September is a big month for me. ONE DARK WISH, the second book in the Deadly Force series will release on September 24 and I’m so excited. I wrote this book over a year ago so it will seem surreal to finally see it on the shelf.
To celebrate, I’m taking us to a deleted scened in the book. In this story, Sarah Munro (the heroine in ONE DARK WISH) is a historian who specializes in the 17th and 18th centuries, specifically the history of the pirates who plagued the Caribbean and the southeastern U.S. One of the scenes in this story takes place at an auction for 17th Century pirate weapons that Sarah has been working on for Carina Prioleau, one of the U.S. senators from Georgia.
To build excitement for this once-in-a-lifetime auction of rare pirate artifacts, Carina held a private supper for her wealthier donors. Sarah, unbeknownst to Carina, has allowed me to follow her into this private fundraising supper so I could get a glimpse into Carina’s world. The party is being held in Carina’s mansion in historic Savannah (which I’ve never been in!) and you’re welcome to join us!
Sarah Munro ~ “Although I’ve been working on a project to archive 17th century pirate weapons for Senator Carina Prioleau for months now, I’ve never been invited to her mansion. But tonight I’m taking Sharon (my favorite author!) with me to Carina’s fundraising dinner. I’m not sure what to expect, but I’ve no doubt Carina’s posh friends will ignore the archivist. I’m sneaking Sharon in so I have someone to talk to!
Luckily, no one notices us when we enter the enormous foyer of Carina’s home. A split staircase dominates the space and the bar is set up in the corner. A waiter swings by with a silver tray and mentions that the appetizers will be served on the patio. Since neither Sharon nor I know how to get to the patio, we take two glasses off the waiter’s tray and survey the women in gowns and men in tuxedoes miling around us.
I always sniff drinks before I sip, but when I taste it I smile. I tell Sharon that the drink is bumboo. Bumboo is a rum-based cocktail that pirates used to drink when they weren’t causing trouble around the Caribbean. Sharon finishes her drink and winks at me. Considering the amount of research she’s done for this series, I know she recognizes the drink as well. Rum, grenadine, and nutmeg. Perfect for a late summer September evening.
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BUMBOO RUM COCKTAIL
2 fluid ounces dark rum
1 fluid ounces lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grenadine
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
ice cubes
DIRECTIONS: Fill a drink shaker with ice. Add all of the ingredients to the shaker. Shake and strain into a glass. Makes 1 drink.
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After grabbing two more drinks, we follow a beautiful couple onto the patio that overlooks a formal garden. A jazz trio plays nearby and more waitstaff walks around with trays of… fried okra. Although I was born in Savannah, I was raised in Boston so I’m not that familiar with fried southern food. But from the huge amount that Sharon has on her small plate, I figure it can’t be that bad.
And I have to admit that the fried okra is delicious. It’s lightly fried and slightly tangy. By now we’ve had two bumboos and are working on our third. As we make our way across the patio, bypass huge columns holding enormous floral arrangements, and walk around the spray fountains, we find a table in the corner. We can sit and finish our apps without anyone noticing we’re eating more than we should.
Sharon whispers her thanks for sneaking her in here tonight, and I nod. I’m glad she’s with me too. It’s more fun when I have someone to talk to as we watch the beautiful people wander around with rum bumboos and plates of fried okra. Now we just have to hope that Carina doesn’t notice my plus one is the author who killed off her husband before the Deadly Force Series even started. Carina is still salty about that!”
Fried Okra
Ingredients
- 1 lb small fresh okra pods, 4" in length or less (4 cups when trimmed and chopped)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion salt
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- dash cayenne pepper
- peanut oil for frying
Instructions
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In a large bowl, whisk the egg and milk together. Then rinse the okra pods. Cut off the caps and stems and cut crosswise into 1/2" pieces. Add the cut okra to the milk/egg mixture and stir. Set aside of 15 minutes.
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In another large bowl, stir together the cornmeal, paprika, garlic powder, onion salt, salt, and dash of cayenne pepper.
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Fill a dutch oven or a deep fat fryer with at least 2" of oil. Make sure it's enough oil to cover the okra. Heat until the oil reaches 350℉, using a thermometer to check.
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Drain the excess milk/egg mixture from the okra. Add 1/4 of the okra to the cornmeal breading bowl and toss to combine. Using tongs, shake off the excess breading and add to the hot oil. Keep the oil at 350℉ the entire time the okra is frying. Cook okra for 3 minutes. Then turn the okra over and fry for another minute until they are a nice golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with paper towels.
Return the oil to 350℉ and repeat the process until all the okra is breaded and fried. Serve immediately.
