Shifty Business, by Olivia Hardin - Guest Post

 

Today I have a real treat for my readers! I am excited to bring you a guest post from Olivia Hardin, the author of the Bend-Bite-Shift Trilogy. You can connect with the author on her Blog | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook 

 The book tour and giveaway for Shifty Business is still going on, so be sure to get your entries in and return daily for those optional daily entries.

Without further ado, I will let Olivia Hardin take the post.

I kind of love getting to be on this blog because I kind of love food. Actually, I really, really love food. My Bend-Bite-Shift Trilogy has been fun because Langston is quite the cook and so I’ve been able to share some of his recipes. Today I thought I’d let Langston take a little break (perhaps spend some quality time with his sweetie, Kristana) and so I’m going to talk about some hometown flavor.

I’m from Southeast Texas, which means there’s a lot of Cajun influence there. In fact, I should probably admit up from that I have some Cajun blood myself. Last March I got to introduce some of my writer friends to a Cajun delicacy… well, perhaps not a delicacy, but still one of my favorites. Boudin Balls.

Okay, I will stop there for those of you who aren't sure what Boudin is… basically, it’s sort of like dirty rice/rice dressing stuffed in a sausage casing. For Boudin Balls, the dirty rice dressing is rolled into a ball and fried. There are different variants, but mmm mmmm, I love me some boudin. Ayee!

So since we've established how much I like food and that I’m from Southeast Texas, there’s a name that pretty much everyone in that area would recognize. Texjoy! 

I had the awesome pleasure of working for the Texas Coffee Company in Beaumont, Texas when I was younger. If you’re not familiar with them, they are the makers of Seaport Coffee – a local favorite in my hometown – and also a huge assortment of spices under the TexJoy name. 

When I worked there it was like a potpourri of scents; the coffee roasting, the mixtures of spices. Ahhhh… And if you've read Shifty Business you will remember the scene about Buck getting locked in the pepper grinder room. Well, nothing like that ever happened (to my knowledge) at the Texas Coffee Company, but I can say remembering my days at there helped me think up that scenario. 

If you haven’t heard of them, take a look at the Texas Coffee Company website. Not only do they have a very interesting history (oh, yeah in addition to loving food, I love history too) but those of you who like to cook can check out some of their products too. 

~Olivia

Just a Little Tease - Loaded Baked Potato Pizza

Just to whet your appetite...

Today my guest post for this lovely Loaded Baked Potato Pizza is on 5 Minutes for Mom. Please stop by, leave a little comment love and share as you like. This truly is an easy and delicious dish!

Guest Post: Baby #2- It’s One Freaky Idea

Today I am happy to bring you a guest post by Jessie Akos. You might notice more baby centered posts around here as I head into baby #3 territory myself. I hope you enjoy Jessie's perspective on the question of expanding the family. 

On Saturday, July 7, our baby will turn one year old. And, I promised my husband that we would talk seriously about planning number 2. Baby number dose, that is. Not the other kind of #2. We need no promises to talk about that because, hey, we talk about it all the time. Doesn’t everybody?

I digress. Most of the time we are both sure that we want two children. It goes back to our own respective upbringings and the important roles our siblings played and continue to play in our lives. Who else can you really talk to about how crazy your parents are? I want that for Z because I can attest to the fact that his parents might be a shot of vodka short of a screw-driver.

So, even though we sometimes fool ourselves into thinking that we’re going back- and-forth on the decision to have another baby, indecision is not the culprit in our putting-off truly talking about family planning. Fear is the culprit. Healthy, gut-wrenching, paralyzing fear is the culprit. After making it through year one of baby’s existence, we’d be fools not to have a little fear. Please don’t misunderstand, the year has been full of the most profound joy either of us has ever experienced, but raising a baby/child/person is HARD. Really hard. The task of raising this little human takes all that I am and then some. It stretches me, tears me, and then recreates me. And I’m just not sure if I’m ready to double it!


But then, I’m sure I’ll never be ready- we’ll never be ready. Because how can one ready oneself for such profound life-changes?


Also, logistically, it’s no secret that my husband is 16 years my senior (insert gasps from the audience here; I might judge me, too). He’d like at least some time later in life, when we’re done with the raising part of children, to relax and enjoy our time together. And I don’t blame him- the longer we wait, the less time to relax later.


So, alas, the hubs and I will stick to our little motto as a couple, and that motto is “yes”. We’ll say yes to the unknown, yes to that which frightens us, and we’ll do it hand in hand, side by side, trusting that whatever awaits us will bring that much more joy and love into our lives. And we’ll do it with eyes wide open, expecting the hardships. Because, as the old adage goes, anything in life truly worth it is challenging.

