Book Review, THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SANTA CLAUS

No snow for us--just cold!

Here in North Central Texas, we’re prepared for what the weather forecaster says is an “arctic blast.” Brrr! Folks around here call it, “Nothing between us and the North Pole but a barbed wire fence.” Strong north winds chill as if coming off the frozen North Pole. How do people in Siberia stand living there? Ah, well, that’s a problem for another day. Today's weather makes Christmas seem nearer. Heavens, it’s careening toward us like the fictional train, the Polar Express. How will I get everything done in time? I’ll either be late with some things for this year—or maybe I’ll be very early for next year. LOL

Because I love this time of year, I thought I’d give you a review of THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SANTA CLAUS, by (as told to) Jeff Guinn. This is not a new book, but came out in 2003. In fact, Jeff Guinn now has three follow-up books available. I read the first of the series several years ago. Don’t worry, this review does not contain spoilers.


I was relieved to learn the Santa Claus/Saint Nicholas tradition was not merely a marketing ploy concocted by Madison Avenue, or whatever its predecessor was. There really was a Saint Nicholas in the fourth century, and he really did go about giving gifts! He was a Bishop of the church in Myra and traveled around his area of Lycia in Asia Minor. His feast day in the Roman Catholic Church is December 6th, and he is also acknowledged by other churches. Okay, he didn’t crawl down chimneys. Back then, homes didn’t have actual chimneys as we know them. Many just had a hole in the roof. They also didn't have glass on the windows. Not too cozy in bad weather.

Saint Nicholas’ first known gifts were to the daughters of a very poor man. The girls couldn’t marry without a dowry, but their father had none to offer. Taking pity on the girls, Saint Nicholas either (1) tossed bags of gold through the window or (2) each sister had only one pair of stockings, so she washed them each night and hung them near the fire. Saint Nicholas put the coins in the stockings the girls left drying by the fire. Thus, the girls were able to marry (and, hopefully, each got a second pair of stockings).

I prefer the second version because it explains why we hang stockings by the fire for Santa to fill. When I was a child, my brother and I used our dad's heavy winter socks to hang. Since we didn't have a fireplace, we hung them on a nail in the window frame. Not idyllic, but it worked. It never occurred to us that on very cold days our dad had to wear socks with a hole in them. Oops, I digressed again.

Modern Santa Claus

The point of Jeff Guinn's book is that Saint Nicholas was an actual person, a Bishop of the church, who went around giving to the poor and helping all those he could. In other words, he did not only what is expected of any priest, but what we’re all supposed to do every day. As was the custom of the time and place, he was married. There was a Mrs. Claus.

Remarkable that Saint Nicholas showed such compassion in a time when the poor were looked down upon or ignored. Remarkable that doing good created so much notoriety and controversy and gave him a permanent place in history. Remarkable that we continue his legacy by giving to those we love and, hopefully, to those in need. Whether you call him Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus, or Father Christmas, thanks for continuing his legacy.

I do believe in Santa Claus. I do!

Buy link for my books is www.thewildrosepress.com/caroline-clemmons-m-638.html

Isabel Roman, Author Interview

Marisa Velez (left) and Christine Koehler,
Isabel Roman

Readers, today our guest is Isabel Roman, although she is actually they. Christine Koehler and Marissa Velez write together as Isabel Roman, and have been very successful in cowriting romance novels. For this post, Christine is answering for the duo about their novella IN THE SHADOWS, which appears in the Civil War anthology NORTHERN ROSES AND SOUTHERN BELLES from The Wild Rose Press.



Caroline: Isabel, how did you come up with that idea for your novella, IN THE SHADOWS?


Isabel: I’m not sure how the concept came about, but I do know I researched both the Pinkertons and those who smuggled goods into the South during the blockade. As it turns out, Allen Pinkerton did hire one woman agent, Kate Warne. After the Civil War, Kate was responsible for a small number of female Pinkerton agents.

