Forget the Autumnal Equinox by Sweet Romance Author Catherine Castle...

Fall begins with this…

It’s officially fall at my house!

I know the official date is September 22 this year, and that the official calendar date occurs on the autumnal equinox when and day and night are almost equal—in most locations. I also know that now it’s officially spring in the Southern Hemisphere. But I digress.

As you might have guessed, I don’t follow the notion that fall begins on September 22, or sometimes on September 21 or September 23, depending on the difference between the Gregorian calendar and the time it actually takes the Earth to complete its orbit around the sun. Because it takes 365 and ¼ days for the Earth’s orbit the September equinoxes shift about 6 hours later each year, eventually moving the date by a day.

So, if I don’t recognize the Equinox as the start of fall, when does it start? Fall begins for me in the grocery store, night or day, and it depends upon when I spot this beauty on the produce stand.

Yep, you see it right. Fall begins for me when I find caramel apples in the grocery. I start watching for them in early September, savoring the thought of a crisp apple covered in caramel and chopped peanuts.  They come in packs of three at my Kroger and when my daughter lived at home it was one apple for each of us.  Then when she moved out, I usually ate the third apple when the hubby was at work and then resisted getting another package and hiding it from the family. Now that Hubby’s retired I have to split the last treat. But that’s okay, because when they’re in season he always picks up an extra pack for us. Last night he brought three caramel and cinnamon streusel crusted apples home. Can you say apple pie on a stick?

I justify this sweet treat because apples and nuts in moderation are good for you. Caramel not so much. Apples are loaded with fiber and quercetin, a natural antihistamine. When eaten on a stick, or off the stick, apples are a raw food. Nuts have good MUFA fats (Mono unsaturated fat) which means the caramel apple has no saturated fats and lots of fiber. A great combo for lowering my high cholesterol. I ignore the sugar for this seasonal treat. It only happens once a year and I just eat more fiber to counter the sugar’s bad affects.

Have I made you hungry for a caramel apple yet?  Just in case, here’s a link to an easy recipe to make your own caramel apples. Enjoy, and welcome to fall!

Where novice Sister Margaret Mary goes, trouble follows. When she barges into a drug deal the local Mexican drug lord captures her. To escape she must depend on undercover DEA agent Jed Bond. Jed’s attitude toward her is exasperating, but when she finds herself inexplicably attracted to him, he becomes more dangerous than the men who have captured them, because he is making her doubt her decision to take her final vows. Escape back to the nunnery is imperative, but life at the convent, if she can still take her final vows, will never be the same.

Nuns shouldn’t look, talk, act, or kiss like Sister Margaret Mary O’Connor—at least that’s what Jed Bond thinks. She hampers his escape plans with her compulsiveness and compassion and in the process makes Jed question his own beliefs. After years of walling up his emotions in an attempt to become the best agent possible, Sister Margaret is crumbling Jed’s defenses and opening his heart. To lure her away from the church would be unforgivable—to lose her unbearable.

~ Second Edition Available Soon ~

Multi-award-winning author Catherine Castle has been writing all her life. A former freelance writer, she has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit (under her real name) in the Christian and secular market. Now she writes sweet and inspirational romance. Her debut inspirational romantic suspense, The Nun and the Narc, from Soul Mate Publishing, has garnered multiple contests finals and wins.

Catherine loves writing, reading, traveling, singing, watching movies, and the theatre. In the winter she loves to quilt and has a lot of UFOs (unfinished objects) in her sewing case. In the summer her favorite place to be is in her garden. She’s passionate about gardening and even won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club.

Learn more about Catherine Castle on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter. Be sure to check out Catherine’s Amazon author page and her Goodreads page. 

Book Tour: Amanda Cadabra and the Hidey-Hole Truth by Urban Fantasy Author Holly Bell...

About Amanda Cadabra and The Hidey-Hole Truth:

Amanda Cadabra’s life LOOKS perfectly normal...
But looks can be very deceiving.

