Happy Easter...

...to all of our wonderful American Romance readers!

However you spend the day, whether you’re at home or away, whether you’re with family and friends or on your own, I hope you have a happy and peace-filled day.

Easter and springtime are all about new beginnings, so I want to share this delightful vignette with you.

I captured this scene from the White Rock Bald Eagle Nest web cam, where two eaglets were welcomed into the world this week—the first on Wednesday and the second on Good Friday.

Those who know me well know I’m a bit of a nature nerd, and White Rock is now one of five bald eagle web cams conveniently iconed on my desktop.

Yes, I’m hooked. But can you blame me?

For me, family dinners are all-important, and this is one beautiful family dinner.

While I’m on the subject of feeding families, I thought I’d share my absolute favorite and super-easy recipe for make-ahead, oven-baked French toast.

And it's seriously easy!

You make it the night before, put it in the fridge, then pre-heat the oven the next morning, pop it in...and half an hour later brunch is served!

Lee’s Oven-Baked French Toast

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
8 one-inch-thick slices French bread
4 eggs
1/2 cup light cream (10%)
1/2 cup milk
1/ 4 cup orange juice


Spread the melted butter in a 9" by 13" baking pan. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle half the mixture in the pan. Arrange the bread slices in the pan. You might have to squish them a bit, but make sure they don’t overlap.


Beat the eggs, then add the cream, milk and orange juice. Slowly and carefully pour this mixture over the bread, being sure the bread is evenly coated.


Sprinkle the remaining brown sugar/cinnamon mixture over the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.


The next morning, preheat the oven to 375 degrees, remove the plastic wrap from the pan, and bake the French toast for about 25 minutes. Delicious when served with maple syrup and fruit compote.

By the time you read this, it will be too late to make this for Easter brunch, but it’s also great for Mother’s Day brunch or any other day brunch you can think of.

I hope you enjoy it!

Until next time,
Lee
The Christmas Secret (Nov. '11)
http://www.leemckenzie.com/

The Best Thanksgivings

A week from today we’ll be gathering around the table with our family and friends, stuffing ourselves like the turkeys we’ll be enjoying. But there’s nothing like a holiday to bring back memories of the past.


Each year when I was a young girl, one of the aunts (my great aunts) or cousins would host Thanksgiving, then another would host Christmas. Those were the two times a year I could count on seeing all my cousins. Sometimes it was our turn, but I liked it best when we went to Aunt Dorothy's house. She and her husband lived on the farm in the big house near Clearwater where Uncle Milt had been born in 1900. For many of those years, it seemed to me that it took most of the day to drive there from our house in Wichita, although it's only about twenty-five miles.

My mom was the designated turkey roaster, and I would awaken on Thanksgiving morning surround by the aroma of turkey. I doubt we ever missed the Macy's Christmas Parade back then, even as we packed up the turkey and other delights to head down the road to our holiday destination. Everyone brought something to eat. Aunt Dorothy's chocolate pie was always in high demand. At her house, there was a huge, solid wood table where the grown ups all sat. There were always at least a dozen of them, laughing and talking as they passed around the food. Kids sat at card tables, sometimes on Sears catalogs to boost us to the right height.

When dinner was over and the women had cleaned up, while the men--mostly farmers--sat in the living room, talking throughout the football games, the decks of cards were pulled out of the drawer in the buffet and the rousing games of pitch began. The games lasted throughout most of the afternoon and into the late evening, long past dark, and I can still hear the sounds of their voices, whooping and hollering at each other over each hand dealt and each card played.

But it was later in the evening that became my favorite as we grew a little older. My three female cousins and I made the table talk. Some call it table knocking, others call it table rapping, but whatever it’s called, the use and purpose is the same. One person on each side, if possible, hands flat on the table top and concentrating so hard that the house should've rocked, we mentally lifted the table on one side/two legs. Questions asked were usually yes or no, or sometimes involved counting. One knock for yes, two knocks for no. The adults eventually grew quiet, ending their last game of pitch to watch us. Uncle Sterl (Aunt Lucy's husband) would hoot and boo at us, convinced that one of us had to be tilting the table. We weren't. "How can we?" we'd ask and show him that the table could rise several inches...with no legs touching the floor. He never did believe us. One of my cousins reminded me recently that one year the table talking was so rambunctious, one of the legs broke!

