#COOKING WITH CLORIS--ROMANCE AND MYSTERY AUTHOR KATIE GRAYKOWSKI OFFERS UP CINNAMON ROLLS AND A FREE HOLIDAY ROMANCE BUNDLE

The Christmas Network

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Katie Graykowski. I write romantic comedy, cozy mysteries, and my YA novel is coming out early next year. Among my family and friends, I’m known more for my baking and less for my writing. Notice I said baking … not cooking. Another dry and terrible Thanksgiving turkey, but this year I’m proud to say that a fire extinguisher wasn’t necessary. Believe me, that’s a vast improvement. 

 

Today, I’m sharing my Christmas morning orange cinnamon rolls. No matter if we’re home for Christmas or in Grand Cayman, these cinnamon rolls are as much a part of Christmas as my grandmother’s manger scene and fighting over who has to clean up all of that wrapping paper. 

 

Usually, I make the cinnamon roll dough on Christmas Eve and let it rise in the fridge overnight. If you choose to do that, make the dough, then put it in the fridge. Take it out the next morning and let sit on the counter for at least 30 minutes before baking.

 

Merry Christmas to you and have a Happy New Year.

 

Katie’s Orange Cinnamon Rolls

 

Dough

3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)

1 cup milk

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon sugar

1-1/4 teaspoons salt

3-1/4 ounces active dry yeast (7 1/2 teaspoons)

1/2 cup orange juice

5 large eggs

Zest from 2 oranges

8-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (may need up to 9-1/2 cups depending upon the weather)

 

Filling

2lb. bag light brown sugar

4 sticks of butter

1/4 cup cinnamon

 

Icing

2--8 oz. bricks cream cheese at room temp.

zest of 2 oranges

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted (may use up to 4 cups)

 

For the dough, heat the butter with the milk, 3/4 cups of the sugar and the salt in either a small saucepan or in the microwave, until the butter is melted. Set aside to cool. 

 

In a large mixing bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm orange juice and add the remaining teaspoon of sugar, stir and set aside for 10 minutes, until the mixture is bubbly. 

 

Add the lukewarm milk mixture, orange zest, and the eggs, beating until well combined. 

 

Add the flour a cup at a time, stirring and using enough flour to form a stiff dough. 

 

Turn out onto a floured board and knead until smooth and satiny, approximately 10 minutes. (Or place in the bowl on a heavy-duty electric mixer and knead with a dough hook until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl, approximately 5 minutes). 

 

Place the dough in a very large buttered bowl, turn to butter the top and allow to rise, covered loosely with a kitchen towel, in a warm place until doubled in bulk, approximately 1 hour. 

 

Punch the dough down and roll out to a large rectangle, 24" x 36". 

 

Butter two 9" x 13" baking dishes.

 

For the filling, beat together the brown sugar, butter and cinnamon until well combined. Spread evenly over the surface of the dough. 

 

Roll up lengthwise and cut at 2" intervals to make 12 rolls. Place 6 rolls in each buttered dish. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about an hour.

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the rolls for about 20-30 minutes or until puffed and browned. Cool to room temperature on racks.

 

For the frosting, beat the cream cheese, orange zest and vanilla until well combined. Add the confectioner’s sugar and beat until smooth and soft, not stiff. 

 

Frost the rolls and serve immediately.

Christmas Network Box Set, Books 1-2

 

Welcome to Christmas, Texas

Christmas, Texas has as much magic as it has charm and only reveals itself to those who need it. The town was settled 1820 by the original Winter Texan, Santa Claus. He kissed the snowy North Pole goodbye and moved his whole operation to the sunny Texas Hill Country where there are never blizzard warnings and the only thing icy is his iced tea.

 

When Lana Green crashes her car into the Welcome-to-Christmas-Texas-you’re-not-lost-you’re-exactly-where-you’re-supposed-to-be, sign she doesn’t necessarily agree with the town slogan. She was on her way to Fredericksburg for a business meeting when she got lost in a thunderstorm. Since she has no intention of sleeping in her car during a thunderstorm and she has zero cell reception, she pulls her suitcase out of the trunk and marches toward town. When it comes to hating Christmas, she could give Ebenezer Scrooge a run for his money so visiting Christmas, Texas the week before Christmas is bound to be a lesson in torture.

