Pan de Muertos (Mexican Bread of the Dead)

 

 

Ingredients 

1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons anise seed
1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons orange zest
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 tablespoons white sugar

Directions

1.  Heat the milk and the butter together in a medium saucepan, until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and add them warm water. The mixture should be around 110 degrees F (43 degrees C).

2.  In a large bowl combine 1 cup of the flour, yeast, salt, anise seed and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Beat in the warm milk mixture then add the eggs and orange zest and beat until well combined. Stir in 1/2 cup of flour and continue adding more flour until the dough is soft.

3.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.

4.  Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. This will take about 1 to 2 hours. Punch the dough down and shape it into a large round loaf with a round knob on top. Place dough onto a baking sheet, loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until just about doubled in size.

5.  Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven let cool slightly then brush with glaze.

6.  To make glaze: In a small saucepan combine the 1/4 cup sugar, orange juice and orange zest. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 2 minutes. Brush over top of bread while still warm. Sprinkle glazed bread with white sugar.

Footnotes

You may substitute 1/2 teaspoon anise extract for the anise seeds. 

Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de Muertos) is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico, in particular the Central and South regions, and by people of Mexican ancestry living in other places, especially the United States. It is acknowledged internationally in many other cultures. The multi-day holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died, and help support their spiritual journey. In 2008, the tradition was inscribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

The holiday is sometimes called Día de los Muertos in Anglophone countries, a back-translation of its original name, Día de Muertos. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico where the day is a public holiday. Prior to Spanish colonization in the 16th century, the celebration took place at the beginning of summer. Gradually, it was associated with October 31, November 1, and November 2 to coincide with the Western Christianity triduum of Allhallowtide: All Saints' Eve, All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day. Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars called ofrendas, honoring the deceased using calaveras, aztec marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts. Visitors also leave possessions of the deceased at the graves.

Scholars trace the origins of the modern Mexican holiday to indigenous observances dating back hundreds of years and to an Aztec festival dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl. The holiday has spread throughout the world, being absorbed into other deep traditions in honor of the dead. It has become a national symbol and as such is taught (for educational purposes) in the nation's schools. Many families celebrate a traditional "All Saints' Day" associated with the Catholic Church.

Originally, the Day of the Dead as such was not celebrated in northern Mexico, where it was unknown until the 20th century because its indigenous people had different traditions. The people and the church rejected it as a day related to syncretizing pagan elements with Catholic Christianity. They held the traditional 'All Saints' Day' in the same way as other Christians in the world. There was limited Mesoamerican influence in this region, and relatively few indigenous inhabitants from the regions of Southern Mexico, where the holiday was celebrated. In the early 21st century in northern Mexico, Día de Muertos is observed because the Mexican government made it a national holiday based on educational policies from the 1960s; it has introduced this holiday as a unifying national tradition based on indigenous traditions.

The Mexican Day of the Dead celebration is similar to other societies' observances of a time to honor the dead. The Spanish tradition, for instance, includes festivals and parades, as well as gatherings of families at cemeteries to pray for their deceased loved ones at the end of the day.

Observance in Mexico 

Origins

The Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico developed from ancient traditions among its pre-Columbian cultures. Rituals celebrating the deaths of ancestors had been observed by these civilizations perhaps for as long as 2,500–3,000 years. The festival that developed into the modern Day of the Dead fell in the ninth month of the Aztec calendar, about the beginning of August, and was celebrated for an entire month. The festivities were dedicated to the goddess known as the "Lady of the Dead", corresponding to the modern La Calavera Catrina.

By the late 20th century in most regions of Mexico, practices had developed to honor dead children and infants on November 1, and to honor deceased adults on November 2. November 1 is generally referred to as Día de los Inocentes ("Day of the Innocents") but also as Día de los Angelitos ("Day of the Little Angels"); November 2 is referred to as Día de los Muertos or Día de los Difuntos ("Day of the Dead").

Food

During Day of the Dead festivities, food is both eaten by living people and given to the spirits of their departed ancestors as ofrendas ("offerings").  Tamales are one of the most common dishes prepared for this day for both purposes.

