Hello and Welcome!
Thank you for joining me today. The website has a whole lot of information about my books, but right now I want to get personal. Each month I hope to share some insight as to what inspires me, and what I am up to when I’m not writing.
Dear Friends,
It’s hard to believe it’s June already! I hope you had a good Memorial Day Weekend. Time to remember and reflect on those who gave everything for our country. With all the social media and instantaneous information that gets thrown at us every day, it’s important to stop for a moment and reflect. Reflect on how lucky we are to live in a country where we can celebrate pretty much whatever we want. Every day should be a day where we remember our blessings and be thankful. I know I am. I am thankful for the opportunity to bring you entertaining stories, and thankful to everyone who reads my books.
When I am holed up in my office with my fur menagerie I get engrossed in the characters and the scenarios I create. Quite frankly I kind of miss them afterward! It usually takes about a year from the time I turn in a novel until it hits the bookshelves. I am always delighted when a fan writes and tells me how much they enjoyed a book and what it meant to them. It’s like a reunion for me and heartwarming to know I touch people’s lives in a good way.
I am happy to see we are coming out of the torturous year of the pandemic, and pray everyone can have an enjoyable summer, spending time with friends and family. How nice it is to be able to see people and hug them again!
As many of you know, I have become a cat-lady. Well, almost. Not quite a “crazy-cat-lady” but they do make me crazy! For those of you who are familiar with the feline species you can probably relate. I have 3 rescued cats. Well Boo, the three-legged cat with the club foot is a born trouble maker. She just turned a year old last week. At 2:37 in the middle of the night I thought I was having a home invasion. I left the remote to the kitchen TV on the counter and she turned it on. Her club foot gives her just enough leverage to also hit the SOUND button. You don’t want to know what happened after that. Three days prior—again in the middle of the night—my dog Harvey started to bark and bark and wouldn’t stop. I got up. It was 4:10. Harvey was alerting me to the flood happening in the kitchen. Boo, with her magic club foot learned how to turn on the faucet on the bar sink. You don’t want to know what happened after that either. Now it takes me 37 minutes at night to batten down the hatches before I go to bed to keep the three of them out of trouble. They have just about ruined everything. I’m thinking of moving out to the barn and letting them have the house. “My name is Boo, my name is Tessie, my name is Winnie and we’re the reason we don’t have anything nice anymore.” Yes, they tear up the house, make a racket at night, but truth be told, they make me laugh. A lot.
I hope you have an enjoyable June…weddings, graduations, celebrations. Or just make something up! Live every day to the fullest. Be safe. Be kind. And keep your sense of humor. Laughter is the best medicine.
This month’s contest is a signed hardcover edition of the first book in a new series. The book is called Hidden. The paperback edition will be available in September. I’m very excited about this new series and will tell you more as we get closer to the publication date. Included is a beautiful teacup and saucer from my collection.
All the best to you.
Fern
Summer Fun Food
Watermelon Salad
- Medium watermelon—size depends on how many people—cubed
- Seedless (Engligh) cucumber – cubed
- ½ cup chopped mint
- ¼ cup chopped basil
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup crumbled cheese: use either feta, goat, or ricotta salata (hard ricotta cheese…is the best)
- 4 oz. prosciutto (optional) cut into small bite-size pieces
- Combine the watermelon and cucumber in a large bowl.
- Mix olive oil, vinegar, half the mint and half the basil in a bowl.
- Pour over watermelon and cucumber, toss in the cheese, and garnish with the remaining mint and basil.
- If you opt for the prosciutto—which gives it a savory addition—add after the olive oil.
- Not only is it delicious it’s also a very pretty presentation.
Citrus Grilled Shrimp
- 2pounds Medium – Large shrimp, peeled and de-veined, tail-on
- 1 cup Olive oil
- 2 tablespoon Orange zest
- 2 tablespoon Lemon zest
- 2 tablespoon Lime zest
- 1/2 cup Orange Juice
- 1/2 cup Lemon juice
- 1/2cup Lime juice
- 3tablespoons Garlic, minced
- 1/2teaspoon Ginger, grated
- 1/4cup Parsley, finely chopped
- 1/4cup Cilantro, finely chopped
- 1teaspoon Salt
- 1/2teaspoon Pepper
- In a large bowl combine the olive oil, zest and juice from oranges, lemons, and limes, minced garlic, ginger, parsley, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Whisk together.
- Set 1/2 cup of the marinade to the side.
- Place the shrimp into a large freezer bag, or an airtight container and pour the remaining marinade over them. Toss the shrimp to coat and seal them into the container or bag and place them in the refrigerator to marinate for 30 minutes – 1 hour.
- Once the shrimp is done marinating take it out of the container, removing any excess marinade as you place the shrimp on skewers. Dispose the remaining marinade after all of the shrimp skewered (keep the small portion you set aside before marinating the shrimp).
- Grill for 2-3 minutes per side or until shrimp is pink and cooked through.
If you’re like me, technology can be a little confusing. Okay, a lot confusing, so here’s a little more info to help you navigate.
We put all my books from 2020 on the 2020 page and all the upcoming releases on the 2021 page.
The SERIES TAB explains each series and the books in the series. There’s a tab about me, Mary Kuczkir—yep that’s my real name; recipes, and my furry friends.
Thank you! Enjoy!
