Guest Author #OurAuthorGang

We welcome new Author Jennifer Daniels to Our Author Gang today.  Jennifer was born in Upstate, New York where she currently resides with her husband, son, and dog--Kera. She loves camping in the summers, spending time with family and friends, staying up late reading, and crafting during the days. If you'd like to get in touch with Jennifer, she'd love hearing from you. She can be reached at
her Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/jenniferdaniels2017 or at
twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jld0316Jennifer

Jennifer's debut novel, Opalla, is available at Barnes & Nobel, iBooks, KOBO, KDP, and other international platforms.

http://a.co/1vutinT

Sisters, Scarlette and Lyndy Loftin, had a normal childhood and spent every waking hour with their best friend, Poppy Heller.  Their parents were kind loving people who treasured their children, but went to their graves because of a secret they refused to share with their young daughters.

Now...the girls are grown up and on their own.

Poppy's bubbly personality is perfect for her job as a successful real estate agent. She enjoys nature and photography, and spending time with her friends at the clubs or at home.

Scarlette is an ER nurse with the perfect job. She's dating a hunky doctor, lives with her sister and best friend, and wants for nothing. Slight changes in her perception occur that make Scarlette question what's happening with her.

Lyndy's career as a successful editor allows her to purchase an old silo and renovate it into living space for three on the go women. When an old flame, Luca, comes back into town, sparks fly...literally. Tempers flare, causing physical and emotional changes in Lyndy that leave her wondering why.

The women are thrust into danger and transformation when they find out the secret their parents had been keeping from them. A secret that will take them on a journey of their lives...a journey to Opalla.

True Twin or Fickle Friend #OurAuthorGang

True Twin or Fickle Friend

by Rick Haynes

http://www.rickhaynesauthor.com/

Part 1 – The Waiters

The flight was long, boring, and you’re tired, but you smile, for yesterday was gone and today is a fresh start. It is time to shed the coat of servitude, and to be the master, allowing others to adhere to your every whim whilst you dance to the tune of sunshine and relaxation for the next two weeks.

Your holiday has begun.

You sit on the beach, the waters caressing your feet like velvet slippers. With both eyes closed, you carefully map out the next fourteen days inside your head. A huge sigh escapes you, involuntary, but your plan is now complete.

“What can I get you, beautiful lady?”

His voice drips like a tap you can’t turn off.

 “A large glass of fresh orange juice please.”

“You wanna help me squeeze the oranges?” 

He oozes insincerity from every pore, but you dismiss his attitude. You have too, as nothing, or no one, is going to ruin the first day of your vacation.

You look the waiter straight in the eye and give him the rhino look just before it charges. That would stop any normal man, but not this one, for his skin is as thick as your rhinoceros and his heart as black as the night. 

Leaving is easy, for you get up, and walk away, telling yourself that you will never return.

Another walk along the beach, another seat, and another waiter materializes. He is polite, efficient and knows his place. Soft liquid soon falls down your eager throat as you slowly sip the orange nectar.

“May I get you anything else?” His voice is deep like the ocean, yet can be gentle like the surf brushing your toes. You chat. He is subservient, easily pandering to your every wish. The setting sun is showering the sea with rays of gold and ochre, and you daydream of a knight in shining armour.  

Yet inside, doubts bubble up to surface inside your brain, for is he simply another womanizer in a different guise?

Part 2 – The Reality 

As you can see I’ve painted two very different pictures here, yet I’ve witnessed both scenarios many times during my frequent travels to the Mediterranean region of Europe.

Some waiters prey on women like a lion hunting down an impala, but only sex with their victim is on the menu. 

Waiters also prey on men, but persuading them to part with as much cash as possible is their priority now. They know how easy it is to give out a couple of free drinks, naturally highly potent, and wallets are quickly emptied. 

Young girls, and young boys, are gullible, and on holiday inhibitions disappear faster than soap suds down a sink. They want a good time and party hard, but tomorrow’s headache is often a massive wake up call to reality.

I can hear the groans, and the screaming, but don’t kill the storyteller, as I’m telling you the way that it is, but read on, for you may be surprised.

Lest we forget, waiters are human beings, and clearly not all are the predators that I have portrayed. 

Seeing a youngster or oldster in distress is never pleasant, but locals rushing to assist are commonplace. Waiters are often the first to help, especially with calling for medical assistance and first aid. Cracking jokes, translating documents, even arranging taxis, I’ve seen their patience and their smiles through adversary.

Waiters are a much-maligned profession, and sometimes that reputation is justified, but alternatively, I’ve seen the other side of their nature.

So take care, don’t be fooled by some smarmy chat, but enjoy a laugh and a joke with someone who genuinely wants to help you choose your perfect meal and wine.

Recipies change as the seasons change #OurAuthorGang

Food for Autumn and beyond

by Grace Augustine

Don't you just love the cooler temperatures? Looking outside your window at the beautiful reds and yellows and oranges that dress the maples? The smell of hot spiced cider?

