How Romance Inspires Author Carla Swafford

Woot! I'm happy to welcome my sister writer and Southern Magic RWA chapter mate Carla Swafford. Both of us published within months of each other. Check out the HAWT cover of her book:

And here's the blurb for CIRCLE OF DESIRE:

As the top assassin at The Circle, a shadowy group of mercenaries, Olivia St. Vincent can hunt down anyone. She's been trained since she was a teenager to kill without feeling, to interact with men without love. But when she's kidnapped by the enigmatic leader of a rival organization, she learns she's been lied to for years. She never worked for the good guys.


Collin Ryker believes the sultry woman he's abducted knows more than she's telling about The Circle and its plans for complete domination. Over time, as they work together, Olivia's tenacity and vulnerability captivate him. But if he isn't careful, Collin will fall into the biggest trap of all: caring for a woman who can betray him to his greatest enemy.

So, are you salivating yet? Itching to get this hot book in your hands?

Being a fun, fab Southern lady, Carla is giving away a copy of the book to one lucky person who visits the blog today.  Read on....

Thank you, Mina, for inviting me to your blog. I’m not too sure how I can compete with Cap’n Jack Sparrow from the other day, but I’ll give it a stab.

You’d said you wanted to know what inspires me as a writer. Well, it’s actually simple. A good well-written romantic story.  

When I pick up a book and read a story that takes me away from the here and now and I become so involved in the characters’ lives that I don’t want it to end, that inspires me. When I feel not only the passion the couple sparks off each other but the love they’re destined to share, that inspires me. When I cry with happiness because the heroine and hero finally receive the love they deserve, well, you get the idea.

I’ve always been a glass half-full gal though I will say there are times in my life I’ve allowed myself to drift over to the dark side and talk like a Debbie-downer. Thankfully, the Pollyanna inside of me is alive and well and loves to read and write romances.

It’s that never ending optimism in romance that I love so dearly and inspires me to keep improving my craft as one day I hope to inspire someone to write their stories.

So tell me what about romance inspires you every day?  At 10 p.m. central, I’ll draw a name for someone to win a copy of my current book, Circle of Desire.

###

Carla Swafford inherited her love of books from her dad and his father. Growing up, she read every book with a horse on the cover until the age of twelve when she read her first romance. Tired of waiting for her favorite authors to publish more books, she decided to write one. She joined Romance Writers of America and was the finalist in several writing contests.

Carla lives in Alabama and works in a male-dominated occupation at the same company with her husband

Thanks Carla for visiting! You can find out more about her by visiting her

Website
Blog
Facebook Page

Or you can follow her on twitter @carlaswafford

NYT Bestselling Author Caridad Pineiro Shares What Keeps Her Writing

The paranormal genre with its otherworldly and strong heroes and heroines, global struggles and fantastic world building hooked me from the very beginning. As a reader, I devoured those books. But then I came across TEMPTATION CALLS by Caridad Pineiro and it left me stunned.


Samantha Turner, the heroine, was a mixed race vampire who ran a family shelter. A heroine I could relate to and embrace. Back then I used to teach culinary classes at non-profits, including a family shelter and I happen to be a woman of color...so discovering Sam was a turning point. It took me many years, but Sam and Caridad, gave me the courage to write my own mixed race heroine and share the djinn mythology I grew up with in THE DJINN'S DILEMMA. For that I'm grateful.


And it's a great honor and pleasure to host Caridad on my blog today.

It’s not easy being a writer.  It’s probably one of the hardest jobs you’ll ever have.

It’s time consuming, plant-your-butt-in-the-chair kind of work.  I often will spend three or four straight hours writing on a weekend before getting up to take a much-needed break.

It’s not necessarily financially rewarding.  I thank God every day that I still have my day job to pay the bills.

It can be lonesome, after all, writing is not a team sport.  See above re: countless hours of planting-your-butt-in-the-chair.  Alone.

The publishing world is filled with rejection even after you sell your first book or your thirtieth and even if your work isn’t rejected, you may find yourself doing countless revisions before your it is ready for publication.

So you may wonder what keeps me writing?  What inspires me to forget all the above and sit down in front of my laptop and write?  For hours.  Alone.

The answer is simple:  You.  Yes, you the reader.  You the person who takes the time to drop me a quick line or tweet or leave a comment on Facebook.

You make it all worthwhile by letting me know that you enjoy the story that I’ve told or that it’s touched you in some fashion or that it made you think about something in a new way.

