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Since January is National Soup month, I’ve invited renown cookbook author, Sloane Taylor into my virtual kitchen to prepare a hearty soup that will to keep you warm and toasty right down to your toes. Take it away, Sloane…

This
recipe is the perfect way to use veggies that have been around a while and
leftover roast beef. Serve with crusty bread, a dry red wine and your dinner is
complete.

Warm
oil in a Dutch oven set on medium heat. Add onions. Sauté 3 – 4 minutes until
lightly colored. Add garlic, cook 30 – 60 seconds, stirring constantly. Mix in
carrots and celery. Adjust heat so onions and veggies don’t burn.

Swirl
butter into pan. Add remaining veggies and meat. Sauté 5 – 8 minutes.

Combine
remaining ingredients into pot. Bring soup to a boil. Cover pot, lower heat,
and simmer 30 minutes.

May you enjoy all the days of your life filled with good friends, laughter, and seated around a well-laden table!

Sloane

Taylor’s cookbooks, Hot Mean Wear Aprons, Date Night Dinners, Date Night Dinners Italian Style, Sizzling Summer, and Recipes to Create Holidays Extraordinaire are released by Toque & Dagger Publishing and available at all book vendors.

Be Ready for Rejection

Even if someone had told me about this, I’m not sure I would
have believed just how much rejection there would be. I even used Query Tracker
to hone my agent and publisher searches, making sure my manuscript fit what
each agent or publisher was looking for and that I followed their query rules. I
can look back now and smile at how many rejection letters I received for my
first novel, only because there were a few kind agents in the bunch who took
the time to offer brief critiques on what I had submitted. 

I would send out 15-20 queries at a time, then I’d wait to
hear back from the literary agents or small press publishers. I didn’t always
get a response, but when I did, it was ultimately a rejection (cue sad music).
With some of those rejections came little nuggets of advice. Trust me, those
nuggets aren’t meant to be mean, they were bits of gold meant to improve my
writing. I took that gold and made revisions. And I made revisions. And I made
revisions. This book was my first attempt at writing a novel and I had a lot to
learn. The rejections were disappointing and hurt at first, but the advice was
necessary, appreciated, and it did make the book better. So I’d say be ready
for rejection and be open to any advice a writing professional offers you. 

Be Prepared–the Publishing Process Moves Slowly

Once I received a publishing offer for my first book (woohoo!),
I was slated for edits. There were three rounds of edits that had to fit the
various editors’ schedules. Completing a round of edits does take time.
Fortunately, I am good with deadlines, even when I had to take a chapter and
rewrite it completely. Once that was done, the book went to their graphic
designer for cover art, and it was typeset (set up for printing). The book was then
scheduled for a release date that worked for the publisher and their other book
releases. Plus they had to plan social media events leading up to and for the
week of the release.  

My favorite part of this slow-moving process is the cover
art. There’s nothing like getting to see what your “baby” is going to look like
on a bookshelf! 

Don’t Give Up on Your Dreams

Dreams do come true, but they may not happen the way you
expected or on your perfect schedule. 

After my first book was published, three months later the
publisher went out of business. I was blessed to find another publisher that
was excited to take on my novel along with my second book. My third book was
discovered during a Twitter pitch party. That was a nice surprise. However,
after the book was published the pandemic happened. That publisher suffered
financial losses and went under. The company’s name was purchased by someone
who had their own catalog of books, so that allowed me to take ownership of the
third book. Finally, after years of hoping, I signed with a literary agent for
my fourth book. I worked with her on the edits for that manuscript and it is currently
out on submission to editors and publishers. 

When that book went on submission, I finished my fifth book
which is a YA thriller set in coastal South Carolina. There are three sisters,
an exotic garden, and Big Pharma causing lots of deadly trouble. I just love
it. Fingers crossed that my agent finds the best homes for both of these books.
My sixth book idea is being outlined at present. It will be a YA thriller set
in D.C. and it’s going to be super fun to write! 

Leigh Goff is an author of three published young adult novels and is represented by Lauren Bittrich. She is working on her next novel, a young adult thriller, while her current manuscript, Wicked Sweet, is on submission.

You can find her current published novels at Audible | Amazon | Apple   

Learn more about Leigh Goff on
her website and blog.
Stay connected on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkTree

We’re good eggs here in Carpenter Country, and we subscribe to the waste-not philosophy of life. In our kitchen, one cooked chicken results in multiple meals, including delicious homemade chicken soup.

