Lisa Renee Jones's Blog, page 171

Kate Douglas Christmas post and contest!

Welcome Kate Douglas!

First, I'll get my promo out of the way—WOLF TALES 11 IS STARTING TO SHOW UP IN STORES! I know you're going to love this one! Now, on to my next favorite thing, after reading. Food!

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays, but probably not for the reason you'd imagine. It's not the gifts or the cheer or any of the trappings of the season. No, it's because it's my chance to cook—as in REALLY cook—for a crowd. I love doing that and used to think nothing of putting on dinners for twenty or more, but now that the kids are grown and gone and it's just my husband and me, I don't often have the opportunity to prepare big meals the way I used to.

For me, cooking is part of my creative process. I love all of it—planning the meal, shopping for the ingredients, hunting for recipes or, even better, creating my own. Christmas is my big chance every year to really strut my stuff, and I've done our big family dinner on Christmas Eve now for almost forty years.

It's morphed a bit over the years—our daughter and son-in-law have a larger house than we do, and it's more centrally located, so the dinner's location has changed. We all gather at Sarah and Tony's now, but I still cook the meal. We used to serve a whole prime rib, but that cut got so expensive and there's a lot of fat in it that NONE of us need, so now I do a whole top sirloin (Chateaubriand) along with half a salmon…plus various quiches and tortes, a roasted veggie & potato dish that's absolutely wonderful, rolls and something fancy for dessert. Last year I think we had around thirty for dinner—this year it's much smaller, so far. Eight or ten adults and under ten children, so there won't be as many bodies underfoot.

So, what's on the menu for 2010? So far, it looks like I'll be doing the roast, the salmon, a broccoli torte, maybe a spinach quiche, the roasted veggies and potatoes and, if I get really industrious, a "Yule log," which is a chocolate sponge cake rolled around a really rich cream filling. I thought that, if Lisa's got room, I'd add a couple of the recipes for those interested. I hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season. Be safe, count your blessings, and then, when dinner's all over and the house is quiet, take time to curl up with a good book. That's what I plan to do…did I mention that my son-in-law handles the clean up after dinner? My but I do love that boy!

~ ~ ~

Oven roasted Chateaubriand:

Have the butcher trim and tie a whole top sirloin like a "rolled roast." I always ask for a "cap" of fat, wrapped separately.

One day ahead: brush olive oil over entire roast. Pat with a mix of herbs, fresh or dried, and favorite seasonings. I mix fresh thyme, chopped fresh parsley, garlic salt, onion salt, seasoned meat tenderizer, and a seasoned pepper mix I get from a local shop, but any combination you like will work. Spoon them over the entire roast, patting to make the seasonings stick, then roll the entire roast in plastic wrap and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight.

To cook:

Let the roast sit out at room temperature for half an hour before cooking. Preheat oven to 425° Remove the plastic and put the herbed roast on a rack in a deep enough pan to catch juices. Put the roast in the hot oven for 20 minutes to seal the meat. Remove and put the cap of fat over the top of the roast, (Use toothpicks to hold it in place) return it to the oven and reduce heat to 325°. Cook at 20 minutes per pound for rare. Remove the fat and discard during the last half hour of cooking and baste roast with the drippings. Remove from oven when internal temperature reaches 120° and allow roast to rest, covered loosely, for at least ten-fifteen minutes before carving. Remove fat from drippings and add enough water to scrape them from the bottom. You can either make gravy or use as an au jus to drizzle over the sliced meat.

~ ~ ~

Roasted, marinated veggies



Red potatoes

Yukon gold potatoes

Yams

Carrots

Whole mushrooms

Onions (sliced red or yellow sweet and whole small ones)

Sliced red and green bell pepper (and yellow if you have them)

Brussels' Sprouts sliced in half

Peel the yams. Wash the potatoes. Cut all into about 1 inch chunks and steam about ten minutes, until almost done.

Wash and quarter mushrooms, slice peppers into strips, peel carrots and small onions, quarter if they're big enough or leave whole, slice big onions into half inch slices.

Marinade:

Juice of one lemon, three cloves minced garlic, ½ cup balsamic vinegar, ¼ cup soy sauce, 1 tsp. coarse ground pepper, ½ tsp salt, about ½ cup good olive oil (and any other seasonings that strike your fancy…I've added dried parsley, chopped green onions and even a bay leaf in the past for different tastes) Blend thoroughly.

Mix all the veggies, cooked and uncooked, in a plastic bag and pour the marinade over them. Refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight before cooking. (Turn the bag to soak everything.)

Use a large roasting pan—I usually spray it with cooking oil spray, but it's not necessary. Just makes clean up easier. Drain excess marinade off the veggies and spread them in the roasting pan. Roast at 400° for about 45 minutes, turning every ten minutes or so. You want them slightly browned but not burned. Or, stick them in the oven on the rack under the roast for at least an hour or even an hour and a half. They may not brown as much at the lower temps, but they're just as good.

~ ~ ~



Broccoli torte:

1 bag frozen or 1 lb. fresh, steamed broccoli—chopped

2 cups cooked rice

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup cottage cheese (or more shredded cheese if you don't have it)

5 eggs

Salt/pepper to taste

Dash of nutmeg

Can add:

Mushrooms

Sliced ham

Other veggies

Feta cheese

Mix together. Spread in a 9×13 casserole dish and bake for at least an hour, until done. (knife goes in, comes out clean) If it's browning too fast, cover with aluminum foil. Cool just a bit before you cut it up.

All three of these are my own recipes, things I've come up with over the years, but they are great for a crowd and easy to fix. For some reason, little kids seem to love the broccoli thing. Go figure…now, what I want to know is, what's your favorite recipe for the holidays? I showed you mine, now you've gotta show me yours!

And, almost forgot—if you leave a comment, you'll enter the drawing for an Advance Reader Copy of StarFire. Good luck!

Welcome the talented Elisabeth Naughton!

Welcome Elisabeth Naughton who has a wonderful holiday post and a chance to win a book at the end of the post. And the contests for Nancy Gideon and Rhyannon Byrd are still open! Don't miss them. I will also have Kate Douglas on our final day Tuesday. I can't believe Tuesday is it!

So onward to the talented Elisabeth!

Happy Holidays!

We have one holiday tradition. Every year we head out to a Christmas tree farm way up in the hills and pick out a tree. This year, our fun filled family outing was snow-free, but it did include lots of fighting and pouting from each of my three Gremlins. Each wants to be the one to pick out the tree. And no one likes the tree the other one(s) pick out. By the time we finally decided on a tree I had no idea if it was pretty or not – I was simply done. That one, hubby. Cut it down. Now. Before I lose it for good. As a kid I used to get so excited about Christmas and couldn't figure out why the holidays made my mother look so tired. Now that I'm a parent I completely understand. The holidays are exhausting!

