Fun recipes for Friday night (or Saturday)
Butler and I are anxious for the onset of Spring. It’s been a long Winter and we are so close to shaking off the long coats(even Butler) and embracing the sunshine.
Remember to set your clocks forward this weekend and hopefully brave the last of the snow we’ll see in 2022.
As for me, I’ll be sitting in a cozy chair, cuddling Butler, with a book in my hands while the snow falls. Hope you have something good to read. If not, please check out our previous authors.
Tonight’s featured book is Knot A Criminal from Eden Freed’s All Tied Up In Knots Series. Scroll down to see tonight’s cocktail and a note from the author, herself.
Holly is on the run from the past that involves a double homicide. She has no recollection of the events and wants to keep it in the past for a reason, she might just be the killer.
Focusing on the future has Holly hopeful to learn pyrotechnics from a master of more than one skill. As she begins to fall for him, her past starts catching with her. Now, she is torn between her desire for love and the fear of what she might be capable of.
From Eden-
I’ve always considered myself to be a people watcher., but at best you only observe a small piece of their story. Imagination has to fill in the gaps. Could the people a few feet away from you in a shopping center be a couple in love, people going about their daily routine, spies, or aliens… whatever they are is left up to the flights of fancy your mind wants to take you on, no basis in reality required. Often we draw our own conclusions based on our own real world scenarios, hopefully none of them involve aliens, but I won’t judge either way.
The hardest thing to do is get people to stick to each other like magnets and if you’ve ever tried to fix up two of your friends or associates, you know what I’m talking about. You might push them in the right direction and find out their poles didn’t align and they just bounce off of each other. I do the same thing when I write, seek out the couples that need to flip around until they just fit right and connect in a way that is meaningful and lasting.
Knot A Criminal is the second full length BDSM novel in the All Tied Up In Knots Series. A little mystery, a lot of kink, and some New York excitement all go into making this book an interesting read. I hope you enjoy Holly and Johnathon’s adventure as much I did writing their story for you.
Excerpt from Knot A Criminal
“It was my fault. I shouldn’t have bragged that I could do it blindfolded with my hands behind my back. I didn’t expect him to take me up on it.” From a distance DJ Sean smiled at Crystal and gave a little thumbs up while picking up the coffee.
“Do exactly what blindfolded?” Crystal stood up. Her expression changed from one of curiosity to vexation. The sound of her knuckles cracking told me everything. She was getting ready to stomp over to Mr. Riley’s and let all hell break loose.
“Calm down, just the balloons,” I said and motioned for her to sit. “I made a death’s head moth and an owl.”
“Next time tell me that first. I was about to go open up a can of whoop-ass on him, boss or no boss. To think of everything that I went through to set it up so Johnathon would play you right after the interview, I’d have to go over there and stomp him into next week if this didn’t work out,” Crystal said.
“You didn’t!” I exclaimed.
“The hell I didn’t,” she laughed. “Remember when you were with Paul, how you said that you submitted an application for an interview with Johnathon Riley. I nearly pissed myself. Johnathon and I had a nice conversation about you. I never gave him your last name, so he wouldn’t know you from any other Holly on the street. Then, I made him wait until I was certain you had an interview for the job. No harm in keeping a man waiting.”
“That’s illegal at the very least, isn’t it?”
“Where you see legal issues, I see opportunity…”
Tonight’s Steampunk Themed Cocktail: Blue Skies Ahead
Ingredients:
1 ounce Absinthe
2 ounces Hypnotic- one of my absolute favorite’s to mix cocktails with
1/2 ounce sour mix
2 ounces 7-up
slice of starfruit and green cherry garnish
Fill half a glass with ice and pour in the ingredients (add the soda last for a little fizz), garnish with slice of starfruit and green cocktail cherry. It’s a simple drink with a great presentation. Remember: Drink responsibly and don’t drink and drive. Be safe and have fun.
Hello my friends, welcome back to my Liquid Friday.
Before we jump into a book, we need to grab something strong enough to handle this kind of excitement. so how about:
A Painkiller
Ingredients: 4oz Rum, 3oz pineapple-orange juice, 1oz crème de coconut, ice, nutmeg and toasted coconut for garnish (optional) Directions: In a cocktail shaker, combine the rum, juice and coconut with ice. Shake vigorously to mix, then pour into a cocktail class. Sprinkle with nutmeg and serve.
You got it! Great!!! As you start slowly sipping it, begin to feel its effect spreading throughout your body, But wait, before you give yourself entirely to its delight, lets talk about our book.
