Happy Friday, everyone. Are you ready for a gorgeous spring weekend? I know I am. Our computer carked it this week, so a trying time was had. Thank goodness for Friday Feast and delicious thoughts of food!

This week my guest is the utterly delightful Sandy Curtis. Now if you met Sandy, you’d probably think this petite Queenslander would write cosy mysteries or perhaps sweet romances, but no! Underneath that demure exterior lies a mind raging with murder and mayhem, passions and thrills, daring romance and most of all criiiiiiime.  Yes, indeedy. My mum always said it’s the quiet ones you need to watch out for…

Sandy’s latest release is Fatal Flaw. Check it out.

FATAL FLAW

Operative Mark Talbert’s father is murdered, the agency he works for has him hunting terrorists, and the only connection is the father of Julie Evans, his childhood friend. Mark realizes that Julie is what has been missing from his life, but the love that hits him with the force of the bullet that almost took his life creates an insurmountable problem.

Julie’s father has placed her in the hands of a terrorist determined to unleash horror on an unprepared city. She needs someone she can depend on, but can she trust Mark? He has come back into her life after thirteen years, a changed man from the idealistic youth she loved.

People are dying. People who seem to have nothing in common, until Mark discovers his father’s involvement in a decades-old crime. A killer is taking a calculated revenge. A revenge that threatens Mark, Julie, and Julie’s son. And the terrorists are making their final move.

Oof! I went all shuddery just reading that blurb, but I’m a complete sucker for a good crime novel and I bet you are too. So why not get your thrills from one of Australia’s best authors? Fatal Flaw can be purchased right now from Amazon Kindle or Clan Destine Press, where you’ll also find all of Sandy’s backlist.

Now here’s Sandy!

GOING TROPPO

Hello from sunny Queensland, Feasters. Well, I hope it’s sunny when you’re reading this or Rob’s and my getaway to four days and nights of relaxation at the Ramada Resort at Port Douglas in far north Queensland will be a disaster. We’ve been told the Wet Season shouldn’t start until the end of November, so fingers crossed.

I know I shouldn’t make you jealous, but I just have to share that this marvelous four days came about through a Hightide Holiday offer and it’s only costing $399.00! I just had to snap it up.

One of the great things about it is that I WON’T HAVE TO COOK. After being married for innumerable years and raising three children, the thought of having all meals cooked for me is as much my idea of heaven as the wonderful facilities the resort offers and the chance to explore the tropical Daintree region. There’s an ice-cream factory up there that uses all the beautiful tropical fruit in their ice-creams and I’ll have to sacrifice myself and do some sampling as we wander through The Orchard Walk and see the fruit growing. According to their brochure, the fruit of the Jackfruit tree can grow up to 46kg. I’ve warned Rob that if one drops down it will be like having me fall on him (but with no side benefits lol). If it falls on me there will be one less romantic suspense author in Australia 🙂

You’d think that with all this emphasis on delicious tropical fruit I would be offering you an exotic fruit-flavoured dish, but, sorry, I’m not. Most people love chocolate, and a lot of people love drinking Bundaberg Rum, so I’m offering a delicious combination of the two in my Chocolate Rum Pie recipe.

When I was first diagnosed as Coeliac (gluten intolerant), there was little gluten free food commercially available and what there was didn’t taste like anything I was used to. So I started experimenting by trying to adapt my usual recipes to gluten free. The disasters out-numbered the successes by a great margin. I learned a lot about how essential gluten is to keeping cakes and biscuits moist and not crumbling. I also learned that even dogs, no matter how hungry, won’t be tempted to devour a gluten-free disaster. Even birds seemed to view it as an indirect assassination attempt. But my chocolate rum pie recipe (adapted for ease of making over the years) never fails and is a great favourite.

Thanks, Cathryn, for inviting me to share this with your Feasters.

CHOCOLATE RUM PIE

Base:

Crush 2 packets of your choice of gluten-free biscuits (or any normal crunchy biscuit for non-Coeliacs) to crumbs and add enough melted marg/butter to moisten, mix well and press into a pie dish.

Refrigerate.

Filling:

Bring 2 cups of milk to the boil.

Mix 2 tablespoons of cornflour (White Wings is gluten free) with ¼ cup milk and pour into hot milk. Cook on low heat, continually stirring so lumps don’t form, until mixture thickens (I use the microwave as this doesn’t require as much stirring). Remove from heat.

Add 2 tablespoons of caster sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved.

Gently beat 3 egg yolks together and quickly stir into the mix.

Break 125g dark cooking chocolate into small pieces and put into mix and stir well until chocolate is melted and mixed in.

Dissolve 1 sachet (3 tablespoons) of gelatine in ¼ cup warm milk, making sure no lumps form, and add to mix.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes then stir in 2 tablespoons of Bundaberg rum (or any dark rum if you can’t get Bundaberg). Set mix aside to cool.

Beat the 3 egg whites until stiff. Gradually add 1 tablespoon of caster sugar. Mix should be stiff and glossy. Slowly add in the chocolate mix while stirring gently.

Pour into prepared pie dish and refrigerate. When set, serve with whipped cream and strawberries or just on its own.

Thanks, Sandy. What a pleasure it was to have you on Friday Feast. As for that recipe, all I can say is: WANT! Rum and chocolate? That’s sigh-inducing. And even better that it’s gluten-free. So important to consider these things, and just because something is gluten-free doesn’t mean it can’t also be delicious. I have a fantastic recipe for orange syrup cupcakes that is completely lip-smacking.

So, Feasters, any favourite hints or recipes for Coeliacs or those who prefer gluten-free tucker? Sandy and I (and many others) would love to hear your ideas.

Now, if you’d like to learn more about Sandy’s world, where crime and passion collide, please visit her website. You can also connect via Sandy’s blog, Facebook and Twitter.