I just came back from a family vacation in Bermuda. Clean beaches, free
beaches, good grub, a great time. This is the best picture I took. It’s the sunset over the Royal Dockyard on the western tip of the island.
Vacation picture
July 25th, 2010Summer Sale!
July 15th, 2010Fool’s Gold and Tunnel Vision are now on sale at the eTreasures website. The prices are much better than on any other website. This is a great
Fool’s Gold Cover
opportunity to pick up two great books to read this summer. Hot weather and laughter just seem to go together somehow. Take advantage of this deal. You don’t know how long the sale will last.
The grueling “Tour de Hoboken” is about to start!
July 10th, 2010(Hanque Faux News Network)
This exciting tour is scheduled to begin on Monday. Three dozen riders from around the world are willing to try their luck in this most dangerous of all bike tours.
The ten day tour takes place in New Jersey across the Hudson River from Manhattan and features tough biking through the massive rush-hour traffic that clogs the entrances to the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels. In between these two hazards, the riders must negotiate the heavily populated urban landscape of Hoboken and Weehawken, no easy task on weekends, let alone weekdays when the tour takes place.
Each weekday, the riders put in two laps, one in the morning rush-hour and the second in the evening rush-hour. On alternate days, the morning lap begins at the Lincoln Tunnel and the evening lap starts at the Holland. Each rider is required to travel to the other tunnel, touch the wall at the tunnel entrance and return to the starting point.
The lap is perilous in the extreme because, unlike other bike races, the route is not cleared of traffic. The riders have to dodge past the cars, trucks and buses trying to get to or from Manhattan. The complete circuit is 2.5 to 3 miles long depending upon the exact route since detours around jammed streets is permitted and encouraged.
The route run along traffic-clogged Washington Street in Hoboken is fraught with danger from delivery trucks, toxic air from the vehicles and beer-bottle-throwing crowds. On average, six riders are hospitalized each year from traffic accidents or fights with the spectators. Two years ago, rider Pepi Stalone, became entangled with a beer truck and by the time he got free, the pack was several blocks in front of him. Isolated and trying to catch up, he was attacked by three muggers who bound him with duct tape and stole his ID and his bike.
OSC, the Obscure Sports Channel, will carry the race live each morning and night and will provide boring commentary from unknown experts.
Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay
July 8th, 2010The setting for this story is in a fantasy country that resembles China. The main character, Shen Tai, goes to an desolate area to bury the bones of dead soldiers killed in a battle won by his father. He buries the bones of the dead from both sides and the enemy in that battle gives him a gift of 250 prized horses. In his country, folks would cheerfully kill him to steal the horse. The impact of 250 of the horses is unimaginable. Suddenly, powerful people are anxious to meet him while others are hiring assassins.
It would take me a few thousand words to adequately relate the plot of this wonderfully complex story. Instead I’ll just say that this is one of the best books I’ve read in years.
Five stars
Tales From Gundarland: Announcement
July 2nd, 2010Laughter is contagious. Enjoy some by reading this book. It’s filled with delightful entertainment. Without commercial interruption! Gundarland is populated by humans, dwarfs, elves and other races;
it’s the backdrop for unique adventures, brilliant heroes and cunning villains. This collection of humorous short stories and novellas is now available in both print (Amazon)and ebook (Smashwords) versions.
Check out the trailer on Youtube.
Brian Knight, a reviewer wrote: “Tales from Gundarland is an action packed, roller coaster. This wonderfully developed land with its inhabitants is a refreshing get away from the world we live in. All of the multiple characters are both believable and unique which is a testament to the author’s talent.
Each of the eight short stories deliver a fresh, humorous spin on some of the classic tales such as Romeo and Juliet and Zorro; while poking fun at political greed and social aspects of life. Action and adventure keeps the pace moving at a steady pace; when combined with the humorous aspects the stories take on a vivid presence in the readers mind. The common denominator that holds them all together is Gundarland.
From the first word, Hank Quense’s passion for crafting gripping tales and quick wit takes center stage. Instantly, you are immersed in the land of Gundarland next to the multiple individuals that inhabit the planet. With each passing page, it is virtually impossible not to become part of the humor and adventure within “Tales From
Gundarland.”
