Friday Recipe: Maple Peanut Butter Balls

I love peanut butter balls. Especially rolled in sugar and with a Hershey's Kiss melted in the center. Yum. But with a teaspoon of maple extract? Heavenly. OK, so I used maple syrup because I had no extract and couldn't see buying it for one recipe. It worked out pretty well, I had no complaints!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter 1 1/2 cups peanut butter 4 cups confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon maple flavored extract 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1.	Combine the butter, peanut butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and maple flavoring. Cream well and knead well.
2.	Melt the chocolate chips over low heat. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls. Dip into melted chocolate chips.
3.	Refrigerate overnight (or at least for about 15 minutes) on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.

#BookBlast: The Freedman and the Pharaoh's Staff by Lane Heymont

Lane earned a BA in Liberal Arts with a focus on literature and history. He also holds a double minor in psychology and business. He is a literary assistant with The Seymour Agency, and also has several short stories. He is a member of the Horror Writers Association, Historical Novel Society, and International Thriller Writers.

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Lane will be awarding a $25 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

 

Blurb:

Jeb, a former slave, rescues his brother-in-law Crispus from the Ku Klux Klan, only to be drawn into a world of Creole Voodoo, racism, time travel, and redemption.

Verdiss, the leader of the Ku Klux Klan has gained possession of the Pharaoh's Staff, a magical artifact from ancient Egypt and concocted a diabolical plan far more insidious than himself.

In the end, Jeb and Crispus must stop an entire people from eradication and each find redemption for their own past sins.

Excerpt:

Small rib bones clattered on the wooden table, where several black and red candles burned, their flames dancing like a company of elegant danseuses. There was a sense of power in the air. The old conjure-woman felt its prick at the back of her throat as she studied the animal bones. La’Rita was a Haitian woman with a cape of dreadlocks. She would have been beautiful were it not for the boils covering her face—and that her eyes were devoid of any color. La’Rita leaned over the table, shifting her weight in the chair. Shelves and desks filled with jars of grotesque, rotten items surrounded her. Foul-smelling roots and herbs filled some. Rancid liquids filled others to preserve the dead animals they held. Leather-bound books occupied some of the shelves, many etched with strange, archaic symbols.

“Ah, yes,” La’Rita whispered as she looked deeper into the bones. Images danced and twirled across the table, outlined by the dim candlelight. Her empty eyes poured over the phantasms, one by one. Stiff metal birds soared through the open sky, dropping massive pipes. La’Rita shuddered, feeling a sinister force was responsible for the contraptions. The form of an ancient staff passed through her vision. It held within it a great power. Metal boxes on wheels and metallic belts rolled across broken and burning landscapes, fire bursting from their elongated snouts.

Her body shook, spasms rushing up from her feet.

Apparitions whirled around La’Rita, changing, appearing, and dissipating into air. The tremors grew. La’Rita’s entire body shook. She struggled to stay in her chair.

A grizzled man wisped by her eyes. Then the fit ceased. He’d gone by fast enough that La’Rita hadn’t a chance to notice his features. Only his dark skin. She squinted her eyes, spotting the faintest aura in the air. A man with a fine mustache. La’Rita’s head throbbed as if a miner were taking a pick to it. The room shook. Was it her moving or the room?

Her gaze met the phantasmal man’s wretched eyes. The ghostly image made La’Rita sick to her stomach. Utter evil oozed out of this simple-looking man. Too much to bear. Her eyes rolled back. Darkness descended.

Where to Buy:

Amazon

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Sunbury Press,Inc.

Wednesday Regency: What kind of Regency woman are you?

When I brainstorm new Regency stories, I come up with the normal troupes then turn them on their heads. It's easier to do it with a menage *G* but I wanted to write a couple stories with ruined women and how they reclaim their places in society.

Here are the Regency Women Troupes-do you agree? Disagree? Did I miss any?

Wallflower: A delicate blossom who prefers to view the word from a safe distance. You watch as others make merry and hope a potential suitor will notice your keen observation skills rather than your conversation. And of course, in the world of Regency Romance, he will.

