#HolidayRecipe & eBook Sale: Marketing Exec’s Widow #99cents @AuthorTinaGayle

Christmas treats

Photo by belchonock from depositphotos.com

Please welcome author Tina Gayle with a #HolidayRecipe & an eBook sale for her Marketing Exec’s Widow.

Around The World In 80 Meals CoverI have a friend who wrote an awesome cookbook. I wanted to share one of her recipes and tell you a little about her book Around the World in 80 Meals: The Best of Cruise Ship Cuisine weaves gastronomic delights around an exotic seven-day dream fantasy cruise.

If you love #cruising and #cooking, check out AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 MEALS, seven menus and #recipes from the world’s greatest cruise ships, by Diana Rubino. #cookbooks
On sale at Amazon: http://amzn.to/15P4vF2

Here is one of the recipes I enjoyed.

Spinach and Pear Salad with Rosemary Vinaigrette

Ingredients

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable broth
1½ tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons white miso – (I left this out)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1½ teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
4 cups baby spinach
4 teaspoons coarsely chopped toasted walnuts
2 pears, unpeeled, cored, thinly sliced
¼ cup crumbled blue cheese

Instructions

Blend vinegars, broth, shallots and miso in a blender until smooth. Mix in the herbs, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Toss spinach and walnuts in a large bowl and coat with dressing. Place spinach on salad plates.

Top with sliced pears and cheese.

Blend vinegars, broth, shallots and miso in a blender until smooth. Mix in the herbs, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Toss spinach and walnuts in a large bowl and coat with dressing. Place spinach on salad plates.

Top with sliced pears and cheese.

This was easy and tasty. I like spinach with strawberries so I knew I’d like this too.

author of heartwarming romance novels for romance readers.

author of heartwarming romance novels for romance readers.

Four women…
One fatal car wreck…
Everyone’s lives changed…

Blurb:

Jennifer Larson, having lost her husband, friends and the perfect life she’d had plan, now faces the biggest challenge of her life, moving into an unplanned future. While the rest of the Executive Wife Club is still wallowing in the past, Jen is tempted into the future by a sexy chiropractor, Hagan Chaney.

But does he really love her or is he only after her money?

Excerpt:

Why in heaven’s name did he ask her on a date?

And why did she care?

She had no plans other than a casual dinner for two.

He glanced up and a pretty-boy grin crossed his lips. The twinkle in his hazel eyes softened the square line of his jaw. “So have you decided what you want?”

Heat simmered low in her belly. Oh, yeah, answering that question the wrong way could get her into a world of trouble.

Tempted by wicked ideas, Jen blinked and stared at the menu. She’d do better if he didn’t know the wild directions of her brainwaves. “I’m not sure I can eat. I haven’t been this nervous since my first date with Craig.”

Ah, shit, I wasn’t supposed to mention him. Fire burned her cheeks and her gaze popped to Hagan’s befuddled expression.

“Craig?” Hagan lowered his menu.

“My…uh…husband. He died several months ago.” Jen’s grip tightened on the plastic folder and her heart raced into overdrive. Great, just what she needed to say to start the evening off on the right note. Mention your dead husband and kill the mood.

“Want to call the evening a bust?” she blurted out, angry at herself for failing so miserably at the dating game.

Hagan leaned forward and folded his hands above his menu. “No. I already knew.”

“What? How?” She clenched her hands together under the table. He said he moved here from Texas, having arrived a few months ago to set up his practice and to be near his dad. How could he have found out? Did someone tell him? But who?

“My dad told me. He read about your husband’s accident in the paper.”

“God, you must think I’m awful.”

“Not even in the ballpark as to what I think about you. Because I know you would never have said yes to a night out with me if you’d been happy in your marriage.”

His words hit her like a fist to the face and her head snapped backward, striking the wooden partition between the booths. Wow, how could he have guessed the truth when so many people who knew her hadn’t?

She closed her eyes and searched for an answer. For so long, she’d kept her emotions bottled inside, not allowing anyone to see the loneliness or heartache her unhappy marriage had caused. What now? Lie, or admit the truth?

The vinyl cushion squeaked, and a hand touched her shoulder, pulling her from her stupor. Hagan slipped in beside her, his thigh bumped hers and his arm slid along the back of the seat. In the space of a few seconds, his large athletic body blocked her escape from the confining booth.

Nerves pulsed in an agitated rhythm. She couldn’t sit still, and opened her mouth to tell him to back off, but the thin lines of concern marring his brow killed the comment.

“Hey, there’s no reason to get upset.” He cupped a hand over her shoulder and drew her close. “I’m happy you said yes.”

Jolted by his sudden nearness, she exhaled, and then fought to draw air back into her lungs. His crisp, masculine scent acted like a seductive lure, and she had to fight the urge to bury her nose in the curve of his neck.