The final product turned out pretty good. But if we make it to Christmas morning without someone being grounded for life, it'll be a miracle.

Just for fun, here's my favorite holiday recipe…which I'm in the middle of making right now!

DARK CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Truffle Center:

2 cups heavy (whipping) cream

2 oz. (1/4 cup) orange flavored liqueur Grand Marnier

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 pounds bitter sweet chocolate (use semi-sweet chocolate chips, 5cups = 2 pounds)

4 oz. ( 1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened (for even smoother center add another 1/4 cup)

Truffle Shell:

2 – 12 oz. pkg. (4 cups) semi-sweet chocolate & or white chocolate

1 tbsp. unsalted butter

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pour cream in heavy 3 quart saucepan & scald. Do not boil.

2. Add orange liquor & vanilla flavoring. Remove from heat.

3. Add 2 pounds (5 cups) chocolate. Beat with a wire whip until a soft & smooth ganache.

4. Transfer to a bowl & cool on counter to 90 degrees or at least 2 hours.

5. Cut in butter & beat until creamy. Let sit to firm up or place in refrigerator for 15-30 minutes.

6. Use small scoop & drop balls onto waxed paper. Chill in refrigerator30 minutes.

7. Melt 4 cups semi-sweet chocolate. Add 1 tbsp. butter & mix well. Dip balls in chocolate & return to wax paper & refrigerator.

8. Melt 1/2 cup white chocolate & drizzle over tops of truffles, if desired. Return to refrigerator.

Makes 40 large truffles. Freeze well.



And a special stocking stuffer…one commenter today gets to choose a book from my backlist!

Check out Elisabeth's backlist here

Rhyannon Byrd's gorgeous tree and contest!

**Awesome book and charm bracelet contest from Nancy Gideon open until Tuesday!

Welcome Rhyannon Byrd! Today we have a picture of her gorgeous tree and a contest!

Onward to Rhyannon!

Hey guys! This is our big Christmas tree from America that's been wedged into a corner of our much smaller house here in England. LOL. It was a tight squeeze, but we love it too much to replace so we were determined to make room for it. We have so many traditions during the holidays that we love and look forward to, but one of my family's favorites is decorating the tree. We always go a little overboard on the ornaments, because we can't help ourselves…and we usually try to have it up on the weekend after Thanksgiving, because we're too impatient to wait any longer.

I hope you all have a wonderful, love-filled holiday and best wishes in 2011!!!

Hugs,

Rhy

The awesome prize today is a copy of Darkness Divine. It's an anthology that came out here in the UK in Sept with stories from Gena Showalter, PC Cast, Maggie Shayne and Rhy herself! It's the only print version of her Primal Instinct prequel, Edge of Craving.

Also included is a signed copy of TOUCH OF TEMPTATION

The 6th book in the Primal Instinct Series

Now Available from HQN!!!

THE MORE DANGEROUS THE DESIRE…

THE MORE DELICIOUS THE SURRENDER

Kellan Scott, the Lycan shape-shifter, has

vowed to redeem his playboy past…even

allowing himself to be captured by his enemies

to save a woman he's never met. Once

imprisoned, stealing into Chloe Harcourt's cell

is the easy part— withstanding her irresistible

beauty is next to impossible.

Chloe has struggled to keep her unusual

powers over other people's emotions in check,

never trusting that any man could truly love her for herself. Until her

mesmerizing rescuer awakens a primal craving for contact.

Their all-consuming passion is their strongest weapon against their

sadistic captor. But Kellan's biggest battle may still lie ahead: to convince.

Chloe he's worthy of her undying love…or die trying.

To get a chance to win today's great prize-

What's the one thing you can't do without on the holidays? Besides the obvious family and health an wellness. The treat or tradition that is a must do for you! One lucky commenter will win. Contest open until Wednesday! I'll announce all our final contest winners Christmas Eve!

visit Rhy here

Fun Nancy Gideon post and a contest!

My aunt just sent me this and despite a migraine it made me smile– so I want to share it before our post today in hopes it makes YOU smile as well.

"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood

puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?

It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without

packages, boxes or bags.

And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch

thought of something he hadn't before.

What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store? What if

Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?"

~Dr. Seuss

Merry Christmas

Welcome Nancy Gideon — And TRISH –the winner of Nancy's last contest has never come forward. Shout out to TRISH! Nancy is now on twitter too folks so give her some TWEET love @NancyGideon.

And find her on facebook too!

Contest at the end of this super fun post! Enjoy!

CONFESSIONS OF A CHRISTMASAHOLIC…

I LOVE Christmas! It's the one time of year I can redecorate the entire house, creating something magical, and not have it linger long enough for me to actually have to dust any of it. On December 1st I start playing Christmas music and it goes non-stop until everything comes down on New Years Day. I could probably house an exchange student in the storage space devoted to my red and green tubs filled with various collections of things Christmas: music boxes, Santas, nutcrackers, and trees. When I had a quad-level house, I had a big tree (or two) on every level, but now that I'm in an apartment, I have to settle for a big one in front of the fireplace, one in my office and a floater that shows up in the main bathroom or in my bedroom. Decorating is done while sniffling through the ending of White Christmas and Yippee KiYiAying with John McClain in Die Hard (1 or 2). It's an elaborate process that should take a day, but usually stretches out for a week.

Maintaining Christmas traditions always makes the holiday special. From the time I was little, then with my two boys, and now with my grandson, our family always goes downtown to the park to see the lights, walk through the candy cane arches, peek into the crèche, and shiver with excitement on Christmas Eve. Every year from my sons' first Christmas on, I'd buy them an ornament to commemorate something that was special to them at that time of their life: baseball, rollerblades, frogs, golf, film, flying, so they'd have a head start on their own family tree some day. My youngest is sharing his airplane tree with his wife and own son now.

My favorite collection has to be my nutcrackers. I've gotten one every year for over thirty years including an exquisite hand-carved soldier that was one of the last made in East Germany before the fall of the Berlin wall, delicate music boxes with moving parts, a glittery Radio City Music Hall drum major, and my personal role model, Maxine. My grandson keeps a wary eye on the big guy standing guard in the hallway…just in case.

Of course holidays are all about the food. Eggnog, pumpkin spice Keurig coffee, cranberry breads, cashews, gift baskets filled with chocolate and cookies, and a never ending stream of leftover party goodies brought into the office the next morning and dutifully disposed of. It's a dirty job but…

As much as I complain about Michigan winters, they are truly a wonder to behold. My complex is surrounded by a State game area so it's very wooded and filled with numerous creatures that are happy to climb four flights to dine off my balcony. But baby it's cold outside!

Next December, I'll be celebrating the release of the fifth book in my BY MOONLIGHT dark paranormal shape shifter series with Pocket. This one, tentatively titled UNLEASED BY MOONLIGHT, will feature a new hero and heroine that you'll get glimpses of in BOUND BY MOONLIGHT in August. Hopefully I'll be able to tease you with a new cover soon on my website at http://nancygideon.com. Until then, here's a hint of things to come with BOUND BY MOONLIGHT, now available for preorder on Amazon.

They swore they'd be together forever.

Detective Charlotte Caissie is suddenly sharing drawer space and making media news with her shape-shifter lover Max Savoie. Knowing the reformed mobster is determined to be accepted by her peers, how can she ask him to return to his criminal roots to help her solve a complex case?

But those they trust the most . . .

Going undercover to find the vicious serial killer who kidnapped a colleague's daughter, Cee Cee is caught between the partner whose integrity she relies on and her fiercely possessive lover. In calling on Max to use his preternatural talents to aide a hated enemy, she crosses a line that strains their relationship to its limits.

Will do anything to tear them apart.

With his secret spreading beyond those he can trust, Max is forced to make dangerous alliances to protect his family and his clan. The only certainty he has is his love for his human mate, until the loyalties that define them threaten to divide them forever.

To help you fill your stocking, I'm giving away your choice of one of the three books in my BY MOONLIGHT series, either MASKED BY MOONLIGHT, CHASED BY MOONLIGHT or CAPTURED BY MOONLIGHT along with a very special BY MOONLIGHT charm bracelet custom-made by ReMaryd Originals. Comment below for a chance to win by sharing your own holiday traditions.

**Laurie London contest winner posted late Friday when Na...

**Laurie London contest winner posted late Friday when Nancy Gideon goes live.

UPCOMING POSTS/CONTESTS:

Jennifer Haymore — open until Monday

Friday — Nancy Gideon — open until Tuesday

Saturday — Rhyannon Byrd — Open until Tuesday

And our final holiday post — Elisabeth Naughton– Open until Wednesday

And that will complete our holiday series. Has it really been three months of posts? It doesn't feel like it!

****

Happy almost Christmas! DH made it to Texas –he drove straight through. I was so nervous I couldn't sleep. I worry when he drives alone and he hadn't slept. But he is there and soon he will be home!

Today we have Jennifer Haymore. As mentioned in my past post, I struggled to get her picture turned upright. I finally figured out how! I traded in my ACER I disliked so much for an HP Netbook — which I love — but HP has this new photo software and I couldn't figure out how it worked. There is a contest at the end of the post. So onward to Jennifer!

Hi Everyone! I'd like to wish you all a wonderful holiday season.

Here's a picture of our Christmas tree. Early in December, our family sets aside an afternoon for decorating the tree. We make Christmas cookies that morning, and we play holiday songs while we're decorating.

We have tons of ornaments, and all of them are family heirlooms of one kind or another. My grandmother sent me my first Christmas tree ornaments when I was in college–they were mostly handmade. I always loved them, because they reminded me of my grandparents' house, where my own happiest Christmas memories were.

Now, we have more ornaments–some are from my husband's parents, and some were made by my children. We have "First Christmas" ornaments for the kids and me–next year I want to see if I can find a "First Christmas" picture of my husband and make an ornament from it.

Here's the recipe for the frosted sugar cookies we make every year. The kids love them!

Ingredients for cookies

• 3/4 cups butter, softened

• 1 cups white sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1) Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and beat. Stir in dry ingredients. Refrigerate dough for a couple of hours.

2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out the dough until it's 1/4-1/2 inch thick, using plenty of flour to keep the dough from sticking to your surfaces. Cut into shapes, place on ungreased cookie sheet

3) Bake about 10 minutes. Cool before removing from cookie sheet.

Ingredients for frosting

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

• 3 tablespoons butter, softened

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• approx 1 tablespoon milk

• 3 drops food coloring

• decorator sugar

Directions

1) Beat together the sugar and butter. Add vanilla, and then add milk a bit at a time until frosting is the desired consistency.

2) Divide frosting into 3 bowls and add a drop of a different colored food coloring to every bowl.

3) Frost cooled cookies and decorate with decorator sugar.

Jennifer Haymore is off on a holiday cruise. So lets give her something to read through when she gets home! To win A Season of Seduction — what do you love/dislike about historical romances. No negatives attached to names but feel free to name your favorite authors and why you love their books. It's the holidays so the things you dislike are great feedback for authors who want to know what to stay away from, but no names with the negatives:) One commenter will win Monday!

A look at the prize book — A SEASON OF SEDUCTION:



Although the widowed Lady Rebecca has sworn off marriage, men are another matter. London's cold winter nights have her dreaming of warmer pursuits-like finding a lover to satisfy her hungry heart. Someone handsome, discreet, and most importantly as uninterested in marriage as she is. Someone like Jack Fulton

A known adventurer and playboy, Jack seems like the perfect choice. There's just one problem: Jack isn't interested in an affair. He needs the beautiful, mysterious Lady Rebecca to be his wife. And he doesn't have much time to persuade her. A secret from Jack's past is about to surface, and by Christmas Day he'll be either married to Rebecca or dead.

Excerpt

The day of the dinner engagement with Jack and his family arrived, and that afternoon, Becky sat in her favorite chair in the salon warming her toes by the fire, an unopened book on her lap. Tonight was the first time Becky would see Jack since the morning of his proposal over a week ago. But tonight, her entire family would be in attendance, including her sharp-tongued Aunt Bertrice, who'd arrived from Yorkshire for the holidays just this morning.

A knock sounded on the door and she looked up to see a footman peek into the salon. "You've a visitor, my lady. Mr. Fulton is here to see you."

Jack! She hadn't expected him to arrive before dinner. She jumped out of her chair, set the book aside, and shook out the flounces in her slate-colored skirts. "He's early."

"Yes, my lady."

"Please show him up."

A few moments later, Jack entered, bringing with him that masculine virility that shone about him like an aura. He was tall and broad and everything she ever imagined when she'd lain alone at night and envisioned perfection in a man.

Just inside the room, he stopped, a smile curving his wicked lips. The footman left, closing the door behind him.

"Thank God," Jack said, his voice an arousing amalgam of roughness and quiet. "I thought I'd never see you alone."

Her fingertips fidgeted in her skirts.

In two long, silent strides over the carpet, he stood before her. He hooked one broad arm around her waist and tugged her against him.

Every muscle in her body stiffened, but then his mouth descended over hers, and she melted.

His lips were the richest dessert, soft and creamy, passionate, as hungry for her as she was for him. She dropped her skirts, twined her arms about his neck, and kissed him back with the force of all the twisted emotions that had confounded her in the last several days.

If only it could always be like this. Her guilt and fear melted away, slid down her spine and pooled at her feet, leaving her fresh and pure and clean. Open to whatever he offered her.

He could make her lower all her shields. All he needed to do was keep kissing her, keep his lips pressed against her cheek, her eyelids, her jaw. Keep his hands firmly gripping her about the waist, holding her steady.

This was togetherness. If only they could stay like this, joined, inseparable…

But it ended all too quickly. He pulled away gently, then bent his forehead to hers. "I've missed you," he murmured, his breath a whisper over her lips.

"I've missed you, too."

"I'm going crazy for wanting you."

Should she tell him the truth? Admit that she wanted him, too? Had desperately craved his touch every day since she'd last seen him?

Once, she'd felt this way with William, but that had faded sooner than she ever could have predicted. It was all a figment of her wishful imaginings, this security she felt in Jack's arms. Even that had already proved false—for she'd been in his arms when all those people had stormed into the bedchamber last week.

He stroked the back of his finger down the side of her cheek. "You want me, too. I feel it." His lips moved to her ear, his breath dancing over her lobe. "Let's finish this nonsense. Marry me."

She sighed. As much as she wanted him, she couldn't suggest another evening with him in Sheffield's Hotel.

He didn't want that anymore. He wanted more. He wanted too much.

Pulling back, he scraped a thumb over her brow, smoothing it. "I've made up my mind—I made it up a week ago. I want you. I'm ready to commit to marrying you."

She stared up at him, her forehead furrowed in consternation. "How can you say that so easily? How can you commit your life to someone you hardly know?"

He shrugged. "I've chosen my path. I will not be dissuaded from it. Not now, not ten years from now. This is what I what. You are what I want." He gazed down at her face, his dark eyes intent. "Do you understand

that?"

"I…think so." She turned away. "But it's not so simple for me."

"Why?" he demanded.

She crossed her arms tight across her shimmery gray bodice, closing herself off to him. "I never thought I'd marry again. I thought I'd live out the remainder of my days as a widow bluestocking."

He chuckled. "You? A bluestocking?"

Once again it struck her how very little they knew of each other. Scandal aside, he intended to spend a lifetime with her based on nothing but their immediate carnal attraction. They possessed only a sliver of knowledge of each other beyond it.

She remembered those long days at Kenilworth after she and William had married. William had grown distant,

and she'd begun to realize they weren't as well matched as he'd led her to believe. She'd never felt lonelier.

Since William died, she'd surrounded herself with her family, and more recently, Cecelia, and though she was physically lonely, that feeling was nothing compared to the soul-deep aloneness she'd felt at Kenilworth.

It wasn't a difficult stretch of the imagination to think the same thing might happen with Jack. He was a bachelor rogue. Thirty years old, accustomed to gallivanting about the globe and taking lovers when the mood struck him. Accustomed to his freedom. Perhaps he'd loved a girl once, but that was long ago. Did he have the first idea how to know—to really know—a woman? Did he have the first idea how to be a husband? For that matter, did she have any idea how to be a proper wife?

"Becky?" He touched her hair, lightly stroking his fingers over the braided strands twisted at her nape. "I would make you happy," he said, his voice quiet but emphatic. "I swear it."

"Would you?" Turning back to him, she searched his eyes and found nothing but promise in them.

"I swear it," he repeated. His lips descended on hers again, sweet and warm. His gentle touch swept through her, softening her muscles and her resistance.

"Marry me," he whispered against her lips.

"No," she whispered back. Then she winced as he stiffened. "Jack…I…."

His hands curled around her shoulders, but he didn't pull away.

"I don't mean it to sound so final." Give him a chance, Kate had said, and she was right. It would be ridiculous, not to mention foolish, to dismiss Jack out of fear that he might be another William. "You must give me time."

The tightening of his fingers on her shoulders was subtle, but she felt it. "I want you, Becky. Now."

"I'm not ready."

With a harsh, frustrated breath, he drew back, thrusting his hand through his blond-streaked hair. "I'm going to convince you otherwise. You're afraid because of what happened to you last time. But you keep forgetting: I'm not him."

"I know. Just…please. Be patient with me."

"I'm not a patient man."

"It will take time for me to learn how to trust again."

A small thrill wound through her at his insistence, at the steely determination in his eyes. "And once I win your trust?"

"Then…if it can be done…yes. I will consider marrying you."

He squared his shoulders. His brown eyes bore into hers in direct challenge. "I will win your trust, then. It won't take long."

He seemed very convinced of that, but she knew herself better than Jack did. "I hope you're right," she said with a small smile.

"I am right. By month's end, we'll be at the altar."

So lets talk about historical romance!

UPCOMING POSTS/CONTESTS:Jennifer Haymore — open until Mo...

UPCOMING POSTS/CONTESTS:

Jennifer Haymore — open until Monday

Friday — Nancy Gideon — open until Tuesday

Saturday — Rhyannon Byrd — Open until Tuesday

And our final holiday post — Elisabeth Naughton– Open until Wednesday

And that will complete our holiday series. Has it really been three months of posts? It doesn't feel like it!

****

Happy almost Christmas! DH made it to Texas –he drove straight through. I was so nervous I couldn't sleep. I worry when he drives alone and he hadn't slept. But he is there and soon he will be home!

Today we have Jennifer Haymore. As mentioned in my past post, I struggled to get her picture turned upright. I finally figured out how! I traded in my ACER I disliked so much for an HP Netbook — which I love — but HP has this new photo software and I couldn't figure out how it worked. There is a contest at the end of the post. So onward to Jennifer!

Hi Everyone! I'd like to wish you all a wonderful holiday season.

Here's a picture of our Christmas tree. Early in December, our family sets aside an afternoon for decorating the tree. We make Christmas cookies that morning, and we play holiday songs while we're decorating.

We have tons of ornaments, and all of them are family heirlooms of one kind or another. My grandmother sent me my first Christmas tree ornaments when I was in college–they were mostly handmade. I always loved them, because they reminded me of my grandparents' house, where my own happiest Christmas memories were.

Now, we have more ornaments–some are from my husband's parents, and some were made by my children. We have "First Christmas" ornaments for the kids and me–next year I want to see if I can find a "First Christmas" picture of my husband and make an ornament from it.

Here's the recipe for the frosted sugar cookies we make every year. The kids love them!

Ingredients for cookies

• 3/4 cups butter, softened

• 1 cups white sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1) Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and beat. Stir in dry ingredients. Refrigerate dough for a couple of hours.

