Diet blues

I've probably scared everyone away with today's topic. But the day comes when a person looks in the mirror and is startled by the extra few pounds that have crept in. It couldn't be the chocolate I eat because, as we all know and agree, chocolate is not fattening. It's good for you. But alas, something's got to give. So, I've rejoined Curves and am working out three times a week again. Can you hear me gasping for air all the way to your house? In addition to more exercise, I've cut back on--gasp, say it so--chocolate and everything else that actually tastes good.

Oh, wait, I cheated yesterday. I fried okra, my favorite food on the planet and I made chocolate oatmeal cookies, another favorite. And yes, I ate plenty of both. Sigh.

Did I mention that I sometimes have trouble sticking to a diet?

TURTLE CAKE!

In my January Silhouette Romance, SOMETIMES WHEN WE KISS, the hero's aunt made chocolate turtle cake. Since then, I've gotten a number of requests for that recipe and realized that I've never put that one on my website. I need to rectify that, but meanwhile here's the recipe. This cake is gooey and so rich you can feed a lot of people with one.

TURTLE CAKE
1 chocolate cake mix (any kind. The original recipe called for German chocolate but I use dark chocolate.)
14 oz. pack of caramels (I've tried caramel sauce. While it works, it's not as good.)
1 bag (12 oz.) chocolate chips (use whichever you like, milk chocolate or semi-sweet)
1 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c evaporated milk

Mix cake according to instructions on the box. Pour 1/2 the batter into a sprayed or greased 9 X 13 cake pan. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. Watch carefully and do not overcook. Better to undercook than overcook. I usually stick a toothpick in and if the cake is still a little crumbly, it's done enough.

While bottom layer is cooking, melt caramels and milk together over low heat or in microwave. Pour hot caramel mix on top of the baked layer. Sprinkle chocolate chips and nuts over this. Top with remaining cake batter. Bake again for about 15-20 minutes. Again, be careful not to over cook. A few crumbs on the toothpick is done enough.

Now, grab a big glass of milk or a cup of coffee, put your feet up with a good romance novel (preferably one of mine ) and enjoy that cake!

BRIDES OF BELLA LUCIA

Romance, weddings, and exotic locales: What reader could ask for more? Not me anyway! And I am so very thrilled to announce that the very first of the new series from the brand new combined line of Harlequin and Silhouette Romance will debut this summer! The author corps is outstanding and the stories run the gamet and the globe. Book 5, MARRIED UNDER THE MISTLETOE coming in Nov. is my contribution. I personally love the characters in this book so much, both terribly wounded people in different ways, who find their healing, of course, in love. More on that later, but for now, don't miss the very first offering from the fabulous Rebecca Winters.

I am very blessed to be part of this venture and hope you'll check out all the books and comments at this lovely blog:

http://thebridesofbellalucia.blogspot.com

Baby books

Yesterday, while I was hard at work plotting book 3 of The Brothers' Bond, I got a phone call from my editor. Love Inspired is planning a sequal to the very successful "Tiny Blessings" series that ran last year. And guess what? They've offered me a spot, writing Book 2. The tentatiave title is Missionary Daddy. I am very excited to be a part of this new series.

So tell me, do you like books about babies? What other elements do you LOVE to see in the books in you read?

Memorial Day

When I was a little girl, Memorial Day was almost sacred. People didn't go to the lake or off on trips or have barbecues. They decorated graves and remembered. Don't get me wrong. I'm not dissing the above things. Family times are wonderful, but somehow Americans have lost the meaning of Memorial Day. It's the same with saluting the flag or listening to the National Anthem. People are restless, noisy, innattentive. What's happened to us? Why do we no longer remember that men and women have died for our freedom--and continue to do so?

I don't know about you, but I think I'll say a special prayer of thanks today for all those military men, women, & families who have given so much to the rest of us.

A VERY SPECIAL DELIVERY

No, I didn't have a baby or get a package from UPS. That's the name of my new book from Love Inspired. A VERY SPECIAL DELIVERY just hit the stands so run out to Wal-Mart or any other bookstore and grab a copy. I'm getting some great reader mail already which is such a wonderful blessing to me. It's humbling that people take time to write an email to an author expressing their enjoyment of a book.

This particular story is my "SIDS" book. I think the topic has touched a cord in readers. Because SIDS had occured in my family, I worked very hard to handle the subject with sensitivity and to bring beauty out of a tragedy. Please let me know if I succeeded.

By the way, the cover is pink and lovely, very easy to spot on the shelf. If I wasn't such a klutz, I could show you. Instead, check out my website. My wonderful web mistress, Kelli McBride, has it up for you.

Happy Sunday!