In the picture-perfect English village of Sunken-Madley, a young covert witch is laying
low. Amanda Cadabra has her reasons.

Orphaned when her family’s van mysteriously plunged over a Cornish cliff many years before, Amanda is keeping herself to herself, quietly working for her grandfather’s furniture restoration company, hoping the world will leave her alone.

However, soon Amanda’s peace is disturbed by the arrival in the village of the inquisitive Inspector Trelawney, dogging her footsteps as he investigates the strange fate of her family. But the persistent detective becomes the least of her problems, as a restoration job at the Tudor manor propels the young witch into a swirl of mystery and intrigue.

Events quickly conspire to drag Amanda into the building’s murky past and its even more dangerous present. Armed only with her wits, her grumpy feline familiar, Tempest, and a wand, Amanda Cadabra is going in.

A body, ghosts, hidden passageways, and a host of unanswered questions soon emerge. Can Amanda dodge the inspector long enough to solve the Manor’s many mysteries and unravel her own past before the scandal of murder engulfs the village?

Exclusive Excerpt: The ancient magic of Sunken Madley

Rewind 2,000 years. In the South of England, and to the north of the great River Thames, a tribe is settling and spreading. They are the tribe called the Catuvellauni. The Ancient Forest that once covered the country is long gone, and they tend their flocks on the ground cleared for crops and pasture. Yet still there are deep woods, and here, within their shade, on a raised plateau, subterranean water is forced into the light of day at a spring. Beside it, a woman stands, a staff in her hand. With her is a young couple, waiting anxiously. For this is a place of magic, of healing, of insight.

The woman points her rod at the freshet and speaks the words of a spell. She passes her hands near the body of the girl. Together the three cast herbs and flowers into the tiny stream. The girl and her husband embrace the woman and with smiles depart. In the spring, a child will be born.

Follow the tour to read exclusive excerpts, interviews, and spotlight posts:

https://saphsbookpromotions.blogspot.com/2026/09/book-tour-schedule-amanda-cadabra-and.html

Meet the Author:

Cat adorer and chocolate lover, British author Holly Bell’s life changed in a day. A best-

selling author friend convinced Holly that she could write cozy mysteries, after many years

experience with non-fiction, photography and video making.

Holly devoured all of the Agatha Christie books long before she knew that Miss Marple was

the godmother of the Cozy Mystery. Her love of JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings meant that

her first literary creation in this area would have to be a cosy paranormal. Since then, the

series has grown to include the genre of urban fantasy mystery.

Having derived immense delight from the adventure of writing Amanda Cadabra and The

Hidey-Hole Truth, its 8 sequels and 1 prequel to date, Holly has more in the pipeline, with

the 10 th book in the series now in the making. The third in the series Amanda Cadabra and

The Flawless Plan has just come out on Audible in audiobook format, joining the first two

books. The World of Amanda Cadabra shop for bookish gifts on Redbubble has just begun

rolling out its Sunken Madley School collection.

Holly lives in London, somewhere near the place that inspired her quaint, peculiar but

apparently perfectly normal fictional village. Readers will know better.

Her favourite feline is a black cat called Bobby. He is black. Like her favourite hat. Purely

coincidental.

Holly loves to hear from readers. Find her on the contact page of the amandacadabra.com

website, or on Facebook as Holly Bell Author. She always responds in person.

Links:

The Amanda Cadabra Urban Fantasy Cozy Mysteries (in order):

Amanda Cadabra and The Hidey-Hole Truth

Amanda Cadabra and The Cellar of Secrets

Amanda Cadabra and The Flawless Plan

Amanda Cadabra and The Rise of Sunken Madley

Amanda Cadabra and The Hidden Depths

Amanda Cadabra and The Strange Case of Lucy Penlowr

Amanda Cadabra and The Hanging Tree

Amanda Cadabra and The Nightstairs

Amanda Cadabra and The Twilight Toxin

Prequel: The Grange Trilogy - The Philip Rayke Mysteries

Prequel Short Story: Tempest’s First Day (Free on amandacadabra.com)

Audio books:

Amanda Cadabra and The Hidey-Hole Truth

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Amanda Cadabra and The Cellar of Secrets

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Amanda Cadabra and The Flawless Plan

Amazon UK

Amazon US

The World of Amanda Cadabra Shop

The Cassowary: Why We Should Care by Author Anne Montgomery...

