Lyn Cote's Blog, page 43
September 27, 2015
September 22, 2015
Author CaSandra McLaughlin & Grandma Christine’s Hot Water Corn Bread
My guest today is Author CaSandra McLaughlin and she is going to share her Grandma Christine’s Hot Water Corn Bread Recipe and some about her latest book. Here’s CaSandra:
“I’m not much of a cooker but growing up I found joy in watching my grandmother Christine cook. Cooking was her ministry. The people in the small town of Karnack, Texas made it their business to stop by and have a plate of her greens and Hot Water Cornbread.
the best way for you to prepare food
I remember her telling me that the best way for you to prepare food was in love and if you didn’t have love in it wouldn’t turn out right. As I watched her prepare many batches of her specialty Hot Water Corn Bread I realized that she indeed was doing it in love. If someone asked her to cooked for them, she never said no and she never charged them any money .My grandmother would smile, and sing songs of zion as she cooked. Her love for Christ and for others were all a part of her preparation, she loved to see our smiling faces as we gave her raving reviews about how great the food was..
can’t seem to make it as good as she did
Although I watched my grandmother cook the corn bread I still can’t seem to make it as good as she did. I have changed mixing bowls, and even cook my bread in her skillet that was left to me when she passed away. I have yet to make my batch come close to hers.
I don’t think I will ever be as good of a cook
as my grandmother and I’m actually fine with that. I will always remember our time together in the kitchen. When I’m cooking I’m always flooded with memories of her and that makes me feel as if she’s there watching me. Every meal that I prepare for my family is out of love and I thank my grandmother for instilling that in me.
Today I want to share her recipe for Hot Water Corn Bread. It’s near and dear to me. There’s truly nothing like grandmothers cooking!
Grandma Christine’s Hot Water Corn Bread
Cornmeal
Flour
Salt
Sugar
1 Egg
Boiling water
Cooking Oil (Crisco or Butter Flavored Crisco)
*Notice that there are no specific amounts listed. My grandmother NEVER measured anything.
1. In a large bowl mix together the cornmeal, salt, flour and sugar & slowly stir in the egg.
2. Next pour boiling water into the batter. You want to make sure it’s enough to make the batter thick. If it’s not thick enough you may need to add more cornmeal & flour.
3.Form the batter into patties and fry in the cooking oil in a heavy skillet until it’s brown on both sides. (Make sure the oil is hot enough)
4. Drain the patties on a paper towel & then serve immediately(They taste better hot). I hope you have better luck than I have!–CaSandra
BLURB:
Tania Clinton left her small home town of Sweet Lily, Texas, shortly after her graduation day with the intent to never return. Her mother had gone on to be with the Lord leaving her and her baby sister Naomi to be raised at the hands of her eldest sister Mona.Things between Tania and Mona weren’t great but she’d moved on, made a new drama free life for herself and didn’t have a desire to reach out to her sisters. After receiving an invitation to her youngest sisters wedding, memories of why she left began to haunt her. Why was this happening? Had Tania truly forgiven Mona or had she simply tucked those memories in the back of her mind? Will a trip home, change their relationship? How long does it really take to forgive and move on?
For more online:
booksbylyncote.com.
September 20, 2015
Author Naomi Rawlings & The Strength to Overcome our Failures
My guest today is author Naomi Rawlings and her topic is The Strength to Overcome our Failures. Here’s Naomi:
When originally volunteered to write a post for Lyn’s blog, I liked the idea of doing something about the heroine of my most recent novel… until I sat down at my computer and started to think. As a woman, I’ve naturally built most of my novels around my heroines, but Love’s Every Whisper was built around a man, Elijah Cummings, and his desire to start a life-saving team after his father’s boat capsizes and his father drowns in a storm. And of course, since this was a romance novel, I then need to fill in the blanks with a heroine. What kind of person would be completely wrong for my hero, a determined fisherman with big dreams?
I ended up with Victoria Donnelly.
Victoria is a failure, and not just a subtle failure, but a big one that everybody notices. Maybe if she could manage to speak more than ten words without stuttering. Maybe if she could suffer through a society dinner without spilling something on her dress. Maybe if she wasn’t as tall as an oak tree, didn’t have a jaw that looked like a square bucket or a nose that stuck out like a ship’s rudder, she’d be able to find a husband. But as she nears another birthday, Victoria still has no husband.