Hot spiced cider

1 gallon apple juice

1 C granulated sugar

1Tbsp cloves (whole)

1 Tsp. allspice

7 cinnamon sticks broken into chunks

6-8 thin slices of oranges

In a heavy pan, pour apple juice and add spices. Bring to a boil. Cover pan and turn temperature to low and simmer at least one hour.  Uncover and add orange slices. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

One of my most favorite breakfasts on a cold morning is a warm pecan roll. I found this recipe in a magazine collection and over the years have added my own spin on it. It is the easiest and most delicious recipe I've found.

2pkg dry active yeast

2-1/2C lukewarm water

1 tsp sugar

1 pkg white cake mix

6 C all-purpose flour

1 egg

1/3 C canola oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 C melted butter (no substitutes)

2/3 C sugar

4 tsp cinnamon

4 C powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

3-4 Tbsp milk

1. In large mixing bowl, stir yeast into 1/2 C warm water and 1 tsp sugar. Let stand 5 minutes or until foamy.

2. Stir in cake mix, 1C flour, egg, oil, salt, and remaining water to the yeast mixture. Beat with electric mixer on high for 3 min, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Using wooden spoon, stir in remaining flour to form a moderately soft dough (dough will be sticky).

3. Cover and let rise in refrigerator over night or until double in size.

4. Lightly grease two 9 x 13 pans and set aside.

5. Remove dough from refrigerator and stir. Divide dough in half and turn one portion of dough onto well-floured surface. Turn to coat lightly with flour. Roll into 12 x 8 rectangle and brush with 1/2 of the melted butter.

6. In separate bowl, mix together 2/3 C sugar and 4 tsp cinnamon. Sprinkle half of this mixture on dough and roll jelly roll style, beginning at one of the long sides. pinch edges to seal. Repeat with remaining dough, butter, and sugar mixture.

7. Cut each roll crosswise into 12 pieces (usually makes more) and arrange cut side down in prepared pans. Cover loosely and let rise in a warm place til nearly doubled...will take close to 60 minutes.

8. Uncover pans and place baking sheets under each. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned and rolls sound hollow when lightly tapped. Invert on serving plates and drizzle with icing.

POWDERED SUGAR ICING

Mix 4 C powdered sugar, 2 tsp vanilla, and 3-4 Tbsp of milk to drizzling consistency.

VARIATION...GERMAN CHOCOLATE PECAN ROLLS (MY VERY FAVORITE)

1. Prepare dough as for traditional, only use 1 pkg German Chocolate Cake mix instead of white cake mix.

2. Filling will be 2/3C sugar, 1-1/4C mini chocolate chips and 1C shredded coconut.

3. In saucepan melt 2/3 C butter (no substitutes) 1-1/3C packed brown sugar, 1/3C light corn syrup. Cook until sugar melts. Remove from heat and stir in 2C coarsely chopped pecans.

4. Divide sugar/pecan mixture between the two pans. Slice dough and place on top of mixture and bake as directed.

5. Cool 3-5 minutes before inverting onto serving plates.

Now it's time to sit back with a cup of mocha (freshly brewed coffee, a scoop of hot chocolate mix and topped with whipped cream) and enjoy a good book.

http://a.co/i1RBT5t

Ginger Farnsworth grew up in the 70's, a very interesting, unique time in history. She was the captain of the cheer squad, led the dance and flag teams, and aspired to be the best chef in the world. We journey with Ginger through the next forty years as she lives life on the edge. Her penchant for cooking takes her to France and turns her into an award-winning pastry chef. We travel through the adversities and joys of her life from beginning a successful business to finally finding Mr. Right.  Mystic Capers, Book 2 of The Acorn Hills Series, will tug at your heart strings as you remember the milestone events of your life. It's funny, romantic, and brutally realistic. Look carefully, you may just see a wee bit 'o ye between the lines.

http://www.facebook.com/grace.au.372

http://www.twitter.com/mallidalli

http://www.graceaugustine.weebly.com

Angel Lore: part 1 by Toi Thomas #OurAuthorGang

from Pinterest via Toyas Tales: " I'll Be Watching You " by Beata Belanszky-Demko. Acrylic on Canvas. 

Here are a few things to know about me. I’m a huge Batman fan, I adore classic Betty Boop, and I love angels and angel lore. When I first started writing my book Eternal Curse: Giovanni’s Angel, I knew I’d need more than my geek-girl fascination with angels to help me flesh out the characters of this story. I didn’t know exactly how my story and the characters would all congregate, after piecing together a reoccurring dream of a man who turns into an angel, but I was ready to take on this exciting research challenge. 

I’ll tell you, my first mistake was typing the word ‘angel’ into a Google search. You’d think I’d never done research before. I quickly began to conduct a different kind of search. I went to Amazon.com and searched for books on angels and angel lore. That too was a grueling process of elimination, but I soon found the book that suited my needs, Angels A to Z. With this new reference tool in hand, I now had some focus and direction for my research. 

