13 Horror Stories - John McDonnell, Author

"Black Bean Pie"

(a John McDonnell Special)

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Yields: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups canned black beans, drained
1/2 cup medium salsa
1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 pie shell
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar-monterey jack blend cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Combine the beans, salsa, roasted peppers, and seasonings.
Empty the mixture into the pie shell.
Top the mixture with the shredded cheese.
Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
Allow to cool slightly before cutting.

13 Horror Stories – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

As the title states – 13 Horror Stories is made up of 13 horror stories.  They range from The Beauty Part, which is a story about a woman who didn’t accept rejection, to Stuck, which is a story about a man who can’t get the image of a tree, a car and the moonlight out of his head.  You also have The Thing in the Basement.  You can imagine what the outcome will be when Billy is sent to the basement as punishment – or can you?  The Box can bring knowledge to the one who opens it -- or maybe not.  In Conclusions – will the wife allow the girlfriend to move in with her and her husband?  And the stories go on…….

13 Horror Stories is an amusing book that may be short but it’s packed full of horror.

Releasing Gillian's Wolves - Tara Woolpy

Gillian’s Endure the Scandal Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are so easy and yummy it’s sinful. They’re the perfect breakfast food for those days when your spouse’s sexual peccadilloes make front page news, or anytime you could use a little sweet buttery love. All you need is a cup of butter, ¾ cup of brown sugar, an egg, some vanilla, a cup of flour, 3 cups oats, 1 tsp baking soda and ½ tsp salt, cinnamon and nutmeg to taste, 2-3 handfuls of raisins and a bag of chocolate chips.

Preheat the oven to 375. Cream the butter and sugar, dump in the egg and vanilla and blend. In another bowl mix up the flour baking soda and spices. Fold that mixture in with the butter/sugar/egg goop. Add oats, stir, add raisins, stir, add chocolate chips, stir. Form into cookies and bake for 10-15 minutes. Ignore the newspaper and enjoy with coffee and a good book.

Releasing Gillian’s Wolves – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

“Jack, I don’t care what you do, I really don’t.  But,”  I paused until I was sure of his full attention, “you might want to keep it in your pants.  All deals are off if I wake some morning to find your dirty laundry all over the papers.”  Jack blanched, started to speak, stopped and simply nodded.  He sat back in his chair and watched me in silence as I ate my dinner.  He finished his drink.  We were both relieved when Mark rang the doorbell.  I nodded to Mark as he entered the kitchen.  “Hi, make yourself at home, there’s more salad in the bowl if you’d like.  I’ll clean up later.”  I turned to Jack.  “Excuse me, I have work to do,” and I exited out the patio door, down the steps and through the grass to the cabin.  I closed the door behind me and collapsed onto the couch before I let out the first sob.  The cabin air felt moist and hot, but I hugged myself close as I rocked back and forth, feeling it all crumble away.’

Gillian Wolf Sach is married to Congressman Jack Sach.  That’s if you can call it a marriage.  Gillian has played the part of being the “good wife” for years while Jack has played the part of being the “bad husband.”  It appears that if it wore a skirt and fell for his celebrity status, they were fair game for on the side activities.  But when Gillian became suspicious of his affair with an aide younger than their own daughter, something clicked.  In her own words “One day something, could be something unimportant that you’d usually gloss right over, something tips you over the line and things change.  You might not even know it at the time, but that’s when a bad marriage ends.”  And hers did.   She promised to stay with Jack until the end of the next election but made no promises after that. 

The day after the election Gillian left to first visit her daughter and then on to Amsterdam where her long time friend Edward was now living with his significant other Sam.  A trip that started as an attempt to collect herself and her feelings ended up becoming the beginning of a new life for Gillian.  But when she receives word that the FBI have a warrant out for her she sees the possibility of her new life slipping through her fingers. 

