Lyn Cote's Blog, page 60

Goodbye, Mutzie

I don’t usually share much about my life, but I wanted to share Mutzie with you. We lost our cat Mutzie in January. He would have been 18 this year. We inherited Mutzie when my mother in law passed away in 2009. The name Mutzie is “Kitty” in Slovenian. My dh’s grandmother immigrated from that area in 1913, a good year to leave middle Europe (WWI broke out in 1914 nearby Serbia with the assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand.)

It was a shock to Mutzie to move to another state and a house with 3 cats already in residence. He hadn’t seen another cat since he was a kitten. But he made the transition and came to enjoy the fun of having company.

It’s hard to say good bye to our little furry friends. And even a strong woman cries over loss–even the loss of a cat who greeted her every morning with loud cries for BREAKFAST. (He was my only talking cat.) He also created a game in the evenings where he would wait in front of my chair and leap in it just before I’d get close enough to sit down. HILARIOUS.

Mutzie was only with us for just over four years but he brought us many laughs. I often say to my dh–”What would we laugh about if we didn’t have our cats?”

I love dogs too but right now I don’t have the energy that dogs need. Cats are less demanding pets and fit into our lifestyle. But I would dearly love a pooch.

Here are photos of our remaining three cats.

This is V-8, named for his might purr! He’s my lap cat.

This is my gran-kitty, Trickster who loves grandpa’s stubbly chin!

We have one more cat, Sadie, but she is camera shy, but she is a miniature version of Mutzie.

Here’s a photo of Mutzie giving us THE LOOK. So we’ll miss our dear kitty, but we had a good four years with him. He made us smile and sometimes laugh out loud.

So what’s your pet and his/her name? And what’s their cutest trick?–Lyn

PS-Last week’s winner:

Susan Fletcher won Patty Smith Hill’s book.

 

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Lyn Interviews Book Blogger Brittany of “Britt Reads Fiction”

Since I know that the people who read my blog love books, I’m interviewing a book blogger each month so you can meet other book lovers and book reviewers. Many of these I have met on Goodreads, especially the Love Inspired Historical Authors Group there. Here’s February’s blogger interview by Brittany of “Britt Reads Fiction!” (BTW, read to the end for Brittany’s giveaway link.)

1-Who are your favorite authors?

I began to list my favorite authors by the types of books they write and there were just too many! I also knew I was bound to leave someone off and then feel terrible about it! So, I must instead state that although I do have some very favorite authors, whose books I always make sure to read, I am constantly looking for new-to-me authors. I love reading a book by an author who I have not read before, and discovering that they write beautiful stories. It is so fun to then go find their other books!

2-What kind of book is the one you look for in bookstores and online?

If I know I have enjoyed books by the author before, I am usually quick to pick up their next book. However, I have found so many new authors this year that I enjoy. In reading book blurbs or reviews, I am looking for stories that really catch at my heart, those stories that put two people into situations where they have obstacles to overcome in order to fall in love. I am a sucker for marriage of convenience stories or books that have a hero come back into town years later after he left and broke someone’s heart.

3-What prompted you to start a book blogging site?

I have loved reading all of my life. There was a period of time when my oldest two children were little, that I only read non-fiction books and magazines. I felt I had a lot to learn about childrearing, homeschooling, etc. and my free time was spent with those books.

A few years ago, I began reading fiction again and was introduced to a whole new world of Christian fiction. It had changed quite a bit in those years that I had been away and I really was not familiar with the different authors. I began reading more and more, but had not ever thought about writing a review of a book. It just didn’t occur to me that I should!

Then, about a year ago, I got sick with a virus that kept me in bed a few days. I had a stack of books and my kindle ebooks and just read and read. After a while, I began perusing the internet and discovered various authors’ web pages and facebook pages. I joined up on these pages and started connecting with authors over the next few months. This, in fact, introduced me to even more authors and I learned how important reviews are to authors.

