Amie Louellen--Brodie's Bride (A Fun Character Interview)

Meet amazingly talented author Amie Louellen! Her book BRODIE'S BRIDE releases today from The Wild Rose Press. Since her main characters, Brodie and Savanna, are busy with "release day stuff," Brodie's best friend Jackson has stopped by for a visit.


Interview with Jackson McMasters, best friend of Brodie Harper


It’s been six months since that fateful night/morning when Brodie and Savanna woke up to find themselves married. But as their story goes public today, they weren’t available for an interview. So we have the next best thing. Today we have the other half of HarMac Construction, Jackson McMasters and his lovely wife, Gina.
“If he’s mad about this, I’m blaming it on you,” Jackson asides to Gina, then turns to smile and shake my hand. Jackson is just like described in the book. Blond, polished and wearing an impeccable suit. Dark-haired, dark-eyed Gina is glowing in only the way a new mother can.
“Blame it on me,” she says through her smile. “I’m not afraid of Brodie Harper.”
“Before you two get into a marital spat, let’s get this started.”
Jackson sits down and crosses ankle over knee, his movements nearly elegant. I’ve only met Brodie once before and for a brief time, but it’s so obvious that the two friends are exact opposites. Brodie is dark, a little rough around the edges and Jackson is…not.
“Thanks for coming today.”
Jackson nods.
“Now tell us, you and Brodie have been friends a long time, right?”
“Since elementary school.”
“We all met in the third grade,” Gina adds.
“And just what kind of person is Brodie Harper?”
Jackson smiles and straightens his dark purple power tie. “He’s the best kind I know. Salt of the earth, his Pop would say. Loyal, dependable. He’s the one person I’d want to have behind me.”
“Ahem.”
“Sorry, Gina. Did you have something to say?”
“No. Go on.”
“He’s taken care of his grandmother since his Pop died. That alone is a full time job. He has a great love of family and home.”
“I’ve heard that about him. So were you surprised to discover he’d married a stranger after a one night stand?”
“You…could say that.”
Gina laughs. “He was livid.”
“I was worried about the casino contract.”
“He was worried about his friend.”
“It’s just that no one expected Brodie to get married again,” Jackson explains.
“Again?”
Jackson nods. “Brodie was marred once before. His wife left him to go to Hollywood. It’s caused some issues for him, but I think Savanna has helped him through all of that.”
“So you approve of his marriage then.”
“Of course.”
Gina all but snorts. “You weren’t so approving in the beginning.”
“It was a shock.”
“He thought she was a hooker.” Gina shows utter delight in letting this tidbit fly.
Jackson coolly raises an eyebrow. “So did Brodie. She was dressed a little—“
“Don’t say it,” Gina warns.
“Well, she had decided to disguise herself and follow her fiancé to find out if he was up to no good—“
“Which he was,” Gina adds.
“—and she ended up married to Brodie instead.”
“And his wedding night was also your wedding night.”
“That’s correct, but that’s all the details I’m giving on that. If you want any more, and you’ll have to talk to him.”
“Just where is Brodie today?”
“He had other business to attend.”
“He’s out flying the Cessna with Red Sullivan, the casino owner. Now that Savanna has gotten over her fear, she’s making Red teach her how to fly the plane. Brodie won’t let her go up without him.”
“A casino heiress flying a plane, that would be something to see.”
Gina’s phone chimes and she holds it up for Jackson to see. “Time to get Rosie.”
Jackson stands and reaches out to shake my hand. “Sorry to cut this short, but duty calls.”
Fatherly duty.
Who knows maybe soon, it’ll be Brodie’s turn on baby patrol. One can only hope.
Amie Louellen--Brodie's Bride
Available 6/24/2011 from The Wild Rose Press


Amie Louellen loves nothing more than a good book. Except for her family…and maybe homemade tacos…and shoes. But reading and writing are definitely high on the list. When she's not creating quirky characters and happy endings she enjoys going to little league baseball games and boy scout meetings. Born and bred in Mississippi, Amie is a transplanted Southern Belle who now lives in Oklahoma with her deputy husband, their genius son, a spoiled cat, and one very hyper beagle.

BOOK COVER FOR BENEATH THE SURFACE!

Are you ready? Really ready? Okay (drum roll please). The cover for BENEATH THE SURFACE has arrived. I couldn't be happier! The cover art department at The Wild Rose Press did a wonderful job. Special thanks to cover artist Kimberlee Mendoza for her awesome work!

BENEATH THE SURFACE

She's fighting to stay independent--he's determined to protect her no matter what...

Brooke Richards survived the earthquake that took her parents and most of her leg, but she needs time to regroup. A trip to Florida for a state-of-the-art prosthesis and to visit her best friend Linda seems ideal. But the trip turns traumatic when Brooke witnesses Linda's boat disintegrating in a fiery explosion.

Police Officer Garrett Ciavello believes the blast was intentionally set to hide something Linda found on a dive. When Brooke offers her expertise in underwater archaeology, Garrett accepts her help with the investigation. But since his fiancee's death years ago, Garrett has become overprotective, and as they are drawn to each other, Garrett realizes he will risk anything to keep Brooke safe.

