One-Star Reviews—Nightmare or Dream?

 

Time to address an elephant in the room, folks: Those one-star (or two-star) reviews, and how authors handle them. (Disclaimer: I am not addressing the vicious, malicious one-star reviews left by ugly, small-minded people. Pretty sure we all agree that those nasty little trolls aren’t worth the air they breathe.)

So, legit one-star reviews…they really aren’t a dream, per se, and to the best of my knowledge not a single author genuinely “loves” them. But, are they all nightmare quality?

My personal opinion is that I’d rather not get any at all, however, when I do, I find that if I detach myself from my initial knee-jerk emotional response, they’re easier to dissect into meaningful, and even helpful input. I can own them.

When I started my author journey, I took to heart some great advice: Not everyone will love your books, and that’s okay! This helped me be more objective when I finally received my first one-star review on Amazon.

Let’s take a look at it. This is from my first book, Prophecy:

“This was a very boring book. The women were in charge and the men were just yes dears. The plot didn't make sense either. Why did one alien from a race of aliens have the right to destroy earth and another alien race? To call for deaths because he wanted to? I was so bored that a skip some parts. Do not waste your time reading this book.”

And here is the second one for the same book, which was posted five years later:

“I didn’t get past the first few chapters, I didn’t finish reading this book.”

Ouch, right?

Or are they?

I appreciate that the first reader took the time to explain why they didn’t like the story. Boring is their personal opinion, which is at odds with 99% of the rest of the reviews. This is one of those readers who doesn’t love my book, but it’s not a personal attack. They might very well love another one of my stories, or not. If not, then they will never be one of my readers anyway.

The women were in charge…. Hallelujah! This is the coolest statement in support of my story! Why?  First, because the women aren’t “in charge.” In this alien culture, they are viewed as equals to the men. They are respected, and hold positions of authority. Not everyone sees this as a good thing, unfortunately. On the other hand, other potential readers might look at this review and think, “Hot damn! Girl power!” and 1-click the snot outta this puppy.

Second, if the men were all “yes, dears,” then the hero would not be the senior captain of an entire fleet, would he? He would have been a she instead, and that would’ve turned this into a completely different story in a completely different genre.

The plot didn’t make sense. What a beautiful red flag that this pantser (an author who doesn’t outline or plan a story) needs to keep an eye on her plots/sub-plots. Even my developmental editor has pinged me on goal, motivation, and conflict issues (GMC) for a couple of subsequent books. Just telling a story is not enough. One of my weak points, I get it.

The right to destroy/call for deaths. Um, conflict? Without it there isn’t much of a story? (Note to reviewer: This kind of thing happens in real life all the time. It’s tragic.) I love this comment because it confirms that the villain’s GMC did not resonate with the reviewer. The underlying message here to me: Work on this, stupid!

Skipping over parts. Yikes. This might explain why the reviewer didn’t understand the roles of men and women in this culture, and found the plot confusing. Skipping parts in any book can be detrimental to the reading experience in general, but more so with an emotional, action-packed 90K word novel. If you skip, you’re gonna miss something important!

That being said, the onus is on me to be alert for other such mentions. If this becomes a common thread in reviews for other books, I need to take a closer look at why, and fix it.

Do not waste your time reading this book. Once again, this is a personal opinion that doesn’t stack up to most of the rest of the reviews. I’d be lying if I said this one didn’t hurt, but it isn’t my job is to please everyone. I could do everything right, and there will always be someone who doesn’t like it. And I’m okay with that.

What’s my take-away from this review, you ask? GMC is a potential weakness, one that I’ve since owed and am working to improve. Now when I start a new project, I loosely outline my chapters, and I write out the GMC for each of my main characters, as well as for the overall story arcs. I’m not a full-blown plotter, yet, but meeting myself in the middle is working for me so that makes it a win.

Sadly, the second review is all personal opinion/preferences. I do wish this reviewer had given me a little more to go on so I could understand why they got through only a few chapters before giving up. But, they didn’t, and to get my panties in a bunch trying to figure it out is bad for my mental health. <Cue Let it Go! here.>

I have found that writing is a learning and growing process. Authors are always trying to improve their writing, and reviews provide an excellent tool to uncover potential weaknesses.

