Winner reminder

Last call! Giveaway Winners

Winners of the books are....

Library Pat wins Addison Fox's book.
B Evans wins Adele Ashworth's book
Julee Adams wins Lorraine Heath's book.

Email me at Loriwilde@aol.com to claim your books.

Pumpkin Carving

The Clone is celebrating Halloween by carving a pumpkin.

Her knife skills are shakey so I was worried.

She got the top off and the guts scooped out with a little supervision.

(Psst, notice how The Clone has put on a little weight since she went back to eating carbs)

The inspector showed up to make sure she did a good job. Then the full moon came out.

Eeek!!!! The Clone is a werewolf!!! Anyone got any silver bullets?

Happy Halloween!

$25.00 Amazon gift card giveaway.

Hey Gang,


Wanna be entered to win a $25.00 gift card to Amazon?

Just go click "like" at Amazon for The Christmas Cookie Chronicles: Carrie, then post here to let me know so I can enter you in the drawing. I'll draw the winner on Friday.

http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Cookie-Chronicles-Twilight-ebook/dp/B005UD1GOQ/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320001392&sr=1-9

On Winning and Losing

Darn it, the Rangers lost. I so wished they could have won. Until last year, this team spent 40 years in the slumps. They put up a good fight and made one heck of a World Series, so they're not losers even though they didn't win the coveted prize. We're proud of our Texas Rangers!

Congrats to the St. Louis Cardinals on winning the World Series. Well done. You were worthy opponents.

Maybe the Texas Rangers will get another run at the title next year. I hope so.

What about you? Ever gave something every ounce of effort you had inside you and you still failed to achieve your dream? If so, what did you do about it? Did you give up after that first defeat? Or did you stay with it until you finally prevailed?

Halloween Fun

Saw this and just had to share.




So are you a fan of Halloween? Do you decorate your house? Dress up? Have a party? Me, I'm a fuddy-dud. I like to watch other people get into it, though.

Blue Nun Pan Dulce

The Clone was so inspired by the story of the blue nun, she decided to make a dessert in her honor. Pan dulce is Spanish for sweet bread. It is a south Texas favorite for many people.

Dough                                                                               
1pkg yeast
1 tsp sugar                                                

1/3 cup of luke warm water                                                                    
4 cups all purpose flour                                 
1/2 cup sugar                                                           
2 tbsp butter                                                                    
1 tsp salt                                                                     
5 eggs beaten                                                                             

 Topping
1 stick butter
1 cup flour
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp cocoa
1/4 tsp cinnamon
food coloring (optional)


Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Combine 3 cups of flour, sugar, butter, salt, and eggs in large bowl. Mix well. Add remaining flour and mix thoroughly. Let dough rise in a greased, covered bowl for 1-1/2 hours in a warm place until double in size. Punch down dough and shape into 16-24 balls. Place on greased cookie sheet.


Topping:  Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Remove and shape into a ball - refrigerate while dough is rising. Shape topping into 2 inch balls. Flatten with hands into a circle. Place topping circle on top of each ball of dough, covering the dough. Marck a design on each with a sharp knife. Let rise until double (1-1/2 hours).

Bake at 350 for 12-15 min or until lightly browned.

The Lady in Blue

Texas has a rich and exciting history. Many of you know of Spanish explorers who searched for elusive cities of gold. You may have heard of the brave men who fought for independence at the Alamo. Your image of the western cowboy may be shaped by tales of the romantic cattle drives. But you may not have ever heard of some of the strange, unexplained, and down right bizarre stories that have been told of Texas' past. I thought it would be fun to share some of these with you each week. I hope you enjoy a trip back into "paranormal Texas history."

The Lady in Blue

AGREDA, MARÍA DE JESÚS DE (1602–1665). María de Jesús de Agreda (the Lady in Blue) was born in the Spanish village of Agreda near the border of Aragon and Navarre in April of 1602, the eldest daughter of Francisco Coronel and Catalina of Arana. In her youth María, baptized María Coronel, demonstrated unusual piety and remarkable memory. At the age of sixteen, she convinced her father that he should convert the family castle into a convent for Franciscan nuns. She took religious vows on February 2, 1620, and the name María de Jesús. The new order soon expanded beyond the confines of the castle and moved to the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda. The nuns' habit was colored Franciscan brown (pardo) with an outer cloak of coarse blue cloth.