Pan de muerto and calaveras are associated specifically with Day of the Dead. Pan de muerto is a type of sweet roll shaped like a bun, topped with sugar, and often decorated with bone-shaped phalanges pieces.. Calaveras, or sugar skulls, display colorful designs to represent the vitality and individual personality of the departed.

In addition to food, drink is also important to the tradition of Day of the Dead. Historically, the main alcoholic drink was pulque while today families will commonly drink the favorite beverage of their deceased ancestors. Other drinks associated with the holiday are atole and champurrado, warm, thick, non-alcoholic masa drinks.

Jamaica iced tea is a popular herbal tea made of the flowers and leaves of the Jamaican hibiscus plant (Hibiscus sabdariffa), known as flor de Jamaica in Mexico. It is served cold and quite sweet with a lot of ice. The ruby-red beverage is called hibiscus tea in English-speaking countries and called agua de Jamaica (water of Jamaica) in Spanish. 

Resident Evil Village

Setting

Resident Evil Village is set three years after the events of Resident Evil 7, largely on the day of February 9, 2021. Ethan Winters returns as the protagonist.  Ethan has been living with his wife Mia and 6-month-old daughter Rosemary when Chris Redfield — the protagonist of previous Resident Evil entries — and his men suddenly appear, murder his wife in cold blood, and kidnap him and his baby daughter, bringing them to a mysterious European village. Ethan has to traverse the village to rescue Rosemary. The village is invaded by werewolf-like mutants called Lycans and governed by four different mutant lords, each controlling their own forces from strongholds within the village. Lady Alcina Dimitrescu, an unusually tall vampiric aristocrat, resides at Castle Dimitrescu with her three daughters Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela, and mutated female attendants. The hallucination-inducing and ghost-like Donna Beneviento rules from her mansion, House Beneviento, and acts through her puppet Angie. The grotesque Salvatore Moreau operates from a reservoir in close proximity to the village and is described as a "merman". Karl Heisenberg, who can manipulate magnetic fields, leads a group of Soldat simulacra from a contemporary factory. All houses respond to a supreme leader figure called Mother Miranda, the ruler of the village who is a "presence worshipped by the villagers."

Plot

Three years after the events in Dulvey, Ethan and Mia have been relocated to Europe by Chris Redfield to start a new life with their newborn daughter Rosemary. One night, Chris and his Hound Wolf squad raid the house, assassinate Mia, and abduct Ethan and Rosemary. Ethan awakens next to the crashed transport truck they were riding in and reaches a nearby village terrorized by werewolf-like creatures known as Lycans. Ethan is unable to save the remaining villagers and is captured and brought before the village priest Mother Miranda and her lords: Alcina Dimitrescu, Donna Beneviento, Salvatore Moreau, and Karl Heisenberg. Ethan escapes a death trap made by Heisenberg and ventures into Dimitrescu's castle to find Rosemary, with the support of a mysterious local merchant known as the Duke. Ethan eliminates Dimitrescu and her daughters, finding a flask containing Rosemary's head. The Duke explains that Miranda placed Rosemary's body parts in four different flasks for a special ritual and that she can be restored if Ethan recovers the other flasks held by the remaining lords.

While killing Beneviento and Moreau for their flasks, Ethan learns Hound Wolf is also in the village. 

Ethan passes a test from Heisenberg for the fourth flask and is invited to the lord's factory where Heisenberg offers a proposal to defeat Miranda together. Ethan refuses once he learns Heisenberg intends to weaponize Rosemary and escapes. Ethan encounters and confronts Chris over Mia's death, learning the "Mia" Chris killed was Miranda in disguise. Chris reveals that Miranda possesses the power of mimicry and was attempting to abduct Rosemary, succeeding when she crashed the transport truck. Chris destroys Heisenberg's factory while Ethan uses a makeshift tank to defeat Heisenberg. Miranda confronts Ethan and kills him after she reveals her plans to take Rosemary as her own.