Another sniff and her resolve weakened. She snuggled deeper into his embrace, savoring his strength, and allowed her cheek to caress the soft fabric of his sweater. Her breasts, crushed against the hard wall of his chest, grew heavy with need. Butterflies flapped wildly in her stomach. Alarms sounded, warning her to pull away.

Read the 1st chapter of any of my books at www.tinagayle.net.

Marketing Exec’s Widow is available at Amazon for 99 cents.

Thanks for hosting me on your blog and I hope everyone has an awesome holiday season.

Tina

New Release: Silent Signals, A Cowboy Christmas by @lcarrollbradd

Silent Signals, A Cowboy Christmas series
by Linda Carroll-Bradd
Publisher: Prism Book Group
Release Date: 11/18/16 (24,431 words)

Silent Signals cover

Blurb for Silent Signals:

After losing half his herd in the Great Blizzard of 1886, rancher Konrad Werner needs to safeguard his cattle. Tomboy Anora Huxley trains the Australian Shepherds and Kelpies that run the family’s sheep herd. Although cattlemen and shepherds are at odds, the pair discover common interests. A threat is overheard, and Konrad rides out to Anora’s ranch to protect her. The tense situation reveals their true feelings. Will Anora be swayed by family loyalty, or will she listen to her heart that responds to Konrad’s silent signals?

Available now at Amazon Kindle.

Excerpt:

Mikel returned, dropping two rolls of wire onto the counter. “I have a new shipment of barbed wire too. Perhaps that works better for your needs?”

Konrad turned and laid a hand on the smooth wire. “The fence to pen in my cattle has several components, so this is what I need. But thanks, Toussaint.”

The shopkeeper shrugged. “Some ranchers prefer the barbed.”

“I do too, and I may have to resort to that when the winter weather sets in. But I’ll wait on that purchase.” He leaned his other hand on the counter. “This year, I’m building a brush fence. I’ll use what I can from downed branches and rocks cleared from the field that will be planted in the spring.” He shrugged and straightened.

“Makes sense.” Mikel nodded as he pulled the pencil from his ear. “I remember those types of fences in old country. Uncle had them around his vineyard.”

Konrad was sure his wasn’t the only sad story the store owner had heard over the last year. “Gotta come up with the cheapest solution for protecting my cattle.” He shook his head. “The ranch can’t withstand any more losses like last year.”

“Excuse me, sir.” A female voice floated in the air.

The tone was pitched low, almost intimate. Konrad shifted and raised an eyebrow at the tall woman dressed in an ill-fitting coat and a split skirt that showed several inches of boot-encased legs. “Are you speaking to me?”

“Have you considered using herding dogs to contain your cattle?” The blonde woman took one step closer, her gaze intent.

“No.” This stranger had an opinion about how he ran his ranch? His body stiffened.

“I train the dogs that work the sheep at Green Meadows Ranch, and I don’t see why the dogs couldn’t be used with cattle.” She glanced over her shoulder and then back to connect with his gaze. “The principles are the same, as long as the person uses the right cues.”

He squinted at the green-eyed woman who stood only a few inches shorter than his six-foot height. Wisps of blonde hair had escaped the edges of her plain black bonnet and straggled along her cheeks. Her face was pleasant enough—probably would be more so without the frown creasing her forehead. “Have we met?”

“I apologize, Mr. Werner. I’m Anora Huxley.” A blush reddened her cheeks. “I am acquainted with Gaelle.”

His younger sister by five years. Which explained why he didn’t know this woman from his schooling years. Huxley did sound familiar, though. But he didn’t have time to contemplate why because the woman now stood by his side. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a thick-set scowling man hovering two feet away who looked madder than a newly branded steer. The second member of the arguing duo.

“My dogs are exceedingly smart. A special breed with strong herding instincts. They respond to hand signs and whistles, and from a distance of more than ten rods.”

He held up a hand lest he be stuck here listening to her run down every detail. “I do not wish to be lectured on how to run my ranch. My brush fence will suffice.” Regretting the stiffness of his tone, he lifted a finger to tap the brim of his hat. “Good day, Mrs. Huxley.” He spotted the brief widening of her gaze before scooping up the roll of wire and headed toward the storeroom. Irritation at the outspoken women and her high-handed advice put an extra punch into each footfall.

Cover Contest Finalist

Also, voting is open until November 20th for the winter cover contest sponsored by Still Moment Magazine. I’m proud that Silent Signals is one of ten finalists. To vote, leave the title or the #9 in a comment on the magazine’s Facebook page.

Linda Carroll BraddAbout the Author:

As a young girl, Linda was often found lying on her bed reading about fascinating characters having exciting adventures in places far away and in other time periods. In later years, she read and then started writing romances and achieved her first publication–a confession story. Married with 4 adult children and 2 granddaughters, Linda writes heartwarming contemporary and historical stories with a touch of humor from her home in the southern California mountains.

Linda’s Links:     Website     Blog    Facebook     Twitter     Goodreads