lunar new year | edenfreed.com

For dry January we have some fun mocktail recipes. Since the Lunar New Year is just weeks away we have guest author, Deserie Kelly, with some book previews.

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A bullied orphan. A life-changing martial arts contest. An ancient rivalry showing its bloody claws…

Chinatown, New York City. Silver is tired of never fitting in. After years of teaching at her adoptive uncle’s kung-fu school, the loyal seventeen-year-old is depressed to see a mediocre student promoted above her. So she’s thrilled at the chance to redeem her honor by competing in a high-level tournament where the winner performs the complex dragon dance during Chinese New Year.

Training hard to win, the determined young woman forces herself to ignore the instant attraction she feels to a handsome boy at a rival school. But after she emerges victorious, Silver is horrified when her triumph is rewarded with a deadly attack by a demon-in-disguise.

On the run from a sinister enemy she can’t remember, with only the cute kung fu master as an ally, will this accomplished fighter discover her destiny before her flame is eternally extinguished?

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Kuàilè Shu has just settled into a new life and found her place in Silver’s Kung Fu school where she has both admiration and respect from other students, friends, and immortals. She’s now a junior in high school with all the hopes and dreams of any girl, mortal or otherwise: finding the perfect prom dress, going to college, finding love. Then, Monkey shows up…..
Thrown in the whirlwind of jealousy, insecurity and a mission she has left incomplete, Kuàilè bets all on a mortal existence. But is giving up immortality the right choice when a demon capable of possessing even the immortals themselves is after her and those she loves the most?

https://a.co/d/86N1SSK

Kelly, one of the Zodiac Shifters, has a terrible secret that has kept her from pursuing love. She has all but given up on ever having happiness, but life is full of surprises. Jamin, for all his size and strength, is just as shy. Despite their personal hangups, it looks like the stars might finally align on the couple until tragedy strikes.

Silver is ready to have her baby when the magic begins to fade around her. Damian is off battling demons that have the worst timing, and that says a lot for a dragon capable of freezing time. Silver isn’t sure she’s even ready to be a mother. Fushi is there to help, but Silver needs Damian, now!

Can Kelly overcome her own dangerous secrets to save the love of her life or has time run out on her as a Zodiac Shifter? Will Silver have her baby on the earthly plane or make it back to the Jade Palace in time with Damian? Find these answers and more in the latest Tales of the Zodiac Shifters story: No Time for Regrets-Tales of the Zodiac Shifters Book 3

Tales of the Zodiac Shifters series has more books to come so catch up now before you are left behind.

Cranberry Mojito Mocktail Recipe

Before we get started, since I have diabetics in the family, I also offer substitutes for sugar whenever possible in my recipes.

Ingredients:

2-3 Tablespoons fresh or frozen cranberries

5-6 cranberries to garnish

1/2 ounce simple syrup/ or sugar free lemon lime soda

1/2 lime for juice

1 slice lime for garnish

1 sprig (7-8 leaves) mint for mix

1 sprig mint to garnish

Seltzer

(Optional) Alcohol free/ sugar free rum flavoring

Ice

You’ll also need:

Mortar and pestle to muddle cranberries and mint

Spoon to mix

Glass with ice and straw to serve

How to:

Muddle cranberries and mint together until flavor is released
Mix in simple syrup or sugar free lemon lime soda
Pour over glass filled with ice and garnish with lime wedge, cranberries, and sprig of mint.
Serve and enjoy

If you have trouble finding cranberries and mint you can use mint flavored seltzer and unsweetened cranberry juice or use cranberry juice cocktail (sugar free cranberry juice mixer) and omit the simple syrup/sugar free lemon lime soda.

Liquid Friday Blog with Our Guest – Deserie Kelly

Its time for the Lunar New Year Celebrations to begin in earnest and while we search our favorite apps and museums for indoor and chilly outdoor events, Deserie Kelly has an upcoming offer you’ll want to put a reminder in your virtual calendar for. Don’t miss it.

Thursday, February 8th, 2024 (12:00PST) to Monday, February 12, 2024(11:59PM PST) you can pick up your Kindle exclusive eBook copy absolutely FREE just in time for the Lunar New Year.

Get Your Free Kindle eBook Copy!

Deserie: The Lunar New Year is something I look forward to celebrating every year. We hand out red envelopes so our friends have a little mad money to spend on their favorite treats and sweets, like candied lotus root and lucky red candy. This year as an added treat, I decided to offer up the first book in the Tales of the Zodiac Shifter Series as an eBook promotion for the Lunar New Year, so be sure to get your copy for the Kindle app.

Eden: I heard you were considering getting your dog a little brother.

Deserie: Absolutely, dogs are social animals and they enjoy life a lot more when they have company, just like people. Right now, I’m looking to adopt, if possible, another crazy Chinese Crested dog. I know lots of people enjoy the hairless variety of the breed, but our boy is powderpuff and with the chilly winters in NJ, its for the best to have a thick coat of fur even if that means searching a little longer.

Powderpuff variety do take a bit more grooming than other dogs, but daily brushing with a coat designed for the undercoat helps so much. He has a double coat, undercoat and people like hair. When groomed properly he looks like a little pony (almost a poodle cut). Chinese Crested are one of the better breeds for allergy sufferers and I have been living with allergies most of my life, so he’s perfect for me.

Butler the CC(Chinese Crested) is my constant companion at home and my best little writing buddy. with book three in the series about to debut, he has the patience of a saint and sit dutifully at my side until playtime. You might find his inspiration in my books, as I always have one character with his tenacity and love of snacks. I train my little fur baby on an ongoing basis so his mind stays sharp and quick, though he has a bit of a temper, making him a little devil dog.

Cute little beastie always gets me with his smile, so his mini tantrums are easily and quickly forgotten.

Eden: Do all of your books have dogs?

Deserie: So far all that have been published have a dog in them. It’s a little tribute to my best friend and the impact he has had on my life. I live with an autoimmune disease that can flare up at a moments notice. My little beastie tends to notice that they are coming and nudges me to let me know something is off (not to be confused with the demand for pizza crust nudges which are over the top or play with me now snuggles). He wasn’t specifically trained to do it, but there are some service dogs that are trained to alert for just that purpose. Service dogs are life altering for people that need them. It can mean the difference between going outside and being confined to the house, so I support organizations that train them for people.

You can read about a service dog in Jesse of the Apocalypse, my newest book.

We celebrate his gotcha day every year, but he may be a little bit spoiled. Just look at that sweet face and those keen eyes. I knew he was going to be trouble times twelve when we got him, because its so easy to fall under his spell and let the little infractions go.

He may be a little spoiled, but life is too short not to enjoy snacks and equal amounts of work and play time- same goes for people, too. Butler(named for the white “gloves” on all his paws) is my fur-ever friend. and will be getting a special treat for the Lunar New Year, something lucky for him, too. You can read more about him on my blog at http://www.DeserieKelly.com

Eden: Thanks so much for coming by with your free book and puppy love. I hope you have some fun over the Lunar New Year! Please come back and talk with us again when your next book is out.

Deserie: Absolutely!