In the All Tied Up In Knots series we have a few short reads, ideal for brief interludes with books or the Kindle app.
#2. Knot A Geek is a flirty little quick read about two geeks working in a high power Electrical Engineering lab.
#3. Knot His Superior is a quick read with kinky love triangle where rank has nothing to do with a uniform.
Next week we’ll be talking about the second full length novel in the series – a little mystery, a little kink, and a lot of sexy romance.
Hello Lovelies,
I must have lost my mind, but I’ve decided to give away some of my short stories on Amazon Kindle.
Hey, it’s Friday so lets drink to that! 
I am opening my favorite Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling. Nice and cold….. bubbly effervescent, dry with the aroma of sea shore and fresh fruit.
First we’ll have just for tomorrow and Sunday (Aug. 10th -11th):
Then, from Thursday through Monday (Aug. 15th -19th)
And last but not least, from Friday – Tuesday (Aug. 16th -20th) free for the first time ever since published:
Check out my other titles on my Author Page on Amazon. So, load up your Kindle and hit the beach.
Here comes another of Eden Freed’s short stories for our liquid Friday fun.
This one is a fairy tale based on Slavic and Balkan tales, written in collaboration with Dimitri Romanov. Enjoy this short read on Kindle or Kindle Unlimited. Glimpse the world of magic and fairy tales with Tartarus Bellows.
What should we drink tonight? What would you expect a hero of a Slavic or Balkan tale to have? Of course a nice glass of Rakia. You say there are many types: yes I agree, and the best one is Slivovitz, a plum brandy. 
You choose your brand, pour yourself a glass and stop wasting time. Kick back, relax and grab a copy of Tartarus Bellows for full enjoinment. Remember, it’s free on Kindle for the next two days. The book that is, not Slivovitz, sorry.
Blurb:
Our perfectly flawed hero Erroris embarks an adventure to discover that love is as ancient as the forest Baba Yaga lives in and maybe just as dangerous. Journey to the heart of the matter and find out if good really does triumph over evil and whether or not the devil does get his due. This short story is based on old Slavonic and Balkan tales with a modern twist. Would you be willing to brave the perils on earth and dive into the depths of hell for the sake of love?
Excerpt:
“Erroris, you pitiful excuse for a demon, get in there and drag out the wicked for judgment!” Likho screeched and angrily cocked his one eye at the lesser demon. “If I didn’t know any better I would think that you pitied these deviant mortals. Tartarus has a place for demons that fail to serve.”
Likho’s words caused Erroris to hold his tongue, lest the coals be 
raked across it again. He had no heart for his job. How could he help bring the wicked to justice when he had no concept of true evil? Can one know evil without first seeing good? There has to be more to this existence than torment and torture. What I would give for one mortal lifetime!
As if Likho could hear his thoughts, he walked over and squeezed Erroris’ mouth open forcing his tongue to hang out like the three-headed beast Cerberus’ after a run. Without releasing the pressure on the hollows of Erroris’ cheeks, Likho bellowed, “I don’t see it in there, but if you have even the smallest piece of goodness in you we will scare it out, once and for all. You will go live among the mortals. Once your talons begin to show, you’ll be back here and Zmey, the dragon guardian of Tartarus will slowly devour your black heart.” Likho loosened the grip on Erroris’ face and grinned a wicked smile that could inspire fear even in a demon.
Mustering what little courage remained, Erroris asked, “And if I’m good?”
Doubled over and clutching his abdomen with two clawed hands, Likho laughed. It was a sound that anyone in Tartarus seldom heard and it struck a dark chord of fear in even the bravest demon. The sound reached Zmey and roused the dark beast from slumber. It shook ash off its leathery wings and sharpened its claws on the jagged obsidian rocks where it bedded down. Erroris felt the sudden and unmistakable sensation of claws digging into his shoulders.
This wonderful short story or love, friendship and coming out, from Eden Freed is available free on Kindle , but only for a very limited time. Get it today or this Saturday December 8th or miss all the fun.
Don’t miss it: click here.
Oh, and I almost forgot the cocktail, with all the excitement promoting my short story. Silly me.
In the story, Lelo and Sasha seem to be more of teatotalers, so for tonight we will respect their choice and go with a nice cup of hot Earl 
Gray tea. Earl Grey is a flavored tea with probably the most known distinct flavor. It is a black tea base, flavored with bergamot orange rind oil. Bergamot orange is a citrus fruit with the appearance and flavor somewhere between an orange and a lemon with a little grapefruit and lime thrown in.
