Remember the Reason

Tragic news causes me to stop and reflect on just how temporary our life on earth can be.

But to those who believe in the reason for the celebration of Christmas, we have faith that once our physical body no longer survives, our spirit lives on.

As Christians pause in our daily routines to honor the birth of Jesus, may we keep our faith strong.

From my nativity scene to yours,

Susan Ralph

Yum Yum Salad

This molded salad is a holiday meal staple at my house. The first version was one made by my mother. She softened cream cheese with mayonnaise, added a small can of crushed pineapple and added this to lime jello. One daughter still makes it this way. Everyone aims the serving spoon to get the balls of cream cheese.

In an old Women's Circle paper cookbook I bought at a used book store, I discovered this version and have been making it ever since:

1 (3 oz) package lime gelatin
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese softened
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cool whip (they call for whipped whipping cream)
1 small can crushed pineapple
1/2 cup chopped pecans (I leave these out as a family member is alergic to tree nuts)
Toated coconut (optional)

Place gelatin, hot water and cream cheese in pan and stir over low heat until cheese is blended well into the mixture. Remove from heat; add crushed pineapple and pecans. Place in refrigerator until it begins to thicken. Add whipped cream (cool whip) and let set until firm. Sprinkle with toasted coconut before serving.

From my holiday table to yours.

Now Kindle ready

I wish you all a fruitful holiday season. Several of my family members came here for Thanksgiving. It was a joyful time of sharing. Those who like a challenge headed out on Friday for the stores. Not me! Curled up and cozy, looking forward to a big turkey sandwich is how I like to spend my Friday after Thanksgiving.

I'm very excited that two of my Avalon books are now available as Kindle downloads and as paperbacks.

The third, Starting From Scratch, is available for pre-order in both formats.

 Amazon has also added their look inside feature. So if you have a minute or two to spare, check out the pages of Brompton Manor and Bed and Breakfast Blues.

A Sprig of Lavender should be released by Montlake Romance in December.

Hurricanes and Rain

How fragile our life and belongings in the face of fierce weather more powerful than we are.

And yet without rain and wind and sun and other things influencing this planet, we would not exist.

It is not how bad things can get, but how you respond that matters.

Are our material possessions more important than our souls?

If a person we love dies, we mourn the loss. If a thief or a storm steals something we value we mourn the loss. And we should mourn. But we should not be devastated, incapapble of finding joy.

Be prepared to say goodbye. To lose everything.

Things can get very very bad, but if you have faith you will find the light again.

Things are Moving

Amazon Publishing is incredible. My December release, A SPRIG OF LAVENDER, is on a fast track. They have done a super job of nurturing the step-children from Avalon Books whose assests they bought and are moving the books forward in an accelerated manner.

For someone who is always hesitant to take on the new, I have been very pleased.

August has been a very unusal month. One of my daughter's FIL had to have part of his right leg amputated. They were at the beach. Luckily my hub and I (and another daughter and family) were also spending the week at the same beach area. We were able to drive my SIL's truck back to our house and then on Tuesday we drove it back to VA and the next day rode the train home.

Amazing how things work out. I am well aware of God's timing. But it never ceases to amaze me.

Good Follows Bad

Okay. I'll admit yesterday was a bit of a downer. Facing strange new worlds is not so easy for me. But today the sun was out, things started to make sense, and I actually accomplished something concrete.

Tomorrow our vagabond daughter is off again. It's always fun to have her visit. But don't let the grass grow under your feet is pretty much her way of life. She's happy, she supports herself, and she makes us laugh.

My upcoming book is a Regency set sweet romance.

A SPRIG OF LAVENDER is on track for a December 2012 release.

Old Dogs and New Tricks

My to do list of figuring out many new things is overflowing.

At long last, my old (very old) desk top is unusable--comatose. Whatever ails it may not be worth the cure. But like an old comfortable dress, I long to put it back on.

I'm forced from my comfort zone into the brave new world of my new laptop. Everything looks different. Not to mention adjusting to Word 2010 from Word 200?.

