COOKING MEMORIES

We are suppose to share our recipes this month—a great time for it with Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner. There is just one little issue with me writing about cooking...I don't cook. No, really. I don't. I cook one time a year...Christmas. My hubby cooks most of the time.

It's our little agreement when I began writing in earnest. I still have a regular forty hour a week job besides my writing. So, hubby agreed to take over the cooking. Never was my forte...cooking that is. Goes back to my youth.

When I was growing up, Momma went back to school to finish her degree in teaching. My sister and I took turns cooking supper while she was at class. Now, my sister-she can cook! I mean she makes anything melt in your mouth. Great cook. Me...not so much. My cooking is legendary in my family with my brothers bouncing my biscuits off the patio, my scrambled salmon patties (don't ask)... the list could go on and on until it was decided I would be better cleaning up after supper.

It's not that I can't cook, I just don't enjoy it except on special occasions. I do love to bake. So I thought I would share my recipe for chocolate pie.

Chocolate Pie

1 c. of milk                     1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs yolks                   1 baked pie shell
2 Tbsp. cornstarch         2 egg whites
1 Tbsp. vanilla               1/8 tsp. salt
1 c. sugar                      4 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. cocoa               1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine sugar, cornstarch and cocoa. Beat egg yolks and combine with milk. Mix together and cook over low heat until thickened. Pour into cool pie shell. Make meringue by beating egg whites until stiff. add salt, sugar and vanilla to pie with meringue and bake at 300 degrees until brown.

Now would be a great time to promote one of my books where one of my characters was cooking...don't have one of those scenes. What I do have is a great new release...one of my favorite books I've written
Another Night Falls, the third book in the Tides of Charleston Series...it has it all, intrigues, adventure and romance...

A love to die for...

AMAZON, BARNES AND NOBLE, WCP

Sumner Meador walked in a world of wealth and privilege as part of Charles Town’s elite, but that was years ago. Now he fights in the Southern backwoods driven by the passion he holds for the Patriot cause, shadowed by his past. Reeling from a devastating defeat at the hands of the British, Sumner seeks haven at his farm, only to find an interloper—an unwelcome and unwanted distraction. He has no time for the young woman or the complications she brings with her, but soon discovers he has no option but to give aid to the stubborn, courageous beauty whether she wants it or not.

A widower, Sumner has been haunted by the death of his wife and is consumed with a desire for revenge.
Jane Kilmer has been violently thrust into the midst of the civil war ensuing in the backwoods. Hiding from one of the most dangerous vigilantes, Jane trusts no one. Suddenly, she has no choice but to put her life in Sumner’s hands. Both desire revenge, but neither wants what happens—to fall completely, undeniably in love with each other—so much so, that both are willing to die for the other. And they might have to.

Mingling of Characters

ANOTHER NIGHT FALLS

Another Night Falls,  Part III of the Tides of Charleston

Ya'll know that I love a good family saga and I'm kinda partial to American History. Another Night Falls is the end of the Tides of Charleston Series, but it isn't my only American Revolution saga.

RUSE OF LOVE

Winds of Betrayal series is set during the turmoil of the American Revolution exploding around two siblings, Hannah and Jonathan Corbett. When Jonathan is assigned to the Southern Continental Army down in Charleston in the second book of the Winds of Betrayal Series- Ruse of Love, Jonathan crosses paths with Sumner Meador. Sumner Meador- the hero in Another Night Falls! I admit I enjoyed having characters from different books and series interacting and mingling together.

In the first two books of the Tides of Charleston Series, Sumner is an interesting secondary character. Sumner is the half-brother of Catherine Blankenship and bastard son of a British Governor. Sumner shocks his sister by taking up arms against the British. Sumner has grown up in the wealth that his father's position and status allowed. So how could Sumner side with the Patriot cause?

THE PROMISE

Taking a small excerpt from The Promise when Catherine finds out that Sumner is a Patriot...

     “Why would William lie? He knows we are loyal subjects to the crown!” Cathryn declared in fury.

     “Calm yourself, Cathryn. Much has changed since you left. Your father, himself, was sympathetic to some of the unjust laws fostered upon the colonist,” Juriah said firmly. “Sumner said nothing because he knew you would react in the manner you have done. He didn’t want you upset with all you have gone through. In essence, it has no effect upon you as of yet.”

     “He couldn’t betray Father!”