So, readers, has a one- or two-star review ever influenced your book purchases? What are the triggers that get you to 1-click a book?

Authors, my way is not the only way. Do reviews of your books help you, or do you avoid them? Why, or why not?

Until next month!

~Lea

 

~*~*~

Bonus new release announcement!

Loved by Aliens has landed near you. Prepare to abducted by out-of-this-world heroes from nine popular SFR series. Yes, you read that right: Nine books from nine different series all for the price of one! But only for a limited time, so grab your copy today.

 

This set includes full-length books by:

New York Times Bestselling Author S. E. Smith: River’s Run

USA Today Bestselling Author Grace Goodwin: Viken Command

USA Today Bestselling Author Skye MacKinnon: Alien Abduction for Beginners

USA Today Bestselling Author Demelza Carlton: Ghost

USA Today Bestselling Author Debbie Cassidy: Rogue

USA Today Bestselling Author Lea Kirk: Above the Storm

Becca Brayden: Alien King Crashes the Wedding

Kate Rudolph: Synnr’s Saint

Nancey Cummings: Have Tail, Will Travel 

Aliens, take me away!

What's in a Name, and Other Stuff

 

A belated happy Thanksgiving to the US folks out there! I missed my October PNRomantics post due to deadlines, and almost missed November too! (Hey, there's still a few hours left of today where I live.) A lot has happened in the last couple of months, so let’s get on with this.

My winged aliens have been set free and the Silverstar Mates series is complete! This series was a blast to write. Creating this new universe was a challenging change of pace from my Prophecy series. If you love sexy silver foxes, you should check it out.

Reflecting back, one of the most notable writing moments for me was one evening when I took a break and watched a documentary about immigration. In it they talked about the word “alien” and how it can be used in a degrading and insulting manner, and that many immigrants prefer it not be used at all.

This is a real-time issue, and I figured that intergalactic travelers might feel the same way. So, instead of alien, I chose to use off-worlder for this series. I kinda like the idea, and you may see this play out in future books of mine as well. I’m mulling that over right now.

Now for the fun little nuggets…. The heroes in these stories are winged beings, and as such have adopted various sayings like: On the other wing, instead of on the other hand; nest, instead of house; flock, instead of family; etc. There are too many others to list, but you can check them out for yourself.

Also, as you read the books you may notice something very special about the heroines’ names. All of their names—first and last (in some cases maiden)—are related to birds. Seriously! Robyn, Meryl, Martin, Vogel, etc. And there’s a future heroine mentioned whose name means “birdlike” in Latin.

And speaking of the future, as of today I started working on the prequel to the Silverstar Mates series. It will be a short story that takes place fifteen years before Above the Storm, and will answer the question I seem to be getting a lot: Who is Sovah Raptorclaw?

Heh, heh, heh. Who indeed? Stay tuned.

XOXO,

Lea Kirk

For more on Lea's books (past, present, and future), check out her:

Newsletter | Website | Facebook | Twitter | BookBub | Amazon | GoodReads

~*~*~*~*~

Need gift ideas? The print versions of my three Prophecy series novels are on sale through January 1, 2021.

 

New Release, and the Silver Foxes for the Win!

About a year ago, USA Today Bestselling Author Tasha Black reached out and invited me to write three books for the Intergalactic Dating Agency's Fall 2020 season.

For those of you who don’t know, the IDA is a shared concept, which is different from a shared world. Shared concept means the authors write whatever stories they want within the community’s guidelines. In this case, the stories must include a dating agency that matches alien males with Earthling females. A shared world allows the authors to write stories within an already existing world created by someone else. (S. E. Smith’s, The Worlds of Magic, New Mexico is an excellent example of a shared world.)

So, my IDA stories could be set in my Prophecy series universe, or I could create a whole new universe and series. I, of course, chose to start from scratch. Because why use something that already exists when I could drive myself crazy creating something brand spanking new in less than twelve months? (Crazy being the operative word in that sentence.)

And to take crazy to a whole new level, I made my heroes and heroines over fifty. There are not a lot of Silver Foxes in Sci-Fi Romance at this point, which needs to change. Someday you younger folks will thank me for this!

The planning stage was going along swimmingly. I had three novella length stories to write, and the first two were flowing from my fingers…until the hero in book one decided that what he really needed was a set of wings. And the heroine got all hot and bothered by this idea. And then, the other two couples chimed in their agreement.

