Wind Chime Café Recipe ~ Maryland Crab Cakes

As many of you know, I grew up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and I'm working on a new trilogy set on the Chesapeake Bay. The first book, Wind Chime Café, centers around a quirky island café and explores the complex seafood culture of the region. Of course, after deciding to write a book that would include some of my favorite recipes, I realized I should probably learn how to cook them!

Over the next few weeks, I'll be taking you along on my journey to learn how to cook some authentic Chesapeake Bay recipes, including baked rockfish, oyster fritters, crab dip, and possibly a nine-layer Smith Island cake. But let's start off with everyone's favorite--the Maryland crab cake!

What you'll need:
1/2 c. chopped fresh basil

1 slice of sourdough or plain white bread with the crust removed, pinched into tiny pieces

1 lb backfin crab meat

3/4 c. mayo

3/4 t dry mustard

2 t Old Bay Seasoning

1 egg

juice of half a lemon

salt and pepper

 

Toss everything in a big bowl and mix together.

Form into balls using an ice cream scoop and drop heaping scoops onto a platter.

Sprinkle more Old Bay Seasoning on the top. Be generous!

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. (This isn't crucial, but it helps keep the cakes together.)

When you're ready to cook, heat up about 1/4 inch of cooking oil in a large pan (until it sizzles when you throw a few drops of water in) and fry the crab cakes on both sides until golden brown. Serve hot with cocktail sauce and lemon wedges, and fresh corn on the cob and a salad.

 

 

If you get a chance to try my family's crab cake recipe, I'd love to hear what you think! I'm really looking forward to incorporating some Chesapeake Bay recipes into Wind Chime Café. I've always loved reading books about food and cooking. Some of my favorites are Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel,  Bread Alone by Judith Ryan Hendricks, and Chocolat by Joanne Harris. What are some of your favorite novels that involve cooking and recipes?

*The top photo is of an original Chesapeake Bay working skipjack. There are only a few dozen of these boats left.

The Selkie Sorceress Giveaway Winners and Announcing a New Trilogy!

I am excited to announce the winners of The Selkie Sorceress Giveaway:

Winner of $25 Amazon Gift Card: Holly L.
Winner of signed paperback copy of The Selkie Spell: Alyson C.
Winner of signed paperback copy of The Selkie Enchantress: Janhvi
Winner of signed paperback copy of The Selkie Sorceress: Cristi R.

Congratulations to the winners and thank you all so much for entering! There will be many more giveaways in the future so stay tuned. :)

In other news, I've started working on a new romance trilogy, and the first book will release Fall 2013! The Heron Island Trilogy features a new cast of characters who I hope you will love as much as the characters in the Seal Island Trilogy. The new series takes place on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, on an island in the Chesapeake Bay. Here's a little bit about the first book:

Wind Chime Café

Heron Island Trilogy, Book One

 

When single mother, Annie Malone, purchases a quirky Main Street café on Heron Island, she thinks she's finally turned her dream of opening her own restaurant into a reality. Hearing rumors that a developer is about to build a five-star resort on the sleepy Chesapeake Bay island, she plans to transform the café into a premier upscale bistro. But Navy SEAL, Will Dozier, has no intention of selling his grandparents' property to a developer. Back on Heron Island for the first time in ten years and secretly struggling with PTSD, Will decides that a fling with the new girl is the perfect way to help him "get his head straight." The last thing Will expects is to fall in love...with his hometown and with Annie. But Will's life and career are in San Diego with the SEALs. Will Annie's love and the healing magic of the island be enough to convince him to stay?

 

I grew up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and the Chesapeake Bay culture is very near and dear to my heart. I started a Pinterest Board with Chesapeake Bay images in case you want to get a feel for the place. I'm really looking forward to sharing this new series with you.

As always, thank you for your support of my stories. And a huge thank you to those of you who took the time to post a review for The Selkie Sorceress on Amazon. I really, really I appreciate it. :)

For those of you in the US, I hope you all enjoy a nice long Memorial Day weekend, get to spend some time in the sun with friends, and celebrate the official start of summer!

