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Welcome Victoria Adams, Exquisite Christmas Author #EQuills

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Please welcome my guest blogger, Victoria Adams, one of the authors in the Exquisite Christmas anthology who is sharing some creative gingerbread photos with us.

Exquisite Christmas AdHi, I’m Victoria Adams and I’m so happy to be here today.

I, along with 20 other authors, have recently released a collection of Christmas stories. Some of the stories include a recipe – which brings me to gingerbread.

I, will happily, admit, I love gingerbread. I love the snap of the cookie when I bite the head off (yes, I’m worried I might be a bit twisted). I love the way the flavor bursts into my mouth.

Confession time – I once ate an entire box of ginger snaps when I was working on an essay in university. One hand wrote and the other hand grabbed cookies. While fun at the time, the tummy ache I had later – ouch!

I have a kitchen wall full of cookie cutters – large copper ones – a palm tree, a unicorn, a ballerina and yes, even a gingerbread boy.

But my most cherished gingerbread item is the recipe from an old cookbook in my mother’s collection. The recipe is for 12 dozen cookies. (144 cookies, if you don’t feel like doing the math – lol.)

My worse fault with the cookies – besides binge eating them – is my decorating. I’m terrible at it. Luckily, my daughter is great and it’s a wonderful time when we destroy the kitchen creating cookies.Gingerbread tree

Here are three samples of decorating gingerbread cookies. No they aren’t pictures of my cookies. The thought of pausing long enough to put some on a plate and take a photo is incomprehensible.

Gingerbread men

gingerbread reindeerHow does all this relate to my short story in Exquisite Christmas? Reese, my heroine, is a baker who is about to have her quiet life interrupted and her shattered love affair mended by a gingerbread cookie. And yes, I included the gingerbread recipe in the book.

Exquisite Christmas coverExcerpt –

Reese loosened her grip on the teacup handle and pasted a smile on her lips. The well-dressed, blonde reporter seated across from her droned on about how she’d always wanted to be a chef. The Foodie life looked so glamourous. And sexy.

Glamourous? Sexy? Reese held back a snort. Burn marks on your inner forearms. Cuts on fingers. Splotches of icing decorating your face and white hair, not because of age, but because of flour. And the proverbial icing on the cake was stress.

She cast a glance at a half-iced wedding cake that was due to be delivered in twenty-four hours. Reese cringed, remembering the unfinished order for sixteen dozen Christmas cookies. Not a good time to be interviewed. Maybe if she locked the reporter in the freezer… Mentally slapping herself, Reese took a sip of her chocolate tea.

A curious emotion crossed the reporter’s face.

Reese stifled a teenage eye roll. Here it comes. The dreaded question. So, what made you want to become a pastry chef?

The reporter shifted on the wooden stool. “So, what was it like dating Brandon Roberts?”

Reese coughed. “Sorry. Tea went down the wrong…” She cleared her throat. “I thought this interview was about The Christmas Dinner. Not my former…love life.”

The Christmas Dinner was an annual fundraiser. Cat lover, Reese was thrilled because this year the funds would benefit the local Animal Shelter. Chefs’ names were placed into a hat and two were paired up. Together they would create a traditional turkey dinner. One chef prepared the bird and the vegetables. The other created the breads and pies. Reese had already planned out the pies. She was thinking of trying a different mixture of spices for the pumpkin pies. Should I add walnuts to the apple pies? She tapped her fingertips on the counter top.

The reporter giggled. “A bit of juicy back history will add some spice to the story.” She leaned forward. “Did you really live with the Brandon Roberts? The sexiest celebrity chef on the planet.”

“Brandon and I dated.” Reese placed the teacup on the metal counter then folded her hands on her lap. “But it was a long time ago. Now, can we get back to the charity dinner?”

The reporter blinked. “You mean, you don’t know?”

Reese checked the wedding cake and dismissed the vision of smashing it over the reporter’s head. She really didn’t have time to bake and ice another one. She brushed a stray hair off her forehead. “Don’t know what?”

Blurb –

When romance writers give love stories to the world, we do more than entertain – we share our hope for something better. These imaginative moments of happy-ever-after warm the soul and ripple outward. The world needs more love, and every bit helps.

We hope you enjoy this collection of heartwarming seasonal tales and delicious recipes by twenty-one Bestselling, Award-winning, and Multi-Published Authors from the international Exquisite Quills community: Victoria Adams, Rose Anderson, E. Ayers, Beverley Bateman, Lily Bishop, Barb Caffrey, Helena Fairfax, J.D. Faver, Jennifer Garcia, Romy Gemmell, Vonnie Hughs, Susan Jaymes, Gemma Juliana, Jean Lamb, Lyndi Lamont, Zanna Mackenzie, Janis Susan May, Dee Ann Palmer, Jane Leopold Quinn, Kaye Spencer, and M. S. Spencer.

Happy Holidays!

E-book now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and coming soon to iBooks and other retailers. Print anthology available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Author Bio –

Victoria Adams, author of NA contemporary and contemporary romances was born and raised in Ontario, Canada. Victoria lives in the country where she takes long walks on her quiet country road and in the summer tends her flower gardens and vegetable patch and in the winter dreams about them, while they are buried under two feet of snow. Her large farm house now holds only her cat, herself, her husband and a ghost.

Victoria Adams is the alternate pen name to another author – secret identity. She is indie published.

