What's Cooking With Jamie McAllister?

We asked our authors to share with us some of their favorite recipes.  Be it food or drink. This is what we got.

Written by Jamie McAllister

This versatile recipe, courtesy of Jamie and James McAllister, is a snap to make. Pair it with chicken or fish for a healthy side dish.

Quinoa-Veggie Pilaf

Ingredients:

1 cup white quinoa

2 cups chicken broth

1 tbsp. butter

1 medium red onion, chopped

1 medium red pepper, chopped

1 medium green pepper, chopped

Directions:

1.) Add chicken broth and butter to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add quinoa and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook, covered, over low heat until the quinoa has absorbed all of the liquid, approximately 15 minutes.

2.) While the quinoa is cooking, chop the red onion, red pepper, and green pepper. 

3.) Add the quinoa to a serving bowl and mix in the chopped veggies. 

4.) Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately as a warm side dish or place in the refrigerator for a cool summer side.

About the author: Jamie McAllister is the author of “The Mermaid” in the upcoming anthology By the Bay 2: More East Beach Stories, to be published in 2017. She is a freelance writer in Virginia Beach. For more information about Jamie and her work, please visit her website: www.mcallisterwe.com 

What's Cooking With Karen Harris?

We asked our authors to share with us some of their favorite recipes.  Be it food or drink. This is what we got.

Written by Karen Harris

My go-to summer recipe is for Black Bean Salad.  I adapted it from a 1990 Gourmet Magazine recipe, which called for soaking beans overnight and using fresh corn.  I do use fresh corn in the summer, if I have leftover ears, but canned works just fine.  It is a terrific side dish for grilled meats, tacos, grilled fish, or with chips for a quick lunch.  It only keeps about 48 hours, but I rarely find it left in the fridge that long.

Black Bean Salad

2 15oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 15oz can corn kernels, drained

2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 bunch fresh cilantro, rough chopped

1 bunch scallions, diced

2 lemons, juiced

1 cup olive oil (may use extra virgin)

salt to taste

In a large bowl, combine first five ingredients.  In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice, adding salt to taste.  Pour vinaigrette over the salad, stir, and cover and refrigerate at least one hour.  Allow to sit out thirty minutes before serving.  Serves 6.

About the author: Karen Harris is a writer and editor from San Francisco, now residing in Virginia Beach.   Her story “I Have A Dress” appeared in By the Bay: East Beach Stories.  Her story “Comings and Goings” appears in By the Bay 2: More East Beach Stories.

Flying Proms

Written by Karen Harris

On June 10^th, Military Aviation Museum on Princess Anne Road in Virginia Beach held their annual Flying Proms.  A British tradition that has made its way to our shores, the Proms delivers fun and excitement for aviation buffs and music lovers alike.  A wind ensemble serenaded all comers as we made our way through the gates.   Aircraft from the beginning of flight through World War II were on display in and out of the hangars, a restored WWII British/American control tower was open for touring, food trucks and drink tents did a brisk business, and this was all before the main event. The concert featured Symponicity, flights of vintage aircraft from World Wars One and Two, and a massive fireworks display.  As the evening began to cool and the sun dipped behind the trees, the orchestra played music classical and movie music while several antique airplanes flew overhead.  The biplanes and more modern fighters from both Allied and Axis sides of the wars were a sight to behold, and what a thrill to watch them taxi to the sides of the stage!  Close enough to touch a piece of history.  The fireworks gilded the lily: one display topping another, until we were certain, “This must be the grand finale!” until the next set began.  While the tickets may seem a little pricey, it is a full afternoon and evening of fun, and this event benefits a remarkable venue and museum.  

About the author: Karen Harris is a writer and editor from San Francisco, now residing in Virginia Beach.   Her story “I Have A Dress” appeared in By the Bay: East Beach Stories.  Her story “Comings and Goings” appears in By the Bay 2: More East Beach Stories.

What Are You Up To?

Wonder what's going on with our authors since the release of By The Bay 2?  Well here's what's going on with Mike Owens!

Mike Owens, of East Beach Writers Guild, announces the publication of his new novel, SCREWED, a torrid saga based, in part, on the lusty adventures of Defoe’s 18^th century tale, MOLL FLANDERS.

“Her employment resume includes stints as stripper, madam, and courtesan, all unseemly, but all paying well above minimum wage. Now she’s a fugitive with fifteen million in a secret Swiss bank account and a pack of killers hot on her trail.”

SCREWED

Available from The Wild Rose Press

www.thewilderroses.com

www.mikeowens42.com

Where's Patrick Clark?