Throughout the 1620s María de Jesús would repeatedly lapse into deep trances. On these occasions she experienced dreams in which she was transported to a distant and unknown land, where she taught the Gospel to a pagan people. Her alleged miraculous bilocations took her to eastern New Mexico and western Texas, where she contacted several Indian cultures, including the Jumanos. Sister María related her mystical experiences to her confessor, Fray Sebastián Marcilla of Agreda. His superiors contacted the archbishop of Mexico, Francisco Manso y Zúñiga. The archbishop, in turn, wrote the religious superior of New Mexico in May of 1628, requesting information regarding a young nun's alleged transportations and teachings in northern New Spain. That communication arrived in New Mexico shortly before a delegation of some fifty Jumano Indians appeared at the Franciscan convent of old Isleta, south of present Albuquerque, in July 1629. The Jumanos had come to request religious teachers for themselves and their neighbors. They demonstrated rudimentary knowledge of Christianity, and when asked who had instructed them replied, "the Woman in Blue."

An expedition headed by Fray Juan de Salas, organized in New Mexico, set out for the land of the Jumanos. Guided by the chief of the Jumano delegations, it reached a locale in Southwest Texas where it was met by a large band of Indians. The Indians claimed that they had been advised by the Woman in Blue of approaching Christian missionaries. Subsequently, some 2,000 natives presented themselves for baptism and further religious instruction. Two years later, Fray Alonso de Benavides, a former religious superior in New Mexico, traveled to Spain, where he sought more information about the mysterious nun. He interviewed María de Jesús at Agreda. Sister María admitted that she had experienced some 500 bilocations to New Spain and acknowledged that she was indeed the Lady in Blue.

During the last twenty-two years of her life, María de Jesús was an active correspondent with the Spanish king, Philip IV. She died at Agreda on May 24, 1665. Her story was published in Spain several years after her death. Although the abbess said her last visitation to the New World was in 1631, the mysterious Lady in Blue was not quickly forgotten in Texas. In 1690 a missionary working with the Tejas Indians heard the legend. In the 1840s a mysterious woman in blue reportedly traveled the Sabine River valley aiding malaria victims, and in the twentieth century her apparition was reported as recently as World War II.

So what do you think? Is bilocation possible, or is this just a fun legend to tell around the campfire? Do you know any interesting stories from your area? If so, I would love to hear them!
Lori





BIBLIOGRAPHY:
The Age of Mary: An Exclusively Marian Magazine, January-February 1958. Carlos E. Castañeda, Our Catholic Heritage in Texas (7 vols., Austin: Von Boeckmann-Jones, 1936–58; rpt., New York: Arno, 1976). Aníbal A. González, "The Lady in Blue," Sayersville Historical Association Bulletin, Summer 1982. Vertical Files, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fag01

Giveaway Winners

Winners of the books are....

Library Pat wins Addison Fox's book.
B Evans wins Adele Ashworth's book
Kimh wins Candace Havens's book
Julee Adams wins Lorraine Heath's book.

Email me at Loriwilde@aol.com to claim your books.

New Opportunities

As you may have noticed, I've been MIA in posting at times. It's because I've had a new project brewing. Here's the official press release. Yes, as if I wasn't busy enough, I've decided to wear yet another hat. Good thing I have a clone.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


PRLog (Press Release) - Oct 24, 2011 -
Entangled Publishing continues to challenge norms with their ground-breaking approach to publishing. Launching the Indulgence imprint offers the company the ability to focus on the 50,000-60,000 word stories which adhere to the tried and true tropes readers expect from category romances. What sets Lori Wilde Presents: Indulgence apart, however, are the fresh and hip voices. “These aren't your mother’s category romances,” says Lori Wilde. “They're quick paced, exciting contemporary stories, whether funny, sexy, mysterious, edgy, or emotional, that showcase what it's really like to fall in love in the twenty-first century.”

Hallmarks of the line will be the rapid-fire dialogue, fast moving plot lines, sizzling sex, and realistic characters. Above all, the heartfelt emotions that speak to the way young people live, love, and work will be at the center of every story. “There has never been a more exciting time in history to be an author,” Wilde says. “Dare to seize the future!”

With accelerated eBook sales and a decreasing print book market, category-style romances are the bridge for romance readers and the digital reading platform. Lori Wilde says, “The future is here and it is digital publishing. I'm always looking for new challenges and this opportunity got me excited about blazing a new frontier and bringing fresh, compelling, short romantic fiction to readers.”

Category romances have been the bread and butter of the romance genre, but Entangled Publishing plans to take this staple and make it better. “There will be something for everyone in the Indulgence line,” says publisher Elizabeth Pelletier. “We believe in giving readers what they want most: a guaranteed thrill.” To that end, Entangled Publishing is also launching two other imprints. “For readers who want to flirt with a romance, but don’t have the time for a long sit down with a novel, we offer Flirts , a line of short romances weighing in at 10,000-15,000 words. Readers who like their morsels a little bit longer will find what they desire in our Ever Afters , 30,000-40,000 word novellas,” Pelletier says. Lori Wilde Presents: Indulgence is the pièce de résistance.

