Five Secrets From Author Dana Wayne & Her Book ~ Mail Order Groom

 

It's my pleasure to bring you Five Secrets from Author Dana Wayne. 

Take it away Dana.

Thanks for hosting me again on your blog, L.A. It's a pleasure to be here.

I’m a sixth generation Texan – or seventh depending on which relative you ask. My maternal grandmother was half-Indian; which tribe is still debated among the family but most likely Cherokee or Choctaw. My maternal grandfather was Hispanic. I like tell folks I had relatives on both sides of the fight for Texas Independence.

I love to fish, am a pretty good photographer, and I am an avid tent camper. I love to cook outdoors in Dutch ovens and frequently teach classes to folks on how to do that.

A writer is always writing; sometimes on paper, sometimes in our heads. Anything can spark an idea and we can’t rest until that idea is put on paper. I have a folder on my computer entitled “things to write” which includes all those nuggets that pop into my head and won’t leave me alone until I put them on paper.

Hi, Dana, please tell us Five Secrets we may not know about Mail Order Groom or you, but will after today!

1)   Tyler Roundtree has his hands full with Emma. She is smart, independent and sexy as all get-out, but doesn’t know a thing about how to be a woman. It’s up to him to enlighten her.

2)   Emma’s take-the-bull-the-horns tendency is sometimes disconcerting for Ty, but things are never dull. Like their first kiss. And their wedding night.

3)   A lock of Emma’s hair is key to Ty’s recovery.

4)   Emma is shocked to discover she must deliver her best friend’s baby. Alone. And she doesn’t have a clue. Is it like pulling a calf? Does she need a rope?

5)    Ty and Emma’s marriage of convenience takes a drastic turn when Ty is shot.

Blurb:

“Find a husband in thirty days or lose the ranch when I die.”

Emma Marshall is stunned by her dying father’s ultimatum. With Twin Oaks to run alone, she avoids dealing with it, unaware of advertisements he placed seeking a groom.

Soon, prospects arrive, spurred by the promise of control of a prosperous ranch and a beautiful bride. Angry, embarrassed and heartbroken by her father’s tactics, she fights for her independence.

Tyler Roundtree responds to his best friends’ request and applies for position of temporary foreman at the Marshall place. Surprised to find his new boss is a beautiful, jean-wearing, gun-toting woman with enough grit to go bear hunting with a switch, he happily accepts the job.

Distracted by persistent suitors and a dangerous man intent on getting control of her ranch, Emma is totally unprepared for the instant attraction to Ty. Thrown together by chance, she wonders if he may be the answer to her problem. However, it soon becomes clear she knows everything about running a ranch, and nothing about being a woman.

A world-weary Southern gentleman, a fiery, independent woman; will a marriage of convenience bring them happiness or more heartache?

Buy:

Amazon | Website | Draft2Digital

Find Dana: 

Facebook | Twitter  Instagram | Pinterest

Five Secrets With Multi-Published Author Amanda Cabot & Her Latest Release ~ A Borrowed Dream

 

I'm so pleased Amanda Cabot is with us again. She's written...well...a lot of books, you'll find out how many in her post below.  And I love how she chooses her character's names.  Read on.

From the time I was seven, I dreamt of being a writer.  You know how dreams are – not all of them come true, but that one did.  At current count I have more than thirty novels, eight novellas, four technical books, and dozens of technical articles that I describe as cures for insomnia to my credit.  

For more years than I’m going to admit I was a director of Information Technology for a major multinational corporation, a job that included collecting a gazillion – well, maybe a few less than that – frequent flyer miles, spending countless nights in hotels, and eating so many restaurant meals that fine dining quickly lost its appeal.  Now I’m a fulltime writer of Christian romances, living happily ever after with my husband in Wyoming.  

  

Hi, Amanda, please tell us Five Secrets we may not know about A Borrowed Dream but will after today!

1) A Borrowed Dream was not my working title for this book.  I’d called it Stolen Dreams, but after the titling committee decided that the first book in the series should be named A Stolen Heart, it was obvious there would be no more stealing in this trilogy.  Instead, we’re borrowing. 

2) When one of my writer friends saw the draft of the cover art, she pointed out that the books looked like antiques, not ones that a schoolteacher would be using for her classes.  I agreed and added a couple paragraphs here and there in the book to explain why Catherine was carrying those particular books.

