It’s time for Karen’s Killer Fixin’s!

Over the years, I’ve filled two 4-inch, 3-ring binders with my own creations as well as recipes my family and friends were willing to share with me. I simply love to cook and want to share that love with my readers. Every Friday, I share a recipe that I think you and your family might enjoy. It might be a main course recipe from my own kitchen or a guest author’s favorite. It could be a cookie or a baked item. Candy. Salads. Whatever strikes the eye and fancy…which today is SEAFOOD CHOWDER from Karen’s Kitchen!!

I don’t often think of making soup in the hot summer months. Most of my soups are hearty comfort food. Who wants to eat “heavy” when you’re hot and sweaty? Not me. However, I can eat a good seafood chowder year-round. It can be just as thick as my other soups. Maybe it’s just a mental thing. I’ll eat seafood seven days a week, given the chance. This recipe is quick and easy to make.  

I hope you enjoy today’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy eating!

Karen

P.S. We’re at 795 recipes and counting with this posting. I hope you find some recipes you like. If this is your first visit, please check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. You can even look up past recipes by type in the right-hand column menu. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, Author Specials, etc.

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SEAFOOD CHOWDER
(Recipe From Karen’s Kitchen)
[Makes 6 1-Cup Servings]

3 T. butter
2 T. flour
4 oz. sliced mushrooms
1/3 cup chopped onion
1-1/2 cup low-fat milk
8 oz. shrimp, shelled & deveined (3/4 cup)
12 oz. (1-1/2 cup) crab meat
1 cup Half-n-Half
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1/4 cup parsley
3 T. dry sherry

In a large heavy saucepan, melt butter over moderate heat. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until bubbly. Add mushrooms and onions, and sauté for 5 minutes, or until tender. Add milk and lower the heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in crab, shrimp, and Half-n-Half. Simmer 5 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in parsley and the sherry.

Note: This basic chowder is very good. If you’re a garlic lover, like me, you can add up to a tablespoon of minced garlic for variety. Another variation is to add 1-2 tsp. of Old Bay seasoning to taste.

Happy Eating!

KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench, where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site, so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!

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FOREVER YOU
One Love. Two Lifetimes
BY J.D. CHURCH

Blurb

FOREVER YOU
One Love. Two Lifetimes
BY J.D. CHURCH

Interview

Before we get started talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself, where you’re from, what you do for a living (if you’re not a full-time writer) what hobbies you have, etc. Whatever you’d like to share to introduce yourself.

I’m a proud mom of two grown children, a grandma of a two-year old, and a devoted dog mom to a very well-cared-for pup. I’m also married to what I like to call the most patient man in the world, which is probably a requirement for keeping up with all of my hobbies.

I’m a creative person at heart. My husband says I live in my own little world. When I’m not writing or working at my job at a murder mystery dinner show, my hands are in the dirt tending my garden, at my sewing machine, or in the kitchen cooking, baking, or canning food from my gardens. I’m a small space homesteader and like to bully my friends into growing gardens or eating organic.

You will also find me at Celtic festivals wearing a corset or outfit I’ve designed and sewn myself, or at a hockey game ready to throw down at the rink, just kidding…kind of.  Overall, I’m someone who loves to create and connect with people.

1. What appeals to you about the genre that you write?

I write across multiple genres. My non-fiction writing as Renee McCorry I love to share my knowledge of small space homesteading and how to live a more self-sufficient life. Writing as J.D. Church is a little different because it allows me to explore another side of my creativity.

Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve wondered what it would be like to travel back in time. Not to witness history’s big moments, but to experience everyday life and see the world through someone else’s eyes. I’ve always been fascinated by how people lived, what they valued, and how they navigated the challenges of their time.

That’s what draws me to writing time-travel romantic suspense. It gives me the chance to combine my love of history with my imagination.  There’s something magical about connecting the past and present and discovering how the choices we make can echo through time.

2. Are you a plotter or a pantser (one who writes “by the seat of your pants”)?

Up until recently I was a total pantser! A wonderful group of writers I met through SCWA taught me the value of outlining, so my next book is partially plotted…and some “oh I didn’t know that was going to happen.”

3. What is your favorite part of writing?

I love creating a new life! Theres something about uncovering family secrets, putting my characters in dangerous situations, and watching them fight for love despite the obstacles in their path. Of course, there is always a happily ever after since real life doesn’t always give us that.

4. If you had to give up writing and do something else, what would you do instead?

That’s a no-brainer. Historical Interpreter. I had a job as one years ago when I lived in New Jersey and I loved it. Dressing up, becoming part of history and sharing it with others is the best feeling.

5. What’s your favorite meal of the day?

DESSERT. Does that count as a meal?

6. Which are your favorite characters to write, the female characters or the male characters? Why?

Female characters are usually easier for me to write because I can relate to them on a personal level. I understand how they think, react, and navigate the world, which makes their voices come naturally.

But I have to admit, I love writing male characters too. There’s something about creating the “perfect” man and then throwing every obstacle imaginable in his path. As an author, it’s fun to see what he’s made of when everything goes wrong.

