RECTOVERSO: April 2011

Saturday, April 30, 2011

May Coming Attractions!

Spring is in full bloom and it's going to be a great month in the lair!

Kate Carlisle will get us started with a release party on May 2. Come join the fun as Kate launches MURDER UNDER COVER, the fourth book in her Bibliophile Mystery se

ries.

May 3rd Auntie Cindy will host Kris Kennedy who will talk about her new book, DEFIANT.

On Wednesday, 4th May, Anna Campbell hosts New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean who will talk about her sparkling new historical romance ELEVEN SCANDALS TO START TO WIN A DUKE’S HEART.

Debu

t author, Virna DePaul is visiting us on 5/5 to talk about her release, CHOSEN BY BLOOD.

On May 6, Kate welcomes back Avery Aames, author of the Cheese Shop Mysteries, who will show us all sorts of new ways to Say Cheese!

May 7th Let’s celebrate with Tawny’s release party!! JUST FOR

THE NIGHT is my 24 Hour Blackout story, trapping two ex-lovers together. Now they have to decide if they are back together forever... or Just For The Night.

Suzanne Ferrell welcomes Addison Fox on May 9th. Addison will talk about her third book in her Sons of the Zodiac series, WARRIOR BETRAYED.

On Monday, 16th May, Anna Campbell hosts historical romance author Vanessa Kelly who will be talking about her latest release MY FAVORITE COUNTESS.

On May 18, we get a peek at Captain Jack Sparrow's early career when A. C. Crispin, author of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom, visits with Nancy.

On May 29th, Susan Sey welcomes Cat Shield who will be talking about her debut novel MEDDLING WITH THE MILLIONAIRE.

On May 31, Anna DeStefano and Nancy will chat about Anna's new book, Secret Legacy. To protect an endangered child, the second of Anna's telepathic twins must join forces with a psychic warrior who once broke her heart.

AUTHOR CONTEST!!

Anna Campbell is holding a Hardback Heaven at Midnight Contest, open until 30th June. She’s giving away three signed copies of the beautiful hardcover Rhapsody Book Club edition of MIDNIGHT’S WILD PASSION.

To enter, just email Anna on anna@annacampbell.info and tell her the name of the hero and heroine of MIDNIGHT’S WILD PASSION. For more information on the contest, please visit her website on: http://annacampbell.info/contest.html

Bandit Booty

As usual, I'm behind in announcing my winner. But I promise it wasn't because I was playing Angry Birds. The winner of an ARC of ONE NIGHT SCANDAL is:

Kirsten!!

Kirsten, please email me at christie @ christiekelley . com with your address so I can get the book out to you.

Straw Hats-Linen...and Sunscreen

Last Monday was a somber day for me. LFG was back in school after one of our typically great weeks of vacation debauchery. Debauchery defined as less than rigorous hygiene demands, no curfew and bad food. But at some point we all have to re-engage in more structured and responsible deportment. And I re-engaged Monday morning in linen…with the pastiest ankles to accompany my favorite fabric. It’s only April so the ankle color is similar in shade to the trouser.

And the rest of my rig needed to be a bit less fuzzy in keeping with Monday’s somber nature. Earth tones topped off with a brown polka dot pocket square. One of my house-model Flussers… 3/2 rolled open patch pockets… seemed appropriate.

Which brings me to the other driver of Monday’s somberness…my skin. I’ve abused it in every way possible since I was old enough to seek the sun and it now shows. I’ve seen sixty year old sun avoiders with healthier, younger skin than mine. I get rather pasty in the winter but can get brown as a berry in the summer…and I always have until now. Sunscreen? Cursory daubs from time to time but I spent my life from birth till now doing all the summertime things that damage your skin. I wore a porn star mustache briefly in 1979 but no sunscreen.

So I took the Metro on Monday morning to a Dermatologist office in D.C. I knew the lashing I was gonna get before ever meeting this very nice and almost too young to be out of her residency, Dermatologist. I had, luckily, only a few pre-cancerous little visitors that needed to be looked at and all will be fine…if I avoid the sun. A little zap here and a couple of prescriptions later and she’ll see me in a couple of months…right in the middle of sun tan time. Oy.

Which brings me to the issue of hats. I’ve never worn a straw dress hat. My spiritual and pragmatic mentor Toad is the hat king. But as soon as I saw this picture of Tommy Hitchcock in his straw pork pie hat, I declared that if I could ever find one of that caliber, I might give it a go. I love the dichotomy of straw and madras topping off Hitchcock in his camel hair Polo coat.

But even with my level of not giving a shitake about rules and my love of all things fuzzy, I’ve never peered over into the straw-dress hat realm. Some people were born for hats. Toad seems as straw hat-esque as anyone.

Some people can sport esoteric straw hats with panache and aplomb. People ask me about this picture when they visit but I have nothing to provide. I don't know anything about this fella other than I bet he'd be fun at cocktail parties.