It made me realize that authors work very hard on their books and a way we can help spread the word about their books is through reviews. I also wanted to help readers decide which books they might like. I learned of Goodreads and NetGalley and eventually started my blog in order to receive books for the purpose of reading and reviewing them. I have had so much fun with it. I do book reviews and occasional book giveaways. This month I am doing one giveaway a week for the romantic month of February.

4-Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am a homeschooling mom of four children. They range in age from 5 years to 13 years and I truly love getting to spend time teaching them. We do all of our teaching in the early portion of the day and they finish up any assignments in the afternoon. I am able then to squeeze in some personal reading time for myself. I also make sure to always have a book with me when I take my kids out to the other activities and classes that they take outside of the home. I am blessed to be married to my high school sweetheart, who has always been very supportive of my desire to be home with the kids.

I love reading so many different types of Christian fiction (but am not really into futuristic or paranormal). I love historical fiction.  In that historical fiction category, I read a wide range, from westerns to Regency England, early American to Civil War! I also enjoy contemporary romance and contemporary romance with suspense! I even enjoy military themed fiction. Amish has also been a favorite genre of mine, as well. I enjoy the wide variety of places and people that I can learn about in all of these books.

All month I am having giveaways on my blog and this week, Anita Higman is giving away two copies of A Marriage in Middlebury. This is the link.

booksbylyncote.com.

Author Patty Smith Hall & An Unsung Heroine of WWII (Giveaway)

My guest today is a relatively new author Patty Smith Hall who is offering a copy of her latest to a commenter. She loves to write about WWII. Her’s Patty:

Why unconventional Women?

“One of the questions I’m asked quite a bit is why do I write about such unconventional women–strong heroines, always determined to do the right thing even if it means going up against the social norms. A person that younger women can look up to, can model their lives after.

A woman like the kind lady I met at my very first book signing for Hearts in Flight, one of my World War II books.

I’d love to give you her name, but at the time of this article, I’ve been unable to reach her to get permission. But I can still remember when I met her, sitting on the front row, holding hands with the man she’d spent a lifetime with. After I’d given my talk, I approached them and learned that they both had contributed to the war effort, he as an engineer on the B-29 that had been built at the Bell Bomber Plant where my story was based. He’d later went on to work on the ground floor of what became Eastern Airlines.

But it was her story that grabbed me.

Like many of the women of her time, she’d wanted to find a way to contribute to the war effort. In the end, she took a position as a secretary for one of the airlines. Her first months there was spent pushing papers and checking identifications of the hordes of workers needed to build the planes America needed. Then one day, her supervisors came to her with a unique opportunity, a way of making an impact.

Enlisted for espionage

They enlisted her to become one of a handful of homeland informants, working down on the plant floor with the people she’d helped hire on and reporting any information that might be considered helpful to the enemy combatants to the United States. She didn’t tell me much about her experience, taking the war motto ‘lose lips sink ships‘ to heart. The struggle she must have felt, pitting the family and friends she loved against her country. How difficult that must have been! But she did it for the good of our nation.

An unsung heroine worthy of a story.”–Patty

To purchase, click here. Hearts Rekindled (Love Inspired Historical)

Blurb for Hearts Rekindled:

“I’m Here to See My Daughter.”

She never thought she’d see John Davenport again. Merrilee Daniels Davenport’s former husband has returned to their small Georgia town after fighting in the Pacific. And now the soldier is bearing a letter from the little girl he didn’t know he had. Merrilee wishes that she and her daughter could lean on John’s able shoulders, but her new assignment as a homeland informant won’t allow it.

Twelve years have only made Merrilee more beautiful in John’s eyes. Back then, he was the proud fool who walked away. Now all he wants is to prove he can be the husband she deserves, and the daddy his daughter needs.

For more about Patty and her latest book, drop by this months author Q & A on GoodReads.  booksbylyncote.com.

Have You Ever Heard About the First US Self-Made Female Millionaire? (Giveaway)

Have you ever heard of Madame C J Walker? She was the first self-made (not inherited wealth) woman millionaire in the US.

