I am so excited today because I have a super special treat for you guys!!!

It’s nearing Halloween. One of my favorite holidays!!! I absolutely adore it!

So with that in mind I have brought over my partner in the Halloween Heat III Anthology Antonia Van Zandt! She’s here to talk Halloween, her love for Vienna and some out of this world recipes and a secret spell!!!

Take it away girl!

Halloween with Antonia Van Zandt

As some of you may know, while I was born inEngland, I now live in Vienna, Austria– a city I regard as my spiritual home as well as my physical one.

Vienna is a city steeped in tradition. Every season has its own defining characteristics and none more so than Autumn. The days are turning chilly and the nights more so. On street corners, braziers burn and vendors sell hot, sliced fried potatoes and chestnuts, their aromas mingling in the crisp air.

In the parks and leafy streets, trees turn wonderful hues of gold, scarlet and amber, while in the fields outside the city and in the street markets, seasonal produce abounds. Most notably – pumpkins.

Austrian adore pumpkins. The best pumpkin oil comes from here (OK, I’m biased!). The seeds are great to chew on and the flesh makes wonderful, hearty soup, just right for the chilly days and nights. It’s easy to make as well. (I’ve included a recipe further down).

Of course, in common with everywhere else, we love Halloween and no Halloween party would be complete without a special, spooky cocktail. If you’re coming to mine, expect to try these favourites:
Satan’s Whiskers (per serving)

½ oz gin
½ oz sweet vermouth
½ oz dry vermouth
½ oz fresh orange juice
2 tsp Grand Marnier (straight)
1 tsp orange bitters

orange peel twist for garnish

Preparation:

1. Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously to mix
2. Add crushed ice and shake vigorously again
3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass
4. Garnish with an orange peel twist and serve

Black Martini (per serving)

 3½ oz gin or vodka

½ oz  blackberry brandy or black raspberry liqueur (e.g.Chambord)

lemon peel twist for garnish

Preparation:

1. Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker      with crushed ice.
2. Shake well.
3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass
4. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Once we have a couple of these inside us, it will be time to settle around my cauldron and cast a Halloween spell. Situated in a surburb of Vienna, my home dates back to the era of the Dual Monarchy (or K u. K – Kaiserlich und Königlich) ofAustria andHungary. I am never more aware of the ghosts that share my rooms than at this most bewitching of festivals. I would like them to continue to watch over me and be friendly, so, please join hands with me in a modern Wiccan Samhain Spell:

Be unafraid of Shadows dark
And to their whispers
Do Not Hark
Unfriendly words
You do Not hear
No worry, trouble
Loss or Fear
No Shadow falls
Upon your Heart
We Stand Together
Though Apart.
We Stand Together
Ever Winning
All our spells
Together Spinning
For Every End
A New Beginning
Wealthy, Healthy,
Happy, Free
If this your Will
So Mote It Be!

(Attributed to Maurice of Coventry Greens, 1994)

May the spirits that surround us be ever friendly ones! Bright Blessings to all!

Now, here’s that recipe I promised you:

Kürbiscremesuppe (Cream of Pumpkin Soup)

1 small onion

1/2 cup of white wine

1 and 1/2 cups of vegetable or chicken stock

1/2 cup of heavy cream (plus extra for garnish)

grated nutmeg

butter (for frying)

salt, black pepper,

black pumpkin oil

Method

(Heat the oven to 350 degrees)

1.      Remove the flesh and seeds from the pumpkin

2.      When oven is hot, scatter some seeds on a baking sheet and roast for 20-30 minutes until golden brown and fragrant

1. Meanwhile, chop the pumpkin roughly into small pieces and boil until soft. Drain and keep hot.
2. Meanwhile, chop the onion into small pieces and fry in butter for a few minutes until soft and golden. Remove from heat
3. Mix the onion with the boiled pumpkin.
4. Mash the vegetables using a blender
5. In a warmed bowl, add wine, cream, soup and nutmeg and add salt and black pepper to taste. Pour into individual bowls
6. Once in the bowls, add a drizzle of black pumpkin seed oil and a flourish of cream. Sprinkle with roasted pumpkin seeds and serve with warm, crusty bread.

Happy Halloween!

Oh my goodness, those recipies sound so delicious!! Can’t wait to try them. Thanks for stopping by to celebrate with us Antonia!

Antonia van Zandt is a Paranormal Erotic Romance author, born in the ancient cathedral city of Salisbury, Englandand related to deposed European royalty. She now lives in Vienna, Austriain a rambling, haunted house, surrounded by old family portraits and a menagerie of cats. Her short story, Serena, is featured in the recently published sizzling anthology, Halloween Heat III.

You can buy Halloween Heat III at:

Amazon ~ ARe ~ B&N 

She is currently working on two new novellas – both strictly for broadminded adults!

Antonia loves to meet new people and can be found here:

http://antoniavanzandt.blogspot.co.uk/

http://www.facebook.com/antonia.vanzandt

https://twitter.com/AntoniavanZandt

So this is my first Six Sentence Sunday post. I hope you all like it!!!  It’s from a newly finished story – Clean Slate

 Enjoy

“I thought something was damaged after the injuries that kept me from feeling… aroused.” Had he actually said that to her?

Her eyes sparkled full of heat under those long dark lashes. “Well… we both know that you weren’t,” she nibbled on her full bottom lip and glanced down toward his crotch. “Damaged down there, that is.”

Sharing My Favorite Read Giveaway Hop was organized by Reading Romances!

Mr. Buff

Every morning, Alexandra drinks in the sexy vision of Mr. Buff through his office window across the street. He takes his workouts seriously, and Alexandra never misses the opportunity to see him return, sweaty and pumped, to his office suite to shower. Turns out Andrew enjoys the view just as much as she does and can’t take his eyes off the woman who makes his blood roar.

