Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

For a change of pace I thought we’d visit Brighton in England today.

This is the Brighton Beach and the pier. The beach consists of lots of pebbles, which makes the deck chair business very profitable.

Above is the Royal Pavilion, a seaside retreat for the Prince of Wales. The palace started off as a small farmhouse. The prince gradually added land to his plot, as money allowed, and created the oriental palace and grounds we see today.

Our lemon tree produced a bumper crop this year, so I decided to try out this recipe for Lemon Slice. It’s very like a Key Lime Pie in that the ingredients are similar, but the taste and texture is quite different.

Recipe:

Base

1 1/2 cups of plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup brown sugar

125 grams melted butter (1/2 cup)

1. Combine the dry ingredients with the melted butter and mix well

2. Press mixture into a tin lined with baking paper. The recipe suggests a 27cm x 18cm x 3 cm. I just grabbed a tin out of the cupboard.

3. Bake the crust in a preheated oven for 10 minutes (180C – 160C if fan forced – 350F)

Topping

400g can condensed milk

3 eggs

1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 Tablespoons plain flour

1. Place the condensed milk in a bowl and beat in the eggs. About one minute.

2. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice and flour and beat until combined.

3. Pour over the base.

4. Return to the oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until topping is set.

5. Cool and dust with icing sugar (powdered sugar/confectioner’s sugar) before serving.

Shelley’s notes

1. I cooked my slice for exactly 20 minutes. Next time I make this recipe I’ll check it at 15 minutes. I think my slice was slightly overcooked, but it still tasted good.

Are you a fan of lemons? What is your favorite lemon recipe?

The Summer Palace is a beautiful spot with statues, temples, ponds and gardens. Originally the domain of the royal family, the tranquil gardens are open to the public these days. A visitor needs plenty of time to explore and a good pair of walking shoes. This is a photo of Kumming Lake looking over to the Buddhist Temple.

I’d like to welcome Kinley Baker today. Kinley is introducing her new release titled Excuse My Fairy. An intriguing title, no?

Excuse My Fairy

Kinley Baker

Book Description:

Her magic breaks all the rules. He breaks all of hers.

Draybeth is broken. Her fairy powers don’t work, her magic is completely dysfunctional, and not even her bad attitude and soft heart can win her back into Fairy favor. Exiled from their land, she struggles to make a life for herself in the human world. But when her bar burns to the ground and she meets one of the Impassables–the devastating Lawman Barrett–things become even more of a struggle. An arrest, murder, and abduction challenge everything she’s worked for, and worse, the Impassable Lawman appears to be her destined mate. But darkness stirs deep within Dray’s heart, and she’s not about to drag the gorgeous lawman down with her.

Barrett never expected to find himself mated to a fairy, let alone one with such a wicked temper and a short fuse. Being an Impassable, he should be immune to fairy magic, but Dray’s magic burns through him like lightning, just as everything else about her ignites him, body and soul. The fairy’s power over Impassables threatens everything this new realm was built upon, and as a Lawman, Barrett’s job is to make sure those threats are eliminated. But his feelings for Dray make him question just where his duty lies.

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16282631-excuse-my-fairy

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About the Author:

Kinley Baker has a terminally tender heart and an inconvenient sense of humor. She loves puppies and cries at celebrity weddings. Kinley believes that romance novels are the keys to world peace, because if you’re holding a book, you can’t be holding a gun. Kinley supports all supernatural lifestyles and believes "happy ever after" isn’t only for the normal. Her books Ruined, Denied and Freed are available now from Crescent Moon Press. Excuse My Fairy is available now from Etopia Press. Look for more in the Misbehaving Magics series and the final book in the Shadowed Love trilogy in 2013.

www.kinleybaker.com

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Excuse My Fairy Excerpt:

A scream echoed down the hallway and reached Barrett at his desk. He knew they didn’t have a banshee in the vicinity, which always required extra precautions, but his eardrums had never met a sound more sinister than the bellow ringing in his ears.

Captain Syd stormed into the station room, his gaze locked on Barrett.

“Your fairy is driving everyone mad.”

Yep, Barrett had guessed right. His mate was causing a scene. Looked like Barrett would be forced to deal with the consequences.

The rest of the men and women at their desks studied his confrontation with the captain. They weren’t missing any details.

They all knew the fairy was Barrett’s problem, which would reasonably lead anyone to believe the two of them were involved in a relationship. Barrett’s place in the hierarchy among the men just dropped. He was probably going to lose his job.

