NEW
CONTEST!
Tell
me which authors/books you nominate for a Whitney Award and why – in one
sentence. (I’m asking because I know I’ll want to read them too!) Remember,
every book written by an LDS author is eligible. This includes mainstream
fiction, self-published novels, and e-books. (Including Haunts Haven on this site!) Every nomination you send – one per
category, of course—will enter you in a drawing for the 2007 Whitney Award
Winner of your choice. (Autographed, if I can possibly arrange it . . . and I
probably can!) Contest ends December 31, 2007 with the prize awarded after the
Whitney winners are announced.
ONGOING
CONTEST!
How well do you know the Nightshade series? We’re about
to find out! Peruse the following trivia questions and then send me your
answers. Everybody who gets four or more right will be entered in a monthly
drawing for a free download of their choice from the Curiosity Shop! One entry
per e-mail address per month, and you can only win once. (But feel free to keep
trying until you do!) Winners will be drawn on the first of each month and
announced in the newsletter.
TRIVIA
QUESTIONS
- The
lines “There needs no ghost, my lord, come from the grave to tell us
this” and “Though this be madness, yet there is method in ‘t” come
from which movie? A)
Ghostbusters B) The
Others C) Sixth Sense D) Hamlet
- Mr.
Mistoffelees is: A) a ghost B) a cat C) pregnant D) B & C
- Samantha
Shade dreams of being: A)
a superhero B) a supermodel C) an FBI agent D) on time for Sunday School
- Arjay
Shade’s motto is “Choose the Night” because:
A) a speech impediment makes it impossible for him to make an “R”
sound B) he suffers from xeroderma pigmentosum, an extreme sensitivity to
ultra-violet light C) he is a big fan of all things Camelot, but a very poor
speller D) it is the only time he can wear his Darth Vader costume without
attracting too much attention.
- The
man credited with developing the methodology for modern-day paranormal
investigations is: A)
Harry Price B) Harry Potter C) Norville “Shaggy” Rogers D) Jason Hawes
- Nightshade
Investigation’s décor features which of the following? A)
an electric chair B) a stuffed raven named Quoth C) a wax gypsy fortune
teller D) all of the above—and more!
- The
“Day of the Dead” is: A) the date upon which the corpse goes missing B)
Dia de los Muertos, a
centuries-old holiday C) the Sunday upon which Sam’s high councilman
father speaks to her singles ward D) the Marigold Murderer’s birthday
- Which
of the following best-selling, absolutely terrific suspense writers did not
write an endorsement for the covers of Ghost
of a Chance or Mummy’s the Word?
A) Jennie Hansen B) Betsy Brannon Green C) Julie Coulter Bellon D)
Agatha Christie
FANGS
FOR THE LAST CONTEST ENTRIES!
I
simply couldn’t choose the title I liked best from all your hilarious entries
for the next Nightshade book where Samantha and Thom take on “vampires.” (I
received about 150 suggestions—with only about a tenth of them coming from
Melanie & Rachel!) I considered assembling a panel of experts to help me
pick a winner, but the dog just had surgery and the cat isn’t interested in
anything that doesn’t squeak and/or reek of catnip, so I ended up dropping my
top ten favorites in a temporarily-empty coffin and having a good fiend (I mean
friend) draw the winner at random.
That winner was KATIE ASHCRAFT who was the first to submit
“Bite of Crime”! (I got this several times, interestingly enough.) I’m not
surprised Katie placed in the top ten. Even her screen name – sophistikate –
is clever! Katie won a signed copy of Digging
Up the Past (kind of appropriate when you think about it) and a bottle of
fabulous mango-scented Scentiments hand lotion. Honorable mention went to RACHEL
RILEY for two titles in the top ten: “Kiss Me, You Ghoul” and “A Bite to
Remember.” A few more titles that made me laugh out loud were “Love at
Stake”; “Fangs & Goodnight”; “Bad Neck of Town”; “Saturday Night
Frights”; “Okay, I’ll Bite”; “As Different as Bite & Day”; and
“Fangs for the Memories.” Thanks so much! You guys are awesome!
ARE
YOU PUZZLED?
Below
is the solution to the NIGHTSHADE
by Samantha Shade crossword puzzle. (Puzzle available in book kits, at
book signings, and by mail.) How did you do? If you got them all right, write to
me at the address listed at the bottom of this page and I’ll send you a signed
page from the Ghost of a Chance manuscript.
To
be added to Kerry's announcement list, email
her.
DIA
DE LOS MUERTOS RECIPES
Since dozens of people have asked
for the recipes for Mexican Wedding cookies and Pan de Muerto (Bread of the
Dead), here they are:
Mexican
Wedding Cookies
(The only treats better than powdered sugar donuts.)
Ingredients
- 1
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 3/4
cup powdered sugar
- 3
teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3
cups flour
- 1/4
teaspoon salt
- 1/2
cup pecans, chopped, roasted (see below)
- An
additional 3/4 cup powdered sugar to roll cookies in
- An
additional 1/4 teaspoon salt
Preparation:
Add butter, powdered sugar and
vanilla to a large mixing bowl. Mix at medium-high speed until completely mixed.
In a separate bowl, mix flour and salt. Mix the flour into the butter about 1/2
cup at a time until well incorporated. Carefully fold in the nuts. Roll into
one-inch balls and place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350º for
about 15 minutes. Roll the warm cookies in powdered sugar and cool.
Pan
de Muerto (Bread of the Dead)
(Good enough to die for!)
Ingredients
- 1
cup warm water
- 2
cups bread flour
- 1
cup whole wheat flour
- 1
teaspoon salt
- 2
tablespoons butter
- 2
tablespoons brown sugar
- 2
tablespoons honey
- grated
rind of one orange
- 1
cup white raisins
- 1½
teaspoon yeast
Preparation
Place all ingredients in a bread machine and select
sweet/light. (Bread may also be made in the traditional method.) On the Dia de
Los Muertos it is traditional to form loaves into shape of bones and/or use bits
of dough to form a skeleton on top of loaf.)
LINKS TO FAVORITE SITES
To
obtain a kit for any book, write to me at this site with the number in your
group and date you plan to discuss the book. (Please give me at
least two weeks to respond, although I’m usually fast.) If you’re
interested in other Covenant titles, enroll in the Covenant Book Club newsletter
by going to 
It
was such fun to serve as one of the judges for the 2007 Choose The Right Film
Festival for Youth. (You can see my spot at