Of course, any author reading this blog is nodding because they already know that there was no way I was going to win that argument.

This is how my Silverstar Mates series was born. Book one, Above the Storm, released last Friday. Book two, Wingand a Prayer, will release October 19, 2020. And Book three, Trial by Fire, is scheduled for a November 12, 2020 release. (Books 2 & 3 are available for preorder now.)

So, without further ado, meet Kyzel and Robyn, my couple from Above the Storm!

~*~*~*~*~*~

Love can be as elusive as stardust.

After thirty-five years married to a controlling husband, Robyn Martin Donahue now has her freedom, friends, and a job she adores. And there’s still room in her heart for a special someone. Where in the galaxy can she find a man who will love and respect her, not try to rule her?

By law, a monarch cannot govern alone. 

Recently widowed Kyzel Raptorclaw, the remaining sovereign of his clan, is on the hunt for a new mate. This time he wants more than just an ally; he wants love. But breaking with his peoples’ ancient mating tradition comes at a personal price—one his new mate may not accept.

Can Kyzel convince Robyn they are better together, or will their happily ever after crash and burn before it has a chance to soar?

Welcome to the Silverstar Agency, specializing in intergalactic love matches for those over fifty.

Buy Above the Storm

~*~*~*~*~*~

Excerpt from Above the Storm

(Setting: Robyn has just gotten home from work, is going through the mail trying to clear her mind of an annoying text conversation with her ex. Little does she know, she’s about to have her first startling close encounter.)

The rap of knuckles against her front door drew a groan from deep inside. Guess Kevin wasn’t finished talking. Once an idiot….

No, no, no. She’d sworn she’d never treat anyone the way Kevin had treated her, and that promise had included Kevin. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t give him a piece of her mind.

She stomped toward the door, grasped the knob, and yanked the door open. “Why, Kevin? Why can’t you just…? Ohh.”

Man-nipples. She was looking at man-nipples, not Kevin’s face. How…unexpected.

A vaguely nutmeggy scent floated on the subtle evening breeze as she tipped her head back…and back, and back. Her gaze roved over the leather straps across the smooth, bare chest, until she met the piercing ice-blue gaze of her rather enormous…and ridiculously handsome…visitor. The guy had to be pushing seven feet; too tall to pass through her doorway without ducking.

And his hair—which wasn’t really hair, it was thin, sleeked-back feathers that ran over his head from a widow’s peak back—looked a lot like a bald eagle’s, with more varying shades of gray than white.

“Good evening, Ms. Donahue.” Her ridiculously handsome visitor had a ridiculously deep and sexy voice. The kind of voice that reached out and caressed her in all the places she hadn’t been caressed in, well, way too long. And never properly.

A subtle motion drew her attention to something big, silver, and feathery behind his broad shoulders.

Her breath hitched in her chest. “OhdearGod!”

She slammed the door.

Breathe, Robbi. Breathe.

But the guy has wings!

Honest-to-God wings. What was she going to do with this?

~*~*~*~*~*~

September’s IDA releases

 Coming in October

To learn more about the authors and stories of the IDA, check out the website.

 XOXO,

~Lea Kirk

~*~*~*~*~*~

USA Today Bestselling Author, Lea Kirk, loves to transport her readers to other worlds with her sci-fi romances. 

When she’s not busy writing about the blue and green aliens of her Prophecy series, she's hanging out with her hubby, five kids (the nerd herd), and their spoiled yet adorable pup. 

She is currently working on the fourth book in her Prophecy series, and her Silverstar Mates series featuring age 50+ protagonists for the Intergalactic Dating Agency.

For more on Lea's books (past, present, and future), check out her:

Newsletter | Website | Facebook | Twitter | BookBub | Amazon | GoodReads

 

 

The Eternal Message of Hope

Happy New Year, everyone! Hope 2020 is treating you well.

Recently, I was one of several SFR authors who contributed to a blog about our takes on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Below is my contribution:

BIG FAT SPOILER ALERT!

If you haven’t seen the movie yet, turn away from the dark side!

