Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **AUTHOR SPECIAL** with MICHELLE MILES!!
Welcome to my Friday bonus feature called Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special**!! Today, instead of one of my recipes, I will introduce you to a new author who will share a favorite recipe. Not only will you and I occasionally learn how to make something new and delicious, but we’ll also get a chance to check out some fantastic authors. Introducing author MICHELLE MILES and her favorite recipe for Instant Pot Oatmeal!
ONCE UPON A SILVER STRAND
Enchanted Realms: A Rapunzel Retelling
BY MICHELLE MILES
Blurb
A girl with hair spun from starlight. A fallen guardian bound to a shattered realm. And a tower that was never meant to protect her.
High above the mortal world, Ariadne lives alone in a tower touched by the stars. Her silver hair, glowing with ancient magic, is said to be cursed—never to be cut, never to be touched. But when a celestial storm rains fire across the sky, a stranger crashes into her world. Cassian is a guardian from a forgotten realm, drawn by a prophecy and the shimmering strands that hold the key to awakening long-buried power.
As Ariadne’s magic begins to stir, the truth unravels—she is not cursed, but chosen, a living bridge to the lost kingdom of Starna. And the tower that binds her is not a sanctuary, but a prison built to contain the magic threatening to tear the realms apart.
With the stars falling and darkness rising, Ariadne must decide whether to sever her past… or embrace the magic woven into her very soul.
If you love quiet heroines discovering untold power, brooding guardians with hidden hearts, and towers hiding secrets written in the stars—you’ll love this Rapunzel reimagining.
ONCE UPON A SILVER STRAND
Enchanted Realms: A Rapunzel Retelling
BY MICHELLE MILES
Excerpt
The stars whispered louder on the nights she dreamed of cutting her hair. Blinking and twinkling high above in the indigo sky, they watched through the tower window, casting pale silver light across the stone floor. And when the starlight touched her braid, her strands illuminated in that cold, silvery light.
Ariadne had never seen the world beyond her tower window. Never experienced the warm sunlight on her face. Never touched the cool grass under her bare feet. She remained hidden away from the world. Cursed—or blessed—to live her days alone.
She spent long nights gazing at the stars. She had them memorized. How they danced during summer storms and faded to ghost-like shimmers during the winters. How they seemed to give her life and energy as they beamed down into her tower window. And how her strength ebbed when the clouds covered them.
Her initial memories involved that tower, the sky, and her caretaker—an elderly woman whose face, though lined, was kind. She said her hair consisted of moonlight and starlight. Spun from the last breath of a dying star. She said her long hair tethered her to this place—this mortal realm. She said her silver strands had a curse. That severing her hair would cause her madness. That the sky would rip open, forever altering the realm.
As a child, she believed the stories. Now that she had matured, she remained unsure.
But she did not dare tempt fate by cutting her hair. What would happen if she was no longer bound to this place? What would she become? Would she be free to leave, to live a different life, no longer in solitude?
Tonight, the stars were restless. Deep within her, something ancient stirred as though her soul sensed a change. Ariadne couldn’t pinpoint the odd impulse deep within her.
But she felt restless, like the stars.
She rose from the bed and gazed up at the murals along the tower walls. These recounted her life’s journey from birth to when starlight became woven into her hair. To even the moment she was placed in the tower with the woman who was her caretaker.
When the woman died, she turned into sparkling, twinkling light and joined the stars above. The enchanted tower continued to provide for her years after her death. Palpable loneliness, memories of stories long past, and bookshelves containing fantastical tales were all that remained for her.
No end existed.
Would there ever be?
About Author Michelle Miles…
MICHELLE MILES believes in fairy tales, true love, and a little bit of magic in every story. She writes fantasy, paranormal, and young adult books packed with adventure, action, and swoon-worthy romance—because what’s a story without a bit of danger and a whole lot of heart? From angels and demons to dragons, elves, and time travelers, her books are filled with epic quests, fierce heroines, and the kind of heroes worth falling for.
When she’s not crafting new adventures, she brings stories to life as a narrator and hosts Miles Beyond the Page, a podcast where she chats with authors about their writing journeys. A Texas girl through and through, she loves getting lost in a good book, binge-watching movies, hiking the trails, and sipping a glass of wine. Come hang out with her on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and more
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Links to Michelle’s website, blog, books, #ad, etc.:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3IMj4Rj
Universal Buy Link:
https://bf.michellemiles.net/d1tm74dh3f
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Karen
P.S. We’re at 749 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.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE: If an author’s favorite recipe isn’t their own creation and came from an online site, you will now find the entire recipe through the link to that site as a personal recommendation. Thank you.
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INSTANT POT OATMEAL
1 cup low fat (1%) milk (or whatever milk you prefer)
1-1/2 cups steel-cut oats
1/4 tsp salt
Spray Instant Pot bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Add 4 cups water, milk, steel-cut oats, and salt; stir to combine. Cover and set release valve to the venting position. Select Slow Cook and cook on low for 4 hours. Let the oatmeal continue to cook on warm for another 4 hours.
I portion it out into a muffin tin and freeze it for 2 hours. Then put the little “hockey pucks” in a quart size freezer bag. Two is a good portion. Freeze up to 3 months.
Happy Reading!
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Special Giveaway: Michelle will gift an ebook copy of ONCE UPON A SILVER STRAND to one lucky reader who comments on her Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog. Good luck!
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Thanks, Michelle, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
Would really like to read the retelling of this book in print format plus I love the castle on the cover
Thanks for having me, Karen!
Welcome back to Karen’s Killer Fixin’s, Michelle. I’ve been so excited about this new release and cannot wait to load it on my Kindle. I love this entire series. Another fabulous cover! Thanks for sharing your book with us today!
Good morning, this book sounds like a Great read and the cover is Gorgeous!! (not entering the ebook giveaway as I am not tech savvy, but Thank you)
N/E Thanks for stopping by, Michelle and sharing both the excerpt and recipe.
Ohhhhh, this is my kind of book! Thank you for telling us about it and sharing the excerpt!
nice cover
The instant pot oatmeal sounds like it would be really good. Too bad I don’t have an instant pot. I only have a crock pot, 🙁 I love re-imagined Fairy Tales. Would love to read this one.
This story sounds so good!