Alas, Halloween is over for another year. It's my favorite holiday, and I have no idea why I haven't written a story about it. I think this ghost cat would fit perfectly in a Halloween story, don't you?

Today is release day for my new Regency e-novella, Under a Christmas Spell! I'm itching to give a copy away to someone who comments on this blog. I’ve also been tagged by my thoughtful friend, Ella Quinn, for the Writerly Blog. The questions revolve around why and how one writes. 

Ella mentioned that she writes traditional Regencies, but with sex. My Regencies have sex scenes in them, too—as do my contemporary paranormals—but the more sex I write, the more I am of two minds about writing it. I think it’s because at first I did it because I wanted to, but now I feel almost obliged to, so it’s not as intriguing to me as it was. I wonder now, does that mean I should find new ways of writing it, or start writing romantic Regency mysteries without it? Because to tell the truth, much as I enjoy a good sex scene, my favorite books are usually romantic, have lots of plot (like mysteries), and don’t have much in the way of explicit sex. I love it when an author can invoke powerful, sensual, romantic feelings without actually describing the sex act. I guess what I’m saying is that I would like to write something just like my favorite books!

Now to the questions.

1. What are you working on right now?

Three different projects! One is a vampire novella in my Bayou Gavotte series. It’s a contemporary paranormal mystery/romance. Another is a duet of novellas that may end up being a book in two parts. They are Regency paranormal romances with my version of the incubus/succubus mythology. The third is a story I’m writing just for me. It’s a Regency-set fairy tale with a very strange hero. Maybe too strange, but I’m having great fun writing him.

2. How do they differ from other works in their genre?

Hmm… I guess it’s that my paranormal beings, such as vampires and incubi/succubi, are not much like the standard mythologies. For example, my vampires aren’t undead, and my incubi and succubi aren’t demons. I like to think that my characters and their stories lie within the realm of possibility. The white cat above is the King of the Fairies in disguise. He's been pestering me forever to write a fairy tale, although I'm not sure whether he wants it to be about him (so far, it's not). I see him every year or two when I visit Germany. This year he snubbed me, so I guess I'm not writing the fairy tale fast enough for him!

3.  Why do you write what you do?

I was inspired to write Regencies by Georgette Heyer. One day I thought, “Hey, I’ve always wondered if I could do this—so why not try?” Out of that came Notorious Eliza, still one of my favorite stories. As for the paranormal aspect which comes out in many of my stories, I guess I’m just addicted to magic.  

4. How does your writing process work?

I’m a pantser, which means I don’t (can’t) plot the whole book out ahead of time. I don’t seem to be able to see clearly more than a few moves ahead. (I’m hopeless at chess, too.)  First I write a few chapters to get to know and understand the characters. Then the story reveals itself to me as I go along. It’s not an efficient process, so I’m a pretty slow writer, alas. 

I’m tagging Molly Ann Wishlade, Nancy Northcott, and Vicki Batman.

I’ll give away a copy of Under a Christmas Spell to one lucky commenter. Do you believe in vampires? Has an incubus or succubus ever sent you a sexy dream? Should I try, once again, to plot a book before writing it?

***

Hampshire, 1815

  Dissolute aristocrat Lord Valiant Oakenhurst hides a sexy, supernatural secret—as a powerful incubus, he is able to influence others through erotic dreams. At an exclusive Christmas house party, his latest mission is compromised by the beautiful but deadly succubus Lucille Beaulieu. Though still drawn to his former lover, Val cannot forget her betrayal….

Hoping to atone for her past, Lucie uses her seductive powers to help couples find happiness. But she is distracted from her task by her own delicious dreams of the dark and dangerous Val.

As the riotous festivities begin, their passion is reinvoked, but can a little Christmas magic restore their lost trust?

I’m supposed to be blogging to promote my new release (left) but I’m tired of talking about the book and posting excerpts, so today is recipe day instead: red beans and rice.

Disclaimer: I’m not from Louisiana. I’m not even from the South, but I’ve lived here for ages and have spent quite a bit of time in Louisiana, getting addicted to Louisiana food. Still, if this recipe for red beans and rice is a bit off, you now know why.

2 cups red beans. I like small red beans best, but kidney beans are fine, too. Soak them overnight or at least for several hours, then drain.

2 Andouille sausages, sliced (or more, if you like lots and lots of meat with your beans). If you don’t like too much hot pepper, you can use other kinds of sausages. (Gasp!) Once all I had in the house was one Italian sausage (a kind that contains mozzarella cheese as well as meat, spices, etc.) and one chicken and apple sausage. They worked just fine. If the sausages aren’t laced with hot pepper, you can always add Tabasco or Crystal hot sauce. Actually, you can add them regardless, but with care, because usually the Andouille sausage is quite, quite hot. Ahhhhh. I love hot pepper. :)

Veggies: 1 onion, chopped, a few stalks of celery, chopped, and 2 cloves garlic, crushed.

Optional veggies: Use at least some of these in whatever quantity appeals to you: green pepper, red pepper, and leek, all chopped. I like the red pepper because it adds color, and the leek adds a nice touch of flavor.

Herbs: Parsley and/or cilantro, chopped. Parsley is somewhat standard for this dish; cilantro is an interesting addition, but it may not appeal to everyone. I’ve seen thyme in some recipes, but I keep forgetting to try it.

2 bay leaves – but be sure to remove before serving.

Tomato sauce – ¼ to ½ cup

Salt, pepper, and Tabasco or Crystal sauce to taste.

Sauté the onion, garlic and celery. Add the sliced sausage and other chopped veggies and sauté some more. Then add the beans, tomato sauce, bay leaves, and water to cover, and cook forever. Alternatively, you can cook the beans by themselves for a while and then add them to the veggie and sausage mix. I usually add the parsley and/or cilantro about the time I put the rice on to cook.

Cook whichever rice you like according to whichever method works for you. I usually steam basmati rice the Persian way, but I also use brown rice sometimes.

Season the beans to taste and serve over rice with lots of French bread and butter. Yum!

And, since I don't have a picture of this delicious meal because as usual I forgot to get out my camera, here's the ghost cat, Pause, instead. 

Wooooooooo.....

Photo credit: Shayda
Someone who comments will win a signed copy of Sunrise in a Garden of Love & Evil. :)