October 2026 Newsletter

by with No Comment Newsletter

Meet Rose

She fell in love with a mysterious stranger. Then he disappeared.

Rose is young, idealistic and ready to fall in love. When she meets Alexander Villasenor, a handsome refugee who has escaped a ruthless military junta, she is captivated by his charm and mysterious past.

Their romance blossoms, but Alexander is haunted by the fate of his wife at the hands of the junta. When he decides to return to his homeland to fight the regime, he leaves Rose behind.

What Alexander doesn’t know is that Rose is pregnant with his child.

Suddenly, Rose faces an uncertain future. Will Alexander survive? Will he return? And what will become of the child he doesn’t know exists?

The Vase of Broken Flowers is an adventure romance about love, sacrifice and the choices that echo through generations.

Now available on Amazon in paperback and eBook.

RECIPE: Stuffed Chicken Breast

I love this recipe; it’s easy to make and tastes like a million bucks.

Ingredients

1 deboned chicken Milanese (cut flat)

2 slices of ham

4 slices of cheddar

4 asparagus spears

1 egg, beaten

½ cup of Panko or bread crumbs

½ cup of parmesan

1 pat of butter

Directions

Mix the parmesan and bread crumbs in a blender.

Spread the chicken breast out flat.

Layer in the ham, cheese and asparagus spears.

Fold the chicken meat around the stuffing. (Some cooks use a toothpick to hold it shut).

Dip the breast in egg and roll it in the bread coating.  Place the breast on a cookie sheet. Put a pat of butter on top.

Bake in the oven at 425 F for 25 minutes. Pull out and slice in half to ensure the breast meat is cooked white.

Serve with rice and salad.

Enjoy!

Book Review

The Measure

By Nikki Erlick

This is a speculative fiction novel set in the present. The premise; what would happen if everyone knew when they were going to die?

One morning, every adult on Earth wakes up to find a box sitting on their doorstep with their name on it. Inside the box is a length of string. No explanations as to where they came from, and no indication of their purpose.

However, it soon becomes obvious that the length of string correlates to the amount of time before you die. Those with short strings only have a few months to live; those with long strings can expect to live a full life.

Naturally, everyone reacts differently. Some take it in their stride, others quit their jobs and grab their bucket list, and others shoot up the neighborhood.

It sounds weird, but the author takes a common-sense approach to the premise. The novel follows the lives of half a dozen people who cope with their new-found knowledge as best they can, dealing with their own expectations as well as family, friends and loved ones.

The novel, written in 2022, takes place in contemporary North America and is framed in the current dystopian political climate. A feckless politician exploits the situation to scare his way into the White House by demonizing those who have short strings.

Others react with humanity and compassion, fighting on behalf of those who have been cursed. In the end, the latter prevails, and humanity comes to grip with mortality.

Obviously, no one will ever know their ultimate fate, but Erlick’s pensive and thoughtful exploration of how those who manipulate perceived differences for personal gain is highly relevant to the world’s current situation. I highly recommend The Measure!  

Bonus Book Review

Yesteryear

By Caro Claire Burke

You’re either going to love this satire, or hate it.

Natalie is a Christian ‘tradwife’ influencer who has built up a marketing empire by portraying herself as the perfect mother, wife and homemaker.

But all is not what it seems. Beneath the façade, she is a boiling pot of paranoia tormented by those who see her as a feminist sellout. Her husband Caleb, a drugstore cowboy who wouldn’t know the business end of steer if it bit him, gets embroiled with the family nannie. Their online manipulations and personal peccadillos soon propel them towards potential calamity.

Suddenly, Natalie finds herself transported back to the mid-19th century, living on a cattle ranch in the rugged Idaho wilderness. Every modern convenience is stripped away, leaving her struggling to survive.

In the literary spirit of Robert Louis Stevenson, Burke uses an absurd premise to skewer contemporary cultural and moral obsessions with acidic accuracy. All of the characters are portrayed scathingly; nobody is spared. The result is both entertaining and revolting, like voyeuristically watching a car accident in slow motion.

I have to admit, I read the book because of all the hype surrounding it; read it at your own discretion, or wait for the inevitable Hollywood adaptation in the near future.

