Winner of Contest #2:

Sharon Bowen wins an autographed copy of
A Killer Cookbook Volume #1: Recipes to Accompany The Chef Who Died Sautéing.
Her recipe for
Spanish Inquisition Paella
will appear in
A Killer Cookbook Volume #2: Recipes to Accompany The Lawyer Who Died Trying.

UPDATES

I'm working on the site, and will let you know when there are any changes completed!
We're scheduled for 4 conventions so far this year. Stay tuned!

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We would like to make the site and the newsletter as interesting as possible!

'Wise' Cracks

A cooking quote from our Kitchen-Anomalies section

Instinct. When the house burns one forgets even lunch. Yes, but one eats it later in the ashes.

The Current Contest

Our current contest is on until May 1st. Enter for a chance to win an autographed copy or the new cookbook.

Check it out on the Contest page.

Buy The Books!

If you don't yet have a copy of  The Chef Who Died Sautéing, or the Companion Cookbook,
and would like one:

Click here for Purchase Options

A Variety of Links

Honora Finkelstein and Susan Smily are the proud "parents"
of several other webs and subwebs.
Click below to visit these sites.

A Chance of a Ghost

Ariel Quigley - the heroine of the Ariel Quigley Mystery Series -
talks to ghosts, and she’d like to meet yours!

New-Wisdom

This is a site developed to accompany Honora's college level classes
in World Cultures and Humanities.

ScienceWorks

Elementary Science Units
& Instructional Resources for Teachers and Parents

Hemi-Sync Products and Programs

Hemi-Sync is a state-of-the-art audio technology
that enables us to mobilize and direct the power of our mind.

Visit these authors' websites!

Just For Fun...

Of Interest...

What We've Been Up To (Our Madcap Adventures)

Our Holiday

We're back from our most recent adventures, and having survived Christmas, are ready to hit the road again!

From November 19 to December 19 we went on a bit of a holiday with Honora's husband, Jay. (He likes that Susan organizes the trips!) Here's a brief summary, and a few pictures. I will elaborate and add more pictures over the next couple of weeks!

Our first stop was a quiet week on Marco Island in Florida, where we took a wonderful 4 part eco-tour of the Everglades. We had a walk in a reserve, a boat ride in the Mangrove Islands, a drive past Alligator Alley to where the biggies hang out and to places where you can see the wide open everglades, and an airboat ride in the marshlands.

(Click on the pictures to enlarge.)

(A Rosy Spoonbill)

Then we went on a wonderful cruise (the pictures below show their encounters with pirates on the high seas!) We traveled to Panama for the canal locks (where we actually got to touch the walls of the locks as we were being raised up from sea level on the Pacific side to the central cut) , to Costa Rica for the rain forest (where we saw lots of flowers and birds, and a few deadly poisonous snakes), then on to Belize and a jungle river tour (where we saw crocodiles) and a trip to Mayan ruins.

After the cruise we went South Carolina for a week on of Edisto Island (where there were yet more alligators). While there we took a tour of Charleston and some of the plantation homes on Edisto.

Where We're Going...

Next -  A Working Roadtrip!

Tomorrow we set off for 2 weeks of research and writing. First, a week in Alexandria to chat with the police, and attend a Manx 12th night celebration. (This will be described as part of Book 3!)

Then we're off to our favorite timeshare hide-away in eastern Tennessee, to hit the keys for 7 days.

What We're Planning...

We're organizing a writer's retreat on Edisto Island in the fall. We can house up to 12 people in a 4-bedroom time-share condo less than 1/2 mile from the beach. We'll let you all know dates and plans as we sort things out. Contact us if you're interested.

Check our Tour and Events pages to see where we're heading for the rest of the year - we will update it regularly as we figure out just where we're going to be. And if you'd like us to head to your area, let us know where you live, and what bookstores or libraries we could do a signing in, and we'll try to get there at some point. Nowhere on the continent is totally out of the realm of possibility, even though some places may be a bit hard to reach!

