New Mexico Green Chile Chicken #Soup #Recipe and a Southwestern Adventure Novel

I write novels of adventure and romance set in the Southwestern United States. The novels touch on local culture, including food. For my romantic suspense Valley of Gems, I put together a recipe booklet of foods mentioned in the book, including this New Mexican standard. It's perfect as the weather gets cold!

Valley of Gems was first published as The Dead Man's Treasure. See the Treasure Hunting Romantic Suspense series page. (See also my posts Red or Green: The New Mexico Chile, Homemade Green Chile Sauce, Breakfast Burrito, Huevos Rancheros, Green Chile Stew, Enchilada Casserole, Green Chile Cheeseburger.)

by Littlemisslibrarian, Creative Commons License

This recipe is adapted from one given to me by my mother-in-law.

Green Chile Chicken Soup
6 servings.

1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup all purpose flour

2 cups milk
4 cups (32 oz) chicken broth
2 cups cooked, boneless and skinless chicken cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup chopped green chile or to taste

See additional options below
salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch garlic powder or 1 tsp. garlic

1. Melt butter in a large pot. Add flour and stir the resulting paste over medium heat.
2. Slowly add the milk and chicken broth and whip to eliminate any lumps. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer.
3. Add the chicken, green chile, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Stir well and cover. 
4. Simmer for 30 minutes and serve.
   
   

Options:

• Add beans.
• Add vegetables – carrots, peas, bell peppers, corn, summer squash, mushrooms, or whatever you like – to make it healthier.
• Try a version with ground beef or turkey and either red or green chile.
• Serve with tortilla chips, green onions, chives, or avocado slices to sprinkle on top

See the Treasure Hunting Romantic Suspense series page.

Kris Bock writes novels of mystery, suspense, and romance, many with outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. She has lived in ten states and one foreign country but is now firmly planted in the Southwest, where many of her books are set. Readers have called her novels “Like Nancy Drew for grown-ups” and “Smart romance with an Indiana Jones feel.”

Kris writes for children under the name Chris Eboch. She has published over 60 books for young people, including ghostwriting for some famous mystery series.

Read excerpts at www.krisbock.com or visit Kris Bock’s Amazon US page or Amazon UK page. (For other countries click here.) Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter  for announcements of new books, sales, and more.

Get ready for the funniest demolition derby ever! #southern #romcom #booklovers #romance #MFRWorg

Releasing Nov. 25: Book 2 in the new romantic comedy series featuring “Felony Melanie” a decade before the events of the movie Sweet Home Alabama. 

Felony Melanie in the Big Smashup

Summer is almost over, so it's time to have some fun! Jake and his buddies are fixing up old cars so they can destroy them in the Pigeon Creek demolition derby. After all, what's more fun than smashing into things?

Girls don't do demolition derby. Everyone says so. But Melanie is tired of sitting on the sidelines. Why should the guys have all the fun? She can smash up a car as well as anyone! 

The guys don't want a girl intruding on their turf, and it’s not so easy for a broke teenager like Melanie to find and fix up an old car. She recruits some helpers and unearths an old, junked car, but everyone from Jake to the sheriff wants to keep her off the track.

Is the town ready for a female demolition derby driver? Is anybody ever ready for Felony Melanie?

Peek:

Melanie stepped in front of Jake. Her blue eyes flashed. “We’ve wasted half the day on your stupid car. I want to go to the swimming hole.”

Jake looked over at Clinton and Eldon, but they were studying the car, avoiding eye contact. He didn’t want them calling him whipped.

“I’m sorry, Mel. We only got a week. We’ve got to get on this axle thing.”

“Fine. You don’t have time for me? Maybe I don’t have time for you either. I’m not going to wait around to cheer from the sidelines while you boys have all the fun."

She stood as tall as her little frame would allow. "I’ll get my own car for the demolition derby. Then we’ll see what’s what."

Jake stared, his mouth half open. She had to be joking.

Snickers erupted from Clinton and Eldon.

Melanie swung toward them, her hands fisted on her hips. "What’s so funny?"

"No-nothing," Clinton choked out.

Eldon slapped his knee. “Just trying to picture you manhandling a big old junk car around the demolition lot. Or would that be girl-handling?"

"You going to sit on a phone book?" Clinton doubled over in laughter.

Jake let out a chuckle. He dragged his face back into a serious expression and glanced at Melanie, but it was too late. Her eyes had narrowed, and her stubborn little chin was set. Dammit, they shouldn’t have laughed. He might have been able to talk her down. No way would she back down now.

Melanie spun on her heels. "Come on, girls, we need to find a car."

Readers ages 12 and up will enjoy reconnecting with their favorite characters from the Sweet Home Alabama movie. Head back in time to the early 1990s for this laugh out loud rom com based on one of the best rom coms of all time. 

