Marrying Mattie: treat yourself!

Marrying Mattie, avail. print, digi and Kindle...

Mattie and Call's love story steams up the pages. Yeah, I know. I'm concentrating on Christian romance now (Please visit Hearts Crossing Ranch...)  but the folks in Paradise, Nebraska circa 1880 need love too.

I hope you enjoy your trip back in time!

(Marrying Molly and Marrying Marguerite are in the works...)

Spicy and Sweet...at The Romance Studio

Hop on over to The Romance Studio for a peek at my latest releases, and see if "spicy" and "sweet" conflict with each other..or make it work like Sweet and Sour Chicken.

Hope you enjoy Marrying Mattie, available now at The Wild Rose Press and Amazon...Kindle version, too. Sign my guestbook at my website to enter a name draw for a signed copy.

Marrying Mattie is here, here, HERE

Jumping the gun a bit, my second book in the Paradise Brides series, Marrying Mattie,  is already available at http://www.thewildrosepress.com/ and http://www.amazon.com/   Yee-haw!

All along, I've thought the Big Day was August 27...but while I was up in the Tetons on a wagon-train trip (more details to follow...or you can check out http://heartscrossingranch.blogspot.com/ ) my dream came true. Sincere thanks to my editor Helen Andrew for making it all happen.

The hero, schoolmaster Call Hackett, makes an important appearance in my current release, Marrying Minda, when he woos mail-order bride Minda during her troubled marriage. But her reluctant hubby, hottie cowboy Brix  Haynes mans up and falls hard for his woman. So I reckoned Call deserved a love story all his own.

My free short story His Christmas Angel introduces him --now a self-described horse "doctor"--to Minda's sister, Mattie, and this new longer book shows their road to a marriage interrupted by her rich, evil ex-husband.

I hope you enjoy getting to know the folks of Paradise, Nebraska, their toils and tribulations, their triumphs and loves.

Don't be a stranger at http://www.petticoatsandpistols.com/

Redeeming Daisy and Faithful Danger

I'm excited that the first round edits for Redeeming Daisy are in the can. Editors simply make one's writing better...noticing a word order or sentence structure that a second set of eyes knows can be slightly improved. Redeeming Daisy is the second story set at Hearts Crossing Ranch and features Pike Martin, large animal vet and brother to Kenn.

I'm grateful for such a talented editor, Nicola Martinez, who has a nose for the details...or is it eyes LOL? As well as one who calls Redeeming Daisy a "lovely story." Sigh.

I'll keep you informed as to the progress. I've also submitted to her TV Guide-like blurbies about what happens to the entire Martin clan!
Right now, though, I'm finishing up what I call March 9 Prompt, aka Faithful Danger. White Rose Publishing selected random details and posted them on March 9 to see what kind of story a writer can come up with in 10,000-20,000 words.

The SITUATION:
Two puppies, a woman in hiding, a mysterious man, and a pair of pink polka dot pumps.

The PHRASE:

“Dead guys don’t usually show up for breakfast,” she said, staring at the very-much-alive man who stood in front of the pastry counter.

I'm in the closing stretch of Faithful Danger...I'll let you know how it turns out. Yeah, my mysterious man is a cowboy turned private investigator. And our heroine falls for him spur, lariat and Stetson even though she's in hiding in a small Central California ranch town from very bad Soprano-esque people...

Silver Spur Ranch: Yee-haw. I've love to go again...

Just got this e-mail from the Silver Spur. If you're still finalizing plans for Memorial Day Weekend, give the ranch a whirl. One of the funnest times I've ever had!

"Hey everyone,

There are still a few rooms available THIS weekend for Memorial Day. We are offering ALL our subscribers a last minute 15% discount on adults rates.....that is 3 times the Lifetime Discount!!

There are LOTS of fun activities planned on and off the ranch. In town there is a parade down Main Street you won't want to miss with lots of entertainment and venders, Mansfield Park has rodeos going on 3 full days, the weather is great and the river is open for tubing and all the Saloons have great music going on!!

On the ranch we will be doing a Scavenger Hunt on horseback.....prizes to the winners!! Evening rides after supper will be available and you wont want to miss out on our Star Gazing after dark down by the campfire area.....see incredible views of the Universe!! You might even want to try your hand at Karaoke!! And of course we will serving root beer floats and the pool is OPEN!!

Be sure to mention "Memorial Special" when making reservations!! Your friends and family are welcome to this same discount!

