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Dear Readers:
Summer is
vacation time for most of us. Whether you’re looking forward
to quiet time at the beach, exploring a new city, or relaxing in
your own backyard, a book always makes a good companion for any down
time. We’re not planning any trips this summer, but I would
like to make some headway through my to-be-read pile--it’s huge!
And with all that summer fun, dinner shouldn’t take long to
prepare--especially when it’s hot and humid and there’s no air
conditioning. One of my family’s summer favorite meals is what
they call a Sink Salad--includes everything but.
J
There are no strict rules with
this recipe. Use any leftover veggies you find in the fridge.
Leftover beef or chicken is also good instead of the tuna.
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2 large heads of red leaf or
green leaf lettuce, washed, dried and shredded 8 small
new potatoes, cooked and cooled 2 small cucumbers,
peeled, quartered and sliced 2 tomatoes, cut in wedges 2
cups of green beans, steamed and cooled 1 yellow pepper,
seeded and cut in long, thin strips 1 small sweet onion
(like Vidalia), sliced into rings 4 oz. grated Swiss or
Cheddar cheese 4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced 12 oz. canned
tuna, drained Honey-mustard dressing (or any kind you
like)
Arrange lettuce on four plates.
Put everything else in bowls (except for the dressing!)
on the table and let everyone help themselves to what
they like. That way there’s no, “Oh, yuck, I hate
onions!” and there’s room for pleasant conversation.
Well, one can hope.
See the recipe box on my website
for the collection of recipes I’ve put together from my
books. You can download individual recipes or the whole
box.
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Writing News…
Spirit of a Hunter, book 5 of
The Seekers series for Harlequin Intrigue, will hit the stores on
July 13th or thereabouts. Honor of a Hunter,
book 6, is done and in production, set to come out in November 2007.
Spirit of a Hunter
Book 5, The Seekers
Harlequin Intrigue
July 2007
ISBN 0-373-69271-2
When Nora Camden’s son is kidnapped, Seeker
Sabriel Mercer is the only person she can trust to bring him back to
her. Rescuing Scotty Camden offers Sabriel a chance to pay back a
debt to a friend. The search leads him deep into the White Mountains
of New Hampshire with an inexperienced hiker in tow. The tyrannical
Colonel will do anything to gain sole custody of his heir, and the
men he dispatches after Sabriel and Nora are even more dangerous
than the treacherous terrain. If Sabriel is to reunite mother and
son, he’ll have to put all of his Ranger skills to the test. But can
even that happy ending ease his restless soul?
Spirit of a Hunter will be available from
Author,
Author! They’ll send you a signed bookplate with your order. You
can read an excerpt on my
website.
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Q: Do you follow a writing
schedule?
A: I usually don’t work on weekends,
but otherwise, I do some sort of writing almost every day.
When the kids were home, the writing always revolved around their
activities. Now, I get up, exercise, sit down and write until
I run out of steam, then do something completely different. I’m
always thinking I’ll take a break between books and finally get
around to painting my living room, but I find that once I finish a
book, my brain automatically starts working on the next story.
And the truth is that I get cranky if I stay away from writing too
long. I love sifting through the layers of characters and plot
and see where they take me.
Q: Do you always know the ending
before you write it?
A: I may think I know what the ending
is going to be, but sometimes the characters take me some place
different where nothing is as it seems. The villain turns out
to be not the villain. The climax happens at a different place
and time. And the truths the characters get out of the scene
sometimes surprise me. I write a book straight through.
I find it hard to skip ahead, because I don’t know what’s hiding
under the layer I skipped, or how it may affect the rest of the
story.
If you have a question you’d like
answered, send it to me
and I’ll pick a couple of them to answer in the next newsletter.
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Intrigue Authors continue to offer
free books to readers who visit their blog.
Check it out, and you could win another book to take along on
your vacation.
Also check out the monthly contest
on my page.
In July, I’ll be giving away a dragon zipper pull that looks a lot
like Sabriel’s tattoo, as well as signed copies of Eye of a
Hunter and Pride of a Hunter.
I’ll be doing a chat at
NoveTtalk on Wednesday, July
25, at 9 p.m., ET. You’re invited to join in the conversation.
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Enjoy your summer vacation—wherever it may take you--and stay safe.
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Until next time, keep reading!
Sylvie
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