Accent on Unusual Recipes

RECIPES

 
Here are three rather different recipes I have enjoyed over the last few weeks:
 

Sweet Potato Salad

This is one of the most exotic tastes I have encountered among the many recipes I've collected. I prefer it served warm and with pine nuts in place of pumpkin seeds, but that does not affect the overall flavor impact, which is truly remarkable. This recipe is from Grits and Pinecones. Below is the original recipe for 8 servings. I halved it for my personal use.

Grace note for Recipes One and Three:  If you a serving only 1 or 2 persons and expect to have leftovers, do NOT mix the dressing with the salad ingredients. Save and use only when needed, so salad greens do not wilt nor the flavors become overbearing.

SWEET POTATO SALAD

4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & cut in 1" cubes
3 TBsp olive oil
1 TBsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground ginger
1 cup dried cranbeerries
½ cup chopped scallions (green & white parts)
½ cup jarred roasted sweet peppers, chopped *
½ cup roasted pumpkin seeds (or pine nuts, sunflower seeds, etc.)

Dressing:
6 TBsp balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup reular or mango chutney (not hot)
1 TBsp Dijon mustard
2 TBsp honey
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
¼ cup olive oil

*I actually found jarred strips of roasted pepper, but this is rare.

Make dressing ahead. Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake until well mixed.

To make the salad, preheat oven to 425°. 

1.  Mix the sweet potatoes with the olive oil on a large baking pan or cookie sheet and toss to combine. Make sure the sweet potatoes are evenly covered with oil. 

2. In a small bowl, combine the rosemary, salt, pepper, cumin, and ginger. Stir to combine. Sprinkle evenly over the sweet potatoes and toss to combine. Spread the sweet potatoes out in a single layer and bake until potatoes are fork-tender and golden brown - about 20-25 minutes. Do not overcook.

3. Meanwhile, put cranberries, scallions, and red pepper in a small bowl & mix well. Set aside.

Assembly:
Put the roasted sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Add the cranberries, scallions, roasted red pepper and half of the dressing. Toss carefully & taste. Add additional salt and pepper if needed, and more salad dressing if you like. Sprinkle with the toasted pumpkin seeds. Serve warm or cold.

~ * ~

Garlicky Zucchini Noodles

Grace note: for this one you will need the help of a "spiralizer." I bought mine online from Amazon, along with a recipe book with a lot more "spiral" recipes. If you really can't get into fruits and vegetables, this might be a way to make them more interesting. Here's what I bought:

Three-blade spiralizer by Zest

GARLICKY ZUCCHINI NOODLES

 2 medium zucchini
3 TBsp walnut or olive oil
6 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled & halved lengthwise
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
½ tsp sea salt
2 cups chopped cooked meat or poultry*
1 cup thinly sliced tart green apple**
Fresh ground black pepper

*I used pre-cooked Perdue chicken pieces
**I used the spiral cutter blade on the spiralizer to cut very thin apple "flowers." Or you can use a mandoline* to cut finer slices than is possible by hand.

1.  Using a spiralizer, julienne cutter, or mandoline, cut zucchini into long thin noodles.

2.  In a large skillet, heat 2 TBsps of the oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook and sir 2 minutes or until starting to brown. Add zucchini noodles; cook and toss with tongs 1 minute. Transfer to a serving bowl. Add walnuts to skillet; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until toasted. Add to bowl with zucchini. Sprinkle with salt.

3.  Add remaining 1 TBsp oil to skillet. Add meat; heat through. Add to bowl with zucchini. Add apple slices; toss gently to combine. Sprinkle with black pepper.

*I later bought a mandoline by Kitchen Bask, which slices at both 1.5 and 2.5, as well as having three other types of blades. (I am still experimenting with my two new gadgets, but so far they work as promised, and they have definitely increased my interest in fruits and vegetables. And added a whole new frontier of recipes.) The recipe above is from Paleo Recipes.

ARUGULA AND ASPARAGUS SALAD

 Grace note: I used the 1.5 slicer blade to cut the red onion very fine, making it more like ambrosia than an onion.

½ cup very thinly sliced red onion
½ cup white wine vinegar
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed, cut to lengths desired
3 cups fresh argula
2 TBsps snipped fresh mint
2 TBsps olive oil
¼ tsp sea salt
1/8 tspn black pepper

1.  In a small bowl, combine onion and vinegar, pressing onion into liquid to cover as much as possible. Cover and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes or chill up to 24 hours, stirring occasionally.