I miss those holidays, and especially the talking table. We kids grew up and had kids of our own, who now have kids of their own. We made new traditions. My great-aunts, great-uncles, parents, and even a few of the older cousins are gone, but those Thanksgiving and Christmas memories will always be my favorite. If, like Emily in Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, I could choose a time to revisit the past when I'm gone, it would be a holiday at Aunt Dorothy's house.

Have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving, everyone!

Warm Family Time by Megan

This week, my husband's family convened for an important event. It was the first time all the siblings had been together with their mom in several years. Spread across the country, they find it hard to get "home" at the same time.

Family time filled with warmth, laughter, reminiscences, and of course, food. Old tales were retold and enjoyed as though it were the first time anyone heard them. The "kids" completed one another's stories and sentences. New stories of children and grandchildren were passed around with photographs to keep everyone up to date.

I soaked it all in, reminded how wonderful a big family can be, and how dear to me these people are who welcomed me into their family and made me one of theirs.

This family feelings is the essence of Harlequin American Romance and perhaps why I love to write for this line. The warmth, love, laughter, and support of family members are things we can understand and enjoy.

These are the things I wish for you as the December holdiays approach: love, laughter, and support for hard times. A family, whether born into, married into, or made of friends.

Megan Kelly
megankellybooks.com

My New Granddaughter

August and September were very trying months for my family. My newest granddaughter, Payton McKenzy, was born in the afternoon of August 10. She was four weeks premature. Late that night, it was discovered she had Transposition of the Great Vessel (TGV), a congenital heart defect. Two holes in the wall between the two chambers of her heart (Ventricular Septal Defect VSD) were keeping her alive.

Payton was airlifted via helicopter the next day from Wichita to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. Because the staff wanted to her to grow a little, Payton’s surgery wasn’t done until September 8 and expected to go very well. But at some point during the operation, she had a reaction to something, but the surgery had to continue. The reaction produced edema, which caused acidosis, and her respiration and blood pressure dropped to dangerous levels, prompting the staff to call for the crash cart. My daughter called at 7:30 that evening, after the surgery was over, to tell me that Payton wasn’t expected to last an hour.

It was nearly 9 p.m., after finding places for my other four grandkids to stay, when we started the 3+ hour drive to Kansas City. We kept in touch on our cell phones, but there’d been little change. We made good time, in spite of driving through thunderstorms, and arrived at Children’s Mercy at 12:20 a.m. Around 4 a.m., my oldest daughter, her husband and 7-year-old daughter arrived, and the staff had started to see some slow improvement. By 10, Payton was considered out of immediate danger, and we were on our way home.

Payton came home September 28, with her heart working as it should, but she returned to CMH October 3, this time by plane, because she was having some feeding problems. Her second homecoming was October 10, and although it’s been an adjustment period for everyone, especially her, she’s doing well.

Thanks to the many friends and family for their prayers and thoughts. Even the staff at CMH calls Payton their little miracle. As a dear friend said, this is the kind of story books are made of. Maybe someday…

The Discovery Channel - The Surgery That Saves Little Lives

Who Me? Interviewed?

It’s such a pleasure to be among all the wonderful HAR authors here on the blog. I’ve gotten to “know” so many more of them than I would have without it. Reading their blog posts and especially their interviews is always a delight, and I wish I had more time to comment. As Rascal Flatts sings, “Life is a highway” and some days I feel like I’m going 80 mph.


What inspired you to write your first book?

Reading. I hadn’t read romance for several years, and then my best friend steered me to Susan Elizabeth Phillips after reading the first few pages of It Had to Be You to me over the phone. I was hooked. After that, I consumed books, both single title and category. One Christmas I went out and bought as many Christmas themed category books that I could find. Of course I had to try writing one, and that led to another and another and another…


How did you make your first sale?

My short contemporary entry won The Maggie contest, and Mary-Theresa Hussey requested the full manuscript. To my surprise, she liked it enough to buy it for Silhouette Romance.


How long have you been published?

