Terry Ambrose

Writing is like a good barbecue sauce, if it ain't bold, it ain't worth doing.

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Friday Fotos – looking back at cruising on the MS Noordam

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Cruising on the MS Noordam. Welcome to the top deck
A fun shot taken on the top deck of the MS Noordam looking aft.

We sailed in 2019, so this photo of cruising on the MS Noordam is now almost two years old. The ship was packed with plenty of travelers from around the world, but occasionally it was possible to get a photo with nobody else in sight. The glass panels just beyond the decking are for the pool area on the Lido Deck. Those panels slide open to create an entirely open space for the pool. I was on deck one morning when they opened them and it was quite impressive.

When we started planning our trip to New Zealand, I said I would go as long as I only had to fly one direction. As a result, we almost literally took a slow boat to America from down under. All in all, we were on the Noordam for thirty days, which included time sailing around New Zealand and then up to Honolulu. It certainly took a lot longer to make the trip home, but in my opinion, the return trip of cruising on the MS Noordam was well worth it. Learn more about the MS Noordam here.

Want to see more photos from our trip? Here’s a link where you can check out all the entries in our travel journal.

Review of Haunted Hibiscus by Laura Childs

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Haunted Hibiscus by Laura Childs

From the publisher of Haunted Hibiscus

It is the week before Halloween and Theodosia Browning, proprietor of the Indigo Tea Shop, and her tea sommelier, Drayton, are ghosting through the dusk of a cool Charleston evening on their way to the old Bouchard Mansion. Known as the Gray Ghost, this dilapidated place was recently bequeathed to the Heritage Society, and tonight heralds the grand opening of their literary and historical themed haunted house.

Though Timothy Neville, the patriarch of the Heritage Society, is not thrilled with the fund-raising idea, it is the perfect venue for his grandniece, Willow French, to sign copies of her new book, Carolina Crimes & Creepers.

But amid a parade of characters dressed as Edgar Allan Poe, Lady Macbeth, and the Headless Horseman, Willow’s body is suddenly tossed from the third-floor tower room and left to dangle at the end of a rope. Police come screaming in and Theodosia’s boyfriend, Detective Pete Riley, is sent to Willow’s apartment to investigate. But minutes later, he is shot and wounded by a shadowy intruder.

Timothy begs Theodosia to investigate, and shaken by Riley’s assault, she readily agrees. Now, she questions members of the Heritage Society and a man who claims the mansion is rightfully his, as well as Willow’s book publisher and her fiancé, all while hosting a Sherlock Holmes tea and catering several others.

But the Gray Ghost holds many secrets, as do several other key suspects, while this murder mystery plays out on the eve of Halloween.

My review

Halloween is front and center in the latest Tea Shop Mystery. The holiday adds an opportunity to enjoy the fun of costumes and Halloween-themed events. All the gang is back in Haunted Hibiscus and Theodosia is, as usual, quite driven to solve the murder. Sadly, I felt she was a little too driven and gave off an attitude of entitlement—how dare anyone not answer her question? With that said, fans of the series will revel in Theodosia’s enthusiastic investigation as she and Drayton visit suspect after suspect, making sure to stir the pot with each visit.

Once again, the menu at the tea shop plays a strong role. There are lots of delicacies served along with exotic varieties of teas. For foodie fans, this is, of course, a major attraction of the series. With a complex plot and the Charleston setting, it’s another winner in the series.

Want more book news? If so, click here to read more Behind the Story interviews from your favorite authors.

FTC Full Disclosure: A review copy of this book was provided by its publisher.

The Corpse Who Knew Too Much by Debra Sennefelder

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The Corpse Who Knew Too Much
The Corpse Who Knew Too Much

Debra Sennefelder is an avid reader who reads across a range of genres, but mystery fiction is her obsession. Her interest in people and relationships is channeled into her novels against a backdrop of crime and mystery.

When asked if she wrote The Corpse Who Knew Too Much to address a specific issue, Debra said that she had written the book based on her interest in true crime podcasts and cold cases and that her main goal was to entertain readers. She added, “I got to listen to a lot of podcasts when I was writing this book. That was probably the best part aside from the recipe testing.”

Debra said, “I’d like for them to know I really love writing these stories and that my readers mean the world to me. I’d also love for them to know that their emails, notes and comments make my day.”

During her research, Debra had the opportunity to attend her town’s Civilian Police Academy. “During the program, I was able to go on a tour of the Level 4 (high security) prison in our town. It was an eye-opening hour.”

To learn more about Debra Sennefelder or The Corpse Who Knew Too Much at debrasennefelder.com. Did you like this interview? If so, click here to read more Behind the Story interviews from your favorite authors.

Giveaway of The Corpse Who Knew Too Much

The author is giving away one print copy of The Corpse Who Knew Too Much to one lucky commenter. Leave a comment below to enter. US and Canada mailing addresses only.

Need a little couple’s dessert therapy? Try this Apple-Berry Crisp for two

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Apple Berry Crisp for two

Pie is a pretty awesome dessert. Right? The only problem is, a regular pie makes…well, a lot. And the crust gets super soggy after sitting in the fridge for a day or so. Cue the happy music because with this recipe for Apple-Berry Crisp for Two, there’s no need to suffer soggy pie crust again!

This recipe started out after I came across a recipe for pumpkin pie for two. Once we had that one down, we set our sights on a variation with a year-round theme. That meant ditching the crust and adding a crumble topping. Enter the individual Apple-Berry Crisp for Two recipe. They are little sweet tooth ninjas that will satisfy your sweet tooth and leave no trace of soggy crust behind.