Victoria Donnelly faces an extraordinary amount of pressure,
both from her parents and society. The time period is different, and society certainly expected different things from women in 1883 than it does today. But some of the basic principles are still the same. Society always has expectations of people, and families always have expectations of their members. In Victoria’s case, she needs to overcome her stutter, which worsens whenever she gets nervous and brands her as an outcast at social functions. The more she tries to speak normally, the more nervous she gets. The more nervous she gets, the more she fumbles her words. The more she fumbles her words, the more she’s branded as an outcast. The more she’s branded as an outcast, the more she tries to speak normally and fit in. It’s a vicious cycle that she doesn’t know how to stop.
other peoples’ expectations in their proper places
As the story progresses, Elijah and Victoria’s friendship deepens, which causes Victoria to start changing her opinion of herself. She looks to God’s Word for advice about her failures and her future rather than to society’s expectations. When she decides to put other peoples’ expectations in their proper places—below her relationship with God—then she finally finds the courage to overcome her failures.
QUESTION: What do you think about
society and the expectations it often forces on people? Do you ever feel like other people are putting pressure on you? How do you deal with it when other people have expectations different from your own? What are ways you can stop from putting unfair expectation son other people?
To purchase, click here. Love’s Every Whisper: Historical Christian Romance (Eagle Harbor) (Volume 2)
Blurb:
Victoria Donnelly is, as always, a failure. With five years of failed courtships behind her and the calendar inching closer to another birthday, Victoria’s determined to redeem herself and snag a proposal from a wealthy childhood acquaintance, Gilbert Sinclair. But returning to Eagle Harbor stirs up long forgotten memories. And worse, old affection for her betrothed’s enemy.
Elijah Cummings has loved Victoria for fifteen years. But fishermen’s sons don’t marry shipping barons’ daughters. He knows it. She knows it. The entire town knows it. Resolved to keep his distance from Victoria, Elijah focuses on establishing a much needed life-saving station, risking his own life by rescuing sailors stuck aboard shipwrecks.
He knows how to save drowning sailors, but how is he to save a woman from the biggest mistake of her life—without destroying both their hearts in the process?
Thanks, Naomi. I think you did a great job with your heroine. Let me repeat Naomi’s
QUESTION: What do you think about
society and the expectations it often forces on people? Do you ever feel like other people are putting pressure on you? How do you deal with it when other people have expectations different from your own? What are ways you can stop from putting unfair expectation son other people?
For more online:
www.facebook.com/author.naomirawlings.
To be informed whenever Naomi has a new book release, consider signing up for her Naomi Rawlings Author Newsletter.
PS: Ola Norman won Ann H Gabhart’s The Innocent. Congrats!–Lyn
Send to Kindle 
The post Author Naomi Rawlings & The Strength to Overcome our Failures appeared first on booksbylyncote.com.
September 15, 2015
Author Ann H Gabhart Shares Shaker Lemon Pie Recipe
My guest today is author Ann H Gabhart who writes stories about another sect of Plain People, the Shakers. There are no longer any active Shaker colonies but they were an active group on the American frontier at one time. Ann is offering a book giveaway and sharing her Shaker Lemon Pie Recipe. Here’s Ann:
A Shaker Recipe
My mother made a yummy lemon pie, but it was nothing like the Shaker lemon pie. Either pie lovers savor this taste treat or don’t like at all. The first time I tried it at the Shaker Village restaurant, long before I published any Shaker books, I didn’t care for its tartness. But the passing years must have changed my taste buds. Now that combination of tartness and sweetness seems just right.
The Shakers were a thrifty people and when their brethren brought back lemons from their southern trading trips, they were determined to not let any part of the lemon go to waste. Thus, we have their unique lemon pie. The simple recipe has only three ingredients.