3)   Do you ever wonder how an author chooses characters’ names?  The villain in A Borrowed Dream, Sherman Enright, got his name from two distinctly not villainous characters in old TV shows.  Sherman was a secondary character in The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, and Enright was the amiable sergeant in McMillan and Wife.

4) A music box plays a small but key role in this story.  Why a music box?  Why not?  After all, who doesn’t love music boxes?

5)   A Borrowed Dream is my thirty-fifth novel.

Blurb :

There is no such thing as an impossible dream . . .

Catherine Whitfield is sure that she will never again be able to trust anyone in the medical profession after the local doctor’s treatments killed her mother. Despite her loneliness and her broken heart, she carries bravely on as Cimarron Creek’s dutiful schoolteacher, resigned to a life where dreams rarely come true.

Austin Goddard is a newcomer to Cimarron Creek. Posing as a rancher, he fled to Texas to protect his daughter from a dangerous criminal. He’s managed to keep his past as a surgeon a secret. But when Catherine Whitfield captures his heart, he wonders how long he will be able to keep up the charade.

With a deft hand, Amanda Cabot teases out the strands of love, deception, and redemption in this charming tale of dreams deferred and hopes becoming reality.

Buy:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christian Book Distributors

Find Amanda:

Website | Facebook  | Twitter | Blog

Last Friday of the Month Recipe ~ Billie's Gingerbread Cake and Kathleen Kaska's Latest Book

It's not quite the last Friday, but we thought you'd might not want to think about this the day after Thanksgiving.  And this is worth thinking about.

The recipe and why you love making it:

Hi, L.A., thanks for having me as a return guest. I have a collection of foodie books, including books by Julia Child, MFK Fisher, Anthony Bourdain, and Ruth Reichl. Last year when I discovered that Ruth Reichl had written her first novel, Delicious!, I ordered it immediately. Not only was this heartwarming story about love and loss and food history, it featured a Bundt cake recipe called “Billie’s (her main character) Gingerbread Cake.”

I’d never made a Bundt cake in my life. I didn’t even own a Bundt pan. But I was up for a challenge. I bought a pan, all the ingredients, and plowed ahead. After reading the ingredient list and preparing instructions, I was tempted to take short cuts, especially in preparation of all the spices. But I followed Billie’s advice and ground the peppercorns, cloves, and cardamom, and grated the fresh ginger root, a lot of ginger root. I also grated zest from three oranges. Imagine the aroma in my kitchen that afternoon! 

The recipe called for ½ cup of bourbon, which I don’t drink. Again, I was tempted to buy bourbon flavoring, but I sprung for the real stuff. It took me a couple of hours to put the cake together (and I still have lots of bourbon left), but it was well worth the trouble. This is not the type of cake you throw together for a bake sale. It’s labor intensive and best saved for a holiday or special occasion.

Billie’s Gingerbread Cake

Ingredients

• Butter (for the pan)
• Flour (for the pan)
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon whole cloves
• 1 tablespoon whole cardamom seeds
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 2 cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 eggs plus 1 extra yolk
• 1 cup sour cream
• ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 inches (2 large pieces) fresh ginger, grated
• Grated rind of 2 to 3 oranges (enough to make 1½ teaspoons

Preparation

         

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 6-cup Bundt pan.

2. Separately grind the peppercorns, cloves, and cardamom. Measure ¼ teaspoon of each. Grind the cinnamon stick and measure 1 teaspoon.

3. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, pepper, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon.

4. In another bowl whisk the eggs, extra yolk, and sour cream.

5. In an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar for 3 minutes or until light, fluffy, and almost white. Beat in the ginger and orange rind.

6. Beat the flour mixture into the batter alternately with the sour cream mixture.

7. Spoon the batter into the pan. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

8. Set the cake on a rack to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. SOAK ½ cup bourbon 1½ tablespoons granulated sugar

9. In a small saucepan, combine the bourbon and sugar. Simmer for 4 minutes. It should reduce to about ⅓ cup.

10. While the cake is still in the pan, brush half of the bourbon mixture onto the bottom. Let the syrup soak in for a few minutes.

11. Turn the cake out onto a rack. Gently brush the remaining mixture all over the cake. GLAZE 5 teaspoons orange juice ¾ cup confectioners' sugar, sifted into a bowl 12. Stir the orange juice into the sugar until sugar until smooth.

Drizzle the glaze all over the cake. 

Here is the link to the book Delicious!: A Novel.

Short Book Blurb:

When I’m not reading foodie book and trying new recipes, I write mysteries and blog posts for Cave Art Press. Do You Have a Catharsis Handy? Five Minute Writing Tips is my latest release.