Barrett pushed back from his desk. “I’ll go talk to her.” Damage control time. Maybe it wasn’t all over.

Captain Syd’s hot breath smacked him in the face. “You better not just talk to her. You better silence her!”

Barrett rarely heard the captain yell. This situation wasn’t going to be easy on anyone. Super.

With a scowl, Barrett headed for Dray. The woman had a sharp hook sunk into his chest. No matter how hard he tried to wiggle free of the catch, the hold buried deeper. She was his problem now. The captain had made the truth public.

Barrett strode toward the prisoner cells. The moment he entered the room, the fairy stopped screaming. He walked right up and glared at her. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Thank the heavens.” The hag two cells down stopped rubbing her temples.

Barrett chose to ignore the older woman.

Dray blinked at him, as wide-eyed and innocent as a doe. Barrett knew well enough not to be fooled.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Barrett’s own anger mounted.

“Tell me.” Dray threw the words out as though she didn’t have a care in the world.

“Everyone knows you’re my responsibility now.” His heart thudded at the admission. The statement wouldn’t go over well with his mate.

Dray’s eyes flared. “Embarrassed?”

That wasn’t even close to what Barrett felt. He had no idea how to put the chaos inside his chest into words. “You’re not making it easy to like you.”

“Ha! Feeling’s mutual.”

He should have known she would throw the sentiment back in his face. “I’m not your biggest fan, either, sugar.”

Dray snorted. “You couldn’t possibly dislike me as much as I dislike you.”

Now it was personal. “Listen, Beth—”

Her eyes bugged at the nickname. He’d seen her full name on her record.

He smirked. “If you think you can come into my station and run that sassy mouth like the Second Ending is coming and the world will parish without hearing your wisdom, you’re sadly mistaken. I should lock you up for the simple reason that someone thought it was a nice idea to match your surly little temper with those soft and sexy curves.”

Her mouth dropped open.

Using his index finger, he brushed his calloused skin against her soft chin and pushed up so her lips pressed together again. And in that insane moment, he wanted to kiss her.

She smacked his hand. Pain sizzled along his nerves. “If you ever touch me again, I’ll castrate you with my fingernails.”

He looked down at her short, efficient nails, and then back up at her. “You’re welcome to try.”

Her eyes flared, her power shifting behind her gaze. It had been a long time since he’d seen someone this riled. The little firecracker in front of him was set to burst.

“You’re just like every man I’ve ever met.” Dray turned her back on him.

Barrett couldn’t stop the spike of jealousy. How many men had there been? “You’re nothing like every woman I’ve met.” No one else drove him to this level of ball-busted crazy.

Dray’s shoulders hunched, and he couldn’t get a read on her. She refused to continue their conversation, and that was fine with him. He worried about what he might snap at her in his current mood.

His mobile buzzed, a welcomed distraction, and he quickly read the message.

“Jiva’s here to bail you out.” He had no idea how Jiva had known where her friend was. He hadn’t known how to get a hold of the succubus.

Dray continued to stare at the back wall. Barrett couldn’t see any part of her face. A moment of helplessness overwhelmed him. What was he supposed to do with this fairy? He had no idea how to proceed. “Be careful.” He couldn’t prevent himself from warning her. “Don’t go anywhere alone. The soul-sucker is still out there.” He’d never forgive himself if something happened to her, even if his temper peaked at his max.

She didn’t glance back or acknowledge him.

“Please, be careful.” His words scratched from a dry throat.

A long silence stretched. “I don’t need you to protect me.”

Her words struck him in the gut. Air puffed out of him. Rejection raged through him, uncontained. Wasn’t that the point? The little fairy didn’t need him at all. He chose to walk away then. She’d made it clear she wanted nothing to do with him. Maybe he would make it easy on her and just walk away for good.

He turned his back. No matter how much he wanted to give up on their torrid relationship, that wouldn’t be possible. It looked like they would both have to see this through to the end, whether that end included happiness or death.

This is one of our native trees – the pohutukawa tree. It’s an evergreen and bears these gorgeous scarlet flowers around Christmas. Our local council has planted these trees all down our street and in some of the neighboring reserves. They make for a pretty picture.

I wish everyone a happy and safe Christmas. Enjoy your day.

Today I’m posting a short excerpt from Lovers at Last, a contemporary story about friends who become lovers. There is adult language used in this excerpt.