7. If you had a superpower, what would it be, and how would you use it?

Ha! Time travel! Not a surprise, right? I’d visit the past, observe how people really lived, and probably spend far too much time asking questions. The challenge, of course, would be resisting the urge to meddle with history.  Fortunately, years of reading Outlander series have taught me that history has a way of happening no matter what you do. As long as I could make it back home safely, time travel would be the ultimate adventure and the perfect research tool.

8.  Many writers dream of having the ideal location to write. If you could live anywhere in the world or live a particular lifestyle, where would you be answering these questions right now?

On a homestead in the mountains with nature all around me. Of course, with a lot of free time to write.

9.  Do you have any rejection stories to share? Reviews that meant something special to you?

I have been rejected so many times in the past that I gave up writing for a long time. I thought I wasn’t good enough and my confidence took a big hit.  It’s what pushed me to self-publish. I know I have good stories. I just want to share them.

10.  Tell us about your next book & when it is being published?

Forever You e-book has just been released. Print version will be released on June 19^th.  It is book one in the Callahan Chronicles. I will be writing a 5-book series. I am hoping to have the second book out by late autumn. I will also be re-releasing a cozy holiday romance in November, Second Chance Under the Mistletoe.

About Author J.D. Church…

Links to J.D.’s websites, blogs, books, #ad, etc.:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4a6AUcN

https://www.amazon.com/author/reneemccorry

https://leafandlores.com/j-d-church

https://leafandlores.com/my-blog

https://substack.com/@reneemccorry2

CONGRATULATIONS WEEK
06-15-26
BLOG GIVEAWAY WINNERS!!

~~~

Karen’s Killer Book Bench with R.D. Trimble..

**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY: R.D. will gift an ebook copy of Middle School Madness to one lucky reader, The Hitmom to another lucky reader, and Viktor: Vampire Usurper to a third lucky reader, and finally, a medium character role in his upcoming novel, “The Orphan Knight” to a fourth lucky reader who comments on his Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog.

Thanks, R.D., for sharing your book with us!

WINNER (Middle School Madness): BN100!!
WINNER (The Hitmom): Jaylee Conaway!!
WINNER (Viktor: Vampire Usurper): Eileen AW!!
WINNER (Medium Character Role): Crystal Stewart!!

Find on Karen/K.L. Docter’s Amazon Author Page

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Karen/K.L. Docter’s books stand alone, even in the series. You can read them out of sequence. No cliffhangers. No cheating. Always Happily Ever After endings!

HAPPY READING!

(All giveaway winners are chosen by random.org from reader comments except Rafflecopter events or giveaways, which are determined and announced offsite by the publisher/authors. Thank you!)

KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench, where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site, so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!

~~~

THE UNBINDING
Paranormal Ghost Romance
BY JENNY IROH

Blurb

THE UNBINDING
Paranormal Ghost Romance
BY JENNY IROH

Editors Note: Edited for some language.

Excerpt

The Unbinding is an enemies-to-lovers romance that’s perfect for readers who love paranormal romance; haunted soul bonds; morally questionable ghosts; tarot readings gone wrong; chaotic best friends and Florida gothic vibes.

Chapter 2

I sipped my tea and touched a deck of cards that had two blond children on the front. It looked like an ethereal field.

“The Hollow Spring Deck,” Grace said. “Good. Good.”

The deck’s borders had slightly tarnished gold foil gilded around the edges. The scenes were illustrated in oval windows, like seed pods, and human figures threaded with vines, as if remembered by the very earth.

She shuffled the deck for a while, and her face moved as if she were having an imaginary conversation with herself. Grace fanned the deck, face up, so we could see the cards, and in a Vegas-style flip, she turned the deck and gathered it.

“I need you to shuffle a few times,” she said. “The deck wants to meet you.”

I picked the cards up, and they were slick in my teacup-warmed hands. I shuffled a few times.

“Do I ask a question?”

I paused mid-shuffle because I felt like I heard my own voice amplified and reverberating on the word question. The weird buzzing echoed for a moment and receded like a wave.

“Not yet. Spirit needs to talk to you,” she said. Grace held out her hand. I passed the deck. She shuffled ten more times and then asked me to cut the cards.

“OK. From here, Spirit will talk to you and I’m just here to assist.”

She shuffled and a card flew from the deck and landed face up in front of me.

Judgement.

In this deck, instead of an angel trumpeting and calling figures from the grave, a stag crowned in budding antlers made of bone and blossom called figures from the earth – their bodies woven with gold vines.

Grace cleared her throat and kept shuffling.

“The Judgement card is a call beyond the grave, Andrea,” Grace said.

“It’s Andy,” I said automatically.

The card vibrated, as if we’d scooted the table and the legs jiggled it. I pulled my hands back from the table so fast the teacup fell and broke.

“Did you do that?” I said.

I heard a sort of voice reverberation, like my words weren’t just in my throat.