Witnessing Ethan's death, Chris leads Hound Wolf to extract Rosemary while a Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA) assault force distracts Miranda. Chris enters a cave beneath the village and discovers a Megamycete (called the "fungal root" (菌根, kin kon) and the "Black God" (黒き神, kuroki kami) in the Japanese game), the source of the mold. He plants a bomb on the Megamycete and finds Miranda's lab, learning that she has lived a century since coming into contact with the Megamycete and was a mentor to the Umbrella Corporation's founder Oswell E. Spencer; Oswell used her knowledge to eventually develop the t-Virus. Miranda experimented with the fungus in an attempt to revive her daughter, Eva, who had succumbed to the Spanish flu; the four lords, Lycans, and Eveline were failed experiments. Miranda found a suitable host with Rosemary due to her special abilities inherited from Ethan and Mia. Chris also rescues the imprisoned Mia, learning that Ethan is still alive when Mia reveals her husband's powers.

Ethan revives after encountering Eveline in limbo who reveals that he was killed in his first encounter with Jack Baker in Dulvey, but was revived by her mold which gave him regenerative powers. The Duke brings Ethan to the ritual site where Miranda is attempting to revive Eva, but only succeeds in reviving Rosemary. An enraged Miranda battles Ethan, who kills her, before the Megamycete emerges from the ground. Ethan, his body deteriorating from his regenerative powers having reached their limit trying to stall Miranda's damage on his body, sacrifices himself to detonate the bomb planted on the Megamycete, while Chris transports Mia and Rosemary to safety. As Mia mourns the loss of Ethan, Chris discovers that the BSAA soldiers sent to the village were organic bioweapons and orders his squad to head for the BSAA's European headquarters.

In a post-credits scene, a teenage Rosemary visits Ethan's grave before being called away for a mission on behalf of an undisclosed organization. As she and her escort drive off into the distance, an unknown figure is seen approaching their vehicle.

Favorite Halloween Anime, Manga, Movies, TV Shows and Videogames Suggestions

Anime

Black Butler
Vampire Knight
Vampire Knight Guilty

Manga

Black Butler
Cain
Godchild
Vampire Knight

Movies

Dracula Rising (1993)
The Evil Dead (1981)
Evil Dead II (1987)
Fright Night 1 and 2 (1985 and 1987)
Howling VI: The Freaks (1991)
Jack Be Nimble (1993)
Night of the Creeps (1986)
Sometimes They Come Back Again (1996)
To Die For: Dracula: The Love Story (1989)

PC Games

Gabriel Knight 1: Sins of the Fathers
Gabriel Knight 2: The Beast Within
Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned
Phantasmagoria
Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh
Quest for Glory: Shadows of Darkness 

TV Shows

Blood Ties

Videogames

Clock Tower Series
Fatal Frame Series
Haunting Ground
Resident Evil Series
Rule of Rose
Silent Hill Series
Obscure Series
Until Dawn
Nightcry  

Vampire Knight

Plot

Yuki's earliest memory is of a stormy night in winter, where she was attacked by a rogue vampire and rescued by Kaname Kuran, a Pureblood vampire. Now ten years later, Yuki Cross, the adopted daughter of the headmaster of Cross Academy, Kaien Cross, has grown up and become a guardian of the vampire race, protecting her childhood crush, Kaname, from discovery as he leads a group of vampires at the elite boarding school. At her side is Zero Kiryu, a childhood friend whose hatred for the creatures that destroyed everything he held dear leaves him determined never to trust them. This coexisting arrangement seems all well and good, but have the vampires truly renounced their murderous ways, or is there a darker truth behind their actions? In this world of secrets, nothing is as it seems. The price of misplaced trust may even be worse than death. Should Yuki truly find out what was in her past, is the truth going to hurt her worse than not knowing? 

