Kate Lloyd's Blog, page 7
July 19, 2022
Writing Pains
When my new book A Lancaster Family Secret released it felt like giving birth. Well, maybe not that painful, but I couldn’t do it on my own.
Now that I’m getting reviews, the whole writing process is so worth it! I hope each of my readers enjoy A Lancaster Family Secret.
I have read several books written by this author, but this one was definitely my favorite one. Annette and the Millers face several trials as the book continues and as they experience new changes and each comes to face their shortcomings, it is interesting to see how these challenges are faced. I highly recommend this book!
– Sunnie Reviews, 5-star review
A myriad 0f questions always arise. I have been struck by the generosity of other authors who have helped me—and have not made me feel dumb for asking questions.
One author whom I respect for her many books and kindness is bestselling Vannetta Chapman, prolific author of Falling to Pieces, a novel I’m reading and recommend. If you love the Amish, quilts, and mysteries you are sure to be captivated. The two other books in this series sound fun and exciting. Can’t wait! Read more about novels and her writing awards on her delightful blog.
Other authors who have helped me are bestselling Old Order Amish Linda Byler, who writes her books by hand but always gets back to me by phone, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher, bestselling author Beth Wiseman, and Rachel Hauck. Sorry if I missed any of these generous authors!
I love seeing horses and buggies in Intercourse, Lancaster County.
While I enjoy these great authors I strive to write unique stories unlike any other.
A pair of meticulously selected draft horses at work.
For me, writing about the Amish requires strenuous research. My friend Herb Scrivener, former owner of Zooks Fabrics, is a wealth of knowledge of the Lancaster County Amish and Old Order Mennonites. I can’t thank him enough for answering my questions. In fact, he located my prize, a charming faceless doll sewn in Lancaster County by an Old Order horse-and-buggy Mennonite woman.
A fun visit with Herb in Zook’s Fabric in Intercourse, Lancaster County.
Enter to win the doll plus a signed copy of A Lancaster Family Secret. US only. Winner has three days to reply to my email. Good luck!
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June 28, 2022
Congratulations
Please help me congratulate Kyra Risma, winner of the $100 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of one of my books. Many thanks to all who entered. I appreciate you so much and wish I had a prize for everyone.
June 21, 2022
First Day of Summer Giveaway!
Sipping my coffee this morning I could hear the rain drizzling down. Piper hates walking in the rain. So I opened my laptop to the local weather station and peeked at the hourly forecast to see it was 47 degrees with a high of 64! What happened to springtime in the Puget Sound area? Watching the weather forecast on TV for the rest of the country I saw that much of it was intolerably high. Air conditioning material.
Having lived in Connecticut on my grandma’s farm with no AC, I recall those hot and humid days followed by driving rain and fierce electrical storms, which we rarely have here in the Pacific Northwest. Although a lightning strike killed our beloved oak tree several years back.
Dressed in fleece but I needed mittens!
I can hear our furnace going in the basement. In June?
Yesterday I spoke to a friend who lives in a condominium with no heat this time of year. On a normal year this would not be a problem, but she says she’s freezing and is relying on her small space-heaters to keep her warm. “Unconscionable,” was her description.
Blue hydrangea brought down by an afternoon of heavy rain.
When we were up on the island last weekend a neighbor, a hale and hearty lady who thinks nothing of diving into the Puget Sound’s icy waters in summer, mentioned that this is the coldest spring she can remember. She can’t wait for summer to finally arrive. We are all ready for that glorious warmth!
A good friend and her husband own Silver Maple Farm not far from here. Their website states: “Due to Western Washington’s 8th coldest April and rainiest May ever recorded, many of our crops have been delayed and quantities are limited as we enter the 2022 season.”
When the clouds part, even briefly, it reminds me that there’s light at the end of the tunnel!
Weather plays a role in my novels, even (or especially) when it’s not used to advance the storyline. It can set a mood, fill in sensory details, provide insight into a character, or drive a plot, as this excerpt from Stage Fright shows:
Nick led me to the front door and pushed it open. Soggy air gusted in. Outside, sheets of rain slapped the street, invading the gutter.
He grimaced at the sky. “I’d suggest waiting for the weather to improve, but it could pour like this all night.”
“We can walk. I’ll be fine.” We had no other choice, even if it meant ruining my only dress pumps.
In spite of the chilly days, Piper and I intend to bundle up and celebrate the first day of summer by holding a Giveaway! Enter to win a $100 Amazon gift card and one of my books! Winner has three days to claim their prizes. I will send the winner an e-mail. US and Canada only.
Enter my giveaway for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card and a copy of any of my books. Winner has three days to claim their prizes by returning my email. US and Canada only. Good luck!
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May 24, 2022
Congratulations
Please help me congratulate Annette Johnson, winner of the $100 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of one my books. Many thanks to all who entered. I appreciate each and every one of you!
May 16, 2022
The Colorful Month of May
To my mind, May is a colorful and celebratory month. After a chilly and damp spring here in the Pacific Northwest, the days are getting longer and colorful signs of spring are popping up everywhere. The rhododendrons, which are Washington’s state flower are finally in bloom. While I don’t suffer from allergies, many of my friends do. Thankfully, one benefit of our damp spring is that pollen counts have remained generally low. Even the pine tree pollen that blanketed the cars parked along the street in a dusting of yellow earlier this month was less than in previous years.
I love rhododendrons both because they come in so many different colors and because they’re a relatively low-maintenance plant.
The farmers markets are in full swing, numerous festivals are opening up, and Memorial Day caps off the month. Getting up on a Saturday morning and visiting the local farmers market is always a fun way to spend a couple of hours outdoors, plus I get my walking in and have a chance to chat with so many people. Small farms comprise 83% of the more than 39,000 farms here in Washington State, so farmers markets are also a great way to support small, local businesses.
