We spend a lot of time in a small coastal town called Beaufort, in eastern North Carolina, which is where the inspiration for IXEOS came from. In the summer, virtually everything we eat comes from the seafood market or farmers’ stands. One of our favorite things is fresh peach mango sorbet. Here’s the recipe:

PEACH MANGO SORBET

Approximately 5-6 fresh, ripe peaches, peeled and chopped

1 small ripe mango (regular or champagne), peeled and chopped

juice of 1 lime

½-1 cup simple syrup (recipe below)

3 tbsp vodka

ginger ale

Puree the peaches and mango with the lime juice and ½ cup of simple syrup.

Add the vodka (you won’t taste it, but it will keep ice crystals from forming in the sorbet). Taste and adjust sweetness with more simple syrup (will vary depending on sweetness of the peaches). Add ginger ale to make 5 cups.

Cover and chill at least 1 hour.

Process in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s directions.

SIMPLE SYRUP

Mix even quantities of water and sugar in a small saucepan (ie. 1 cup of each).  Bring to a boil and stir until all the sugar crystals are gone. Let cool before using in sorbet.

Keep leftover syrup in the fridge for up to 2 week.

NOTE:

You can use this basic recipe to make all kinds of fruit sorbets. Most ice cream makers take about 5 cups. When I make grapefruit sorbet, I juice about 4 cups of fresh juice, and add 1 cup of syrup (again, depends on the flavor of the grapefruit).

Fresh strawberry or strawberry mango sorbet is also delicious! The mango in these recipes enhances the other fruit without being a noticeable ingredient – I don’t even like mango on its own, but in sorbet it is excellent!

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Ixeos Rebellion

With rebel leader Darian free at last, the humans and outsiders on Ixeos must find a way to join forces and defeat the Firsts. The problem? All slaves are tracked with GPS, the Firsts are the only ones with power, and roving gangs hate the rebels just as much as they hate the aliens. As Darian and the outsiders from Earth travel the globe through the mysterious tunnels in Paris, they learn that the Firsts are preparing to launch another wave of biological warfare. With a transporter that will allow the aliens to target any city, anywhere on the planet, the rebels know they must stop them at all costs.

As things get more dangerous on Ixeos, the outsiders find that they’re pushed to their limit. Will they fight for freedom, no matter the price?

Ixeos

The McClellands are enjoying a lazy summer vacation at the beach when they are lured from our world into Ixeos, an alternate Earth. Finding themselves lost in a maze of tunnels under Paris and surrounded by strangers, they discover that they have been brought to Ixeos for one purpose: to take the planet back from humanoid aliens who have claimed it. With the aid of the tunnels and a mysterious man named Landon, the teens travel the world seeking the key that will allow them to free Darian, the long-imprisoned rebel leader. But the aliens aren’t the only problem on Ixeos — the McClellands have to deal with brutal gangs, desperate junkies, and a world without power, where all the technology is owned by the aliens, and where most of the population has been killed or enslaved. The worst part? There’s no way home.

Author Jennings Wright

Born and raised in Florida, Jennings spent her early years reading anything she could get her hands on, when she wasn’t spending time in and on the water. She won a prize in the 6th grade for her science fiction stories.

Jennings attended the University of Tampa, graduating with a B.A. in Political Science, and almost enough credits for B.A.s in both English and History. She attended graduate school at the University of West Florida, studying Psychology. She spent time over the years doing various kinds of business writing, editing, and teaching writing, but mostly having and raising her family, homeschooling her children, owning and running a business with her husband, and starting a non-profit.

Thanks to a crazy idea called NaNoWriMo Jennings got back into creative writing in 2011 and hasn’t stopped since. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband, also a business owner and writer, and two children, and travels extensively with her family, and her non-profit in Uganda.

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Originally posted 2013-07-21 08:24:35.