Book Monday & Author Gail Martin's Monterey Memories

MONTEREY MEMORIES - Three novels by Gail Gaymer Martin set in the beautiful Monterey area in the central coast of California. The Barbour anthology includes the novels And Baby Makes Five, Garlic and Roses and Butterfly Trees.

Book Description

Walk the streets and countryside of Monterey, California, with three couples who are surprised by love in the midst of their busy lives. Chad helps Felisa when she goes into labor in his lettuce field. Juli meets Alan while volunteering at a soup kitchen. Ross takes an overdue vacation at Alissa’s bed-and-breakfast. Can busy people slow down enough to realize the love God has brought into their lives?

Reviews from AMAZON

Monterey Memories, an anthology, is a must buy. I truly love this book. In each of the three novels, set in the central coast of California, Gail writes of God's love with such ease and weaves His love throughout each story.

We see how faith and growth in the Word affects every aspect of the characters lives. Everyday normal people with trials and decisions, which we too, can identify. From trust, or acceptance to forgiveness, each of the story's characters learn to lean on God through their faith.

I'm adding this book to my gift list for friends and family. Who wouldn't want to find this warm, engrossing book in their stocking at Christmas? Or simply a gift to share.
REviewer: Carolyn J. Devaney

Gail's Bio:

Multi-award-winning novelist, Gail Gaymer Martin is the author of forty-three novels with three million books in print. Her novels have received seven national awards and was presented the Favorite Heartsong Presents Author Award for 2008. She writes for Steeple Hill, Barbour Publishing, and is the author of Writing the Christian Romance from Writers Digest. Gail is a co-founder of American Christian Fiction Writers and a popular keynote speaker and workshop presenter at conferences across the U.S. www.gailmartin.com.

Purchase the novel is bookstores everywhere or click this link to purchase on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1602605823?ie=UTF8&tag=novgaigaymar-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1602605823

Author Lauralee Bliss & Tips for an Easier Christmas

My guest today is Author Lauralee Bliss who gives us a lot of ways to simplify our Christmas preparations--which BTW are nearly upon us! Here's Lauralee:

"As soon as I see the month of December looming, I must admit that a certain panic sets in. Oh, the amount of work to be done! Not only in gift buying for the family but wrapping the gifts, decorating, cards, cookies and parties, and of course, Christmas Day itself. Don't you just get dizzy reading this? My head is already spinning….

Okay, so I take a deep breath. I am a brave and courageous woman, faced with a multitude of responsibilities. And I do thank my dear Lord for giving me organizational skills that can really be useful this time of year. Without them, I know I would never be able to accomplish it all. Everything I listed is important to me. But I refuse to stress over it. I take it one step at a time. After all, this is supposed to be a joyous time of year. So I look at the calendar and begin making plans.

Cards. When do cards need to be done so people receive them on time? Order the cads (especially picture cards which are easy and come with signatures) now. Address envelopes while Christmas music is playing (that always soothes me). I order my cards online (like at Walmart.com) and have them shipped right to the store to save postage and time.

Decorating the house. Decide how or what you need to do. If we are having a party at the house, for example, we take more time to decorate it thoughtfully. Another idea is to make decorating a party itself. Invite family and friends to participate or make it your own family tradition. Have the kids and dad decorate the outside while you and the girls tackle the inside. Make sure to have the Christmas music playing. Order pizza for dinner so you don't have to worry about a meal.

Gifts. I tend to shop all year 'round so hopefully most of my shopping is done. But I have also participated in an annual event at my church that is fun. The first Monday in December, the ladies pile into a minivan and head for the big shopping mall in Virginia for a day of shopping . What fun to be with others and get the shopping done, too. It's a chance to fellowship and even brainstorm ideas for gifts.

Christmas cookies. Are you going to a party? Then decide on some easy cookie recipes to make. Don't try to make complicated cookies in difficult shapes and / or with fillings (unless you really want too, of course!). For me, time is precious. I love, for example, my old stand-by--Betty Crocker's Russian Tea Cakes (or I call them Mexican Wedding Cakes). A simple yet

elegant cookie for a cookie exchange or a party. The snow white color and delicate buttery flavor is wonderful. And they are so simple to make, with only a few ingredients.
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
½ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ¼ cups flour
¾ cup finely chopped nuts
¼ teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar
1. Heat oven to 400ºF.
2. Mix butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla in large bowl. Stir in flour, nuts and salt until dough holds together.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set but not brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool slightly on wire rack.
5. Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar; cool on wire rack. Roll in powdered sugar again.