I write the stories to do just that because I want to engage you.  I want to share a piece of me with my stories and I often do so in one way or another in many of my books.

I want to be that kick-ass heroine who knows how to stand up for what’s right and wins the hero in the end thanks to her strength and courage.  I want you to feel that you can be that heroine.  That you can tap your inner strength and be who you want to be.

I want to be that woman who finds the love of her life (and I have although he’s not perfect) and I want you to think that you, too, can experience a satisfying partnership.

I want to show you new worlds that I wish to visit or share with you places where I’ve been lucky to go, like my beloved Jersey Shore or the top of a Mexican pyramid.  I want you to know you can go there, too, either for real or via my stories.

I want to share because I’m a sharing kind of person.  Caridad means “Charity” and before I got wiped out and it became Faith, Hope and Love, Charity was the greatest gift of all because it meant that you were sharing of yourself with others.

That’s why you inspire me to write.  To give you exciting stories.  To give you sexy stories.  To share a piece of me and to get to know you better when you share yourself by taking the time to reach out to me.

Thank you for coming by and thank you, Mina, for having me here!  I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah and Happy Holidays!  May we all get to know each better in the New Year.

 ***

Thanks so much for visiting Caridad and sharing your wise words!

New York Times and USA Today bestselling paranormal and romantic suspense author Caridad Pineiro wrote her first novel in the fifth grade when her teacher assigned a project – to write a book for a class lending library. Bitten by the writing bug, Caridad continued with her passion for the written word through high school, college and law school. In 1999, Caridad’s first novel was released and over a decade later, Caridad is the author of thirty published novels and novellas.


Amazon Awakening, her more recent release is also her first erotic paranormal romance. Check out the cover:

When not writing, Caridad is an attorney, wife and mother to an aspiring writer and fashionista. For more information about Caridad and her books, please visit www.caridad.com.

Writing to Right the Wrongs of this World

Hi y'all!

Holidays are festive times with lots of parties and get-togethers to attend. One recent evening, I was invited to three different shindigs! Well, I have found some of the merry making spills into the blogosphere.

So while I'm visiting my friend Caridad Pineiro's blog and talking about why a genie would make the perfect Christmas/Hannukah/New Year's/Just-Because gift. :)...here we are celebrating my wonderful friend and a precious beta-reader Joya Fields' sweet release of LOVE DELIVERED. Woot!

I have been fortunate enought to help critique some of her stories and, in her writings, her heroic characters take on some of the world's worst injustices and defeat the bad guys. She leaves me cheering. :D

I hope you're inspired reading about Joya's heart-warming approach to writing.

Thanks so much for having me on your blog today, Mina. I love talking about inspiration because it’s such a unique and individual concept. One of the reasons I love writing stories, especially happily-ever-after ones, is that I can right the wrongs I see happening in the world.

In the real world, at-risk teens might fall through the cracks if there isn’t a responsible, caring adult in their lives. I’ve seen it happen many times. In LOVE DELIVERED, my story that releases today, the hero, Pete, won’t let that happen to the kids in his community. He helps them find passion through golf.

 

When I write that type of story or hero, it makes me feel like it could really happen. Hopefully, it does happen. In the world of fiction, I can fix all sorts of things in the world—make them how I think they should be. Villains are always brought to justice. The serial killer meets his demise, the human traffickers are put away for life, and selfish people get what’s coming to them.

One particular newspaper story hit me hard a few years back. In a flash flood, a teenage boy risked his life to pull younger kids from a fast-rising stream. He saved them, but lost his own life. No! Good guys win. I still have that article tacked to my corkboard in my office. This kid was doing the right thing, helping others, not thinking about himself. And then he died. I feel a strong urge to rewrite that scene in some future book, and that boy will live. In fact, he will be the hero.

Maybe it’s my way of dealing with bad things that happen in our world, maybe it’s escapism. I see it all as inspiration. Thanks again for having me and I’d love to hear how others are affected by what they see in the world and how they make sense of it.

***

Joya Fields has had over 100 stories and articles published in local and national magazines and her debut novel, BENEATH THE SURFACE, a romantic suspense, will release January, 2012 from The Wild Rose Press. Her novella, LOVE DELIVERED, a romantic comedy, releases December 21, 2011.

