Karen McCullough – Page 33 – Magic, Mystery, and More

Falling Into Romance

Posted on November 14, 2015 by Karen McCulloughNovember 14, 2015

Fall_Into_Romance This post is part of the Fall Into Romance Blog Hop. For more info on how to win prizes, please read to the end of the post!

Fall is probably my favorite time of the year. I love the colors, the cooler air after the hot summer, and the anticipation of the holidays. And the aromas of baking spicy, holiday treats. Below is a favorite of mine.

And by the way, I use fresh pumpkin for this. I cut up my pumpkin after Halloween is over and use it for this. I cut it up into four to eight large pieces, bake it in a hot (425 degrees) oven, then scoop the meat of the skin and put it in a blender, mashing it until smooth. I freeze whatever I don’t use right away.

Pumpkin Bread

3 cups self-rising flour (or 3 cup plain flour + 4-5 tsp. baking powder and 1 tsp. salt)
3 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups cooked, mashed pumpkin
1 cup melted butter

Sift dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
Form a well in the center and eggs, pumpkin, and butter.
Stir until moistened.
Pour into 2 well-greased loaf pans
Bake at 350 degrees, 45 – 50 minutes.

This post is sponsored by one of my favorite fall stories that I’ve written, Guardian of the Grimoire.

Genre: Paranormal with romantic elements
Length: Novella; $1.99
Amazon
Nook
Smashwords

Librarian Jess O’Rourke already has her hands full with her father’s declining health and the under-staffed, under-funded library she runs. A new preacher in town waging war on her books is just an annoyance at first, but an attractive mysterious stranger warns her that there’s more behind the reverend’s campaign than she can guess. The new preacher is a human possessed by a demon and he’s searching for an old grimoire that’s part of an uncatalogued collection of books stored in the library’s basement.

Gabriel Sutton has been the guardian of the book for a long time, a very long time, he claims, since that has been his penance for crimes he committed as a soldier during the Civil War. He convinces Jess that she needs to find the grimoire and use it to return the demon to where he belongs.

Their time gets short when the reverend realizes she’s searching for the book and resorts to desperate measures to either retrieve or destroy it.

Now, about those prizes:

Grand Prize for the hop is a collection of ebooks from the Scribbler authors.

My prize will be awarded to one commenter, chosen by random, so leave your email addie with your post. It’s an ebook copy of one of my two Christmas stories, Blue December or A Vampire’s Christmas Carol. Winner gets to choose.

Heading for Bouchercon

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Karen McCulloughOctober 8, 2015

In a few minutes, I’m heading to Raleigh for Bouchercon 2015. My schedule of events:

Panel Thursday, Oct. 8 at 2:30 : The Comfort of Mystery in a Random World. Sounds like fun!

I’ll also be at Sisters in Crime breakfast on Friday morning and on Friday evening I’ll be helping to host the SEMWA (Southeast Chapter of Mystery Writers of America) Death by Chocolate Party, which will start right after the auction (probably around 9 pm).

If you’re there, please come up and say hello to me!

New Dragons in the Collection

Posted on September 25, 2015 by Karen McCulloughSeptember 20, 2015

In the past two months I’ve done a lot of traveling, including a vacation trip to Italy and then a journey to Indiana to help out my daughter and her three kids. No matter where I go, I always keep an eye out for dragons, and am delighted when I find them. The more unexpected the place, the better!

On our recent visit to Italy, I found several dragons in the Vatican Museums. The picture below was on a wall above a door. Did I mention that one of the glories of the Vatican Museums is that in nearly every room, every surface is decorated with paintings, frescos, carvings, you name it. It’s magnificent. You can click on it to enlarge it. There’s actually more than one dragon in the image. I can see at least three, but there may be even more.

My other dragon discovery was at a Children’s Zoo in South Bend, Indiana. They were having a special exhibit called “Dragons.” More on that in a future post.

