Lisa Carter's Blog, page 42

Beyond the Storm—A Review

Have you ever been through a storm?

In light of recent events, Carolyn’s Zane’s Beyond the Storm was a perfectly timed read for me. Living in NC, I’ve experienced tornados and hurricanes as a routine part of life. She captured with great sensory detail what it would be like to be caught in an EF5 tornado.

The first novel in Abingdon’s Quilts of Love series, Zane’s characters are well-drawn and the setting is realistically depicted. I found myself laughing and crying as the book follows the story of a handful of people when a tornado bears down on their small community. The first portion of the book describes their normal life before the storm. Many of the characters are struggling with internal storms before the natural calamity ever hits. The second part of the book describes each character’s experience during the storm itself. The third portion of the book delineates how the characters survive and adjust in the aftermath of total devastation.

The writing is suspenseful as you turn page after page hoping to discover which characters survive. Some do not survive the storm. The survivors have to cope with guilt and anger. One character in particular struggles to reconcile her experiences with the stirrings of her heart toward God. How would you react? What would you do?

The book is about so much more than just dealing with loss—whether physical, material or emotional. It’s about forgiveness and triumphing over setbacks; it’s about faith and becoming more than you thought you could ever be; and it’s ultimately about hope and the sufficiency of God.

Are you in a storm? What’s bearing down on you today? A natural disaster or a relational earthquake? What’s looming on your horizon—a financial hurricane or a medical tsunami?

Where are you in the storm’s path? Do you see a storm coming your way? Are you in eye of the storm? Or are you dealing with the tattered pieces, like the quilt in Beyond the Storm, of the storm’s devastation?

How have you coped thus far? Is that working? In the midst of your storm, have you found the peace, strength and comfort Zane depicts in Beyond the Storm? Or are you in a spiritual firestorm right now?

I’d love to hear your story. For an inspirational read, I encourage you to seek out Beyond the Storm. Let me know what you think.

Praying Godspeed and blessings upon wherever you find yourself today,

Lisa

Family Secrets—Sshh . . . Don’t Tell Anyone

The Apple Pie and Fool-Proof Crust Recipe

I love October because I get to visit family I see only once or twice a year. In early October, we have a family reunion. In late October, we travel to my aunt’s church homecoming and see cousins and other people that make up a Southerner’s extended family. This includes people to whom we’re not actually related but who were grafted in because somebody married into the family line. And despite not being blood kin, we all grew up together and enjoy getting to see each other. We have a lot of fun and it’s never a dull moment with that crowd.

I know this sounds complicated—but if you’re a Southerner, you get it. And did I mention the food at these reunions and homecomings? My children have been known to get weepy at the thought of these upcoming feasts. Barbecue—pork and vinegar-based; cornsticks, Brunswick stew; butter-beans—lima beans for the Northern brethren among us; ham biscuits; coconut cake; pineapple cake, etc . . . I’m going to stop now before I break down, too.

Here’s a sure-fire winning autumn recipe—from the family I married into.

Fool-Proof Pie Crust

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 ¾ cups vegetable shortening

1 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. vinegar

1 egg

½ cup water

Mix first 4 ingredients with a fork or pastry blender. In a separate dish, beat the remaining ingredients. Combine the 2 mixtures, stirring until all ingredients are moistened. Shape dough into a ball. Chill at least 15 minutes before rolling into a crust. Dough can be left in the refrigerator up to 3 days or frozen until ready to use. Makes 2 pies—4 top and bottom crusts.

Apple Pie

6-8 apples—I’ve used Rome, Granny Smith and Magnabonum

Juice of half a lemon

¾ cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. nutmeg

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp. butter

•Heat oven to 425 degrees. Peel, core and slice apples into ¼” pieces. Place apples (6 cups) into large mixing bowl. Pour lemon juice over apples.

•Add sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg. Toss well. Spoon spiced apples into piecrust and dot with butter.

•Roll out top crust. I like to also cut out piecrust dough ornaments to add to top crust. Cut slits in dough to allow the steam to escape. Brush the top with milk for a glaze.

•Place pie in oven. I put the pie in an aluminum-foiled tray to catch drips. Bake for 45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and juices bubble.

•Let the pie cool and slice into wedges. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!!!!!

Do you have family reunions or church homecomings? What recipes do you look forward to each year? Do you have a family recipe you could share with us?

A Taste of Autumn—Autumn Pumpkin Muffins

From my friend, Wendy Woodworth, who often shared this delicious treat with our Precept Bible Study class—

You have to try these scrumptious autumn pumpkin muffins. Fix yourself a cup of chai tea or coffee, put one of these fabulous muffins on a plate and enjoy yourself a taste of autumn.

And of course, I think these are best eaten when also curled up with a good book.

