Hello my friends, today we will welcome back K.M. Fawcett, author of Small Town Wilde Romance Book Series and will focus on Wilde Christmas: A Candlewood Falls Novel; book 2 in the series. But first let us kick back and relax with her favorite drink, which as you will find out soon is super appropriate for this season.
Here is a word from K.M. Fawcett:
Thank you for inviting me to the blog today!
I’m happy share one of my favorite drinks during the winter months and especially around the holidays—spiked peppermint hot chocolate. I love this drink so much that it made its way into my holiday small-town romantic suspense, Wilde Christmas. Bed and breakfast owner Lacey Wilde makes this for wounded warrior Dean Hunter while wrapping gifts together in her kitchen during a pivotal scene in the book. Wilde Christmas is free until the end of the year. Enjoy the story while sipping on a delicious spiked peppermint hot chocolate!
SPIKED PEPPERMINT HOT CHOCOLATE
Ingredients:
2 cups milk (skim, 2%, or whole) 4 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped 1 oz peppermint schnapps 1 oz cream de cacao (optional) whipped cream (for serving) candy canes (for serving)
Directions:
1) Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. 2) While milk is heating, microwave chopped chocolate for 30 seconds. Remove chocolate and stir. Repeat microwaving and stirring the chocolate until it’s just melted. 3) When the milk reaches the scalding point (180ºF with bubbles on the side), turn off the heat and add the melted chocolate, whisking to combine. 4) Serve hot chocolate in glasses fortified with a jigger (1.5 oz) peppermint schnapps or peppermint schnapps and creme de cacao. (I used 1 oz of each) 5) Top with whipped cream and crushed candy cane pieces on top. Add a candy cane to stir.
Enjoy!
K.M. Fawcett
Now that we got our drink, let’s dive into the books.
As Lacey Wilde works to open her bed-and-breakfast in time for Christmas, she meets Marine veteran Dean Hunter — who claims her adopted military working dog is his! Can Dean and K-9 Remi protect Lacey from a mysterious threat? A suspenseful small-town romance to warm up the holidays.
And here is some more info about our wonderful guest K.M. Fawcett:
Whether her romances are set in a charmingly quirky small town or on a dangerous alien planet, award-winning author K.M. Fawcett writes emotional stories featuring underdogs and fish-out-of-water characters who find their place in the universe. She believes in happy endings, that humor is food for the soul, and that if true love can’t conquer it, then it probably deserves a good throat punch.
K.M. and her husband—the inspiration for all her heroes (and some of her villains)—own a dojo in NJ, where they teach Okinawan karate and weapons. Incorporating two decades of martial arts experience into her stories, she forges resilient, timeless characters who aren’t afraid to fight for the life and love they deserve.
I think most of us began as fearless children, the ones that wanted to jump the highest on the trampoline, swing highest, build a ramp and take it at top speed, sit on the edge of a cliff and looked down, rode the Cyclone as many times as they’d let us in a row(trust me it was a lot)… we set the bar high.
What separated us from the rest of the pack wasn’t a lack of imagination of the bad things that could happen with our stunts. To the contrary, we probably had the best imaginations of the horrors that could occur, we just didn’t let fear stop us. We didn’t let anything stop us. We ate that fear like it was sugar coated cereal on a Saturday morning.
While our friends cringed and covered their eyes, ours were wide open. We waited for that little terror to make us giggle and make us feel alive. We were the first to tell spooky stories by the campfire and approached Halloween with religious reverence. (Still the best day of the year)
We played out Horror movies in backyards and parks and got into character, complete with black trash bag capes and weird smelling leftover plastic Halloween masks. The thrill was everything.
And with classic horror movies like Nosferatu, The thing With Two Heads, Mars Needs Women, Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy, the Black Cat, Fall of the House of Usher, the Phantom of the Opera… we got hooked on the terror and the monster themselves. In the 1908’s we saw so many great monster movie remakes. They were brilliant and we were so ready for them.
Then came slasher movies like the Nightmare on Elm Street, Sleepaway Camp, Halloween. Puppet Master… How many of us bought that Freddy Krueger glove and sat in the movie theater for the third or fourth time scaring the wits out of unsuspecting people? Okay, I did but it was all in fun.
We’ve watch so many great vampire films like Near Dark, the Hunger, the Lost Boys, Fright Night… and laughed at so many cheesy ones like Modern Vampires, Vampire’s Kiss, Subspecies, My Best Friend is A Vampire, Vamp… while we were reading incredible books like Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire (we’ll chat about that movie later).
