(For excerpts, see BOOKS section)

HITTING THE HIGH NOTES
Women’s Fiction with Strong Romantic elements

Green eyes and green socks play a role in getting a widow’s groove back.

PESTO PACKIN’ MAMA
Sequel to Hitting the High Notes

On the way to the altar, a woman cooks up trouble.

A little chick noir, a face-off with a loan shark, and a pinch of mutlicultural spice provided by an infant named Jorge combine well for a Secret Baby plot.

GARNET GALE GETS HER MAN
Historical Romance with Paranormal elements
My twist on The Ghost and Mrs. Muir

BLURB from GARNET GALE GETS HER MAN by NAN D ARNOLD
Garnet Gale Gets Her Man: Think Gone With The Wind meets The Ghost And Mrs. Muir (sans Mrs. Muir). 'Tis oft said revenge is a dish better served cold. It's deathly cold when Abigale Hawthorne partakes her share. Although she relishes the fare at first, she regrets it later.

Upon Captain Nathaniel Blaine's jilt, haughty Gale becomes Lost Mast's laughing stock. Worse, the rogue (whom she brought to her ship-owning father's attention) takes a huge chunk of the family fortune with him in death when the Hawthorne ship he captains sinks in a sudden storm. His spirit returns begging Gale's forgiveness but she withholds it and sends him, she thinks, to perdition. Alas, the specter returns, as attached to her as much as a barnacle to a pier piling. He shadows her every move, offering unsolicited advice on everything from her choice of frock, hairstyle, and potential beaus.

Randolph Blessing, English cousin to Blaine's bride, enters Gale’s sphere. He seeks a new life in America and a wife, too. Can Gale forestall the ghost's plots against her happiness and convince Rand of her matrimonial worthiness before he learns how meager has grown the Hawthorne coffers? She employs a love potion and when Rand proposes, Gale frets his love is not true but tricked. Rand later pooh poohs the potion as fake and promises his devotion. Until Gale admits their union includes a ghost. That, Rand is most decidedly not prepared to accept.

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BLURB from HOTSY TOTSY by NAN D ARNOLD

Hotsy Totsy: What happens if a bad fiend goes good?

Totsy, your average fiend about Hades, hopes to enter Succubus School for a masters degree; not easy because her sleek golden serpentine look is currently out of fashion and there’s a long list ahead of her. Even in Hell, there are mother/daughter issues. Ambitious Mama, Blaze, has other plans. If Tots can harvest the soul of Sawyer Huckleberry, a world renowned televangelist, Tots won’t have to worry about the Succubus Apprentice Program. She’ll jump to She-Devil of the first rank. Big Evil (aka Satan and Totsy’s Dad) will even have to acknowledge her as his spawn. Blaze will ride Totsy’s golden rattle tail to the heights (well, depths) of Hell, joining the coveted circle of lords and ladies there.

If Totsy fails? She’s stuck earth side forever sans demonic powers. She will become a common garden snake at the mercy of every dog, cat, or human wielding a sharp garden implement. Yet, Totsy is not prepared for the effect her target’s son, Michael Huckleberry, has upon her. She feels something for him and it’s not sexual attraction, at least not completely, it’s almost-platonic. Horrors, is this vestige of conscience some side effect from exposure above ground? Perchance a useless appendage like a soul? Blaze is breathing down Totsy’s neck for results and then there’s Hortense, the guardian angel who watches over the Huckleberrys. She’s quite a hindrance as well. With only two weeks to convince Reverend Huckleberry she’s worth eternal damnation, Totsy is definitely between a rock and a very hot place.

HITTING THE HIGH NOTES Reviewed by Romance Alley. Reviewer Betty Ann Harris: Hitting The High Notes is a witty and clever book that was a total delight to read. The author, Nan Arnold, has a wonderful sense of humor that breezes through each page and carries through the entire story...read the full review here

REVIEW for Hitting the High Notes

Told with a similar humoristic style to Janet Evanovich and Sarah Strohmeyer, Hitting the High Notes grabs the reader with a lot of lively dialogue and non-stop action. With a protagonist who needs cold bursts of air to temper her hot flashes, the author has created an amusing, down-to-earth character that many Boomers will find themselves relating to. The story itself is fun and entertaining…. Hitting the High Notes is a good read. Reviewer: Lisa Haselton, Allbooks Reviews

"charming, funny novel" ~RT Reviews

What others are saying about HITTING THE HIGH NOTES:

In a story sure to hit a high note with readers of madcap comedy, Arnold entertains with rapid-fire dialogue, offbeat characters and a southern women's fiction tale packed with outrageous fun. ~Marilyn Brant, Golden Heart winner and author of According to Jane (Kensington)  

Maggie Duncan is fast on her feet for a nearly fifty year old and as snappy with witty comebacks as Ali was in the ring.   This humorous tale keeps you in suspense wondering who gets the girl or if she wants to get caught, and what the opera star, the cop, and the environmental group, The Green Socks Gang, have up their sleeves. Maggie will reveal all, but definitely keeps you laughing until the very end.  ~Carolyn Hughey, Avalon author of Cupid's Web

Author/Chef, Carolyn Hughey graciously offered this in honor of June 1st release PESTO PACKIN MAMA

CAROLYN’S PESTO SAUCE

• 4 cups fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
• 6 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1 cup pine nuts or walnuts (I toast these until golden--it brings out the nutty flavor)
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino cheese (or a combination of the two)
• 1-1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste(Be careful with the salt--there's already a ton of salt in the cheese)
• Crushed chili pepper to taste (optional)

Place first two ingredients in a blender and use the chop button until you are satisfied with the size. Add remaining ingredients. * (see note below)

Cook pasta to al dente. Drain and return to pot, add a dollop or two of pesto, and stir to coat the pasta.  It should be coated evenly.  Serve with a sprinkle of parmigiano cheese on top.  Ooh yum!

*PESTO can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for a few weeks. If you plan to store it, leave the cheese out. Transfer the pesto to a refrigerator container, pour a thin film of oil over the top, cover, and store. When you're ready to use it, let the pesto thaw if necessary, then stir in the oil on top and the grated cheese.

Carolyn Hughey

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