Gifts from the Kitchen

First, Congratulations to Nancy Kimball. She's the winner of Christmas Box #2. I'll be in touch, Nancy.

Welcome to Christmas Party #3. In addition to the great ideas below, I'm featuring Anita Higman's book, Merry Little Christmas. This one is warm and cozy, just right for the holiday season. Fall in love with this  story about two people from different worlds. Franny Martin is an Oklahoma farm girl who’s preparing to spend the holidays alone…again. Then Charlie Landau shows up one day, all wealth and polish, and offers to buy Franny’s farm. Franny has no money to speak of, but she is clever and spirited, and she’s more than happy to sell the farm and move to the city.

As Sinatra croons from the radio and Christmas descends upon her charming farm, Franny teaches Charlie the curious and sometimes comical ways of country life. In the process, they unearth some discoveries of the heart—that sometimes love comes when you’re least ready for it. Will the holidays bring their most impossible dreams within reach?

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Today I'm featuring ideas for food to give as gifts. I love giving gifts from my kitchen for Christmas. I make mini loaves of nut bread or little bags of homemade candies for the ladies in my Sunday School class every year as well as give the same to friends. Food gifts say the giver spent time and effort to make something, and it can be eaten and out of the way instead of being put on a shelf somewhere or tucked in a drawer.

Dollar stores and craft stores have decorative plastic bags in which to put such goodies as well as tags to tie onto them. After wrapping mini-loaves in plastic wrap, they slip right into these bags and are ready to go.

Another good thing about food gifts is that you can make so many at one time. One good shopping trip for supplies will net you gifts for those you want to honor with a gift from your kitchen.

The recipes I’ve included here are traditional recipes people expect from me. Some are from my grandmother and others from friends through the years. I begin the first week of December and usually have it all done in one week. The breads and candies keep well when wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated or stored in airtight plastic containers.

One food gift item is chocolate dipped candy canes and plain spoons. Melted chocolate chips make the coating. After dipping crook part of candy cane or bowl part of spoon in the chocolate to coat it, roll the cane or spoon in colored sprinkles or tinted sugars. When fully set, wrap in red or green plastic wrap and tie with a bow. The spoons are great for stirring hot chocolate or coffee. Chocolate and peppermint make the candy canes a real treat.

Answer the following question to enter the drawing for Christmas Box #3 pictured below. This box will have a loaf of the Banana Nut Bread as well as a tin of pralines. An added bonus is a copy of Anita Higman's new Christmas book, A Merry Little Christmas. Don't forget to include your email address.

(Necessary little disclaimer) This contest void where prohibited by law and is available in the US only. Odds of winning depend on number of participants.

What is your favorite food gift to give or receive? How much baking and such do you do at Christmas?

Easy Pralines (It wouldn’t be Christmas without these)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

Dash of salt

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 ½ cups pecan halves

Combine sugars, salt and milk in saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thermometer reaches softball temp. on candy thermometer. Test by dripping a small drop from a spoon into ice water. When the mixture forms a soft ball when rolled between the fingers, it is ready. Stir in vanilla and pecans and stir briskly until mixture thickens and sugar crystals form on the edges of the saucepan. Drop quickly by spoonfuls onto waxed paper covered cookie sheet. Refrigerate immediately. If mixture becomes too thick, add a tablespoon of hot water and stir then continue make patties on the wax paper. The number of candies will depend on how large you want to make them. If the mixture doesn’t begin to set within a few minutes or by the time you drop all the mixture onto wax paper, it can be scraped off, returned to the pan and reheated for a few minutes then begin again with stirring and dropping.

Microwave Peanut Brittle (Our three sons demand this in their Christmas stockings)

1 cup sugar

½  cup White Karo syrup

2 cups raw peanuts

Dash salt

Place all ingredients into a microwave safe bowl with a handle. (I use an 8 cup Pyrex measuring bowl)  Cook on high for 3 ½ minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon then cook for another 3 ½ minutes.

Stir again and add:

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp. butter

Stir again and cook 1 minute 20 seconds on high.

Quickly stir in 1 tsp. baking soda then pour onto a buttered cookie sheet. As brittle cools, stretch it with your fingers coated in butter. When thoroughly cool, break into pieces and store. Does not need to be refrigerated.

Chocolate Pecan Clusters

1 12 oz. pkg. Hershey’s special dark chocolate chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups pecans lightly chopped

Melt chips over hot water or in a microwave bowl just until they can be stirred smooth. Immediately add milk and nuts. Stir well and drop by spoonfuls into mini-muffin liners. Refrigerate for several hours until firm.

Banana Nut Bread (My grandmother’s recipe)

½ cup shortening                                             1 tsp. soda

1 cup sugar                                                      3 bananas, mashed

3 eggs                                                              ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

2 cups sifted flour                                           1 tsp. vanilla

Add soda to flour and set aside. Cream sugar and shortening until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Beat well after each egg. Add flour 1/3 at a time and mix well after each addition. Stir in bananas, nuts, and vanilla until well mixed. Pour into mini-loaf pans sprayed with Bakers Joy or pour into one large loaf pan sprayed with Bakers Joy. Bake large pan at 325 degrees for 40 minutes, mini-loaves for 30 minutes or until pick inserted into center comes out clean.  

                                                                        

Cranberry Nut Bread

4 cups sifted flour                                                       2/3 cup orange juice

2 cups + 4 Tbsp. sugar                                                ½ cup water

2 ½ tsps. baking powder                                             4 Tbsp. butter

2 tsp. salt                                                                     1 ½ cups chopped nuts

2 eggs                                                                          1 bag fresh cranberries

1 tsp. soda                                                                  

Grease bottom and sides of 4 large or 12 small mini-loaf pans with oil or Baker’s Joy. Sift flour and add baking powder, soda, sugar, salt. In another bowl beat eggs and orange juice, water and melted butter. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add egg mixture. Stir with wooden spoon until blended then fold in cranberries and nuts. Do not over mix. Pour into prepared pans and bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes for large loaves, 45 minutes for small ones or until a pick inserted into middle comes out clean.