I based Marion off Kate, even briefly mentioned Kate Warne, and Allen Pinkerton is an old friend of Marion’s father. As for Jack, I based him off Rhett Butler. Except English. And not with the romantic background of Rhett, but with a poor vicarage background. Hey, a man’s gotta make something of himself, right?


In the classic, Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell based Rhett Butler on George Trenholm, (who may or may not have been a distant relation of hers). I read Dr. E. Lee Spence’s Treasures of the Confederate Coast: The "Real Rhett Butler" & Other Revelations, A look at South Carolina's underwater heritage, and Shipwrecks of Charleston Harbor. Granted, I didn’t need to read all those for the story, but they really were fascinating. And I may have skimmed some parts.

From The Wild Rose Press

Caroline: We get lost in research, don’t we? I was especially interested to learn from you that Rhett Butler was based on a real  person. Tell us about your writing schedule. Do you write full time?

Isabel: I wish I could write full time! But no, I have a fulltime job, family, puppy, and friends. In every single other moment of free time, I write. Nights, after work and walking the dog, I try to write 2000 words. On weekends and other days off, I try to do between 5,000 and 10,000…it all depends on the flow of the story, interruptions, and naps.


Caroline: LOL Naps are important at my house. Is there a reason you’re drawn to the Civil War era?

Isabel: When I was in high school, I read a lot of Civil War romances. I took several classes as an undergrad, and watched all those epic Civil War movies popular in the 90s. But then I realized they all sounded the same. Hero from the North has to rescue the poor misguided Southern Heroine from something and they fall in love. Pft. Scarlett O’Hara was a bitch, but she was much stronger than that.


So what if the woman was from the north, and the man was English? Very different there, considering England only had a very general interest in our war. Got me thinking about a lot of things I’d forgotten over the years about the Civil War and how it truly did change our country.

Caroline: Good for you! I always thought that--even though she was not sweet as Melanie--without Scarlett O'Hara, the people around her would have starved. What are the other works you have out?

Desert and Destiny 

Isabel: I have a Druids series published with Red Silk Editions now available in book stores, a story in the only zombie romance anthology you’ll probably ever find, about a dozen short stories, and a werewolf novella in The Wild Rose Press’s GOT WOLF? anthology.

Caroline: And your Red Silk Editions have such gorgeous covers. What do you have in the works for us:


Isabel: I’m currently working on a couple things: editing a 1920s prohibition story and a very dark alternate history Regency. I also have maybe ¼ of two stories finished, one is a contemporary Egyptian reincarnation story, the other is a 1797 spy story set in Switzerland.


Caroline: Quite an eclectic mix. I love 1920’s stories, so I hope you release that one soon! Would you give us a blurb from IN THE SHADOWS?

Sex and Subterfuge

Isabel: Marion Shelton only wanted to help her country during The War, so she traveled to Charleston, South Carolina in order to learn what she could about the Confederates. She hadn’t planned on falling in love with an English smuggler, or in risking both her heart and her life for her country.


Jack Harrison’s single goal was to make money smuggling goods into the American South. He didn’t care about their war, but when he met Marion, all that changed. The problem is, can he keep her safe and still help her protect her?


Caroline: How about an excerpt:

Murder and Magick

Isabel: Here it is:


He would not shame his wife. First he had to convince her to marry him. And then, he supposed, he had to convince himself class didn’t matter. Not a simple task. In England, class defined one. Only here, in America, could one define oneself.


Jack turned to the house and could just see Gloriana through the windows, laughing with Edmund Calhoun. In cahoots, no doubt, over Marion’s marriage with Ned.


Jealously speared through him, and he wanted to march inside and challenge Major Calhoun.


But Marion was nowhere in sight. Frowning, he moved through the shadows in search of her.


“Damn woman never does what I expect,” he muttered. Circling the premise, careful not to run across a slave on guard duty, he searched for her.


One of the many things that intrigued him, her ability to do the unexpected, worried him as well. He never knew what she’d do next. And her secrets. She hid something from him. Until this latest conversation, he wouldn’t have guessed she lied about her love for him.


