HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's the ending of the old and the beginning of the new.

The Plotting Princesses would like to thank you for spending 2013 with us, sharing the laughter and the tears, the ups and the downs. We've gone through a few growing pains along the way, and celebrated some milestones. Through it all, you've been there.

So we wish a very happy, prosperous and healthy New Year for 2014.

So slip on your tiara and come back and join us in the New Year. We'll continuing sharing all our new and exciting news, events, book launches, and other things along with a few surprises along the way.

Happy New Year!

New Release After the Moon Rises by Karilyn Bentley

I'm excited to let you know that my werewolf anthology, After the Moon Rises, is now available on Kindle! After the Moon Rises features two novellas, Werewolves in London and Wolf Mates, two stories about the Flying Fur Dude Ranch werewolf pack.

Blurbs:
Werewolves in London:
Werewolf Vonda Diaz has sworn off men, until she meets sexy rancher, Tom McGowan. Try as she might there is something about him she can’t ignore. Determined to keep their relationship professional she finds herself unable to keep her distance. Since his wife died, Tom has no interest in dating, but one look at Vonda and passion ignites. There is something different about her that draws him in. What he can’t understand is why his dog finds her so fascinating. When Tom’s daughter is kidnapped, the two join forces to save her, not realizing the quest will unlock hidden mysteries. Will their budding love survive the secrets they discover or will those secrets tear them apart?

Wolf Mates:
Margie McLean loves her life just the way it is. As the single Alpha of the London, Montana pack, she leads her wolves and makes her own decisions. When she stumbles upon an injured wolf she has no idea that her quiet life is about to take a dramatic turn.
Zane Moskos never imagined that the mission his tryranical alpha sent him on would lead him to his mate. Now he is faced with the choice of defying the man who holds his sister hostage or losing the woman that fate has decreed is his.
In order to save his sister and gain his freedom, Zane must convince Margie he can be trusted. Can they work together or will the passion they feel overwhelm them both?

After the Moon Rises
www.karilynbentley.com

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LOOKING BACK AND REACHING FORWARD - by Kathy Ivan

As we come to the end of 2013, I want to take a moment to look back at this year and what we've accomplished.

As a group, the Plotting Princesses has grown, not only in size, adding a few new members, but also in our social media outreach. We have the blog site (of course we do, here you are visiting with us). We have the Facebook page, the Pinterest page, and we've even started a marketing branch of the Princesses, to help with promoting books the Princesses are writing. We've even got our own street team, "THE COURT."

Each Princesses continued writing throughout 2013, sending work out to agents and editors. Some entered contests. Many Princesses had multiple books come out, with more available next year.

Plotting Princesses ~ guest author Terri Rochenski of superb historical: Alone No More.

The Plotting Princesses welcome

Terri Rochenski!

Hey, Terri: let's get this party goin' with some questions.



How did you get from your day job to writing romance?  My day job ended when baby #1 was born. I drove back into writing due to the fact that I lived in the middle of no-where-land, NH, 20 minutes away from the nearest store.

What are your three favorite books of all time? Oh boy. I’ve been asked this many times & I’m sure I answered differently each one. I’m going to cheat since I can only think of series – Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan), anything by Lisa Kleypas and Roni Loren.

Morning, afternoon, or evening person? Morning. I struggle to keep my eyes open after 9pm.

Music--with or without? What kind? When writing, without. While in the car/working around the house it would be Bryan Adams, Bruno Mars, Rascal Flatts, or classical.

First or third POV? I enjoy reading both as long as they’re written well. I’ve done & enjoyed both.

How's tricks? Do you juggle multiple projects? I’m a one-story-at-a-time kinda gal. My brain can only handle so much!

Watergate Salad

This is my kids' favorite addition to every holiday meal. My mother used to prepare it, and since she passed, I carry on the tradition.

Ingredients:

1 can (20 oz) of crushed pineapple (do not drain)
1 package (3.4 oz) of pistachio pudding mix
1 cup mini-marshmallows
1/2 cup of chopped pecans
3 cups of whipped topping

Mix the first 4 ingredients together, then fold in the whipped topping until thoroughly blended.

Refrigerate 1 hour and serve.



Purchase your copy at: Amazon, B&N, Kobo

Learn more about Liese Sherwood-Fabre at www.liesesherwoodfabre.com

Plotting Princesses ~ share cake and holiday stories!

Happy Holidays!!

The Plotting Princesses are all about cake. It's quite royal and mass quantities are consumed when we party. We asked Vicki to post her favorite cake recipe.

Chocolate Dipped Fruitcake

Ingredients: one good quality fruitcake, chocolates used for melting and making candy, a sharp knife, wire cooling rack, waxed paper.

Put a sheet of waxed paper under the cooling rack (to catch the dripping chocolate). Cut the fruitcake into bite-sized chunks. Melt the chocolate according to directions. Spoon or dip fruitcake chunks in chocolate. Set on cooling rack to set. Once cooled, store in a tin container or plastic storage bag.

Easy peasy!

The Plotting Princesses love the holidays so much and several of us have holiday stories. Perhaps, one of these will tickle your fancy:

Happy Holidays! The Plotting Princesses are all about cake and...

Happy Holidays!!

The Plotting Princesses are all about cake. It's quite royal and mass quantities are consumed when we party. We asked Vicki to post her favorite cake recipe.

Chocolate Dipped Fruitcake

Ingredients: one good quality fruitcake, chocolates used for melting and making candy, a sharp knife, wire cooling rack, waxed paper.

Put a sheet of waxed paper under the cooling rack (to catch the dripping chocolate). Cut the fruitcake into bite-sized chunks. Melt the chocolate according to directions. Spoon or dip fruitcake chunks in chocolate. Set on cooling rack to set. Once cooled, store in a tin container or plastic storage bag.