Christmas Crafts for Young and Old

Congratulations to Janet E. for winning Christmas Gift Box #1. It'll be on its way to you on Monday.

Christmas crafts are fun to make with your children or for yourself. Simple ornaments and even more detailed ones can be made in a afternoon of fun with your children or just because. You don't have to be "artsy-craftsy" to enjoy making these ornaments. The ones pictured were made by me and my three boys at various ages. We had fun doing them and I still use them on the tree because they bring back happy memories. I did the sewing and they did a lot of the gluing and some cutting as they started school. Planning an afternoon to make ornaments or other decorations can be a most rewarding time with your children or grandchildren.

Pictured from top center and clockwise:
Spool Thread Drum (made by a 6 year old.)
Felt Scrap Snowman
Christmas Fabric mini-stocking for candy or cookies
Mini-wreath
Styro-foam and felt stocking (Made by a 7 year old)
Six diamond point star
Two mini-clothespin angels
Three mini clothespin reindeer

Drum Supplies: Empty Thread spool, grosgrain ribbon, felt scraps, braid trim, gold cord and glue.
The drum is an empty thread spool wrapped with a piece of grosgrain ribbon and trimmed with a braid trim. Felt circles complete the ends and a gold cord glued to the top for hanging.

Snow Man Supplies: One large white felt square, felt scraps, sequins, seed beads and paint or embroidery thread in colors for the face.
The snowman is made from piece of white felt with two cutouts of a snowman. The scarf, hands, buttons and hat with trim are scrap pieces cut in any color you might have. The hands and buttons are sewn by hand onto one piece of felt. The face may be embroidered or painted on. The hat is cut from a scrap of black felt. A red band and a felt holly leaf or then sewn on with matching sequins and beads then sew it by hand to the head. The snowman's body is outlined with silver sequins and beds. The two pieces are then sewn together by hand with an opening left in the bottom for stuffing. After stuffing, sew the opening closed. The red scarf is a long piece of red felt decorated with red sequins and beads then sewn around the neck by hand. Cut slits in the ends to form fringe.

Stocking Supplies: Christmas fabric, solid red or green felt, gold rick rack, three inch strip of felt
Draw a 8" and a 8 1/2" stocking pattern on paper then cut out a front in the Christmas fabric using 8 1/2 pattern then cut out the felt back with the 8" one. Turn edge of Christmas fabric down 1/2 inch and sew on rick-rack trim by hand or machine. Sew the two pieces right sides together and turn. Press to make edges flat. Hand sew the strip of felt to the top of the stocking to make a hanger. The hanger can be omitted if you don't want to use it on the tree.

Mini Wreath Supplies: Mini-wreath, narrow red and green ribbon, miniature ornaments, glue gun and sticks.
Wrap the wreath with the ribbon in the two colors as shown. Glue on miniature ornaments. Glue on bow made of the ribbon then loop a piece of ribbon and glue it to back of wreath for hanger.

Styro-foam Stocking Supplies: Foam paper plate, felt, gold cord, gold braid or fringe trim, sequins and glue.
Draw a stocking outline on the foam plate then cut out. Use the foam for the pattern to cut out the felt, one piece red and and a smaller white piece for the cuff. Glue onto the foam. Glue on the trims as shown then glue on the sequins in a random pattern or a set pattern.

Six Point Diamond Star Supplies:
Christmas fabric, red or green solid fabric, iron on interfacing. thread, red or green extra narrow ribbon for hanging
Cut six diamonds from Christmas fabric. Sew bottom halves of diamonds by machine as shown. Using sewn star as a pattern, cut out the interfacing and the back. Iron interfacing onto the diamond pattern piece. Cut ribbon to desired length then sew the two stars right sides together with the ribbon sewn to one point. Leave one star point open for turning. Press star flat then hand sew the opening.

Clothespin ornaments supplies: Mini clothespins, cardboard, cotton, pom-poms, paint, gold cord, ribbon and fabric scraps.
For Angel, paint one clothes pin white for wings, then paint the other one pink or blue or any desired color. Using a magic marker draw in any detail. Paint face pink then draw in mouth and eyes with felt tip marker. Glue the two clothes pins together at the round ends leaving the prongs at either end for wings. Glue on yellow fuzz or cotton for air. Glue cord to back for hanger then glue the figure onto an oval shaped piece of white card board. Glue cotton clouds around angel.
For Reindeer glue two mini pins side by side as shown then glue third one sideways and upside down for head and antlers. Use black magic marker to color feet and antlers. Eyes may be drawn on or the small beaded eyes from a craft store may be used. Cut felt scraps into a design for the back of the reindeer and trim with gold cord. Glue gold cord in a loop to the back of the reindeer. Then glue on pom poms for nose and tail.

Leave a comment about something you and your children or grandchildren do together for Christmas and be entered for Christmas Box #2. Follow my blog for an extra entry. U.S. entries only please. Be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win.

Here's Christmas Gift Package #2
Enter again for a chance at this gift.
Disclaimer: Void where prohibited by law. Chances of winning depends on number of entries.

Holiday Entertaining

Thanks for stopping by for my first Christmas party in honor of the release of my Christmas book, Christmas at Holly Hill. Today the feature is Holiday Entertaining and menu ideas. Hope you will enjoy the article and the pictures. 

So many times when asked to host a party, luncheon or other social event, we may cringe and immediately worry that our house isn’t large enough or nice enough, or we may worry that we can’t pull it all together and be a gracious hostess.  Whether it is an ice cream or dessert party, a luncheon for class or department at church or home or a fancy dinner for hundreds at church, loving hearts and hands can make the difference.