Little Free Libraries

Posted on September 22, 2015 by Karen McCulloughSeptember 20, 2015

I live in a neighborhood that borders on the campus of the UNC-Greensboro. It’s a nice modest, suburban area with well-maintained homes, sidewalks, and interesting neighbors. My husband and I walk a mile or so each day, weather permitting, and we always say hello to a number of people in the neighborhood who are out walking themselves, working in their yards or just sitting on porches.

Most of you are likely familiar with Little Free Libraries. It’s a great idea and our neighborhood has a number of them. We pass a couple no matter which way we walk. I like to stop and look at what’s available, though I rarely take a book out. I already have a towering pile of books to read beside my chair and let’s don’t even talk about my Kindle! But it’s fun to see what kinds of treasure are available.

Here’s an example of one in our neighborhood that’s been nicely decorated in a natural way:But recently we ran across a new little free library that trumps any I’ve seen so far. It’s built from an old grandfather clock casing and then painted in a wild array of colors with assorted other embellishments added. You can click on the pictures below for larger images.

I love it, but I have a question: Why the pink umbrella? Anyone want to take a guess?

The Gothic Romance Chapter of RWA

Posted on September 20, 2015 by Karen McCulloughSeptember 20, 2015

I’m a member of Romance Writers of America, Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime, and have found a great deal of support for my writing and help over the years from those organizations and their sub-chapters. For several years, I was vice-president and then president of the Southeast chapter of MWA. And though I’m not as active in it as I’d like to be, I also belong to Murder We Write, the NC Triad chapter of SinC.

I’ve also belonged to several sub-chapters of RWA including both my local ones, Carolina Romance Writers and Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, and a number of online chapters. The one closest to my heart since I was a founding member of it is the Gothic Romance Writers chapter.

It’s always been a small chapter with usually around two dozen or so members, and we’ve sometimes let conversation lapse for long periods of time. But when a member needs help or support, these ladies (yes, we’re all ladies) have rallied around.

We live in different parts of the world, most of us in the U.S., but not all. We are different ages and ethnicities, at different stages in our careers, have varying interests and employment. What links us is a love for reading, writing, and talking about Gothic novels.

Right now, though, this chapter is in a bit of a bind. Membership has fallen over the last couple of years and the chapter is in danger of disbanding. I would hate to see that happen! We’re in the process of revamping our website to make it friendlier and more useful and hope to get more interesting discussions going.

But we need a few more members to rejoin or new members to sign up. If you’re already a member of Romance Writers of America (the sole criteria for membership), please consider joining or rejoining Gothic Writers and help us get this chapter on firm footing again. Join here: http://www.gothrom.net/onlineapp.html

Day 12 Last Day of the Trip – Varenna Day 3

Posted on September 2, 2015 by Karen McCulloughSeptember 2, 2015

For our last day of our vacation, we were ready to do something a little less strenuous. Getting on a boat across Lake Como was just what we needed. We made a point to get on a passenger ferry, covered on top but open on the sides. There was a nice breeze to cut some of the heat and the ferry made the rounds of several cities along the central part of the lake. We cruised on past it on the first go around, in favor of more time on the boat, but after making the circuit back, we got off at the town of Bellagio.

Bellagio is a lovely town too, and a great place to shop for silks, leather, and glassware. We did a bit of shopping, then walked around the town, stopping into an old church and having lunch at a little place in the shadow of what appeared to be a medieval tower. A banner on the side of the tower proclaimed a free exhibit of Byzantine icons, and Jim and Joe decided to go check it out while Steph, Freya and I kept the table warm and watched over the food until they returned.

It was apparently an extensive and interesting collection of icons and other Byzantine art. Try didn’t have time to look as closely and extensively as they wanted. But that was kind of a theme. There was wonderful art all around us, but our brains were already too filled to appreciate the riches at hand. Later we found a lovely park in Bellagio that overlooked the lake. We had a welcome rest and Freya got some playing time.

Steph and I took the two funiculars and a lift up to the top level terrace of the hotel to check out the view, which turned out to be pretty spectacular. From there we got a better look at the upper rooms of the hotel as well. Despite the amazing view, we decided that with the baby and stroller, we were better off on the lower level. And the view from our window was nothing to argue with in any case.

