Update: The winner of the $10 Amazon.com gift card is Dee Hartman! Congratulations!

I hope that you are all enjoying the giveaways and holiday posts!  Some of these posts are making me uber hungry–and our next guest, Shéa MacLeod, is determined to make me even hungrier! Shéa has a great paranormal series out now, but instead of talking monsters, she’s going to share some sweet treats (and *then* we can get to the fun monster talk). Welcome, Shéa!

(And one commenter will win a $10 Amazon.com or B&N.com gift card–winner’s choice!)

I love food.

Yeah, yeah, we all eat food. We all need food. But for me food is about more than just the mechanics of staying alive or even that it tastes good. It’s about family, togetherness, connection, and celebration. Every milestone moment in my life marked with a memory that tickles the senses.

Homemade banana ice cream, sticky and sweet, melting in the July heat as fireworks burst overhead. Violet creams melting in my mouth on the train home from Bath, England. Persimmon pudding slathered in rum sauce on Christmas day.

It’s no wonder I created a character who is as obsessed with food as I am. Anyone who has read the Sunwalker Saga books knows that Morgan Bailey has a weakness for pancakes and cupcakes. Wonder where she gets that from?

But what you don’t know is that Morgan, like me, has a favorite treat she bakes every Christmas Eve morning. Just like her mom did. Just like my mom did. The breakfast delight with flakey moist pastry, tangy raspberry filling, and a drizzle of vanilla icing which I made every Christmas Eve while I was living in England. It was a reminder of home and family and love. And also because it tastes good.

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Update: The winner from Nancy’s giveaway is…Hilleary Peterson. Congrats!

And the party keeps going!!! This time, my special guest is author extraordinaire Nancy Naigle–and Nancy is offering two great prizes: a copy of her book, Sweet Tea and Secrets and her favorite Harney & Sons tea. Talk about a great deal! Nancy, thank you so much for the giveaways and for coming to the party! It is a pleasure to have you here.

Pearl Clemmons in Sweet Tea and Secrets is known for her Chocolate Pecan Pie (and the recipe is in the back of the book), but I’m kind of known for this easy and yummy holiday treat. I call them Fa-la-la-lala Bon-Bons.

Fa-la-la-lala Bon-Bons
For any holiday party, gift, or next book club meeting that you want to have a melt-in-your-mouth to-die-for chocolate treat . . .

This easy Chocolate Truffle will make you the star of the day.

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The winner of TO TEMPT THE DEVIL is…Jen M. And the winner of the $15 gift card is…Anne! Congrats, ladies!!

Let’s go Down Under for the holidays! Awesome author CJ Archer is here to share some of her Australian traditions with us.   And, in addition to the holiday fun and a great recipe that she’s posting, CJ is giving away a copy of her new release, TO TEMPT THE DEVIL, and there is a $15 Amazon.com or B&N.com gift card up for grabs (winner’s choice!).

CJ, I’m so glad that you came to the party! And thanks for sharing your Christmas with us!

A Dinky Di Aussie Christmas

(Translation: A real Australian Christmas)

Thank you for having me on your blog, Cynthia.

December is summertime here in Australia, and that means Christmas day could be celebrated in 40+ degree heat (translation: 104+ Fahrenheit). But we’ve never let that stop us from enjoying a traditional Christmas, with a few Aussie twists thrown in to make the silly season memorable.

In my family, no matter the weather, we have a full hot midday meal – Turkey, ham, more varieties of vegetables than you can count after a few glasses of bubbly, and warm plum pudding with brandy butter. Do not, under pain of death, forget the brandy butter.

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Update: The winner of the Bath & Body Works gift card is…Janie McGaugh!

Have you heard of the Elf on the Shelf? I bet you have…

And I’ll confess, when I first heard of the Elf on the Shelf, I thought it was a little creepy.  An elf that “watches” your child and reports back to Santa Claus? A little being that sneaks around when you aren’t looking and plays tricks on you?  I think it was because the clown in the old Poltergeist movie frightened me so much (who remembers him?!), but I’ve been leery of stuffed animals/dolls/etc. that can “move” for a long time.

So, yes, I was hesitant about the Elf on the Shelf.

My son wasn’t so hesitant. From the minute he saw the elf in the store, he was hooked.  My son named his elf Fizzley–and he loves Fizzley. I’m talking mad, bad, total love. When Fizzley leaves our house, it’s like my son loses a friend. And when Fizzley comes back…oh, sweet happy times, there is much rejoicing.

And, Fizzley, well, he’s not creepy. He’s sweet. He plays tricks, sure, but they are all in good fun.  I like to think that if that crazy clown from Poltergeist ever came calling, Fizzley would fight him. Fizzley is my son’s protector, his guardian elf.

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Update: The winner of MY FAVORITE COUNTESS is…Rita Wray. Congratulations, Rita!

Thank you all so much for coming to the DECK THE HALLS WITH DARK ANGELS party! I hope you’re having fun! My next guest definitely knows how to party (because I’ve seen her do it!). Not only is Vanessa Kelly a fabulous author, but the woman is hilarious, too. I love hanging out with her, so I’m extra excited that she is posting at the party.  AND–Vanessa has a new book out, just in time for your holiday reading fun!  Now, here’s….VANESSA!

PARTY ON!!

I’m so happy to be here today, helping Cynthia celebrate the release of her new book.  I hoist my glass to you, girlfriend!

I also have a new book that was recently released, a holiday-themed historical romance called His Mistletoe Bride.  There are several festive occasions highlighted in the book—that was a lot of fun to write about because if there was one thing they knew how to do during the Regency period it was party.  This was especially true during the Christmas Season, which ran from Christmas Eve through to Twelfth Night on January 6.  The final party on Twelfth Night was usually a real wing-ding, roughly comparable to the kind of blow-out we now celebrate on New Year’s Eve.

One of my favorite scenes in the book happens at a family get-together, when the wassail bowl first makes its appearance.  Wassail, a very boozy and sometimes alarming beverage depending on the ingredients, was the high point of many a Christmas party, and family recipes were often closely guarded secrets.  And I suspect that over-consumption of wassail probably led to more than one family feud!

What were the ingredients that made wassail such a potent beverage?  Well, the base was usually mulled apple cider with sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, sometimes topped with slices of toast.  Apples and oranges could be added to the mix too.  In earlier times, the base often consisted of either mulled beer or mead, and any wassail recipe could be topped off with brandy or sherry.  Do we really need to wonder why folks had such a great time at Regency Christmas parties?!

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