     “No, Cathryn, he would never betray your father. But he is young and brash and dreams the world as he wants to see it, fired by idealism to create a new world,” she said simply. “He loved the Colonel and admired him greatly. Did you know that the man that killed your father was from a leading Loyalist family? I believe there were many factors. You will need to talk with him when you get control of your feelings. Ask yourself if it’s so important at the moment?"

So from that excerpt, one can assume that Sumner is his own man set to make his way in the world.
The next excerpt comes from Ruse of Love...different series, but set in the same time and place...here Jonathan is riding along side Sumner.

Within the hour, Jonathan found himself mounted next to Major Sumner Meador. Meador himself headed out to his home, Elm Bluffs, with family issues of his own, but neither man exchanged specifics of their issues.

Riding in silence for a time, Meador said directly, “Something bothering you, Doc?”

Glancing over at Sumner, Jonathan shrugged. “Just wondering about how the whole of the army is handled here in Charles Town. Doesn’t it bother you? Men coming in and out. Running in battle. No one listens to the commander of the army…”

“Hold on, Doc,” Meador cautioned. “You don’t know these men, lived with them. I don’t know how it’s been where you’ve been, but down here, we’ve always looked after our own. These men have their families to look after. Leaving them alone means they’re unprotected from a lot more than ’em Brits. You haven’t seen a farm after an Indian attack and you don’t want to. Or try picking up the pieces after a raid. These men take a stand and it leaves their families vulnerable and they ain’t at home to protect ’em. So don’t sit in judgment of people you don’t know anything about.”

“I think it is an excuse, Meador. We all have our issues and losses. No, here everyone wants to be in command. Seems to take offense when given an order. If you ask me, men are looking for a reason to justify a grudge. We fight more with ourselves than the British…”

“Suppose you may be right,” Meador interrupted. “I’ve been around it too long to notice.”

Just didn't feel right, Jonathan thought, but he didn’t have time to contemplate more. Sumner eyed him.

"Now, I'm just wondering, Doc. Do you do that often?"

"Do what?"

"Make friends like you did. You know what I mean. Rile up the troops like you did yesterday."

"Said what needed to be said."

"If you think so," Sumner said plainly. "But I'll give you fair warning. You won't do that often around here and live."

A great start to a friendship...

Sumner Meadow's character screamed to me that he needed his own book. So here it is...

Another Night Falls...

A short excerpt....

Sumner settled the girl in the front bedroom of the house. He laid the mystery lady down on the bed. What the bloody hell had happened here? Who was this woman? She hadn’t the look of a homeless wanderer. Moreover what was she doing in his house?

The room looked as though she lived within it, littered with female garments. A dress hung over the back of a hardback chair. Slippers sat on the underside of the bed. Running his hand through his hair, his gaze fell back upon her. He studied her while he felt the bump on her head, a large bump.

With his touch, she began to mutter unintelligible words. At least he hadn't killed the poor thing. He hadn't known what to expect when he entered the stable and saw the horse. The house in the darkness had given no indication of someone lived in his house, no light, no noise. Seeing the horse put him on immediate alert.

He heard crackling of leaves and trigs when he dismounted. He eased off and waited. He attacked with the same force he would have a man. He hadn’t intended to harm a young woman, especially one as beautiful as she. Or was it the moonlight that had shone down upon her?

He watched her breathing. His eyes inspected her from her lovely face sweeping down her body to her bare feet. He hadn't looked upon a woman in this manner for a long time. The fabric of the white nightgown hung from her shoulders, leaving her arms bare and revealed the swell of her breasts, falling loose around her petite body. Her hair as dark as midnight hung, unbound, over her shoulders and down her back. He wondered what color her eyes were, but her features were fine. 

Uncomfortable, she squirmed. One of her dainty hands folded into a fist and hit against the mattress, twisting and turning. Of course she was! He had knocked her out, but Lord, he must be in a bad state, for he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Questions raked his mind. Who was she? Why became clear as he thought. She was running, hiding. She had to be or she wouldn't be in such an isolated homestead. Was she running from her father, an abusive husband? In that he didn't know.

A few things he could discern about her while he watched her. She didn't frighten easily. She knew how to fight. And by God, she was beautiful.

Another Night Falls has it all...literally. Action, romance, adventure, intrigue...
Sumner Meador is one of my all time favorite characters. I look at him as the prototype for the American Cowboy. Read it and let me know what your think!