SHAKER LEMON PIE
2 large lemons
2 C sugar
4 eggs, well beaten
Slice lemons as thin as paper, rind and all. (The thinness of the slices is the secret to this pie.) Combine with sugar, mix well. Let stand at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight, blending occasionally. Add beaten eggs to the lemon mixture; mix well. Turn into an uncooked nine inch pie shell, arranging lemon slices evenly. Sprinkle a bit more sugar on the lemon mixture. Cover with top crust. Cut several slits near center. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake for about 20 minutes or until a silver knife inserted near edge of pie comes out clean. Cool before serving.
While the Shakers lived an austere life in some ways, they always had plentiful food on their tables.
To purchase, click here. The Innocent: A Novel
In my new Shaker book, The Innocent, that is one of the things Carlyn Kearney depends on when she goes to the Harmony Hill Shaker Village. When her husband doesn’t come home from the Civil War, she needs a roof over her head and a table to put her feet under at mealtimes. The Shaker Village seems to be the perfect answer. She can work in exchange for her keep. But there are many parts of the Shaker way that she cannot accept. However, she’s thankful for the gardens and the plentiful food.”–Ann
BLURB:
The Innocent by Ann H. Gabhart
Carlyn Kearney has spent two lonely years not knowing whether to mourn or to hope after she receives word from the Union Army that her husband is missing. The War Between the States ends without further word. Now penniless, in debt, and forced from her home, Carlyn seeks refuge at the Shaker village of Harmony Hill, only to discover that they will not allow her to keep the dog that has been her faithful companion since her husband went off to war. Sheriff Mitchell Brody has pity on the lovely young woman and agrees to take the dog. Carlyn is just settling into life as a sister in the Shaker village when she receives a devastating letter confirming her worst fears. As she wrestles with whether to commit herself fully to the Shaker life, mysterious deaths begin to occur, and Carlyn comes under suspicion. Can Sheriff Mitchell help her expose the true culprit?
Ann, that sounds like a great very simple recipe and an interesting book! There were sadly so many widows left by the Civil War on both sides. I hadn’t thought about one seeking a shelter at a Shaker Village. Excellent. Now for the QUESTION: Do you enjoy a suspense thread in a novel? Why or why not?–Lyn
For more online:
www.facebook.com/anngabhart for Ann’s
a Shaker Wednesday post,
Sunday Morning Coming Down,
Friday smiles and more.
Send to Kindle 
The post Author Ann H Gabhart Shares Shaker Lemon Pie Recipe appeared first on booksbylyncote.com.
September 13, 2015
September 8, 2015
Lyn Needs Feedback on Cover Art and Titles for Holiday Novella
Hi, need some input or feedback on cover art, images I will use for a novella I’m releasing in November. And also some title help. The image above is the one I plan on using on the back cover of the print edition (ebooks don’t have back covers.) As you can tell, the story is set in winter.
Here’s the BLURB:
Catching a freight train out of Chicago is no way to spend Christmas Day.
But Will Gustafson has run out of options. The Depression has cost him everything–his classy wife, executive job and high society life. Now he’s heading home to the northwoods of Wisconsin to face the “I told you so’s” he deserves. On the freight train a homeless little boy attaches himself to Will like a lost puppy. Who is the boy and why is he alone?
On the day after Christmas in her Model T, Cass Newton picks up Will and the boy and takes them home with her. Is she crazy? But a new widow, she needs a handyman to help her weather the winter in her isolated cabin. She’s concealed her “delicate” condition from everyone but can’t deceive Will.
A baby is coming and Will wonders how he’ll handle this–when his lady boss refuses to see a doctor. Why not for heaven’s sake? He fights his growing attraction to this good but stubborn woman–so unlike the wife who divorced him. The three of them become an unlikely “family.” Yet what will happen when the snow melts and all their secrets are revealed?
Sound interesting?
Recently on the booksbylyncote.com.
September 6, 2015
Author Jessica Nelson & The Strength to Feel Beautiful
My first autumn guest is author Jessica Nelson who is going to explain what she means by The Strength to Feel Beautiful. She is also offering a BOOK GIVEAWAY of her latest Love Inspired Historical. Here’s Jessica:
Sometimes it’s difficult to feel beautiful.
