Live to Love on the Edge Blog

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Tempting Teaser Killer in the Kennel

I had a fun time writing reluctant hero Jose “Pepe” Gonzalez from KILLER IN THE KENNEL. A cousin to the Gonzalez family that runs South Beach Security, he’s kept his distance from the business to pursue his own dreams. A successful real estate agent, he’s drawn into an SBS case when the property he finds for their new K-9 Division training center turns out to be a serial killer’s hunting ground and burial site. Jose will help his cousins and new K-9 trainer Sara Hernandez solve the mystery of who’s responsible for the murder of multiple women at the site. In this scene, Jose and Sara are finally giving in to the attraction that’s grown between them during the investigation! Grab your copy of KILLER IN THE KENNEL today at https://amzn.to/4dMu8rx.

Excerpt

His lips were hard and mobile. Soft and demanding. Needy and gentle all at the same time.

Her head spun with the whirlwind of emotions swirling through her, as conflicted as the vibes she was getting from him.

That was confirmed as he expelled a rough breath against her lips and shifted away slightly as he said, “Like I said before, I didn’t expect you. This.”

“I didn’t either. It’s…confusing. There’s just so much going on,” she admitted, but even as she did so, she slipped into his lap, straddling his legs so that they were face-to-face because she didn’t want to miss any nuance of what was happening.

He smiled, a lopsided smile, and cradled her jaw before easing his hand around to cup the back of her skull. Tangling his fingers through her hair, he applied gentle pressure to draw her close.

“It is confusing. It’s hard to separate the craziness of this situation from what I’m feeling,” he confessed, and his warm breath spilled across her lips. This close, it was impossible to miss the crystals of darker teal in the aqua of his eyes or the stubble of his evening beard on his face.

“What are you feeling?” she asked, raising her hand and running it across that sandpapery stubble, and then dipping her thumb to rub it across his lips.

killer in the kennel

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Happy National Cheese Curds Day

I confess that I had no clue what a cheese curd was until I visited one of my clients in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was a fun visit to a city I had never been to before and I had a lovely time learning about my client’s business. But one of the highlights of the visit was tasting cheese curds for the first time and learning that if they don’t squeak when you eat them, they’re not truly fresh. LOL! Actually, it wasn’t hard to love them since I love cheese and every time I find them, I pick up some to take home. Have you ever had a cheese curd? P.S. KILLER IN THE KENNEL has absolutely nothing to do with cheese curds, although I suspect the heroes would love them as much as I do! If you love suspense revolving around stopping a serial killer, this might be the book for you! Pre-order it now at https://amzn.to/4f6w8Mb.

cheese curds

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Happy National Dessert Day

It’s National Dessert Day so what better way to celebrate than to have today’s This or That: Cake or Ice Cream! I don’t know about you, but when I dine out I sometimes look at the dessert menu to help me decide what to have for dinner. I try to leave space if there is a really good dessert on the menu. What about you? Do you do that? And if you do and there are only two choices, cake or ice cream, which one would you choose? I’d love to know. P.S. If you love books with lots of tasty food, check out SOUTH BEACH LOVE, the book that became a Hallmark Original Movie. It’s specially priced at 99 cents at https://amzn.to/4eTL8NA or you can download it for free when you sign up for my newsletter at https://bit.ly/CaridadsNewsletter.

this or that

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Lovely Day at Belmar Beach Book Fair

We had a lovely day at the Belmar Beach Book Fair yesterday at the lovely Taylor Pavilion! What a beautiful location to combine some of my favorite things: the beach, books, my daughter, little baby Axel, and my friends and neighbors. Thank you to everyone who came by and supported this wonderful event run by the Belmar Public Library. It was great to spend time with you and talk about books. If you couldn’t get there, no fear. You can grab copies of any of my books at various online booksellers and use my contact page to reach me for an autographed bookplate for your books!

belmar beach books

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Visit with us today in Belmar!

So excited about today’s Belmar Beach Reader’s Book Fair! Come and visit with my daughter and me at the Taylor Pavillion on Ocean Avenue from 1:00 to 5:00 pm. Enjoy a stroll along Belmar’s lovely boardwalk and then pop into the pavillion to meet us, learn more about our books, and maybe pick up some autographed copies. We’ll be joined by close to 30 other authors including my friends Linda Parisi and Stacey Wilk! I hope you can make it!

beach reader book fair

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Sicilian Baked Ziti

The garden has been good to me this year and has given me lots of eggplants and peppers. I had too many the other day and decided to make a Sicilian-inspired baked ziti! It’s tasty, delicious, comfort food and today I’m sharing my recipe with you! It’s pretty easy and also makes for good leftovers. P.S. If you love romances packed with tasty food, grab a copy of SOUTH BEACH LOVE, now a Hallmark Original Movie. It’s specially priced at 99 cents (https://amzn.to/3Y10qJx) or free when you sign up for my newsletter (https://bit.ly/CaridadsNewsletter)!

Ingredients

1 large eggplant, peeled and cubed
1 red (or green) pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 35-ounce can crushed San Marzano tomatoes (it does make a difference!)
1 32-ounce tub of Galbani Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese (Yes, it is the tastiest)
1 16-ounce whole milk mozzarella cheese, grated
1 large egg, beaten
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt for pasta water
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp dry oregano
1 tsp basil (Fresh if you have it)
Water for pasta
1 pound penne rigati (works better than ziti)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking dish (I use an aluminum foil one for easy clean-up). Fill a pot with water and 2 tsp salt and bring to a boil to cook the pasta.

For the sauce, place 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan and heat until shimmering. Once oil is hot, add eggplant and saute for at least 5 minutes or more. Then add mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes. Finally, add pepper, onions, and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent. Add crushed tomatoes and simmer for no less than 30 minutes. If you can let it go an hour, even better.

In a bowl, place ricotta, beaten egg, 8 ounces of the grated mozzarella, and the chopped parsley. Stir well.

Bowl the penne but do not cook all the way. My brand said to give it 9-10 minutes but I only cooked it for 5. Why? You are going to mix with the sauce and also bake it. That will keep cooking the pasta. You do not want it to get too soft.

Drain the pasta and mix with the tomatoes and veggies. Cook for about two minutes. Place half this mixture in your baking dish.

This next trick I learned from my daughter. Spread the ricotta mixture across this layer. Then top with the remaining pasta, tomato, and veggie mix. Top with the last of the grated mozzarella. You can also top it with some grated parmesan at this point.

Bake for 30 minutes. Broil for another 2-3 minutes to toast the mozzarella.

Serve with garlic bread, salad, and a nice red wine! Bon Appetit!

baked ziti

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Exciting Fan Girl Moment!

I’ve been busy sharing some of my more memorable happenings as an author over the last 25 years and today’s memory is my exciting fan girl moment with Nora Roberts! When THE LOST was nominated for a RITA, I also got an invite to sign with Nora at the Turn the Page bookstore in Maryland. SIGN WITH NORA! I even got to sit next to her. Well, okay, it was next to her son who was next to her. LOL! But I have to say, Nora was so gracious and friendly to everyone who was there. After the signing, I asked Nora to pose with me and Spottie (a dog in the book) and she didn’t hesitate to take a moment to do that. It’s a signing that I will always remember! Thank you, Nora! P.S. Speaking of dogs, don’t forget that the next two books in the South Beach Security K-9 Division series are out in November and December. Pre-order your copies of KILLER IN THE KENNEL and DANGER IN DADE today at https://amzn.to/480iM1Y.

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