Category: Caridad’s News!

General News and Information from Caridad

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Wicked Wednesday – THE LOST and some good news!

Today is a very exciting day! I’ve got some good news for all of you who like my Nocturne novels. Nocturne has just acquired three novellas from me for their BITES collections. Even more exciting, one of the stories will feature Diana Reyes and Ryder Latimer, two of my favorites. For those of you who have read FATE CALLS in HOLIDAY WITH A VAMPIRE and FURY CALLS, you may have a clue on what might be happening in this story.

Other good news in case you’ve missed it is that the SINS series will be expanding with the addition of the Hunters, a unique race locked in a life and death battle to survive. The first book in the SIN HUNTER series, THE LOST, will be available in August 2011 and will have some exciting new characters for you with wickedly interesting powers. (You’ll get to see just one of them in this little teaser I’m posting for you today!). You will see some familiar names, including another member of the Carrera family – Bobbie – a Marine who has been wounded in Iraq and has come home to heal both her physical and emotional wounds.

So without further ado, here’s a little wickedness from THE LOST.

The LOST Paranormal Suspense by Caridad Pineiro

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Kiss Me, Kill Me Tuesday – A Writer’s Inspiration

One of the things that has been coming up often on the ARE YOU STRONG ENOUGH blog tour are questions about how I get the inspirations for the books that I write.

Which makes me vaguely remember a quote somewhere about writers being able to talk to themselves without being labeled crazy (or at least not at first) and some very popular writer kinds of T-shirt quotes, such as:

    Watch out or you’ll end up in my novel.
    I kill off my enemies in my book. You’re on page 12.

Truthfully, those quotes are accurate. For example, a very nice waiter was the inspiration for the Ryder name. Roman mythology helped create Ryder’s lover, Diana. I confess to killing off at least one person who truly pissed me off in very gruesome fashion. Last, but not least, the names of friends and family have graced characters that I like, sometimes more than once.

But beyond that, where the ideas originate is difficult to say, although it is safe to say that a writer’s mind never stops observing and recording those things around them in order to use those observations in a story. Whether it’s a meal that you savor or where you eat it, a walk along a street with a different vibe, a new city that you visit… Any and all of those life experiences may germinate the kernel of an idea that takes root and grows into a story.

STRONGER THAN SINTake STRONGER THAN SIN for instance. You may have heard me mention on other blogs that the idea for the genetic engineering came about as a result of my science major geekdom. But my love of sports was what influenced the hero’s occupation. Rather than choosing baseball, which is more a game of physics and strategy, I needed the hero to suffer serious physical injury in a bone-crushing collision. Bazinga-he had to be a football player. Someone big and powerful cut down in the prime of his life.

Enter the heroine who I had already introduced in SINS OF THE FLESH, but who I came to love and needed her own big story. Was it coincidence that she was a doctor in book one? No because I needed someone who could offer medical assistance on the sly in that book. Was it coincidence that she was training to be an orthopedic surgeon? Not really either since I knew even then the second story was going to be about someone with a bone disease and I also had a friend with that profession who I could ask questions about treatments, etc.

My life experiences and influences eventually led to ex-football player Jesse Bradford and Dr. Liliana Carrera and their story.

Other life experiences, namely my love of history and travel, are what helped set up the evolution of the SINS series for books 3 and 4 – THE LOST and THE CLAIMED as well as the two books coming out from Carina – AZTEC GOLD and THE FIFTH KINGDOM. Although I’m a little crazed right now with trying to finish THE CLAIMED, I’m going to dig through some photos and get them scanned so you can see what inspired some of the story elements and locations that I chose for those books!

I guess what I’m trying to say in a very long way is that a writer’s inspiration comes from everything around them and in particular, from those things about which they find interesting or about which they are passionate. Why are those last two things so important? Because when a writer is interested or passionate about something, it shows in the words that they put on the page and bring the story alive for readers.

Thanks for dropping by today’s Kiss Me, Kill Tuesday. Don’t forget to visit the various stops on the ARE YOU STRONG ENOUGH blog tour to learn more about STRONGER THAN SIN and also, to possibly win of the giveaways.

Also take a moment to visit with my very good friend and fellow author Mary Kennedy at SOS Aloha today! Mary is chatting about Sherlock Holmes which is thoroughly appropriate since she has the wonderful Talk Radio Mysteries out on shelves. Just click here to visit!

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Thursday 13 – Honoring and Helping Our Military and Veterans

The Home of the Free, Because of the Brave

With today being Veteran’s Day, it seems appropriate to find a way to honor and help our military, veterans and their families. So here are 13 ways you can do so on today’s Thursday 13!

1. Join SOS for Operation Holiday Card and help deliver cheer to 1000 deployed airmen, marines, sailors, soldiers, and Coast Guardsmen. Click here to find out more.