For this soup recipe, we began with a chicken slow cooked in the crockpot. Once the chicken was cooked and the initial chicken-and-vegetable-and-potato meal eaten, we separated the remaining meat from the bones. We used the darker chicken meat in the soup, and the white-meat portions in chicken salad, chicken potpie, and chicken sandwiches.

Then we got out our soup pot and put together this stovetop soup. For extra flavor, when we filled the pot with water, we added a few spoonsful of the drippings collected in the crockpot as the chicken cooked.

Note that this recipe works exactly the same if you prefer to roast your chicken in the oven.

Here’s our souped-up video. The full recipe follows below.

CHICKEN SOUP CARPENTER STYLE
Chicken trimmings (bones and skin) from fully cooked chicken
Water (enough to cover the trimmings and fill the pot)
2-4 tbsp. pan drippings, depending on the size of your pot
2-4 cups fresh or frozen vegetables of your choice (we used frozen mixed)
1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
2 tsp. garlic salt (or regular salt if you prefer)
2 tsp. minced garlic
Dash black pepper
2 cups shredded chicken meat

Add chicken trimmings to pot.

Add enough water to cover the trimmings and fill the pot.

Add pan drippings.

Simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes.

Remove chicken trimmings from pot with strainer or slotted spoon and skim off any foam from the broth.

Add vegetables, seasonings, and shredded chicken to pot. Add additional water if necessary.

Simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes.

Serve hot with bread or crackers.

TIPS and TRICKS
Add a packet of chicken bouillon with the drippings to punch up the flavor.

For a thinner broth, leave out the vegetables (or cook them until they are very soft) and reduce the amount of shredded chicken. Use the broth in other recipes or serve in mugs.

To make chicken noodle soup, add noodles or pasta of your choice along with the vegetables.

Be creative with the spices. For instance, a dash of curry powder adds a unique flavor.

Once upon a time there was a mother/daughter author duo named Helen and Lorri, who wrote as HL Carpenter. the Carpenters worked from their studios in Carpenter Country, a magical place that, like their stories was unreal but not untrue. Then one day Lorri left her studio to explore the land of What-If, and like others who have lost a loved one the magical place lost much of its magic. But thanks to family, plus an amazing group of wordsmiths named Authors Moving Forward (AMF), the magic is slowly returning.

Ah, a new year, and new plans. So much hope, and so much faith in
new beginnings. A clean slate, a fresh start. As I went through my business plan
and goals for 2023, I was pleased to find that I managed to complete them all,
save for nabbing a foreign rights agent. But, I realized that goal was totally
out of my control, with the exception of sending out queries. Among my other
lofty goals were creating a writing resource PDF I called, Tips,
Tools & Tricks for the Tenacious Writer and putting it up on my
website as a free download, connecting with the local libraries to see if they’d
purchase and carry my books, and finish writing the third installment of
Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls called Sticks
and Stones. Done. Done. Done. Well, the libraries never got back to me, so
I assume it’s a flat no. Sigh.

I guess authors nowadays have to try many possible avenues to get
their books out there. Shows. Events. Ads. Giveaways. Bribes. Begging. Sorry,
got carried away. LOL! Actually, I was lucky enough to attend a couple of
events in the fall of 2023. One at our town’s bookstore, River Bookshop, who hosted a Local Author
Book Fair, and another with my publisher, Mirror World Publishing at a
Local Author Christmas Book Show. I love events that only allow authors and
publishers, as opposed to anything-goes craft shows, because you get actual readers
wandering the aisles instead of people looking aimlessly around at the
different tables. Plus, we get to network with other authors, and learn what
book promotion strategies work for them, and what doesn’t. A win-win in my
eyes.

I also bought a program that helps authors create ads instantly.
If you’ve never heard of BookGraphix,
I
urge you to check it out if you like doing your own ads to share on your
social media accounts. The program allows authors to place their book or books
(up to three) in images that are appropriate for your audience, create content,
and download them to your computer. They also have holiday inspired ads as
well, and you can do trailers, cover reveals, and other creative stuff. For the
last three and a half years, I’ve been steadily running Facebook ads for ten
days, and rolling over a new ad when one finishes. This strategy has garnered
me a reach of over a million people for many campaigns that I’ve run, and about
two to five thousand clicks on the links I provide. I use my Amazon Author link
with all my books, and my website books page for those links. It’s certainly
been an investment for sure. The trick is to get those link clickers to buy one
of my books instead of click and go. It’s a patience game for sure!