2.  Cook asparagus, covered, in enough boiling water to cover 2 to 3 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Rinse with cold water to cool quickly; drain again. In a large bowl combine asparagus, arugula, and mint. 

3.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer onion to asparagus mixture. 

4.  For dressing, pour 3 TBsps of the vinegar from onion bowl into a small screw-top jar. Add remaining ingredients; covr and shake well. Drizzle dressing over asparagus mixture; toss gently to coat. 

Added note: If asparagus spears are thick, cut in half lengthwise.

This recipe is also from Paleo Recipes.

~ * ~

 

For a link to Blair Bancroft's web site, click here. 

For an eerie true tale, visit Blair's Facebook Author Page at: click here. 
 

Thanks for stopping by,

Grace

 

More on Women's Fiction

Sneak peek at the cover for my 6th Regency Gothic, set on Dartmoor

Pub date - hopefully by the end of November 2017

MORE ON WOMEN'S FICTION

 

For previous posts on Women's Fiction, please see

the Mosaic Moments Archives, 6/25/17 and 7/1/17.

In October our local RWA chapter presented a workshop on Women's Fiction, and I found it interesting to hear someone else's description of the differences between Women's Fiction and Romance Fiction. (Many people, alas, have no idea there is a difference!) The speaker told of a time when "Romance" was defined as "Fiction written about women, by women, and intended to be read by women." Well, thank goodness, most of us realize that is no longer true. There are men who write Romance, men who read Romance, and many plots and themes that peer inside men's thoughts and actions, their likes and dislikes.

And there we have the major difference between Women's Fiction and Romance. Women's Fiction really does come close to the definition of "About women, by women, for women." Romance Fiction must have a hero, usually a character prominent from beginning to end. Even in gay romance, there must be a definite romantic pairing, not a long pastiche about the foibles of the "female" side of the relationship.

The speaker at the meeting of Central Florida Romance Writers also defined Women's Fiction as "What comes after Happily Ever After." If you are familiar with the musical Into the Woods, Women's Fiction would be Act II. In the first act, we see all our favorite fairy tale characters and their stories come to a happy conclusion. (The Broadway musical was undoubtedly the precursor to TV's Once Upon a Time.) But in Act II we discover what comes next. And it isn't pretty!

Women's Fiction can also be a story of family (or a whole village), with the emphasis on the female line; i.e., a central female character and her interaction with her female relatives, good and bad. Also with her female friends, acquaintances, adversaries, etc. The men are there, but as more realistic characters than in Romance fiction. We see them with all their idiosyncracies, faults, their glaring wrongness. And they are not major players in the story, just a backdrop against which the female relationships play out.

Illness, death,divorce, childbirth, depression are frequent themes of Women's Fiction—female struggles usually shunned by Romance fiction. (Yes, deaths occur in romantic Mystery and Suspense, but as part of action or murder plots, not part of an anguishing of the soul.)

In Romance fiction—which can be as simple as a Harlequin contemporary or as complex as an Historical Suspense . . . which can also be Mystery, Sci Fi, Paranormal, Fantasy, Young Adult, New Adult, or any of a vast variety of sub-genres, the only absolute requirement is that Happily Ever After ENDS the book. And that's where Women's Fiction BEGINS. In the world of reality.

To complicate matters a bit, there are some authors of Women's Fiction who include a definite romance in each book, including an HEA ending. The difference? The emphasis is on the problems of the women in each story, enough so the romance remains almost peripheral to the main plot.  

Who reads Women's Fiction? A good question. I suspect the readership is almost entirely female. And includes those who like to read about other women who suffer as they have suffered. Or perhaps those who like to read about other people's problems so they can say, "Thank God my life isn't like that."  I do not number myself among them. I like heroes who are heroes, even if their only fights are on the homefront. I do not want to read about unremitting agony, suffering, desperation, and death. Not even on a small, hometown scale. But that's me. I'm a great believer in "To each his own." Certainly, there should be books that cater to every taste. The important point is to recognize which genre you want to write. Recognize the differences and follow the "rules." Do not wander on and on in the world of Females Only and think you are writing Romance.

And now a challenge—one I asked myself as I examined the differences between Women's Fiction and the Romance Fiction market. Why are my Regency Gothic novels, like The Blackthorne Curse, above, not Women's Fiction? 

