Captain's Log, Stardate 07.23.2008 I can honestly say this is something new that I haven’t seen in a book (yet—watch, now someone will say they saw this online at FoodNetwork.com or something like that). I took a couple recipes and combined them, and then modified them according to what I had in the pantry. It turned out really good! The balsamic vinegar combined with the broth was a good compliment to the salty bacon and the starchy potatoes. And our yellow squash was from our co-op vegetable basket this week, and they were soooooo fresh and crisp and sweet! And now I’m sharing it with you! Yellow squash, bacon, basil, potato pasta 3-4 slices of bacon 2-4 garlic cloves, minced 3 tablespoons olive oil 2-3 red potatoes, diced (You could use any potatoes on hand, I think—I just happened to have the small red potatoes. If you have russet potatoes, which are a bit larger than red potatoes, use just one or two of them.) 1/4 to 1/3 pound dry penne pasta (actually, any of those short pas...

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Try Darkness (Center Street - July 30, 2008) by James Scott Bell ABOUT THE AUTHOR: JAMES SCOTT BELL is a former trial lawyer who now writes full time. He has also been the fiction columnist for Writers Digest magazine and adjunct professor of writing at Pepperdine University. The national bestselling author of several novels of suspense, he grew up and still lives in Los Angeles. His first Buchanan thriller, TRY DYING , was released to high critical praise, while sis book on writing, Plot and Structure is one of the most popular writing books available today. ABOUT THE BOOK Ty Buchanan is living on the peaceful grounds of St. Monica’s, far away from the glamorous life he led as a rising trial lawyer for a big L.A. firm. Recovering from the death of his fiancée and a false accusation of murder, Buchanan has found his previous ambitions unrewarding. Now he prefers offering legal services to the poor an...

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.22.2008 Captain Caffeine told me an interesting story he heard on the radio ( update: it was in the paper ), I think. You know all those fires here in Northern California? Luckily, they weren’t near us and we didn’t need to be evacuated. However, they (somebody) interviewed some people who had been evacuated, asking them what they took and why. The answers were very interesting. For example, one guy had like 900 bottles of wine (read: really good, expensive, and probably old) in his wine cellar. He said he’d been torn between wines with monetary value and sentimental value. Originally, he took two $1500 bottles (yes, you read that right—one thousand, five hundred smackeroos) but he put one back to choose a wine with more sentimental value. This got me and the Captain thinking about what we’d take. A fire evacuation is more forgiving than, say, a tornado evacuation, because you have more time to load up the car. We’d take: --Our computers Although I have ...

Today's Wild Card author is: Marylu Tyndall and his/her book: The Falcon and the Sparrow Barbour Publishing, Inc (August 1, 2008) The intrigue and passion of The Falcon and the Sparrow will leave you breathless. Follow the trail of Dominique Dawson, a reluctant spy who is forced to betray England or never see her brother again. As she takes a position as the governess of a Rear Admiral's son, her real mission is to gather intelligence information for Napoleon. Chase Randal, irresistibly drawn to his son's new governess, reluctantly allows the attraction to grow. Is there a future for the spy and the rear admiral? Or will Dominique's deception crush any prospect of a lasting happiness? ABOUT THE AUTHOR: MaryLu spent her early years in South Florida where she fell in love with the ocean and the warm tropical climate. After moving to California with her husband, she graduated from college and worked as a software engineer for 15 years. Currently, MaryLu writes full time ...

Captain's Log, Supplemental I just got news of this: Attention Bloggers! Do you have a burning question for William P. Young, author of THE SHACK? Are you free on July 30th at Noon, Eastern Time? If so, eMail miriam.parker@hbgusa.com and tell her that you'd like to participate in the Blogger Conference Call with William P. Young.

Robert Liparulo and his book: Watcher in the Woods: Dreamhouse Kings, Book #2 Thomas Nelson (May 6, 2008) It's not just the house that's keeping secrets. Pretending everything's all right is harder than it sounds. But the Kings know that even if they told the truth about the bizarre things happening in their house, no one would believe them. They're hyper-focused on rescuing their lost family member before anyone finds out what's going on. But when a stranger shows up to take their house, their options start dwindling fast. Why would he be so interested in a run-down old place? And what secret is he hiding--just as he hides the scars that crisscross his body? The mystery gets stranger with each passing day. Will the Kings be able to find a way to harness the house's secrets and discover who is watching their every move before another gets snatched into an unknown world? ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Robert Liparulo is an award-winning author of over a thousand published a...

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.20.2008 Leave any prayer requests in the comments and I’ll be praying this week. You don’t have to be Christian to leave a prayer request. If you’d rather not advertise to everyone on the blogosphere, just leave an unspoken prayer request or e-mail me. If I forgot your prayer request, email me. Not to be mean or anything, but if you don't email me or comment to update your prayer request, I'm only going to pray ONE Sunday. I’m trying something new with my Sunday Prayer. I’m really bad about doing it on Sunday , so I’ll be updating it during the week. Dear Lord, thank you for your grace. I pray for complete healing for Malia, Helen, Kristy, Missy, Cheryl, and Sharon. I also lift up any of my blog readers in need of physical, emotional, or spiritual healing and pray you will touch them. I lift up Case and his family to you. Be with Tricia and continue to heal her completely. Keep her free from migraines and any other type of pain. Also please provid...