This video is just a quick dab of info. If you click the tab above, marked Send to Kindle

The post Have You Ever Heard About the First US Self-Made Female Millionaire? (Giveaway) appeared first on booksbylyncote.com.

Lyn Interviews Best-selling Author Gail Gaymer Martin (Giveaway!)

 My guest is my dear friend best-selling author Gail Gaymer Martin who agreed to give us a peak into her life today. She is offering a giveaway in a book drawing for a copy of her latest Love Inspired Romance, THE FIREFIGHTER’S NEW FAMILY, (US addresses only). Here’s Gail’s interview:

Lyn:  Share one fun or interesting fact about your life or books.

Gail: Before I married my husband, I had many dreams of things I wanted to experience in my life but never thought them possible. One was my childhood dream to be a writer, next to sing with a very renowned Christian chorale in our area, another was to travel to other countries, and finally to sleep in a castle.  My husband and I married in 1985. On our first trip to Europe (dream fulfilled), I slept in a castle (dream came true and I’ve stayed in numerous castles since then). One evening I received a call from the recruiter for this wonderful Christian chorale and asked if I would like to audition. He’d heard I was a good singer. I passed the audition and have sung with them for 20 years (another dream answered). Finally I retired in my 50s and started to write for magazines, periodicals, Sunday school materials and lots more. I sold nearly everything and began writing fiction in 1997. I sold my first novel in 1998 and today I have 52 contracted novels with nearly four million books in print. My final dream fulfilled. This proves that dreams can come true even when we least expect it.

Lyn-Why do you write?

Gail-I write because I must. I began writing in the 3rd grade, poetry then, and soon was writing short stories as a child. This continued with all kinds of writing throughout my life, but I never thought to submit to a publisher. Once I did, I was hooked and I realized that Christian fiction is not only entertainment, but it’s a modern day parable that answers important questions that we deal with in life about love, family, hope, forgiveness, trust and faith. It’s amazing to be hooked on sharing my heart with readers.

Lyn- In what ways does your heroine show strength? Where does she draw her strength?

Gail-The heroines in all my books are dealing with internal conflicts and often external ones, but the internal are the ones that make them vulnerable and afraid. My first book in the Sisters series was Her Valentine Hero. The story is about Neely, and in it, readers meet her younger sister, Ashley, who is the heroine in my recent novel, The Firefighter’s New Family. Ashley is the single mom of a three year old. She lost her husband in the middle-east war and sadly, he had never met his baby son except through a photograph. Ashley is strong and strives to be both father and mother to her boy. She is employed doing home secretarial work for small companies. One thing Ashley knows, she will never marry a man who has a dangerous career. But who does she meet and become friends with? A firefighter. Determined not to fall in love, she fights her feelings, yet she learns through her family and her faith that another strength in life is to trust the Lord and those who love her.

To purchase, click here. booksbylyncote.com.

Sweet Romance Author Melinda Curtis & Her Multi-Great Grandma’s Embarrassing Moment

My guest today is sweet romance author Melinda Curtis who is going to share some family history. And she’s offering a copy of her latest Heartwarming romance Summer Kisses. So be sure to leave a comment. Here’s Melinda:

My mother is a great one for sharing family history.

Although she’s almost 90 and has forgotten some of the details, whenever she hears teenage grandchildren complaining, she still tells the story of her great-great grandmother as a teenager. In the westward movement of pioneers, my multi-great grandmother’s family built a homestead on what they thought was non-Indian territory.  Turns out, it was in Indian territory.

While keeping a shotgun handy,

My multi-great granny spent her teenage years working the homestead.  One day while the men were out hunting, a party of Indian braves rode up.  All the women cradled their shotguns and told the braves the men were inside sleeping.  Uh-huh.  Whether they believed them or not, the braves left.  Soon after tensions rose and the family decided it was safer to move into a nearby settlement.

