Ada Brownell's Blog, page 44

Baking and Romance?

By Cecelia Toomer

I’ve always loved baking. When I was a kid, I didn’t cook much, except for scrambled eggs and French toast. However, I baked: cookies, cakes, pies. I transferred my love for baking into my Bakery Romance Series.
I’ve never worked in a bakery, so, I had to do research. Since I already have a love for baking, I knew how to make sweet treats and breads from scratch.
My research included watching a LOT of television shows on the Food Network. The shows mentioned below are reality-type shows, based upon real food businesses that were in financial trouble.
My first research show was Save My Bakery: http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/save-my-bakery.html
It focuses on helping failing bakeries. The host/food expert visits the bakery, giving the baker(s) advice about what needs to be done to save their businesses. This program gives background about how a bakery is run every day. The program also gives examples of task(s) that the baker(s) were doing which hindered their establishments.  I also love to watch Chef Robert Irvine’s show, Restaurant Impossible:http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/restaurant-impossible.html
This show does not focus on bakeries. Instead, it focuses on restaurants that are failing. The restaurants then call upon Robert to help them save their business before they go bankrupt. 
Watching both of these shows enabled me to see just how hard it is to run a food business, and these programs also made me realize just how stubborn business owners can be when they are given suggestions to change their means of livelihood. These shows also made me realize that often, a restaurant/bakery financial problem is linked to personal problems that the business owner(s) are facing, like family difficulties, problems with friends, etc. These issues could then spill over into the business, clouding the owner’s judgment. 
To continue my research, I visited a small bakery in my town of Greenbelt, MD, Chef Lou’s Desserts: http://ltmwebs.com/cheflou/
I’ve ordered several birthday and anniversary cakes from Chef Lou over the years and he showed me around his small bakery,  demonstrating some of his baking techniques for me. He even showed me how he frosted a cake, and then placed his distinctive script icing over the frosted layers! We even talked about recipes, but, he didn’t share his recipes with me, he just vaguely told me the ingredients in his desserts, not sharing the measurements. I suppose he has his secrets! His carrot cake is so good, so moist and delicious and that cream cheese frosting is heavenly! 
For baking breads and pastries, I had a lot of questions. I found a pastry chef online and he was kind enough to answer my questions via email. George Geary has worked as a pastry chef at Walt Disney World and he’s written several books:https://www.cookstr.com/users/george-geary/profile

Raspberry Kisses Summary:
Facing eviction, Rhea Morrison, a young grieving widow, must save her failing bakery. Her 
recently-injured twin sister, Raven, loans her money – stipulating Rhea attend a singles retreat to spy on Martin Lane, Raven’s new love interest. Disgruntled, Rhea attends the retreat and is attracted to Martin. She discovers that Martin can help save her bakery. 

Pastor Martin laments over his secret, traumatic past mistakes. He’s destined to lead his father’s church, despite blatant rejection. He can’t love Rhea - he’s yet to forgive himself for his past, and if Rhea knew how he used to be, she would have no interest in pursuing a relationship with him. In spite of their shared attraction, he helps Rhea form a plan to save her business. Martin, a former successful bakery owner, can expertly create delicious pastry recipes. 

Rhea feels torn about her attraction to Martin – he’s a pastor, and after her husband’s death, she vowed to never get involved with another pastor. Plus, her twin sister, Raven, has strong feelings for Martin. Can Rhea let herself have romantic feelings for Martin – knowing it would hurt her sister? 

Can Martin and Rhea overcome their past so that they’re free to love again? 


Amazon: http://amzn.to/1CvfE8i
Nook: http://bit.ly/1sFZSHt
Ibooks: http://bit.ly/1wfSVrQ
Kobo: http://bit.ly/14HOVtn
Scribd: http://bit.ly/12z3gs7


MEET THE AUTHOR

While pursuing a business degree in college one of her professors tried to convince her to get an English degree since he felt she was a great writer. Years later, after receiving her BS in Finance, she took her former teacher's advice, and started pursuing her literary career.

