First Kisses is on sale for 99 cents!! Whoopee!

Six authors, six great books!

http://inspykisses.blogspot.com/

Too much fun! I loved doing this collection with these fabulous women. And I loved reading all the books. I think you will too. A wonderful mix of genres, so there is something for everyone.

For a limited time, we are offering the new FIRST KISSES COLLECTION FOR ONLY 99 CENTS!

 Okay, I couldn't resist posting the hero from my book. Is he great or what!!!

Inspy Kisses Video

First Kisses is so much fun! Remember yours?

Enjoy this sneak peak at the exciting new collaboration between five of my author friends and me. Sweet, inspiring, and romantic!

Let me know if you like it.

THE LAWMAN'S HONOR RELEASES TODAY

 4**** STARS from RT Magazine!

Anyone else love a strong, tough officer of the law? How about a former DEA agent bent on upholding his father's legacy? And what if one rain-slicked, stormy night, a lovely widow sees him crash his car on curvy mountain roads! Find out what happens in my new novel from clean, wholesome, exciting Love Inspired Romance, THE LAWMAN'S HONOR.

Order here or anywhere books are sold. On sale Feb. 18, 2014.

 

 

Linda's New Website

My brand new website is up and running!

My web designer, the inimitable Deborah Coates and I have been hard at work creating an all new look for Linda Goodnight books. Please pop on over, look around and let me know what you think. If you find any issues, links not working or such, please let me know!

And don't forget to sign up for my occasional newsletter while you're there. Or click the link to access the form.

Enjoy.

www.lindagoodnight.com

XOXO

Linda g

The Lawman's Honor, NEW BOOK

Whew, time sure flies!  It's been a while since I've written a post and I promised to keep you posted on new books and such. So here goes:

Releasing Feb. 18:

THE LAWMAN'S HONOR, book four in the Whisper Falls series.

Love's Duty
As assistant police chief, Heath Monroe never expected he'd ever need rescuing. But that's exactly what Cassie Blackwell does when she pulls him out of a car wreckage. He's surprised at the beautiful widow's strength and joyous spirit. But he's been burned before and is cautious to get involved. Especially since his investigation into the town's drug operation might implicate Cassie's late-husband! Yet the more time he spends with her, the deeper he falls. Will he have to choose between duty and his growing love—or is there a way he can have both?

Whisper Falls: Where every prayer is answered…

Seven Layer Dip

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve and us wild partiers at the Goodnight casa are revving up for a good time of chip and dip, maybe a movie or two, and the ever popular midnight event (at our house anyway)  that comes right after the ball drops in Time Square - The Chicken Dance!

Here's the dip I'll be serving to all the revelers:

Seven Layer Dip

(Yes, I "borrowed" this photo. I'll try to post mine tomorrow.)

 

 

1 16 oz can of refried beans (no-fat kind is okay.)

1 package taco seasoning

1 small, (about 12 oz) container of guacamole dip

1 16 oz carton of sour cream (low-fat is okay)

 

2 cups of cheese, cheddar or Mexican blend or Monterey Jack. I usually do cheddar (low-fat is okay)

1 small can sliced or chopped black olives

                                                                               3-4 green onions – just the green part chopped up

                                                                                1 cup chopped tomatoes

To put together:

9 x 13 dish (Can also do round if you have a pretty round container. A trifle bowl would look gorgeous!)

1. Mix beans with the taco seasoning and layer into bottom of dish. Then layer on the following:


2. guacamole dip


3. sour cream


4. black olives


5. cheese


6. Green onions
Tomatoes. 
I sometimes like to put a little shredded lettuce on top but that’s optional

You can eat it right away or chill and serve in an hour or so. Best if eaten the same day it’s made but still good the next day--just not as pretty.

Serve with tortilla chips or corn chips.

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR, my dear friends.  Keep Calm and do the Chicken Dance!!

 

Hamburger Stew, Quick, Easy, Hearty

Blustery or cold where you are? Need to fix a healthy meal but short on time? Try one of the Goodnight family's go-to dishes. I'm making some right now!

Hamburger Stew, easy and quick

½ to 1 lb hamburger, browned in a dutch oven or big pot

½ T minced garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ t oregano

1 T Worcestershire

2 potatoes cubed

½ chopped onion

1 can tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

2 cans your choice of canned veggies with juice left in (I've used corn, beans, English peas, hominy, veg-all. Use what you have on hand.)

Add water as needed to form the soup consistency you like. (Usually around 2 cups for us.)