____________________________

Jessie Akos at Parenting is a Big Deal


Last year, in the year 2011, I became a mother. And it changed me at my very core. Or, maybe, motherhood pulled my core out of the depths of my guarded soul and made me wear it on the outside. And now, here I am, exposed, and thrust into a world where love (abounding, miraculous, insurmountable love), and poop (lots of poop), tears, laughter, kisses, delight, boredom, overwhelm, and joy (so much joy) run rampant. I’m sure all of those things (maybe not all the poop if you’re not a parent) rule in your life, too. So, welcome to my world! We have a lot in common!


My husband, baby, and goofy, lovable dog named Bella and I live in beautiful Boulder, Colorado where we run (ahem, we try), hike, mountain bike, ski, and generally enjoy the outdoors when we’re not freakishly adhering to Zs nap schedule or swamped with snot, poop, or any other such bodily function of our child. Yes, I talk about it. All of it. But I also speak from my heart; I try to write the truth as I see it, and I don’t color my reality with anything other than how I genuinely feel. I’d expect the same from you!


Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/JessieAkos
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ParentingIsABigDeal
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jessieakos/

Bitten Shame, by Olivia Hardin - Guest Post

Today I am excited to post this guest post from author Olivia Hardin and she brought along Langston. Well, take it away...

Olivia: Hello, Langston. It’s so good of you to sit down with me today.

Langston: *nods with a kind sparkle in his eyes* It is a pleasure to be here, Olivia.

Olivia: Well as you know I’ve been promoting Bitten Shame and since this blog’s about all things food, I thought we’d talk to you. You’re quite the man in the kitchen aren’t you?

Langston: Indeed. I find there is something magical about combining a series of ingredients to make a delicious meal. The magic begins with the person who provides the recipe and grows when the person making the recipe adds to it their own special touch. The final measure arrives when another takes a taste of that concoction. It is an absolute joy to watch a person enjoy something you’ve cooked or baked.

Olivia: In Bitten Shame Jill spends a lot of time watching you cook. What’s that all about?

Langston: *props his heavy torso straight with hands on his knees* Jill is a very dear friend of mine. However, she is like a sun perpetually eclipsed. Her light is there, but it cannot seem to break away from the shadow cast upon it. When she joins me in the kitchen, it seems to relax her. I hope that it will help her resolve her demons.   


Olivia: You seem to care a lot about her. Is there anything more than friendship there? *I wink for effect* 


Langston: *booms with laughter* Hahaha. Olivia, you are the teller of our stories. I believe you know well that my heart is not my own. 


Olivia: *I shrug then nod in acknowledgment* Yessir. Getting back to food – which by the way I am a big fan of–food that is–you have a lot of recipes that you’ve allowed me to share. There’s one at the end of Bitten Shame and then you also have your Very Berry Blueberry muffins in the cookbook Dine with Us: A collection of recipes from the Authors of Indie Writers Unite. Do you have a recipe you’d like to share with the readers here? 


Langston: Well, there is a lovely woman I know. Theresa is a feisty lady full of fire and love. She told me the first thing she learned to cook was scrambled eggs. *beams a fond smile* I believe I recall that she cooked them in a large coffee pot when she was newly married. Later she learned more from her husband’s mother, but she was very proud that her mother-in-law could not make cornbread dressing. Theresa developed her own form of magic in the kitchen. This is the first recipe for cornbread dressing which she learned to make. Aptly, she calls it “Young Me Cornbread Dressing”

• Bake a big pan of cornbread from scratch.
• Boil chicken in water with chopped celery, chopped onions, salt and black pepper.
• Cool, save stock and debone the chicken.
• Get a can of cream of chicken soup, cream of celery soup, can of cream of mushroom soup
• Boil 3-4 eggs.
• Pour stock with celery and onion into cornbread. Add the 3 cans of soup and diced chicken. Mix Well. Add diced boiled eggs, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning to taste.
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 1-2 hours.

Olivia: Thanks again, Langston for joining me here today. And thanks Adventures in All Things Food for letting us guest on your blog! Happy Cooking, Baking, Eating and of course Reading!

Find Olivia's books:

Witch Way Bends is Available at Amazon

Bitten Shame is Available at Amazon ~~ Barnes & Noble ~~~ Smashwords

You can also get autographed paperbacks of both books from Olivia’s blog.

Olivia Hardin realized early on how strange she was to have complete movie-like character dreams as a child. Eventually she began putting those vivid dreams to paper and was rarely without her spiral notebooks full of those mental ramblings. Her forgotten vision of becoming an author was realized when she connected with a group of amazingly talented and fabulous writers who gave her lots of direction and encouragement. With a little extra push from family and friends, she hunkered down to get lost in the words. She's also an insatiable crafter who only completes about 1 out of 5 projects, a jogger who hates to run, and is sometimes accused of being artistic, though she's generally too much of a perfectionist to appreciate her own work. A nativeTexasgirl, Olivia lives in the beautiful Lone Star state with her husband Danny and their puppy Bonnie.

Connect with her Online

My Blog

Goodreads

Twitter

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I hope you all enjoyed this guest post treat! I love hearing from authors and finding great new books. Connect with her and find out when she releases new stories. Have a great day.