Rachel’s Rescuer was a March 2001 Silhouette Romance, so eight years total, although it doesn’t seem like it was that long ago. I had five books with Silhouette Romance before the line closed. My first HAR was published in 2008, so I’m a relative newbie here. I have to admit that I love writing for HAR even more than I did for SR. I think it’s the small town feel of HAR that makes writing them so enjoyable.


What helps inspire you when you write? Do you have any ‘rituals’ (like music, candles, a favorite scent) that helps you find your writing zone?

Music. Lots of music! I have 612 songs on my playlist of which 169 are designated as “writing” music (those romantic love songs), 134 are “walking” or upbeat dance music for when I need some pep, and the rest are Beach Boys, 50’s and 60’s oldies and a few Christmas songs. (Yes, I'm a music junkie.) If those aren’t enough, I listen to Pandora and have set up my own stations. If you haven’t tried Pandora, it’s free! And then there are all those candles…


Tell us about your family and where you live

I was born in and have returned to live in the biggest city in Kansas. No, not Kansas City. ;) Between then and now, I’ve lived in a small Kansas town and on a Kansas farm. My four daughters also live here. The two youngest live with me, the oldest of the four lives three blocks away, while the next oldest lives a little over a mile away. The two oldest have 5 children between them, now that my youngest granddaughter was born August 10. I also have a step-granddaughter. Every Saturday night we have Family Night and get together to talk and sometimes play board games. You’d think we see enough of each other during the week, but Saturdays are when we’re all in one place. It can get crazy with all the little ones, hubbies and an occasional friend or two.


Do you have any talents readers might find interesting?

Web design, although I don’t consider it a talent. I began playing around with it years ago and ended up enjoying it so much that I do it for real now. Drawing has never been one of my talents, but web design gives me the opportunity to work with colors and shapes, a real break from working with words, but still "creative."


What were you doing at midnight last night?

I was particpating in one of my newest guilting pleasures: Playing on Facebook. I dragged my feet about joining and now can’t stay away. Shameful, isn’t it?


If someone gave you a million dollars what would you do with the money?

I’d give a portion of it to charities, pay off my daughters’ houses (if their hubbies would let me), and buy myself a modest but roomy house. One never knows when family will return, or so I’ve learned--the hard way. Then there’s the dream of taking a Mediterranean cruise…


What's the strangest thing you've ever eaten?

Cactus. I spent tens day during the summer before my senior year in high school with 20 other teens on a working trip into Mexico. We stayed on a garlic farm that was used as a school in the winter months, and we painted the dormitories, both inside and outside. Because there was no refrigeration, we went into the nearby small village for food each day. Our adult “chaperones” insisted we try some of the more exoctic offerings. I’m usually not brave enough to try something new, but the cactus was great!


What are you reading now?

Honestly? Nothing, although I really enjoyed Susan Wiggs' Just Breathe about a month or so ago. I recently bought Barefoot, a women’s fiction book by Elin Hilderbrand and Judy Blume’s Smart Women. I read at night, but since I’ve been working on deadlines, reading has taken a back seat. Soon, though. Very soon.


Can you taste the difference between Pepsi and Coke? If so, which do you prefer?

Yes, in the blink of an eye! I took a taste test at the State Fair a few years ago and passed it. I don’t drink coffee, so Pepsi is my caffeine fix.


If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be?

Greece, hence the dream of a Mediterranean Cruise. Ireland is my second choice. I’d probably like either one so much that I’d want to stay.


Are you working on anything at the present you'd like to share?

The Rodeo Rider is the first in a series of books set in the fictional town of Desperation, Oklahoma. The second book, Bachelor Cowboy will be out in January next year. I recently sold two more books, so I’m currently working on book #4 of that series and learning everything I can about Native Americans in Oklahoma. The heroine of the book is half Cherokee, and the research is proving to be more interesting than I’d ever imagined. Oh, and that heroine? She’s a surprise relative of one of the characters in The Rodeo Rider.


Describe your writing space.