No, her sobs had been real enough. The surprised hurt on her face cut through him as much as her rejection of his proposal. What prompted her rejection?


“What are you hiding, Marion?” he wondered as he spotted her in Mrs. Whitaker’s morning room.


He stepped toward the room to confront her, surprise her through the French doors, when she slipped through the connecting door to Mr. Whitaker’s study.


“What are you hiding, my dear?”


Caroline: Yours was a fascinating story. Is there any other news you’d like to share us? Any links?


My website is http://www.isabelroman.com/ and my blog is on that site.

The buy link for NORTHERN ROSES AND SOUTHERN BELLES, which includes Isabel’s novella IN THE SHADOWS is:


http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&zenid=162b14522c4e59f049d6bf658f403c27&keyword=Northern+Roses+and+Southern+Be&x=28&y=5 The anthology set around the Civil War is available in both print and e-book format and is also available on Amazon for Kindle, B&N for Nook, etc.

2011 Epic Finalist

Caroline: Isabel, thank you for sharing your experiences with us.

Please allow me once again to mention that the anthology NORTHERN ROSES AND SOUTHERN BELLES is a 2011 EPIC Finaltist. In addition, may I recommend one of my books for the readers on your gift list? They're found at www.thewildrosepress.com/caroline-clemmons-m-638.html 
 
 
Join me tomorrow to hear from Lilly Gayle and the Roses Christmas blog tour.
 

Susan Macatee, Author Interview

From The Wild Rose Press
2011 EPIC Finalist

Continuing with authors whose work appeared in the award-winning anthology NORTHERN ROSES AND SOUTHERN BELLES, today my guest is Susan Macatee. Although she's been writing as long as she can remember, she started writing for publication after her youngest started kindergarten. After success with short stories, she decided to try a novel. She considers that novel, LAURA, her practice novel. Success came with the publication of her second novel, a YA titled UNDER THE GUNS, but it is now out of print. Once she decided she wanted to write romantic fiction, she joined Romance Writers of America and their Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal chapter. Susan is also a member of Scandalous Victorians, a small writing group that specializes in Victorian set romance in both America and England. They also have a group blog, http://slipintosomethingvictorian.wordpress.com/.

Caroline: Susan, your novella’s hero is a Civil War re-enactor. How did you come up with that idea?

Susan and her husband with
the 28th Pennsylvania Regiment

Susan: The idea came directly from my own experiences as a Civil War reenactor. I chose civilian, but my husband and sons did the military side and I also witnessed many staged battles, so could accurately describe the sights, sounds, smells and action involved in a reenactment. Reenacting is sort of playacting the past, so I thought it would be fun to have a reenactor hero experience a past life, where he actually was the Civil War soldier that he portrayed.

As a reenactor, myself, I had to learn how to dress, what to eat and how to behave as a Victorian lady. My husband learned not only how to drill and how soldiers fought, but he also had to learn how a Victorian man acted in camp and toward women. Our youngest son was 10 at the time we started reenacting and we also had to learn how to appropriately dress him and what types of games and toys he would have played with. It was a fun learning experience.

Caroline: It’s sounds like a nice family hobby for those who love history as you and I do. What attracts you to time travel?


Susan: That goes way back to when I was a kid. I loved TV shows like "The Twilight Zone," "The Outer Limits," "Star Trek," "The Time Tunnel," and the daytime soap, "Dark Shadows." All these shows featured episodes where people traveled back in time and I loved the interaction of people from different eras. It was fun and a subject I longed to write about.

Caroline: I agree that it’s fun to write a time travel. Tell us about your writing schedule. Do you have another job or write full time?

Susan: I don’t have an outside job, so writing is my first priority, but I do type manuscripts for other writers. I started that business when my youngest son started school as a way to earn a little cash while learning the ropes of writing stories of my own. I still type for others, but only keep a few clients, so I’ll have enough time for my own writing.


