I'm doing very well

I haven't blogged as much about myself lately. I've been sharing new release/sales news and such, but hadn't given an update on myself. Thanks to the people who cared enough to send me a message on FB or Twitter and ask. :)

I'm doing very well. My pumpkin garden is bigger than ever this year and so far we are getting enough rain that we don't have to carry 5 gallon buckets of water to it. LOL That's always a good thing. Seeing those little pumpkins grow reminds me of fall and how much I love it.

I'm well on my way to being in better shape than I have been since I was a cheerleader in high school. Yes, I was a cheerleader. A captain. LOL And I was good at it. I was a regular little Buffy the Vampire Slayer in my teens.

Speaking of Buffy, I'm having a great time reading as many of the old books as I can get my hands on. Some of you already know, I'm a big fan of the TV series. (Even though I didn't start watching it until a few years ago.) Now, I'm looking to collect all of the season 8 comics (the TV series ended with season 7) so I can see what happens to Willow and Xander. I love them. Not that I didn't care about Buffy. She was beginning to redeem herself in the end. Between seasons 5 and 6, she was just such a raging bitch that I found it hard to sympathize with her character. I'm a raging bitch sometimes and I haven't been through everything she had though. So, to be fair, I probably would have taken over the world and found a way to resurrect The Master to make porn movies, IF I'd gone through everything she had. Maybe she didn't deal with it as badly as I thought. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Anyway, I'm rambling. I'm just now getting some coffee today, so I'll blame it on lack of caffeine. I've started back with cross training 4-6 days a week (depending on my energy level) and added in swimming. I've never been a strong swimmer. In fact, I was downright terrified of water for most of my life. But here's the thing about me. I don't like being afraid of anything. Living in fear is unacceptable. Therefore, I swim 2-3 days a week for 1-2 hours at a time and I'm getting pretty damn good at it. The place where I go has an Olympic size pool and I can breast stroke across the middle, then immediately turn and do a hand over hand stroke all the way back without getting tired. No other exercise has ever worked my back so well. I'm very pleased with the results so far. Not to mention, swimming is great at reducing stress, something that I'm still working on.

I've got something special planned to help promote the last 2 books in the Lilith Mercury series, and I happen to need to be in great shape to pull it off. LOL I'm not going to say more now, but it's a big deal to me and will be a huge accomplishment once I get there.

My brain is beginning to feel slightly refreshed. I've been reading everything I can get my hands on (that interests me, of course) and catching up on TV shows. Believe it or not, bombarding my brain with stories that have nothing to do with mine actually HELPS me write. I love reading horror. It's like an energy drink for my brain. Ha. Ha.

I'm planning to take a bit more time off from writing (I'm still promoting, so I'm not just sitting on my butt), read some more Dean Koontz, and jump back into the Lilith series in September.

Okay, that's all for now. I'm off to workout. :)

How about some cognac shrimp?

As many of you may already know, I love to cook. Especially, when the weather changes. Something about cooler temperatures (which I wait for all year) really taps into my inner "Martha Stewart" or whatever you want to call it. LOL

So far, I am LOVING this wonderful fall weather, and I'm breaking out a few recipes that I haven't cooked in a while. Well, that and as I'm editing Frankenstein: Unleashed, I keep fighting the overwhelming urge to start watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer all over again. But, I'm rambling. Back to the recipes.

Here's a good one.

Cognac Shrimp.

This easy shrimp main dish is quick to prepare. Also, if you're lactose intolerant (like me), you can substitute the heavy cream for full fat lactose free milk. I like to serve this over pasta, but it goes well with most any grilled or sauteed veggie dish. 


Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

·         1 shallot, chopped

·         ½ cup dry white wine

·         2 tablespoons lemon juice

·         1 tablespoon heavy cream

·         12 tablespoons cold butter

·         1/16 teaspoon white pepper

·         5 tablespoons butter

·         ¾ lb medium shrimp, rinsed and deveined

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         2 tablespoons Cognac

Preparation:

To make:

Simmer the shallots, white wine, and lemon juice in a small saucepan over low-medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until the mixture is reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Add the cream and bring to just under a simmer. When the first few bubbles rise, turn the heat down very slightly and add the 12 tablespoons of butter, one tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly. Be sure to allow one pat of butter to melt completely before adding the next. Once the butter is fully incorporated, season the sauce with white pepper and set aside.

In a skillet over high heat, melt 5 tablespoons of butter, and then sauté shrimp, turning a few times until cooked through – about 3-4 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and season the shrimp with salt. Carefully add the Cognac (it may flame) and stir thoroughly. Spoon the warm sauce over the hot shrimp and serve.

Makes 2 servings.

Getting back into the swing of things, and a rant about Buffy. LOL

As those of you who read my blog (or know me in real life) know, it's been a rough few weeks. I've started writing on my latest book again. I've even set myself a weekly word count goal which is helping me stay focused. I've started working out again, and after 2 weeks it is hard. I had no idea that such a short break (because I only took long ones in the past. LOL) could make such a big difference. My running time is back to sucking, but I'm still a helluva kickboxer. Okay, I'm getting sidetracked. The truth is I'm up earlier than I expected and thought it would be a great opportunity to catch everyone up on me. Since recent weeks have been so stressful, my insomnia is working overtime. I'm trying to combat that with harder workouts and melatonin.

Anyway, I'm making plans for a huge pumpkin garden this year. Some time next week, I'll be starting my little seeds. My dad has decided which areas in his garden (because I don't have room) where we are going to put these bad boys and I'm ready to get started. But first, I'm going to get them started in these cute little pots and peat pellets.

On a side note (of what I've been doing lately) I've almost completely finished watching the Buffy The Vampire Slayer series. I never watched it when it was on TV back in the day. I was a big fan of the movie version. I know, I know, apparently I'm in the minority there. But, I had no interest in seeing Buffy done a different way.

THIS HAS SPOILERS. IT MAY RUIN IT FOR YOU IF YOU PLAN TO WATCH THIS SERIES.

My husband and I love to watch television series together. We like long story lines, so we decided to try Buffy. We started watching some time last year, and made it through season 4. Early on this year, he stopped at the beginning of season 5. He said that Buffy was too much of a bitch for him to enjoy the show any more. I must say, I agree. However, I kept watching.

Now I realize that Buffy has a lot of die hard fans out there. I'm not knocking the series on the whole. It's the character of Buffy herself that lost her appeal for me. At the end of season 4, I already didn't care one way or another what happened to her. The entire story line for season 5 I found weak, and I hated the addition of Dawn.

I just finished season 6 (with my son who is watching the series too) and we are in agreement. Buffy is a raging bitch. Over all, I still like the show, but the character of Buffy really brings the rest of the story down in my opinion.

I try to not criticize the work of others and to be fair when I feel I really want to say something. I've thought it over (a lot) and I wish Buffy had stayed dead. I will finish (eventually) and watch season 7, but the show hasn't been enjoyable to me since early season 4. Oh, and the over all plot for season 4 was weak too.

The only character I've continued to like throughout (and be able to fully understand and sympathize with her motives) is Willow. When she beat the crap out of Buffy in season 6, it turned me on. Ha. Ha. Ha. Sorry, but that's how much I hate Buffy at this point.

Mostly, this stems from her treatment of Spike. It's not that I'm a crazy Spike fan, although I do like him. The way she has repeatedly treated him has diminished her character. She keeps repeating that he is a "soulless thing." But doesn't treating someone else the way she has take away her own soul piece by piece? Regardless of what he was in the past, he's been (at the very least) a valuable member of the team. She doesn't have to love him, but don't treat him like worse than shit. It makes her no longer a hero, but just a bitch with super powers.

Wow. Apparently, that has REALLY been on my mind. And here I was planning to talk about my new book and my pumpkin garden. Holy crap. Ha. Ha. Ha.