Written by Patrick Clark:

The book signing has come and gone, so we've asked a few of our authors what they've been up to since.  


Where is Patrick Clark (and what has he been doing this summer)?

First and foremost, Patrick has been working closely with the editors and graphic artists at Koehlerbooks Publishing in advance of the release of his debut novel, The Monroe Decision.  If you’re interested, you can check out Patrick’s web site at www.patrick-clark.com for more information about the book, including the release date and how to purchase a copy.

But, Patrick did take some time out to travel and make a trek that, in his words, “pushed me harder, physically, than anything I have ever done before.”

See if you can guess where Patrick was. (Don’t cheat by looking ahead.)

Favorite Books of 2016 - Elizabeth Kimball

Writers read!  And here is one of our By the Bay 2 authors' favorite book of 2016.

Book Title:  Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen

Author:  Mary Norris

Genre: This book fits in many genres: Nonfiction, memoir, language/writing, humor, and reference.

Setting:   

Format:  

Pages: 240

Publication date:  April 6, 2015

Publisher:  W.W. Norton & Company

Opening Lines: “Let’s get one thing straight right from the beginning: I didn’t set out to be a comma queen. The first job I ever had, the summer I was fifteen, was checking feet at a public pool in Cleveland. I was a “key girl”—“Key personnel” was the job title on my pay stub (I made seventy-five dollars a week). I never knew what that was supposed to mean. I was not in charge of any keys, and my position was by no means crucial to the operation of the pool, although I did clean the bathrooms.” 

Favorite Passage: “The Oxford comma refers to the Oxford University Press, whose house style is to use the serial comma. (The public-relations department at Oxford doesn’t use it, however. Presumably PR people see it as a waste of time and space. The business end of these operations is always in a hurry and does not approve of clutter. The serial comma is a pawn in the war between town and gown.) To call it the Oxford comma gives it a bit of class, a little snob appeal. Kids use it (or, rather, “reference” it) on their Twitter bios and their match.com profiles to show that they have standards. Chances are that if you use the Oxford comma you brush the crumbs off your shirtfront before going out. The British get to have it both ways: they deride us Americans for our allegiance to a comma that they named and then rejected as pretentious.”  

Review: To be successful, writers must write well. I have always been fascinated by grammar, punctuation, and usage rules, and I have many dry reference books on my bookshelf. When I first stumbled across Between You & Me, I was immediately captured by the humorous description of the author's own experiences in the copy department at The New Yorker, her use of historical examples, and the way she snuck rules on writing into stories and anecdotes. I quickly realized this was not a dry reference book—it was a hilarious conversation about why we write the way we write—and I found myself learning as I laughed. 

In the chapter on spelling, she explains why The New Yorker copy department only refers to Webster’s Third (or “Web 3”) after exhausting any references in Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (“the Little Red Web”), and “Web II” (Webster’s New International Dictionary (Unabridged), Second Edition). Dashes, she says, “like table forks, come in different sizes, and there is a proper use for each.”  I particularly enjoyed the chapters on commas (Chapter 5: Comma Comma Comma Comma, Chameleon), hyphens, and the apostrophe. In one illustration about hyphenating two words to form a compound, she opines “I like the hyphen in ‘high-school principal’ because there actually is such a word as ‘school principal,’ and if the school principal is high she should be escorted off the premises and given a TV series.” 

It’s not all grammar, punctuation, and the author’s experiences, though. She also discusses the use of profanity, gender, and pencils. 

No writer wants to be caught making foolish errors that distract from the plot and leave the reader with a low opinion of the author. So if writers must learn the rules, why not do it with a bit of humor?

About the author: Elizabeth S. Kimball is the author of “The Gatlins Come to East Beach” which will be published in Volume II of By the Bay: East Beach Stories in 2017. 

What Are You Up To?

Written by Gina Warren Buzby

Having finished the "book release" for our newest anthology, the East Beach Writer's Guild moves forward with promoting past, present and future books.  

Being a part of this group has been so rewarding.  I am in the middle of shipping out copies of both "By The Bay and By The Bay 2" to family and friends.  

Thank you all for ordering 
through me, Facebook and Instagram. The set of books is ideal to have in your guest room, give as gifts and take on vacation.  There are stories for everyone.  And, all of the profits go to literacy charities!

