Deborah Vogts's Blog, page 121

The Top of the Mark ~ Snow Melts in Spring

A while back I shared a favorite opening scene from Snow Melts in Spring with you. Another favorite scene occurs midway through the book when my hero, Gil McCray, returns to San Francisco for his retirement party.

My favorite part of that scene is when Mattie appears at the party at the Top of the Mark. Gil asked her to attend, but they'd gotten into a fight about it--you know, silly stuff. Then her best friend, Clara, convinces her to fly out there, knowing how much it will mean to Gil to share this moment with Mattie. She even borrows a fancy black dress from Clara. 


She surprises him at the party, they have a romantic moment on the trolley car, and the next day Gil shows her the estate he intends to buy in Sonoma County. Can we say "rich?" Things don't go quite the way Gil hopes in this scene, but I love it just the same.

My research for San Francisco was a lot of fun, and with the Internet, it was easy to find information I needed for these scenes. The retirement party was held at the Top of the Mark, so I researched the Mark Hopkins Hotel, asked questions about the restaurant, and also learned about the nearby trolley cars. Researching homes for sale near Healdsburg was also great fun! I actually used one of the floor plans as my guide when Gil and Mattie toured the home.


So, if you've read Snow Melts in Spring, what was your favorite scene from California? Do you have a favorite scene from the book that you'd like to know more about? I'd love to share with you here.

Called to Write Conference

This past weekend I attended the Called to Write Conference in Pittsburg, KS. This is a great little conference, full of educational workshops in both fiction and nonfiction, as well as lots of sweet fellowship. Here are a few pictures from the weekend. 
 With my daughter who attends PSU
The ladies from Pages from Stages, a sweet new blog from writers at different stages in their lives. 
Good friends, Julane Hiebert and Sara Meisinger
Fiction speaker Stephanie Grace Whitson. This was the first time I'd met Stephanie and we took time afterwards to visit and get to know each other. Sweet lady. 
A group of ACFW members with ACFW author books. Fun! 
Next year's conference is set for April 5-6 with Guest Speaker, Deborah Raney. Be sure to visit our conference site for more information.

This Week's Recipes

Check out this week's recipes on Country at Heart Recipes. 
 M & M Cookies
French Bread with Dipping Oil
Monday, I'll host Featured Author Diana Brandmeyer, who will share her Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread recipe. Be sure to stop by and say hello. Until then, have a delightful weekend! 

Mother-Daughter Banquet

Last weekend I had the pleasure of speaking at a mother-daughter banquet for Osage Church of the Brethren, in McCune, KS. I haven't scheduled an author event for nine months, so I'm sure I was a little rusty. However, it turned out well. 
My two younger daughters and I enjoyed a lovely catered meal. They decorated with a tea pot theme and gave away tea sets to the young girls. 
 After the dinner, I gave my presentation on Researching the Seasons of the Tallgrass.
Following that I signed books and gained some new readers. 
For those who have e-readers, my books are on sale NOW on Amazon for .99. If you don't own a Kindle, they have an option to download the books to your PC. 
This weekend, I'm headed to the Called to Write conference in Pittsburg, KS. I'll share pictures and more on that next week. Until then, enjoy the moments . . . . 

Book Drawing ~ Always The Designer, Never The Bride

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Always The Designer, Never The Bride Abingdon Press (April 2012) by Sandra D. Bricker


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
For more than a decade, Sandra D. Bricker lived in Los Angeles. While honing her chosen craft of screenwriting in every spare moment, she worked as a personal assistant and publicist to some of daytime television's hottest stars. When her mother became ill in Florida, she walked away from that segment of her life and moved across the country to take on a new role: Caregiver.


The Big 5-OH! was released by Abingdon Press in the Spring of 2010, and the novel was very well-received, garnering a couple of nibbles from Hollywood.


Always the Baker, Never the Bride was released by Abingdon Press in September 2010. With its phenomenal reviews, the novel spawned a series of three more books based on the popular cast of characters at The Tanglewood Inn, a wedding destination hotel in historic Roswell, Georgia. The series cemented Sandie's spot in publishing as a flagship author of Laugh-Out-Loud romantic comedy for the inspirational market.


"Being allowed to combine my faith and my humor with my writing dream," says Bricker, "well, that's the best of all worlds, as far as I'm concerned!"


ABOUT THE BOOK
It's taken Audrey Regan years to establish herself as a wedding dress designer, and to date she's been roped into creating dresses for nine of her girlfriends. Request #10 follows her vow to "Just say no!" and comes from her very best friend. She can hardly turn Carly down!


Audrey arrives in Atlanta early to perform all of her maid-of-honor duties along with final fittings for a one-of-a-kind dress. But Carly's wedding is nothing short of an event, complete with Prince Charming, and the festivities make Audrey question whether there's a prince of her own anywhere in her future.