Sign up for our Rom-Com newsletter and get Felony Melanie Destroys the Moonshiner’s Cabin. These first two chapters from the novel Felony Melanie in Pageant Pandemonium stand alone as a short story. In the future, you’ll get fun content about upcoming Felony Melanie novels and other romantic comedy news and links. 

Or Visit the Amazon series page for Felony Melanie: A Sweet Home Alabama romantic comedy novel.

#Christmas Cookies at the Cat Café: A #sweetromance with cats, baking, and #holiday traditions

Old traditions or a new life?

Diane had a great marriage and a wonderful life raising two daughters and a grandson. Now she’s 53 and a widow. Her grown children are encouraging her to do less – but she wants more.

Rick loved Diane in high school, but he traveled the world while she settled down with another man. Now he’s back, but not to stay.

Rick temps Diane to quit her job, sell her house, and travel, but she can’t leave the family that might still need her. Diane tempts Rick to quit his wandering ways, but he can’t replace her husband. As the weeks pass from Thanksgiving to Christmas, the holiday season brings out complicated emotions.

Can Diane and Rick find a way to make a new life together while holding onto the best parts of the past? They'll need more than attraction and affection. They might even need a Christmas miracle.

Visit the Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series page.

Peek:

The cat did not want to wear a hat.

“Come on, Miles, it’s for your own good,” Diane muttered. “I’m not trying to insult your feline dignity. I’m trying to find you a forever home. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

Once again, Diane got the cat settled on a table against the autumn backdrop. Miles seemed perfectly content to sit there and watch the proceedings. But as soon as Diane tried to put the sunflower hat on the cat’s head, he dropped and flailed as if touched by flaming thorns rather than soft felt. Miles wrestled with the hat as Diane rushed to wake up her cell phone. Maybe she could get something cute, with the cat chewing a sunflower petal.

Diane aimed the camera. The hat sailed to the floor.

Miles leapt off the table, streaked across the room, climbed one of the cat trees, and calmly perched on a platform staring out the window, pointedly ignoring her.

“That Cat in the Hat book is nonsense,” Diane said. “I used to get a diaper on a squirming baby in under a minute. You’d think I could get one cat to wear a lousy hat or at least pose nicely.”

The Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the workers and customers at a small-town cat café, and the adorable cats and kittens looking for their forever homes. Each book is a complete story with a happy ending for one couple (and maybe more than one rescued cat). These sweet romances will leave you with the warm feeling of cuddling a purring cat.

Visit the Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series page.

The Genie’s Gift - #MGlit #fantasy w/mythology of The Arabian Nights - #99c sale!

99 cent sale!

The Genie’s Gift is a lighthearted action novel set in the fifteenth-century Middle East, drawing on the mythology of The Arabian Nights.

Thirteen-year-old Anise, shy and timid, dreads marrying the man her father chooses for her. Her aunt tells her about the Genie Shakayak, the giver of the Gift of Sweet Speech. He lives high atop Mount Quaf, many weeks’ journey across a barren desert. The way is barred by a dozen dangers and trials. But those few who cross the desert and defeat the guardians of the mountain receive their reward. From that day forward, their words drip like honey from their lips, charming all who hear them, and no one can deny them anything they ask.

Anise is determined to find the genie and ask for the gift, so she can control her own future. But the way is barred by a series of challenges, both ordinary and magical. How will Anise get past a vicious she-ghoul, a sorceress who turns people to stone, and mysterious sea monsters, when she can’t even speak in front of strangers? Will she ever reach the top of Mount Quaf—and if she does, can she convince the Genie to give her the gift?

For ages nine and up. A teacher-reviewer says, “Because this book presents realistic life in 15th C Arabia, it could easily fulfill CCSS needs to integrating literature into the Social Studies curriculum.” Get Lesson Plans for teaching or homeschooling.

Chris Eboch is the author of over 60 books for children, including nonfiction and fiction, early reader through teen. Her novels for ages nine and up include The Eyes of Pharaoh, a mystery in ancient Egypt; The Well of Sacrifice, a Mayan adventure; The Genie’s Gift, a middle eastern fantasy; and the Haunted series, about kids who travel with a ghost hunter TV show, which starts with The Ghost on the Stairs. Her writing craft books include You Can Write for Children: How to Write Great Stories, Articles, and Books for Kids and Teenagers, and Advanced Plotting.

Learn more at https://chriseboch.com/ or her Amazon page, or check out her writing tips at her Write Like a Pro! blog.

A Sweet Home Alabama novel excerpt plus #mystery on sale! #YAlit #comedy #MFRWhooks

Below you'll find an excerpt from the Sweet Home Alabama novel my brother Doug and I wrote. But did you know our mom (now age 80) is also a writer? Check out our cozy mystery Mother's Day sale. Both mysteries are on sale for 99 cents (Kindle US and UK) each until May 15.

