Fair Skies and Following Seas

 May your holidays be full of peace and joy. 

And from Lady Ellspeth, Lord Dal,
and the rest of the world of Windmaster
a Turn's End Wish for 

a new year full of fantasy.

 

Hooked on Imprisoned, Turn's End (First Dance) #mfrwauthor

Wrapping up the year with a continuation of the celebration of the winter solstice with more of the Turn's End celebration from the dark fantasy, Imprisoned in Stone. To set the stage, like our New Year's Eve, Turn's End is time for reflection and celebrating new beginnings. It is also a time for parties and dances. Even in the backwoods glen of the fighting wizard, Tralin, they will celebrate. First, we saw Tralin and her apprentice, Maerva, getting ready for the Turn's End dance. Then the male residents of the vale were presented in best outfits. In response to requests made, the first dance.

Excerpt:

Taking the pot from Tralin, Colwynn set it on the table. “Now, my fair lady, if I may have the honor of the first dance?” He slid an arm around the older mage’s waist and walked her to the center of the aisle over smooth stones swept clean of its usual carpet of straw. Not even a single crunch or hint of dust accompanied their footsteps.

Maerva’s gaze followed the pair as arm in arm they glided in time to the music. Resentment that Colwynn asked Tralin and not her flickered through Maerva’s mind.  

“Shall we join them?”

Startled at the soft voice in her ear, she looked up. Gareth’s shy smile expressed a feeling his words never had. Without waiting for an answer, he slid the pan from her nerveless fingers. She didn’t resist when he took her hand and pulled her close. Ever since he arrived, the only time he touched her was to illustrate a strike point or to offer a hand to help her to rise to her feet. The globes shifted to a pair’s dance common among fishermen. On a count of three, he led her into the opening steps. “I’m the lucky one,” he whispered.

Whether it was the wine or a consequence of Gareth’s growing magical abilities, Maerva sensed a change in him. Shyness no longer overwhelmed his wry smile. He was no longer the stern instructor in weaponry or the hesitant visitor who first came to the cottage. Now, he acted more lover than friend. And with each quiet word or caress, her skin flamed. With a sigh, she leaned her head against his chest. For a period of time, nothing existed except the sound of his heartbeat... and hers.

 ~ ~ ~

As a holiday present to end out the year, a special bonus of how the first dance was decided. But as far as to who among the suitors Maerva will ultimately decide, so as not to be a spoiler, you have to read Imprisoned in Stone for that.

Bonus Excerpt:
 

“Colwynn bowed to Tralin and escorted her to a seat against the wall. He poured her a glass of wine and watched Gareth and Maerva dance. Although he was sure he had kept his emotions from showing in his face, Colwynn was glad the time to switch partners was near. The strain of watching Maerva threatened his vow for a harmonious new year.

“Thank you, Col,” Tralin said. “You’ve made an old lady very happy. I know you would rather be dancing with Maerva.” Her voice lowered. “How was it decided? Coin toss or dagger drop?”

“Coin toss. I figured it was fairer. As a weaponsmith, Gareth would have too much of an advantage if we decided the issue by flipping daggers.” Frustration caused a grimace to twitch his lips before he remembered his companion and forced a lighter emotion. “I still lost.”

“I guess I never told you. Gareth is lucky with coins. The same affinity he has for the metal in weapons, also applies to money.”

““Now, you tell me,” he muttered.

 * * * * 

HOLIDAY SPECIAL - $1.49 for the Kindle at Amazon 

 * * * *  

Four paths--one destiny. With the power to bind souls and control all magic in the balance.

Imprisoned in Stone--available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and elsewhere. 

Books We Love Insider Blog: Lights Aglow by Helen Henderson

Holiday traditions on the Books We Love Insider Blog: Lights Aglow https://bwlauthors.blogspot.com/2020/12/lights-aglow-by-helen-henderson.html

Hooked on Imprisoned, Turns End - The Men, #mfrwauthor

In celebration of the winter solstice, a snippit from the dark fantasy, Imprisoned in Stone of the Turn's End celebration. To set the stage, like our New Year's Eve, Turn's End is time for reflection and celebrating new beginnings. It is also a time for parties and dances. Even in the backwoods glen of the fighting wizard, Tralin, they will celebrate. In the first post, we saw Maerva and Tralin getting ready for the Turn's End dance. Now it is the male residents of the vale's turn.