Enter the groom's brother and best man. Shaggy-haired, tattooed bad boy J.R. Hunt couldn't be any more different from Prince Charming if he rode in on a Harley Davidson.  Oh, wait. He actually did ride in on a Harley! If you would like to read an excerpt of the first chapter of Always The Designer, Never The Bride, go HERE.



Leave a comment below to enter this week's book drawing.  A winner will be selected on Sunday, April 15.

  *Void where prohibited. Open only to US residents.  Odds of winning depend on number of entrants. Comments must be made on this blog. Social network comments are not valid.

This Week's Recipes

Check out these new recipes on Country at Heart Recipes.
Poached Eggs with Asparagus over Hash Browns

Peanut Butter Treats

Also this week, I hosted Featured Author, Cara Putman, who shared her recipe for Mexican Pasta. 
Enjoy, and have a blessed Easter weekend!

Favorite Scenes - Snow Melts in Spring

I'm guessing that every author has a favorite book he's written, and within that book, a favorite scene or two. This week, I thought I'd share one of my favorite scenes when writing Snow Melts in Spring. 



 As you probably know, I adore the Flint Hills of Kansas, and because this book sets the tone for the entire series, I wanted to give my readers a chance to see and fall in love with the hills themselves. 




My first opportunity to do so occurred at the Lighting M Ranch when Mattie visits John McCray to discuss the injuries of his son's horse. While there, he invites her to ride out in the pasture and look at a sick heifer. She rides one of his mares and enjoys the scenery on her return to the ranch. Meanwhile, Gil is flying over the ranch in a private Cessna and lands on the neighbor's airstrip. 




In these two scenes I allow readers to see the hills from horseback but also give them an areal view of the rock embedded pastures. If you haven't done so already, you may READ THE FIRST FEW CHAPTERS HERE. Next time, I'll share another favorite scene about Gil's real estate search in California. 

Book Drawing - Cooking the Books

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Cooking The Books Abingdon Press (April 2012) by Bonnie S. Calhoun


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
As the Owner/Director of the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance Bonnie has helped use the 220+ blogs of the Alliance to promote many titles on the Christian bestseller list. She also owns and publishes the Christian Fiction Online magazine which is devoted to readers and writers of Christian fiction. She is the Northeast Zone Director for American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). At ACFW she was named the 'Mentor of the Year,' for 2011, and she is the current President of (CAN) Christian Authors Network. Bonnie is also the Appointment Coordinator for both the Colorado Christian Writers Conference and the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference.


In her spare time she is an avid social media junkie, and teaches Facebook, Twitter, Blogging and HTML as recreational occupations. She also has a novel coming out in the Abingdon Quilts of Love series. Her novel Pieces of the Heart will publish August of 2013.
Bonnie and her husband Bob live in a log cabin on 15 acres in upstate area of Binghamton, New York with a dog and cat who consider the humans as wait-staff.


ABOUT THE BOOK:
After her mother dies from a heart attack, Sloane Templeton goes from Cyber Crimes Unit to bookstore owner before she can blink. She also "inherits" a half-batty store manager; a strange bunch of little old people from the neighborhood who meet at the store once a week, but never read books, called the Granny Oakleys Book Club; and Aunt Verline, who fancies herself an Iron Chef when in reality you need a cast iron stomach to partake of her culinary disasters. And with a group like this you should never ask, "What else can go wrong?"


A lot! Sloane begins to receive cyber threats. While Sloane uses her computer forensic skills to uncover the source of the threats, it is discovered someone is out to kill her. Can her life get more crazy? If you would like to read the first chapter of Cooking The Books, go HERE.


Watch the book video:



If you'd like to read interviews with Bonnie, try these:
Everbody Needs A Little Romance
A Christian Writers World
Novel Rocket
ACFW - Fiction Finder

Leave a comment below to enter this week's book drawing.  A winner will be selected on Easter Sunday, April 8.

  *Void where prohibited. Open only to US residents.  Odds of winning depend on number of entrants. Comments must be made on this blog. Social network comments are not valid.

This Week's Recipes

Here are the new recipes I shared this week atCountry at Heart Recipes
 Harvest Grain Loaf
Shrimp Chowder,and also a preview of a new cookbook - Creative Slow Cooker Meals . 
On Monday, Featured Author, Cara Putman,will share her recipe for Mexican Pasta. Be sure to drop in and say hello! 

The Colors of Spring

Spring came early here in Southeast Kansas this year. As of today, our yard is a plush carpet of green, and my husband has already mowed twice! Gardens have been planted, bluebirds are building nests, and even my roses are leafed out and ready to bud. And still it's March!
 Our daffodils bloomed in early March.
Our Bradford Pear tree followed closely behind.
Now our tulips and grape hyacinths are showing their pretty colors. 
Zoey doesn't care.This is her first spring with us, and she is having a ball. See her smile? - Zoey says "Hi!"