With the revenue from the romance book market estimated to be more than $1.3 billion dollars in 2011 and romance novels, as a whole, representing more than 13% of the book market in 2010, it’s clear what readers want: the happily ever after that Entangled’s new imprints, Flirts, Ever Afters, and Lori Wilde Presents: Indulgence , offers.

# # #

For more information about Entangled Publishing, its new imprints, and its upcoming titles, visit the publisher’s website at "http://www.entangledpublishing.com/" . To contact Entangled Publishing, email mailto:marketing@entangledpublishing.com.

# # #

Entangled Publishing is an exclusive, boutique publisher of romantic fiction. Located in Fort Collins, Colorado, Entangled’s goal is to bridge the gap between traditional and indie publishing, giving both readers and authors the best of both worlds.

Book Giveaways!

Okay, I'm not going to talk about the Texas Rangers poor performance last night except to say Arggh!!!!

Instead, I'm giving away books.

Books available are autographed copies of:

Warrior Betrayed by Addison Fox
Truth and Dare by Candace Havens
Waking up With the Duke by Lorraine Heath
The Duke's Captive by Adele Ashworth

If you want in on the drawing, just say which book you're interested in receiving and I'll draw names on Monday evening.

Also, I have two readers who have yet to claim their books by Kerrelyn Sparks. Connie Fischer and Sara W email me @ loriwilde@aol.com to claim them. You have until the end of the month. If you haven't claimed them by then, I'm giving them way to someone else.

Baseball Fever

YAY! Congrats to the Texas Ranger for their win last night against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Clone has caught baseball fever!

She's practicing her swing.

And hustling to catch those pop flies.

She thought she was fast, but the handsome third baseman tagged her out.

To add insult to injury, the cat sat on her.

She came inside in a pout and declared that this baseball thing was harder than it looked.

Go Rangers! Win the World Series! You guys are due!

Cowboy Wagon Train

Every year, Red Steagall hosts a cowboy gathering in the Fort Worth Stockyards. The event starts with an old fashioned cowboy wagon train and it goes through my hometown and passes right in front of my house.

It's really fun to watch. The have a police escort as they travel through several Texas towns over the course of five days.

It's very afforable to participate. $10 a day per rider. Maybe one of these days I'll have five days free and join in the fun.

There's cowboy music and cowboy poetry and chuckwagon cook-offs.

Yesteryear in a new millenium.

If you're ever in Fort Worth in the middle of October, consider coming to the Cowboy Gathering for a taste of history.

How about you? Any events in your neck of the woods this month?

Winners of the Kerrelyn Sparks giveaway are...

Winners of the Kerrelyn Sparks autographed books are:

Connie Fischer wins Vampie Mine.
Sara W wins Eat Prey Love

Congrats ladies. Email me @ loriwilde@aol.com to claim your prizes.

Lori

Quick Question

I'm out of town, but have a quick question. What would you think about me writing a YA series set in Twilight, Texas? If you like the idea, would you prefer it to be just regular stories, or have some kind of paranormal or magical realism? Would a spin-off ruin Twilight, Texas for you? Or enhance it? I'm thinking magical Christmas cookies or an alternate universe in the cemetery or the secret behind the sweethearts's legend.

Gone Fishin'

The clone decided to take a break from all the work I have been making her do. It was such a beautiful day, she grabbed her pole and went fishing.

Her first catch was a cup!

Then she caught a shoe.

Unbelievable! She snagged a bag of pasta! How did that get there? The clone was happy about this catch. It will go well on her new high carb diet.

Wow! The clone is so happy about what she just reeled in. It is the elusive paper fish. Way to go clone!

Looks like a pretty good day fishing for the clone. Now she can go home and have a cup of paper fish and pasta!

Hillcountry Biscuits

As you may recall from last week, the clone had gone on an extreme diet. She lost so much weight, she was tossed around in a wind storm. She never wants to experience that again, so she is through dieting. She is going heavy carb with her Hillcountry Buttermilk Biscuits. I told her yo-yo dieting is not good for her body.

