Canoodle with Paranormal Romance Author Lara Nance!

Welcome paranormal romance author Lara Nance to the Book Boost today!

Here's what she had to say about noodles...


Hey, It’s National Noodle Month!


So, I’m sure everyone knows March is National Noodle Month, right?

No?

Well, it is, and one of my favorite things in the whole world is pasta, so it’s a great month for pasta-lovers like me. I plan to celebrate frequently!


Noodles have certainly progressed over the years and now you can buy them in all shapes, flavors and sizes. There are frozen noodles, fresh noodles, dehydrated noodles and pasta machines to make your own.


I am especially happy that over the past few years, pasta companies have come up with a way to add fiber to noodles so that the whole-grain varieties don’t taste like cardboard. That takes away a lot of the guilt about eating pasta. Right? Just say you’re trying to get your daily fiber content up…doctor’s orders.


How does this tie into my writing? Glad you asked. I’ve found that food plays a big part in all my stories and my characters frequently gather at a favorite café during the novel or share meals to discuss ideas. There’s nothing like a big bowl of pasta passed around to make a meal more communal and happy. It’s even more fun to have different sauces to try on the noodles. Mix and match!


Yep, I love everything from traditional spaghetti to Thai noodles with peanut sauce. And who can forget college when we thought eating Ramen noodles was the same as eating Chinese food but they only cost four for a dollar? I’ll never forget how crushed I felt when I found out how much sodium they had in them. Now that I have high blood pressure, they’re a thing of the past. *sigh*


Of course my favorite foods have a way of showing up in my novels. That way I can enjoy them without actually eating them…LOL. In my new paranormal romance, Memories of Murder, I have a scene in the characters’ favorite café and they have one of my most loved noodle dishes of all times: Linguini with grilled scallops, shrimp and clams, topped with feta cheese and a lemon-pesto sauce. Mmmm, I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!


It’s simple, too. Just grill or sauté the scallops and shrimp in butter and steam the clams until they open. Cook your favorite size noodles (I prefer linguini), toss with olive oil, and arrange them in a decorative dish. I have a colorful eighteen-inch ceramic platter in the shape of a fish that I like to use for family-style dining.


Place the seafood on top of the noodles and then pour the lemon-pesto sauce over the top of everything. Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese. *mouth watering*


Here’s the Lemon-Pesto recipe:

4 tbsp. sweet butter
dash of white pepper and salt to taste
1/2 juice lemon
1 tbsp. chopped capers
3-4 tbsp. pesto sauce


Pesto Sauce:
1 1/2 c. loosely packed basil leaves
1/4 c. olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbs of Parmesan Cheese
Puree all


So how about you guys? What’s your favorite noodle recipe?


A Note from the Book Boost: Thanks, Lara. Now I'm craving pasta before 9 a.m. *sigh* Thanks for joining us today and sharing your passion for pasta. Please tell us more about your book!


Blurb:


When Maeve McKenna renounces her witch powers and accepts a low-key nurse practitioner position at a Virginia retirement community, the last thing she expects is a suicide her first day on the job. As the town's sexy sheriff, Paul Sutton, starts looking into the tragic death of his father's friend, Maeve can't help but get involved--with both the case and him.

Their informal investigation unveils an old journal that connects the ruins of a nearby asylum and long-forgotten cemeterywith the shiny new retirement community's memory unit--and Maeve's Alzheimer's patients. Maeve senses a sinister presence in the old asylum, calling to the patients, but in order to stop it from killing again, she must first conquer some demons of her own and reclaim the magic she's denied herself.


Excerpt:

"Ready?" Maeve found Paul sitting in the foyer near the Golden Acres entrance. He had changed out of his uniform into black slacks, a white Polo shirt, and a tan raw silk blazer.

"Yes, let's go. I'm in the Range Rover over there." Paul pointed.

The tingle of excitement had returned upon seeing him. She walked to her car, a little breathless. Hopefully they could talk about more than ghosts and evil spirits tonight. She'd shut herself off from others since the attack, filled with guilt and fear. But she was desperate to get over the closed-off feeling that lingered and to connect emotionally to others.

She followed Paul's car past the guardhouse, down the winding road alongside the mountain, and into downtown Rolling Gap.

The view over the ravine to her right took her breath away. Jagged rocks interspersed with mountain laurel and cedar trees made a spectacular combination.

Paul sped away from her, going faster and faster. She frowned. Was he showing off? If so, it wasn't funny. It was dangerous. Two of his wheels came off the road around a turn. When the tires landed back on the pavement, the brake lights remained red, but his car went faster. Her heart nearly stopped. Something had to be wrong with his car.

She increased her speed as much as she dared and lost her breath when he skidded around another curve, almost losing control. He could be killed! Instinct took control.

Raising one hand from the wheel, she strained her fingers outward. She recited the words of old, and a silvery stream of mist flew from her hand. A sheen of perspiration dotted her upper lip as she twisted her fingers, melding strands of magical gossamer together to form a web that attached to Paul's car. She pulled back on the strands and kept the vehicle from sliding off the edge of the ravine. Her voice grew louder. She tried to direct the path of the car with the web, but only managed to slow it. The best she could manage was to force the SUV into a tree to completely halt its progress.

Want More Lara?


Visit her website here: www.laranance.com


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