“Are you doing that?” I asked. My hands shook as she continued shuffling. She didn’t react to the broken mug or the tea leaking across the floor.

“Something is calling you back,” Grace said, still shuffling. “The Veil isn’t here, it’s open to you, Andy. They’re summoning you.”

She paused and touched her rings with her thumb around the cards. Grace seemed to listen to someone seated next to her. I thought I could hear whispers like someone psspspspspsing to a cat really far away.

“Spirit doesn’t know what your connection to The Veil is, but you are being summoned.”

I pushed further back, my chair legs scritching on the carpet, and five cards flew from her deck like confetti.

They landed and righted themselves so that they fell in order.

Grace slammed the deck and hugged herself.

The first had a barefoot youth in pale linen standing on thawing ice as a white fox tugged his hem.

“Wow, this is a lot,” she said. “OK, The Fool reversed, Spirit says beware the light charlatan. You’ll be led by someone who pretends to guide you, seemingly harmless intentions, but devastating consequences. You can’t close this door again.”

The next card was a smiling skull on a lush field with resting lambs. Early crocus blossoms curled through the skull’s eye sockets and the lambs’ shadows looked like wolves.

“Death.”

“I’m going to die?!”

“Death rarely means death,” Grace said. She took a sip of her water. “Transformation. You can’t stay the same. Spirit says there’s a being that can’t rest and it’s drawing others to you. It’s calling.”

The card slid across the table and landed on my lap.

I screamed and Grace stood, turning over her chair.

“Stop!”

“It’s not me,” Grace yelled back. The calm aura around her flickered and I saw fear in the corners of her tightening mouth. “Yes. We’re finishing. We’re finishing. And then she’s leaving.”

Our chairs both righted and nudged to the edges of our legs. I felt obliged to sit. I also felt like pissing my pants.

The card leered at me; a figure in dark green robes in a glade with black sap dripped down his wrist, as the other hand pushed into the earth. On a blanket in front of the leering man lay a bone-handled knife, a bowl of water and a cracked mirror.

“The Magician reversed – a dark charlatan. It feeds on what you have, and it’s dangerous, more intentional, it wants you to bleed out on truths that destroy you.”

My lungs were a runaway freight train, and I felt lightheaded as I hyperventilated. Grace stared at the cards and read them as if she’d never seen them.

“The Lovers, you’re fated to meet someone whose connection transcends the living and the dead, but the bond can only be forged through shared awakenings…” Grace curled her hand in and rubbed her rings against her chest as The Lovers, two figures back-to-back in waist-high grass, their spines glowing gold where they touch.

She continued, “The High Priestess…”

The doors, cabinets, drawers, and windows in the house all slammed at once, and I screamed. Grace whimpered and gritted her teeth.

Ice crystallized in my lungs. The woman in the card sat at the edge of a frozen pond on the first day of spring. Her eyes were closed. Reflected in the icy slush were eyes that looked just like mine.

“Andy, the spirit world marked you,” Grace said. She set the deck down and rubbed her hands together, as if washing them. “Choose carefully who you trust as you listen to both worlds.”

“I have to go,” I said, pushing away, trying to catch a breath. My eyes were on the jittering tarot deck.

“You have to go!” Grace repeated forcefully, without looking at me. “She has the message. I’m not the guide.”

I took a step back, and the decks exploded across the floor, seven sets of cards laid out to form a row of cardstock steppingstones to the door.

“I think I’m going to faint,” Grace said. “Please call for help if I do.”

It wasn’t seven sets of cards from the Hollow Spring Deck.

In a path to the door, six cards from each of the remaining seven decks in Grace’s tarot box were lined up in front of me. I had to step over each.

Not six new cards from the deck, but the same six cards from all of them. A classic Rider-Waite deck, a deck that looked like angels and demons, a deck with a steampunk theme, a Gothic deck, and a Baroque deck. Each deck vomiting out the same message, unbidden, over, and over, and over.

The Judgement; The Fool, upside down; Death; The Magician, upside down; The Lovers, and The High Priestess; all leering at me.

I heard Grace moan as I stepped over them, hopscotching my way out of this entire shitshow.

The house shuddered and the cards hissed as I stepped over them to get the hell out of there.

This was a trick. A good one. But I was f**king scared and I was f**king done.

I burst through her door to the hot, sunny day – not a cloud in sight – and raced to my car. I buckled up, leaned my head back, and focused on my breath. I grabbed an old Wendy’s bag Stella had left on the floor and put it over my face. Stella was such a car slob, I thought, as the top of my scalp tingled. I caught my reflection in the rearview mirror, and my face was white with giant red blooms on my cheeks. I inhaled the stale smell of old onions and fry grease, puffing the bag in and out until I felt less pass-out-y.

I wanted to get out of here.

I was scared. Really scared.

Grace was a fake.

I exhaled in the warm car and said it again, out loud.

“Grace was a fake, and that was a show,” I said.

My heart pounded harder as I realized I never paid her.

I also never asked her a question.

Grace was a fake.

The shakes dwindled as I pulled out of my parking space.

I was halfway back to my apartment when I got the shakes again. Hard enough that I pulled over for a moment to reorient.

I never paid Grace.

I also never told Grace my name.

About Author Jenny Iroh…

Links to Jenny’s websites, blogs, books, #ad, etc.:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GX2WJNFV

Visit Jenny’s Blog for deleted scenes,
sample chapters and more: JennyIroh.blogspot.com
Instagram @JennyIroh
Facebook Jenny Iroh
Email: JennyIroh21@gmail.com

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It’s time for Karen’s Killer Fixin’s!

Over the years, I’ve filled two 4-inch, 3-ring binders with my own creations as well as recipes my family and friends were willing to share with me. I simply love to cook and want to share that love with my readers. Every Friday, I share a recipe that I think you and your family might enjoy. It might be a main course recipe from my own kitchen or a guest author’s favorite. It could be a cookie or a baked item. Candy. Salads. Whatever strikes the eye and fancy…which today is SWEET & SPICY CHICKEN WINGS from Karen’s Kitchen!!

Who doesn’t love wings? There are so many variations out there that don’t require flaming mouth syndrome. I can’t do that anymore. So when I find a recipe that makes savory chicken without requiring a fire retardant suit, I’m in! This recipe is making my mouth water as I type it. It’s THAT good. Make it for the family meal or the next party. Either way, you probably need to double the batch so you have enough. Who needs portion control anyway?

I hope you enjoy today’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy eating!

Karen

P.S. We’re at 794 recipes and counting with this posting. I hope you find some recipes you like. If this is your first visit, please check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. You can even look up past recipes by type in the right-hand column menu. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, Author Specials, etc.

~~~~~~~~~

SWEET & SPICY CHICKEN WINGS 
(Recipe From Karen’s Kitchen)
[Makes 8 Servings]

2-1/2 lbs. chicken wings*
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
5 T. plum sauce
2 T. soy sauce**
2 T. honey
1 T. fresh minced garlic
1 T fresh ginger
2 T. toasted sesame seeds

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the wings at the joints to separate into three pieces. Discard the wing tip.

In a large bowl, combine the hoisin sauce, plum sauce, soy sauce, honey, garlic, and ginger. Mix well.

Coat the wings in nonstick cooking spray and place them on a greased broiler pan. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown, brushing occasionally with the sauce. Before serving, toss the cooked wings in the bowl to soak up the extra sauce. Sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds over the wings and toss them again to coat all of the wings.

*If you find wings without the tips, you can save a bit of money. If you decide to use another cut of chicken, like the breast or thigh, be sure to cut them into approximately the same size as the wings so they cook evenly.

**Light soy sauce also works.

Happy Eating!

KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench, where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site, so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!

~~~

THE HITMOM
Organized Crime Thriller
BY R.D. TRIMBLE

Blurb

NEVER PISS OFF A REDHEADED MOM!

Chelsea McGovern loses her job, husband, and money in just a few hours on a Monday morning. Can her day get any worse? Yes, it sure can!

Attacked by a thug in a nearby alley, Chelsea is forced to kill him in self-defense, setting in motion the rebirth of a new Chelsea McGovern; as THE HITMOM!!

Buckle up and hold on to your seats as Chelsea buries the ghosts of her wallflower past; along with more than a few bodies in this crime drama filled with dark humor and a dozen surprises!

THE HITMOM
Organized Crime Thriller
BY R.D. TRIMBLE

Editorial Note: Edited for some language

Excerpt

Chelsea remained indifferent to Pam’s lingering stare as she knelt and unzipped the briefcase from the top, excitedly peering inside, her left hand holding it open. Her right hand maintained what Pam saw as a “death grip” on the pistol, an apropos analogy if ever there was one. A tiny wisp of smoke from the barrel rose into her nostrils. Chelsea inhaled, closed her eyes, and then exhaled with a loud humming noise that reminded Pam of an orgasm, something she knew Matt had not given her friend in ages.

 At this sight, Pam awkwardly turned away to allow a slight but uncontrollable giggle. She wondered at that moment if they both were not in the grip of some temporary loss of their senses. Maybe, but we both need to snap out of it, and get us the f**k out of here.

 Chelsea resumed her probing of the briefcase’s contents, unmindful of Pam or the world around her. and locked into her willful child-like attitude. Finally, Pam, not wanting to linger in what she knew was a crime scene, reached forward and gently slapped her friend on the cheek, avoiding the side with the blood on it. It was barely more than a tap, but it roused Chelsea from her macabre daydream. Then the smile and laughter vanished.

 Her brazenly playful demeanor was replaced by a spasm of sobbing as the post-murder euphoria evaporated. Tears mingled with blood and ran like thin red paint down her cheek and dripped onto the ground. Pam cradled her face and looked at her.

 Chelsea had once again transformed. She looked a decade older, with red, bloodshot eyes and a downcast expression. It was the face of someone who had witnessed a lifetime of horror in minutes, which Pam supposed Chelsea had. Her lips quivered as she struggled with an onslaught of emotions, each vying for control. Perhaps that was why she began blinking incessantly, a vain attempt to banish the grim reality represented by the corpse in front of her.

