FEBRUARY 2021

You're invited! Join us in welcoming four bestselling authors:  Walter Mosley, Charles Todd, Dana Stabenow, and  Ed Ruggero, with our own Jenny Milchman as MC. 

Eat, drink, & ask questions! Authors will share insider stories, writerly tips, and dish the latest on their new books. 

When: 7 p.m. Eastern Time, February 15, 2021. Following a brief introduction each of our guests will talk about their work, and then read for about three minutes followed by Q&A. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER. 

The first 100 who sign up to be in the virtual room will have the chance to ask questions live. Once registered you will be sent a link to use to log in. Everyone else can catch the event by clicking on Facebook Live, where you can ask questions via comments. The Rogues will be monitoring the chat throughout the evening, so come prepared.

As a special treat, each of our guests has paired a favorite snack with their favorite drink providing a recipe for an enjoyable evening. Trust us, the Rogues will be cooking all day. Drinking will commence at the start of the show!

Meet the Authors:

Walter Mosley is the author of more than 60 critically-acclaimed books of fiction, nonfiction, memoir and plays. His work has been translated into 25 languages.  From the first novel he published, Devil in a Blue Dress with its protagonist Easy Rawlins, Mosley’s work has explored the lives of Black men and women in America—past, present and future—in a rich exploration of genre with his latest including the short story collection, The Awkward Black Man. He has had several of his books adapted for film and his short fiction and nonfiction essays have been published in a wide range of outlets including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and The Nation. He is also a writer and an executive producer on the John Singleton FX show, “Snowfall.” The winner of numerous awards, his latest novel, BLOOD GROVE, is his 15th Easy Rawlins book, which came out February 2nd.

Drink: Mineral Water
Snack: He doesn’t.

Ed Ruggero has studied, practiced, and taught leadership for more than twenty-five years, helping organizations develop the kinds of leaders people want to follow. His client list includes the FBI, the New York City Police Department, CEO Conference Europe, the CIA, Forbes and Time, to name just a few. He has appeared on CNN, The History Channel, the Discovery Channel and CNBC, and has spoken to audiences around the world. Ed remembers very clearly two ambitions he had early on: he wanted to be a soldier and he wanted to be a writer. A West Point graduate, Ed received his commission in the United States Army. He served as an infantry officer in a variety of leadership positions, followed by an assignment teaching at West Point. While on the faculty at West Point, he hit on the idea of inviting a newly famous author named Tom Clancy for a visit. Needless to say, Clancy’s visit became a big event. In class, Clancy told Ruggero's students, "I waited until I was almost forty to try something I always wanted to do. Don't wait." That advice got Ruggero started on his first book. Now the author of eleven books, Ruggero's second historical mystery fiction, COMES THE WAR, came out February 9th.

Drink: Beer. Sorry, not very original, I know, but I tend to drink Corona beer.
Snack: Cheddar Cheese and Snack-Well crackers.

Dana Stabenow was born in Alaska and raised on a 75-foot fish tender in the Gulf of Alaska. She knew there had to be a warmer, dryer job out there somewhere. Her first science fiction novel, Second Star, sank without a trace (but has since been resurrected as an e-book). Her first crime fiction novel, A Cold Day for Murder, won an Edgar® award. Her first thriller, Blindfold Game, hit the New York Times bestseller list. The Land Beyond, the final third of her historical trilogy about Marco Polo's granddaughter, Silk and Song, was published in October 2015. She is the author of author of 22 Kate Shugak novels, and her 5th Liam Campbell novel, SPOILS OF THE DEAD, came out February 4th.
 
Drink: Lager. Preferably draft. If absolutely nothing else available, Corona will do. 
Snack: Popcorn. Has to be white and popped in oil.

Charles and Caroline Todd are a writing team who live on the east coast of the United States. They are the New York Times Best Selling authors of the Inspector Ian Rutledge Series and the Bess Crawford series. They have published over thirty titles including two stand-alone novels, an anthology of short stories and over twenty short stories appearing in mystery magazines’ and anthologies worldwide. Their works have received the Mary Higgins Clark, Agatha, and Barry awards along with nominations for the Anthony, Edgar®, and Dagger awards. They also happen to be mother and son, and they have always found it easier to work a few states apart because that happens to be how they began their collaboration. The authors of 23 Ian Rutledge novels, their latest, A FATAL LIE, comes out February 16.