I'm hoping everything will come together in one big ah-ha moment, and trying to stay positive,


Then there was the matter of spending five hours on the phone with the really nice Microsoft techs who restored things.

Think positive. One step at a time. Keep a stiff upper lip.

Celebration Time and Pesto

The revisions for A SPRIG OF LAVENDER were sent back. I breathe a sigh of relief and hope they are satisfactory. It is never easy for me to open an old manuscript after a year or more of moving on to other stories and make changes without reading through the darn thing several times.

I was very pleased with the editing done by Montlake Romance who bought out Avalon Books and will publish this book. In what forms, I'm not sure. I do expect it will be available for Kindles.

I really should keep a record. Did I say she had red hair. What color were her eyes? Is the conflict consistant? I cross my fingers and hit send.

The grapevine informs me some older Avalon Books, which were all hardcovers, are now available as paperbacks.


Excess of pesto this year. My basil is producing with abandon. I think it likes all the rain we've been having. I even made a sage pesto this year. They freeze with little reduction in flavor so will have them to enjoy later when the temperature drops.

One of the great things about writing is learning new facts all the time. From my library to yours.

Shag Dance Country

A week at the beach is the perfect cure for stress. And North Myrtle Beach, SC, the heart of shag dance country, is a great place to spend time at the ocean.

In my latest book, a sweet contemporary romance, BED AND BREAKFAST BLUES, shag dancing plays a big part in fostering the romance between the hero and a reluctant heroine.

You can buy the book, at a bargain price, at Amazon Books, or check to see if your library has a copy.

Happy reading. From my beach chair to yours.


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Describing Smells

Outside my window, a man is cutting the grass. The distinct oder of new mown grass, brought inside by the ever active air conditioner, is difficult to describe.

How would I describe this smell if I wanted to convey it in a book? If a reader has experienced it, they wouldn't need additional information. But what if they hadn't?

Which brings to mind all the other smells one encounters. How to describe them? Sweet, acrid, sour, stink--are about as far as I get.

The smell of fresh cut grass doesn't fit any of those descriptive words. Pleasant, pleasing, eliciting a memory--maybe.

A memory like the time--I must have been around twelve--when I was cutting the grass--with a push mower--and  distrurbed a snake. Encountering a snake in the wild sends me into screaming shaking fits. I abandoned the mower on the spot and ran into the house.

Talking about snakes, there was the day I was riding my bike along our country road and spotted a Blue Racer in the center of the road--smashed across the pavement by a car. I got off my bike and stood there--several feet distant--and stared at it for a long time before deciding to turn around and not take a chance the snake wasn't as dead as it looked.

Hmm. Memories. Lots and lots of memories. And creating new ones every day.

Bargain sale on Amazon for Brompton Manor, Starting From Scratch, and Bed and Breakfast Blues.

Book Heros With Attitude

Here's is my review of the book I mentioned I was in the middle of reading. It ended with a bang.

THAT NEW YORK MINUTE by Abby Gaines

I have to admit, I fell in love with Garrett Calder the minute I met him.

So defensive, so disdainful of others. Doesn't sound promising? Well the author made it all promising.

The heroine, Rachel Frye, no shrinking violet, but with issues of her own, is just the person to dig beneath his defensive wall and find the heart of gold and he is just the man to love her and teach her to let go.

Five whoops to the author.

Romance-What's It All About?

The heart of  romance writing is forcing two characters to let go of things keeping them from accepting the fact they are crazy in love.

Maybe it's a fear of being hurt, or a fear of giving up control, or a myriad of other things--both internal and external. But in the end, loving and being loved in return, oversets all their fears and all external obstacles.

And when we get to the end of their journey and close the covers of the book, we are positive they will never fall out of love.

Wherever you are at the moment in your life's journey, if things have gone well or gone awry, I wish you a happy tomorrow.

Swamped by Communications

If only I had a staff to read my e-mails and to post on facebook and twitter and this blog and keep everything up to date--and a cleaning lady and a chef. Oh what free hours I'd have to ponder the ways of the world.