Murder on the West Glacier Trail by Sharon Eboch: If Kate Foland had known how her bed and breakfast guest would change her life, she might have left her at the airport. Murder on the West Glacier Trail is a cozy mystery full of the local flavor of Juneau, Alaska, including the scenery, the culture, and some tasty recipes.

What We Found by Kris Bock (Chris Eboch):

22-year-old Audra Needham is back in her small hometown, ready to work hard, fit in, and help her younger brother. Going for a walk in the woods with her former crush, Jay, seems like a harmless distraction … until they stumble on a body. What We Found is a romantic mystery set in New Mexico.

A Sweet Home Alabama novel by Douglas J. Eboch and Kris Bock

​​Before Melanie Smooter became hot fashion designer Melanie Carmichael, she was known as Felony Melanie, the teenage troublemaker of Pigeon Creek, Alabama. Aching to escape the boredom of small-town life, she gets into many reckless adventures. Her boyfriend, Jake, is always by her side – and the local sheriff is usually close behind.

Excerpt: Melanie has challenged Eldon to a contest. Can she throw a rock and hit the cans lined up on the railing at the old moonshiner's cabin in the woods?

“Any time now, Princess,” Eldon said.

“You in some kind of hurry to lose five bucks?” But he was getting in her head. Five dollars was a week’s allowance.

Jake swaggered over to her.

“Stop toying with the poor boy, baby. Put him out of his misery.” He kissed her forehead and whispered in her ear, “You got this.”

His voice calmed her. And he was right. She’d been playing catch with her daddy since before she could remember, being the son he never had. They’d made up all kinds of games, too, trying for silly trick shots. She wound up and hurled the first rock.

PANG! A can went flying. Melanie pumped her fist, trying not to look surprised.

Wade and Lurlynn clapped. Clinton guzzled beer.

Eldon shrugged. “Lucky throw.”

Ooh, that jerk! She could go for the next three cans, but even if she hit them all, he’d find some way to laugh at her. And if she missed …

She had to make a trick shot so outrageous no one else would even think of trying it.

Melanie glanced around. The firelight glinted on glass in the weeds. She picked up a shard of broken bottle and turned her back to the cabin.

“You watch this.” She held up the shard, turning it left and right, trying to make out images in the reflection.

Clinton shook his head. “Girl, you ain’t right!”

“Maybe, but I’m going to be five bucks richer in a moment.” Dang, she couldn’t find the reflection she wanted. Ghostly images stretched and twisted in the curved glass as the fire’s flames danced behind her.

Finally the porch rail appeared in the reflection. She tossed a rock up and down in her hand. This was crazy. A one in a million shot.

Which meant she had a chance.

A moment of calm settled over her. She could do this.

It was difficult to throw behind her. She would have to arc the rock. But that was where her softball experience would give her an edge. She took a deep breath, and with the exhale, hurled the rock over her shoulder.

PANG – CRASH!

She did it! She jumped into the air in triumph, pumping her fist, then turned around to gloat.

But wait – that hadn’t been the sound of a rock hitting a can.

The bourbon bottle no longer sat on the edge of the porch. Brown glass lay scattered across the rocks of the fire pit. Rivulets of liquid shone in the dancing light, and the molasses-sweet smell of bourbon filled the air.

“You broke the booze,” Eldon wailed.

“But I hit something.” It came out meek and apologetic, and she mentally kicked herself.

Nobody paid attention to her. A spark from the fire pit jumped to a trickle of spilled bourbon. Flame shot along the rivulet and fanned out where the bourbon had splashed across the cabin’s porch.

Jake gasped. “Hell’s bells. You’ve done it now!”

For this entire scene, sign up for our newsletter and get Felony Melanie Destroys the Moonshiner's Cabin. These first two chapters from the novel Felony Melanie in Pageant Pandemonium stand alone as a short story. In the future, you'll get fun content about upcoming Felony Melanie novels and other romantic comedy news and links.

Felony Melanie in Pageant Pandemonium: The Teenage Adventures of Felony Melanie

When Melanie qualifies for the Miss Alabama Princess Pageant Southern Regional in the big city of Mobile, the first prize scholarship could be her ticket out of Pigeon Creek. But can her homemade dresses compete against the expensive gowns, and can a "trailer trash" girl survive when a haughty debutante will do anything to destroy the competition.

Meanwhile, Jake thinks beauty pageants are silly, but he’ll be there to support Melanie – as long as he can avoid getting kicked out by hotel security. Then Jake and his friends start to suspect someone is sabotaging the whole pageant. They try to follow the clues, but it isn't easy when everyone dismisses you as redneck kids.

Melanie needs to prove herself on stage. Jake and the gang need to make sure she gets the chance. Can they show they're more than what people see on the surface?