I generally use my mornings to take care of household things, like feeding and dog and taking him to the park, starting the laundry, running errands, housecleaning. I also try to get in at least an email check in the morning, plus I take an hour for my workout.

Afternoons are reserved for writing and typing projects. When a typing project is in, I usually give that top priority, unless I have something under contract. Otherwise, I make sure I get in at least an hour a day for writing. But I also have to make time for blogging, updating my website and book promo.


Sometimes it can be a real balancing act.


Caroline: Isn’t that the truth? Writers are like those old performers with twirling plates in the air. I must compliment you for making time to comment on the blogs of friends. You have other books out. What are they and are they also time travels?

From The Wild Rose Press

Susan: I have one other time travel, ERIN'S REBEL. This is the story of a modern day reporter who crashes her car and wakes up in a Confederate Army camp. And that’s where she finds the man of her dreams. My other stories are all straight historicals, with the exception of two vampire stories both set during the Civil War.


ERIN'S REBELwas a finalist in the 2010 Ancient City Romance Authors Heart of Excellence Reader’s Choice in the paranormal category.

Available from The Wild Rose Press

CONFEDERATE ROSE is the story of an Irish immigrant who disguises herself as a male to join the Confederate army. She meets a Southerner, who she later learns is a Yankee spy, but not until after they fall in love.

CONFEDERATE ROSE took first place in the 2010 Beacon Contest Published Division and second place in the 2010 New England Reader’s Choice Bean Pot Award in the historical category.

I have four other stories. The novella, THE CHRISTMAS BALL, is part of the anthology, AN AMERICAN ROSE  CHRISTMAS; my two vampire stories, SWEET REDEMPTION, and ETERNITY WAITS, are available as stand-alone e-books and my short story, "A Kiss Under the Mistletoe," is available for FREE! A link to the download is on my website.

Caroline: You’re a very productive lady! Is there a reason you’re drawn to the Civil War era?

Susan: I love the clothing, the intrigue and excitement of setting stories during wartime. Something about the Victorian era also captures my imagination. And the fact that I spent a lot of weekends living in that time period, also makes it easier to write about the things that add realism to any story.


Caroline: Your stories pull readers into the world you’ve created. What do you have in the works for us:

Susan: I’m currently revising a post Civil War novel that I’ve titled CASSIDY'S WAR. The story’s based on characters from an out of print novel I had published about nine years ago.


Here’s the blurb: The Civil War is over, but CASSIDY'S WAR is just beginning.


Cassidy Stuart longs to attend medical school. Her training under her physician father and her time serving as a nurse during the war, have only increased her desire to be a real physician with a practice of her own. When the man who’d left her at the altar five years before, returns, she’s determined not to let him upset the plans she’s set for herself.

Unknown to his former fiancée and her family, George Masters is now a Pinkerton agent sent to investigate a physician now living in George’s former hometown. When he finds Cassidy hasn’t married, he hopes he can have another chance with her, but can’t reveal his real reason for returning, at least not until his mission is accomplished.

Can love be rekindled with a doctor bent on revenge against them both?


Caroline: CASSIDY'S WAR sounds as irresistible as your other novels. Anything else?


Susan: I’m also working on a time travel novella set after the war. This one’s based on my time travel novel, ERIN'S REBEL. I’m haven’t settled on a title yet and it’s still in first draft stage.


Caroline: Back to the anthology—would you give us a blurb from ANGEL OF MY DREAMS?

Susan: When Civil War reenactor, Kyle Dalton, keeps seeing a beautiful woman on the battlefield tending to soldiers, he thinks she’s another reenactor. But when she disappears into thin air, he starts to believe he’s seen a ghost. Did he have a past life with this woman?

Caroline: I remember that from your story. Poor Kyle. How about an excerpt:

Susan: Of course.

“Corporal, what are you...?”

