Gentle Readers:

Pre-Order Today!

Happy New Year and Welcome to 2014! It’s going to be an amazing year. And it starts with the February 25 release of WHEN SHADOWS FALL! I am so excited for Samantha’s return — and in this book, she is forced to make a rather huge decision — whether to go forward, and live her life the way she knows she should, or hold herself back, allowing her grief to rule her. For those of you who read the Taylor Jackson series, I think you’ll be thrilled to see Sam’s decisions in this book. And for those of you who are still getting to know our heroine, hang on to your seats, because she’s going to surprise you, yet again. Our Sam is not a predictable lady.

With the book less than two months away, you know what time it is — preorders! With this being my first hardcover, I am hoping for a great showing, so I need to ask for your help. This is the only part of writing I don’t enjoy — blatant self-promotion. I don’t know of any author who does, really. But it is a necessary evil, and so:

PLEASE PRE-ORDER WHEN SHADOWS FALL NOW!

(THE KITTEHS NEEDS FOOD)

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Books-A-Million / iBooks / Kobo / Walmart / Target

IndieBound / East Side Story / Mysteries and More / Parnassus / Reading Rock

There. Shouted from the mountaintops. This is clearly just a sampling of places you can buy SHADOWS — it would mean the world to me if you would march into your favorite independent bookstore and ask them to order it — at least three copies — one for you, one for a friend and one for the store. If every one of you who read this newsletter do this, and tell a friend about the book and ask them to pre-order it, all sorts of New Year’s karmic magic will rain down upon you. In the form of more words. From me. Isn’t that a bargain???

I’m hard at work on the second Nicholas Drummond novel too — and it has a new title. Ready? It’s now called THE LOST KEY, and is proving to be a wild ride. I can’t wait to finish the first draft this month, then Catherine and I will edit until our fingers cramp.

And if you’re interested, please check out my 2013 Annual Review on the Tao — my listing of what went right this year, and where I need to improve.

Tours

I have two events in January — I’m leading the fiction track at the Tennessee Mountain Writer’s January Jumpstart the 10‐12^th and I’ll be in Manchester, Tennessee on January 18^th from 10 a.m.‐1 p.m., signing books with a bunch of other awesome Tennessee authors at the Manchester Coffee Country Public Library. Hope to see you at one or both events!

Get Thee to a Bookstore

My biggest resolution of 2014 — to read the books I already own, instead of buying new. I’ve tried to do this before and failed miserably, mostly because my whole family shares the Kindle and Nook accounts, so I’m always grabbing a new book for my dad or my mom or Randy. But they’ve all been warned — the only new books are going to be from friends, and annual series installments. Or those they buy for themselves...

I read 70+ books last year. I’d set a goal of 50, then when I realized I was going to blow past it, I revised up. Here’s a list of everything I read this year.

I have 315 books listed on my To Be Read list. I am aghast. And excited. There are so many great books to choose from. The hardest part will be to decide whether to start from the back, at the earliest listed, or go alphabetically.

But my favorite book of 2013 was THE PARIS WIFE. I highly recommend it.

Now, for suggestions this month, here are the books I’m looking forward to:

Lisa Gardner — FEAR NOTHING
Anna Quindlen — STILL LIFE WITH BREADCRUMBS
Sarah Addison Allen — LOST LAKE
Joelle Charbonneau — INDEPENDENT STUDY
Amy Shojai — HIDE AND SEEK
Ariel Lawhon — THE WIFE, THE MAID, and THE MISTRESS
Robin Burcell — THE KILL ORDER


I’ve made a commitment to track all my reading this year, so if you’re on Goodreads, friend me, and follow along. I’m always interested in what you’re reading, too!


Contest

The January contest is live now — enter to win a signed paperback edition of CAUGHT ON CAMERA by Kim Law, plus a $10 gift card (winner’s choice of Amazon or Barnes & Noble).

January Recipe — Green Chile

I am a Girl from Colorado, and we had a lot of New Mexican influence in our foods. One of these special treats is Green Chile. It’s best to use Hatch green chiles to make this, but they aren’t easy to get, so Anaheims will work too. Classic green chile is a delicious dish all on its own, but it’s also wonderful smothered over burritos. Or eggs. Or chicken. Or pork. Or in tacos. You get the idea. You can safely halve this recipe, too. I like to make a lot then freeze it, so there’s always some around.

Ingredients

• 25 fresh Anaheim green chiles or 5 (4 ½-ounce) cans green chiles
• 3 sticks (12 ounces) butter or margarine, plus more for sauteing pork
• 3 pounds pork, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 2 large white onions, cut into ½-inch dice
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ¾ teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1 ¾ tablespoons ground dry mustard powder
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
• 6 large tomatoes, cut into ½-inch dice
• 2 (14 ½-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 3 fresh jalapenos, diced, optional for added heat
• 1 cup flour

• If roasting your own chiles: Preheat an outdoor grill to high. Place the Anaheim chiles on the grill and cook, turning to cook evenly, until the skins blister and blacken. Remove from the grill and place in a plastic bag. Seal the bag and let the chiles stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the skin, stems and seeds and chop into ¼-inch pieces.
• Heat some butter in a large pot and add the cubed pork. Cook about 20 minutes then add the onions and spices. Cook on low heat, stirring occasionally.
• When the pork has cooked through, add the fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes, green chiles and jalapenos, if using. Stir occasionally.
• After 5 minutes, add 8 cups water. Bring to a low boil. Stir occasionally. Increase the heat and bring the chili to a rolling or high boil.
• In separate pan, melt the butter or margarine and whisk in the flour, stirring until creamy to make a roux.
• Slowly add the roux to the chili, stirring constantly, and shut off the heat. Continue to stir so that the roux is evenly distributed. (Roux amount can be adjusted depending on desired consistency or thickness.)
• Let stand 5 minutes and serve in a bowl with fresh tortillas or smothered!

Happy New Year to you and yours, and may 2014 bring you every joy in the world!

xoxo,