 

Sheriff Nick Van De Berg is out on patrol when he runs across a Lexus wrapped around the Welcome sign. But the car’s empty. Surely the driver didn’t walk to town through the thunderstorm. As the storm gathers in intensity, so does his fear that something bad has happened to the driver. After checking the fast-swelling river, lower water crossings, and every single road in town, he stops by the Christmas Tree Inn where he finds Lana Green, his college sweetheart and the one that got away, sipping a mug of hot chocolate.

 

His Christmas wish every year since they broke up has been a second chance with Lana. 

 

Now his wish has finally come true.

 

Can he convince Lana to take a chance on him and on Christmas, Texas?

 

Return to Christmas, Texas

When veterinarian, Jules McCowan’s best friend marries Santa Claus’s oldest son, Jules has no idea that her life is about to change forever. It’s been less than a year since she found out that Santa is real, reindeer can fly, and that Santa Claus traded in the snowy North Pole for the sunny, mostly snow-free Texas Hill Country.

 

Chris Van De Berg likes being Santa’s second son. He’s inherited all of Santa’s charm with none of the responsibility. When St. Nicholas blessed his family with eternal life, he was also blessed Chris with the gift of compassion. He can look into a person’s heart and feel what they feel … except for Jules McCowan. When he looks at her, all he sees is the person with whom he’d like to spend the rest of his life.

 

His Christmas wish has always been to find his soulmate. 

 

Now that he has, how’s he supposed to get Jules to fall in love with him? Around her all of the charm he’s used to get people to do exactly what he wants is completely gone. In fact, he can barely get two coherent words out so how’s he supposed to convince her that they belong together? Plus, if they do get married, she’ll have to leave her life in the real world behind forever.

 

When Santa asks Jules and Chris to fly to France to check on Pere Noel’s donkey, they leave immediately.

 

Chris has forty-eight hours outside of Christmas, Texas to persuade Jules that she’s his destiny. If he doesn’t return to Christmas, Texas within forty-eight hours, he’ll never be able to return again and The Spirit of Christmas will die.

 

Will Jules take a chance on Chris and leave her life behind? Or will Chris have to choose between her and The Spirit of Christmas?

 

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AN INTERVIEW WITH ROMANCE AUTHOR ANN EVERETT

Today we sit down for a visit with contemporary romance, new adult romance, and humorous romantic suspense author Ann Everett. Learn more about Ann and her books at her website and blog.   

Ann is giving away five awesome prize packages through tomorrow. Click here to enter.       

When did you realize you wanted to write novels?

I never intended to write novels. Only short stories to enter in contests. However, one of my shorts suddenly became 25,000 words and I wasn’t done with it, so it had to be a book.

How long did it take you to realize your dream of publication?

Again, I never wanted to be published. But I did want to improve my writing, so I joined a writing website. One of my readers there suggested I submit (the short story that turned into a book) to a small press in her area that happened to be taking open submissions. I did, and they accepted.

Are you traditionally published, indie published, or a hybrid author?

Hybrid. I was originally published by the small press I mentioned above. During my 3-year contract with them, I learned a lot about self-publishing. When my contract ended, I reclaimed the rights to the two books they had and added three more I’d written and self-published all five. Then in 2016, I submitted a book to the Kindle Scout program, and Amazon’s imprint, Kindle Press published it.

Where do you write?

I have a corner in my spare bedroom that serves as my office.

Is silence golden, or do you need music to write by? What kind?

I prefer silence, but since I score my stories, sometimes I listen to the song I’ve chosen for a particular scene just to get me “in the mood.”

How much of your plots and characters are drawn from real life? From your life in particular?

In my humorous mystery series, Tizzy/Ridge Trilogy, a whole lot of it comes from my real life. Most of the characters in those stories are people I know or family members. The stories even take place in the town where I grew up, Brownsboro, Texas. Since my sister and I both love to bake/cook, I made us owners of Sweet Thang Bakery. Since it’s fiction, I made us younger and gave us bigger boobs!!

Describe your process for naming your character?

This is a biggie for me. Because Texas is known for our crazy names, I spend a lot of time choosing them…especially for secondary characters. In my latest book, True, Joy Dell Dalton has a storyline, although she is not the main character. That is a great Texas double name!

Real settings or fictional towns?

Mostly real, but in my Bluebird, Texas Romance series, Bluebird is fictional.

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?

