(The) Writing Life--Today's "Novel Quote" from THE FIRST BOY I LOVED...

"...The old monk told me a story today, a legend, he said. I'm not sure why--except that he seems to know everything and he likes to share. But I guess the real reason he told me is because of you. I took some food to the orphanage--whatever C-rations we could spare, mostly. He always sits in the doorway and he almost never says anything. But today he asked me if I left a woman behind. I said I did, and he asked me if I loved her. I told him all the time. He said I was worrying too much and I should stop. It's already decided, he said. Then he told me about the red string. He even gave me some to hold, because that's the way he teaches--quietly, with props. So here's the legend..."



LINK: AMAZON.COM: CLICK HERE

LINK: BARNES & NOBLE: CLICK HERE

(The) Writing Life--Today Is The Day

Today is the day, THE BRIDE FAIR, a RITA-winner for Best Short Historical, goes solo digital (it was formerly available only as part of an anthology).

I remember when I was writing this book, and I hit a wall.

Me: I need to ride to town--you have to drive so I can see. I have to go RIGHT NOW.
DH: See what?
Me: I have to find a house to burn down.

Fortunately, he had been a Writing Widower long enough by then that this did not seem in any way odd to him. So away we went. He drove me up and down the streets in the Historical District until I had my "That's it!" moment and I had found just the right house for the scene I was trying to write. (It's around the corner from the old Kress building, for those of you who know Salisbury, and not far from where the Occupation Army Headquarters would have been.) I remember, too, that I was very happy--a writer just knows when she sees the right whatever it is and the pesky scene is suddenly real.

Anyway.  THE BRIDE FAIR is now "live." In case you might possibly want to know that.

(The) Writing Life--Wait--What?

I was checking the KOBO eBook website. I wanted to see if they would be offering THE BRIDE FAIR, which is going solo in digital formats April 15. (Up until now, it's only been available in an anthology.) Sure enough, there it was. And, as they might say on Duck Dynasty--I was happy, happy, happy. It's one of my personal favorites, it's set in my hometown, and it won the Romance Writers of America RITA award for Best Short Historical the year it was published. It's also the book the daughter of a reader told me her mother insisted on having with her when she had to have a subsequent, major surgery. There is no higher honor than that.

I scrolled down, and near the bottom of the KOBO page was a section called "Related Titles." In that section was, of all things, 

THE VELVETEEN RABBIT. 

HOW in this world THE BRIDE FAIR is in any way related to THE VELVETEEN RABBIT, I do not know, but apparently somebody at KOBO--or one of its handy-dandy computers--thinks it is. 

I just wanted to say here and now, IT'S NOT.

(The) WRITING LIFE--THE FIRST BOY I LOVED Is In The Top 100 In The Paid Kindle Store...

In the Top 100! Yaayy!!!!   (Thank you all so much!)

THE BOOK TRAILER FOR THE FIRST BOY I LOVED...

My theory is this: If you like the book trailer, you just might like the book. So give it a try. If you do like it, there are assorted "buying" links over there....on the right side of the page. Scroll down:





The Book TraIler for THE FIRST BOY I LOVED

GET LOST IN A STORY Blog/January 31-February 2/Book Giveaway

I'm delighted to be a featured author all this weekend on the GET LOST IN A STORY Blog. Drop by and leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of my new BelleBooks release, THE FIRST BOY I LOVED.

Click HERE

NEW RELEASE: The First Boy I Loved...

THE FIRST BOY I LOVED

now available 

in print and in ebook format at

amazon.com:   http://tinyurl.com/l6xwkys

bellebooks.com: http://www.bellebooks.com/shopexd.asp?id=313&bc=no

Kindle For Christmas? Classic Romances by Award-wining Author Cheryl Reavis...

(Writing as "Cinda Richards")

Fill your new Kindle with these Classic Romances:

(Please be advised that these romances are rated "PG.")

