After a too brief beach visit to the Jersey shore on Wednesday(long story), this Jersey girl is missing ocean breezes and the feeling of sand under her toes. Knowing the beach season is coming to an end has me feeling blue and maybe I’ll just have a fun blue cocktail with Blue Curacao to perk me up.
Butler, the perpetual puppy, sits guard over a pair of my beach flip flops expectantly because he knows when I leave him with a sitter there will be many treats. Let’s face it, anytime is a good time for treats when you’re an impish Chinese Crested dog that’s too busy learning circus style tricks to figure out how to chase his own tail. There will be treats, that much we can be sure of.
As for the cocktail while I find a good book to sink my bookworm teeth into, lets make a Blue Lagoon.
Blue Lagoon Recipe:
1 fl. oz. Vodka- Belvedere if you got it
1 fl. oz. Blue Curacao
1/3 fl. oz. lemon juice
1/3 fl. oz. lime juice
Add 7-Up or other lemon lime soda to fill glass and garnish with starfruit slice and a green cherry. Have it with your favorite beach snacks and great book.
Here’s the reminder- Please use caution when drinking any alcohol beverage. We want to keep you partying and living life, so don’t drink and drive and don’t engage in any risky behavior. Save the SSC or RISK for a sober moment 😉
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…”
Hypnotic and Absinthe make this cocktail dazzling
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.
Tomorrow we’ll be eating Pączki (traditional Polish doughnuts) sipping Hurricanes, and celebrating the last day of Mardi Gras. We’re including you in on the fun with a FREE download of King of the Mardi Gras: A Short Story From Eden’s Garden, available FREE on your Kindle App Tuesday 03/01/2022 for one day only!
Hurricane Cocktail- a rum lover’s favorite
Classic Hurricane Recipe:
2 ounces of light rum
2 ounces of dark rum
3 ounces of passion fruit juice
3 ounces of orange juice
2 tablespoons grenadine syrup
1 tablespoon lime juice (about 1/2 lime)
shake and pour into a hurricane glass filled with ice
garnish with orange slice and a cherry and serve
And while you enjoy this drink, check out the fun FREE (only on March 1st) short story below:
Excerpt: “My entire body shuddered remembering how he made me cry out with pleasure. I would never get enough of Duke Alexis, not ever, but I couldn’t keep him. With a title came expectations, duty, and obligations for nobles that interfered with little things like love.“
A young aspiring actress, majoring in Theater Arts in her last semester of school, must overcome mediocrity and learn to take direction in time to be discovered by a talent scout during her final performance. Her new acting coach decides to teach her direction through a non-conventional method: introduction to BDSM. Will Violet have what it takes to learn the art of role playing or will she end up on the casting couch?
Why did I write the work? Life takes us on many twists and turns and in mine I have worn more hats than a the mad hatter. I’ve been a donut froster, short order cook, dos programmer, website creator, entertainer, boo-boo kisser , IT instructor, puppy mom, and even a nose for a brief period of time- though a good bottle of wine, figs, and excellent cheddar still gets me. We’ve all struggled in some way and I, through my writing, embrace the struggle. Women in acting careers have changed the moniker to actor becuase of the difference in treatment between male and female performers. I’ve been propositioned, grabbed, and manhandled as an professional entertainer, so I get it. Sometimes you just need to live the part for a while to get through it, and sometimes you fight back.
I hope when you read this, you find cause to smile and remember the power of naivety, and some kink. Live the part!
Trading my candy for puppy snuggles this year, and with gorgeous chocolate brown eyes like Butler’s, who could blame me?
Butler looking extra spiffy!
We have been working on writing books together. Since I’m the one with opposable thumbs, I get the bulk of the work and Butler, the Perpetual Puppy, snuggles or reminds me to take a break and move around. He’s a great motivator!
We have a new novel and some shorts out, as well as some of our older works with brand new covers, all available on Amazon.
Life is full of all sorts of daily entanglements. Perpetual Puppy Butler’s biggest ones are deciding which squeaky toy in the box to drag out and whether or knot he sniffed something long enough. For the rest of us, interpersonal relationships take the most effort and go awry in the funniest of ways.
Knot A Geek, from the all tied up in knots series, gives you time in the life of a geek, and it’s a fun ride. Check it out here http://amazon.com/dp/B09S6JLBCX
I’m so excited that we, my partner in crime and I, are finally able to get some new stories out to you. Living with autoimmune illness can make shifts in weather dreadful, and this winter has been a beast. I’m waiting for my summer beach days where I can breath in the salt air or hit my favorite farm for tree ripened nectarines and a glass of homemade lemonade. In the meantime, I’ve decorated my window to the world for the next holiday and finished up this series (unless someone coaxes a sequel out of me).