Black Butler

Plot

In Victorian-era London lives a thirteen-year-old earl named Ciel Phantomhive, who acquired this position after the events of December 14, 1885 (Ciel's 10th birthday), when the Phantomhive manor was attacked by unidentified perpetrators and was set ablaze. Ciel, amidst the chaos, discovers his parents, Vincent and Rachel Phantomhive, to be dead along with the family dog, Sebastian. The same night he is kidnapped by the attackers and then sold into slavery, where he ends up in the hands of a sadistic, demon-worshipping cult. Ciel then endures endless physical, mental and sexual abuse at the hands of his captors. Ciel was also heat branded with a mark referred to as the "mark of the beast". One night, during a sacrificial ceremony to summon a demon, instead of forming a contract with the cult members, the demon states that he was summoned by Ciel, therefore he only agrees to form a contract with him, killing all the cultist members in the process. To show a contract was formed, the demon places a contract symbol referred to as the Faustian contract symbol on Ciel's right eye, giving it a purple hue, and his iris and pupil now showcase the symbol of the covenant. After the formation of the contract, the demon reveals he will consume Ciel's soul as payment for helping him achieve his goal; revenge on those who brought down the House of Phantomhive. Afterwards Ciel names the demon Sebastian Michaelis, after his deceased pet dog. The duo then return to society as Ciel takes over his now late father's previous position as the queen's watchdog, a very high-profile individual who is tasked with investigating cases that Queen Victoria herself deems especially important or threatening to England and the crown. 

The Inpatient

It is a prequel to the 2015 game Until Dawn, taking place at the Blackwood Sanatorium in 1952, 63 years before the events of the original game. Unlike Until Dawn, it uses a first-person perspective. 

Plot

The controlled character awakens in a restraining chair, greeted by Jefferson Bragg. He tells them that their memory is weak, and he wants them to try remembering the last thing you see — despite best efforts, all they can remember is hiding in a small closet and being found by an unknown man, and that the year is 1952. He then has an employee take them to their room, who informs them that they are a patient in the Blackwood Sanitarium.

The next morning, the protagonist gets a new roommate, Gordon or Ana (their gender is the same as the player character's). As days go by, the roommate's sanity gradually decreases, as there is chaos heard outside the cell and they are starving. Eventually, the protagonist manages to break free and explore the seemingly abandoned and rundown sanitarium. They come across some employees and a priest, and possibly their roommate, who have discovered the events are the cause of the Wendigo uprising. They make an attempt to get off the mountain, but Bragg refuses to come along, leaving himself behind to commit suicide. Their travel to the cable cars off the mountain is met with Wendigos and police officers who are ordered to silence anyone present. Once the team makes it to the cable cars, either the roommate or the protagonist is revealed to have eaten human flesh and become a Wendigo. In their last moments of humanity, they may sacrifice themselves to stay behind and operate the cable car, or become rogue and kill the others. 

If the roommate becomes the Wendigo and the protagonist made it off the mountain, they are shown being interrogated by a police officer, who intimidates them to be quiet of the events that happened. If the protagonist became the Wendigo, the epilogue screen will show the year turning to 2014. Hannah and Beth are seen through the eyes of the Wendigo, which then starts chasing the girls.

Blood Ties (TV Show) - 2007

 

Plot

Blood Ties, set in Toronto, Ontario, centres on Vicki Nelson (Christina Cox), a former Toronto Police Service officer who left the force to become a private investigator when her eyesight begins to degenerate from retinopathia pigmentosa. Through her work she teams up with the 470-year-old vampire Henry Fitzroy, who happens to be the illegitimate son of Henry VIII. The mutual attraction between them is complicated by Vicki's relationship with former partner and lover, Mike Celluci. In the beginning, he does not believe in the supernatural and thinks that Vicki is losing her mind along with her eyesight. Also in the picture is Vicki's assistant Coreen, who was hired because of her knowledge of the occult and to keep her quiet about Henry. Coreen is thoroughly enamored with both the occult and Henry, which can get her into trouble. 

Cast

Main

Christina Cox as Victoria "Vicki" Nelson
Kyle Schmid as Henry Fitzroy
Dylan Neal as Mike Celluci
Gina Holden as Coreen Fennel 

Recurring

Françoise Yip as Kate Lam
Nimet Kanji as Dr. Rajani Mohadevan
Keith Dallas as Dave Graham
Eileen Pedde as Allison Crowley
Linda Sorensen as Dr. Betty Sagara

Anime Series: Vampire Princess Miyu

 

Synopsis

A quiet gothic horror story about a vampire girl, Miyu, whose destiny it is to hunt down murderous demons known as Shinma and return them to their land of origin, the Dark. Miyu is pursued by the Spiritualist Himiko, determined to find out who Miyu is and to stop her from sucking the life blood from helpless humans. Each of the four episodes chronicle one of Miyu's encounters with a Shinma and the humans that it is affecting, from the perspective of Himiko's pursuit of Miyu.

