#ManCandyMonday Olympian David Oliver

With the Olympics in full swing I thought it was time to pick an Olympian for today’s Man Crush Monday. Say hi to David Oliver, Team USA Hurdler in the 2008 Olympic Games where he won a Bronze. David is also a world champion at various international competitions and boy does he have an awesome smile. You can find out more about David at davidoliversub13.com
David Oliver Olympian

Photo Credit: Grzegorz Jereczek from Gdańsk, Poland (IAAF World Athletics Final Stuttgart 2008) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

#ThrowbackThursday RT 2011 Los Angeles

I’ve been to a number of RT Book Club Conventions and hope to get to another one soon. This is a photo from the 2011 convention in Los Angeles. It was lots of fun to visit with my California friends and get to meet so many new friends.

This was a new furry friend I encountered on the way to one of the workshops. He needed lots of manscaping and was into wearing a collar, but that didn’t stop me! LOL!
FurryFriend1

#WickedWednesday A Teaser from DARE TO LOVE in TAMING THE VAMPIRE

Taming the VampireI’m am very excited to be in a new anthology – TAMING THE VAMPIRE – with a bunch of my friends who write vampire romance. My contribution to the collection is DARE TO LOVE, a new story in THE CALLING IS REBORN Vampire series. Best of all, the anthology is only 99 cents for a limited time! You can read more about here: http://bit.ly/tamingvamp

DARE TO LOVE features vampire slayer Benjamin, a sexy alpha hero who first appeared in TO LOVE AND SERVE.

Today I have a little teaser and excerpt for you from that story, but a warning first. There is a SPOILER ahead so if you haven’t read the latest books in THE CALLING is REBORN series, please DO NOT READ this teaser.

Teaser

    Months earlier, Slayer Council member Benjamin hadn’t been ready to die and begged for his life from a compassionate vampire. Being turned and living as a vampire had created a new hell for him, however. He was no longer welcome in the Council, but tolerated as their ranks had been depleted. He knew that it was just a matter of time until someone staked him, but he wanted to make the most of it, especially when it came to Slayer-in-training Rhiannon.

    Rhiannon had been attracted to Ben when he had been her instructor in the ways of the Slayers. His death had caused her grief, but his return was proving to be even more difficult as she battled her growing feelings for the Slayer-turned-vampire who was shaking up her beliefs in all that she had been taught.

    Can Ben and Rhiannon dare to defy the rules of the Slayers and find love or will Fate make them enemies sworn to kill one another?

Excerpt

Please click here if you cannot see the excerpt from DARE TO LOVE from TAMING THE VAMPIRE.

Jersey Girl Bridesmaids Kozie Giveaway

I’m having a free Koozie giveaway while supplies last! Here is what the Koozie looks like:
koozie

To get the Koozie, just fill out the form below by midnight EST August 14th. Click here to request the Koozie if you cannot see the form below.

Prizes for Readers Giveaway

Don’t forget about this fabulous contest I’m in with some of my author friends at Prizes for Readers.com (https://www.prizesforreaders.com/)

Enter for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate from Amazon or Barnes & Noble (your choice) and take a moment to vote for best blurb and cover. It’s a super easy one-click entry, no Rafflecopter or anything complicated. Winner will be announced on Aug 17th or Aug 18th.

No matter what, you are a winner! Even if your name is not selected for the gift certificate, you will be receiving free book download links from us for your reading pleasure.

You must be 18 or older. US, Canada, UK, Germany, Australia only. Void where prohibited.
Prizes For Readers UPDATED Book Graphic (8)

Steak Done Just Right #TuesdayTip

We love steak, but since we can’t have a gas/charcoal BBQ anymore, we’ve had to experiment with how to grill steak just right and have finally found the way!

For starters, you’ll need a nice thick cut of beef – about an inch thick. Whether it’s London Broil or a more expensive cut of meat, this will work for you. When I do London Broil, I generally marinate it, but that’s not a necessary part of this recipe.

What you will need is a pan that you can get really hot. I recommend something like the Lodge Cast Iron Square Grill. This Lodge grill is pre-seasoned which is great although it’s not that tough to season cast iron. Just clean it when you buy, oil it up and let it sit in a low temp oven. Once you’ve got that first coat, be sure not to scrub too hard when washing. Just a little soap and water. Nothing beats cast iron for cooking.

Except maybe black steel or carbon steel. These pans are lighter, but can deal with high heat situations. They need seasoning as well, so a pre-seasoned one is your best bet.

Back to the steak. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Once it’s heated, place the steak on an oiled pan and cook for about 30 minutes or until the internal temp is 125 degrees.

Then, remove from the heat and get the cast iron/black steel pan heating. Give it a little spray of cooking oil and once it’s hot enough to be smoking, add the steak. Sear each side for one minute or until the internal temp is about 140 for medium rare or 155 for medium.

How can you tell the temperature? I highly recommend one of the instant read thermometers. They can be pricey, like the Thermoworks, but it is worth it.

Once you’ve seared the steak, set it aside off the heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Why should you let it rest? Heat forces the juices toward the center of the steak and if you cut it immediately, those juices will run out of the center. Letting the meat rest will allow the juices to flow back through all the parts of the steak. For a more scientific explanation about the benefits of resting meat, you can visit the Food Lab!

Use this process for any other meats you might want to grill, like lamb or pork chops!
steak

#ManCandyMonday Liam Hemsworth

I’m working on SINCE WE WERE 18 (the tentative title for #1 in the Jersey Girl Bridesmaids series) and the brother of the hero is a laid-back, thrill-seeking, surfer-type dude. His name is Johnson, but everyone calls him J for a variety of reasons. I’ve been thinking of who I might cast to play J and Liam Hemsworth came to mind. Welcome Liam to Man Crush Monday!

Photo Credit: Kurt Kulac (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

#ThrowbackThursday A visit to a Mexican Pyramid

Years ago I was lucky enough to be at a legal conference where they took us to visit the archaeological site of Teotihuacan which is just north of Mexico City. This site was the location for one of the largest pre-Columbian cities in the Americas. It is thought to have been destroyed in either 5 or 6 A.D., possibly from internal strife or climate change due to meteor strikes and/or a volcanic eruption.

Now, for the regulars, you know how I hate heights, but I refused to let that fear keep me from getting to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun. Here are some photos from my trek. You can see how far up it really is! The first photo is of the Avenue of the Dead which is actually a series of multi-family dwellings.

avenueofthedead

This is me on my way up the pyramid. Going down was a lot harder due to the steepness of the grade.

cpspyramid

I recently got to visit Mexico City again and go to the Anthropological Museum where I saw lots of artifacts and this recreation of what Teotihuacan may have looked like at one time. It was awesome to see all this history up close and personal because I had included a lot of it in AZTEC GOLD and THE FIFTH KINGDOM, my two novels with Aztec themes.

I hope you enjoyed this Throwback Thursday look at my visits to Mexico.

Prizes for Readers Contest

Please don’t forget that I’m participating in a fabulous contest with some of my author friends at Prizes for Readers.com (https://www.prizesforreaders.com/)

Enter for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate from Amazon or Barnes & Noble (your choice) and take a moment to vote for best blurb and cover. It’s a super easy one-click entry, no Rafflecopter or anything complicated. Winner will be announced on Aug 17th or Aug 18th.

No matter what, you are a winner! Even if your name is not selected for the gift certificate, you will be receiving free book download links from us for your reading pleasure.

You must be 18 or older. US, Canada, UK, Germany, Australia only. Void where prohibited.
Prizes For Readers UPDATED Book Graphic (8)