I have to admit that I’ve been surprised that THE HAG RIDER is almost universally liked. It appeals to both adult readers and YA readers.
Yes, it’s about the Civil War and yes, it’s about a Confederate soldier, but it’s also about his struggle to come to terms with his conflicted viewpoints. And through it all, he is protected by a slave witch hired by his best friend and mentor, another slave. His allegiance is not to the South, it is to his soldier brothers for whom the war is camp duty and friendship.
Give it a try. It’s free May 18-21.
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Thomas Fenske is a writer living in NC. His next novel, Harmon Creek, is due out in June 2022 http://tfenske.com
This is just another fine-tuning of my Amazon blurb … I think it’s getting there.
“The Mossback” made it’s first appearance in the pages of Thomas Fenske’s debut novel, THE FEVER, when owner Smidgeon Toll delivered a massive serving of Huevos Rancheros Especial to Sam, that book’s hero, and proudly exclaimed:
“There, what do you think of that?”
The description of gooey, spicy, goodness that followed spurred several readers to ask the author, “Is that a real dish?” Now you can see for yourself!
Fiction has become kitchen.
Smidgeon will entertain you with her quirky, homespun wisdom as she shares a mini-history of the cafe along with some insight into what helps to make The Mossback a unique and delightful locale in the world of fictional eateries.
Along the way you’ll learn how to make her awesome square biscuits. She also reveals details about the full-sized heap of bacon they serve on “THAT BLT, ” and introduces readers to other local favorites like the “Double Trouble Dog” and what has to be the “Best-Danged Buttermilk Pie” you’ve ever tasted. As an added bonus, she has agreed to share her famous Potato Salad Secret, something surprising and simple that will take even the best potato salad recipe and crank it up a notch, maybe two!
Simply put, these are all part of what would have made The Mossback Cafe famous, well, if it actually existed.
So hop out of your pickup truck and mosey on in … there just might be some breakfast tacos or enchiladas lurking in your future.
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The Mossback Cafe Cookbook is still mostly FREE … check out my website for the free venues as well as the link to Amazon where it is 99 cents. Feel free to share one of the other sites to them using the report a lower price option. Or if you insist, buy it but be aware that there is a kindle version available at the Smashwords link.
If we were having coffee today I guess we’d both mention April Fool’s Day. It always seems so appropriate to “do” something on April Fools Day. The fact of the matter is, I joke all the time so I’m a bit jaded by April Fools. It’s a bit like a heavy drinker making a big deal over New Year’s Eve or St. Patrick’s Day as a drinking day. I mean, for them, every day is a big drinking day so why seize on those events, right? So, anyway, I’m just not in the mood this year. Maybe it’s my weeklong backache, or the reorganization at work, or the growing grass and weeds in the yard which brings me back to, well, back to my backache.
Sigh. With my back, I know I just need to give it some time. It always manages to work itself out. It twinged up on Friday a week ago and was feeling better last Sunday so I did a little bit of yard work but paid the price. If I’d let it go last week, I’d probably be ready to go out and do battle now. As it is, I’ll probably need to wait until next weekend.
As far as the reorganization goes, they are a way of life at work. Somebody is always reorganizing something. I’ve worked at the same place for seventeen years and I have completely lost count of the reorganizations. The other day I tried to remember all of my bosses names and I drew a blank on a couple of them. It is simply a way of life in big corporations. I have two theories about why that is, and I think they are related.
One: some form of movement gives the outward impression of progress. In fact, it is really just moving the many pieces around. Oh, little things change, sure, but basically, it ends up being the same work. Nothing ultimately changes.
Two: by its nature, this form of change tends to cause anxiety and discontent. This leads to what I call passive layoffs. These occur if people are already dissatisfied with the company and the unnecessary changes might just spur them to quit and move on. This is a win-win for the company because formal layoffs are very expensive. If they can up the irritation factor just a little, they save a ton of money.
Silly April Fools notion? Think about it. Think about times you’ve worked at a job and some inane policy has come up that made you seriously consider moving on. As far as I know, I made this term up but deep in my heart, I know it is a real thing. No joke. It’s a subtle form of managerial influence. It is akin to the theory that fast food eateries have color schemes designed to influence you to eat fast and get the heck out of there by using a subconscious influence to increase their customer turnover and make more money. We’ll have to see how all that plays out for me. I’m pretty used to these changes, but we’ll have to see. It’s a big unknown. Yesterday I had one manager, today I have another.
In other April Fool’s Weekend news … there is an important sports milestone this weekend. No, I’m not talking about Basketball. Never have been a big fan, although sometimes I’ll watch the last two minutes.
No, I’m talking about a real sport: BASEBALL SEASON STARTS TOMORROW.
Note: there is no “last two minutes” in baseball.
Downloads of the new cookbook have slowed down. Please check it out. It’s fun, it’s got some good recipes, and it’s free. It’s also a good introduction to the world of my two novels. As a reviewer put it this week: “This little cookbook makes the novels seem almost like reading about friends” … ebook only right now, but like I said, it’s free and there are versions for virtually any device.
So, even though I haven’t joked at all … that is so out of character for me, I think I can say, April Fools.
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Thomas Fenske is a writer living in NC. You can make his back feel better and make him less uneasy about his job if you BUY HIS BOOKS. More info at http://thefensk.com. At least download the cookbook … you know you can get the pdf and read it at the office while you are pretending to work. At least an increase in free downloads gives the impression of some form of progress. 😉
I was pleased to get the first review of The Mossback Cafe Cookbook today. I’m still waiting to clear up some technical issues before uploading the book to Amazon, so this review is on Smashwords. It is also my first review on Smashwords!
I just had to share it …
The review is by Laura Rittenhouse, a fellow writer. I’m honored. Be sure to look her up on Smashwords and Amazon!
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“I’ve read the front of the book and then, being held hostage to my sweet tooth, flipped to the back – the dessert section. I baked the coffee cake and my only complaint is I shared too much of it with appreciative friends. Next time I make it I’ll make sure I’m alone 🙂
There are a lot of recipes in here that I’ll try in the coming weeks – it is really a good cook book. But what pushed this to 5 stars for me was the fact that it’s a really fun companion to The Fever (which I’ve read) and, apparently, A curse That Bites Deep (which I haven’t – yet). This little cook book makes the novels seem almost like reading about friends.”
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To read the original review and download your own copy of this free cookbook, go to:
You can also get ebooks of THE FEVER and A CURSE THAT BITES DEEP from Smashwords. The novels are also available in paper and from other outlets like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. More information on all of my books can be found at http://thefensk.com
It’s slowly coming together. What? Why, THE MOSSBACK INN COOKBOOK! What is it? Well, what I’ve tried to do is create a 1980s look in a cookbook, based on a fictional eatery that figures largely in my Traces of Treasure novel series. Hey, I collect cookbooks I know what it’s supposed to look like. […]
“The Mossback” made it’s first appearance in the pages of Thomas Fenske’s debut novel, THE FEVER, when owner Smidgeon Toll delivered a massive serving of Huevos Rancheros Especial to Sam, that book’s hero, and proudly exclaimed:
Scratching the Surface 