For Several Ponies

They ended up trading their homestead to the Indians for several ponies.  In true teenage girl fashion, my mulit-great granny had to ride into the settlement bareback on a pony like a tomboy–NOT  the impression she wanted to make.  She claimed it was the most embarrassing moment of her life.  (Teenagers don’t change, do they?)–Melinda

To purchase, click here. Summer Kisses (A Harmony Valley Novel)

For more info on her latest romance, click the link above or click this

Images that Inspired My Latest Book’s Cover-Heartland Courtship & Giveaway!

This is the image that I thought captured my heroine’s essence. Yes, she’s pretty but there was something about her eyes that caught my interest.

 

And here’s the inspiration for my hero. Unfortunately my hero’s scruffy look didn’t win approval with my publisher, but I thought it gave him character.

Here’s how I imagined the shore of the Mississippi River along Wisconsin’s western border. Add a few cabins, a blacksmith shop, a saloon and a general store and you have my idea of Pepin WI in 1871.

Here’s the image that inspired my hero’s son (who likes to swim in the creek!)

 

This woman is cooking in a modern kitchen, completely different from my heroine’s primitive brick outdoor oven and wood stove. However, I thought it captured Rachel’s joy when she was stirring up something sweet and delicious!

Here’s the cover that my publisher designed. I like it but I still think that Brennan my hero never looked this shaved and spruced up till AFTER he had the sense to marry Rachel!

Finally I offered a free PDF copy of OLD FAMILY RECIPES to readers at the end of the book. If you’d like to have a copy, scroll to the top and enter your email in the slot for my newsletter. 15 Love Inspired Historical authors shared family recipes and stories.

I mentioned several recipes in the book including Sponge Candy. Have you ever eaten that? Is there any treat that you enjoy that is hard to find? Or do you just stick to Snickers? –Lyn

(To purchase, click the cover on the left slide show.)

If you’d like to see more photos that inspired me, drop by my

Lyn’s Newest Wilderness Bride–Rachel!

Tomorrow my next book, Heartland Courtship,  will be released. It’s the third in my Wilderness Brides series. I’ve enjoyed writing this series since I set it in my home state Wisconsin. I’ve learned a lot about my adopted state’s history.

THREE BOOKS IN THE SERIES

The first book was Their Frontier Family about Noah Whitmore, a Quaker who fought in the Civil War and Sunny, a former prostitute and single mother, coming together in a marriage of convenience. Old Saul, the aging pastor, becomes Noah’s mentor as God knits these two wounded hearts into one.

The second book was The Baby Bequest about Miss Ellen Thurston, the new schoolteacher in Pepin and Kurt Lang, a new immigrant from Germany who is raising his brother and nephew. The story revolves around a baby left on Ellen’s doorstep and her insistence on keeping the child when the community is dead set against it.

The third book Heartland Courtship features Noah’s cousin, Miss Rachel Woolsey who comes to Pepin to stake her own homestead and start her own business. Again the small town of Pepin doesn’t know what to think of her. But even more troubling is the stranger abandoned on shore, a Southerner, a drifter, who owes his life to Miss Rachel’s nursing him back to health.

Miss Rachel’s primary customers are the riverboat crews and passengers who stop briefly in Pepin on the Mississippi River just north of Dubuque, Iowa. The first time she tries to sell her wares, the river men ask for bear claws. According to Louis LaMour, the Western writer, these sweet rolls were favorites in the American West. Have you ever had any?

Almond Bear Claws

Servings: 24

Ingredients:

1/3 cup almond paste

2 3/4 cups ground almonds

1/2 cup white sugar

1 pinch salt

2 tablespoons butter

2 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 teaspoons amaretto liqueur

3 pounds puff pastry

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

3 tablespoons sliced almonds, for garnish

3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar for

dusting

Directions:

1.     In a large bowl, beat almond paste with an electric mixer to break it apart. Add the almonds, sugar, and salt; continue to mix until the almond paste is no longer lumpy. Stir in the butter, egg whites, almond extract and amaretto liqueur on high speed until its as fluffy as you can get it. Set aside.

