You've Got Mail

Howdy, Pamela Tracy, here and yes, I used one of my favorite movies as a title for today.

Since email became more popular, most of the mail I get from 'fans' come via Internet.  Which is cool because it's immediate.   Another plus, is it's easy to file.   I've figured out who writes me for almost every book (I LOVE YOU) and I figured out some people cut and paste their fan letters (and once they forgot to change the title of the book).

Actual fan letter to me.
By the way, I Googled Fan Letters and discovered that there's a how-to site for
writing a fan letter to Taylor Swift.  I did not find my name mentioned in a similar manner .

Used to be (yes, I've been around a long time) fan mail would be sent to the publishing house.  Many editors had files with their authors' names and the mail would go into the files.  I'm not sure whether the editors (or their assistants) would simply transfer the mail to a manilla folder once the file was full or if there were a few times a year when they cleaned all the files.  Doesn't matter.  A decade ago, a few times a year, I'd get manilla envelopes full (okay, not full full) of fan mail.

There were a few different kinds.  Some simply told me what they loved about the book and promised to read all my books (Thanks Mom and Aunt Shari).  Others told me my mistakes (I once typed ASAP instead of ASSET for a teacher heroine).  Some were amazed that I used all the names of their relatives in my book (There are lots of Brittneys, Sarahs, and Mikes in the world).

Fan letters do touch the lives of authors.  I've gotten handmade bookmarks and recipes (I've always admitted that I don't cook.  Some readers think a recipe will change this character flaw.  So far, the perfect recipe hasn't appeared.  Hmm, methinks the only perfect recipe would be one used for the replicator on Star Trek).  I've had readers share poems and ask for prayers.

Yes, I've gotten the letters from prison inmates.

My favorite, though, came not because of a story but because of a dedication.

I dedicated one of my books to my birth mother who I met a little over a decade ago.

I got a fan letter because my birth mother's name is fairly common and one reader saw the name and the sentence I wrote as part of the dedication, called her friend who had the same name, and said, "Wow, you've had a book dedicated to you!"

The second lady said, "Uh, no, there's hundreds of people with my name.  Not me."

But, she went and found the book and read it, too.  Then wrote me and said, "God has blessed your gift of writing.  Thank you for following His path and sharing your life with us."

She was right.  God has blessed me.

A long time ago, I read an article in the Romance Writers Report.  It was a list of things authors should do.  One item was "Write one fan letter a year to an author new to you."

I've done that.  Sometimes I get a thank-you back.  Sometimes I hear from an author's assistant (I want one of those!"  Sometimes I hear nothing at all.   Best of all, I've made a few friends.

So, readers and writers, what are your experiences with fan letters.

http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=65173

Inspiration is unexpected places.... Roxanne Rustand

Inspiration for creative projects--arts, crafts or writing--can come from everywhere. Do you enjoy working on creative projects?  Where has some of your inspiration come from?

I've never lived in Wisconsin, but I love the state...the deeply rolling, scenic southwest, the breathtaking bluffs and streams and beautiful forests of the eastern border, the myriad lakes of the north country, which blazes with color  in the fall.

I've ended up setting several series of books there, because it all seems so perfect for a story setting. I took these Wisconsin photos a few years back.


My current five-book Love Inspired series, Aspen Creek Crossroads, is set in a fictitious town along the Minnesota-Wisconsin border and has been such fun to write!


The third book in the loosely connected series, The Single Dad's Redemption, is out at the beginning of July, and I had such fun "spending time" with the folks of Aspen Creek once again.  They've begun to seem like old friends, and I know I'll miss them when the series in done.

Is it just me, or do you remember characters in your favorite books? Think about them later, and wish there were more books to  read about them? That happens to me all the time when I read a favorite author!

Best wishes to you all for a summer of  sunshine and plenty of time to read!
Roxanne Rustand

The Single Dad's Redemption, Love Inspired 7/2016
An Aspen Creek Christmas,     Love Inspired 11/16
www.roxannerustand.com 
www.facebook.com/Roxanne.Rustand 
http://www.SweetRomanceReads.com
https://www.pinterest.com/roxannerustand

Allie Pleiter welcomes you to Blue Thorn Ranch

There’s nothing like the launch of a new series!

