Month: February 2014

Beware the Red Plague!

Beware the Red Plague!

Or, The Red Plague is Here

It’s release day! My new YA series, starting with Elixir is finally available. I’m so excited to share Maya’s story with you.

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The red plague has devastated the human race, turning billions of people into zombies with red eyes and an insatiable hunger for human flesh.

The 212R virus sweeps through the population so quickly a possible cure is left to rot. Seventeen-year-old Maya Solomon may be the only survivor who knows where it is. But to reach the lab in Raleigh, North Carolina she will have to outrun the infected boy tracking her every step and cross into a city swarming with monsters.

<3 Anna

Author Interview with Rose Montague

Author Interview with Rose Montague

Or, Meet Rose Montague the Paranormal Author of Jade!

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Back Cover Blurb:

Three against Three Hundred. Jade is a little bit shifter, a little bit witch, a little bit Fae, a little bit vamp, and a whole lot of fun. Jade has arranged things so she is partnered with a shifter bear as police detectives on a big case involving vamps killing humans. There is some mystery to the book and many surprises. Jade’s origins, where she came from and why she is here are revealed along the way. A lot of humor , action, and fun involving a visit to Faerie, assassination attempts, adventures in driving, a magical dagger, and a little romance happen along the way. By the end, much of the mystery and her beast is revealed, and her origins and background are explained. All of this with a good deal of humor and some real shockers along the way.

Anna Abner: Welcome to my site, Rose, and thank you for stopping by to tell us about your writing and publishing experience. First, how did you come up with the idea for Jade?

Rose Montague: I love urban fantasy and I am a big fan of strong female characters. Jade is my idea of a mix of different supernatural creatures. How she became that way is part of the mystery in the book. There are a lot of surprises in Jade and that is one of them.

AA: Do you think there is a lot of you in Jade’s character?

RM: I wish I had a few of Jade’s talents! I think there is a lot of my philosophy in Jade. I also enjoy a bit of humor and romance mixed in with all the action. My goal in writing Jade was to have fun writing a fun book to read.

AA: If this is part of a series, can you tell us what is coming up for Jade?

RM: Jade, Jane, and Jill team up in the first book to solve a series of crimes. Book Two will be called Jane, and Book Three will be called Jill. They call themselves the Three J’amigo’s. Jane is a powerful vampire and Jill is Fae. The main theme in Jade is friendship and that theme will carry on throughout all three books.

AA: When did you know you were a writer?

RM: I always wanted to write and I love to read. I recently developed some back problems that would wake me up in the early hours of the morning. What a great time to write with no distractions. The majority of Jade was written between the hours of 4AM and 6AM. Coffee was a big help. I realized I was a real writer about a third of the way through Jade. I was learning this writing thing by doing it and some of my friends were reading what I had so far. When they started having fun with it was when I realized I had the makings of a fun book.

AA: Why write paranormals?

RM: When I was young I loved Sci-Fi. That led me to the fantasy and paranormal genres where I found true happiness.

AA: Have you ever thought of writing in other genres?

RM: I am writing a short story now (that seems to want to be a novella) for a charity anthology about the life of a cat. I am pretty excited about it.

AA: Sounds interesting! Tell us about your writing process.

RM: I try to write about one thousand words per day. Some days it doesn’t happen but other days I do more than that. After Jade was published I focused more on marketing and promoting and now I am trying to find the right balance to do both.

AA: Are you a pantser or a plotter?

RM: I have a basic outline and I usually go off the reservation but eventually come back. It does help to know where you are going, especially if there is some mystery involved. And the ending is a real key. Once you have an outline and a really good ending, you can let the story tell itself.

AA: What was your publishing experience?

RM: I was lucky enough to find a publisher that thought Jade was a terrific read. A small publisher called Eternal Press offered me a contract. The submission process is pure torture and I had eight rejections before that. I just kept tweaking and self-editing. Eternal Press is a small publisher but they took care of all the expenses involved from a real editor, to cover art, getting the ISBN’s and formatting the book for print and eBook.

AA: What advice would you give to new or struggling authors?

RM: If you want to be an author you are going to have to sit down and write. The more you write the better you will get at writing. Just thinking about doing it won’t get it done.

AA: Thanks for stopping by, Rose, and good luck in the future.

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<3 Anna

Just Announced: Elixir Blog Tour Mar. 3-10

Just Announced: Elixir Blog Tour Mar. 3-10

Or, Meet Me At The Following Blogs For Bonus Behind-The-Scenes Fun
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March 3:

Nicky Peacock’s Blog

Luv Books Galore

The Book Landers

March 4:

Manga Maniac Cafe

Midnight Musings with Bertena

Eclipse Reviews

March 5:

Urban Fantasy Investigations

The Avid Reader

Sweet Southern Home

March 6:

The Happy Booker

Paranormal Romance Fans For Life

Fictional Reality Blog

March 7:

Mama Knows Books

Mousehead & Tales

Dalene’s Book Reviews

March 10:

So Much To Write

Books & Tales

Tanya’s Book Nook

The Enchanted Scroll

 

See you there!

<3 Anna

The Best Cashew Chicken Recipe

The Best Cashew Chicken Recipe

Or, Let Rachel Ray Plan Your Dinner Tonight

This is the absolute best asian style chicken meal I’ve ever made. Way better than Chinese take-out and very easy to make. It comes from Rachel Ray’s Top 30 30-Minute Meals: Kid Food cookbook. She calls it “Cashew! God Bless You Chicken with Jasmine Rice,” but I call it my family’s new favorite.

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Ingredients:

1 box jasmine rice (or 2 pouches of pre-cooked, ready-to-heat jasmine rice)

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, minced and mashed (or a couple dashes of garlic powder)

2 tablespoons rice wine, rice vinegar, or dry sherry

Black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste

1 large carrot, peeled and diced into cubes

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 can (7 oz) sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped

3 heaping tablespoons hoisin sauce (from the asian foods aisle in your grocery store)

A couple handfuls of unsalted cashews

3 green onions, thinly sliced

Optional: broccoli florets

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine chicken with half the sesame oil plus the garlic, rice wine, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Set aside and let it hang out.

2. Heat remaining sesame oil in wok or large skillet over high heat until it smokes.

3. Add carrot (and broccoli) and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the marinate chicken and cook another 3-4 minutes. Toss in the bell pepper and water chestnuts. Heat through for 1 minute.

4. Add the hoisin sauce and toss to coat evenly.

5. Place chicken on a bed of jasmine rice and top with cashews and green onions. Feeds 4.

What I love best about this recipe, aside from its taste, is that with the basic chicken and sauce I can play with the veggies. We don’t like green onions, but we like broccoli. My daughter won’t eat the bell peppers, but she likes the carrots. Add or subtract until it tastes right for your family.

Enjoy!

<3 Anna

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