Buzz Girl Love

It was so awesome hanging out with the Buzz Girls in Los Angeles at the RT Convention. As others have said Teen Day rocked the house. We had a fabulous booksigning, then a party where teens, their friends and parents, joined over twenty YA authors for free books, pictures, and signatures. It was amazing to see the smiles on the girls' faces when they delved into their goodie bags of books to see favorite authors and new ones to enjoy.



(Heather, me, Simone, Dona, and Tina in front)

It was also fun to hang with former Buzz Girl, Simone Elkeles, who is now a big time USA Today and New York Times bestseller. But she's still Simone...and her fans love her. She's a blast to hang out with and we miss her smiling typeface around here.



(Tina and me with Simone)

Tina and I had a fabulous dinner with her. Here's a pic of my filet and shrimp....mmm....you know me and my foodie-ness!



I, too, got a huge stash of books. Even accidentally packed "The Teachings of Budha" book that was in the hotel room. Oopsies! There were so many books around...who knew? There are just so many cool reads coming out this year (including GHOST HUNTRESS: THE DISCOVERY in 18 days!) that it's hard to keep up with everything.



(My fur baby, Boo, modeling my stash.)

So, I'm going to give away my copy of Meg Cabot's graphic novel, AVALON HIGH-CORONATION. Just leave a comment in the trail here about books you're looking forward to this year and I'll pick a winner and announce next week.

Hugs,
Marley = )

http://www.marleygibson.com/
http://www.ghosthuntress.com/

Ghosts don't hang up their sheets after Halloween
GHOST HUNTRESS series - The Awakening, The Guidance,
The Reason, The Counseling - available now!

Soup Week Continues: Vegetarian Chili

Okay, so this recipe is not mine, but I cook it enough that I feel like it is! (I found the recipe on AllRecipes.com and full credit goes to calead910 for the yummy goodness.) You can totally play around with the ingredients (different beans and veggies) or spice level (leave out or add more jalapeños and green chiles), but any which way you make it this is delish.

heating the veggies

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon salt
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained
2 (12 ounce) packages vegetarian burger crumbles
3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn

adding in the veggie crumbles

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic, and green chile peppers. When vegetables are heated through, mix in the vegetarian burger crumbles. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.
2. Mix the tomatoes into the pot. Season chili with chili powder and pepper. Stir in the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and black beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in the corn, and continue cooking 5 minutes before serving.

the almost finished product

I swear even your meat-eatiest tasters will think this is the best chili they've ever eaten. As far as veggie burger crumbles go, the Morningstar Farms ones aren't strictly vegan (there's a trace of egg and milk) but they perform a lot better in the chili than the vegan Boca ones. Your call.

Note: If you visit the original recipe on AllRecipes.com you can get detailed nutritional information and can print it out in a variety of formats. You can even scale the recipe up or down to however many servings you need. I recommend doing half this recipe. It still produces tons of chili, but it's more manageable. I did this last time and froze the other half of the ingredients to make another batch later.

Hugs,
TLC

teralynnchilds.com
@teralynnchilds

Zucchini Soup!

It's a beautiful fall day here in southern California, and while my senses are enjoying the changing leaves and the crisp air, my taste buds are calling out for one of my favorite soups, the Ferraro Family Northern Italian Zucchini Soup.

It's low-calorie, low-fat and if you use vegetable broth, it's vegetarian, too. But the way it's ultimately presented makes it into a hearty meal--a favorite in Northern Italy and at our California table.

The picture I added is similar to its presentation--except that the "green" on top is replaced with a heavy sprinkling of Parmesan cheese!

Below is the recipe, for anyone who'd like to try it!

Tina

Tina Ferraro
Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress
How to Hook a Hottie
The ABC's of Kissing Boys
www.tinaferraro.com

Ferraro Family Northern Italian Zucchini Soup

3 medium zucchini
l medium onion
butter and olive oil, about 4 tablespoons total
6 cups broth, chicken or vegetable
1 egg yolk
3 drops lemon juice
grated Parmesan cheese
Italian/French bread

Wash zucchini, but do not peel. Chop into 1/4" chunks. Chop onion. Saute in oil in and butter in a heavy pot. Add broth. Cook until zucchini and onions are tender.