He took her mouth, silencing her question. Her lips held tightly firm for a moment, then yielded to him. His tongue slid inside to taste her thoroughly. Sweet, soft and amazing. When he released her, he read the unleashed passion in her half-closed eyes.

She blushed a deep red, glancing around the tent. “Corporal ...Kyle...you mustn’t take such liberties. What will the others think?”


He looked around and shrugged. “No one’s paying us any attention.”

She lifted the pan. “I have to go.”


Before he could stop her, she hurried past him moving to the front of the tent.

“Josie.”

Something blared beside his cot. He turned his head and woke in his own bed to the blast of rock music from his alarm clock.

He shut it off and sat up. What a vivid dream! The ones he’d had before had been fragmented and fuzzy. He’d barely remembered them afterward. But that kiss. He touched his lips, swearing he could still feel her softness, smell her lavender scent.


He had truly lost it.


Caroline: The confusion for our characters is part of the fun of a time travel, isn’t it? Susan, do you have anything else you’d care to share? Any links?


Susan: My website, www.susanmacatee.com, contains info on all my stories, reviews and other news. I also post regularly on the blog, http://www.slipintosomethingvictorian.wordpress.com/ about subjects related to the Civil War. And I post about my writing projects at my blog http://www.susanmacatee.blogspot.com/


The buy link for NORTHERN ROSES AND SOUTHERN BELLES, which includes Susan’s novella ANGEL OF MY DREAMS is:


http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&zenid=162b14522c4e59f049d6bf658f403c27&keyword=Northern+Roses+and+Southern+Be&x=28&y=5 The anthology set around the Civil War is available in both print and e-book format and is also available on Amazon for Kindle, B&N for Nook, etc.


Susan, thank you for sharing your experiences with us. I look forward to reading your future novels. I know they’ll be as wonderful as those I’ve already read.


Readers, please return on the 30th for an interview with Isabel Roman.

"WHAT IF?" TURNED OUT WELL

In Print or E-book

EPIC 2011 Finalist, NORTHERN ROSES AND SOUTHERN BELLES includes six novellas, one of which is mine. The five other authors and I are friends and decided to put together an anthology on a "what if we did this?" basis. Working together was fun! Not only were we able to contract the anthology with The Wild Rose Press, but we've had wonderful reviews from the result. We were #6 in the 2009 Preditors and Editors Top Ten poll last year and received a 4. rating from Romantic Times. This was the only thing I've written set in Georgia or in the Civil War time period--I prefer Texas in the years from 1870-1895. To my pleasant surprise, NORTHERN ROSES AND SOUTHERN BELLES came together rather well (in my opinion, which might be more than a little biased LOL). Over the next few weeks, I'll slip in interviews with each of the authors and ask each to share some information about her novella. First up is my long time friend, Jeanmarie Hamilton.

Jeanmarie Hamilton

Jeanmarie enjoys family and friends, oil painting, fossils -- which reminds me of her story that was inspired by a "dinosaur beach" -- and dinosaur tracks. She said, "A thirty-inch long dinosaur footprint touching your toes can change your life!" Texas is her home as it was to some of her ancestors -- men who were farmers, ranchers, judges, lawmen -- women who would rather be outside riding their horses than inside cooking, who learned to speak the language of the Lipan Apache, stopped hangings, and raised children. Jeanmarie loves writing stories set in the Southwest about heros and heroines, the problems they overcome, their fears and triumphs and the forever love they can't deny.


Caroline: Welcome, Jeanmarie. How did you come up with that idea for ARE YOU GOING TO THE DANCE? for the anthology?

Alsatian dress Castroville
women settlers wore

Jeanmarie: When we authors decided to write an anthology, I was interested in writing a story about my Texas ancestors' experiences. I didn't want to write about them exactly, so I used their actual history for inspiration. The town of Castroville, Texas (known as Little Alsace) voted to have a local militia unit to protect their town rather than send men to fight in the Confederate army. My great great grandfather wanted to keep the states together. He'd come to Texas from Holland in the early 1840s and it was important to him and many other farmers in that area of Texas to keep all the states together. His son became a member of the local militia.