In just about every book, at least one of my characters is quirky. In my most recent series, Chirp, main character, Blaze is on the spectrum, (Asperger’s syndrome) so she has no filters and says what she thinks. In True, the protagonist writes crazy songs…like, There was Nothing Between us but Your Penis! So, she’s pretty quirky.

What’s your quirkiest quirk?

Oh, I have so many, and I give most of them to my characters. If I forget something, I won’t turn around and go back home. I don’t do turnarounds. Bad luck.

If you could have written any book (one that someone else has already written,) which one would it be? Why?

Any by either Susan Elizabeth Phillips or Jennifer Crusie. I love everything they’ve written. They both write multiple storyline stories, which I started doing with the Bluebird, Texas series. Since I love to read that type of story, I discovered I love writing them as well. Each of the books in that series has three romances happening at the same time.

Everyone at some point wishes for a do-over. What’s yours?

If you’re talking about books, then…all of them! I did rewrite part of the first book I published. Even added a character! After that, I vowed not to read any of my books again once I hit publish! I just have to let them go.

If you’re talking about life, it would be to finish my college degree. I should have. Not really a regret, but a missed opportunity.

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

Lord, I have so many. But one of my main peeves is people who are constantly late…like my sister. She is never on time. It bugs the crap out of me!

You’re stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?

Good Internet connection. Computer. Credit card.

What was the worst job you’ve ever held?

“Worst” can cover so many things. I had one job where the boss was a total idiot, one job with more drama than necessary, and one where office-politics played into everything. The crazy thing is I didn’t hate any of them. I’ve usually worked two jobs for most of my life. A day job, then a part-time night job. I’ve owned a toy store, a gift shop, a lawn and landscape business, and a cleaning service. The hardest was the lawn service. Laying grass (sod) in Texas heat is no picnic! So, I guess that would win the “Worst Prize.”

What’s the best book you’ve ever read?

This is the question where I think I should answer with some really deep title, but I no longer read books like that. Since I write romance, I mostly read romance. But if I had to choose from every book I’ve read in my life, it would have to be The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. In a few pages, he sums up how we’re willing to give up everything for someone we love. That’s a true romance story.

Ocean or mountains?

I like looking at pictures of both, but since I’m terrified of water and heights, I don’t want to be at either! No cruises for me. No vacations in a majestic setting.

City girl/guy or country girl/guy?

Country girl all the way. I grew up in a town with 304 people. Everyone knew everyone. You’d think I’d want to experience something bigger, but nope. I thought the world stopped at the city limit sign and never wanted to live anywhere else. I’ve lived in cities and liked of all of them. Lubbock, Texas is my favorite. I now live in a town of about 15,000…that’s plenty big for a girl raised in Podunk!

What’s on the horizon for you?

That’s the beauty of life. We never know.

True

Sometimes it takes losing everything…

True Shanahan must be the unluckiest woman in the world. Either that or she’s cursed. After another failed relationship, True leaves Dallas with a broken heart and new attitude. It’s time to walk on the wild side. But when she makes a wrong turn and ends up in Bluebird, Texas, the only man she wants is anything but reckless.

…to find all you’ve ever wanted.

Ritter Malone is the town’s favorite son and has the local hero awards to prove it. Seems he’s always in the right place at the right time. But when he crosses paths with True, his life takes a turn he never sees coming. Her songwriting skills may be questionable, but her ability to turn him inside out is indisputable.

Welcome to Bluebird, Texas.

Where a chance meeting gives two people a chance at love.

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STEEL MILL HEIRESS ON THE RUN--AN INTERVIEW WITH ANN EVERETT'S BLAZE BLEDSOE

Blaze Bledsoe aka Wren Montgomery is the main character in Chirp by author Ann Everett. Today she sits down with us for an interview.

What was your life like before your author started pulling your strings?

It was great. Each day I worked at Over The Rainbow Funeral Home and then spent my leisure time alone without any interruptions. Then she released Rance Keller from prison, and he turned my world upside down!

What’s the one trait you like most about yourself?

That’s a hard question. Because I have Asperger’s syndrome, I say what is on my mind, and that’s a blessing and a curse.

What do you like least about yourself?

I can’t determine sarcasm. I’m learning with the help of my friends, but it’s something I struggle with.

What is the strangest thing your author has had you do or had happen to you?

