Author Jenny Twist takes us to beautiful Morocco!

I am continuing my tour of Africa and the authors of the romantic suspense anthology ESCAPE TO AFRICA, which will be released by the World Romance Writers on July 14th as an ebook, and on July 15th as a print book.

Let your wild side free and Escape to Africa! Come along on an adventure through these 6 stories brought to you by 6 best-selling, award-winning authors.

You’ll uncover tales of an undercover operative in Casablanca, a safari guide in the Serengeti, students on holiday in Morocco, time-traveling agents in Tripoli, vengeance in Algeria, and deadly secrets in Carthage. Each of these stories will captivate you with love, danger, intrigue, and excitement. What better way to Escape?

Hello Jenny and welcome. What were your initial thoughts about the theme for the anthology?

When World Romance Writers told me the theme for the next anthology was to be romantic suspense set in Africa, I told them I couldn’t do it since I know nothing about Africa and I don’t even know what romantic suspense means. Then one of my friends said, “I know for a fact you’ve been to Morocco. You’ve got pictures of it all over your Face Book page.” I felt like a complete twit.

Of course I know Morocco. I’ve been there twice and loved it both times.

The problem was it sort of didn’t feel like a foreign country. For a start it’s practically just down the road from me. I live half-way up a mountain in Spain and on a clear day I can see the Rif mountains of Morocco poking over the horizon.

The other thing is that the part of Spain I live in was ruled by the Moors for hundreds of years and was, in fact, the last Moorish stronghold when the Christian monarchs finally drove them out. Our buildings, our landscape and much of our culture was shaped by the Moors. So when I went to Morocco, I found it very familiar.

The major difference was that everything was miles cheaper than in Spain and that you can’t have a beer with your lunch. The only place you can drink alcohol is in tourist hotels. That is, in fact, for me, the only thing that prevents Morocco from being a paradise.

Casa Joya, Jenny's house

How lucky you are to live in such a beautiful place, and in a hot climate. Having suffered many Lancashire rainy and grey summers, I can only envy you! What you tell us about the setting of your story?

Tangiers is a typical tourist town, full of shops, restaurants and hotels. The hotel where we stayed was a delightful example of Old Raj splendour gone to seed. Beautiful carved wooden panelling, a huge ‘Scarlet O’Hara’ staircase sweeping down beneath a gorgeous stained glass skylight. The reception rooms and bars were luxuriously furnished. It was all a little shabby but somehow endearing.

However, upstairs was rather different. At some point someone had had the bright idea of refurbishing all the bedrooms in formica and white plastic. Even the headboards and bedside tables were plastic. This gave you the uncomfortable feeling that you were in a Wendy House.

The pianist in the bar was a total delight. I won’t describe him here, since he figures in the story and I don’t want to spoil it. Just take it from me we had one of the most entertaining nights ever.

Moroccan market, courtesy of Pixabay

We didn’t go on any of the wonderful tours on offer in the hotel lobby, nor did we accept the services of any of the ‘guides’, so perhaps our experience wasn’t typical. We just wandered through the streets, shopping and stopping to eat from time to time. I bought two leather handbags, my friend bought a djellaba (the loose, flowing, Kaftan-like garment beloved of tourists) and my husband bought a pair of bright orange slippers with those pointy toes that curl up at the end. I’ve never seen them since. I wonder what happened to them?

They sound like the kind of fun slippers a genii might like! Where else did you visit in Morocco?

Blue door, Chefchouen

Later we visited Chefchouen . . . it was a joy. The town was founded by Jews driven out of Granada by the Christian monarchs. It is typically Spanish with narrow, winding, cobbled streets lined with stalls, a Moorish fort and a delightful place by the riverbank where the women still do their washing. I was told they all have washing machines but for large or heavy things, such as carpets, they still go to the river. Indeed, when we went we saw all the carpets hanging over the walls to dry.

But the really amazing thing about Chefchouen is that the houses are painted blue! This is nothing to do with Smurf films. Legend has it that that was the Granada style and they brought it with them.
Granada is not painted blue now, so maybe Chefchouen is your only chance of seeing what Granada might have been like under the Moors.

Chefchouen

I would go back. I intend to go back. The next time we have guests who are staying long enough to make it worthwhile I want to go again. It seems a shame not to share it. Meantime I have written about it.