So brew yourself a nice cup of this delicious tea, and kick back with the free copy of Eat Dessert First.
Enjoy!
Blurb:
Lelo has the ultimate friendship in Sasha. A person that cares for her, supports her, makes her laugh and enjoy life. Will she risk it all and follow her heart for a chance at romance? What if Sasha doesn’t share her feelings, doesn’t understand and walks away? Is it worth risking the friendship?
Excerpt:
My pulse quickened as Sasha took my hand and led me into her freshly decorated bedroom. Libraries had only slightly larger collections of history books than she had amassed. Every wall of the room from the floor to the ceiling was lined with them. I felt 
unworthy and stood there in a sort of rapturous awe akin to a religious experience.
“When I move, I’m giving these to you, Lelo,” she laughed but her cheeks didn’t light up the way they used to.
“Don’t you want to read them again?” My question made her look up at the ceiling. As familiar as I was with the gesture, I didn’t understand her tears. We shared everything, even embarrassing things like our first dates and the first time we had our hearts broken. Silent tears were strange creatures that kept the distance between us, but they had become increasingly familiar over the years.
When I first moved to Somerville, in second grade, Sasha was my first friend. I was her only friend. We painted each other’s nails and shared the same stick of bubble gum. There was a certain shyness in her soul that beckoned me like a moth to a flame. The fire in her made me burn with a curiosity to know everything. We began our kindred search with history books.
Twenty years and seven address changes later we were still best friends. We posted book reviews and critiques, sent countless emails, and spoke on the phone daily, though seldom saw each other. Her father was stationed in Los Alamos and we were both finished with college. She wanted to be closer, so I found an apartment for her. With my best pair of Keds on, I helped move carefully sealed boxes out of the van and into the freshly painted apartment. We sat on the floor and ate Chinese food unfolding the food containers into plates.
“You want me to help you unpack?”
“I’ll drive you nuts with my library OCD. Everything has to be in the correct order or I’ll spend hours fixing it,” she laughed pointing to numbers on the boxes. I knew all of her nuances. There was nothing more I wanted than to tell her everything I felt in my heart, but the fear of losing our friendship stopped me.
“You sure? I can count, you know.”
“No, I’m good. It will wait until tomorrow,” she said, laying her head against my shoulder. Her silken tresses brushed against my neck and I wrapped my arm around her waist, holding her so close that I could feel her heart beating like a hummingbird’s. My gut told me something was wrong, but I was too afraid to find out what it was. Silently, I prayed that she would confide the torment of her soul, but the hush only grew between us until I said goodnight.
This week we are featuring author, Joseph R Kennedy and his new book: Nanecdotes: Confessions of a Thirty-Day Novelist , a must read for any one who has been involved with NaNoWriMo. By the way, Nanecdotes is available for free only today November 16th and next Friday November 30th, so do not miss this opportunity to get your laughs and a cocktail (sorry that one is not free) for your Liquid Friday.
Before we test our sense of humor, let’s hear from Joseph R Kennedy about his favorite cocktail for tonight:
Recycling: Most of the year.
“Honey, can you please put all the empty wine in the recycling. There’s like five of them just this week. They are picking up glass tomorrow.”
“Okay. I am a writer you know!”
Recycling: November
“Honey, can you please put all the empty wine in the recycling. There’s like fifteen of them just this week. They are picking up cardboard tomorrow.”
“Okay. I am a NaNo writer, you know!”
Joseph R. Kennedy is a long time I.T. Professional who is a part-time writer, and genealogy enthusiast. His current projects include a collection of quips, usually involving 
writing and anything involving literature, with an occasional nod to sports, genealogy, and the horror that is NJ Transit.
He is also an advisory board member for the New York Nineteenth Century Society, and a history enthusiast.
When not writing or reading, he can be found in various libraries or archives looking for Dead Kennedys, or doing steampunk related activities, like making a rocket jet pack.
He is a father of two adult children, lives in Northern New Jersey, and works in New York City.
This week we are featuring author, ghost writer and coach Chris Redding and her new paranormal romance shape shifter novel Destiny of a Gargoyle: Book One When Gargoyles Love.
But before we immerse ourselves in the magic of her novel, we must hear from Chris Redding about her favorite cocktail for tonight:
Long Island Iced Tea is my favorite! Why that drink? Because when I was a bartender it was my signature drink. People came to the bar to ask me to make it because they’d heard mine was good.