 

Anime Series: Servamp

 

 Synopsis

Mahiru Shirota firmly believes that simple is best and troublesome things should be avoided at all costs. It is troublesome to do nothing and regret it later — and this ideology has led the 15-year-old to pick up a stray cat on his way home from school. As he affectionately names the feline Kuro, little does he know that this chance meeting will spark an extraordinary change in his everyday life.

One day, Mahiru returns home to find something quite strange: a mysterious young man he has never seen before. His subsequent panic results in the uninvited guest being exposed to sunlight and — much to Mahiru's shock — transforming into Kuro! Upon revealing himself as a mere lazy shut-in vampire, Kuro promises to leave once night falls. However, one disaster after another leads to Mahiru accidentally forming a contract with his new freeloader, dragging him into a life-threatening battle of supernatural servants and bloodthirsty beings that is anything but simple.

Anime Series: Diabolik Lovers

 

 

 

Synopsis

At the behest of her father, Yui Komori goes to live in a secluded mansion, home to the six Sakamaki brothers — Shuu, Reiji, Ayato, Kanato, Laito, and Subaru — a family of vampires. Though at first the siblings are confused as to why the girl has arrived, they soon realize that she is to be their new "sacrificial bride," not to mention their other, more carnal intentions for her. After meeting the brothers, Yui quickly begins to question why her father would have sent her here and why she feels a strange, new pain in her chest. With each brother more sadistic than the last, Yui's life as a captive takes a harrowing turn in her new home. As her days turn into endless nights, and each brother vows to make her his own, Yui falls deeper and deeper into madness and ecstasy.

 

Mollie Hunt's Ghost Cat of Ocean Cove Blog Tour with a Spotlight and Giveaway

 

I am so excited to have Mollie Hunt here at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight and Giveaway.

Thanks Mollie and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join your Ghost Cat of Ocean Cove Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Mollie!




 

Ghost Cat of Ocean Cove (A Tenth Life Cozy Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (August 3, 2021)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 249 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8519309813
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0992WH2CL
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 17, 2021

A new feline cozy from the author of the award-winning Crazy Cat Lady Mysteries.

Septuagenarian Camelia Collins and her cat Blaze move to the Oregon Coast to fulfill a lifelong dream, but that dream becomes a nightmare when Camelia learns she has purchased a murder house. The former resident, reclusive businessman Jonathan Chamber, was brutally killed on the stoop, and the killer is still at large.

What’s more, Camelia discovers an ancient gravestone at the back of her garden belonging to a cat named Soji. Dead long ago, this seventh black kitten of a seventh black kitten now returns incorporeal form. Will Soji’s haunting help Camelia solve the murder mystery or send her screaming back to Portland?

About Mollie Hunt
 

 

Native Oregonian Mollie Hunt has always had an affinity for cats, so it was a short step for her to become a cat writer. Mollie Hunt writes the award-winning Crazy Cat Lady cozy mystery series featuring Lynley Cannon, a sixty-something cat shelter volunteer who finds more trouble than a cat in catnip, and the Cat Seasons sci-fantasy tetralogy where cats save the world. She also pens a bit of cat poetry.

Mollie is a member of the Oregon Writers’ Colony, Sisters in Crime, the Cat Writers’ Association, and Northwest Independent Writers Association (NIWA). She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and a varying number of cats. Like Lynley, she is a grateful shelter volunteer.

Author Links

Website: https://molliehuntcatwriter.com/

Follow Mollie’s Amazon Page: www.amazon.com/author/molliehunt

Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/MollieHuntCatWriter/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7768987.Mollie_Hunt

Twitter: @MollieHuntCats

Sign up for Mollie’s Extremely Informal Newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/c0fOTn.

Purchase Link – Amazon 

Giveaway

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/028877921259

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Amy Newman Shapiro's The Great Weight Debate Blog Tour with a Spotlight, Guest Post and Giveaway

 

I am so excited to have Amy Newman Shapiro at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight, Guest Post and Giveaway.