She loves to read, write, and bake delicious desserts during her spare time. Traveling is another favorite hobby, and she's been to various countries around the world, including Germany, France, England, Tahiti, New Zealand, Mexico, Jamaica, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, and Santo Domingo. She enjoys listening to old tunes with her husband on Saturday nights. Currently she resides with her spouse and young son in Maryland.

ONE YARD TO GO IN THE SUPERBOWL

By Ada BrownellSunday night the Seattle Seahawks knocked on the goal line, with only one yard to go. They were down by four with 26 seconds left in the game.Football fan that I used to be when I lived in Bronco Territory, I expected a quarterback sneak like John Elway would have done in his glory days. Yet I’m told Seattle had the best running back in the game, especially in short yardage, and others expected a running play. No. On 2nd-and-1 with one time out left, Seattle called a pass play, and quarterback Russell Wilson's slant pass to Ricardo Lockette was intercepted by New England’s Malcolm Butler.The cheering and screaming Seahawks fans in our crowd quieted. Already cold sober because we don’t indulge in intoxicating beverages, we were even more sober now. A pass? We were shocked. The game was over. Decision made, and for this moment it wasn’t the correct one, according to some.Have you ever been in that spot? Close to doing something great and it slipped through your fingers? Or thinking a decision you made was perfect, and then everything blew up?As a writer, I’ve worked through a few books and articles that ended up like that. My enthusiasm and expectancy grew and grew, and then close to the goal, I discovered that book wasn’t going anywhere.Or, more important, have you almost decided to give your life to Jesus, but then something drew you back into sin that you knew would send you to hell? Now your life is messed up. It looks like the game is over.But then in your game you hear a whistle from heaven. There’s a flag on the play. Satan’s team was called for holding and unnecessary roughness. You get another four downs and a chance to make it across the goal.In Christianity, that’s called redemption. God offering to forgive your sins, make you a new creature, and be with you and never forsake you. It takes gumption and strength to accept your need of a Savior, to confess sins, and be baptized—and get across that goal line. But be as the Apostle Paul who said “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”Yes, a Super Bowl win, the trophy and ring are big deals. But they are nothing compared to the glory we’ll know here and the crown of life we’ll receive later because we have been redeemed and sing and rejoice around God’s throne.Note: Discover the power of faith. Imagine the Future You by Ada Brownell. Get it here

CHANGE YOUR DESTINY--INTERVIEW WITH NOVELIST ANITA HIGMAN

Ada Brownell interview with Award-winning author Anita Higman about  "Destiny"

How do we create and change our destiny?
Anita Higman: I guess one could say that in order to fulfill our calling—or our destiny—it’s a matter of going to God and asking Him to guide us every step of the way. It would be perilous to travel this earthly journey without Him.
I’d like to hear your personal account of how you became a best-selling, award-winning writer, and whether you ever imagined that happening.
Anita: I guess I figured that after writing for 30 years I should have a certain amount of success. So, in that way, I guess I expected it. How did it happen? A lot of bone-tiring, relentless effort. But it was worth it.
Give us the low-down on your main character looking at the angle of destiny,
Winston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Lucy O’Brien lives this motto, but when she is given ten million dollars because of a heroic deed, she has to suddenly grapple with all sorts of issues she’s never faced before. Hopefully, Lucy can learn to deal with wealth without losing all the wonderful personality traits that make her so beloved.
   
A Question of Destiny
ByAnita Higman

Lucy O’Brien is about to be given ten millions dollars. Multi-millionaire, Ian Chalmers, has decided to give a portion of his wealth to Lucy because of her courageous and self-sacrificing lifestyle. With these sudden riches, Lucy is given a chance to rise above her meagre income and enter a whirling and glittering world of comfort and privilege. Since Ian is concerned that Lucy may struggle with this unexpected change in fortune, he hires his assistant—the solitary and stony Andrew Whitfield—to watch over Lucy as she adapts to her new way of life. Will this windfall be Lucy’s undoing, or can she rise above the temptations within Houston’s high society and choose to be a nobler version of herself? And will Andrew Whitfield cause her to close the door on her dreams, or is he the key that opens the rest of Lucy’s destiny? MEET ANITA HIGMAN
Best-selling and award-winning author, Anita Higman, has forty books published. She’s been a Barnes & Noble “Author of the Month” for Houston and has a BA in the combined fields of speech communication, psychology, and art. Anita loves good movies, traveling to exotic places, and brunch with her friends. Please check out Anita’s latest novel on Amazon, A Question of Destiny. Feel free to drop by her website at www.anitahigman.comor connect with her on her Facebook Reader Page at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAnitaHigman. She would love to hear from you!


