The Legend of the Christmas Pickle

Some years ago, a friend from America (hiya, Abby!!!) asked me something that left me totally baffled. It was a few weeks before Christmas, and she wanted to know if I followed the "well-known German tradition" of placing a pickle ornament on the Christmas tree. It was supposed to be hidden between the branches, and whoever found it would receive an extra present. I was truly baffled, since I had never even heard of it! But it seems that you can buy those ornaments in US shops - I never saw anything like that anywhere here.

But then I did some online research and asked friends from different parts of Germany if they used to hide pickles (or any other vegetables) in their trees, and no one knew of this "tradition". I thought that it probably was some cheap trick to sell those ornaments, which was very true, but then I found out more - the manufacturer of these ornaments is located in Germany! They ship the "pickles" to the USA and use a fake tradition to sell them. It's outrageous! Now at least half of America believes that we hit our heads or something because we hang cucumbers on our trees. Let me assure you that this isn't true. Well, at least it wasn't.

I was very delighted that back then, my friend actually sent me one of those pickle ornaments, and I proudly place it on my tree every year since then! So in the end, the rumor might be true, after all ...

Wishing you a very merry Christmas, and a happy new year!

Love,
Deborah

Favorite Blogger of the Month (December)

Hi folks,

aaand ... here's my favorite book blogger of December; it's Alicia Hall from Mortality Bites! Readers, make sure to check out Alicia's wonderful and entertaining blog. She'll also be an attending blogger at the First Indie Romance Convention 2013.

Welcome, Alicia! Tell us a little bit about yourself and your blog. Why did you start your own book review blog, and which genres do you feature?

I'm just a small town country girl.  I found a passion in reading at a very young age.

My blog is called Mortality Bites because I secretly wish that I was an immortal.  Being mortal bites because I'm not going to live long enough to read all the incredible books out there.

I started my blog because I wanted to be more than just a reader.  I wanted to get to know all of you amazing authors and I wanted to help promote your books.  Being able to experience a little bit of the action behind the scenes has been a blast.

I mostly feature paranormal romance and urban fantasy but on my blog anything goes!    

What genres do you read in private? What are your most favorite books of all time?

I read everything.  I find that I love a good contemporary romance occasionally.

I have to say that to this day one of my favorite books is still Kiss of Shadows by Laurel K. Hamilton.  I have read it a least ten times over the past decade.  It was the first paranormal romance book that I ever picked up and it holds a special place in my heart.

 With all those books being offered to you, you surely must be a bit picky about what you read. What intrigues you most in a story? Are you influenced by a good blurb or cover?

I get books offered to me?  What?  Do you know something that I don't?  Just Kidding.

My blog is still fairly new so no one is breaking down my door for my opinion.  I'm going to get there someday but right now if an author contacts me and they have a book in the PNR or UF genre I usually accept them.

I am intrigued by a good romance.  I want strong leads with personality and I want the couples to have a hard time at first.  I hate when characters just fall in love right off the bat and they have no trouble at all.  For me a good story has to be real. 

I will be honest I am the world's worst about judging a book by its cover.  If the cover doesn't catch my eye then the book never even gets a chance.  I know I'm missing out on great books but that's why I love the blogging community, they always let me know when I have messed up because of a bad cover.

How on earth do you find the time to manage such a busy blog besides your job and family life?

Let's see I work on a farm and we have 15 cows and over 20,000 chickens.  We work a lot around here but I am still working on a way get those hens to stop laying eggs 7 days a week! I really could use a weekend off every now and then.

I have a two year old little monster running around but I have an amazing husband that understands my need to get blogging done before bed most nights so we make it work. 

Most of my posts get typed and scheduled ahead of time during nap time and all of my reading is done at night.  I gave up sleep a long time ago!

Be honest: Is it easy or difficult to deal with us writers? I know that we can be an unorganized, sensitive lot sometimes. (You don't need to tell names …)

Easy!