A Recipe from Bernice's Kitchen

Bernice's Lemon Cookies
(to appear in A Killer Cookbook #2)

These cookies are made with lemon pudding mix, and are pretty easy to make. However, the first time I made them, I got a bit distracted, and mixed up the order of preparation, and forgot to cream the shortening and sugar! But they were DELICIOUS, and a great success, so, why mess with a good thing? This is my revised method of preparation.

 INGREDIENTS: 

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted or stirred before measuring
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 small packages lemon instant pudding mix (use large packages, if you like!)
3 eggs lightly beaten

PREPARATION:

Sift flour with baking soda and salt. Add sugar and pudding mix and mix well. Cream the shortening until light and fluffy. Add the eggs; mix well to blend. Add the flour mixture; beat well until blended. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto 4 greased baking sheets about 2 inches apart.

Bake at 375° for 8 to 10 minutes. Makes about 5 to 6 dozen lemon cookies.

A Killer Cookbook Volume#1: Recipes to Accompany The Chef Who Died Sautéing
contains recipes for all the food mentioned in the novel,
spiced with a bit of information and humor.
Cost: $12.95

This book is available on Amazon,
or from HilliardandHarris.com.
If you'd like an autographed copy,
purchase the book below,
using a secure PAYPAL site,
and tell us in the "Notes" section what inscription you would like.

Ariel's Metaphysics Corner

Tarot

Part 5 - The Emperor
© 2006 Honora Finkelstein

The Emperor sits squarely on a throne of solid rock, in front of a vista of rocky mountains, all of which signify solidity and strength. He is the monarch who rules the kingdom, and when you get this card, it implies power over all circumstances and success in all endeavors.  

In the Waite-Ryder pack the emperor faces forward, but in the Builders of the Adytum (BOTA) pack, which has some variations in symbolism, the Emperor looks to his right, facing the direction where sits the Empress, should the cards be laid out in order. The Emperor needs his Empress in order to be whole, for a man cannot be master of his house until his consort has children. This is a sort of Western version of the Eastern yin-yang symbol, which requires a balance of the black and the white, the masculine and feminine, in order for wholeness to exist. 

The water that flowed from the High Priestess (representing subconscious thought) and across the card of the Empress (who represents self-consciousness) also flows behind the Emperor, who represents reason or rationality. He symbolizes the ability of the mind to take the mental images (generated by the mistress of creative power, the Empress) and to build them in the material world of form through reasoned thought. The card carries the number four—in the Waite-Ryder pack as a Roman numeral, and in the BOTA pack both as an Arabic number at the bottom of the card and in the positioning of the Emperor’s crossed legs, which form another Arabic number 4. This positioning of the legs was found among the symbols of the Templars, who established one of the greatest building programs of churches, cathedrals, towers, etc., across Europe in the Middle Ages, all of which seem to have been built not only with knowledge of architecture but also with knowledge of astrology. Hence, what the Emperor builds is intended to make that which is below correspond to that which is above and vice versa—it is up to him to take the spiritual dimension and to build it into the physical world. 

The number four, sometimes referred to as the number of the builder because it is the number of sides of a square (and in the BOTA card, the Emperor’s throne is actually just a cube of stone), is related also to order, regulation, and supervision. The word “supervising” literally means overseeing, and the physical sense of sight is often attributed to the Emperor. And in both the Waite-Ryder pack and the BOTA deck, we find the symbol of the ram on the Emperor’s throne, as well as the astrological sign of Aries on the top of his crown. Aries, the ram, is a fire sign, which is said to rule the head and the function of sight.

As the yang to the Empress’s yin, the Emperor is forever thrusting out into the world to make things new, to build and rebuild his surroundings. He is a pioneer, an initiator of new things, an adventurer, and a great leader. He is a father-figure, the authority in charge, the master of all he surveys. Hence, should you draw this card, you can expect that what you are currently building will be solidly grounded, orderly, and most of all, supportive of success.

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