For the last few years I’ve been dealing with my skin acting crazy. As in acne crazy. Having a condition that is hard to disguise at times can prove to be hard on the self-esteem. I realized that true beauty and true strength are deeply intertwined, and they have so much to do with what is inside us. This journey of remembering that my skin is not who I am has really influenced my work in progress.
a reclusive heiress
In my latest manuscript, the heroine Elizabeth begins the story as a reclusive heiress who loves to read and take care of her grandmother, an eccentric Duchess with a mind of her own. The heroine believes herself to be strong. She practically runs her grandmother’s estate and relies on no one. But when her parents finagle a betrothal to a man who hardly counts as a hero, Elizabeth realizes that her perfect world is about to unravel. And she feels powerless to stop it.
face the world on her own
Suddenly she realizes how truly weak she is, because to go out and face the world on her own, to leave the isolation of the estate, is something that terrifies her. When she looks in the mirror, all she sees is the birthmark covering her right cheek. Her entire life has been spent avoiding the stares of strangers and the talk of the ton, the uppercrust of English society. The circles where she belongs, yet loathes. Indeed, she’s avoided marriage for longer than most heiresses of her birthright. Now that her parents are forcing her into marriage, she needs to take preventative measures.
To purchase, click here. The Matchmaker’s Match (Love Inspired Historical)
until she can see the beauty in herself
But that involves facing the world, and in turn, facing the truth that until she can see the beauty in herself, she will never be as strong as she wants to be. Then Miles appears with a seemingly logical answer to all her problems. Her childhood nemesis has become her unlikely hero…But first she must learn to embrace all the parts of herself, to see herself as the beautiful woman God created, the woman who deserves a love based on more than the superficiality of an arranged marriage.
There is a strength to receiving love.
QUESTION: Have you ever looked in the mirror and not liked what you saw? Why? What steps did you take to change your feelings toward yourself?”–Jessica
Thanks, Jessica, for bringing up a topic that gets to all of us. I’ve never suffered with a skin condition but the foundling in my book THE BABY BEQUEST has a port wine stain on his forehead, which causes unkind comments that irritate my heroine.
BE SURE TO LEAVE A COMMENT TO ENTER THE DRAWING FOR The Matchmaker’s Match.00Lyn
For more online:
September 1, 2015
August 30, 2015
Author and Composer John Starley Allen & The Ripple Effect
I don’t often host a gentleman but I met John on Goodreads and he shared one of his Christmas songs here last year. This year he has a book to share with us, A Splash of Kindness. Here’s John:
power of the ripple effect
Throughout my life the profound power of the ripple effect has captured my attention. But it was the following specific incident that served as the catalyst that got me thinking about writing a book on the ripple effect. Some aspects of the story are too personal to recount in detail, but I will touch upon the highlights.
an old friend
I was visiting a city where my family used to live several years ago. As I was walking along a busy street a man hailed me. At first I didn‘t recognize him, but as he came closer I realized that he was a friend I had known in that city. We had been close, but after our family moved from that city, my friend and I had lost track of each other.
Standing there on the sidewalk, we spent some time catching up with each other. And then my friend said a most astonishing thing to me. “You know, John, you changed my life. You realize that, don‘t you?”
dumbfounded
And, dumbfounded, I responded that I didn‘t know any such thing; I didn’t know what in the world he was talking about. As far as I knew, I hadn’t had any impact on his life whatsoever—let alone a life changing one.
My friend then refreshed my memory by speaking of an encounter we had just a few weeks before our family moved away. From my perspective, the incident was trivial—just a few words and what I considered a very simple act on my part.
didn‘t understand the significance of what I had done
And now as my friend spoke with me, he sensed—probably due to my blank expression—that I didn‘t understand the significance of what I had done. He explained what had been going on in his life during the period we knew each other. He explained that on this one particular occasion I had said just the right thing at the right time. And that a subsequent action on my part which I considered simple, was something that made a great impact on his life.
a little self-conscious and awkward
This revelation of my influence on my friend somehow made me feel a little self-conscious and awkward. The conversation then shifted to other lighter matters. We exchanged phone numbers and addresses and promised to do a better job of staying in touch with one another.
the right thing at the right time
That night in my hotel room I reflected on what my friend had shared with me. Without really knowing it, I had said and done the right thing at the right time.
And I spent the night pondering how lives affect other lives in rather amazing ways.
