Eric Garrison, author of the Amazon Bestselling novel Reality Check,  has invited me to participate in a Tasty Summer Reads Blog Hop. I love food, and while food does not play a big part in my book, it does in the life of my bounty hunter, Victor McCain. When you’re six feet six inches tall and weigh in at two-hundred and eighty pounds, you do love your food.

Here is the blog hop general blurb:

Welcome to the Tasty Summer Reads Blog Hop! Each participant invites a number of others to answer five questions about a recent or forthcoming release, and a recipe that fits with it. Links to the participants I have invited may be found in a while, just above the extract and recipe. Their contributions should be in place soon after this, so check out their blogs over the next few days. 

Now for the Random Tasty Questions:

1) When writing are you a snacker? If so sweet or salty?

Considering I love to snack, as a general rule, I don’t do much snacking when I write. When I’m in a fast paced writing groove, I don’t like to take my fingers from they keyboard, even for food. When I get the munchies, I generally step away from the keyboard, eat a bit, and then get back to it. As far as sweet or salty, I prefer both, often at the same time.

2) Are you an outliner or someone who writes by the seat of their pants? And are they real pants or jammies?

I am a definite panster. I have a decent outline in my head of where I am and where I’m going, but I try to keep it spontaneous. I find outlines to be a bit too rigid. And almost never pants. When I write I want to be comfortable, so it’s shorts or sweats.

3) When cooking, do you follow a recipe or do you wing it?

When I wing things, they turn out bad. Very bad. When I was fifteen years old, I offered to cook dinner for the family and I winged the entire thing. How did it turn out? My mother, brother and I ended up eating out. My father, had three helpings of everything. That might explain things, today. I put the leftovers down for the dog, who walked over, took a sniff and then turned and left the room. Get the picture? I follow directions to the T and then pray. A lot.

4) What is next for you after this book?

I am currently working on the sequel to The Hand of God, entitled The Watchers. The hero of THOG, bounty hunter Victor McCain, is in for another action packed adventure, as he tries to tie up the loose ends from THOG and deal with a whole new threat, which could end life on Earth as we know it. Piece of cake, right Vic?

5) Last question…on a level of one being slightly naughty and ten being whoo hoo steamy, how would you rate your book?

The Hand of God does have a moment of two of passion, so I would give it a five. Not nearly as graphic as 50 Shades of Gray, but no where near Dr. Seuss, either.

I’m tagging:

Stacy Garrett

S.H. Roddey

James Peercy

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A sample from The Hand of God: 

Running past me, she began to climb up on the dumpster as the blonde twerp came around the corner, sauntering our way. Looking at her, I said, “What? You’re worried about this blonde reject from the Lollipop Guild?”

Evidently I pissed Blondie off, because he picked up the motorcycle and threw it at my head. At. My. Head.

I’ve spent a lot of time hanging with and tracking down members of the Hells Angels and happen to know A Fat Boy weighs north of six-hundred pounds. Blondie couldn’t have weighed more than a buck fifty,  yet the bike flew by me like a Randy Johnson fastball.   I ducked just in time and Miranda jumped off the dumpster, as the bike hit the top of it,  leaving a huge dent in the dumpster and the bike. No doubt the bartender was having a really bad day.

“Dude, you have to lay off the steroids. It’s leading to anger issues. Let me guess,” I asked, “too late for an apology and a group hug?”

Guess so as, growling like some rabid dog, he charged me. This through me for a loop as most men run away from me, not towards me. Then again, I’ve never had anyone throw a bike at me, either. As he was crashing into me,  I hit him hard with a two handed blow to the back of of his head, trying to end things right then and there. No dice as, lifting me off my feet and slamming me into a dumpster, he knocked the wind out of my sails. Jesus Christ, the shot I gave him would have crippled most men. Yet all he did was start laughing.

He said, “Tough bastard, you are. But ‘ole Eamon is tougher, don’t you think?”

It was all I could do not to start gagging from the stench of his breath as it smelled like he had been eating roadkill for dinner. I said, “First off, talking about yourself in the third person points to some severe psychological issues. Second, man, you could use some Tic-Tacs.” Leaning back, then driving forward, I struck him in the nose with a fierce headbutt. My mother always claimed my head is as thick because she dropped me more than once right on my noggin. I could hear his nose crunch and break, a smushed lump in the  middle of his acne craters. He started giggling and tried headbutting me back, but I shifted my head at the last moment and he struck the side of the dumpster, leaving a another huge dent.

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Victor McCain loves his Irish food, with Molly Malone’s Irish Pub being his favorite haunt. So for your eating pleasure, I offer you Oven Beef Stew.

2 pounds lean rump (or chuck) roast

1 pound whole carrots

2 medium onions

2 cups of tomato juice + 2 cups water

3/4 tsp of basil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp of sugar

2 medium potatoes (or more)

Cornstarch of flour for thickening, if needed

Set oven at 350 degrees

Cut up meat, carrots, and onions. Cut into bite size or medium size pieces. Then add tomato juice, water, basil, salt, pepper and sugar. Place ingredients into a large oven proof (roaster) pan. Cover. Bake one hour. THen add cut up, peeled potatoes. Bake 3-4 hours until tender.

Then thicken the liquid with cornstarch or flour, if necessary. This  is a great winter meal that smells great when it’s cooking all day. Serves 4-6 people. I normally double this recipe.