LeBlog--The Blog about life…writing, raising kids, chasing dogs, handling life and all its bit parts.

November 30, 2009

 

Going Rogue

Getting my book finished and turned in (at least this stage of it) was a huge relief before Thanksgiving! It freed up a little time (between making rolls and cooking sweet potatoes) for me to read something besides what I'd written. So I jumped right into the latest book that landed on my doorstep -- Going Rogue by former Gov. Sarah Palin. It turned out to be quite an interesting read. Now I want to visit Alaska! I love the independent spirit of Alaskans, which is very similar to Texans. I also enjoyed reading about all the behind the scenes stuff that went on during the last campaign, including why Sarah asked then Senator Biden, "Can I call ya Joe?" Sarah Palin was articulate and informative and honest about her difficulties and struggles along with her faith.

One part that was difficult for me to read because it struck so close to home was when she had a sonogram for her last baby and was told 'there's thickening on the back of the neck.' I was told the same thing when I was pregnant with my first child. It was a scary and uncertain time for my husband and I. As well as for Sarah Palin and her husband. Even though my son ended up not having Down's, he did have a hole in his heart when he was born, just like Sarah Palin's baby. Another connection and another time of rejoicing when the hole closed on its own and did not require surgery.

No matter your opinion of Sarah Palin, you should read this book and go beyond the stereotypes conjured up by the media to find out for yourself about this interesting woman who is definitely having an impact on Americans.

So what have you been reading over the holiday?

November 27, 2009

 

Grandma Edna's Potato Rolls


Grandma Edna’s Potato Rolls

1 cake fresh yeast
1 cup warm water
mix and set aside

½ cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup warm mashed potatoes

Mix butter, sugar and potatoes well. Stir in yeast mixture. Set in warm place and let stand two hours.

Then add 1 cup cold water, 1 teaspoon salt and 6 cups flour. Mix well. Add enough flour so dough is stiff. This is a good time to put in the refrigerator to finish the next day.

Let stand two hours more, then knead down, roll as desired. Let stand two more hours then bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

These are delicious! I often double the recipe so we have lots and lots for leftovers. Thank you, Great Grandma Edna for such wonderful rolls and loving hands making them. We miss you! Grandma Edna went to heaven this year at the age of 96.

November 19, 2009

 

New Trailer...New Opening Page of Website

Hope y'all will stop by the first page of my website and check out the trailer for my upcoming release, Once in a Blue Moon!

www.leannaellis.com

November 16, 2009

 

The Great Christmas Bowl

Football isn't one of my favorite pasttimes but Susan May Warren is! Here's her talking about her latest book:

Shoot...football season is over. I'm so sad....as we all know, I love Football...

So much so that I wrote a FOOTBALL STORY! Okay it's not JUST about football. It's about Christmas. And small town life. And church Christmas Teas. And family....and traditions. And the crazy things we do for each other. Basically my favorite things about the seaon!

Yes. I LOVE Christmas stories - and every year I read aloud to my kids (okay, my college kid MIGHT be too old), the Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever. And recently Dave Barry's, The Shephard, the Angel and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog. (SOOO funny). I wanted to write my OWN Christmas Classic.

So, I did. Well, at least I HOPE it is a Christmas classic.

Warren’s tender holiday novella invokes both laughter and some sweet tears. The vivid portrayal of family connections and football fervor will bring the Christmas spirit to everyone. (Romantic Times)

November 13, 2009

 

Frequently Asked Question about Time

How do you find time to write?

Many times I wonder that myself. There just aren't enough hours in the day. With two kids, homeschooling, taxiing them to and from activities, plus just the general running of a home, it’s not easy to find time. But I learned a long time ago, that you find time for what you want to find time for. Many days I get up long before the sun thinks about rising. I have a quiet time, which is essential for me to quiet my spirit and just chat with my creator. Then I write. I try not to get distracted by emails and blogs, but I need to work on that self-discipline more. Two and a half days a week, my kids attend a private school, so those are my heavy writing days. On days when the kids are home, we often all work at the kitchen table together. They're getting more self-sufficient in their schoolwork, so I have to do less and less. On those days I edit moe, check emails or address general business stuff. If needed after dinner I can usually find another hour or two if I’m not busy taking kids to dance, soccer practice or fencing. Thankfully, I also have a very supportive family and we all work together to do chores around the house. My husband does a lot of consulting too, so it's a juggle. Whoever has the closest deadline takes priority. We're a team, and we all have to work together.

When my son was first born, I was contracted for 4 books. So with a newborn, I wrote when he slept. Which wasn't often. He would only nap for about 30 minutes at a time during the day. So I did prep work while nursing him or throughout the day, jotting dialogue that came to me. Then during those thirty minute naps, I got busy. No time to check email, just write. And I managed to meet all my deadlines that year, even though half that time I was pregnant with my second child.

It can be done. So if you have a crazy schedule, just fit in bits and pieces. Remember, one page a day adds up to a book by the end of the year.

November 12, 2009

 

Chicken Pot Pie

This morning it was foggy and cold, a perfect day for chicken pot pie! So I hope you enjoy this recipe:

Chicken Pot Pie

2 Cans of chicken (preferably white or you can use leftovers from a roasted chicken)
All-Veg (large can – or you can add fresh veggies or frozen ones of your choice)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pie crust
Salt
Pepper

Place one round of pie crust in pie dish. Mix chicken, soup and veggies. Add whatever spices you like, basil black pepper, etc… Then pour mixture into pie dish. Top with 2nd round of pie crust and pinch edges. Cut slices in the top round to release air. Place in the oven set at 375 degrees and cook until brown, about 30 minutes.