But when Alexandra bumps into Mr. Buff at a club, things go from visual to physical. And much to her delight, she learns that Mr. Buff is really Mr. Dominant. She loves spending time with him and getting to know him the way nature intended, but she’s looking for more than a fling. How’s she supposed to make Mr. Buff realize he’s Mr. Right?

WINNERS

$25 GC – Jade

e-Copy of Mr. Buff – Susan Platt

What you can win here: 1 winner will get a $25 Amazon GC, 1 winner will get an e-copy of Mr. Buff (contemporary erotic romance)

Number of winners: 2

Open to (INT, US or US/CAN): US/CAN/INT

How to enter: 1 entry – Leave a comment below with your email. Let me know in your comment if you liked my page or followed me for extra entries.

2 entries– like my facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/millytaidenauthor

2 entries – follow me on twitter @millytaiden

3 entries – subscribe to my page on the right side

(Be sure to leave your correct email addy to be contacted if you win!)

Hop and enter the other giveaways!

Halloween…

One of my favorite times of the year is coming soon!!!

 With this in mind… 

I’d like to offer a copy of my Halloween Heat 3 Anthology and a $5 Amazon GC to whoever is the first to guess what my costume of choice for this year is.

I love halloween, I love wolves, I love paranormal. Those are your three hints. And….GO!

ONE MORE HINT!!!! You all know this person from a story we all read as kids…Think think think…There’s a wolf…a girl…

 WINNER: JADE!!!!

I think picking out a costume is such a difficulty for most of us.

We want something to represent our personalities, our likes, our hidden superhero or our hidden sexy maiden.

Or maybe we want our inner demon, vampire or pirate.

Some people like to go for the cool movie characters, others for some fun silly ones.

I like to think we all end up looking like we want for the day.

As you can see, I’ve added some fun costumes I think will make anyone ‘oooh’ and ‘aaaah’

From the completely baffling expensive, to the normally priced range.

Costumes can make anyone have a fantastic time while being something or someone else!

Happy Halloween!!!

The winner will be announced as soon as someone guesses correctly :)

Excerpt:

“So? What’s he doing? Come on, come on. Stop holding out already.” The soft, feminine voice on the other end of the line whined like a child. Alexandra rolled her eyes and tried not to smile.

Why in the world had she decided to tell Nina about Mr. Buff? Every morning, like clockwork, she’d get a call from her best friend and cousin requesting updates. Wound up and ready to pant, she looked into the office right across the street.The large, sparkling glass windows on both buildings allowed her to view the man walking around. She drank in the sight of the large, buff body, hence the name Mr. Buff. The man definitely took his workouts to heart.

“Alex! What’s Mr. Buff doing now, chica? Tell me please, please, pretty pleeease?” Her fiery cousin, Nina, was a pain in the neck when she thought she was missing out on something good—especially information about one sexy, half-naked man, a man currently running long fingers through his impeccably cut hair.Alex watched a few locks fall across his forehead. “Not much. He’s about to put his shirt on.”

“Crap. Listen, I have to go, but you have to record this stuff on your phone and e-mail it to me. Stop being so selfish and share. You know I don’t have a man right now. I can use all the visual stimulation I can get.”
She hung up on her cousin’s laughter and continued watching the top contestant to fulfill all her fantasies dress. Under an idyllic trance, she visualized the rest of him when he was in the shower. Excitement hurled through her at the thought of getting a peek at Mr. Buff in the wet room. A streak of unbidden desire whisked through her veins and raced down to her cunt.

Her brain, better than any digital calendar, had recorded his schedule down to the minute. Each morning, he walked into his office wearing his workout gear. In running shorts and tank top, his body glistened with perspiration. Every time she got a glimpse of all that sweat-covered brawn, her nipples pebbled.In wide-eyed enthrallment, she watched him head into the bathroom attached to his office to shower. Every single day it was the same. He walked out in his suit pants but never the shirt. She wondered if he had some kind of conspiracy against her hormones.

The display of contracting muscle made her breath hitch.His powerful back and amazing, tight ass were sending out Morse code signals, beguiling and inciting her interest.His white, tailored dress shirt cut the visual feast short. She had to bite back the urge to scream. Not that he would hear her, but her coworkers sure would.Why not just go over there and ask the man out? Typically, she would have done that already. Found out his name, instead of just calling the poor, sexy, strapping creature Mr. Buff, at the very least. “Go after what you want” was her motto in every aspect of her life; she was a self-assured woman.

Until recently, she didn’t lack self-confidence. Thanks to her ex, her confidence had taken a whipping some months back.Jerk-off Jack had been cheating, and the confrontation that followed was not pretty. Questions that had never existed before rose with his words: “You’re a control freak, Alexandra. No man wants a woman telling him what to do in the sack. Sometimes I want to be the one leading. You’re too aggressive. You’re a good fuck, but not someone I could ever be with long term. I even wonder if you’re faking it at times.”

Oh yeah, Jerk-off Jack had definitely let loose.Would she be able to find a man who would want her, deal with her for who she was and not try to change her? At thirty-three she was tired of the dating scene. Was it so wrong that she wanted to meet someone and maybe settle down? Alexandria refocused her mind, her vision still glued to Mr. Buff. Oh shit. He was watching her. Heat crawled across her skin and settled over her cheeks. Embarrassed, she gave him the usual small smile and microsecond wave.His wicked grin turned the man from handsome to outright gorgeous when he waved back. Balling and holding papers in a death grip, she dropped her gaze. All she needed was for the man to think she had some kind of sick fetish for watching him.