Goodbye to an old series, hello to a new one!

Hello, everybody! Mary Jane here and I have to share some delicious desserts I've made recently.

Well, it's not really a dish but since it's over 105F here, nobody wants to eat real food! So we made this yummy homemade almond milk with frozen mango chunks and a little bit of honey and some mint. DELICIOUS!

And it's fresh peach season! Our blueberry farm lost most of his crop this year so we were really sad not to have fresh blueberries. But the peaches arrived and we're happy again!
What's growing in your area? Are you surviving the heat??
In other news, I wrote the sixth book of my Cane River series and as much as I love them, I think that might be the last of By the Book and my wonderful friends in Natchitoches! But good things are ahead.
I've been working on a new series with some great authors. The first installment of SIX brand new novellas is FREE!!


The very next book in the series is my first in the Seasons of Faith series, called Summer's Glory.

 

Violet Tam thinks she's escaped the boy who made her teen years a perfect misery, but when Silas Black comes back to town, she finds herself falling for the one guy she’s always hated. 

After his mother passes away, master carpenter Silas Black returned to Arcadia Valley to help his sister run their small farm. He was the town’s bad boy as a teen and it wasn’t just an image. But although the rest of Arcadia Valley has accepted that his juvenile delinquent years are behind him, there’s one woman who can’t accept that he’s really changed.
When Violet Tam reluctantly asks him to join forces to help out a friend in need, they discover there is more to each other than meets the eye, and certainly more than who they were in high school. Silas soon realizes he’s in danger of losing his heart to the strong, intelligent middle school teacher. Add in a shocking robbery, an emergency surgery, and a surprise litter of puppies, and the two former enemies must face the possibility that true love was waiting to bloom for them all along.

Summer's Glory is a story of humor, grace, and forgiveness set in the fictional farming town of Arcadia Valley, Idaho. Mary Jane Hathaway's newest installment is sure to delight fans of inspirational novels who enjoy thought-provoking and laugh-out-loud romances that expose the beauty of everyday life and the folly of the human heart. Full of quirky characters, friendship, recipes, and faith, Summer’s Glory is an irresistible beginning to a brand new series.

 

You can click the link to the right ---------------------------->>>>> to pick up your own copy!

 

Autumn's Majesty is the next in my series and it was soooo fun to write!

Can the town busybody learn to keep a secret? Vivacious Jamie Lawson has a lot in common with her first grade students. She’s bright, curious, energetic, has a big heart… and lacks any kind of filter. Her friends laugh about how she can’t help sharing what’s on her mind, but her mother warns her that trouble will find a woman who can’t hold her tongue.

The day Jamie accidentally breaks her best friend’s trust, she finally realizes that what is charming in a six year old, just isn’t as adorable in an adult. She vows that with God’s help, she’s going to listen more and talk less, especially around handsome Theo Delis. He’ll be helping her run the Lawson Family Blueberry Farm for the summer, and it will be the perfect time for Jamie to learn a little introspection. His serious, no-nonsense demeanor is the polar opposite of her gabby personality, and she’s sure he’ll be drawn to her new, aloof personality.

But as the heat of an Arcadia Valley summer settles in, Jamie discovers there’s more to wisdom than silence and more to love than mystery.
When an old friend needs confidential support can Jamie finally learn to lead with her heart, and not her mouth?
A story of deep friendship, laughter, and learning to listen to grace.

 

 

Again, you can pick up your copy by clicking the link here------------->>>>>

 

 

 

I hope you enjoy this new series and try to stay cool! I hope you're all having a wondering summer!

 

 

Upside Down Pecan-Apple Pie straight out of my new book! AND GIVEAWAY!

Hello, everybody! I know the rafflecopter is still going for the $25 Amazon gift card but I wanted to share this fun recipe. 

  

So, when I was researching my new series set in Natchitoches, Louisiana, I needed a good cookbook. I asked my facebook friends and apparently this is THE cookbook for Louisiana. It's like the JOY OF COOKING down there. Everybody's got one, usually handed down. It was originally published in the 1950's and now you can buy it on Amazon. Love that!                                          

                                                
Poor me, I had SO MUCH RESEARCH to do. And by research I meant cooking and eating. I decided not to include this recipe in the back of the first book in the series, but it caught my eye and I wanted to try it out. Upside down apple-pecan pie sounds interesting, doesn't it??

(Shameless book plug: The Pepper in the Gumbo which is up for preorder now! I really LOVED writing this book. Sort of You've Got Mail and 84, Charring Cross Road- with lots of Southern cooking and romance!)

 Then this box showed up at my door and I got to hold my latest Austen Takes the South book in my hands!  Isn't she pretty!!!??? Releasing Nov. 11th! I have three of these to give away (my sister will beat me over the head if I don't save one for her and the other is for me). Enter in the rafflecopter at the bottom but first... check out this PIE! I had to celebrate!

Bake at 350F for an hour.
Ingredients:
4TBS butter
2/3 brown sugar
2/3 cup pecans
2 unbaked pie crusts
6 cups sliced apples
1 tbs lemon juice
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 TB flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

 There's Mr. Tin Pie Plate! We've missed you!!

 So combine the brown sugar and the butter and press into the bottom of the pan. This will melt and make a caramel under your pie.