It seems like there is always a political figure ending up in the news due to their extramarital activities and I’ve often wondered why their spouse seems to stand by them.  Why not just leave, make them leave and/or divorce and get it over with.  After reading Releasing Gillian’s Wolves, I now have a bit more of an understanding as to why they stay.  There is always that slight hope of things changing, they feel the world will see them as the cause of the failure, the list goes on and on.  Gillian felt all of these but she also didn’t want the publicity that her family would be put through if the real truth regarding Jack came out.  And in the beginning she took the out that many, whether in the political eye or not, seem to take.  Ignore it and run away.  Sort of like “out of sight, out of mind.”  But that never works.  Problems must be faced to be solved.

When I first started reading Releasing Gillian’s Wolves I had no idea as to what it was going to be about.  It turned out to be a beautiful love story with a message that there can be life after love and that we all deserve to be happy.  I loved it!

2010

Bats in the Boathouse Press

280 pages

ISBN# 978-0-9832033-0-8

The Body in the Gazebo - Katherine Hall Page, Author

 

Baked Chicken With Red Wine, Sage  Root Vegetables

  (One of Faith & Katherine's Favorites)

 

2 1/2 pounds chicken

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2  pound parsnips

1/2  pound carrots

1 large yellow onion

2 tablespoons fresh sage

1/2  teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 cup red wine (not sweet)

 

Faith’s family likes dark meat, so she uses four whole chicken legs.

 

Preheat the oven to 350°. Rinse and pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Drizzle the oil in a casserole large enough to hold the chicken and vegetables. Faith prefers the oval ones from France, but Pyrex is just fine too. Place the chicken pieces in the casserole. Peel the parsnips, scrub (or peel) the carrots and cut both into chunks, about an inch long. Peel the onion and cut it into eighths. Arrange the assorted vegetables around the chicken. Strip the leaves off the sage stems. Roll them into a small cigar shape and slice into thin strips (a chiffonade). Sprinkle on top of the chicken and vegetables along with the salt and pepper. Pour the wine evenly over the casserole. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour. Uncover, baste with a bulb baster or a spoon and bake for another 45 minutes, basting occasionally. The chicken should be nicely browned. Let the dish rest for 5 minutes. Serves 4 amply. Be sure to spoon some of the liquid on top of the chicken and vegetables when serving.

 

What is nice about this dish is that it omits browning the chicken, which you would do in a more traditional coq au vin. It takes less time to prepare and Faith created it as a heart-wise version for her husband. She uses a salt substitute and takes the skin off the chicken unless she’s making it for company. You can vary the vegetables—turnips are good also. 

The Body in the Gazebo – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

 

‘Where could she hid it?  It wouldn’t do to have her daughter come across it.  Not that Pix was nosy, but she sometimes put Ursula’s wash away, so the Sheraton chest of drawers was out.  And the blanket chest at the foot of the bed that had been her grandmother’s was out, too.  Pix regularly aired the contents.  There wasn’t much furniture in the room.  Some years after Arnold died, Ursula had removed his marble-topped nightstand – the repository of books, eyeglasses, reading lamp, alarm clock, and eventually pill bottles – replacing it with a chaise and small candlestick table, angled into the room  It felt wrong to go into bed during the day, but she wanted a place to stretch out to read and, increasingly, to nap.  Somehow the chase made her feel a bit more like a grande dame than an old one.  There was a nightstand on her side of the bed, but her granddaughter, Samantha, often left little notes in the drawer and might notice the envelope.  Ursula always saved the notes – bits of poetry Samantha liked or just a few words, “Have sweet dreams, Granny.”  Generally Ursula did.  Her days had been good ones and she felt blessed.  Arnold, the two children, although Arnold junior lived in Santa Fe and she only saw him and his wife during the summer in Maine and on her annual visit out there.  Three grandchildren, all healthy and finding their ways without too much difficulty so far.  But you never know what life will hand you.  She stood up, chiding herself.  The six words – “Are you sure you were right?” – had entered her system like a poison, seeping into the very marrow of her bones and replacing her normal optimism with dark thoughts.’

