Snowbound on Skye + A Giveaway!

Dear Friend,

I’m thrilled to present Snowbound on Skye, my newest novel! 

Whether walking Piper, my dearest cairn terrier, or pruning our garden my mind is constantly exploring storylines and characters. My thoughts often spin back to my childhood when my father, a Scotsman at heart, motored our family through Scotland, telling us of Glencoe while driving on the left side of the road, with my sister and me giggling in the back seat.

Photo by Colin + Meg on Unsplash We attended the Highland Games annually, sang Scottish ballads, and I learned to dance the highland fling. Hearing a bagpipe always stirs my heart. How about you? I once hired a bagpiper to wander toward our house on my father’s birthday. He and I toured Scotland just the two of us. My husband and I even took our sons there. Did I enjoy sticky toffee pudding? My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Ingredients for Cake:

6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups all-purpose or gluten-free flour, plus more for dish
8 ounces dates, pitted and coarsely chopped (about 1 ¼ cups)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup dark-brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature

Ingredients for Sauce:

¾ cup whole cream
1 stick of butter
1 cup dark-brown sugar

Directions:
For the Cake:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 2 1/2-quart baking dish and dust with flour. Place dates in a bowl, pour hot water over the dates and let soak 15 minutes. (You may omit dates) Stir in baking soda.Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat together butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. (about 3 minutes) Reduce speed to medium and beat in eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly mixed.Reduce speed to low, and add half the flour mixture, beating until combined. Add date mixture and remaining flour mixture. Beat until just combined. Transfer batter to dish and bake until cake springs back in the center when gently pressed with a finger, about 25 minutes.

For Sauce:

While the cake is cooking combine the butter, sugar, and cream in a medium saucepan and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to medium so the sauce does not boil over. Sauté, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and darkens slightly. (For about 4 minutes).Remove the cake from oven and pierce holes to bottom of the cake at 1-inch intervals with a wooden skewer. Pour half of hot sauce over cake and let soak 20 minutes. Serve warm with remaining sauce.Cake soaked in sauce and remaining toffee sauce can be stored at room temperature up to 1 day. Before serving, warm the cake in a 300 degrees oven 10 minutes, and sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat. What else do I love? The Scottish Isle of Skye, writing about romance and mending fractured relationships, sisters, puppies, snowstorms, used bookstores, and Lancaster County Amish nannies. Yup, I managed to squeeze all those elements into Snowbound on Skye. Pre-Order Here I was beyond delighted when Booklife, an arm of Publishers Weekly, wrote of Snowbound on Skye:

“Lloyd’s masterful scene setting and keen eye for Scottish history transform this novel into a stunning tapestry of love, loyalty, and family. … Lloyd’s relatable characters—and a darling cairn terrier with a new brood of puppies—steal the show, making this not just an appealing love story, but a firm testament to self-empowerment.”

I write the kind of books I enjoy reading and hope you love it too!

Are you in the mood to read? Have you read New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Rachel Hauck’s newest novel, Meet Me at the Starlight  a unique story with fascinating characters. I met lovely and generous Rachel Hauck at a writer’s conference and have been following her ever since. Visit her website to find her social media links. Please help me celebrate by preordering an e-book copy of Snowbound on Skye and by entering my $100 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway! USA only. In one week, the winner will be notified by email that she or he won the gift card! Good luck to all who enter. Can’t wait to see who wins! a Rafflecopter giveaway Follow Follow me on Amazon!