As one of my besties & I took our seats in the theater to see The Rise of Skywalker, a sense of finality came over me. This was it, the last movie of a surprise franchise that began over forty years ago. I was a skinny, bespectacled seventh grader when A New Hope released. I was also living in Japan, and at that time new cinema releases were out for a year in the U.S. before they were sent overseas. (They did send Mark Hamill to visit his old high school, which was on the same Army base as the middle school I attended, but that’s another story.)

All we could do was wait. As fate would have it, my dad was transferred stateside and we left the week before Star Wars arrived at the base theater. The first thing my mom did after we arrived in California was to take my sister and I to see the movie—a whole week before my friends got to see it! It was awesome, and it seemed like the story (like the lines) would never end.

But, it has.

Did The Rise of Skywalker live up to my expectations? Overall, yes. Do I have questions? Most definitely. Would I change anything? Yes! The most glaring issue to me—which started in The Force Awakens—is the relationship between Poe and Finn. OMG, people! These two should’ve gotten together!

Now, I’m not a Rose-hater…I actually love her character. And since the powers that be did not see fit to romantically link Poe and Finn, then why not let Finn and Rose hook up? All in all, it would’ve been great if they hadn’t even tried to force that relationship to begin with, but to turn around and cover it up in the latest movie like it’d never happened? Messy loose end.

My biggest heartache was that Rey and Ben will never get together. He dies, she lives, minus the greatest love of her life. This is, of course, my internal romance writer soul crying out at the injustice of them not getting their happily ever after. How-e-ver, there is always a price that must be paid, and Ben’s death—his separation from the woman he loves—is his price. And most of me is good with that.

If I could, what one thing would I change in this movie? Simple. When Luke and Leia appeared to Rey (beautiful and touching, imo), Ben should’ve been with them. He found the good within himself at the eleventh hour, much like Anakin did. And, he quite literally gave his life for her. (Tell me you didn’t cry about that! I did. Like hormonal teenager.)

Bottom line: Despite the still unanswered questions, J. J. Abrams did a phenomenal job wrapping up the Skywalker saga. I wish it could go on forever, but after forty plus years, I’m happy.

I wonder if Abrams would consider going back and remaking parts 1-3…?

~*~*~*~*~

Laurie A. Green did a brilliant follow-up piece on this blog yesterday, and really nailed it. (Read here) 

And gang, you REALLY need to see this see this Rey + Ben video!

~*~*~*~*~

This is happening right now in my world!

My next book in the Prophecy series will release March 10^th! Skylar’s Gift is a novella set shortly after Collision, Book Three in the series.

Reserve your copy now for a special preorder price! (Price goes up after release.)

~*~*~*~*~

USA Today Bestselling Author, Lea Kirk, loves to transport her readers to other worlds with her sci-fi romances. 

When she’s not busy writing about the blue and green aliens of her Prophecy series, she’s hanging out with her hubby, five kids (the nerd herd), and a spoiled Dobie mix pup. 

She's currently working of the fourth book in her Prophecy series, and three new books for a new series to be released this fall. 

For more on Lea's writing journey, check out her:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | BookBub | Amazon | GoodReads|  Newsletter

Black-Cyber-Book-Weekend is here!

Before we jump right into the point of this blog, did you US peeps have a great Thanksgiving? The Kirk family sure did, and you can find out more about that in my December 6^th newsletter if you sign-up.

All right, onward! What is Black-Cyber-Book-Weekend? Obviously, it’s the combination of Black Friday (which now seems to start the Monday before Thanksgiving—unless you’re a car dealership, in which case it starts Nov. 12. The day after the Veteran’s Days deals end.) and Cyber Monday (which now seems to start on Thanksgiving). Am I wrong??

In a nutshell, it’s all about book holiday book deals!

For the record, I tried to think of a way to shorten Black-Cyber-Book-Weekend, much in the way National Novel Writing Month became NaNoWriMo, but alas, BlaCyBoWee isn’t as catchy. It doesn’t even look good as a hashtag. If you have a better idea, please post it in the comments.

And I totally digressed again, didn’t I?

Today…right here on this very blog…I’ll give you all the links I could find to super deals, freebies, and FB events that qualify for Black-Cyber-Book-Weekend! And in the comments, you all are welcome to include links to other book related deals and events I missed. Let’s make this a one-stop shopping spot for readers!

Enough of my yammering. Let’s get on with this!