Holiday entertaining can be the most stressful because of all the other responsibilities associated with Christmas and other holidays. The main problems of a luncheon or open house at Christmas are theme, decorations, and food. Christmas makes it easy to decide on those three elements.

First determine the number you can easily accommodate in the space you have available and make up your guest list. After you have the guest list and the type of party, the menu is selected. Because so many parties are taking place, your guests may be attending more than one open house, brunch, or luncheon. This means simple foods and a simple menu will keep you from spending more time in the kitchen than you do with your guests.

Decorations may be as elaborate or simple as you want to make them. Whatever decorations you use for your own family and holiday decorating will be fine. No need to go to extra trouble to make more elaborate decorations. Here, simple but festive can be as appealing as the other. The Christmas tree, a wreath on the door, a nativity scene or two and a few candles can go a long way to dressing your home for the holiday. One hostess I know always moved out extra furniture from her living room and family room, and stored it in a bedroom. That door was then closed and decorated with a nice sign that indicated the room was for storage. She then used folding chairs to replace the seating now stored away. Dollar type stores carry a plentiful supply of Christmas decorations, ornaments, plates, napkins, and cups or you can use your own Christmas dinnerware. 

   

Now it is time for you schedule your time to get things done before your guests arrive. Think about everything that needs to be done and make a list. Then prioritize the list by what has to be done first and what can be saved to the end. For example, cleaning the bathrooms should be last so that they are at their freshest for the guests. Also, scheduling things far enough in advance will keep you from last minute rushing to be finished.

Even the most laid back personality will benefit from a schedule. Once you have a schedule made, you will find it much easier to do the things that must be done to be ready for your guests without spending all of your time cleaning house and cooking.

A home doesn’t have to elaborate, expensive, or professionally decorated to be warm and inviting for guests. Let the things you enjoy express the warmth of your heart. Leave family photos on display as well as your favorite accessories. Your friends will be relaxed and in good spirits in a home that expresses the personality of its owners.

Here are a few Holiday Menu Ideas along with pictures of two set tables

                                                            Menu for Holiday Open House

Fresh Fruit Platter/Dip    Banana or Cranberry Bread/Cream Cheese Spread

Vegetable Tray/Ranch Dip or Spinach Dip 

Chicken Salad/Tuna Salad Tea Sandwiches   

Cranberry Holiday Punch 

      Trim the Tree Party

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Tortilla Chips/Salsa

Tossed Vegetable Salad with light dressing

Cheesecake  Iced Tea or Coffee

Christmas Luncheon

Almond Chicken Salad

Cranberry Relish Jell-O Salad

Layered Salad with Lettuce, Peas

Marinated Carrots

Fresh Fruit Tray

Assorted Crackers     Mini-muffins

Coffee        Peach Tea

Tell me about your favorite Christmas menu or foods and be entered in a drawing for a special Christmas gift of goodies. Names will be drawn on December 7. Check back for pictures of what the gifts will contain.

This is part of the gift box for this party. If you want an extra entry, follow me on my blog.

Annoying legal disclaimer: drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants.

 

Forgiving As He Forgave Us

Thank you for stopping by and helping me celebrate my birthday on June 22.

Spring Hope is the story of my journey to forgiveness with my brother. Forgiving seems to be one of the most difficult things for Christians to do. Jesus told us it is something we must do as we are forgiven by Him. I’ve read so many books lately with forgiving as one of the main threads of the plot. The threads range from forgiving someone who has hurt the character in the past to forgiving someone of going against everything a Christian holds dear.

Jesus doesn’t care how small or how great our sin is. A white lie or fib is as big a sin as murder because there are no degrees of sin. We are all guilty, and Jesus forgave us with His life, so how much more should we be able to sacrifice our feelings and forgive another person.

My hero followed the same path of forgiveness that I took with my brother nearly thirty years ago. I was in my forties and for years had denied I even had brother because of his lifestyle and numerous imprisonments from Texas to Kansas to Georgia. My fear lay in the fact that I didn’t want my Christian friends to know about him because they might think less of me.

Coming face to face with my own sin of being unforgiving opened my eyes to truths I had denied for many years. Once my eyes were opened, peace came and the love I had for my brother as a child returned. God forgave my brother who became a Christian in prison, and I had to forgive him, too, or make a mockery of my own Christianity.

Yes, hurts do run deep, and forgiving takes much more than many of us want to give. We have no choice because Jesus gave us a commandment that we must follow or be disobedient. Let us open our hearts and let His love flow through us as we forgive others who have sinned against us.

My brother is still in prison, but he is a redeemed child of God, and I love him.

My prayer is that as you read Spring Hope, you will draw closer to the Lord as you think of people in your own life who may need your forgiving heart.

Spring Hope

Libby Cantrell’s life has gone from bad to worse since her mother’s death. With an abusive father, and life in a brothel, she sees no hope for her future until she gains the courage to make her escape one cold winter night.  

When she arrives exhausted, hungry, and ill in Portersfield, Texas, Sheriff Cory Muldoon finds her in an alley and takes her to a doctor. Against Cory’s better judgment, Seth and Erin Winston take her in and offer her a job as a nanny for their young son. As a minister, Seth sees it as his duty to take care of the young woman. As a deputy, Cory sees it as his duty to find out the truth about her even as he is attracted to the waif of a young woman. An unexpected late winter storm and an accident at the river brings the two of them even closer.    

As his love for her grows and winter becomes spring, will he be able to accept her as she is now and truly forget and forgive her sordid past?  

Set in the late 1800s, Seasons of the Heart weaves together the stories of four women whose great faith make a difference in the lives of the men they love. The series moves from Connecticut to Texas as it follows the lives of these women and their families as they find true love and bond in friendship only God could orchestrate.  

