Bonus information Cooking with Kitty and Carla Kitty Larsen cooks; Carla Miller doesn't, but both contributed their favorite recipes for you to make and enjoy. Carla's recipes aren't exactly really recipes. They're assemblages that you put together with little or no cooking skills required. Kitty Larsen's recipes: Broiled Salmon Steaks This is Kitty's recipe for the broiled salmon steak that she prepared for Charlie in The Tap Dancing Gorilla. 2 salmon steaks cut ¾ inches thick Vegetable oil Lemon juice Salt and pepper Quartered lemon Sprigs of rosemary, dill, parsley or tarragon (optional) Pre-heat broiler. Rinse fish under cold running water and pat dry. Rub fish with optional spices. Brush fish well with oil and squirt with lemon juice. Place fish in oiled broiling pan 2 inches from the heat source. Broil for approximately 5 minutes. Baste with oil from the pan; turn and broil for 5 minutes more or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Salt and Pepper and remove to a hot platter. Garnish with dill or parsley and lemon wedges. Serves: 2 Scalloped Potatoes This dish may be a bit rich for some of us, but it is one of Kitty's favorites. Try it, you may like it. 2 medium Idaho or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (1/4") 2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced (1/4") 1 can Cream of Mushroom soup (10 oz.) ½ soup can of milk Preheat over to 350º F. - 8" square baking pan Arrange one sliced potato on the bottom baking pan to cover. Top with sliced onion. Repeat layers. Mix soup and milk together and pour over top. Bake, covered, for 1 hour or until potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork. (Optional: Sprinkle chopped green pepper and chopped pimiento over the potatoes before pouring the soup over mixture.) Serves: 3 to 4 Carla Miller's recipes Artichoke Salad Carla loved this easy to prepare salad that Tony Vitale made for her. She made it even easier by eliminating the croutons and Parmesan cheese in the original recipe. Large glass bowl 1 head of bibb or leaf lettuce - washed and dried 1 6 oz. jar of marinated artichoke hearts - drain & save juice 1 small can of sliced black olives - drain & discard juice 1 small jar of green olives - drain & discard juice ½ red pepper - slice & dice ½ green pepper - slice & dice ½ yellow pepper - slice & dice Combine all the ingredients in large glass bowl. Sprinkle ground up basil leaves over ingredients. Heat reserved juice from the artichoke hearts and pour over salad. Serves: 6 - 8 Sweet and Sour Cucumbers Carla's mother, Rose Weinstein, taught her to make this side dish just after she married Larry the Louse. Since Mrs. Weinstein is the "pinch of this and pinch of that" type of cook, you may want to adjust the marinade to taste. 4 large cucumbers peeled and sliced VERY thin ¼ red pepper diced (optional; for color only) ½ cup white vinegar 1 cup canola or safflower oil 3 Tbsps sugar 2 tsps salt ½ tsp white pepper ½ tsp oregano leaves Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning. Marinate overnight. Stir occasionally. Serves: 6 - 8 Renée's Useful Links www.mysterywriters.org Website for Mystery Writers of America, the premier organization for mystery writers, professionals allied to the crime writing field, aspiring crime writers and those who are devoted to the genre. www.sistersincrime.org Website for Sisters in Crime, a world-wide organization offering networking advice and support for female authors. (Men are also eligible for membership.) www.murdermustadvertise.com Website for Murder Must Advertise, this is an email discussion list for authors who wonder about the best way to promote a new mystery book. www.mysteryscenemag.com Website for Mystery Scene magazine. The publication publishes mystery related articles, reviews, interviews and news. www.malicedomestic.org Webesite for the Malice Domestic annual convention that salutes the traditional (cozy) mystery. www.mysterynet.com Website that provides a resource for mystery books, TV shows and games as well as online discussions for everything related to the mystery genre www.deadlyink.com Website for the Deadly Ink Mystery Conference for authors and fans of mysteries and thrillers held annually in Parsippany, New Jersey. www.blogtalkradio.com/murdershewrites Website for Blog Talk Radio Show where Sylvia Dickey Smith visits with top women mystery writers and explores how they do what they do best. Listen to my interview with Sylvia on September 21, 2009. How often have you thought about writing a book, but have cast aside the idea because you consider yourself too old to being a writing career? Well, take a look at this group of well-known authors whose first books were published after age 50 and start writing! I came across this encouraging list in the April 2008 issue of Writers Digest: Frank McCourt published Angela's Ashes at age 66 Karen Blixen (Isak Dinensen) published her first book at the young age of 49, but published Out of Africa at age 52 Anna Sewell published Black Beauty at age 57 Laura Ingalls Wilder was into her 60s when she published Little House on the Prairie Richard Adams wrote Watership Down when he was in his 50s. And finally, Bangladeshi writer Nirad Chaurdhuri published his first book at age 54, the sequel at 90 and his final book at age 100.