“Andrew Dickins is a bastard,” Pearl spat out, shaking her fist in Justin’s face. Something white and thin flashed past his nose, almost hitting him in the eye.

Justin stood, moving out of range. “Wanna beer?”

“Yeah. Thanks.” Pearl dropped onto his battered leather couch, her miniskirt riding up to display a good portion of black stocking. Justin knew she wore stockings because he caught a glimpse of pale, creamy thigh before she tugged her black skirt down. Hot damn. This woman was gonna be the death of him. He wondered why Andrew Dickins was a bastard and decided he didn’t really give a damn. If the man’s behavior meant he could spend time with Pearl, Justin was all for it. His cock stirred again at the thought.

He strode into his kitchen, giving himself a swift lecture about friends only. Didn’t work. Hell, he’d given up trying to listen to commonsense. Let lust rule. The few beers he’d had after work with his mates were enough to blunt his normal restraint when it came to Pearl. Somehow he couldn’t find it in himself to give a fuck about breaking his self-imposed rule. Maybe it was time he made a move on her. There was more in life than work. Yeah. He’d done the work thing and was doing fuckin’ nicely, thank you very much. Time for another challenge. He opened his fridge and grabbed two beers, pausing to collect a glass for Pearl before returning to his den.

When he stalked up to his couch, Pearl was muttering to herself, her hand clenching and relaxing on something white. A string of pearls. His lips pursed in a silent whistle. Big bucks.

One of her lovers had dropped a pile of money on her. Considering the magnificent gift, he wondered what had bent Pearl out of shape. Last time he’d seen her this angry, it was because her lover at the time had refused to take direction. Justin snorted. Any man who couldn’t find a woman’s clit had no business making love to a stunner like Pearl. She should have told him to fuck off without a second chance.

“Here you go, babe.” Justin handed over the dew-frosted can and glass before sinking onto the couch beside her. He tipped back his head, enjoying the crisp taste of hops dancing across his tongue. Beer, woman and rugby. Hot damn. His night was lookin’ up.

“You come to watch the rugby, or do you want to shoot the breeze?” he asked finally, more to stop her fidgeting and muttering than anything else. Knowing Pearl, he was gonna hear about whatever ailed her no matter what he said.

“Andrew gave me these pearls.” Pearl shook them in his face again.

Justin ducked out of range. That was a bad thing? “I thought you liked jewelry.” Although he’d known Pearl since high school, sometimes he couldn’t fathom the way her mind worked. Women. Shit, he’d never understand them, which was probably why he’d stuck to short-term relationships. That and because he lusted after Pearl, couldn’t imagine being with anyone else for the long haul.

“I’ve been with Andrew for a year. He took me to dinner with his partners. When he told me he was giving me something special, I thought it was a diamond engagement ring.” Her breasts rose and fell, attracting his attention again. Damn, she was fine.

“And?” he prompted, suspecting there was more.

Grab a copy of Lovers at Last from Ellora’s Cave, Amazon or All Romance ebooks.

We took these photos at the Everglades. The vultures were hanging around on the footpath and gave me the creeps. They’re ugly and were a bit smelly. I preferred the alligators.

Would you like one of these for a pet?

This is the Temple of Heaven, which is set in the tranquil Temple of Heaven park in Beijing. I loved the vibrant colors of the temple and understand the buildings were repainted in honor of the Olympic games. In the actual park there were people enjoying the sunshine, playing board games such as chess and others selling trinkets to tourists. Our tour guide told us parents will often discuss their children and search for suitable marriage partners while meeting in the parks.

The Great Wall of China has always held a mystique and allure for me, so during our visit to China it was top of my must-do list. The large number of tourists was expected, but the sheer steepness and the big steps that presented a challenge for even my long legs were a surprise. The first part of the climb was made trickier by the mass of tourists. It would have only taken one person to over balance and the rest of us would have gone over like bowls.

Another surprise was the hazy air. You can see what I mean in this photo. We took this shot at the top of the wall, just below the farthest watch tower. Most people only made it as far as the first watch tower, but hubby and I both climbed as far as we could go. It was well worth the effort, and the beer we drank at the cafe at the bottom of the wall tasted like nectar.

Is there a particular place or historical site that you’ve always dreamed of visiting?

I smile every time I see this photo. It reminds me of the song about the Teddy Bear’s picnic.

This photo of a group of young panda bears was taken at the Panda Research Center at Chengdu. Enjoy the song. I hope I don’t inflict you with an earwig!