Now that I have a son going to school in Texas (hook ‘em, Longhorns!), it was time to set some books there.  Texas, cowboys, cattle ranches, right? 

Well, not completely.  Texas and cowboys, but you know me—I have to do things just a bit differently.  I went for a bison ranch.  And no, it wasn’t just because you can make spectacular yarn from bison hair—although that was a large part of it.  One has to do one’s extensive research yes?

When the friendly folks at Lucky B Bison Ranch welcomed me with open arms, I knew I had a great setting from which to launch the fictitious Blue Thorn Ranch that would host my next five books.  Here’s another glimpse at one of my favorite videos:  me getting up close and personal with the bison.

Starting with February’s The Texas Rancher’s Return, you’ll get to meet matriarch Adele Buckton and her five strong willed grandchildren as each of them returns to the family ranch.  First up is Gunner, Jr, who is determined to live down his black sheep reputation and save the family land by creating a thriving bison ranch.  Beautiful single mom Brooke Calder needs the cooperation of the Buckton family to save her job, but she’ll lose her heart to Gunner before the adventure is over.  Throw in Brooke’s adorable daughter, one bull-headed mama bison, and a thorny misunderstanding, and you have what’s become one of my favorite books I’ve ever written.

I hope you’ll enjoy all the books in the Blue Thorn Ranch series as they arrive.

What A Writer Knows or Not

Pamela Tracy here… and I'm an author.

I'm thinking you're thinking, "Dah!"

Well, this morning, this writer was doing  helping her ten-year-old with his language arts homework and figuring out the meaning of seven vocabulary words.

1. plot
2. climax
3. rising action
4. falling action
5. conflict
6. resolution
7. exposition

Really, I thought I knew!

I almost volunteered to speak to her class.

Then, helping my son, I had to match the meaning to the words and it took me 10 minutes when I thought it should take 1 second.

So, here are the definitions.  See how you do?

___ information and description given at the beginning of the story, including setting or time period
___ events that make up a story; occur in a sequence
___ wraps up or concludes the story OR can be seen as a cliffhanger
___ events that wrap up the story
___ the inciting events that lead up to the climax; build from the conflict
___ the problem that moves the story forward
___ highest point of tension or interest in the story.

Go ahead, post your answers.  I'll give the correct answers later tonight.

Pamela has a book out in December

She also has a November Thanksgiving short story  that will be featured at eHarlequin November 7th.

Grateful for a lot of things!

What Were You Doing Last Night

Pamela Tracy here, and I was probably doing what many of you were…

Moon Watching

What's really cool about our neighborhood is the throwback feature.  We've got a gang of boys who do everything together.  My son is the one at the left, blue shirt, sitting down.  This is the beginning of the evening.

Kids loved last night because the end of play time on a school night is usually 7:00.  We didn't end last night until almost 8:00

Hubby grumbled a bit, something about supper being REALLY late and something about a football game..

Still, he dragged out his telescope and let all the kids look through the lens. 

We parents were sitting behind the kids, on lawn chairs, one of the benefits of a cul de sac neighborhood.

This isn't my street.  My photos didn't come out this well.  But, this is another AZ neighborhood with a gorgeous mountain in the background. 

Apparently, one of the cool features of last night's moon was the size.  It was the biggest (closest to the Earth) of the year.

Then, the biggest moon of the year coincided with an eclipse that turned it red.   Which is what earned the cry, "WOW."

God is truly Amazing.

Available December 2015

By the way, what did you think of last night's moon?

One of Those Days

Hello

It's me.  Pamela Tracy.

Yeah, I know, most of you only know me in cyber-space.  But, hey, I'm like you.  I drink coffee, sometimes.  I love to read.  I have a husband who rolls his eyes a lot.  My bed is made.  The cat is begging for attention.  Just played my one millionth game of UNO with my son.  Oh, and right now we're studying James in Sunday School.

See, we have a lot in common.

It's been a pretty good, pretty great day.

