Bari-i-i-ins and what to do now

Been turned into a zombie and not sure how to prepare your new addiction? 

Tired of raw, uncooked, unflavored brains? 

Try:

Deep Fried Brains

Ingredients

1. 1 head of garlic, skin on

2. Black peppercorns wrapped in cheesecloth

3. 1 bay leaf

4. Bundle of fresh herbs

5. 1lb brains

6. Almond flour

7. 2 eggs

8. 1/2 cup almond milk

9. 1quart olive oil for deep-frying

Instructions

·      Prepare 3 bowls with the flour, the egg whisked with milk, and the breadcrumbs.

·      Bring a 2quart pot of water to simmer and add in the garlic, peppercorns, and herbs. Simmer for 15 minutes. Gently lower the brains into the pot and simmer for another 6 minutes.

·      Remove the brains with a slotted spoon and let cool. When the brains are cold and firm, separate the lobes into 2-inch chunks.

·      Heat the oil to 350ºF. Roll each brain segment in flour, then coat in the egg mix, then coat it in the breadcrumbs. Deep-fry the brain until they are golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes.

·      Drain and serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce. I prefer teriyaki.

This, and other recipes can be found at: http://bit.ly/1G2gLCr

Zombie War is available in Paperback, Audiobook, and as an eBook on Kindle & Kobo.

Deaders by Steven Bynum

5 Stars

This was a really fun zombie book. It had everything you could want in a zombie book and more - gore, death, biting, and a cute sidekick. I greatly enjoyed Jacob's psychosis and obsession with his "buddy." I liked Steven's take on how the virus was spared and how Jacob's attacks on the readers were a realistic depiction of an everyday average Joe. Such a fun book.

Frustrated - a very personal post

I'm not big into crying. And I don't mean the tiny sniffles that come with one of those Humane Society commercials, or the tear that sneaks down your cheek during some terribly emotional scene in a movie/show/book/life event - I mean crying. Tears, sniffles, puffy face and eyes, feeling like your heart is breaking, crying. To me, it's a huge sign of weakness that I have never been able to afford. So, when I break down, things are usually really, seriously, bad.
At 3:30 this morning I started crying. And I quickly went past the upset cry into the had-to-shove-a-pillow-in-my-face weeping, where I was hiccuping, gasping, and thought my soul was shattering. While I've been able to maintain some semblance of control, the tears have been here all day - along with sporadic cry fests. I'm fighting the good fight, trying to gain composure and find strength again, but I feel like I'm failing.
Backstory - My cat, Princess, gave birth to Frost, Gunther, and Saphyra a little over 8 years ago. I have 5 more cats, and for the most part, everyone gets along. Princess and her kittens (who have always been called either the triplets, or the kittens - even though they're 8) are the bullies of the house - everyone is wary of them and basically lets them do whatever. They occasionally get into trouble for picking fights with the other cats, but by no means are they abused, neglected, or ignored. All 9 of my cats are ridiculously spoiled and pampered. People tell me that if reincarnation exists, they want to come back as one of my cats - their lives are that good. The cats are like children to me. They are my babies and while that may be silly to some, I love them as much as I would a human child.
They free feed on specialty dry food, have fountains and almost all our sinks have water trickling from the spouts. They get shaker treats almost weekly, along with moist food on special occasions, and people food scraps. Each cat has their favorite treat.
What's wrong - A little over two weeks ago, we went to Kentucky for 5 days to visit some of my family. When we returned, I started a new position at work - working days. So the first time in our relationship, we're working the same schedule. On Saturday, my husband randomly stated that Gunther was looking thin. As he is our lean cat, this was not abnormal, so I blew it off. We continued our weekend activities as normal. On Monday, Gunther came to beg for some table scraps because I was eating fries with Ranch - one of his favorite treats. I gave him the Ranch cup, he sniffed it, and sat back down. It was then that I noticed his weight loss. I could see his hip bones. When I pet him, I could feel his ribs and each one of his vertebrae.
We immediately took him to kitty ER where they ran a ton of tests, strapped an IV to him, and pushed fluids through him. They kept him overnight, not finding anything medically wrong with him. Some of his levels were elevated, but that could've been because of the stress of being in the ER and the 45 minute drive to get there. So I picked him up in the morning and took him to our vet, where he stayed the day, continuing to get fluids. She sent him home with us last night, along with liquid food that we are to force-feed him four times a day. He HATES this.
He still has the IV strapped to his leg, just in case he doesn't start eating on his own and we have to take him back to the vet. Last night we decided to lock him into the spare room that our oldest cat usually shares with our youngest. They were both kicked out into the living room so Gunther could sleep, eat, and poop in peace. At 3:30 this morning, he decided he was done being in that room and ran out as I was opening the door to give him some liquid food. Every ounce of food and water that had been left for him was still there. Upon his escape to the rest of the house, he pooped, and went into one of the window seats and promptly went back to sleep. This was when I finally lost it. My baby is starving himself to death - and there's nothing I can do about it. At 6, we force-fed him some food. At 9, he started vomiting. By 11:30, my vet had heard from me five times. They have limited hours on Wednesdays, so we are taking him back in tomorrow for more tests, antibiotics, medications, fluids, force-feedings, and observation.
I have never felt so terrible in my life. Helpless, frustrated and impotent don't even begin to touch on the bone-deep desperation I feel. I know I'm going to outlive my kids. I'm not in denial about that. But he's only 8 - and there's NOTHING wrong with him. I'm not ready. And I don't know what to do.
That's probably the hardest part. The not knowing how to help your kid. Watching him waste away in front of you, and not being able to do a damn thing about it.

