HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE!

As you ring in the New Year, above all else, be safe. 

Don't drink and drive.

Put your phone away while you're behind the wheel.

No texting, no talking. (I mean it!)

Pay attention when you drive.

The driver in the other car may not follow the rules.

Okay, lecture over. (I can't help it...I'm a Mom!)

Wishing you a fun New Year's Eve!

Romance Audio Books Anyone?

My goal for 2012 was to edit/update/upload all of my backlist titles and sell them as e-books for Kindle, for Nook, for Kobo, and as iBooks. I am happy to announce that I achieved that goal! But on top of that, I started working with voice actors to have my romance novels made available as audio books. Two of them are now available at Audible.com, at Amazon Store, and in the iTunes Store. I feel as if I really accomplished a lot this year. Thank you so much for all the support you've given me!

Here are the two biggest surprises for me:

An Accidental Family is narrated by the wonderful Laura Jennings. Laura is truly able to convey the sweet feel of this romantic and often heart-wrenching story about the blending of a brand new family. A sample of the book can be found by clicking here. 

And The Merry-Go-Round is narrated by Margie Lenhart, who perfectly captures the upbeat, comedic feel of my contemporary women's fiction novel about a woman who is looking to unload "180 pounds of man meat" she's been lugging around for far too long. But wait...does she or doesn't she want a divorce? Listen to a sample of the book by clicking here.

Thank you for all the support you've given me 

since I've become an Indie Author. 

I would never have been able to do it without you! 

Best wishes for a wonderful 2013!

Derrick - The First Single Daddy!

A three-book series of light, fun romance novels.

The Single Daddy Club: Derrick, Book 1

The Single Dad:
Ex-military man Derrick Richmond. Solitary and satisfied…until little Timmy was dropped into his lap and Derrick had to learn to be somebody's daddy.

The Single Woman:
School teacher Anna Maxwell. Fate might have denied her a family of her own, but Anna still had plenty of love to give, if only someone would notice.

The Solution:
Anna would teach Derrick all he needed to know about kids. Father and son would give Anna some precious memories. Then the schoolteacher and the single dad would go their separate ways. Unless one little boy figured out a way to make Miss Maxwell become his mom!

Find this book:

In the US Kindle Store        In the UK Kindle Store

In the Nook Book Store

In the US Kobo Store        In the UK Kobo Store

Also in the iTunesiBook Store

Coming VERY Soon to a Book Store Near You!

~The Single Daddy Club Series~

Three single dads...about to be single no more!

The Single Daddy Club Declaration

We do solemnly swear to uphold the standards of the Single Daddy Club. We shall be loving, nurturing parents—proud of our single status. Although female companionship would be nice, we shall never be convinced to enter into the state of matrimony solely for the sake of our children. (We shall, however, be happy to settle down with the woman of our dreams... if she ever shows up.)

Fatherhood forever!

Derrick Richmond

Jason Devlin

Reece Newton

 

I'm Telling The Truth When I Say...

Free For Kindle - The Merry-Go-Round - Dec 6-7

When Lauren divorces her husband, she has one thought on her mind...stepping off the merry-go-round. However, her life quickly turns into a three-ring circus: her hypochondriac father moves in, her ex is using her shower when she’s not home, and her perky assistant is pushing her out into the fearsome dating world. She also has to decide if the dilapidated barn and vintage merry-go-round she was awarded in the divorce settlement is a blessing or a bane. As if Lauren’s personal life isn’t chaotic enough, this slightly jaded attorney is overrun with a cast of quirky characters who can’t stay on the right side of the law. What’s a woman to do? She can allow life to spin her in circles forever. Or she can reach out and grab the brass ring.

FREE FOR KINDLE

December 6th and 7th.

Click here to download from the US Kindle Store


Click here to download from the UK Kindle Store

Also available at:

Amazon Germany

Amazon France

Amazon Italy

Amazon Spain

Amazon Japan

Streusel-Topped Pies - 2 Recipes

Blueberry Pie

1 9-inch deep dish pie shell, unbaked

5 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup white sugar

½ cup flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter

Streusel-Topping

3 teaspoons butter, softened

⅓ cup brown sugar, packed

⅓ cup flour

To assemble:

Sprinkle blueberries with lemon juice. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, flour, salt, and cinnamon. Stir well to combine. Cut better into tiny bits. Combine sugar/flour mixture and butter with the berries. Pour into pie shell.

To make streusel:

Add softened butter to a bowl. Using a fork, stir in brown sugar and flour until it looks like crumbles. Sprinkle evenly over blueberries.

Place pie on an aluminum covered baking sheet (to avoid overflow mess in the oven) and bake in a 400 degree oven for approximately 30-40 minutes, or until the berries are bubbly and the topping is golden.