Makes: 18

Oven: 350 degrees

1. Combine—

3 ½ cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

½ tsp. salt

Set aside.

2. Mix in separate bowl—

2 cups pumpkin

1 cup canola oil

3 cups sugar

3 eggs

3. Add set-aside dry ingredients. Mix well.

4. Stir in ½ cup walnuts if desired.

5. Pour batter into muffin tins 2/3 full.

6. Cream Cheese Mixture—

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 large egg

Mix until velvety and smooth.

7. Use a teaspoon to place a scoop of cream cheese mixture into the center of each tin. Sprinkle a few nuts on top.

8. Bake 20-23 minutes or until middle is done.

Enjoy.

What’s your favorite autumn recipe?

The Unforgettable State Fair

Another one of my favorite things in autumn is the North Carolina State Fair. There are few years in my life that I’ve actually not attended the fair. Like many Raleighites, I have my favorite Fair vendors from which to get a foot-long hot dog. Or a ham biscuit. Another place to get mountain-cold apple cider, funnel cake dusty with powdered sugar or cotton candy.

My Fair experiences have changed over the years with my—ahem—maturity.

Once upon a time, my best friend, Kathye and I tested our mettle on the rollicking, rolling Himalaya; scanned the Raleigh skyline atop the Ferris Wheel; and clamped hands over our ears at the grinding gears at the tractor pull. We braved the House of Mirrors; attended concerts at the Dorton Arena; stayed to ooh and aah over the fireworks.

With small children, my Fair experiences comprised of winging strollers through packed crowds. There’s an art to it in case you didn’t know. As a Fair aficionado, I have my own preferred route from one end of the Fair complex to another end. Every native Raleighite has one. What to do first, second . . . last. A state fair sized version of the Normandy invasion. When Corinne and Kathryn were small, we did pony rides; frequented the petting zoo; and had a craftsman from the Village of Yesteryear cut paper silhouettes of each girl.

Now with teenagers in tow, we try to do something for every family member’s interests. We go through the gorgeous Art Deco Ag buildings, admiring the 4-H booths, and get free samples from the It’s Got to Be NC tent. Corinne enjoys the art and the horse show. Kathryn’s mainly in it for the food, so in this economy we share funnel cakes, cotton candy and ice cream. We inspect the Master Gardener displays at the Flower Show and walk and walk until our legs ache, our bellies are full and its time to go home.

Do you like the Fair wherever you live? What are your favorite things to do at the Fair? What do you like to eat at the Fair?

If you love Downton Abbey . . .

If you enjoy watching Downton Abbey, you will love Queen of the Waves. With rich historical detail, Janice Thompson brings the Titanic and its passengers to life once more. You may say, “I know how this story ends.” But under Thompson’s masterful hand, do you?

In Thompson’s story version, the reader experiences a vivid recreation of the doomed liner. The lush tapestry of silks and satins and the intricate architectural details from the privileged lives of the first class passengers. The glitter-studded midnight sky and looming monoliths of ice. The freezing water like shards of cold that befell every passenger regardless of class or station that becomes the metaphor for the human condition. Thompson creates a feast for the senses and strong characterizations that will leave you rooting for their ultimate survival. Throughout each passenger’s story runs a thread of hope, redemption and second chance.

Thompson paints a bittersweet portrait of a watershed event perched on the precipice of the Great War (the one that was supposed to end all others) like the last rose of a time and innocence that would never bloom again.

Loving Me Some Autumn

It’s October and finally beginning to feel like autumn. Autumn is special–my favorite season—and we shouldn’t let it pass us by without a celebration.

So I’ve ventured to the Farmer’s Market—one of my favorite autumn activities—and decorated the exterior of my house.

Autumn is my excuse for buying mums, pumpkins, chai tea, apples and apple cider. Farmers from the Blue Ridge and Great Smokies come to Raleigh and sell from their mountain orchards a variety of apples, perfect for applesauce or pie.

When my girls were small, every autumn we planned a long weekend to a different corner of NC and camped. Okay, my version of camping—renting a cabin with electricity, indoor plumbing and preferably close to a larger lodge to which to walk for all meals.

But we had a fireplace, made s’mores and I lugged some of my favorite autumnal children’s books with me to read aloud to them in front of the fire and after the s’mores. Books like Miss Suzy by Miriam Young from my own childhood; Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey; and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen—which we re-enacted all over the cabin.

These weekends included hikes to lacy, cascading waterfalls and picking our own bushel of apples from a local orchard. We tried to do something for everyone so for mom that included visits to mountain quilt shops.

But with busy, social butterfly teenage girls, my mountain vacation has been reduced for now to a stay-cation involving a stolen afternoon with the girls and a trip to the Farmer’s Market. This year, we bought Magna-bonum’s (ranked as one of the ten greatest Southern apples) and here’s the apple pie that resulted.