To conserve my sanity--introverts need a lot of quiet time--I ignore most of it.

In my heart, I want to read all of my writer friends' books. I want to care if people are at the coffee shop or on some fab vacation. But too much is too much.

Most days, I don't even answer the phone.

And that isn't to say I'm free of guilt about it all.

Carry on all you communicators. Just don't expect me to respond.

Currently reading a promising book. Will blog about it if it ends as good as it begins.

Raising my voice from between the covers.

Latest Book

THE TIES THAT BIND, by Emilie Rose

I'm not much of a romance series reader, but this is a great heartwarming story. I do scan my way through the intimate scenes--I already know what happens--: )--so I don't need a primer. But this story also has a well-developed plot outside of the mutual sexual attraction and well-drawn characters.  Highly recommend.

I also finished re-reading SYLVESTER by Georgette Heyer--one of my favorites. I need to put in an order for a few of her books missing from my library. I order them from Amazon which is a grand convenience--Sourcebooks has re-issued many of them, if not all--something I need to check. Lovely covers and trade paperback size.

I harvested enough basil to make a batch of pesto, divided it up, and froze it. Still debating about making a batch of sage pesto. Since I'm trying to keep my daily carb count low, pasta is not on my menus. I've repalced it with spaghetti squash for spaghetti and meatballs (not too bad) and with super thin slices of zuchinni for lasagna (which is a very good substitute). My next try is figuring out how to get zucchini into spaghetti like strands to see if it makes a better substitute for real spaghetti than spaghetti squash.

Watching the next Food Network Star with semi-interest. Not sure any of the contestants this year stand out for me. And not sure I'm a big fan of their new set up. Trying to rattle them with pre-set-up disasters last night during their live demo's seemed cruel.

I do hope the sandwich guy who won last year will be back in the fall in a better time slot. And Rachel Ray's show where she makes a week's worth of meals in one hour....who can watch it in the FN time slot?

It's Monday....the day of the week when being extra productive for the week seems possible!

A Tropical Heat Wave

My bedroom last night got pretty warm and not in a good way.

It's one hundred plus degrees and the heat pump for the main house has given up. A ceiling fan and a portable fan made sleeping possible--if not exactly comfortable.

My heart goes out to those in other parts of the country who have been without electricity during this heat wave.

Fortunately, we have two added rooms to the main house (one of which is my office) that are cooled and heated by a separate heat pump which is still sending out cold air....cross my fingers.

I now have a greater admiration for our ancestors who got through hot summers and cold winters before the blessing of today's modern equipment.

Dreaming of Iceland.

Red, White, and Blue

July 4th--a time to reflect on this wonderful country and the liberty we enjoy because of the men who defied England.

Of all the holidays we celebrate, Christmas is number one and July 4th is the second most meaningful for me.

Stay cool and have fun.

Best Day of the Week For Me

My vote goes to Tuesday--when I sense, regardless of what happened on Monday, I can still accomplish a lot for the week.

Monday is a pressure day after the weekend. Get busy it shouts. Wednesday is a sigh day. Half-way to Friday and what do you have to show for it. Thursday is the day when whatever goal I had for the work week is close to being done or not so close. On Friday I say good job or shrug and say there's always next week.

Procrastination is my strong suit.

Check out Avalonauthors.blogspot. The multi-author novel has one more chapter to go to wrap it up. All of the chapters, written by a different author who had to take their clues from the previous chapters, are available to read.

Are You Ready?

It's beach time. Yeah. And I'm never ready to put on a bathing suit and expose the results of my dietary excess.

But a nice cover-up and a good book make for a delightful day by the ocean.

Some of my recent reads I recommend. None of these are new books but all are worth finding and buying.

LEAH'S CHOICE by Marta Perry. Romance among the Amish. This is the first in a series. Fabulous writing.

CATCH OF THE DAY by Kristin Higgins. Not your normal romance hero and heroine. Funny and sad and sexy.