I have had nothing but good experiences with all the authors I have worked with so far.  They have all been easy going and very quick to answer questions.  It has been wonderful!

You will be attending the first Indie Romance Convention next year! Please tell us what you've planned for the event.

I am so excited about this event!  I think it is going to be great exposure for everyone, author and bloggers alike!

We have been tossing some ideas around but not sure of all the details yet.  I know we are going to put together a charity basket.

Just for fun - some quickies:

Favorite movie: Gattaca

Favorite TV series: Bones and The Vampire Diaries

Favorite singer/band: I like it all!

Most beautiful male celebrity: Justin Hartley

Sexiest fictional hero ever: Zsadist from the BDB series by JR Ward

Best fictional villain ever:  Lex Luthor

Best fictional heroine ever:  Princess Buttercup

Your secret beauty tip: Sunscreen (I'm not planning to have wrinkles or skin cancer when I'm old!)

Your secret favorite cooking/baking recipe: (full recipe or maybe online link)

My Cherry Cobbler is always a favorite at my house.  It's a quick one of everything recipe.

Cherry Cobbler:

1 Stick of Butter

1 Cup of Flour

1 Cup of Sugar

1 Cup of Milk

1 Can of Cherry Pie Filling

Melt butter in a 9"x11" dish

Mix flour and sugar in med bowl.  Add milk and mix well.  Pour mixture into pan.  Spoon in Cherries.  Bake at 350º for about 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Favorite Blogger of the Month (November)

Here's my Favorite Blooger of November - Vanessa Romano, with her awesome blog The Jeep Diva! Welcome to my blog, Vanessa. It's wonderful to have you here.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your blog. Why did you decide to start reviewing books, and which genres do you feature?

I am a 34 year old domestic engineer. I am married to the most awesome man ever. We have 7 furkids and live in the boonies.

The Jeep Diva (I drive 2 & I am one) I have 5 review ninjas that help me out. Most are very specific as to what they enjoy reading. One gal only wants m/m, another only wants the really dark and gritty erotics, and one prefers the light romance and inspirational love stories. We review romances, all the various sub genres. My love of horror and the recent zombie obsession turns up in a post on occasion.

November 2010 I went to my first con, Readers N Ritas. There was a panel about blogging reviews. At the time I was writing my reviews solely for goodreads. I thought this might be something I could do with my spare time. I have a freakish amount of spare time.

What genres do you read in private?

None. I proudly read my smut, horror, apocalypse, you name it. I am never ashamed of my love for a good book!

What is your most favorite book(s) of all time?

Stephen King’s Dark Tower series

With all those books being offered to you, you surely must be a bit picky about what you read. What intrigues you most in a story? Are you influenced by a good blurb or cover?

I’m big on the pursuit. I love the chase that leads the hero and heroine to their happily ever after. Covers may get me to notice a book, but blurbs and reviews from people who share common reading interests that I do will sell me a book.

How on earth do you find the time to manage such a busy blog besides your job and family life?

LOL! The Hub works out of the country. He is gone for a month at a time. I am home alone for a month at a time. I live like a hermit when the Hub is gone. I seldom leave the house. I read, get the posts set up, and basically do two months of stuff in those 30 days he is gone. The moment he comes home we travel nonstop. It gets pretty crazy when he is home. I seldom even have the chance to pick up a book when he is around.

Be honest: Is it easy or difficult to deal with us writers? I know that we can be an unorganized, sensitive lot sometimes. (You don't need to tell names …)

At conventions and signings I will approach. I’m not a shy person. I seldom email authors. If authors open that door I have no problem approaching them at a future date. Initial contact via the internet is a whole other story.

You will be attending the first Indie Romance Convention next year! Please tell us what you've planned for the event.

