Comfort Food

Winter seems the perfect time to take a break from writing, scouring Facebook and Twitter, scrambling for those book reviews and to simply step back and take a deep breath.  Because, despite the weather now, we know that spring will be here in a matter of eight weeks or so.

And if you're into gardening like I am, that means another stress level, although one I welcome -  at least for the first few weeks until my back is screaming in pain if I have to lift one more bag of garden soil or mulch!  But that hard work pays off when I gaze out on the back lawns and drink in the view of English roses, clematis twining up through the deck railings, the colorful pots of impatiens and dahlias -- oh, my heart sings then.  But I digress -- that's down the road.  

Right now I wanted to do something with my hands.  Crochet?  Knit?  No, did so much of that during the late summer and fall.  Painting?  No, not really.  

Something with my hands; something I could eat.  Eating in winter is a big thing for me. So I decided to make bread.

But not just any bread.  Artisan bread.  You know the kind -- big and round and crusty, where you pull off hunks of it and slather it with butter. Yummmm!  

Luckily I found a recipe online (click here -- so how generous I can be when my tummy is full?) -- which did not require kneading.  Cool!   Very simple to follow --

And here's the result:

Now isn't that a thing of beauty, I ask you?  And in that recipe, the woman mentions other things you could add, such as rosemary, cheese, cranberries, etc.   

Well, I'll probably be making a few more of these before I return to the computer and begin working on the next romance.  What am I planning on?  It'll be something different than my regencies -- always trying to stretch myself as a writer.  So stay tuned -- or better yet, sign up for my newsletter and be the first to find out more! 

Happy Baking! 

Claire

New Reading List for New Year

Well, it's time for a change!  Oh, sure, I'll still be reading my romance novels (already have a stack waiting by the fireplace), but I still have this feeling that I'd like to expand my reading choices, to stretch myself, both as a reader and a writer, sort of replenish the well of inspiration.

So here's my new reading theme for 2018 --  Armchair Travel!  Yes, it's easy, not costly and yet I can travel as far and as wide as I'd like, when I like.  Doesn't that sound wonderful?  And, in the meantime, these books may spark the little gray cells as to new venues for my romance stories -- it's a win, win, as far as I'm concerned.  Once again, I am not providing links to purchase;  this is purely for your exploratory pleasure! 

MEMOIRS:

A Year in the World: Journeys of a Passionate Traveller by Frances Mayes

Paris to the Past: Traveling through French History by Train by Ina Caro

Thistle Soup: a Ladleful of Scottish Life by Peter Kerr

Sea Room: an Island Lifein the Hebrides by Adam Nicholson

Castles in the Air by Judy Corbett

The Dog who ate the Truffle: a Memoir of Stories and Recipes from Umbria by Suzanne Carriero

(I just love this cover!)  The Woman who Fell from the Sky: an American Journalist in Yemen by Jennifer Steil

A House in Fez by Suzanne Clarke

That Summer in Sicily by Marlena de Blasi

Thousand Days in Venice by M. deBlasi







FICTION NOVELS:

Best Exotic Marigold Hotel by Deborah Moggach

Heartbreak Hotel by D. Moggach

The Hundred Foot Journey by Richard Morais







Do you have any titles you'd like to share on this subject/genre?  Just leave a comment!

"There is no frigate like a book."  Emily Dickinson

Top Ten Romance Novels for 2017:

Here are my Top 10 choices that I truly enjoyed reading this year, both historical and contemporary.  So here goes:

#1:  Breathing Room by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.  All I can say is . . . wow (hear that heavy sigh in the background? That would be me!).  I've read others by Phillips but this was my first and the best. I'll probably go buy my own copy so I can re-read anytime I want!

#2:  Somebody to Love by Kristan Higgins.  Delightful heroine and hero -- believable, too, which is sometimes difficult to pull off.  And, if you're not familiar with Higgins, her secondary characters are a whole world unto themselves!

#3:  Perfect Match by K. Higgins (yes, again!).  This novel is set in her Blue Heron series in upstate New York and, as above, she digs in deep with these two lovers and the extended families in a tiny town of 700+.

#4:  An Improper Arrangement by Kasey Michaels (Regency).  If you love to laugh while you swoon at the sensuous setting and lovers, Michaels does a superb job in this romance.  I've actually read it twice within one year, it was that good!

#5:  Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare (Late Regency).  A quirky heroine and a hero who broods better than Rochester, this is another delightful take on the traditional historical romance, with an hysterical furry character who steals the scene, especially towards the end (no spoilers here, please)!

#6: Rake's Progress by Marion Chesney (Regency).  Now this is a throwback to the late 1980s / early 1990s when M.C. Beaton was writing romance -- her books are swift, funny with a deft twist of satire on the genre itself.  This is part of her "School for Manners" series -- all good reads, in addition to her other series. If you can find an old copy at your local library, grab it and enjoy!

#7:  Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand by Carla Kelly (Regency).  Carla Kelly writes a more "gentle" regency with very little sex, but still quite sensuous in her hints and such.  Her writing is elegant and her characterizations real.  If you've never read Kelly, try it.

#8:  Hearts on Fire by Julia Gabriel.  Set along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay area, Gabriel's writing is strong and sensuous (I think this is my favorite word of the day!), and the angst between heroine and hero is palpable.  And if you like quilting, this will just add another layer of enjoyment.

#9:  It Happened in Scotland by Patience Griffin.  Griffin sets her series in the same little town on the shores of eastern Scotland and, once again, quilters from all over the world come to enjoy a retreat in this quaint village -- apparently populated by the most rugged, handsome men in Scotland -- and all up for grabs (pardon my pun)!  Any one of her novels will delight.

#10:  Sweet Talk Me by Kieran Kramer.  Set in South Carolina's low country, Kramer's hero will take your breath away.  Her story and secondary characters, like Higgins, help bring the reader along in this wonderful, fun-loving romance.






So there it is -- my preferred Top Ten Romances for 2017.  Believe me, there are many more I could have added (including my own [blush]), but I find these authors stellar in their craft and in their storytelling abilities.  Notice I did not put any links attached for purchasing as I am not promoting any particular bookseller in print or in digital.  And, yes, some of these titles are not in the bestselling lists of 2017 -- I tend to like to bide my time and not scramble to buy the newest except every once in awhile.

Stay tuned for my next post in which I reveal my "new" reading list for 2018 -- I always have a list going somewhere in my head, which I'll be happy to share with you soon!

A book is like a garden carried in the pocket.

Chinese Proverb

Three Novellas - One Box Set

Happy New Year! What better way to start a new year then with a new option for one's readers?  Now, all three novellas are available as one boxed set in digital format. They'll be loading up and available at the low, low price of $1.99 (US dollars) at all the popular platforms Amazon, (Barnes & Noble, Apple iBooks, Kobo coming shortly)!

I do hope you'll take advantage of this great offer.  And, if I play my cards right, I should be offering a print box set on Amazon later in February -- just in time for Valentine's Day!

Again -- my best wishes to you all for 2018 -- may you have a peaceful and contented year ahead!