Saying Goodbye... and giveaways

Sandra Orchard here. 

Saying goodbye to dear friends is always hard to do and surprisingly I've learned the same is true for beloved characters.

You see, this month I'm celebrating the release of the final instalment in my Serena Jones Mysteries...unless my readers succeed in talking me into writing more. 🙂 

It's been fun to hear from so many readers who are as sad to say goodbye to the series' characters as I am. 

Some are even vying to be the next woman in Nate or Tanner's life! And who wouldn't love to hang out with Serena's indefatigable Great Aunt Martha? You know there's got to be more to her than meets the eye. I'd need several more books to plumb those depths! 

For the uninitiated, Serena Jones is an FBI agent who specializes in investigating art crimes, a passion driven by the loss of her grandfather at the hands of an art thief when she was a child.  

Each mystery is a fast-paced, laugh-out-loud, keep-you-guessing romp, although in reading Over Maya Dead Body what Serena's fans seem most eager to discover is which man she will choose.  

I did, after all, invite readers to vote for their preferred choice and then wrote the finale according to the will of the majority. 😉

Your Turn: Are there characters to whom you've been sad to say goodbye? 

Here's what others are saying:

“In Over Maya Dead Body, Orchard takes the reader into the world of antiquities smuggling. This mystery keeps the reader engaged in the adventure while laughing at the antics of Serena’s two suitors.”  ~Christian Market July 2017 issue

“This was the perfect summer read. There were lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end.” Interviews and Reviews





Sandra Orchard is a multi-award-winning author of mysteries and romantic suspense. A mother of three grown children, she lives in Niagara, Canada with her real-life-hero husband and writes full time…when not doting on her young 
grandchildren.  Learn more about Sandra’s books and bonus features at www.SandraOrchard.com or connect at www.Facebook.com/SandraOrchard

Two Giveaways: 

Check out these reviews and giveaways: 

https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.ca/2017/07/over-maya-dead-body.html  (ends Sat EDT)

http://ptbradley.com/book-review/reader-friday-2 (ends Thurs night EDT)

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Don't Give Up (with giveaway)

 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Philippians 4:13

I attended my first marathon on Sunday to cheer on my good friend Lisa Belcastro and as a  member of Team 413, she wears the above verse on the back of her shirt. It was cool too hear how many people remarked to her on it during the race, usually with a "thanks, I needed to be reminded of that right now." 

I'm sure we can all relate to needing the reminder, no matter what our particular "race" is.

This month is NaNoWriMo--National Novel Writing Month--and while I didn't plan to write a book this month. Actually I'd hoped to have it done by now and to be plotting the next one! I've decided to set as my goal: finishing the book I've been picking away at between celebrating my daughter's wedding and enjoying company.

The goal has given me a new gratefulness for the sprained ankle I incurred on Sunday, too. The injury makes it pretty tough to do much else other than sit and write. <wink>

Making over the room my newlywed daughter has vacated will just have to wait.  

Your Turn: What race are you running these days? And for what are you grateful?

Giveaways: Hop over to Suzanne's blog and leave a comment for a chance to win a paperback copy of Another Day Another Dali. (No country restrictions are listed and as of the time I'm writing this...there are only a couple of comments! So go for it.) 

Here's what others are saying about it:

another day another dali by sandra orchard is book two in the series, a serena jones mystery. reading friends, i absolutely love this series!!! in fact, i want to be friends with serena jones!!! yes, she's that cool. fbi special agent serena jones is on a case "unofficially" as a favor for her grandmother. someone is replacing valuable paintings with forgery and serena is determined to follow the trail. if she can find the forger, they may lead her to the ring of thieves. as her evidence begins to grow, serena stumbles on clues that may point to something more personal. on top of all the craziness, her fan club in the male department seems to be growing (i'm rooting for tanner!)!!! i just know you'll love this one as much as i did!!!

         ~ Susan of http://fivestarfaithbasedbooks.blogspot.ca

Sandra Orchard is a multi-award-winning author of mysteries and romantic suspense. A mother of three grown children, she lives in Niagara, Canada with her real-life-hero husband and writes full time…when not doting on her young grandchildren.  Learn more about Sandra’s books and bonus features at www.SandraOrchard.com or connect at www.Facebook.com/SandraOrchard

Recipe for National Linguine Day

Hi Sandra Orchard here.

Did you know that today is National Linguine Day?