I woke up (that's always good)

I went to water aerobics (I'm trying to be good)

I cleaned house and I worked on revisions as well as new writing.

I went shopping (noticed during water aerobics that my bathing suit had a small hole)

Cooked dinner.

Wrote some more.

Got great writing news - Yeah!  Jumped up and down.

Then, the pretty good, pretty great day went cloudy.

Got bad writing news.

Total slump, air taken out of my wind, all that.

Margaret Mitchell said, "In a weak moment I have written a book…"

I finally get it.

It's after the book is finished that you have to be tough.  

Love Inspired at the Library

My name is Keli Gwyn, and I love libraries. I have a hunch I'm not alone.

Since the author copies of my first Love Inspired Historical, Family of Her Dreams, arrived recently, I'm busy thinking of ways to spread the word about my story.

Promotion can be fun, especially when it involves giving away copies to eager readers. (Heads up! I'll be offering an autographed print copy two different times next month when I post here at Love Inspired Authors.)

Since Family of Her Dreams is set here in California's Gold Country where I live, I'm sure local folks would find it interesting. But how can I get the book into their hands?

I asked myself where avid readers hang out. The answer was easy: at the library.

When my debut novel released, our local library was happy to add copies of my book to their shelves. A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California was a full-size trade paperback, so they had no trouble accepting it. I wasn't sure if they would accept copies of my LIH, though.

Having learned that it doesn't hurt to ask, I marched into the library with a copy of my shiny new book in hand. I asked the librarian who oversees their author events if they would shelve copies if I were to donate them.

To my surprise, the answer was yes! It turns out they have a new section just for the smaller mass-market paperbacks. Of course I had to visit the section and see if I could spot any Love Inspired titles

Sure enough I did! Sherri Shackleford's August 2014 release, The Cattleman Meets His Match, was on the shelf. There are several more Love Inspired titles in the collection, but they were all checked out.

Now that I know my library carries the LI titles, I'll be donating copies of those I've read so others can enjoy them as well. The more readers we can introduce to Love Inspired, the better, right?

Does your local library shelve books from the Love Inspired lines?

Copyright © 2015 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited
Cover Art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited
® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited
or its affiliated companies, used under license.

A Writers To-do List

Pamela Tracy here, and I'm a writer.

I'm also a teacher, mother, wife, reader, go to churcher.

Sometimes those other things get in the way of being a writer.

So, I become a list maker.  I have a book due on the 30th, and actually, it's coming along very nicely.  It's because of my Writer's To-do List.

Want to see my Saturday and Sunday to-do list?

Here it is (btw, the numbers are word count.  I'm writing in 500 word spurts)

Saturday

43-43,500
Reorganize game shelf in play room (I cleaned this room while my son was in camp last week)
43,500 -44,000
Do laundry (load out, load in, fold put away)
44 -44,500
Take back overdue library books, mail contest win, pick up medicine at pharmacy, eat lunch
44,500-45,000
Go to signing at Poison Pen bookstore (Opps, missed this one)
45-45,500
Mop kitchen floor (who dropped the box of Otterpops so that all the bottom ones broke open and now there's sticky stuff on the floor.  Huh?  It was me)
45,500-46,000
Make Dinner
Visit with neighbor
Convince son that the showers he took last week at camp don't mean he doesn't have to shower this week.
Watch a Harry Potter movie for the sixth time (remind son to close eyes during all snake parts)
Put son to bed, lay with him and talk, go to bed.  

Sunday
Church
46-46,500
Clean out pot and pan cabinet (It's getting ridiculous.  Who bought all these pots and pans anyway?  And why do I have lids that don't belong to pots?  A red lid!  Really?  No red pots. Arg)
46,500-47,000
Sweep porch
47-47,500
Write LI blog

Hey, I'm doing good.

Do you have a to-do list?  Do you write it or just keep it in your head?

 What Janie Saw
  May 2014
Available at eHarlequin

Conversations with a Child or Where do you get Ideas?

