Omega Sector Shakshuka

Harlequin authors are sharing their favorite recipes this week. Head on over to Twitter with the hashtag #sweetandspicyholiday to find some great ideas and maybe fine a new author to read! My contribution is Omega Sector Shakshuka! 

‬Shakshuka is a Northern African/Middle Eastern dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, onions, and peppers, often spiced with cumin. It is a common breakfast food, but can be served as any meal.

Prep Time: 10 minutes


Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 5-6 (but it’s so easy to make more or less)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoons olive oil

5-6 eggs

½ medium brown or white onion, peeled and diced

2 clove garlic, minced

1 medium green and/or red bell pepper, chopped

4 cups ripe diced tomatoes, or 2 cans (14 oz. each) diced tomatoes (undrained)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoon paprika

Chili flakes (sprinkled for spicy flavor)

Pinch of cayenne pepper (to taste)

Pinch of sugar (to taste)

Salt and pepper (to taste)

Chopped parsley (optional)

Besides being totally delish, another great thing about this recipe is its flexibility. Use whatever you want/have on hand in your base: mushrooms, eggplant, spinach, jalapenos, parsley, green chilies… (I once diced potatoes and put them in)

Directions:


1. Heat oil in deep, large pan on medium. Add onion and sauté until softened (3-5 minutes). Add garlic until fragrant (1-2 more minutes), then add peppers (5-7 more minutes).

2. Add tomatoes and tomato paste to pan, stir till blended. Add spices and sugar, stir well, and allow mixture to simmer over medium heat for 5-7 minutes till it starts to reduce. At this point, you can taste the mixture and spice it according to your preferences. Add salt and pepper to taste, more sugar for a sweeter sauce, or more cayenne pepper for a spicier shakshuka

3. Once sufficiently thick, crack in the eggs one by one on top of mixture (as if you were frying them), making sure to space them out evenly. Cover the pan and allow the mixture to simmer and condense for 10-15 minutes, depending on how cooked you prefer your eggs.

4. Once the eggs are cooked, garnish with chopped parsley, and the shakshuka is ready to be served with pita or challah bread!

 

Derek Waterman, the hero in my December Intrigue SPECIAL FORCES SAVIOR did multiple tours in the Middle East during his time in the Army. Shakshuka would undoubtedly been something he became acquainted with there. Quick, easy, made up of whatever is on hand -- the perfect recipe for a solider who wanted to fix his own meal.

Our family of six (including four teenagers!) loves it too. Introduced to us by an Israeli neighbor, this has become a weekly staple in our house, a breakfast food we love to have for dinner!




Be sure to order your copy of SPECIAL FORCES SAVIOR -- Book 1 in the critically acclaimed Omega Sector: Critical Response series. Available Dec 15th.

Book 2 - FULLY COMMITTED is available mid-January. 

Details/excerpts/buy links  HERE.

Excerpt from SPECIAL FORCES SAVIOR.

© 2016 - All rights reserved.

"Did I misread what I saw? Was it all in my imagination?”

Lie to her. That was all he needed to do. One tiny lie, let her down easy, and avert this crisis. Moments passed. It was his tactical advantage and he knew he should take it.

But looking into her precious brown eyes, her sweet face, he couldn’t. “No. You didn’t imagine it.”

She took a step closer. He took a step back.

“Why, Derek?” Her question barely more than a whisper. “Why have you stayed away from me all this time? You’ve had to know I wanted to be with you.”

“Molly, our worlds don’t mix. I’m not the right person for you.”

“Don’t you think I should be the judge of that?”

Crafting a Romantic Suspense Series: Omega: CoRD Book 1

I was able to announce last week that I signed a new 6-book contract with Harlequin Intrigue.

For those not overly familiar with Harlequin Intrigue, they release six romantic suspense books every month, of the shorter kind (about 210-225 pages). They're called category romances.  You can find them in bookstores like B&N and Books-A-Million, as well as other shops such Walmart, Target, and drug stores.