Caroline's Drink: Black Russian

Charles' Drink: Virgin Mojito 

INGREDIENTS
· 15 mint leaves
· 1 teaspoon raw sugar
· 1-ounce fresh lime juice
· 1⁄2-ounce simple syrup
· Ice 4
· 4 ounces club soda or 4 ounces sparkling water

DIRECTIONS
1. In a glass, muddle/crush the mint, sugar, lime juice and Simple Syrup.
2. Add ice.
3. Top with the ginger ale/club soda/sparkling water.
4. For the sugar conscious, you can exchange the sugar for Splenda (2tsp granulated Splenda) and omit the simple syrup.

Caroline's Snack: Dark Chocolate Mounds®

Charles' Snacks: Traditional Eccles Cakes, English Shortbread and All-Butter Scottish Shortbread. Though even he will admit the shortbread biscuits and Eccles Cake are easier to purchase!

TRADITIONAL ECCLES CAKES
Note: To save time both the pastry dough and the filling can be made days in advance and kept chilled.
Servings 8

INGREDIENTS
· 2 tablespoons butter
· 1 cup dried currants
· 2 tablespoons chopped candied mixed fruit peel
· ¾ cup demerara sugar
· ¾ teaspoon mixed spice
· ½ (17.5 ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed (Unless you are brave and make your own)
· 1 egg white, beaten
· ¼ cup white sugar for decoration

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Sprinkle a baking sheet with water.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in currants, mixed peel, demerara sugar and mixed spice. Stir until sugar is dissolved and fruit is well coated. Remove from heat.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to a 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out 8 (5 inch) circles, using a saucer as a guide. Divide the fruit mixture evenly between the circles. Moisten the edges of the pastry, pull the edges to the center and pinch to seal. Invert filled cakes on the floured surface and roll out gently to make a wider, flatter circle, but do not break the dough.
4. Brush each cake with egg white and sprinkle generously with white sugar. Make three parallel cuts across the top of each cake, then place them on the prepared baking sheet.
5. Bake in preheated oven 15 minutes, until golden.

ENGLISH SHORTBREAD
INGREDIENTS

· 1 cup butter, plus (no substitutes)
· 2 tablespoons butter
· 1⁄2 cup sugar
· 3 cups all-purpose flour
· 1 teaspoon sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Mix the butter and sugar together until light and creamy.
3. Gradually work in the flour (Mixture will be crumbly).
4. Press mixture into a greased 9" x 13" pan.
5. Prick all over with a fork (Dip fork in some flour before pricking shortbread).
6. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of sugar (Optional).
7. Put into oven for about 20 minutes, or until pale golden.
8. When cool, cut into bars.

ALL-BUTTER SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD
Prep: 20 mins
Cook:25 mins
Depending on method up to::45 mins
Total:90 mins
Servings:12 servings

INGREDIENTS
· 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
· Pinch of salt
· 1/2 cup superfine sugar (caster sugar), plus extra for sprinkling
· 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
· 3 1/2 ounces (3/4 cup plus 1 1/4 tablespoons) cornstarch

DIRECTIONS
1. Gather the ingredients.
2. Preheat the oven to 325 F/170 C. Lightly grease a baking sheet. (We have a shortbread pan from England)
3. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, salt, and sugar until light and fluffy and pale in color, either by hand or with the help of an electric mixer. This might take about 10 minutes.
4. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour and cornstarch, and sift into the bowl with the butter and sugar. Mix quickly and thoroughly to bring all the ingredients together but do not overmix. If worked too much, the dough will warm up and the shortbread will have a poor crumb.
5. Tip the mixture onto a cold and lightly floured work surface. Knead lightly and quickly to form a loose dough. Marble or Granite works well.
6. Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper to 1/4-inch thick. Prick the surface all over with a fork. Cut into desired shapes or rounds using cookie cutters.
7. Place the Scottish shortbreads onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes or until pale brown and crisp.
8. Once they're cooked, sprinkle the warm shortbreads with superfine sugar and let cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight tin or box.

Our MC:

Our MC is Rogue Writer Jenny Milchman, the author of COVER OF SNOW, which won the Mary Higgins Clark Award, RUIN FALLS, an Indie Next Pick and a Top Ten of 2014 by Suspense Magazine and AS NIGHT FALLS, the recipient of the 2015 Silver Falchion award for best novel. Her fourth novel, WICKED RIVER, was an Indie Next Pick and selected as one of Strand Magazine's Best of the Year. Her fifth novel, THE SECOND MOTHER, came out summer 2020.She served as Vice President of Author Programming for International Thriller Writers, is a member of the Sisters in Crime speakers bureau, and the founder and organizer of Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day, which is celebrated annually in all fifty states. Jenny lives in the Hudson River Valley with her family.