“Tales From Gundarland” delivers nonstop action and laughs with an intriguing pinch of romance. The unique stories, strong characters and multiple plots carry from story to story and page to page. This book is a must have for those seeking action, adventure and comedy bundled in short, deliberate stories.”
Here is a list of the stories and a brief synopsis of each:
Romeo and Juliet: Romeo, a dwarf miner, and Juliet, the elfin daughter of a rich gem merchant, have a rocky courtship because Juliet’s brothers are avowed enemies of Romeo’s family.
Chasing Dreams: This novella tells the story of twin yuk brothers on their journey from strong-armed thugs to highway robbers to bawdy house owners to politicians. The brothers are plagued and harassed by vigilantes.
Boggerts Blue: A warrior-cook seeks to rescue a kidnapped princess. She refuses to be rescued by someone who isn’t noble-born.
The Big Bang: A wizard has to eliminate a dragon and his minions. Along the way to complete his mission, he is tested by a shape-changer and a pair of trolls.
The Queen’s Hero: This novella is about a young tinker-warrior as
he struggles to save his Queen from a pirate admiral trying to overthrow her and become king. The Queen’s three beautiful daughters have their own plans for the young hero.
Merchant of Venison: A dwarf butcher borrows money to help his best friend and soon regrets it. The dwelf money lender has bloody ideas about the default payments.
Inter-Racial Musical Playoffs: A few greedy wizards attempt to fix a musical competition. Other wizards try to protect the band leader who is favored to win the competition.
Tactical Surprise: A general develops unusual tactics to defeat a rebel army. The enemy leader is a close family friend making the general’s decisions more difficult.
Khepera Rising by Nerine Dorman
June 29th, 2010Just when the wickedest man in Africa thought the nightmare was over…
Still recovering from the trauma of his encounter with the Christo-militants who tried to kill him, Jamie only wants to get his life back on track. This is easier said than done when he’s essentially blackmailed into helping solve a case involving alleged cult activity.
To complicate matters further, the media gets involved and Jamie has to tread carefully.
However, soon the hunter becomes the hunted and Jamie faces some difficult choices. Will his uneasy symbiosis with The Burning One save him or will he be tempted to grasp for more power than he can possibly hold?
Content warning: Occult, demonic entities and some graphic sex with descriptions of gore
and violence.
Bitten By Books reviewed it and said in part:
Jamie is the anti-hero: he’s rude, crude, obnoxious and yet the whole time I was reading this story I was cheering for this guy because for every nasty act he committed, he would demonstrate some kindly deed, sometimes for people he knew well but more often for others he either hardly knew or despised. The story doesn’t end the way you expect, but there is a lot to be learned here from Jamie’s tale: do not conduct 
ceremonies you don’t understand or make-up, shadows sneaking up on you may not be shadows, and other equally horrific nifty lessons.
Overall, this novel is a superb light horror.
In what country does the action take place? If you know the answer, send Nerine an email at nerinedorman@gmail.com. She’ll give a free ebook version to the first person with the correct answer.
Learn more and buy the book at this site.
Cucumbers and Type Two Diabetes
June 26th, 2010Today’s guest blogger is Suzanne Alt who will talk about diabetes and provide us with a recipe for cucumber salad. Take it away, Suzanne!
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Cucumbers and little-recognized tips on how to reduce type two diabetes
Are you cool as a cucumber? Not merely is the cucumber known for it’s capability to cool off our bodies, it has also been seen to help with jaundice, diarrhea, epilepsy, sore throat, conjunctivitis (redness of the eye) and swelling of extremities.
Many times you should try to deseed the cucumber as the body can have a hard time digesting the seeds. You can deseed them yourself easily by cutting them in two and using a spoon to eliminate the seeds or in order to eliminate this task it is possible to buy cucumbers that are already seeded.
Fresh cucumbers are simple to add to salads and for an easy salad just toss diced cucumbers with sliced red onions, red tomatoes and your favorite all-natural, low-fat balsamic vinaigrette. This is a fast way to make a refreshing salad that reaps the benefits of cucumber.