 

Ursula Rowe has a problem.  Someone is sending her notes pertaining to something that happened years before when her brother Theo was still alive.  The notes threaten to tell her family about Theo whom her family doesn’t even know existed.  When she was young, her parents never talked about him and Ursula never found the right time to tell her own family that she had a brother.  This is something she can’t handle alone so she decides to solicit the help of her daughter Pix’s best friend Faith Fairchild. 

 

Faith finds Ursula’s story quite intriguing and will do whatever needs to be done to help but she too is faced with her own family problems.  Her husband, the Reverend Tom Fairchild has been “accused” in so many words, of dipping his hand into one of the church funds.  It appears that there is $10,000.00 missing and only he has access to the account.  As for Pix, she has gone to Charleston to meet her son’s new in-laws and help plan for the wedding.  But she adds to Faith’s building plate of problems by admitting that she recognized the bride’s father.  He turns out to be someone she met while in college and that the over a weekend party, the 2 got to know each other “very” well.  Problem is, she recognized him but he apparently didn’t recognize her.

 

So in The Body in the Gazebo, I found Faith with her plate full in trying to solve everyone’s problems as well as comfort those who needed comforting.  But, being the true friend and the creative person she is, she can handle just about anything.  See, she isn’t like her husband, seeing only the good in people.  And that’s just part of what made The Body in the Gazebo such a fun read.   Oh, did I forget to tell you, Faith is also a caterer?  Throughout the book you will find her preparing different dishes for different events with the treat of the recipes for her dishes being given at the end of the book!  Being a cook myself, this made a good read even better. 

 

2011

HarperCollins

259 pages

ISBN# 978-0-06-147426-2

Broken But Not Dead - Joylene Butler, Author

Butler’s Bannock Biscuits

6 cups flour

6 tsp shortening

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking powder

2 cups water – gradually

1 tsp nutmeg

1 cup raisins

Mix ingredients together in a large bowl, gradually adding water until dough is no longer sticky. Knead dough and place scone-size portions onto floured cooking sheet and bake at 350 for 18 – 22 minutes or until centre springs back when touched. If camping, flatten dough to half inch and fry in lightly greased pan over medium heat for 10 – 15 minutes.

Either way is very yummy.

*For something sweeter, add instant chocolate pudding mix and subtract from flour measurement. Add walnuts when desired. Still warm from the oven, smear butter on top and serve with jams on side.

Broken But Not Dead – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

‘I lifted my head and squinted. My eyes finally adjusted to the semi-darkness. Was that the woodstove next to me? I squinted harder. It was less than five feet away. How-? On my right, the chesterfield and chair, so close I could have reached out to touch them. A chunk of moonlight outlined the veranda doors less than six feet from the foot of my bed. I sucked in air. Not possible. I slumped back. I was in my bead in the middle of the living room, lying where my coffee table should be. “Confused?” a voice whispered.’

Brendell Meshango had just resigned her position with The University of Northern British Columbia where she taught English. For the first time in her 50 years of life she was finally free to do whatever she pleased. And today it pleased her to go to her cabin, build a fire, sit on the veranda and listen to the loons. Apparently someone else had other plans for Brendell which proved true when she woke up in the middle of her living room instead of her bedroom.

Brendell was one of twelve kids born to abusive, alcoholic parents. Her Indian mother loved to beat her children because she hated them, all of them. Her father beat them because he didn’t want them to end up like him. The kids were beaten for no apparent reasons but mother Agnostine enjoyed telling Brendell her beatings were due to her being a “stupid frog-squaw”, in other words – a half-breed. Brendell was determined not to allow them to break their spirits. Her defiance allowed her to prove to her mother, as well as herself, that she was a good person was to teach the one language her mother hated – English. Her determination paid off when it took her straight to the top by becoming the head of the English department.