She had me clean up after Rance brought an overnight guest home. She dressed me in a homemade Hazmat suit and I looked ridiculous.

Do you argue with your author? If so, what do you argue about?

No, I don’t argue with her. I’m not good at that. I know she has my best interest at heart.

What is your greatest fear?

That my evil stepmother will find me before I turn twenty-one and have me committed to an institution. I’ve managed to hide for three years. I just hope my luck doesn’t run out.

What makes you happy?

My dog, Muttly…and later in my story….Rance.

If you could rewrite a part of your story, what would it be? Why?

I wouldn’t rewrite anything. My author gave me friends, a dog, and man to love…who loves me back. We had a rough road getting to that point, but in the end, I got my happily ever after.

Of the other characters in your book, which one bugs you the most? Why?

Before I fell in love with Rance, he bugged me the most. I’d never met anyone like him. He still bugs me sometimes.

Of the other characters in your book, which one would you love to trade places with? Why?

I’d trade places with Hanna or Tiffany, both my best friends. They’re smart, outgoing, and beautiful.

Tell us a little something about your author. Where can readers find her website/blog?

She’s also a little bit quirky. Maybe that’s why we got along so well! Here are ten things to help you know her better:

~She’s married to her high school sweetheart.

~She loves shopping at thrift stores.

~She doesn’t remember her first kiss.

~She hates talking on the telephone.

~A really sharp pencil makes her happy.

~She secretly wants to get a tattoo.

~She’s thankful wrinkles aren’t painful.

~She thinks everyone should own a pair of cowboy boots.

~She sucks at math.

You can find Ann’s blog on her website.  

What's next for you?

I’m not sure. Ann thinks about me a lot, but she’s just finished another book set in Bluebird, Texas and has one more planned. She gave Tiffany a small role in the second book, and she’ll have a major role in the third one. I know from reviews most readers like my character, so maybe Ann will give Rance and me some page time in a future story. However, things are going so well for us, I’m not sure anyone would want to read about our boring life!

Chirp

A woman hiding from her future…

Heiress to the largest steel company in America, twenty-year-old, socially awkward Blaze Bledsoe hides out at Dessie Bishop’s farm. For the last three years, Blaze has eluded one investigator after another, but just when she thinks she’s safe, a PI closes in. Her luck is about to run out in more ways than one.

A man running from his past…

Rance Keller, a tough, hard-living ex-con, fresh out of prison for a crime he didn’t commit, arrives to claim the house his grandmother left him. Finding a strange girl living there, his plans for a solitary life take a turn. Her lack of modesty, no filter, and word of the day fetish baffles him, but those big green eyes and sweet mouth have him losing sleep.

Welcome to Bluebird, Texas

Where two damaged people with secrets, discover trust can lead to passion.

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BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--GUEST HEROINE BAILEY McSHANE

Still pining for a date this weekend?  No problem.  Sheep rancher Bailey McShane, the (aptly named) Texas Wildcat from Adrienne deWolfe's bestselling Western Historical Romance, is here to share her secrets for catching a mate!

Adrienne deWolfe is a #1 best-selling author and the recipient of the Best Historical Romance of the Year Award for Texas Wildcat.  She also enjoys mentoring aspiring authors. Learn more about Adrienne’s books at her website and her professional writing services here. 

How to Rope a Man: Dating Tips from the Texas Wildcat

by Bailey McShane

Howdy, gals!  Bailey here.

Now don’t you be moping around the homestead ‘cause some clueless male didn’t ask you to a weekend fandango!  The week’s not over yet!  I got plenty of experience roping stud ponies – ‘specially the two-legged kind. 

So listen up.

First off, don’t pay any mind to the prissy Missies, like that Amaryllis Larabee, who set her cap for my Zack. Prissies would have you believe that a real lady puts on lacy pink frou-frou, and totters around on stilts, and bats her eyelashes hard enough to set a prairie schooner sailing.

Hogwash.  No man worth having wants his woman trussed up in a corset.  Men like a gal who WIGGLES when she walks.  You ever see a ewe in a brassiere? I rest my case!

Now once you get the ram's . . . er, I mean, the man's attention, don’t gush and giggle every time the fool opens his mouth.  Teach that randy rascal some respect! 