How do you celebrate the arrival of autumn? I’d love for you to share your memories and what traditions you built with your families.

If you’d like a list of my favorite autumnal children’s books to share with your children and grandchildren or to try my Foolproof Piecrust and apple pie recipe, email me at lisa@lisacarterauthor.com.

My Favorite Things about Autumn—ACFW

One of the best things about autumn to me is the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) conference every September. I get to hangout with really cool Christian writers. Have you read Janice Hanna Thompson, Carrie Turansky, Ginny Aiken, Margaret Brownley or Lynette Eason? And the worship at ACFW is incredible, too. Thanks, Rachel Hauck and team.

I learn so much from the writing craft workshops, featuring instructors such as T. Davis Bunn, Steve Laube, Nancy Kress and Susan May Warren. I also add a great many books to my To-Be-Read pile for the year.

I enjoy chats over coffee, lunch and dinner with people I only get to see once or twice a year. Yeah, I’m talking about you—Betsy Duffy, Laurie Myers, Morgan Doremus, Edie Melson and Deb Raney.

A highlight for me this year was the Abingdon Press Author get-together. I feel so privileged to work with Abingdon, my editor Ramona Richards, publicist Jeane Wynn of Wynn-Wynn Media and the fabulous Abingdon writers.

The first Quilts of Love book by Carolyn Zane has released. If you love romance, if you enjoy crafts or quilting, pick up a copy.

What do you enjoy about autumn?

I’d love to hear from you.

Harnessing Your Inner Olympian Part 2

Journey of the Heart—Olympic Moments from the Word

I Corinthians 9:25-27

Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way as not without aim; I box in such a way as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

One quality that Olympic athletes have in common is focus. They run, they box, they ride horses and they swim to win a perishable medal of metal.

Another quality that Olympic athletes have in common is their ability to control or discipline their bodies, minds and desires in light of higher goals. Every morning before the crack of dawn—since childhood—they’ve left the comforts of their beds and homes to swim long, lonely laps in chilly pools; to work out at the gym; or fit in one more vault before school or work. Many of them have worked at menial jobs so they could pay the bills and continue to practice, practice and perfect their skills until the coming of the Games.

Unlike them, I am undisciplined in a lot of ways. I lack self-control in regards to food. I work too much. I exercise too little. And in spiritual matters, I don’t pray or study my Bible enough.

In other words, I don’t like to sweat or consume the right kind of fuel . . .

How about you? (Or are you really going to leave me hanging out here in True Confession land all by myself?)

And I, as a believer, should live and move and have my being for an imperishable crown of glory.

But too often, I live without “aim.” Without self-control, my best intentions result only in a “beating of the air.” Lest I be “disqualified” from the prize, I, like the athletes, need to learn to live like I mean it.

Here’s a game plan for me:

Crack of dawn walks combined with prayer? Okay, maybe 7 a.m.

Portion control? The chocolate is for medicinal purposes only . . . .

Shutting off the television and putting down a good book (Hey—we all have our own vices.) for the best Book of all?

What would living like you mean it look like in your life? What’s your game plan for pursuing higher goals?

Harnessing Your Inner Olympian

Journey of the Heart—Olympic Moments From the Word

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.” I Corinthians 9:24

The Apostle Paul was an avid sports fan like many Americans glued to their televisions watching the 30th Olympiad during the opening ceremony. How about that new Bond girl?

In listening to athletes from all over the globe relate their stories of personal sacrifice and what it took to bring them to this moment—the hope for fame and glory—I am struck by one quality no matter nationality that they share in common with each other.

Their focus. An intense, what-they-are-living-for focus.

And as a believer, I am left to ask myself the same question—What am I living for? Today? This week? This year? This God-given lifetime?

Where have I placed my focus, my energy, my priorities?

How about you? What are you living for? What is the focus of your life? Is it eternal? Is your focus set on “things above“? Colossians 3:1-3

I should live no less intensely “in Christ, the hope of glory“? Colossians 1:27

Real hope. Real glory. Everlasting glory.

How can I renew my focus?

Will you join with me this week as I share a few Olympic-sized thoughts from the Word?

Time to put my Word-based, Game face on.

“For this purpose I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.” Colossians 1:29

What about you?

Fun and Romantic Summer Reading Picks

As a rule of life, I try to read anything I can get my hands on by these romance writers—

• Always the Designer Never the Bride by Sandra D. Bricker

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• There You’ll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones

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• The Director’s Cut by Janice Thompson

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• the Finders Keepers series by Catherine Palmer—I love, love, love Catherine Palmer romances.

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What about you? Who are your favorite, go-to romance writers?