Duxbridge mysteries – Annie DeMoranville

Work Wednesday: New Duxbridge Novel

I am heavy into the second book in the Duxbridge Mysteries. I don’t have a title yet, but do have a solid story.

Because of that, I haven’t written the first installment of the Evolution of TJ Wilde: Full Sail, yet (you can see the stories about Run Aground and Underway here).

1950 typewriter, 1940 Art Deco phone and Italian cat sculpture on a desk

How about a few photos of my birthday thrift store finds to make up for it? The 1950s Royal typewriter (with the green keys!) absolutely stopped me in my tracks. I didn’t even hesitate to grab it. It works great, was clearly well taken care of or restored. Types great, looks even better.

Work Wednesday: It’s Been a Week

Blue Great Dane with a mouth full of bone

First up, this guy gave me a scare. Then by the time we got to the vet, he was fine. Just fine. Bouncy. Perky, even. We are keeping an eye on him. But dude, I lost an entire night’s sleep and you’re “fine.”

Work Wednesday: Big Announcement

Full Sail cover Golden Fishing Pier with sailboat and dolphin in the background

Finally.

It took longer than I wanted or anticipated, but life got in the way. A lot.

The final book in the TJ Wilde Mystery trilogy is completed. You can find the book blurb here, along with links to the excerpts of the first two chapters.

The eBook is available now, while the paperback and audiobook will be along soon.

Versatile and Tasty: Ropa Vieja (Instant Pot & Slow Cooker Versions)

I had a some chuck and decided the cold weather needed something hearty. I hadn’t made Ropa Vieja in a while, so that what it became. I also cooked up a bunch of rice and black beans to serve with it. Perfect for a very cold weekend.

If you don’t want to use chuck, you can use pork shoulder or chicken breasts.

From 2023:

Big family doings this weekend, so I needed an easy recipe that everyone could serve themselves. This fits the bill.

Ropa Vieja is one of my favorite items on a local Mexican restaurant menu. I almost always have it in a salad in a tortilla bowl. So of course I had to figure out how to replicate it at home.

I have tortilla bowl molds and make them for lunch salads all the time. Although you don’t need them, use this method here.

Now to up my game with some tasty ropa vieja.

Work Wednesday: Mysteries Abound

Girl sitting on top of a dragon, painting with watercolors along with a stack of book

It has been a ridiculous few weeks. Busy with all sorts of things, both fun and work related. I’ve been steady in the progress on the final rewrites of Full Sail. With that wrapping up, the Duxbridge Mysteries gets notes and plot scribbles when I need a break.

This fun fact came up in the town I’ve used as my model for Duxbridge: