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!

Cover Reveal: COUNTERMEASURES (Aka: You Win Some, You Lose Some)

So, perhaps I’ve mentioned that I have a four book series coming out with Harlequin Intrigue in 2015 (actually the first one, INFILTRATION, hits shelves in late December, and is available for pre-order, ahem, here).

The books officially come out January/February and then June/July 2015. They’re called the Omega Sector Series, but they’re also books based on the four Branson siblings: Cameron, Sawyer, Juliet and Dylan.

I talked a couple of weeks ago about the angst that comes along with seeing a cover for the first time, since I have no control over the cover. The cover for Book 1 INFILTRATION was pretty great:

I got the cover for COUNTERMEASURES (Book 2) last week:

When I saw this cover, my heart sank. Not because the cover was bad as a cover (although the guy isn't my personal type), but because the cover looked NOTHING like the characters I describe in the book.

Here are the heroine’s thoughts about the hero when she first meets him (taken directly from the book): 

If it wasn’t for the scar on his chin and slightly crooked nose —it looked like it had been broken at some point in his life— Agent Branson definitely could’ve made a living in front of the camera. Black hair, cut short and stylish, a perpetual five o’clock shadow, gorgeous green eyes. Megan put a hand up to her chin just to make sure she wasn’t accidentally drooling.

And the heroine? Described as having brown curly hair framing her face and shoulders and big brown eyes, with glasses.

So… yeah.  Um, that cover doesn’t look anything like my characters. Hello, blondie.  (And, for the record, I do complete an Art Fact Sheet providing detailed information about the characters and settings in each book)

I immediately put in an email to my editor: Was it possible to change the cover? If not, was it possible to change the text in the book so I could describe the characters to look more like the cover? She checked with the art and marketing department, but alas, no.

It was too late.

I have to admit, I was pretty devastated. After all, this was Sawyer and Megan’s story, and my favorite book I had written to date. When I think of a Sawyer, I think of:

(Although, looking at this picture, I'm beginning to understand where the art department was trying to go with the hero on Countermeasures. Maybe they're Lost fans too.)

And when I think of Megan, I of course think of: my BFF Megan:

Who wouldn't model a character after her?

So anyway, I was upset about the cover. But nothing could be done. In an online chat room I asked some of fellow Intrigue authors (who have been writing for years – some for decades) if anything like this had ever happened to them.

Trust me when I say, their stories both reassured me and had me in stitches on the floor.

For example, someone pointed out (international best seller multiple times over) Suzanne Brockmann’s book Get Lucky:

That dude looks like the Pillsbury Dough Boy! Rumor has it, Suzanne Brockmann  handed out smiley stickers to put over his face when the book came out. I remember reading that book. Brockmann has been one of my favorite authors over the years.

And speaking of RUMOR HAS IT, may I present:

Cindi is one of my friends, and also writes for Intrigue. A hugely talented and very kind lady. But what the heck is happening on that cover???  That can’t be anatomically correct, right?

Ultimately, their point was: Regardless of whether the details are correct, as long as the cover is good overall, then don’t worry about it. There will be some readers who comment that the coloring of the characters isn’t correct –because hey, it’s not— but it shouldn’t affect sales too much over all.

More importantly, I think the art/promo department really got the back cover copy right for COUNTERMEASURES:

The clock was ticking, the enemy was watching.

At first it looked like a glorified babysitting job: safeguard a scientist while she created a countermeasure to neutralize a dangerous weapon that had fallen into the wrong hands. But when Dr. Megan Fuller's life was threatened, undercover agent Sawyer Branson knew the enemy was closing in. Sticking by Megan 24/7 wasn't something he took lightly, even if Megan didn't seem to appreciate his constant presence.

For a man used to getting any woman he wanted, Megan was a challenge he was coming to enjoy. Because beneath her boxy lab coat and pinned-back hair lay a brilliant and beautiful warrior. And before long, Sawyer's determination to save the world was matched only by the sudden need to make Megan his.

SEXY! I love it!

So although the cover for COUNTERMEASURES was not what I had hoped it would be, in the end I think it’s going to be just fine.

And if you want to take a marker and color her hair curly brown on your copy, that’s perfectly okay with me.

Pre-order the Omega Sector Series now:
Book 1 - INFILTRATION
Book 2 - COUNTERMEASURES

Book 3 & 4 - available June & July 2015; links coming soon!

Cover Reveal - My Newest Intrigue Novel: INFILTRATION

There are a lot of things I like about writing for Harlequin Intrigue. The biggest are probably that: 1) They pay me and 2) They take care of all the things involved in writing a book beyond just the writing part.

They take care of: content editing (overall big edits: does the story make sense? do the characters

Seriously, my editors love me.

act/speak consistently through the entire book?), copy editing (flow, clarity, did you use the word “well-preserved” in this paragraph and two paragraphs ago?) and line editing (basic grammar, punctuation, peek vs. peak vs. pique…)

Beyond editing, Harlequin also takes care of cover design, titles (with some input from me), back cover copy, distribution, basic promotion and all things unicorns and rainbows.