Brooke is fiercely independent. Garrett is fiercely protective. Will they heal each other's wounds and find a killer...before it's too late?

Growing a garden despite the stink bugs

After fifteen years of planting tomatoes, corn, zucchini, spinach, cucumbers and more, this year’s question is: do I dare go through all the work to grow seeds indoors and spend hours tending to them throughout March and April, just to plant them outside for stink bugs to destroy?
I checked with Jon Traunfeld, director at the University of Maryland Extension Home and Garden Center for some advice.
“Calls to our hotline (1-800-342-2507 M-F 8am to 1pm) and observations, indicate that stink bugs are more of a problem on some crops than others. Tomatoes, peppers, beans and corn seem to be most susceptible to damage from this new invasive pest. Spinach, chard and lettuces are less likely to be affected, so plant away,” Jon said.
He offered these strategies to protect your vegetables:
- Use floating row cover (a white, light-weight fabric with a gauze-like appearance) which is draped over plants and secured to the ground. It allows light, air and water to penetrate, but excludes pests.
- Monitor daily for stinkbugs and brush them into a bucket of soapy water to keep their numbers down.
- There is some evidence that the early life stages of this pest are more susceptible to chemical controls such as insecticidal soap, neem oil and pyrethrums
I’m going to plant my garden as usual. And remember, the stink bugs came to the U.S. via fruit from another country. If you plant a garden AND buy your produce locally, not only are you supporting your neighborhood farmer, but you’re potentially keeping bugs out of your yard, too.
Much research is being done on this pest. Here is a link to the latest information: www.hgic.umd.edu/content/BrownMarmoratedStinkBug.cfm

Happy planting! :)

How does your (salad) garden grow?

This year, I’m trying two new types of gardens in addition to my regular vegetable garden. I think I’ll blame the snowy Maryland winter for my zest.

It’s March and that means it’s time to plant cold weather veggies like spinach and lettuce. And, thanks to some online directions from the Maryland Extension service and a little help from my husband and his chainsaw, I’ve made a salad table.

It sits right outside the back door…steps away from the kitchen. If all goes as planned, we’ll be having dinner salads with spinach/lettuce that was picked minutes before we eat it.

Directions for making a salad table:
http://www.hgic.umd.edu/_media/documents/hg601.pdf

Coming in April: the OTHER new garden experiment. Hint: I’m hoping to get tomatoes and peppers a month earlier than usual. A salsa garden! (And find out if the salad garden is making progress.)

Almost Vegetarian

Well, this should be interesting.
I’ve never been a big meat lover, but after finding out some not-so-great facts about the way animals are treated on factory farms as they are raised for meat, I am challenging myself to change the way our family eats.
It wouldn’t be a bad thing if we got healthier along the way too.
But the challenge is going to be finding meals that:
1.) Are easy to shop for
2.) Are easy to prepare
3.) Taste good for everyone in a picky family. And having one member who detests beans is going to make this all the harder.
4.) Are not too costly

Today is day one of an interesting journey. I’d love to hear comments and suggestions (and recipes…looking for recipes that have been successful for others).
Tonight’s dinner: Eggplant parmesan (Frozen…I’m totally cheating. But it’ll be a good test.)