Easy peasy!

The Plotting Princesses love the holidays so much and several of us have holiday stories. Perhaps, one of these will tickle your fancy:

Michelle Miles: Christmas Goodies

I love to bake, especially around Christmas. I like making special treats and then packaging them up and giving them away (much to the dismay of my husband – who loves the treats as much as I do. But hey, if I didn’t give them away, we’d be 300 pounds!). Anyway…this year I decided I was going to be proactive and start baking ahead of time. That way I wouldn’t kill myself the week before Christmas trying to get it all done.

I’d been reading up on how to freeze cookie dough and baked cookies. I had no idea it could be done. But I discovered that most cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months before baking. Cookie dough that freezes well: chocolate chip, sugar, peanut butter. I also have this recipe for chocolate crackle cookies. You have to refrigerate the dough for a certain amount of time before baking. I ran out of time that day and ended up freezing the dough. I made the cookies the following weekend then froze the cookies in Ziploc containers. You put wax paper between each layer and it’s wonderful and beautiful.

Opening Lines: Hooks, Grabbers, and Zingers – Reader Candy

What’s in a powerful opening line? 

Everything. Tone. Voice. Character. The promise of the story.  Everything.

Example: I only need to repeat the phrase, Call me Ishmael, and you will automatically breathe salty air, feel wet wooden deck beneath your feet, and visualize the irascible Captain Ahab and an illusive whale named Moby Dick. First lines tell us whether we’re sitting down to a fudge brownie sundae, or a lobster slathered in lemon butter.

Like most readers, before I consider buying a book, I peruse the first lines. If the author doesn’t have me at hello, they won’t have me ever.

Here are three of my favorite opening lines:

There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.
– THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER / C. S. Lewis

Bartholomew Lampion was blinded at the age of three, when surgeons reluctantly removed his eyes to save him from a fast-spreading cancer; but although eyeless, Barty regained his sight when he was thirteen.
– OUT OF THE CORNER OF HIS EYE / Dean Koontz

On the second Thursday of the month, Mrs. Dombrowski brings her dead husband to our therapy group.
– STORYTELLER / Jodi Picoult   #1 bestseller of 2013

Strong first lines really are reader candy. If there is a chocolaty, taste-bud -extravaganza in the first few lines, I’m sold. Why? Because those first lines convince me there will be more deliciousness deep inside the book.

Share your favorite opening lines with us. We'd love to hear.

Here are some yummy first lines from the Plotting Princesses for you to sample:

Adele Downs ~ Looking for a new treat to bake? Try Cupcakes with Zing!

CUPCAKES WITH ZING!

--CONTEST ALERT! -- Leave a comment for author Adele Downs and be automatically entered to win a firefighter themed Christmas ornament for the holidays. USA and Canada mailing addresses please. Follow Adele’s blog tour for multiple chances to win. Weekly winners announced on Adele’s blog Saturdays through December. http://adeledowns.wordpress.com 

Are you looking for a holiday baked goods recipe that’s different from the rest? Jamey Tucker and Heather Longhurst, the hero and heroine of SANTA TO THE RESCUE, decided to kick off the holidays with Margarita Cupcakes for the Appleton Fire Station firefighters. These decidedly untraditional, but delicious, cakes were such a holiday hit that Jamey and Heather decided to make them every year.

You and your family might enjoy these fun confections too. Here’s the recipe, courtesy of Sauza® Tequila. Posted with permission.

Donate A Book to the Child of A Fallen Warrior at Snowball Express

Donate a Book to The Children of our Fallen Warriors at SNOWBALL EXPRESS to be delivered on December 14, 2013 in Dallas, Texas! DEADLINE IS FRIDAY DECEMBER 6TH, 6 PM CST!

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Tennessee is a miracle kitty who was found in a field by farmers. She wasn't expected to live but the kindness of strangers kept her alive. She was bottle fed and loved by many. This is the true life story of a cat who survived against all odds to become an amazing therapy cat for Veterans and children. Journey along with Tennessee and discover what sharing love is all about!

Vicki Batman ~ Launch Day!!! The Great Fruitcake Bake-off

Happy Launch Day!!!



Today, I celebrate the launch of my funny holiday romantic comedy:

The Great Fruitcake Bake-off

 I wrote this one for all of you fruitcake naysayers. I love fruitcake, especially when dipped in chocolate.

Here's a blurb:

To defend her five wins, Samantha Greene, has to find a new entry for The Great Fruitcake Bake-off and teams up with new neighbor, Dixon Roberts, only what they discover is baking a award-winning entry can be complicated, bad guys are plotting to take the crown, and ultimately, first prize isn't just about a ribbon.

Are you teased? Here's more—the excerpt!

Die Hard A Christmas Movie?

Yes, my husband insists that every year we watch Die Hard. This is our annual Christmas movie and while it is rather gruesome, I have to say I still love the message. This man loves his wife and would do just about anything to save her and restore their marriage. Even fight supposed terrorists. So I was surprised to see it’s number 6 on the Rotten Tomatoes Holiday Movie List http://www.rottentomatoes.com/guides/best_christmas_movies_2012/.

My favorite Christmas Movie is the classic Jimmy Stewart, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The line I will never forget from that movie is “When a bell rings an angel is receiving his wings.” That one grabs my heart and squeezes it every time. Whoever the screenwriter was, he knew just how to grab your emotions and rip them apart. I still tear up when he goes back and sees how the town would have been if he hadn’t lived. Love the concept and one of these days I want to write a modern version of that storyline.