2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out the dough until it's 1/4-1/2 inch thick, using plenty of flour to keep the dough from sticking to your surfaces. Cut into shapes, place on ungreased cookie sheet

3) Bake about 10 minutes. Cool before removing from cookie sheet.

Ingredients for frosting

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

• 3 tablespoons butter, softened

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• approx 1 tablespoon milk

• 3 drops food coloring

• decorator sugar

Directions

1) Beat together the sugar and butter. Add vanilla, and then add milk a bit at a time until frosting is the desired consistency.

2) Divide frosting into 3 bowls and add a drop of a different colored food coloring to every bowl.

3) Frost cooled cookies and decorate with decorator sugar.

Jennifer Haymore is off on a holiday cruise. So lets give her something to read through when she gets home! To win A Season of Seduction — what do you love/dislike about historical romances. No negatives attached to names but feel free to name your favorite authors and why you love their books. It's the holidays so the things you dislike are great feedback for authors who want to know what to stay away from, but no names with the negatives:) One commenter will win Monday!

A look at the prize book — A SEASON OF SEDUCTION:



Although the widowed Lady Rebecca has sworn off marriage, men are another matter. London's cold winter nights have her dreaming of warmer pursuits-like finding a lover to satisfy her hungry heart. Someone handsome, discreet, and most importantly as uninterested in marriage as she is. Someone like Jack Fulton

A known adventurer and playboy, Jack seems like the perfect choice. There's just one problem: Jack isn't interested in an affair. He needs the beautiful, mysterious Lady Rebecca to be his wife. And he doesn't have much time to persuade her. A secret from Jack's past is about to surface, and by Christmas Day he'll be either married to Rebecca or dead.

Excerpt

The day of the dinner engagement with Jack and his family arrived, and that afternoon, Becky sat in her favorite chair in the salon warming her toes by the fire, an unopened book on her lap. Tonight was the first time Becky would see Jack since the morning of his proposal over a week ago. But tonight, her entire family would be in attendance, including her sharp-tongued Aunt Bertrice, who'd arrived from Yorkshire for the holidays just this morning.

A knock sounded on the door and she looked up to see a footman peek into the salon. "You've a visitor, my lady. Mr. Fulton is here to see you."

Jack! She hadn't expected him to arrive before dinner. She jumped out of her chair, set the book aside, and shook out the flounces in her slate-colored skirts. "He's early."

"Yes, my lady."

"Please show him up."

A few moments later, Jack entered, bringing with him that masculine virility that shone about him like an aura. He was tall and broad and everything she ever imagined when she'd lain alone at night and envisioned perfection in a man.

Just inside the room, he stopped, a smile curving his wicked lips. The footman left, closing the door behind him.

"Thank God," Jack said, his voice an arousing amalgam of roughness and quiet. "I thought I'd never see you alone."

Her fingertips fidgeted in her skirts.

In two long, silent strides over the carpet, he stood before her. He hooked one broad arm around her waist and tugged her against him.

Every muscle in her body stiffened, but then his mouth descended over hers, and she melted.

His lips were the richest dessert, soft and creamy, passionate, as hungry for her as she was for him. She dropped her skirts, twined her arms about his neck, and kissed him back with the force of all the twisted emotions that had confounded her in the last several days.

If only it could always be like this. Her guilt and fear melted away, slid down her spine and pooled at her feet, leaving her fresh and pure and clean. Open to whatever he offered her.

He could make her lower all her shields. All he needed to do was keep kissing her, keep his lips pressed against her cheek, her eyelids, her jaw. Keep his hands firmly gripping her about the waist, holding her steady.

This was togetherness. If only they could stay like this, joined, inseparable…

But it ended all too quickly. He pulled away gently, then bent his forehead to hers. "I've missed you," he murmured, his breath a whisper over her lips.

"I've missed you, too."

"I'm going crazy for wanting you."

Should she tell him the truth? Admit that she wanted him, too? Had desperately craved his touch every day since she'd last seen him?

Once, she'd felt this way with William, but that had faded sooner than she ever could have predicted. It was all a figment of her wishful imaginings, this security she felt in Jack's arms. Even that had already proved false—for she'd been in his arms when all those people had stormed into the bedchamber last week.

He stroked the back of his finger down the side of her cheek. "You want me, too. I feel it." His lips moved to her ear, his breath dancing over her lobe. "Let's finish this nonsense. Marry me."

She sighed. As much as she wanted him, she couldn't suggest another evening with him in Sheffield's Hotel.

He didn't want that anymore. He wanted more. He wanted too much.

Pulling back, he scraped a thumb over her brow, smoothing it. "I've made up my mind—I made it up a week ago. I want you. I'm ready to commit to marrying you."

She stared up at him, her forehead furrowed in consternation. "How can you say that so easily? How can you commit your life to someone you hardly know?"

He shrugged. "I've chosen my path. I will not be dissuaded from it. Not now, not ten years from now. This is what I what. You are what I want." He gazed down at her face, his dark eyes intent. "Do you understand

that?"

"I…think so." She turned away. "But it's not so simple for me."

"Why?" he demanded.

She crossed her arms tight across her shimmery gray bodice, closing herself off to him. "I never thought I'd marry again. I thought I'd live out the remainder of my days as a widow bluestocking."

He chuckled. "You? A bluestocking?"

Once again it struck her how very little they knew of each other. Scandal aside, he intended to spend a lifetime with her based on nothing but their immediate carnal attraction. They possessed only a sliver of knowledge of each other beyond it.

She remembered those long days at Kenilworth after she and William had married. William had grown distant,

and she'd begun to realize they weren't as well matched as he'd led her to believe. She'd never felt lonelier.

Since William died, she'd surrounded herself with her family, and more recently, Cecelia, and though she was physically lonely, that feeling was nothing compared to the soul-deep aloneness she'd felt at Kenilworth.

It wasn't a difficult stretch of the imagination to think the same thing might happen with Jack. He was a bachelor rogue. Thirty years old, accustomed to gallivanting about the globe and taking lovers when the mood struck him. Accustomed to his freedom. Perhaps he'd loved a girl once, but that was long ago. Did he have the first idea how to know—to really know—a woman? Did he have the first idea how to be a husband? For that matter, did she have any idea how to be a proper wife?

"Becky?" He touched her hair, lightly stroking his fingers over the braided strands twisted at her nape. "I would make you happy," he said, his voice quiet but emphatic. "I swear it."

"Would you?" Turning back to him, she searched his eyes and found nothing but promise in them.

"I swear it," he repeated. His lips descended on hers again, sweet and warm. His gentle touch swept through her, softening her muscles and her resistance.

