Book Monday-Author Cindy Woodsmall & The Hope of Refuge

The book I'm featuring today is one that will tempt those who love reading Amish stories. When living in Iowa, I ate dinner with friends in an Amish home. I was a little surprised and amused to see that the woman of the house was a fan of Amish novels. Here's the scoop:

The Hope of Refuge Raised in foster care and now the widowed mother of a little girl, Cara Moore struggles against poverty, fear, and a relentless stalker. When a trail of memories leads Cara and Lori out of New York City toward an Amish community, she follows every lead, eager for answers and a fresh start. She discovers that long-held secrets about her family history ripple beneath the surface of Dry Lake, Pennsylvania, and it’s no place for an outsider.

But one Amish man, Ephraim Mast, dares to fulfill the command he believes that he received from God–“Be me to her”– despite how it threatens his way of life. Completely opposite of the hard, untrusting Cara, Ephraim’s sister Deborah also finds her dreams crumbling when the man she has pledged to build a life with begins withdrawing from Deborah and his community, including his mother, Ada Stoltzfus. Can the run-down house that Ada envisions transforming unite them toward a common purpose–or push Mahlon away forever? While Ephraim is trying to do what he believes is right, will he be shunned and lose everything–including the guarded single mother who simply longs for a better life?


About the Author ~ Cindy Woodsmall is the author of and the When the Heart Cries,New York Times best-sellers When the Morning Comes and When the Soul Mends. Her ability to authentically capture the heart of her characters comes from her real-life connections with Amish Mennonite and Old Order Amish families. A mother of three sons and two daughters-in-law, Cindy lives in Georgia with her husband of more than thirty years. Visit her website.

What others are saying ~ “Cindy Woodsmall’s The Hope of Refuge takes the reader on an emotional journey into the heart of Amish country and the heart of a very human heroine. A compelling novel…” –Karen Harper, New York Times bestselling author of Deep Down

I’m not a huge fan of Amish books, but Cindy Woodsmall’s novels are in a class by themselves. The Hope of Refuge is one of my top picks for 2009. Novel Reviews and I highly recommend it—a 5-star read. –Ane Mulligan of Novel Reviews

“What a beautiful story of hope and renewal! Cindy Woodsmall’s The Hope of Refuge is an honest and moving portrayal that rings with authenticity.” –Marlo Schalesky, award-winning author of If Tomorrow Never Comes and Beyond the Night

This book The Hope of Refuge was excellent!
It was so good that I couldn't put it down… –Cecelia Dowdy

Available August 11, at your local bookstores.
Also available at Amazon
Or Christian Book Distributors:

First Winner of a copy of Her Inheritance Forever is...

Happy Sunday! We attended church last night. (Since we live in a tourist area, our church holds an extra service during the summers.) So after a lovely breakfast with my dh and a pleasant time out on our porch, I decided I'd better find out who won the first free copy of my latest book. I let my dh choose the name.

And the winner is (drum roll) Vintage fan! She along with Edna, Aldriges, Abi, Sandee 61, and Laura's reviews made comments and thereby were entered into the drawing. Vintage Fan, you have till Friday to contact me. If I don't hear from you, I'll have to choose another name.

I'd also like to thank the authors and some readers for posting such delectable Mexican-style recipes, such as

Lenora Worth's Mexican Dressing

Laurie Kingery's Taco Casserole

Abi's Taco Bake

Sandee61's Bunuelos

Laura's Taco Dip

Frankly they all sound delicious. And I am going to be trying them when the opportunity presents itself. Remember I will be gathering these and the July recipes into a PDF cookbooklet that you will be able to download sometime in September.

On a personal note: My dh, daughter and I will be driving south to the Chicago area on Wednesday. My mother-in-law who is approaching 90 has failing health. I feel very sad about it but am trying to keep a good thought, hope. I don't know how long we will be there, so if you notice me missing a blog post, you will know why.

But on a happy note, the weather is warmer today and it feels like summer at last!

Please remember that I will be giving away a copy of Her Inheritance Forever again this week. To be entered in the weekly drawing, just comment or share a Mexican style Recipe this week.

Hope you're having a blessed Sunday!

Author Lenora Worth & Carly & Mexican Dressing

My guest today is Lenora Worth a long time dear friend. I visited Lenora earlier this year when my dh and I were coming home from Texas. She was a delightful hostess. Here's Lenora:

"I live in Louisiana, near the Texas border so Mexican food is like second nature to all of us around here. I rarely had Mexican food growing up back in Georgia. But when I discovered it after moving out here many years ago, I fell in love with it. And I've found that in spite of the basic ingredients of meat, cheese and beans and spices, not all Mexican dishes are the same. My recipe is original--a combination of dishes I've tried and liked with some Southern cooking thrown in for good measure.

