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Around the holidays, I think back to my childhood and it was the Christmas lights, more than anything, that made me happy. The same still works today and I find myself leaving the holiday lights up all year and just changing the color for the next holiday.
It’s the Grinch! We found him at Shadybrook Farms
Maybe it’s my inner Year of the Rat and love of all things shiny, but I go for long rides looking at the lit up houses and to every possible light show working a two hour ride(well, I make the mister drive it).
With five children there is always the need to keep them entertained, so light shows are a big hit and help get them outdoors on cold evenings, when they’d otherwise be engaged in video games & online media.
We also do outings to Science Museums, Zoos, Art Galleries… and you can see a lot of them pull out all the stops for Holiday festivities.
Bronx Zoo Holiday Lights
In the spirit of our Liquid Friday blog, I have to leave to you with a favorite holiday drink- hot chocolate!
Hot Chocolate Recipe below
Ingredients: (4 big servings)
8 ounces dark chocolate chips(semisweet) or chopped brick chocolate
4 Tablespoons sugar (or equivalent in your favorite sweetener)
5 cups milk- we use lactose free and omit the sugar, but any heat stable milk substitute works
Save your add-ins for the side and let guests customize their beverage
Add-ins:
Marshmallows
Peppermint sticks
Whipped Cream
Cinnamon stick
Pinch Cayenne Pepper, really warms you up
Directions:
Warm milk and chocolate in a pot on low to medium heat(stirring continuously to avoid scalding milk) until chocolate has melted and mixture is hot, add sugar to taste- alternatively you can put your milk and chocolate in a crock pot and keep it warm while children play outside
Stir again before serving as chocolate will settle
Serve warm and let guests choose their own toppings, for a special treat
Desperately Seeking Vampire Hunter: A Help Wanted Romance (Help Wanted Romance Series Book 2) has been published and we’re pleased as punch, cranberry punch to be precise (recipe below).
Cranberry Punch for your Halloween Party (see recipe below)
About the Author:
Since it’s me, I’ll be candid. I am a beach loving Jersey girl with a spooky obsession. I blame all those books on cryptozoology and monsters that I read as a child for making me the lady that’s just bat-shit crazy over Halloween.
Even before the autumnal equinox, I’m busy as a bee preparing for Halloween. It’s my absolute favorite holiday and I kinda put a spooky twist on everything, even my favorite treat- candy apples.
When you are a fulltime writer and Mom to a large family, you learn to make due and save the splurges for science center memberships and walking sticks for our hikes. Instead of buying overpriced costumes, I let the imps pick out cool weapons and implements (gotta have swords) and make more unique costumes for Halloween with the aid of a sewing machine (or 3) we use year round for alterations and my ebay store (paying for the tiny sickly canid monster’s medical care with my earnings).
This year my youngest imp, Soph, decided to make his own costume and I couldn’t be prouder. I supervised while he picked out a pattern, shopped for fabric (coupons, coupons, coupons), and read the instructions to prepare himself. He pinned and cut everything out and slowly the garment began to take shape. There was a small accident with pinking sheers that left a little hole as he was trimming his edges, but he patched it up and you can’t tell even up close. Costume finished, he put it on and paraded around the house, victorious.
His older brother Esteban found some cool weapons in one of the many Halloween stores we visited. Spirit Halloween is his favorite store and he will probably stop by every one within a two hours drive of our home-it’s an obsession. This year he needs a black cape for his costume and is now completely out of children’s sizes that we have at home, so it may give Soph an extra sewing project to do before Halloween.
Unless it’s raining, the plan is to put our the big folding table complete with spooky tablecloth, the black flame candle, the book, and wait for a virgin to arrive-or something like that. We will have safe spooky treats like spider rings and candy for the thirty to fifty trick-or-treaters brave enough to stop by and let me ooh and ahh over their costumes.
This will be my first year having two crazy canids (dogs) to dress for Halloween and I haven’t even started on their costumes yet, so I have to play catch-up now and come up with something truly brilliant. Wish me luck.
Book Blurb:
After finding her twin brother murdered, Madison hunts down the suspected killers, only to find out they are vampires. She gets subdued, captured, and placed on trial by the Conclave. She knows too much to be allowed to live, but they seem hesitant to just kill her outright. Gabriel, one of the Obsidians, a group of Conclave’s enforcers, saves her life by offering to keep her captive for the rest of her life or until she willingly chooses to become a vampire.