There are lots of arguments about traditional vs. indie routes in the publishing world. I have no doubt I will do both before it’s all over. A writer can (theoretically) make a lot more money publishing independently, but then you’re in charge of all the unicorn and rainbow stuff yourself. That’s not something I’m wanting to take on yet.

But despite the fact that I am appreciative of what Harlequin does for me, some of it is nerve-wracking. Particularly when it comes to covers of the book. Generally, I am sent the cover art three months before the book is available at bookstores. The cover is a total surprise (I get no hints as to what it will look like) and set in stone by the time I get it.

I understand why Harlequin does that. Because these are series/category romances (meaning a new set comes out every month) they do not have time to discuss every detail about the cover with a committee (Although to quote Princess Leia: "I am not a committee!" -- but alas...) I complete what is called an Art Fact Sheet (basic features and characteristics about the hero, heroine and theme of the story) and can offer suggestions, but beyond that I just cross my fingers and hope for best.

I lucked out when I got the cover of PRIMAL INSTINCT:

Seriously, I love that cover. I couldn’t have designed it much better if I had worked with the designers myself. (And I love that Harlequin gave me a giant poster! --thanks to fellow Intrigue author Barb Han for mailing it to me after it was used at the Romantic Times convention)

So I was very nervous about getting the covers of my upcoming 4-book Omega Sector Series. Well, last week I got the cover for Book 1: INFILTRATION that will be available in stores mid-December. It’s the first story of the four Branson siblings, Cameron, and how he falls in love with Sophia Reardon while saving the world, of course:

Front only

Front & Back

I like it! It reflects what the book is about: He’s been undercover a long time and lines are getting blurred. She’s a little damaged and was having a bad day even before being kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend. 

So I would say I’m 2 for 2 when it comes to the covers of my books! And I have another cover coming this month for my book COUNTERMEASURES (out mid-January), so I’ve got my fingers crossed for that one. 

Be sure to support your favorite almost starving author and pre-order The Omega Series, Book 1: INFILTRATION at Amazon or Barnes & Noble or look for it in stores from mid-December to mid-January.

My Writers' Police Academy Experience: More Than Just Blowing $%&# Up (Although Do You Really Need More?)

I’ve spent the last fifteen years of my life teaching college-level public speaking for a living. My hubby, Captain Awesome, (engineer that he is) once added up roughly how many speeches I’ve seen.  Three speeches a semester x 75 students a semester (a very low estimate) x 45 semesters = 10,125

Over 10,000 speeches.

So when I say I don’t jump at the opportunity to attend conferences and conventions where people are doing more speaking, you can probably understand.

The Writers’ Police Academy was different. 

Held near Greensboro, NC each year, the Writers’ Police Academy (WPA), is a chance for crime/mystery/thriller/romantic suspense writers to experience hands-on what happens in the real world of law enforcement. So we can then turn around and get it right in our writing.

Here are some of the opportunities I was able to experience at WPA:

The decisions EMTs/Paramedics/firefighters have to make when faced with a multi-victim situation. We were given a demonstration (using actor victims) of what such a scene would be like.

I stopped watching this so I could write a scene for a book, it came to me so clearly

What it feels like to get to try to get your weapon out of your holster when someone is rushing at you with a knife from only ten feet away (not easy! Keep perps at least 15 feet away or you don’t have much of a chance)

Self-defense with partners -- I somehow ended up with the Black Belt lady. Great pick.

What it is like (via simulator) to drive an ambulance with sirens and lights blazing. 

Instructor turned on the sirens & I didn't even flinch -- I'm used to a loud/chaotic vehicle

How daggone heavy a SWAT vest is (all in all, SWAT moves around with 40+ pounds of gear on them).

Sadly, they wouldn't let me hold the rifles.

How loud it is, even from 30 yards away, when a door is blown off its hinges. Being inside the building would scare the pants off someone who didn’t know it was coming.

The adrenaline that comes along with doing a building search, knowing someone is inside. Seriously, I was one of the more calm people (the officer helping us kept telling me how natural I look with a gun in my hand – that ought to be a frightening notion to some of my ex-boyfriends), and my heart rate was through the roof by the time the exercise was completed.

I'm telling you, it was SCARY. Even knowing it was safe.

The pressure of giving CPR to a critical patient while a REALLY HANDSOME young paramedic is watching in a moving ambulance.

Um, yeah... I don't know how his phone number ended up in my notes.

So basically, I loved it. And not just the hands-on stuff. I also enjoyed the more traditional workshops I attended on: prostitution, K9s, Special Ops, and forensic art. Not to mention all the information I gleamed just from talking to law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMTs, lab technicians and TSA agents. Just getting inside their minds, listening to their language, was fascinating and useful.

By the time I left I had a notebook full of scenarios, stories and specifics you can plan to see in my book soon. (In particular, you can expect to see a forensic artist and a hot paramedic in my future books. I’ve already got stories mapped out for them).

Plus, to be surrounded by writers the whole time --people who understand when you stop talking to them in the middle of a sentence to jot down an idea-- just made the entire experience even better. 

I'll definitely go again, and hopefully bring all my fellow Harlequin Intrigue authors along with me.