2. Send support, snacks and personal care items to troops deployed outside the USA via Operation Shoebox. Click here to find out more.

3. Help the USO lift the spirits of our soldiers and their families. Click here to find out more.

4. Remember those who have been wounded and need care at the Wounded Warrior Project. Click here to find out more.

5. Choose from a number of ways to show your support at Support Our Troops. Click here to find out more.

6. Send a free postcard at Let’s Say Thanks. Click here to find out more.

7. Send a care package at Operation Gratitude. Click here to find out more.

8. Founded by the mother of two American soldiers, Soldier’s Angels provides aid and comfort to our military men and women. Click here to find out more.

9. Provide care packages and letters by way of Give2TheTroops. Click here to find out more.

10. Help the men and women of our Special Forces. Click here to find out more.

11. Assist wounded soldiers via the Yellow Ribbon Fund. Click here to find out more.

12. Help our military find employment when they return from war. Click here to find out more.

13. Give up a seat on a plane or train if a military person or their family needs it and on Memorial Day, go to the parade and cheer loudly when they go by. Let them know that you appreciate and honor the sacrifice they have made on your behalf.

Hope you enjoyed today’s Thursday Thirteen. I welcome you to add any of your ideas or favorite ways to honor our military and veterans on this Veteran’s Day.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

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Wicked Wednesday – ARE YOU STRONG ENOUGH?

To that I have to say – today I am not! Sorry not to have an excerpt for you, but I am swamped with work and writing deadlines. I will be back tomorrow. In the meantime, I’ve been busy hopping around the blogosphere and there are a ton of places you can visit for more info on STRONGER THAN SIN and some giveaways here and there. Take a moment to visit one of these spots on the ARE YOU STRONG ENOUGH BLOG tour.

11/8/2010 http://thebooktree.blogspot.com

11/8/2010 http://maryinhb.blogspot.com

11/8/2010 http://www.froggaritasbookcase.net

11/8/2010 http://threeboysandanoldlady.blogspot.com/

11/8/2010 http://justanothernewblog.blogspot.com/

11/8/2010 http://www.rexrobotreviews.com

11/9/2010 http://cuzinlogic.wordpress.com

11/10/2010 http://www.saveyspender.com

11/11/2010 http://marthasbookshelf.blogspot.com/

11/12/2010 http://theromancereviews.blogspot.com

11/13/2010 http://booksandmakeup.blogspot.com

11/14/2010 www.triciareads.blogspot.com

11/16/2010 http://paranormalromanticsuspensereviews.blogspot.com

11/16/2010 www.becksbookpicks.blogspot.com

11/17/2010 www.sarahsblogoffun.com

11/18/2010 http://chrissysworldofbooks.blogspot.com/

11/19/2010 www.thecajunbooklady.com

11/19/2010 http://www.libslibrary.blogspot.com

11/19/2010 www.lovetoreadforfun.com

11/19/2010 http://www.renees-reads.blogspot.com/

11/19/2010 http://candidclevercosteffective.net/

11/19/2010 http://bookslikebreathing.blogspot.com

11/19/2010 http://startingfreshnyc.com/

11/19/2010 http://dkay401-challenges.blogspot.com

11/19/2010 http://thefictionenthusiast.blogspot.com/

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Citrus-Marinated Roast Pork

During my recent visit to the wonderful blog of my friend and fellow author Kelly Moran, I was asked about my signature dish for Christmas. Now in my house, Christmas Eve is a mix of Italian, Cuban and American foods, but the signature dish has to be the Cuban-style citrus-marinated roast pork.

We, because it is a family affair to cook this dish, start preparing it the night before after a trip to Union City, New Jersey to pick up some Cuban staples and the pork leg.

I’m normally feeding anywhere from 15 to 25 people on Christmas Eve, so I need a really really big pork leg (pork shoulder/picnic ham/pernil). I normally get a piece of pork that weighs around 25 pounds, but you can buy a much smaller piece and adjust the cooking times (more on that later).

Ingredients:

    10-15 navel oranges
    10 lemons
    10 limes
    6-8 Seville (aka Sour) Oranges
    6 pink grapefruit
    10-20 gloves of finely chopped garlic
    Ground cumin
    bay leaves
    Pork leg/shoulder/picnic ham

Directions:

Juice all the above citrus into a large pot. We use one of those large buckets in which your grocery store deli get its potato salad, etc. Drop by and ask them for one! Ours is only used for the Christmas Eve pork.

The citrus mix should be sour, but with a strong hit of sweet (the navel oranges and grapefruit really help with that). You should have enough citrus juice to fully cover your piece of pork. Once you’ve tasted the sweet/sour mix, then add 3 to 4 bay leaves, about a half cup of garlic (less for a smaller piece of pork) and about 1/4 cup of cumin. Mix this all up.