My desk is neat and tidy, with only a pen, a paper, and my computer monitor. I can look out my window and see the ocean pounding against the rocks on the shore. Wait a minute. That’s my dream writing space. In the real world, my desk is covered with just about everything imaginable, including two fish and a cat. During the day I work on websites and chase grandkids. Writing is done at night. There are always snippets of notes from both littering my desk and sticky notes hanging on my monitor. My two-year-old grandson (he’ll be two on the 24th), likes to climb on my desk and steal M&Ms from the jar that resides on my desk and is rarely empty…unless he eats all of them. There are books everywhere, along with piles of paper that always need sorting. The window looks out onto the side of the house next door. My daughters and I switched rooms a couple of months ago, so there are still boxes to be sorted that wait patiently for me to find the time. There never seems to be time.


What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?

For a long time, I had a sign that hung above my desk that said, "Nobody is born published," so my advice is to read, read, read. And never, ever, ever give up on your writing. If you give up, you’ll never know if the next book or article or short story might have been The One. As far as selling that first, it always happens when you least expect it.

Has Spring Sprung?

It certainly seemed so here in middle America yesterday, with the temperature topping out at eighty degrees. The day promised to be a beautiful and fun one with plans to go to our outstanding county zoo. Until we arrived, that is, to find long lines in the middle of the afternoon. My #2 daughter, Lyndsay, her hubby and their three little ones were already inside, after waiting in line for over an hour to pay admission. My youngest daughter and I were waiting in the ticket line with my oldest daughter’s daughter, when Lyndsay and family came out. It seems they had problems seeing the animals and exhibits, and people were rude, pushing ahead in front of small children for a better view. We decided to call it a day before it even began and opted for some time in one of the parks near our home. The little ones enjoyed climbing on the play equipment, and I enjoyed being outside on such a lovely day. Once summer arrives, we’ll find a day to try again, probably with much better results. The moral? Don’t try going to the zoo on the best day of spring break week.

I’m really, really hoping Spring has sprung!

Family Cook-Off

My mother was a fabulous cook and I swear she made the best gravy in the world. I wasn't much of a meat eater--still am not, but I ate a ton of mashed potatoes drowned in gravy when my mother cooked a pot roast. It wasn't until I married and she gave me a collection of her own recipes that I realized how inept I was in the kitchen. There are so many little tricks of the trade when it comes to cooking--like browning the roast in butter and onions until it's burnt on all sides before you put it into the oven to bake--how was I to know that was my mother's secret for making great gravy?

This week my younger sister is here visiting from San Antonio and my father from Wisconsin. Both are excellent cooks. I don't have many memories of my father cooking when I was younger, but once he retired he took an interest in creating his own recipes. So this week at my house we launched a cook-off. Me, my sister and father all love tuna fish casserole. My husband almost gets sick on the smell of it baking in the oven and neither of my kids will touch it. So when my father and sister are around, we three treat ourselves to a little comfort food.

Our cook-off challenge was creating a Tuna Fish Casserole recipe to-die for. Well, as you can imagine, most of mine found its way into the garbage disposal. My sister' was pretty tasty, but my father's recipe won hands down. We even made an extra batch to freeze. So for those of you who also love an old fashioned tuna fish casserole you'll have to try my dad's recipe. And be warned…it doesn't taste as good if you substitute low fat ingredients--this tastes best using full-fat everything!

Tuna Casserole

2 cans Albacore tuna
1 Package egg noodles
1 Med White Onion fried in butter with seasoning salt, lemon pepper
1-Lemon juice (4-5 Tablespoons)
1 small can Durkee French onions
1-Large package Sharp cheddar cheese
1-small sour cream
1-can 15 oz Lesueur Early peas (Silver can)
16 oz Whipping cream
1 Can cream of mushroom soup

Cook noodles and rinse, then mix all ingredients. Top with crushed Durkee French Onions and a few squirts of lemon juice, then bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes

Happy Cooking!

Marin
A Coal Miner's Wife *Hearts of Appalachia*August 2008
The Cowboy and the Angel Nov 2008
http://www.marinthomas.com/

Interview

I get to be the first author interviewed! (Get some caffeine.)

Q: How did you make your first sale?

A: I sent a partial (3 chapters and a synopsis of the rest of the book) to the Senior Editor, Kathleen Scheibling, in response to a "call for new Harlequin American authors" piece in Romantic Times magazine. She requested the complete, then bought it! I got lucky with the timing. The line had been "revamped" and finally my voice fit.

Q: If you had to pick one word to describe your writing, what would it be?

