Angela's Ashes?

Angela Petroni (Sharona's longtime best gal pal) is the least problem-laden member of "The Swimsuit Club." As the locally well-known "Gardening Gourmand" the only ashes she generates are from the much-used grill on her back deck. She has a part-time career she loves, teaching her craft to people who want to learn it in classes once or twice a week. Since the classes are held in Jason's pool complex, she's become good friends with Jason, and is also the reason the Club doesn't have to pay dues and can use competition lanes.

Angela is a traditional nurturing woman, but never a doormat or mousy! She cares *so* much about the lives of the people she loves that her own just seems to run smoothly left to itself. And her idea of a bad day would be having no one to cook for, or share her food with. In that spirit (of sharing food) and in honor of Angela, (a really hip chick) here is a recipe I recently came across which blends ease of preparation with taste. More of Angela's own recipes will be at the back of the book when it is published. Get on the list to be notified--if you want a huge serving of tasteful, fresh fun with a flair, as soon as it's available, that is.

Bruschetta

A nice, wide Italian bread is best for this, but French bread will do.
Fresh garlic cloves, or bottled chopped garlic in oil
Cold pressed olive oil (best) OR Any olive oil
A few fresh, ripe tomatoes
Fresh chopped basil (best) OR ground basil

Slice the bread lengthwise and toast, using the broil setting (best) OR a very hot oven.
Peel the fresh garlic and "scrub" it back and forth over the surface of the toasted bread, letting it shred into the bread, or just spoon chopped garlic over the bread as thickly as you like.
If using chopped garlic in oil, you don't need to add any extra. If using fresh garlic cloves, now drizzle some oil over the bread. Top with thinly sliced tomato and basil to taste. Voila! Enjoy.

Motorcycles--and Me?

Book research can take you places you'd never *normally* consider venturing. In my current book project, (The Swimsuit Club) the hero, Jason, owns a Harley Davidson. Online snooping around just wasn't answering all my questions, so I went to a meeting of a local group of Motorcyclists--and met some fabulous people.

The group was a chapter of the Christian Motorcyclists Association, called "Warriors for Christ." I was able to ask questions to my heart's content, and was even given a nice close-up inspection of a sporty Harley as well as a few "dressed out" bikes.

(This is going to be perfect for my heroine's first ride on Jason's bike.)

I do remember my one--and only--ride on a motorcycle. I was visiting my cousin and dear friend Carol at her brother's house in Vermont. Just being in Vermont was an amazing eye-opener for this city girl. (Seeing pictures of a place just isn't the same as being there!)

Anyway, Kurt, (Carol's older brother) took me for a "spin" almost the moment I set foot in his house. It was extraordinary.

I was terrified, but also exhilarated. The beauty of the mountains took my breath away, and the winding country roads, empty except for us, were surreal. The unfamiliar climbs up steep, mountainous strips of road, lined thickly with dense forest, was simply unforgettable. Kurt was having fun showing off his beautiful adopted state, (and scaring the daylights out of me) and I clung to him for dear life. When we halted atop a nearby summit for an awe-inspiring view of mountain tops, I might just as well have been in the Alps! To me, this was like another country. I just couldn't believe the beauty.

Even so, it was a relief to climb off that bike. But that was over twenty-five years ago. (Yikes! Time flies.) After seeing so many beautiful shiny bikes up close at the meeting, and putting my newest fictional heroine on one, I'm starting to think it's high time for another ride myself.

Want to "haul" a rider, anyone? (Just kidding. That's biker-speak for carrying a passenger. See? You learn important stuff when you do face-to-face research!)

Blessings,

Linore
PS: This blog will feature all sorts of things about The Swimsuit Club, including excerpts . Next time, you'll meet the characters--briefly. Sharona, Angela, Frannie, Jeanine, Becky, Lisa, Jason and Pat. They've got a lot to say, and my blog will be an outlet for them for things that just won't fit in the book.