Hi everyone, it’s Robbie Cheadle with you today and I’m sharing my review of A Homemade Christmas by Carol Ann Taylor. Carol has also contributed one of the delicious recipes from this book. Thank you, Carol!
My review of A Homemade Christmas by Carol Ann Taylor
A Homemade Christmas is a delightful collection of recipes from an excellent cook and baker. This book is a treasure trove of delicious traditional recipes from the supporting dishes like garlic buttered peas, cranberry sauce, three kinds of gravy, and sage and onion stuffing, to the main event which could be turkey, ham or roast pork. For the more adventurous, there are a few recipes with an Asian flair to spice things up such as beef brisket with an Asian twist and Thai fried peanuts with basil leaves.
Well known Christmas snacks including pigs in blankets, sweet mincemeat, and sausage rolls make an appearance, together with recipes for traditional Christmas cake and homemade marzipan, Christmas pudding and fruit salad, for those watching their calory count.
Today, I am delighted to welcome author, Yvette, M. Calleiro, to Roberta Writes with a guest post about her latest book, the last in the Chronicles of the Diasodz series, The One Redeemed.
Picture caption: Cover of The One Redeemed featuring a green eye with a lava flow in the middle
Who are the Diasodz?
The Diasodz are special beings created by the Goddess to heal and protect humans. There are two classes: Altorus (the warriors) and Curatus (the healers). Diasodz live the first eighteen years of their lives as humans. Around their 18th birthday, they experience a “death day,” where the human part of them dies and the Diasodz part takes over. Not every Diasodz survives their death day. Most Altorus receive a tattoo with their weapon-to-call after their death day occurs. The tattoo awakens when danger is around. When the Diasodz touches his/her tattoo (or its area), the weapon appears in his/her hands, ready for use.
With Lucifer’s influence, a faction divided from the Diasodz and became known as the Raizyns. While there are many characters throughout the series, I want to introduce you to some of those who play an integral part in Drake’s journey. (All images are generated by AI.)
Drake is our main character of The One Redeemed. He is the Raizyn king and the catalyst that sets all other events in motion. He is obsessed with Valerie, Nolan’s wife, and tries unsuccessfully many times to make her his. Because of his actions, chaos ensues and families are torn apart.
Drake has the power to inflict pain and create paralysis through touch. He can control lava and earthquakes and can bring darkness, sadness, grief, despair, and anger to others. His weapon-to-call comes from a tattoo of a flail with three maces hanging from the tip. His tattoo is located on his upper right butt cheek.
Damiana is the Raizyn queen. As much as Drake is obsessed with Valerie, Damiana is obsessed with Drake. She is even willing to kill to make sure he remains hers. Her jealousy and need for total dominance drives her.
Damiana has the power to cause pain physically and mentally. She can create electricity through her fingertips. She also can seduce others through touch, making her irresistible.
Valerie is happily married to Nolan. Valerie was courted by both Drake and Nolan and chose Nolan. Drake never accepted the loss. Valerie endured great heartache because of Drake’s actions, but she never wavered from her love for Nolan and her loyalty to her family.
Valerie has the ability to heal minor injuries. She can also provide temporary strength to others. Her weapon-to-call is a bow and arrow. Her tattoo is located above her left breast.
Nolan is wholeheartedly in love with Valerie. He is loyal to his family and will defend them at all costs. He is just as comfortable fighting battles against the demons and deminions as he is staying home and spending time with family.
He has the power to manipulate objects and make items disappear and reappear. He can transport himself from one place to another. He can also transport an embryo from one womb to another. His weapon-to-call is two blades that come from the tattoo of blades on his wrists.
Liana is a Curatas, which means she does not have a weapon-to-call or have any powers. She is meant to heal others through herbs and the energy nature shares with her. Infatuated with Nolan, Liana is used by Drake to create chaos in Nolan’s life. Liana later plays a role in Damiana’s plot to hurt Valerie, but in the end, it is Liana who has the most influence on Sofia’s choices.