A: I'm a writer--I can't possibly pick ONE word! LOL I have many words for the writing process, depending on how it's going, :) but I'd hope the end result is "heart-warming." If I could have another word, I'd add "fun" because families and life are both.

Q: Tell us a little about your family and where you're from.

A: I have a wonderfully supportive husband and two great kids. We live near St. Louis, MO, and love to travel. Growing up the youngest of five children gave me lots of inspiration for escapism! :) My brother gave me his GI Joe action figure when he grew out of playing with it. Joe promptly starred in all my play stories with Barbie. When I first saw Ken, I thought, "No way." That Barbie knew a good provider for her little girls when she saw him!

Q: Tell us about your book.

A: I'm really lucky to have had two books out this year. The Fake Fiancee comes out tomorrow. :) I'm thrilled to have this book accepted for publication because the mom in the story gives her all for her kids. It's nice every once in a while to remember the sacrifices moms make, which we sometimes don't even know about. Of course, the heroine's sacrifice leads her to the man she'll come to love, but even moms deserve a treat! Joe Riley needs to tread carefully with his matchmaking mom until he's reassured of her recovery from a heart attack. Caterer Lisa Meyer agrees to pretend to be his fiancée in order to earn money for a special program for her son. Joe discovers parenting is nothing like heading up a company. It's way more work! So it'll stay strictly business for Joe and Lisa--unless love can find a way.

Marrying the Boss came out last April, but it's still available online. Mark Collins is driven to prove his worth to the powerful Chicago family that adopted him so long ago. But in order to earn his place, he has to win control of the family company in a contest with his late grandfather’s illegitimate daughter. Leanne Fairbanks, a savvy competitor with her own axe to grind, yearns to show the family what they missed by ignoring her all her life. This Apprentice-like showdown is soon overshadowed by the competitors’ interest in another prize—each other.

Q: What is your writing routine?

A: Ouch. I was hoping to skip this question. ;) I'm a deadline junkie (aka a procrastinator) so I barricade myself in my office when my deadline nears. I'd like to plot; it would make my life easier. But I've tried, and I get bored with a story if I know what happens, then I don't finish it. I start with a character or an incident, then plunge blindly ahead until I type THE END. Sometimes I have a vague idea or two for scenes, and I use them as guideposts. A couple of times, I've had the last line of the book figured out, which is very exciting. In Marrying the Boss, I typed that line, but the story didn't feel complete and wound up with an epilogue, which was more satisfying an ending. Here's the last line I've envisioned for my current work: "He grinned." I hope I'm not giving too much away. ;)

Q: What was the hardest part of writing your book?

A: Finishing Marrying the Boss was a whirlwind! Kathleen had requested the complete, and I just felt this was my last chance. Great motivation. But I started The Fake Fiancee sometime in the last century :0 and even though I only had three chapters to finish, I had a hard time getting to THE END. While stalled on this ms, I hit a "block" where I couldn't complete anything else. The "people" in my head left. One day about six years into this period, they just "came back." Marrying the Boss was the first ms I'd finished in years! So when it came time to propose a second one, I sent The Fake Fiancee, thinking if my editor bought it, I'd have to finish it. And I did.

Q: How long have you been writing? and What did you want to be when you grew up?

A: At seventeen, I knew I wanted to write category romance, but it wasn't until after the birth of my second child that I made the time. My first contest/conference/editor pitch/rejection was 14 years ago. That was the year I found our local RWA chapter.

Q: What got you interested in writing?

A: Reading books that didn't satisfy me. Long, long ago, when I was a young girl, the heroes were all alpha jerks. Honestly. A "hero" would treat the heroine like a doormat then declare his love at the end, as though she should have known all along. I got so frustrated, those books hit the wall. I thought, "I can write a better story." And while I can't claim mine are better, the endings are much more satisfying.

Q: Why did you target the American Romance Line?

A: My stories involve families and normal, everyday people. Marrying the Boss is the only story I've written without kids in it--and the mothers took over the scenes instead. American is the line that most closely fits my voice--heart, home, and family. I love to read them, and now I'm having a wonderful time writing them.

Thanks for interviewing me. I hope it wasn't too boring. I'll be doing some booksigning this month; please check out my website for the list. megankellybooks.com

Megan Kelly