I think I'm going to have to fix this tonight! Add a salad on the side and it is an easy meal!

November 11, 2009

 

Blogging at Christian Author Network today

I'm blogging over at CAN today. 'Blurb, blurb, blurp!' is my blog today. Hope you'll check it out: http://canblog.typepad.com/canbookmarketing/

November 10, 2009

 

Fiction Blessing!

Another reader sent me this about how fiction has impacted her life:

Fiction has impacted my life from a very early age. But this year it has encouraged me and uplifted me through so many surgeries. It also opened an avenue where I could reward back to the authors for how they blessed me. I became a reviewer. I have learned to love historical romance more than ever this year and found Christian mysteries. But every book that has fallen into my hands this year has just been what I needed to uplift and encourage me. Also I have found sharing my books with others and introducting them to great books has blessed them and in turn been a blessing to me.
Jane

I love that! Thanks for sharing, Jane! Let fiction bless you and then pass it on!

November 9, 2009

 

Fit to be Tied


FIT TO BE TIED
by Robin Lee Hatcher


Who says a woman can’t do a man’s job?

Cleo Arlington dresses like a cowboy, is fearless and fun-loving, and can ride, rope, and wrangle a horse as well as any man. In 1916, however, those talents aren’t what most young women aspire to. But Cleo isn’t most women. Twenty-nine years old and single, Cleo loves life on her father’s Idaho ranch. Still, she hopes someday to marry and have children.

Enter Sherwood Statham, an English aristocrat whose father has sentenced him to a year of work in America to “straighten him out.” Sherwood, who expected a desk job at a posh spa, isn’t happy to be stuck on an Idaho ranch. And he has no idea how to handle Cleo, who’s been challenged with transforming this uptight playboy into a down-home cowboy.

Just about everything either of them says or does leaves the other, well, fit to be tied. And though Cleo believes God’s plan for her includes a husband, it couldn’t possibly be Sherwood Statham. Could it?



BIO


Best-selling novelist Robin Lee Hatcher is known for her heartwarming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. She makes her home in Idaho where she enjoys spending time with her family and her high-maintenance Papillon, Poppet.


About FIT TO BE TIED, the Library Journal said: "A master of lively historical romances, Hatcher demonstrates an expert ability to craft spunky, unlikely heroines who go against the tide of the times in which they live, making for fun, exciting stories. She also pays close attention to historical detail. This second series entry (after A Vote of Confidence) is highly recommended for readers of inspirational and historical romances and women's fiction."


A Note from Robin


The Sisters of Bethlehem Springs series sprang from the question: Who says a woman can't do a man's job? And I can't fully express just how much fun I've had looking for the answer through the eyes of my heroines in this series. Although I have no favorites among the novels I've written (each were special to me at the time I wrote them), I do have some favorite characters. Cleo Arlington is one of them. I love her for her strong faith, for her quirky turns of phrase, for her confidence with horses and her lack of confidence with men, even for her impatience with Sherwood, the English aristocrat that she's supposed to turn into a cowboy. I've been so delighted that readers have taken her into their hearts the way they have. I hope you'll feel the same way about her.

November 6, 2009

 

Another Frequently Asked Question

Where do you get ideas?

Everywhere. When I’m driving for some reason, I get a lot of ideas. I also get ideas from songs or reading magazine articles. Sometimes I think of a title first. I love to think up titles. Then other times, a character just comes to me, begging me to write their story.

I first thought of Rae, from Elvis Takes a Back Seat, when my mother, sister and I had a garage sale. She just popped into my head, and I could see her long gray hair and clunky sandals. Then it took a while for the ideas to germinate and take root.

Once I knew the three women in my story and that they were going on a road trip, I began writing. I started the story with a garage sale, where Claudia was getting rid of old things in her life to make way for the new. But I wasn’t sure where she was going to discover her new life, so I called my best friend, D. Anne Love (who writes YA’s), to help me brainstorm. I really wanted these women to go to Europe. Of course, I’d have to go do a research trip. But D. Anne suggested I take them to Memphis. Memphis? What’s in Memphis? Well, for starters great barbecue, but also Graceland. Immediately the story fell into place. You see, in that garage sale scene, I already had the Elvis bust that Claudia was trying to sell. D. Anne had no idea Elvis was already in my story but the story finally clicked in place.

Sometimes an idea takes time as I massage it. Sometimes I start a story and it's not working and I have to stop and wait until it's ready to put on the page.

Just look around you! Ideas are everywhere!

November 4, 2009

 

Fiction

Fiction is powerful! Stories can change lives. Last month, I asked those getting my e-newsletter how fiction has affected them or changed their lives. I'll be posting some of the answers over the next few weeks. Here's what Diane said,

"I enjoy the bizarre comedy-detective fiction of Carl Hiasson. In his book, Skinny Dip, one of his thugs had a strange hobby. He collected those roadside crosses left by family members after an accident. He took them to his “backyard garden” where he could admire them all lined up. Ever since that character, I can’t see a roadside memorial without remembering the story and having a little giggle.
Thanks for coming to B&N Hurst to the “Sisters of the Heart” book club. We really enjoyed that evening."

Thanks for sharing with us, Diane!

November 2, 2009

 

Checkin In and Checkin Out

Hi, y'all! Sorry I've been missing a few days of blogging but it's crunch time here for me. I've got a deadline looming and page proofs (last chance to review a manuscript) for a different book which just arrived. I'm trying to finish everything by Thanksgiving. I will still try to blog but I may not be consistent. Keep checking back here. If you think about it, please pray for me as I move into this very busy season, juggling many things. My first and foremost prayer is in serving my Lord, Jesus Christ. May that always be my top priority.

Blessings,

Leanna

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