CLICK ON THE DESCRIPTION OF THE HERO.

The Scotsman:

The Marine:

The Cowboy:

                                                       

The Other Cowboy:

The Cop:

Writing (About) Life--Reprising the Family Christmas Eve Eve Story...

As I've said before, on Christmas Eve Eve I always remember our family's "Almost Christmas Stranger." And, in keeping with that, once again I'm going to post an excerpt from one of my newsletters about it--a re-re-post, if you will. The memory is especially strong this year, because the weather is much the same as it was the night she suddenly appeared on our doorstep. Dreary. Off and on rain.  Such a long time ago, and I'm still wondering what happened to her.


(Oh, and the excerpt also includes my late sister-in-law's wonderful Lemon Fruit Cake recipe.)



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today -- since it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here -- I thought I'd post an excerpt from a past newsletter about a long ago, sort of Christmas Stranger incident and the person my mother and I always make a point to remember this time of year. I'm also going to re-share my late sister-in-law's recipe for lemon fruit cake. She made one every Christmas, and like all of her holiday baking, it was wonderful. (Don't let the words "fruit" and "cake" scare you.)

But first, the excerpt:


"...She was my family's slightly early Christmas Stranger. She arrived on our doorstep on Christmas Eve eve many years ago, and my mother and I can no longer remember her name. It was cold and dark. My mother was sewing my angel robe for the Christmas pageant, and my little sister was a baby. The pounding on our front door was so abrupt and urgent that I was afraid for my father to open it, and even more afraid of the young girl who ducked under his arm and rushed inside when he did. She was barefoot -- and clearly in distress. 

She lived in Charlotte, she was eventually able to say, and she was on her way to a party her father had forbidden her to attend, something she regretted even before the party-goers had become too drunk to drive and had lost control of the car they were in and ended up in a ditch. They managed to get the car out, but they had driven off and left her there in the dark.

She had no money. No way home. No shoes. My mother searched her closet to find some shoes for her -- gray suede penny loafers that were a couple of sizes too big. Getting her home was a little more difficult. We all piled into the car and took her to the bus station in nearby Salisbury. I remember how strange I felt, wearing my winter coat over my flannel, nursery-rhyme print nightgown. I didn't get to go to town at night very often, and at that time of year it was dazzling with Christmas lights, the kind you don't see anymore. Everything was so beautiful -- a real treat despite the strange young girl in the car who was still trying not to cry.

My father bought her a bus ticket to Charlotte -- which literally took all the money he had -- and he insisted that we would wait with her and make sure she got onto the bus all right. It seemed to take forever for the bus to arrive, but eventually it came. She got on it, and that was that. We never saw her again, never heard from her. But I always think of her this time of year and wonder what happened to her and whether she ever thinks of us in return...." 


-----------------------------------------------------

GAZIE'S LEMON FRUIT CAKE


1 pound butter

6 eggs at room temperature

2 and 1/3 cups of sugar

3 ounces of pure lemon extract ("pure" is underlined twice so I'm guessing it matters)

4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1 and 1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1/2 pound candied cherries (red)
1/4 pound candied cherries (green)
1/4 pound candied pineapple, diced
1/4 pound white raisins

4 cups of chopped nuts


Lightly flour fruit and nuts with a couple of tablespoons of additional flour.

Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar.

Add eggs one at a time and beat well.

Add lemon extract and beat well.

Mix dry ingredients together.

Beat it into creamed mix a little at a time.

Fold in candied fruit and nuts.

Pour into 10" greased and floured tube pan.

Bake at 300 degrees for 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours or until cake tests done.

Writing (About) Life--Christmas, Christmas Time Is Here...

Christmas in the Foyer 2013--which looks a lot like Christmas in the Foyer 2012.

And 2011, come to think of it.

And Christmas in the Den--Lights on the tree and not much else. But..

The bubble lights are bubbling.  

(Love bubble lights.)