Of RITA Books and Other Reading

For romance authors, receiving a RITA award is akin to getting the movie industry's Oscar. And this is RITA season. Throughout the world, authors who are published in romance have received a box of books to evaluate in this year's RITA contest. My own stack is seven novels high and, with just over a month to read and evaluate them, I'm buried in books.

But this week, I took a break from RITA reading to focus on Softly And Tenderly, the second in the Songbird series written by country music star Sara Evans and RITA finalist Rachel Hauck. And what a nice break it was!

A couple of years have passed since the ending of The Sweet By and By, in which Jade and Max discovered their love for one another. But, as in real life, all is not perfect in their world. Secrets hide beneath Whisper Hollow’s quiet façade. As Jade worries that her barrenness might be a punishment for past mistakes, those secrets bubble to the surface. Max’s demons threaten their future when his own past and present struggles are revealed. His parents’ seemingly perfect marriage falters. Jade’s mom, Beryl, approaches the end of her fight against leukemia. And through it all, Jade struggles in her role as the glue that holds everything together.

Sara and Rachel have done an amazing job of “keeping it real” in this poignant next installment in Jade and Max’s journey. I’m a huge fan of romance novels, but every once in a while I hunger for something beyond that happily-ever-after moment. In Softly and Tenderly, I found what I was looking for. The authors delivered a story that touched my heart, made me glad for a handy box of tissues, and kept me rooting for the main characters all the way through.

And the ending of Softly and Tenderly left me with only one question—how soon can I read the next book in the Songbird series, Love Lifted Me?

Barbara O'Neal's "How To Bake A Perfect Life"

With “How To Bake A Perfect Life,” Barbara O’Neal once again shows why the Romance Writers of America awarded her their top prize for novels with romantic elements in 2010. And, in my opinion, she’s baked her own slice of perfection in this book. Yummy recipes and sensual descriptions of bread making and baking will satisfy the cravings of an ardent foodie. Those who want a story about family rifts and healing will find it in Ramona’s dealings with her strong, restaurant-owning clan. Lost love and teenage angst play against a hearty dose of war’s realism.

The creation of a book, much like the making of a loaf of bread, requires the careful combination and layering of many aspects—plot, structure, characterization, voice. “How To Bake A Perfect Life” takes all those elements and adds a dash of the unknown, a willingness to take a chance by focusing the story on an older heroine. There’s a lot going on, but somehow Ms. O’Neal simply makes it work, and the result is one of the best books I’ve read in ages.

Starting off the New Year with Some Magic

Happy New Year!

I started off the New Year by endulging myself with one of my fav activities. No, not eating. Reading. But I have to admit, the book I chose did have something to do with food. And it was a treat to read "The Perfect Dish" by Kristen Painter.

Food, fashion and romance--this book delivers on all three counts. The author even folds in a little bit of magic, just in case someone wants more than a hunky Texan who hand-delivers spicy chocolates and has FTD on speed-dial. As for me, Chef Kelly was yummy enough, but I savored the way his love for Meredith grew out of an honest desire to help his grief-stricken sister. Yes, magic is in the air--and elsewhere--but "The Perfect Dish" offers more than a great love story. Vivid word pictures, witty dialogue and a very engaging cast of characters keep the pages turning until, all too soon, it's time to look forward to Kristen's next great book. This is definitely an author who has earned a spot on my must-buy list.

So, that's the first book I read for 2011. I'm hoping to read many, many more. I hope you'll check back from time to time to see what I'm reading. And maybe to suggest a book or two from your own collection.

Thanks for dropping by

Many thanks to those of you who stopped by the Harlequin Open House yesterday. And especially, the Harlequin American authors' chat last night. If I missed you during the chat, I'm sorry. Things were flying across the screen, weren't they? But it was so much fun that I can't wait to do it again!

Harlequin Open House this Wednesday

Harlequin is hosting an Open House—with prizes and give-aways—Wednesday, December 15th. Details for this all-day event are at www.eharlequin.com, but I wanted to let you know about my part in this wonderful party. I’ll be joining a couple of other Harlequin American Romance authors in the chat room from 7-8 pm EST Wednesday. I hope you can join me there. This is my first on-line chat, and I'm so excited that I've been invited to the party! Won't you join me there, too? I'd love to see some familiar names!

Accessing the chat room is as easy as, well, pie! Just get onto the internet and type http://chat.eharlequin.com in the browser line. A log-in sheet will appear momentarily and you’ll be asked to Log in. Type whatever name you want to be “known by” in the chat room. It’d be nice if you made it something I could recognize so I can give you a shout-out. Though the screen asks for a password, there’s no password necessary. Yay!

Once you’ve logged in, you’ll be placed in a Waiting Room. From there, use the pull down menu (click on the Waiting Room bar at the top of the page and other chat rooms will appear), to select the chat room you want to visit. Hopefully, there will be one that says “Harlequin American Romance”. Look at the bottom of the screen. That’s where you’ll type your comments/ask questions/etc.

So, come on over to the Harlequin party! See you there!

Awesome Corn Pudding Recipe

I treasure my grandmother's recipes. She was born, raised, and lived most of her life on a farm in southern Alabama. Though I try very hard to follow her recipes, my results always fall short of hers. I think it has to do with the eggs she gathered from nests that morning, or the unpasturized, un-whatevered, milk and butter that came from a cow she milked herself.

But one recipe I have had success with came, not from my grandmother, but from my husband's great aunt. She used to fix this Corn Pudding dish every time we visited. Preparing it yesterday for my local RWA chapter's holiday party brought back so many good memories.

Oh, and the pudding? Several at the party--including the fabulous Roxanne St. Claire and the amazing Kristen Painter--said it was to-die-for. Enjoy!

Awesome Corn Pudding a la Leigh Duncan

1/4 cup butter
3 eggs
3 tbs. flour
1/2 cup sugar (or less, if you like)
2 cups milk (I use 1 can evaporated and add enough reduced fat milk to make the 2 cups)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups creamed corn (I buy a frozen "roll" of creamed corn and defrost it)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Melt butter in 9" square pan or oven-safe casserole.

Whisk eggs in large bowl. Whisk in flour, sugar, milk and salt until smooth.

Stir in corn. Immediately pour into prepared pan.

Bake 45 min. - 1 hour, until pudding is firm or doesn't slosh when the pan is gently shaken.

If the top starts looking too brown, tent aluminum foil over the casserole until it finishes baking. Do not let the aluminum rest on the pudding or it will rip off the beautiful crust.

Flash Mob at the Mall

According to Wikepedia, a flash mob occurs when a rather large group of people gather in a public place—like a mall or a stadium—where they put on an unexpected performance…and then disperse. Of course, it’d be pointless without someone there to record the event and post it on YouTube.

In this case, I’m so glad they did:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXh7JR9oKVE