Some folks should leave straw hat esoterica to those who can execute on eccentricity.

So I’m walking to the Dermatology office and the sun is beating down on my head and I can feel it. Really feel it…the hair back there ain’t what it used to be. I encounter the windows of J.Press at about the same time and their hats are appropriately sitting in the windows. I’d already decided to stop in on them during my walk back from the Derm office. I needed to get a gift for a buddy.

This guy was having lunch at a place right beside J.Press and I immediately saw his rig as more ADG centric than if he’d had a straw hat on. Seersucker and a baseball hat…certainly more my speed.

So I go for my scolding and my medicine and sulk back over to J. Press. Gift shirt and a couple of grosgrain watch bands in hand and I’m ready to roll. And then I begin looking at hats. Not these. I’ll wear baseball caps before I don these Trad yet goofball looking things.

But the little modified brim Porkpie provokes me a bit. Coincidentally, it matches my outfit and it isn’t one of those, albeit perhaps aptly priced, three-hundred dollar things. It’s fairly cheap. And I don’t think it looks too absurd when I give it a go.

So I’m now headed to the Farragut North Metro stop in a Porkpie straw hat.

I’m good with it. Really, I mean how much more self-conscious could a guy like me become after donning this straw topper? None actually. Remember, I’m the guy who wears slippers, outside of the house. Shut up.

So I’m thinking...even with a Dermatologist slathered red nose, that I’m pulling this look off ok.

Let me know if I’m hallucinating.

And finally, just another shot of my complementary Flusser/Polo/Edward Green contrivance. Open patch pockets always get my attention.

Two inch cuffs. Don't argue this with me. Coarse-weave linen, flat front Polo togs and my EG Koss charity shoes.

Ok, off to soccer. With sunscreen. And a purple nose.

ADG II

Minorities vs. Minorities

The idea of minorities hating minorities to me makes absolutely zero since, but it's all too common. Whether you're in the US or in Russia, you see it...and it's disappointing in so many ways.

*What I say about Elista in no way refers to the city as a whole or its people, but simply some of the people I have come across during my year here, many of whom I met in passing. Please know the people here are amazing and amazingly kind.*

In the US, the most visible form of minorities rallying against other minorities is concerned with the LGBT community. While this isn't an issue of race, people belonging to the LGBT community are certainly in the minority. According to several exit polls, many African Americans (70% according to one poll), Latinos (53%) and Asian Americans (49%) voted in favor of California's prop 8 in 2008.* I'm not blaming these groups for Prop 8 not passing (that rests with California's white voters, of whom 49% voted in favor, but also make up over 65% of CA's voting population), but I just find it interesting that considering the civil rights issues at stake, that these minority groups voted against it.

Another instance in the US is illustrated in the gay marriage struggle in New Jersey. The instance of minority groups in the US is illustrated nicely (and comically) by the Daily Show's Wyatt Cenac back in January 2010. Here's the short video:

The Daily Show - Dreaded Bliss
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Anyways, I bring this up because I live in Elista, Russia where the majority of people here (my guess is between 85-95%) are minorities in Russia, being ethnically Mongolian, not Russian. People here were severely persecuted during purges of Stalin, many being sent to Siberia where their native Kalmyk language was strictly forbidden and as a result is on its way to becoming a dead language (at least here in Russia).

The people here are vehemently against Russia's blatant xenophobia and, as it's called here 'nationalists' who have caused problems in bigger Russian cities, attacking minorities for not being Russian. Kalmyk people are also terrified of this extremism. I had a woman tell me the other day that her daughter in Moscow was to stay inside the whole day (April 20) as it was Hitler's birthday and there is a marked increase in nationalist violence on this day.

I find this interesting because as much as the people here hate Russia's extremism, they are still quite prejudiced against people of African descent (to a lesser extent Jewish people as well - I've had a few people tell me they hated Obama, Medvedev & Putin because they were 'Jews'...hmmm). Giggles are often inevitable when Black people are mentioned here and there is (not always, certainly not always, but often) a tinge of disgust in their tone of voice.

What's more is that being a minority Republic in Southern Russia, Kalmykia has good relations between some of the most persecuted groups in Russia (Ossetia, Dagestan, Chechnya, etc) and welcome them with open arms. But still this idea of Black people being...well I don't know what word to use other than disgusting, is still common among people here.

Just today I met two guys who absolutely hated President Obama for no other reason than he is Black. They had nothing to say about his policies, programs as President, but couldn't stop talking about how he was Black and could not fathom how Americans could ever possibly elect a Black president (I saw this with a really old guy in Germany once as well, but the difference here is that it's both young and old people).

I, on the other hand, was (and always am) completely baffled as to how they aren't not struck by the complete irony. Anyone who has ever been to Russia will notice a very definite lack of Black people here. This is changing (very slow) and you'll see more than what I saw several years ago in St. Petersburg, but regardless the number is infinitesimally small.