Azimuth by Elayne Griffith

4 Stars

If this book would have concluded, or at least come to an understandable cliff-hanger, I'd have given it 5 Stars. As it stands, this book was fun, stressful, exciting, and extremely, vividly amazing. The writing is fantastic and the story is terrifying in its possibilities. Then, just as you're reaching another epic climax moment, it ends. Cut off abruptly, leaving you staring at the page like, "what the - ?" I'm still not entirely certain what Azimuth really is, or why it's circling the moon, but the actual apocalyptic story is fantastic. Definitely keeps you turning the pages for more.

Divinity Impaired by Lexy Wolfe

3 Stars

A very well-written story that leaves you kinda hanging. Much of the dialog throughout the book is extremely repetitive and annoying. And with how Lexy insists Tiwaz only trusted Doom, she certainly seems to open up to everyone she meets, rather quickly regarding her pain and trials. While the ending is somewhat satisfying, it leaves you abruptly wondering, "that's it?" It just ends. There's no real conclusion, just another scene where Tiwaz is broken, battered, and again stubbornly refusing anything from her companions. And if Ky-lar is supposed to be a mate and shapeshifter, why is he only ever in his panther form? What is Tiwaz's real name? Why didn't she seem to learn anything - ever? She didn't grow as a character. She was exactly the same from beginning to end. It was frustrating to read, even with the writing being fantastic.

Stuck on You by Chris Wenger

4 Stars

Such a cute story full of suspense, romance, and excitement. I enjoyed the banter between Kate & Mac and waited - hoping they'd find their happy ending. The conclusion was slightly abrupt and extremely neat and tidy, but all-in-all, this was a fun read that I'd highly recommend.

Shattered Trust by Lynda Bailey

5 Stars

This book starts out a bit strange, but if you can hang on, the story is excellent. If you're not familiar or into the BDSM culture, this story is tame enough for you to be intrigued - almost wishing you could find your very own Liam to introduce you into it. There were a few odd things in the beginning - like Liam finding there was a BDSM club in a super small Texas town - a HIGHLY unlikely occurrence, but whatever. If you can stay past the first couple chapters, holy crap. Once he and Kitten start their arrangement - wow. Definitely not a book you'd want to read at a family gathering, or without someone to play with after.

Stuck in Estrogen's Funhouse by Shayna Gier

3 Stars

Funny. Seriously - who fails a pregnancy test? Dr. Duck is both a clever and an incredibly stupid name that had me cringe each time I read it. This book is cute and fun with some tidbits on health that had me wondering if the author did some research - and if they were true, or total fiction. Spencer, the husband, is a true work of fiction. No man would ever be that wonderful, patient, or understanding. Other than needing to be edited - or at least read through by the author - it was a cute book.

Hungry Moon: Quicksilver by Claudy Conn

5 Stars

A fun, exciting love story that sinks its fangs in and doesn't let go. The characters are well thought- out and Quinn and Rave are a ton of fun. You are left with questions and with the knowledge that there is another book, but you're not left hanging. I will definitely read more from Claudy Conn.

Spells of Death by Drac Von Sotller

1 Star

They say, "never judge a book by its cover." And they're right. I saw this cover and thought, "OMG. This is going to be a scary, fun read - I can't wait!" Then upon reading the details of the book (which I'm sad to admit, I didn't do until posting this review), you discover it's supposedly 31 tales of horror - book 1 - 9 pages. So it's a SUPER short story, that should be ok. You are never more grateful that it's only 9 pages when you suffer through the first page. I hate giving bad reviews. But, for the love of God - read your work a few times before publishing. Read it to the mirror, to others, aloud, whatever it takes to realize that commas are your friend. Even for a 9 page short story, this was terrible. The thoughts were incredibly unfinished and the story didn't seem plausible or put together - at all. I wanted to like it, but wow. Absolutely terrible writing.