"Marry me," he whispered against her lips.

"No," she whispered back. Then she winced as he stiffened. "Jack…I…."

His hands curled around her shoulders, but he didn't pull away.

"I don't mean it to sound so final." Give him a chance, Kate had said, and she was right. It would be ridiculous, not to mention foolish, to dismiss Jack out of fear that he might be another William. "You must give me time."

The tightening of his fingers on her shoulders was subtle, but she felt it. "I want you, Becky. Now."

"I'm not ready."

With a harsh, frustrated breath, he drew back, thrusting his hand through his blond-streaked hair. "I'm going to convince you otherwise. You're afraid because of what happened to you last time. But you keep forgetting: I'm not him."

"I know. Just…please. Be patient with me."

"I'm not a patient man."

"It will take time for me to learn how to trust again."

A small thrill wound through her at his insistence, at the steely determination in his eyes. "And once I win your trust?"

"Then…if it can be done…yes. I will consider marrying you."

He squared his shoulders. His brown eyes bore into hers in direct challenge. "I will win your trust, then. It won't take long."

He seemed very convinced of that, but she knew herself better than Jack did. "I hope you're right," she said with a small smile.

"I am right. By month's end, we'll be at the altar."

So lets talk about historical romance!

Happy almost Christmas! DH made it to Texas –he drove str...

Happy almost Christmas! DH made it to Texas –he drove straight through. I was so nervous I couldn't sleep. I worry when he drives alone and he hadn't slept. But he is there and soon he will be home!

Today we have Jennifer Haymore. As mentioned in my past post, I struggled to get her picture turned upright. I finally figured out how! I traded in my ACER I disliked so much for an HP Netbook — which I love — but HP has this new photo software and I couldn't figure out how it worked. There is a contest at the end of the post. So onward to Jennifer!

Hi Everyone! I'd like to wish you all a wonderful holiday season.

Here's a picture of our Christmas tree. Early in December, our family sets aside an afternoon for decorating the tree. We make Christmas cookies that morning, and we play holiday songs while we're decorating.

We have tons of ornaments, and all of them are family heirlooms of one kind or another. My grandmother sent me my first Christmas tree ornaments when I was in college–they were mostly handmade. I always loved them, because they reminded me of my grandparents' house, where my own happiest Christmas memories were.

Now, we have more ornaments–some are from my husband's parents, and some were made by my children. We have "First Christmas" ornaments for the kids and me–next year I want to see if I can find a "First Christmas" picture of my husband and make an ornament from it.

Here's the recipe for the frosted sugar cookies we make every year. The kids love them!

Ingredients for cookies

• 3/4 cups butter, softened

• 1 cups white sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1) Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and beat. Stir in dry ingredients. Refrigerate dough for a couple of hours.

2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out the dough until it's 1/4-1/2 inch thick, using plenty of flour to keep the dough from sticking to your surfaces. Cut into shapes, place on ungreased cookie sheet

3) Bake about 10 minutes. Cool before removing from cookie sheet.

Ingredients for frosting

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

• 3 tablespoons butter, softened

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• approx 1 tablespoon milk

• 3 drops food coloring

• decorator sugar

Directions

1) Beat together the sugar and butter. Add vanilla, and then add milk a bit at a time until frosting is the desired consistency.

2) Divide frosting into 3 bowls and add a drop of a different colored food coloring to every bowl.

3) Frost cooled cookies and decorate with decorator sugar.

Jennifer Haymore is off on a holiday cruise. So lets give her something to read through when she gets home! To win A Season of Seduction — what do you love/dislike about historical romances. No negatives attached to names but feel free to name your favorite authors and why you love their books. It's the holidays so the things you dislike are great feedback for authors who want to know what to stay away from, but no names with the negatives:) One commenter will win Monday!

A look at the prize book — A SEASON OF SEDUCTION:



Although the widowed Lady Rebecca has sworn off marriage, men are another matter. London's cold winter nights have her dreaming of warmer pursuits-like finding a lover to satisfy her hungry heart. Someone handsome, discreet, and most importantly as uninterested in marriage as she is. Someone like Jack Fulton

A known adventurer and playboy, Jack seems like the perfect choice. There's just one problem: Jack isn't interested in an affair. He needs the beautiful, mysterious Lady Rebecca to be his wife. And he doesn't have much time to persuade her. A secret from Jack's past is about to surface, and by Christmas Day he'll be either married to Rebecca or dead.

Excerpt

The day of the dinner engagement with Jack and his family arrived, and that afternoon, Becky sat in her favorite chair in the salon warming her toes by the fire, an unopened book on her lap. Tonight was the first time Becky would see Jack since the morning of his proposal over a week ago. But tonight, her entire family would be in attendance, including her sharp-tongued Aunt Bertrice, who'd arrived from Yorkshire for the holidays just this morning.

A knock sounded on the door and she looked up to see a footman peek into the salon. "You've a visitor, my lady. Mr. Fulton is here to see you."

Jack! She hadn't expected him to arrive before dinner. She jumped out of her chair, set the book aside, and shook out the flounces in her slate-colored skirts. "He's early."

"Yes, my lady."

"Please show him up."

A few moments later, Jack entered, bringing with him that masculine virility that shone about him like an aura. He was tall and broad and everything she ever imagined when she'd lain alone at night and envisioned perfection in a man.

Just inside the room, he stopped, a smile curving his wicked lips. The footman left, closing the door behind him.

"Thank God," Jack said, his voice an arousing amalgam of roughness and quiet. "I thought I'd never see you alone."

Her fingertips fidgeted in her skirts.

In two long, silent strides over the carpet, he stood before her. He hooked one broad arm around her waist and tugged her against him.

Every muscle in her body stiffened, but then his mouth descended over hers, and she melted.

His lips were the richest dessert, soft and creamy, passionate, as hungry for her as she was for him. She dropped her skirts, twined her arms about his neck, and kissed him back with the force of all the twisted emotions that had confounded her in the last several days.

If only it could always be like this. Her guilt and fear melted away, slid down her spine and pooled at her feet, leaving her fresh and pure and clean. Open to whatever he offered her.

He could make her lower all her shields. All he needed to do was keep kissing her, keep his lips pressed against her cheek, her eyelids, her jaw. Keep his hands firmly gripping her about the waist, holding her steady.

This was togetherness. If only they could stay like this, joined, inseparable…

But it ended all too quickly. He pulled away gently, then bent his forehead to hers. "I've missed you," he murmured, his breath a whisper over her lips.

"I've missed you, too."

"I'm going crazy for wanting you."

Should she tell him the truth? Admit that she wanted him, too? Had desperately craved his touch every day since she'd last seen him?