Gothic novels are written in first person female. Always. That's the basis of the genre. A female, usually alone, attempting to survive in an inimical world. The entire story is told through her eyes. The people she interacts with are frequently female. The eerie twists to the plot usually take precedence over the romance. So why is a Gothic novel a Romance, not Women's Fiction?

Because the ending is definitely Happily Ever After. Gothic heroines suffer death threats, not the pangs of childbirth. They try to figure out who is trying to kill them, not who is back-stabbing them at work. And men play major roles throughout the book, even if they do not have a Point of View. The men can be witty, charming, villainous, surly, stupid, petty, etc., but they stand shoulder to shoulder with the women as participants in the plot. And in the end there is one male who is true blue, a hero who pairs with the poor beleaguered heroine to give us that traditional HEA. 

In short—at least in my not-so-humble opinion—Romance Fiction is for women who really like men, as friends as well as lovers. Women who think there's enough trouble in this world without having to read about the angst of daily living. We want Happily Ever After, and let's avoid the reality of what comes after. We live that; we don't need to read about it. And yes, we use the world of HEA as an escape from our problems.

Women's Fiction is for females who prefer socializing with women, discussing female-oriented topics, and facing the ugly realities of the world, often while keeping men relegated to bread-winning and bed. And yes, that is a deliberately provocative statement written by someone who is not a fan of Women's Fiction. And I invite rebuttal from those who find WF rewarding. 

If you are a "reader" rather than an author, you're fortunate. You can choose to read both Romance and Women's Fiction. For writers, it's a tougher call. Know your genre. Know what makes it tick. Know your readership. Write to the emotions they want and expect. And yes, of course, there's leeway for a bit of experimentation. (As mentioned in my July post about Nora Roberts's Come Sundown.)

I leave you with the happy thought that next week I am avoiding controversies by presenting recipes.

~ * ~

For a link to Blair Bancroft's web site, click here. 

For "inside" information about The Blackthorne Curse, click here. 
 

Thanks for stopping by,

Grace

 

The Shroud of Turin

Medieval Sorceress as Greeter at the 19th annual Reale Halloween party

With hat & wimple slightly askew. (And yes, that's me.)

THE SHROUD OF TURIN

On Saturday morning, October 28, 2017, I attended a lecture at the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Longwood, Florida, on the Shroud of Turin (named for the city in Italy where the shroud is now housed). Below is a photo of the full-size replica we saw on Saturday, (shared by a friend, since one of my grandgirls had managed to "hide" my phone!)

Shroud of Turin replica at Church of the Resurrection, 10/28/17

It was an enlightening presentation, I have to admit. Like so many of us, I had read about the shroud - or heard about it on the news - many times over the years; most particularly, a couple of decades ago when the cloth was debunked as being from Medieval times, not the time of Christ. But step by step, the speaker (R. G. Chiang) went through each cry of "fake" over the centuries, including the carbon-14 test, which was later declared invalid because the frayed edge of the linen had been contaminated by medieval "soiling." Basically, I felt he did a successful job of "debunking the debunkers." But, as he frequently emphasized, belief is very much a matter of the mindset you bring to the problem, the lifetime of teachings that affects how we think. As for me, I was pretty much won over to the assertion that the Shroud now preserved under glass in Turin, Italy, was very likely once spread over the body of Christ.

The lecture was strikingly detailed with drawings and biblical quotations, and a history of the Shroud since it was acquired from the Knights Templar. I am, however, kicking myself because I failed to ask: "Where was the shroud before the Templars acquired it?" But, alas, I didn't think of that one until I got home. The questions I did ask are:

How was the reproduction made? A photographic process imprinted on cotton by a firm  in California. The original? Our speaker believes the imprint to be the result of the energy of the resurrection.

Where is the shroud now? Inside a full-length glass-topped case in a vault in the cathedral attached to the palace of the House of Savoy in Turin, Italy. The restoration of the shroud (2002) and construction of the protective room and container cost two million dollars.  

To properly view the shroud, you need to know that it was folded in the center. The left half in the photo above was under Jesus's back, the right over his front. Therefore, an imprint of his face can be seen just to the right of center. (In the middle of the cloth, above the third support post from the left.) In the first photograph ever taken (1898), the negative image is startlingly clear from head to toe, his hands folded over his genitalia. Unless I was willing to deny that a picture is worth a thousand words, I could not help but be impressed.  

Grace note: It is believed the cloth was "laid" not "wrapped" as women were coming back to prepare the body with spices and perfume.)