Ideas are everywhere, but surely the best ideas come from children.  I've long wanted to write a book set on the Titanic.  Right now would be the perfect time as my eight-year-old is enthralled with the ship and its sinking.  So, we watch the movies (the old Barbara Stanwyke, one from England, and of course the epic Jack and Rose).

Yesterday was church.  My son had a lesson about Adam and Eve in his third grade classroom (If I'm keeping count, it's Adam and Eve lesson number 15.  Kids learn about Adam and Eve every six month.  Hmmm, maybe their the equivalent to Jack and Rose... No, we'd have to make Noah and the ark the biblical equivalent, and I don't DON'T want to picture Leonardo as Noah.  Kate as Mrs. Noah is fine with me but Leonardo...no, no, no)

So, back on topic.

My son asks me as we're driving home, "Mom, if Adam and Eve hadn't sinned, would we be naked today?"

This is what I get for telling him to LISTEN in class.

"Ah, maybe."

He's not done.  "Mom, if Adam and Eve hadn't sinned, would all the people on the Titanic have been naked when the ship went down?"

So, yes, this conversation will appear in a book someday.

And so you have one more chuckle.  My son got the Lego Bible for Christmas. (Anything so he'll know the Word.)  He's flipping through it and comes to a photo of a lego man with someone holding a sword over him.  My eight year carefully sounds out the word cir cum cise.  He looks up at me, points, and says, "Mom, this is just wrong."

Your turn LOL.  Do you remember your kids giving you new and improved Bible messages after church heheheh

  

Goodbye November!

Debby Giusti here!
While everyone seems to have swept away their fall leaves and replaced Thanksgiving decorations with hanging lights and evergreen garlands, I'm still holding onto November. The month flew by much too quickly and was filled with family and fun and wonderful events that warmed my heart. If you don't mind, I'd like to look back and remember some of the highlights...

I was both humbled and honored to be on the cover of the November issue of Fayette Woman Magazine. Thank you, Joyce Beverly, for creating such a great magazine. Click here to read about the photo shoot and how a wonderful photographer and a talented makeup artist can make a frumpy writer feel so special.

November 2, I headed to Birmingham, Alabama for the Southern Magic Readers' Luncheon. The event is always wonderful and this year was no exception.

Debbie Kaufman (R standing) and I (L standing)
hosted a table together. 

November 11, hubby and I celebrated Veteran's Day by attending our grandchildren's school for a program to honor all those who had served in the Armed Forces. The children sang patriotic songs, and the veterans were recognized and thanked for their service. One of the teachers created a huge flag that hung on the wall in the library. Look closely and you'll see the stripes are made up of photos of each child in the school.

The flag was amazing! Look closely to see the
children's photos.

I was invited to talk about books and writing and Christian fiction to a church group in a neighboring town. The ladies were so warm and welcoming and made me feel right at home.

My eldest daughter and her family, plus my youngest daughter joined us for the Thanksgiving holiday. We played games with the little ones, took golf cart rides and ate lots of turkey.

The pumpkin goes into the garbage tomorrow, and I'll start decorating for Christmas. Thanks for allowing me to look back at November. I continue to give thanks for all of you.

Wishing you abundant blessings,
Debby Giusti
www.DebbyGiusti.com
www.seekerville.blogspot.com

THE SOLDIER’S SISTER

By Debby Giusti

WHO WILL PROTECT HER?

Someone wants Stephanie Upton dead. A warning to leave town is just the beginning. Fearing for her life, Stephanie turns to Special Agent Brody Goodman for help and protection. But can she trust him when he’s convinced her own brother is a prime suspect? Torn between her devotion to two men—an estranged brother whose trust she yearns to regain and an agent she may be falling for—Stephanie doesn’t know who or what to believe. As feelings between her and Brody escalate, she’ll have to choose sides to stay alive.

Available now at Amazon.

Writing REALLY Writing

Pamela Tracy here, and I'm rewriting four synopsi.  So, if you want to picture what I look, picture wrinkled papers everywhere (with a cat stretched out on top of them), empty soda cans to my right, my hair all awry, and me with a pained expression on my face.

Writing isn't easy.

