Parole Hearing

Leonard Peltier’s parole hearing was on July 28th, but a final determination hasn’t been made. The parole board has up to three weeks to make that decision. Leonard spoke with the board and answered questions for 1-1/2 hours. Afterward, his attorney addressed the crowd waiting outside and said that he feels “optimistic,” as he was able to present additional evidence on Leonard's behalf to the board.

For those of you interested in knowing more about how Leonard landed in prison and why so many people have been championing for his release, you might want to check out "Incident at Oglala - The Leonard Peltier Story." This is a critically acclaimed documentary produced and narrated by Robert Redford.

If you want to know more about the man himself, consider reading PRISON WRITINGS: MY LIFE IS MY SUN DANCE written by Peltier while he has been incarerated.

Family Party Pictures

My family celebrated my sister's 50th birthday this weekend! I took a few pictures when I first arrived. I should have taken more, but later I caught got up in the festivities and forgot to keep snapping. It was a fun-filled party with food, drink, lots of lively conversation.

Blaine--the beautiful birthday girl.


My brilliant niece Rachel. She is Blaine's daughter.


My step dad, Aunt Greer (who hosted the party) and my mom.


My sister Brenda (on the right) and her partner, Yvonne.


Me with Taylor and Jordan--Yvonne's great kids.


Taylor and her boyfriend.


Brenda and me.


Yvonne and me.


My mom holding Mimi (Yvonne's cutie dog).


There were tons of people and lots of activity I didn't capture, including kids, cousins, friends, and more dogs. But I'm glad I was able to capture a few moments to remember the wonderful day.

Pupusa Recipe

My son called today and told me that he made pupusas last night. I wasn’t familiar with what they are, but he explained that are like corn tortillas, only thicker and stuffed with various ingredients. The pupusa originated in El Salvador.

Here is a picture of the ones my son made. They are stuffed with beans and cheese and have homemade salsa on top.

I’m posting a simple recipe, which I found on the Net. It's basically the same recipe my son used. I plan to make them, too. Well, okay, my mom will probably make them. She’s the cook in the family. But I’m gathering recipes because I want to start cooking more.

The flour used in the recipe can be found in Mexican groceries and in some local supermarkets. You can also order it online. Just Google it. Tons of links will come up.

RECIPE

Ingredients
• 5 cups masa harina flour
• 4 cups water, approximately
• 16-24 ounces canned refried beans
• 3 cups ranchero cheese or mild melting cheese such as Monterey Jack
• light vegetable oil or light olive oil

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, gradually stir water into masa harina until dough forms a ball that can be handled.
2. Into another bowl, empty the refried beans. Place the grated cheese into a separate bowl.
3. Divide dough into about 20 pieces. Roll each into a ball and flatten between the palms of your hands to about 1/2-inch thick. Put a spoonful of beans and a small handful of cheese into the center of each pupusa. Work the edges up over the filling and again form a ball, completely enclosing the filling. This takes only a few seconds. Flatten again with the filling inside.
4. Heat a heavy, wide-bottomed or flat skillet until hot. Brush with oil and cook pupusas on each side 4-5 minutes until a pale golden-brown. The outside should be firm.

Jeff Rivera Promos

Hi Everyone,
Jeff Rivera passed these on to me. They’re promos for his book FOREVER MY LADY, but you must wear headphones for them to work!

Another great SUBMISSION review

Eye on Romance reviewed SUBMISSION and gave it a super writeup.
Click Here for the link

Release Dates

MASQUERADE, my next Berkley Heat, will be released in March 2010 under my Sheri WhiteFeather name (instead of Cherie Feather). For those of you following my erotic books, this is Amber, Luke, and Jay’s story.

My next Silhouette Romantic Suspense novels, IMMINENT AFFAIR and PROTECTING THEIR BABY, will be released in November and December of this year.

As soon as I have the covers of all of these books, I'll post them.

Fourth of July

I know. I’m a day late. I hope everyone had a great holiday. I worked in the morning and spent the afternoon with my family. We went to see Public Enemies and had dinner and a margarita afterward. As for the movie, parts were good and other parts were slow. A little too many shoot ups and not enough information about Dillinger as a man. Of course the acting was terrific. You can’t go wrong with Johnny Depp and Christian Bale.

I didn’t watch any fireworks. In the evening, I went back to work. Some other writer friends were working, too, so we were exchanging e-mails and plotting together.

Oh, and I spent some time on Facebook. It’s always fun to read everyone's posts and see what they’re up to.

Leonard Peltier Parole Hearing

Leonard Peltier has been given a PAROLE DATE HEARING NOW SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY, JULY 27, 2009! This is a call for a final effort for a major letter writing campaign.

For information about how to write a letter to the parole board, follow this link http://www.prisonactivist.org/node/522
Parole Hearing

To read more about Leonard, follow this link:
http://www.leonardpeltier.net/theman.htm Leonard Peltier