Your best suitors: In the grand Regency tradition he’ll either be an extroverted rake tamed by your serenity or a like minded professor who prefers a fireplace, a book, and you to a grand ball.

Trouble Magnet: If there’s trouble, you’ll find it. And find it in a grand and speculator manner. If the spy is threatened by a pistol-wielding villain somehow you will find yourself walking in on the scene. But as any good Regency Romance will attest, just as you attract trouble, you have the luck to slip out of it.

Your best suitors: The spy you’ve just saved, a daring duke, or a swashbuckling rake, all of whom will concede they need your wits as surely as they love your witty charm.

Governess or Companion: Always in service and yet always part of the background, you wonder about the other way of life. You might be coy or professional, but you will always be the perfect complement to your suitor. Naturally, in Regency tradition, the master of the house will certainly notice you.

Your best suitors: The assertive master of the house will always need your indispensability, wits, and charm by his side.

Innocent Maiden: A delicate white rose blossom whose petals have yet to mature and untried in the ways of love. Your eye is easily and often turned by a handsome suitor, but you are no fool. While you might be inexperienced, you’re still clever and sharp enough to recognize a rake. It’s true that on occasion a particularly devious rake might seek an advantage, but no worries—in a Regency Romance you can easily dispatch the scoundrel.

Your best suitors: A chivalrous earl who seeks to enjoy your company, beauty, and to protect your honor.

Not-so Innocent Maiden: Like a rose vine, you’re beautiful but flexible enough to twine into the most interesting corners. You already have a suitor (or 2!) you’ve managed to keep hidden from the rest of society. You know the proper etiquette, but can also cover your tracks and can expertly slip away for a secret rendezvous.

Your best suitors: The gentleman able to keep all your secrets. You know the one; he dresses perfectly, with a membership to the best gentleman’s club. And he never boasts or gossips about you, because you’re his perfect match

Curious Adventuress: Like the lotus flower, you can grow and flourish almost anywhere. Mystery and adventure call to you, and you have the persistent habit of finding it. Unlike the Trouble Magnet, you’re able to keep a low profile. Stealth can be a talent.

Your best suitors: A man who relishes adventure just as you do; one who will be your partner in exploring the new and unknown, as well as exploring every curve of your body.

Bookworm: Unlike the rare blossom that is the Wallflower, you are more like a sunflower, absorbing new knowledge as the sunflower strains towards the sun. You’re ravenous for mental stimulation; you don’t simply escape in a fantasy though that is a welcome diversion. You seek answers and are a great puzzle solver.

Your best suitors: The serious man—a professor or scientist with as much yearning to learn as you do. But you know just how to capture his attention, and his only distraction is you.

Friday Recipe: 5-Minute Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Grande

Found this under a slideshow of easy Super Bowl recipes. I like easy! And I like cheese, chicken, and enchiladas. It's perfection.

Prep Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

½ cup shredded cooked chicken or pork1 flour tortilla (10-inch), warmed

½ cup prepared enchilada sauce 

½ cup shredded cheddar jack cheese

Directions

1. Spoon the chicken down the center of the tortilla. Top with half the enchilada sauce and half the cheese. Roll up the tortilla and place seam-side down onto a microwavable plate. Top with the remaining sauce and cheese.
2. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute 30 seconds or until the cheese is melted.

Flavor Variation: for a Cheesy Enchilada, omit the chicken and use 1 cup cheese. Place 3/4 cup cheese down the center of the tortilla. Top with half the enchilada sauce. Roll up the tortilla and place seam-side down onto a microwavable plate.  Top with the remaining sauce and cheese.  Microwave as directed above.

#BookBlitz: Stately Pleasures by Lucy Felthouse

Alice Brown has just landed her dream job. Property manager at Davenport Manor, a British stately home. It’s only a nine-month contract to cover maternity leave, but it’s the boost up the career ladder she so desperately needs.

Unfortunately, things don’t get off to the best start, when Alice finds her boss, Jeremy Davenport, in a compromising position. Far from being embarrassed by what’s happened, Jeremy turns things around on Alice and makes her out to be the one in the wrong. So when he and his best friend and head of security, Ethan Hayes, then throw an ultimatum at her, she’s so stunned and confused that she goes along with their indecent proposal.