Comanche family. Comanches were
known as Lords of the Plains

Another family story involved my great great grandmother saving the life of a Comanche brave who had been wounded and hadn't been found. The scene of how she discovered the Indian at night and removed the bullet and cared for him is actually part of my great great grandmother's story. Inspired by the militia and her experience, I developed the characters, Lexie and Clay, for "ARE YOU GOING TO THE DANCE?"

Caroline: Tell us about your writing schedule. Do you write full time?


Jeanmarie: I write all the time. I'm either writing a story, editing, or working on promotion for my stories. I start around 9 in the morning and stop when my husband arrives home from work around 5 or 6 pm. I take off on the weekends when he's home all day, unless I'm in a hurry to finish a project at an editor's request.

Caroline: I know you love setting books in Texas, as I do. Are you drawn to the Civil War era?


Jeanmarie: Although my story, ARE YOU GOING TO THE DANCE? takes place immediately the Civil War, I haven't previously written stories influenced by the Civil War. I would rather write stories about how the war influenced my characters' lives following the war and how they picked up their lives once again.

Caroline: What are the other works you have out?



Jeanmarie: I have a few out. MOONLIGHT DESPERADO published by Siren BookStrand is a werewolf western historical romance that takes place in central Texas after the Civil War. This story was inspired by an incident which involved raiders who robbed my great great grandmother in Castroville. Of course I changed it as well as the characters and added werewolves for some fun. Werewolves are strong over-the-top characters and I enjoy reading and writing about them.

SEDUCTION was my debut book out in 2009. It's a western historical romance with a little touch of pygmalion flavor. PURE HEAVEN, out with Red Rose Publishing, is a short novella, an erotic werewolf western historical romance I wrote under the name Jenette DuPris. It has received some great reviews as well, and it's part of a multi-author series titled Legends of Loving Texas.

Caroline: What do you have in the works for the future?


Jeanmarie: I just contracted another erotic werewolf story, GUARDIAN OF HER HEART, with Siren Bookstrand. This one is a contemporary story and also a novella. It is scheduled for release in March, 2011. Meanwhile, I'm working on an erotic western historical novel about a Texas Ranger and a strong-willed rancher's daughter.

Caroline: Would you give us a blurb from ARE YOU GOING TO THE DANCE?

Jeanmarie: Strong-willed Lexie Perreau must protect her lifelong friends, the Lipan Apache from being wrongly arrested for a deadly raid. Clay has led the local militia in times of war and peace and kept his community safe. But someone has just been killed by raiders. Now he must find the killer and agrees with the men in town that he must catch the Apache raiders responsible.


But beautiful and courageous Lexie challenges him at every turn, endangering her own life and possibly the trust and respect of the one man who holds her heart.


Caroline: How about an excerpt:


Jeanmarie: Certainly.


"Mind if I cut in?" Clay smiled at her.


"Yeah, I do mind." Al looked plainly disgruntled.


"Too bad." Clay pushed Al back, slipping between him and Lexie, taking control.


As Clay's gentle hand swept around her waist, and his other hand took hers, she breathed a sigh of relief. Relaxing in his embrace, she smiled at him as he swept her into a turn, following the music. "I didn't know if you'd make it," she admitted.


"Sorry, I was late. I wouldn't miss the dance knowing you'd be here."


At his words, Lexie looked up at his eyes. His warm gaze sent heat and that disconcerting ache streaming through her to settle low in her stomach. Oh Lord. She hoped no one noticed how he affected her. He easily led her around the room, turning her in time to the waltz until she was almost dizzy. When the music stopped, he released her from his hold and escorted her to the refreshment table.


They drank glasses of punch and afterward shared a breathtaking polka. As the dance ended and people clapped and whooped, Lexie noticed Clay's attention was drawn to the entry. She turned to see what he looked at and saw with disappointment that one of the younger militiamen stood inside the doorway gesturing for Clay to follow him.