http://www.amazon.com/Question-Destiny-Anita-Higman-ebook/dp/B00P0FINPE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422888097&sr=8-1&keywords=Anita+Higman

CAN YOU CHANGE YOUR DESTINY? INTERVIEW WITH NOVELIST ANITA HIGMAN

Ada Brownell interview with Award-winning author Anita Higman about  "Destiny"

How do we create and change our destiny?
Anita Higman: I guess one could say that in order to fulfill our calling—or our destiny—it’s a matter of going to God and asking Him to guide us every step of the way. It would be perilous to travel this earthly journey without Him.
I’d like to hear your personal account of how you became a best-selling, award-winning writer, and whether you ever imagined that happening.
Anita: I guess I figured that after writing for 30 years I should have a certain amount of success. So, in that way, I guess I expected it. How did it happen? A lot of bone-tiring, relentless effort. But it was worth it.
Give us the low-down on your main character looking at the angle of destiny,
Winston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Lucy O’Brien lives this motto, but when she is given ten million dollars because of a heroic deed, she has to suddenly grapple with all sorts of issues she’s never faced before. Hopefully, Lucy can learn to deal with wealth without losing all the wonderful personality traits that make her so beloved.
   
A Question of Destiny
ByAnita Higman

Lucy O’Brien is about to be given ten millions dollars. Multi-millionaire, Ian Chalmers, has decided to give a portion of his wealth to Lucy because of her courageous and self-sacrificing lifestyle. With these sudden riches, Lucy is given a chance to rise above her meagre income and enter a whirling and glittering world of comfort and privilege. Since Ian is concerned that Lucy may struggle with this unexpected change in fortune, he hires his assistant—the solitary and stony Andrew Whitfield—to watch over Lucy as she adapts to her new way of life. Will this windfall be Lucy’s undoing, or can she rise above the temptations within Houston’s high society and choose to be a nobler version of herself? And will Andrew Whitfield cause her to close the door on her dreams, or is he the key that opens the rest of Lucy’s destiny? MEET ANITA HIGMAN
Best-selling and award-winning author, Anita Higman, has forty books published. She’s been a Barnes & Noble “Author of the Month” for Houston and has a BA in the combined fields of speech communication, psychology, and art. Anita loves good movies, traveling to exotic places, and brunch with her friends. Please check out Anita’s latest novel on Amazon, A Question of Destiny. Feel free to drop by her website at www.anitahigman.comor connect with her on her Facebook Reader Page at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAnitaHigman. She would love to hear from you!


http://www.amazon.com/Question-Destiny-Anita-Higman-ebook/dp/B00P0FINPE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422888097&sr=8-1&keywords=Anita+Higman

Can suspense be mixed with humor?

Humor Among the Suspense
By James Callan

In the Crystal Moore suspense A Ton of Gold , things can get pretty intense at times.  I don’t think they rise up to thriller status, though probably close. But sometimes, when things are intense for a bit, your reader will welcome something a little lighter.  A little humor might come in handy.
One of my favorite characters is Eula Moore, Crystal’s grandmother.  She is seventy-six, lives alone in the middle of a forest and doesn’t let much upset her.  In one very intense scene, something happens that reminds her of a funny incident from years ago.  She tells those around her the story and thoroughly enjoys herself. But once they laugh about it, she can return just as quickly to the somber mood and difficult situation currently surrounding her.  The short scene gives the reader a break and by adding contrast, actually heightens the seriousness of Eula’s predicament.
Crystal is a very serious minded computer science researcher. And many of the people in the book are not prone to humor. So, it’s important that someone can see the humor in things, even in frightening things.