Recipe:
Fill the rest of the glass with sour mix then a splash of cola.
Blurb:
Donal Foley was born in a time when magic ruled the Earth.
Gargoyles protected fairies from goblins. His family was a group of 
elite gargoyles who were assigned to protect a specific fairy. His father’s dereliction of that duty cursed his sons to become stone and wait.
Now reawakened in the twenty first century where no one believes in magic how is he going to convince his fairy that she is one and that she is in danger from a goblin?
He must do that without falling in love with her.
Excerpt:
The next morning, Meg was still wondering what mistake she’d made. What had she said that sent Donal running out of the bar?
She ended up taking the day off and now she was doing things that she normally had to attend to on weekends. Picking up dry cleaning and shopping for underwear were so much more pleasant when everyone else was at work.
Since she lived by the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University, students streamed past her with backpacks and cups of coffee. Ah, to be young again.
Her first stop was to the supermarket for some food. With her canvas bags in hand, she entered the doors of the local supermarket, but something made her look behind her. She had the feeling someone was watching her.
She didn’t see anyone, except a young man who seemed out of place. And he looked like Donal. She blinked, but he was gone.
About Chris:
Chris Redding lives in New Jersey creating otherworldly stories. When she isn’t writing, she walks and does yoga. She is also a ghostwriter and a writing coach.
This week we are featuring fantasy/supernatural suspense author Reyna Favis and her novel Soul Scent: A Zackie Story.
But before we venture into the Halloween spirit of her supernatural world, lets enjoy a drink that Reyna personally recommends:
The Drink: Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster
I first encountered this drink reading Douglas Adams’s “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and I was smitten. It was described as “like having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon, wrapped ’round a large gold brick.” It has also been described in the novel as “the alcoholic equivalent to a mugging; expensive and bad for the head.” Yum.
Ingredients and Instructions:
Fill a 28-oz. hurricane glass with crushed ice. Add the following in 
order:
1 oz. Everclear® (The ice should sizzle.)
1 oz. Bacardi® 151
1 oz. apricot-flavored brandy
1 oz. triple sec
1 oz. lemon juice
1 oz. orange juice
1 oz. pineapple juice
1 oz. Tom Collins mix
Stir, then top off the glass with ice. Drink. Slowly.
WOW! My only comment is that if I were to drink this slowly, I’ll never get to check out Rayna’s book. So how about grabbing a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, kicking back and relaxing with her book in hand. Now we can start indulging!
The Book Blurb:
Troubled psychic Fia leads a double life. As a ground pounder for Search And Rescue, she finds the lost and vulnerable living and brings them to safety. As a servant to an ancient and indifferent Psychopomp, 
her mission is no less crucial – to help the suffering dead cross over to the afterlife. Her worlds collide after a distraught woman with a gun disappears into the woods and the rescue becomes a body recovery.
When a frantic hammering erupts from the empty SAR team trailer, Fia appeals for help to Cam, irascible Brit, mentor and Psychopomp aficionado. But nothing is what it seems and a straightforward case soon goes sideways. Will Fia and Cam be able to uncover the shocking truth behind the final act of a desperate woman and free her tortured earthbound spirit?
Book Excerpt:
“Can you tell me about the baby?”
Cam lifted a shoulder and then stared at the bottle in his hands. “Not much to tell, really. It was 1975 and I was working a job in Kings Worthy.” Glancing at me, he elaborated. “That’s in England. It’s a very old place. It was listed in the Domesday Book – you know, the survey taken in 1066?”
I bristled a little. “By William the Conqueror after the Norman Conquest. I know. I was a history major, remember?”
Nodding, Cam took up the story again. “Anyway, I was busy trying to lay the ghost of a Victorian clergyman who had taken up residence in the old church. At the same time, there was an archaeological dig taking place in the churchyard. They were interested in the old Anglo-Saxon burials and they eventually unearthed the skeletal remains of a young woman.” He took another drink and affected nonchalance as he continued the story. “Lying between the long bones of her legs, they found the skull of a full-term infant, but the fetal leg bones were still clearly within her pelvic cavity.”
“A coffin birth?” My eyes went wide at this thought.
Cam nodded again. “It happens. A pregnant woman dies and is buried and because of pressure from the gases that build up during decomposition, the dead fetus is expelled from the equally dead 
mother.” Looking down at his hands again, Cam picked at the label on the bottle. “Anyway, shortly after this find, the cries of a baby could be heard coming from the graveyard. It so disturbed the archaeological team that no one wanted to dig anymore and the work came to a grinding halt.”