These five-minute writing tips had their origins as Cave Art Press blog posts. The tips include writing styles, grammar and punctuation rules, and tips on the down and dirty of publishing and marketing. 

To keep these tips short and humorous, references and stories about egg-laying chickens and how dogs think, The Three Bears and The Seven Dwarfs, Contrary Mary and Goldilocks, my high-school English teachers and the United States Post Office, 77 Sunset Strip and Breaking Bad, Pope Francis and Michelle Obama, and a prairie dog who walked into a bar were used.

To Buy:

Cave Art Press | Amazon | My Website

Bio:
Kathleen Kaska writes the award-winning Sydney Lockhart mysteries set in the 1950s and the award-winning Classic Triviography Mystery Series, which includes The Sherlock Holmes Triviography and Quiz Book. Her nonfiction book, The Man Who Saved the Whooping Crane: The Robert Porter Allen Story (University Press of Florida) was published in 2012. 

When she is not writing, Kathleen, a native Texan, spends much of her time traveling the backroads and byways with her husband, looking for new venues for her mysteries and bird watching along the Texas coast and beyond. It was her passion for birds that led to the publication The Man Who Saved the Whooping Crane. Kathleen is also the marketing director for Cave Art Press. Her collections of Cave Art Press blog posts, Do You Have a Catharsis Handy? Five-Minute Writing Tips, was just released.

Find Kathleen:
Website | Twitter |  Facebook

Last Friday Recipe of the Month From Author Ann Everett; Fresh Apple Cake

Yeah, I know, it's not really the last Friday of the Month, but hey, this is a recipe you'll want to have before, during and after Thanksgiving.  

So you can thank Ann Everett right now for FRESH APPLE CAKE. It sounds perfect

The recipe and why you love making it:

Hi, L.A., thanks for having me on your blog. This recipe comes from Sweet Thangs—Southern Sweets from Two Sassy Sisters, which is based on the fictional bakery in my Tizzy/Ridge Trilogy. (The stories have a little mystery, a bit of steamy romance, and a kick of humor) Sisters, Pattiecake McAlister and Sugarpie Monroe own the place and many scenes happen there.

Now, before you roll your eyes at the cheesy sister names, let me explain. The two characters are based on my real-life sister and me…and that’s what our grandchildren call us. When I decided to write the series, I wanted to include us in the book. So with names like Pattiecake and Sugarpie…I figured we could be bakers…or pole dancers! 

This cake is one of my favorites, because other than apples, you’ll probably have most of the ingredients on hand. It’s a perfect choice for young cooks because other than a Bundt or Tube pan, you don’t need any special tools. Not even a mixer! Just combine everything together and stir by hand.

It’s moist, keeps well, and since it’s made with fresh fruit…you can tell yourself it’s good for you!!

Fresh Apple Cake (with caramel sauce)

Ingredients

2 cups granulated sugar

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons baking soda

Pinch of salt

2 eggs

1¼ cups vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups finely grated Granny Smith apples (or some other good baking apple)

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix all ingredients by hand until combined. Batter will be very thick.

Pour into greased and floured 10-cup Bundt pan. 

Bake for 1 hour.

Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out on wire rack and cool completely.

Garnish with caramel sauce, if desired.

  

Blurb:

In Ann Everett’s Tizzy/Ridge Romance Trilogy, fictional characters Pattiecake McAlister and Sugarpie Monroe cook up delicious confections at Sweet Thangs Bakery. These recipes are from the kitchens of real life sisters, Pattie Ball and Carol Mayfield.

Inside this book, they share more than 130 homemade recipes, including luscious cakes, yummy cookies, sweet salads, delectable pies, scrumptious candy, and delightful drinks, perfect for special occasions or gift giving.

  

Buy: 

Amazon | Kobo 

Bio:

Award winning and Amazon Best-Selling author, Ann Everett embraces her small town upbringing and thinks Texans are some of the funniest people on earth. When speaking at conferences and to writing groups, businesses, book clubs, and non-profit organizations, she incorporates her special brand of wit, making her programs on marketing, self-publishing, and the benefits of laughter, informative and fun.

She lives on a small lake in Northeast Texas, where she writes, bakes, and fights her addiction to Diet Dr. Peppers.

Find Ann: 

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest  

Take Five and Meet Author Caroline Clemmons

It's my pleasure to introduce you to bestselling author Caroline Clemmons. You'll learn a bit about her and her writing as well as her Texas Bride Series.  

