Creamy Potato Casserole
Macaroni and cheese was a major comfort food for me, but—after turning vegan—dairy products were no longer on the menu. My sweetie prefers potatoes to pasta, so I developed this recipe from Rip Esselstyn’s Macaroni and Not Cheese found in The Engine 2 Diet: The Texas Firefighter’s 28-Day Save-Your-Life Plan that Lowers Cholesterol and Burns Away the Pounds and the Vegan Mac’n’Cheese recipe from the Penzeys Spices catalog (publication date not available).Get Your Vampire On
I think you’ll enjoy this exciting vampire novel written by a prolific author-friend of mine. Take this link to find the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FV0WDDG Vrikolakas is the story of Jason, a young Spartan soldier who falls on the battlefield in ancient Greece. Although his wounds are fatal, Jason is brought back to life by drinking the blood of a nurturing vampire, Maia, who has had her eye on Jason since he was a youth.Magical Potato Waffles
Penn Jillette and The Magic of the Potato More and more we’re hearing that starch is the answer to weight loss and improved health. I just finished Penn Jillette’s hilarious and heartfelt account of how he lost over 100 pounds in Presto! How I Made Over 100 Pounds Disappear and Other Magical Tales. Under the direction of his diet guru, former NASA scientist Ray Cronise (“CrayRay” to Jillette’s readers), Jillette loses nearly 20 pounds in 14 days eating only potatoes.Inspiration for Characters: Who Am I And Why Am I Here?
Inspiration for Characters The inspirations for many of the characters in my books come from people in real life. Although my characters are not—by any means—based completely upon people I know, they do frequently contain snippets of personality, manner of speech, and history to help make them more three dimensional. In an early post Who Am I? I wrote about the inspiration for my novella Vienna Bonbons which came from the completely fictional backstory for my dancers' recital ballet in 2012.In the Way Back
Good Habits and New Year’s Resolutions I’ve not done well with New Year’s Resolutions in the past. By February, usually, if I had one, I’d already forgotten it. 2016 was different, though. I set a resolution and actually kept it! Prior to 2016 I’d been lucky to clean house, at the most, six times annually (think “the Federal holidays”). However, last January 1st I resolved to clean one room every week.Jewel of Fruit Pie
For the last few years, our “go to” dessert when my friends and I get together for a birthday celebration has been Jewel of Fruit Pie—a fat-free, sugar-free, vegan dessert. The sweetening for the filling comes from frozen concentrated apple juice. This recipe is based on the Jewel-of-Fruit Pie recipe from Robert Pritikin’s book The New Pritikin Program. Jewel of Fruit Pie Filling: 1/3 cup apple juice concentrate, partially thawed 1/2 cup water 2 Tbsp.Faux Tuna Salad
Even if I wasn’t already eating vegan, the current threat of heavy metal contaminants in fish and other ocean creatures would be enough to put me off tuna salad for the rest of my life. Back in the day, however, tuna salad was a staple—a can of tuna, some mayonnaise and mustard, maybe a hard boiled egg, and a large spoonful of pickle relish, mixed together and spooned atop a lettuce leaf or spread on a piece of bread.Sciatica Relief for Authors, Part 2: Video
After numerous requests from readers, and with the assistance of my manager, I have filmed a video demonstration of the exercises from my blog post “Sciatica Relief for Authors.” Exercises for Relief of Sciatic PainTake the link below to watch my YouTube video demonstrating the following exercises: Trigger Point Releases for the Sacrotuberous Ligament, Piriformis, Gluteus Maximus, and Gluteus Medius Piriformis Stretch Healthy Passive SittingFat Free, Dairy Free, Whole Wheat Pancakes
I love this starch-based diet (see Dr. John McDougall’s The Starch Solution)! Whether you’re starch-based, or not, who doesn’t want carbs on a Sunday morning? Here’s a pancake recipe I’ve modified from one I found online. Note: If you are eating gluten-free, you may wish to substitute your favorite gluten-free flour for the whole-wheat flour. Fat-Free, Dairy-Free, Whole Wheat PancakesIngredients 1 cup whole-wheat flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup water 2 tablespoons maple syrup or cane syrup InstructionsX Marks the Spot
My Daddy, Dick Heitzman, always said this story was true. There was no reason to doubt him, except that he was a raconteur from way back and, on reflection, it did sound more like a flight of fancy or a pile of something else. After all, at the end of the day, Mary came out with the same burial plots she had started with. Dick, however, asserted to the end that he (and Mary) had exhumed a system of graft and corruption of far-reaching consequences.No Oil Wacky Cake
When my birthday was coming up, I was delighted to find a “vegan” recipe in the Penzeys catalog https://www.penzeys.com for baking a chocolate cake. Although the recipe had no dairy or eggs, it did have 2/3 cup of oil, which is the “worst thing you can eat”, my starch-based diet gurus (McDougall, Esselstyn, Novick, and Chef AJ) inform me. This recipe is based on the Incredible Vegan Chocolate Cake and Grandma Russell’s Wacky Cake recipes.Sombras del Pasado: Metamorphosis