We had dinner again at Borgovino, a tiny little restaurant, tucked away on a side street in Varenna. It was the best food we’d had on the trip, and that was saying something. The food was wonderful throughout the trip.

We tried to get to bed early that night, since it would be an early early morning. We were up at 4:30 to catch a 5:30 train to Milan, where we transferred to the train to Malpensa Airport. It’s a gigantic, busy, and very new and modern airport. Eventually we did get on the flight home. It was at least a more comfortable flight. I watched a couple of movies, read a couple of books, played games, and finally we got home after a few more adventures in airport navigation.

The upper level terrace and the upper rooms of the hotel

Varenna3_15
At Borgovino, food presentation was an art in itself. At left, roasted potatoes in foil folded and shaped to look like a swan. At left, tiramisu.

The sun sets on Lake Como on the last day of our vacation.

Day 11 – Varenna Day 2 – The Castle and Feet in the Lake

Posted on September 2, 2015 by Karen McCulloughSeptember 2, 2015

The Castle at the top of the hill.

After breakfast at the hotel we headed for a ruined castle that sits on the top of a hill high above Varenna. It’s a considerable hike and climb to get to it, but well worth the effort. As ruins go, it’s nicely maintained and reasonably accessible. (There’s a road that goes to it on the other side of the mountain, but not from the lake side.)

The castle, which is really more of a fortress has a small bailey in picturesque ruins with a couple of towers, including a four-story guard tower in the center, accessed by a stone staircase along the wall and then crossing a wooden drawbridge to the first story.

Within the center guard tower is a display of a fossil that has been found in the area, of a dinosaur that has been found only one other place in the world: China. Climbing to the top of the tower offers a truly astonishing view of the surrounding countryside, no doubt the reason for its placement there in the first place.

The start of the steep hike up to the castle.

Coming back down involved another fairly long steep hike. Stopped in at a little ceramics shop where the young lady made amazing ceramics. Bought a few things for gifts. Then down and down some more to the town on the harbor. Delightful place. We had a drink and lunch on a patio overlooking the lake.

Steph and Joe took Freya down to the minimal beach on the lake to dabble her feet. She wasn’t impressed by the water, but enjoyed playing with pebbles. We walked along the lakefront promenade past many other bar/restaurants, boat landings, and little shops.

The day was Steph’s birthday, and we celebrated it with dinner at another fantastic restaurant, Quattro Cento, where we feasted on more fabulous food and amazing desserts.

Day 10 – Varenna Day 1 – Florence to Varenna

Posted on September 2, 2015 by Karen McCulloughSeptember 2, 2015

Our hotel in Varenna, the Albergo Eremo Gaudio. The upper part is near the top of the picture, the lower part at the bottom.

We reluctantly bid goodbye to Florence, walked to the train station, and got the train to Milan. There we transferred to the train to Varenna, a small, charming town that sits on the eastern side of Lake Como, right at the place where the inverted Y shape of the lake splits into two legs. The trip was easy, other than a bit of rush to get from one train to the other in the huge and crowded station. I love the European high speed trains!

As everywhere we went in Italy, Varenna was full of tourists. However, the town is so small the tourists don’t overwhelm the place as in Florence and Rome. Our hotel, Albergo Eremo Gaudio, was a remarkable place. It is a former hermitage on the side of a steep hill. We were on the lowest level, which makes sense with the baby, but we did later take the two funiculars and the lift to the upper level rooftop terrace, which was way above our rooms!

Even the lower part of the hotel required a steep climb.

Walked into the town and a pretty serious thunderstorm, which we took as a sign that we were supposed to duck into a covered outdoor bar and snack place. We had drinks and snacks while waiting for the storm to pass, and happened into a tiny (6 tables), but spectacularly good little place called Borgovino. Had some of the best food I’ve ever tasted. We decided we’d have to go back there at least once before we left, so we made reservations there for our last day in Varenna.