 It was heartbreaking watching her friend being torn apart, yet it lasted but a few moments before Chelsea transformed once more. It was like the flick of a light switch, and Pam watched as a smile creased her friend’s face, a near-flawless copy of the one Norman Bates had at the end of the movie, Psycho. Pam shuddered and turned away again, unable to look at her friend.

 “Pam, I think we should go.” Chelsea’s voice was phlegmatic and sounded bored more than worried.  “Go? Chelsea, we just killed a guy. Are you kidding?” Only seconds before, Pam had wanted to get the hell out of there, but the logical side of her brain, if she had one, told her not to flee the scene of a crime. After all, they were innocent, right?”

 “We? Pam, much as I appreciate the all-for-one Three Musketeers attitude, I pulled the trigger, so you are the D’Artagnan of this little misadventure.”

 “Wait, I’m the rookie musketeer?” Her voice sounded almost outraged, but then she shook her head quickly. “Wait, forget that! You’re right.” She said, “Let’s just get the f**k out of here.”

 “Good call. By the way, your ass looks sexy when it shakes in fear; you should nurture that.”

 Chelsea laughed at Pam’s agog expression, wrapped her fingers around the handle of the briefcase, and stood up to leave. However, she only took one step before Pam placed the palm of her hand on Chelsea’s chest, blocking her path.

 “Chelsea, this isn’t Dungeons and Dragons. You cannot just kill someone and take their stuff.”

Chelsea paused to look down at the corpse. Her eyes brightened as if the proverbial light bulb had flashed inside, and she nodded.

 “You are quite right, Pam; it’s not Dungeons and Dragons…it’s The Wizard of Oz… So, I’m taking his shoes too.”

 Chelsea knelt again and began pilfering his belongings. She thoroughly stripped the man of his shoes, assorted pieces of jewelry, and finally, his wallet. Pam shrugged resignedly and said, “Oh, screw it. Chelsea?”

 She looked up quizzically. “Yes?”

 “Get that gold tooth too.”

About Author R.D. Trimble…

Links to R.D.’s websites, blogs, books, #ad, etc.:

Amazon Kindle: https://amzn.to/4aAeiS2

Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/43GkMLl

KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench, where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site, so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!

~~~

DEATH DOESN’T DRINK DECAF
A Carolina Crimes Standalone Paranormal Cozy Mystery
BY R.A. MUTH

Blurb

I’m Danica Death, and as the local tax collector, the only thing I bring to the residents of Palmetto Holler is grief, and possibly a follow-up to unpaid property taxes. I’m used to the cold shoulders and the iced tea that never gets offered. It’s their loss, because I’m fabulous. Just ask Tempest, my opinionated crow.

When a dead man leaves behind a property full of secrets that’s valued higher than it should be, I follow the paper trail straight into a missing persons case that someone very much wants to stay cold.

Between my estranged husband walking back into my life and someone firing literal warning shots in my direction, I’m starting to think this situation holds more danger than a delinquent tax bill.

But I’ve got grit, enough caffeine in my system to show up on a DNA test, and a gossiping crow looking over my shoulder. Now I just have to make sure the end of this mystery doesn’t find me six feet under in the local graveyard.

DEATH DOESN’T DRINK DECAF
A Carolina Crimes Standalone Paranormal Cozy Mystery
BY R.A. MUTH

Excerpt

Chapter 1

Nobody offers me sweet tea and I’m okay with that.

I’m Danica Death, tax collector for the town of Palmetto Holler, South Carolina. I’m also the town’s biggest coffee addict.

The town’s original name was Palmetto Hollow. The guy ordering the sign spoke with a strong Southern accent and this is what we got. It was cheaper for the town to change its name to match the sign than to send it back. We’d been Palmetto Holler ever since.

Talking to people about their taxes was the biggest challenge of my day job. When I came calling to their homes most of the residents avoided me at all costs. I’ve been at this job long enough to spot the clues. The front room curtains that twitch without settling, barely hiding the silhouette of the home’s residents behind them. The porch light that clicks off the moment my county sedan rounds the corner. The way a whole street can go quiet between one heartbeat and the next, like it does when a hearse passes, waiting to see what door I’ll knock on.

It’s nothing personal. I have a job to do. The town hates it when I do my job, but I don’t have a choice.

This morning I parked at the curb on Main Street before the sun had fully committed to showing up. Some people get up with the chickens. I crawl out of bed as my automated coffee pot stirs to life before dawn. The church bells rang out seven times to let the town know that the county offices would open to the public in an hour.

The county tried to get me to wear a pencil skirt and a blouse, but I’m a tax collector, not a librarian. As I got out of the car, I smoothed the wrinkles out of my khakis and adjusted the bright pink necktie around the collar of my white dress shirt. If the townsfolk are going to talk then I might as well give them something to talk about.

“That color is all wrong for you,” a voice called from above. Tempest, my pet crow, had flown behind the car. I let her ride inside the vehicle once. She got carsick. A second invitation to ride to work with me wasn’t going to happen.

Without looking up, I replied, “Good morning to you too.”

“Pink makes you look like a Valentine’s card saleswoman. You should have gone with the midnight blue. That’s a color that commands authority.” Tempest punctuated the statement with a loud caw-caw.

I snorted but didn’t give her the satisfaction of arguing. She liked when I wore ties that matched the color of her feathers. It had been that way since she first flew into my life six years ago, the day after Daddy died.

At the cemetery, upset that I was now the last person in my family line, I’d wished for someone to come into my life who felt like family. Bright and early the next morning the universe sent me a talking crow, but not just any talking crow. Only I could understand what Tempest said. The other residents of Palmetto Holler saw her as the sassy bird who followed me everywhere I went. Lucky them.

“Who died?” Tempest asked when I grabbed a manila file folder from the backseat of my car. Unlike the other folders I carried, this one had a big, red stamp across the front. There was only one reason for the county to use the big, red stamp.

I replied, “Blain Gibson.”

The sound she made was somewhere between a gasp and a cackle. “Blain Gibson? Are you serious? Oh, this is going to be fascinating.” She spread her wings briefly, resettled them, and fixed me with a look of barely contained delight.

“Yes, the same man Daddy always helped for free.” Then men had been friends since I was a teenager. I wasn’t sure why, because the men were as different as night and day. The last time I’d seen Blain was at Daddy’s funeral. I started walking. “Go ahead. Spill whatever news you have. We both know you’re going to do it anyway.”

Tempest hopped along beside me. “Do you know what I heard last spring from the mockingbird who nests behind the Gibson property? Well, I say heard, fair warning, she’s a terrible gossip, absolutely no discretion, but she does have ears everywhere despite not having ears, and she told me—”

“Tempest,” I broke in with a tone of warning.

She kept babbling, “—that there was something going on with that well. The one on the east side of the property. People coming and going at odd hours. A permit that got filed. And then, poof! Blain was gone. Six feet under in the town cemetery.” She clicked her beak the way a human would snap their fingers.

“Wait a second. What do you know about the well?” I stopped walking and stared at her.

She stopped and blinked at me with enormous innocence. “I just told you what I know.”

“That’s all?”

“That’s all from that source. The cardinal on Marsh Road did mention something about a man in a big truck who kept driving past the property at night. She couldn’t make out the plates but you know how nearsighted cardinals are, bless her heart.”

A woman walking her teacup poodle gave me a wide berth on the sidewalk. I couldn’t blame her. She saw me as the county tax collector standing on Main Street first thing in the morning, gesturing at a crow big enough to make a snack out of her tiny purse dog.

Once we were safely out of earshot I muttered, “You could have led with that.”

“I could have, darling,” Tempest agreed pleasantly. “But then what would we have talked about?”

I always did four things before the courthouse opened to the general public. First, I unlocked my office. Then I set the espresso maker on the corner of my desk. Unlike the men in my life, it had never let me down. Brewing a cup of coffee was next. I listened to the hiss and the first drip the way some people listened to church hymns on Sunday mornings. By the time I took that first sip I was ready for whatever the day held.