Writing for Harlequin is great, a lot of my author-heroes started with them, including Linda Howard, Elizabeth Lowell, and Nora Roberts. Because they publish so many books each month, it allows for many newbie romance authors (like me!) to get their start. But the books are only around on shelves for a month. After that they have to be ordered online.

My first book (PRIMAL INSTINCT) was published by Intrigue in April 2014. I then signed a 4-book contract with them for the Omega Sector (Covert Undercover) Series. Those books released in 2015.

 The new series I'm writing is a spin-off of the Omega Sector Series, called Omega Sector: Critical Response Division, or Omega: CoRD. CoRD is not a covert section of Omega (unlike the original Omega Sector books); everyone involved works out in the open. The six books are based on six different occupations within CoRD, and that is what is each book is tentatively titled right now.

Every couple of weeks I'll be talking about details for one of the books.

Book #1: THE TACTICAL TEAM SPECIALIST
Release date: January or February 2016
 
Hero:  DEREK WATERMAN

Derek was raised on a horse ranch in Wyoming, before spending time in the Army Special Forces, including tours in Afghanistan. He's a warrior at heart, and keeps to himself. His past is a dark place, and the thought of tainting sweet Molly Humphries with that darkness haunts him.

Heroine: MOLLY HUMPHRIES

Molly is a forensic pathologist and head of the lab at Omega: CoRD. She is brilliant, focused and logical, except for when it comes to Derek Waterman.

PLOT (back cover blurb):

I'm HUGELY excited about this book (I've already finished writing it, since it's due to my editor on April 1). Derek and Molly's story came very easily for me and watching them fall in love --despite some pretty hefty danger thrown their way-- was exciting and touching.

A lot of my inspiration for this story stemmed out of this video:

A brainy scientist in love with an alpha hero. She thinks she's irrelevant to him, but couldn't be more wrong. It was the perfect premise for a romantic suspense story. (And of course, if you haven't watched BBC's Sherlock, do so immediately.)

My love for Benedict Cumberbatch is well known, but he wasn't the muse for Derek in the book (I needed someone with guns and fighting skills), but Lousie Brealey's Molly definitely was the muse for my Molly.

And the rest of my inspiration? This picture, guys. This. Picture.:

I love everything about this picture so much. It captures a perfect moment I envisioned between Molly and Derek.

We've got some exciting settings too, in this book. Omega: CoRD headquarters found its home in Colorado Springs, CO and the story makes it way down to the thick rainforests of Columbia. Lots of action happening in both locations: explosions, kidnappings, gunfights in the jungle, fires, breaking and entering... There's definitely enough excitement to move the story along.

 There's an entire Pinterest  board dedicated to the book here. Hope you'll check it out. Looking at it makes me wish the book was coming out before early 2016!  But I think it's going to be a great start to the series. 2016 can't get here fast enough.

More details about Book 2 in the series (THE FORENSIC ARTIST) soon!

Drum Roll please... My Harlequin Intrigue Debut Title

I found out this week that the title of my Harlequin Intrigue April 2014 release will be…  

Primal Instinct.   

Sorry to my smart aleck-y friends who voted for Murder Radar of Love as what they thought would be the title, or the even more pals who messaged me and told me they thought Throw Mama From the Train of Love was an awesome title. I’ll try to remember that for upcoming books.

Harlequin display at my local B&N - Intrigues are in the top right -sold out!

Of the other titles I mentioned last post, Dangerous Intent was never really under consideration by either my editors or myself. We liked it okay as a title, but it didn’t really work for this story.

Shielded, I must admit, was a favorite of mine. But the editors felt it gave off the wrong vibe for my book. It’s pretty vague and somewhat noncommittal to a plot. For an established author who already has a following of readers, that’s not a problem. But for a new author, it could scare away readers. (I tried to convince my editor that I DO have a following of readers, but evidently my mom and Cousin Sophie don’t count as a following.)

The last reason Shielded wouldn’t work is because there are evidently already a couple of one-word titles coming out the same month as mine.  As I stated last post, when editors are choosing titles, there’s much more coming into play than just any one book.

So Primal Instinct it is! I always thought the word Instinct was excellent for the title. My book is about an FBI profiler, after all.  

But I had concerns about the word Primal. I was afraid that it suggested savage in people’s mind – which really isn’t the tone of my book at all.  But my editor explained that when she thought of primal, she thought of:

 First. Original. Most important.

When I thought of it that way it all clicked for me. Everything about the heroine in my story is tied to her instincts – she can’t get away from them even when she wants to.  She has no choice but to go with her original instincts – when tracking a killer and when falling in love. Even though it almost gets her heart broken AND almost gets her killed.

Her instincts are the most important – primal – part of who she is.  Primal Instinct.

Explained that way, it seemed perfect.

Now I’ll admit, the title is a little bit, as a friend put it: saucy. And, because I’m such a movie buff and am

Primal Fear circa 1996  - what do you mean you don't remember it?

surrounded by movie geeks on every side, I did have a concern about a Basic Instinct/Primal Fear possible tie-in to my title. Both are movies that came out in the mid-90s with a "is this person psycho or not?" theme and mucho gratuitous sex and cigarette smoking. Not the image I wanted for my book either.

My editor basically, in the very nicest way possible, just scoffed at me and said no one but me and my movie-geek friends would make that connection. I have no doubt she’s right.

One very successful Intrigue author who has befriended me, told me not to worry about a Basic Instinct connection at all. If anything, she told me, I might gain some readers from that connection, but definitely wouldn’t lose any. You know what? I’ll take readers anyway I can get them.

All and all, choosing the title – finding one that works for everyone: me, the editors, the art department, the Intrigue Brand in general – has been an interesting next step in the publishing process. It was a learning experience, but definitely not an unpleasant one. Every step of the way I’m learning something new, and I’m loving all of it, even when it's a bit painful.

So now I can officially announce:  Primal Instinct, a Harlequin Intrigue novel by Janie Crouch, will be available in bookstores and online everywhere in April 2014.

And someday, someone (and by someone, I mean my mother or cousin) is going to ask me to sign their copy of Primal Instinct. And I’ll be able to write:

Always follow your instinct.

And it will tie-in perfectly to the title. Isn’t it great how that just works out?

What's in a Name? Titling a Romantic Suspense Novel

So, for the past week my Harlequin Intrigue editor and I have been going back and forth on titles for my April 2014 book release. I initially submitted the title as See No Evil, mostly because I planned to have two more books as a follow-up, not surprisingly entitled: Hear No Evil and Speak No Evil.

I still plan to write both the follow-up stories, but they won't be released as a back-to-back series. They may not even end up being connected at all, except for in my own mind. Which is nothing new.

My manuscript, See No Evil, was tentatively named that because the heroine of the story is an ex-FBI profiler with special abilities: she can hear the thoughts of killers when she's around them or around things they've touched. It makes her a pretty powerful tool in fighting bad guys. But unfortunately the ability also leaves her incapacitated and physically helpless when she's around baddies.

But See No Evil wasn't going to work as a title for Harlequin Intrigue. They told me that from the beginning and I had no problem with it. Titles are terribly difficult for me, so I hold on to them very loosely. Plus the editors have much more to consider than just my one book when selecting a title: overall branding of Intrigue, the other five books that will be released that month, how everything will fit on the cover together.

Here are some of the titles my editor and I were throwing back and forth.

Dangerous Intent
Murder Radar of Love
Primal Instinct
Shielded

In case one of the titles looks a little out of place, a couple writer buddies and I decided that if you tack "of love" on the end of any title, you've come up with an instant Romance Novel title. For instance: Aliens of Love, Dirty Dancing of Love, Throw Momma From the Train of Love. All obviously instant best-sellers.