Find Joya on the web at: http://joyafields.com/

As an exra treat, check out Joya's book trailer for LOVE DELIVERED 

Characterization Tips I Learned From Capt. Jack Sparrow

Ahoy there mateys! Who doesn't know the lovable and zany Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies? If you don't...make haste and remedy the situation! Make sure you have lots of popcorn to enjoy :) But first, read on....

The Pirates of the Caribbean movies have a lot to recommend them: dashing pirates, fun dialogue, exciting adventures, twists and turns galore and awesome visuals. However, it's the eccentric and unpredictable Jack Sparrow that makes them memorable and worth watching. Savvy?

Actor Johnny Depp makes the character come to life and be almost more real than our next door neighbor, and as writers we must do the same for our protagonists. So I took some lessons from Jack Sparrow and shared them on the FFnP blog.  And that's where you'll find me today...so come visit me, me hearties! Arrr!

Belief Keeps Author Brenda Novak Writing

Woot! New York Times & USA Today best-selling author Brenda Novak is on the blog today and I'm thrilled. Brenda is a three-time Rita nominee. Her books have won many awards, including the National Reader Choice, the Bookseller’s Best, the Book Buyer’s Best and the Holt Medallion. Yes, awesome achievements, but it gets better.

I met Brenda through her annual online auction for diabetes research. Her youngest son has the disease and she's determined to be part of the solution.  The auction runs every May at www.brendanovak.com. To date, she’s raised over $1.3 million.

Brenda has taught me you can achieve your dreams through hard work and perseverance, and one person can help make the world a better place. I'm honored to present Brenda Novak, a truly inspiring writer and person:

Whenever someone asks me what inspires me, I have to say belief (or some might call this faith). If you truly believe in yourself and your talent, you will be motivated to actually sit down and write the book instead of only dreaming about it. You will be driven to seek out any help you may need (research or craft-related) to make it the best you can create. You will follow through with marketing ideas, and you won’t give up if you don’t reach your goals immediately. Belief drives the entire engine—even through the rough spots. It battles discouragement, which is, according to Webster, “to deprive of courage or confidence.”

How many army commanders would win a war, or how many coaches would win a game, if they deprived their army/team of courage and confidence? Now think about the fact that, as a writer, you are a commander of one. How do you treat yourself? Do you allow yourself to be deprived of courage and confidence?

There is a tombstone in Britain that says: “In moments of discouragement, defeat, or even despair, there are always certain things to cling to. Little things usually: remembered laughter, the face of a sleeping child, a tree in the wind—in fact, any reminder of something deeply felt or dearly loved. No man is so poor as not to have many of these small candles. When they are lighted, darkness goes away—and a touch of wonder remains.” In order to be successful in this business, we must hang on to some of that wonder. We can't light a candle in someone else if there is no fire in us.

***

Brenda has a brand new small-town contemporary series starting in 2012. Come meet the long-time friends who have made Whiskey Creek the “Heart of Gold Country,” with WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES, to be released in September. Also, don’t miss her latest romantic suspense trilogy available now--INSIDE, IN SECONDS, & IN CLOSE.

After writing contemporary romance and romantic suspense for 12 years (about 40 books), she's returned to her first love -- historical romance. Her most recent historical release is The Bastard. Check out the scrumptious cover!

To learn more about Brenda check out her website.

So how do you keep the doubt-monster at bay?

Kiss of Death: The Place for the Murderously Inclined Romantic

Kiss Of Death is one of my favorite RWA chapters ever! So to celebrate Kiss of Death Day, I'm posting this wonderful "All-You-Need-To-Know" essay written by fellow KODer Avery Flynn. Enjoy!

***

What great romance doesn’t have suspense in it? Whether a spy thriller in Regency times, a paranormal romance with a revenge-seeking zombie, or a traditional serial killer after the heroine, romance relies on suspense, leading the reader through the trials of the heroine and hero to see if they will get their happily ever after ending.

December 1 is Kiss of Death day. Yeah, that's how cool romantic suspense is as a genre, it gets its own day. To celebrate, we're trying to make #romanticsuspense a trending topic on Twitter today. Help us by sharing why you love romantic suspense using the #romanticsuspense hashtag.

If you can call your writing suspenseful, then the Kiss of Death chapter of the Romance Writers of America has something for you!

“I love so many things about KOD! I'm going with a tie: CLUES-N-NEWS because you can ask the weirdest questions and get the best answers, and Lethal Ladies because they helped me grow as a writer and find good friends.” - Mina Khan

Formed in 1994, KOD—as we call our chapter—promotes and supports the writing and reading of suspense and mystery fiction with strong romantic elements. We’re one of the largest RWA chapters with members from across the globe who join our online family of mayhem-loving writers. Joining gives you access to a wide array of programs to help your writing develop and grow.

