Valley Forge Romance Writers is proud to announce The Sheila Contest opens for entries on March 1, 2013
Fee: $25 for VFRW members, $30 for non-members
Deadline: April 12, 2013
Eligibility: all RWA members, published and unpublished, who have not
published a full-length novel (40K words or more) in the category
entered at the time of the contest deadline and within the past five
years.
Entry: Total of 35 pages, including synopsis (not to exceed 5 pages).
Categories: Single Title Romance, Historical,
Fantasy/Futuristic/Paranormal, Women's Fiction with Romantic Elements,
Romantic Suspense, Young Adult.
Judges: Entrants will receive a detailed score sheet from four qualified judges, including PRO and PAN members.
Categories and Final Judges: Romantic Suspense Katherine Pelz, The
Berkley Publishing Group; Historical Elizabeth (Lizzie) Poteet, St.
Matin's Press; Women's Fiction Alex Logan, Grand Central Publishing;
Single Title Emilia Pisani, Gallery Books; Paranormal - Megha Parekh,
Grand Central Publishing; YA Wendy Loggia, Delacorte Press/RHCB.
Top Prize: Certificates. First- through fourth-place winners will have their names printed in RWR magazine.
FMI, http://www.vfrw.com/contest.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Friday, February 1, 2013
HAPPY IMBOLC!
For those interested in the Celtic traditions, to honor this first day of spring you can upload a free copy of my novella Deirdre (a retelling of Deirdre of the Sorrows) at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/237564
Friday, January 25, 2013
Roast Chicken with Oatmeal Stuffing-Happy Robert Burns Day!
Pat McDermott here, wishing everyone a Happy Robert Burns Day, and I can't think of a better recipe to help celebrate than this scrumptious roast chicken and its wonderfully Scottish stuffing and bread sauce.
Some years ago, while driving around New Hampshire's Lake Winnipesaukee, I stopped in a Celtic store that probably no longer exists and purchased a book of Traditional Scottish Recipes by Rosalie Gow. Most of the recipes dealt with rabbit and other obscure game that will probably never enter my kitchen (but never say never, sez I). The haggis, Cloutie Dumplings, and Drambuie Soufflé sounded interesting, but the Roast Chicken with Oatmeal Stuffing caught my attention right off. The recipe simply stated: "If you have never tried chicken or turkey stuffed with oatmeal and served with bread sauce, I advise you to do so now."
Some years ago, while driving around New Hampshire's Lake Winnipesaukee, I stopped in a Celtic store that probably no longer exists and purchased a book of Traditional Scottish Recipes by Rosalie Gow. Most of the recipes dealt with rabbit and other obscure game that will probably never enter my kitchen (but never say never, sez I). The haggis, Cloutie Dumplings, and Drambuie Soufflé sounded interesting, but the Roast Chicken with Oatmeal Stuffing caught my attention right off. The recipe simply stated: "If you have never tried chicken or turkey stuffed with oatmeal and served with bread sauce, I advise you to do so now."
Compelling words, and rightfully so. The bread sauce is to die for, simple and healthful. I found the oatmeal stuffing delicious, but better, in my opinion, when enhanced with a few fresh herbs. If you have never tried it, I advise you to do so now!
ROAST CHICKEN with OATMEAL STUFFING and BREAD SAUCE
For the Stuffing:
1 cup oatmeal or loose oats
Poultry herbs, such as fresh sage and/or thyme
¼ cup butter (½ stick)
1 small onion, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350°. Mix oatmeal, onion, herbs, and salt and pepper together in a bowl by rubbing into the butter. Stuff and truss a good-size roasting chicken. Smear chicken with butter and/or bacon fat and roast until done, basting occasionally. (Note: A pop-up timer is always helpful when roasting chicken.)
For the Bread Sauce:
Remove crusts from 2 large slices of bread. Process into crumbs. Place crumbs in small saucepan with 1¼ cups milk, salt and pepper, and a small onion stuck with 4-5 cloves. Bring to a boil. Simmer to infuse flavors for 20-30 minutes. Remove onion, adjust seasonings, and serve with chicken. (Note, some cooks mince the onion and leave it in the sauce. A matter of taste, entirely.) Enjoy!
Poultry herbs, such as fresh sage and/or thyme
¼ cup butter (½ stick)
1 small onion, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350°. Mix oatmeal, onion, herbs, and salt and pepper together in a bowl by rubbing into the butter. Stuff and truss a good-size roasting chicken. Smear chicken with butter and/or bacon fat and roast until done, basting occasionally. (Note: A pop-up timer is always helpful when roasting chicken.)
For the Bread Sauce:
Remove crusts from 2 large slices of bread. Process into crumbs. Place crumbs in small saucepan with 1¼ cups milk, salt and pepper, and a small onion stuck with 4-5 cloves. Bring to a boil. Simmer to infuse flavors for 20-30 minutes. Remove onion, adjust seasonings, and serve with chicken. (Note, some cooks mince the onion and leave it in the sauce. A matter of taste, entirely.) Enjoy!
Labels:
bread sauce,
chicken,
oatmeal,
Robert Burns Day,
Scottish recipes
Friday, January 4, 2013
CELTIC ROSE WRITERS AND FRIENDS
Once again this weekend my blog will be open to Celtic and historical writers, to post promotion or chat in the Comments section of this post. By all means, introduce yourselves and leave us some blurbs, excerpts and links. If someone is looking for a read, feel free to browse. No pressure. If you want a closer look at a book, just copy and paste the buy link in your browser. Authors, show us your stuff! :) Readers, feel free to comment and let us know what you're looking for.
Running Over Rainbows
Of unicorns and Welsh mountain ponies . . .