Thanks Amy and iRead Book Tours for allowing me to join The Great Weight Debate Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Amy! 

Guest Post

Change Your Mind ToChange Your Weight

By Amy Newman Shapiro

If you have spent years trying to shed unwanted pounds, what is on your mind may be just as important as what is on your plate. After years of restrictive behaviors, chronic dieters may be acting in ways that are actually counterproductive.

Permanent weight loss can only happen when lasting lifestyle and behavior changes are made. It could be the reason why you lose weight following a diet plan only to watch it return when you go back to your normal routine. Going on a diet usually means you will go off the diet once you have lost weight. But without any permanent change in your food habits, you will continue to lose and regain the same weight. Also, there are those individuals that remain on the same diet plan for years, trapped in a restrictive lifestyle, compromising on foods they would enjoy and struggling in social situations to follow a specified set of rules.

There is a mindset, including attitude and mental energy, it takes to find new ways to eat, keep thoughts positive, make healthy food decisions and choose healthy lifestyle behaviors.

The key to making healthy food decisions and lifestyle choices is mindfulness. Mindful eating is a nonjudgmental awareness of the nurturing aspects of food selection and preparation: choosing foods without censorship that are satisfying, enjoyable and nutritious; paying attention to the physical sensations of eating including all the senses and being guided by internal cues of hunger and fullness which signal the body when to eat and when to stop.

Mindful eating:

ü Reduces calorie intake

ü Increases weight loss

ü Reduces out-of-control eating

ü Increases enjoyment of food

ü Promotes control of food choices and portion sizes

ü Encourages awareness of thoughts and feelings about food

Most calorie restrictive diets provide rules to follow that remove mindfulness. Indulging in a forbidden food leads to feelings of guilt, disappointment and low self-esteem. All of these negative emotions leadto negative effort after. Think of all the times you splurged on a food you were missing, and decided you had failed on the diet anyway, would start again on Monday and kept eating. The mindful eater would have made a conscious decision to splurge, enjoyed an appropriately satisfying portion size and chosen a healthier meal or snack when hungry again.

Unfortunately, dieting stirs up many emotions. We rely on virtuosity, willpower and good/bad comparisons, and when the diet doesn’t go as planned, we feel shame and guilt. Shame and guilt get in the way of feeling healthy and happy and can lead to anxiety and depression. Dieters often become a slave to the scale, determining their self-worth by a number. These thought and emotions negatively impact the energy and effort needed to make healthy decisions and lifestyle changes, adding to the struggle to lose weight.

Successful weight loss often depends on identifying and addressing emotional eating. Stress eating, binge eating, and eating from boredom or loneliness are ways to use food to soothe our emotions. Eating, without hunger, for comfort is a habit contributing to overweight/obesity.

Keep in mind, losing weight is easier when you are happy, positive, full of energy, and emotionally healthy.

Permanent weight loss happens when lasting changes are made. Even small changes in food intake or physical activity contribute toward lasting weight loss. Choose small changes that are doable and sustainable because they generate feelings of accomplishment that are both motivating and capable of encouraging even more changes. Making small incremental adjustments over time means no struggle. It is how new healthy habits are established.

Yes, you can lose weight and keep it off by dieting. Choose a diet that teaches you how to successfully manipulate food you enjoy, employing healthy behaviors, creating habits that lead to weight loss. You will be more apt to stick with a weight loss plan with less restrictive rules, includes the foods you enjoy, and incorporates the practice of mindfulness. This is how to have the best chance at reaching your goal weight and getting off the diet rollercoaster for good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Details

Book Title: The Great Weight Debate: Get the Facts and Choose the Diet That's Right for You by Amy Newman Shapiro
Category: Adult Non-Fiction, 188 pages
Genre: Self-help, Health and Fitness
Publisher: Snewman Media
Release date: January 2021
Format available for review: print - softback (USA), e-book
Tour dates: July 19 to August 6
Content Rating: G