Tempest landed on the filing cabinet and surveyed my office. “Why don’t you have any plants?”

“Why don’t you let me read this file?” I settled into the chair behind the desk.

“Something with personality. A bird of paradise, perhaps. Very on theme.” She watched me open the folder. “Although given your track record with that fern from two years ago, maybe something that doesn’t require water, light, or—”

“Tempest. Please.”

She stopped talking, but I could feel her watching over my shoulder with the focused attention of someone who has decided that whatever I’m reading is about to become her business.

Unfortunately, the old crow wasn’t wrong.

About Author R.A. Muth…

Links to R.A.’s websites, blogs, books, #ad, etc.:

Amazon
https://beckymuth.com/Decaf_Kindle

B&N
https://beckymuth.com/Decaf_Nook

Apple Books
https://beckymuth.com/Decaf_Apple

Kobo
https://beckymuth.com/Decaf_Kobo

Paperback
https://beckymuth.com/Decaf_Print

It’s time for Karen’s Killer Fixin’s!

Over the years, I’ve filled two 4-inch, 3-ring binders with my own creations as well as recipes my family and friends were willing to share with me. I simply love to cook and want to share that love with my readers. Every Friday, I share a recipe that I think you and your family might enjoy. It might be a main course recipe from my own kitchen or a guest author’s favorite. It could be a cookie or a baked item. Candy. Salads. Whatever strikes the eye and fancy…which today is MICROWAVE FIESTA CASSEROLE from Karen’s Kitchen!!

I have a longer-cooking version of what we call in our house “Taco Salad” which we pair with dipping chips and a few more “salad” ingredients on top than what’s in this recipe. It’s baked in the oven for 30+ minutes. The nice thing about this version is that it’s cooked in the microwave, which is a lifesaver when the summer heat is overwhelming and you don’t want to heat up the house by kicking on the oven. This would be a great recipe for those BYO dish parties!

I hope you enjoy today’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy eating!

Karen

P.S. We’re at 793 recipes and counting with this posting. I hope you find some recipes you like. If this is your first visit, please check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. You can even look up past recipes by type in the right-hand column menu. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, Author Specials, etc.

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MICROWAVE FIESTA CASSEROLE 
(Recipe From Karen’s Kitchen)
[Makes 6 Servings]

1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 can (16 oz.) refried beans
1 can (11 oz.) Nacho-cheese soup
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup black olives, sliced
1 cup sour cream
2 minced green onions
Corn tortilla chips

In a microwave, cook the meat on high for 5 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. When the beef is cooked through, drain off the fat and place the meat in a bowl. Add taco seasoning and stir.

At the bottom of the casserole dish, spread beans. Cover with beef mixture. Pour soup over the beef to within 1 inch of the dish edge.

Sprinkle with cheese and then olives. Cook on high for 15 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the mixture is bubbly.

To serve, place sour cream over the cheese at one side of the casserole and sprinkle with green onion. Arrange tortilla chips around the edge of the dip.

If serving at a party, place the sour cream and green onions in a bowl, with another bowl for the chips so they don’t get soggy.

Happy Eating!

CONGRATULATIONS WEEK
05-18-26, 05-25-26, & 06-01-26
BLOG GIVEAWAY WINNERS!!

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Karen’s Killer Book Bench with P. Mattern..

**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY: P. will gift a paperback copy (U. S. Only) of STRIDENT HOUSE to one lucky reader who comments on her Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog.

Thanks, P., for sharing your book with us!

WINNER: JAN BRASSELL FINK!!

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Karen’s Killer Book Bench with R.A. Muth…

**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY: Everybody gets JUNIPER’S COOKIE CAPER, the prequel novella, for FREE! Go here to download and start reading today: https://offer.beckymuth.com/qzc7kvpqfm!

Thanks, R.A., for sharing your book with us!

WINNERS: EVERYONE!!

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Karen’s Killer Fixin’s with Kate Yazowski…

**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY: Kate will gift an ebook copy of REQUIEM TO A STRANGER to one lucky winner who comments on her Karen’s Killer Fixin’s blog.

Thanks, Kate, for sharing your book with us!

WINNER: MARY KIRKLAND!!

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Karen’s Killer Book Bench with Carlisle Richardson…

**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY: Carlisle will gift a print copy of THE SOFT UNDERBELLY to one lucky winner who comments on his Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog.

Thanks, Carlisle, for sharing your book with us!

WINNER: DIANA KAY HOSTETTLER!!

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Karen’s Killer Book Bench with Cristina LePort, M.D…

**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY: Cristina will gift a print copy of DEFROSTED to one lucky winner who comments on her Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog.

Thanks, Cristina, for sharing your book with us!

WINNER: BN100!!

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Karen’s Killer Fixin’s with R.A. Muth…

**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY: Everyone can grab THE UNTIDY TROLL, the Haunted Housekeeping prequel, for FREE right here: https://BookHip.com/FVJSRGG.

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Thanks, R.A., for sharing your book with us!

WINNER: EVERYONE!!

Find on Karen/K.L. Docter’s Amazon Author Page

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Karen/K.L. Docter’s books stand alone, even in the series. You can read them out of sequence. No cliffhangers. No cheating. Always Happily Ever After endings!

HAPPY READING!

(All giveaway winners are chosen by random.org from reader comments except Rafflecopter events or giveaways, which are determined and announced offsite by the publisher/authors. Thank you!)

KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench, where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site, so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!

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A BOTANIST’S GUIDE TO TRADITION AND TREACHERY
A Saffron Everleigh Mystery
BY KATE KHAVARI

Blurb

Brilliant botanist Saffron Everleigh has set sail on her first research expedition, but it’s disrupted by accusations of murder when one of her fellow scientists is murdered in this daring fifth installment.

