I
often joke with my hubby when something goes wrong, saying “It must be Mercury Retrograde”. But, there’s something to this
period of three and a half weeks, which happens three times a year, that asks
us to literally slow down or crap is gonna hit the fan sooner than later. When
Mercury is in retrograde motion, the planet appears to travel backwards (goes retrograde),
and asks us busy humans to pause and do some heavy-duty reviewing. Fat chance,
right? Wrong.

Mercury
possesses a trickster energy, and in retrograde motion this sly fella can be
the unseen force that trips us up. For example, we can experience any of the
following: being on ‘slow mo’, bad reception, slip-ups, disorganization, stops
and starts, lost and found, U-turns, revisions and changes, connections with
the past, trick or treat, mixed messages, messages not getting across, things
getting lost, or lost in translation, travel being delayed, plans collapsing,
communications breaking down, equipment and technology failing. Yeah. I’ve
blamed Mercury retrograde on a few of those things.

If
you feel as if your writing life has been stuck in Mercury retrograde for a
long time, you’re not alone. This go-slow or best-laid plans changing up is
irritating and frustrating to say the least. But if you look at the BIG
picture, you’ll come to understand that the process of Mercury retrograde is
divinely inspired to get a message to you. The interruption is geared in such a
way as to disrupt your daily life so you can hear that message. Call it a
wake-up call or Divine intervention if you like, it happened to throw you off
kilter so that you can receive it. Whatever ‘it’ happens to be for you. Even
your computer crashing will give you some space and time to look into what’s
really going on. And sometimes you find that the truth does hurt, but it always
sets you free.

If
you’ve been stuck in your writing life—especially when it comes to marketing
your books—adjust the narrative and start to take baby steps. Become the
observer, instead of the one in the driver’s seat. Ask, what has worked in the
past, and what hasn’t? Mercury retrograde is actually a catalyst for awareness.
Out of the unknown void, the space, comes new insight. Knowing you must move
away from an old activity or pattern of behavior is your ‘AHA’ point of
understanding why you’ve been so stuck. Then, if you examine where you’re going
and what’s happened, you get to the gold: a moment of truth, realization, and
recognition. You finally receive the missing piece of the jigsaw to help you
move forward.

So many positives can
come out of Mercury retrograde (in your personal and writing life) if you view
it as a natural cycle of punctuation, a necessary break in the proceedings in
order to retrieve vital information. We must all learn to be patient in these
times, and use it for planning, reviewing, fixing, pivoting, thinking, and
strategizing about what we want to do when we can step forward again. Then,
once Mercury is back on track and moving forward again, you will be too. Do you
pay attention to when Mercury retrograde shows up in your life? If so, did you
receive its message or ignore it? Would love to read your comment. Cheers, and
as always, thank you for reading my blog! 

Happy Thanksgiving from my virtual writing
abode to all my Canadian family and friends! If you’re looking for something
different to serve on your harvest table this Thanksgiving, I’ve got just the
thing that will add a little zing to your celebration, and is a healthy,
low-fat version of a family favorite with an Italian flair. With a prep time of
ten minutes and cook time of fifty minutes, this tasty Italian-Style turkey
meatloaf will be ready in one hour, five minutes to serve at a small family
gathering. Expecting a crowd? No worries. Just double or even triple the
ingredients. If there’s any leftovers to be had, then this makes for easy meal
planning for the upcoming week. Cheers, everyone!

What
You Need:

Cooking spray

1 pound ground turkey

1 egg

¼ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

½ clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon ground black pepper, or to
taste

¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste

2 cups tomato sauce, divided

What
You Do:

PREHEAT oven to 400° F (200° C). Prepare a
baking dish with cooking spray.

MIX turkey, egg, bread crumbs, Italian
seasoning, garlic, black pepper, and salt in a large bowl; shape into a loaf
and put into prepared baking dish.

BAKE in preheated oven for 40 minutes.
Spoon about half the tomato sauce over the loaf and continue baking until the
meatloaf is no longer pink in the center, 10 to 15 minutes more. An
instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160° F
(70° C). Rest meatloaf 5 to 10 minutes before slicing to serve.

WHILE the meatloaf rests, warm remaining
tomato sauce in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; serve with the sliced
meatloaf.

SUGGESTED sides include your choice of
pasta (penne is perfect) and tomato sauce, garlic bread, and your preferred
salad (Caesar would be a great addition). Don’t forget to serve your favorite
wine to add to the party!

Once you’ve digested your Italian-Style
Thanksgiving feast, and your guests have retired for the evening, why not bring
the rest of the wine to a cozy spot in your home or cottage, and settle in with
a good book? May I suggest a visit to mysterious
Fairy
Falls, or if you’re feeling really adventurous, a trip back in
time with The
Last Timekeepers? Whichever you choose, either series will immerse you into other
cultures, and different worlds. Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

Here’s a glimpse
of the premises of both my young adult series:

The Last Timekeepers Time Travel Adventures…

Chosen by an Atlantean Magus to be
Timekeepers—legendary time travelers sworn to keep history safe from the evil
Belial—five classmates are sent into the past to restore balance, and bring
order back into the world, one mission at a time.