 Press the pecans into the mix and you can make it fancy if you want.

Put the bottom crust over the mix, leaving a few inches over the sides.

 Like so.

 Put in the apple mixture. Mmmmmm....

By the way, these pies (I actually made two) come from the apples from our own trees. But these are special trees. We have a compost pile where we throw veggies and peels and such. My husband noticed a few seedlings had sprouted so he transplanted them into the corner of the yard. I didn't really pay attention to them. I think I noticed them a few times a year. Scrawny branches, tiny little stunted apples, the trees were no taller than my youngest child for years. And then this year, the apples grew BIGGER. I was so surprised! It took seven years for a little seed to give back another apple and even though I'd completely forgotten about those little trees, they were working hard the whole time. I imagine them saying to me now, "How you like THEM apples??" lol

 Put on the top layer an pinch closed the edge. This was a very juicy pie (and actually set off the fire alarm twice) so be sure to set something underneath to catch the drips.

 

 OK, here's the first pie and it smells AMAZING. But I'm not completely sold on it yet.

I'm going to attempt to turn over the pie into this deep dish. The entire family has crowded around to watch. (Mostly because I set off the fire alarm and they're huddled together for warmth while the smoke leaves the house.)

 Here's the second pie and although it doesn't look fantastically pretty, there's nothing like hot aple pie right from the oven.

 OK. It actually wasn't that hard to flip. I'm wondering if the caramel burned. I'm skeptical.

 Moment of truth, with lots of caramel sauce drizzled on it.

And some whipped topping. The verdict was..... *drum roll* The family declares this THE BEST PIE EVER.
And since I usually post a kid pic but they were all outside playing by the time I sat down to write this, I'll put this one here...

My oldest always reads to the younger kids every night and this photo really made me laugh. At first I thought of Cerberus, the three headed dog. And then someone said it looked like Huginn and Muninn, the Norse mythological crows that perched on Odin's shoulders. Lol.
 So there you go! I hope you're all having a wonderful and productive fall!

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Finally, I'm BACK! Just an update and a taste of what is coming...

Hi everybody!

 Well, that was a nice little break. I went on vacation, wrote some words, cooked some food, wrote some more words, and I'm finally feeling human again!
Here are a few vacation pictures from the Oregon coast. Rocky, windy, sunny, and not particularly warm. :)

 Devil's Punchbowl.

A nice stretch of beach you really can't reach unless you jump off a cliff.

And although it's about 190F here, it's blueberry season and we've been picking until we just can't pink no more. Yesterday we picked 45 pounds! YES.... most go into the freezer so that in January we can make blueberry pie and pretend it's July.

Also, I caught a bad cold and since it's a Washington State LAW that a person can't go out in public with a cold, I had to stay home. By myself. And whine. *sniffle* But I'm much better now and am excited to announce a new project...

A boxed set with some other historical authors! This will be out mid-August. :) Stay tuned.

And saving the best for last..... AUTHOR COPIES OF Emma, Mr. Knightley, and Chili-Slaw Dogs!! Whoohoo! These will be a giveaway in a few days. Shhhh, this was a sneak peek!

And this is coming very, very soon! October is only a few months away. I feel like I've waited for this book for ages and ages.

So, that's the update for now! You can always hop over to Yankee Belle Café and see what I've been cooking. I'm on the weekend crew and I love company.

Check out this weekend's post, including the low(er) fat Mocha Mudslide Milkshakes!

 Until later, my friends!

 

Teacup winners and a new giveaway!

Hellooooo, everybody!
 I love being able to announce a winner but what's better is being able to announce FOUR WINNERS!

 Are you all ready??

BECKY CHERRINGTON
ANNA KERNS
SAGAN CHILDS
LYNDA EDWARDS

 Rafflecopter loves ALL OF YOU and wants you to have a pretty tea cup! Thank you to everyone who entered and never fear, there are many more prizes to come!

 Now, all giveaways have been sent or ordered at this point so if you haven't received your goodies, just be patient a little while longer. The teacups will need some tender loving care, so they won't be mailed until later this week (because I need to find the perfect little boxes to ensure their survival through the postal system).


  NOW, for the next giveaway! (You thought I was kidding when I said I had oodles and oodles of Austen gifts, didn't you? HA!)
As a foodie (or as the French say, une gastronome) I horde cookbooks like a film buff collects movies. I love them vintage, modern, ethnic, short, oversized, sassy, serious, and everything in between. Why? Because I like to cook! (I hope there's not another 'why' waiting, because that should be obvious: I love to EAT.)

  This next giveaway is a dozen Jane Austen recipe cards on heavy notepaper. I have a set of these and they're just darling, but yours will come straight from Dorothy Jane, which a wonderful little etsy shop. (I'm currently smitten with her  blue bird nest tags but have absolutely no reason to buy them. Note to self: find purpose for delightful gift tags even though all upcoming birthdays are for males over the age of 10.)

 Now, these recipe cards might just come in very handy with the NEXT few rounds of giveaways. *hint hint*

Oh, forget about the hinting! Here's a sneak peak at what we have in store!

WHOOHOOO! Look at all those fun books: Southern Cakes, Southern Pies, A Jane Austen Cookbook and Pride and Prejudice paper dolls!

 All right, my friends. Enter early and often- and good luck!
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