ROMANTIC PICKS BLOG

Also, Octoberfest With Books continues. I'm welcoming a great group of authors this week...a group of Indie Finalists from The New Kindle Book Review. I'm so excited about this group...such great books. I'm so happy for this group to be included in Octoberfest With Books.

Love the Fall. Have a good one! Keep reading!

ALPHA MALE HEROES WHO MAKE OUR HEARTS SWOON!

Interview Assignment 1776: Doctor Jonathan Corbett: Historical Romance: Winds of Betrayal Series…new release, Ruse of Love...continued.

AMAZON, BARNES AND NOBLE, KOBO

Two weeks I've worked on this assignment. Two weeks of research, upon research, upon research. I want everyone to understand the commitment I have to this job. I have drudged around the middle of South Carolina back in the back country in the time of no electricity, internet, and no insect repellent! For what you might ask. To give you the best interviews with not one but three...three alpha male heroes from a historical romance series. 

Alpha Male heroes by my definition hold to an extremely high standard. First and foremost, they are a hero first. Examples of heroism include but are not limited to such actions as leading an unit of rag-tagged soldiers against a superior army case in point Battle of Sarotoga, 1777; going behind enemy lines to secure the woman you love's safety; protecting your love in the face of one of the deadliest renegades of the Revolutionary war. Bravery, honor, and duty exudes from their being along with raw masculinity. 

THE PROMISE

Be still my heart...alpha male heroes are men most women can only dream of; men who are loyal to a fault...case in point...Jonathan Corbett's (Ruse of Love) refusal to leave Rebekah. Ah, the stubborn woman refusing help she so desperately needs, but our hero is stubborn as hell, too. There again an alpha hero expels confidence...oh, our hero is quite cocky...never questioning their decisions. Take Jake Pennington (The Promise) disobeying orders to save Cathryn. Remember Jake places himself in peril to protect what he loves, rising against extreme odds; another quality our hero—he never fails. Then you have Sumner Meador coming up in Another Night Falls...oh, I can't tell you what he must face because the book hasn't been released...yet...it's coming...October. Know though, as with most alpha male heroes, he is steadfast in his love for the woman that captures his heart.

Which bears the point...alpha heroes do not give their hearts lightly. Alpha heroes fight the attraction, but  in the end they can't deny their love—a love that will last for eternity. 

But there is a problem that most alpha male heroes have in common...they don't like to be interviewed. 

Girls...I tried. I did. I followed these men around for two weeks. The best I can do is give you an excerpt from the Ruse of Love. My advice...read. I know of three great books: Ruse of Love, The Promise and coming soon Another Night Falls. If you love alpha heroes you won't be disappointed!

Excerpt: RUSE OF LOVE by Jerri Hines, Book Two of Winds of Betrayal Series

EXCERPT

She didn't need to hear anymore. She spun on her heels, castigating herself as an absolute idiot. Rory was after her! Oh, what a fool she had been! She backed up, knocking into the table in the hall. The vase came crashing down. Trembling uncontrollably, she edged down the wall. Hearing hurried footsteps, fear encompassed her when she saw two men running up the staircase. Rory’s men! She panicked.

Bolting in the opposite direction, she headed for the back stairs. Her hope of slipping down the stairs undetected dissipated hearing the rumblings behind her. Rebekah quickened her pace, rapidly taking each step until she hit the first floor. She hit the back door running, struck by an impelling urge to get as far from the inn as possible.

Fleeing through the rainstormed night, she tried to peer through the pouring rain. She had gone some distance when she gasped for breath. Leaning against a brick building, she hadn’t a clue where she had run. Clasping her side against the pain, she blinked away the water streaming down her face, not knowing whether it was the rain or tears.

Suddenly a hand grasped her shoulder…

“Rebekah!” Jonathan fought the wind. Doubting she could hear him, he ignored the pelleting rain and rushed forward, grabbing her arm. In one swift motion, he swirled her around to face him.

Instantly, a look of sheer terror swept across her face. Slowly, recognition flooded her. She gripped tightly to his arm. “Oh, Jonathan!”

The next moment she collapsed into his arms. He wasted no time, but carried her down the street into the waiting carriage. A large black man quickly opened the carriage door for Jonathan. “Is she…?”

“She’s fine. She has only just fainted…”

“Jasper, Dr. Corbett, Jasper,” the old man said and closed the carriage’s door, but not before Jonathan heard the servant utter, “Thank the good Lord.”