I was lucky enough to read your fast-paced romantic suspense story before anybody else, and I really enjoyed it!

Incidentally I still don’t know what romantic suspense is. I googled it and nobody else seems to know either with any degree of confidence. Therefore I have written a sort of thriller with a romance in it and introduced as much suspense as I could.
I would be really grateful for comments on this when the book comes out.

I am sure you will get lots of compliments on your story, Jenny. Thank you very much for being my guest on the blog today.

Here is the blurb for Jenny Twist's story - An Object of Desire
Two students on holiday in Morocco discover that two sinister looking characters are following them. They meet an attractive man who offers to take them to their next destination. All seems well until one of the girls disappears.

ESCAPE TO AFRICA is available for pre-order at the special price of £0.99  here

A sweet recipe from the Middle Ages...all the way into your plate

My Thursday recipe is a little bit special today...not only because it is, for a change, a sweet one, but also because it is from a long, long time ago - the Middle Ages. It comes courtesy from Lindsey Townsend, one of the nine authors of LETTERBOX LOVE STORIES, an anthology of romantic short stories which is now available for pre-order here. Lindsay's story, PLAIN HARRY, is set in the Middle Ages...

Hello Lindsay and welcome. Thank you so much for this delicious recipe for Pears in Syrup. Tell me, why did you choose this recipe for today's blog?

Every now and again I have a go at a recipe from the ancient or medieval worlds, officially for research purposes but mostly through a mixture of curiosity and greed. Since I now own a copy of Constance Hieatt's delectable book of authentic medieval recipes, Pleyn Delit, this time it was one of those deceptively simple but spicy, wine-warm sweets which the fourteenth and fifteenth century loved.

The recipe calls for 1 kilo/2 lb of pears, 500ml red wine, 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar, 125 gm sugar, 1tsp. cinnamon and 1/4tsp. ground ginger, plus an optional 6-8 whole cloves and a pinch of saffron. There are several methods of cooking this fifteenth-century delicacy in Prof. Hieatt's book (recipe 113: Wardonys in Syryp), and medieval cooks would have used pots over an open fire, but I like to keep it simple, so used a casserole and a fan oven.

Parboil the pears in water for a few minutes, then peel and quarter them and lay them in the casserole. Add the cinnamon and sugar to the wine in a saucepan and heat it through until the sugar has dissolved, then strain (if necessary) and pour the mixture over the pears. Cover the casserole and leave it in the oven for about an hour at around 250C (180C in a fan oven worked fine). Remove the casserole and add the wine vinegar, cloves and saffron. If necessary, remove some of the liquid and boil it for a few minutes to reduce it, which will slightly thicken and sweeten the syrup. Put the casserole back in the oven and give it another 15 minutes or so. 'Look that it be sharp and sweet (poinaunt an dowcet)', the recipe says. Cool, serve and eat.

For more detail, more cooking methods and a mass of other recipes, see Pleyn Delit. The medieval English cook may well have used Warden pears, grown at the Cistercian abbey of Old Warden in Bedfordshire, and the abbey's coat of arms (top left, from the abbey's page at Bedfordshire County Council Archives) shows three of them. A similar dish, 'peres en confyt', includes mulberries for darkness and appears in the fourteenth-century cookbook, Forme of Cury.

This is fascinating, Lindsay! Thank you so much... Lindsay's story in LETTERBOX LOVE STORIES is called PLAIN HARRY.

 The blurb for 'Plain Harry' by Lindsay Townsend

 Recovering from a brutal marriage, Esther is living quietly as a widow when a letter from her brother Sir Stephen destroys her contented life. Stephen orders her to marry Sir Henry—but who is this “Plain Harry” and how will he treat her?

Set in medieval England in a time when women had few rights, this story shows how love can flourish in the unlikeliest of places and between the unlikeliest of people.

My links:

Twitter account -

https://twitter.com/lindsayromantic    

Blogger – My blog - http://www.lindsaytownsend.co.uk/

My author page on Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1023449.Lindsay_Townsend

Lindsay Townsend, historical romance.   http://www.lindsaytownsend.com/  

or follow me at Twitter: @lindsayromantic

Come and Eat a Croque-Monsieur with Helena Fairfax

What could be better than sitting at a terrace in Paris, watching people go by whilst taking in the city's beautiful architecture, and enjoying a Croque-monsieur and a 'diabolo citron' (lemonade and lemon cordial) or 'Vichy Fraise' (strawberry cordial and mineral water) - my two favourite café drinks.