At another point, near the end of a serious and deadly standoff with two henchmen, the sheriff yells to the thugs that he has two deputies with him and to come out with hands up.  Eula, inside with the bad guys, yells back, “I’m willing to bet my old corset you ain’t got two deputies with you.”  The situation is deadly, but Eula is willing to face it with a little humor.
I just finished reading a good suspense/thriller book.  It was well-written.  The characters were interesting. But they were all so serious, it was depressing.  I don’t think there was a laugh in the entire two hundred and eighty pages.  I enjoyed the book. But I found it tiring. There was never a light moment, a time for the mind to relax.
In my book Character: The Heartbeat of the Novel, I suggest that making the sidekick different from the protagonist is an advantage. This adds contrast, and probably many small instances of conflict, always a good thing in a novel.  If your main characters are very serious, create a sidekick who is a funny woman.  Or at least she can find something to laugh about in almost any situation. This contrast highlights the seriousness of the protagonist, and at the same time, gives the reader a break from too much gravity.
So whether it’s a mystery, a suspense book, or a thriller, take a little break every now and then and give the reader a cause to smile or maybe laugh out loud.  She will appreciate it. And it will tend to make the dangerous scenes seem even more frightening.
My next Father Frank mystery, Over My Dead Body , should be released at the end of April, 2015.  A Christian mystery, it follows the three main characters of Cleansed by Fire, the first book in the series.


Meet James R. Callan
After a successful career in mathematics and computer science, receiving grants from the National Science Foundation and NASA, and being listed in Who’s Who in Computer Science and Two Thousand Notable Americans, James R. Callan turned to his first love—writing.  He wrote a monthly column for a national magazine for two years, and published several non-fiction books.  He now concentrates on his favorite genre, mystery/suspense, with his sixth book releasing in Spring, 2014.

Website:                              www.jamesrcallan.comBlog:                                      www.jamesrcallan.com/blogAmazon Author page:    http://amzn.to/1eeykvGTwitter:                                                @jamesrcallan
A Ton of Gold , (Oak Tree Press, 2013)On Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions:   http://amzn.to/UQrqsZ     

WHAT ARE YOU HUNGRY FOR?

By Ada Brownell
During the Great Depression one of my husband’s sisters mixed cocoa, sugar and butter to add to a cake. A young woman knocked on their door and asked to use the phone. On the way to the phone, she grabbed the chocolate mixture out of my sister-in-law’s hands--and gobbled it up.
The visitor stood there, the empty bowl in her hand, staring.
“I…I…I’m sorry,” she mumbled, as if she were in shock.
“The poor girl must have been hungry,” my mother-in-law recalled.
A World War II vet we knew also experienced hunger.  Taken prisoner by the Germans, he escaped.  He traveled mostly at night trying to get back to American troops. Water wasn’t too difficult to find, but food was something else.  Hunger gnawed his stomach and mind as he traveled through enemy territory.
He lay on the ground resting one day when a rat, his curious little eyes and body pulsing with life, came to investigate. In seconds the soldier snatched the tail and ate the rat.
Eddie Rickenbacker, the World War II pilot who was lost at sea, in his autobiography tells how and he and his crew ate a raw seagull that landed on Rickenbacker’s head after they pulled the rafts
together for a prayer meeting. They used the insides for fish bait on their improvised pole, and the seagull saved their lives.
What kinds of things are you grasping to fill the God-sized hole within? Do you find sin, success, fame, money, empty relationships don’t satisfy your inner longings?
John Lennon, who sang with the famed Beatles, said “I knew there was nothing at the top, but it was fun getting there.”
Actor Errol Flynn who died in 1959, had his handkerchiefs and other possessions monogrammed with a question mark because he found no meaning in the life of fame, booze and women.
Howard Hughes, once one of the richest men in the world, became a recluse later in life, seeing few people, rarely going out, and fearing germs. The film producer and director, as well as an aviator, found no peace from money and earthly power.   Satan lies to everyone and tries to make them believe they can find lasting pleasure in sin and success, but nothing fills the God-shaped void within us except our Creator and Redeemer.The Bible says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6).
The prophet Isaiah wrote, and preceded the words with, “Says the Lord:”
“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good. And let your soul delight in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to me. Hear and your soul shall live....” (Isaiah 55:1-3NKJ).
Good news for anyone who will answer the invitation.
     Copyright © 2015 Ada B. Brownell

Que Sera Sera?

By Cindy Loven
Que Sera Sera?
I know I am dating myself, but when I was a child there was a show with Doris Day and she sang the song, Que Sera Sera, whatever will be, will be.  How many times do we forget that God is in control? Today in talking with a friend, I just mentioned “it will be, if it is supposed to be.” But do we really mean that when we say it? Are we willing to take things to God, turn them over to Him and let Him do what He wills for our lives? Ouch, I am a fixer by nature. I want to fix everything, often even when it is not broken.  Plus I can't leave out the fact that I often like to try to pick up my troubles after I lay them on the altar. I am so funny, thinking that God needs my help. So how about you, can you live by the “Que Sera Sera motto? Do you let life be what life is? My goal this year is to try to let God be more in control of all my actions and emotions. If I want Him to be the Lord of my life, then I must let Him be, just that, the Lord of my life.
Psalm 91:2  I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust.

Author Cindy Loven, makes her home in Arkansas with her husband and son. Active in her local church, she finds herself busy, but loves reading and crafting, when she is not writing. She is the author of a children's book Dianna's Wings and co-author of Swept Away Quilts of Love. Both books are available on Amazon in ebook and print copies. Visit her amazon page at www.amazon.com/author/cindyloven  also her Facebook page is www.facebook.com/authorcindyloven.

Book Blurb for Dianna's Wings:Did you ever see a beautiful butterfly and wish you could soar on majestic wings? Dianna Dragonfly has. In fact she is convinced her life will be perfect if she only had butterfly wings. Trevor has to show Dianna that God creates us perfectly, each and every one of us. That we all have beauty within us.

COZY MYSTERY: A STITCH IN CRIME

 Seek & Who Knows What You’ll Find?
By Cathy Elliott
People ask what kind of research one must do in order to write crime fiction. Since my amateur sleuth is sure to become entangled in a murder with eventual police involvement, some crime scene research is needed. I am grateful for a wise Sergeant’s advice on all police procedures, including that today’s officers choose to eat salads and sandwiches over donuts. I like to keep current, so his counsel is appreciated. No clichéd policemen for this cozy author. My fictive Detective Brewster, Officer Threet, and Canine Officer Justice, all conform to proper procedures. Most of the time. Which makes them very real to me.
Cozies are a special genre of crime fiction. I think of them as kinder, gentler mysteries where all the bad stuff, the give-you-nightmares stuff, happens off-stage.  A favorite definition is, “Cats or quilts and not a lot of blood.” My new novel, A Stitch in Crime, has it all. A calico cat named Betty, fiercely loved and protected by our hesitant sleuth, Thea James. A quilt show with a quilt reputed to contain the secret to great riches. And blood? What blood?
Okay, maybe a little.
Some research is needed, of course, but not necessarily too much about crime. For this book, I had to do extensive digging to understand how to orchestrate a quilt show. Interviews with a chairperson and on-the-job training at a real show gave me lots of fodder to help make it authentic for the story. And since a major Gold Rush display opened at the museum during my quilt show, I needed to know what to put in the cases, reflecting the forty-niner days of old. More research.
But cozies, just like any book, are largely observations of life, tweaked, and written down. I am in constant research mode, studying someone who might show me that next response from Thea or from Gram or Mum. I feel like a detective, always watching, trying to find the treasure in someone’s dialog or gesture or dress. Something I can steal for my character to make her more real, more believable. So she will breathe through the pages into the reader’s psyche. She’s already alive in mine.
Cozies are also filled with quirky characters. My protagonist is a clumsy, ‘fraidy-cat who procrastinates even more than me. I discovered her flaws from among my family and friends…a little nail-biting from this person, a little bad cooking from another, a sprinkle of kindness from my mom and voila! It’s spunky, clog-wearing Thea James. In the flesh.
Always on the lookout for things Thea might mess up, I keep my inner research light on at all times. Recently, I put cinnamon on my steamed veggies instead of seasoned salt, only realizing it after taking a big bite. Yuck!
But, on the other hand, Thea might do the same in a future adventure. Only she will be making dinner for her beau, Cole Mason. Perhaps she also invited the Mayor, hoping to impress.
Hmm, I wonder how that will work out? Maybe I should do more research.
BOOK SUMMARY for A Stitch in Crime:Thea James thought working as co-chair for Larkindale’s first quilt show extravaganza would be a natural extension of her antique business. But while organizing the busy week’s premiere events would make anyone frayed, she doesn’t expect a complete unraveling!
   At the opening soirée, local matriarch Mary-Alice Wentworth is knocked unconscious and robbed of her diamond brooch. Soon a rare quilt—the main attraction and a rumored key to great riches—goes missing. Those who signed up to help Thea are strangely no help at all. What more could possibly happen?   Amid a cast of colorful characters and a tight schedule of garden galas, tea parties, and televised socials, everything is falling apart at the seams – and nothing is quite what it seems. Can Thea sew everything back together?



CATHY ELLIOTT BIO:Cathy Elliott is a full-time writer in northern California whose cozy mysteries reflect her personal interests from quilting and antique collecting to playing her fiddle with friends. She also leads music at church and enjoys time with her grandchildren. Cathy’s previous plot-twisting works include A Vase of Mistaken Identity and Medals in the Attic.
Visit Cathy at:Website & Occasional Blog - www.cathyelliottbooks.comPinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/cathyelliott10/·         Facebook – Author Cathy Elliott cathyelliottbooks.comQuestion to blog readers:
What is your favorite crime story and why? Please comment with your answer.

Seven Ways to Look at Moving

                                        By Ada Nicholson Brownell
            Our first move was when we were married less than a year. We landed in a cabin on top of Colorado’s Tennessee Pass. Since then we’ve moved more than 30 times. My most troubling "relocation" was Thompson, a town in the Utah desert, Population 100, three bars, and no church. My husband, a railroader, worked nights. We had a two-week-old baby; a dilapidated rental, no telephone; knew no one in town. Ninety miles separated me from my family and the doctor. The nearest city hid 38 miles another direction. Previously, we owned a cute little house in my home town, surrounded by friends and family. I was president of a thriving church youth group. After the move, my emotions went splat on the brick wall of seemingly impossible circumstances. Through God's grace I discovered moving isn't the end of the world.  Here are 10 ways I learned to accept change.1.                  God directs my steps.

Psalm 37:23KJVPhilippians 4:11 KJ

THE CHICKEN'S TAIL

           By Ada  Brownell
                                                            When I was growing up, our family went to church most Sundays knowing dinner was still running around in the chicken pen.            Whether we got out at noon or 1 o’clock, the family tackled the necessary chores to put dinner on the table. Dad or one of my brothers caught the chickens. Mom put water on to boil and went to the cellar for vegetables and fruit.  My older sisters, four of them until they started getting married, peeled potatoes and helped prepare other side dishes. Dad or a brother killed the fryers, dunked them in boiling water, plucked the feathers, and over an open flame burned off pinfeathers.Mom washed and cut up the chickens, immersed them in flour, salt and pepper, and slithered the pieces into the frying pan.  The aroma filled the comfortable two-story house.I helped set the table and fill the glasses.            Often friends, relatives, preachers or missionaries joined the 10 of us for dinner. After someone prayed, Mom glanced around at each child and said, “FHB.” Translation: “Family Hold Back. Don’t take all the food before our guests have some.”            Since I was the youngest, I usually got a meaty “wishbone” which you don’t see when you buy a cut-up chicken today. Mom always ate the chicken’s tailpiece. “I like it,” she’d say with a smile.            It was a bony piece, and none of us liked the idea of eating the “last piece over the fence.”            Years later, after I became a mother, I understood why Mom loved the tailpiece. It was because she loved us and wanted us to have the meatier parts.            Sacrifice is just part of love.  Jesus gave us that example when he sacrificed Heaven and came to earth to suffer and die so that we could have eternal life.  “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).