Nothing. Because of all the traveling I do with the Hub when I get the opportunity to go on a trip by myself I do absolutely no planning. I fly by the seat of my pants and just go with the flow. LOL He is such a taskmaster. He plans every little detail weeks in advance and making lists. I totally rock the no planning and hope for the best when I arrive.  

Just for fun - some quickies:

Favorite movie: Tombstone

Favorite TV series: Criminal Minds (Shemar Moore is the hawtness!)

Favorite singer/band: Volbeat

Most beautiful male celebrity: Shemar Moore (watch Criminal Minds people)

Sexiest fictional hero ever: Devyn from Gena Showalter’s Alien Huntress series

Best fictional villain ever: Devina from JR Ward’s Fallen Angel series

Best fictional heroine ever: Sabina Kane

Your secret beauty tip: Clairsonic and sunscreen

Your secret favorite cooking/baking recipe:

Maw Maw Mac (my grandmother made this all the time)

2 cups uncooked elbow noodles

1 stick butter (the real stuff)

1 block Romano cheese (the good stuff, Kraft ain’t gonna work)

Cook/boil the noodles, drain the noodles, shred the cheese, combine cheese and noodles in a bowl, and mix. Burn the butter dark brown and pour over noodles and cheese. Mix it all over again. YUM!

Thank you so much, Vanessa! It was a pleasure having you here. I'll definitely try this recipe *mjam mjam* And I love both your gorgeous car and this cute doggie threesome. ;-)

Deborah Court: My Next Big Thing

Last wednesday, I was tagged by my friend and talented author Lynette Sofras to answer 10 questions about my next release - "Bound by Magic", the second book in my Elven Warrior Trilogy and sequel to "Bound to the Prince".  To read about Lynette's own Next Big Thing, her upcoming romance "In Loving Hate", you can visit her blog - which is very entertaining and worth reading, anyway!

Now here's some info about my own "Next Big Thing" I'd like to share with you:

What is the working title of your book?

Bound by Magic. It's not a working title anymore. When I first thought about writing a story about elven sorcerer Calatin, a character from my debut novel "Bound to the Prince", there was just this one line in my mind. I like it short and simple when it comes to book titles.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

It was very unexpected. During writing my first story about an elf who fell in love with a human woman, I invented Calatin and fell in love with him right from the start. Originally I just wanted some kind of funny sidekick as a friend for my hero, Elathan, who is more the dark and brooding type.

Calatin is my idea of a typical elf. He loves to play dice with trolls, gets drunk and - since he is known for his male beauty in all of the elven realms - he loves to seduce any compelling female who happens to stumble into his arms. But he's also a loyal friend, brave and selfless when it comes to protecting his people. And he hides a hurt, vulnerable sould behind his handsome, smiling face.

What genre does your book fall under?

Although I like to call it H.E.R. (Hot Elven Romance), it's actually a Fantasy/Paranormal Romance.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Ok - I'm thinking big so let's choose actors for all my three elven heroes:

Alexander Skarsgard - he has the height, the Nordic features and most of all, the brooding quality I'd need for my elven prince, Elathan. Anyone who has seen him as Eric in True Blood knows what I mean.

Benedict Cumberbatch - he is an amazing actor (just watch him in Sherlock), and I can think of nobody who has more elven-looking features than him. He'd be my perfect Calatin.

  

Tom Hiddleston - this is just a teaser because I can't reveal anything about my third book in the Elven Trilogy yet but let's say that for my leading man, I need a type that's a bit more sinister and villaineous. Loved him as Loki in "Thor" and "The Avengers".

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Elven sorcerer is cursed by furious ex-mistress and thrown into the human world, bereft of all his magic - right into the back yard of a human female who needs protection from lethal enemies since she knows too many secrets.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? 

Self-published.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?  

Hard to say. I'm constantly writing and re-writing, adding new scenes. Maybe five or six months. It's still a work in progress.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? 