Answer the following question for an opportunity to win a birthday gift from me including a copy of the book and a Starbucks Gift Card.

Why is forgiving others so difficult thing for Christians?

P

Please: US and Canada only. Leave your email address so you will be notified about winning. The drawing will be after midnight on Friday, June 22.

AFTER ALL One you don't want to miss

Once again Deb Raney takes us to Hanover Falls, the scene of a tragic fire that took the lives of five heroic firefighters. Susan Marlowe mourns the death of her husband, Pete Brennan carries the weight of the death of four of his men and one woman in the fire, and Andrea Morley must mourn the loss of her closest friend in the fire without the right to mourn him.

Raney weaves a story that reveals secrets which affect the lives of all concerned. She gives us characters who tug at our heart, make us angry, and give us hope. The twists and turns of events will keep you turning the pages to see where the next turn takes you. The last in the Hanover Falls series, Deb Raney wraps up the stories of the firefighters and their loved ones who have overcome loss to regain hope and forge a future that draws them closer to God and brings them great joy.

After All begins eighteen months after the tragic fire. Susan Marlowe mourns her husband, but is finally beginning to heal until she discovers a secret her husband carried to his grave. Pete Brennan is the fire chief who continues to believe that somehow he could have prevented the tragedy. Andrea Morley mourns David Marlowe, but does so in silence because he was someone else’s husband.

As Susan contends with the knowledge of David’s relationship with Andrea and the behavior and attitudes of her sons following the death of their father, she finds support in Pete who is rebuilding the team at Station 2. As these two grow closer, they learn lessons in love and forgiveness that only God could teach.

Although this is a stand alone, you will most definitely want to read the other two books in the series after you read this one.

Answer the following question and enter your name into a drawing for a Barnes and Noble giftcard so that you may purchase your own copy of Deb's book or any one of her others.

If you have read other books by Deb, which one touched your heart the most and why?

If you haven't read any of her books, tell us about a book that did touch your heart and why. 

The drawing will be on Friday, June 8.

A visit with Cara Putman and Mackinac Island

A visit with Cara Putman and Mackinac Island

This week Cara Putnam is my guest. She is a familiar face to all of us in ACFW and has fans all over the country. Cara is just as delightful in person as she is in her interviews and in her picture. Welcome, Cara. Cara C. Putman lives in Indiana with her husband and four children. She’s an attorney and a teacher at her church as well as lecturer at Purdue. She has loved reading and writing from a young age and now realizes it was all training for writing books. She loves bringing history and romance to life.

An honors graduate of the University of Nebraska and George Mason University School of Law, Cara left small town Nebraska and headed to Washington, D.C., to launch her career in public policy. Cara is an author chasing hard after God as she lives a crazy life. She invites you to join her on that journey.

Learning More About Cara

What was your inspiration for this story?

The idea came from a combination of watching a true crime show on TV that talked about a murder between neighbors. That became the teeny backdrop of the case that Alanna just finished. Then the Island itself was a huge inspiration. I’d been one time prior to going back to research and I knew it was magical. Then it was imagining how to wrap that into a story that would be compelling.

 

I love it when little nuggets we find in life become the springboard for a story.

I felt like I was really on the island and could picture how it looked. How much of the “real” Mackinac Island did you use in this story?

Martha! I’m so glad you felt transported there. I made the setting as real as I could. As far as I know, there are no actual cabins just like Alanna’s and Jonathan’s, but theirs are based on what you’d actually find on the island. But the downtown, the businesses to a large extent, and the feel of the island are as real as I could make them. I want readers to feel like they’ve taken a short vacation to Mackinac within the pages of my book.

 

You certainly accomplished that for me. One thing I’m curious about, why did you choose to be a writer rather than practice law?

I’ve always loved writing. As a teen, I first tried my hand at writing. Then life, college, marriage, law school, and kids intervened. But that deep desire never disappeared. In God’s timing, he opened the doors for me to pursue writing. Right now I do a tiny bit of legal work, but homeschooling my kids and writing are my primary focus. I feel blessed to have this time to work from home while my kids are so young.

 

With four children, you day is bound to be full. How do you find time for your writing?

I do most of my writing after the kids are in bed. If I’m on deadline, I’ll also hire a babysitter at least one afternoon a week if possible to get some work time before the midnight oil is a burning.

 

You’ve written a number of novels set during WW II and I loved them, but you’ve also written contemporary. Which is your favorite to write? A great question. There’s something absolutely magical and special to me about the World War II time period. It’s a generation and a time that I love to recreate. So I adore getting to tell those stories. At the same time I enjoy the contemporaries, especially when the story has a good mystery or overlay of suspense. But if I had to choose, I’d focus on World War II.

 

World War II is special because I grew up with the war. So many memories from that time are triggered by your books set then. When you find time to read, what type of books do you most enjoy reading?

I love a good historical that will introduce me to a new setting or time period. Otherwise, I want a romantic suspense or thriller that’s going to keep me guessing as I try to figure out who the bad guy is before the author reveals that key tidbit.

 

Oh, I love a good mystery or suspense thriller, too. With your large family, what type of activities do you most enjoy with them? Tell us a little about your family.I have four children ages 11 to 17 months. Since my oldest is on a competitive gymnastics team, we spend a lot of time at the gym. We also enjoy traveling to new places and exploring them together. We also love reading, playing games, riding bikes. We just enjoy being together.

 

Nothing like family being together to have fun and it sounds as if your family really has fun together.

If you were to cast this novel as a movie, who would play the major roles? Hmmm, I think I’d chose Reese Witherspoon for Alanna and Josh Lucas would place Jonathan Covington.

Good choices for both. What are two things that would surprise people to know about you?

