News/Events
We didn’t truly have a winter, and spring happened early in Georgia. Flowers are blooming, grass is greening up, trees are leafing out, and the pollen . . . well, the pollen is doing it’s best to make everyone miserable.
A new flower has bloomed on my bookshelf: HEART OF HONOR released last month. I love the cover. Abigail Locke, the heroine in this story, has four treasures by which to remember her mother: an ivory-handled hairbrush, a cameo brooch, an embroidered handkerchief, and a lace collar. When they are lost, to what lengths will the hero, Nathaniel Danfield, go to recover them for her?
Because of the sale of the Heartsong Presents imprint, the release of the new books has been rescheduled. Instead of coming out in March as originally planned, HEART OF HONOR released in April. The second and third books in the series, HARVEST OF HOPE and HARBINGER OF HEALING will likely also release a month or two later than originally planned.
I’m expecting the galley edits for HARVEST OF HOPE to arrive in my inbox soon. It will be fun to revisit those characters:
Turmoil thickens the air in 1860. Talk of secession and political unrest blankets the hillsides of northern Georgia with tension, and Colton Danfield fears rumors of war will destroy the idyllic landscape where his sheep graze in the meadow. Auralie Covington’s future is planned out for her, including an arranged marriage to a man she barely remembers. She prays for God’s intervention to prevent the dreaded nuptials. She detests being relegated to china-doll status, nothing more than a pawn for her father’s ambitions of prestige and power, but the choice has been taken out of her hands. Her heart desires a man like Colton who loves the Lord and whose calluses on his hands reflect his dedication to his land and his work. If Auralie’s fate is to change, she’ll have to trust God to do it. ~I’m SO looking forward to this book coming out. I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it.
Late spring means it’s time to drag out my suitcase again. Soon I’ll point my car north and head to Pennsylvania to visit family—always a much-anticipated time of renewal and refreshment. A couple of weeks after I 
return home, the Posse Retreat is coming up. Can’t wait to spend time with my writing buddies. We will all converge on the Kansas home of Kim Sawyer where we’ll brainstorm our new story ideas, play with her kitties, and enjoy her new digs. Kim and her hubby have recently purchased a 1905 bed and breakfast. My love of all things historic has me drooling to see this place in person. I’m sure I’ll be posting some pictures of our time together in this lovely, restored 107-year-old railroad hotel.
In addition, I plan to take a side trip to southwestern Missouri to research the area for a proposal I am putting together. Poking around the place I plan to write about makes the pictures develop in my mind. The Ozark foothills will be the backdrop for a series of three stories. The characters are coming to life in my head and I hope roaming the countryside where I plan to set these stories will clarify some of the details. The heroine of the first story has a special gift for creating beautiful embroidery and drawn-work that she will use in a unique way. The hero is very special to me. He is a young preacher fresh out of seminary, coming to pastor his first church. He will be faced with some intimidating situations and people, and will discover new depths of trusting God. His name will be Jonathan . . . and yes, he is named for my son.
More new changes are on the horizon. Plans are on the drawing board for a complete renovation of my website. The new design will include photograph banners on each page—pictures I took while researching my last series. There will also be guest blog posts with other authors and a brand new page: ‘Riter’s Recipes—those fast, easy dinners to throw together when you’re on a deadline and pressed for time. The website might be down for a short time while these changes are being made, but I’ll be back, and the website (under the skillful expertise of my webmaster, Gayle DeSalles) will sport an exciting new look. Stay tuned.
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I will be featured as guest blogger on the following dates/sites:
| April 26 | Lynn Coleman’s blog |
| June 8 | Shannon Vannatter’s blog |
Below is a video of a TV interview I did with host Karen Allen on Talk Of The Town.
~JUST FOR FUN~
My version of MAGIC COOKIE BARS
BASE:
1 stick butter
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
½ cup gingersnap crumbs
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Melt butter. Mix remaining ingredients into melted butter and pat into the bottom of 9X13 pan.
LAYERS:
1 can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)
¾ cup chocolate chips (I like to use the mini chips)
¾ cup cinnamon chips
¾ cup white chocolate chips
¾ shredded coconut (optional)
¾ cup chopped pecans
½ cup finely chopped hazelnuts
Pour sweetened condensed milk over the crust, completely covering. Sprinkle the remaining ingredients evenly over the milk in the order shown. Pat down gently. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into squares.
TOFFEE BALLS
| ½ cup confectioners sugar | ¼ teaspoon salt |
| 1 cup softened butter | 1 teaspoon vanilla |
| 2 ¼ cups flour | 1 cup Heath toffee chips (with chocolate) |
Combine sugar, salt, and butter. Blend well. Add vanilla. Gradually work in flour alternately with toffee chips until a soft dough is formed. Chill dough. Form into 1 inch balls. Bake on cookie sheet covered with baking parchment at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes until set but not brown. Roll in confectioners sugar while still warm. Cool on rack and roll in sugar again. Makes about 5 dozen.
BIG FAT HEARTY BREAKFAST MUFFINS
| 1 package Martha White Cinnamon Spice Muffin Mix | 2 eggs |
| 1 package Martha White Honey Bran Muffin Mix | 1 cup applesauce |
| ½ cup self-rising flour | ½ cup brown sugar |
| ½ cup whole wheat flour | 1 cup milk (can use anything from skim to half & half) |
| 1 cup oatmeal | 3 tablespoons canola oil |
| ½ cup coconut (optional) | ¾ cup dark raisins |
| ½ teaspoon cinnamon | ¾ cup dried cranberries |
| ¼ teaspoon ginger | ¾ cup pecan pieces |
Combine all the dry ingredients (the first eight) in large bowl and blend them well. In smaller bowl combine eggs, applesauce, brown sugar, milk, and oil. Blend all at once into dry ingredients until moistened (be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl). Fold in the dried fruit and pecans.
Preheat oven to 350. Spray jumbo muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Fill muffin tin cups ¾ full. Bake for approximately 30 minutes. (Adjust baking time according to your oven.) Remove muffins from tin immediately and cool on rack.
I store cooled muffins in the freezer—one muffin per sandwich-size zip-lock bag. Take out of freezer as needed. Reheat thawed muffin in microwave for 15 seconds.
Speaking
Connie is available to speak to women's ministry groups, Christian book clubs, and cancer support groups.
Prepared topics:
Shooting Down The Vultures — a discussion about the challenges of a cancer journey (approx. 30 min.)
Unanswered Prayers, Unexpected Blessings — appropriate for women's ministry or cancer support groups (approx. 30 min.)
What I Learned from My Cat — suitable for women’s ministry (approx. 20 min.)
