Crab soup and soda bread

Posted on October 29, 2013 by cecigiltenan

This recipe combination is a classic representation of the cultural blend that is my marriage. My family’s roots are deeply American. My ancestors emigrated here in the 17th and early 18th centuries. I was raised in Maryland where the blue crab is king and one of my favorite recipes is Maryland Crab soup.

My husband is an Irishman, who emigrated here in 1990. When he first came, I tried to find recipes for the foods that he liked from his home. One of the first things I mastered was Irish Brown Soda Bread. I have learned that NOTHING goes better with Maryland Crab soup than Irish Brown Soda Bread.

It was rather prophetic really, we have been married for twenty-two years and we still go together well. Much to my distress, we were apart for the last six weeks while he finished some work in New Jersey but he has finally rejoined me in Florida. God is in his heaven and all is right with the world.

Therefore, I thought I would share these two gems from our Irish-American merger. This is a great meal on a cool day and in fact, we generally have it every Christmas Eve.

Maryland Crab Soup
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Cup chopped onion
1 Cup chopped celery
1 Cup chopped carrots
4 cloves garlic minced or crushed
1 quart Chicken broth
2 potatoes peeled and cut into bite sized cubes
1 14.5 oz. can green beans (with liquid)
1 14.5 oz. can corn (with liquid)
1 14.5 oz. can tomatoes
1 14.5 oz. can tomato sauce
1/3 Cup Old Bay Seasoning
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 quart water
1 lb crab meat

Heat olive oil in a large stock pot and add onion, celery, carrots and garlic. Sauté until onions are soft. Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to boil and reduce heat to simmer. Allow to simmer until potatoes and carrots are tender.

Irish Brown Soda Bread
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 heaping teaspoon cream of tartar
1 heaping teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
3 Cups whole wheat flour
2 Cups sour milk or buttermilk

Sift salt, sugar, cream of tartar, baking soda and All-purpose flour. Add whole wheat flour and lift handfuls to aerate. Make a well in center and add liquid mixing until dough leaves sides of bowl. Knead slightly; adding extra flour if needed. Don’t over knead. Form into a slightly flattened ball. Cut a cross in the loaf and brush top with milk. Bake at 400 for 40 minutes. Turn loaf upside down and return to oven for 5 minutes.

I hope you enjoy this perfect cultural pairing!

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Pirates…and I don’t mean the sexy fictional kind

Posted on October 28, 2013 by cecigiltenan

Is there anyone whose heart doesn’t stir a bit at the fictionalized, romantic, swashbuckling, pirate? Some of the first historical romances I read as a teenager featured privateers. The difference between pirates and privateers is blurred at best and probably depends on the deck of which ship you find yourself. That said, leave the romantic images of pirates in the historical romances we love. As Suzan Tisdale commented on my Facebook post about this issue “Pirates–they give it a sexy name but it is still stealing.”

I found the pirate sites because I periodically search the internet for my name and my book title. I have found cool lists this way (like the “most wished for in Scottish romance” list on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/most-wished-for/books/7538389011 where Highland Solution is currently number 8). I have also found dodgy links to my copyrighted material.

If you find your copyrighted material on an unauthorized website you will need to send a DMCA take-down notice to the host. You can find an example of this kind of letter on multiple legal websites. This one provides a good explanation and example http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2009/07/06/sample-dmca-take-down-letter/.

Finding the place to send the take down notice may be a bit more difficult. You can go to a website like http://allwhois.org/ and with the url from the suspect site, you can sometimes find the contact email. That is what I did and at least one of the websites removed the link to my book. However it pays to be careful what you click on. I sent some of the information that I found to Piracy Pitbull and was told:

Some of the “sponsored” results are fake torrents with a virus built in. Those types of results generally show up on all pages of websites like this, regardless of what you search for. They’re just a method used to install malware rather than actual copies of your book.

Piracy Pitbull, http://www.piracypitbull.com is an example of a company that can help monitor the internet for copyright infringement and help remove your copyrighted material from the offending sites.

I am not a legal expert in this area, and I have only just scratched the surface on finding and addressing violators of my copyrights. However, I thought I would share what I have learned at my current stop in my journey as a published author.

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Reader Reviews

Posted on October 25, 2013 by cecigiltenan

One of the most gratifying things about having published a book is reading the many positive reader reviews. Today I received my first paperback copy of Highland Solution and was thrilled to see that my publisher quoted some of these reviews inside the front cover of the book. However, it struck me that these readers would likely never see this because they have already read the electronic version. Therefore, in case any of these readers follow my blog, I wanted to post the quoted sections here.