Book Description

​The Great Weight Debate helps you evaluate which diet will work for you and which can hurt you. It is your essential, trusted resource to sift through the minefield of recommendations and misinformation when choosing the best diet for weight loss success. The Great Weight Debate summarizes many popular weight loss plans and explains the principles and research behind each diet. It also highlights the factors that may or may not make the diet a healthy choice for you. It explains why and how to choose a diet that takes into account your food preferences and meets the needs of your lifestyle, schedule, and food availability. It will help you discover and understand the rules, food restrictions, and health risks of each diet. In addition, read up on the new trends, the latest buzz, and the results of the most up-to-date research science has to offer. So...Whether you choose Paleo, low carbohydrate, intermittent fasting, Whole30, or Mediterranean, do it with realistic expectations and do it smartly. Find weight loss success with The Great Weight Debate.
 

Buy the Book:

Amazon
Add to Goodreads

 

 

 

Meet the Author

Amy Shapiro RD, CDN, CPT is a registered dietitian and professional speaker promoting wellness in corporate, clinical and private settings. With degrees in both Psychology and Nutrition, Amy’s focus is on behavior modification and lifestyle management. Additionally, Amy is a personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise and a wellness coach. With thirteen years of experience educating and coaching clients and worksite wellness groups to achieve weight loss success, Lose It For the Last Time is Amy’s first book. She is the mother of two grown children and lives with her husband on Long Island New York.

Connect with the Author: ​Website ~ Facebook

Giveaway

The Great Weight Debate helps you evaluate which diet will work for you and which can hurt you. It is your essential, trusted resource to sift through the minefield of recommendations and misinformation when choosing the best diet for weight loss success. The Great Weight Debate summarizes many popular weight loss plans and explains the principles and research behind each diet. It also highlights the factors that may or may not make the diet a healthy choice for you. It explains why and how to choose a diet that takes into account your food preferences and meets the needs of your lifestyle, schedule, and food availability. It will help you discover and understand the rules, food restrictions, and health risks of each diet. In addition, read up on the new trends, the latest buzz, and the results of the most up-to-date research science has to offer. So...Whether you choose Paleo, low carbohydrate, intermittent fasting, Whole30, or Mediterranean, do it with realistic expectations and do it smartly. Find weight loss success with The Great Weight Debate.

Enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card, courtesy of author of THE GREAT WEIGHT DEBATE (one winner) (ends Aug 13)

https://gleam.io/J1tPm/the-great-weight-debate-book-tour-giveaway  

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Avery Daniels's Arrowed Blog Tour with a Spotlight and Giveaway

 

I am so excited to have Avery Daniels here at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight and Giveaway.

Thanks Avery and Pump Up Your Book for allowing me to join your Arrowed Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Avery! 

Title: ARROWED: Resort to Murder #4
Author: Avery Daniels
Publisher: Blazing Sword Publishing Ltd.
Pages: 250
Genre: Cozy Mystery

BOOK BLURB

It all began when a dying man with an arrow in his chest grabs her ankle.

During a heat wave at a Santa Fe resort, Julienne has the resort owner pressuring her to solve the murder. 

The victim is a high-profile businessman who made enemies rather than friends, leaving Julienne with a roster of suspects. She was supposed to be training the staff and spending quality time with Mason rather than investigating a murder. The heat turns up when an old girlfriend of Mason's checks in and is determined to get back together.

Arrowed is the fourth book in Avery Daniel's Resort to Murder series and is a contemporary cozy mystery. If you like Cleo Coyle, Maddy Hunter, Duffy Brown, Lynn Cahoon, and Annette Dashofy, then you'll love this series with a strong intelligent sleuth, lavish settings, and tantalizing mysteries.

Buy this spunky clean cozy mystery and start enjoying Julienne's adventures today!

ORDER YOUR COPY 

Amazon →https://amzn.to/39diFTN

Excerpt

After several songs had passed with us oblivious to any other living being, just wrapped up in each other, we stepped outside to stroll in the golden glow of a nearly full moon before heading to our room. We walked hand-in-hand until we were surrounded by the landscaping around us and the shimmering moonlight through the trees. Mason stopped and wrapped his muscular arms around me.