Apple-Berry Crisp for Two

Pies, crumbles, and crisps are great for parties where there are lots of people, but what's a couple to do? Here's a great way for you and that special someone to have a perfectly sized apple-berry crisp for two.
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

Crumb topping

  • 1/4 cup flour For gluten-free, use your favorite gluten-free flour
  • 1/8 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 tbsp cold butter
  • 1/8 cup Gluten-free oatmeal
  • 1 tbsp sugar

Filling

  • 1 Granny Smith apple
  • 1 Gala or Golden Delicious apple
  • 3/4 cup frozen mixed berries or blueberries, thawed
  • 1/2 tbsp Lemon juice
  • 1/2 tbsp Lemon zest
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tbsp corn starch
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • Pinch of allspice

Instructions
 

Topping

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon and salt. Add the butter, rub the mixture between fingers until coarse crumbs form.
  • Toss with the oats and sugar and squeeze the crumble between your hands to form small clumps. Cover and chill for at least 20 minutes or up to 5 days.
  • While the crumb topping is chilling prepare the filling.
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Filling

  • Peel, core and cut the apples into 1/4-in.-thick slices and then cut the slices in half.
  • In a medium saucepan, cook the apples with the sugar, zest, and lemon juice just until the apples begin to soften.
  • Add the berries and cornstarch to the saucepan, turn off the heat, and stir to mix thoroughly.
  • Add filling to two 5" ramekins or pie dishes
  • After the crumb topping has chilled, spoon over the filling, breaking up any very large pieces.
  • Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until topping is lightly golden and filling is bubbly.

Notes

This recipe is for two, but if you need more than just two desserts, double the recipe. You are only limited by how many pie dishes you have!
Keyword pie

Avoiding scams in the age of Covid-19

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avoiding scams in the age of covid-19

Rather than address a specific scam in this month’s tip, I wanted to step back and look at the bigger picture of scams during Covid-19. In my fiction writing, a confluence of events drives my stories, and this scam tip is no different. Two events happened this past week that caused me to think about how to maintain online security and avoid scams in the age of Covid-19.

Isolation is tough on decision making

We often think of networking as something that gets done at work. Jobseekers network to find a new job. Writers network to find an agent or publisher. But there are other types of networking that are even more important. It’s basically all about our ability to make good decisions.

I recently received a question from a reader about how to recover money after she’d fallen for a scam in which she’d significantly overpaid for a product. I referred her to the Better Business Bureau and suggested she contact her credit card company to dispute the charges.

Within a day of that message, Joel Sauer at Charles Schwab put on a podcast in which he talked about the need for online security during Covid-19. The podcast struck a chord with me because my reader had ordered the product for her son-in-law, and her mistake reminded me of the tips I’d just read about.

Staying in touch with family and friends is important to help us make better decisions. As we get older, this becomes even more important because our reasoning skills can be hurt not only by aging but also by isolation—the very thing that’s helped us get through Covid-19.

Money or information

Let’s face it, scammers are in business. Just like any legitimate business person, they want a payback now or later. It’s the reason so many businesses want to put you on their mailing lists. Scammers are no different. If they can score personal information from a person, that improves the likelihood of success in a future scam. If they can get account information such as account numbers, usernames or passwords, that’s even better. Basically, all that information winds up as fuel for future scams.

No legitimate business will ever ask you for your password for an account with them. Also, protect your bank account information. If you send someone a check or deposit a check sent to you, the other party can get your account number.

Gaining trust

People tend not to do business with companies they don’t trust. That’s why scammers put so much effort into gaining the trust of the person they’re trying to scam. As Joel Sauer pointed out, “They will do research on you ahead of time, often, try and use information they learn about your family, friends, what your career was, what your interests are, what your investments are to try to convince you that they understand you, and that they’re looking out for you.”

From scams in which the caller claims to be a friend or relative stranded in a foreign country to those where they impersonate law enforcement, gaining trust is the most critical component of the scam. No matter how believable their story, there are two ways to avoid becoming a victim.

Verify independently

Always verify the information you’ve been given through a second source. For a friend or relative, go back to using your network to find out if the emergency really exists. If the caller claims to be from a company or the government, use a known website or phone number to contact them. One great tip is to bookmark important websites so you don’t have to look them up each time you need them.

Listen for the sense of urgency claim

Eventually, every scammer will want money or information, and they’ll give a deadline. In marketing, this is the ‘call to action.’ It’s the button in an email that tells you to click a link to order now. In a phone call, it will be a verbal requirement to take action before an offer goes away or something bad happens.

Ways to protect yourself from scams during Covid-19

According to Schwab.com/SchwabSafe there are four keys to keeping your information safe. These keys apply no matter who you bank with.

  1. Check your account for suspicious activity
  2. Verify payment requests
  3. Do not share personal or sensitive information on social media
  4. Be cautious when anyone asks for your personal or financial information

Did you like this scam tip? If so, check out last month’s tip, Three tips to shut down warranty scams.

Friday Fotos – Lautoka dancers and singers perform at community center

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Singers in background while Lautoka dancers perform
One of our activities involved visitng a community center, where we were treated to a display of traditional dancing and singing.

One of the things we like to do when visiting places like Lautoka, is to learn something about the culture. While some would say the best way to do that is to grab a 4×4 and head off into the bush, we chose a less adventurous route. Our solution? Book a tour that would take us to see a performance by Lautoka dancers and singers.

Even though the event was scripted for our benefit, we got a sense of the tribal nature of Lautoka’s culture. We also saw how friendly the people were when we had a chance to meet these Lautoka dancers.

The opportunity to see events like this reminded me of how similar human societies are. Deep down, doesn’t our society also have its own set of rituals? Whether it’s a church service, a sporting event, or a gathering of friends, don’t we all have our rituals? And yes, tribe?. While very different from those half a world away, those rituals also show that deep down, we’re really not that different.

Want to see more photos from our trip? Here’s a link where you can check out all the entries in our travel journal.