Remove veggies from broth with slotted spoon. Mash in blender or food processor. Return mixture to broth, simmer for about 5 minutes.

Beat egg yolk, and temper by adding a small amount of soup and lemon juice. Return to pot.

Meanwhile, toast 1" thick slices of bread. Put one or more into a soup bowl, cover with soup and top with grated cheese.

(We usually toast extra bread slices, which we serve with cold cuts and sliced cheese.)

Let the Food Wars Begins

It all began with Top Chef. I was in Boston for my first, last, and only semester of the PhD program from hades. One of my greatest joys was watching the third season of Project Runway. As the season finale neared, Bravo started bombarding me with commercials for the new season of Top Chef. I'd never watched a cooking show in my life, and I wasn't really interested.

But then Bravo did a brilliant thing. The showed the season premiere of Top Chef right after the season finale of Project Runway. I was feeling lazy and didn't want to walk back downstairs from the lounge to my room. So I stayed. And watched.

I was love at first Quick Fire. I've been a devoted Top Chef watcher ever since. And my newfound love for cooking-related shows has expanded to include some other terrific competitions.

Food Network Challenge ranges from building massive architectural structures out of chocolate to an ultimate pancake cook-off to cakes of unimaginable design and proportion. I'm halfway watching to see if something goes horribly wrong, and halfway watching to see the amazing edibles the contestants produce.

On the very first episode of Cupcake Wars, vegan baker Chloe took home the prize--much to the annoyance of the other more experienced chefs. (The rumors are true! Vegan cupcakes are better than regular.) Watching this show just makes me hungry and more often than not drives me to the kitchen to whip up my own cupcake creation.

My newest favorite is The Great Food Truck Race. Nine food truck teams from across the country drive from destination to destination, trying to make the most money in a given time period. There are challenges along the way and the team that makes the least money goes home each week. I totally want to have a food truck now.

There's a new show on the horizon. Top Chef Just Desserts premiers soon and it promises to be just like Top Chef on with DESSERTS! It's going to be hosted by Top Chef judge Gail Simmons and I think it's going to be amazing. I'm sure to be in a sugar coma by the time the season's done.

I'm still not a fan of the traditional cooking show (I think I don't like someone on TV telling me what to do or how to do it) but I'm definitely a food competition junkie. What about you? Do you watch any of these shows? Do you watch cooking shows like Rachael Ray or Giada de Laurentiis? Are you a wanna be chef or a hopeless disaster in the kitchen?

Hugs,
TLC

teralynnchilds.com
@teralynnchilds

A final summer fling

I'll admit...I'm a seafoodaholic. After all, I live in New England where you can fall out of your front door and have your fill of shrimp, scallops, cod, and clams. So, imagine my thrill when a friend of mine here in Florida said she'd take us out on their boat for a day of fishing.

It was a gorgeous day in St. Pete when we floated out onto Tampa Bay.



The water was calm and inviting, as was the sun as it shimmered down on us. With our bait of pin fish, shrimp, and squid, we took to the poles.



After a few hours of nothingness, the tide shifted, causing the water to airate, which means more fishies! That's when we started pulling them in. A couple of gray snappers, a few salt water catfish, but most of all, I caught an 18-in Spanish mackerel!



And, my sweetie and co-author of THE OTHER SIDE: A TEEN'S GUIDE TO GHOST HUNTING AND THE PARANORMAL, Patrick Burns, caught a two-foot long shark! Check out the video we did!



I cooked up the mackerel in flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and did a quick fry in veggie oil. I whipped up a mango coulis from fresh mangos from my friend's tree and voila! A meal fit for a king.



So, that's pretty much it for summer. Time to get back to the grind. There are book proposals to write, books to edit, and promotions to do. And speaking of, soon, we'll have a huge week of giveaways for my newest book in the GHOST HUNTRESS series - THE COUNSELING.



To get things started, let's have a little contest. Did someone say CONTEST?