LAKESIDE COTTAGE by Susan Wiggs. Pretty standard plot but not in the least boring. Very sexy without explicit details.

Not sure what I'll be taking to the beach to read, but I'll look for the latest books from any of these authors. And I may even download one to the Kindle I got as a Christmas present and so far have not used.

Flip flops and sand were made for one another.

Susan

Reduced Prices on Avalon Books

Currently reading: Sylvester by Georgette Heyer.

For bargin hunters, a real bargin.

Since Amazon Publishing bought out Avalon Books, they have cut the orignal price of the books by half.

These are sweet books, contemporary and historical romances, westerns, and mysteries. They are nice hard cover books with great cover art. Check them out on Amazon.com by searching on Avalon Books under publishers. If you wonder about the quality or style, ask at your local libary if they have copies of the more recent releases. If not, they may be willing to request an inter-library loan.

Good reading from my library to yours,

Susan Ralph

Spelling Gremlins and Cauliflower Soup

So far the spelling gremlins--who are very sneaky--have been winning the battle. But by bringing the not so secret weapon--the formidable spell checker--up to the front lines, I may beat those pesky gremlins back more often than not. Cross my fingers.

I shan't list my most embarrassing errors. In case no one noticed...LOL.

Now for the Cauliflower Soup:

This is so good even my husband who hates cauliflower liked it   It is also easy. I made only half the recipe which made enough for four generous sized servings.

I found the recipe on foodnetwork.com

The full recipe:  1 head cauliflower; 2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil; 1 small onion chopped; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 quart low-sodium chicken stock--I had left-over vegetable stock and substituted it for the chicken stock; 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (I used the kind in the container although I doubt that is what they used).  Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Clean up the cauliflower by removing the leaves and the core. Coarsely chop. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook until softened but not browned--about 5 minutes. Add the cauliflower and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer, cover the pan and cook until the cauliflower is very soft and falling apart--about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat. Puree with a hand held immersion blender or let it cool a bit and puree in small batches in a blender. Return the entire batch to the pot. Stir in the Parmesan and season to taste with salt and black pepper.

They recommend a garnish of Parmesan crisps (which they give the recipe for) and chives.

The soup is silky and lush. I topped it with several pieces of roasted cauliflower with fresh sage and rosemary (another food network recipe).

A good soup and a  good book can't be beat.

Susan 

Books and Books

I've been doing a lot of reading lately. Just finished THE PROPOSAL by Mary Balogh. In my stack of recent reads, I'd put it near the top even though I thought the plot a bit weak and the outcome too predictable. You knew they were so crazy about each other from the beginning no external conflict would keep them apart. The hero and heroine are both past thirty and the heroine has been a celibate widow for years.

The main problem I had with this book was with the prologue which I question whether Ms. Balogh wrote it was so awful. By the time I finished it, I almost didn't go on. But I did. And by the end of the first page of Chapter one, I found the promise of the story and the characters enticing.

Has anyone ever found a prologue necessary? I usually skip over it and then read it after I finish the book. I cannot think of one time I thought they added anything to the story.

Good reading to you,

Susan

Spring in June

Spring like weather in June. In North Carolina. What a great surprise.

And another huge surprise. Avalon Books, my publisher, has been sold to Amazon Publishing. A very exciting time for all Avalon authors as our books will soon be available for the Kindle and perhaps for other e-readers.

Who knew our sweet contemporary and historical romances, westerns and mysteries would have a second chance at life?

About other matters: My Basils are doing great. A fantastic use is to tear up a couple of leaves, or however many depending on the size of the salad, and toss them in. The Sage has gone crazy. A little goes a long way. But I found a fantatic recipe on-line that makes a marinade of Sage and lemon and olive oil for Salmon. Best Salmon I've ever tasted-except for the fresh Salmon served on a cruise ship in Alaska

Blessings to all.

From my weedy garden to yours

Susan

A Day at the Beach

It's the first week of May and it's 90 degrees. The air-conditioner is going.

Stay cool.

Susan