Leslie Keller Books

It's haunting time again and the zombies, ghouls and scary creatures of the night will soon be knocking at your door. If you love Halloween like I do, or if you just want an excuse to make a new cocktail, this is the right recipe for you. Zombie 2 ounces light rum 1 ounce dark rum 1/2 ounce apricot brandy 1/2 ounce 151 rum 1 ounce orange juice - freshly squeezed is best 1 ounce pineapple juice - you can use the canner version 1 ounce lime juice or the juice of 1/2 lime 1 teaspoon sugar Orange slice, sprig of mint (optional) and cherry for garnish Combine all ingredients, except the 152 proof rum, in a blender with ice. Blend thoroughly. Pour into a Collins or parfait glass. Float rum on the top - This means to use a pour spout and pour over top of the blended cocktail.  Ideally, the liquor will float on the top. Garnish with a slice of orange, sprig of mint and cherry. This drinks packs a wallop so plan to have appropriate Halloween snacks to slow down the ab

This is the second shared world series short story that I read. As an author who participated in this publishing event, I was excited to try authors who are new to me. As a cat lover, I suspected this light romance would tug at my heart strings and it didn't disappoint. Daria has come to stay in Phoenix  after her aunt's passing in order to prepare her house for sale. She has left her boyfriend behind in Los Angeles, sold her condo and is ready to move in with him when she returns. That is until she meets her aunt's handsome neighbor Harrison and finds a litter of kittens in her Oleander bush. Harrison has a successful business which allows him the flexibility to also care for the feral cat population in his neighborhood. How can any girl not fall in love with someone who goes the extra mile for unwanted animals? When Harrison explains that the kittens will need care until they can be weaned from the mother in eight weeks, Daria's plans change. What develops i

I'm including a new monthly feature to keep my readers in the loop about what's been happening in my writing world. These posts will include information about new releases from me, book events and general updates. This year has been exceptional - exceptionally hectic, exceptionally distracting but also productive.  I've continued work on the third book in the Jayne Stanford series. Darn that Jayne who keeps me hopping because she isn't doing what I expected her to do. However, I'm working hard to wrap up the story and get her out of my head. I ended 2018 and began 2019 in Miami Beach with family. I admit I was quite spoiled by the spa treatments, White Christmas performance and amazing food we enjoyed. In February, I participated in the Scottsdale Library's annual Authors event.  This is the third time I've been a part of this event and each time it's as much fun for the authors as it is for the attendees. I followed this event up the follow

The new book, still tentatively titled No Reservations , is progressing and I hope to have it completed soon. As I write, characters may evolve or change completely. It's not unusual for me to change character names, change their looks or even their sex as I write. Many authors say that the characters drive what happens. I agree in part. Obviously I'm the one who has the final say! For each book, I begin with the setting. Where is the story taking place? Once I've decided on the location I will outline the rest of the plot. In my mind I'll know what the overall premise of the book will be and what I expect to happen. In each of the three books, much of what I planned is changed. Perhaps that is the characters' way of guiding me or it could just be that my mind heads in a direction which I didn't expect. Occasionally, when writing dialog the character says lines which impact the scene and move the story along a different path. In No Reservations I have a new

Recently I was fortunate to be included in an event in Napa. We dined at two amazing restaurants which included multiple courses. Some may say that ten courses of small bites isn't much. I'll guarantee you that I was more than full by the end. This made me wonder about why many restaurants in the U.S. serve gigantic portions. I'm not opposed to family style dining. In fact, I find it a great way for everyone to taste different things. Generally, if I dine with certain family members, who will remain anonymous, those persons want to decide for everyone in order to share.  If I know in advance the portions are meant for sharing, I'm fine with ordering less.  However, for those restaurants which don't give you fair warning, there is too much food. I'll admit I'm a nibbler. I enjoy small plates of different things. Even desserts are generally bigger than I can consume. This is a fact which drives my girlfriends crazy because they feel compelled to finish wha

Here's a snippet of my recently released short story. This was my first venture into writing short story romance and my first time participating in a share series event.  I found it difficult to write a complete story in only a few thousand words.  If time allows, I may try another - if Jayne's third book is finished first! You can read the full short story on Kindle. It's available in EBook only. Reunion in the Desert Whoever first said “It’s a dry heat” was crazy Dani thought as she slid onto the scorching seat of the rental car, careful not to touch any metal surfaces. She wondered why anyone ever thought leather seats were a good idea when the Phoenix temperature could easily hit one hundred and fifteen degrees in summer. Her friends back in New York City complained all summer long about the heat but she knew they’d never been sitting in rush hour without air conditioning when you could fry an egg on the pavement. It had been an especially long four hour

Since my last recipe was for a dessert, I resisted the urge to include another.  Instead I'm giving you one which can be used as a party appetizer or for any meal. These are best right out of the oven but they heat up well.  I like to make a batch and then re-heat for breakfast when I'm in a rush to grab something filling. Since Wild Bronco Steakhouse (the fictional restaurant in my books, doesn't serve breakfast, I'm imagining this was prepared for a catered event (such as when Jayne worked a party for the Mayor of Cave Creek) as these travel well. I created this recipe from a combination of several mini frittatas and added my own twists.  The great thing about this recipe is that you really can't mess it up.  Breakfast Cups aka Almost Quiche 8 large eggs - I use 4 whole eggs and 4 egg whites 1 can refrigerator croissant rolls or large biscuits 1/2 cup whole milk 1/2 cup chopped onion * 1-2 tablespoons butter 2/3 cup reduced fat ham. Canadian Baco