Tell me about your summer adventures and your highlight of the season. I will pick three winners to announce next Wednesday. Two winners will get a packet of Silly Bandz and one winner will get an advanced copy of THE COUNSELING.

Hugs,
Marley = )
http://www.marleygibson.com/

Get spooked this Halloween!
GHOST HUNTRESS: THE COUNSELING - available September 1st!

Remember me? Recap of RWA Nationals and the Hectic Summah of 2010

Hey Buzz Readers!

Remember me? I'm the Bee who's been AWOL pretty much all summer. Sorry about that. In addition to traveling the country for conferences and booksignings in my RV, my boyfriend and I have also had his two boys (11 and 9) with us the entire summer and we've had a major adventure!

We started in New York City, worked our way over to Michigan and the U.P. and then a long stint in the north woods of Wisconsin with their grandparents, a visit to Mt. Olympus water park in the Wisconsin Dells, a five-day conference in Hohenwald, TN investigating several haunted locations, selling books, and doing lectures, and then down to Orlando, Florida, for the 30th Annual Romance Writers of America Conference.

Are you tired just reading all of that?

But, I'm back and I want to share some of my pics from RWA.

It was great seeing my fellow Buzz girls Tina, Steph, Wendy, and Tera, and we very much missed having Heather and Dona in our ranks.

As Tina has reported, we had a lovely dinner at Shula's (and yes, I was horrified that people don't know who Don Shula is...not just the winningest coach of all time in the NFL, but also the father of former Bama quarterback and coach, Mike Shula. LOL!) and the food was absolutely delicious, as seen here by my plate of food. What was I thinking ordering a 16 ounce steak?



I did a panel with my non-fiction editor, Rose Hilliard, from St. Martin's Press, and buddy, Louisa Edwards on "Creating a Symbiotic Editor-Author Relationship."



And here I am with Rose at the St. Martin's party on the Disney Boardwalk.



Met some famous ladies on my trip...

The fabulous Heather Graham, who can sing "Bobby MaGee" like no one's business and is also into ghosts and SCUBA diving.



The ever-amazing Suz Brockmann, fellow New Englander.



And WOW...THE Meg Cabot, queen of YA. She's a total doll and so very nice.



And here's our very own former Buzz girl, Simone Elkeles, and her brand new friend, Rita...for Best YA! So proud of Simone!



Of course...time cutting up with Buzz girl Wendy...



Hanging with fabu YA author (and critique partner), Jenn Echols...



Fellow Knight Agency sistah and YA author who sat next to me at the Literacy Signing, Linda Gerber...



And, with my sweetie, fellow author, Patrick Burns...



Despite coming home with a severe cold and sinus infection, it was a great conference and I loved every minute I spent with the Buzz Girls!

Hugs,
Marley = )

Spring break...covered in pollen!

Well...we're on spring break with my boyfriend's sons (11 and 9) and we're having a great time...except for the pollen! Holy schmoly...it's like it snowed yellow! My poor car is covered in it and if you stay still outside for more than ten minutes, you'll be covered with it too.

Check out my poor whip...



We have enjoyed campfires...



Turkey burgers on the grill...



And finding the REAL Farmville...LOL!!

=

We're having a great time being together and hanging out. What do you do during spring break?

Hugs,
Marley = )

The perfect sandwich

I've been on the road quite a bit since mid June. I've been to about 28 states and I've put over 15,000 miles on my new Honda Fit (her name is "Conniption"...or "Nippy" for short - LOL!) And in my travels, I have found that I am in search of the perfect sandwich.

I love turkey. Not just for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but for every day of the week. I could eat a turkey sandwich for every meal quite honestly. But not everyone is as talented at making them as they should be. Sometimes it's the pressed/formed/chopped turkey meat that leaves you with heartburn and wishing you'd driven past the restaurant.

A truly memorable turkey sandwich is one that has you searching out for the store in future towns, setting your GPS to get you there in time for the lunch rush. I have found several in my travels and here they are.

Jimmy John's Club Lulu - otherwise known as the #16 is fresh sliced turkey breast, bacon, lettuce, & mayo. I get it without tomato. The key to Jimmy John's sammiches is the bread. It's amazing. It's not too doughy or over powering. It's the perfect accompanyment to the rich deli meats.