Good question. I’m a cat person but have a dog because my husband is allergic to cats. And as a young person I wanted Jane Pauley’s job on Good Morning America. I thought that looked like such fun!

 

That’s the same reason I don’t have a cat, Cara. Have to take care of our husbands.

When readers pick up one of your books, what can they expect to find?

They can expect to read a story that is laced with hope. That no matter how crazy or dangerous life gets, God is always with us —even when we can’t see Him. The book will take readers to a place they can escape their lives for a bit—but filled with truth and hope that impacts their lives.

 

You’ve certainly accomplished that in your books that I have read.

What is in the works for you? I have several proposals out for consideration and am dreaming up that next idea in between talking about the books that release this year.

That’s good news. Keep those books coming. Thanks so much for having me, Martha! I really appreciate the chance to stop by. I’d love for your readers to come interact with me all over the web:

Website: http://www.caraputman.com

Blog: http://blog.caraputman.com 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/caraputman

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cara_putman

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/caraputman

Now for the book:

Attorney Alanna Stone vowed long ago to avoid Mackinac Island. Although it may seem the perfect place to heal, for Alanna it holds too many memories of a painful past.

But an exhausting high profile case and an urgent plea from her parents have brought Alanna home. Moving into the house next to Jonathan Covington doesn’t help her. Jonathan may have been her first love, but he was also her first lesson in betrayal. Now Alanna must protect her privacy and her heart. Then Secrets and a murder intersect, and she’s thrust into controversy again as tragedy turns public opinion against her and potentially her family.

For years, Jonathan has stubbornly resisted the urging of his family and friends to date, believing he’s already found the perfect woman. With Alanna’s return, he begins to wonder if he’s waited too long for someone who isn’t the right one after all.

Now, for a chance to win a copy of this book, answer the following question and enter your name and email address. Don’t forget to tell others about the drawing too. We need at least 15 comments in order to send a free book.

Mackinac Island is a wonderful vacation spot, what is your favorite spot or one you’d like to visit but haven’t had the opportunity as yet? Good luck.

K. Dawn Byrd

Welcome to K. Dawn Byrd, today's guest.
Cover blurb:
When Zoe Mack moves in with her grandparents to start college, she's thrown into more mystery than she bargained for. Her cousin, Emma, is terrorized by a stalker who breaks into her house and leaves a photo-shopped image of Emma hanging from a tree. Nothing is as it seems and Emma soon learns that even the man she thinks she can trust is suspect.

Zoe can't wait to reunite with Nate, the bad boy who doesn't talk about his feelings much, but the passionate kiss he gave her last summer had to have meant something. When she arrives back in town and discovers that he's in trouble with the law, she must take matters into her own hands in order to clear his name. She has her hands full with a needy Emma, a cop who gives her the creeps, and Nate, the guy she desperately wants to call her own. Can Zoe solve the mystery, clear Nate's name, and make him fall in love with her?

Writing Mysteries
Thanks for hosting me! You asked how it came about that I wrote a mystery. Zoe Mack and The Secret of the Love Letters is the first book in a new young adult mystery series. I like to call it, mystery heavy on the romance.

I grew up with Nancy Drew books. I must have read every one in the school library. Twice. The first Nancy Drew books I owned were a paperback collection in a special slipcase that were given to me as a gift by an elderly friend of the family. I still have those books and they're a prized part of my collection. At last count, I had over 1,000 Nancy Drew books, many of them dating back to the 1930s.

I love a good mystery, but I love romance also. Unfortunately, there aren't that many books that combine the two. Also, I like to read about characters who are little older than high school. That said, I wrote what I like to read.

Zoe Mack and her boyfriend, Nate Neitch, have graduated high school and are waiting to start college when Love Letters begins. Since I believe there's something missing from any book that doesn't have a good romance, going I wrote quite a bit of romance into the series.

I just finished the second book, Zoe Mack & A Case of Fatal Attraction, which will be out in June. The third book in the series, as yet unnamed, will release in December.

I've written a little bit of everything. Romantic suspense. Historical (WWII) romantic suspense. Contemporary romance. Young adult romance. I have to say, that mysteries are the most challenging to write. Everything has to come together like jigsaw puzzle. There must be clues, suspects, red herrings, and main characters who are believable, likeable, and capable.


I appreciate Martha so much and her getting together the cozy basket that will go to one lucky winner. In addition, I'll throw in a free download of Zoe Mack and The Secret of the Love Letters.

The "basket" is one to cozy up with on a winter's night. Cozy socks, a mug, tea bags, hot chocolate, instant coffee giving you a choice of beverages as well as cozy mytery or two to curl up and read are among the items to be included. The drawing will take place Friday. Have fun.

To register to win, please answer this question in the comment section, What is your favorite genre to read and why?

Christmas Surprise Box Winners

First Prize of the Christmas box goes to Miss Kallie. Hope you enjoy it. Second Prize of a book goes to Jackie and Third prize winner of a book is Joy Hannabass. Congratulations to the winners and a great big thank you to all who dropped by and left a comment.

Christmas Promise

The promise of Christmas lies in the birth and life of the child born on that day. He brought a promise to free us from sin and give us eternal life. In my new book, Winter Promise, a baby is born near Christmas day and he brings a new realization of God's love to a young doctor whose soul is tormented by a tragedy he believes he could have prevented.

The baby in the book is named for a very special baby boy whose life on earth lasted less than a month. In the brief weeks of his life, he touched so many hearts. His parents' faith and testimony during the weeks that followed little Connor's death had a tremendous effect on my faith and on that of so many others. I dedicated the book in honor of his parents and in memory of him. I named the baby in the book Connor Allen so that Connor Allen Peterson would live on in the pages of my book as Connor Allen Winston.