Welcome to An Indie Adventure,Caroline.  Tell us, what inspired you to write your book CASSANDRA?

Although I love to read and write mail-order bride stories, I wanted something a little different. I came up with the idea of a small Texas town where there are lots of bachelors and no young women plus a young widow who wishes there were more young women in town. She goes back to her hometown of Richmond, Virginia to find suitable young women she will bring back to stay with her until they choose the man they wish to marry. So far, Josephine (book one) and Angeline (book two) have wed. Now it’s Cassandra’s turn. The folks in the town of Tarnation call the young women the Bride Brigade, and that’s the name of the series.

What were your experiences as a child or adult that contributed to you becoming a writer?

My dad is probably responsible for my love of telling stories. He used to talk about how his family came to Texas and told things that happened that were funny and/or interesting. In addition, I was a voracious reader and loved imagining my own stories. I remember writing and illustrating a few when I was in first and second grade. Then in school, English was always my favorite subject until I was old enough to take journalism. That really hooked me on writing but I didn’t try to write a novel for publication until much later.

What is most difficult for you to write?  Characters, conflict or emotions?  Why?

Yes. LOL I believe emotions are the most difficult. I know in my head what my characters are feeling, but don’t always get the emotion down. I write fast and most of the first draft is dialogue. I have to go back and layer in the emotion and body action, etc.

What is the first thing you do when you begin a new book?

I start a bible with all the characters. Usually, I write series, so I don’t want to lose track of eye and hair color or occupation. This is after I’ve plotted the book and written a two or three-page story synopsis to use as an outline as I write the book, a sort of map from the beginning to the destination. Then I’m all set to write the book. I take detours from the outline, but I always come back to the map. I have plotting partners who help me map the book. Then I go home and dive in, fleshing out the story as I write. Writing novels is a wonderful job!

If you were a TV, film or book character, apart from one you've created, who would you be?  And why?

I suppose Taylor Stapleton from Julie Garwood’s PRINCE CHARMING, one of my all-time favorite books. Taylor looks frail, cool, and ladylike but she is strong and determined and capable. She fulfills her promise to her grandmother and along the way discovers love and adventure and defeats her corrupt uncle. That’s a historical, as most of my favorite books are.

If you prefer a contemporary, then I think perhaps Flynn MacGregor in Lori Wilde’s THE SWEETHEARTS’ KNITTING CLUB. Flynn struggles to carry on as the matriarch of her family since her mother’s death. She’s dealt with an alcoholic father (now in AA), a wild sister (now reformed) and twin brothers. She’s taken her mother’s place in the Sweethearts Knitting Club—even though she can’t knit. She depends on her sister to knit for her. I can’t say why, but I empathized with Flynn and was rewarded when she found true love. 

Give us a brief summary of CASSANDRA, Book 3 of the Bride Brigade:

A desperate plan…

A masquerade to achieve a goal…

Lies that create a web…

Cassandra Bradford has the cast off wardrobe to pose as a lady. Her goal is to marry a wealthy man who can provide her young brother with a sound future. Drat the luck! The first man she sees in Tarnation is a dusty cowboy who sends her heart pounding. Not for her. She has a better life in mind.

Samuel Drummond is one of the wealthiest ranchers in that part of the state, but he wants that kept quiet. His first wife married him for his money then left when she became bored with ranch life. He won’t let that happen if he remarries. He intends to find a woman who wants him no matter how poor she thinks he is.

When both Cassandra and Sam learn omissions the other has made, there are fireworks between them. They must work through their anger and hurt to achieve happiness.

  

Buy Links: 

Amazon 

Bio:

Caroline Clemmons is an Amazon bestselling and award-winning author of historical and contemporary western romances. A frequent speaker at conferences and seminars, she has taught workshops on characterization, point of view, and layering a novel.

Caroline and her husband live in the heart of Texas cowboy country with their menagerie of rescued pets. When she’s not indulging her passion for writing, Caroline enjoys family time, reading, travel, antiquing, genealogy, and getting together with friends.

Find Caroline:

On her blog, website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Google+, WattPad, Shelfari, and Pinterest. Click on her Amazon Author Page for a complete list of her books.

Subscribe to Caroline’s newsletter here to receive a FREE novella of HAPPY IS THE BRIDE, a humorous historical wedding disaster that ends happily—but you knew it would, didn’t you?

She loves to hear from readers at caroline@carolineclemmons.com