The view from our hotel room across Lake Como

Florence Day 3 – The Galleria Academia

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Karen McCulloughAugust 31, 2015

We had reservations for the Galleria Academia in the morning. It’s another art gallery, not as large or extensive as the Uffizi, but it contains what is arguably (but not very arguably) the most famous statue in the world, Michelangelo’s David. It’s worth the trip to Florence just to see it. It’s just an astonishing piece. I actually know very little about sculpture, but it’s almost impossible to look at this piece and not marvel. And there’s no way to describe it that does it justice. You just have to see it. Artist Giorgio Vasari has said about the piece: “Anyone who has seen Michelangelo’s David has no need to see anything else by another sculptor, living or dead.” It’s hard to argue with.

We proceeded to look at others anyway. The same room that houses the David also has an interesting set of other statues by Michelangelo, his unfinished pieces, The Prisoners and The Slaves. These are partially carved statues showing human figures that appear to be struggling to pull themselves out of the rock itself. Scholars believe they were intentionally left unfinished. Not only to they convey their own message about freedom and dignity, they do a great job of showing some of Michelangelo’s technique and the difficulty of carving human figures out of rock.

In the afternoon, we found a travel agent to get our tickets for the next day’s trip to Varenna, then stopped for a leisurely lunch before heading back to the hotel for a rest. Later we did some shopping and made a gelato stop.

Pigeons find a nice cool, shady spot for an afternoon rest on the side of the cathedral.

In the evening we walked through the lower level of the Palazzo Vecchio, which is open to the public. There’s another art museum on the upper floors, but we were just too saturated with amazing art already. The lower level features the mostly unrestored reception areas and courtyard of the palace with columns and more statuary.

Florence Day 2 – The Uffizi Gallery and the Duomo

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Karen McCulloughAugust 31, 2015

We had reservations for the Uffizi Gallery the next day at eight fifteen and we spent an entire morning there. I only wish it could have been longer. There’s so much more magnificent art than I could manage to take in. We certainly didn’t see all we wanted to see, though we did get a glance at the major works, Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and his The Spring, Leonardo’s Annunciation, Michelangelo’s only easel painting, as well as others too numerous to name.

The Madonna and Child above and this painting, Spring, are both by Botticelli.

I’ve loved painting ever since I took a required Art History class in college. Fortunately my husband shares that interest, and we take every opportunity we can get to see as much as we can.

There’s more than just Italian art in the Uffizi. This is an El Greco.

I hate, hate, hate that after four hours my feet and my brain had had all they could handle because there were still many rooms of paintings left to go. There was so much more to see. It half killed me that as we were heading for the exit I barely glanced at a wonderful collection of Titians. I walked right by a group of Caravaggios. I couldn’t take in paintings that I would otherwise drive miles just to have the opportunity to see one of them.

After a rest and lunch, our next jaunt was to view the interior of the cathedral. The line was fairly long, though not as long as most of the lines in Rome, but it moved quickly. The inside was a bit of a surprise. All the extravagant decoration is on the outside. Aside from the inside of the dome, which is beautifully painted, the rest of cathedral is rather plain, other than a few paintings and frescoes. Which doesn’t mean it was unattractive. In fact being less ornate made its graceful lines and proportions more obvious and pleasing.

It did have a couple of interesting features beside the dome, though. Over the entrance to the church, there is an unusual twenty-four hour clock, which, sadly, didn’t seem to be running. It also has the prettiest votive candle holders I’ve ever seen.

We went back to hotel again afterward. Joe wasn’t feeling great and the baby needed an earlier night so Jim and I ventured out on our own. We passed the Palazzo Vecchio and walked across the Ponte Vecchio, which is lined on either side with really expensive jewelry shops, up to the Pitti Palace, then around and back across the river by a different route.

The Ponte Vecchio as seen from the Uffizi.

Following that we had a nice, leisurely dinner in the Piazza della Signoria, next to the Palazzo Vecchio. It was one of the touristy, open-air restaurants on the plaza itself, but the food and wine were good and there was something amazing about just sitting and soaking in the ambience of a small city which had been at the center of the Italian Renaissance and home to many of the most important artists and writers of the period.