time writing and practicing it. All in all, the result was worth the effort. And to my great surprise, I wasn't nervous.
And then I've been traveling. Something I love to do. My darling hub and I went to upstate NY to visit a daughter. We had lunch at the Culinary Institute of America to celebrate her birthday. A real treat. The service was impeccable, much of the food was great, some super great, but not all of it rated an "A" in my opinion. However, being able to watch the work going on in the kitchens was fun and the buildings and grounds are a treat.
We then went to West Point and had an hour long tour. Spectatcular views of the Hudson River, a lot of history, but the place felt claustrphobic to me. It would take a special type person to endure the limitations and the rigors of a military academy.
On this trip, we stayed with another daughter and her family in VA, coming and going. On the return trip, we had blue crabs and steamed jumbo shrimp at a great seafood shack not far from their house.
Since the weather has cooled off, my hub and I have been spending some time at the beach. The latest trip was last Friday and Saturday...two perfect beach days.
I'm reading another disappointing book. The beginning chapters were terrific and then blah. But, I'll finish it even though it hasn't gotten better. The reviews I've read say the end is great.
The thing is, between reading the new books in my "to read" stack, I have been buying more of Georgette Heyer's books to add to my collection. Reading them is such a treat. They are long books and not once have I ever been bored with the story or said blah. Her plots have logic, her pacing is right, and her characters are distinguishable and enchanting.
Now it's back to my own writing. At least I hope that's what I'll be concentrating on for the next couple of weeks.
From my incomplete book to yours.
Susan Ralph
Time is not my friend. I do not manage it well. It always escapes me.
I gave my speech. It went well. I spent a lot of time writing and practicing it. All in all, the result was worth the effort. And to my great surprise, I wasn't nervous.
And then I've been traveling. Something I love to do. My darling hub and I went to upstate NY to visit a daughter. We had lunch at the Culinary Institute of America to celebrate her birthday. A real treat. The service was impeccable, much of the food was great, some super great, but not all of it rated an "A" in my opinion. However, being able to watch the work going on in the kitchens was fun and the buildings and grounds are a treat.
We then went to West Point and had an hour long tour. Spectatcular views of the Hudson River, a lot of history, but the place felt claustrphobic to me. It would take a special type person to endure the limitations and the rigors of a military academy.
On this trip, we stayed with another daughter and her family in VA, coming and going. On the return trip, we had blue crabs and steamed jumbo shrimp at a great seafood shack not far from their house.
Since the weather has cooled off, my hub and I have been spending some time at the beach. The latest trip was last Friday and Saturday...two perfect beach days.
I'm reading another disappointing book. The beginning chapters were terrific and then blah. But, I'll finish it even though it hasn't gotten better. The reviews I've read say the end is great.
The thing is, between reading the new books in my "to read" stack, I have been buying more of Georgette Heyer's books to add to my collection. Reading them is such a treat. They are long books and not once have I ever been bored with the story or said blah. Her plots have logic, her pacing is right, and her characters are distinguishable and enchanting.
Now it's back to my own writing. At least I hope that's what I'll be concentrating on for the next couple of weeks.
From my incomplete book to yours.
Susan Ralph
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Promises and Promise
Well, after promising to get my poor heroine out of the dungeon, she's still there. Stuck. Because I have been doing other things.
Guilt weighs on my shoulders.
But who can write, when the view out the front window is the Atlantic Ocean? Not I. And that was my view for the last three days.
"But, I've been stuck in this dank dark place with no window for weeks," shouts my heroine.
Remorse roils my heart. "Soon. It won't be much longer," I reply.
For some reason which I cannot imagine, or perhaps in a moment of insanity, I agreed to speak to a group. Standing alone before an audience and talking for x number of minutes, is not a comfortable spot for me. Trying to figure out what to say to them has consumed my time for the last three weeks--except during the blissful three days I just spent at the Ocean.
I'm crazy about the Ocean.
And it didn't disappoint.
From my boogie board to yours.
Guilt weighs on my shoulders.
But who can write, when the view out the front window is the Atlantic Ocean? Not I. And that was my view for the last three days.
"But, I've been stuck in this dank dark place with no window for weeks," shouts my heroine.
Remorse roils my heart. "Soon. It won't be much longer," I reply.
For some reason which I cannot imagine, or perhaps in a moment of insanity, I agreed to speak to a group. Standing alone before an audience and talking for x number of minutes, is not a comfortable spot for me. Trying to figure out what to say to them has consumed my time for the last three weeks--except during the blissful three days I just spent at the Ocean.
I'm crazy about the Ocean.
And it didn't disappoint.
From my boogie board to yours.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
The Fragrance of Rosemary
Piney, woodsy, and enough to make me conjure up all sorts of delights. When I'm in the backyard, I make sure to run my hand over a branch. Cheap perfume of the best kind.