 

Brown meat with garlic and seasonings. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Cook until potatoes are done and flavors blend, usually about 20-30 minutes.

SNOW ICE CREAM RECIPE

It's that time again. For those of you who are asking, here is my home made snow ice cream recipe. If you prefer vanilla, just leave out the cocoa and add a little extra vanilla!

 

 

Snow Ice Cream

(All ingredients are approximates)

1 lg. (3 quart bowl) of clean, dry snow

1 cup of sugar

2 ½ TBS. Cocoa

1 tsp. real vanilla extract

½ cup of Milnot or other evaporated milk – can also use cream, half and half, or plain old milk.

¼ cup of milk (approx.)

Mix cocoa and sugar together in a separate bowl, then sprinkle over the top of the snow and mix in lightly with a fork. Once the snow is chocolate colored (or if vanilla, once the sugar is distributed) , slowly add the vanilla and milks, mixing with fork after each addition. Continue until you reach a nice thick, sort of chunky,  ice cream consistency. Put in freezer for a few minutes. Then eat and enjoy

CHRISTMAS BOOK & More Bestseller Lists!

Available now anywhere books are sold! (November 20, 2013) Click here to order from Amazon.


I am so blessed. What a lot I have to be thankful for this year. To you, my readers, I owe a debt of gratitude for your unflagging support through the years.

Yesterday, I discovered that THE GIFT OF CHRISTMAS is now listed on three major bestseller lists.

NY Times Bestseller - Number 14!
USA Today  - Number 46
Publishers' Weekly - Number 2!

THANK YOU SO MUCH, and thanks to Debbie Macomber for a wonderful ride.

Veteran's Day

I can't let this day pass without giving a shout out to all of our veterans and military personnel. This country cannot get along without you. Your personal and professional sacrifices, the days that you have to be away from your family, and the mental wear and  tear that you except as part of your job, is a blessing to us all. May God bless and guide and protect you. And may you always feel the exceptional gratitude of the Americans that you serve. Happy, happy Veterans Day.

Especially remembering my dad, brother Steve, cousins Bob, Jim, and Ed, Uncle Raymond, and cousin Kay who served so well. Real unsung heroes....

Debbie Macomber and me!!

I am thrilled to announce that In the Spirit of Christmas, my very first book for Love Inspired is being re-released as a 'bonus' book. And the most exciting part is that it is being released TODAY with one of Debbie Macomber's wonderful Christmas stories, The Gift of Christmas.

If you haven't read these heartwarming stories, I do hope you'll pick up a copy. Debbie writes wonderful, clean stories and I consider it an honor to be included in one of her publications. Order Here or download to ereader.

 

You have to look really close down at the bottom to see my name. lol!  I don't mind a bit.

The Olden Days

Grinding corn at the festival.

Debbie Macomber and Me!

So happy to share this cover with the amazing Debbie Macomber. I'm thrilled to have one of my early Christmas novels paired with one of hers. I hope you'lllove it! Pre-order here.
Available October 29.

Baby in His Arms, Read an Excerpt!

To read an excerpt from Baby in His Arms, click the link and enjoy!  Read here.

 

 

Order here

Baby In His Arms, Reviews

I love it when reviews come in. Here are a couple of excerpts.

The book is great because the characters are likable and relatable. The plot of this story is one of true life, true circumstances some sad some happy. But you feel like you grow with the characters. Love all Linda Goodnights books and this new series of Whisper Falls can't wait for it to continue and visit again. !!!!!  Amazon reader

Sweet but Emotional Story.  Amazon reader

Order here

A BABY IN HIS ARMS

Available July, 2013 in print or ebook
Order here.

A Newborn Surprise
Helicopter pilot Creed Carter can't believe his eyes—someone's left a baby on the church altar. When this perfect little girl is temporarily turned over to Haley Blanchard, Creed is skeptical. The auburn-haired foster mother in flowing skirts is pretty, yet definitely not his type. But the more time Creed spends with Haley, the more he appreciates her style and her fierce commitment to her foster kids. To his surprise, he's falling for her—and for baby Rose. But when a crisis strikes, can Creed convince Haley to face her worst fear and trust what's in her heart?

Green Smoothie, Linda style

Have you heard of the green smoothie craze? It seems every website or TV show has someone whirling spinach in a blender with a variety of other items. All of them promise better health and glowing skin. They also claim the taste is “good or "refreshing."

I’m on this heart-healthy kick so I thought, “Why not?”

My first effort was Kimberly Snyder’s Glowing Green Smoothie. It was not, in my opinion, very “good” or very “refreshing.” I thought I might start whinnying, that’s how grassy it tasted.