Forty-nine years ago last week, God performed another miracle with a tiny baby. Our middle son came prematurely and weighed around 4 pounds when he was born. His lungs were not fully developed and he had the same condition that caused the death of the Kennedy baby just months prior to Robert's birth. Robert was born on a Monday, and the doctors didn't expect him to make it through the next day, but he did. Then on Wednesday, my Sunday school class met in our classroom and had a prayer vigil. On Thursday morning the doctor came in to tell me that something had happened during the night and Robert was breathing on his own and his heart beat was strong. That morning was the first time I was allowed to see him. From that day on he began to thrive and grow. God gave us a miracle that Christmas in 1962. Today Robert has a wonderful career, a beautiful wife and two great sons.

Christmas is a time for special happenings. We've had some sad times and some extremely happy times at Christmas, but it is still a magical time of year to marvel at the miraculous birth of our precious Lord and Savior.

How do you celebrate the true meaning of Christmas in your home?

Christmas Food

Around our house, I have a standing order for Pralines and my Peanut Brittle every Christmas. Our middle son will even bring over a bag of peanuts and request that I make the whole bag up into brittle just for him. I gave him a batch just this past weekend for his birthday.

Along with her story in A Biltmore Christmas, Rhonda Gibson includes recipes with each chapter. What do a pastry baker and a beekeeper have in common? Not much, especially when the baker is allergic to bees. Then Peggy gets involved with Joshua, the son of Mark the beekeeper. This young boy and his reading problem bring Mark and Peggy together, but the threat of death from a bee sting keeps her from opening her heart and life to love. What will it take for these two to find the lasting happiness and love that the two of them desire? This is the basis for Rhonda Gibson’s story, A Honey of a Christmas in the Christmas novella collection. An easy read with a few twists and turns makes this story a great one to read curled up in a chair with a cup of coffee, hot tea, or hot chocolate. Add one of the recipes Rhonda includes, and you have a very nice treat for Christmas.


Read below where Rhonda found the recipes and why they were included.
     The recipes I used in this book are from a collection of different books I used from the early 1800's, that I found listed on the web. Most of them came from this website: http://www.vintagerecipes.net/ That's why some of them are hard to read/follow. I didn't try them all out, some I did but some I didn't try, such as Peggy's Sweet Sandwiches because I'm not sure how much "their weight in pounded sugar, butter, and flour" is. Since this recipe is from an 1861 cookbook, there is no way of finding out. But, the recipe sounded so good, I had to include it in the book. For readers, my understanding is that you can slice up angle food cake and use it in place of the actual bread in the Sweet Sandwich recipe.
     Why did I include the recipes? Well, that was easy, Peggy loved cooking and I figured why not share some of the pastries and dishes that she created. I hope the readers enjoy her recipes as much as I do. And to be honest, I was thrilled when my editor decided to allow me to include them. I feel like they give the readers a look into the past and how women cooked back then.

What is your favorite Christmas recipe? Do you have one that is requested or that it wouldn’t seem like Christmas if you don’t have some of whatever it is?

This is Round 4, so even if you’ve commented on the others, get another chance at the drawing on this post. Be sure to leave your email address so you can be contacted.

Christmas Journeys

Imagine Mary's discomfort on her long journey to Bethlehem. Although her time of delivery drew near, law dictated that she and Joseph must go to Bethlehem to be registered. Traveling a great distance in a car or on a plane at that state of pregnancy is diffictult enough, but to make the journey on a donkey would be unthinkable today. But Mary knew what had to be done and how special her baby would be, and she made the trip willingly.


One year, when our boys were one and two, we made a journey back to my husband's home. We had set a tradition of always having Christmas Eve at home then maybe traveling the day after Christmas, but his year my mother-in-law lay gravely ill. Traveling with two small boys is a chore at anytime, but add to that all the "Santa" stuff and other gifts and you have a lot of work. We didn't spend time making a decision, we were going. We began our journey to Arkansas with a stop in Longview on the way to visit my sister and her family and to see my husband's brother and sister-inlaw. My father, who was at my sister's home for Christmas that year, graciously offered to loan us his car for the rest of the trip. We had a small Ford Falcon and it was loaded to the max. Dad had an Oldsmobile sedan with lots more room. That offer made the second leg of our journey much easier. When we arrived at Rex's home, his mother lay near death. We visited with her in the hospital, and because of her living in a small town, and everyone knows everyone else, we were allowed to take the boys in to see their grandmother for a few minutes. We stayed over the weekend and returned home on December 27. On December 28, we received word that Mrs. Rogers had gone home to the Lord. Never have I been more thankful that we had broken our tradition and gone to be with Mrs. Rogers that one last time before her death.

In her book A Christmas Journey Home, Kathi Macias gives us look at another pregnant woman on an incredible journey and a woman who bears a hatred for all the the pregnant woman represents. It's a beautiful story of two women who lives are woven together in way that brings both of them redemption.

Kathi, how did you come to write this beautiful story?

Having become known for my “fiction with a mission,” issues-related stories, I had to keep that focus as I considered writing a Christmas novel for the first time. As I often do, I “cruised the news” for a bit, looking for something that caught my eye (and I hadn’t already dealt with in previous novels). The explosive issue of illegal immigration kept cropping up, and since my husband and I live so close to the Mexico/San Diego border and are therefore quite familiar with (and even somewhat impacted by) the topic, I began to look for a way to build a Christmas story around it. At the same time I knew I didn’t want the book to be a political statement, so I wanted to be careful not to let my personal feelings on the subject color or influence the story. Above all I wanted to show that just as in the original Christmas story, when the Light of the World came and shone in the darkness, God still shines His Light in the darkness today. Translation? I knew this would not be a warm, fuzzy Christmas read but rather a triumphant story of God’s unconditional love in the midst of difficult and even dire circumstances. That, of course, is a message that applies to anyone at any time in any situation, and it is the message I hope my readers will take away with them after reading A Christmas Journey Home.

Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer who has authored more than 30 books and ghostwritten several others. A former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing in various venues and has been a guest on many radio and television programs. Kathi is a popular speaker at churches, women’s clubs and retreats, and writers’ conferences, and won the 2008 Member of the Year award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association). Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband, Al.

To enter the drawing for the Christmas Surprise Box, tell us about a time Christmas didn't turn out exactly as you had planned or of a Christmas trip you took one year. Be sure to leave your email address so you can be contacted.

Christmas Celebrations

All over the United States, cities and towns everywhere celebrate Christmas in various ways, but beautiful ways. The River Walk in San Antonio is one such place. Twinkling lights abound all along the river through downtown with decorated barges to transport people, carolers, and dinner parties along the river to view the sights. Trees drip with lights up and down the river as well in other parts of the city. It’s a beautiful sight to see and inspired the stories for the Christmas Anthology, A River Walk Christmas. All four stories involve the River Walk at Christmas time. Authors, Beth Goddard, Lynette Sowell, Martha Rogers, and Kathleen Y’Barbo Turner collaborated to bring the River Walk to life.


Echo Lewis moves to Texas for a fresh start her mistrust of men almost ruins her chances at love. Valerie Murray is in danger of losing her gift shop unless she can open her heart and release old hurts. Gabriela Hernandez must learn to forgive that which she thinks is impossible before love can enter her heart. Sienna Montalvo struggles with her career, but will hosting the star of a new movie about the Alamo be the break she is longing for?

Four young women all learn the true meaning of love in the lights and beauty of San Antonio at Christmas.

Other cities and towns in Texas also celebrate Christmas. You’ll find ice-skating rinks open for business in seventy degree weather, giant Christmas tree lightings, decorations up and down the main streets and out in the suburbs. Homes compete for prizes for best decorated with Christmas themes, and in many neighborhoods, cars line up in a constant stream to drive by and take a look at the spectacular displays of light, sound and animation. Churches present concerts and pageants to tell the story of Jesus’ birth, theaters in larger cities present special Christmas productions.

Yes, Christmas is a time of celebration everywhere. No matter where you live, you’ll find something special at Christmas time.

My favorite thing at Christmas besides family gatherings is the Celebration of Christmas presented by the choir, orchestra, and members of our church. Hundreds of voices blend in the music as the songs, the spirit and the story of Christmas unfolds. I’m always worn out after the last performance, but I love doing it and have not missed a year in the forty or so we’ve been performing and celebrating Christmas.

So what is your favorite thing at Christmas time?
Be sure to leave your email address with your comment to be eligible for the drawing on December 17. The box keeps growing each week. You don’t want to miss a chance at this great package.

Remembering Christmas

Today I am happy to kick off my Christmas Box Surprise with Dan Walsh and his book, Remembering Christmas. His is one of the five books I’ll be featuring between now and December 17. On December 17 I will draw a name from all who have left comments for each author. That means you can have up to five entries for the drawing. You also get an extra entry if you invite friends and they mention you name in their comment.


Remembering Christmas is another wonderful Christmas book by Dan Walsh. The book begins with Rick Denton noticing all the changes that have taken place in his hometown since he lived there. That sets him to remembering the time he hadn’t planned on spending the Thanksgiving holiday in the hospital with his mother and step-father, but that’s what he did. Art’s stroke sets off a chain of events that forever changed Rick’s life. The memories are set in a quaint book shop in 1980, and the story will charm you right off your feet. Rick must run the store while Art is in the hospital, and meets a number of characters who will warm your heart, tickle your funny bone, and open your heart to those who have less than we do at the Holiday season. His part-time helper, Andrea and her daughter Amy also open his eyes to what the store really means to the community as well as to love. In giving up his hectic schedule to help his mother, Rick discovers the true meaning of Christmas and what it means to give one’s self to others, and what it means to love with all his heart. This is somewhat of a “framework” story as the first chapter and the ending are set in the present to wrap around the story filled with memories of that unforgettable holiday.

Here's more about Dan.

I met Dan at an ACFW conference in 2009 in Indianapolis. I took an instant liking to him, and after reading his biography, I understood why. Two interesting facts I learned about Dan. One is that he was born the year I graduated from college, so I’m old enough to be his mother. The second fact is that his dad was the first one on either side of the family to attend college and I was the first one in my family to attend college

Dan was born in 1957 to a hard-working, blue-collar family. Dan spent his childhood years playing basket ball and surfing in Florida where he grew up. His father became an engineer with General Electric on the Apollo space program. It wasn’t until his senior year in high school that Dan came to know the Lord. That same year he met his wife, Cindi. Then later Dan became an ordained minister and pastured the same church for 25 years. Their two children are now grown and on their own. Dan retired from the ministry in August and is devoting his time to his writing career.

Check out his website www.danwalshbooks.com for more information about his books and his latest project.



What is your favorite holiday memory? Be sure to include your e-mail address with your comment so I can contact you if you win.

Freezing Point

Recently, Martha featured my latest romance novel, Under the Redwood Tree, on her blog. That story is the first book in a series of contemporary romances I’m writing for Heartsong Presents. In almost all of my Heartsong Presents romances you’ll find an element of mystery or suspense. When I first plotted Seasons of Love, my first novel, the story ended up having elements from both the mystery and the suspense genre and I realized then that I prefer a romance with those elements.

I enjoy reading romantic suspense, but in writing for Heartsong the story must focus on the romance. That means that no matter if there is a suspense element or not, the heart of the story revolves around the romance between hero and heroine. The romance can exist on its own without any other plot elements.