Children are the key to our future. And now, they
are the only hope for our past.

Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls Teen Psychic
Mysteries…

In the small, quiet tourist town of Fairy Falls, a
new-to-town teen, an unlikely hero who possesses an unusual psychic ability, is
drawn into a mystery and is tasked with uncovering corrupt truths that threaten
the town’s future.

Welcome to Fairy Falls. Expect the unexpected.

Buy Links:

The Last Timekeepers Time Travel Adventure Series:

The Last Timekeepers and the Noble Slave, Book 3

UNIVERSAL BUY LINK ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀

The Last Timekeepers and the Dark Secret, Book 2 Buy Links:

UNIVERSAL BUY LINK ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀

The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis, Book 1 Buy Links:

UNIVERSAL BUY LINK ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀

Legend
of the Timekeepers, Prequel Buy
Links:

UNIVERSAL
BUY LINK
׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES
& NOBLE
׀

Mysterious
Tales from Fairy Falls Teen Psychic Mystery Series:

Lost & Found, Book One Buy
Links:

PANDAMONIUM
PUBLISHING HOUSE ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES
& NOBLE
׀

Blackflies
& Blueberries, Book Two Buy
Links:

PANDAMONIUM
PUBLISHING HOUSE ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES
& NOBLE
׀

Oktoberfest is the festival to end
all festivals that is celebrated around the world but started in Munich, Germany
for a royal wedding in 1810. The citizens of Munich were invited to all the
festivities held in fields just outside the city gates. And from there the
world adopted this grand event. It runs from late September to the 1^st
Sunday in October. Be sure to include plenty of German music when you celebrate.

MENU

5
black peppercorns

Use
a mortar and pestle or a baggie and hammer to crush black peppercorns and
juniper berries together.

In
a medium-sized saucepan combine peppercorn mix, sliced onion, wine, vinegar,
water, and bay leaves. Bring marinade to a boil over high heat. Remove pan from
stove and let cool to room temperature.

Trim
excess fat from roast. Set beef in a deep flat bowl or pot just large enough to
hold it comfortably. Pour marinade over the top. Add more wine if marinade is
not halfway up the sides of the meat. Turn meat to moisten all sides. Cover pan
tightly with foil or cling wrap. Refrigerate for 2 – 3 days. Be sure to turn
the meat over at least twice a day.

Preheat
oven to 350° F (180°C).

Remove
meat from marinade. Pat dry with paper towels. Strain marinade through a fine
sieve set over a bowl. Discard spices and onion, but reserve marinade.

Melt
lard in a Dutch oven over high heat until it sputters. Add roast and brown well
on all sides. Adjust heat so as not to burn the meat. Transfer meat to a platter.
Pour off and discard all but 2 tbs. (30ml) of fat. Add onions, carrots, and
celery to pot. Cook over moderate heat until they are soft and light brown, 5 –
8 minutes. Sprinkle flour over veggies. Cook, stirring constantly 2 – 3 minutes
or until flour begins to color. 

Pour
in 2 cups (450ml) of reserved marinade and ½ cup (120ml) water. Bring to a boil
over high heat. Return meat to pot. Cover tightly. Cook in the oven for 2 hours
or until meat shows no resistance when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.
Transfer meat to a heated platter. Cover with foil to keep warm. 

Discard
veggies. Pour liquid from pot into a measuring cup. Skim off fat. You need 2½
cups (570ml) liquid for the sauce. If you have more, boil briskly to reduce the
amount. If you have less, add beef stock. Combine liquid and gingersnaps in a
small saucepan. Cook over moderate heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes. The
crumbs will dissolve and thicken the sauce. Strain sauce through a fine sieve.
Keep warm on very low heat until ready to serve. 

To
serve, carve meat into ¼ inch (.64cm) slices. Arrange on individual dinner
plates or a large platter. In either case moisten the meat with a little sauce.
Pass the remaining sauce in a gravy boat. 

*Rosemary
is a good substitute for juniper berries. Use one fresh sprig. 

Add potatoes to a saucepan that holds them comfortably. Pour stock
halfway up the potatoes. Top off with water, covering potatoes by an inch
(1.25cm) or so. Add bay leaf. Set a lid on top.

You can do up to this point earlier in the day. Leave on the counter or
stovetop until you are ready to cook.

Bring pan to a boil over medium heat. Adjust the lid and heat so the water
continues a soft/light boil, but does not spill over. Cook 15 – 20 minutes,
then test for doneness. A fork will insert easily. 

Drain potatoes and discard bay leaf. Sprinkle pepper over potatoes.
Add butter. Stir carefully so as not to smash potatoes. 

