You're thinking... that picture looks familiar. You and Jake drinking Michael Grant Margaritas at Desperados! What's new about that! This year I'm celebrating 11 years and 16 novels.
Last year's photo "Celebrating 10 Years and 14 novels" was on January 9, pre-COVID. And this year, today on Jan 21 virtually the same thing happened as a year ago. I went to Desperados, had Guiso de Carne (it was Thursday after all) and I had Ruben, my excellent waiter, bring me three orders of guiso--one for lunch and two to go!
Yes, the Guiso de Carne (a family recipe that takes all morning to prepare) is that good! But dear readers, there is a caveat: He or She who comes late to lunch on Thursday may not get to enjoy their famous Guiso. It is made fresh each Thursday morning and when it's gone.... IT'S GONE! Until next Thursday that is. They open at 11AM... so act accordingly! (grin)
Oh, did I mention I had a delicious Michael Grant Margarita? Well I did! I was tempted to have a second... but I'm driving! By the way, Desperados is the only "Official/Authorized" purveyor of the Michael Grant Margarita. They are too good to pass up!
And if you are wondering what 'guiso' is... On the menu it is listed and described as "Guiso de Res Lean tender beef tips & potatoes slow simmered in a chile ancho and cascabel sauce" [FYI: "Res" is Spanish for "beef".] I'm not sure why I've started calling it "Guiso de Carne"... which would mean 'meat'... no, it's not just any meat, it is most assuredly tender beef. This gringo considers Guiso de Res to be Mexican beef stew. But regardless of what you call it, in the heat of summer or in the cold chill of winter a plate of Guiso de Res with rice and refried beans is worth heading for lunch at Desperados... either location (Uno at 4818 Greenville Ave in Dallas or Dos at 3443 W Campbell Rd, Garland, TX).
So it would seem this is now an annual rite of passage. As this year I'm starting my 12th year of writing novels subtitled: from the Black Book Investigation of Michael Grant & Associates and more generally thought of as the Michael Grant Mysteries... I finished book #16 at the end of 2020. I am now working on book #17 "No, It's Raining" and it is now up to 15K words...
My novels usually start with a word count target of 95,000 words. It never matters if a novel ends up being 85K or 115K. Where ever the characters take me is where the story goes; thus, when they find the end of their story, I stop when they stop telling it. And these characters are currently gabbing like crazy!
And thanks to Anonymous for funding this outing!