Book News

This has been a remarkable month for me, writing-wise. I have some great announcements! 

First, let me start by announcing a new book release! My novella, Puzzle me This, (part of the Missing Pieces Collection from Barbour Publishing) is about to release! The whole collection is jigsaw puzzle-themed. I absolutely love my quirky story. It was so much fun to write in first-person again! (This is how my Bella novels were written, and I love that style!) 

Second announcement: If you’re interested in dog-themed books you’ll definitely want to check out the first book in the Gone to the Dogs series from Barbour Publishing. It’s about to release and I couldn’t be more excited! You can pre-order your copy of Off the Chain and receive it as soon as it releases in a few weeks. Here’s the blurb: Marigold Evans’ first attempt at rescuing an abandoned pooch lands her in a drainage pipe in Brenham Texas. . .and almost in jail, until Parker Jenson comes to her rescue. Then a bad day only gets worse as the Lone Star Vet Clinic, where they both work, is vandalized and the list of suspects starts to climb. With the help of her fellow employees, Marigold sets out to simultaneously solve the crime, rehab the rescued dog, and help more dogs in crisis. But why would anyone continue to work against all their good efforts? 

Announcement #3: I’ve been hard at work on my next book in the dog series. It’s titled Barking up the Wrong Tree and involves a MIA agility course winner named Remington. Stay tuned for more on that story. (Kathleen Y’Barbo wrote the second book in the series titled Dog Days of Summer. . .and it’s amazing! More on that later!) 

Final book-related announcement: Remember that Cut and Shoot novella I mentioned last month? I just completed edits on that book, O Little Town of Cut and Shoot, which will release in a few months from Guideposts. It’s part of a two-book collection titled Love’s a Mystery in Cut and Shoot. The other author in the collection is my good friend Ruth Logan Herne. I’ll be sharing more about that collection as the release date draws near.

In the meantime, thanks for always lifting me up in prayer as I write the books that God places on my heart! I did a count of my books today (which you will find listed on my “All Published Works” page) and I’m currently working on books #157 and 158 simultaneously. Whew!

Baking News

To say this has been a crazy month would be putting it mildly! I’ve baked more new sweet treats than ever, and all in an effort to get my Out of the Box Baking blog up and running. The goal? To draw enough traffic to the blog to eventually get it monetized. That’s more than a pipe dream, friends! I’m on the track to see this happen by fall, and you can help! Please sign up to receive the RSS feed. When you do that, you’ll see the recipes as they post. (You won’t have to go looking for them…you’ll be notified automatically.) This will be of benefit to you, sweet bakers, and to me! It really helps me out because the more time you spend perusing my posts, the quicker I build my views, which is critical at this stage of the game! So, what are you waiting for? Sign up for my RSS feed today. 

Here are some of my latest recipes that I’m particularly proud of: 

Chocolate Mayonnaise cake: I’ve been on a roll, making things with mayonnaise. Yes, you read that right! Mayo adds depth of flavor and it really, really works in this rich chocolate cake! You can learn more about baking with mayo in this comprehensive post titled How to Bake with Mayonnaise: 7 Terrific Recipes. 

Old Fashioned Pound Cake with Whipping Cream: If you’re looking for a classic pound cake to serve at your next get-together, you can stop looking! I’ve got a luscious butter pound cake recipe for you that’s going to thrill and delight your guests and make you proud to serve it!

20 Amazing Recipes that Start with a White Cake Mix: Don’t have the mix you need? Don’t worry! You can make 20 different cakes using a simple white cake mix! 

Easy Bananas Foster Cinnamon Rolls (made with crescent rolls): This luscious, gooey cinnamon roll has a warm, nutty bananas foster taste and feel. And best of all. . .it’s made with crescent rolls! It comes together so quickly and easily!

Common Baking Substitutions: Out of the ingredient you need? No worries! This comprehensive list of baking substitutions will be a huge help! 

I’ve added some new categories to my blog: 
Recipes Grandma Made
Baking as a Business

I truly hope to grow this blog into a thing of beauty that bakers across the globe can enjoy! (Speaking of which, it’s kind of fun to track the stats on this blog! I can see people from countries all over the world viewing my posts!) 

Mischief Making!

Before Easter, I purchased some melting chocolate and molds to make chocolate covered Oreos with the grandkids. There was no time, sadly, but we made up for it a couple of weeks back.  I met with a couple of my local granddaughters and we pretty much covered everything we could find in chocolate, including their mother’s beautiful wooden table. Oops. it was a great afternoon and we had a lot of fun. They learned some new skills and I learned that not all chocolates are created equal. I also learned that the kids are pretty good at learning by example and have some serious potential as decorators! We had a blast. (Sorry about your table, Megan!)