Since it's part of a trilogy, obviously to "Bound to the Prince". But this story will be very different from the first book.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

Writing "Bound to the Prince" helped me through a very painful time in my life; it was pure escapism when I couldn't sleep at night. This is probably why the story has a certain darkness to it. Bound by Magic was inspired by my character, Calatin. He simply commanded me to write it.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

In all of my elven books, I include elements of Celtic Irish and Scottish mythology, and the language I chose for my elves is real Gaelic. I believe that our whole culture is influenced by those ancient legends, more than we realize. We automatically respond to them, in an instinctive, emotional way.

A damsel in distress on a lonely island inmidst a lake, a brave, tragic knight coming to her on a silver elven vessel trough the wavering mist. Every woman secretly yearns for her very own warrior to save her. And yes, I'm talking about self-confident, modern women who successfully manage their careers and families. Deep inside, we are holding out for a hero. And I don't think that this contradicts feminism in any way. It doesn't hurt at all to be soft and a little bit weak at times. Life is hard enough, don't you think?

Next Wednesday (October 17th), my fellow authors Blak Rayne and Leigh Savage will tell you about their "Next Big Thing" - make sure to check those awesome blogs out!

Favorite Blogger of the Month (October)

Tadaa ... and here's my Favorite Blogger of October!
It's Danielle Schmidt from Romance Book Junkies. Welcome to my blog, Danielle! It's a pleasure to meet you.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your blog. Why did you start your own book review blog, and which genres do you feature?

I am a 31 year old housewife. I love to blog, read and paint. I also enjoy chatting with other romance junkies so email me anytime. I started my blog because I had met very few people in my life that actually read romance novels and I wanted that interaction with other romance lovers. I also wanted to share all the books I read with others that might like to read a good book that I could recommend. We spend all that time reading a book it seems only natural to want to share that experience with someone else. I will talk and post about any genre in romance on my blog. If there’s a romance going on in the book then it has a spot on my blog that’s why I sometimes will even venture into genres such as historical fiction.

What genres do you read in private? What are your most favorite books of all time?

The genres I read normally are paranormal romance, historical romance and erotica or at least those are the ones I love the most. My favorite book of all time hmmm? That’s like asking a mother to pick her favorite child. Off the top of my head two books come to mind “The Other Boleyn Girl” and “Twilight” even though I normally don’t read YA.

With all those books being offered to you, you surely must be a bit picky about what you read. What intrigues you most in a story? Are you influenced by a good blurb or cover?

You really do have to be picky about what you read when you’re a blogger because you get so many review requests and you just don’t have time to read them all. I look for books in the genres I like most to read and I hate to say it but I am extremely influenced by a cover. I just can’t help it and I know its wrong.

How on earth do you find the time to manage such a busy blog besides your job and family life?

Like I said I have no real job besides taking care of the family so when everyone is off to school and work I get to blog and I do most of my reading at night before I go to bed when everyone else is sleeping. I have many late nights especially with good books sometimes I’ll be up until 2:00 in the morning then get up at 6:00 and start all over but it’s a labor of love truly.

Be honest: Is it easy or difficult to deal with us writers? I know that we can be an unorganized, sensitive lot sometimes. (You don't need to tell names …)

Honestly, I find most writers to be very delightful, corporative and generous.

You will be attending the first Indie Romance Convention next year! Please tell us what you've planned for the event.

I am very much looking forward to the Indie Romance Convention next year. Some of my favorite authors are attending. I don’t have a lot planned besides taking pictures, getting books signed and meeting authors. I may be planning to bring along some goodies to hand out from my blog but we’ll have to wait and see. I am also planning to donate a gift basket for the charity raffle that we’ll be having.

Just for fun - some quickies:

Favorite movie: The Wizard of Oz

Favorite TV series: I don’t watch TV ever so I don’t have a favorite series.