I'm not sure who comes up with all these crazy special designations, but I figured it was a perfect day to share one of my favourite recipes with you.

I first enjoyed this yummy dish at my friend and fellow author Lisa Belcastro's house on Martha's Vineyard while conducting research for the final book in my Serena Jones Mysteries series.

I think research has become my favourite part of book writing. :)

Lisa made this dish with spaghetti noodles so I've modified it in honour of linguine. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

- bag frozen broccoli 
- onion chopped
- red & yellow peppers chopped 
- chopped garlic 
- sliced mushrooms
- boneless chicken breast cut into thin strips
- package of linguine noodles
- jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- spices - oregano, basil, seasoned salt

Directions:

Heat water for cooking noodles and cook to el dente.

Drain the oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes into frying pan (not the tomatoes) and heat pan on medium.

Chop onions and peppers, and sauté with a tsp of garlic, in the oil until onions begin to appear translucent. 

Add sliced mushrooms and broccoli and chicken. Sprinkle on oregano, basil and seasoned salt. Stir with spatula as cooking. 

Once broccoli is close to tender, add sun-dried tomatoes to heat through.

Pour mixture over cooked noodles and grate parmesan cheese and freshly ground pepper over top.

Trust me, it tastes waaay better then the frog legs Serena's Aunt Martha tries to feed her in my October release, Another Day, Another Dali. 

When a valuable Salvador Dali painting belonging to her grandmother’s friend is mysteriously replaced by a forgery, FBI Special Agent Serena Jones is called in to investigate. Serena hopes finding the thief will also mean finally measuring up to Nana’s expectations. But when the evidence points to members of the owner’s own household, it becomes increasingly clear that Serena won’t be winning any popularity contests.

The Dali isn’t the only painting that’s fallen prey to the forgery-replacing thief, raising the specter of a sophisticated theft ring–one with links to dirty cops, an aspiring young artist, and the unsolved murder of Serena’s grandfather.

With plenty of edge-of-your-seat moments, Another Day, Another Dali gives the plucky Serena Jones–and readers–a new high-stakes case to crack.

Sandra Orchard is a multi-award-winning author of mysteries and romantic suspense. She is an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America and The Word Guild (Canada). A mother of three grown children, she lives in Niagara, Canada with her real-life-hero husband and writes full time…when not doting on her young grandchildren.  Learn more about Sandra’s books and bonus features at www.SandraOrchard.com or connect at www.Facebook.com/SandraOrchard

Your Turn: What's your favourite way to eat linguine?

Family Food Favorites

Hi Everyone, Sandra Orchard here.

Was there a food you hated as a child, but your parents made you eat anyway?

For me--and the heroine of my new release, A Fool and His Monet--it was Brussels sprouts. I tolerate them well enough now and oddly, they are my youngest daughter's favourite vegetable!

Of course, she has zero sense of smell, which probably helps.

Then again...when I was little, my older sister told me that if I plugged my nose as I ate the sprouts I wouldn't taste them, but it didn't work!

I had lots of fun sprinkling such anecdotes into this art crime whodunit.

Like me, my heroine has British parents so she grew up with such foods as roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, bubble 'n squeak and toad-in-the-hole.

Mmm, doesn't that last one sound appetizing?

It was actually sausages baked in a square pan of Yorkshire pudding, which is also a bit of a misnomer too, since Yorkshire pudding is more of a bread than a pudding. But it wasn't bad with a good dollop of HP sauce on top.

On the other hand, bubble 'n squeak sounds like a super fun meal for a kid, don't you think?

In reality, it was a cutesy name for heated-up leftovers. And since leftovers inevitably included--yes, you guessed it--Brussels sprouts, bubble 'n squeak didn't make me all that bubbly.

Now...I did love Mom's shortbread. And I would've loved scones with Devonshire cream, but for some reason that famous British dish never made it onto our table.

Your Turn: How about you? What fond and not-so-fond memories do you have of the home cooked foods your were served? 

Multi-award-winning author Sandra Orchard leaps off the garden trails of her herbal-researcher-turned-amateur-sleuth (Port Aster Secrets) series, to the museum corridors of her plucky FBI art crime agent Serena Jones, in A Fool and His Monet. When not plotting crimes, Sandra plays make-believe with her grandchildren or hikes with her hubby along the escarpment, near their home in Niagara, Canada. To learn more visit www.sandraorchard.com 


Check out novel-related recipes and other cool bonus features at: http://sandraorchard.com/extras/bonus-book-features/