Once, she'd felt this way with William, but that had faded sooner than she ever could have predicted. It was all a figment of her wishful imaginings, this security she felt in Jack's arms. Even that had already proved false—for she'd been in his arms when all those people had stormed into the bedchamber last week.

He stroked the back of his finger down the side of her cheek. "You want me, too. I feel it." His lips moved to her ear, his breath dancing over her lobe. "Let's finish this nonsense. Marry me."

She sighed. As much as she wanted him, she couldn't suggest another evening with him in Sheffield's Hotel.

He didn't want that anymore. He wanted more. He wanted too much.

Pulling back, he scraped a thumb over her brow, smoothing it. "I've made up my mind—I made it up a week ago. I want you. I'm ready to commit to marrying you."

She stared up at him, her forehead furrowed in consternation. "How can you say that so easily? How can you commit your life to someone you hardly know?"

He shrugged. "I've chosen my path. I will not be dissuaded from it. Not now, not ten years from now. This is what I what. You are what I want." He gazed down at her face, his dark eyes intent. "Do you understand

that?"

"I…think so." She turned away. "But it's not so simple for me."

"Why?" he demanded.

She crossed her arms tight across her shimmery gray bodice, closing herself off to him. "I never thought I'd marry again. I thought I'd live out the remainder of my days as a widow bluestocking."

He chuckled. "You? A bluestocking?"

Once again it struck her how very little they knew of each other. Scandal aside, he intended to spend a lifetime with her based on nothing but their immediate carnal attraction. They possessed only a sliver of knowledge of each other beyond it.

She remembered those long days at Kenilworth after she and William had married. William had grown distant,

and she'd begun to realize they weren't as well matched as he'd led her to believe. She'd never felt lonelier.

Since William died, she'd surrounded herself with her family, and more recently, Cecelia, and though she was physically lonely, that feeling was nothing compared to the soul-deep aloneness she'd felt at Kenilworth.

It wasn't a difficult stretch of the imagination to think the same thing might happen with Jack. He was a bachelor rogue. Thirty years old, accustomed to gallivanting about the globe and taking lovers when the mood struck him. Accustomed to his freedom. Perhaps he'd loved a girl once, but that was long ago. Did he have the first idea how to know—to really know—a woman? Did he have the first idea how to be a husband? For that matter, did she have any idea how to be a proper wife?

"Becky?" He touched her hair, lightly stroking his fingers over the braided strands twisted at her nape. "I would make you happy," he said, his voice quiet but emphatic. "I swear it."

"Would you?" Turning back to him, she searched his eyes and found nothing but promise in them.

"I swear it," he repeated. His lips descended on hers again, sweet and warm. His gentle touch swept through her, softening her muscles and her resistance.

"Marry me," he whispered against her lips.

"No," she whispered back. Then she winced as he stiffened. "Jack…I…."

His hands curled around her shoulders, but he didn't pull away.

"I don't mean it to sound so final." Give him a chance, Kate had said, and she was right. It would be ridiculous, not to mention foolish, to dismiss Jack out of fear that he might be another William. "You must give me time."

The tightening of his fingers on her shoulders was subtle, but she felt it. "I want you, Becky. Now."

"I'm not ready."

With a harsh, frustrated breath, he drew back, thrusting his hand through his blond-streaked hair. "I'm going to convince you otherwise. You're afraid because of what happened to you last time. But you keep forgetting: I'm not him."

"I know. Just…please. Be patient with me."

"I'm not a patient man."

"It will take time for me to learn how to trust again."

A small thrill wound through her at his insistence, at the steely determination in his eyes. "And once I win your trust?"

"Then…if it can be done…yes. I will consider marrying you."

He squared his shoulders. His brown eyes bore into hers in direct challenge. "I will win your trust, then. It won't take long."

He seemed very convinced of that, but she knew herself better than Jack did. "I hope you're right," she said with a small smile.

"I am right. By month's end, we'll be at the altar."

So lets talk about historical romance!

Laurie London– an excerpt from her HQN Vampire series, prizes, and SPICED holiday joy!

Welcome Laurie London!

Is it February yet so we get to read Bonded by Blood? I can't wait! I'll have a contest for today at the end of the post. We have lots of fun stuff today. Bookmarks, a recipe, and an excerpt!

Laurie is announcing lots of fun stuff leading up to the release on her facebook page so go 'like' her and join the fun!

And a quick note from Laurie about bookmarks–

If you'd like a bookmark with

Laurie has already topped 50 people but said she will do no SASE for the readers here on my blog so put a note you saw the offer on my blog.



Email her your snail mail address to Laurie@LaurieLondonBooks.com after you 'like' her on facebook.

The holiday is all but here so why not settle down by the tree to Laurie's holiday Recipe?

Hot Buttered Rum

My family has been making this recipe for years. The kids get hot-buttereds, while the adults drink it with a shot of rum or whiskey. It's just the thing to take off a chill on a cold winter night. Poured into white ice cream cartons from a packaging store and paired with a pint of nice quality rum, it makes an elegant, yet easy gift for neighbors and friends. Each year, one neighbor eagerly awaits my hot buttered rum because they drink it on Christmas Eve when their family comes. Enjoy.

1 pound butter

1 pound brown sugar

Heat in a saucepan until smooth.

Stir in 1 quart of vanilla ice cream.

Pour into several storage containers and keep in freezer.

Add several large spoonfuls to a mug. Fill with hot water and a shot of rum. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Now that you're getting warmed up, we have an excerpt from Laurie's upcoming BONDED BY BLOOD. Get your copy here or visit Laurie's website for details to buy many other places!

About Bonded with Blood:

"Dark and sinfully sexy–I'm totally addicted."

Cherry Adair, New York Times Best Selling author

Excerpt:

The man lay on his back, half-hidden under the leaves and branches, his clothes covered in dirt. Given his disheveled appearance, he looked like a vagrant. But as Mackenzie raked her eyes over him, she noted his expensive-looking boots and pale blue dress shirt, and he, too, was wearing leather pants. Most definitely not homeless.

Torn and muddy, his shirt was unbuttoned, ripped open actually, revealing a dirt-smeared but well-defined chest. Some of his shoulder-length dark hair, tangled with bits of leaves and debris, seemed to be partially captured in a ponytail, but she couldn't be sure from this angle. His eyes, an electrifying shade of ice blue, pierced through her. She stopped a few feet away.

"What happened to you? Are you hurt?"

"I need…your help." His voice, slightly accented, was clearly laced with pain.

At that moment, the wind picked up and swirled at her feet as if urging her to move. The leaves around him danced on the air and settled slowly back to the ground. Stepping closer, she heard his sharp intake of breath. His eyes widened at first then narrowed to slits, and he shrank backwards into the leaves.