Favorite singer/band: Fergie with the Black Eyed Peas

Most beautiful male celebrity: Brad Pitt

Sexiest fictional hero ever: Gladiator (Russell Crowe)

Best fictional villain ever: Snow Whites Stepmother in the movie Snow White and the Huntsman

Best fictional heroine ever: The Queen in the movie 300 she was kick ass

Your secret beauty tip: Wash your face everyday with Olay Regenerist

Your secret favorite cooking/baking recipe: (full recipe or maybe online link)

Dump Cake

1 can cherry pie filling

1 can chopped pineapple

1 box yellow cake mix

1 stick buttler

Grease your pan then pour in your cherries and pineapple evenly. Top with yellow cake mix then cut butter into slices and layer on top of cake mix totally. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes and your done. Yummy and simple.

Thank you for your wonderful and interesting answers, Danielle! ;-)

Indulgent Blog Hop: Book Giveaway, and a Cake to Indulge in!!!

Dear Readers,

since I'm part of the big anniversary Indulgent Blog Hop, hosted by the awesome book review site Guilty Indulgence, I am giving away three copies of "Bound to the Prince", "Virgin Dancer" or "House of Pleasure" (your choice) today, in any e-book format. To enter, please share the link to this blog on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+ - just use the buttons below this post, and leave a comment with your e-mail and which book you'd like. Good Luck!

Visit Ndulgent Bloggers by clicking on the logo. There is also a list of all the sites participating in the hop at the end of this post, so make sure to check them out. Aditionally, Ndulgent Bloggers are hosting a GRAND PRIZE of $100 GF from WINNER'S CHOICE of Barnes & Noble or Amazon - you can enter to win below.


The Indulgent Bloggers also asked the participating authors to write about something they love to indulge in. Now this is a topic I love! ;-) Well, apart from reading books or watching my favorite tv-series/period dramas on TV (especially if they contain Benedict Cumberbatch or Alexander Skarsgard), I love baking cake - and naturally, eating it afterwards. *lol*

Today I'd like to share the recipe of a very popular German sheet cake called "Fanta Cake" with you. Yes, it's actually made with Fanta, and it's delicious. I swear everyone loves it! It has such a fresh, light taste (although it's not "light" at all if we're mentioning calories). And the best thing is, it's very easy to bake, and it's almost impossible to do something wrong - which is like chicken soup for the soul if you, like me, burned a lot of cakes before, or if your planned cheesecake turned out a wobbly, yellow mass even your cat didn't like to eat. Now here's the recipe:

Fanta Cake (Fantakuchen) - A Popular German Cake

Ingredients:

4 eggs
2 cups sugar (if possible, try use vanilla sugar)
3 cups flour
1 cup oil (Sunflower is best. Any "light oil" like vegetable oil. Please don't use any of the "olive" oils beca)
orange, flavour
1 1/2 cups fanta orange (or other orange soda)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla (you don't need this if you used vanilla sugar, but if you REALLY like vanilla a lot, go ahead and ad)
1 can sliced peaches, drained
1 cup sour cream
1 cup whipped cream
1/3 cup sifted powdered sugar
cinnamon

Directions: 

1. For the cake: mix together the eggs, sugar, vanilla and oil. Add flour and then Fanta and mix well. At the end, mix in the baking soda then turn immediately into an ungreased 9 X 13 inch pan (use baking paper). Bake at 180°C (~350°F) for 30-45 minutes (time can vary depending on the oven) until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool.
2. For icing: Whip cream until stiff and then fold in the soured cream and powdered sugar and "Whip it". Cut peaches into tiny pieces with a mixer and mix them carefully (using a spoon) with the whipped cream, then top the cake with the icing mass. Serve chilled. Shortly before serving, sprinkle with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon.

xoxoxo
Deborah

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Wonderful Reads of the Month (September Issue)

Check out author Eri Nelson's wonderful book magazine, "Supporting Authors One Read At A Time" - Wonderful Reads of the Month. It features lots of information about writers and new releases, and it's free! The September issue is now online.

http://wonderfulreadofthemonth.blogspot.de/