Hillcountry Biscuits:

3 1/2 cups flour
5 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (optional)
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400". Lightly coat baking sheet with butter. Combine flour, baking powder, soda, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Add pecans if desired. Add shortening and butter using a pastry cutter or fork. Blend until well combined. Add buttermilk and mix dough until most of the flour is absorbed. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it 4 to 6 times. Roll dough into thickness of 1 to 1 1/2 inches. Cut 2 1/2 inch rounds out of the dough with biscuit cutter and place them on the prepared pan. Bake the biscuits in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

Need Help

I've got a mock up of the cover of my second book in the Jubilee, Texas series. I need input. What do you think? I'm looking at color, topic, proportion, etc...And be honest!

Winner of the Buns and Roses Bear box is...

Mindy Holt. Email me @ loriwilde@aol.com, Mindy to claim your prize.

Lori

Book giveaways!

While I was at Buns and Roses I managed to snag some autographed books for you!

Today's giveaway are two autographed books from Kerrelyn Sparks: Eat Prey Love and Vampire Mine.

If you want in on the drawing for either of these books, just post in the comment section.

Here's some pics from the weekend.

Vicky Dreiling (she's so funny), Me and Adele Ashworth.

Me and Jaye Wells at the Buns and Roses book signing. Check out Jaye's awesome hat.

Buns and Roses Tea Giveaway

I'm back from my weekend at the Buns and Roses tea event. Jodi Thomas, our keynote speaker, was fabulous as always. I sat with a terrific group of ladies at my table. Shout out to Andrea, Lauren, Maya, Jill, Beverly and Kay. It was so fun talking books with you all. Thanks to everyone who helped raised money for literacy.

So you can have a chance to share in the magic, I bought one of the Buns and Roses boxes. For $20, sight unseen, you buy a mystery box. The one thing you know that's in it is a Buns and Roses stuffed bear. This year, he's a cowboy bear which was right up my alley. There are other things in the boxes as well (such as jewelry) but you don't know for sure what you'll get. To the box, I've added the party favors I gave out at my table. That's all the hints you get. If you want in on the giveaway just post below and I'll draw a name from those who comment on Wednesday.

Awww....

This little girl reminds me of how emotional I was as a kid. Come to think of it, I'm still pretty emotional.

Wind Blown Clone

Oh no! The Clone was so impressed with my weight loss that she got into my Medifast and took things too far. Then, a wild Texas wind blew in.

It sent tumbleweeds flying.

The Clone decided she just had to go outside.

She got caught in an updraft.

And tossed all around.

It was disastrous.

Luckily nothing was broken. But I had to tie her to a tree so she wouldn't blow away while I went in to make supper.

I had to force her to eat. She whined the whole time about not fitting into her size zero if she ate chicken pot pie. I swear, clones are more trouble than they're worth.

Weigh in. What would you like to see The Clone do next?

Back Cover Copy

Here's the back cover copy for the second book in the CHRISTMAS COOKIE CHRONICLES.

Come join a meeting of the First Love Cookie Club!
“On Christmas Eve, if you sleep with kismet cookies under your pillow and dream of your own true love, he will be your destiny.”

It’s Christmas time at the Horny Toad Tavern, located in the heart of Twilight, TX. Elvis is on the jukebox, the lights twinkle outside…and inside, Raylene Pringle is wondering if it’s going to be another “Blue Christmas” without her true love, Earl.

But things are about to change—because ‘tis the season for unexpected romance and a surprise mother/daughter reunion…reminding Raylene that you should never disbelieve the legend of the kismet cookies!

I Love You

I love this picture because it's a world of I love yous.

And that's what today's post is about. I love my loyal readers. I appreciate you more than words can say. I love my students. They teach me so much. I love my friends. They keep me sane. I love my family. They're always there and put up with so much from me.

Join me in saying "I Love You." No matter what language you say it in, I love you has the power to heal, inspire, enrich lives. Today, tell someone how much you love them.

The Winner of the Amazon gift card is...

Eileen. Contact me @ loriwilde@aol.com to claim your prize.

Happy Release Day to Jenn McKinley

Do you love mysteries? Then I have the book for you. It's release day for my buddy, Jenn McKinely. She's also a New York Times bestselling author. The book is about cats and cupcakes. What more could you want?

Melanie and Angie are determined to win the Challenge to the Chef to promote their Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery. Mel's mentor from culinary school, Vic Mazzotta, may be one of the judges, but Mel and Angie will have to win fair and square. But, when Vic's dead body is found inside a freezer truck, Mel and Angie will need to use their best judgment to find the cold-blooded killer or they may lose more than the contest- they may lose their lives.



So let's party for Jenn's release day with a giveaway. $10.00 gift card to Amazon. Post a comment about mysteries, cats or cupcakes and you'll be entered in a drawing. I'll pick the winner on Wednesday.