The Elsker Saga by ST Bende - Cover Reveal and #Giveaway

Today, I'm happy to welcome my friend ST Bende to the blog. She is celebrating the release of her first book in The Elsker Saga and revealing the cover for the second book, coming Fall 2013. Check out these gorgeous covers and enter the giveaway. :)

 

Book Title: Elsker

Author: ST Bende

Series Title: The Elsker Saga

Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Entranced Publishing, Blush

 

Amazon and B&N

 

Book Description:
Kristia Tostenson prefers Earl Grey to Grey Goose and book clubs to nightclubs, but when she transfers from her one-stoplight town to Cardiff University in Wales she falls in love with Ull Myhr. Her new boyfriend isn't exactly what she was expecting. He's an honest-to-goodness Norse god -- an immortal assassin fated to die at Ragnarok, the battle destined to destroy Asgard and Earth. Kristia's crazy visions are the only thing that can save their realms.

Her orderly life just got very messy.

 

 

Book Two of the Elsker Saga will be available Fall 2013!

 

FREE prequel at Smashwords

 

About the author:

Before finding domestic bliss in suburbia, ST Bende lived in Manhattan Beach (became overly fond of Peet's Coffee) and Europe...where she became overly fond of the musical Cats. Her love of Scandinavian culture and a very patient Norwegian teacher inspired The Elsker Saga. She hopes her characters make you smile and that one day pastries will be considered a health food.

 

Blog / Twitter / Facebook

 

Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway to win an e-copy of Elsker!

 

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The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard - New Release

The Forgotten Ones

The Danaan Trilogy

Book One

is now available exclusively on Amazon!

 Allison O'Malley's plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she's been in love with for as long as she can remember.

What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison's mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn't trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother's sanity.

 

The Forgotten Ones is on sale for 99cents this week!

About Laura Howard

Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.

Connect with Laura:

Blog | Twitter | Facebook |

Hoping for a Glimpse of Nora Roberts in Boonsboro

Most of you probably know by now that I'm a huge fan of Nora Roberts. Sea Swept was the first romance novel I ever read, and it was *the book* that made me want to become a writer. After graduating college and finishing my first romance novel, I learned about Romance Writers of America, and signed up for their annual conference. At the time, I was working as a journalist for my small town newspaper and I asked Nora Roberts' publicist if she'd grant me an interview. She did--which I'm still kind of amazed by to this day! I got to meet my favorite author, shake her hand, and interview her. Plus, she signed my copy of Sea Swept. :)

At that first RWA conference, I learned so much about writing and I realized I had a lot to learn before starting a new book. I began to study writing: reading books on craft, going to workshops, joining writers groups, and finding critique partners. I spent a lot of time learning the process, but you know what taught me to write more than anything? Reading Nora Roberts. I spent months taking her books apart, dissecting them chapter by chapter, scene by scene, trying to figure out how she created such memorable characters and stories I wanted to stay up all night reading. Once I'd learned how to put those pieces together, I tried again and wrote The Selkie Spell.

Since its release, The Selkie Spell has had over 100,000 downloads (including both free and paid) and consistently landed on bestseller lists at Amazon. I recently released the third book in the Seal Island Trilogy, The Selkie Sorceress, and thanks to my readers, I am now living my dream and working as a full-time writer. To celebrate finishing my first trilogy, I thought it would be fun to take a trip to Nora Roberts' hometown, Boonsboro, Maryland! Luckily, one of my best friends just moved into a house a few miles outside Boonsboro, so she gave me the grand tour. :)

I arrived late afternoon and we popped into Dan's Restaurant and Tap House to grab a pint and watch the Kentucky Derby. Dan's is rumored to be owned by one of Roberts' sons. I have no idea what he looks like, so I can't say if we saw him or not!

 

We passed by the Inn Boonsboro, which Nora Roberts owns. The guest rooms are named after famous literary couples from Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Thin Man, and The Princess Bride.

The next morning, we went for a stroll through neighboring Antietam National Battlefield. I couldn't help thinking of the romances Roberts' has written that include ghosts from the civil war era. I imagine this battlefield offered some inspiration.

 

It's a beautiful place, but I'll admit, it starts to feel a tad unsettling after a while...

 

 

Then we headed back into town to Nora Roberts' Turn the Page Bookstore, which is run by her husband.

