Cate: Hurricane Sandy blew through yesterday and today, but Jenna's a Storm I gladly welcome! :) Jenna,
please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Jenna: I grew up in
Pennsylvania and moved with my family to Arizona. I enjoy reading mythology,
romance, paranormal and suspense. The more vampires, demons and mythical
creatures the better. Throw in gloomy, cold weather, a soul shaking
thunderstorm and I’m hooked.
Cate: What do you love most about Halloween?
Jenna: Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I love the decorations
and costumes. I enjoy watching horror/thriller or halloween themed movies. I
guess it’s a ‘safe’ scare!
Cate: Do you have a favorite memory of a Halloween past?
Jenna: Nothing specific. I remember how fun it was dressing up, walking
through the neighborhood until my feet ached and getting a good scare from the
houses that were decorated. As an adult, I’m lucky to walk around with my kids
and watch them go through the same things I did. The tired feet, the excitement
of dressing up and trick or treating and rallying enough courage to ring the
doorbell on the ‘haunted’ houses.
Cate: Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain?
Jenna: We used to joke that the house I grew up in was haunted. We
could hear light switches going on and off through the night and a man and
woman arguing at times.
Cate: Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own?
Jenna: No I haven’t but I would love to! Ever since I read Shannon
Drake’s vampire series I’ve wanted to visit New Orleans and attend some of the
ghost tours.
Cate: Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it
online.
Jenna: “The Burning Seal” is a paranormal romantic suspense. It is
novel length and available for download through my publisher, Muse It Up Publishing
along with Amazon, Barnes and Noble and several other sites (a list is provided
on Muse It Up’s Bookstore page).
For an excerpt from “The Burning Seal” please follow the link...
Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt?
Jenna: I’m happy to share a blurb on the book.
Detective Danni Keegan is plunged into a dark, demonic world where
survival depends on deciphering the connection between ritual killings, and a
demon terrorizing her for a “gift” she wasn’t even aware she
possessed. She must unravel her dreams of another woman who lived during
ancient times and battled a bloodthirsty demon—the same demon who now hunts
Danni. The loss of her body and soul looms imminent as her only chance to
destroy the demon depends on changing her new partner’s convictions. He is a
sinfully sexy man, who exudes power and self-assurance with the ease of
breathing and has an iron-willed determination not to believe in the
paranormal.
Cate: What inspired you to write about the theme?
Jenna: Reading “When Darkness Falls” by Shannon Drake. From that point
on I was hooked on paranormal especially vampires. Anne Rice’s series on the
Mayfair Witches also pulled me into the paranormal genre.
Cate: Anything else you’d like to share?
Jenna: Thank you Cate! Happy Halloween!
Cate: A spooktacular Halloween to you, Jenna!
Wow, just one more day in October, which means one more guest tomorrow.
Here's a cute recipe I found in our local shopper flyer:
Yummy Mummy Spinach Dip
Ingredients
1 pkg (16 oz) frozen pizza dough, thawed
1 egg, beaten
2 sticks mozzarella string cheese
2 black olive slices (for the eyes)
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup creamy ranch dressing
1 pkg (10 oz.) frozen spinach, thawed, chopped and drained
1 green onion, sliced
1/2 cup red pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper crackers for dippers
Pat dough into 12 x 6-inch oval on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Indent dough about 3 inches from one end of oval to shape the mummy's head. Let rise in a warm place 20 minutes or until dough doubles in volume.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Brush dough with egg. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped lightly. Pull apart string cheese to make about 16 strips; arrange on bread like mummy wrappings. Bake 1 to 2 minutes or just until cheese is melted atop dough. Cool slightly. Press olive slices into bread for mummy's eyes; cool completely.
Separately, mix sour cream and dressing in a medium bowl until well blended. Stir in next 5 ingredients. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until ready to serve.
Use a sharp knife to remove the bread from the top of the mumm's body; scoop out bread from center, leaving a thin shell on the bottom and side (as shown). Reserve bread top. Discard removed bread or reserve for another use. Fill mummy shell with spinach dip just before serving; cover with top of bread.
Makes 18 servings (2 tsp each)