Events

Cyborg Monday – A multi-author event on Facebook featuring cyborg-sized deals on manly machines. Join the Sci-fi and Fantasy Romance group on Monday December 2 from 6-11 p.m. EST

FB Groups featuring deals

Sci-fi and Fantasy Romance

Sci Fi, Urban Fantasy, and Dystopian Readers and Writers!

Science Fiction Romance Brigade Fanpage

Dragon’s Book Hoarde

Romance with Aliens Who Look Like Aliens

Individual Author Sales

*Tasha Black (SFR)

Reconstructed

*Cara Bristol (SFR/Cyborg)

Stranded with the Cyborg

*Nancey Cummings (SFR)

Snowed in with the Alien Warlord

The Alien Warlord’s Miracle

Taken for Granite

*Libby Doyle (SFR)

The Passion Season

                                                                   
*Susan Hayes (SFR)

Full House

*Lea Kirk (SFR)

 Prophecy

 Blue Christmas

 Space Ranger

 Skylar’s Gift (preorder)

 *Cynthia Sax (SFR/Cyborgs)

 Choosing Chuckles

 Warlord Sky

 Cyborg’s Secret Baby

*Elsa Jade (SFR)

Mach One

*Stephanie West (PNR & SFR)

Nameless Fate

Biting Back

Beautiful Moves

Charge

Arica’s Inferno

The Red Room Job

Hard as Rock

Fated to Fall

Betrayal by Blood

First Sight

Deals and Book Fairs (end Nov. 30!)

Out of This World SFR & PNR

Delicious Aliens

Remember, if you have an SFR, PNR, Fantasy, UF sale going on this weekend, post it in the comments!

Happy reading everyone. See ya next month!

~Lea

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~

USA Today Bestselling Author, Lea Kirk, loves to transport her readers to other worlds with her sci-fi romances. 

When she’s not busy writing about the blue and green aliens of her Prophecy series, or reading about dragons, she’s hanging out with her hubby, five kids (the nerd herd), and spoiled Dobie mix puppy.

She is currently working on a novella and the fourth book in her series.

Oh, For the Love of Soup!

Did you know that January is National Soup Month? It is, really! Personally, I love soup, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Right? So, I pinged my NL subscribers and a couple Facebook groups to see if anyone else loves soup and might want to share their recipes. 

I got some wonderful responses, and some new recipes to try out!

~*~*~*~*~

8 Can Taco Soup

Submitted by: Lea Kirk

Prep time: 30 min. (or less if you have help opening the cans)

Serves: 4-6

1 (15 oz) Can black beans (drained & rinsed)

1 (15 oz) Can pinto beans (drained & rinsed)

1 (14 oz) Can diced tomatoes, drained

1-2 (15 oz) Cans sweet corn, drained

1 (10 oz) Can cream of chicken soup

1 (12 oz) Can white chick breast (I use 12 oz bag of strips from grocery deli section)

1 (14 oz) Can chicken broth

1 Packet taco seasoning (can be reg. or chicken)

Mix all ingredients in a large pot.

Heat until warm, stirring occasionally.

Serve with tortilla chips or country bread, guacamole, & sour cream on the side.

“This is an amazingly simple and filling recipe that my family loves! Being that there are seven of us, I triple the recipe so we have plenty of leftovers. Great for a low-key dinner or winter weekend lunches.” ~Lea Kirk

~*~*~*~*~

Portuguese Coriander Soup (Sopa de Coentro)

Submitted by: KJ Van Houton

Prep time: 1 hour

Serves: 4-6

4 Tbsp olive oil

2-3 onions, chopped

2-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

6 cups chicken stock

3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped

Salt & pepper

Cayenne pepper to taste

1 cup chopped cilantro (coriander leaves)

Heat the oil in a large pot over moderate heat and sauté the onion and garlic until tender but not brown. Add the stock, potatoes, salt, pepper, and cayenne and cook until the potatoes are tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Puree in an electric blender or food processor or press through a fine-mesh strained if desired. Serve hot or cold, adding the coriander immediately before serving.

“I had something like this is Portugal about 30 years ago and searched everywhere to find the recipe! I think the one I had there used a lot less potato though, as it seemed mostly broth and coriander.” ~Kim Van Houton

~*~*~*~*~

Potato, Ham, and Cheese Soup

Submitted by Peggy Sue Darrow

Prep time: approx. 1 hour

Serves: A lot! Leftovers will be a thing.

