December 2022 Newsletter

Life in Mexico

There is a new mural on the wall beside the entrance to Santiago cemetery. A small girl with curly blonde hair is rising into the air. The Grim Reaper is reaching for her. He has a big smile (which is about all you can manage with a skull).

The girl, for her part, seems rather serene, considering that one moment she was running for the ice cream truck in her Sunday dress, and the next she’s being embraced by a grinning skeleton in a black cowl.

I’m curious; was Jesus busy getting his halo buffed and couldn’t make it? I can see him on his cellphone. “Hey, Grim, you got time for a pickup? No, leave the scythe, you’ll scare the shit out of the kid.”

If I ever have naughty grandchildren, I’m going to paint this mural on their ceiling.

Joan the Saint now available on Amazon!

I’ll be at the Mujeres lunch on Wednesday December 8 at 12:30 to sell autographed paperback copies, but if you can’t make it, you can purchase a paperback or eBook on Amazon.

“Another amazing book by Gordon Cope!”

Amazon 5-star review

The much-anticipated sequel to Magnus the Magnificent is finally available!

Joan of Arc, born in northeast France during the Hundred Years War between England and France, arose from obscurity to become her nation’s greatest hero. Guided by the voices of St. Margaret and St. Catherine, she defeated the English army at Orleans and crowned Charles VII king of France in Reims.

The year is 1431. Joan of Arc has been captured by the English and is being tried for heresy in their stronghold of Rouen. Abandoned by the French, Magnus the Magnificent sets out on a quest to foil her fiery fate.

You can purchase the eBook edition and paperback on Amazon!

Book Review

Desert Star

By Michael Connelly

Author Michael Connelly is the undisputed king of police procedurals. His main protagonist, LAPD Detective Harry Bosch, has been solving murders since Cain slew Abel. Now retired, he is a volunteer for the Open-Unsolved Unit.

The unit, set up by the LAPD to rehash cold-case files, is commanded by Renée Ballard, a young detective with a plethora of moxie and an amazing tolerance for the irascible Harry.

Two cases dominate their work; the unsolved murder of a city councilman’s younger sister, and the slaying of a family of four. The former is given precedence because the councilman has the power to shut down the unit, and the latter because it has haunted Harry for decades.

Working methodically, Harry, Renée and the team of researchers sieve through the case books, searching for overlooked suspects. Each time a clue leads them to a prime suspect, however, their hopes are dashed when a witness or undisputable evidence provides an alibi. Undeterred, they plod diligently on, until the perpetrators are finally exposed.

As always, Harry is the epitome of the knight errant, tilting at windmills and making life uncomfortable for the powers-that-be. Renée Ballard is the perfect foil, cherishing her relationship with her mentor Harry, but knowing all too well the pitfalls that await.

Although the book stands on its own, it is a welcome addition to the Harry/ Renée series. I highly recommend Desert Star!

Recipe: Coq au Vin

This is a recipe made famous by Julia Child around a million years ago, but it has a timeless appeal due to its great taste and ease of preparation.

INGREDIENTS

8 chicken thighs

1 ½ cups red wine

1 cup chicken stock

 ¼ cup brandy

1 tsp salt

3 strips bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces

1 medium onion, quartered then thinly sliced

2 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch piece

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (or 1 Tsp of Italian herb mix)

8 ounces mushrooms, thickly sliced

8 ounces pearl onions, peeled

Beurre blanc (a mix of 2 Tsp of flour and 2 Tsp of soft butter)

Cooked rice or pasta.

DIRECTIONS

Marinate the chicken thighs in the wine, chicken stock, salt and brandy.

Fry the bacon in a Dutch oven (electric skillet) over medium-high heat until the bacon is crispy. Remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon.

Remove the chicken from the wine marinade (save the marinade) and dry the chicken with paper towels. Place the chicken in the pan. Sear until it is golden on both sides (about 5 minutes on each side) and then remove the chicken.

Add the sliced onion, mushrooms, pearl onions and carrots to the pan and let them cook until the onion is golden brown. Add the garlic to the pan and let it cook for 1 minute.

Add the tomato paste. Pour the reserved wine marinade into the pan, scraping the bottom to remove any stuck-on bits.

Place the chicken and bacon into the pan and sprinkle the thyme/Italian herbs over top. Cover the pan, turn the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the beurre blanc. Stir it into the sauce and let it thicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve on rice or pasta.

Enjoy!

TV Series Review

Wednesday

Streaming on Netflix

As a child, I recall seeing the macabre cartoons by Charles Addams, enjoying their morbid humor, but it wasn’t until the advent of The Addams Family that I really became a fan. Most of the antics revolved around Morticia and Gomez, but Lurch, Thing and Cousin Itt were all indispensable to the cavalcade of weirdos.

Now, Tim Burton (The Nightmare Before Christmas), has brought his own ghoulish sensibilities to the newest installment, an 8-episode series on Netlfix. It centers around Wednesday, the dead-pan teenage daughter who was always thinking up new ways to torture her little brother Pugsley.

Wednesday (played by Jenna Ortega), is a nihilistic Goth who is sent to a boarding school after filling her high school swimming pool with Piranha. Both Morticia and Gomez are alumni of Nevermore Academy, and are confident that their daughter will blossom in the midst of all the oddballs who attend (and teach) at the school.

Wednesday vows to escape, but after nefarious persons unknown attempt to poison, torture and murder her, she begins to warm to the place. Aided by her handyman Thing and Uncle Fester, she puzzles out the mysterious monster disemboweling town folk and students, leading to a rather gory climax. I highly recommend Wednesday!