Apple Cranberry Pie

1 9-inch deep dish pie shell, unbaked

2 apples, peeled and sliced

1 cup fresh cranberries

1 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Streusel Topping

4 tablespoons butter, softened

½ cup flour

½ cup brown sugar, packed

½ cup pecan pieces

1 teaspoon cinnamon

To assemble:

In a bowl, stir to combine the sweetened condensed milk, eggs, water, and cinnamon. Add cranberries and stir. Pour into the pie shell. Arrange the apple slices on top.

Make the streusel:

Combine all ingredients with a fork until mixture resembles crumbles. Sprinkle evenly over apples. Place on an aluminum covered baking sheet (to avoid overflow mess in the oven) and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then turn oven down to 350 degrees and back for another 30 minutes.

To Read Is To Dream

A book is like a garden carried in the pocket.  ~Chinese Proverb

A dirty book is rarely dusty.  ~Unknown

Medicine for the soul.  ~Inscription over the door of the Library at Thebes

The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,
And all the sweet serenity of books.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
 

To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting.  ~Edmund Burke

He fed his spirit with the bread of books.  ~Edwin Markham

Never judge a book by its movie.  ~J.W. Eagan 

Books are a uniquely portable magic.  ~Stephen King

To read a book for the first time is to make an acquaintance with a new friend; to read it for a second time is to meet an old one.  ~Chinese Saying

Reading - the best state yet to keep absolute loneliness at bay.  

~William Styron    

We should read to give our souls a chance to luxuriate.  ~Henry Miller
     

Kobo Half-Price Cyber Monday Sale!

Kobo Half-price Cyber Monday Sale! 

Promo code: 50Cyber

Take Me, I'm Yours: http://ow.ly/ePa6Q

Her Fake Romance: http://ow.ly/d4cbt

Return of the Runaway Bride: http://ow.ly/fArTb

Writers Talking Writing: Beat the Breakdown

I recently contributed to a blog post written by Ruth Harris and published on Anne R. Allen's blog. Check out our suggestions for beating the breakdown:

 

Frazzled? Frustrated? Going Mental? 6 Ways to Beat The Breakdown.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Wishing You a Peaceful and Happy Thanksgiving

There is nothing more delicious or more southern than pecan pie. Add a bit of chocolate and you have… HEAVEN in a pie tin! Here's what you'll need:

1 9-inch pie shell

For filling: 

1 cup white sugar

1 cup light corn Syrup

½ cup butter

4 large eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

¼  teaspoon salt

6 ounces of good semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, the syrup, and the butter, and stir over low heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Set aside and cool to room temperature.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the eggs, vanilla, and salt. Stir in the sugar/syrup/butter mixture. Add the chocolate and the pecans, mix well.

Pour filling into the pie crust and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until filling is set and golden. I cover the edges of the crust with aluminum foil for the first 40 minutes of baking; remove foil for the final 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with fresh whipped cream.

Holiday Gifts for the Reader in Your Life

Box sets are a great gift for that special Kindle Reader in your life this holiday season (even if that Kindle Reader is YOU). These sets contain 3 or 4 books for a discounted price. There are many to choose from, but here are four of my favorites:

The Justice Series – great crime fiction

Titles:

Cruel Justice

Impeding Justice

Final Justice

Foul Justice

In the US Kindle Store    In the UK Kindle Store

The Mark Taylor Omnibus – bestselling psychological thriller

Titles:

Genesis

No Good Deed

March Into Hell

Deeds of Mercy

In the US Kindle Store     In the UK Kindle Store

 

The Wedding Series – fabulous romance

Titles:

Prelude to a Wedding

Wedding Party

Grady's Wedding

In the US Kindle Store     In the UK Kindle Store

Criminally Funny Fables – mirthful mysteries

Titles:

Zo White and the Seven Morphs

Wendy and the Lost Boys

The Secret Diary of Alice in Wonderland, Age 42 and Three-Quarters

In the US Kindle Store     In the UK Kindle Store

Laughter! Ha-ha-ha!

I'd rather laugh with the sinners than die with the saints.

~Billy Joel

Laughter is carbonated holiness.

~Anne Lamott

"Life is worth living as long as there's a laugh in it."

~L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

"I'm thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out my nose."

~Woody Allen

"Laughter is the valve on the pressure cooker of life."

~Wavy Gravy

"God is in the sadness and the laughter, in the bitter and the sweet."

~Neale Donald Walsh

"What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul."

 ~Yiddish Proverb

"When people are laughing, they're generally not killing each other."

~Alan Alda

"A laugh is a smile that bursts." 

~Mary H. Waldrip

Thirty-book Giveaway! Kindle! Nook! Kobo!

Today, I'm giving away  

30 copies of my books!

