Release Cajun Recipes Tour: Cross Keys by Ally Shields

Thank you so much for hosting me and my new urban fantasy release today! I'm thrilled for the opportunity to tell you a little about my book and to share a Cajun recipe, one of several I brought back from New Orleans while researching the book. (If you look around the blogs listed at the end, you'll find eight more recipes!)

Happy reading...and sampling of the Cajun cuisine. :)

Cross Keys (An Elvenrude Novel) by Ally Shields

Genre: Urban fantasy/Paranormal romance

Rating: PG-13

Book Blurb:

Conspiracy, murder, and magic…and the death of all they hold dear.

When the first wanderer—a common elf who isn’t authorized to use the portal—is spotted on the streets of New Orleans, the king assigns Kameo Ryndel to assist in the elf’s capture. But before she can intervene, humans with guns shoot the wanderer and steal his body. When Seth Lormarc, an Elite elf from a rival guild, appears at the scene, Kam suspects he is involved.

Seth Lormarc is in New Orleans to find out who was behind the portal breach, and his best lead is the intriguing Kam Ryndel. When he stakes out her apartment and finds her sneaking out in the middle of the night, dressed in black and leaping to the top of the nearest building, he knows there’s something unique about the beautiful elf. That kind of feat requires magic. Ancient magic.

As their paths cross during their investigations, they develop an irresistible attraction, although there’s little time for romance. The portal breach is tied to an illegal smuggling operation that has come to the attention of the human CIA. But the stakes are raised when Kam and Seth discover a band of conspirators and a rebellion deep in Elvenrude that promises nothing except destruction of their world.

Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Cross-Keys-Ally-Shields-ebook/dp/B00NSR0OT4/  

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cross-keys-ally-shields/1120425394?ean=2940150347144
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/cross-keys



Pre-release Book Trailer on Youtube:   http://youtu.be/2GgI4-50QfA

Welcome to the Cross Keys release & Cajun recipes tour!

I'm excited to tell you about my new novel, Cross Keys, a Dark Elf urban fantasy. This romantic paranormal is set in the fictional world of Elvenrude and—by means of a magical portal—in the exotic city of New Orleans. N'awlins of course means Cajun food, and while researching for this book, I picked up a few recipes to share. One of the most popular dishes was -

Recipe: 

Cajun Crawfish (4-6 servings)

6 pounds crawfish (if you're squeamish like me, remove the heads and legs)

2 T Tabasco sauce

1 pkg crab boil spices

3 C chopped celery

3 C chopped onion

3 lemons cut into quarters

1/4 C Worcestershire

3/4 C salt

Put everything except crawfish into a large pot with a gallon of water. Boil on high heat. Reduce and simmer 20 - 30 minutes. Add crawfish and bring back to boil. Reduce and simmer 7-9 minutes or until crawfish is bright red. Remove and serve. Messy but tasty.

Won't you share your favorite Cajun dish in the comments?

Now that I've whetted your appetite, I'd love to tell you more about the book! :)

About the Author:

Ally Shields was born and raised in the Midwest, along the Mississippi River, and considers herself a "river rat." The setting and folklore of the river regions are often incorporated into her urban fantasy books. After  a career in law and juvenile justice, she turned to full-time writing in 2009, and Awakening the Fire, the debut novel in her Guardian Witch series, was released by Etopia Press in September 2012. There are now six published books in that series. Cross Keys is the first novel with all new characters.

When not writing, reading or spending time with family, she loves to travel in the US and abroad. Way too often she can be found on Twitter.

Contact the Author:

Website:  http://allyshields.com

Blog:     http://allyshields.com/blog.html

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/ShieldsAlly

Facebook: http://facebook.com/AllyShieldsAuthor

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6527209.Ally_Shields

Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/Ally-Shields/e/B009AKNDZU

Special Thanks to the following bloggers who are spotlighting this release during the next few days (eight more Cajun recipes on their blogs!)(dates of post may vary due to time periods, etc.):

Oct. 3:  AJ Locke, Kirstin Pulioff, Linda McLaughlin, Margay Roberge, Marie Carhart, Shannon McRoberts, Stephanie Stamm, EE Carter, Susan Taylor, Anne Lange, Kath Boyd Marsh, Dan Levinson, Michelle Browne, Sue Roebuck, Chris Redding

Oct. 4:  Carmen Stefanescu, Stacy Juba, Lindsey Loucks

Oct. 6:  Rebekah Ganiere

Oct. 7:  Antonia van Zandt

Oct. 8:  Dani-Lyn Alexander

Oct. ?:  Theresa McClinton