As for my plans for 2024, I’ll be revising and editing Sticks and Stones so it’s ready for
publication either late this fall or in 2025. Yup. That’s how the publishing
game works! Slow, but sure. I’m going to continue to query foreign rights
agents seasonally until I attract the best one for me (fingers crossed), as
well as run my ten day Facebook ads to extend my reach and hopefully connect
with readers throughout the world. It’s also my intention to start gathering
research and plotting the story for the next installment of The
Last Timekeepers time travel adventure series, which will be in Treena Mui’s
point-of-view. Should be a blast!

On a personal note, my hubby and I got e-bikes from Santa for Christmas
in 2022, and have been riding our butts off all spring, summer and fall, in an
effort to put a lot of mileage on them. Best. Presents. Ever. Plus, it’s great
exercise and gets us outside in nature. For more current news, please check my blog, as I periodically give
updates to what’s going on in my author life. So how about you? Do you have any
big or small plans, goals, desires you want to make manifest in 2024? Dream
big, life is short. Would love to read your comments. Cheers and Happy New Year! Thanks for
taking the time to read my blog. I appreciate you!

Two years ago in
late December, I discovered almond paste and went down a cake rabbit hole. My
family celebrates Christmas on New Year’s Day most years, but that year we were
celebrating after January 6, which is Epiphany. Epiphany is the traditional date
the Wise Men visited the Christ Child, and to celebrate the event a special
cake, with a plastic baby or bean hidden in the cake, is served. The Epiphany
cake, often referred to as a King cake or the Three Kings cake, has many forms,
flavors, and even many trinkets hidden in it. It is also a tradition in many
countries, especially those with a Catholic background. 

I’d never heard of a
King cake, except in reference to Louisiana Mardi Gras celebrations. After some
research, I decided to come up with my own version of an Epiphany King cake
using almond paste. It took several tries to create something that showed off
the frangipane I’d made with almond paste. On my first attempt, using a yellow
cake recipe, the frangipane melted into the cake batter and didn’t give me the
definition I wanted.   

So I began
experimenting. I decided I’d make a chocolate spice cake with a frangipane
layer. That worked. I’m calling it Epiphany Frangipane Chocolate Spice Cake. If
you don’t want to make it an Epiphany cake, complete with trinkets, just call
it Frangipane Chocolate Spice Cake. Here’s a tip I learned the hard way – be
sure to make the frangipane first! 

Also, you may want
to consider adding the following: 

·      
1 bean, or
1 plastic small baby figurine, or several small trinkets. Be sure to tell your
guests these items are hidden in the cake!

·      
Chopped
maraschino cherries or chopped candied fruit for decorating the cake. You can add
the chopped candied fruits to the baking pan before you add the batter, scattering
them evenly around the pan, or you can reserve them and scatter them over the
top of the baked cake adhering them to the cake with a bit of confectioner
sugar glaze. 

Preheat oven to 350°
F.  

Combine flour with
spices and cocoa in a large bowl. 

In another bowl,
cream shortening until fluffy. Add 1 cup sugar and mix again, then add 1 cup
flour and spices. Mix and beat until combined, adding vanilla and ¾ cup buttermilk,
¼ cup at a time, as needed to make batter mixable. 

Add remaining flour,
sugar, and buttermilk until combined. Beat 2 minutes on medium speed. Keep batter
scraped down from sides and bottom on bowl while beating. 

Add eggs and
remaining buttermilk. Beat 2 more minutes on medium. 

In a lightly
buttered, easy-release Bundt pan, gently pour 2 cups of batter into cake pan,
smoothing out until batter is level if necessary. 

Add all ingredients into a mixing bowl. Combine ingredients on medium, then on
high until fully combined. Refrigerate frangipane until cake batter is ready. 

Drop frangipane by
teaspoonfuls onto batter, taking care to center in in batter. Or alternately
you could pipe frangipane onto batter. 

Gently cover frangipane with 1½ cups batter, leveling out
if necessary. 

Add another layer of frangipane in same
manner as before. 

Cover with 1½ cups cake batter. 

Put upper rack in the lower third of oven.
Bake cake for 60-65 minutes or until wooden skewer inserted in cake comes out
clean. You need a long skewer, not just a toothpick to test for doneness. 

Cool pan upright for 5-10 minutes. Invert
onto a wire cooling rack, Cool cake completely on wire rack. 

Note: You will have extra batter and
frangipane with this recipe. To use remaining mixes, make cupcakes. 

Spoon ⅛ cup batter
into a cupcake line. Top with 1 teaspoon frangipane, centering it in batter.