“KOD has been a lifeline when it comes to death-related questions. It's a safe place to discuss the macabre, run plots by experts, and find support among fellow suspense writers. They know where to hide the bodies and cover their tracks! (And if you can make it, the tours at the RWA National conference are informative and lots of fun.)” - Anne Marie Becker

Top among membership benefits is our College of Felony and Intrigue (COFFIN) online workshops for only $15 per class for KOD members. In addition, KOD offers online networking, a critique group, brainstorming support and a book-in-a-week challenge to help you to get that draft on paper. We support our members with an active Facebook group and Twitter feed giving you access to the information you need, whenever you need it.

“I love being a part of a group that gets mystery and suspense. Not everyone does. I also love reading what people have to say on the loop. I’ve learned so much from KOD.” - Linsey Lanier

Nothing says romantic suspense like RWA’s Kiss of Death chapter. Nothing says I’m a romantic suspense author like being a KOD member. Join us today during our annual membership drive. As an added bonus all new members or renewing members who join in December will be entered to win a first chapter critique from published Kiss of Death members.

To join Kiss of Death, visit us online at http://www.rwamysterysuspense.org/join.php for easy PayPal or traditional payment options. For the joining fee of $35 ($30 for renewal), you’ll love us to death!

Dreams Inspired Duty & Desire -- Author Anju Gattani Shares

Today's guest, Anju Gattani, is a woman of the world. A freelance journalist, she's lived in Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and different parts of America. I met her on the wonderful Yahoo group Authors of Asian Novels and instantly clicked because we are both from the Indian-subcontinent and we both love stories.

Her debut novel, Duty & Desire, is releasing tomorrow. WooHoo!

Check out her book blurb:


How Can Happiness Survive When Duty Clashes With Desire?


Sheetal Prasad has it all: youth, beauty, wealth, and education. But when this modern Indian woman surrenders love for honor and marries into India’s most glamorous “royal family,” those very advantages turn against her.


Meet the Dhanrajs—a powerful family bound together by a web of lies where infidelity, greed, secrets, and hidden identities lurk beneath the lush tapestry. The Dhanrajs will do whatever is necessary to mask the truth from the world.
As Sheetal peels back the layers of deceit in the glittering world of Indian mega- wealth—and struggles to control her own fate—she is threatened by the rage she harbors and the blazes of passion she ignites.


Thanks Anju for visiting with us and sharing what inspired you to write your story! Now, heeeeere's Anju:

The inspiration for the story – and I call it a story because I later learned I was writing a series – goes back to Nov 2001, shortly after we moved from Singapore to New Jersey, USA.  Our kids (both boys) were 6 & 2 then.  I was taking my cat nap one afternoon when I saw a scene from (what I thought was) a movie.  It was dynamic do or die situation and when I woke up I was holding my breath and gasping for air.  I realized it was a dream, not a movie, and I started researching on ‘writing the novel’. 

With my mom’s and husband’s encouragement I put pen to paper in Jan 2002 and the story started writing itself.  All I knew was I had to keep holding the pen and get to The End (the dream scene); I just didn’t know how.  Pounding out the original manuscript took 1.5 years.

The determination to keep going and not give up goes back to my characters.  They would haunt me in my dreams at night (not day dreams anymore!) if I seriously thought of abandoning the story.  In my dreams, I’ve talked to them, seen them and even read their minds – hmm… am I officially nuts now?  Their message was the same every time – “If you abandon us (characters), we die.  Then who will tell the world our story and our plight?”

As I rewrote, cut in two, and revised DUTY AND DESIRE (and the 2^nd book in the series), I realized it wasn’t just one woman’s story… but possibly the stories, in bits and pieces, of women (and men) around the world.  Rewrites also made me realize the plights of my characters are universal... world-wide. And I often stop and wonder… Is that why Duty and Desire is a world-wide release?     

Oh btw…my kids are now 15 and 11 – uggh! I feel old again!  

Duty and Desire is currently available for preorder in trade paperback at Barnes & Noble and Amazon. 

Eformat: Kindle, Nook, Sony, Apple, PDF Acrobat Reader, and Kobo. 

Anju would love for readers to review the book on those sites and share it with others! If you want to learn more about Anju check out this wonderful article from the Milton Herald.