5 lbs potatoes peeled, and chopped into multiple sizes,

4 cups water

2 cups milk

Salt and pepper

Celery seed to taste

12 oz. (or more!) ham, cubed

1 – 10 oz can cheese soup (Campbell’s)

1 cup milk

Veggies (fresh or frozen, optional)

Corn starch (as needed for thickening)

Put potatoes in a stock pot. Add water, milk, salt and pepper, and celery seed. Let cook till potatoes are somewhat still firm but not mushy.

Add can of cheese soup, 1 cup milk, veggies, and ham. Stir often to make sure the milk and cheese soup don’t scorch. Mix in little bit of corn starch to thicken. Heat to boil. Continue to add small amounts of corn starch every 15 min till your soup is thickened to your likes.

“This reminds me of my mom. She passed away and I am trying really hard to keep her recipes together. The potato, stew, some others are all that I got from her, but at least I can feed myself!” ~Peggy Sue Darrow

~*~*~*~*~

Chicken and Potato Soup with Dumplings

Submitted by: Cara Bristol

Prep & Cook Time: 75 min.

Servings: 6-8

4 Skinned chicken thighs, rinsed

 2 Quarts chicken broth (fat-skimmed, low-sodium)

 5 Fresh sage leaves, rinsed

 2 Leeks

 5 Russet potatoes, peeled and diced

 2 Stalks celery, rinsed, trimmed, and diced

 2 Carrots, peeled and diced

 1 Cup all-purpose flour

 1/2 Cup cornmeal

 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

 1 tsp. salt

 2 tsp. fresh sage leaves, finely chopped

 1/3 cup milk

 1 large egg plus 1 large egg white, beaten lightly together

 2 Tbsp. melted butter

In a 6- to 8-quart pan over high heat, bring chicken, broth, and whole sage leaves to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer, skimming off and discarding any foam that rises to the surface, until chicken is no longer pink at bone (cut to test), about 30 minutes.

Cut off and discard root ends and dark green tops from leeks. Cut white and pale green parts in half lengthwise and rinse well under running water, flipping layers to release grit. Thinly slice leeks crosswise.

Lift chicken from broth. When cool enough to handle, pull meat into shreds, and discard bones.

Add potatoes, celery, carrots, leeks, and 2 cups water to pan with broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until vegetables are tender when pierced, 20 to 30 minutes. Stir in shredded chicken.

Dumpling batter: In a large bowl, mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and the chopped sage. Stir in milk, beaten egg and egg white, and the melted butter just until combined.

Drop dumpling batter in 12 to 14 heaping tablespoon portions on the surface of the simmering soup. Cover pan and simmer over medium-low heat (do not allow soup to boil) until a knife inserted into the center of a dumpling comes out clean, about 10 minutes. Ladle hot soup into bowls.

NOTES: Use a wide pan in order to have adequate surface area to make the dumplings. You can make the soup through step 4 up to 1 day ahead if you like; cover it airtight and chill. Before serving, bring it to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, then proceed with making the dumplings.

“I make this chicken soup all the time. It's my go-to recipe. I don't make the dumplings and I serve it with noodles, not potatoes. But I love the soup. I used to make my grandmother's chicken soup, but I like this one better. Sorry, Nana.” ~Cara Bristol

~*~*~*~*~

Minestrone

Submitted by: Lynn Beaumont

Prep time: 1 hour

Serves: 4-6

½ lb. Italian sweet sausage (I always double the amount of sausage so normally 1 lb.)

1 T. olive oil

1 c. diced onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 c. diced carrots

1 tsp. basil

2 small zucchinis

1 lb. can Italian-style tomatoes (undrained)

2 – 10 oz. cans beef bouillon (not sure this size is available – I usually use whatever size I can find and then make up the difference with more red wine)

2 c. finely shredded cabbage

salt & pepper to taste

1 lb. can white beans (undrained)

½ c. rice

½ c. red wine

grated Parmesan cheese

Slice sausage crosswise & brown in oil.  Add onion, garlic, carrots & basil, and then cook for 5 minutes.  Add zucchini, tomatoes (with liquid), bouillon, cabbage, salt & pepper.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered for 1 hour.  Add beans with their liquid, rice & wine then cook another 20 minutes until rice is done.  Serve at once, or cool and refrigerate.