10 Kindle Titles!

Sorry, the Kindle editions are all gone

10 Nook Titles!

10 Kobo Titles!

Leave a comment below with the format 

and title of your choice.

Example: 

Kobo - Her Fake Romance - RebaReader@gmale.com 

You must be able to accept gift books from the 

US Kindle, Nook, and Kobo Stores. 

I can only gift my books from the US stores.

Find available titles here.

You don't need to own a Kindle, Nook or Kobo to take advantage of this giveaway. You can download a free app for your PC, Mac, or mobile device. I said FREE!

Click here to download a Kindle app.

Click here to download a Nook app.

Click here to download a Kobo app.  

So...what are you waiting for?  

Pick a book, leave a comment!

 

(Yes, I spelled the e-mail address wrong on purpose. I write romance. )

Author Talk: Reversion of Rights

If you're like me--a traditionally published author who's gone Indie--then you'll want to read this article I wrote for Kobo Writing Life blog. I talk about the reversion clause found in all publishing contracts, and I even offer a sample reversion of rights letter. Check it out:

Kobo Writing Life

Going Indie: From OOP to Self-pub Bestseller

The Next Big Thing

I get to be Queen For A Day as I talk about The Next Big Thing. I’ve been tagged by fellow author Susanne O'Leary who writes terrific women's fiction. I’m supposed to tell you about my next book by answering the following questions, and then I have tagged five other authors who will tell you about their Next Big Thing. Let's get started!

What is the working title of your next book?

The Single Daddy Club: Derrick

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Many of my readers already know that I wrote for Harlequin Books for 20 years as Donna Clayton. I acquired the publication rights to 11 of my backlist titles and have been working hard to get them up for sale in the Amazon Kindle Store, B&N's Nook Book Store, the Kobo Store and in iTune's iBook Store. Some of them are available in paperback, and some are available in various formats at Smashwords. 

The Single Daddy Club is a series of 3 books…Derrick's story is the first of the series...and these are my final 3 backlist titles.

What genre does your book fall under?

Sweet Romance

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Josh Duhamel (yum) and Jennifer Garner

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

When Derrick Richmond suddenly finds himself the guardian of his 5-yr-old godson, he turns to the child's kindergarten teacher, Anna Maxwell, for some desperately needed daddy lessons.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Although I have a literary agent, I will be self-publishing this book because it was already published by a New York City publisher. I've updated the book and feel it has a new, fresh feel to it. I have connected with so many wonderful readers since I've become an Indie Author.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Four months

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Yours And Mine by Debbie Macomber

Heartfire by Karen Rose Smith

Maid for the Single Dad by Susan Meier

Single Dad by Jennifer Greene

Doctoring and the Single Dad by Marie Farrarella

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

I love romance novels about new parents who are thrust into the job, completely bowled over by this new experience. They fret and worry about their ability to care for their children, but in the end…love always conquers all. And of course, they always find their happily-ever-after mate. That's just how romance novels work.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

I love that this book is the first of a three book series. The other titles in the series will be:

The Single Daddy Club: Jason

The Single Daddy Club: Reece

I hope to have all three books available before Christmas. This will make a great holiday gift for the romance reader in YOUR life!

Here are some lovely authors I’ve tagged to tell you about what they're working on. Look for their posts and consider trying...their Next Big Thing!

Joan Reeves

Elaine Raco Chase

Dana Taylor

Melissa Smith

Traci Hohenstein 

I Voted on Nov 6, 2012!

Strive For Truth

A small moment of Zen

Snickerdoodle Squares

When autumn's chill arrives, my first thought is to turn on the oven and bake something delectable. Apple tart, pumpkin roll, sweet potato pie...and Snickerdoodles!

I fiddled with my Snickerdoodle cookie recipe, looking for a way to make it a one pan dessert that was both delicious and time-saving. I think I hit pay dirt on my first try.

While these 'blondie-type' squares baked, my house filled with the scent of warm, sweet cinnamon. The flavor was buttery and rich. These squares are wonderful! If you try the recipe, please stop back in and leave a comment. 

Snickerdoodle Squares

Ingredients:

½ cup butter

½ cup vegetable shortening

1½ cups sugar

3 eggs

⅓ cup sour cream

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

⅓ cup sugar

1 Tbsp cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Cream butter, shortening, and sugar.
2. Add eggs, one at a time, scrapping down the bowl between eggs.
3. Mix in sour cream.
4. Combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, baking powder, and salt.
5. Mix into butter/shortening/sugar mixture.
6. In a separate, small bowl, combine ⅓ cup sugar and cinnamon.
7. Sprinkle half the cinnamon sugar mix evenly into a greased 9X13 pan.
8. Spread batter on top.
9. Sprinkle remaining sugar mixture evenly over batter.
10. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.