Excerpt:

As part of the barn’s transformation into a grand hall, linen cloths transformed wide planks into an impromptu table. Cookies, an iced cake and bowls of candied fruit formed part of the holiday feast. Gareth had made a spicy nut bread popular with the mountain clans with flour ground from nuts collected earlier in the season. Slices of the special food surrounded a silver carafe of honey. Platters covered with cheese and several bottles of red wine comprised the rest of the refreshments.

Cascades of small, translucent globes dangled from invisible strings to form a curtain across one of the stalls. Colwynn ran a finger over one of the spheres. An ancient tune shimmered in the air. Maerva’s blood danced to the spirit melody.  

For the past week, Maerva had wondered what colors Gareth and Colwynn would be wearing, and if her dress would complement or conflict. A single glance answered what the men refused to divulge despite her questioning. Instead of their usual rough spun shirts and leather breeches, both wore finery worthy of a royal court. Colwynn had chosen a light blue long-sleeve shirt and a deep contrasting shade of the same color for his matching pants and vest. Gareth’s clothes were hues of hunter green. Even their scuffed boots shone

 ~ ~ ~

Will Gareth or Colwynn have the first dance? That I might reveal in the near future. As to who will eventually capture Maerva's heart and help her fulfill her destiny? So as not to be a spoiler, you have to read Imprisoned in Stone for that.

 * * * * 

HOLIDAY SPECIAL - $1.49 for the Kindle at Amazon 

 * * * *  

Four paths--one destiny. With the power to bind souls and control all magic in the balance.

Imprisoned in Stone--available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and elsewhere. 

Hooked on Imprisoned, Turn's End - The Ladies, #mfrwhooks

In celebration of the winter solstice, a snippit from the dark fantasy, Imprisoned in Stone of the Turn's End celebration. To set the stage, like our New Year's Eve, Turn's End is time for reflection and celebrating new beginnings. It is also a time for parties and dances. Even in the backwoods glen of the fighting wizard, Tralin, they will celebrate. In this first post, we see Maerva and Tralin getting ready for the Turn's End dance. Even though there is only four people in the valley, they have still dressed in as formal--and fancy--outfits they have. For the night, Tralin has exchanged her pants and leathers for a gown and left her sword in her quarters.

Excerpt:

Maerva twisted the last ringlet of dark hair into place and pinned it into a knot at the nape of her neck. Deft movements interwove the midnight blue ribbons into place and laced up the deep jade green vest. Giving it a tug, she lifted her arms and twirled to make sure the garment did not impede her movement. The ankle-length skirt flowed in a gray shimmer reminiscent of storm-tossed waves. Tonight would be her first year-end celebration away from home as an adult, and she planned to dance the night away. For the first time, she would not have to share the evening with her cousins and older sisters. In fact, the dress she wore was the first new garment she had ever owned. Satisfied she was as ready as she would ever be, she gave one final glance in the mirror and headed downstairs to the kitchen.

Tralin looked up from the fireplace where steam escaped from a pair of covered pots. Light sparkled off the gold embroidery on the hem of her burgundy dress and the amber stone hung around her neck.
 

 ~ ~ ~

Next week will be the males' turn. But who will be Maerva's partner? Colwynn or Gareth? And how are they dressed?

 

 * * * *  HOLIDAY SPECIAL - $1.49 for the Kindle at Amazon * * *

 

Four paths--one destiny. With the power to bind souls and control all magic in the balance.

Imprisoned in Stone--available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and elsewhere. 

Potatoes and an Iron Pan #mfrwauthor

Welcome to this week's post in the MFRW 52-week challenge. The topic is "Best Leftover Recipe." 

With the holidays approaching and their corresponding dinner parties--and leftovers--this post should be easy. In reality I had trouble coming up with a recipee. I think the problem was the clarification of "leftover." So I decided to go with lokse, a potato tortilla from my Slovak heritage.

Traditionally, they were made with the end-of-the-season potatoes. In a way, they could be considered leftovers. The potatoes in the bottom of the bin had lost some of the moisture and were not appropriate for some other recipes. Lokse are also an appropriate recipe for this time of year as they are "fast-food" at holiday markets in Slovakia.

Lokse could also be made with left-over mashed potatoes (no cream, no butter, just smashing the potato enough so that there were no large chunks. As a result, the holidays weren't the only time we had lokse. Whenever Grammy B was coming to visit, we made sure to accidentally boil too many potatoes so we had a large bowl of "leftover" mashed potatoes awaiting her special touch. Grammy was the only one who had knew how much a pinch of salt was. Even more importantly, no matter how hard she tried to teach us we never mastered the art of rolling the potato pancakes to the proper thickness. If we got them thin, then we couldn't do the necessary flip into the cast-iron frying pan without them falling apart.

