Recipes—Travel—Books
I have a few passions. They include traveling, doing something with my garden (I'm way behind this year, so no pictures to show just how far behind I am), and funny enough: collecting recipes made from scratch, like bread, homemade bean dip, and biscuit mix. When I was in my twenties, I lived in Wantage, England, about 70 miles west of London and 18 miles south of Oxford. Anyway, while I was there I learned how to make things from scratch from one of my friends whose husband was also in the military, so I thought I would share them with anyone who stops by this blog.
Here's the first one:
Biscuit Mix
8 cups shifted flour; ¼ cup baking powder; 4 tsp salt; 1 ½ cups shortening.
Sift baking powder and salt with 2 cups of flour into a large mixing bowl. Add remaining 6 cups of flour. Stir. Drop shortening by spoonfuls on top of the flour mixture. Cut in shortening with a mixer at low speed until the mixture looks like course meal. Store in a covered container. Do not refrigerate. Will keep 6-8 weeks. (makes the best biscuits)
Recently, as part of my new book coming out in September, I participated in a Q&A that I think you'll enjoy. More of the Q&A will come in my next blog posts.
* Your childhood as part of a military family must have been quite an adventure. How has this nomadic lifestyle influenced your writing, particularly in creating bold and brave characters? (They say, write what you know–they being the powers that be in the writing world. So with that in mind…)
>Up until I was 12, moving from base to base and military life was all I knew. I loved it. Except that I now have a family and home of my own. Even so, I would still move to a new place at the drop of a hat. What that means for my heroes and heroines is that often they are both strong-minded and generally not afraid of what chance throws at them. One of them is sometimes former military and one of them doesn't know how to stay in one place. And they have a lot to overcome to discover who they are and who they would be if they gave someone their heart (that is true of both my contemporary romance and romantasy). The thing they have to learn is that falling in love and settling down doesn't mean they have to give up everything. They just know themselves better, and they find a way to be happy. When they do that, they can “bloom where they're planted” (as my mother used to say).
* With such a busy lifestyle, how do you find time to write, and what does your writing routine look like?
>I am a believer in making time to write. Not to say I'm always good at being consistent and not getting distracted, but I try. I'm a retired nurse and a morning person, so I write three hours a day and if I don't get my pages in (my goal is two to three pages a day), or have things to do like Q&As ( ;-D ), promotions, marketing, and all the other things that go along with publishing a book, I come back in the afternoon for a few hours. I don't write in the evening. That time is reserved for my husband.
* Gardening and remodeling your house are quite hands-on activities. Do these hobbies provide a creative outlet for you, and do they ever influence your writing?
>Gardening and remodeling are activities that let me breathe and take some time away from writing, especially my contemporaries. The creative juices need a break, you know? You'll almost always find a serene garden in my books.
NEW RELEASE! Coming September 12, 2024. Ready for preorder
The Prodigal Brother Returns (Book One in A Strawberry Ridge Romance)
It’s time to go home…
Sixteen years after being kicked off the family ranch, widower Blake Lohmen is called home. There’s been an accident and his family needs his help. The timing’s not ideal. A children’s book author, he’s on a tight book deadline and responsible for the care of his wife’s much younger brother. But maybe this is his chance for Blake to make the amends he’d promised.
Following a divorce, traveling nurse and single mom Malorie Harper is not in the market for a man. She and her twins desperately need a change of scenery so she eagerly accepts a summer job offer at a Colorado ranch. The cute small town and gorgeous pastoral scenery framed by mountains feel like a balm to her soul. But on her first day, she walks into a family brawl where her patient nearly falls out of bed while aiming a right hook at her twins’ favorite author.
The uncertain beginning suggests a new chapter for all of them, but can Blake overcome the past, and will this steadfast cowboy help Malorie rediscover love?
See you next time!
And of course, sign up for my newsletter.
XXOO! Susan
Comments