These are a few ideas to making the December madness a little less maddening and more joyous. But above all, take time to pamper yourself. Like picking up a good Christmas novel --of which I have a wonderful new release that will transport you to the time of the Gilded Age in, what else, the town of Bethlehem, New Hampshire in the beautiful White Mountains!

Love Finds You in Bethlehem, New Hampshire by Lauralee Bliss.

http://www.amazon.com/Love-Finds-You-Bethlehem-Hampshire/dp/1935416200

Bio

Lauralee Bliss has always liked to dream big dreams. Part of that dream was writing, and her career began with small creative works as a teen just for fun. After several years of hard work, the dream of publishing was realized in 1997 with the publication of her first romance novel. Since then, she's had over a dozen books published, both historical and contemporary. Lauralee's desire is that readers will come away with both an entertaining story and a lesson that ministers to the heart. Lauralee makes her home in Virginia in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Readers are welcome to visit my website at www.lauraleebliss.com to learn more about my books and writing, along with my other interests.

And my blog www.blissfulwritingthoughts.blogspot.com

Thanks, Lauralee--Lyn

Author Marta Perry & Leah's Choice

My guest today is Author Marta Perry who has been a Love Inspired author for years. God has now called Marta to write Amish stories. I had the pleasure of reading her first Amish story which Marta will tell you about. Here's Marta:

"We recently had a special celebration in our church. We were each asked to write a message about or bring a photograph of someone who had influenced our lives in a particular way. It proved to be an emotional exercise, as you can imagine, which caused me to think of the many Christian women whose spiritual gifts have inspired me over the years. One of these was the minister of my church when I was growing up.

It was highly unusual to have a woman minister back in the fifties, and even more so when the church was in a small rural Pennsylvania community. But then, Pastor Ruth was an unusual woman. She had come to our area years earlier, when her minister husband was called to our church. Although she was ordained herself, she took on gladly the traditional roles of a minister’s wife in those days—hosting ladies’ teas, helping in the church nursery, taking meals to the sick.

She became such an indispensable part of our church family that when her husband passed away, the church unanimously called her to take over the pastorate. And so I had for my spiritual mentor this lovely Christian woman. She was quiet, gentle, humble, and self-effacing. Despite those qualities, or perhaps because of them, she never hesitated to find the strength to combat wrong when she saw it. Her life was a testament to her faith.

Although I didn’t realize it at the time, Pastor Ruth must have been in the back of my mind when I started writing about Leah Beiler, the protagonist of my current Amish book from Berkley, LEAH’S CHOICE. Leah, a humble, devout Amish teacher, is confronted with a surprising turn to her life with the arrival of two men in her Pennsylvania Amish community: Daniel, an Amish widower with three troubled young children and a tragic mystery in his past, and Johnny, the fiancé who left her ten years earlier when he ran away to the outside world.

Leah faces decisions she never expected to make, and her life is further complicated by her rebellious younger sister and her dedication to her volunteer work with a clinic studying the genetic diseases that afflict many Amish children. She discovers that she must find her strength in God to make the right choices, even when they bring her pain, trusting in Him to guide her to the place He has prepared for her.

I hope, if you read Leah’s story, you’ll let me know what you think of it. You can reach me at marta@martaperry.com, and I’ll be happy to send you a signed bookmark and my free brochure of Pennsylvania Dutch recipes. Or visit my website (under renovation) at www.martaperry.com or my blog at www.booksbymartaperry.blogspot.com."

I think any reader would love this book. I certainly did!--Lyn

Book Monday-Author Susan May Warren's Christmas offering

Book Monday is featuring Author Susan Mary Warren's Latest book. Here's the scoop in Susan's own words.

"Shoot...football season is over. I'm so sad....as we all know, I love Football...

So much so that I wrote a FOOTBALL STORY! Okay it's not JUST about football. It's about Christmas. And small town life. And church Christmas Teas. And family....and traditions. And the crazy things we do for each other. Basically my favorite things about the seaon!

Yes. I LOVE Christmas stories - and every year I read aloud to my kids (okay, my college kid MIGHT be too old), the Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever. And recently Dave Barry's, The Shephard, the Angel and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog. (SOOO funny). I wanted to write my OWN Christmas Classic.

So, I did. Well, at least I HOPE it is a Christmas classic. Check it out HERE!

Are you in ministry? Want a cool bulletin insert--flyer for the GCB?