“I don’t remember the first time my mom made this for us as kids but we all liked it right away.   One thing about the soup is that for some reason it stays hot for a really long time.  We had a family joke that we could solve the energy crisis if we could figure out how to get the heat generated by a black car with black seats in the CA summer into the minestrone where we could store it for use later.  Okay, not much of a joke but we always snickered.  My sister-in-law asks my mom to make it for her every year for her birthday.  It is a filling and delicious recipe!  A pot of soup, some good hearty bread and a salad and you have a meal!” ~Lynn Beaumont

~*~*~*~*~

White Chicken Chili
Submitted by: Kate Botting

Prep. Time: 45 min.

Serves: 4-6

16 oz. canned white beans (Great Northern, White Kidney) 
2 large onions, chopped 
1 stick unsalted butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour 
¾ cup chicken broth (add more as needed)
2 cups half and half
1 tsp Tabasco 
1 1/2 tsps chili powder 
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
8 oz. whole mild green chilis, drained and chopped (or other hot peppers, jalapenos) 
2 lbs skinless chicken breasts, cooked (see below) 
1½ cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

Optional additions:
Sweet Corn kernels
Minced Garlic Cloves
Oregano 
1/2 cup sour cream (at end)

INSTRUCTIONS 

1. Coat the chicken with salt and pepper and maybe some chili powder. Throw them in the skillet with butter/oil and brown both sides, and fully cooked. 

2. Shred the chicken with your fingers and set aside.

3. Cook the onion with 2 tbsp butter until softened. 

4. Melt the remaining 6 tbsp of butter over moderately low heat and whisk in flour. Cook the roux, with constant stirring, for 3 minutes. Stir in the onion and gradually add the broth and half/half, whisking the whole time. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes, or until thickened. 

5. Stir in Tabasco, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Add beans, chilis/peppers, chicken, and cheese. Cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Add sour cream (optional).

~*~*~*~*~

Easy Chicken Stew

Submitted by: Elizabeth Robbins

Prep time: Varies

Serves: 4-6

Chicken breast, chunked to 3/4 inches

1 qt box of chicken broth 

Chunks of potato

Baby carrots

1/2 cup Bisquick 

Cold water

All-day directions:

In the morning, place chicken, broth, potato, and carrots in a slow cooker on high. After around 5 hours, mix the Bisquick with cold water and whisk until you have a thin consistency (like for crepes, but not pancakes) add this mixture to your crock pot and stir well. Reduce heat to low, and cook until your dinner time. 

Quick dinner:

Boil the carrots

15 min later, start boiling the potatoes

Meanwhile, pan cook the chicken.

Whisk together the Bisquick and cold water to a thin consistency. 

Whisk in the chicken broth

Combine all fully-cooked ingredients in a 4-qt pot. 

Simmer for 15 minutes or so, until thickened. 

Serve with biscuits or rice.

“This is a recipe I adapted a couple of years ago, from my mother's chicken gravy recipe. I live in the Northeast, so I'm always looking for food I can cook in my crockpot. I swear, the smell of food cooking makes the house FEEL warmer. For those interested, the gravy can be made with more Bisquick or flour and no veggies, served over biscuits, rice, or potatoes.” ~Elizabeth Robbins

~*~*~*~*~

Thank you to everyone who shared recipes! XOXO 

Do you have a fantastic soup recipe you love? Share it in the comments, and tell us why!

(Side note: I have no idea why some words are showing up with a blue back ground and some with white. I'm still trying to figure out how this site works.)

~*~*~*~*~

USA Today Bestselling Author Lea Kirk loves to transport her readers to other worlds with her science fiction romance Prophecy series. She’s an avid Trekkie, Gryffindor, and wannabe space explorer. She’s made one foray into paranormal romance with her Magic, NM vampire novella, Made for Her, and hopes to write more stories in this world.

When she’s not busy writing, she’s hanging out with her wonderful hubby of twenty-eight years, their five kids (aka, the nerd herd), and a spoiled Dobie mix pup.

For more on Lea's books (past, present, and future), check out her:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | BookBub | Amazon | GoodReads|  Newsletter.