Firehouse Subs - I first found this place near my parents' house in south Alabama and boy, did they win me over. The Club on a Sub consists of smoked turkey breast and Virginia honey ham topped with Monterey Jack Cheese and crispy Bacon, served hot and “Fully Involved” - which means all the fixings. You know me, though, I get it with lettuce and mayo. This is a serious sub that can be halved between two people to save a little cash.


A little find was Geonetti's Specialty Subs in Roanoke, VA. They bake their turkey, ham, and bacon club and layer on some light mayo. Totally nummy and delicious. Sorry...no pic of the sammich...just a pic of the building.



Subway - when in a pinch, I'll go with their Subway Melt. it's made with lean and tender sliced turkey, ham and crispy bacon topped with melted cheese and served hot with your choice of fresh vegetables and condiments on freshly baked bread. Mmm. Not exactly on par with Jimmy John's and the other places, but the most convenient.



As a New Englander, I do truly cherish the after-Thanksgiving day turkey sandwich made with leftovers of turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce and mayo on wheat toast. A lot of restaurants in New England serve it as a "Pilgrim" sandwich. Had one recently on the road at D'Angelo's and they made themselves proud with it...a side of turkey gravy came with it for dipping.



So, there you have it. My obsession with the turkey sandwich. Do you have a sandwich obsession? What's your fav? Who makes it the best? Let us hear what you think!

Hugs,
Marley = )

What's better for Halloween than some ghost hunting?
GHOST HUNTRESS: THE AWAKENING
GHOST HUNTRESS: THE GUIDANCE
- from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Guilty Pleasures...Anything Food Related

My name is Marley Gibson...and I am a Foodie. (Everyone say: "Hi Marley!")

Yes, my guilty pleasure in life is food. And more particularly cooking. I think it all started in Girl Scouts when I went for that Cooking badge and had so much fun learning how to boil water, break eggs, and peel potatoes. I know it sounds like a life for a mess haul cook, but I was hooked.



In college, I had a microwave and a large coffee pot/boiler and I used to make all sort of concoctions in my doorm room. Things like "tuna noodle surprise" (tuna, Ramen and cream of mushroom soup...surprise!) When I had my apartment senior year, I moved to more creative things like Beef and Potato casserole (that I got off the French Fried Onions can) and homemade spaghetti sauce (my brother's recipe that I expanded on.)



In 1996, two things happened to me. 1) I was diagnosed with a pepcid ulcer (eww...) and 2) the Food TV Network came on cable. The two things coincide, because I had to make a conscious effort to know everything I was eating, therefore eliminating a lot of "crap" from our lives. No more red meat, cut down on acidy things, no more caffeine, and lower fat foods. I thought this was going to make our mealtimes extremely boring until I started watching shows like Ready, Set, Cook and Emeril and Sara Moulten. Through these shows, I learned knifing techniques, how to pair foods and how to substitute lower fat items for higher fat items and not lose any of the flavor.



Thus began my "cheffing" career. I bought all the best products -- knives, pans, pots, bakeware -- and got serious about having fun. Since then, I am the queen of retooling recipes to make them more healthy. Cooking is my stress relief. I love the chopping and slicing and preparing of the mise en place (French term for all the prep work ahead of cooking.)



I love cooking for friends and having them over for my stuffed chicken breast with red pepper coulis, grilled grouper with tropical salsa or traditional paella. (Leave a comment if you want any of these recipes.)



On my wedding anniversary last year, I made lobster thermador with chateau potatoes and grilled asparagus.



We also had a Mardi Gras party, complete with jambalaya and King cake.





Cooking is such a guilty pleasure because it not only gives me joy to put my creativity and love into a dish, but then to serve it to people and see their enjoyment when they eat it. It's quite satisfying.

Do you have a favorite dish? Something you enjoy making for friends and family? Please share!

Hugs,
Marley = )

SORORITY 101: ZETA OR OMEGA?
SORORITY 101: THE NEW SISTERS
writing as Kate Harmon
May 2008, Puffin Books

What I'm reading right now: Sadly, nothing...but I finished a new book proposal!