“One of the best books I ever read! Amazing this is a debut book I can’t praise it enough!” –Barb, Amazon reader

“This book is exactly what I look for in romances. Great plot, amazing characters and good drama. I’m really hoping this author writes many more books like this one. I’m waiting!” –Amy, Amazon reader

“…lots of action and adventure. Great chemistry. Flowed well. Never boring, didn’t find myself skipping through. Really enjoyed it.” –Charlene, Amazon reader

“…My biggest disappointment was it was not longer. . I can’t wait for a sequel.” –Donna, Amazon reader

“I love romance and adventure and this story had both. It was not too steamy but steamy enough and, in my opinion, it had a great story line and lots of action/adventure.”–R. Williams, Amazon reader

The quotes by Donna and Amy are also featured on the back cover!

Thank you all for the kind words. Thanks also to all the other readers who posted wonderful reviews. It absolutely boggles my mind that four and five star reviews have been posted on Amazon UK, Amazon Canada and Amazon Germany. And to those of you who are hoping for a sequel, Highland Courage will be under contract soon and we are hoping for an early 2014 release. I will announce it here when the ink is dry on the contract.

All the best,
Ceci

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Seeking your Scottish ancestors?

Posted on October 25, 2013 by cecigiltenan

Consider contacting Borders Journeys. Started in 2012 by Ian Walker, they provide exclusive private and small group guided sightseeing tours throughout Scotland. They specialize in tours of Dumfries & Galloway, Scottish Borders and Northumberland. Their daily scheduled and private tours depart from Edinburgh and Glasgow, however private tours are available from anywhere in Scotland.

Throughout 2014 Borders Journeys will be participating in the Year of Homecoming Scotland. During the year-long celebration of everything Scottish, they will be sharing the beauty, history and culture of Scotland with their visitors and homecomers. Check out thier website http://www.bordersjourneys.co.uk to learn more about their tours. Details of their 2014 tours are still being finalized and will appear on their website in early December.

But Ceci, why would I contact a tour company about genealogy you ask? Because Borders Journeys, is much more than simply an excellent tour company providing first-class service and memorable tours of Scotland. They also provide advice about researching your Scottish ancestry and will undertake the research on your behalf. They use a wide range of historical and genealogical resources including Scotland’s Peoples Centre in Edinburgh, private and local archives plus on-line sources. Where possible they will visit the area where your ancestors lived and photograph their home, local church and headstone.

On completion of their research, you will receive a comprehensive ancestral report which will also include:

• copies of original birth, marriage and death certificates
• parish register entries
• census returns
• other documents that were examined
• where possible photographs

Ian himself performs the research with enthusiasm and vigor–it is his passion. His interest in family and social history began in childhood from stories that his grandpa shared. He meticulously researched his own ancestry and has gone on to carry out ancestral research professionally. Over a period of twenty years he has successfully researched and recorded the family lines of his sixty-four, great, great, great, great grandparents. Ian’s particular expertise lies in researching families in Ayrshire, Dumfries & Galloway, Lanarkshire, Lothians and Scottish Borders; however he has carried out research in all areas of Scotland.

In my opinion, one of the most unique services that they offer is their ancestral tours. Each ancestral tour is tailor-made especially for you. You will be taken on a journey of discovery where you’ll connect with your ancestors by walking in their footsteps then we’ll bring them to life by discovering the people, places and traditions connected with them. Borders Journeys is registered with Visit Scotland Ancestral Welcome Scheme.

You can contact them as follows:

Website: http://www.bordersjourneys.co.uk
Tel: (+44) 0131 450 7151 or (+44) 07794 021819
Email: Ian@bordersjourneys.co.uk
Follow us on Facebook: Borders Journeys
Follow us on Twitter: @Bordersjourneys

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An update for Nook readers

Posted on October 24, 2013 by cecigiltenan

No, Highland Solution is still not available at Barnes and Noble. However, it is on Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/370391 (as well as the Champagne Book site) as an Epub version which can be read on Nook and other devices that won’t read the Kindle format (.mobi). If you have been waiting to purchase it for your Nook you may wish to try this. My publisher assures me that eventually you will be able to purchase it from B&N, I’m just not sure when.

If you read on a Kobo reader, you may also use the Epub version for that. Although Highland Solution was available on Kobo until recently, apparently Kobo took down all books that were published by small presses (or self published) to review them for inappropriate content. The books published by Champagne Books meet all applicable guidelines, so they will be listed on Kobo again soon.