My daughter Carly is the strong woman who helped me create this dish. She came home from a high school Spanish class one day, needing a recipe to translate from English to Spanish (or maybe it was the other way around.) Anyway, I gave her this recipe and I think the teacher had some questions regarding the long-drawn out version but if I remember correctly, Carly got a good grade anyway. Below is the short version. It's a cross between a tamale pie and southern cornbread dressing.

So this recipe is dedicated to my spicy, fiery, strong daughter who went after her dream of being a high school teacher. She's had many trials since pursuing that dream but now we're rejoicing that she is still able to be a teacher in spite of some set-backs. She's worked hard, learned some valuable lessons and continues to grow and mature as a strong, beautiful woman who knows her own heart. Here's to you, Carly! (Carlita in Spanish.)

Mexican Dressing Casserole:

1 pound of hamburger meat, cooked (Or chopped cooked chicken)
I recipe of cornbread (homemade or boxed)
1 can of Rotel (Mexican diced tomatoes with green chilies)
1 can of chicken broth
2 cups shredded mixed cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese (or more to taste)

Salsa for topping

Break cornbread into a big bowl
Pour chicken broth over broken cornbread
Add Rotel
Stir until cornbread is moist then add cooked meat and cheese. (A little salt and pepper or cilantro is good)
Mix everything until it's moist
Pour into a greased casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees until the top is golden brown.
Serve with salsa as gravy and enjoy. Add more cheese on top if you want.)

I hope this easy recipe spices up your dinner. We love it around here.

Lenora :-)"

I'm getting so many excellent Mexican-style recipes. I can't wait to try each one. My family will heartily approve! Here's a sneak peak at Lenora's next book The Gift of Wonder which comes out in October. And drop by her website and see ALL HER SHOES! Thanks again, Lenora!--Lyn

Author Laurie Kingery & Her Other Mother & Taco Casserole Recipe

Today my guest is Laurie Kingery whom I met last year at the American Christian Fiction Writers Conference in Minneapolis. She's a neat person. Here's Laurie:

"I'd like to tell you about my "other mother," Helene, not because my own mother wasn't wonderful, but because Helene was so unique.

Helene was born in Transylvania--no, she wasn't a vampire! J-- and more specifically, the German portion of Rumania, between World Wars I and II, for her family were culturally Germans and spoke German, not Rumanian. She married Gustav, an engineer, and the two settled down to live happily ever after. She gave birth to two sons. Then World War II struck, and though neither of them had any sympathy for the Nazi cause, Gustav was forced into the German army, and Helene was forced to cope alone with her two small sons. They endured many hardships while Gus was away.

But when the Germans were defeated, the Russian army overran eastern Europe, including the place where Helene and her sons lived. She and her sons had to flee, for the Russians were brutal conquerors and showed no mercy to the Germans. She feared for the lives of her sons and herself, and also for Gustav, whose whereabouts at the end of the war were unknown. Though it was difficult for her to talk about and she often held back tears with difficulty, she told me of this perilous journey.

Plagued by hunger, she had to use every bit of resourcefulness she had. At one point they ended up in a refugee camp, at another, she had to fend off rape. But the story ends happily—they made their way to West Germany and freedom, and eventually she and her sons were reunited with Gustav.

Because of Gustav's skills as an engineer, and despite serving in the German army, they were allowed to come to the United States where Gustav worked in the American defense industry. Their first residence in the United States was an apartment in Columbus, Ohio. Here they met my parents, who coincidentally had just returned from a posting in West Germany with the U.S. Army. My parents and Helene and Gustav hit it off right away. In part, because my father's heritage was German and they had just been living there, but also because of Helene's warm friendliness and willingness to babysit for my parent's toddler—me!

My grandparents lived far away, but Helene became like another grandparent to me, singing to me, telling me stories—and listening to me try to tell stories—and treating me to her delicious cooking. She became a staunch friend to my mother, who as an Army wife lived far from her old friends and family. Helene was a perfectionist at cooking, housekeeping and needlecraft. Helene and her husband became citizens as soon as possible and were filled with a fierce patriotism for their new country.

Helene was widowed fairly early in life, but she told me Gustav continued to visit her in her dreams. She supported herself into old age with her sewing, and after my parents passed on, Helene became my other mother, my "Mutti," as I called her, using the German word. She was very proud and supportive of my career as a writer. Helene died a few years ago, and I miss her. Though the details of her ordeals in World War II and postwar are somewhat sketchy in my mind, since it's been years since she told them to me, her brave life makes her a fitting addition, I think, to Lyn Cote's Strong Women, Brave Stories blog.

