Karen’s Killer Fixin’s
**AUTHOR SPECIAL**
with ALEX WESTMORE!

Welcome to my Friday bonus feature called Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special**!! Today, in lieu of one of my own recipes, I’m going to introduce you to a new author who will share one of her favorite recipes. Not only will you and I occasionally learn how to make something new and delicious, but we’ll get a chance to check out some wonderful authors. Introducing author, ALEX WESTMORE, and her favorite recipe for NON’S “OKIE” BISCUIT GRAVY!!

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THE PIRATE’S BOOTY
The Plundered Chronicles Book 1
BY ALEX WESTMORE

Blurb

When Quinn Gallagher’s childhood friend is abducted from a dock in Ireland, she’ll do whatever it takes to come to the rescue—even if that means dressing as a man and joining the crew of one of the most notorious pirate captains the world has ever seen.

Quinn soon finds there is much to enjoy living as a man, in particular the company of other women. When she finds herself falling hard for Lady Fiona, a woman far above her own station, she is torn between revealing her true identity and continuing the façade of being a male pirate. Love is never easy, especially in the sixteenth century and especially under false pretenses.

SHIVER HER TIMBERS
The Plundered Chronicles Book 2
BY ALEX WESTMORE

Blurb

It’s been six years since Quinn started dressing as a man in order to sneak aboard the most notorious pirate ship ever to set sail upon the seven seas—and those years have definitely begun to take their toll.

Now Quinn must choose between continuing her high seas adventure or revealing a truth that could very well destroy both of her double lives and both of the women she’d give anything to protect. Is Quinn the woman she always thought she was, or has she become the pirate rogue she pretends to be? Will she choose love, honor, truth… or none of the above?

The stakes are higher than ever as Quinn, Grace, and the crew of the Malendroke come to the Queen’s rescue once more. And, this time, not everyone will get out alive.

Can Quinn live with one foot in two different worlds, or must she consign herself to either the lusty life of a pirate or the loveless life of a noble woman? Come sail the high seas in this exciting and erotic adventure with the fierce pirate Gallagher as your guide. You’re in for a wild ride and may even score some booty along the way.

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THE POWER OF WORDS
BY ALEX WESTMORE

I teach writing. I do so because I love the power of words. Words start relationships and end them. They start wars and end them. When we say the pen is mightier than the sword, this is what we mean: words matter. Our words matter. We matter. I believe everyone has a story to tell. These stories are the threads that run through the fabric of our lives. They are what have shaped up and molded us. Our stories matter…and sharing those stories have the ability to change people’s lives. I like to believe that that is our greatest purpose while we are here: to make the world better than when we got here. We can do that by sharing our experiences, because sharing, no matter what it is, brings us closer together, and we NEED to feel close to others. We NEED to feel like we are part of something.

So when people read my stories, they not only feel part of the characters’ lives they are reading about, but they also feel like they are part of my world, part of my readers, part of those who long to be a pirate, a demon hunter, a supernatural. We all want to belong. We all want to matter. Stories help make that happen. Stories make us feel things and have the ability to change our lives. Writers (and teachers, of which I am both) are agents of change, and I am thrilled to be able to spend my days doing two things that make my heart sing.

Meet Author Alex Westmore…

Alex Westmore, aka Linda Kay Silva, is a 5 time award-winning author of 35 novels ranging from police action (Delta Stevens Crime Log) to historical fiction (Plundered Chronicles). She is a literature professor at a military academy where she teaches everything from America, World, and British Literature, to Modern Epic Fantasy and Creative Writing.

When not writing, Alex is traveling around the world living a wild life of an adventurer and being the story collector.

And boy does she have stories.

Alex has lived in a haunted house, been on safari on the back of an elephant, jumped from an airplane, rode rapids, and taken many Harley trips. She has raced an ostrich in Africa, A catamaran in the Caribbean, and a racing boat in the Gulf of Mexico. To get closer to the paranormal action of some of her series, she has spent time with Vodoun in New Orleans, medicine men in the Southwest, and a Shaman in the Amazon. She has been a cop, a sportswriter, an ostrich rider, and a partridge in a pear tree.

She is also the mother of two young women who are also adventurers and travelers at heart, and who know the value of respecting people different from ourselves.

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Links to Alex’s website, blog, books, etc.

Amazon (The Pirate’s Booty): https://amzn.to/2xTa0Sz

Amazon (Shiver Her Timbers): https://amzn.to/2R4QaMT

Sign up for her newsletter and get a free story and so much more! Contests, giveaways, and for those who want to get Advanced Reader Copies, free books. So what are you waiting for? www.alexwestmore.net

Spice up your life. Join Alex on her next amazing adventure…you will be so glad you did.

I hope you enjoy the recipe Alex is sharing today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy Eating!

Karen

P.S. We’re at 391 recipes and counting with this posting. Hope you find some recipes you like. If this is your first visit, please check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. In the right hand column menu, you can even look up past recipes by type. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, Author Specials, etc.

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NON’S “OKIE” BISCUIT GRAVY

A NOTE FROM ALEX: My grandmother, Paulene Jones, made the best “okie” biscuits and gravy. Every Sunday, she would open her home to anyone who wanted to come break fast with us. Some Sundays there were 12, some there were 22, but no matter how many came, whether they were family or friends of friends of family would show up to sit at her enormous table to eat, visit, and share stories. Stories.

I remember being 10 and listening to stories from a Viet Nam Vet Non actually shipped her biscuits and gravy to. Mike had sent her a letter saying he really missed her B and G. So Non wrapped some up for him and asked Wally, a friend of the family who was a drug runner with a plane, to fly it to Viet Nam. (this is all a true story). Wally delivered the package, which Mike heated in his helmet to soften the brick hard biscuits. A fellow solider said he’d give anything for a bite. Mike gave him one whole precious biscuit. That soldier was killed in battle several hours later, his last meal having been the biscuits and gravy my grandmother sent.

To this day, I can’t eat any without thinking of her and wishing she was here. It is entirely possible I am a story teller because of the thousands of stories shared at my Non’s table every Sunday. Those memories are my very favorite. This is the recipe we think she used, but it won’t be as good because her love is part of the recipe and it is no longer available. Enjoy

Ingredients:

1 pound of bacon
2 to 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1-1/4 to 1-1/3 cups whole milk
Warm biscuits

Directions:

In a small skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until no longer pink. Remove bacon, but keep the grease. Add the flour, salt, and pepper directly to the grease; cook and stir until blended. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with or over biscuits.

Best when shared with loved ones. Enjoy!

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**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Alex is giving away the first book in the Plundered Series to everyone who answers the following question: Alex’s books feature an empath, a demon hunter, a zombie killer, a time traveler, a cop, and a pirate. Which one of these would you want to be and why?

And thank you for dropping by Karen’s Blog! Without readers like you, writers like Alex would just be spinning tales for herself. 

Thanks, Alex, for sharing your book with us!

Don’t miss the chance to read this book!