Overall, Dear Readers, I am saddened by this. I don't understand racism and probably never will and it breaks my heart to see it here in Elista, a place where they are both victims and (in a way) perpetrators of racism (at least in thought). I also don't mean to say that this includes everyone here in Elista. Not by a long shot! I've met many, many people (such as the people I work with and my students) who see this line of thought in their home and are as disgusted as I am.

*Here some articles where I was reading about Prop 8 in California: Huff Post, LA Times, Wash Post

Kate: The day after the wedding

What a pretty outfit! I love her style.

Zara dress, LK Bennett wedges

Source

Kate: The official wedding photographs

Photographs taken by Hugo Burnand.

Source

101 Things: Keep my room tidy for a month

I've sort of neglected this list for a while, but have been slowly and unwittingly completing items off the list, one of which is keeping my room tidy for a month, #89 on my list.

I'm usually reallllly awful when it comes to keeping a clean room. I'll clean my room and within a few days or a week it's back to the way it was, looking as though a tiny hurricane had passed through. It's always been this way and it's been this way so far here also.

So I decided to change...kind of. Once my room reaches a point, I get fed up and clean it. This time happened about a month and a half ago, when it was just....ugh. So I cleaned it. And for some reason, unbeknownst to me, I managed to keep it clean for a month! That includes clothes, dishes, sweeping, the works! I don't know how I did it, but I did.

Unfortunately though, it is now back to post-hurricane status and it's time for another cleaning. The bad part of all this is that I eventually let my room get really dirty again. The good news is that now I know I can keep it clean without really thinking about it. I just need to make this a habit. So Dear Readers, here's to keeping our rooms nice and tidy!

Friday, April 29, 2011

KENTUCKY BORDER BOLOGNA

by Jo Robertson

I recently returned from a visit with my brother Fred and his wife Sylvia in North Carolina. Their lovely house looks out toward the Pasquotank River, a gorgeous view. During this visit Fred and I spent a lot of time working on his personal story.

You see, I didn’t know Fred existed until about five years ago. He and I have different mothers, but the same father. But that’s a blog for another day.

Today’s subject is Kentucky Border Bologna! During my North Carolina trip, I discovered this delicious meat product. I use this term because I don't know what they put in it, and I suspect I'm better off remaining ignorant!

To a southern-bred gal like me a fried bologna sandwich is like heaven. I eat the artery-clogging stuff like an addict. I don’t care. Just give me my next fix. If you're wondering what can possibly be so great about bologna, you haven't tasted the really good stuff.

When my brother Fred visits his hometown in Kentucky, he always buys several of these bologna rolls. Sylvia freezes them and they slice off the amount they want as they use it.

Kentucky Border Bologna is sharp and salty, tasty either warm or cold. We ha

d it for breakfast and lunch, and I could've eaten it for dinner, but Sylvia made me go healthy. Party pooper.

However, she packed several sandwiches for my wait at the airport on my way home, and luckily, airport security did not considered Kentucky Border Bologna a homeland security violation. Silly people.

Kentucky Border Bologna is the best bologna I've EVAH tasted. I had no idea where it was manufactured, but I heard a rumor that it isn’t shipped anywhere outside Kentucky.

That alone was enough to intrigue me, so I made a few long-distance phone calls. The meat department manager at Ralph's Food Fair in Grayson, KY -- a very nice gentleman with a lovely southern accent -- assured me that they did indeed sell Kentucky Border Bologna. He even tracked down the writing on the wrapping -- Kp Packing.

A little internet detecting led me to the company, Kp Packing in Erlanger, KY, where another helpful woman told me the product is now called Kentucky Best Bologna, a mistake in naming, in my opinion. There's something wickedly catchy and illegal about

Kentucky Border Bologna.

The picture is from their website. Seriously, Kp, you need to get a larger picture!

Unfortunately, they do not ship outside of their region, so we Californians cannot jump on the internet and order some of this delicious spicy meat.

Sigh. I think I'm going into withdrawal.

I suppose my arteries will thank the company, but my taste buds are crying for a huge helping of this salty delight.

So, right now I’m eating my plain old PB&J sandwich and watching the delightful Timothy Olyphant in the latest episode of “Justified.”
Right now that’s the closest I can get to Kentucky and their delicious border bologna.

I’m in the mood for sharing our decadent foods. So, what’s your wicked delight, food-wise? Find any recent recipes or tasty treasures to share?

Here’s a recipe Sylvia gave me, a “healthy” version of Key Lime Pie. We ate about three of them when I visited, which is good because the recipe makes three.

Sylvia’s Key Lime Pie

3 reduced-fat graham cracker crusts
16 oz light Cool Whip
12 oz frozen limeade (or lemonade)
2 cans fat-free condenses milk

Beat together, pour into shells and freeze until firm.

Okay, let's get down and share our favorite decadence!