“I am so grateful for you in my life. I hope I never take you for granted or forget to tell you how important you are to me.” He kissed me, sweet and slow. He drew me closer, and the kiss deepened. I slid my hands up his chest and around his neck. My head and heart were spinning.

Then I felt something brush my foot. Don’t spoil the moment LaMere, focus on the kiss. I succumbed to the kiss again. It had probably been a rabbit startled out of its hiding spot, right?

After another moment of blissful necking, my foot was brushed again before a hand - yes, a hand - grasped my left ankle. I let out a yelp and jumped. Mason pulled back and looked into my eyes.

“A hand just latched onto my ankle!” I don’t know why I was whispering, whoever owned the hand knew they had me in their grasp.

We shifted and looked down to see an arm in a soiled white blazer reaching out from the bushes along the pathway. The hand at the end of the arm was attached to my ankle. I shook my foot, and the hand slipped away. Mason released me, took a hold of the arm, and dragged Merritt, face up, out from the foliage. He had an ancient looking arrow of wood protruding from his chest and blood drenched his shirt. Mason bent down and placed two fingers to his throat.

Merritt’s head twitched, and he breathed out a few words, “It’s the curse. I didn’t believe it. The curse got me.” And he seemed to deflate like a balloon leaking air until he went flat, like the animating force had left him. What curse is he talking about? Oh my, I may never kiss again.

 

 

About the Author

Avery Daniels was born and raised in Colorado, graduated from college with a degree in business administration and has worked in fortune 500 companies and Department of Defense her entire life. Her most eventful job was apartment management for 352 units. She still resides in Colorado with two brother black cats as her spirited companions. She volunteers for a cat shelter, enjoys scrapbooking and card making, photography, and painting in watercolor and acrylic. She inherited a love for reading from her mother and grandmother and grew up talking about books at the dinner table. 

WEBSITE and SOCIAL LINKS

Website: http://avery-daniels.com/

Blog: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16863152.Avery_Daniels/blog

Twitter Address: https://twitter.com/my_averydaniels

Facebook Address: https://www.facebook.com/AveryDanielsAuthor/

 

 

 

Giveaway

 

Please follow the rest of the tour here, thanks:

http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/2021/01/25/📚-pump-up-your-book-presents-arrowed-virtual-book-publicity-tour-cozymystery

 

 

 

Gayle Leeson's Truffles And Tragedy Blog Tour Truffles And Tragedy Blog Tour

 

I am so excited to have Gayle Leeson here at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight and Giveaway.

Thanks Gayle and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join your Truffles And Tragedy Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Gayle! 

 

 

Truffles and Tragedy: A Down South Cafe Mystery
Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
Publisher: Grace Abraham Publishing (March 16, 2021)
Number of Pages: 295 (approximately)
Digital ASIN: B08VMM8F27

Down South Cafe owner Amy Flowers learns her chocolate truffles might not be the only things her patrons find “out of this world.”

When her cousin, Jackie, asks her to give a presentation to her online class, Amy thinks all she has to worry about is speaking before a group. But then the nitpicky professor collapses. He has been murdered, and hot-tempered Jackie is the prime suspect. Some online forums are even speculating that the professor was an extra-terrestrial, so Amy must sort out fact from fiction to get to the truth.

Certain the real killer is setting Jackie up, will Amy be able to outwit the killer and save her cousin? 

 

 

 

About Gayle Leeson 

Gayle Leeson is a pseudonym for Gayle Trent. Gayle has also written as Amanda Lee and Gayle Trent. Going forward, Gayle intends to keep her writing under the Gayle Leeson name. She lives with her beautiful family in the hills of Southwest Virginia.

Author Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GayleLeeson/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Gayle-Leeson/e/B01NBSTBDU/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/gayle-leeson

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/426208.Gayle_Trent

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GayleTrent

Newsletter sign-up form: https://forms.aweber.com/form/14/1780369214.htm

Purchase Link – Amazon

 

 

 

Giveaway

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/028877921178

Please follow the rest of the tour here, thanks:

https://www.escapewithdollycas.com/great-escapes-virtual-book-tours/upcoming-great-escapes-book-tours/truffles-and-tragedy-a-down-south-cafe-mystery-by-gayle-leeson