First Friday's With The Crew..."The First Romance I Read Was..."

Do you remember the very first romance you read? Do you remember where you were and what you were doing? How old were you?

C.H.:

I remember Mom letting me walk to North Island by myself (I was 12 and quite independent) because our public library's Bookmobile would be parked there all day!  Summers were busy around our house with the four of us kids driving Mom crazy most of the time, in between doing our chores and then helping Mom garden or canning peaches, tomatoes, chili sauce or making jam, etc.

I remember the warmth and beauty of the bright summer day changing as I stepped into the bookmobile--library card in hand. It was cooler and smelled faintly of old books. I couldn't have been happier! Searching through the titles, one jumped out at me: Lost Island by Phyllis A, Whitney. Mom was pretty stern about only taking out one book, and leaving the rest for other library patrons on the Bookmobile's stops that day.

My world irrevocably changed that day through the power of Phyllis A. Whitney's words. I fell in love with Lacy and Giles and a new genre for me: Romance. I returned the book on time, but kept thinking about it. My Dad bought me the paperback copy. I still have it and have read it too many times to count and taped the binding at least a half dozen times over the years. I had to take a pic of the cover...check out the price back in 1970...95 cents ;) 

What was the first Romance you read?

AMANDA

My enjoyment of reading stretches back to a summer spent in southern Missouri with my grandmother. Thus, began a life-long love of eclectic reading that ranges from The Boxcar Children to Alfred Hitchcock, from Dr. Zhivago to dictionaries. (Yes, I still love perusing dictionaries for new words and Thesaurus as well- but, that’s another topic) Fast forward to junior high (just after dinosaurs became extinct)) and as an impressionable and shy student librarian,(all through my junior high/high school career) I was also deeply passionate about many things.

I discovered the book Five Smooth Stones, by Ann Fairburn, which by definition today may not have been considered a “romance”-rather an historical fiction. Set during the American Civil Rights movement, it told the story of a young couple, of different backgrounds, struggling with the obstacles of race and prejudice and trying to hold on to a love that, at the time, was not widely accepted at the time. The struggle was real. Their love even more so.

Their passion for each other, their character, and desire to make the world a better place made such a profound impact on me that it inspired the first book I ever penned--pages and pages in a three-ring notebook-a story that would never see the light of day.

This book set me on the path to loving character-driven stories where ordinary people placed in extraordinary situations rise up to overcome their obstacles-internal and external-to achieve their HEA. It was the inception of the belief I carry now in my writing and in my life that #lovewillfindaway.

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LIZBETH

As usual, I'm breaking the rules a little because I honestly don't remember the very first romance I read. I fell in love with love stories from some of my earliest-ever books. My dad was a HUGE reader--both to himself and out loud to my brothers and to me. He also would bring us books from the library that were not what we would have chosen ourselves but ones he was sure we'd like. And we always did. Any book that  had love and happy endings was my favorite. Then I started falling in love with the heroes of books I read. My first true love met in the pages of a book was Alec Ramsay--hero of Walter Farley's Black Stallion series. 
But...real romance books is what we're remembering! My grandma had a collection of 50 or 60  Grace Livingston Hill books. GLH wrote what we now call inspirational romance, and these were hard and fast "altar call" stories--where the hero and or heroine came to faith in the pages of the very sweet romance! I devoured these like M&Ms! 
The first specific romance I remember in vivid detail is LaVyrle Spencer's "Hummingbird." The story of a spinster who takes in a wounded train robber, who turns out to be the exact opposite of what she expects has THE greatest sex scene ever (a 180-degree change from Grace L. Hill's stories, and a wonderful eye-opening experience) and is romantic from start to finish. I'd been hooked on romance from an early age--but LaVyrle's stories made me a lifelong junkie. And Hummingbird, dated as it is now, was the true gateway drug!

41 years of Taxes in our upstairs closet...and now I have time to shred them!

I couldn't believe that although I had planned to start weeding through our yearly tax papers saved as the first 7 year period passed, somehow I never got around to it. Life got busy, we had a toddler and new baby by that time. Two years later we had our youngest and I can't even begin to imagine why I didn't think to start going through those tax papers again.

