Celebrating Spring! Authors in Bloom Blog Hop

I adore spring and one of my favorite ways to celebrate (as a writer) is by participating in the annual Authors In Bloom blog hop put together by author Dianne Venetta. It's just a great way to get some gardening tips, pick up recipes, learn about new books and win some awesome prizes.

As it happens, Rayez, the hero of A CHRISTMAS WISH (my most recent release) is a chef and he's totally into seasonal cooking. My inspiration for Rayez, who is also an exiled fire djinn (genie), is the very hunky actor Dwayne Johnson.

So what would Rayez whip up to celebrate Spring? A simple, refreshing salad with different types of peas. :)

Three Pea Salad 

This simple, but satisfying, combination of sugar snap peas, snow peas and baby peas is crisp and green. A dish that seems to signify spring. You can add heft to it, by adding in cubed ham and shavings of a hard cheese like parmesan or manchego.

1 tablespoon minced shallot

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into slivers (a mix of basil & mint is also nice)

1 tablespoon lemon juice (you can add more to taste)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 pound sugar snap peas

1/2 pound snow peas, halved crosswise

1 10-ounce box frozen baby peas, OR 2 cups of fresh shelled peas

Directions

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil.

2. Fill a large bowl with ice water.

3. In another large bowl, whisk the shallot, basil, lemon juice, and mustard together. Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Add the sugar snap peas to the boiling water and blanch for 20 seconds. Add the snow peas and cook for 20 seconds. Add the frozen baby peas and cook for 20 seconds longer, until the sugar snaps and snow peas are crisp-tender and the baby peas are heated through.

5. Drain and immediately transfer the colander to the ice water to stop the cooking. Drain again and pat the peas dry. Add the peas to the dressing, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Serve.

Now a bit about Rayez's story....

Won the Novella division of the 2015 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence

*This is an enhanced and expanded version of a story previously published as Sealed With A Kiss in the Alphas Unleashed anthology.*

Rayez, a smoking hot chef and fire djinn in exile, lands himself in deep trouble (at the bottom of a beer bottle) when he tries to help a mysterious beautiful woman.

Selene is pursued and desperate. She'll do anything to keep her brother safe--including capture a djinn.

While deception brings them together, dangerous enemies make them unlikely allies. Can one gigantic wrong lead to two rights and true love? 

*Also included are some of the recipes Rayez made in the book.*

Amazon

Barnes and Noble 

Smashwords 

Blog Hop Prizes:

My prize is a $5 Amazon gift certificate for one person who comments on this post, chosen at random.  Be sure to leave your email address so I can get in touch with you.

The hop grand prizes: To win, visitors must hit each and every author on the hop. Grand prize is an ereader of their choice (up to $200 value) with second prize a $25 gift card to the ebook retailer of their choice.

The blog hop runs April 8 through 17, 2015.

Now check out all the other participating blogs:

Sneak Peek from The Djinn in the Mirror for Authors In Bloom

***UPDATE: We have winners! Tracie2667 wins the gift card and Sdylion gets to choose one of my books! Congratulations! I'll be in contact with you both later today.

And thank you everyone for playing along and making this such a fun hop! Come again :) ***


Wow, it's been a year and we are back in wonderful spring, the perfect time for the second annual Authors In Bloom Blog Hop.



This is one of my favorites hops because along the way you can collect recipes, garden tips, all kinds of prizes (books, swags, garden items and more), as well as GRAND PRIZES: Kindle Fire or Nook along with a $25 gift card. Woot! (Check the end of the post for MY giveaway!)

Not only that, the garden theme is perfect for my upcoming release THE DJINN IN THE MIRROR, which is based on the question: what if Cinderella had to deal with a wicked sexy genie instead of a fairy godmother?

(My inspiration for the djinn or genie)

The heroine DAHLIA (note the flower-inspired name?) comes from a family of earth witches and, wow, can she make a garden grow!