Happy reading,
Ceci

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The Writer’s Vineyard

Posted on October 24, 2013 by cecigiltenan

The Writer’s Vineyard is a blog written by a collection of authors on a variety of topics. How’s that for specific? More specifically, most topics are related to the writing process. I am now one of the contributing authors on this blog and my first post appears today. I address the value of an editor and the importance of viewing one’s editor as a partner rather than an antagonist. http://thewritersvineyard.com/2013/10/you-want-me-to-change-what.html

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Food glorious food – Shortbread

Posted on October 22, 2013 by cecigiltenan

I love food. I guess I should say I have a love/hate relationship with food because I am constantly battling my weight. Unfortunately the love side of the relationship wins out all too often. When I started this blog just after I signed the contract with Champagne Books, I had no idea what to post. Clearly posting anything at all was better than silence so I exploited my love affair with food and posted a few recipes.

It has been almost a year and since those first few posts, I have not added any additional recipes. The thought occurred to me last night that perhaps posting the odd recipe from time to time would be a way to share with my readers. I had this profound idea yesterday when I was making my Grandmother’s Scottish Shortbread so what better way to start than by sharing the recipe?

Alma’s Shortbread
¾ C butter softened
¾ C all purpose flour
¾ C self rising flour (I usually substitute ¾ C all purpose flour, ¾ tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp salt for this)
½ C sugar
¼ tsp almond extract (I generally use ¼ tsp vanilla instead, be careful you don’t want the vanilla to be overpowering)

Cream butter and sugar and mix in the flour and almond or vanilla extract). The mixture is very crumbly. At this point my grandmother patted it into a cake pan and baked it 325º until lightly browned, about 30 minutes. However, I roll it out to about 1/4 inch thickness. I put a piece of baking parchment on the counter, pat the dough into a disc and cover it with a piece of plastic wrap to roll it out. You don’t need to add flour (which can make the shortbread tough) if you do this because the butter content is so high that the dough doesn’t stick to the parchment or plastic. You can cut it into squares, wedges or use a cookie cutter. Place the pieces on a greased or parchment covered baking sheet (I think parchment works best). The dough will spread some as it bakes so leave plenty of room if you want pretty shapes. Bake at 325º until lightly browned, about 15 min. Watch very closely, the smaller your pieces, the less time they will need to bake and shortbread burns quickly.

As I made this yesterday, I was feeling creative so I minced about a teaspoon of fresh rosemary and added it to the creamed butter and sugar before adding the flour. I suppose you could add any flavoring such as other extracts, grated citrus rind or finely minced crystalized ginger.

I hope you enjoy this yummy Scottish standard. If any reader would like to be my guest and share a recipe, just let me know in a comment. I will send you an email with instructions. If any author who follows this blog would like to share a recipe (or other content) and publicize their work, I would be thrilled to host you.

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Release Day for Suzan Tisdale’s Newest Highland Romance

Posted on October 21, 2013 by cecigiltenan

Good morning readers. I am back from the Florida Writers’ Conference, which was great! I met many great Florida authors and I will introduce you to some over the next few weeks. However this morning I am thrilled to share a link to Suzan Tisdale’s new release Rowan’s Lady.

Rowan’s Lady (The Clan Graham Series)

As most of you are fans of Scottish romance, you have probably read her earlier releases, but if not here are the links to those as well. I love them and you might enjoy them as well. The books in Suzan’s MacDougal series, in order are:

Laiden’s Daughter (The Clan MacDougall Series)

Findley’s Lass, Book Two of The Clan MacDougall Series

Wee William’s Woman, Book Three of The Clan MacDougall Series

McKenna’s Honor, A Novella, Book Four of The Clan MacDougall Series

Enjoy!

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New Young Adult Fantasy Novel

Posted on October 19, 2013 by cecigiltenan

I met author Jake Bonsignore at the Florida Writers’ Conference. He is an impressive young man and his fantasy series “Inferno Unleashed” (Part 1 Empyreal Illusions and Part 2 Awakening the Fire) looks amazing and has great reviews. I purchased paperback copies of both books. I’ll tell you more after I have read them.

For now, take a look at his Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jakebonsignoreauthor .

Buy links:
Empyreal Illusions (The Inferno Unleashed)

Awakening the Fire (The Inferno Unleashed)

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Matlacha/Pine Island Authors Day

Posted on October 19, 2013 by cecigiltenan

More on this soon!

http://dlhavlin.wordpress.com/about/matlachapine-island-authors-days-news/

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