And we ate up movies with jump scares like Poltergeist, the Evil Dead, Pet Sematary, the Exorcist, IT, Cujo, the Descent, Hell House and others because we couldn’t get enough. It’s in our blood.
Highschool ended and I packed up my things (movie posters included) to take with me to college. The first day I went room to room knocking on every door trying to find all the horror film fans I could and I brought out my shoebox of vhs horror films and we sat and giggled our asses off watching them. They were also the same group that went to comic book conventions and got the very best vampire/monster/horror comics, some wrapped in brown paper for mature audiences only-but they got them all the same in vinyl bags with backboards or cruised the mall for the bookstores and read every scary word they could find. You know your people and where to find them.
Now we are streaming horror films and playing the audio in our cars or as ringtones on our phones and why not? It’s all in fun, right? Break out the popcorn for viewers in the back while we drive to the latest horror film, horror book signing, vampire convention, book store hunt, or other dark broody adventure.
If your the choosy connoisseur and prefer a signed copy, those will be available directly from me at Vampires of New Jersey Convention on November 18, 2023 from 2p to 8p at QXT’s Night Club, 248 Mulberry St, Newark, NJ.
I’m going to be there and we’re going to have some fun, talk about horror films, books, comics… Promise I’ll keep the Freddy Krueger glove at home, so the scares will have to come from someone else this time (maybe).
Claire will be vending jewelry to die for and I’m going to have some kooky things like filled coffins, goodies, give aways, and we’ll also have Deserie Kelly’s Zodiac Shifters books.
Though I try and celebrate everyday, Halloween is extra special for me. I decorate, bake, make up goody bags with lots of candy, snacks, and prizes for my trick or treaters(sometimes overwhelming them with my costumed dog- Butler), but it’s all in fun.
In that same playful spirit, I am releasing my newest book, Desperately Seeking Vampire: Help Wanted Romance Series to Kindle unlimited and ebook on Amazon (link below the image)
Get your copy now and tell me what you think of it. Does it get you in the mood for some spooky fun?
So easy to get spooky!
I’ll be mixing up a batch of cocktails this evening, before I break out a bottle of Apothic Red Wine and my favorite NY aged cheddar. You can turn any drink spooky with a black olive stuffed cocktail onion. If you’redrinking adult beverages take and Uber or Lyft home and save that blood for a vampire.
Today, I started my day by spending some time with the Perpetual Puppy and then heading out to see Blue Beetle. Overall a great movie- go see it if you can.
Still, my wandering heart wasn’t satisfied and I packed up half the crew and headed out to the beach. The sky was blue and the wind dragged sand off tiny pebbles, revealing hidden beauty.
Still more treasures were unearthed and I was shown shells of every color and size by the minions and the Mr. But the beach had one final treasure in store for me, a miniature library full of books and magazines. I’ll be dropping off copies of my books for eager readers, becuase everyone should have something to read on a long beach day.
Treasure!
I’ll be heading home for a cocktail (recipe below) and listening to Neil Gaiman on Audiobooks on the way.
PIÑA COLADA RECIPE: adults over the legal drinking age and responsible enough to not drive only please.
Ingredients-
1 1/2 OZ BACARDÍ RUM Of CHOICE
2 1/4 OZ PINEAPPLE JUICE
1/2 OZ CREAM OF COCONUT
Fill a tall glass with ice. Blend your ingredients and pour over ice. Garnish with a piece of fresh Pinapple and maraschino cherries. Just Yum!
Double, triple, or just make a pitcher for sharing with company- even a hit in the winter.
We are featuring a paranormal teen fantasy this week, so we’ll keep our treats fun and light.
Time of the Silver Dragon: Tales of the Zodiac Shifter Book 1 currently available on Amazon
Storyline: After years of hard work, practice, and sacrifice, Silver has earned the honor of entering the coveted underground martial arts tournament in Chinatown. Her excitement is only matched by her fear of failure. Little does she knows that the tournament is not the end, but the beginning of trouble, trouble times twelve. After the tournament is over she must face the wrath of the grandmaster, her illusions about herself, and find out who her real friends are. She finds out that the myth of the twelve zodiac animals great race, the Jade Emperor, and even demons are real. In this frightening new reality, will she have the strength to save humanity?