“And did it also disturb you? Cam, I can tell this is difficult to talk about.”
Cam rolled his eyes and exhaled deeply, his words were clipped. “Yes, right. It bothered me a great deal. The baby was an innocent and completely blameless, yet she was left to suffer horribly for centuries.”
“But wasn’t the mother with the baby? How did you finally help her to move on?”
“I went into the churchyard with Zackie late one night to find the baby. The mother was nowhere to be found, so I assume she crossed over shortly after her death.”
“She left the baby?” My mouth hung open, aghast at the thought of just taking off and leaving an infant.
“She probably didn’t know the baby remained. In her time, the belief was that unbaptized infants went to Limbo, so in all likelihood, she died assuming that the baby would find its way and be taken care of.” Cam shrugged again. “Who knows? All I know is that earthbound souls of infants are a rarity, so most of the time, they move on with no difficulties. Something went wrong for this one.” Cam frowned as he stared into the middle distance for a beat. “But, you know, as soon as she saw Zackie, she quieted and stopped crying. Getting her to go through the portal was a breeze compared to the clergyman. I had to work another two weeks before the clergyman moved on.”
About Reyna:
REYNA FAVIS holds a Ph.D. in biology and brings a scientist’s critical eye to the unseen world, imposing logical consistency and mechanistic detail to the unexplained. A proud and militant 
introvert, Reyna exerts her power as mistress of the dark arts of introversion through her blog, Introvert Broadcasting Network. When not writing, she responds to callouts as a canine handler for search and rescue. She lives in Warren County New Jersey with her husband, a search dog and a coterie of pets.
Click on the Social media links to follow Reyna:
By K.M. Fawcett:
Roses are Pink. Our books are, too. We’re fighting breast cancer, With a little help from you! Thank you for having me on the blog today!
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and nine paranormal romance, fantasy romance, and sci-fi romance 
authors (including me, K.M. Fawcett) have banded together to fight against breast cancer with the Future is Pink! project. Ten percent of proceeds from these pink-covered books sold during the month of October will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation <https://www.facebook.com/nationalbreastcancer/?fref=mentions>
Please join us in the fight by reading your way into the future where everything is pink! Alora’s Love Potion by Rosalie Redd Salvation by Lea Kirk Building a Hero by Tasha Black Crazy for Carly by Crystal Dawn Captive by K.M. Fawcett Avenger Mine by T.M. Slay Terran by Cara Bristol Bound by Water by Monica La Porta Not His Werewolf by Annie Nicholas
Click here for more information about the authors, their books, and where you can buy them:
http://www.tashablack.com/pink.html
Why did I join the Pink Project to help raise money for Breast Cancer Research? In 2014 my doctor found a lump in my breast. At first, I was confused. How could there be a lump? I had no family history of breast cancer and no risk factors other than being a 
woman. Unfortunately, there have been other types of cancers in my family so trying to remain calm until the biopsy results came back proved difficult for this writer with a vivid imagination. I won’t lie. I was scared. When they told me the biopsy was benign, I cried with relief. Unfortunately, not all stories have a happy ending, which is why I chose to join the Future is Pink! project and help raise money for breast cancer research. I am grateful for this opportunity to do a small part in the fight for a cure. Thank you for supporting our project. Together we can make a difference!
Captive (The Survival Race #1)
Abducted and caged with a sexy alpha gladiator claiming to be her 
mate, officer Addy Dawson must breed warriors for the Survival Race–a deadly blood sport where the last man alive wins. To rebel means torture, or worse. Unwilling to be the beasts their captures desire, Addy and Max risk everything for freedom and soon discover that when they’re together nothing in the universe can stop them.
Social Media Links: Website: www.kmfawcett.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/km.fawcett Twitter: https://twitter.com/KMFawcett Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6456914.K_M_Fawcett
Bio: K.M. Fawcett is the author of the thrilling sci-fi romance series, The Survival Race, and co-author of the fantasy romance, Beauty 
and the Curse. She enjoys stories filled with adventure and strong, kick-butt heroes and heroines. Ranked 4th degree black belt in Isshinryu Karate and 3rd degree in Ryukonkai (Okinawan weapons), K.M. and her husband own a karate dojo in NJ. Please visit her on Facebook, Twitter, and at kmfawcett.com.
Website: www.kmfawcett.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/km.fawcett Twitter: https://twitter.com/KMFawcett Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6456914.K_M_Fawcett
edenfreed.com 