JULY/AUGUST 2026 NEWSLETTER

by Newsletter

VASE OF BROKEN FLOWERS

RELEASE DATE SEPTEMBER 1

PREORDER HERE

READ THE FIRST 4 CHAPTERS!

Recipe; Red Curry Fish

This is a delightful dish that’s easy to make and a treat to eat!

Ingredients

1 lb. of sole filets

1 tablespoon of red curry paste

1 tablespoon of butter

8 mushrooms, halved.

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 can of coconut milk

Minced cilantro and lime slices.

Directions

Cut the filets into large chunks and fry in butter until slightly brown on both sides. Remove.

Add red curry paste, ginger, garlic, sliced mushrooms, fish sauce and brown sugar. Fry for 2 minutes.

Pour in coconut milk and fried fish. Heat for two minutes.

Serve with cooked rice. Top with cilantro and lime.

Enjoy!

Non-Fiction Book Review

The Devil in the White City

By Eric Larson

When this book first came out over 20 years ago, I thought it was a novel about a fictional serial killer running amok in 19th century Chicago. When I finally purchased a copy at King W Bookstore in Hamilton, Ontario, however, I was delighted to discover that the killer was, in fact, real.

Former Time magazine writer Erik Larson has made a career mashing up historical events with real-life felons. The Devil in the White City covers the conception, construction and launch of the 1893 Chicago World Fair, along with the pursuit of a notorious murderer, Dr. H.H. Holmes.

The fair in question (known as The White City) has since faded from popular memory, but at the time it was internationally famous. Daniel Burnham, a prominent Chicago architect, was intent on celebrating the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ discovery of America in opulent fashion.

The city’s movers and shakers agreed, and Chicago launched what would become the preeminent event of the final decade of the century. Massive buildings designed to house the latest American innovations in cuisine (Cracker Jacks), thrills (The Ferris Wheel), and inventions (Edison’s Alternating Current) took shape on the shores of Lake Michigan.

At the same time, a psychopath by the name of Harry Holmes took up residence in a suburb of Chicago, opening a popular pharmacy. A handsome, charming man, he would beguile young single women into renting apartments in his commodious building and then pop their chlorophormed corpses into the basement furnace.

Incredibly, Holmes managed to get away with his heinous crimes for several years before an astute detective managed to track him down and uncover the grisly remains of up to two dozen victims.

In the meantime, Burnham and his fair prevailed over seemingly insurmountable odds to pull off the most widely-attended peacetime event in history.

Larson puts together a compelling narrative that follows the two threads in tandem; the result is a snapshot of a distant world that offers the reader a fascinating glimpse of a time long disappeared. I highly recommend The Devil in the White City!

Book Review

The Interpretation of Murder

By Jed Rubenfeld

This is a murder mystery set in the early 20th century involving Sigmund Freud, his acolyte Dr. Stratham Younger, and the prodigiously corrupt New York Police Department.

Gotta love that mix. Freud is in town to give a series of lectures on psychoanalysis at Clark University. Stratham Younger, a lecturer at its medical faculty, has been assigned to escort the eminent Viennese doctor for the week.

The murder in question is that of Miss Elizabeth Riverford, a beautiful young woman whose barely-clad corpse is found bound, gagged and whipped in a luxury New York apartment.

The silk tie wrapped around her neck bears the tie-pin of industrialist George Banwell, who strenuously protests his innocence; he has, in fact, an iron-clad alibi provided by no less than the mayor of New York.

Before NYPD Detective Jimmy Littlemore can make any headway in the case, Miss Nora Acton is also attacked in her nearby apartment in similar fashion. She manages to scare off the attacker with her screams, but the assault has caused a total case of amnesia and she cannot remember the identity of the murderer.

Police call on Freud to help; the doctor in turn places Younger in charge of her therapy. He works to restore the fetching woman’s memory before the killer can strike again.

In the meantime, Freud’s contentious theories of sexuality and neurosis have stirred up a puritanical backlash that threatens to cancel his lecture series. Younger finds himself trying to simultaneously balance the controversy and the threats to his beguiling patient.

Larson has great fun intertwining medical advances, murder and mayhem (with a little Shakespeare thrown in), to create a thoroughly entertaining and intriguing novel. I highly recommend The Interpretation of Murder!

VBF-Cope-eBook-Cover

JUNE 2026 NEWSLETTER

by Newsletter

Vase of Broken Flowers is coming this fall!