Don’t have bay leaf? Add 1 tablespoon (20ml) or so of dried basil to
the pot. When you drain the potatoes most of the leaves will be gone, but the
good taste remains. 

Wash
cabbage under cool water and then remove tough outer leaves. Cut cabbage into 4
pieces. Remove core. Shred easily by slicing each section into thin strips. 

Place
cabbage in a large mixing bowl. sprinkle with vinegar and sugar. Toss with a
spoon to cover the shreds evenly. 

Slice
apple into thin wedges. Melt lard or bacon fat in a large pot. Add apples and
onions. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until apples are lightly
browned. 

Add
cabbage, onion with cloves, and bay leaf. Stir well while pouring in boiling
water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat so cabbage does a slow
simmer. Cover and cook 1½ – 2 hours, or until cabbage is tender. Check
occasionally to be sure cabbage is moist. If it seems dry, add 1 tbsp. (15ml)
or so of boiling water. When cabbage is tender there should be almost no liquid
in the pan. 

To
serve remove whole onion and bay leaf. Stir in wine and jelly. This recipe
freezes nicely.

May you enjoy all the days of your life filled with good friends, laughter, and seated around a well-laden table!

Sloane

Taylor’s cookbooks, Hot Mean Wear Aprons, Date Night Dinners, Date Night Dinners Italian Style, Sizzling Summer, and Recipes to Create Holidays Extraordinaire are released by Toque & Dagger Publishing and available at all book vendors.

Fall begins with this…

It’s officially fall at my house!

I know the official date is September 22 this year, and that the official calendar date occurs on the autumnal equinox when and day and night are almost equal—in most locations. I also know that now it’s officially spring in the Southern Hemisphere. But I digress.

As you might have guessed, I don’t follow the notion that fall begins on September 22, or sometimes on September 21 or September 23, depending on the difference between the Gregorian calendar and the time it actually takes the Earth to complete its orbit around the sun. Because it takes 365 and ¼ days for the Earth’s orbit the September equinoxes shift about 6 hours later each year, eventually moving the date by a day.

So, if I don’t recognize the Equinox as the start of fall, when does it start? Fall begins for me in the grocery store, night or day, and it depends upon when I spot this beauty on the produce stand.

Yep, you see it right. Fall begins for me when I find caramel apples in the grocery. I start watching for them in early September, savoring the thought of a crisp apple covered in caramel and chopped peanuts.  They come in packs of three at my Kroger and when my daughter lived at home it was one apple for each of us.  Then when she moved out, I usually ate the third apple when the hubby was at work and then resisted getting another package and hiding it from the family. Now that Hubby’s retired I have to split the last treat. But that’s okay, because when they’re in season he always picks up an extra pack for us. Last night he brought three caramel and cinnamon streusel crusted apples home. Can you say apple pie on a stick?

I justify this sweet treat because apples and nuts in moderation are good for you. Caramel not so much. Apples are loaded with fiber and quercetin, a natural antihistamine. When eaten on a stick, or off the stick, apples are a raw food. Nuts have good MUFA fats (Mono unsaturated fat) which means the caramel apple has no saturated fats and lots of fiber. A great combo for lowering my high cholesterol. I ignore the sugar for this seasonal treat. It only happens once a year and I just eat more fiber to counter the sugar’s bad affects.

Have I made you hungry for a caramel apple yet?  Just in case, here’s a link to an easy recipe to make your own caramel apples. Enjoy, and welcome to fall!

Where novice Sister Margaret Mary goes, trouble follows. When she barges into a drug deal the local Mexican drug lord captures her. To escape she must depend on undercover DEA agent Jed Bond. Jed’s attitude toward her is exasperating, but when she finds herself inexplicably attracted to him, he becomes more dangerous than the men who have captured them, because he is making her doubt her decision to take her final vows. Escape back to the nunnery is imperative, but life at the convent, if she can still take her final vows, will never be the same.

Nuns shouldn’t look, talk, act, or kiss like Sister Margaret Mary O’Connor—at least that’s what Jed Bond thinks. She hampers his escape plans with her compulsiveness and compassion and in the process makes Jed question his own beliefs. After years of walling up his emotions in an attempt to become the best agent possible, Sister Margaret is crumbling Jed’s defenses and opening his heart. To lure her away from the church would be unforgivable—to lose her unbearable.

~ Second Edition Available Soon ~

Multi-award-winning author Catherine Castle has been writing all her life. A former freelance writer, she has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit (under her real name) in the Christian and secular market. Now she writes sweet and inspirational romance. Her debut inspirational romantic suspense, The Nun and the Narc, from Soul Mate Publishing, has garnered multiple contests finals and wins.

Catherine loves writing, reading, traveling, singing, watching movies, and the theatre. In the winter she loves to quilt and has a lot of UFOs (unfinished objects) in her sewing case. In the summer her favorite place to be is in her garden. She’s passionate about gardening and even won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club.

Learn more about Catherine Castle on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter. Be sure to check out Catherine’s Amazon author page and her Goodreads page.