Cover frangipane
with another scant ⅛ cup batter. Bake at 375° F for 35 minutes or until

toothpick inserted
in cupcake comes out clean. 

I hope you’ll enjoy
my cake. While it’s baking check out my romantic comedy with a touch of drama, A Groom for
Mama. There’s cake in this book, too. Wedding cake. 

Beverly Walters is dying, and before she goes, she has one wish—to find a groom for her daughter. To get the deed done, Mama enlists the dating service of Jack Somerset, Allison’s former boyfriend.

The last thing corporate-climbing Allison wants is a husband. Furious with Mama’s meddling, and a bit more interested in Jack than she wants to admit, Allison agrees to the scheme as long as Mama promises to search for a cure for her terminal illness.

A cross-country trip from Nevada to Ohio ensues, with a string of disastrous dates along the way, as the trio hunts for treatment and A Groom for Mama.

Available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble

Multi-award winning author Catherine Castle loves writing. Before beginning her career as a romance writer, she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit, under her real name, in the Christian and secular market. She also lays claim to over 300 internet articles written on a variety of subjects and several hundred poems.

In addition to writing, she loves reading, traveling, singing, theatre, quilting, and gardening. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances. You can find her award-winning Soul Mate books The Nun and the Narc and A Groom for Mama, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Follow her on Twitter, FB, or her blog.

When the year starts to wind down, I usually do an evaluation of
what I’ve accomplished, and what I’m still working on. Augh. Some of my goals
for 2023 came to fruition, others fell flat, and still others were not in my
control to begin with. Augh, again. I did manage to finish the third
installment of Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls series, entitled Sticks and Stones, but fell short of my
deadline for spring. Instead, I completed my manuscript just before our Canadian
Thanksgiving in early October. How fitting, since the novel ends during our
Thanksgiving. Divine timing, it seems, is everything. My goal was to get the
novel ready for my publisher’s 2024 publication roster. Um, no. Fell a little
short. But I got into the 2025 for sure, unless something unforeseen happens
and a space opens up. Such is the complexity of the publishing industry. Sigh.

That said, I feel very blessed to have a publisher like Mirror World Publishing, who
literally has their authors’ backs, and are so supportive and understanding.
Another goal I did manage to get launched was compiling a writing resource
ebook called Tips,
Tools & Tricks for the Tenacious Writer, and offering it for free
on my website as a downloadable PDF. It was actually ten years in the making,
as I took helpful articles from my blog to share my publishing journey with
wannabe writers or authors who might just glean some useful material from it. I
managed to get the freebie up last March, so a win-win for me! *Pats back
vigorously*

A smaller goal was to try to get my books into the local libraries
of the Southern Ontario region I live in. Talk about red tape and politics. Triple
augh! I contacted the right people in the right positions, explained that I
wanted my books to share shelf space with the numerous books they had on hand,
and of course told them I was a local author. I was informed that their budgets
would only allow so many books to be purchased (most likely famous authors or
bestsellers), but that I could drop off my books at the closest libraries in my
location. So I did. I chose the first books in my two young adult series, The
Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis, and Lost
and Found from Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls. I wrote a cover
letter and packaged my book babies up, and sent them on their way. I also
mentioned in the letter that if they decided against purchasing my books, then
please accept these titles as a donation. Sigh. Never even got a thank you or a
charitable slip for tax purposes. *Shakes fist vehemently*

My HUGE goal (this one is NOT in my control) was to acquire a
literary agent to handle foreign and subsidiary rights for both my young adult
series. Yeah, I know it’s a pipe dream, but I truly believe in myself as a
writer, and do want to bring more light into the world through my books. I
began this endeavor in November 2022, crafting a query tailored to my goals,
and researched prospective literary agents. Shoot me now. I really hate Query
Tracker because the format is geared to one manuscript. So, I got creative, cut
and pasted my query and sent it along. I did hit pay dirt in July with a UK
agent who requested my PDFs! My elation was short-lived, as she explained that
her heart had to be all in, and she didn’t feel she was the right fit for
representation. Hey, I wouldn’t have expected anything else. That said, I know
that the query letter I wrote did its job, and captured the eye of an agent. At
least now I know there’s a chance of landing the perfect agent for me.
*Crossing fingers and toes*

Of course, I had many other
mini goals throughout 2023, as I continued to chip away and plod through my
author life. How about you? If you’re an author, did you reach many of your
goals? If you’re a reader, did you realize what an author’s life entails? Would
love to read your comments. Wishing you, and your loved ones, a safe and happy holiday season. Cheers!