It’s estimated that nearly 500 animal species have become extinct since the beginning of the 20th century. Among them the Passenger Pigeon, Japanese Sea Lion, Western Black Rhinoceros, Golden Toad, Caribbean Monk Seal, and Mexican Grizzly Bear, now gone forever.

And yet, for most of us, the absence of these creatures makes no difference in our daily lives. Perhaps that’s why some people roll their eyes when they hear about saving the tiny Snail Darter or the Polar Bear or the Gray Wolf.

But what if a creature existed that could change lives with its passing? And I mean change in a big way.

Meet the cassowary.

I first became aware of the giant, Australian bird that vaguely resembles an ostrich, but which sports a fabulously-colored keratin casque, while walking in the Daintree Rainforest – a UNESCO site like the Great Barrier Reef over which it hovers – that has one of the most complex ecosystems on Earth, hosting species whose ancestors date back 110 million years.

“The cassowary is extremely important,” our guide explained. “Without the bird, the forest would not exist.”

Daintree is primordial. Giant strangler figs crawl across the forest floor. Dappled sunlight sneaks though a thick green canopy. Massive ferns sprout from leaf-littered soil. The outside world is muted, and the sight of a dinosaur might not seem strange.

I learned the cassowary is a one-bird master gardener, a creature that combs the forest floor eating fallen fruits, even gobbling up plants that are toxic to other creatures. The bird consumes up to 150 different types of fruits. The existence of 70 to 100 plant species depends on the cassowary pooping out their seeds in a pile of protective, compost-like dung, the smell of which repels seed predators. The cassowary is a “keystone” species, which means a species on which others in an ecosystem largely depend, one that, if removed, would cause the ecosystem to change drastically.

So, no cassowary, no rainforest. But there’s more. Below Daintree are mangroves, a mucky area rich in bio-matter that filters down from the forest. All types of young creatures - crabs, jellyfish, snappers, jacks, red drums, sea trout, tarpon, sea bass, and even juvenile sharks - thrive in the protection of the fertile water of the mangroves.

 Offshore, the Great Barrier Reef follows Australia’s eastern coast. There, too, the nutrients from the forest help feed the tiny creatures that build the reefs. This fertilizer promotes the growth of phytoplankton which nourishes the zooplankton on which the coral polyps dine. Without this sustenance the coral dies, losing the ability to protect the shoreline from waves, storms, and flooding, which leads to loss of human life and property.

Also consider that roughly 25% of the world’s fish species spend part of their lives on the reefs. If the Great Barrier Reef dies – note that half of the more than 1,400-mile structure has already perished – vast fisheries could collapse leading to starvation that could ultimately affect billions of people.

Which brings me back to the cassowary. It’s estimated that only 12,000 to 15,000 of the birds remain in the wild. Loss of habitat is decreasing their numbers, as are attacks by dogs.  Another problem is humans driving too fast.

Why should we care?

I think the cassowary is but one example of the interconnectedness of life. Perhaps that's something we should think about.

Please allow me to give you a brief intro to my latest historical fiction novel for your reading pleasure.

The past and present collide when a tenacious reporter seeks information on an eleventh century
magician…and uncovers more than she bargained for.

In 1939, archeologists uncovered a tomb at the Northern Arizona site called Ridge Ruin. The man, bedecked in fine turquoise jewelry and intricate bead work, was surrounded by wooden swords with handles carved into animal hooves and human hands. The Hopi workers stepped back from the grave, knowing what the Moochiwimi sticks meant. This man, buried nine hundred years earlier, was a magician.

