Out of Africa, a Barbecue: Guest Author Harry Kraus M.D.

** Wednesday July 3, 3:30 PM  Congratulations to our giveaway winner, O. Chavez!  **
---

See this apron? Yes, those are zebra stripes. It was a must-have, because today's guest sent this post from East Africa where he and his family serve as Christian missionaries. In addition to that incredible calling, he is a surgeon, best-selling medical suspense author, and (we learn now) a passionate foodie. I completely love this humorous and colorful post, and think you will too.  Please join me in an enthusiastic Authors' Galley welcome for:
Dr. Harry Kraus!  

"Cooking, Writing...It's All the Same to Me!"

by Harry Kraus, M.D.

The guidelines for participation in this blog were pretty easy for me.

            Food.

            I cook like I write. Seat of the pants, with a bit of an outline.  I look up a recipe for something I want to make, but I just can’t resist adding a bit of this or that along the way.  Mostly, it works, but occasionally, an ingredient will threaten to take over, like a minor quirky character who is fun to write about, but doesn’t seem to understand that they aren’t the main character. Kind of like the time I made ginger cookies with about three times the normal ginger. Hey, if a little is good…

            What I’m really good at is marinades.  Like the one I made for the goat roast for the guys in the fellowship of the gray goatees last week.

            You see, there are a handful of missionaries here in Kenya, all serving in Kijabe, and all sporting gray goatees. So, in the spirit of some good fun, we decided to celebrate our little “fellowship” in true Kenyan fashion.  You see, Kenyans love nothing better than nyama  choma (grilled meat) and their favorite is goat. So I, along with the other members, decided that the guys with gray goatees should eat a gray goat and refresh our thirst with tea (also, a Kenyan favorite). Corny, I know, but often the best times are wrapped around a little craziness and involve food.  Here’s the guys, standing around the grill.

            My goat marinade consisted of garlic sautéed in butter, soy sauce, a little red pepper, basil, oregano, and a bit of white wine. Yeah, I didn’t tell my missionary bros about that last ingredient.
            You can use a similar base for all meat marinades. When I’m in a place where it is available, I love to add the shakable Parmesan cheese, especially for chicken.
            My latest novel, An Open Heart, is the first novel that I’ve written that is primarily set in Africa. (OK, a lot of my stories are touched by this continent, but here it is front and center.)

Their Messages—From Beyond the Grave—Might Destroy Him

They hover between life and death, their hearts stopped on the surgery table. And the messages Dr. Jace Rawlings’ open-heart surgery patients bring back from beyond the grave cannot be ignored. For they predict the deaths of people around him, and point a finger of suspicion straight at him.

It thrusts Jace into a firestorm of controversy and danger. A maeltsrom blown by the darker winds of political intrigue and spiritual warfare. And the forces working against him will do anything to stop him from uncovering a truth they will kill to hide. He’d come to Kenya to establish a heart-surgery program for the poor. But what he will find in that place where he grew up will put everything at risk–his marriage, his career . . . his life.

           In order to bring Kenya alive for my reader, I use things that are authentic to this setting, including the food.

            In fact, my protagonist, Dr. Jace Rawlings, goes to one of our real local restaurants in Kijabe, Mama Chiku’s Hotel, for a grand reunion with the comfort food he grew up with in Kenya. It’s all spelled out on page 34. Ugali, stew, cabbage, chapatis, and sukuma wiki.

Here’s a picture of the actual local watering hole, walking distance from our apartment and the hospital

where I (and my protagonist, Jace) work.

            The novel is part medical thriller and part romance, with a bit of political corruption, African witchcraft, spiritual war and a struggling professional marriage sprinkled in. Hmmm. Starting to sound like the way I cook. 

            A great meal can be prepared by following an exact recipe or…can be an experience of surprise and spontaneity…kind of like a good story!

***

Fellowship of the Gray Goatees . . . while I must say I'm grateful not to qualify, I am really looking forward to Harry's new release. It sounds amazing. One of YOU will probably get a chance to read it before me, if you are our lucky giveaway winner. Towards that happy end, Wynn-Wynn Media is offering this fun package:

A copy of Harry Kraus's An Open Heart, plus some delightful Tazo tea AND a pretty cup to sip it from! 

To enter, please leave a comment below including your e-mail address. US entries only, please. The winner will be selected (via Random.Org) on Weds. July3rd and contacted by e-mail. Please remember to leave that contact information or another name will be chosen.

Until then, happy reading . . . and Bon Appetit!