Saffron Everleigh is newly engaged and full of optimism as she sets off on the adventure of a lifetime for any scientist: a research expedition. She sails to newly formed Turkey with her fiancé, Alexander Ashton, and a bevy of fellow researchers. With only two other women on board, Saffron soon finds she is right back in the same infuriatingly misogynistic environment that marked the earliest days of her career. Only this time, Saffron is determined to show everyone, including Alexander, that she can handle the trials of an expedition.

And trials she has in spades. Before the expedition team has even arrived, Saffron has managed to find an enemy in historian Joseph Clark, who frequently torments her assistant, Martin Neill. But when Martin unexpectedly dies, Saffron is targeted as the main suspect.

Falling ruins, venomous snakes, and mysteriously blocked passages are the least of Saffron’s worries. With unexpected help from a familiar face, Alexander and Saffron have to work fast to prove not only that Saffron is innocent but that they both have nothing to do with a larger conspiracy at play among the expedition crew.

“A brave and clever heroine toils in a time when women earned little respect. ” —Kirkus Reviews

“An intriguing mystery and a resourceful and engaging heroine.” —Frances Brody, author of the Kate Shackleton mysteries “

Delightful and twisty . . . Saffron Everleigh is a plucky heroine . . . An engaging read!” —Lydia Kang, author of Opium and Absinthe

A BOTANIST’S GUIDE TO TRADITION AND TREACHERY
A Saffron Everleigh Mystery
BY KATE KHAVARI

Interview

Before we get started talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself, where you’re from, what you do for a living (if you’re not a full–time writer) what hobbies you have, etc. Whatever you’d like to share to introduce yourself.

My name is Kate Khavari, and I’m the author of the Saffron Everleigh Mystery series, which are historical mysteries set in 1920s London featuring a botanist and a lot of unique mysteries featuring poisons, plants, science, and smooching. I’m a full-time author and full-time stay-at-home mom living in North Texas. I love plants and learning how to create native gardens, hiking with my family, and nerding out about history, particularly badass women.

1. What’s your favorite part of the writing process?

I love the researching, idea-gathering energy of the pre-drafting part of writing. I’m reading dozens of articles, examining maps, gathering inspiration on Pinterest, organizing it on Milanote, mapping out my plot points and character sketches, and emailing myself spontaneous bits of dialogue. It’s all hope and excitement! But I will say the most satisfying, most difficult part is the latter half of editing: tying off all the loose ends, making one-line adjustments that really cinch together the plot. That’s when the big hunk of clay I smashed together while researching and carved by drafting feels like it really starts to be defined into the actual book.

2.  If you were to choose one superpower, what would it be?

Teleportation, hands down. My family lives so far away from me, I’d give up a lot to be able to pop in and out of their lives!

3. Do you ever get stuck when you’re writing a book? What do you do to get “unstuck”?

A few things have helped me. Changing POVs, like if a scene from Saffron’s POV isn’t working, I might switch to Alexander’s. Changing from third person to first person has gotten me unstuck in other projects by forcing me to really develop a character’s personality and voice. Giving a scene to a beta reader or author friend can help nail down what isn’t working. Taking a break from the project can help me develop some distance from a problem I know how to solve but am resisting putting into action, especially if it means deleting a beloved scene!

4. What is your least favorite part of writing?

I’m shocking myself by saying this, but right now drafting is hard. I draft the best when I get long periods of time to really sink into the story and get into a good flow, and I have a lot pulling at my attention right now. It makes it hard to get where I need to go in my head to draft! But I also love drafting. I step into darkness with nothing but a dim light to guide my way, but the further I go, the more my vision adjusts and brighter the light shines, the path becomes clearer until I’m sprinting along, exhilarated, breathless to see where the path ends up.

5. If we came to your house for dinner, what would you prepare for us?

I’d love to pretend that I am an outstanding chef, but that would be my husband! He doggedly practices recipes until they’re excellent. He makes a delicious stir fry with ground turkey or chicken and bell peppers that I request once a week. I’ve taught myself to make yummy glass noodles with eggs, veggies, and chili crunch, so maybe we’d make a meal out of it for you!

6. What do you wish you’d done differently when you first started the publishing process?

Gosh, so many things. One that stands out is my name. I recently had a Thread go mildly viral about my last name, Khavari. My husband’s family is Iranian, and when we got married, I took his name. By the time I became a published author, that name had been mine for many years and it felt right to publish under it, but it led to a number of instances of being included on diverse reading lists that as a very white American I do not belong on. If I’d known I’d be given spots on lists that belong to other writers, I would have chosen another last name as a pen name.

7. What is most difficult for you to write?  Characters, conflict or emotions? Why?

I don’t think I’m particularly good at writing villains. I think this is due to my deep dislike of the mystery mainstay of the villain’s monologue. How do you reveal the bad guy’s motivations, background, and brilliant plotting without having the stupid villain monologue! Many, many books in, I still haven’t figured it out.

8.  A penguin walks into your office, right now, wearing a sombrero. What does he say to you, and why is he here?

He’d probably ask for my seven-year-old son and say he stepped out of his imagination and could he please go back because it’s way more fun in there than out in the real world.

9.  If you could wave a magic wand, what ill in the world would you solve and why?

Oh man, what a heavy question for this strange time. I feel like a lot of problems, past, present, and future, could be ameliorated if not eliminated if racism suddenly disappeared. So many conflicts could be snuffed out, so many deep wounds in society and individuals would never have developed.

About Author Kate Khavari…

Links to Kate’s websites, blogs, books, #ad, etc.:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Q6bQvt

A Botanist’s Guide to Tradition and Treachery, in which Saffron Everleigh ventures to newly formed Turkey on an expedition but ends up accused of poisoning a member of the expedition crew, comes out June 9 and can be found at any book retailer in all formats. My website is kkhavari.com and you can sign up for my newsletter, The Conservatory, for updates, giveaways, author interviews, and fun nonsense. You can find me on Instagram, Threads, Facebook and even Pinterest!