½ to 1 teaspoon curry powder
3 cups vegetable broth
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
1 can (15 ounces) evaporated milk
1 tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Minced chives
Directions:
Sautee e mushrooms and onion in butter until tender in a large skillet or cast iron frying pan.
Stir in flour and curry powder until blended. Continuing to stir, gradually add broth. Bring to a boil, continue to stir until thickened—for two or three minutes.
Add pumpkin, milk, honey, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Heat for several more minutes. Use chives for garnish (optional).
Acknowledgments
Hearttfelt thanks go to my writing teachers—now too numerous to mention—who have been the gifts that keep on giving with each story I write. To the writers and teachers who edited or critiqued this book—Ramona DeFelice Long—author, editor, and teacher, and Greg Fallis—Gotham Writers Workshop author and teacher. During my writing journey, I’ve been blessed with talented teachers, all skilled writers themselves.
My thanks to Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America for their support. Writing is a solitary activity, in my case scribbling or tapping away in the early morning before the rest of the world gets up, hoping to create a story that will resonate with readers. But you never know. It’s a long road. The warm camaraderie of fellow mystery writers can make the difference between keeping one committed to telling the tale or deciding to hang it up and go back to bed or out to Dunkin’ for coffee and a glazed doughnut.
I can’t say enough about the loyal support of my family and friends who will patiently read half-cooked manuscripts, faithfully attend bookstore readings on cold and sleety winter nights, write reviews, buy too many copies of my book for other relatives and friends, and arrange for book club discussions. I’m not sure what I’ve done to be gifted with such a rich reservoir or kindness and support, but I am beyond grateful.
My husband Bill and our children—Maggie, Nick, Katherine, and Mary and their partners—have always been there with loving support and encouragement in my aspirations (as has Archie, my loyal canine companion, who follows me from room to room and sleeps on the footstool of the Big Green Chair or under my desk when I am working). They and our grandchildren, to whom Buried Troubles is dedicated, are all the world to me.
Special thanks to my daughter Maggie—talented artist, copy editor, tech and formatting whiz, sounding board and caregiver extraordinaire. Support above and beyond the call of duty.
And thanks finally to you, dear reader, who takes the time to read my story and even the acknowledgments. You are, after all, the one I write these stories for.
MARIAN MCMAHON STANLEY
About The Author
Marian Mc Mahon Stanley
Like her protagonist, Marian McMahon Stanley enjoyed an international corporate career with a Fortune 500 company and, more recently, a senior position at a large, urban university. A dual citizen of the United States and Ireland, she is a proud mother of four adult children and seven grandchildren. Marian writes in a small town outside Boston where she lives with her husband Bill and—just like Rosaria—a Westie named Archie. Currently, she is hard at work on her next mystery. You can find more about Marian on her website or Facebook.
www.MarianMcMahonStanley.com
Books By This Author
The Immaculate: A Rosaria O' Reilly Mystery
Sister Mary Aurelius, an elderly, socially activist Boston nun, is found bludgeoned to death on the grounds of a shuttered parochial school. An unstable homeless man from the neighborhood is identified as the killer.
Rosaria O'Reilly, one of the nun's former students, is not satisfied with this easy answer. Working with a childhood friend, Nuncie DiStephano--now losing her battle with aggressive cancer--and local police detective Leo Gelenian, with whom she has a sometimes fractious but effective and close relationship, Rosaria unravels a larger, more sinister story.
The Immaculate is a complex murder mystery with a deep sense of place, a compelling storyline, richly developed characters, and a satisfying surprise ending.
The Mariposa Circle
Coming soon!
Buried Troubles Page 24