CHARLESTON SALAD
After I was served this salad at the Charleston Book and Author Luncheon several years ago, I couldn’t wait to get home and make my own version. Quantities of all ingredients depend on the number you’re serving. For dressing you could use the recipe I’ve included, or simply buy one of the good bottled poppy seed or raspberry vinaigrette dressings available in the produce section at your grocery.
To make this a main dish salad, add rotisserie chicken, cooked shrimp or even poached salmon.
- Chopped lettuce—Romaine, Bibb or even arugula.
- Hulled and sliced fresh strawberries
- Sliced avocado
- Pink grapefruit sections. (I buy the ones in jars in produce section)
- Red onion rings
- Goat cheese crumbles
- Almonds—blanched and sliced
Arrange chopped lettuce on each plate. Top with avocado, onion, strawberries and grapefruit sections, dribbling a little grapefruit juice over avocado to keep from browning. Add goat cheese crumbles. Sprinkle sliced almonds on top. Drizzle with dressing
Poppyseed dressing:
- 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (optional)
- 2 tsp. Dijon mustard, or 1 tsp. dry mustard and 1 tsp. Dijon
- 2 tsp. poppyseeds
- 1/2 to 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup good quality olive oil
Combine everything except olive oil in a lidded jar and shake well. Pour olive oil slowly into jar and shake vigorously again.
RENT ONE OF MKA’s COTTAGES
The Breeze Inn
Ebbtide
Did you know that MKA’s own beach cottages—that she has lovingly restored with her own hands and decorated with her own junking treasures—are available for rent?! You and yours can chillax in beautiful beach cottage comfort in the very spot where MKA pens her bestselling novels. Smaller group? Choose The Breeze Inn which MKA took from ramshackle to the pages of BH&G in a year’s time back in 2009. For larger groups, check out MKA’s new treasure, Ebbtide, which she fixed up in her own signature style. Call Diane at Mermaid Cottages and book yourself in for the full MKA experience! If MKA’s places are not available, Diane has 50 one-of-a-kind cottages sprinkled around the island, all just a short ride on a beach cruiser away from each other. Get yourself on “Tybee time” and discover the magic of slowing down.
MKA Online
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Dear Friends:
I can’t believe the release of my 23rd novel—and 13th written as MKA—is right around the corner! Kirkus Reviews calls BEACH TOWN “a perfect fit for the romance lover’s beach bag.” Circle the date of May 19th to get your copies of BEACH TOWN! Better yet, pre-order now, so you don’t miss out. If you pre-order the book by May 18th, you’ll be eligible to receive these awesomely cool and customized BEACH TOWN sunglasses.
Details HERE on how to get your own pair just in time for sunny days ahead.
BEACH TOWN is the story of movie location scout Greer Hennessey, who’s tasked with finding the perfect “old Florida” location for a big budget Hollywood film. She finds the sleepy Gulf Coast town of Cypress Key, but things get complicated when the stubborn mayor, a long-time local named Eben Thibadeaux, tries every roadblock in the book to shut her down.
For research for the book I spent time this winter in Cedar Key, FL, which was the inspiration for the book’s setting. After a few spectacular sunsets like this one, I wanted to settle in for the rest of winter!
As always, we’re cooking up an epic Atlanta launch party with our friends at FoxTale Book Shoppe. Circle the date—Sunday, May 17th. This year’s soiree is at the Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams home furnishings showroom at the Avalon shopping mecca in Alpharetta and it will benefit the Atlanta Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer alliance. Go HERE to buy your party tix and to get in on some great incentive prizes for booking early. Your ticket price gets you an autographed first-edition hardcover copy of BEACH TOWN, a great swag bag full of freebies, plus food, drinks, shopping, and fun. We’ll be raffling off awesome door prizes again this year, including restaurant dinners, book baskets, and much more.
Can’t make the Atlanta party? Join us the next night, Monday, May 18th for another launch, in Savannah, at the Brice Hotel. Food, fun, friends! Watch my Facebook page for details.
The 2015 BIG-AZZ BEACH TOWN BOOK TOUR (details at right) will have me hopping to beach towns like St. Simon’s Island, GA., Grayton Beach, FL., Vero Beach, Fairhope, AL, and the Jersey Shore, as well as hot-spots like Raleigh, Birmingham, and Houston. Stay tuned to the EVENTS page on my website as the tour continues to take shape.
And don’t forget, the paperback of SAVE THE DATE releases May 5th—just in time for Mother’s Day, which is May 10th. Back by popular demand is our Mother’s Day gift to you, recipe cards with some of my favorite springtime dishes. Details to come soon on how to get yours.
Also, for a limited time, Amazon is offering an amazing “Kindle Monthly Deal” on the Ladies’ Night e-book. From now through May 4th you can get it for the special low price of just $2.99.
In the meantime, at left enjoy my recipe for Charleston Salad, which is perfect for a Mother’s Day brunch.
Happy Spring, y’all!
Hugs,
MKA
Do you have a book club? If your club is reading one of my books, I would love to call in and join your discussion. You never know, I may even be able to drop by in person if it works out right. E-mail us with your request and we’ll see what we can do! Be sure to include a snail mail address and info about the size of your club.
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In stores May 19th! Order NOW!
In Paperback May 5th! Order NOW!
BEACH TOWN TOUR
Sunday, May 17
ALPHARETTA, GA
Launch Party
Hosted by FoxTale Book Shoppe
At Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams
Monday, May 18
SAVANNAH, GA
Launch Party
Brice Hotel
Tuesday, May 19
SANTA ROSA, FL
Sanctuary at Redfish
Wednesday, May 20
FAIRHOPE, AL
Page & Palette
Thursday, May 21
RALIEGH, NC
Quail Ridge Books & Music
Friday, May 22
ST. SIMON’S ISLAND, GA
GJ Ford Bookshop
Monday, May 25
DUCK, NC
Island Bookstore
Tuesday, May 26
HOUSTON, TX
Murder by the Book
Wednesday, May 27
BIRMINGHAM, AL
Books-A-Million with Patti Callahan Henry
Thursday, May 28
FLORENCE, AL
Florence-Lauderdale Public Library
Friday, May 29
FAIR HAVEN, NJ
River Road Books
Saturday, May 30
MADISON, CT
R.J. Julia Booksellers
Sunday, May 31
PLAISTOW, NH
Plaistow Public Library
Monday, June 1
WELLSELEY, MA
Wellesley Books
Tuesday, June 2
JACKSONVILLE, FL
Jacksonville Public Library
Wednesday, June 3
JACKSONVILLE, FL
Bookmark with Mary Alice Monroe
Thursday, June 4
VERO BEACH, FL
Vero Beach Book Center with Mary Alice Monroe
Tuesday, June 9
ATLANTA, GA
Book Miser
Wednesday, June 10
ATLANTA, GA
Omega Books
Thursday, June 11
ATLANTA, GA
Book Exchange
Friday, June 19
PAWLEYS ISLAND, SC
Litchfield Books
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