We may not be in Paris but we can still enjoy this delicious snack, thanks to Helena Fairfax, another of the nine authors of the anthology LETTERBOX LOVE STORIES I have been featuring in my recipe blogs every week! Helena's story is set in Paris, and her hero is a gorgeous chef...

As if that wasn't tempting enough, to celebrate the forthcoming release of our anthology, we are giving away this lovely pair of earrings which are perfect for summer. All you have to do is leave a comment before midnight on Sunday 26th June to be entered in the draw.

Croque-Monsieur

Makes 2

50g (1 1/2 oz) butter
4 slices of white bread, crusts cut off
1 tbsp plain flour
100ml (1/2 cup) milk
80g (3oz) Gruyère cheese, grated (or Emmental, or Mozarella, if preferred)
Nutmeg, to grate
2 tbsp French mustard
2 slices best ham

Salt and pepper

1. Heat your grill to medium-high. Line the grill pan with silver foil.

2. Put the butter in a pan over a medium-low heat to melt it.

3. Brush one side of each slice of bread liberally with melted butter and put under the grill butter-side uppermost. Grill until golden and crisp, then set aside.
4. Stir the flour into the remaining butter to make a paste. Cook for a minute, then gradually whisk in the milk, a little at a time, until smooth. Simmer for a few minutes, until thickened, then take off the heat and stir in half the cheese until melted. Grate in a little nutmeg, stir and season lightly with salt and pepper.

3. Spread the untoasted sides of the bread with mustard. Put the ham on top, followed by the cheese, and put back under the grill for a couple of minutes until the cheese has melted.

4. Remove from the grill. Put the other slice of bread on top, toasted side uppermost, and push down, then put the sandwiches on to the grill tray and top with the cheese sauce. Grill for about 5 minutes, until golden and bubbling, and serve immediately.

Thank you for this delicious recipe, Helena. What can you tell us about your story?

Come Date Me in Paris is the story of a young Englishwoman called Alice who moves to France to work for a famous fashion magazine. In the country that gave the world haute cuisine, Alice is one of the few people who can't cook. When Alice ends up on a TV blind date show that involves cooking a special meal for your date, she is forced to ask her chef neighbour, Edmond, to give her some cooking lessons.

My story was great fun to write, especially adding the flavour of Paris - with the recipes, with Alice's flair for Parisian style, and with the fabulous scenery. Everyone knows the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and Notre Dame,  and the lovely green park at the Bois de Boulogne is also familiar to many - but not many foreign visitors to Paris have heard of its second biggest greenspace, the beautiful Bois de Vincennes. I wrote a scene for Alice and Edmond in which they escape the heat of the city and take a picnic by the lake in the Bois de Vincennes. Perhaps it's because I'm a country girl at heart that I enjoyed taking my hero and heroine to this oasis of green and water in the bustling city.

If you ever have the opportunity to visit Paris, the Bois de Vincennes is a amazing place to go. It has a zoo, a lake, a floral park, mini-golf, plenty of wildlife, a bird reserve - and, since this is France, it even has its own medieval chateau! I'd defy anyone not to start falling in love in such a wonderful setting.

Come Date Me in Paris has several recipes as part of the story. For Marie's blog I've chosen a recipe for a typical French snack called croque-monsieur. It's one of the favourite items on the café menu for we British visitors to Paris :) It's a simple recipe and just perfect for Sunday lunch. At home in England I'd make a pot of tea to have with it, but in France a cup of coffee or maybe an Orangina would be lovely.

I hope you enjoy my weekend recipe. I'm very much looking forward to release of our Letterbox Love Stories anthology. Thanks so much for having me today, Marie. I've been enjoying your recipe posts very much!

You are welcome, Helena! Bon appétit!

And don't forget to hop on to Helena's blog where I gave her my recipe for a quick and easy Cherry Clafoutis. Don't forget to leave a comment to have the chance to win a pair of earrings.