Your Friends at the Silver Spur"

Saddle up and Write: Bandera, Texas

Howdy! I sure hope you'll scoot on over to Petticoats and Pistols today, the all-Western romance site, where I'm blogging about my experiences as a cowgirl at the Silver Spur Ranch in Bandera, Texas. Hey, I found out I'm not too fat and old to learn to ride a horse...or too dumb shoot a gun! The "Saddle up and Write" retreat sponsored by my publisher The Wild Rose Press totally rocked from beginning to end...

...and those days as a Texan will live forever in my heart and memory.

Sigh.

Glen Ivy Mudbath...what a way to spend a Saturday with my posse

Yowza. Who'd ever thunk it, a playdate in the mud at our age. Well, it happened, it was weird and cool at the same time. Mostly it was some good old-fashioned girl bonding.

Daughters, sister, friends, cousins.

Oh, and I can't forget the massage! Good time, good people.

Good memory!

Weekend Recipe: Aunt Grace's Killer Banana Bread

Well, I know I've posted this one before, but it's such a keeper that I'll keep on doing so LOL when I'm rushed and out of other ideas. Top Chef I am not! Have a great weekend.

AUNT GRACE’S BANANA BREAD

½ cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 medium mashed bananas
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda


Cream shortening and sugar and add eggs and cream well. Sift flour and soda together. Fold flour and bananas into above misture. Add ¼ cup chopped nuts.

Bake in greased floured loaf pan, 1 hour, at 350º.

Weekend Recipe: Texas Toast!

Honoring my sojourn to TEXAS, here's a little snack to spice up your weekend. Enjoy!

2 Servings Prep/Total Time: 15 min.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter, softened
4 slices French bread (1 inch thick)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Chopped green onions or parsley, optional

Directions:
Spread butter over bread. Sprinkle with garlic powder and cheese. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with onions or parsley is desired. Serve warm. Yield: 2 servings.

Wild Rose Press Writers Retreat--Bandera, Texas, here I come!

Howdy! Sorry to miss Monday's Places I've Been. I'm waiting on the pix of the mud bath I took last weekend, (honest!) so be patient LOL (Remember my Wine Jacket Posse...well, we took a sojourn to a spa...but that's another blog...)

Right now, my imaginary spurs really are jiggling. I'm doing last-minute shopping and laundry so I can pack up for TEXAS! My publishing house is holding a writers retreat an hour out of San Antone on a real ranch, the Silver Spur, with real cowboys, horses, and rodeo. When I got the invitation, there was no keeping me away! Looks like I'll be staying in the Wild Bill Hickok cabin. Can't get any mow cowgirl than that!

Stay tuned, of course, for my pictures and accounts of my adventure.

In the meantime, here are some pix I lifted from their website.

With Lone Star temps in the 80's (we're full of gloom and fog here at home...) I'll likely be needing a dip in the pool after a long stretch of creating.


Most of all, I get to cross something off my Bucket List. I'll be learning how to ride a real honest-to-goodness horse!

See ya'll soon.

The Author and the Frog: Mark Twain at Petticoats and Pistols

Hey, don't miss my blog today on Mark Twain at the all-Western romance site, Petticoats and Pistols. Today marks the centenary of his passing on April 21, 1910. And The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County is the one that started his fame going.

Hope to see you there!

What Twain works have you read?

Weekend Recipe: Russian Easter Bread

In honor of my Russian heritage, I thought I’d share a recipe today for Paska, otherwise known as Easter Bread.

2 1/2 cups bread flour
1/4 cup light cream or half and half
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoon yeast
1/2 cup raisins and glazed cherries, mixed

Heat milk, half and half and butter till butter melts. Add to
remaining ingredients in the order your machine requires. Add the
raisins/cherries when your machine stops for adding "extras".

Use the dough setting. Punch down. Traditional way to bake is to place dough in a coffee can to make the traditional "top hat" shape to bake, but it also works as a round loaf when baked on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350F., about 25 minutes. Cover top with foil for last 10 minutes if it appears to be browning too quickly.
Will make two small loaves, or one large one.

Enjoy!

Weekend Recipe: Chicken in Red Wine Sauce

Current read: Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter (Sound lame? It's pretty good.)

Since the posse and I recently went wine-tasting, I thought I'd share a chicken with red wine sauce this time. Mostly I see recipes with white wine for chicken. I haven't tried it...so let me know.

Prep Time: 10 Min
Cook Time: 45 Min
Ready In: 55 Min
Servings 12


Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon paprika
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup red wine
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook garlic in oil until tender. Place chicken in the skillet, and cook about 10 minutes on each side, until no longer pink and juices run clear.

