Gentle Readers:

How is it Halloween has already passed us by and Thanksgiving is right around the corner? You know what that means, right? The holidays are upon us.

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But before we get into the holiday season, which I flat out refuse to do until December 1, let’s give thanks for the beautiful fall we’ve had, the great books we’ve read, and enjoy the calm before the storm. Aye?

I’m just home from a research trip to Scotland. It was wonderful — the weather cooperated, though it was quite chilly. Chilly enough I had to buy a coat the first day we were there. I chronicled the journey on TAO OF JT, so if you missed it, drop by and experience the glory of Scotland with me.

Speaking of the blog, I’ve been posting much more frequently. It helps my creative process to examine it, so that’s what I’ve been doing. I’m not a fan of journaling. Amendment: I want to be a journaler. Sort of like I want to be a runner. I go in fits and starts and work hard at it, then forget, and the forget period is generally weeks and years long. But earlier in the year, I found myself posting on Facebook every evening, just a snippet of what I’d done that day. It seemed a good habit to continue, so that’s what I’m doing — but posting to my blog instead of Facebook.

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Tours

Nothing doing, home fries. Can you hear the big sigh of relief? I do so love meeting y’all, but sometimes it’s nice to stay home, too.

Get Thee to a Bookstore

I, um, ahem, um, have a confession. Since I was in Scotland, I felt it only appropriate to reread OUTLANDER. Because, you know, KILTS! It matters not a whit that I’ve read the book 8 times before. With the advent of ebooks, I’m finding rereading my favorites is a whole new experience. I see words and phrases I missed before, simply due to the new format. Pretty awesome stuff. I also bought a few other lovelies:

Allison Brennan — COLD SNAP
Donna Tartt — THE GOLDFINCH
Victoria Schwab — THE ARCHIVED
Peter James — PERFECT PEOPLE
Veronica Roth — ALLEGIANT
Dani Shapiro — STILL WRITING

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

I like to give stuff away, so every month there’s a new contest on my site. The November contest is live now — enter to win a signed copy of SUGAR SPRINGS by Kim Law and a $10 gift card (winner’s choice of Amazon or Barnes & Noble).

November Recipe — Pumpkin Bread

Since fall is in full swing, I thought I’d share my favorite Pumpkin Bread recipe. It’s bookmarked in my Fannie Farmer cookbook — I’ve been making this particular recipe since I was a kid, with my own flourishes, of course.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 can Libby’s pumpkin purée
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ¼ cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon allspice
• ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional — I never put nuts in)

• Preheat oven to 350°
• Butter loaf pan — I use Pam for Baking, it works wonderfully
• Sift together flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda. (I just stir, not sift)
• Add the spices
• Mix pumpkin, oil, eggs, water, and vanilla, beat until smooth and slightly foamy
• Combine with dry ingredients
• If you’re going to ruin it with nuts, now’s the time
• Pour into a loaf pan — I prefer to do several small pans so I can give them away
• Bake 50-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean
• Leave in pan 10-15 minutes to cool, then turn out on rack.
• Pass out among friends and family as the perfect beginning to the season!

Wishing you all the best for a beautiful and sumptuous, not to mention grateful, Thanksgiving!

xoxo,