Cece Whittaker's Blog: Glorious Christmas this Weekend!

Making the Grade Just Out

Had the medical personnel around her seen what Bernice saw, they would have ceased their frenzied ministrations and fallen to their knees. No longer feeling the bone grinding pain in her leg, or the blistering heat of the fever, Bernice was held in the arms of her angel as a sweet current of refreshment brought restoration to her body, filling her spirit with joy.

Bernice is one of four close friends in this volume of my Serve Series. She is struggling to survive the terrible aftermath of a broken bone. The cover gives you a pretty good idea of what might be about to happen, but to which of the four girls? is number ten in my Serve Series, a continuing story of best friends and their true loves during World War II. Making the Grade shares their journeys through some of the thrills and disappointments they go through in their quests to move ahead with their lives, serving in most loving ways both God and community.

It's not necessary to read volumes 1 through 9 before reading Making the Grade , although you may find it more fun to do that! Thanks for stopping to read! Love to hear from you!

Making the Grade
Cece Whittaker

Glorious Christmas this Weekend!

Looking for some fun, romance, and a little snow? Glorious Christmas is on sale now, through July 23, 2021 for only ninety-nine cents. It's a cozy hybrid for readers who like a strong story with intrigue and humor, and live, embraceable characters!

You can see it at https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B...

More of the Serve Series

"It" kept us from doing a lot of things, but writing wasn't one of them. The 1940s world continued on in my Serve Series, with three more volumes over the last year. My latest, Saving Treasures keeps you wondering if Harry's former girlfriend is just flakey or actually quite dangerous. But Helen, Harry's wife, is not to be discouraged and continues doing all she can to help retrieve and old friend whose life has gotten away from her in a very severe way. Humor and love are the biggest weapons against the doldrums, and you may find more than you expect in these latest books! Cece Whittaker Saving Treasures


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May 2020

You know, I started writing this series to create a story about characters that I envisioned from my Mom and Dad's time during the World War II. Since the main characters started out based on real people, the characters themselves became real to me, and soon, so did their friends in the story. Now, on book 5 in the series, (which I think I'll call Promises Lost & Found) sometimes I find myself starting to pray for them at night! I think I can get a hold of myself before losing complete control, though. I hope to keep them alive for you, though as I continue. In the next story, there is another wedding, and of course adventure with some of the men in the story. As their lives become more complex, I will probably concentrate on certain specific characters in each story, and rotate from book to book, you know, so no one feels left out. Thanks for your continued support. Please feel free to write to me here or on my website, which is
CeceWhittakerStories.com

Christmas Sweetness--Workarounds during the War Years

What—no sugar?

Tucked inside the memories of the War years Christmases is the fundamental struggle for resources. Probably most remembered and challenging of those resources at home was that of sugar. As one of the very first food items to be rationed, sugar quickly became a coveted and very protected provision. The Sugar Book, as the ration book was known, contained stamps allotting each person one-half pound of sugar per week. This practice went smoothly at first, but as time went on, while there was no argument that each person was entitled to his or her half-pound, there was no guarantee that the store they visited would have it available to sell. Frustrated with their predicament, home cooks learned to work around the sugar shortage by employing the variety of commercially produced items by manufacturers whose sugar resources were not rationed.

Such items included marshmallows, pudding mixes, gelatin mixes, and condensed milk. Additionally, cooks were successful in their creative use of molasses, honey, and maple syrup, among other sweet liquids. A wonderful resource by Joanne Lamb Hayes, Grandma's Wartime Kitchen, lists a large collection of actual recipes created in the sugar deprived era.

Rising to the Occasion

Among my favorites; Whipped Honey Icing, created by bringing 2/3 cup of honey to a boil, and pouring it over 2 stiffly beaten egg whites, combined with an eighth of a teaspoon of salt. (Hayes 2000) Today, this might satisfy both the crowd trying to reduce cholesterol as well as those trying to stay away from sugar. I can only imagine how delicious that might be, perhaps glazing a slice of fresh pound cake!

Ironically, most sources agree that a sweet roll, as my mother calls it, was not at all uncommon for breakfast in those early 1940s. But usually they were more like doughnuts, which, while sweet and wonderful, required very little sugar either in the batter or as a frosting. What I wouldn’t give for a batch of home-made doughnuts in my kitchen today!

Some homemakers found success in creating caramels and other candies by repurposing purchased marshmallows. When chocolate was available, it was also possible to fashion a type of chewy brownie that would later become the preferred type for many across the country.

In Gratitude

This year, when I looked at my cannister, filled to the top with white granulated sugar, and my three pounds of butter, neatly stacked inside my refrigerator, along with vanilla, nuts, eggs, milk, and anything else I might possibly need, I felt such gratitude. Writers are rarely creatures of affluence, but in that moment, as I prepared to make my Christmas treats, I felt filled to the brim with riches, and appreciation for the brave and caring men and women who sacrificed everything for us, back during World War II, and still today.

Cece Whittaker Cece Whittaker is author of The Call to Serve, an upbeat, heartwarming, but researched story of characters in the US and overseas managing the struggles of life during the War Years of the early 1940s.

Hayes, Joanne Lamb. 2000. Grandma's Wartime Kitchen. New York: St. Martin's Press.