Now for my Mexican-style recipe:

TACO CASSEROLE

Nonstick cooking spray
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
½ t. garlic poweder
1 envelope (1.25 oz.) taco seasoning mix
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup sour cream
1 cup cottage cheese
2 cups crushed tortilla chips
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350. cut a 2 ½ qt. baking dish with cooking spray
In a skillet, brown the beef. Drain off excess fat. Add onion, garlic powder, taco mix and tomato sauce. Mix and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the sour cream and cottage cheese, Place half the crushed tortilla chips in the bottom of the prepared pan. Add enough meat to cover. Top with half the sour cream mixture and half the cheese. Repeat layers. Bake 30-35 mins. Or until the cheese melts and the casserole is heated through.--Laurie"

Now Laurie's latest Love Inspired Historical, The Outlaw's Lady, debuts in mid-August. For more info, drop by her website. Or to purchase it click here.

Thanks, Laurie, for the story and for the recipe.--Lyn

Book Monday-Lyn Cote's 2nd Texas Novel

Though Her Inheritance Forever will not be out until the 18th of this month, this is the day I have for it on my blog. I'm really excited about this book. The heroine Alandra was just a little girl in the first book The Desires of her Heart. Fifteen years have passed since Dorritt and Quinn married and began life southwest of San Antonio. And Alandra has finally come of age. This is her story.

In 1836 Texas, Alandra Sandoval is the Tejano lady of Rancho Sandoval. She is determined to show the world of men that she, a woman, can run the ranch successfully without a male by her side. Yet she still longs for future love and a family.

Scully Falconer, a loner, is the top hand on a nearby ranch. He has given his loyalty to the Quinn family and doesn’t ask more than honest pay for an honest day’s work.

Alandra, the lady of Mexican descent, and Scully, the American cowboy, think they have very different paths set before them. But greedy relatives burst onto the scene, threatening to change their way of life. And when General Santa Anna crosses the Rio Grande and marches north to keep his rendezvous with destiny at the Alamo, Alandra and Scully’s lives will never be the same.

The Library Journal says Lyn Cote “demonstrates her skill at creating strong female protagonists in compelling stories that will captivate historical romance readers.” HER INHERITANCE FOREVER attests to Cote’s ability to create page-turning, riveting romances with wonderful historical details that also allow readers to watch the forming of the Texas state."

If you wish to pre-order it, just click the cover to the right. If you can't find it at your local library, bookstore or Walmart, please ask for it. And let me know if you enjoy it! --Lyn

Book Monday & Lyn Cote's 2nd Texas Historical Romance

Though Her Inheritance Forever will not be out until the 18th of this month, this is the day I have for it on my blog. I'm really excited about this book. The heroine Alandra was just a little girl in the first book The Desires of her Heart. Fifteen years have passed since Dorritt and Quinn married and began life southwest of San Antonio. And Alandra has finally come of age. This is her story.

In 1836 Texas, Alandra Sandoval is the Tejano lady of Rancho Sandoval. She is determined to show the world of men that she, a woman, can run the ranch successfully without a male by her side. Yet she still longs for future love and a family.

Scully Falconer, a loner, is the top hand on a nearby ranch. He has given his loyalty to the Quinn family and doesn’t ask more than honest pay for an honest day’s work.

Alandra, the lady of Mexican descent, and Scully, the American cowboy, think they have very different paths set before them. But greedy relatives burst onto the scene, threatening to change their way of life. And when General Santa Anna crosses the Rio Grande and marches north to keep his rendezvous with destiny at the Alamo, Alandra and Scully’s lives will never be the same.

The Library Journal says Lyn Cote “demonstrates her skill at creating strong female protagonists in compelling stories that will captivate historical romance readers.” HER INHERITANCE FOREVER attests to Cote’s ability to create page-turning, riveting romances with wonderful historical details that also allow readers to watch the forming of the Texas state."

If you wish to pre-order it, just click the cover to the right. If you can't find it at your local library, bookstore or Walmart, please ask for it. And let me know if you enjoy it! --Lyn

August & Book Giveaways & More Mexican Recipes

Hi ! In case you didn't notice, we moved into August yesterday. August! Can you believe that? The summer is two-thirds gone. Well, nothing we can do about that--except have more summer fun while we can.

The second book in my Texas Star of Destiny series, Her Inheritance Forever, will come out on August 18th. I intend to celebrate this with some specials here on my blog:

1-I will be giving away a copy of Her Inheritance Forever each week to anyone who comments on the blog that week.

2-I'm going to continue the recipe collection which I launched in July. Now however, since my heroine is a Latina (of Mexican descent) I want Mexican-style recipes. If you have a good one, post it in a comment and become eligible for the book giveaway for the week.

So drop by anyday this month or several days this month and share a recipe & a comment. I'm interested in what you think and want to see on this blog.

Have a lovely August Sunday!