This book is available at these fine booksellers: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E0FKSBG About Sombras del Pasado: Metamorphosis: In this sequel to Sombras del Pasado (Shadows of the Past): Twenty years have passed and Lillie and Shane have their hands full with two teenage children—one who’s arrested on the eve of Lillie’s important trip to Dallas and the other who runs away that same night for parts unknown. But Lillie has worse problems than errant children.Captain Jack's Lone Stand
CAPTAIN JACK’S LONE STAND ON ENCHANTED ROCK Fall 1841, Llano County, Texas John Coffee Hays sucked in a breath of damp morning air and gazed out at the dome of the isolated rock hill that glittered against the horizon. The twenty-four year old, known to his fellows as “Jack”, had migrated to Texas five years earlier. With a letter of introduction from his uncle Andrew Jackson in hand, the former chain-boy on a Tennessee land surveying crew was hired as a Ranger by President Sam Houston, himself.The Barefoot Boy - Part One, Bicycles
THE BAREFOOT BOY(Author Unknown) ‘Twas midnight on the ocean, Not a streetcar was in sight. The sun was shining brightly As it rained all day that night. It was a winter’s day in summer And the snow was raining fast. And a barefoot boy with shoes on Stood sitting in the grass. I don’t know if Funny Grampa http://rebeccaradley.com/blog/post/funnyGrampa/ recited this poem or just drew a comic with the title “The Barefoot Boy With No Shoes On,” but, in Grampa’s honor, I always recite the last line of the poem as follows:Fat Free Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
When we started eating vegan two years ago, probably the hardest thing for me to give up was the eggs and dairy. I also had some difficulties following the recommendations of our gurus John McDougall, Caldwell Esselstyn, and Jeff Novick regarding eliminating oil from the diet. How can you bake anything without no-stick cooking spray? For this cookie recipe, I had the brilliant idea to line the cookie sheets with parchment paper and, I’m happy to say, the parchment paper worked like a charm.Vegan Sweet and Sour
I’m not much of a cook, but I’ve been trying to re-create a few of my favorite comfort foods since we started eating vegan two years ago. I’d really been craving Sweet and Sour Chicken when I realized I could make Sweet and Sour with just the vegetables and pineapple and leave out the meat. As we’ve been trying to eliminate oil from our diet, I didn’t want to stir-fry. Instead, I steamed the vegetables in apple juice.To Vegan Or Not To Vegan, Oil Free Salad Dressing
I often joke that I’m a vegan, not so much because I love animals, but because I hate plants—especially the cruciferous ones. I do love starch, however (think potatoes, yams, rice, etc.), and have elected to be the kind of vegan who eats mainly on the “starch strong” plan. Regardless, vegetables must still constitute a large part of the diet. Yuk. I’m not really a broccoli fan … especially without the cheese or Hollandaise sauce.Sciatica Relief for Authors
If you have a pain in the butt, down the leg, or lower leg pain, you may not only be sitting too much or getting too little exercise, you may be suffering from Sciatica or Piriformis Syndrome. These conditions are responsible for pain anywhere along the pathway of the sciatic nerve. Here are a few tips and exercises that may help (p.s.: see link to video demonstration of exercises below):Carpal Tunnel Relief for Authors
Authors, whether they type their novels or write with a Mirado Black Warrior, can suffer from an overuse injury, known as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Here are a few tips and exercises that may help: “Walk Around” Exercise - Stand facing a wall or door holding the elbow against your ribs, place the palm flat against the door at chest height keeping the palm pressed into the door and your elbow pressing into your ribs, walk yourself to face 90 degrees away from the doorMy Funny Grampa
We always called my father’s dad “Funny Grampa.” Frank Heitzman came over on the boat from Bohemia with his family when he was a child of two. Soon thereafter, the family settled in the Bronx. Grampa served during the Great War and his best friend from the army died in the 1918 flu epidemic. When Grampa went to visit the family, he met my grandmother, Vera, his best friend’s sister.America's Junior Miss Interview
Here is an interview I did for Free Books Daily in August of 2014, during a book promotion for America’s Junior Miss. Take the link to the interview online, or read the Q&A below. http://www.freeebooksdaily.com/2014/08/rebecca-radley-talks-about-her-book_20.html Genre: Modern Day Fairy Tale What was the inspiration for your book? The inspiration came from my son when he was in high school. He wore his hair long and flowing like Galahad and had the most delightful personality (still does—as to the personality and, until fairly recently, even the hair).Smashwords Interview (Vienna Bonbons)
I did this interview for Smashwords soon after we decided to make America’s Junior Miss, Tree People, Vienna Bonbons, and Sombras del Pasado available to a wider market. Take the link to Smashwords to read about my inspiration for Vienna Bonbons, or read the text of the interview below: https://www.smashwords.com/interview/BethBisett What was the inspiration for Vienna Bonbons? For the last 16 years I have taught ballet and pointe at a wonderful studio in central Texas.YouTube Interview with Author Rebecca Radley
If you haven’t see this interview of Rebecca Radley on YouTube, you’re in for a treat! Rebecca rarely appears for an in-person interview, and you’ll probably understand why when you see this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDArEz8nD7ISombras del Pasado Links to Music/Art
