Writing the Sixth in the Series

Writing the Sixth in the Series

Today I worked on the final chapter in my latest novel in the Rachel Christie murder mystery series. The murder occurs along the Blue Ridge Parkway and is a premeditated murder that has links to her friend Deputy Ron Hartwell and incriminates Deputy Shawn Skyler with whom she has a conflicted relationship. Skyler is charged with the murder of his drug informant and asks Rachel to take the case. No way does she want to work for, or have anything to do with, Skyler.

As the plot unfolded in my mind, several people emerged as the actual killer. Rachel abhors Skyler, but she wonders if he is responsible for the murders. A soft spot in Rachel's heart is Skyler's daughter Crystal. Can she convince Rachel to take the case of freeing her father?

Rachel knows that Skyler has many enemies and sifting through all the possible suspects is a daunting task. Making all the connections seems almost impossible.

Review of Lean Cuisine's Orange Chicken

Review of Lean Cuisine’s Orange Chicken

Have you ever felt like your mouth was on fire? I’m sure a lot of you have. Well, that’s exactly how I felt when I ate Lean Cuisine’s Orange Chicken. When I first picked this TV dinner up at the supermarket, I thought it was a sweet and sour concoction. However, after reading the package, it said sweet and spicy Asian style. Believe me, when it said spicy, it meant spicy.

Normally, I prefer Lean Cuisine dinners over any other brand, but this dinner was so hot that my taste buds burned for, literally, an hour. I like some spice, but this dinner was definitely for those of you who like really spicy foods. I tasted nothing. All I felt was burn.

This dinner had 29 percent of the daily sodium, but, as my husband always says, "Your dinner is 1/3 of your daily intake of food." This never bothers me because I have no problem with my sodium intake. Also, the dinner has 360 calories, 80 from fat of which 6% is unsaturated fat. This is only for those of us who care.

I had a colleague, from Louisiana, once whose grandmother had burnt out her taste buds from eating spicy, even spicier and even spicier foods. When she was older, she could not taste anything. I do not want to end up like that. I want to be able to taste my food and to savor it. If you agree with that, then do not buy this dinner. This doesn’t mean that I will not buy other Lean Cuisine entrees. It only means that I will purchase no more that say spicy.

I am sure that my Rachel Christie murder mystery series are as spicy as this dinner.

Review of 2002 Nuits-St.-Georges 1er Cru Clos de Thorey

Review of 2002 Nuits-St.-Georges 1er Cru Clos de Thorey

What can I say about a Nuits-St.-Georges? Next to a Gevry Chambertin, this is my favorite region of burgundy. I had lunch in Nuit-St.-Georges once, which was arranged by a Frenchman named Laurent. This lunch was unbelievable and the wine sensational. A trip to the winery of Charles Thomas was the highlight of the afternoon.

This wine, 2002 Nuits-St.-Georges Clos de Thorey 1er Cru is from that vintner and is a smooth, full bodied wine, chockfull of fruity flavors. I am sorry that I did not purchase more of this wine. I purchased a case of Charles Thomas’ Les Malconsorts 1er Cru and it, like the Nuit St. Georges, tempts the taste buds for more. It is an earthy wine full of dark fruits and the smell is heavenly. It goes well with almost any food. The real wine lover will tell you that burgundy wine such as this does not go well with poultry or fish. I disagree. I had it with chicken tonight and it was sensational.

I will check on the 2009 and 2010 vintage by Charles Thomas, but I fear that it will be out of my price range. I am just glad that I had a chance to sample this wine from an excellent year for burgundies.

I only hope that my books in the Rachel Christie murder mystery series tempts the brain cells as much as this wine tempts the senses.