Guest Blog: Noise is Only Fun When You’re The One Making It by Dee DeTarsio

Today I welcome Dee DeTarsio, author of Haole Wood which I will be publishing later today.  Haole Wood is a really fun read and I'll give more details in my review, but for now, enjoy hearing from the author herself who has her guest blog and also a yummy recipe.  Welcome Dee!

Noise Is Only Fun When You’re The One Making It

I’ll be the third to admit I can be an annoying mom. (My kids, the Irritator and the Instigator, will be the first two.) But imagine my surprise, when I was minding my own business, answering texts. My phone, as phones do, was making that electric sounding techno noise-slash-click when messages were received. My son, who was in another room thought I was making that noise myself—by sucking my teeth:(

Gross, I know. The next day, I was reading my kindle, enjoying a lovely little snack. (Yes, my kindle is making me fat.) I can eat exponentially greater quantities when I read on my kindle than while fumbling with a paperback book. Thanks to a steady diet of so many new books to explore, I do try to limit my grazing while gazing . . . feeding while reading . . . glutton on the button . . . (Oh, boy. You are probably thinking, “Please let this woman write better novels than guest posts!”)

Anyway, as I was savoring one of my favorite summer desserts, Pavlova (recipe as follows), Prince Charming interrupted me and told me I had a ton of new messages.  Silly boy. I had a strawberry seed stuck in my teeth.

Pavlova
4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. white vinegar (you can use lemon juice instead)

Let the eggs warm up to room temperature before whipping. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks stay in place when you lift out the beaters. Slowly add the sugar while beating, again until stiff peaks form. Then add the vanilla. Beat. Add the vinegar. Beat.

Pile the mixture onto an oven-safe glass dish. Put a little dent in the middle with the back of a spoon.

Bake at 250 degrees for about an hour. You may notice the peaks start to turn a little darker cream color. Don't let them turn brown. When done, turn off the oven and let cool in the oven. (If the peaks are getting dark, just crack the oven door while it cools. This can be made the night before and left in the cooling oven overnight.)

Serve with whipped cream and fresh fruit. The traditional topping is strawberries and kiwi.

The story behind this dish is that a chef in Australia heard that the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova was going to be visiting. He created this dessert in her honor, making something as light as she was on her feet. I’ve been told that Pavlova is served like brownies Down Under. Enjoy!

Dee DeTarsio is a writer living in southern California. You might enjoy Pavlova while reading her newest novel, Haole Wood!

When San Diego weather caster, Jaswinder Park, is mysteriously summoned to the island of Maui in Hawaii to help her grandmother, she ends up losing her job. This fair-haired, light-skinned foreigner, called haole by the natives, decides to stay in Maui for a couple of days until she can figure out what to do with her life. She realizes that her quick trip to Maui may not be all she’s hoping for when:

-She has to bail her Hawaiian/Korean grandmother out of jail for possession of pakalolo.

-The only thing she can understand her grandmother say is: “Not that.

-She can’t decide which hurts worse, her sunburn, hangover, or memories of the night before.

-She’s labeled the “Liquor Licker” on the front page of the Maui News in a photo that shows her doing a shot of tequila with a hunky Hawaiian who’s been found dead.

-It seems she’s had orgasms that have lasted longer than her career.

-She scrapes the bottom of the barrel to find her guardian angel.

Beautiful fabric found in her grandmother’s closet unfolds a future for Jaswinder as she designs sensuous silky wraps called sunshminas that provide sun protection. She tries for a Hollywood connection, but her company, Haole Wood, has some growing pains. From trying to find a killer, to selling her sunshminas, to lusting after Dr. Jac, the island dermatologist, to trying to ignore her so-called guardian angel, can Jaswinder learn to embrace the island way of life? Aloha!