The title has already been chosen by my editors. Anybody want to guess on what you think it will be?

What is your guess for the title of Janie's new booK?
	Dangerous Intent
	Murder Radar of Love
	Primal Instinct
	Shielded
pollcode.com free polls

The official title will be announced soon!

Cinderella At the Ball - My First RWA Conference Experience

Last week I attended the Romance Writers of America annual convention. I hadn’t planned to go. But when three weeks before the conference  I suddenly found myself with a publisher who wanted to wine & dine me while there, I decided I was awesome  to attend.

A well-attended Harlequin workshop

Hey, especially since it was in Atlanta, my old high school stomping grounds.  Plus, my parental units are in Georgia = free babysitting.

There were about 2500 people (I’ll admit, mostly women) in attendance. The different types of romance writers present ran the absolute gamut: from sweet, inspirational romances to the type of stuff I cannot even think about without blushing.

We came together to celebrate and learn and meet and commiserate.  And I must say, it was wonderful.

Here was a group of women who understood almost every issue I have that involves writing. Joys such as: writing while children are screaming for dinner, the challenges of your “writing space” being the living room couch, and writing a sex scene when you know your mom is going to read it.

Everybody understood my problems and I understood theirs. I walked into a sisterhood I never knew I needed. But I know now.

My SOLD! Ribbon

It was my first RWA conference, although I didn’t wear the little
ribbon they gave me for my name tag that said so (btw, I don't wear a
t-shirt saying “I’m a tourist!!!” when I go to a new city either). But I did proudly sport my SOLD! ribbon indicating that I had sold my first book.

I was able to attend workshops about Surviving You First Book Deal, Boosting Energy & Beating Stress (more vegetables? Gross), Developing an Online Presence (wait, you want me to use social media MORE than I do now? Is that possible?), and Ergonomics for Writers (You mean sitting hunched over a computer for twelve hours in a row is not good for me?).

Plus there were workshops on self-publishing (which was, by far, the best attended workshops), pitches, plots, dialogue, research, serial killers, forensics, queries, steampunk and dozens of other topics. I didn’t make it to any of those, sadly.

Heather Long, Delores Fossen, Bab Han

Although the RWA convention itself was great, the really fabulous part for me was going there as Harlequin Author. I’ll never get tired of saying it… “Janie Crouch, author.”

Well, almost author. Soon. You know, in April 2014. But that little not-quite-published-yet detail didn’t matter to Harlequin. They brought me in like one of the family.

I got to go to parties and receptions and lunches and dinners, even a pajama party – all paid for by my publisher. Author-only stuff, like the famous (amongst writers) Harlequin soiree this year held at the Ritz Carlton.  I must admit, I felt important. Appreciated. Like Cinderella at the ball, except there were no pumpkins at midnight.

I was able to meet my delightful editor face-to-face and am looking forward to having a long and fruitful relationship with her. She’s tiny and fun. I'm sorry I don't have pictures us.

Nora Roberts& stalker on the dance floor

Plus, I got to see Nora Roberts (arguably the biggest name in contemporary romance) dancing to It’s Raining Men at the Harlequin Author party! I had to keep my distance due to an earlier... er,... stalking event, but we still did a "walk-by photo shoot". That woman can dance!

More importantly (yes, even more important than Nora Roberts dancing), I met the wonderful ladies of the Intrigue line. All of them highly successful authors, yet they still took me – someone they had never met and never read – and treated me like one of their own.  We laughed and sang and took crazy pictures and chatted for hours. They offered invaluable advice, and I’m thankful. I hope to be friends with these ladies for years to come.

Intrigue Authors - a true sisterhood

...or something. :-)

I left RWA counting my blessings: To have a book finished and new one in the works. To have a publishing contract. To have a husband and family who support me in all my neuroses.  And to have new friends who understand exactly where I am and where I'm trying to get. 

Cinderella at the ball, indeed. And no pumpkins in sight.