New Series - New Book

Yes, EMBERS OF LOVE is finally available. This new book in the STRIKING A MATCH series is #1 of three books that will come out over the next year.




I had such a great time researching this series. Set in the late 1800's East Texas, this series deals with the yellow pine logging industry. While in Texas we did research at The History Center in DiBoll, TX. The director Jonathan Gerland and his tremendous crew there were all so helpful. We also visited the Forestry Museum in Lufkin. Everyone was super to help us.





While there we learned about the "company towns" set up Angelina County to support the various sawmills and logging camps. Towns sprang up and disappeared as the wood was cut away and the forests destroyed. Company towns focused on keeping the people buying and selling in their particular town so that control of commerce was pretty much regulated by the owners. Workers were often paid in tokens and script rather than cash. Although I did read that it was often popular for the sawmill owners to pay in cash as a treat for Christmas and sometimes Texas Independence Day.








Here you can see some of the types of money created for the workers.
















Provisions in the area were few and far between at times, and life was quite simply lived. A kitchen like this was an extra nice accommodation and often cooking and laundry was done outside year round. Makes me extra glad to have all the nice emenities I have in my house.
I hope you'll enjoy the new series and for the fun of it, we included a couple of neat recipes at the end of the book. Here's another just for the fall season. These are cookies mentioned in the storyline and it's a fun idea to serve them if your bookclub is reading EMBERS OF LOVE.
OATMEAL PUMPKIN SPICE COOKIES
1 cup brown sugar – packed
½ cup softened butter
1 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 cup oatmeal
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp cloves
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup pecans
(Optional add ins – 1 cup of raisins – 1 cup of coconut – add both for a really great treat)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Very lightly grease cookie sheet(too much will cause cookie bottoms to burn)
Cream butter and brown sugar, add pumpkin, egg and vanilla and mix by hand thoroughly
Add in dry ingredients and mix by hand.
Drop onto cookie sheets in tablespoonfuls. Bake for 15-18 minutes.
Makes 3-4 dozen cookies
Frosting – optional
These go well with an orange zest frosting or white frosting with hint of almond.
God Bless

All In The Family

No, not the television show. I came across some family notes as I was cleaning out a desk drawer the other day. My cousin keeps a genealogy and while I've never had too much time for such things, I cherish the information given me by others.



You see, my situation is kind of strange. I have information about my mother's side of the family. I even have wonderful pictures of great-great-grandmothers and other relatives like those below.




My father's side, however, is a mystery. He was adopted. Not only was he adopted - I've been told when I set out to research the matter that the adoption was illegally done. Documents were falsified. Details were omitted. No telling where he came from. No telling who his people were.



Oh, there were plenty of stories about his origins. All were intriguing and vexing at the same time. One old friend of the adopting family told me he was related to a prominent family in town, but was abandoned in the trash because the mother had had an affair and he was the result. Folks at the courthouse in one county suggested he could have been one of the children of the Jewish "save the children" years of World War II. Another suggested that because of the location of the adoption - he might have been a child of part Native American ancestry. Back in the 1930's this wasn't too smiled upon unfortunately.



Wendy Lawton, writer, agent and sculptor of amazing dolls once looked at me at a conference and said, "You're Irish aren't you?" I told her I knew there was a very tiny bit way back on my mother's side, but on my father's side I had no idea. She told me very emphatically - "Oh, you're Irish alright. I can see it in your face." Probably the red hair and freckles didn't hurt either.



For a while, this inability to know my ancestry really bothered me. Who were my people? Where had I come from? It was driving me crazy, but at every turn I was denied information.



But then God began to very gently deal with me. The past became less and less important. My earthly bloodline was put aside for focus on my heavenly one. My earthly father--a man I barely knew as he and my mother had divorced when I was quite young, was set aside for a stronger relationship with my Heavenly Father. I slowly came to realize that all of our earthly life will pass away, but only the things that are of God will last.



Our genealogy here on earth is fun and interesting to be sure, but I want to encourage you today to be sure and do some work on your Heavenly genealogy.

Get to know your ancestors in the Hebrews 11 hall of faith. Dig in an acquaint yourself with your Heavenly Father and be amazed to learn who your people are--who you really are.






PS: Lena Dooley is posting an interview with me and book giveaway at her blogsite http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/. Be sure to check it out. AND


If you are in the Great Falls, MT area - I'll be speaking at the 1st Alliance Church on October 9th. This is a catered luncheon from 12-1:30 p.m. and if you want to attend contact Cheryl Jones 406-231-1823 for details.

Busy Busy

Sorry to have been absent, but I've been busy!

Last week I had book signings in Columbus and Greenwood, IN and then Jim (my hubby of nearly 31 years) and I taught basic writing at a conference in Indianapolis at the national American Christian Fiction Writers conference.

We had such a great time.  Above,  I am at one of the booksignings with a really great lady named Militine.  Isn't that an awesome name?  It's a compromise of Millicient and Christine. 
We met a lot of wonderful people and in Columbus got surprised by my mother's cousin Anna Ruth and her daughter Denise and son-in-law Jim.

On our last night in Indianapolis,
Jim and I dined in the revolving restaurant
at the top of the Hyatt and enjoyed this view of the Capitol Building. 



All in all, it was an incredible trip and God was so very present.  We met wonderful new friends and had great reunions with longtime friends.  I imagine heaven will be much the same way.