Take your piece of pork and make multiple slits in it so that the marinade can penetrate into the meat. Place the pork leg in the citrus juice, cover and refrigerate. You’re probably wondering how I keep that big a bucket cold? Put the bucket in one of those big party tubs, place it in your garage (which should be slightly colder anyway) and fill the tub with ice. It should be icy cold in the morning unless you are in a really hot environment in which case you will need to keep on adding ice to keep the meat cold.

In the morning (around 6 a.m. or so) pre-heat the oven to 425. Remove the pork from the citrus and place it in a large roasting dish. Keep some of the citrus juice, bay leaves and garlic for use as a marinade. Discard the rest. Ladle about 1 to 2 cups over the pork and then stick the pork into the oven for one hour at 425. For a small piece of pork, cut down this initial high temp roast accordingly. For ten pounds make it around 30 minutes, anything smaller than that no more than about 15 minutes.

Do not baste the pork during this high heat roast.

When the high heat roast time is up, baste the pork and lower the oven temp to 325. Then cook until the meat pulls away from the bone in the leg and is starting to fall off. Marinate every half an hour during the cooking process. For a 25 pound pork leg, I will cook it for about 8 to 9 hours. The pork will turn this beautiful mahogany brown and just melt in your mouth.

For smaller pieces of pork, adjust the cooking times. A 10 pound picnic ham may take only about 4 or so hours. The key is to keep on basting and cooking at a low temp to keep the meat juicy.

If the pork begins to brown too much, just cover with aluminum and keep on cooking until the meat is fork tender.

Hope you enjoyed today’s Tuesday Tip. Here’s a shot of family and friends sitting around the Christmas Eve table, waiting to start the big meal!

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Fun Friday – Baseball, the Blues and a Guest Blog!

Doing the Friday Happy Dance even though it’s dark, cold and rainy in New York City. But I’ve got some fun things to chase away the blues today, including some fun talk about baseball and a guest blog (with some giveaways)!

Come visit with me at the wonderful Sia McKye’s Over Coffee blog and let me know if you believe in miracles and the power of love. I sure do!

For regulars to the blog, you know I’m a sad sack fan of the Mets and baseball lover so today’s guest blogger is a special treat for me because of that and because she is a dear friend and this is her DEBUT novel!!

So please welcome Ronnie Norpel who will be telling us about her new book, Baseball Karma & the Constitution Blues. Share the love by leaving a comment on this blog or Sia‘s by midnight EST Sunday, November 7th and you could win a STRONGER THAN SIN T-shirt and copy of any one of my earlier releases – you can choose your own prize!

*****

It is a thrill for me to guest on Caridad’s blog today. She has witnessed and supported my transformation from wannabe to published author—thanks, Caridad!

And, hi, everybody! Caridad assures me that among her avid romance readers are a multitude of chick baseball fans. My book is for them – YOU!

Baseball Karma & the Constitution Blues (Three Rooms Press) is a girl’s tale of love, luck and superstition, and it will keep you warm through the long winter without baseball. I worked for my hometown Phillies for seven seasons and so this story is “steeped in authenticity.” Whereas we could have slotted it under Sports/Philosophy, in a nod to James Frey, my publisher (the terrific Kathi Georges) and I settled on our own category: ficto-memoir.

A big theme of my book is how superstitions are all in our heads, but we perform rituals to try to relieve them anyway. A couple of baseball superstitions I touch on in the book include:

1. Pre-game Routines (p. 24):

The idea behind pre-game routines is to over-control the Ordinary in anticipation of handling the Extraordinary. Just as Einstein’s daily “uniform” of white shirtsleeves and black trousers dispensed with the Ordinary, availing his mind of the Extraordinary, so batting champ Larry Walker’s uniform number 33 paced his playing days: he would set his alarm for 3 past the hour, shower at the 3rd nozzle, and take 3 swings before each at-bat. Their embroidered vestments elevate our big leaguers to priestly status, even as they superstitiously covet their own jersey numbers: Mr. Clemens thought his 21 worth a Rolex, and Rickey H gave Turner Ward 25G for 24. (While John Kruk accepted two cases of brew from Mitch Williams for 29.) Culinary habits are also controlled: Wade Boggs ate chicken before every game. From arriving at the yard at the same time and parking in the same spot every day to wearing the same dirty jockstrap, if that’s what the Church of Baseball dictates, these guys’ll do it. On faith.

2. Adjusting Equipment (p. 125):

Meanwhile, post-game, Blues manager Teddy Mack stood in the middle of the visitors’ clubhouse as the players peeled off their muddy uniforms.