All the other marks on the cloth are due to age or accident. Evidently there was a fire in 1532 which melted the silver decoration on the reliquary box in which it was kept, burning holes in the cloth. There are also "fold" marks and small holes along the fold lines, most of which have been carefully mended at some time or another. You will notice that the larger triangular holes that look like teeth mirror each other on either side of the center. As do most of the small "fold line" holes.

The most remarkable thing about the very first photo taken (1898) is that no one, including the photographer, expected the negative image to be so much more vivid than the faint sepia tones of the shroud itself.

Shroud "negative" photo, 1898 (front & back)

Shroud "negative," 1931

Whether you're a believer, a scoffer, or think Jesus just another religious prophet, I hope you take a moment to ask yourself: "Could the so-called Shroud of Turin really be the linen cloth draped over Jesus at the moment of resurrection?" 

With food and costuming to prepare for Susie's party that same night, I almost didn't go to this lecture. I'm glad I did. In this world which seems to be "going to hell in a handbasket," as my mother used to say, it's good to have reason to believe that miracles can and do happen. 

~ * ~

 

For a link to Blair Bancroft's web site, click here. 

 

For a link to Blair's Facebook Author Page, click here. 

Thanks for stopping by,

Grace

Comments on a Mix of Books

Hailey, Riley & Cassidy at a local pumpkin patch

HURRICANE UPDATE.

The giant brush & log heaps are gradually being taken away, but not gone. Nothing is left of the oaks in the photos posted two weeks ago, except two mounds of roots & dirt. The tree that crashed two houses from me was finally carted away this week - the roof is undergoing repair. We've had enough rain that the St. John's remains flooded. The statistics are coming in: Damage to Florida agriculture - 2.5 billion dollars, 60% of that is our citrus crop.

Grace's Recent Reading - A Mixed Bag

SHOGUN by James Clavell - first published 1975

I manged to go more than forty years without reading this book, but when BookBub made me an offer I couldn't refuse . . .

The trouble is, I've been reading Shogun for six weeks or more and still am only little more half-way through. There's only so much torture, mayhem, death, complex conniving, and a shockingly wide culture gap that I can take at one time. (And being told how inferior Western culture is.) So periodically I take a break, sneaking off to lighter fare on my Kindle or paperbacks off my "favorites" shelf. 

Why do I continue to read this book? Because Shogun is a tour de force tale by a Westerner who immersed himself in Japanese culture well enough to portray it to people like me who never got much beyond Madame Butterfly. Are the details of 16th c. Japan correct? I can only assume so, or Shogun wouldn't have become a legend in the publishing world. (The portrayal of the influence of Spain and Portugal in a time when England was just discovering the Orient is also amazingly well done.) So the historian in me keeps reading, even as I wonder if it was really necessary to have almost every last character, minor as well as major, have his/her own Point of View.

I tell myself I'm going to grit my teeth and finish this book, but I'm not certain I will. I mean, do I really want to know the incredibly convoluted details of Japanese politics and battles 500 years before I was born? And read about brutality, savagery, and treachery that make Stephen King novels read like children's fairy tales? 

 
THE COLE TRILOGY—THE PHYSICIAN by Noah Gordon - first published 2012

When I bought this book for my Kindle, I had no idea what I was getting into. That, like Shogun, I would read and read and read, and only be at 11%.  So when I finished Part One, I took time out for lighter fare on this one too. I am, however, looking forward to finishing the whole saga. It's a remarkable tale of a time even farther back than Shogun - beginning in the year 1021 when Canute the Great was king of Norway, Denmark, and England; i.e., when a Viking ruled.  

Upon the death of his parents, a boy in London is apprenticed to the 11th c. equivalent of a  huckster. A man who travels from town to town, performing magic tricks, selling "snake oil," and, astoundingly, healing the sick after the show is over. The boy gradually discovers he has "the gift," an aptitude for healing far beyond that of his mentor. And when his apprenticeship is over, he sets out for Persia, which, he is told, is the only place he can learn true medicine, not the travesties practiced by the so-called doctors in England. I am currently reading the part where he travels across France, Germany, and into Eastern Europe on roads built by the Roman Empire. That's as far as I've got, but the story is as well written as the plot is well thought out. Mr. Gordon's research is superb, bringing the era to life with amazing details. I am looking forward to reading the rest. 