When the kids were little I used to work part time while they were in school and be home to meet the school bus. And then I discovered the need to write...and I have NO idea where all those years in between went. Aside from kids going through those teen years, driver's licenses, accidents, and just life in general.

Soooo, here I was the other day chatting with our darling daughter--and missing our grandbabies to absolute pieces--and I mentioned that I was thinking I should order a shredder from Amazon and start shredding tax papers. Our daughter thought that was the funniest thing she'd ever heard. When she stopped laughing, she asked, "You mean the 41 years' worth in the upstairs closet?"

Well that had me getting my gumption up and telling our darling smarty-pants, yes since I have forced time to do it, being under the stay-at-home order from our governor, I was going to order the shredder! I could hear her chuckling. She doesn't think I'll do it...but it's on the task list for tomorrow!

Today's tasks are working on a couple of projects: Writing Blogs for GLIAS, keeping tabs on the e-books that I'm in the process of transferring to Kindle Unlimited so that all of my e-books will be in one place. Finally! But that may take another 2 weeks until that happens. Until then, all of my e-books are specially priced at 99 cents. C.H.'s Amazon Author Page

Isn't our new shredder pretty???

Soooo....way back under the eaves at the front of the house, we have this closet space where I put the Christmas ornaments, and a bunch of other stuff I can't live without. If you look past the Christmasy-boxes, there are some white priority envelopes. Those envelopes and from there back are seriously 41 years of taxes waiting for me to go through them, saving what's important, and shredding the rest. Well okay, except for the past 7 years.

I'm giving away 3 digital books...1 e-book (Reader's Choice) to 3 different winners!

To enter, leave a comment (and your email address to contact you) answering the question: Do you have any plans to tackle a task that's been waiting longer than mine while you're homebound?

ICYMI: I released the "Sweet" Version of my Small Town USA Contemporary Romance Series. The first three books are available in digital form in Kindle Unlimited and print. My Christmas Novella will be available in Kindle Unlimited in two weeks. 

Coming in April...large print versions of all four books! (my personal fave LOL)

     

     

    

Stay safe! Happy Reading

C.H.

C.H.'s Recipe Share & New Release Welcome Back to Apple Grove

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One of the recipes mentioned in Welcome Back to Apple Grove, the 3rd book in my Sweet Small Town USA Series is Firehouse Chili. The recipe appears in the front of the book. The fun part...former FDNY firefighter Patrick Garahan is the one doing the cooking for his new firehouse in Ohio.

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Firehouse Chili ~ feeds 5 or 6 hungry men in your life

(or 2 men with leftovers)...Easy Peasy!

Ingredients:

3.5  to 4 pounds of freshly ground chop meat 80/20% (the more fat, the more flavor)

2 to 3 large containers of your favorite chunky medium salsa

splash of vegetable oil 

Toppings:

Shredded Cheddar Cheese (or Monterrey Jack)

Green and/or Black Olives
Sour Cream

In a large Dutch Oven, brown the chop meat in the splash of vegetable oil. Stirring until done. Add the 2 to 3 large containers of salsa and stir to combine. Cover an bring to a boil, then simmer, checking often to prevent sticking, for 30 to 45 minutes. 

Scoop into bowls, topping with shredded cheddar, olives and a large dollop of sour cream. To encourage my guys to eat the dreaded 'green things,' I serve the chili with a tossed salad and another favorite: Honey Cornbread (or corn muffins). I use the recipe right off the Indian Head Cornmeal bag ;) *Note: since my darling hubby has diabetes, I cut the sugar and the honey quantities in half. Still tastes yummy.

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So excited to be releasing the Sweet Version of book 3 in my Small Town USA Series. I loved writing about Patrick and Grace. If you've read my Small Town Cowboy Series, you've already met Patrick's brothers in book 3, Jesse ;).

I'll be releasing Sweet Versions of my Small Town Cowboys sometime during the year. More on that later.