Don't get me wrong.  There are times when the words like lightning bolts streak from my fingers to the page and I set back and think to myself "I'm brilliant."

Then,  there are many, many, many times when I'm staring at my screen, thinking "What do I put next?  Whose pov should it be in?  Is my heroine tstl?"

Writing isn't easy.  Then, why do I do it everyday?

Raising my eight year old isn't easy.  Yesterday, not only did I drag him across the pool and into a secluded corner to put the fear of MOM into him, but when we got home he had to write sentences (GASP)

I love him more than I ever knew was possible.

Writing this new proposal isn't easy.  My heroine keeps telling me "I don't want all these issues!"  And I keep telling her, "If you don't have all these issues, you'll be a very short book!"

Haha

In the Romance Writers Report this month, there's an article called "The Last Word" by Laura Drake.  I thought it the best article in the whole magazine.  She put a quote by Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture.  The quote was just what I needed to hear.

"The brick walls are there for a reason.  The brick walls are not there to keep us out.  The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something.  Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough.  They're there to stop the other people."

Wow.

 

March On by Terri Reed

It's March!  A lot is happening in March.

For you sports fans-- March Madness!  I don't know much about this, but I hear its pretty popular.

Girl Scout Cookies!!  My favorite are Thin Mints and Savannah Smiles. But I certainly wouldn't turn down any of the others.

March 17th is St. Patrick's Day.  Don't forget to wear green!

The official start of spring is March 20th.  

March sees my 25th release with Love Inspired, the fourth book in the Protection Specialists series.

Framed!

For years after the suspicious death of his wife, single dad Wyatt Monroe isolates himself on his Wyoming ranch…until he's accused of murder. With a body at his doorstep, he's arrested and Wyatt has only one hope—a blue-eyed, blonde bodyguard. But it'll take more than skill for work-obsessed Jackie Blain to save her reluctant client, who just wants to be left alone. She'll have to gain his trust by keeping him and his daughter safe. With their lives in her hands, Jackie is faced with her toughest assignment ever—saving the cowboy and guarding her heart.

Protection Specialists: Guarding the innocent

And I'm heading to England and France for ten days to visit my daughter at college and to see Paris!  I don't speak a lick of French but I'm so excited!  

Hope you all have a blessed March!

When Inspiration Strikes

Hi, all. Charlotte Carter here.

I have recently endured a hard-drive crash. This, as many of you may know, is not a fun thing. In my case I could handle e-mail on my hubby’s computer but he doesn’t have the word processing program that I use for my writing.

Talk about having withdrawal pains for nearly a week!

The good news is that my sub-conscience kept on working away. On the second night of withdrawal, I woke abruptly at 4:00 a.m. My energetic sub-conscious had found the ‘perfect’ conversation the hero and heroine need to have in the new proposal I’m writing for my editor.

The hero, it seems, had given up on prayer and faith when things started going wrong in his career. God wasn’t answering his prayers. The heroine, sweet girl that she is, points out that maybe God was answering, but hero wasn’t receiving the answer he wanted. What other answer could it be? he asks. I bet figures it out by the end of the story. <g>

Now I’m in great shape for that proposal if I’m able to read my 4:00 a.m. scribbled handwriting.

When does inspiration strike you?

Happy reading.....
Char......
Home to Montana, Love Inspired, available now www.charlottecarter.com

Who Makes a Hero

Pamela Tracy here, and yes Love Inspired author Kim Watters and I are standing next to Jack Sparrow.

Kim and I were signing books at the Glendale Chocolate Affair, doing what we love most: meeting readers and talking shop, when who did we spy across the way JACK SPARROW.

Being of like mind, we both hopped up, cell phone cameras in hand, and sprinted across the way.

This Jack was awesome.  He stayed in character and we got our picture

Alas, Jack could not be a hero in one of my books.  He'd really, really, REALLY need to be redeemed.  He could be a secondary character though.  He could be a crusty old uncle that only the heroine seemed to connect with in an LI.  Or, he'd be the one with a secret both the H and H need if this were an LIS.  Or, in an LIH, he'd be on the boat bringing the heroine to the new world and the real hero would have to be grateful or something.