Can a young girl and a sixty-something woman have something in common--say, a white unicorn in the form of a wild mountain pony?
Can a young girl and a sixty-something woman have something in common--say, a white unicorn in the form of a wild mountain pony?
Bil and Bon Franks are thunderstruck at our good fortune of having a four-book saga be accepted by MuseItUp Publishing.
Thanks, Miriam Newman, for letting us introduce our first book here on your beautiful site; and for overlooking the niggling little fact that the setting is not “celtic.” Later, yes . . . everyone ends up in St. Patrick’s Ireland.
The centuries old Roman fort of Deva Victrix |
The time is roughly 429 AD. The place, Britannia on the eve of Roman retreat. A 15-year old girl is sent by her mother to stay for six months with her great-aunt Marrie. She has traveled from the area around the Roman fort Deva Victrix (modern Liverpool) west to the province of Lindum (present day Lincoln).
The crumblng remains of Roman Lincoln (Lindum) |
The girl is a hellion, plain and simple. She’s been a tomboy all her life, especially since the death of her father five years before. Her mother has allowed her to run virtually wild on their ancestral estate. Now, however, she has drawn in the reins in an ancient call to tradition: her daughter Caylith must learn how to become a woman. A landed woman, a woman of influence and means, a woman who will know how to choose a proper mate when the time is right.
So great-aunt Marrie, the aunt of her dead Roman father, is to take the teen into her Roman manor and teach her, among other subjects, money, manners, and proper marriage.
But Caylith has other goals in mind. While her elderly aunt is outdoors where the spirited teen longs to be, she is festering to be free of the linen-storage room where Marrie keeps her busy counting supper towels.
The mischievous redhead cannot be held captive for too long and soon discovers two of her aunt’s long-held secrets.
The book is as much about the elderly Marrie as it is about Caylith. She, too, is a redhead; and she, too, has a certain streak--but she keeps it carefully hidden from everyone. When Caylith begins to discover her secrets, the novel explores the convergence of old and young, reality and magic.
On Christmas Eve, Aunt Marrie schedules a formal dinner for Caylith to show off her newly taught life skills, but Caylith is nowhere to be found. Has she run off to chase a unicorn . . . or will she manage to save the day, despite still being untamed by her well-meaning aunt?
Our book will debut January 18. Meanwhile, MuseItUp Publishing has given us an early-order buy link with a promise of 20% discount, at this link: http://bit.ly/Z93TBf
Next time we're invited back, we'll publish a short excerpt from the book. We promise, it will appeal to readers from the 'tweens to the twilight years!
The sagas of THE TWILIGHT OF MAGIC
Labels:
BilBon Franks,
Britannia in 5th century,
coming of age novel,
Deva Victrix,
historical fantasy,
Lindum,
Roman Britannia,
Running Over Rainbows novel,
Twilight of Magic,
young adult-adult novel
Friday, December 28, 2012
HOGMANAY by Nancy Lee Badger
Hogamanay celebration in Edinburgh, Scotland |
While researching my Highland Games Through Time series, I filled binders with oodles of neat facts. I thought I would share a few things I learned about Hogmanay.
My
books take place in both modern day New England as well as sixteenth century
Scotland. Hogmanay (also spelled Hogamany or Hogamanay) is the Scots term for the last day of the year, the day we
all now celebrate as New Year’ Eve. Like
many of us lucky enough to have the following day ‘off’, Hogmanay also includes
celebrating all the way through the next day and, sometimes, through January 2nd.
When
I looked deeper into the origin of Hogmanay, I found that many scholars believe
that the holiday has its roots in ancient times when the Nordic tribes acknowledged
the Winter Solstice, the Vikings enjoyed the Yule, and Scots celebrated
Samhain.
One
of the first things I ever read was a folk tale that mentioned the first guest
who walked across your home’s threshold after midnight on the last day of the
year. Some call this first-footing. Since hubby and I usually head to bed once
the ball drops in New York City (watched from our North Carolina home, where
the split screen also shows the NC Acorn drop) we rarely think about whom the
first person is that enters our home in the New Year. This year I will take
note!
I
am still confused about what this first-footing person does for us. Further
research says that the Scots exchange certain gifts, and what I read made me
laugh. These gifts include salt, coal, shortbread (yum), and fruit cake (yuck).
Then
I came across an interesting tidbit that mentioned another gift the Scots share
with their neighbors on Hogmanay…whisky! Now, that is a Scottish tradition
worth continuing!
Happy
Hogmanay!
Nancy
Lee Badger
More About the
Author
Nancy Lee Badger
loves chocolate-chip shortbread, wool
plaids wrapped around the trim waist of a Scottish Highlander, the clang of
dirks and broadswords, and the sound of bagpipes in the air. After growing up
in Huntington, New York, and raising two handsome sons in New Hampshire, Nancy
moved to North Carolina where she writes full-time. Nancy is a member of
Romance Writers of America, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers,
Fantasy-Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers, and the Celtic Heart
Romance Writers. Nancy and her family volunteer each fall at the New Hampshire
Highland Games and she is a proud Army Mom.
Find out more at:
Latest Release: My
Banished Highlander
Series:
Book #2 of the Highland Games Through Time
Genre:
Scottish Time Travel Romance
Length:
82,000 word Novel
Buy Links:
Also
available in PRINT!
Thursday, December 27, 2012
A Celtic Holiday
A Special Celtic Holiday Greeting
from Bil & Bon Franks
New CRW Members
To all our new friends at the beautiful Celtic Rose Writers site: we wish you joy of the season, and tremendous success in your writing endeavors this coming year.
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