Irish Magic on sale for 99 cents thru St. Patrick's Day

Because St Patrick's Day is Monday. My publisher put the eBook for Irish Magic on sale for 99 cents. https://www.amazon.com/Irish-Magic-Susan-B-James-ebook/dp/B07V38M9WK/ Now that's lucky for readers looking for escapism with humor,. The paperback is available for 14.99. If you buy it, that's lucky for me. Because we now have the possibility of being quarantined and may all need escapist reading. I will give you a few more books (not mine) at the end of this post. I've had so much good luck lately.  I started writing this newletter while sitting in my dressing room at Warner Brothers waiting to be called to the set. That's super lucky for me. I am in Joel Coen's movie of William Shakepeare's Macbeth Starring Frances McDormand and Denzel Washington. And I have a new grandson - Eugene Keaton Howard-Corbin. In honor of St Patrick's Day, here are a few Irish Superstitions If giving someone a purse or wallet, be sure to put money into it or it will be forever empty. It is unlucky to knit at night until you are certain the sheep are asleep. If you meet a magpie, a cat or a woman with a limp while you’re on a trip it is bad luck. If you find a horseshoe and nail it to the door it will bring good luck. This will not work if the shoe is bought or given as a gift by someone else.  It is not safe to pick up an unbaptized child unless you make the sign of the cross. If the palm of your hand itches you’re going to come into some money. If it’s your elbow you will be changing beds. If your ear feels hot someone is talking about you. If it’s your nose that's itchy you are going to have a fight with the person nearest to you. To remedy this punch them in the arm and shake them by the hand. Fight over! Handing someone a knife is bad luck. Always put it on the table in front of them never in their hand. When giving someone a knife or a pair of scissors as a gift, have them chew a piece of bread when opening the gift. This will prevent them from ever being cut by the implement. If a child was born before noon, he or she would not be able to see spirits or the good people - but if born at night, the child would have the gift. By the way, it's considered very risky to refer to the good people as fairies, wee folk or little people. Last one: A cross on the bread lets the devil out Soda bread was traditionally a staple of many Irish households as it could be cooked easily from basic, cheap ingredients – flour, soured milk, baking soda – in a bastible pot suspended over the home fire with no need for an oven. To this day, the person who is baking scores a cross through the top of the bread before baking – the practical reason is to facilitate more even cooking, but the more spiritual interpretation traditionally was that the cross let the devil out. This  recipe is from https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/16947/amazingly-easy-irish-soda-bread/print/?recipeType=Recipe&servings=20&isMetric=false Amazingly Easy Irish Soda Bread Prep 15 m Cook 50 m Ready In 1 h 5 m Recipe By:MP Welty "A good old fashioned soda bread with just the basic ingredients. Buttermilk gives this crusty loaf a good flavor. The best Irish soda bread around!" Ingredients DRY 4 cups all-purpose flour 4 tablespoons white sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt WET  1/2 cup margarine, softened 1 cup buttermilk 1 egg 1/4 cup butter, melted 1/4 cup buttermilk Directions Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an 'CROSS' into the top of the loaf. Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Check for doneness after 30 minutes. You may continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2020 Allrecipes.com Printed From Allrecipes.com 3/9/2020 Some more reading for you after you finish Irish Magic. I wanted to give you authors and books you  might enjoy during our current appocalytpic situation. Most of these you can get at your public library. Or on your Kindle app. Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Funny escapist lovely reading. I just re-read First Lady. Jayne Ann Krentz I just finished The Vanishing and a reread of all of her Curtain series. Alyssa Cole A Princess in Theory blew me away. I just gave away a copy on my blog. Beverly Jenkins had a new book come out in her Blessings series Tamora Pierce's series for mid-grade readers. Hey I love them and reread them all the time. https://www.amazon.com/Tamora-Pierce/e/B000APBE82/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0    Belle Ami's The Girl who Knew DaVinci https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Who-Knew-Vinci-Romantic-ebook/dp/B07C6MJYW5 Right now I am reading The Yellow Bird Sings by Jennifer Rossner. Not very escapist, but beautifully lyrical. I will be giving away a copy on my blog next week. During this time of madness please find something you can do to make yourself happy. Stay sane and healthy

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