Published works:

Dancing In Circles (Circles Trilogy book 1)
Circles Divided (Circles Trilogy book 2)
Circles Interlocked (Circles Trilogy book 3)
A Guy and A Girl
Red Tulip
Exquisite Christmas (anthology of Christmas Stories)

Where to find me:
Blog – Victoria’s Pages of Romance – http://victoriaadams.blogspot.com
FaceBook – http://www.facebook.com/victoriaadams.romancewriter
Facebook Author Page – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Victoria-Adams/244325918978641
FaceBook page – Books by Victoria Adams – http://www.facebook.com/CirclesTrilogy?ref=hl
Twitter – http://twitter.com/_VictoriaAdams
Google+ – https://plus.google.com/u/0/101309354959026073738
Amazon Author Page – http://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Adams/e/B007DVKQVC/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1434080349&sr=1-2-ent
Wattpad – http://www.wattpad.com/user/VictoriaAdams
Wix – http://victoriaadamsroroman.wix.com/romance-author

Love’s Intensity by @CassandraUlric1 #PNRThursday

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Today’s #PNRThursday book is Love’s Intensity, young adult romance, by Cassandra Ulrich.

Love's Intensity coverLove’s Intensity

Blurb:

Brad loves fast horses, cars, and bikes.  Life would be perfect if his stepmother could only mind her own business.  Instead, his father hired a longtime friend and her family to work in their home, turning his world into a feudal mess.

 He wants to hate the new arrivals and it doesn’t help that Kressa, daughter of the newcomers, is the most gorgeous girl he’d ever laid eyes on.  With a scent that draws him to her, Kressa causes him more internal conflict than he ever dreamed possible.  He falls for her so deeply, he tells her a secret he’d never even told his best friends – that he’s training to be a ninja warrior.

 Kressa adores her country and loves hanging out with her many cousins.  News of the move to Massachusetts comes as a shock to her.  She refuses to be happy in this new place working as a servant for a rich man and his mean son, who had the nerve to be cute.  And why does her skin tingle every time her hand brushes against his?

 Despite her efforts, she finds herself desperately longing for a friendship with the one boy who scowls at her.  Matters are only made more complicated when his family and hers clash. When he goes on a dangerous mission, she wonders, will he return so she can tell him he’s won her heart or will their families manage to keep them apart?

Excerpt:

Brad rode Silver Bullet alongside Kressa and Gentle Rider so the horses faced each other upon his approach. He gazed into Kressa’s eyes, longing to learn something new about the girl who lived in his house. Brad removed his riding glove and reached over to brush Kressa’s hair away from her face so he could touch her cheek. She did not shrink away. His fingertips tingled where her skin met his.

So beautiful. Brad’s heart pumped a little faster and his mind swirled. Does she feel drawn to me too? He shook his head slightly. “We should go back now,” Brad said tenderly, realizing once again that the warmth he felt when he touched Kressa also did something to his heart. It was better not to remain alone. He wondered if Kressa would ever admit whether she experienced any affection toward him. He found her hard to read sometimes.

Brad pulled on his glove, led the way back through the forest, and headed for the stable. After brushing, feeding, and watering all four horses, Brad and Kressa strolled back to the house. “Great lesson today. I think before long you’ll be able to go out on your own.”

“Really? That would be great. How many more lessons do I need?” She said eagerly.

“I would imagine one or two more.”

They both laughed at the good news. At that moment, Kressa’s dad appeared around some shrubs at the base of the hill. His face held a fiery red glow.

“Kressa, get to the house right now,” Mr. Morales said grabbing her arm and pushing her toward their apartment. “I don’t know what you were thinking today taking her through those woods, but I don’t like it.”

“Sir, there’s wide open space to run the horses on the other side of the trees. I wasn’t trying to seduce her,” Brad said, feeling some guilt for touching her cheek earlier.

Mr. Morales shot Brad a fierce look and took Kressa away. She followed, pleading with her father to let her go and trying to convince him nothing happened. Kressa and her father began speaking in Spanish, so Brad could no longer comprehend what was being said. Brad headed back to his room in anguish over what he just witnessed. He picked up the handkerchief and rubbed it on his cheek. He was sorry for causing her so much trouble.

Over the next few hours, Brad spent time on his laptop looking up home schooling rules. He gathered all the information he could and went looking for his father. Brad and his dad needed to do a lot of preparation if Kressa were to start school at home in a week. Finding his father in the office, Brad presented him with the draft for a lesson plan needed. It had to be submitted to the school administration.

Dinnertime proved tense for Brad, and he didn’t doubt it was for Kressa as well. He avoided looking at her as much as possible, not because he experienced nervousness concerning their interaction earlier in the day, but because he did not want Kressa’s father to take it out on her. She seemed stiff whenever she served Brad a side dish. He knew her reaction was due to her father keeping a close eye on them all evening. Brad wanted to talk to his new friend, but knew it would be better if he waited until morning.

Buy Links: WildChildPublishing | Amazon | B&N  | All Romance ebooks | 

Bio: Cassandra Ulrich was born on the beautiful island of St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands, located east of Puerto Rico. Living in the tropics fueled her imagination and day dreams. For years, she wrote poetry and entered competitions. However, only many years later did she discover joy in writing stories longer than a few pages.

Website: http://cassandraulrich.com/
Blog Site: http://cassandraulrich.blogspot.com/

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Other authors participating in the tour:

Carmen Stefanescu: http://shadowspastmystery.blogspot.ro/
Daisy Banks: https://daisybanks.wordpress.com/
Flossie Benton Rogers: http://flossiebentonrogers.com/blog/
M. S. Kaye: http://booksbymsk.com/
Kim Kasch: http://www.kimkasch.blogspot.com
Cassandra Ulrich: http://cassandraulrich.blogspot.com/
Julie Dárcy: http://juliedarcystoryweaver.blogspot.com.au/
Margo Bond Collins: http://www.MargoBondCollins.com
Adrienne Woods: https://woodsadrienne.wordpress.com/
N. N. Light: http://princessofthelight.wordpress.com
Penny Estelle: http://www.pennyestelle.blogspot.com