キャミー・タング著「戌年」連載小説 プロのドッグトレーナーであるマリ・ムトウは、厄年を迎えている。 犬小屋と訓練所の改築をしながら、いつも不服そうにしている家族と同居することになった。母と姉に言わせれば、犬の毛とよだれかけにまみれる仕事は、家族にとって恥ずべきものだという。彼女は元カレを説得し、数ヶ月間犬を預かってもらうことにした。しかし、彼の兄は、数週間前に彼女が誤って車に追突した、怒り狂ったセキュリティ専門家であることが判明する。 アシュウィン・ケイトウは十分な問題を抱えている。叔母が玄関先に現れ、同居を希望している。彼は彼女にすべてを借りているので、断ることができません。母親が家を出て行った後、ネルおばさんはアシュウィンと弟を引き取り、愛のあるキリスト教の家庭で育てた。しかも、弟のダスティもアパートを追い出され、居場所を求めている。しかし、彼は犬を飼っている。そして、その犬の飼い主は誰だと思いますか? しかし、旧友でオアフ島のノースショアでデイスパを経営する私立探偵のエディサ・ゲレロから依頼を受ける。マリの施設で奇妙な破壊行為があり、3年前に失踪したエディサの妹の財布を発見する。エディサはマリが危険な目に遭っているのではと心配する。警備の専門家であるアシュウィンがすでにマリを知っていることを知ったエディサは、忙しい若い女性を密かに監視することを彼に依頼する。 アシュウィンは、活発でのんびりとしたドッグトレーナーに不本意ながら惹かれていく。彼女は、幸せそうな母親を思い出させる。その母親の裏切りによって、彼は人と距離を置くようになったのだ。マリは、アシュウィンの冷たい外見を見抜き、彼が家族に忠実な男であることを認める。彼は、彼女のキャリア選択を批判するだけの母親や姉とは違う。 マリのバラバラな家庭とアシュウィンのバラバラな家庭の中で、過去を隠そうとする人たちから、彼らの周りに危険が迫ってくるようになる。彼らは、影で動く秘密に光を当てることができるのか? 過去に発表されたパートへのリンクはこちら。 *** 第8章 - 恐ろしくも真っ白な不動産書類 『みんな仲良くできないのかな?』 マリは無用に力を込めて箱に本を投げ入れた。最近、なぜ彼女は人生の中で全員と言い争いをしているのだろう?もしかすると、これは本当に悪いアイデア
Captain's Log, Stardate 08.29.2006
Blog book giveaway:
My Thursday book giveaway is THE GUY I'M NOT DATING by Trish Perry.
My Monday book giveaway is the Coffee Cup Bible Study books by Sandra Glahn.
You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On Thursday, I'll draw the winner for THE GUY I'M NOT DATING and post the title for another book I'm giving away.
Movie! I finally saw The Devil Wears Prada yesterday with Shelley Bates. It was good! Good character arc.
Now I will confess that I have NOT read the book yet (Bad, Camy! Bad, Camy!). I have it on my TBR pile where it stares balefully at me. I just had too many other things to read.
But the storyline in the movie was great. There were only a few things that niggled me—like why she would want a job at a fashion magazine when she so disdains them all, and the cutie Christian-somethinglastname writer who suddenly (and rather uncharacteristically) turned into power-hungry-want-that-editing-job dork right after she sleeps with him.
And what was up with her boyfriend??? For one, he wasn't that handsome, I thought. For another, I think he could have been a little more sympathetic about her missing his birthday party. I mean, a birthday party? "Let me pout in front of the TV a bit because you missed such a momentous event."
What--did he expect her to just quit her job when it became too demanding and taking time away from him? Only rich people can afford to do that, honey.
And why were her friends so unsympathetic? They were nice enough when she was giving them free stuff like a coveted $1900 purse. But when her job started taking all her time, they almost made her lose her job by not giving her her phone. Did her friends and her boyfriend think jobs grow on trees? Come on, people.
And all Miranda Priestley's foibles were almost worth the FREE COUTURE!!! Let me just say that again: FREE COUTURE!!! All those fabulous clothes and shoes that didn’t cost Andrea a cent.
TMI:
Writing: I posted a book review of A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND over at the Fab Four Book Picks blog, another "Health and the Writer" post at WriterQuotes, and another synopsis tip at myStory Sensei blog.
I am desperate to get a sketch outline for my next manuscript. I don't know if I'm going to make the ACFW conference Early Bird deadline. Yikes!
Diet: I did okay considering I went out to eat yesterday with Shelley. Had a salad and soup—both terrific—at an Italian restaurant. But I didn't exercise—my surgery knee was bothering me after the movie, so I iced it down instead.
I roasted a chicken today since I had time, and I can't believe I haven't done this more often. Whole chicken is always so cheap and roasting is incredibly easy.
I used my mom's recipe for stuffing:
Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in hot water.
Mince and sauté onions, garlic, celery, and the gizzards in butter.
Mince the mushrooms.
Tear 2-3 pieces of bread into small pieces.
Toss everything. If it's too dry, add some of the mushroom water.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Stuff yer bird.