Anti-diabetic Advantages of Cucumber:
Beta cells contained in the pancreas produce the hormone insulin.Cucumber is found to get a hormone required by the beta cells in the insulin production. Moreover, the Glycemic Index of cucumbers is found to be zero.
Why don’t cucumbers have a glycemic index listed? Does this signify they don’t raise blood sugar?
Not at all. It means that under the “rules” for the concept of the glycemic index, it is too difficult to get an accurate number. It is because you’ll need to eat a very big amount of the food to get 50 grams of carbohydrate at once in order to be tested. In general, the lower the quantity of carbohydrate in a vegetable and the more fiber it has, the less the increase in blood sugar levels will be.
The carbohydrates are primarily responsible of the raise of the glucose level.But the carbohydrates within the cucumber are easily digestible in a diabetes patient’s stomach.
Tips for Preparing Cucumbers:
Unwaxed cucumbers do not need to be peeled but must be washed before cutting. Cucumbers may be sliced, diced or cut into sticks.
A couple Quick Serving Ideas:
- Use half-inch thick cucumber slices as petite serving “dishes” for chopped vegetable salads.
- Mix diced cucumbers with sugar snap peas and mint leaves and toss with rice wine vinaigrette.
- For refreshing cold gazpacho soup that takes five minutes or less to make, simply purée cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers and onions, then add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add diced cucumber to tuna fish or chicken salad recipes.
Cool Cucumber Salad Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 3 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 1 carrot, peeled and shredded
- 1/2 red onion, sliced paper-thin
- 1/3 cup minced cilantro
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tsp. honey
- 2 tsp. Reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
- Pinch dried red pepper flakes
Preparation per 8 servings:
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Marinating time: 1 hour
1. Combine the cucumbers, carrots, red onion, and cilantro in a large bowl.
2. Combine the dressing ingredients. Pour dressing over cucumbers, cover, and refrigerate for an hour. Salad may be eaten with a fork.
Nutritional Values per Meal: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 25
- Calories From Fat: 10
- Total Fat: 1 gram
- Saturated fats: .1 grams
- Cholesterol: milligrams
- Sodium: 50 milligrams (without added salt)
- Total Carbohydrate: 5 grams
- Soluble fiber: 1 gram
- Sugars: 3 grams
- Protein: 1 grams
About The Author:
Suzanne Ault gives advice for the diabetic diet recipes blog, an internet site dedicated to cooking in ways to prevent type 2 diabetes.
Her complete bio: http://www.diabeticdietrecipes.org/about
Her photo: http://www.diabeticdietrecipes.org/suzanne.jpg
The Hittite by Ben Bova
June 19th, 2010A different take on the Trojan War and a quite unique one at that. Bova has retold one of the most retold stories in literature and managed to give it fresh view. The main character, Lukka, is a Hittite officer who leads his squad of soldiers in a search for kidnapped and presumably enslaved wife and children. His search takes him to Troy where he plans to ask Priam from help in his search. Instead, he is cut off from the city by the Greek army. He enlists with Odysseus’s troops and fights (and survives) against the Trojan hero, Hector. Odysseus uses Lukka as an ambassador to the Trojans twice. In the city, he meets the beautiful Helen and can’t get her out his mind afterward.
Bova takes the historical figures and give us great character sketches: Achilles, Agamemnon and Menalaos are all portrayed vividly.
There several twists on the usual events that are reputed to take have taken place once the walls were breached, but I’m not going to give them away. I’ve read a number of Trojan War stories and this has to rank up there with the best of them.
Four out of five stars
Self-amputee
June 18th, 2010(Hanque Faux News Network)
That Connecticut guy who caught his arm in a boiler and tried to amputate it to free himself is in big trouble. At the insistence of the local chapter of American Physicians Association, the police have arrested him. He is charged with practicing medicine without a degree from a medical college and unlicensed surgery.
The head of the APA said in a statement, “Part of the APA’s mission is to protect the public from quackery and we take that mission very seriously. We have zero tolerance for unlicensed medicine. This arrest will send a strong message to others who think they can play doctor and get away with it.”
Tales from Gundarland preview
June 12th, 2010You can preview some scenes from the upcoming print version of Tales From Gundarland. I appreciate it if you would read them and rate them.
Use this link