She vows to kill them all, even the one who saved her life, while she bides her time and plots to escape. Madison would put a stake in his heart, but the longer she is around him the deeper Maddie falls in love with him.
To help put the ghost of her murdered brother to rest, despite never finding his body, Madison participates in his memorial celebration and all hell breaks loose as werewolves, bent on world domination, crash the event.
Will Maddie ever find out what happened to her brother’s body? Will she kill every last member of the Conclave or spend eternity with Gabriel?
A word from the Author, Eden Freed:
I hope you get to read Desperately Seeking Vampire Hunter: A Help Wanted Romance (Help Wanted Romance Series Book 2). Yes, Autumn is still in there, but we have switched focus to Madison for this book. I have some more fun in store for Book 3 and even bigger plans for the series. If you have KU, you’ll get to read them all for FREE. I’ve kept the price down for eBooks and you can always order a signed copy from me or get yours at one of my book signing events. If you’re saving your money for Halloween costumes and candy, ask your library to order a copy.
I always appreciate likes, stars, and shares for both the blog and the books, so thanks for making this Jersey girl smile. It take a lot of juggling squeezing in writing time with two amazing dogs and five busy children, but you keep me motivated, thanks. Enjoy the recipe below.
Cranberry Punch Recipe: Perfect for Cocktails, Mocktails, and little Monsters at the door
Ingredients:
64 ounces Cranberry Juice (cran-grape or sugar-free work great, too)
1 liter Gingerale or Lemon Lime Soda(can be sugar-free)
Juice of 1 lime
Juice of 1 lemon
Optional: Gummy spiders, gummy worms, and gummy bugs to adorn glasses, eyeball ice cubes look cool floating in the punch.
Optional: Add 1/2 liter of your favorite vodka and 8 oz blackberry brandy for partygoers over 21
Instructions:
Mix ingredients in a large punch bowl with plenty of ice and serve. Have some Gummy body parts, eyes, spiders, worms… to adorn glasses for extra fun.
Caution: If serving children and adults, make it alcohol free. Children tend to try everything at a party, so its safer to stick with a mocktail. You’ll be certain adults can drive their children back home safely, if they haven’t ingested alcohol. If it’s only an adults party and you are drinking, pre-plan transportation (party bus, Uber, Lyft…), so everyone is as safe as can be. DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE
We’ll have this book available for purchase soon but in the mean time a little teaser is in order. Let’s start with the cover.
Since the vampires won’t be drinking cocktails, we’re making Assam Iced Tea- directions below.
About the book-
Madison is an a vlogger, filling her days with adrenaline and candy fueled adventures her brother arranges. It seems like the perfect life until her brother is killed.
She blames vampires for his murder, and after losing her temper in front of the conclave ends up beholden to Gabriel, oldest of the Obsidians.
On the other side of the world, Queen Autumn is bringing the clans together. Her dream of peace is almost within reach. Meanwhile, several high ranking members of the conclave and rival clans want nothing more than to see Queen Autumn’s plans foiled.
Madison is about to find out not all vampires are out for blood, but which ones can she trust? What happens when clan politics are put to the test?
Sometimes you just need to call in a vampire hunter.
Assam Iced Tea-
What you need:
Water
2 Heaping tablespoons Assam Black Tea
Lemon to taste
Honey or sugar to taste
Ice
I steep my Assam Tea in a small 2 cup glass pot for an hour- bitters have health benefits and I don’t rush the process. This also lets the tea concentrate cool naturally.
As this is now a concentrated tea, I fill a tall glass with ice and pour enough of the concentrate to fill in the gaps(usually 1/2 cup to 1 cup). Add a wedge of lemon or freshly squeezed lemon juice for a vitamin c pick me up.
We fell in love with this series with the first book. It has taken some time for the next two installments of the series to come in, but while you wait for book four- here are the new covers. Enjoy! I think they look every bit the porcelain like goddesses they portray. If you haven’t picked up the series yet, follow the links.
A limited number of books are available with the older covers, visit http://www.DeserieKelly.com for more information
We never have a Liquid Friday without a drink of some kind.
Outside of green tea which she drinks all day, Deserie is fond of 3 parts black tea (Assam is you have it- though any black tea works fine) and 1 part Passionfruit juice. No tapioca balls or sugar required- just serve over ice and enjoy.