DEAD STOP by Barbara Nickless

Okay, I suppose I can't call this lighter reading, except that it's standard book length, not an epic. And a contemporary mystery is a big break from two hefty historical novels. I discovered Ms Nickless not too long ago with her first book, Blood on the Tracks, and was delighted when Amazon let me know a second book was out. The heroine, Sydney Parnell, is an ex-marine with PTSD who appears to be hiding in a role where she can use her military skills while attempting to deal with the dead people she sees and hears on a regular basis. The unique setting of the first two books is in and around railroad yards, where Sydney has become a railroad security cop. And she is so very good at it that at the end of Dead Stop it appears she will be moving on to the FBI or the city police. (I'll miss the train background, which was truly fascinating.) This is a series I cannot recommend too highly. Unless you only like your mysteries cozy. Ms. Nickless does not write cozy.


ROYALLY RUINED by Nora Flite

This is about as far from Shogun and The Cole Trilogy as one can get. Maybe not from Dead Stop, as there's quite a bit of violence or talk of violence in between the graphic sex scenes. But Ms Flite creates excellent characters and genuine plots, enough so that, like the books of Ruby Lionsdrake, I enjoy them even though the erotic is not my thing. I also like this series as its prime location is in Rhode Island, and I spent most of my growing up in Connecticut, within a few miles of the Rhode Island border. Which includes encountering mafia families first hand. My neighbor was a capo, and my children grew up so instilled with the rule of omerta (silence) that we were nearly three years in Florida before they told me about the bullet holes they'd seen in my neighbor's Cadillac. 

As far as the "Royally" series is concerned, I think I liked the first book (Royally Bad) better. The hero of Royally Ruined is the crime family's heir apparent, and frankly I expected a bit more for him. But Ms Flite's dialogue is as sassy as the sex is hot; in fact, I can't page over the sex scenes, as I often do, because the quips are too good to miss! So if you're not easily offended, this is a fun series, definitely in the light reading category.


THE FIRST ADVENTURE OF SIR ERROL HYDE by Gay Hendricks

I researched the name  Gay Hendricks, because I felt the author simply had to be male. The total obliviousness to the female mind (deliberate), the badinage, the snark - no way did a woman write this. And yes, he is male and a PhD as well. 

This mystery, the first of a series, is hilarious. The fictional characters priceless, and the wonderfully placed hints about real characters of the early 20th c. both intriguing and nicely integrated into the plot. Because of my age, I recognized the historical characters at first hint but suspect that most will not, making the revelations that much more fun. Sir Errol Hyde is, it seems, a rival of Sherlock Holmes. And although our hero prides himself on being much more knowledgeable about women than Holmes, any female reader is going to be groaning loudly about his cluelessness. 

Basically, this book is well thought out, well written, and filled with humor, both raucous and wry. (It could have used a bit more copy editing, however.)  The intricate plot hinges on world affairs in a time leading up to World War I. I strongly recommend it to those who like their mysteries intelligent and humorous, with outstanding characterizations.

~ * ~

 

Hmm-mm - I suspect the above comments qualify me as someone with eclectic tastes. Or maybe just plain strange??

~ * ~

For a link to Blair Bancroft's web site, click here. 

For a link to Blair's Facebook Author Page, click here. 

Thanks for stopping by,

Grace

Back to Basics 2 + LIMBO MAN

BACK TO BASICS - Addendum

It was pointed out that I omitted some examples from last week's post on Punctuating Dialogue. So here they are - illustrated by examples created by me.

 1. Exclamation points.

The punctuation depends on the sense of the sentence.

Examples:

I cried, "Help!"

I don't care how often you say, "sorry"!

In the first example, the exclamation point is only for "Help!"

In the second example, the exclamation point refers to the whole sentence. 

2.  Question marks.

Same approach as the exclamation point.

Examples:

I asked, "Where are you going?"

Do you know the origin of the saying, "All's well that ends well"? 

In the first example, the question mark is part of the dialogue.

In the second example,the question mark applies to the entire sentence.

3.  Colons, semi-colons

Basically - if you absolutely, positively have to use them in your work of fiction, the colon and semi-colon go OUTSIDE the quotation marks.

Examples:

We waited for the voice of the so-called "Oracle":  Hail, Wayward Sinners . . .

I never liked what my mom called "greens"; I ate them anyway.

4.  One speech extending over two paragraphs.

If one person's dialogue extends long enough for a new paragraph to be needed:  

Do NOT put quotation marks at the end of the dialogue in the first paragraph.