Former television journalist Kate Butler hangs on to her investigative reporting career by writing freelance magazine articles. Her research on The Magician shows he bore some European facial characteristics and physical qualities that made him different from the people who buried him. Her quest to discover The Magician’s origin carries her back to a time when the high desert world was shattered by the birth of a volcano and into the present-day dangers of archeological looting where black market sales of antiquities can lead to murder.

Former television journalist Kate Butler hangs on to her investigative reporting career by writing freelance magazine articles. Her research on The Magician shows he bore some European facial characteristics and physical qualities that made him different from the people who buried him. Her quest to discover The Magician’s origin carries her back to a time when the high desert world was shattered by the birth of a volcano and into the present-day dangers of archaeological looting where black market sales of antiquities can lead to murder.

Amazon Buy Link

Anne Montgomery has worked as a television sportscaster, newspaper and magazine writer, teacher, amateur baseball umpire, and high school football referee. She worked at WRBL‐TV in Columbus, Georgia, WROC‐TV in Rochester, New York, KTSP‐TV in Phoenix, Arizona, ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut, where she anchored the Emmy and ACE award‐winning SportsCenter, and ASPN-TV as the studio host for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. Montgomery has been a freelance and staff writer for six publications, writing sports, features, movie reviews, and archeological pieces.

When she can, Anne indulges in her passions: rock collecting, scuba diving, football refereeing, and playing her guitar.

Learn more about Anne Montgomery on her website and Wikipedia. Stay connected on Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.

Serve Up Shoreline Sour Cream Pork Chops this Labour Day…

Autumn in Canadian cottage country can be a beautiful, yet sad time of the year, and our Labour Day Weekend reminds us that the season is about to change over soon. Many cottagers or campers start to shut down their vacation properties in anticipation for those cold, winter months. However, some hearty souls keep their cottages or trailers open to make the most out of their investments, and have come to rely on nearby towns for their services and supplies. In my book series, Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls, I created the world of a small, tourist town named Fairy Falls to accommodate the flow of cottagers and travelers all-year-round. Then, I added an uprooted teen with a psychic ability, an attitude, and mystery to solve into the mix and you can well imagine the upheaval it brings to that peaceful, tiny town.

 The following recipe boasts the most tender and succulent pork chops you’ll ever taste, whether you’re sitting on the shoreline or huddled in a warm, cozy cabin ready to chow down on dinner. With a prep time of 15 minutes, and cook time of 8 hours and 30 minutes in the crock pot, this meal gives you plenty of time to relax with your family or friends, and enjoy those last days of summer until fall kicks in at the cottage or campground.

What You Need:

6 pork chops

Salt and pepper to taste

Garlic powder to taste

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 large onion, sliced ¼ inch thick

2 cubes chicken bouillon

2 cups boiling water

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

Slow cooker

What You Do:

SEASON pork chops with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and then dredge in ½ cup flour. In a skillet
over medium heat, lightly brown chops in a small amount of oil.

PLACE chops in slow cooker, and top with onion slices. Dissolve bouillon cubes in boiling water and pour over chips. Cover, and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours.

PREHEAT oven to 200° F (95° C).

AFTER the chops have cooked, transfer chips to the oven to keep warm. BE CAREFUL, the chops are so tender they will fall apart. In a small bowl, blend 2 tablespoons flour with the sour cream; mix into meat juices. Turn slow cooker on HIGH for 15 to 30 minutes, or until sauce is slightly thickened. Serve sauce over pork chops.

SERVING SUGGESTION: Serve with noodles or rice. *We actually used home fries, and it tasted like scallop potatoes with the sauce.

Seeing as you’ve got a long wait for those pork chops to cook, why not relax on the dock or sit by the shore, and visit the small, tourist town of Fairy Falls? You can start with Lost and Found, Book #1 of Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls. Just don’t forget the sunscreen.