Celebrate the Past and Move On

   On my final non-patriotic post last year, I said farewell to one of my four publishers. Secret Cravings and Sweet Cravings closed last year – a real shame. Sandy treated her authors well, the contract was fair, and many new authors received a first chance to publish. The closing was a class act. Sandy, unlike some publishers I could name, kept the authors in the loop and made every effort to keep the finances fair. While the SCP site has closed, the authors stay close through Facebook, but it’s still time to move on.

   Every author remembers receiving that first offer to publish. Fourteen contracts later, I will always be grateful to Judy Gill, at the time the acquisitions editor for Champagne Book Group, for that first vote of confidence in what became Into the Lyons’ Den, the first book in the shapeshifter Lyons’ Tales trilogy. Again, though, it’s time to move on.

   Last Christmas (2015) Champagne Book re-published my sweet Christmas Regency story, Twelfth Night Queen’s Deception. (Read Excerpt or Buy Here)  Recently, Long and Short Reviews awarded the story FIVE STARS (Read the review Here). Loads of research on apple production and processing in Somerset and the traditions of the Twelfth Night Queen celebrated there went into the story. Here’s the blurb for Twelfth Night Queen’s Deception:

    Fontaines always married Westburys, until the Twelfth Night Queen rebelled. Amelia Fontaine had been betrothed to her cousin, Percy Westbury, while she was still in leading strings. When Percy and his family arrive for a long holiday visit, Amelia is dismayed by the prospect of the impending arranged marriage. With his estate in shambles, Percy flaunts his plans to use Fontaine Hall’s wealth to benefit his family’s fortunes. When Percy demands that Amelia end her friendship with her neighbor, Edward Thornton, will she choose to follow tradition or pursue happiness?

   Edward Thornton, the Earl of Bridgewater, couldn’t remember a time he didn’t love Amelia. He didn’t believe her grandmother would insist on an arranged marriage, until the entire Westbury clan invites themselves to Fontaine Hall. When Edward discovers Percy’s secret life and his sinister plans for Amelia, he embarks on a campaign to rescue her. Will the Twelfth Night Queen help him save Amelia from her cruel fate?

Next Post, More Writing News.

Welcome Author Judy Gill

 My guest today is Judy Griffith Gill, who has been writing for many years and now has a fair portion of her backlist up at Open Road Media, who’ve placed electronic copies with all the major outlets. Today, she shares a recipe for Butter Tarts, a Christmas favorite of her family.  Check out the blurb for Renegade, one of her December releases,  available at http://www.openroadmedia.com/authors/judy-g-gill.aspx

Judy’s Butter Tarts

3/4 c butter (the real deal)

1 c dark brown sugar, packed tightly

1/2 c corn syrup

3 eggs beaten

1 t Vanilla

1 c currants (not raisins)

Cream butter & sugar. Add corn syrup and eggs, beat until frothy, add vanilla. Set aside. Place pastry shells, uncooked, into tart pans, drop one T of currants into each. Carefully pour or ladle filling into the shells till each is about 2/3 full. (I use a gravy boat to pour the mixture, catching drips on a spoon.)  Bake at 400 F. for 10 minutes, lower heat to 350, bake another 20 minutes until pastry is brown.

What? You want a calorie count? It’s Christmas, for Pete’s sake.

WARNING: Addictive.

Renegade

They married for all the wrong reasons. But can a marriage of convenience become a love affair for all time?
Marrying Renny Knight was the biggest mistake of Jacquie Train’s life. After the seductive rogue got what he wanted, he walked away without a backward glance, never knowing about her tragic secret. Now he’s back—and as dangerously irresistible as ever. Why has Renny suddenly reappeared? And what does he want?  Traveling the world can’t dim the memories of the passion Renny shared with the woman he wed strictly for business reasons. And finding Jacquie again is some kind of miracle, the end of a two-year quest. What will it take to convince her to open her heart to him again? Because Renny won’t rest until he has Jacquie where he wants her—safe and loved in his arms for the rest of their lives.

Judy Griffith Gill

http://www.judyggill.com/index.html

http://www.openroadmedia.com/authors/judy-g-gill.aspx

Tomorrow, The Night Before Christmas       Rita Bay