Jonathan wrapped a blanket around Rebekah while he felt the wheels of the carriage move beneath him. He drew her into his arms and instinctually, she nestled into him. He stroked her head. As much as she claimed she had changed, she still inspired love and loyalty into those around her.

The wind picked up, shaking the carriage; the rain pounded harder. He was drenched and soaked. Strange—warmth spread through him he hadn’t felt in years.

“Jasper.” Jonathan set Rebekah down in the middle of her bedroom. A young blackie girl followed, frantically crying that her mistress was dead. No, Rebekah wasn’t dead, he thought. She had wakened and she wasn’t happy. “Jasper, shut the door and keep everyone else out.”

“Oh, Mistress Esther won’t like that none,” Rebekah’s maid uttered. “No sir.”

Jonathan shot her a look that silenced the girl. Rebekah pushed back from Jonathan, stumbling. Reaching out, he caught her arm. “Be careful,” he said in a harsh voice, his patience lost.

“Leave,” she answered his behavior. “You have done your duty.”

“Duty?” Jonathan’s voice rose. “Duty? You call looking for you in the midst of a torrential storm duty? Where was your head, Rebekah?”

“You would not understand,” she said. Her eyes flamed at him, but her hand reached down for her midriff; her hand trembled.

Immediately, he swept her back into his arms and carried her to the side of her bed. He motioned for the maid to step forward. “Get her dry clothes! She is to be put to bed.”

“Sully,” Rebekah said. “It is fine. I need only to get out of these wet clothes.”

Sully nodded, but fear shone in her eyes at Jonathan. She skirted to the wardrobe and withdrew a nightgown. Turning, she waited for Jonathan to leave, but he made no movement.

“If you don’t get her out of these wet clothes, I will.”

The young maid looked at Rebekah inquiringly, reluctant to begin undressing her mistress in front of a man.

“It is fine, Sully,” Rebekah said as she slung off her cloak. “Obviously, Dr. Corbett feels it is his duty.”

“I do.” Jonathan walked to the door. “I will be right outside. This is not over, Rebekah.”

He slammed the door behind him, shaking the wall. He found Jasper in the hall with a set of dry clothes for him. “Mistress Esther left these for you. You can change in the room down the corridor. I’ll take your boots to dry. It was some of Mistress Esther’s husband’s. Master Ian’s would be too small. She sent word to the others that Rebekah’s been found. I’ll stay here and make sure no one enters.”

“And Mistress Esther?” Jonathan asked.

“Said you can deal with Miss Rebekah.”

Have a Good One! Keep Reading!

 

 

SETTING THE TABLE

Have you ever planned an event that you wanted to be just right? You work endlessly over every detail to make sure your party is a success. Painstaking time is spent to get every aspect of your event perfect...from picking out the date of the event, invitations, the food, to even where your guests should park. Every detail. Nothing is overlooked. For in the end your one desire is for everyone to leave satisfied and happy they came.

That's my mindset when I sit down to write a book. My one desire is to create a story that will stay with a reader. I want my book to be the one you can't put down and even disappointed when you finish it. Okay, maybe, I'm getting a little carried away, but you get the idea. I want you to enjoy my creation.

Like planning a party, you have to create the right mood and atmosphere. 

If I ask you what you think of when you think of a romantic dinner, doesn't your mind wander to a small table covered with an elegant white tablecloth in a dark and secluded area lit only with two candles burning on either side of the two wine glasses. A single red rose bud sits in a crystal vase serving as the centerpiece. While a couple of empty chairs wait for the lovers to enter the room. Not what you would plan if you were planning your ten-years-old birthday party.

That's why when you're writing the setting is so important...like setting the table.

I was thinking about settings to books while I was editing an upcoming release. I have two books coming out soon. Ruse of Love in August and Another Night Falls in September. Both are set in Charleston during the American Revolution. They even have a couple of character exchanges. But I was thinking of how the stories evolved. Truthfully, both were inspired by Patriot Secrets. I have said many times I'm fascinated by the American Revolution. While I was doing research on the American Revolution for Patriot Secrets, I literally stumbled over the Southern Campaign. When I was in school, I swear I never learned about the battles in the South during this time.

