PRE-ORDER TODAY

If you pre-order DESERT TRYST on Amazon TODAY it's only 99 cents!

http://www.amazon.com/Desert-Tryst-1Night-Susanne-Saville-ebook/dp/B00Y3O5WY8

Facebook Party May 19, 2015

Come to the Facebook Party TODAY!! I'll be there from 4:20 - 4:40pm Eastern (2:20 - 2:40pm Mountain) time. Come chat with me! Click here:  https://www.facebook.com/events/471379986347936/

Please.

Seriously.

Don't leave me alone on Facebook.

Lots of other authors will be there throughout the day, of course. Giving away PRIZES. FREE STUFF. So go party!

YOU NEED MORE STUFF.

CLICK THE LINK.

I'll see you there.

Chile Ristras and Petroglyphs on the Volcanoes

These are chile ristras.

This photo is from the Petroglyph National Monument website, which has lovely ones on display at their Visitor Center.

If you ever get to Albuquerque, do make a point of going to the Petroglyph National Monument.

You may not know it, but New Mexico is one of the most volcanic states in the union. There are three volcanoes here in Albuquerque. They're examples of fissure eruption ("curtains of fire," like from Kilauea).

Into this volcanic rock some 400 to 700 years ago, Ancestral Pueblo Indians carved petroglyphs. Or scratched. Chiseled. How they made the petroglyphs is actually unknown. These images were spiritually important to them.

Spanish settlers saw the designs and added their own (easily identifiable Christian iconography). You can walk multiple trails of varying difficulty to see these cultural symbols (both Puebloan and Spanish) in their natural habitat.

But back to chile ristras.

Colonial settlers on the east coast of North America used the pineapple as a symbol of hospitality. 

You'll find pineapples (some more stylized than others) on entryways, staircases, and in dining decorations.

The pineapple was also a Christian symbol to these British colonists, as well as a symbol of Empire. But that's another story.

In the same way, chile ristras came to symbolize hospitality in the southwestern Spanish colonies. 

Originally, the chiles were strung together and hung up to dry for future consumption, but this utilitarian storage solution meant one had beautiful bright red garlands hanging on one's porch, and the more you had, the more bountiful your future feasts would be. 

So it's easy to see how the display of numerous hanging ristras about the entryway could become associated with generous, welcoming hosts. 

Unlike pineapples, which are now associated with antique decor, chile ristras are still used in modern decoration in New Mexico. Consequently, they had to be mentioned in DESERT TRYST. 

Any Bed & Breakfast worth its chiles would have a ristra or two out front. I hope touches like this help make the story feel authentic for the reader.

Of Hatch New Mexico, Chiles, and Cheese

image from http://www.centralmarket.com/hatch

You know you're a local New Mexican when the waiter can ask you "Red or green?" after your breakfast order and you know exactly what he's talking about. 

He's talking about chiles. 

Do you want red chile or green chile?
Yes, chile sauce can be served at breakfast. Chiles can be served with anything. On anything. All the chain fast food restaurants have chiles on their menu, including Pizza Hut. Yes, there are chiles on the pizza. 

There are even chiles in the Chinese food in New Mexico.

Seriously.

You can't enter New Mexico without being introduced to the chile - especially the green chile. New Mexican green chiles, also known as Hatch green chiles - Hatch, New Mexico being where the main (some say best) farms are located, are unique. 

They aren't a subset of another type of chile. They are their own breed, developed by Fabian Garcia and officially released in 1917 ("Improved Variety No. 9"). Today you can purchase several varieties of Hatch chiles, such as Big Jim (noted favorite, medium hot, big and meaty) and Sandia (hot and flavorful).

Fabian Garcia, first director of New Mexico A&M's Agricultural Experiment Station, also worked on onions, cotton, and pecans - all of which grow around Hatch to this day. But none of them are as famous as his chile. 

In case you're wondering, red chiles are the same chiles as green chiles, they've just been left to ripen more before they're picked.

Roasting the chile crop is a yearly tradition in New Mexico. You can watch at restaurants, farmers' markets, or temporary roadside stands.

You can also roast your own chiles at home.

This is where the hoarding begins, because if you're a chile fan, you've got to buy and preserve enough chiles to last you until the next harvest.





What can you do with your chiles, now that you have them? Well, chile rellenos are popular.

Find this Hatch chile rellenos recipe HERE

But I have found that many people like the mix of chiles and cheese. There's something especially tempting about the taste of melted cheese and hot peppers.

The Dog House Drive In, located in Albuquerque, is famous for its chile cheese dogs.

And practically everywhere has a green chile cheeseburger (including all of the fast food chains, such as McDonalds).

There is even a Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail, if as part of your tourist journey you would like to cheerfully munch your way across New Mexico state.

Several burger joints claim to be the inventor of this iconic sandwich. One of these is The Owl Cafe, which was the inspiration for the bar where my characters meet in my 1NS story DESERT TRYST.

So of course, green chile cheeseburgers have a cameo in DESERT TRYST. How could they not?

It's not New Mexico if there aren't chiles.

COVER REVEAL

*drumroll please*
Yes! Here it is! Remember that oddly dark yet adorable m/m romance short story I wrote last autumn? I moaned about it several times on Twitter back then. Well... its publication date is FINALLY ALMOST HERE.

And as the first step in the promo process, I bring to you now: THE COVER.

The beautiful, beautiful cover by Fiona Jayde.

You will notice by the branding on the cover that it is being published by Decadent Publishing as part of their 1Night Stand series.

What does that mean?

All the books in the 1Night Stand line share one thing in common: Madame Evangeline ("Eve") and her 1Night Stand (1NS) dating service. Her exceptionally exclusive, never advertised, online dating service. You tell her what you're looking for, and you're promised the date of your dreams.

Although I suppose it's actually a blind date, because until you show up at the location she gives you, you have no idea whom you're meeting.

But don't worry, these being romances, Madame Eve is almost magical in the way she can pair up soul mates.

So that's the framework upon which each unique couple begins their story. Look for this one to be released May 26!