When the dust settles and Alice has time to think about things, though, she realises that perhaps it isn’t such a bad thing. There are worse things she could be doing to advance her career, after all.

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Excerpt:

Alice took a deep breath, in through her nose and out through her mouth. Repeated the process once more. Then, realising she could sit there all day doing it and not feel any calmer, she forced herself to step out of the car and close and lock the door.

She bent to peer into the wing mirror of the vehicle and checked her hair and make-up. Satisfied, she straightened, then turned on her heel and walked quickly across the driveway to the great house before her nerve failed her.

Davenport Manor was currently open for visitors, so she walked in through the front door and was met by a smiling elderly lady.

‘Can I help you?’ the woman asked kindly.

‘Yes, please.’ Alice twisted her hands together nervously. ‘I’m here to see Mr Davenport. I’m here for an interview for the property manager’s role.’

‘Yes, of course,’ the woman replied, ‘that’s today, isn’t it? Follow me; I’ll take you to Mr Davenport’s office. But just hang on one second.’

She ducked through the doorway into the next room and spoke with her colleague. Alice guessed she was letting her co-worker know she’d be gone for a few minutes. A few seconds later, she was back. ‘OK, follow me, Miss …’

‘Brown,’ Alice said, then fell in behind the other woman as she led her to Mr Davenport’s office, and the interview that could change her life for ever. It was hardly surprising that she was shaking like a leaf.

Alice quickly felt lost as their journey took several twists and turns along dim corridors – their blinds drawn to protect paintings, tapestries, and furniture from the sunlight – and up a flight of stairs. She had a few seconds to worry about finding her way if she was lucky enough to get the job, then, suddenly, her guide stopped outside a door and turned around.

‘Here you go, Miss Brown. Mr Davenport’s office. Good luck with your interview.’

Alice smiled and thanked the elderly woman, then smoothed down her skirt, which also conveniently helped wipe the nervous sweat off her hands. She stood up straight, gave herself a mental pep talk about being more than qualified for the role, and knocked on the door.

‘Enter.’

Alice knew that voice could only belong to Jeremy Davenport. The posh accent, and the fact he’d said “enter” instead of “come in”, screamed money and an upper-class upbringing. Alice was suddenly nervous of her broad Midlands accent and lowly background, despite the fact she’d worked her backside off to get into a decent university in order to gain a Bachelor of Arts degree and then a Master’s degree. No matter what she sounded like, or what her past was, she had all the skills necessary to do the job she was about to be interviewed for.

Suddenly, she realised that she’d left rather a long pause before opening the door, and she turned the handle before the occupants of the room thought they were about to interview some kind of simpleton who couldn’t follow a simple instruction.

Fixing a polite – but hopefully not inane – smile onto her face, Alice stepped into Jeremy Davenport’s office. Her first thought – which certainly did nothing to help her nerves – was good God, he’s hot.

Jeremy sat behind a desk, with a heavily pregnant woman sitting beside it. Alice barely noticed the woman. All she saw was him. A man with cropped dark brown hair, hazel/green eyes, a jawline you could cut bread with, and lips that looked capable of doing incredibly wicked, sexual things to a woman. Or a man. Alice had no idea what his sexuality was, but she found herself hoping he liked women.

She chastised herself. Even if he did like women, he wouldn’t go for someone like her. A Plain Jane, with mousy brown shoulder-length hair, blue eyes, average height and above average weight. Alice had always known she’d never be a supermodel, so she’d worked extra hard academically, and here she was. About to be interviewed for her dream job.

About Lucy:

Lucy Felthouse is a very busy woman! She writes erotica and erotic romance in a variety of subgenres and pairings, and has over eighty publications to her name, with many more in the pipeline. These include several editions of Best Bondage Erotica, Best Women's Erotica 2013 and Best Erotic Romance 2014. Another string to her bow is editing, and she has edited and co-edited a number of anthologies, and also edits for a small publishing house. She owns Erotica For All, and is book editor for Cliterati. Find out more at http://www.lucyfelthouse.co.uk. Join her on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to her newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/gMQb9