Thanks goes to
Tony Acree, author of the Amazon Bestselling novel
The Hand Of God, for inviting me to participate in a Tasty Summer Reads Blog
Hop. Food does play a part in my mystery
‘
Without A Conscious…’ (
digital and
audible). Part of the mystery occurs at
a Russian restaurant. In actuality it is
one of my favorite places to eat. Though the name in the book is a little
different, the real place that inspired it
is
Taste Of Europe.
If you are in the Dallas/Arlington area you might check them out.
Here is the blog hop general blurb:
Welcome to the Tasty Summer Reads Blog Hop! Each participant
invites a number of others to answer five questions about a recent or
forthcoming release, and a recipe that fits with it. Links to the participants
I have invited may be found in a while, just above the extract and recipe.
Their contributions should be in place soon after this, so check out their
blogs over the next few days.
Tasty questions? You be the judge.
1)
When writing are you a snacker? If so, sweet or
salty?
Though I eat most anything, I tend not to
eat while I write. Why? Each bite I take
I like to savor the food, and since I cannot focus on it and write, I tend not
to do it. My writing is all consuming.
2)
Are you an outliner or someone who writes by the
seat of their pants? And are they real pants or jammies?
My brain knows the difference, and it is
not any fun if I already know all the details. I tend to know the beginning of
the story and the end, but the rest is filled in by human intuition and is
character driven. ‘
Without A Conscious…’ is the first in a series of five books. The
second book in the mystery is ‘…Thought That’s Thin…’. Each title of the five books combines to form a sentence that is used as a final clue in the fifth book, so the first two are ‘Without
a conscious thought that’s thin…’. The
main character Cliff has to put them all together.
Real pants or not, it makes no difference
to me. When I start to write, the rest of the world fades away.
3) When cooking, do you follow a recipe or do you
wing it?
I tend to wing things, but have found you
have to know something about what you are doing to make it good. Ask my wife.
Although I have created some cool stuff, sometimes winging it drops like
a rock. I learned this recently when my
wife hurt her knee and could not get around well for about eight weeks. As a dutiful husband I took over the kitchen
duties, and low and behold, discovered some major differences in our
personalities. If enough people
encourage me, I might even write about it. J
4)
What is next for you after this book?
I am currently working with ‘Thought That’s
Thin’, the second book in the five book mystery. Jonna’s eyes open wider as he
learns more about his murdered grandmother even as he is trying to attend her
funeral. The mystery gets deeper, dark characters emerge, and a twist of
fate wraps around Jonna’s life with strangling force.
I have a third book, ‘Ivan’, a scifi
adventure, also in edits. Who wouldn’t like a UCT, universal computer tech, who
travels the galaxy, but can’t seem to stay out of trouble? One of my readers have called it edgy, retro,
steampunkish, and very cool.
5)
Last question…on a level of one being slightly
naughty and ten being whoo hoo steamy, how would you rate your book?
‘
Without A Conscious…’ (
digital and
audible) has passion and adventure without going rated R. It is seen through the eyes of
Cliff Fulton, a college student, with his thoughts and emotions dealing with
the murder of his grandmother, being hunted by an assassin, and protecting
those he loves. In the midst of this he
meets Penny, whose actions threaten to tear Cliff’s heart apart. Five stars would best describe the question asked here.
I am tagging (look for their names shortly):
The photo stared up at him; it was the picture of an older
woman lying under a bridge. The light
green sweatshirt, sweat pants, and bright white tennis shoes appeared clean and
new, with the camera making sure the face was shown. Not only that, but it showed her dead.
Time
stopped as the meaning of the photo slammed into his conscious mind. This could not be real; it did not even feel
real. It was a movie one watched on
television, or a play portrayed at the theatre, or a . . . the seconds
stretched out as time waited patiently, taunting him with a reality that he
refused to believe. In the background
the kitchen ceiling fan rattled, its repetitive singing lulling him into limbo
. . .
********* Finally The Recipe! *********
Cliff Fulton enjoys the cabbage rolls, tasty tomato sauce,
rice, and moscow salad, but where did the idea for this exquisite dish come
from?
Taste Of Europe in Arlington, TX featured on the
food network!
My wife and I met Guy Fieri at the filming!
Cabbage Rolls: Ground beef and chicken specially prepared
with rice and carrots wrapped in cabbage leaves and cooked in tomato sauce. It
is served with rice. (I like to add the moscow salad!)
After talking with the owners, they are sending their
special recipe. However, in the meantime, check out the one listed on the Food
Network.
Cabbage Rolls Recipe
Thanks for reading!
James William Peercy