So anyone else inspired by dreams? Anyone know how to interpret dreams?

Thanksgiving & Literacy from One Writers Point of View

May your Thanksgiving tomorrow be happy, stress-free and full of wonderful moments shared with loved ones!

This year I’m thankful for my family, my friends and my readers. Writing is a bit like farming, in that you do your part without any guarantees. Just as a farmer ploughs, plants and weeds his fields but depends on the weather to reward him with a crop, a writer pours out her soul onto paper in the hopes her words will be read and enjoyed by other people. Sometimes it feels like I’m sending my words out into a vacuum.

When my debut novella, The Djinn's Dilemma, came out earlier this month I was decidedly nervous. Would anyone read my story? Did anyone even know I exist? The best part of being a published author has been receiving notes from my readers. Readers who not only took the time to read my story, but also to let me know what they thought. Thank you for letting me know my words are finding homes.

I'm also thankful for all the writers who wrote stories that comforted me when the chips were down or just helped me escape the daily grind. I remember laughing out loud as I read Three Singles to Adventure by Gerald Durell and how it helped me get over a highschool-heartbreak. And when my baby son --born 7 weeks early--spent 62 days in the hospital, I coped by reading The Time It Never Rained out loud to him. I didn't know if he'd make it or not, and I wanted to make sure I shared a damn good story with him.

So it saddens me to know there are many people in our world who will never know the comfort of a good book.

According to UNICEF, "Nearly a billion people will enter the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names and two thirds of them are women."

I'm thankful for my ability to read and my ability to do something about illiteracy. What are you thankful for? For each comment left between today and Nov. 27, 2011 I will donate $1 to UNICEF. All I ask in return is help spread the word. Thanks!

Author Allison Brennan Shares About Writing & Inspiration

Hi, y'all! Today's guest is Allison Brennan, the New York Times and USAToday bestselling author of seventeen romantic thrillers and numerous short stories, including the most recent IF I SHOULD DIE. I'm fortunate to know her through my Kiss of Death RWA chapter and have taken some wonderful classes with her. Allison is a generous spirit who willingly shares insights and advice from her years of experience, and encourages younger writers. Thanks Allison for joining us!

I’m often asked where I get my ideas. This question always surprises me. Where don’t I get my ideas?

Ideas are everywhere. They come from the smallest snippet of a conversation overheard at Starbucks, to the most widespread news story of the day. My stories are a compilation of many different sparks that ignite my muse as it weaves together the possibilities.

I see a man in line dressed in a suit with a briefcase. Is he going to work? A job interview? Did he pretend to go to work so his family wouldn’t know he’d lost his job? What’s in the briefcase? Maybe he’s a divorce lawyer. Or a prosecutor. A defense lawyer with evidence of his client’s innocence locked in the metal case.

Or perhaps he’s a desperate man. His daughter’s been kidnapped and inside the case is the ransom money. He’s not buying coffee, but leaving the case to be picked up. Or there’s a bomb in the case, and he doesn’t know it. Or he does know it, and he has a vendetta.

So many possibilities.

I read books and articles about the multitude of people who risk their lives for others, and I want to celebrate them and their sacrifice. I greatly admire those people who serve others, particularly when they are fighting for justice. This is why most of my heroes and heroines are in some branch of law enforcement, though I’ve also written about ex-military, P.I.’s, and even a few not in public safety.

I’m also inspired by survivors. Victims who defeat all the odds to reclaim and rebuild their lives. I want to know how, and by writing survivors into my stories, I can learn how strength of character, family, and community can help victims not be victims forever.

Every-day heroes inspire me.

I also want to know why. In real life, too often justice is not served. In fiction, I can tip the balance of the scales on the side of justice, that the bad guys will be caught, that victims will get the help they need, that people will be saved. While a lot of bad things happen in my books, and sometimes to good people, in the end, the villain always gets what’s coming to him. My hero and heroine always get their happily-ever-after. Families always get answers, even if the answers aren’t what they want. In the end, there is resolution and peace.

Some authors are inspired by people. Some by music, and still others by the beauty around them. Take a moment to write down ten people you admire and why. Music you listen to while you write. Places you visit that calm you, where maybe your best ideas come to you. Once, a quote I heard gave me just the snippet of an idea, and that idea became the backbone of each character’s backstory. That quote? “Life if the sum of all your choices” by Camus.

Look at the world around you. You can’t help but be inspired.