A delicious recipe from Sardinia by bestselling author Gemma Juliana

I am very happy to kickstart a series of delicious weekly blog posts today, which I hope will tempt you into trying new recipes for your Sunday lunch! I may have mentioned before that I am very lucky to be part of a group of international romantic authors - the World Romance Writers. Our first anthology of short stories, LETTERBOX LOVE STORIES, will be published in a couple of weeks, at the end of June. I thought it might be a good idea to invite a different author every Friday and ask them for their favourite recipe from the country where their story is set.

 

Today is Gemma Juliana's turn. Gemma's story is called Abandoned Treasures and is set in the beautiful island of Sardinia.

 

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Hello Gemma and thank you very much for coming on the blog today.

Thank you for inviting me to visit your blog today, Marie. I’m delighted my story, Abandoned Treasures, is in such wonderful company in our new boxed set, LETTERBOX LOVE STORIES VOLUME I.

What can you tell us about Sardinian cuisine?

The cuisine of Sardinia is very fish-oriented, due to the bounty of the beautiful seas surrounding the island. I chose to share a recipe that is simple, and that has been a staple of the old folks of the island over a long period of time.

You chose a recipe for Tomato-Poached Eggs with Sardinian Music Bread. What a wonderful name!

It is a traditional recipe. The love story of Sophie and Rico takes place at Costa Smeralda, on the northeastern coast of the Mediterranean island. As I researched Sardinia, I fell in love with the culture, the archaeological sites, and the resilience and endurance of a people that historically faced one wave of invasions after the other. While the coastal cities draw tourism the inland area is where the native people maintain their culture and traditions.  

Tomato-Poached Eggs with Sardinian Music Bread

This recipe is a sort of ‘peasant frittata’ and the freshness of the ingredients causes a starburst of intense deliciousness in your mouth. It is a feast for your taste buds!

Ingredients: Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions
• 2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, undrained and coarsely chopped 
• 4 large eggs
• 4 sheets pane carasau, each broken into 4 wedges
• 2 ounces finely grated aged Pecorino Sardo cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add onions and garlic to pan; cook 3 minutes at medium heat or until fragrant. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and tomatoes with juice; bringing it all to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer for 15 minutes, and stir as necessary. Reduce the heat to low. Taking one egg at a time, crack each egg over tomato mixture in the pan, about an inch apart. Sprinkle the eggs with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cover and cook 5-7 minutes or until eggs are at the desired degree of done. Remove pan from heat. Arrange 4 wedges of pane carasau on 4 plates; spoon sauce equally over each serving and top with 1 egg. Sprinkle each with 2 tablespoons grated cheese and 1/2 tablespoon of chopped fresh basil.

For the recipe to make Pane Carasau (Sardinian Flatbread or Sardinian music bread) visit the fantastic website below. It is a great find for all of us who enjoy Italian cuisine. There you will also find excellent historical facts and lovely photos of Sardinia for those interested in learning out more about this magical island. https://jovinacooksitalian.com/2013/02/08/the-cuisine-of-italy-sardinia/

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

ABANDONED TREASURES by Gemma Juliana

What do a reality TV star and a Sardinian billionaire have in common? Sophie Hayes is jaded from years of buying and selling the contents of abandoned storage units, so after dumping her fiancé she decides the best way to spend what would have been her honeymoon is to accept an invitation to deliver a rare antique desk to Rico di Carlo. The reclusive widower has secrets—when he lures Sophie into his world he has one week to make sure she never wants to leave.

http://worldromancewriters.blogspot.com/

https://www.pinterest.com/denysebridger/world-romance-writers/

Gemma Juliana Author Bio

Born in Canada, raised in the Caribbean and educated in Europe, I’ve lived and traveled the world. Perhaps that’s why I believe international settings and a sprinkling of magic add extra romantic spice to a story. I enjoy playing the role of matchmaker when creating love stories where two hearts end up beating as one.

These days the USA is my home. I share a cozy cottage with my true love, our teen son, and a crafty dog who rules us all. My muse is nourished with the finest fuel for creativity – chocolate and coffee.

Visit my website for special offers, latest news, and to see what I’ve written and what’s coming soon.

www.gemmajuliana.com

http://gemmajuliana.blogspot.com/

amazon.com/author/gemmajuliana

www.twitter.com/gemma_juliana

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Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe with us, Gemma!