Did you know you can strip the needles off a stem, leaving a few at the tip for presentation, then sharpen the other end and use the stem for a skewer for grilling? Shrimp and Chicken both work well.
In one of my books that has yet to spark a response from an editor, rosemary and lavender play a role in the meeting of the gentleman and lady who will fall in love in a very romantic way.
There are many herbs I love, lemon verbena and basil being two. Some lend their flavor best to cooked dishes, like oregano and thyme. Mint is another great one and comes in tons of flavors now including chocolate.
I once had several scented geraniums and made a pound cake with the leaves placed in the bottom on the pan so they came out on top. My family frowned at the idea of eating geranium leaves and they don't like chive blossoms in their salad. None of the geraniums were hardy enough to survive my less than great gardening skills and the wonderful herb farm where I bought them went out of business after the death of the owners.
Heading north sometime this month. Having grown up in northern US, I miss the far vistas of fall's brilliant leaf colors.
From my heart to yours.
Did you know you can strip the needles off a stem, leaving a few at the tip for presentation, then sharpen the other end and use the stem for a skewer for grilling? Shrimp and Chicken both work well.
In one of my books that has yet to spark a response from an editor, rosemary and lavender play a role in the meeting of the gentleman and lady who will fall in love in a very romantic way.
There are many herbs I love, lemon verbena and basil being two. Some lend their flavor best to cooked dishes, like oregano and thyme. Mint is another great one and comes in tons of flavors now including chocolate.
I once had several scented geraniums and made a pound cake with the leaves placed in the bottom on the pan so they came out on top. My family frowned at the idea of eating geranium leaves and they don't like chive blossoms in their salad. None of the geraniums were hardy enough to survive my less than great gardening skills and the wonderful herb farm where I bought them went out of business after the death of the owners.
Heading north sometime this month. Having grown up in northern US, I miss the far vistas of fall's brilliant leaf colors.
From my heart to yours.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
The Big Wind Didn't Blow Down The House
On Friday the dire predictions about Hurricane Irene cancelled our weekly grocery shopping. No sense in filling the freezer and frig with more stuff if we might lose power.
On Saturday Irene made landfall in an almost direct line to the West of us. Thank heavens the winds had slowed to a Cat One level. We got a few gusts, some rain, some downed trees and limbs, but it wasn't the Big Bad Wolf threatening to blow our house down.
My heart goes out to those who lost a loved one and to those who may have suffered damage to their abode.
This time we were blessed.
On Saturday Irene made landfall in an almost direct line to the West of us. Thank heavens the winds had slowed to a Cat One level. We got a few gusts, some rain, some downed trees and limbs, but it wasn't the Big Bad Wolf threatening to blow our house down.
My heart goes out to those who lost a loved one and to those who may have suffered damage to their abode.
This time we were blessed.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
A Stunning Movie
The Help. It will make you laugh--more than once. And it will make you cry--more than once.
I did not read the book before seeing the movie. Which is always my preference when a book is made into a movie so my mental image of the book characters doesn't conflict with the movie characters.
My Saturday late afternoon was spent in a movie theater watching this incredible movie. Not sure if it is more of a chick film or not. I didn't take my husband as he ruins movies for me if he doesn't like them so I don't have his reaction to go by. But there were a lot of men in the audience. It's a long movie. I don't have the exact running length, but it started at 3:10 (not sure if that time includes the ads and the upcoming previews) and by the time I got back to my car (steps from the theater) it was after 6. The acting is incredible. And the movie never drags. At least it didn't for me.
For the first time in a long time, (although its may be my choice of movies or the times I attend) the theater was near full. A mixed race audience. And a very responsive (in a good way) audience.
I'm just glad I didn't see this movie with the two youngest of my four daughters. They both would have been sobbing--with no restraint.
Even when the days and times look dark, I pray that decent humans stand at their peril against wrong.
From my heart to yours.
Susan Ralph
I did not read the book before seeing the movie. Which is always my preference when a book is made into a movie so my mental image of the book characters doesn't conflict with the movie characters.
My Saturday late afternoon was spent in a movie theater watching this incredible movie. Not sure if it is more of a chick film or not. I didn't take my husband as he ruins movies for me if he doesn't like them so I don't have his reaction to go by. But there were a lot of men in the audience. It's a long movie. I don't have the exact running length, but it started at 3:10 (not sure if that time includes the ads and the upcoming previews) and by the time I got back to my car (steps from the theater) it was after 6. The acting is incredible. And the movie never drags. At least it didn't for me.
For the first time in a long time, (although its may be my choice of movies or the times I attend) the theater was near full. A mixed race audience. And a very responsive (in a good way) audience.
I'm just glad I didn't see this movie with the two youngest of my four daughters. They both would have been sobbing--with no restraint.
Even when the days and times look dark, I pray that decent humans stand at their peril against wrong.
From my heart to yours.
Susan Ralph
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