When Hank Rotterdam and his twin sons were after my ranch, here’s how I set those cusses straight:

Hank: 

“Aw, c’mon, Bailey.  Why don’t you forget about Nick and marry Nate?  Shoot, they look just the same.  And they got the same equipment, if you know what I mean.”

Me: 

“I’ll keep that in mind, when I’m ready to raise hogs.”

You see that?  The old skirt-chaser was so floored, he didn’t even know which way was up!

Now here’s a sparkin’ tip for ya'll.  Girly punch and cucumber sandwiches ain’t gonna fire up your man’s blood! 

You want some bull pawing the sod to give your skirts a whirl?  Then I got one word for you, amigas:  MOONSHINE.

Serve it up by the barrel.

Here’s how my 100 percent all-beef male likes to tattle on me: 

Little Miss Bo Peep was so sure of herself, sitting over there with that mischievous smirk and that curl coiling so jauntily on her forehead. Besides, how powerful could the moonshine be?  Bailey had tossed back a belt without batting an eye.

Zack tossed back his own shot and choked. Fire burned a path from his gullet to his gut.  He was half-convinced his ears started smoking.  It was all he could do not to cough and sputter as the busthead went down.

Bailey thumped him helpfully between the shoulder blades. "Good stuff, eh?"

He wheezed. "You sure there's no rat poison in this?"

Yee-haw!  Take it from me, gals. Tarantula juice gets the job done!  After a coupla swigs, Zack started stamping and pawing so hard, he scooped me up in his arms, hauled me up a flight of stairs and . . . 

Oops!  Look at the time!  Gotta mozy on down to the barn to get those merino sheep sheared.

But before I go, I’ll leave you with one final tip.  And this one’s worth its weight in chocolate, if you know what I mean.

Do you want a man to kiss you tonight? I’m not talking about some namby-pamby buss on the cheek.  I’m talking about a REAL man, grabbing a REAL woman, and kissing the livin’ daylights outta her.

(Yeah, I figured you’d like that.)

Well, pay attention now.  ‘Cause here’s how it’s done.

Texas Wildcat

(Book 3, Wild Texas Nights)

First Kiss

"You know what your problem is?" Zack ground out, lowering his face within inches of hers. "Your daddy spoiled you rotten." 

"He did not!" 

"He spoiled you and coddled you. What he should have done was turned you over his knee."

"My daddy knew how to treat a woman, Rawlins!  Which is more than I can say for you!"

That was it. The final straw. Zack had borne Bailey's public insults to his manhood too many times. In a surge of primal instinct, he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her hard against him.

He heard her gasp as her heels left the ground; he saw the shock widen her eyes. Then his mouth swooped to cover hers. 

For an instant, the barest of moments, she swayed on tiptoe. Her hands clutched his shirtsleeves as their chests collided. His anger was snuffed out in a flare of desire. He slanted his mouth, demanding an entry to the enticing wetness that lured him deeper.

The din ebbed; and the rodeo crowd receded. In that moment, there was only Bailey.  Her lips trembled open, and her rigid spine softened, arching, letting him mold her length to his.

She was kissing him eagerly now, hungrily, demanding a response that every sizzling part of him ached to provide. But not here. Not now. God have mercy on his soul. 

Abruptly he pushed her back, setting her on her feet. She blinked up at him, her eyes brimming with wonder. 

He heard a buzz. Growing, crescendoing, it thundered to a roar. Boots were stomping, hands were clapping, spectators in the grandstands were howling with mirth. 

Dumbfounded, he stared at the lips that were so moist and swollen from his kiss.  He thought he should say something.  He thought he should apologize. 

He should have thought less and paid more attention.

A fist like a miniature locomotive slammed into his gut.  

Texas Wildcat

When the beautiful, hot-tempered Bailey McShane bursts into the cattlemen's saloon, waving her shotgun and accusing the cowboys of theft, simmering tempers start to boil.

Bailey wants restitution for the fence posts that some low-down cowpokes burned to steal precious water from her land.

No self-respecting cattleman would be caught dead siding with a sheep rancher, like Bailey—and yet Zack Rawlins, the youngest, elected president of the Cattlemen's Association, can't resist this pint-sized wildcat with the big blue eyes.

With drought-stricken Bandera County on the brink of range war, Zack faces political suicide if he can’t find a way to mend fences between Bailey and his cattle-ranching neighbors. But what's a cowboy to do with an unpredictable woman who refuses to be tamed?

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