Friday, October 23, 2020

Haunted Halloween Spooktacular: Fighting for Home by Kim Richards




Sweet Potato/Pumpkin Cheesecake


Recipe says Sweet Potato.  You can substitute Pumpkin or do a mixture of half pumpkin and half sweet potato if you like.

For Crust:
2 Cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (about 30 cookies crushed)
6 Tbsp melted butter
Or (for a more keto/carb friendly version) substitute crushed walnuts for cookie crumbs and butter.

For Filling:
3-8 oz packages softened cream cheese
½ Cup butter melted
1 1/3 Cups sugar (or mix half brown sugar and half white if preferred) can substitute stevia
1 Cup cooked and mashed sweet potatoes or pumpkin
¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
¾ tsp. ground nutmeg
3 Tbsp bourbon (or 1 tsp. almond flavoring)
1 tsp. vanilla
4 Eggs

For Topping:
1 ½ Cups sour cream
2 Tbsp sugar (or stevia)
1 ½ tsp. burbon (or vanilla)
Ground cinnamon

In a medium bowl, combine the crust ingredients and stir to mix well.  Press crumb crust into the bottom and 1-inch up sides of a buttered 10 ½ spring form pan.  Bake crust in a 350 degree oven 8-10 minutes until just starting to deepen in color.  Remove from oven and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl (or food processor) combine filling ingredients, beat until smooth. 
Pour batter into the prepared crust.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Then turn the oven temperature down to 300 degrees and continue baking for 35 minutes; Then again, turn oven temperature down to 250 degrees and continue baking 20-30 minutes until cheesecake is set around the edges and barely jiggles at the center.  Remove from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Mix topping ingredients and spread evenly over top of cheesecake. Dust with cinnamon if desired. Bake for five minutes to just set the topping. Remove from oven and cool completely. Cover and chill for several hours, remove from pan and serve.  Makes 16 servings.


Fighting for Home
Descendants of the Amazoi
Book One
Kim Richards

Genre: fantasy/historical fantasy
Publisher: Kim Gilchrist
Date of Publication: July 2020
Print ISBN: 978-1-952564-00-0
Digital ISBN: 978-1-952564-02-4
Number of pages: 241
Word Count: 87,616

Cover Artist: Dawné Dominique DusktilDawn  Designs

Book Description:

In 300 B.C.—the Greco-Roman Age—tribes of warrior women thrived near the Black Sea. The area is now modern-day Turkey. The Greeks called them Amazoi (meaning Mankiller).

Inspired by their story, Fighting for Home sings the tale of one tribe as they battle to save their way of life. Healing magic is real! Ilenea and Saphira, the wolf sisters, battle close to home with others of their generation. A healer priestess named Essla travels to a temple of Artemis at Anthela with her male slave, bringing a call to arms for the pending war. She meets and falls in love with a Roman General.

Whatever the outcome, this war changes everyone.

Amazon      Kobo       BN       Smashwords


Excerpt:

Thup. Thup. The second archer cried out as two of Xanthi’s arrows buried themselves into his thigh and hip. He let his own arrow fly. Leaves rustled where his arrows disappeared among the tree branches. He fumbled with an arrow, trying to notch it quickly when he heard the rustle again.

The archer looked up as Xanthi leaped from the bushes with her spear in hand. There was no time for him to raise his bow before the bronze point burrowed its way through his leather cuirass, seeking the tender flesh beneath.

At his wretched cry, the shield man to the left took a wild swing with his sword. He caught Xanthi just below the left collarbone. It sliced through her leather jerkin, taking breast flesh with it.

Crying out from the pain, she fell to her knees as blood poured from the gash. One hand pressed against the wound as her other fumbled for her knife.

Xanthi’s man turned his attention from her. He should’ve advanced. Celete used it to her advantage and swung her axe up the inside of his shield. It’s blade cleaved his stomach wide open. His guts spilled out over her hand—hot and sticky. He toppled sideways, landing in the dirt before Xanthi. With a roar befitting any lioness, she clawed at his face for what he did to her.


About the Author:


Kim Richards lives in Northern California with her husband and pets. She loves the genres of horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Her hobbies include reading, writing, sewing, LARPing, and listening to music.















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