Our recipe: Silky Onion Dip with veggies and crisps
Ingredients
1 container silky tofu
1-2 packages vegan onion dip mix
Fresh Veggies (carrot sticks, celery sticks, snow peas, sugar snap peas, cucumber slices, green and red pepper slices, blanched asparagus spears)
Crisps (your favorite chips, pretzels, or fried wonton wrappers)
Cut silky tofu into small squares and pulse in food processor with package of onion soup mix until blended. Add more soup mix to taste and put in a bowl surrounded by your favorite munchies- it’s that simple.
Serve your Silky Onion Dip and munchies to friends or just have a snack anytime. We absolutely love this with gingerale mixers (1 ounce pomegranate juice, matcha tea, grape juice, or orange juice to 4 parts gingerale).
It’s officially February, and with 18 days left to go before Fat Tuesday and a freezing cold front moving into NJ, you know I had to give you a fantastic cocktail from New Orleans. It’s the perfect little something to make you feel warm and toasty inside and end Dry January ( For ages 21 and over. Don’t drink and drive)
There is something special about the history and charm of New Orleans and I hope you make that trip in time to see the gayety of Mardi Gras Parade floats going by. For now, let’s warm up with a nice cocktail.
Sazerac-
Ingredients-
Absinthe rinsed glass
2 parts(1.5 oz.) rye whisky
3 dashes Peychaud
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Splash of sugar, simple syrup, or Sugar cube(my favorite)
Lemon twist
How to:
Start by chilling a glass with ice cubes(or sticking in the freezer for a few minutes). The end product won’t be diluted with ice.
Once your glass is chilled rinse it with the absinthe of your choice and discard excess(or use it to rinse a few more glasses for company). This will leave a delicious flavor on the rim of the glass as well as a hint of the taste in the beverage.
Add 1.5 ounces rye whisky to your chilled and rinsed glass and in a second glass muddle a sugar cube with 2 dashes angostura bitters and 3 dashes Peychaud.
Add the sugar solution to your glass of rye whiskey and serve with a lemon twist. It’s the perfect cocktail and if you haven’t tried one yet, you’re missing out.
Enjoy! Let the good times roll.
Visit our other recipes for your cocktail parties and read some of our visiting authors.
We’re past the middle of Dry January 2023 and two weeks into Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans. What better time to mix up a batch of Virgin Hurricanes and check out the parade?
To see this year’s parade route, click on the link below. Recipe to follow.
I’m of the mind that safe holiday fun should be enjoyed by any and all that want to participate. Whether your Halloween is spent pursuing haunts or going door to door to the neighbors for guilty pleasures (those Butterfinger bars and dark chocolates are too tempting), have safe fun.
This is where I get a little preachy, and with good reason. We get a lot of teens and even adults that come by for treats. That’s just fine by me. Unless it’s raining, I’ll put out my table, dress up myself and put the Perpetual Puppy in a fun costume, and have enough treats (candy and toys) to satisfy all ages. Not all children-adults can have sweets, nuts… so I try and put some other fun things out in keeping with the holiday until the curfew sends me back inside for a nightcap.
If you choose not to participate, a little sign in the window or on the door helps the eager children, teens, and adults know to keep going to the next house. It’s a small world and though I celebrate as many holidays as I can, I get that Halloween is not everyone’s idea of fun.
Be safe either way, and watch for children crossing against lights and in between cars on the roads. If you are trick or treating stay where it is light and with a group. Don’t enter houses, no matter how tempting, and be careful of capes, long robes, and face masks when walking. Have a grown up check your candy, especially important if you have allergies.
I can’t wait to see everyone in costume. Have fun!
Dubonnet and Gin, one a little stronger than the other
As a young girl my thoughts were on knights, princesses, castles, and unicorns. With news of the Royal wedding, it seemed everyone was buzzing about Prince Charles III and Lady Diane. There have been more weddings since then and one can’t help but admire how her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II managed to handle all the excitement.
As a mother myself, I strive to be part of all my children’s celebrations but I have to admit they can be exhausting. I don’t ever recall seeing the late queen waiver. Though her duties were always many, she seldom was seen without a welcoming smile.
When I sit this evening I’ll have one her of her favorite aperitifs(a cocktail meant to stimulate the appetite), a Dubonnet and Gin, and think fond thoughts.
For ages 21 and over- Dubonnet and Gin recipe:
1 part gin
2 parts Dubonnet
Mix well and we’ve in a wine glass. Drink safely and responsibly.
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 😉
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