What would you do in the name of love for a perfect stranger?

When Alexander Villasenor is forced to flee a ruthless military junta, the handsome man must forge a new life in the US. He meets and falls in love with Rose, a beautiful young woman. When trouble follows him to his new haven, he must make painful decisions that will reverberate for decades through the lives of those near and dear.

I’m assembling a small advance reader team for The Vase of Broken Flowers. If you’d like a complimentary advance eBook in exchange for an honest review, please reply and tell me:

• Whether you’re on Goodreads.

• Whether you review on Amazon.

• What historical fiction authors you enjoy.

Send me an email at Gordcope@gmail.com

Preorder the Vase of Broken Flowers eBook on Amazon!

Recipe; Chicken Quesadillas

This is a quick and easy recipe that helps turn leftover chicken into a delicious meal!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ cup chopped red onion

1 cup chopped cooked chicken (a rotisserie chicken works great for this)

2 Tsp taco chili seasoning.

3 Tsp water

2 Tsp softened butter (or oil spray).

4 large flour tortillas

3/4 cup shredded cheese

Fresh lime wedges, guacamole, sour cream, for serving

Instructions

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the red bell pepper, garlic and red onion. Sauté until just tender and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Add in the cooked chicken, taco seasoning, and water. Bring to a simmer, and cook until just thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove the chicken mixture from the skillet and set aside.

Heat oven to 400 F.

Take a large flour tortilla and fill one half side with chicken filling. Add a layer of cheese. Fold and coat outside with butter or oil spray. Place on a baking tray. Bake the quesadillas for 5 minutes on one side, then flip and bake for another 5 minutes.

Remove from the oven and immediately cut into wedges using a pizza cutter or sharp knife.

Serve with fresh lime wedges, guacamole and sour cream.

Book Review

Version 1.0.0

The Book Thief

By Markus Zusak

The book is set in Germany, in a poor suburb in Munich. It begins in the 1930s as Adolph Hitler and his minions are gaining power, stripping away the last vestiges of democracy and building a ruthless dictatorship.

The folk of Himmel Street care little for the machinations of state; their principal goal is to feed themselves and their families as best they can.

The Hubermanns, Hans and Rosa, take in an orphan girl named Liesel in order to gain a pittance of state support. The girl was abandoned by her impoverished mother so that the child could eat. Hans and Rosa grow to love the girl like a daughter.

Liesel grows up as her country descends into war; the army comes first for the adults, and then for the children. Liesel takes comfort from stealing books; she starts with a gravedigger’s manual, and then numerous novels from the house of the village mayor.

Liesel also learns to write, taught by a Jew sheltering in the Hubermann basement. His freedom defies the might of the Nazi Party; he whitewashes over the pages of Mein Kampf and creates his own narrative.

Did I mention that the entire book is narrated by Death? In spite of the macabre premise, the story is both gripping and engaging. I highly recommend The Book Thief!

TV Review

Spider Noir

Streaming on Prime Video

I was a huge fan of Spiderman when I was a child; back in the 60s, my fix was limited to monthly comic books and a very cheesy cartoon.

That all changed, of course. Comic book heroes are now a staple of modern film, earning their owners billions of dollars churning out endless (Bam! Pow!) drivel.

So it was with more than a pinch of skepticism when I sat down to watch Spider Noir. In fact, I probably wouldn’t have even bothered if it weren’t for the presence of Nicolas Cage as the hero.

What I discovered was not a rehash of Spidie theology. Certainly, the tropes are there; webs coming out of his wrists, bad guys vying to take over New York, etc. But the series (also based on a comic book offshoot of the original Spider Man universe), is a mashup of genres, with a hard-boiled gumshoe and a bevy of unlikely superheroes battling a crime boss.

Cage, a big comic book fan, had previously done voiceovers in the franchise and was attracted to the role by the opportunity to resurrect the classis 1930s characters played by the likes of Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney.

He brings his own quirky sense of artistic expression to the role of PI Ben Reilly, along with a wise-cracking secretary, a tray full of cigarette butts and a bottomless mickey of scotch. This definitely isn’t for every taste, but if you’ve ever spent a rainy Sunday afternoon buried in a pile of comic books, I highly recommend Spider Noir!