We hope you try our mocktail and get some good reads in this week.
This week is so filled with celebrations, I want to take a moment and wish everyone Happy Mardi Gras, Happy Lunar New Year, Happy Valentine’s Day, and more. There is also a special birthday on Valentine’s Day, so happy birthday Claire- hope it’s the best yet!
If I missed any of our reader’s birthdays, I hope it was amazing and you had lots of fun.
Enjoy this last week before the Christian Lenten season begins and people turn to more spiritual pursuits.
During lent I look for organizations to work with either through sponsorship or stewardship to help out those in need, local and abroad. Since the troublemaker and I wear many hats that can mean entertaining for charitable walks, food pantries, fundraisers… or donating to some local charities or people in need.
For this weekend, however, I’m going to some festivals and parties. I’ll be making some hurricanes (see my 2023 blogs for the recipe and make them at home or somewhere you don’t need to drive to, just to be as safe as possible) and some gumbo for one party and spicy chicken skewers for the other.
I’m also stopping by a Super Bowl party with some treats. I don’t know who you want to win this Super Bowl Sunday, but I’ll be watching and then continuing with festivities for Mardi Gras and the Lunar New Year.
Then, just when the week is going to start and you think there would be a break to settle down, blam!!! I’ll be making chocolate covered everything for Valentine’s Day (candied orange rind, strawberries, marshmallows, and pretzels).
All scheduling aside, I find myself working at lightning speed on my pursuits because I live day to day with an autoimmune disease that can shut me down for a week or two at a time. If I seem a little maniacal it’s only because I know I am racing the clock to get things done before something like pollen, perfume, dairy, or weather forces me to take a break.
I find myself planning things just to keep motivated, not that I need the extra work with a house full of imps that drive me bonkers and the cutest dog in creation, but still… I feel like Alice In Wonderland some days with one pill that makes me feel smaller and another that makes me feel bigger. Better living through chemistry has its moments. I’ve had undifferentiated autoimmune disease for about 14 years since diagnosis (probably an additional 14 years living with it before the doctor discovered what it was) at this point and sometimes I need to just live through my stories because the body won’t cooperate regardless of what potion I drink or eat.
We all have things we work through and I know it can be hard at times. I find something wonderful and go with it as long as I can. A supportive partner or friend is also a game changer, and sometimes if all you can have together is misadventures remember to laugh about it.
On the plus side, Spring is on the way. A few conspiring rodents decided it, so let’s just go with that.
Some goodies for our readers-
Don’t forget these two treats are available on KU for a limited time and are also at a special price for download or paperback.
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.
I’m here with some friends (21 and over crowd) at Brook Hollow Winery for some live music by Rich Ortiz, a glass of Rose (my company is enjoying a pitcher of cranberry raspberry wine slushy), some snacks provided by the food truck(try their mac and cheese- excellent) and majestic views despite the rain.
Everything is so lush and green in the vineyard and the surrounding hills are flocked out in summers best while a dense fog covers the caps. The ground is wet, so I’m not expecting to see fireflies on St. Andrew’s Eve, but the quiet soft noises of evening fill the space as the light wanes.
Whoever you’re with on your birthday, wherever you are, make every moment special.
Tonight our Liquid Friday Blog is on location at Brook Hollow Winery. In just a week this lovely and scenic winery will host Roz Lee’s A Day or Two of Wine Romance and More- book fair. We’ve eager attended her events as they are spectacular turn outs.
A glass of wine and a wonderful view
This year is a multi-genre event, so stop by, visit the authors, have a wine tasting and a glass of wine and buy a bottle for home. I’m drinking the rose tonight and enjoying the peace and scenic views with my editor, who knew?!
Ally Brown
As I start my second glass of wine, I’d like to take a moment to remind you to support your local authors. Hours and tears go into each and every book, and unlike AI writing you can get hooked into a series. I generally take three months to write a book and six to edit it. We now have more than ten works published (2 full books and eight quick reads). Do take a look at them and let me know what you think. I love, love, love feedback from my readers and you always make me smile. The link is below.
If you haven’t checked out the other authors I’ve hosted, you’re in for surprises. Roz Lee is a favorite of mine and she has multi genre work I think you’re going to love. Link is below.
edenfreed.com 