So, who has captured Brendell, who is holding her captive, who is torturing her and threatening her daughter Zoe if she tells anyone? Even after she’s released and allowed to go home, her intruder shows up there with more threats. When Zoe’s best friend ends up being beaten, the police suspect her husband but when the details came out as to how she was beaten, Brendell recognizes his method and style. Her only choice for protecting Zoe is to get her out of town to safety and find this person before he strikes again.

Broken But Not Dead is written without the “fluff” that’s found in many books. Joylene Nowell Butler gets straight to the story, taking you from one happening to the next and keeps you turning the page. The characters of Brendell and her determination, Zoe and her stubbornness, the mental instability of the “intruder” is written with such possibility that the book is very believable. Now that I’ve read Broken But Not Dead, I can’t wait to read Dead Witness also written by Joylene Butler.

244 pages

The Adventures of Larry the Alien - John McDonnell, Author

Breakfast egg and bagel.
  A John McDonnell Special

Beat one egg in a coffee mug till it’s well mixed (no separation between yolk and whites). Add a few drops of milk. Microwave this mixture in the coffee mug for one minute and 25 seconds, on high. It’s very important to mix the egg well, or it will come out of the microwave in clumps of yolk and white.

. Microwave a large frozen bagel for 25 seconds to thaw it out, then cut it open. 

. When the egg is finished microwaving, spoon it out on one half of the bagel. Try to distribute it evenly on the bagel, so none of it falls over the edge.  

. Take a slice of American cheese and put it on top of the egg. If you don’t have American cheese, a spreadable cheese like Velveeta will make an excellent substitute.

. Put the other half of the bagel on top of the egg and cheese, like a sandwich. Press down so the hot egg will thaw the bagel some more. 

. Cut the bagel in half if you prefer, and eat it. This egg breakfast bagel makes a tasty, quick, and nutritious breakfast meal.

The Adventures of Larry the Alien – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

‘Murphy didn’t realize the guy at the end of the bar was an alien until he tried to flag him.  The guy had been drinking for hours and was pretty scuppered at this point, but when Murphy said, “You’ve had enough, pal,” he suddenly found himself standing knee deep in a Cretaceous swamp, with the largest crocodile he’d ever seen staring at him from 50 feet away.  He took a step back, then heard a thunderous roar behind him and turned to see a Tyrannosaurus Rex’s head above the treetops, heading this way fast.  He probably would have been the T. Rex’s breakfast if the alien hadn’t zapped him back to the bar just in time.’

Murphy has just met his 1^st alien, at least that he knows of.  His name is Larry and he was sent to earth to monitor its people.  But Larry feels rejected and sorry for himself which always ends up with him having anxiety attacks, crying and him turning into multiple “beings.”  Murphy, being the good bartender he is, listens to Larry’s problems and decides to invite him to stay with him, his wife Dolores and her mother Edna.  So, to help him out even more, Larry’s new found friends try cheering him up by taking him to a seafood restaurant, which was a mistake because they served octopus, and even tried to find him a girl friend, which turned out to be an exterminator.

The Adventures of Larry the Alien is written with so much humor but so realistic that I could actually see Larry taking on his different forms and protesting that serving octopus was barbaric.  This short book of Larry’s adventures is not only funny but so creative on the author’s part.  It has taken me to the decision that if I ever run into an Alien, and know it, that I want him to be just like Larry.  A really fun book to read.