He couldn't be scared of her, could he? He was a tall man, athletic and powerfully built. Why would he be afraid of her?

"Stay away," he ordered. Given his condition, his forceful tone surprised her.

She didn't understand. Why the sudden turnabout? He clearly needed her help. He had to be hallucinating. How long had he been here anyway? Squatting down to appear less intimidating, she tucked her phone in her pocket and stretched out her hands like she would to a frightened dog. "It's okay. I won't hurt you. I can help."

Then she saw it. A hole in his mud-encrusted shirt. She hadn't noticed it right away because it was fairly small, the size of a quarter maybe, and he cradled his arm as if it were injured.

"Oh my God. Is that…blood? Have you been shot?"

As she sprang to his side, the last thing she remembered was the way his pupils suddenly dilated. Like a shark rolling back its eyes when it bites.

LOVE the excerpt. Did you guys? What do you think?

Okay so to win a gift pack with Sexy Beast 9, Wrapped in Seduction, Awakening the Beast and a holiday ornament — WHO IS your favorite vampire– in books or on television, and why?

Contest open until Thursday.

Quick update– CD envelopes being written out — will shoot everyone an email as they are mailed — we are late– I hope by Tuesday at the very latest. DH is driving to Texas to pick up his son when his son was going to fly, so we have been scrambling to take care of some prep for the holiday joy to come:) And tomorrow we have Jennifer Haymore visiting with a fun holiday post!

I will post the Olivia Cunning contest winner tomorrow. Looks like everyone had fun with that HOT SANTA!

Olivia Cunning takes us from sweet treats to hot for Santa!

HI all! A quick CD update. If I haven't responded to your email I will as I write out your label to mail.Promise:) I am crunching through a surprise deadline. One of my Harlequin editors needs something turned in by January 5th. So it's crunch time by I am still excited to do the extra writing because it means faster releases. Looking forward to getting everyone their CD. Fun stuff! Sharing the CD after our careful choices of music, just makes me get all warm and fuzzy about the holidays.

Today we welcome the hot new talent erotic author Olivia Cunning! Read onward for sweet treats, family fun, and a hot Santa! And Olivia is giving away a book too. Detail follow…:)

Visit Oliva's site HERE-she has some really fun stuff on her site you will enjoy.

Cunning's Cookie Craze

by Olivia Cunning

The holidays have come to mean one thing in particular to me. Cookies! One Christmas, I decided to make a variety of cookies for friends and family. Coworkers. Mailman. Teachers. And the list goes on. Now they expect it of me and start asking about cookies around Thanksgiving. For a three days in December, I bake cookies nonstop. The problem is, everyone in my family has a favorite and, of course, they're all different. My son loves chocolate chip with no nuts. I like them with pecans. My mom prefers oatmeal with raisins. My aunt likes them without raisins. My dad wants peanut butter cookies. And my grandma loves snickerdoodles. So I bake some of each type and distribute the cookies in decorative metal tins with a cookie variety to each person on my very long gift list.

The snickerdoodles don't last long. My grandma appears to be a sweet older lady—here's a picture of her and I at my first book-signing—but don't let that innocent look fool you. She will take your finger off for a snickerdoodle. I bake her three dozen of them before Christmas and she always wants more by the time the holidays roll around. Snickerdoodles go good with her hot tea, she says. I've seen her eat seven of them in a row with no tea. And then eat another five, dunking them in her hot tea to prove her point. She loves the things. Don't ask her to share. When the youngest great grandchildren ask her for a snickerdoodle, grandma pawns off the chocolate chip or the peanut butter cookies on them and saves the snickerdoodles for herself. She assures us that the young'uns prefer those varieties. The rest of us know better than to even ask. She doesn't shoot eye daggers at such a request—more like eye machetes.

Here's my snickerdoodle recipe, if you'd like to try them out. Beware of getting octogenarians addicted to the things. It's a sad and somewhat frightening situation. According to grandma, no one makes them as good as I do, so she's not satisfied if someone else tries to make them for her or if they are store bought.

Snickerdoodles

1 ½ cups sugar

½ cup butter (do not soften the butter)

½ cup shortening

2 large eggs

2 ¾ cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Heat oven to 400 F

2. In large bowl, beat 1 ½ cups sugar, butter, shortening and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed.

3. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. (note: the dough should be fairly stiff, if it's too runny, the cookies won't set up properly, so put the dough in the fridge for a while to stiffen it back up)

4. Shape dough into 1 ¼ inch balls. (roll them with your hands)

5. In small bowl, mix ¼ cup of sugar and cinnamon. Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture.

6. Place balls about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

7. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. (they'll flatten and just start to get cracks on the surfaces)

8. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack or they'll get hard. (hint: if they get hard, heat them in the microwave for a few seconds just before eating)

9. Share with granny. Better yet, just give them all to her.

Because we are always out of town for the holidays visiting family, I don't put up any decorations. Call me a bah humbug, but the time it takes to decorate and then remove the decorations is time I could be using for more important things like writing, sleeping, working, eating, bathing, etc… The only festive decoration I put up this year is my laptop's wallpaper. My sexy Santa is plenty of decoration for me, thank you very much, and puts me in a very festive mood. Grandma might even leave out some of her snickerdoodles on Christmas Eve for this Santa.

I'm offering an autographed copy of my debut novel, Backstage Pass, to a commenter on today's blog. Just tell me if you'd be on my sexy Santa's naughty or nice list this year. You can probably guess which list I'll be on.

Happy holidays!

Contest winner and final Christmas CD giveaway

Hi all! Tomorrow we have the awesome Olivia Cunning with a great holiday post. The winner for Donna Grant is Debby C! Congrats! Email me your address to lisarenjones@aol.com

Today since my CD's go out this weekend I'm taking a quick break from normal posting. If you'd like one of the CD's DH and I make each year then email me your address to Lisarenjones@aol.com. I am going to get as many of the request out as I possible can. I can't promise everyone will get one and I will send them out by order of request. There might even be a few surprises in with the CDs:)

Also in book news I found out my release schedule next year will look like this:

Jan: Jump Start BLAZE TEXAS HOTZONE TRILOGY

March: High Octane BLAZE TEXAS HOTZONE TRILOGY

May: Breathless Descent BLAZE TEXAS HOTZONE TRILOGY

May: The Legend of Michael Sourcebooks

June: Enemy Submission Masters trilogy Spice Briefs

July: Sweet Submission Masters trilogy Spice Briefs

August: Daring Submission Masters trilogy Spice Briefs

October: Renegade Conquest Sourcebooks

A busy year! I am excited. And I'm excited about our CD as I am every year.

Lisa