The chicken juices (read: fat) make the stuffing melt in your mouth, and the stuffing gives flavor to the meat around it.
I rubbed salt, pepper, and paprika on the chicken and roasted it breast side down. I didn't use a rack, and MAN the breast turned out really juicy. I wedged the chicken up with four potatoes (they turned out really good, too).
I didn't even have to baste it. I seared it at 450o for 10 minutes, basted once with butter, and then left it at 350o for 2 hours (4 pound chicken).
SO EASY! SO CHEAP! I should do this more often, since I have the time to roast it.
Blog book giveaway:
My Thursday book giveaway is THE GUY I'M NOT DATING by Trish Perry.
My Monday book giveaway is the Coffee Cup Bible Study books by Sandra Glahn.
You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On Thursday, I'll draw the winner for THE GUY I'M NOT DATING and post the title for another book I'm giving away.
Movie! I finally saw The Devil Wears Prada yesterday with Shelley Bates. It was good! Good character arc.
Now I will confess that I have NOT read the book yet (Bad, Camy! Bad, Camy!). I have it on my TBR pile where it stares balefully at me. I just had too many other things to read.
But the storyline in the movie was great. There were only a few things that niggled me—like why she would want a job at a fashion magazine when she so disdains them all, and the cutie Christian-somethinglastname writer who suddenly (and rather uncharacteristically) turned into power-hungry-want-that-editing-job dork right after she sleeps with him.
And what was up with her boyfriend??? For one, he wasn't that handsome, I thought. For another, I think he could have been a little more sympathetic about her missing his birthday party. I mean, a birthday party? "Let me pout in front of the TV a bit because you missed such a momentous event."
What--did he expect her to just quit her job when it became too demanding and taking time away from him? Only rich people can afford to do that, honey.
And why were her friends so unsympathetic? They were nice enough when she was giving them free stuff like a coveted $1900 purse. But when her job started taking all her time, they almost made her lose her job by not giving her her phone. Did her friends and her boyfriend think jobs grow on trees? Come on, people.
And all Miranda Priestley's foibles were almost worth the FREE COUTURE!!! Let me just say that again: FREE COUTURE!!! All those fabulous clothes and shoes that didn’t cost Andrea a cent.
TMI:
Writing: I posted a book review of A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND over at the Fab Four Book Picks blog, another "Health and the Writer" post at WriterQuotes, and another synopsis tip at myStory Sensei blog.
I am desperate to get a sketch outline for my next manuscript. I don't know if I'm going to make the ACFW conference Early Bird deadline. Yikes!
Diet: I did okay considering I went out to eat yesterday with Shelley. Had a salad and soup—both terrific—at an Italian restaurant. But I didn't exercise—my surgery knee was bothering me after the movie, so I iced it down instead.
I roasted a chicken today since I had time, and I can't believe I haven't done this more often. Whole chicken is always so cheap and roasting is incredibly easy.
I used my mom's recipe for stuffing:
Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in hot water.
Mince and sauté onions, garlic, celery, and the gizzards in butter.
Mince the mushrooms.
Tear 2-3 pieces of bread into small pieces.
Toss everything. If it's too dry, add some of the mushroom water.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Stuff yer bird.
The chicken juices (read: fat) make the stuffing melt in your mouth, and the stuffing gives flavor to the meat around it.
I rubbed salt, pepper, and paprika on the chicken and roasted it breast side down. I didn't use a rack, and MAN the breast turned out really juicy. I wedged the chicken up with four potatoes (they turned out really good, too).
I didn't even have to baste it. I seared it at 450o for 10 minutes, basted once with butter, and then left it at 350o for 2 hours (4 pound chicken).
SO EASY! SO CHEAP! I should do this more often, since I have the time to roast it.
Comments
I thought the movie just went downhill from there. From that point on the movie seemed to me that it was just the studio's way of showing the world that Ann Hathaway is no longer a little girl. From that standpoint I was disappointed.
Good thoughts on Prada. I actually saw it twice with two groups of friends this summer and enjoyed it. Not without it's issues, but it was worth it to see Miranda Priestley twice -- what a character! It bothered me that Andrea starts out so principled and devoted to her boyfriend and being "true to herself" and all that, and then she does stuff like hop in bed with Christian what's-his-name (yes he's hot but really that wasn't necessary IMO). And I thought it was really over the top re: her friends and BF's reaction to how her job kept her busy. Anyway...just my thoughts. Great chicken recipe, thanks for sharing!
Ruth
Camy, sad tale here: Reaching in the back of my pantry for a big new box of oatmeal, I knocked something off the shelf onto my bare toe--a big can of Hapi Wasabi Peas! The toe was not happy, I guarantee! Glad I'm wearing nail polish and can't see the damage.
The oatmeal must be ready, now, the microwave dinged.
Here's another whole-chicken idea. I rub a whole small roasting chicken with lemon-pepper, then put it on a bed of tiny red potatoes in my crockpot. Couldn't be easier! It cooks all day while I write. :-)
Suzanne Eller (Suzie)