Being only a fan of angel lore and a novice student of Angelology, I’m not going to try to wow you with everything I’ve learned, however, I will share some of the most interesting things I’ve come across. Today I’ll share one for each letter from A to E.

Angelolatry is what some might easily derive from its name, the worship of angels. 

The Buddhist faith was split at one point, developing the Theravada and Mahayana sects with the latter nurturing the idea of angel-like beings, the bodhisattva. 

While many of us in modern, western civilization think of Cherubim as chubby, winged babies, ancient scholars describe them as large winged creatures with animal bodies and human heads. The evolution of how they ended up on holiday greeting cards is a story for another day. 

Devas are either demigod of the Hinde and Buddhists religions or angel-like beings part of the New Age metaphysical culture. 

Enochian Magic is something any fan of the show, Supernatural, already knows about, but they may not realize that the show didn’t make it up. It is the teachings of angelic magic executed in a special angel language.  

Well, I hope you found that interesting. I’ll be sharing more angel lore with you down the road. If you too have an appreciation for angels and angel-like beings, you may want to enter my giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also, while you’re at it, why not try my Eternal Curse Series?

Book 1:
Giovanni is a creature out of time. Mira is a doctor trying to classify him. Beauty and the Beast meet Jekyll and Hyde in this paranormal tale with romantic and biblical influences.

Book 2:

A tale for fathers, sons, and daughters, this epic saga touches the past and future. The story of Giovanni will bring you to tears as loss and duty blur the lines of hope for what is to come.

The Eternal Curse series was my first book and series I ever wrote and to know that someone liked it meant the world to me. It's currently unavailable pending a rewrite in order to align it with new developments in the 3rd installment. If you'd like to read the first two books and offer me your feedback, please consider joining my email list to receive a free digital copy. 

Find out more about me, my work, and my inspiration at the following links:

Amazon | Goodreads | The ToiBox of Words | YouTube | See a list of my other posts here.

#cursescanbebroken, #angels, #wings, #Pinterest

COMMENTS

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Erika M Szabo via Google+

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

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Erika M Szabo

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Very interesting post Toi! To be honest, I never knew Angelology existed. I learned a lot of things from your post and looking forward to part 2

 

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Ruth de Jauregui via Google+

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Toi Thomas shares information on angels and the inspiration for her books.

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Ruth de Jauregui

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Wow! I never even considered that there was so much information on angels!! Fascinating premise for your books and great info on angel lore.

 

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Joe Bonadonna via Google+

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Today on A Small Gang of Authors, Toinette Thomas​ talks about doing research into angels, angel lord, and how they play a huge role in her novels.

 

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Joe Bonadonna

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Fascinating stuff, Toi. I have some angel cards around here, somewhere, and growing up in the Catholic faith, angels were a big part of my life, and still are. I pretty much based a whole fictional religion around angels for one of my books. Looking forward to more of your posts.

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Toi Thomas

1 year ago

 

 

That sounds really cool. I wasn't raised Catholic but my father was. I think he has a few angel cards; at least that's what I think they are. They could be saints. I should ask him one day. I too am thinking of more ways to incorporate angels into new stories.

Joe Bonadonna

1 year ago

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+Toi Thomas -- I've seen saint cards, too. I think they, like angels cards, are used a lot like Tarot cards, in some ways. The whole realm and hierarchy of angels intrigues me, and I should do more research, too.

Rick Haynes

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Very interesting. Thank for posting.

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Grace Au

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Angels are one of my passions, too. Have made many studies and research papers on them. Each is as individual as we are...each having their own purpose and gift to share with those who call upon them. Thanks for sharing...time to get out my Angels 101 book again.

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Toi Thomas

1 year ago

 

 

Yes, working on this blog series has renewed my interest. I'm thinking of going back over some of my old minor research notes to compare it with what I'd find now.

Juneta Key

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

I'm a Supernatural fan and interested in angel lore for writing too as they play a part in my current work. <a href="https://www.junetakey.com/"> Juneta @ Writer's Gambit </a>

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Toi Thomas

1 year ago

 

 

That's so cool. I was a littel worried. I know not everything is for everyone, but I'm glad that I've found others with interest in angels.

Mary Anne Yarde

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Fascinating! Looking forward to part 2!

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Toi Thomas

1 year ago

 

 

Thank you.

Rich Feitelberg via Google+

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Rich Feitelberg

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Interesting. One of the main characters in my fantasy series, the Aglaril Cycle, is a follower of St. Michael, which is the archangel Michael. Such beings don't appear in my stories, anymore than God does, but there's a connection there. Perhaps one day I'll explore it.

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Toi Thomas

1 year ago

 

 

I like the sound of that. In my next ECS installment I'll be briefly introducing my version of the archangel Michael and will admit that it's a bit daunting. It's a challenge I look forward to, though.

Toi Thomas

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Today I share some of my fascination with angels and how they've inspired my writing.

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