Our All Tied Up In Knots series is bringing you new titles and some rereleases with bold new covers. Here is the list, you may recognize some of the works, but I have plenty of surprises in store for you. I’ll be posting the links as they become available. See below for our Perpetual Puppy, Butler’s take on things.
Knot An Actress- 1st in the series- formerly published as Violet Blooms, we’ve brought this story back with a new cover and a few changes. see if you can spot them. (Novel)
Knot A Geek- 2nd in the series- what could be more fun than a romp through a science lab? (Quick read)
Knot His Superior- 3rd in the series- I’ve heard that all is fair in love and war, but is it really? (FMF Quick read)
Knot A Criminal- 4th in the series- Balloons, Steampunk, and Kink, oh my! Holly is on the run from her past that includes 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 up with her. Now, she is torn between her desire for love and her fear of what she might be capable of. (Novel)
Knot Daddy’s Girl- 5th in the series- formerly: Sweet, With. Hint of Kink- Cala is a brat used to getting her own way. It’s simple, she only has to ask Daddy for something and she gets it. She’s about to find out that even the most powerful man she knows can be powerless to get her what she needs. Chef Pain is a man of principles, and no amount of money or power can intimidate him. He is a Dominant with his own power. He’s about to teach Cala, that power comes from within. (Short)
Knot a Photographer- 6th in the series- formerly: The Picture of My Heart- Julianne is an aspiring photojournalist making a living as a wedding photographer. Her muse is looking for something more and she finds it with Ann, famous artist Tadeusz Christov’s companion/model. The deeper Julianne probes, the more she discovers about Ann and Christov, until she isn’t sure what is real. The only thing she knows is what she wants, Ann. (FF short)
Knot A Bunny- 7th in the series- formerly: Rope Bunny- Candy wants nothing more than to be in Master’s Colt’s ropes. She’s new to the scene and hopes reality will one day match her fantasies, but when she meets DM Ethan Thompson she begins to wonder is she has been pining for the wrong Dom. (Short)
Knot A Princess- 8th in the series- Briar is a young mother and widow, struggling to cope with loss. No man can measure up to a hero that had given his life for his country, but that leaves Briar lonely. She bravely puts on Princess dress to entertain children at parties filled with rich snobs, so she can provide for her son. Then, this new age Cinderella gets noticed by the prince. Will this be just another gig, or happily ever after?
Butler the Perpetual Puppy has been spending his winter enjoying some well deserved snuggle time after his morning walks. Despite his ability to coerce snacks out of everyone, he is still a skinny energetic Chinese Crested powderpuff, with a very shaggy coat- the longest no shave November ever. This Spring he plans shave his winter coat, run around the dog park, and chase squirrels.
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:
I usually have whisky neat, but one of my favorites is the Irish coffee recipe from the Dead Rabbit in NYC, which is across the street from my job. Once the weather turns to winter, I look for having these, and I always get on New Year’s Eve on my way home from work.
INGREDIENTS
3 ounces freshly brewed coffee (I prefer Sumatra)
1¼ ounces Clontarf or Bushmill’s Irish whiskey
½ ounce demerara syrup
Runny whipped cream, for garnish
DIRECTIONS
In a 6-ounce tempered glass, stir together the coffee, whiskey and demerara syrup. Top with runny whipped cream and serve.
Ok, so lets grab a glass of this delicious sounding cocktail, kick our legs up and relax with Joseph R. Kennedy’s book:
My book Nanecdotes: Confessions of a Thirty-Day Novelist is out on Amazon as an eBook, and the paperback will be available soon. I wrote a number of humorous quips about NaNoWriMo, and other writers told me if I put it in a collection, they would buy it. I included one in the blurb related to wine.
Blurb:
In a world where authors pledge to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November, what could go wrong? Everything!
Characters who argue with their creators. Midnight desperation libations. Muses that inspire folly and fear. All are included in this collection of anecdotes … and a song!
Discover the wackiness of authors trying to write 1,667 words every day for a month.
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!”
Nanecdotes: Confessions of a Thirty-Day Novelist is a collection of humorous quips inspired by National Novel Writing Month and thirty days of writing madness. All profits will be donated to support NaNoWriMo.
About the Author:
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:
Shot of Vodka
Shot of Gin
Shot of Triple Sec
Ice
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.
And here is the second story from Eden’s Garden. Eat Dessert First is a light LGBT romance short read for your enjoyment. Available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.
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.
writing and anything involving literature, with an occasional nod to sports, genealogy, and the horror that is NJ Transit.
edenfreed.com 