And don't forget the cool CONTEST we're running this fall! It's a recipe exchange!! Send us your favorite Christmas recipe and a cool story - we'll publish it on the blog, and sign you up to get a preview copy of my new book (a world war 2 epic!) And/or a cool Harry and David Gift basket!

Warren’s tender holiday novella invokes both laughter and some sweet tears. The vivid portrayal of family connections and football fervor will bring the Christmas spirit to everyone. (Romantic Times)"

It sounds like a great read and a great contest!--Lyn

Two Autumn Recipes from Lyn

Hi! Today my dear friend Author Marta Perry was scheduled to share a story and tell us a bit about her new book out this month, Leah's Choice, an Amish romance I highly recommend. But Marta has had a death in the family so today I'm going to take her place. I hope she'll be available by next Thursday.

A favorite honorary niece has asked me to share my zucchini bread recipe with her. Also a group of readers on www.Goodreads.com Love Inspired Historical group are sharing autumn recipes. I want to share a recipe that is a life-saver if you have a lot of family and friends around the table at Thanksgiving who love stuffing! I always need more than I can stuff into even a 25 lb turkey.

So here are the two recipes:
1-Aunt Lolly's Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups raw zucchini, grated
3 cups flour
1 Tb each salt and baking soda
1 Tb vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts

Beat eggs. Add oil, sugar, & zucchini & mix well. Stir in flour mixed with other dry ingredients. Fold in vanilla & nuts. Pour into two greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 F. for about an hour (or until toothpick comes out clean). Loosen & remove from pans and cool on rack.


& 2- Lyn's Crockpot Stuffing

1/3 cup butter
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1/2 tsp. each poultry seasoning, salt, sage
1/4 tsp thyme
6 1/2 cups dry bread cubes
2 cups liquid chicken or turkey bouillon
1 can of cream of chicken soup (optional)
1 egg, well beaten

Saute onion and celery in butter till tender about 7 minutes. (Personally, I skip this step. I like my celery and onion firmer.) Combine all ingredients; add egg last and pour into crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 45 minutes. Then turn down to low for 5-8 hours. Determine if you should use all the liquid by the moisture of the bread cubes.
For larger recipe 13-14 cups, double all ingredients.

Hope those two recipes are of use to you. Our November has been warmer than our October. In our area of northern WI, October was the 7th coldest and wettest on record. Brrrr.

Like the squirrels that race back and forth on my front porch-deck, my dh and I are getting ready for the holidays and winter. Cleaning, putting away outdoor items, and bringing firewood close to the house. Hope your preparations are clicking along too!--Lyn

Book Monday & Author Robin Lee Hatcher & Fit to Be Tied

FIT TO BE TIED--Another great romance from Robin Lee Hatcher!

Who says a woman can’t do a man’s job?

Cleo Arlington dresses like a cowboy, is fearless and fun-loving, and can ride, rope, and wrangle a horse as well as any man. In 1916, however, those talents aren’t what most young women aspire to. But Cleo isn’t most women. Twenty-nine years old and single, Cleo loves life on her father’s Idaho ranch. Still, she hopes someday to marry and have children.

Enter Sherwood Statham, an English aristocrat whose father has sentenced him to a year of work in America to “straighten him out.” Sherwood, who expected a desk job at a posh spa, isn’t happy to be stuck on an Idaho ranch. And he has no idea how to handle Cleo, who’s been challenged with transforming this uptight playboy into a down-home cowboy.

Just about everything either of them says or does leaves the other, well, fit to be tied. And though Cleo believes God’s plan for her includes a husband, it couldn’t possibly be Sherwood Statham. Could it?

BIO

Best-selling novelist Robin Lee Hatcher is known for her heartwarming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. She makes her home in Idaho where she enjoys spending time with her family and her high-maintenance Papillon, Poppet.

About FIT TO BE TIED, the Library Journal said: "A master of lively historical romances, Hatcher demonstrates an expert ability to craft spunky, unlikely heroines who go against the tide of the times in which they live, making for fun, exciting stories. She also pays close attention to historical detail. This second series entry (after A Vote of Confidence) is highly recommended for readers of inspirational and historical romances and women's fiction."

A Note from Robin

The Sisters of Bethlehem Springs series sprang from the question: Who says a woman can't do a man's job? And I can't fully express just how much fun I've had looking for the answer through the eyes of my heroines in this series. Although I have no favorites among the novels I've written (each were special to me at the time I wrote them), I do have some favorite characters. Cleo Arlington is one of them. I love her for her strong faith, for her quirky turns of phrase, for her confidence with horses and her lack of confidence with men, even for her impatience with Sherwood, the English aristocrat that she's supposed to turn into a cowboy. I've been so delighted that readers have taken her into their hearts the way they have. I hope you'll feel the same way about her.

