Prepare to be hungry and enjoy a great guest post while you're at it! Welcome to ROP, Kris.
I live in
New Mexico, and the Southwest inspires my work, as I bring suspense with a hearty
dose of romance to the land I love. My Southwest Treasure Hunters series involves
wilderness hiking and horseback riding (The
Mad Monk’s Treasure), visiting fabulous geological and historic sites (The Dead Man’s Treasure) and rock
climbing and caving (The Skeleton Canyon
Treasure). In my books, readers get a glimpse of the adventurous side of
the Southwest – you won't even need hiking boots!
For
another easy way to get a taste of the Southwest, here's a recipe for grilled
cheese with a Southwestern twist. The refried bean layer makes the sandwich
extra creamy, without needing as much cheese. The green chile (and yes, it's chile not chili in New Mexico) gives it a nice zing. You can adjust it to
your heat level by choosing an appropriate heat level of chile.
New Mexico Grilled Cheese
2 pieces
of bread per person
About 1/4
cup refried beans per person
1 whole,
roasted green chile per person, or chopped green chile to taste. If you can’t
get green chiles, try poblanos, chopped jalapenos, or salsa. (Drain any extra
liquid off the salsa)
1 piece of
pre-sliced cheddar or Jack cheese per person, or more depending on the size of
your bread
- Butter one side of each piece
of bread, or spray with spray oil. Place half of the bread on a griddle
buttered side down.
- Spread refried beans on that
piece of bread. Lay a whole, roasted green chile on top, or spread with
chopped green chile. Cover with sliced cheddar cheese.
- Top with the other piece of
bread, buttered side up. Fry at low heat. Cover with a pot lid to help
ensure that the refried beans get heated all the way through.
- When the bottom side is
getting toasty brown, flip over the sandwich and heat the other side
uncovered.
For more
tastes of the Southwest, check out my novels!
The Mad Monk’s
Treasure - The
lost Victorio Peak treasure is the stuff of legends – a heretic Spanish
priest’s gold mine, made richer by the spoils of bandits and an Apache raider.
When Erin, a quiet history professor, uncovers a clue that may pinpoint the
lost treasure cave, she prepares for adventure. But when a hit and run driver
nearly kills her, she realizes she’s not the only one after the treasure. And
is Drew, the handsome helicopter pilot who found her bleeding in a ditch,
really a hero, or one of the enemy?
Erin isn’t
sure she can trust Drew with her heart, but she’ll need his help to track down
the treasure. She heads into the New Mexico wilderness with her brainy best
friend Camie and a feisty orange cat. The wilderness holds its own dangers,
from wild animals to sudden storms. Plus, the sinister men hunting Erin are
determined to follow her all the way to the treasure, no matter where the
twisted trail leads. Erin won’t give up an important historical find without a
fight, but is she ready to risk her life – and her heart?
“The story
has it all - action, romance, danger, intrigue, lost treasure, not to mention a
sizzling relationship....”
“Great
balance of history, romance, and adventure. Smart romance with an "Indiana
Jones" feel. Well-written with an attention to detail that allowed me to
picture exactly in my head how a scene looked and played out.”
Each of
the Southwest Treasure Hunters books stands alone in this series mixing action
and adventure with light romance. The
Dead Man’s Treasure is
book 2 in the New Mexico treasure hunters series. See the “Books” page of my website
for a printable list of recipes for
Southwestern dishes mentioned in the book.
Excerpt
from chapter 1 of The Mad Monk's Treasure:
Erin could hardly believe what she was
seeing. Could this be it? After all this time waiting, searching, had she
finally, finally, found what she was looking for?
She forced herself to sit back and take a
deep breath. Don’t make assumptions. Don’t rush into things. She wanted to leap
up and scream her excitement, but years of academic training held. Slow down,
double-check everything, and make sure you are right!
She leaned forward and ran her fingers over
the grainy photograph. With that one image, everything seemed to fall into
place. This was the clue. It had to be.
She fumbled in her desk drawer for a
magnifying glass and studied the symbols in the photo more closely. At a
glance, they looked like your standard Indian petroglyphs. You could find them
throughout the Southwest, tucked away in caves or scattered among boulder
fields. She’d been on a hike just a few miles outside of town which took her
past a wonderful series of handprints and spirals, and what looked strangely
like a robot.
But this was different.
If she was right—and she had to be
right—these symbols were a map. A map that could lead her to one of the
greatest caches of buried treasure ever.
Counterfeits takes place near Jemez Springs, a small
town in the mountains of northwestern New Mexico, known for its hot springs. I’ve
attended many writing retreats at a camp north of the town, and those
experiences inspired Counterfeits. Of
course, in the book, the site isn’t quite so relaxing. When Jenny inherits a
children’s art camp, she discovers that her grandmother’s death might not have
been an accident after all. The men who killed her grandmother are searching
for stolen paintings, and they think Jenny and her old friend Rob, the camp
cook, are involved. Doing research at a real camp tucked away in the woods, and
hiking above Battleship Rock for a scene where Jenny gets lost, helped the
setting feel realistic.
In my
romantic suspense Whispers in the Dark, my heroine is an archaeology Masters
student working at the fictional “Lost Valley” monument, which is closely based
on Hovenweep National Monument.
Located on the southern border between Colorado and Utah, these ruins once housed
2500 people between A.D. 1200 and 1300. It’s one of many sites left behind by
the ancestral Puebloans, also known as the Anasazi. It’s a smaller site than
some, but that’s part of its charm. You can hike and camp without crowds. The
lonely location allows for an almost Gothic atmosphere – mysterious lights in
the canyon, spooky moaning sounds, and plenty of people hiding secrets.
About the Author
Kris Bock
writes novels of suspense and romance involving outdoor adventures and
Southwestern landscapes. Read excerpts at www.krisbock.com
or visit her Amazon
page. Sign
up for Kris Bock newsletter for announcements of new
books, sales, and more.