But undaunted I decided to make up my own with things I enjoy. And guess what? I LIKED it. My green smoothie actually tasted good, at least to me ,and I did not whinny once. I also forgot to take a picture. Dagnabit! But it was-brace yourself for the surprise--GREEN.

Linda’s Green Smoothie

3 big handfuls of spinach or mixed greens

¾ cup green grapes

1 small granny smith apple

1 stalk celery

1 cup of cold water

3-4 ice cubes.

Throw it everything except the ice in a blender and blend the fool out of it. Toss in the ice cubes and blend some more, until it looks Incredible Hulk green and smoothie-ish.

Ireland, land of poetic kings and fairy dreams

Don't I look elegant in my tennis shoes? :-) I loved this garden in Killarney but I was always cold in Ireland!

Can words even experss how gorgeous this is. We climbed some stone steps to a rise and looked down onto this Victorian garden at Muckross House in Killarney. I wish I was there right now!

This makes me think of romantic times past, of poetic kings and fairy dreams. Muckross House

Queen Victoria once stay at Muckross House.  The men rode off on hunts while the ladies had tea.

Just like a in a romance novel. We're riding in the horse drawn carriage toward a thatched cottage. Those thatched roofs are amazing. I'm told they last up to 7 years!!

Ireland photos, May 2013

Let us travel this road together through Killarney NP into our dreams.

 Sundy outside Muckross House, a gorgeous, wonderful "castle" from the 1850's.

 Have you ever seen such rhododendrins? They were huge and blooming everywhere in Killarney.

Ireland Day 4, Dingle Peninsula

Awakened to this beautiful site outside the breakfast room of Friar's Glen B & B, the BEST inn in Ireland. Can you see the Irish red deer near the treeline?

Can we say Dingle Peninsula was a little foggy, wet and misty? This is Inch Beach where the old movie, "Ryan's Daughter" was filmed. I was kind of disappointed not to be able to see the ocean and out to sea.

 The area around Inch Beach is hilly and pretty with a few houses dotting the hillside.

 Here are the goofy tourists grinning by the Dingle Peninsula sign. Notice it is also written in Irish, as this part of Ireland speaks that language rather than English.

 Beehive huts are fascinating! Dating back to 2000 years before Christ, they still stand today. These are on private property but the old Irish lady lets you look--for a fee. They were all over the place, some falling down, but many like this one still perfectly intact. The lady used some of them as storage buildings! Can you imagine? Here, in America, they would be owned by the government and carefully protected and preserved. But it doesn't appear they've needed any help in lasting for centuries.

Here is an example of why Sundy and I gave up trying to drive in Ireland. This road is one lane but there is traffic from both directions, including tour buses!  EEEKK! Ah, but great experience and fodder for my book idea file. You never know when this will show up in a book!

 How do you like the hair styles? Can you say, "windblown"? 

See the "sleeping giant" lying on his back? It is actually an island, more like a big rock, on Dingle P.

See the door-shaped hole in that jut of land? The tour driver said it was ancient fort/castle dating back to the days when Ireland was constantly being invaded. This was a way chieftans could protect themselves.

See my pretty Sundy standing by the door?

 Lunch in Dingle at Murphy's Pub was a hearty pork,dressing, and veggies with the ubiquitous brown bread. Tasty and not as expensive as some. As close to "fast food" as you come in Ireland.

 Boats harbored at Dingle. I'm told they fish at night from this tiny fishing village.

 Torc Waterfall in Killarney National Park. Serene and lovely after a bit of hike up into the mossy green woods. If you saw all the photos I took here, you'd know why I wrote a book series called,  Whisper Falls. I love waterfalls! Don't you?

 The Lakes of Killarney from atop a rise beside Torc Waterfall.

 After a drizzly, wet day, we ended at a wonderful, clean, modern, friendly pub not far from our B&B. We had listened to well-played Irish music here the night before but tonight we had tea and scones and headed back to the inn. In Ireland the days are long, not getting dark in May until nearly 10 and the sun rises early, about 6:30. Great for tourists site-seeing, though attractions close at 5 or 6.

 

 

I keep forgetting to say, I have a new book out right now!  BABY IN HIS ARMS, book 2 in the Whisper Falls series is currently available anywhere books are sold, in either print or digital. If you like Amazon, here is the link.  For a chance to win a copy, visit Craftie Ladies of Romance blog on Monday, July 8, and leave a comment to be entered in the drawing. Easy as pie!