"Looks like I'm needed for something. Hate to leave so early, but I'd better check this out." Clay turned to leave.


"No. I'll go with you." Obviously, there was trouble. What kind of danger did he face? She hurried after him as he made his way through the crowd and out the door to the road.

Caroline: Is there any other news you’d like to share? Any links?

Jeanmarie: I'm thrilled to say that the anthology, NORTHERN ROSES AND SOUTHERN BELLES, which includes "ARE YOU GOING TO THE DANCE?" is a finalist in the 2011 EPIC contest. Look for an ad for the anthology, NORTHERN ROSES AND SOUTHERN BELLES, in the January 2011 issue of RT Book Reviews. I'd love it if readers would like to sign up for my newsletter. Anyone interested can find the link on my web site at http://www.JeanmarieHamilton.com


The anthology set around the Civil War is available in both print and e-book format and is available at http://www.thewildrosepress.com/ and also on Amazon for Kindle, and most other online book sources.


Jeanmarie, thank you for sharing your experiences with us.

RECIPE TO MAKE YOU THANKFUL!

Fall has arrived and Thanksgiving is just around the corner! Where did summer go? Never mind, I much prefer the cool, crisp days we now enjoy.

Since holidays mean cooking for some and eating for most of us, I thought I’d share a favorite recipe. Whenever I’ve prepared this, people take seconds and many ask for the recipe. It’s not original with me, but from a friend who now lives in San Angelo, Betty Beadle.

     SPINACH ARTICHOKE CASSEROLE


Preparation time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 25 to 30 minutes.
Serves: 8


2 pkgs. 10 oz. Frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 can 13 ¾ oz. Artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
½ cup heavy cream
1/8 tspn. Salt
1/8 tspn. Pepper
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese [she uses block cheese she grates]
1 package 8 oz. Cream cheese, softened
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees


Combine spinach, artichoke hearts, cream, salt, pepper, and 1/3 cup parmesan cheese in a bowl with mixer on medium. Beat until fluffy.


In separate bowl on low mixer speed, beat cream cheese until fluffy and gradually add milk until blended and smooth.


Spoon spinach mixture into greased 8x8 glass baking dish or into 1 ½ qt. casserole dish. Pour cream cheese mixture evenly over spinach mixture. Sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup parmesan cheese. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until edges and top are golden.


Doesn't that make your mouth water? I'm drooling on the keyboard here. But then, I've had the good fortune to taste Betty's casserole.

Bailey helping me write

I'm busily writing the EXCLUSIVE FREE read to go into my November newsletter. If you haven't signed up, please do. One lucky subscriber will receive a $10.00 Amazon gift certificate this month. The form is on the sidebar at the right just under my photo.
Each newsletter will include an EXCLUSIVE FREE read, a recipe, news, and miscellaneous whimsical information.

Thanks for stopping by

HAPPY HALLOWE'EN!

Look for the button
on this site!

Happy Hallowe’en! This is the time for spooks, goblins, tricks and treats. One of the treats is the scavenger hunt for valuable prizes from Long and Short Reviews. The trick is to find their symbol  hidden on this site--not the one like that to the left, but a different one. Keep looking--it's here. Really, it is.

And while you're here, why not Follow me? Also please sign up for my newsletter! Painless, I promise. No salesman will call, no surcharges or hidden fees. Monthly FREE reads, recipes, news, and miscellaneous truly great stuff in the newsletter. Okay, maybe that's a hard sell (maybe?), but I'd love for you to sign up on the sidebar.

Call me morbid but I like visiting old cemeteries, the kind with upright monuments in every conceivable shape. Since I love history as well as writing, perhaps that’s why I read the epitaphs, dates, and names as if they were stories. They are! Sometimes epitaphs are funny, sometimes sad, sometimes bleak. What annoys me is when the wife’s tombstone has only something like “Mrs. John Jones,” as if her life were whittled down to being a wife with no experience anywhere else or value in any other capacity.