Why We Write What We Write

When I first started writing romance five years ago, I had an idea for a nice, sweet romance and I sat down at the computer to write it. By page three there was someone lurking in the shadows and I knew my heroine was in danger. By page twenty, two people were dead. I was smart enough to go with it, and 250 pages later I’d completed a romantic suspense.
I’ve often wondered why I write about stalkers, kill­ers, kidnappers, criminals and bad things happening to good people. I think it’s because I’ve led a charmed, happy life and to keep my writing exciting, I need to write about extraordinary events. But there’s a deeper reason too. I truly believe that bad guys will get what’s coming to them and good guys will prevail. What goes around comes around. And writing a novel where that happens again and again feels good.
However, writing romantic suspense leaves me with a dilemma. We’re told to write what we know. How can I write about police procedures, forensics and prisons when I don’t know anything about those things?
Thank goodness for experts! I’ll be heading out on a police ride-along this month with my local county po­lice department to experience a shift on the force. And experts in the field of forensics and law enforcement have been very generous with information and are only a phone call or email away. I’ve also attended some great workshops (my favorite was the MRW workshop with Dana Kollmann, forensics expert and author of “Never Suck a Dead Man’s Hand.”)
What I’m learning is that “write what you know” can really be “write what comes out, then learn as you go.” Don’t shy away from a genre because it’s not something you know a lot about—if you sit down to write, and keep an open mind, who knows what might turn up on the pages!
In an effort to find out more about why people write what they write, I’ve asked some romance authors of dif­ferent genres for their opinions on the subject.
Loree Lough—Romance Genre: Inspirational
“I write what I write because I cannot NOT write it. I’ve tried fantasy, paranormal, sci-fi, even some steamier stuff within the confines of the romance genre, and while most of it has sold fairly well, the end results just don’t make me proud, don’t fulfill me, don’t satisfy my ‘What am I contributing to the writing world?’ drive. Inspira­tional fiction, in a word, DOES. Hundreds of letters let me know that the themes I’m threading through the nov­els are resonating with readers. They share their own personal stories because what’s happening to my char­acters is similar to what’s going on in their own lives. I can count on one hand (and have fingers left over!) the number of letters that DON’T say “I identified with your heroine” or “My husband is just like your hero!” So I guess you’d say another reason I write what I write is because my readers have asked me to. And I refuse to let them down.”
Upcoming releases: “Love Finds You in North Pole, Alaska,” (October 2009) “Be Still and Let Your Nail Polish Dry!” (A devotional w/A. Boeshaar, S. Bricker, D. Mayne, 2009) “Midnight Frolic” (2009) “Love’s Sweet Attack” (2009), “Love Finds You in Folly Beach, South Carolina” (2010) and five other novels coming out 2010/2011.
Susan Gable—Romance Genre: Contemporary
“The need for a Happy Ending goes without saying. I want my beloved characters intact when I get to the end of a story.
There’s a Chinese saying: May you live in interesting times. I think it’s actually more a curse than a blessing. But I think we do live in interesting times, and I like writing books that give me opportunities to explore the emotional ramifications of the “stuff” of our times. I’ve written about a surrogate mom who kidnapped the baby in-utero, exploring what defines a mother in this day and age. My recent book explored the impact on a family when a child witnessed one parent kill the other. We live in messy, messy times. Writing my books helps me try to make some sense of it all.”
Available now: “A Kid to the Rescue” –Harlequin Su­perromance (Feb 2009, still available in eBook format). Upcoming release:“A Family Recipe” – Harlequin Superromance (August 2010)
Sharon Buchbinder—Romance Genre: Suspense
“I like a character driven romance, and enjoy the thrill of a good chase. I love all the CSI type shows, and can use my medical/healthcare background to inform my writing. I DO enjoy the HEA, but in my latest completed MS, the Villainess gets away...so I can bring her back in the sequel, of course! Plus, I liked her too much to lock her up or kill her off. She changed over the course of the story, too, because of the power of love. Isn’t that what we’re about?”
Upcoming releases: “Moral Inventory,” being pitched at agents and editors everywhere!
Jenna Petersen—Romance Genre: Historical Romance
“This is where I get my ideas and where my ideas re­ally excite me! I love the rules of Society, I love breaking them, I love everything about my time period (Regency) and all the fun ways I can play with it. The moment the ideas stop coming or stop thrilling me, I’ll switch to something else. But until then I’m a historical girl!”Available now: “Her Notorious Viscount” (April 2009). Upcoming release:“What the Duke Desires” (November 2009).

Easy, Fast and Tasty Slow Cooker Recipes

I don’t know about your household, but spring doesn’t just bring singing birds, beautiful flowers and sunny days with it around here; it also brings a very hectic family schedule! Between sports, school plays, yard work, and daily duties it’s hard for me to find time to shop for groceries, no less turn those groceries into a meal!

Slow cooker to the rescue! Besides being a great way to have a hot meal ready at various times, crock pot creations are a delicious treat to take along to cookouts and parties too. So here are some fast (throw in the ingredients, stir, run out the door, return hours later to a finished product!) recipes.

Get outside, enjoy spring and let the slow cooker do the work for you…but remember…you should still take all the credit when everyone praises the meal!


Tangy Meatballs
Ingredients:
1 2-lb. bag frozen meatballs
1 jar of jelly, 12 oz. (any flavor)
1 jar chili sauce, 12 oz. (found in grocery store near ketchup)
Place all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8 hours. Never fails—when I take these meatballs to a party, at least three people ask for the recipe. I tell them it’s a secret. No…just kidding…I tell them the recipe and they are always surprised at how simple it is.


Pulled Pork (or beef)
Ingredients:
3-4 pound pork loin (or beef) cut up into huge chunks
1 bottle barbeque sauce, 16 oz.
Two ingredients for this recipe! The trick is to “pull” the pork/beef as it cooks. Cook on high for 3 hours, then cook on low for 3-4 hours. In the last two hours of cooking time, use two forks to pull the meat pieces apart—it’s so tender that this job is very easy. Serve on buns.
The longer this cooks, the tastier it is!


Beef Stew
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 onion, diced
1 lb. beef, cubed (more than 1 lb. if you like a lot of meat)
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups string beans, cut into pieces
1 large can V8 juice
Pour olive oil into bottom of crock pot; add garlic, onion and cubes of beef. Cook on high setting for one hour (you can cook the beef/garlic/onion on the stovetop instead if you’re running out the door for the day.) Add remaining ingredients. Cook on low setting for 6-7 hours.
The V8 is my mother’s trick—it gives the stew a nice flavor and really seeps into the ingredients. Remember to cut the potatoes into small pieces so they won’t be crunchy. Add some rolls and you’ve got a very hearty meal!