***
 You can visit her on the web at allisonbrennan.com, follow her on Twitter
@allison_brennan, or check her out on facebook.

Tomorrow book three of her Lucy Kincaid series goes on sale! Check out the cool cover:

Allison is giving away a signed copy of the first book in the series, LOVE ME TO DEATH.  To win leave a comment about what inspires you + your email (for contact)!

 Good luck :D

Six Sentence Sunday #2: Sneak-Peek from The Djinn's Dilemma

I'm still riding the high of having my debut paranormal erotic romance published earlier this month, so here's another tasty tidbit from The Djinn's Dilemma:


Setup: This is second time the heroine, Sarah, encounters the hero, Rukh. She's helping out at a friend's bakery & cafe during the morning rush hour because a waitress called in sick.


Enjoy the excerpt:

She jotted down the order, then forced herself to meet his gaze. The next words rushed out of her. "And breakfast’s on me."


"Normally I wouldn’t protest," he said, leaning closer. "But in public, I’d prefer a plate."


An image of Rukh, hair untied, licking whipped cream off her navel flashed through her mind, left her staring.

Thanks for visiting! I look forward to your comments :) And don't forget to checkout the other fun 6SentenceSunday entries!

Winner Announcement!

We have winners for my Readers Appreciation giveaway...WooHoo!

Laurie G.

Michelle M.

Belinda R.

Emma D.

I'll be in contact about your prizes! Thanks for buying and reading The Djinn's Dilemma :)

Red Hot Smokin' Fiction & Seafood Soup

Woot! Today is a special #Letslunch date because all my #Letslunch twitter buddies are helping me celebrate my fiction debut and the release of my paranormal romance novella, THE DJINN’S DILEMMA, by Harlequin by coming with recipes and blog posts that somehow involve Seduction…. Mmmm. :D

So, how does a newspaper girl, a foodie writer, end up writing romance?

The simple answer is: for the fun factor. When I was covering business and City government, I used to write food stories for a fun break from the serious stuff. Now my day job is food writing and while I enjoy it, I wanted to write something for the pure fun of it. Ta-da! Romance.  J

But a more complete answer would be: I write romances because I believe in happy endings.  I believe strong, intelligent, complex women can find men who are worthy of them, who love them without trying to change them.  And while I believe in happy endings, I also believe they must be earned like anything worthwhile in life. Most of all, I believe true love can overcome everything else life throws at us.

No it’s not an idealistic, fairy-tale view, I have actually seen it play out. Both my parents and my in-laws have been married 50-plus years and not all of them have been all fun and sunshine, but the love has always been there.  I want the same timeless romance in my life, and in the life of my heroes and heroines.

So for #Letslunch, I tried to pick a dish Sarah Jasmine White, the heroine of The Djinn’s Dilemma, would make for the hero, Rukh. Now, she likes things hot and sexy, but is also she is also loyal and nurturing when it comes to people she loves.

She’d go with this red hot smoky soup full of flavor and good-for-you ingredients, like salmon, tomatoes, bell peppers, avocado and more.

Its rich broth is complex gains complexity with a base of crab and spices like fennel, cumin, turmeric and Spanish smoked paprika. She’d let it simmer on the stove, light some candles and put on some smooth jazz.

And what would Rukh give her? Dark chocolate kisses, of course! :) And no I don't mean the kind Hershey makes....

Recipe (inspired by a Smoky Salmon Chowder recipe from BHG):

3 4-oz skinless salmon fillets

2 teaspoon chili powder, divided

1 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika, divided

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon of salt and pepper

Vegetables:

2 medium red sweet peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded

1 medium poblano pepper, halved lengthwise and seeded

1 jalapeno pepper, halved lengthwise and seeded

1 medium sweet onion, cut in ½-inch slices

1 head of garlic – cut off top 1/3, place on a foil square, drizzle with olive oil and fold up into a foil packet for roasting.

For the Soup:

2 tablespoons butter or oil

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

½ teaspoon of cumin seeds

2 large Bay leaves

Six green onions, white parts only, minced (reserve the tops)

½ teaspoon turmeric

Reserved chili powder and smoked paprika

1 medium Blue Crab (optional)

32-ounce box low sodium chicken broth

1 14.05-ouncecan fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1 14.05-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained

2 large roma tomatoes, diced

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion tops (the green part)

3 tablespoons lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish: sliced avocados, chunks of salmon

Directions:

1.       Pat dry Salmon fillet with paper towels. Sprinkle with spices on both sides. Cover and refrigerate while you work with vegetables.