“Fellas, you really stunk it up tonight! I see no concentration in the field or at the plate, and every time we get close, we blow it! Would anyone care to explain this for me?”

Problem is, when you’re losing, there is no real explanation. But they were willing to try.

“Well, Skip, I switched brands of dip when we left on the road trip,” Mark offers.

Mack stared at Ridley.

Jack Black attempted a more traditional guise.

“What he meant to say, Coach, is that we have a young team.”

“We have to make a few adjustments, that’s all.” Doug added analysis straight from the Sports pages, those ‘few adjustments.’

“These guys just have to adjust to the bigs. They’ll be all right,” Tommy said.

“They seem like they’re adjusting just fine, Gunner.” Mack looked at Doug.

“They certainly haven’t been making curfew!”

Doug turned back to his locker.

“Sorry, Skip,” Bobby said, “I got a late call from the coast last night…”

Mack rolled his eyes, when will these boys ever learn?

“…from my mom, she found my old glove! It should be at the stadium tomorrow.”

“As should my order of new bats,” said Jack.

“Don’t forget to spit on ‘em, JB,” Moss muttered under his breath. Moss was a spitter.

“Fellas! I don’t think it’s an equipment problem. Please get your heads into the game!”

3. No Hitter Talk (p. 142):

In the Blues conference room, the front office staff sat in silent vigil sipping coffee. Hugh Sargent contemplated periodic ophthalmia and its effect on batting averages. Blake and Whitley straggled in just ahead of Lloyd Preston.

“I imagine you’ve all read today’s Sports.”

He held up a copy of the Daily View. The headline blared: “FULL MOON FULL GAINER; FULL LOSERS,” and a pair of photos showed the fan in mid-fall and then being stretchered into the ambulance.

The staffers shifted in their seats. Preston went on.

“The suggestion box is officially opens, folks. I’m not throwing in the towel, but we have a real bear on our hands, and at this point, anything goes. Let’s brainstorm.”

Whitley whispered to Blake in the corner.

“I just hope that guy makes it.”

“Shut up, Whitley,” Blake whispered back. “That’s no hitter talk.”

“What do you mean?”

“Will you NEVER get it? It’s like a no hitter in the making: you can hope for it, but whatever you do, don’t talk about it!”

She still looked confused, so Blake paraphrased.

“We ALL hope he makes it.”

***

Now, speaking of No Hitters, it was quite exciting as a Phillies fan to see Roy Halladay throw his no-no against the Reds in the Division Series. But, alas, my Phils did not get their rematch against the Yankees in the World Series this year. That said, I lifted the curse at the beginning of the 2007 season, so it’s only fair some other team got in this year! I gave the edge to the Giants – what with their timely Halloween-colored uniforms. And then there’s that young Tim Lincecum – he’s cute! AND he can pitch!

If you worship at the Church of Baseball and would like to get an insider’s peek – from a female perspective, you will enjoy my book. You can go to www.constitutionblues.com to order an autographed copy (PayPal).

Cheers!
Ronnie Norpel
Visit www.constitutionblues.com to order an autographed copy
or you can click here to order Baseball Karma & the Constitution Blues

Photo Credit: Thanks to Heather’s Animations for the Dancing Girl Gif.

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Thursday 13, Guest Blogs and Special Pricing!

Welcome to today’s Thursday 13 – My Favorite Fiction Couples! But first some news:

Come visit with me today at two of my fabulous friends: The Romance Bandits‎ and Author Kelly Moran. I’ve got some giveaways going on at both of those spots today.

Also some great news. There is special pricing for SINS OF THE FLESH. You can pick up the e-book version for only 1.99. Just follow the links below and if you’d like to help out, please cut and paste this phrase and tweet it/share it!

1.99 Special Pricing for SINS OF THE FLESH e-book PLZ RT Kindle:http://ht.ly/3457p Nook: http://ht.ly/345ab

And now for my Thursday Thirteen of favorite fictional couples!

1. Eve and Roarke from the J.D. Robb IN DEATH series.

2. Dave and Maddie from the Moonlighting television series

3. Shanna and Ruark from SHANNA by Kathleen Woodiwiss

4. Buffy and Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

5. Aislinn and Wulgar from WOLF AND THE DOVE by Kathleen Woodiwiss

6. Selene and Michael from the Underworld movies

7. Remington Steele and Laura Holt from the Remington Steele television series

8. Buffy and Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

9. Giles and Jenny from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

10. Belle and the Beast from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast animated feature

11. Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler from GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell

12. Lancelot and Guinevere from the legends of Arthur

13. Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane from the Superman Comic Book series

Hope you enjoyed today’s Thursday Thirteen. I welcome you to add any of your favorite fictional couples in the comments section.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

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