Drain oil from skillet. Sprinkle chicken with paprika and 1 cup brown sugar. Pour red wine around chicken. Cover, and simmer about 15 to 20 minutes; lightly baste chicken with wine sauce while cooking. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

The Wine Jacket Club Goes to Temecula

Ah, here we are last weekend in the wine country a bit north of San Diego. Me and my posse. Oh, it was grand. I joined the wine club at Wilson Creek and found some cool antique candlesticks in Old Town Temecula...and a heart-shaped pillow for a T.C. fundraiser basket I'm donating. (More on this next Thursday..."Something Serious." I'm waiting on the Geek Squad right now and can't upload pix from the camera. Long story...on hubby's laptop right now and he hates me to muck up his equipment LOL.)

And had a marvelous time with my dear, dear friends. We've all been friends (and relatives!) for such a long, long time. We finally decided on a name for our little group: The Wine Jacket Club.

Because...if you've got wine on, you're all warmed up.

After visiting three wineries (ooh la la, the chocolate port!), we got pizza in our hotel room, played "Apples to Apples" and wined it up some more.

A good time was had by all. Next up, next month: Massages.

P.s. So why am I the only one without a sombrero after our yummy Mexican lunch? Because, fortunately LOL, there were only three.

Weekend Recipe: Eggs Margarita

I know, I know. I didn't name this grub and there doesn't seem to be a margarita in the mix, but you can make a pitcher and serve them together! This recipe is from my pal Nancy. She's tried adding lots of different things and says browned sausage is really good, asparagus is good, or add whatever you want to put in. You can make and refrigerate the day before, but it will take longer to bake if straight from the fridge to the oven.

10 eggs
1 lb Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/2 stick butter, melted
medium container cottage cheese
1/2 cup flour
small or large can diced green chilies

Mix together, Bake 375 degrees, 30-35 minutes.

Writing Retreat: Yee-haw...Silver Spur Ranch, Here I Come!

Well, guess where I'm spending the last days of April and first days of May?

This California girl is heading for Texas! The Silver Spur Ranch in Bandera, outside of San Antone. Writing, plotting, brainstorming, meeting fellow authors. A rodeo and gun show. Wow.

And I'll spend a couple of days afterward, seeing the sites such as the Alamo and River Walk.

It's a writers retreat sponsored by my publisher, The Wild Rose Press and I can't wait. It's a bit of a distance and a little bit of money, but hey, I'm worth it.

I'll be sharing pictures and all the good parts of the retreat a bit later on. But I just had to share my good news!

Stay tuned!

Fillmore (CA) Historic Railroad Featuring Thomas the Train!

Ah, who can resist a trainride? Not me. I've been taking the Amtrak to visit my sister whenever I can. Sure beats hours on Southern California's wretched freeways.

This one, however, wasn't just a train. It was Thomas the Tank Engine. No cardboard cutout, but a real engine built like you-know-who. And I mean built, not just a train wearing a costume.

And boy, oh boy. Did the grandbaby ever have fun with his gramma and grampa!

A day to treasure and hold close in my heart. Wish you could have joined us.

Weekend Recipe: Lemon Drop Martini

The signature drink at our daughter's wedding. Yummo. I'm a lemon-o-holic in the best of times, so it was the perfect drink. And the picture really is one from the wedding.

Enjoy!

Lemon Drop Martini

1 1/2 ounces vodka
1/2 ounce orange liqueur (Triple Sec, Grand Marnier, Cointreau, etc.)
1 teaspoon superfine sugar*
3/4 ounce freshly-squeezed lemon juice
Ice cubes
Superfine sugar for dipping
Twisted peel of lemon

Mix the vodka, orange liqueur, sugar, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice; shake well (supposedly the cocktail is to be shaken 40 times to make sure the sugar is well blended).

Pour strained liquor into sugar-rimmed martini glass and garnish with a twisted peel of lemon.

NOTE: To create a sugar-rimmed glass, take a lemon wedge and rub the drinking surface of the glass so it is barely moist. Dip the edge of the glass into the superfine sugar.

Makes 1 serving.

Serious Stuff: Everything's Coming up Roses

Well, my twenty one rose bushes have been pruned within an inch of their lives, so it looks pretty bare around the homestead...but they're already sprouting new growth. And I love the cliche I used for the title.

Because all my hubby's tests came back clear, clean, negative. Whatever the word is: he's hale, hearty and cancer-free!

Ding dong, the ugly thing is dead!

Praise God!

Don't Forget to Floss...Lucy Hobbs Taylor, the first female dentist

Howdy! Please mosey on over to Wildflower Junction at Petticoats and Pistols today and learn about the first female dentist...her determination, what she enduered in terms of descrimination and success! Known as "the woman who pulls teeth", she actually served mostly women and children. Does that mean the males in town were wusses?

Well, you can take a peek at some old-style dental tools. (Yikes!) And decide for yourself.

See you there!