How would you use Jack in your book?

Christmas Traditions

HI, Terri Reed here popping in to say Merry Christmas.  I love this time of year, especially the music.  One of my personal traditions is to buy a new Christmas Album each year.
This year I've bought two.
1)Rod Stewart's Merry Christmas, Baby.  For those of you who grew up in the 80's, you're probably a fan of Rod's smoky voice and unique style. I sure am.  I saw Rod in concert in 89'.

2)MercyMe's Christmas Session.  

I have to admit MercyMe is my all time favorite group. I saw them in concert in 2006.I have every single album they've made including the newest one The Hurt and The Healer.  

Do you have a personal Christmas Tradition?

Echoes of Eternity by Cheryl Wyatt

It has been a difficult week in the writing community, still reeling from the loss of a beautiful friend and sister in Jesus whose favorite quote holds even more poignancy now that she's gone to be with Jesus. "What we do now echoes in eternity."-Dee Stewart. My heart aches for her daughter and others she left behind, while she is physically gone, her echoes on Earth remain. Please uphold Dee's family in prayer, and especially her daughter. Please also, whatever you do, make it matter for the good of eternity. Each and every one of you has gifts and talents. If you're not using it for God, let it go or get on track. Life is too short to work for the wrong side. Sorry if this offends you, but when you lose someone as important as Dee, it causes you to realize what's important with regards to using (or misusing) our talents for God. He is worthy. If you write, write as worship or don't write at all. Life is too short to make the wrong kind of difference. If you don't believe you can make a difference, ask God to show you. He has already given you everything you need. I love you, all! Write (or paint, serve, sing, clean, pray, cook, sew, knit, crochet, plan, lead, follow, feed, give, encourage, etc, etc, etc) on! If you don't know what your God-given gifts or talents are, ask those who know you best to clue you in. :-) Then believe it. My next release is up for pre-order now on all online booksellers such as Amazon. If you pick it up, I sincerely thank you and hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Your readership is a tremendous blessing to me...as well as to all of my Love Inspired sisters. Their books are among my favorites.

To God be the glory and honor and may Jesus be magnified and made more famous by the talents we offer and commit to him for the sake of touching others. My website is udnergoing an amazing makeover, thanks to the crew at Jones House Creative. I hope you will check in and take a peek once it's done in a couple weeks or so. www.cherylwyatt.com Cheryl Wyatt

What sparks a story idea?

Hi all, Charlotte Carter here.....

I’m fascinated by the creatuve mind and how a story will evolve from a single spark of inspiration to a full-length novel. And even though I’ve authored more than 50 books, I don’t always know where the initial idea came from or where it will take me.

When I wrote Montana Hearts, a November 2010 Love Inspired release, the spark was easy to identify. I read a short article in the Los Angeles Times that indicated some people believe an organ transplant recipient takes on the personality and traits of the organ donor. BAM! According to experts, this is decidedly not true, but what a wonderful place to start What if....

With my current book, Montana Love Letter, it is harder to pin point the initial impetus for the story. I actually picked the locale first. Since we’ve visited and enjoyed Glacier National Park and environs, I thought the area would be a great place for a small town story. So I created Bear Lake, fifty miles south of the park (and recently got some great help from the Harlequin.com Love Inspired Community to grow the town. Thanks, ladies!)

My hero, widower Adam Hunter, arrived in my imagination because of my grandson who has ADHD. He’s a sweet 12-year old boy but other children have started picking on him. So what if...Adam had a similar experience? What if he is dyslexic and desperately wants to keep that a secret? Particularly from the heroine.

Janelle Townsend, the heroine, made her appearance when I asked what kind of a woman would Adam least want to discover his secret? How about a college educated woman, the widow of a college professor in anthropology? Oh, dear, don’t you just know she’s going to sniff out his secret?

And then, because I love to write about children, up popped Adam’s outgoing 10-year-old daughter Hailey and Janelle’s 5-year-old daughter Raeanne. Rae has experienced a trauma and has forgotten how to speak. Sweet Hailey, as well as Adam, have a lot to do with her regaining her speech.