In the afterword of my holiday novel Christmas Gifts, Christmas Voices—in which a man‘s simple acts of thoughtfulness have unforeseen yet profound effects—I put it this way:
Throughout my life I have been impressed by the “ripple effect”—how just like the stone thrown in a pond creates ever-widening ripples, so can our actions have far-reaching consequences often unknown to us. I think we do more good than we know. And if we‘re aware of the ripple effect, hopefully we‘ll keep striving to do good.”–John
To purchase, click here. A Splash of Kindness: The Ripple Effect of Compassion, Courage, and Character
I couldn’t have John as my guest without featuring one of his songs too. QUESTION: HAS ANYONE EVER THANKED YOU FOR A KINDNESS YOU DIDN’T RECALL OR DO YOU WISH YOU COULD THANK SOMEONE WHO DID A KINDNESS TO YOU IN PASSING? Thanks, John!–Lyn
For more online:
August 25, 2015
Author Maureen Lang & Italian Beef Sandwiches!
My guest today is author Maureen Lang, a friend, who is going to share a great recipe and a bit about her latest book, The Cranbury Papermaker. She is offering an Ebook copy to one commenter. So don’t miss the QUESTION below. Here’s Maureen:
Hi, Lyn! I’d love to share my recipe for Italian Beef sandwiches with your readers. At a glance, it looks like a lot of steps but honestly, I’m not much of a cook and this is so easy! Not many ingredients, and it always turns out with such great taste and tenderness.
The key for Italian beef is to make it the day before you want to serve. Cutting the roast thin is soooo much easier when it’s completely cooled! And the other tip: be generous with Italian seasoning.
This recipe belongs to my daughter’s grandmother, a popular choice on her father’s side of the family.
Italian Beef Sandwiches
Sirloin tip rolled roast
Approximately 3/4 stick of butter (you may margarine, but it’s best with at least half butter)
One large onion, diced
Salt and pepper to your taste
Italian seasoning blend (I use this generously, perhaps a tablespoon or more, to start with)
Water to line the bottom of a dutch oven, covered pan. Enough to keep the roast moist during cooking. Do not let the water cook away, add more as needed.
Brown meat in the butter/margarine and season well with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning before and after browning.
Add 1/2 cup water and simmer.
Add onion after the first half hour.
Let simmer for approximately 2 to 2 1/2 hours till done.
Cool, remove meat, then wrap in foil and refrigerate overnight.
Refrigerate juices separately in Tupperware or other covered dish.
Next day, slice meat thinly then place in pan, adding the saved juice. Simmer until warm, adding more seasoning as desired.
Serve warm with Italian bread or rolls.
Actually my newest story, The Cranbury Papermaker, doesn’t feature much about food. Between my heroine’s grief at the start of the story and subsequent worry over losing her father’s papermaking legacy, she never seems to have an appetite. However, although her cook isn’t the most organized or even the neatest of fictional household servants, she serves sandwiches on a daily basis. Perhaps one of her favorites might have been such tender beef sandwiches that this recipe provides!”–Maureen
To purchase, click here. The Cranbury Papermaker
BLURB:
The Cranbury Papermaker
New Christian historical romance from Maureen Lang
Arianne Casterton is devastated when her father and his new wife are killed in a train accident. Despite her faith in God, her grief soon turns to despair when she discovers one-third of everything her father owned has been transferred automatically to his wife’s estranged son and heir, Jonas Prestwich—someone Arianne never knew existed.
Though God has blessed Arianne with the passion and talent to be the next gifted papermaker in her family’s tradition, she finds the demands of keeping the business going to be nearly overwhelming. When Jonas offers to expand the business to something more modern and profitable, Arianne is suspicious, reluctant to give up the art of handmade papermaking. But she realizes without his unwanted help she might lose everything anyway.
Can two people with such impossibly different views of art and business ever merge . . . even when love tries binding them together?
Thanks very much for having me, Lyn! And I’d love to offer a free e-copy of The Cranbury Papermaker (ebook only, for Kindle, Nook or Kobo readers).
Sounds like an interesting romance, Maureen. Now for the QUESTION: Have you ever inherited something. Was it a surprise or did you expect it?–Lyn
For more online: Sign up for Maureen’s Newsletter on her website,booksbylyncote.com.