*****************************

Here is the link to the book video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1VLeF15hr4

Here is the Amazon link:

http://is.gd/4P2qJ

Here is the Christianbook link:

http://is.gd/4P2pG

And here is a link to an excerpt of FIT TO BE TIED:

http://is.gd/4P46c

Author Lyn Cote & Lady Serenity Radio Interview

Drop by
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lady-Serenity

Monday November 9, 2009 and listen to an interview with Lyn and another author with From the Heart and Soul--Lady Serenity

Listen to Lady Serenity on Blog Talk Radio

How to Win 10lbs of Books!

Chapter A Week is a free email subscription. Members receive a chapter a week from two different Christian author's new books each week--a great way to find new authors to read!

If you're not already a member of Chapter A Week, now's the time to join and invite a friend! Here's the link to join. Then read on about one of the periodic book giveaways and how to be included.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ChapteraWeek/join

Christmas is just around the corner! So we're giving away another ten-pound box of autographed Chapter-a-Week books to one Chapter-a-Week member. If you get a friend to sign up (and they mention your name in their email) you'll be entered twice! The more friends you sign up the more times you'll be entered!

Simply send an email with "Chapter-a-Week Christmas Giveaway" in the subject line to cawcontest(at)gmail(dot)com and you'll be entered in the drawing. We'll draw the winner November 27th, the day after Thanksgiving so the books will arrive in plenty of time for Christmas!

Get your entries in and be sure to tell your friends to sign up for Chapter-a-Week!

To qualify, the return email address must be on the Chapter-a-Week membership list. Continental U. S. residents only, please. Industry professionals should refrain from entering, and though we'd love you to share our books with your friends, these books are not for resale.

Thanks and happy reading!
Your friends at Chapter-a-Week

Author Margaret Daley Shares Her Thanksgiving Joys

My guest today is another Love Inspired Author and a friend is Margaret Daley. She is sharing a tip for the holidays. The theme this month is Wise November, a month where we can all share tips for helping us celebrate the holiday season without losing our good humor! Here's Margaret:

"Thanksgiving-the beginning of the holidays

By Margaret Daley

I love having my family over for Thanksgiving because after we have stuffed ourselves with too much food (love leftovers), I get our Christmas tree out (artificial because my husband is allergic to pine) and the ornaments and have my family help decorate the tree. Now that I have granddaughters it is extra special. They even have their own smaller tree we put up. Having others help decorate makes it funnier and it goes faster. That’s also when I start playing Christmas music.

My biggest tip for shopping this holiday is to avoid the day after Thanksgiving. I know that some people love crowds, but I like to get in and out. I have found some good sales going on right now. I think retailers are worried about this holiday season, so they are having good sales earlier. I think the funniest time I have is when I shop for a child on our church’s angel tree. That’s what Christmas is about--giving.

Does anyone have a good recipe for leftover turkey? I make a big turkey/vegetable soup with my leftovers. It feeds us for a week. In the soup I put whatever I have on hand—can or frozen vegetables—potatoes or rice. I’ll vary the seasonings, too. When it gets cold, my husband and I really like soups."

Thanks, Margaret. I do the turkey soup too, but I also found a great recipe for Turkey Tretazini. I'll try to post it before Thanksgiving--Lyn

Together for the Holidays-Love Inspired, November 2009
Second Chance Family-Love Inspired, July 2009-see trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scHiL5CLehA
A Family for Tory/A Mother for Cindy, Love Inspired Classic June 2009
http://www.margaretdaley.com
http://margaretdaley.blogspot.com

Please Vote!

Hi! I'm just back from my son's wedding on Saturday. Yes, my son married on Halloween. I'll post some photos in the near future. Needless to say, I have a MOUNTAIN of laundry to do! How could we use up that much clothing in only four days away?

My title "Please Vote!" for this blog entry is about the poll you see listed to the right. If you enjoy the stories of strong women which I feature, please let me know. I'm trying to decide if this is a good blog theme or not. At the end of this month, it will be one year since I started my own blog. I'm happy that I'm up to 50 followers. Thanks. That's quite a compliment and it is appreciated.

This month and December I will be posting only twice a week. Life gets busier and busier. But Monday and Thursday, I'll have something good for you to read. Or that's my goal.
Happy November!