Here's a snippet from Chapter 11 in Welcome Back to Apple Grove:

“ ’Bout time you got here, Garahan,” Dan said as he pulled into the Mulcahy’s driveway.

“Where’s your car, Dan and how’d you beat me here?”

“Meg dropped me off. I had a change of clothes in the car. She and the kids had an errand to run. We took the shortcut.” His friend nodded toward the cooler sitting on the picnic table. “Would you mind asking Grace for the ice I stowed in their freezer yesterday?”

“Be right back.” The sight of Grace barefoot and humming to herself caught his attention the moment he opened the door. She had her back to him and was stirring a big pot and swiveling her hips to whatever tune played in her head.

Sucker punched. That’s what he would later remember. The sight of Grace Mulcahy just then felt like that time his older brother had sucker punched him over Jenny Rosenkrantz.

“Hey, Dan,” Grace called out mid-stir. “Would you mind handing me the lid I left on the table? I just want to give this sauce a little more love before I—”

Grace looked over her shoulder and smiled. A slow, lovely smile that started with her eyes, softened her features, and added another blow to his midsection when her dimples deepened. He was a goner.

He grabbed the lid and handed it to her. “Smells amazing.”

“Mmm,” she murmured, stirring in random patterns. “It’s Mrs. McCormack’s recipe—no wait, maybe it’s Katie’s grandmother’s—” Grace broke off and laughed at herself. “Sleep deprived, can’t remember, but you’ll love it. Packed with garlic and spices, the red sauce will have you singing for your supper.”

Before she slid the lid in place, she opened the drawer next to the stove and pulled out a tablespoon. Dipping it in the sauce, she blew over the surface and touched it to her bottom lip to check the temperature. Patrick’s simmering libido shot sparks of awareness and desire to places better left alone. Damn.

She held the spoon out to him. “Taste it. It’s not too hot.”

He shifted to box her in against the countertop. Her sharply indrawn breath was music to his ears. He snagged the spoon and licked it clean, all the while staring at her mouth. Her ragged sigh had him leaning close, capturing her lips and savoring the combination of herbs, spices, garlic, and Grace. His head spun from the delectable delicacy he sampled.

Craving another taste, he nibbled on the fullness of her bottom lip before soothing the spot with the tip of his tongue and gorging himself with another mind-blowing kiss. She was warm, willing, and ripe for the picking. He needed air. With a swift kiss to the end of her nose, he drew in a deep breath and rested his forehead against hers.

“Hi.”

She sighed. “Hi yourself.”

Giveaway! C.H. is giving away a signed copy 2 copies of Welcome Back to Apple Grove -- print or e-book, Book 3 in her Sweet Small Town USA Series. 

Leave a comment to enter ;)

Happy Reading!
C.H.

C.H.'s Recipe Share ~ Grandma's Fondue

For a change of pace, I thought I'd post some of the meals my guys enjoy on a cold winter night--or actually any time of year. 

My grandma's Garlic Tomato Cheddar Fondue is mentioned in the 3rd book in my Sweet Small Town USA Series: Welcome Back to Apple Grove. Much to Patrick Garahan's surprise, he enjoys it, but still needs meat with his dinner...sound familiar? LOL!

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Grandma's Garlic Tomato Cheddar Fondue

Ingredients:

large block of Cheddar cheese, cut into small chunks

1 large can (29 oz) crushed tomatoes (no salt, no spices)

6 to 8 garlic cloves, minced

1 to 2 tablespoons of dried basil 

Splash or so of white cooking wine or red--your choice

2 large loaves of Italian bread, cubed

In a Dutch Oven, heat the crushed tomatoes to a boil. Add the minced garlic, basil and splash or two of wine. Heat back to boiling. Add the cubed cheddar cheese and stir still smooth.

Remove from heat and serve over the cubed Italian bread, or if you're like my hubby, he likes to spear the bread cubes and swirl it in the pot of fondue at the table. ;)

Enjoy!

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I'm so excited to be releasing my Sweet Small Town USA Series over the next three months. To celebrate, I'm giving away a copy - print or e-book - of the first book in the series, A Wedding in Apple Grove.  To enter, leave a comment!

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