Smashwords

2011

Borealis - A Space Anthology Book Two - Burkhart, Mitchell & McMasters, Authors

Steph's Chicken, Pasta & Tomatoes
  A Stephanie Burkhart Special 

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, cubbed ½ -1 inch

2 cups pasta, prepared per package instructions

penne, twists, shells works best,  no noodle pastas

3 tablespoons julienne sun dried cut tomatoes

EVOO

Salt & pepper to taste

1.    Heat pan with EVOO over med. Heat. Add the chicken and cook until almost done.

2.    Prepare pasta per package instructions

3.    Add tomatoes, cooked pasta, & salt & pepper to taste.

Borealis – A Space Anthology Book Two – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

 

Shadows and Light – Stephanie Burkhart, Author

 

“Get it off me!”  Elijah and Dax turned in the direction of the cry.  A civilian dressed in a dark green overcoat ran past Korn, the latest bar to open on the main commerce level… “Uudon overdose?” asked Dax.  “Let’s hope he’s not contagious,” said Elijah.  “Let’s go.”… Dax was three paces behind Elijah.  The OD had collapsed.  His breathing was labored, his eyes were blood red and white foam dribbled over his chin.  A person in a dark cloak ripped off the OD’s sleeve.  An obsidian patch, two inches in diameter, covered the OD’s bicep.  “Stop!” cried Elijah.  Startled, the figure bolted up.  Elijah drew in a breath and took off in a sprint.

 

Uudon is a drug induced by the Trans Planetary Protectorate or TPP to control those they determine need controlling.  The usage has become so common that there is now a rush between the TPP and the Rebels to find a cure for the addiction.  The TPP have come up with a patch which works but in the most drastic way…it kills the user.  TPP enforcer Elijah Kantor and Rebel spy Persephone must put their heads together and fight this battle together before others die.

 

Liberty’s Flight – Esther Mitchell, Author

 

“Right behind you, Tasia,” she addressed her friend, even as she turned toward the buxom blonde who stood poised in the doorway, her dark blue skin suit revealing far more than it covered.  Bile rose in Libby’s throat as she glanced down at her own, a paler, powder blue, and looking a lot more like nightclothes than a dress.  Small wonder Jake “Skin” Ruby wanted her to work for him.  She was a step shy of hooking, already dressed like this.  But she’d fended him off, so far.  She wasn’t about to become one of the Undon-addicted sex slaves.  Not if she planned to keep any self-respect, or face her daughter in the morning.

 

Liberty Ardine and her daughter Nala had escaped the clutches of her husband only to find herself working for Skins Ruby as a dancer.  But even this life was better than the one she had left.  Libby’s husband had planned to turn their daughter Nala over to the highest bidder for his own personal gains up the ladder of power.  Nala was special with a special power that the governing rulers of Borealis wanted.  But when Nala is kidnapped it takes Libby and a rebel named Sam, going up against their most feared enemy to steal her back.

 

Blue Lies – Shea McMaster, Author

 

‘Information was the name of her game and the station on the edge of conquered space was rife with it.  If one knew how to dig it out, and she did, one could discover the most fascinating things, many of which were useful to the Rebellion.  However, there were problems.  Number one, her cover might be compromised and not just because Kev would arrive soon.  Or she’d find him.  Damn kid.  He didn’t belong here, didn’t understand her delicate position.  One hint she might be spying for the rebels and her reliable sources would dry up.  Or worse, her tentative meet for later in the month would fall through, or turn her over to the TPP, and she could even find herself tossed into the infamous prison on the lower levels of the station.  She brushed at her hair to hide her shudder at the very thought.’

 

Summer Merriweather or Merri Sumner or Sunset Mirran, a professional Dominatrix…how many names has this woman gone by?  That is the question TPP Commander Kal Raines plans to find out.  What is this fairy of a woman hiding?  Can she be trusted?  An even bigger question is can he trust himself while with her?  She could easily be a rebel.  But boy is she quickly getting under his skin.

 

I read Borealis – Book One which was very entertaining.  I couldn’t see how the authors could make the stories even better, but they have.  Book Two consists of three separate stories with connections to each other.  I’m now crossing my fingers that there will be a Book Three.  And Shea McMaster, please continue with the touch of humor in your writings.  I loved it!