2.       Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place peppers and onions on a foil-covered baking sheet. Place the foil-wrapped garlic on one side. Roast for 20 minutes.  When done, turn off the oven and let the veggies stay inside for another 15 minutes.

3.       Place salmon in a shallow greased/sprayed baking dish, fold under the thin edges. Bake at 400 degrees (about 4 to 6 minutes per ½-inch thickness) until salmon is done and flakes easily when tested with a fork. Keep warm.

4.       Meanwhile, remove the skins from the peppers, squeeze out the garlic from their peels, and chop up all the roasted veggies coarsely.

5.       Heat butter in the pan, add whole spices and minced green onion (white part), the crab and other spices. Cook for about 2 minutes.

6.       Add the roasted veggies and cook for additional 2 minutes. Add broth and undrained fire-roasted tomatoes and bring to a boil.

7.       Add corn and lower heat. Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

8.       Add fresh tomatoes and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

9.       Fold in chopped fresh herbs and lemon juice.

10.   Serve over white rice in shallow bowls. After ladling out the soup, break salmon into pieces and divide among the bowls. Garnish with avocado slices and additional greens.

***

#Letslunch brings together a diverse group of food-loving bloggers from around the world for lunch once a month. Check out the other seductive reads and eats :

Joe Yonan, the Food & Travel Editor at the Washington Post, shares A Stew for Seduction, a Lol account of his past and current seduction through food experience.

Leighnannini's Seduce Me Donuts & heartwarming lovestory :)

HapaMama has Spaghetti for Adults

Spicebox Travels shows you how to get your man with an adventurous spirit & recipe

Author CJ Lyons Is Inspired By Everyday Heroes

New York Times bestselling author CJ Lyons has lived the life of a pediatric ER doctor and creates many of the medical worlds of her thrillers with authenticity and heart.

CJ has been called a "master within the genre" (Pittsburgh Magazine) and her work has been praised as "breathtakingly fast-paced" and "riveting" (Publishers Weekly) with "characters with beating hearts and three dimensions" (Newsday). I learned the importance of character-driven stories and how to take my writing to the next level thanks to her.

Back in early 2010 I was an unpublished author and thinking of giving up my dream. CJ's Master Class was the last hurrah...and then she shared her experience, encouragement and craft. Without her, I would never have written THE DJINN'S DILEMMA and been published. She helped me believe in myself again amd reclaim my dream. So, without further ado, let me present my personal writing hero CJ :) 

What inspires my writing?

When I was a kid, it was my own need to learn how to become a hero, someone strong enough to change the world for the better.

After my pediatric internship when one of my fellow interns was brutally murdered, writing became my way to understand my grief and control the chaos around me. That's when I wrote my first thriller, BORROWED TIME, and I dedicated it to Jeff's memory.

(FACE TO FACE, her most recent release, came out Nov. 7!)

Much of my fiction since then has been inspired by my patients and their families. Ordinary people facing tragedy with courage and grace, proving that heroes are indeed born everyday.

I still search for order in the chaos--after practicing pediatric emergency medicine and pediatrics for seventeen years, that will never change. But now, after having sold hundreds of thousands of books and receiving fan letters from all over the world, I have another inspiration: my readers.

Discovering that I had the power to connect with people I'd never met, to inspire as well as entertain--that felt almost as good as saving lives in the ER! 

I treasure each fan letter as much as the very first one.  There have been people facing the pain of chronic illnesses who have been able to make it through the night because of my books.  Fellow medical personnel, EMS, firefighters, and police officers have written, thanking me for the way I "tell it like it really is."  And readers who simply needed an escape from their lives have found refuge in my words.

Honestly, no matter how much money or which bestseller lists I hit, I can't imagine any feeling as wonderful as the feeling I get when I hear from readers who have fallen in love with my books.  It's an adrenalin rush that fuels my writing and inspires me everyday!

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Woot! Thanks CJ for visiting with us and reminding us courage, love, and heroic acts are a part of everyday life. We just have to be aware of the world around us to find inspiration. Do you have an everyday hero? How has this person touched your life?


If you want to know more about CJ or her Thrillers with Heart check out her website. FACE TO FACE is the third book in her gripping Hart & Drake Series. The first book, NERVES OF STEEL, is on sale right now for 99 cents. Go check her books out!