My scare for you is a trip through the local cemetery. Here are some weird tales.  Whoo-ha-ha-ha! That's supposed to resemble a blood-curdling laugh.  Scared yet? Didn't think so.




Witch-real or
only in her mind?

Our community had a local couple who were, um, shall we say eccentric? Having little to do with genuine witches or warlocks, this couple called themselves a witch and warlock, dressed in Goth style, were heavy into the drug scene, and drove a black car decorated with white polka dots. Unfortunately, they had several followers. The local Justice of the Peace was asked to perform their marriage ceremony at midnight on Hallowe'en in the largest local cemetery. Because he was a good public servant, he agreed and showed up. After the ceremony, when he said, “You may kiss the bride,” the bride and groom slapped each other. Hard! That’s when the JP made his escape. Sadly, about a year later, the bride was found in the cemetery dead of a drug overdose. Friends who are real Wicca tell me that Wiccan practicioners do no harm to themselves or others, which makes this poor victim's life and death even sadder.



Crypt similar to that 
of the"white witch"

Sometimes rumors are so much more interesting than the truth. The same cemetery has what supposedly is “the white witch’s” grave. No one knows where this incorrect label originated. Actually, the grave is a white marble crypt built for a man who had no family. No one visits the grave-—except those searching for a sensational story.

Nearby is the statue of the “weeping” angel. Many visitors believe that name means the statue weeps actual tears. Sorry, the sculptor portrayed a weeping angel, not nearly as interesting as a statue that sheds real tears, right? Still, it's a beautiful statue.

Chased by a ghost?

In a town where I once lived, some teens went to the cemetery to share beers they weren’t supposed to have. When they realized the owner of the car had already been drinking before he picked them up, they argued with him about whether he was sober enough to drive them home from the cemetery. He beligerantly insisted, so the other teens reluctantly climbed into the car with him to go home. Can you hear your mom telling you never to ride with a driver who's been drinking?  Here's why.  Shortly after they left the cemetery, they had a wreck that killed the driver and a couple of the passengers and badly injured the others. A few months later, the greatly altered story appeared in one of those sensational press newspapers one sees at the checkout stand. In the account, supposedly a ghost had chased the teens from the cemetery and caused the wreck. Not true, but that sort of thing sells newspapers. I hate to refer to that sort of publication as a newspaper, don't you?


What’s your favorite Hallowe’en tale?



What Do You Think About This Title?

Fall foliage at Lost Maples

Glorious fall has finally arrived to North Central Texas. When I go out today, I can actually layer with my favorite cardigan. This is my favorite time of year. I love the cool weather, the lovely colored trees, even though--achoo!--fall brings allergy problems here in the allergy capital of the U.S. 

It's time to purchase pumpkins, start making holiday lists, and planning for the last quarter of 2010. Imagine that, who knew when the sequel to 2001 Space Odyssey came out that we'd be living in a 2010 not that much different from last century--except for electronics. Yes, I love my Kindle.

So, how do we accomplish in three months all we've left undone from our January to-do-this-year list? Here's what I've accomplished. Two books, OUT OF THE BLUE and THE TEXAN'S IRISH BRIDE have been released to great reviews. I finished a novella, SAVE YOUR HEART FOR ME, and just learned I'll be offered a contract for it. My sweet contemporary, HOME SWEET TEXAS HOME, is in edits. I submitted a cozy mystery, I FEEL THE EARTH MOVE, to an agent. I'm working on a second cozy, GOIN' CRUISIN' IN MY PINK CADILLAC, and a time travel romance, TEXAS SHOWDOWN. It's a busy time for me.

Okay, here's my question: When you hear my cozy title, GOIN' CRUISIN' IN MY PINK CADILLAC, do you think of Aretha Franklin's great song, Elvis Presley, or  Mary Kay cosmetics? Please leave your comment. I need your help as I've had mixed answers from my critique partners.

Thanks and have a great day!