DO put quotation marks at the beginning of the next paragraph.

Example:

   The professor droned on and on, ending, "Most experts believe that if global warming continues melting the ice caps, the ocean will rise five or six feet over the next twenty years, resulting in severe flooding of most coastal areas.

   "However, there are people who do not believe that our climate is suffering from global warming."

-------------------------

If anyone can come up with other dialogue punctuation problems, please let me know. The only ones I found when I checked The Chicago Manual of Style were quotes within quotes within quotes. And, believe me, you better not do that if you're writing fiction!

 LIMBO MAN

Bah, humbug! to “branding.” Yes, I know it’s supposed to be a good thing, but not for authors who write in multiple genres. Without any intention on my part, I was branded a “Regency” author, and getting readers to look at my Mystery/Suspense books is like single-handedly pulling up a diver from forty fathoms deep! So in an effort to call attention to LIMBO MAN, a tale of international intrigue, I re-edited the entire book, line by line, and ordered a new cover. As of Friday the 13th, LIMBO MAN has been be re-incarnated: Same title, same plot, even the same blurb. But let’s see what a “hunk” on the cover will do. Plus some Twitter posts, a feature on my blog . . . You get the message.

I mean, really, LIMBO MAN deserves to shine. I’ve been to every international location used in the story, including Siberia and tried to re-create it faithfully. (Except Teheran—for that I had to rely on Google Earth!) And yes, a child was actually killed by bombs left on WWII’s Pine Castle bombing range. It was farther back in time than I used in the book, but it actually happened. In fact, the story of how thousands of people discovered they were living on top of live ammunition is worth repeating.
   
Decades after WWII, c. 4000 homes were built on top of the Pine Castle Bombing Range, with no disclosure to the owners. (Until I moved to Longwood two years ago, I lived in the farthest northeast corner of it and therefore received notices of all the meetings about the problem and updates on the progress of the clean-up. I attended one of those meetings, which was conducted in Spanish and English, in the presence of the Orange County mayor and at least one Councilman.) The @#$% hit the fan shortly after I moved from Venice to Orlando in 2007. As the months went by and the Army Corps of Engineers was called in to investigate, the situation grew from suspicious to dire.

All in all, over the next decade the Corps of Engineers removed 14 tons of bomb debris as well as 400 live bombs and rockets from ground that included Odyssey Middle School, numerous high-end homes and condos, plus office and commercial real estate. Except, of course, no one actually dug UNDER anyone’s home, so who knows what’s still there . . .

The above is an example of the personal research I did for LIMBO MAN. I’ve walked across the dam mentioned in the book. And motored around the Thimble Islands in Connecticut. And I’ve even been to Bratsk, Siberia, and seen the cabin built for President Eisenhower’s entertainment on the shores of Lake Baikal.

As for the book itself . . . the characters are great, if I do say so myself, and the plot has the authenticity of being sparked by a true tale of lost nuclear bombs told by a retired CIA agent. Yes, there’s a bit of whimsy here and there—particularly in the resolution of the romance. But, hey, romance is what we all like, right? And when you have not only the Montagues and the Capulets pulling at the hero but a powerful third party as well, you have to do some fancy footwork to contrive a happy ending.

So please take a peek at the updated LIMBO MAN - now live on Amazon and Smashwords. Below: new cover plus blurb.

FBI Special Agent Vee Frost does not care for Homeland Security's list of job qualifications when they ask to borrow her services. "An experienced agent with a proven track record" is good. "Fluent in Russian" hints of an assignment which is close to her heart. But "Attractive female, under thirty-five" sends up red flags. Obviously, DHS is asking for services above and beyond the call of duty. But a loan to Homeland Security would look great on her resumé, and it sounds as if they really need her . . .

But when Vee agrees to turn on the charm for Sergei Tokarev, an amnesiac Russian arms dealer with an agenda as hidden as the contents of his past, she never anticipates a chase after two nuclear bombs that will have her hopping around the world from Connecticut to Siberia to Iran. And no matter how strong a bond she and Sergei forge, it seems doubtful either will live long enough for a happy ending.

For LIMBO MAN at Amazon, click here.

For LIMBO MAN at Smashwords, click here.

~ * ~

For a link to Blair Bancroft's web site, click here. 

For a link to Blair's Facebook Author Page, click here. 

Thanks for stopping by,

Grace