Illustrating how things can change, a few years ago, when I tried to find the recipe (before I found my mother's handwritten one,) I only found one site that actually had the instructions. When I did a little more research today I found a dozen. Mine can be found at an earlier post in the challenge.

~till next time, Helen

Be sure to see how the other authors answered the question. https://mfrw52week.blogspot.com/

The Sentry, #MFRWHook

Although my excerpts for the MFRW Book Hooks are usually romance, this week's book hook is a reprise of one taken from Hearth and Sand. Presented for your consideration are selected verses from the poem aptly titled, "The Sentry." Like the other stories in the collection that comprises Heart and Sand, "The Sentry" reflects a continuity of service from the past to the present. 

 

Although the poem pertains to a tomb of an unknown soldier, the inspiration for this piece did not come from the laying of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia  or the toss of a wreath into the sea. Instead it was from solemn commemorations held in a small town to mark the one-year anniversary of 9-11-2001. The image of a sentry was a solitary bagpiper atop a hill. The flag was not draping a casket but hoisted from the extended ladder of a firetruck. A line of helmets atop empty boots symbolized the cost of duty.

Excerpt:

 

Eerie notes float across the field
A signal that day is done.
But not for me... not for me
I am the chosen one.

My task is simple
The command understood.
To stand my post
Here at the edge of the woods.

From each generation one soul is drawn
From among the honored dead.
No name is known, no one can mourn
He is a chosen one, a sentry for the dead.

And now I join them
An American soldier known but to God.
We came from desert, jungle, and field.

I am the latest of the lost.

**  END OF EXCERPT ***

For the rest of the poem, I hope you'll consider buying Hearth and Sand. Amazon     More Ebook Sellers 

The tales in Hearth and Sand cross genre from contemporary to historical, and science fiction to poetry and are a collection of twelve tales of those who served on the front lines and the stories of loved ones left behind who preserved the home front. Set universes apart and separated by decades in time, the stories reflect a continuity of service from the past to the present and into the world of tomorrow. Although the events are fictional, the voices captured within these pages came from historical notes, veterans’ own words, letters left by their ancestors, or contemporary events. Pen was put to paper while watching fighter planes land in the Philippine Islands and in the shaded woods of a stateside farm.


Buy Links: Amazon  More Ebook Sellers

This Veterans Day, thank a vet. For freedom isn't free. Thank you for your service.

A heritage -- Lokse #MFRWauthor

The 52-week challenge is winding down. It has been a wild run, with revelations into my writing life and insights into the world of other writers. This week's challenge is to share a favorite recipe. Various recipes were considered and tossed aside. Finally, to go with the end-of-year and end-of-challenge theme I settled with a heritage recipe. Lokse is a potato pancake from my Slavic coal-country ancestry that was traditionally cooked on a cast-iron stove. It can still be found at holiday festivals with different toppings, although my favorite and the one most used by my family is just plain butter.

The following instructions have been modified for modern cooking. Instead of cooking atop an old-fashioned, coal-fired, cast-iron stove, a good substitute is a cast-iron frying pan. (Note: these don't work well on a ceramic cooktop.) It is suggested to make small batches at a time unless you are like my Old World grandmother who could create the dough, roll it out to the right thickness (that of a tortilla) without using so much flour it got too soft, place the pancake into the flying pan without it falling to pieces, and spin and flip the pancakes using her fingers.

So here's an actual recipe.

• Boil potatoes until soft. 
• Coarsely mash and let cool. 
• Mix in 2 eggs and 1/2 cup flour. Add additional flour as needed until a soft dough forms. 
• Roll out by 1/4 cup balls on a floured board. 
• Sprinkle a pinch of salt in the bottom of an iron flying pan, and place the pancake in the pan. Prick with a fork.
• Brown on one side, spinning occasionally.
• Flip over and brown on other side.
• When done, rub with a stick of butter on both sides. Fold into a roll and eat. (For those more elegant circumstances, you can cut the roll into inch-long sections and eat with a fork.)

To avoid a rush, they can be wrapped in foil and kept warm in a toaster oven. That is if you can stop them from disappearing as soon as they come out of the frying pan.

Thanks for allowing me to share my heritage.

~till next time, Helen. And be sure to visit the other authors to see their favorite recipes.