Sofia is the one believed to be the savior. She was raised on Earth with Liana. Sofia is human for most of the series. Her powers come to her before her death day. She controls fire. She can also combine other Diasodz’s powers to fight darkness and evil.
Rafe is believed to be Damiana’s son. He is raised as a human and knows nothing of the Diasodz world until his death day. He has the power to manipulate the earth and trees. He can make someone faint if he touches them. His weapon-to-call is an ax that is located in his tattoo behind his ear.
Angel is Liana and Nolan’s son. He is raised by Nolan and Valerie to give him the opportunity to be born into the Altorus class. He has the ability to manipulate emotions. He can control all forms of water. His weapon-to-call is a dagger that he can pull from his tattoo which consists of three daggers forming a ‘y’ at the bottom of the back of his neck.
Ar’ch is the son of Valerie and Nolan. He is in love with Sofia. He has the power to read minds and communicate through thoughts. He can enter dreams and compel others. He controls air, can make objects fly, and can create storms and clouds. His weapon-to-call comes from tattoos of swords on each hip bone.
Kamali is our newest character. She is appointed by the Goddess to help Drake on his journey through the afterlife. She is able to read Drake’s thoughts. She also has the power to transform into other people by borrowing some of their essence.
I hope this introduction helps you to visualize the characters as you read about their roles in Drake’s story.
Blurb
Drake had been an agent for chaos, a tyrant who focused only on his desires, even when they hurt those he claimed to love the most. Would dying to protect his daughter redeem him? Or would he spend an eternity reliving his biggest regrets?
Electrifying pain coursed through Drake’s veins as he sacrificed his life to save his daughter. When he becomes conscious again, reality sets in. He is dead. While he is overcome with grief, his mortal enemy, Goddess, offers him a path to redemption. In order to find his way back to his children, he must first revisit his past and atone for his choices. The journey will be brutal, and his outcome is not guaranteed.
Failure is not an option for Drake. He will do anything to get back to his children to make amends for his actions, even if it means sacrificing himself all over again.
Picture caption: Yvette M. Calleiro author photograph
Yvette M. Calleiro is the author of the Chronicles of the Diasodz fantasy series, HYPE, and a couple of short stories. As a heavily addicted reader of both young adult and adult novels, she spends most of her time pseudo-living in paranormal worlds with her fictional friends (and boyfriends).
When she’s living among real people, Yvette M. Calleiro is a middle school Reading and Language Arts teacher. She’s been sharing her love of literature with her students for over twenty years. Besides writing about the various characters that whisper (and sometimes scream) in her head, she enjoys traveling, watching movies, spending quality time with family and friends, and enjoying the beauty of the ocean.
Although an avid traveler, Yvette lives in Miami, Florida, with her incredible son who has embraced her love for paranormal and adventurous stories. She also shares her space with an assortment of crazy saltwater animals in her 300-gallon tank.
To follow along with the rest of this tour, please visit the author’s blog. Thanks for supporting Yvette M Calleiro and her work!
Thank you for having me on your incredible blog today, Robbie, to share the release of Ghosts & Miracles Past: A Christmas Collection Two. I’m really grateful for your support!
Interview
Do you have a favorite story in the collection? Each story has a place and a piece of my heart. “The Christmas Train Mystery” comes from a love of trains. I ride them anytime I can and incorporated that into a story. How I feel about animals shines through in “The Christmas Rescue.” That story didn’t make the first collection, but giving it a second look, it found its voice. “Is There is Santa?” though is the one closest to my heart as I brought an “Elizabeth’s War” character into it. This was my first children’s book that I wrote. It was set in WWI, and I weaved some family history into it from when my great-grandma lived in North Dakota before her family moved to Alberta. So it was fun for Dr. Rhodes to make an appearance and see where the fictional family moved to in 1920.
What is your favorite tradition? I love the time leading up to Christmas and especially enjoy decorating while listening to holiday tunes. I still listen to the old Christmas vinyl records. This can range from Johnny Mathis that I got from my in-laws, the Disney songs my kids listened to, or from my time The Partridge Family, and everything in between. My daughter just got me the Nutcracker album for my birthday. While the music fills the room, each ornament I put on the tree has a special memory attached to it. Not only do we celebrate the now, but also the past when decorating and listening to music.