 

2010

Desert Breeze Publishing

ISBN# 978-1-936000-97-5

 

Sarah They're Coming For You - Susan Kronick, Author

My Family's Favorite "Jewish" Coffee Cake   A Susan Kronick Recipe This was always the cake that was sent to camp, college, and is still requested by my family for Holiday tables. Enjoy!

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees, spray 2 loaf pans with non-stick spray.

Mix filling and set aside: 1/4 cup melted butter 1 cup brown sugar 3 TBL. flour 1 tsp. cinnamon 3/4 cup “mini” semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 cup chopped pecans

Batter: 1/2 cup softened, room temperature butter 1 cup sugar 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 3 eggs 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1 cup sour cream

Sift flour, baking powder and salt in bowl, set aside. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. This works well in bowl of a standing mixer, as the batter will get thick. Beat eggs into butter mixture, one at a time. Add vanilla and sour cream. Slowly add in the dry ingredients, a little at a time, until well incorporated.

Spread 1/4 of the batter evenly in each of the loaf pans. Top with 1/4 of the filling mixture. Repeat this step, ending with the filling mixture on top.

Bake for 50-65 minutes… Enjoy….Freezes and ships very well!!

Sarah They’re Coming For You – Review by Martha A Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

 

‘Each time the psychic buzzer sounded, she hoped the numbers indicated the time on the clock would be different, anything but the dreaded 3:33 a.m.  Sarah knew the sound existed exclusively within her own head, unheard by all others.  Still, she looked over at Richard in the same way she had long ago glanced at her sister Nancy.  Why can’t anyone else hear the buzzer, too?  She silently begged for an answer. Weary from her repugnant routine, Sarah prayed for protection from the inevitable parade of lost souls.  Slowly creeping closer and closer, any moment they would begin their morbid ascent into her bedroom.  The intense dread accompanying the gathered spirits had not dissipated at all throughout the years.  Drenched in a cold sweat that signified primeval fear, tense muscles throbbed in her aching neck, joined by an accomplice of terror so strong the blood in her veins ran cold and threatened to congeal in its tracks.  Her heart palpitated with such force thoughts of an imminent heart attack lingered in her mind.  Sarah knew what it meant to be scared to death.  The air was sucked from the room, and she struggled to breathe.  Heaviness paralyzed her limbs, rendering her unable to move.  The morbid chant assaulted her auditory sense.  “Sarah, they’re coming for you…Sarah, they’re coming for YOU…Sarah, they’re COMING FOR YOU.”

 

For most of her life Dr. Sarah Pullman has been haunted as dead figures ascend into her bedroom at night with one purpose which is to torment her.  Sarah having a Ph.D. in psychology with a specialty in paranormal studies has spent the last fourteen years investigating haunted houses across the world to Austria.  But nothing in her education, training nor experience has prepared her for the events to soon happen in her own life. 

 

Sarah had been invited to give a talk regarding the differences between the three different types of haunting, Sarah is approached by an older woman who introduces herself as Dinah.  She tells Sarah that she is the reincarnated soul of her great-great-great-grandmother and that she must trace her family history to find the answers to put an end to her own constant haunting by demons from the past. 

 

Sarah’s research ends taking her to a castle on the other side of the world, which had been owned by several generations of her past family, known as “Weiser Schloss.”  Dinah has agreed to be her travel companion as well as her tour guide since she was originally from the same area and could speak the language.  Along the way, the duo will encounter 12 of her own cousins who insist on claiming the castle as their own.  But with Dinah’s help and a trio of nuns they meet on their train ride across the country, Sarah is made aware that she must be the 1^st to reach the castle if she wants to end her torture.  

 

This has been one fascinating book to read.  Author Susan Kronick takes us on a tour of Vienna that is so clear that you can’t help but picture each place as it’s described.  In Sarah They’re Coming for You I found Susan Kronick to be a writer with a very vivid imagination.

 

147 pages

2009

Wild Child Publishing

ISBN# 978-1-936222-32-2