Conference Tips: Meals

First things first, here's a list of the meals that the RWA conference fee is taking care of:

• Thursday, luncheon with keynote speaker Lisa Kleypas (bring your willpower, as you will likely be staring at the dessert long before your entree arrives)
• Friday & Saturday, continental breakfast (I'm not certain whether these are included, but they are listed on the conference schedule)
• Saturday, luncheon with speaker Lisa Jackson
• Saturday, dessert reception after the awards ceremony

For the other meals when you're on your own, here are some restaurants in the area that will probably not be as crowded as the ones in the hotel (except for the sushi place, they are all within 1/2 mile of the Hyatt):

• Daily News Cafe & Grill at 306 S. Houston
• Founders Grill at 302 S. Houston (Italian)
• Hoffbrau Steakhouse at 311 N. Market (um... Steakhouse)
• Landry's Seafood House at 306 N. Market (seriously?)
• RJ Mexican Cuisine at 1701 N. Market (Mexican, I think...)
• Gator's Croc & Roc at 1714 N. Market (Southwestern)
• The Palm at 701 Ross Ave. ($$$$ Traditional American, self-proclaimed celeb hangout)
• Cadillac Bar at 1800 N. Market
• (Sushi is in short supply and although there is a restaurant less than 1/2 mile from the hotel, the reviews were so-so and their website is down. The best close sushi place I found is Kenichi at 2400 Victory Park Lane, just over a mile from the hotel.)

Tips for meal time:

• If you are planning on eating with a big group, make sure at least a couple of people are in line early and have their cell phones on. I am inevitably the person guarding seats for my friends and frantically trying to explain to them exactly where in the massive room we're sitting.
• That being said (and as others have said before me) never pass up an opportunity to welcome a stranger or two to your table. Chances are they won't be strangers by the time the meal is over.
• Don't skimp on the salad, because the entree may not be as appealing as you'd hope.
• Along the same line, you might want to keep a snack in your purse/tote in case you get sidetracked out of a meal. I've often found myself chatting with someone through mealtime and then scrambling to make it to the next workshop. With a snack on hand you won't suffer for the skipped meal.
  
• If all else fails, there's a Starbucks in the hotel! Hopefully they understand that a couple thousand romance writers luv them sum S*bucks. My personal addiction involves a caramel frappuccino, a cinnamon chip scone, and a fruit and cheese plate.
  

Extra tips from Heather:

• It's great to save seats for friends for one special meal or something -- but if you share your table with new people, you could be sitting next to a powerhouse!
• Bring some granola bars or peanuts in your purse. If you hate what's served, at least you'll have a snack later. Don't let yourself get too hungry or you might be shoveling in food when the surprise editor at your elbow asks you the plot of your book.
• If you're shy -- introduce everyone at the table. They're probably more bashful than you are! I ususally say, "Hi, I'm Heather from Seattle, have you met my friend Dona here? She writes Young Adult." And then they introduce and so on...
• Be polite -- pass things around the table -- use good table manners. Duh!
• Be extra polite to the SERVERS! They're doing a hard, underpaid job. And not only that, but the people around you will notice if you're a jerk to the servers and think less of you. No one likes a diva at dinner!
• Be sure to tell people discreetly if they have something on their face, on their blouse, or in their teeth. They could be going to their pitch appointment right after the meal and feel like a total loser if no one lets them know.
• Have business cards to exchange with folks at the table. You never know what connection you could make. :)

Extra tips from Tina:

• make a point of sitting with new people at each of the group meals...it's a great networking opportunity!
• cereal bars and fruit in your room is a cheap and easy breakfast
• try not to overeat at lunch if you plan to stay awake in the afternoon sessions

Hugs,
TLC
OH. MY. GODS, Summer 2008 Dutton Children's Books

what I'm reading ... THE SECRET DIARIES OF MISS MIRANDA CHEEVER by Julia Quinn (because it just came out yesterday and I couldn't not buy it and I've already finished it and it's wonderful as always)