What is the first thing you do to kick off the holiday season? Beginning in the summer, I begin shopping, particularly for grandchildren. That permits me to spread it throughout several months. The other thing I do early is get supplies for the big feast. If pepperoncini or gluten-free dressing is on sale, I grab them and put them away until the holiday. Then, when it’s time, I give the house a good cleaning and drag all the boxes inside so I can start decorating.
Blurb
Picture caption: Cover of Miracles & Ghosts Past: A Christmas Collection featuring a Christmas tree and old-fashioned lamp
Miracles saturate the sweet-scented Christmas season—a reminder we aren’t alone.
Miracles & Ghosts Past: A Christmas Collection brings eight stories from past holidays. Rita buys train tickets for her and Morris’s 30th anniversary in the novelette, “The Christmas Train Mystery.”She’s convinced this trip will bring her and Morris closer—if he can find the time. A murder mystery excursion will change Rita’s life in more ways than one, but will she go with her workaholic husband or by herself? In the first short story, “Christmas Rescue,” Opal trusts the wrong man and loses her mother in the same year, leaving her feeling lost. On a mission to get candles for the dinner table, she makes an unexpected find. “Is There a Santa?” goes back to the 1920s, where a widower is desperate to hold on to his farm and children. He doesn’t want charity, just a bit of luck or a miracle. In the final stories, you’ll meet an eleven-year-old who’s home alone, a family living in the aftermath of war, a girl who gets some shocking news, a widow with a warning from beyond, and a woman trapped on an elevator with Santa. Hope underlies these stories; it endures even in the direst of circumstances. Whether help comes from a ghost, Santa, or an angel, miracles are just within reach.
This is the second collection of Christmas themed short stories in this series. I enjoyed the first collection, and this book was equally entertaining.
While all the stories in this book are engrossing, I am focusing on my favourite three for purposes of this review.
The Christmas Train Mystery – this is an entertaining Agatha Christie styled near murder mystery. Rita books tickets for her husband, Morris, and her to go on a murder mystery train ride for their thirtieth wedding anniversary. As the story unfolds, the extent to which Morris has changed and become self-absorbed and selfish over the course of their marriage becomes evident and the ticket purchase triggers a series of events that change Rita’s life. In true Finn style, the story ends on an uplifting and happy note.
She’s Home Alone – a creepy short story about a young girl home alone during a snowstorm and a predator with bad intentions. I enjoyed the character of Debbie and appreciated her presence of mind and calmness in a scary situation. Having been the victim of a home invasion, I know just how scary such situations are. The intervention by the angel was uplifting and engaging.
Elevator Santa – this is another story I could relate to as I have also been trapped in an elevator and it is a most unpleasant experience. The paranormal element in this story was subtly included and I enjoyed it very much. Another delightful story that finished on a high note.
Finn’s books always leave the reader with a feeling of contentment and the knowledge that there are lots of wonderful people out there who are the ‘helpers’. I appreciate her positive messages about the spirit of humanity wrapped up in engaging stories. This collection is perfect for Christmas.
Finn Fun Facts
I love baking bread in the fall and winter.
I prefer snowshoeing over skiing.
About D.L. Finn
Picture caption: author photograph of D.L. Finn
D. L. Finn is an independent California local who encourages everyone to embrace their inner child. She was born and raised in the foggy Bay Area, but in 1990 she relocated with her husband, kids, dogs, and cats to Nevada City, in the Sierra foothills. She immersed herself in reading all types of books but especially loved romance, horror, and fantasy. She always treasured creating her own reality on paper. Finally, surrounded by towering pines, oaks, and cedars, her creativity was nurtured until it bloomed. Her creations include children’s books, adult fiction, and poetry. She continues on her adventure with an open invitation to all readers to join her.
To celebrate the release, I will be giving away three Amazon Gift Cards: $5, $10, and $15. At the end of the tour, I will randomly pick the three winners from those who leave comments during the blog tour. Good Luck!
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