Look! There she is! No, just kidding. That's actually a cardboard cut out of Nora Roberts, but this entire back room is filled with her books, DVDs of movies based on her books, and the table in the middle contains a line of Inn Boonsboro soaps, perfume, and candles.

In all seriousness, I would like to say thank you to Nora Roberts, for teaching me how to write and for unknowingly showing me the path toward my dream of being a writer. Maybe one day I'll get to shake her hand again and tell her that.

What about you? Readers, what was the first romance novel you ever read? Writers, is there an author or a book that changed your life, and made you realize you wanted to become a writer?

Midnight Train to Paris by Juliette Sobanet - Release and Giveaway

One of my best friends and a fellow romance author, Juliette Sobanet, is celebrating the release of her third Paris book. Midnight Train to Paris is a Kindle Serial, which means the story is released in episodes (a few chapters at a time). When you purchase the book, all existing episodes will appear on your Kindle, and as future episodes are published each week, they will update automatically. How cool is that?

 

 

Juliette: Thanks so much for having me, Sophie! Today we are celebrating the release of Episode 2 of my Kindle Serial novel, Midnight Train to Paris! You can find the novel on Amazon.  Here's a little more about the book: When hard-hitting DC reporter Jillian Chambord learns that her twin sister, Isla, has been abducted from a luxury train traveling through the Alps, not even the threat of losing her coveted position at The Washington Daily can stop her from hopping on the next flight to France. Never mind the fact that Samuel Kelly--the sexy former CIA agent who Jillian has sworn off forever--has been assigned as the lead investigator in the case. When Jillian and Samuel arrive in the Alps, they soon learn that their midnight train isn't leading them to Isla, but has taken them back in time to 1937, to a night when another young woman was abducted from the same Orient Express train. Given a chance to save both women, Jillian and Samuel are unprepared for what they discover on the train that night, for the sparks that fly between them...and for what they'll have to do to keep each other alive. Midnight Train to Paris is a magical and suspenseful exploration of just how far we will go to save the ones we love. 

 



To celebrate the release of Midnight Train to Paris, I'm giving away a $25 Amazon gift card and a Kindle copy of the book to one lucky winner, and 3 more winners will be chosen to receive Kindle copies of the book as well. To enter, simply use the Rafflecopter below, and let me know if you have any questions. Also, if you already have a copy of Midnight Train to Paris, feel free to enter the giveaway, and if you win, you'll have your pick of one of my other Paris Kindle books! 

If you haven't heard of Kindle Serials, here's the scoop: A Kindle Serial is a novel released to your Kindle in episodes. When you purchase Midnight Train to Paris, all existing episodes will immediately appear on your Kindle, and as future episodes are published each week, they will update automatically. You'll even receive an email from Amazon letting you know that the next installment is available on your Kindle. On June 18th, once all episodes have been released, Midnight Train to Paris will be released as a full-length novel in print and e-book. So, if you'd rather wait to read the entire novel at once, you can do that too.  *

Hint: The trick is to snap up the book at the $1.99 Serial price before it goes up a bit once the Serial is complete. :) Also, for my wonderful readers abroad, Midnight Train to Paris will be released on Amazon UK, France, Germany, and all other Amazon sites as a full-length novel this June. So, not to worry, it's coming to a Kindle near you very soon. :)

About Juliette: Juliette Sobanet is a former French professor who writes sassy, romantic women's fiction with a French twist. Juliette holds a B.A. from Georgetown and an M.A. from New York University in France, and she has lived and studied in both Paris and Lyon. She recently relocated to sunny San Diego where she lives with her husband and their two massive cats. When she's not writing, she's eating chocolate, practicing yoga, or scheming on when she can travel back to France.  You can find Juliette on her website, Twitter or Facebook.

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The Selkie Sorceress Featured in USA Today!

 

I'm excited to announce The Selkie Sorceress was featured in USA Today on May 3, 2013! To celebrate the release of Book Three of the Bestselling Seal Island Trilogy, I have written a very special article that has never been published or appeared anywhere else online. The piece explains the enduring popularity of the romance novel through time, and how the genre's success relates to its ability to adapt to shifting social constructs. It is a condensed version of a longer academic piece that explores the persistence of the "Romance in Literature" from Medieval times to present day. You can read the article on USA Today here. I'd love to hear your thoughts!