The whole of the war took a interesting turn in the South. We Southerners even then walked to a different beat. The more I researched, the more I was drawn to this place, Charleston...Charles Town before the American Revolution. Interesting, intriguing, romantic all words I connect to Charleston. Last summer, I visited Charleston and fell in love with it. It was just as I imagined...more so. Different I have to admit from my visit to London this year. Not going to go into details about my trip to London yet, but my visit to London didn't inspire me the way Charleston did and I write about both places. London though is a huge city in the middle of getting prepared for the Olympics.

Charleston on the other hand...just walking down the Main Street inspired stories within me. Remember I write romantic suspense. Charleston still holds within it a charm of people forgotten; a remembrance of a time lost. Charleston has character...good and bad...that's good for me. Without conflict, I wouldn't have stories. At a convention last year I attended a seminar given by Donald Maass, he said something that when I write I live by. 

What’s the worst thing your antagonist must do? Make it against his/her principles. Make it unthinkable. Then make it imperative.

To do this to my characters, I have to have a setting that would enhance my stories. Charleston is perfect.

For me, my stories cry for a setting such as Charleston. Underlying the beauty of Charleston is a different character. To understand better, you need to understand the early Charleston. No matter the beauty, Charleston had death surrounding it. With its warm weather, Charleston became a haven for sickness, mainly fevers of all sorts from yellow fever to malaria. The area was made up of a diversity of people from the elite to slaves and don't forget the Indians within this mix. The elite of Charleston tried to emulate the aristocrats of England. Their homes illuminated their wealth even today you can see the magnificent dwellings. Yet most of their wealth was built on the back of slaves. During the American Revolution, at times the war seemed as a civil war which had little to do with the British. More as if the war gave anyone who held a grudge against another justification to go after that person. Greed and revenge motivated vicious crimes. But within Charleston, there were also brave, courageous men and women who help forge our country. I love some of the stories I've read of the brave women and their actions they took to save lives and their homes.

COMING AUGUST 7, 2012

On August 7th, Ruse of Love will be released. It's Book Two in the Winds of Betrayal series.

The tides of war have shifted. When all eyes turn south, Doctor Jonathan Corbett finds himself once more thrust into the war’s turmoil. On assignment from General Washington, the dashing doctor discovers his mission has taken him straight into a conflict where the British are not the only ones to be feared. 

Rebekah Morse has no time to contemplate the exploding war around her. Caught up as a pawn in a deadly conspiracy, she finds her only hope lies with her old friend, but things have changed since they last saw each other.

Yet destiny has not intervened in their lives without cause. Rebekah’s strength, courage, and breathtaking sensuality sets within Jonathan a desire he swore never to feel again. When Rebekah’s life is threatened, Jonathan is determined to save the stubborn woman whether she wants to be saved or not. Now Jonathan and Rebekah must face the perilous threat together—only to discover a passion they never imagined...Ruse of Love by Jerri Hines-Coming August, 2012! 

Following this release, Another Night Falls will be released. Another Night Falls is Book Three in the Tides of Charleston Series!

COMING SEPTEMBER, 2012

  Sumner Meador walked in a world of wealth and privilege of Charles Town’s elite, but that was years ago. Now he fights in the Southern backwoods driven by the passion he holds for the Patriot cause, shadowed by his past.  Reeling from a devastating defeat at the hands of the British, Sumner seeks haven at his farm, only to find an interloper, an unwelcome and unwanted distraction. He has no time for the young woman or the complications she brings with her, but soon discovers he has no option but to give aid to the stubborn, courageous beauty whether she wants it or not.

 A widower, Sumner has been haunted by the death of his wife and is consumed with a desire for revenge. Jane Kilmer has been violently thrust into the midst of the civil war ensuing in the backwoods. Hiding from one of the most dangerous vigilantes, Jane trusts no one. Suddenly, she has no choice but to put her life in Sumner’s hands. Both desire revenge, but neither wants what happens-to fall completely, undeniably in love with each other- so much so, that both are willing to die for the other. And they might have to. 

Another Night Falls coming September, 2012!

Both books are set in Charleston during the American Revolution...both a historical romance/romantic suspense. Both, I hope, will be a must read...and you will put down the books satisfied and happy you read them!

FREE READS!

And just for fun...want a few good FREE reads....click on the title. If you're interested in Book One of the Winds of Betrayal Series...Patriot Secrets....and if you're interested in Tides of Charleston Series....The Judas Kiss and The Promise.  Enjoy! Have a good one!