2.     Using half of the dough at a time, roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle that is about 8 inches wide and 1/4 inch thick. Trim the edges of the dough. Cut the dough in half lengthwise to make two 4 inch wide strips.

3.     Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

4.     Fill a pastry bag halfway with the almond filling and pipe a stripe of filling down the center of each strip. Whisk together the egg and water. Brush onto one edge of each strip. Fold each strip over the filling and press gently to seal it. Brush each piece with egg wash and sprinkle sliced almonds over the top. Cut into 3 to 4 inch pieces, then cut 1/2 inch slits into the sealed edge to make the ”claws”. Place the bear claws at least two inches apart on baking sheets. Refrigerate and repeat with the second half of the dough.

5.     Bake in the preheated oven until almonds are toasted and pastry is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool and dust with confectioners’ sugar right before serving.

In the mood for sweets NOW? Leave a comment to enter the drawing for a copy of Heartland Courtship.  QUESTION: What’s your favorite pastry?

To purchase, click here. Heartland Courtship (Love Inspired Historical\Wilderness Brides)

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Author E Ayers & the 1960′s

Today’s guest E. Ayers is new to me. She’s a secular author who writes primarily sweet romance but also some sensual. I found her through a new group of authors on Sweet Romance Reads (see left sidebar for their logo.) Ms. Ayers is offering to giveaway a copy of her Ebook A Rancher’s Woman. Leave a comment to be entered into the drawing. Here’s E’s story:

“Waving hello to all your readers! Thank you for inviting me today. I love that your blog is about strong women. I grew up in an era where there was a huge change from the concept of women staying home and being housewives to women choosing careers.

1960′s Brought Changes

Somehow I flip flopped between the two ideas. Initially I had great plans for a career, then Mr. Wonderful walked into my life and I reverted back to ways I was taught. But that revolution that took place in the 1960′s told me I could be home and still be who I was. Fortunately, Mr. Wonderful respected me not just as a wife and mother, but also as an intelligent person, his other half, an independent team member, and as an extension for our greater goals. For us, it worked.

Being a Mom

Yes. I mopped, vacuumed, dusted, cut the grass, paid the bills with the money he brought home, watched over our two girls, and handled anything he couldn’t or didn’t have time to do. Dinner was on the table at six ten every weeknight. Two little girls greeted him with freshly scrubbed faces, and I tried to brush my hair and teeth before he came home. (Not that I hadn’t already done that, but when keeping a fair-sized garden and everything else, I figured clean was important.)

Did I make mistakes along the way? You betcha! Sometimes I look back and laugh to myself. Did I really do that? Did I really tell the girls to clean up their toys because Daddy would be home soon and we want everything to look pretty for Daddy? Oh yeah. Never once did I say, I can’t handle it when you leave stuff strewn all over the house that I worked so hard to clean. Oh, well.

But over the years I learned

I had a strength within me. I could do anything that had to be done. I didn’t worry about dirtying my fingernails or chipping one. If I had to pull out the ladder and do something, I did it. There’s not a single power tool I can’t use. (Not saying I’m fond them, just that I know how to use them and use them safely.) When my husband died, I grieved and still do, but I eventually found that inner strength that I had cloaked in sadness – the strength to survive and be independent.

I’d like to think that I bring that strength

to my writing. I believe that women can do anything they set their mind to doing. Mankind would never have survived, if it were not for strong women. Think about that. Women have strapped babies to their backs and plowed fields. Have you ever seen a picture of men with babies on their backs plowing fields? N-n-no!

 

To purchase on Amazon, click here. A Rancher’s Woman (Creed’s Crossing Historical)

B & N

Movie to Watch-”Alone Yet Not Alone”

I missed this movie but will make sure to see it. After the video, scroll down and click the link for the story about how Hollywood is dealing with Joni Eareckson Tada performing the Oscar nominated song at the Oscars.

Here’s the link to the story titled:

Hollywood’s Latest Controversy: Oscar Nod for Christian Movie Song by Joni Eareckson Tada