With the characters in place, the story rolled out on my computer screen, reaching the HEA for all of them.

Where do you get your ideas? What kind of storyline do you like to read? Anything can happen in Bear Lake, so let me know.

Happy reading.....
Char......
www.CharlotteCarter.com

Love Inspired Harvest Festival at Harlequin.com

This week is the Love Inspired Harvest Festival at Harlequin.com forum boards! Games and prizes and authors dropping by to chat! Come join us! If you’re not yet a member of the Harlequin forum boards, it’s super easy to sign up! If you have problems, just message me or Love Inspired Books on Facebook for help!

Harvest Festival forum thread:

http://community.harlequin.com/showthread.php/609-Love-Inspired-Spotlight-Love-Inspired-Harvest-Festival

Contest with Charlotte Carter:
http://community.harlequin.com/showthread.php/659-Help-Author-Charlotte-Carter-Grow-Bear-Lake-Montana

Spiced Nectarine Jam

Everyone I know is going to get a jar of Spiced Nectarine Jam for Christmas this year. Again. They have for past four years.

We have a dwarf white nectarine tree in our backyard. About four years ago it started going crazy producing fruit. One year my husband, who prepares and freezes the fruit for my jam making (bless him!) saved all the pits. He had harvested FOUR HUNDRED nectarines!

Even total strangers have received the gift of Spiced Nectarine Jam. Last year I filled 25 jars; I’ll do that and more this year. Three more batches to go!

The nectarines are positively, absolutely Organic. No spray. No fertilizer. Hardly any extra water. (My husband isn’t exactly fond of gardening.)

Since it’s hard to send jam via the internet, I thought you might like the recipe. The jam’s really yummy.

4 Cups prepared fruit
7 ½ Cups sugar
1/4 Cup lemon juice
1 tsp each of cinnamon, cloves & allspice
1 packet of Certo

Combine fruit, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, cloves and allspice in a large pan. Bring to a rolling boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add packet of Certo. Stir to cool and skim foam for 5 minutes. Pour into jars. Use either self-sealing jars or cover with melted household wax. (This recipe can be used for Spiced Peach Jam.)

Happy jam making....

What do you preserve from your garden?

Char......
Montana Love Letter, Love Inspired, 10/2012Home to Montana, Love Inspired, 3/2013www.CharlotteCarter.com

Kim Watters here.  Cancer. I shudder every time I hear that word, yet these days its almost as common as breathing. Every time I turn around, I know someone who knows someone with the disease.  As the mother of two young children, I can't even begin to know or comprehend what it would be like to have a child with cancer like my heroine does, and my heart breaks for those parents who do.  I pray daily that God helps us find a cure.

Writing And Father Makes Three gave me the opportunity to explore the complex subject of bone marrow transplants. The stories and testimonials were truly inspirational and humbling at the same time. A portion of the proceeds of this book will be donated to the Be The Match program to defray the costs associated with the testing. Straight from their website: "The National Marrow Donor Program ® (NMDP) and our Be The Match Foundation ® are nonprofit organizations dedicated to creating an opportunity for all patients to receive the bone marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant they need, when they need it."   http://www.marrow.org/

From a personal perspective, one of my dear friends from high school was diagnosed with Large Cell B non-hodgkins Lymphoma and needed to have a bone marrow transplant to put her cancer into remission.  In her honor, I have dedicated this book to her. Today she is in remissionand living life to the fullest.

And Father Makes Three
July 2012
ISBN-13: 978-0373877560
“Your Daughter Needs You.”She’s saved countless lives, yet there’s one person emergency room doctor Elizabeth Randall can’t rescue—her adopted daughter, Jordan. Perhaps meeting her biological father, Blake Crawford, will be the lifeline Jordan needs. The handsome, guarded firefighter takes risks every day. But facing the daughter he never knew—along with lovely Elizabeth—has him thinking about family. With fatherhood thrust suddenly upon him, there’s no way he can turn his back on his sick child. Will working together to give Jordan a second chance at life also lead them to a second chance at love?