About the author: Gina Warren Buzby is the author of “Plein Mysterious” in By the Bay: East Beach Stories.  Her next story, “Plein Blackmail” will appear in By The Bay II: More East Beach Stories, to be launched in spring, 2017.  Gina is also one of three writers that collaborated on a story in the upcoming anthology.  The story is titled “The Proposal”.  Gina is (and writes about) a professional fine artist, working out of her Norfolk, VA studio.  Her website is www.GinaWarrenBuzby.com.

Meet The Nonprofit: Sinkinson Dyslexia Foundation

Written by Jamie McAllister

When you pick up a copy of By the Bay: East Beach Stories and By the Bay 2: More East Beach Stories, you are getting more than two amazing beach reads. You are also helping to support grassroots organizations doing amazing things for people in Hampton Roads. 

A portion of the proceeds from both By the Bay anthologies are donated to nonprofits dedicated to literacy in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia. The anthology authors are proud to support groups that go above and beyond to encourage and promote reading in the communities they call home.

One of the nonprofit groups our anthologies support is Sinkinson Dyslexia Foundation. Located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, SDF is a 501(c)3 that trains volunteers in Orton-Gillingham, an approach used to teach children and adults with dyslexia how to read. Tutoring is offered free of charge to individuals living in low to low-middle income households. The group offers up to 100 hours of free one-on-one tutoring with a volunteer. Many students work with their tutor for more than a year.  

Since 2014, Sinkinson Dyslexia Foundation has 

* received 152 applications for free reading tutoring

* tested the reading levels of 70 students and

* matched 62 students with a tutor

Eighty-six volunteers have received specialized training from SDF, and the group proudly reports that 12 students have fully graduated. (To graduate, participants must meet or exceed average reading scores for their age or grade level.)

All of the By the Bay authors are proud to support Sinkinson in their efforts to bring the joy of reading to those with dyslexia.

To learn more about Sinkinson Dyslexia Foundation, visit their website at www.sinkinsondyslexiafoundation.org. Follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sinkinsondyslexiafoundation.

About the author: Jamie McAllister is the author of “The Mermaid” in the anthology By the Bay 2: More East Beach Stories, published in 2017. She is a freelance writer in Virginia Beach. For more information about Jamie and her work, please visit her website.

Independence Day

Written by Michelle Davenport

Tomorrow is the July Fourth, also known as Independence day.  Most of us think of it as a day for parades, barbecues, fireworks, picnics, baseball games and family reunions.  

Wait!  Pardon me for a moment as I give just a teensy history lesson here.  Can't help myself!

Independence Day also referred to as the Fourth of July or July Fourth, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence 241 years ago on July 4, 1776.   The Continental Congress declared that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as a new nation, the United States of America, and were no longer part of the British Empire.

During the American Revolution, the legal separation of the Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain in 1776 actually occurred on July 2, when the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence that had been proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia declaring the United States independent from Great Britain rule.  After voting for independence, Congress turned its attention to the Declaration of Independence, a statement explaining this decision, which had been prepared by a Committee of Five, with Thomas Jefferson as its principal author. 

Congress debated and revised the wording of the Declaration, finally approving it two days later on July 4. 

And now you know.  I'll step off my soap box now.

Enjoy your fourth of July!

About the author: Michelle Davenport is the author of “Second Chances at East Beach” in By the Bay: East Beach Stories.  Her story “Tag!  You’re Dead” is in By The Bay 2: More East Beach Stories.  For more information on Michelle, please visit her website.

HarborFest 2017

Written by Mary-Jac O'Daniel

A few weeks ago, we went over to Harbor Fest. We enjoyed touring the different ships, on what was a pretty hot and muggy day. I even gave an inpromptu performance of one of my favorite Aussie songs, “Waltzing Matilda”! As we were walking down one of the piers, I saw a boat with the name, “Waltzing Matilda” on it. “Look honey, “Waltzing Matilda” I said to my husband, who understands the association with Australia. The owner was nearby and quipped, “Do you know the words?” Little did he know that when I lived and worked there for a short stint during college, I had made it a personal goal to learn all of the words to that song before I left. So, I bust out singing, “Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong under the shade of a coolibah tree and he sand as he watched and waited til his billy boiled.” The jolly Aussie joined in singing with me there on the dock. I gave him a quick smile and then darted down the pier towards my husband, who was disassociating himself from my lovely rendition. Later on, after we had sufficiently stuffed ourselves with various assortments of food and beverages, we escaped the crowds, and took the ferry across to Portsmouth where we enjoyed a barbecue and fireworks from the pier near a friend’s boat. 

About the author: Mary Jac O'Daniel is the author of "Zinneas Always Bloom" in By the Bay: East Beach Stories. Her story "Forays into Sailing" is in By the Bay 2: More East Beach Stories.