(My inspiration for Dahlia)

Here's an excerpt for you to enjoy:

All night she dreamt of green things growing. Blades of grass spearing skywards, trees spreading their branches and unfurling new leaves, vines climbing and creeping forward, with beautiful pale white blooms opening wide under the moonlight.

In the middle of it all, Ashmael and her.  On the ground, naked, pale and golden bodies entwined, rubbing, sliding and rocking together. The air reverberated with their soft sighs and strangled moans, whispers of desire.

While it was a welcome break from the nightmares of the kris, her fertile, fecund dream garden didn’t leave her well-rested. She awoke yawning and her body dragging and weary. Or perhaps, the gritty itch in her eyes came from crying herself to sleep. Whatever the reason, Dahlia’s heart  slumped, weighed down by sadness  and a strange aching need.

She padded over to her window to let in some morning light. Perhaps that would cheer her up. As the outside world came in focus, Dahlia gasped. Instead of a pretty little cottage garden with carefully tended and planned beds of flowers, herbs and fruit trees, a  jumble of unruly plant life had taken over the cottage garden during the night. The bougainvillea trees, which had been much shorter just yesterday, now almost blocked her window. A riot of orange, purple and red flowers with white stamens nestled among leaves and pale long thorns sprouting from twisty thin limbs.

“Oh. My. God.” Dahlia ran out of the room, holding up the edges of her night dress so she didn’t trip. 

She burst through the front door and confronted a jungle, all around her and over her, tangles of overgrowth hid the road from her.  Ferns, grasses, bushes, mango trees and coconut palms spilled and tripped over each other. Birds called to each other in different songs as if playing an elaborate game of peek-a-boo among the foliage. The air steamed and the musky scent of earth and grass mixed with the sweet perfume of roses, jasmines and lilies. Every breath intoxicated her.

I hope you enjoyed the sneak peek! 

Dahlia also grows her own herbs and fresh produce for the dinner table. One of her favorite recipes is a simple vegetable toss that still lets the garden-grown flavors shine.

Citrusy Veggies

Ingredients:

salt and pepper to taste
3 to 4 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh, chopped oregano or 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 teaspoon fresh, chopped cilantro

4 cups sliced, steamed mixed vegetables such as zucchini, asparagus, corn, and tomatoes 

1. Drain the steamed vegetables, and place in a bowl to cool.

2. Mix lime juice with oil. Add oregano, and cilantro and combine.

3. Pour lime juice mixture over cool vegetables and mix well.

4. Season with salt and pepper. Serve. 

The Djinn In The Mirror will be available later this month! 

Until then leave a comment with your e-mail and enter the rafflecopter giveaway! Two winners will be randomly chosen and announced on April 20.

Grand prize winners will be selected at random from the comments sections of participating blogs!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also, don't forget to visit the other Authors In Bloom Blog Hop participants!

Authors In Bloom Blog Hop & Sneak Peek Into A Tale of 2 Djinns

***UPDATE***

Woot! We have winners! Mel Bourn & Shadow Kohler win The Djinn's Dilemma & the swag packs! I'll be emailing you both soon to figure out the logistics. :)

And a heartfelt thank you, cyber hugs & chocolates for everyone who participated in the Author In Bloom Blog Hop & my giveaway. You all made this a lot of fun!

***


Woot! I'm thrilled to be participating in my very first Authors In Bloom Blog Hop with fun posts, a traveling story and awesome giveaways -- books, swag & even chances to win a Nook or a Kindle!





My assigned line in the traveling story is~ Line 11: "Of course not.  You’re beautiful."

(To be eligible for the grand prize, readers must copy each a short phrase posted on each author’’ blog post and assimilate them into the complete passage:  “Authors in Bloom,” a vignette about a women’s personal growth and empowerment.)

I love this line, because it reminds me of Shay & Maya, the romantic pair starring in my recently released paranormal romance novella A Tale of Two Djinns (50% of the proceeds being donated to UNICEF):

Maya’s bent legs rested against his, and he moved his hands back and forth across her knees in long, lazy strokes.