Curing the Great Holiday Compression

Too Much Activity Got You All Wound Up?

It’s been established over the years that while the holiday season is a wonderful time to be with family and celebrate the blessings and gifts we’ve shared over the years, it’s also a well-known stress builder. It’s not just the internal expectation that hits folks, but more the lack of planning, being caught unaware, potential cash shortfall, and even the visits ones doesn’t want to make but feel obligated to do. Writing lists and putting together a schedule works for some folks, but for many, it’s just another source of anxiety, particularly when the accomplishments required don’t occur by the scheduled days.
A lack of pacing, not to mention the often-corresponding lack of funds, is usually at the bottom of holiday distress. That is not to say it comprises the whole ball of wax, but let’s say, it gets the ball rolling. It’s the root of the anxiety and continues to intensify things as other bits and pieces get picked up. How can this whole mess be avoided? How does one enjoy the holiday season and really have that Merry Christmas?

Easy Answer, Cheap Solution

While there are no doubt many who espouse the alcohol solution, or the exit-the-rat-race philosophy, the answer is actually healthier, cheaper, and ultimately happier. When pacing is involved, a body must be rested. If not physically rested, at least emotionally rested. This happens with temporary escape. Winding down, as mothers call it. Definitely the Calgon bath. But if you’re not a bath person, why not indulge in the common escape of the story?
Watch an old movie where Christmas is utter bliss, while slowing down your mile-a-minute self-demands. Have a hot chocolate or a cup of coffee. Or for an even more engaging revitalization, find a book online among the awesome array of books at places like Kobo, Barnes&Noble, or Amazon. Sit and read, or even listen to a funny, happy, exciting, romantic, or whatever kind of story you enjoy—often for only $3 or less! Once you’re there, you’re happier, you release some tension, and you can better focus on what you still have to do without all the noise and nagging of anxiety.

Reading for Family

If you’ve got little ones, there’s nothing finer for their sweet memories than listening to a parent or older sibling read a Christmas book, filled with special love and holiday promise. Traditional favorites like The Night Before Christmas never grow old, but beautifully illustrated new books are also available online, often for only a few dollars.
Whichever way you choose remember that managing emotional health can carry you into and throughout a holiday season with a better outlook, healthier emotional balance, and a Merrier Christmas!

The Great Surprise of New Romance Fiction

It wasn’t until I was writing romance that I realized what an amazing and thorough escape this genre could be. For many people, it’s almost a daily medication. I’ll be honest, I always thought of the romance novel as the typical plot: boy meets girl, boy wants girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. But what a surprise I had coming—and I thought I was the first!
While I cannot help adding large tablespoons full of humor to my mix, other authors like Esther Erman (Just One) include unique and touching, historical dimensions. Others, like Alethea Williams (Joy That Long Endures) use international roots and historical perspective as well to add color and intrigue. Then there’s Penelope Marzec’s hilarious Daddy Wanted, which adds an element of adventure and what I call “goodness” to the protagonist’s character.
For me, and maybe it’s because I’m lazy after a day of writing, I prefer to listen to my stories as opposed to reading them. When I looked into stories that were read aloud, I was surprised to see how many other writers had chosen to read their own books! What fun! I did it because I’ve always been a performer. (Next time out, I hope to make a better show of it, as at times during my reading, it sounds like I’m on Quaaludes.)(Which I’m not!)
But the market is filled with refreshingly new designs in the romance field, and because of our awesome shopping opportunities, you can now scan the titles for your interests within the field that you might enjoy, including Christmas Romance, Historical Romance, Religious Romance, Comedy Romance, and a whole barrel of other specialty styles.
I hope you find something good—books are the best!
The Author:
Cece WhittakerCece Whittaker lives and writes in Southern New Jersey. Her recent novels, The Call to Serve (Christmas story), and Love in the Victory Garden, are humor and romance-filled stories set in 1943-44. She draws on her happy childhood and multi-generational memories to create her romance novels, presented honestly and through a Christian heart. The Call to Serve

Cece Whittaker's Stories

The Power of Writing

It's amazing to me how powerful the relationship is between the writer and act of writing. I have discovered over time that when I'm writing, I am rarely aware of the passage of time. Were it not for the 8 sets of shih Tzu eyes looking at me saying "Where's dinner?" I might write well into the night without noticing the day had passed. And when I'm working for others, it's almost comical how much I have to break, get a coffee, put on a sweater, take off a sweater, clean my keyboard, etc. Once you have fallen in love with writing, I'm thinking there's no turning back!

That Next Manuscript!

I read recently on Twitter how one author had dreaded coming to the end of a book because she feared she might never write another. I shared that feeling of dread when writing The Call to Serve because I fell in love with the feeling of being around my characters and their era. But when I wrote the second in the series, I had the same feeling of loving those fun people, but no fear because Love In the Victory Garden isn't the end of the line either! It really helps writers to hear the readers' thoughts on the feelings they have toward our characters. I've had people tell me that they felt they had made friends with Helen or Annie. Others say that they wished they knew them personally. It reinforces my own feelings about the characters, and helps me get cozy into the feeling of picking up the storyline and carrying on with the same folks. Thanks for your ratings and thanks for reading this blog post. I would love to hear your comments!