Happy Holidays, Friends!

Happy December, everyone! I cannot believe that we are already at the end of 2024. It's been a great year, filled with a fair share of ups and downs, but wonderful, nevertheless. I published new books, made several in-person appearances, won an award, and much more. I ended the year with a fun holiday drop-in with Jane Porter's Friends & Fans Group that I'm sharing with you here. Keep reading for all the deets on the Christmas cheer!

I had such an amazing time celebrating the holiday season with Jane Porter's Friends and Fans Group over on Facebook at the top of the month. I shared that of the 20+ novels I've written, 2 were sweet Christmas books for Tule Publishing, (Love at the Icicle Café and Christmas in Full Bloom). My romantic suspense holiday novels, Bayou Christmas Disappearance and Backcountry Cover-Up, were released through Harlequin Intrigue.

I went on to talk about tropes, which is one of my favorite book club discussion topics. Love at the Icicle Café is enemies to lovers. Christmas in Full Bloom is friends to lovers. Bayou Christmas Disappearance is forced proximity, and Backcountry Cover-Up is older woman/younger man. When I asked readers about their favorite tropes, I heard many. From secret pregnancies to grumpy/sunshine, the list was endless. But one thing that everyone agreed on? They love a story with a happy ending!

Love at the Icicle Café was the first holiday novel that I wrote for Tule. A good portion of the book was inspired by my mother’s love of Christmas. My main character, Mina, works as a patent attorney, but baking is her true passion. While my mom, Donna, worked in the travel industry, she baked every chance she got. Donna’s famous buttercream frosted lemon sugar cookies, topped with red and green sparkling sugar, became a yearly staple in our household. I’m sharing details on how to prepare this delicious treat, which I hope will be a huge hit for you as well if you try them! For this recipe, you’ll need:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature 
• 2 cups of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon extract
• 1 tablespoon of lemon zest
• 3 cups of flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• Sparkling red and green sugar

How to prepare:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar for 4 minutes until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, lemon extract, and lemon zest. Stir to combine.
3. Stir in flour, baking powder baking soda, and salt. Mix just until combined.
4. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour
5. Roll the dough to 1/4 inch thick, cut with holiday-shaped cookie cutters
6. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet, then place cookies on top
7. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until edges are lightly browned

While the cookies are baking, prepare the frosting. Below are the ingredients and instructions:

• 2 cups of confectionery sugar
• 1/2 stick of salted butter, room temperature 
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons of milk 

1. Mix the ingredients together with a beater until light and fluffy 
2. Ready to use!

Once your cookies have cooled, ice them, sprinkle the sugar on top, and enjoy!

In my final post with Jane's group, I shared a photo of my sister and me, (I’m on the right), posing with Santa. Every year, my parents would take us to Chicago’s Marshall Field’s department store on State Street to take pictures with Santa Clause. Afterwards, we’d go to a tiki-themed restaurant called The Tropical Hut. I’d order a Shirley Temple kiddie cocktail, which was served with maraschino cherries and a fancy paper umbrella. Try telling me I wasn’t the fanciest girl in the world lol! 

I ended the drop-in with an Amazon gift card and holiday eBook bundle giveaway. All entrants had to do was share their favorite holiday memory. I heard such wonderful stories, from readers receiving engraved jewelry from their parents that they still wear, to getting visits from Santa and Mrs. Claus at their homes. So sweet!

I am so grateful to Jane and Janine Rowe for hosting me, and for everyone who joined me!

On another note, I am thrilled to share that I won an award with the Building Relationships Around Books organization! After tallying readers' votes, my discussion on The Heart-Shaped Murders (Book 1 in A West Coast Crime Story series) won The Realest Book Chat. I was so honored as I truly enjoyed the conversation with the group. 📚💖

B.R.A.B. celebrated the winners with an awesome podcast recording, where authors, book influencers, and readers gathered together to discuss all things bookish. We talked about our favorite books of the year, what books we're most looking forward to in 2025, what advice we'd give certain characters we've written, and much more. I am so thankful for the founder of the group, Sharon Blount, for shining a light on my novels and sharing my work with her members. 💖

As always, thank you for stopping by! I'll see you next year, when I'll be ringing in the new year and sharing my plans for 2025! 🎉