“May I wash your hair?”

“My hair?”

“There are some leaves tangled in it,” he said. “From the greenhouse.”

Not to mention tons of dust, maybe even an insect or two. Yikes. She’d have to rethink flying carpet travel. Maya cringed. “Um, yes please. Thanks.”

She hugged her knees and rested her chin on them, shutting her eyes. Deft fingers unraveled her topknot, massaged her scalp and threaded through her hair. She bit her lower lip to keep from moaning.

Warm water poured on top of her head, trickled down her face and neck. Strong fingers lathered soap into her hair, paused to gently unknot tangles. More water rushed through, washing away the soap and the day’s debris. Next she felt the steady strokes of a comb. Stroke after gentle stroke.

“You have beautiful hair.”

“It’s straight and boring.”

The combing stopped. No, please don’t stop. Don’t stop.

“You really don’t see yourself, do you?”

Shagaard had mirrors, and she glanced in them at passing. “What do you see?”

“A beautiful woman.” Akshay wound her hair around one hand, pulled it to the side. He kissed her exposed nape. A soft sigh escaped her. “A woman with silky soft hair that shimmers blue black.”

Another kiss, this time on the side of her neck. Then he let her hair slide free of his grasp. “It’s like running my fingers through night in all her glory.”

What I love about my hero Akshay or Shay is that he's a surprising and complex character. Shay is a battle axe of an earth djinn warrior, but he’s not all brawn. A warrior prince of the earth djinns (genies), he wields swords as easily as breathing...yet he loves plants and agriculture because it means food for his people and he loves taking care of his heartmate.

So if he were feeding Maya he'd choose a dish that celebrated Spring and nourished the soul...like a verdant Pea Soup!

Spring Pea & Mint Soup  ( a recipe out of “If it makes you healthy,” the new cookbook by singer Sheryl Crow)

The brilliant color, minty aroma and refreshing taste make this lovely. It tastes good warm or cold from the refrigerator. The mint not only refreshes your senses, but also helps stimulate digestion.

1 ½ teaspoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

3 cups vegetable broth

1 pound frozen or fresh shelled peas

1/3 cup chopped mint leaves

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 ½ teaspoon sugar

1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

1 ½ cups packed fresh spinach leaves

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat.

2. When hot, add onion and sauté until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes.

3. Add the vegetable broth and bring to boil.

4. Add peas and mint, cook 4 to 5 minutes.

5. Turn the heat low and add lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper. Whisk the soup to mix all the ingredients, and then remove from heat. Let the soup cool for about 10 minutes.

6. Add in the raw spinach.

7. I used my immersion blender to blend the soup right in the pot. However, you can use a blender. Just work in two batches. If using blender, you could divide the raw spinach and add it to each batch in the blender.

8. Return soup to pot. Taste and adjust seasoning, then heat gently until warm.

9. Serves 4 to 6. (I served it with a shrimp salsa and chips on the side).

Now for the giveaway...drumroll please:

For my part of the giveaway, you can win a Kindle or Nook version of my first novella, an erotic paranormal romance published by Harlequin, THE DJINN'S DILEMMA, plus some cool genie swag -- a signed postacard featuring the cover of A Tale of 2 Djinns, a genie lamp key chain and a packet of wildflower seeds.


To enter you can do one of several things or a combination for more chances:


1. Leave a comment with your email (earns you one entry).


2. Follow me on twitter (earns you one entry)...but tweet at me: "Found you through Authors In Bloom."


3. Fan me on Goodreads and please leave me a message mentioning Authors In Bloom (earns you one entry).


4. Like my Facebook Author Page! (earns you two entries)


(If you do a combination, please mention all that you've done in a comment at the end of this post)


Tour ends April 18th at 11:59pm EST.  TWO winners will be chosen & announced by April 20th.

GRAND PRIZE: Authors In Bloom authors are giving away a Kindle Fire or Nook (winner’s choice) along with a $25 gift card for the same.

Now, go check out all the other authors participating in Authors In Bloom!