Mule's Big Day

Today we have an excerpt from "Mule's Big Day" by Will Hopkins.

But first let's read his blurb. 

Mule Dantone woke this morning with a jackhammer hangover and a missing wallet. Worse, the redhead also nicked his new TV and rent’s due tomorrow.  But it’s a pretty summer morning in old Ocean View, and Mule’s got a plan.

Wow!  Don't you want more with that?

Well here's a bit more,  check out an excerpt from his story.

First Landing

Today we have an excerpt from "First Landing" by Will Hopkins.

But first let's read his blurb. 

1607. Exhausted English sailors step onto the wind-swept beach of a strange new land. Unsure of what lies in the dark forests beyond the dunes, and fearful of Spanish attack from the sea, the men leave this forbidding place to find safer harbor.  Except two men. This is their tale.

Wow!  Don't you want more with that?

Well here's a bit more,  check out an excerpt from his story.

Gatlins Come To EB

Today we have an excerpt from "Gatlins Come To EB" by Elizabeth Kimball.

But first let's read her blurb. 

Cate Gatlin's life is about to change. When her military husband receives unexpected orders, this new Navy wife finds herself on a whirlwind search for a new home in Norfolk, Virginia. Little does she know, a new world of possibilities awaits her in East Beach.

Wow!  Don't you want more with that?

Well here's a bit more,  check out an excerpt from her story.

Author Interview: Mike Owens

Have you met our author Mike Owens?

No?

If you click on the AUTHOR INTERVIEW TAB you'll find an interview that we did with him as well as a few photos.

Each of the contributing authors submitted a question for this interview.  Which makes for an interesting interview.

So stop by and check out Mike's interview.  Here's just a sample of one of the many questions.

What is your favorite genre movie and is it the same genre that you like to read?

This one is easy, no favorite genre. Just tell/show me a good story, presented well, and I'm happy.

Prodigal

Today we have an excerpt from "Prodigal" by Mike Owens.

But first let's read his blurb. 

When he got up that morning, Lou Ballantine had the feeling that something wasn't right. By mid-afternoon he knew why.

Wow!  Don't you want more with that?

Well here's a bit more,  check out an excerpt from his story.

Author Interview: Will Hopkins

Have you met our author Will Hopkins?

No?

If you click on the AUTHOR INTERVIEW TAB you'll find an interview that we did with him as well as a few photos.

Each of the contributing authors submitted a question for this interview.  Which makes for an interesting interview.

So stop by and check out Will's interview.  Here's just a sample of one of the many questions.

What is your favorite genre movie and is it the same genre that you like to read?

I like 40s noir. I don't read a lot of it. 

Forays Into Sailing

Today we have an excerpt from "Forays Into Sailing" by Mary-Jac O'Daniel.

But first let's read her blurb. 

Chance encounters sometimes provide the best opportunities for adventures, and new hobbies. “Foray’s into Sailing” describes Emily’s first sailing adventure. The story is a tribute to one of the sailing icons of the community, who was taken too soon.

Wow!  Don't you want more with that?

Well here's a bit more,  check out an excerpt from her story.

Author Interview: Elizabeth Kimball

Have you met our author Elizabeth Kimball?

No?

If you click on the AUTHOR INTERVIEW TAB you'll find an interview that we did with her as well as a few photos.

Each of the contributing authors submitted a question for this interview.  Which makes for an interesting interview.

So stop by and check out Elizabeth's interview.  Here's just a sample of one of the many questions.

What is your favorite genre movie and is it the same genre that you like to read?

I enjoy the action/adventure genre, though that's not my favorite genre to read.

The Proposal

Today we have an excerpt from "The Proposal" by Gina Buzby, Jayne Ormerod and Jenny Sparks.

But first let's read their blurb. 

A unique proposal goes forward despite a sad history, an old boyfriend, and an artistically-challenged fiancée

Wow!  Don't you want more with that?

Well here's a bit more,  check out an excerpt from their story.

Author Interview: Mary-Jac O'Daniel

Have you met our author Mary-Jac O'Daniel?

No?

If you click on the AUTHOR INTERVIEW TAB you'll find an interview that we did with her as well as a few photos.

Each of the contributing authors submitted a question for this interview.  Which makes for an interesting interview.

So stop by and check out Mary-Jac's interview.  Here's just a sample of one of the many questions.

What is your favorite genre movie and is it the same genre that you like to read?

I enjoy adventure movies. As far as things I read, I enjoy drama and adventure.