Dear Friends, In my fourth novel, Sombras del Pasado (Shadows of the Past), in a scene at the house in Alamo Heights, Max admires the Dalhart Windberg print on canvas of a painting that is hanging on the wall. In case you didn’t try the link or were unable to take the active link from your Kindle or iPhone, here is a link to the painting entitled Tranquility of Bibbiena.Sombras del Pasado
This book is available at these fine booksellers: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NE9D33U https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/506946 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sombras-del-pasado-rebecca-radley/1121018122?ean=2940046498226 https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sombras-del-pasado-shadows/id956314221 About Sombras del Pasado, Shadows of the Past: Divorced choreographer and de facto manager of a small block of garden apartments, Lillie may get more than just a new tenant when a handsome, enigmatic younger man moves in downstairs.America's Junior Miss
This book is available at these fine booksellers: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C8X8YS2 https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/506936 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/americas-junior-miss-rebecca-radley/1121017993?ean=2940046496635 https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/americas-junior-miss/id956170157 About America’s Junior Miss: A modern fairy tale. Teenager Emile wants desperately to help bring his mother out of her cave of depression following the suicide of a patient. If playing women’s athletics and joining the pom-pom squad won’t help, will entering a girls' only beauty pageant finally do the trick?Emile's Supermoon
For those of you who have read America’s Junior Miss, you may recall that the Young Miss pageant occurs on the night of June 22, 2013 and the appearance of a supermoon later that night plays a pivotal role in resolving our hero’s conflicts. What is a supermoon, anyway? Technically, it’s the coincidence of a full moon or a new moon with the closest approach the Moon makes to the Earth on its elliptical orbit, resulting in the largest apparent size of the moon’s disk as seen from Earth.Spooner's Story (as Told by Josh)
I had a question from a reader in the UK the other day, asking, “Is Spooner a normal name for a kid in those parts?” Here’s my reply: I agree that “Spooner” is an unusual name—one you don’t hear every day. Names in the US don’t really have to be normal. And parents here are all the time inventing new names or going back for old ones. Although the Matthewses never discuss the origin of Spooner’s name, I like to think it’s from an old family name, and that perhaps Hal was distantly related to the American folk hero Lysander Spooner, an individualist, anarchist, abolitionist, and early Libertarian of the 19th century.Tree People
This book is available at these fine booksellers: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FGJW03A https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/506941 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tree-people-rebecca-radley/1121030796?ean=2940046503616 https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/tree-people/id956953603 About Tree People: A young homeless boy worms his way into the heart of an aging spinster after he and his family take up residence in her childhood treehouse.Living Large the Feng Shui Way
Chaos is the science of the global nature of systems that holds a fascination in the possibility that the beating of a butterfly’s wings in Tibet could a month later produce a typhoon in Oahu. The ancient Chinese art of Feng Shui involves a creative yet methodical approach to making the most ideal arrangement of one’s environment to expel negativity and admit good fortune. These two concepts, one scientific, the other mystical, play a role in Living Large.Vienna Bonbons
This book is available at these fine booksellers: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HGYIPKK https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/505657 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/vienna-bonbons-rebecca-radley/1121004902?ean=2940046491494 https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/vienna-bonbons/id955296258 About Vienna Bonbons: A lovesick apprentice candy maker vows to win the heart of a beautiful young woman by crafting the most delectable, magical bonbons the world has ever seen.Who Am I?
For the last 16 years I have been teaching dance classes for a wonderful studio in central Texas. When I choreograph a dance for the annual recital, it is important to me that the dance tell a story. Even if that story is not spelled out to the audience, I believe it is extremely important for my dancers to know two things about their ballet: Who am I? and Why am I here?Switched at Birth
Well, not really switched at birth. But I think that title grabs better than Switched Sometime Between the Ages of One and Two. Here’s the story. My second son was the cuddliest little thing with the sweetest smile and a noggin of towheaded curls. At daycare one day, he got switched. I wasn’t consciously paying attention, so I’m not exactly sure which day it happened or which teacher was responsible, but I very clearly remember noticing—sometime after the switch—that his hair, though the same light color, was now completely straight.Review of America's Junior Miss
Dear Readers,
I just have to share a five star review that appears on my publisher’s website. For obvious reasons, Nepo Press is not allowed