The produce is fresher than I can find in any store, and everything I cook just tastes better. With vendors selling flowers, cider, soaps, honey, hand-crafted textiles, fresh-baked bread and treats (even doggie treats for Piper!), I seldom leave without a bag full of goodies.
Honey in every shade from pale gold to dark brown at the local farmers market.
Farmers markets are also a great way to get new ideas when I get in a rut for what to make for lunch or dinner. Just ask – farmers love to share their secrets, tips and recipes on how to prepare their fresh offerings. I challenge myself to try one new thing each time I go. I’m debating what to do with the rhubarb I bought, perhaps a rhubarb cheesecake? Although I picked up a recipe for rhubarb honey chicken that sounds very tasty, so I might end up making that instead.
Rhubarb, with it’s tart/sweet/spicy flavor is wonderful, not just in baked good, but in savory dishes as well.
If you’re in the mood to share, I’d love to hear some of your favorite farmer’s market recipes!
Enter my giveaway for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card and a copy of any of my books. Winner has three days to claim their prizes by returning my email. US and Canada only. Good luck!
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April 26, 2022
Congratulations
Please help me congratulate Amy Bradsher, winner of the $100 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of one my books. Many thanks to all who entered. I appreciate each and every one of you!
April 18, 2022
Easter Season giveaway
Easter has always been a time of joyful exuberance, an explosion of traditions from around the world. The traditions might be religious, cultural, familial, personal or a mix of all four, but I’ve found that none of my friends and family celebrate Easter quite the same way.
The last few weeks as I take Piper on her walks, I enjoy the decorations. Bunnies, ducks, chicks, flowers have all shown up on my neighbors’ doors, and in their windows and gardens.
My neighbor hangs some of the cutest decorations in her window.
Easter lilies sit by my front door, their sweet fragrance softly scenting the house. Judy Garland and Fred Astaire sing and dance their way through “Easter Parade” on the TV in the living room.
I’m old enough to no longer be embarrassed by my sweet tooth, so I treat myself to some candy – no jelly beans, as I’ve never been a fan, but chocolate eggs and bunnies always make an appearance in our Easter baskets, along with Jordan almonds, those pastel-colored sugar-covered almonds which my father dearly loved.
Always go for the good chocolate!
Nowhere are traditions more evident than on our easter brunch table. Colored eggs have been around Christianity for centuries, and though my children are long past the age, I still color eggs and use them as a centerpiece for our table. Eating lamb goes back even further to Jewish Passover traditions. Hot cross buns have been popular for hundreds of years, even before the 18th century nursery rhyme.
Hot cross buns!, Hot cross buns! One ha’ penny, two ha’ penny, Hot cross buns! If you have no daughters, Give them to your sons, One ha’ penny, Two ha’ penny, Hot Cross Buns!
Carrot cake became a popular Easter treat due to the sugar rationing during the Second World War.
Though there were no carrot cakes at the bakery, these fun Easter cakes all look tempting!
Deviled eggs are one of my favorites, so I thought I’d share my simple traditional recipe.
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and halved
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp white vinegar
¼ tsp salt
Separate egg yolks from the whites. Mash yolks in a small bowl with remaining ingredients. Spoon the yolk mixture into the egg whites. Garnish with a dash of paprika and a sprig of parsley. I dress mine up with a tiny cocktail shrimp.
To celebrate this time of year, I’m giving away $100 Amazon Gift Card and one of my books. US and Canada only. Winner has three days to claim their prizes by returning my email.
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March 15, 2022
Congratulations
Please help me congratulate Theresa Norris, winner of the $100 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of one my books. Many thanks to all who entered. I appreciate each and every one of you!
March 7, 2022
Spring is Around the Corner Giveaway!
As I left the optometrist a few days ago I was met with a lovely sight: Ravenna Gardens. I couldn’t help but stop to admire the lovely arrangements and blossoms. How did I manage to get out of there without purchasing anything? By reminding myself that it is too early to plant in our garden—I’ve made that mistake before. It’s in the upper 30s right now. Too cold for planting. But soon!
New temptations around every corner!
As I write a book, I consider the time of year akin to a character. Seasons each have their own personality, don’t you think? When writing my novel Stage Fright, I was ready for spring, as I am today. I immersed myself in memories of time spent in Great Britain in Springtime. What fun! Here is a snippet from Stage Fright, what Midwest Reviews called “clean romance reading at its best.”
“Nick drove us through Epping Forest. Out the window, I saw mammoth oak and beech trees sprinkled with lime-green leaves, tall against the pastel blue sky. We passed a grassy meadow. Mist rose as sunlight warmed the ground; the earth looked thick and supple. I imagined a knight galloping across the clearing, his steed’s hooves kicking up clumps of sod.
“Queen Elizabeth I used to hunt here, as did her father, Henry VIII ,” Nick said through the microphone.
Hard to resist these cute daffodils!
Spring is a busy time for my friend and writer Kathleen Kohler and her husband who own and work the organic Silver Maple Farm. When I spoke to her yesterday about choosing seeds ahead of time, I was reminded of one of my favorite characters, Silvia, in my Amish novel A Letter from Lancaster County.
Silver Maple Farm grows fresh, organic fruits and vegetables.
Entering my Giveaway for a $100 Amazon Gift Card and one of my books is as easy as tiptoeing through the tulips. Can’t wait for tulips to show themselves. US and Canada only. Winner has three days to claim their prizes by returning my email
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February 15, 2022
Congratulations
Please help me congratulate Mary Ellen Ashenfelder, winner of the $100 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of one my books. Many thanks to all who entered.