Even though I enjoy reading romantic suspense, so I’m familiar with the genre, I had to take a completely different approach when writing my first romantic suspense for Love Inspired Suspense—Freezing Point. For LIS, the romance and the suspense plot are both integral to the story. From the first chapter, readers want to see a plot that is both suspenseful and fast-paced. The suspense plot is at the core and the romance is connected to the suspense plot so deeply, that pulling out the romance will kill the story. Neither plot element can survive without the other in a romantic suspense.

Depending on the publishing house, well-paced dialogue will carry most of the story rather than large sections of internalization or description. For me, writing romantic suspense is much easier than writing romance. That might be because its fast-paced so the story goes swiftly for me as the writer and it makes for a quick and fun read for you as the reader.

Thank you, Beth for being with us again this week. Beth is also a Carol Award winner for her book, The Camera Never Lies, a suspense for Barbour. Congratulations on that great award. I love reading suspense or mystery of any kind, and when a romance is involved, the story is even better. I'm in the middle of reading Freezing Point now, and is does move fast, and is keeping me turning pages. I hope to finish it today. Scroll on down for an opportunity to win a copy of Freezing Point. 

Now it's our readers' turn. Elizabeth is giving away a copy of her book to one of you lucky readers.

Leave a comment and answer the question below to enter the drawing. 

Do you enjoy reading suspense thrillers or mysteries? Why or why not?

Please leave your email address so we can contact you. Only those with an email contact will be entered. Sorry this must be limited to the United States and Canada.

Under the Redwood Tree

Where do you get ideas for your main characters, especially Romeo Merete in Under the Redwood Tree?

Well, this isn’t very romantic but sometimes when I need to come up with ideas I take an afternoon and sit outside in the quiet and just think random thoughts! I started with an artist and then, when considering the hero, it occurred to me that her wanting to paint him without his terrible facial scar would create a lot of conflict. When I began doing the research on soldiers in the Middle East and the IED’s or improvised explosive devices, I was horrified to read about how these bombs disfigure the soldiers. It broke my heart, and I knew this was right for Romeo.

How interesting. I've read about some of those men who were so scarred.  Tell us a little more about this young man and who he is.
 Romeo is an impulsive man who often acts rashly based on anger or other emotions, and this time, his actions end up sending him to the other side of the world. He has to find his way back both emotionally, and in a way, physically. He knows the Lord, but it’s still a journey for him to find himself again.

I'm looking forward to reading his story. What was the most interesting thing about writing this story?
This was a new kind of story for me. It was more of a “heart” story. I had to dig really deep to understand how Romeo would feel with his disfigurement, and how he would progress to trust again. The story was also interesting to me because the Redwood trees are one of my favorite things in the world. Writing the story was like being there again. Looking at the cover of the book takes me back there.

I understand, Beth. My last book was hard to write because of the subject matter and I had to dig deep inside myself to understand my hero. It makes your writing more meaningful for you and the reader.
How much research did you have to do for this book?
I probably had to do a little less research on this book than some of the others. After all, I have experience as an artist and my husband knows motorcycles. I’ve spent a lot of time in the Redwoods, specifically Jedediah Smith State Park where some of the story takes place. I also visited the little Victorian town on the Northern California coast, though my town in the story is fictional.

Sounds like you enjoyed this research. :) I love research that takes me places like that.
What is your writing schedule like?
Crazy and hectic. Usually I get some time in during the morning before we start home school, and then some in the afternoon. I shoot for between 1 and 4, but often I catch snippets of writing time anywhere I can. And when I coming up on a deadline, I write and edit for ten or more hours a stretch.
Ahh, the romantic life of a writer. :)
Which book has been your favorite to write?
You would have to ask that question. I love the one I’m writing at the time. How’s that for an answer. I will say that I just turned in Oregon Outback and I really loved the heroes in the four novellas of that collection. I wrote all four, by the way. Finishing up the writing on that was like ending a good book—you don’t want it to end.

I know the feeling. I end up loving all my books.
What made you start writing mysteries?
Writing mysteries is just a natural for me—I found out. Even in my first book, Seasons of Love, I put in a puzzle or a mystery, for the reader to work on. Someone told me that my story is full of mystery elements, hence, I decided to try writing a mystery and The Camera Never Lies was born.

I love mysteries, so keep writing them so I can read them. Of course The Camera Never Lies is great and a Carol Award winner. That's fantastic
Tell us about your very first contract.
I mentioned that above, but I brainstormed with Lisa Harris and we invited Lena Nelson Dooley to join the three book series set in Massachusetts. Years before I’d seen a news clip on cranberry farming which intrigued me. I knew I wanted to use that for a story setting one day and tada!
And it was a good one.
What is the main theme of your stories?
Each story is a little different and the themes sort of grow organically. I don’t set up, at least these days, writing toward a particular theme. What I’m seeing most, though, are women who are trying to find themselves, trying to figure out who they are and where they want to go. In the end, it’s a matter of trusting God to guide the way.
And that's the best way.
What do you want your readers to take away from reading your books?
God is always there to help and guide us.
I will say Amen to that and thank you for being with us.

A war hero’s scars are still raw to the touch until a gifted artist paints his heart. Romeo Merete was wounded in Afghanistan, and multiple surgeries couldn’t restore his face. But his scars run deeper than he ever imagined, and the last thing he expects is the beautiful artist who looks straight through him, threatening to expose his heart.

Camille Westover is one contest away from her dream of an art school scholarship. But she’s lost her inspiration to paint—until a wounded soldier captures her heart. Unfortunately, her dream could lead her far from the one place and the one person she loves the most.

When Camille’s chances of winning are sabotaged and a possible stalker suspected, Romeo is concerned for more than losing the woman he loves to her dream. Can he accept the truth of what Camille sees when she looks at him? Will Camille discover the hope of love that stands before her?


If you'd like a copy of the book, Under the Redwood Tree, answer the question below and leave your name and email address.


Question:
What is you favorite type of hero?