PRINCE INCOGNITO

My latest Silhouette Romance seems to be doing well with readers. At least, I hope so. I've been getting email asking if and when I'll have books for the other two characters, Teddi and Carson. The truth is, Silhouette originally planned to do all three books. That was before they decided to merge Silhouette Romance with Harlequin Romance. Now, the idea is limbo. I've written a book for new merged line, but Teddi and Carson are on the back burner. Too bad, because I LOVE both those characters. If you've read PRINCE INCOGNITO, you know that Teddi is a hoot. She's a free-spirit, a warm, funny, new age flake. So, so much fun to write. And Carson, he's a macho cowboy whose bark is worse than his bite. And boy, does he bark! I love writing those types and watching them fall in love. They always make such a loud explosion.

Anyway, thanks to all who've asked. Maybe someday. . .

PRINCE INCOGNITO

www.lindagoodnight.com

Well, it's pretty obvious I couldn't figure out how to put my new book cover up here. Yes, I know. I did it once, but now I can't do again. Sigh. Someday I'm going to have time to figure this all out. :-)

Life is good. God is great. I am thankful for all the ways He shows us his love. A marvelous couple have adopted the little girl we were worried about in Ukraine. I am so thrilled for these little sisters to have found a forever family. Now, Gene and I are waiting for Him to guide us to our next adventure. Because with God, life is always exciting!

Cover, I hope

PRINCE INCOGNITO!

My last book for Silhouette Romance hit the stands today! PRINCE INCOGNITO is a Cinderella story about a klutzy private investigator wannabe and a gorgeous prince in hiding. I hope you'll pick up a copy and let me know if you enjoy it. If I can figure out how, I'll post a photo of the cover.

a very special delivery

One of the cool perks of writing for Steeple Hill is their devoted book club readers. Even though my next Love Inspired novel doesn't hit the stands until May, readers are already contacting me. So far, the news is good. And I am deeply thankful that they are loving A VERY SPECIAL DELIVERY. The cover is pretty too. All pink with a darling little baby on it.

Ukraine & INS

We received good news today. Our immigration application was approved, so if Ukraine will allow us to adopt Sasha and her sister, we have the approval to bring them to America. Other good news is that Sasha is feeling better. She's still coughing and orphanages are not all that warm, but at least she is mending. We are praying hard that things will reopen in Ukraine and we can get the girls out of the orphanage by summer. We know it's a long shot, but God can do anything. Please pray. Children shouldn't be in orphanages when they could be with a loving family.

Waldorf Salad Recipe

I haven't made Waldorf Salad in a while, but since Gene and I both could lose a little weight, I decided to make more salads. Here's the recipe I used. It turned out great.

2 apples
2 stalks of celery
a handful of green grapes
a capful of lemon juice
1/4 - 1/2 cup of walnuts
1 heaping TBS. of no fat sour cream
1 heaping TBS. of Miracle Whip
a little spoon of Mayo. (You could use lowfat here too if you had it.)

Chop fruits and celery. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Add all other ingredients, chill and enjoy!

Prayers Needed

If you read this blog, by now you know there is a little girl in Ukraine who owns my heart. Today I received word that she is sick and has been taken to the hospital. My mother's instinct is screaming to get on a plane and go take care of her! Impossible, of course, but please pray for her. Being an orphan is hard enough. Being a sick, six year old orphan is horrid.

Ukrainian orphanages

Linda Goodnight
When the former Soviet Union collapsed, it left a lot of good people in very bad situations. The result has been an influx of children into orphanages across eastern Europe. I must say, from personal experience that these are beautiful, bright, wonderful children, but if the statistics coming out of Russia are correct, their future is bleak. Sixty to seventy percent of kids that age out of orphanages end up in crime, prostitution, or dead from suicide.

This weekend, I agreed to add to my already overburdened schedule a roll as coordinator for donations for Gorlovka Hope Orphanage, the orphanage in Ukraine where our Sasha and Elena live. Please take a minute to go to life2orphans.com and read about the wonderful work this group does. In the days to come, I'll be telling you about a special project I'm trying to get going to help the kids at G.H. I hope you'll agree this is a worthy cause. Caring for orphans is, as the scripture says, the very heart of Jesus.

Ukraine Adoption Plea

Linda Goodnight
Do you know anyone who has ever adopted from Ukraine?

In previous posts I mentioned that we hosted a little Ukrainian girl at Christmas. Since then, after much prayer and asking ourselves if we had lost our minds, we decided that we couldn't leave her to grow up in an orphanage. So, we are currently collecting the paper work to adopt both Sasha and her sister, if possible. The problem at this moment though, is not in the mountain of paperwork or even the frightening expense. The problem is that Ukraine has suspended adoptions to Americans. Why? Because about 900 American parents who have adopted from Ukraine have not turned in the yearly reports that the Ukrainian government requires. And now, because of the noncompliance of a few, many children may live out their entire childhoods without families, including the little girls we would love to bring home.

So, please, for the sake of many, many needy kids, if you know of anyone who has adopted from Ukraine, please urge them to check and make sure they have filed their yearly reports.

Olympics

Is it just me or did the Olympics lack zing this year? Once upon a time, I was an avid Olympic watcher, logging dozens of hours during the course of a couple weeks. This year, there didn't seem to be anyone I really cared about enough to follow. Maybe because I was so bummed when Michelle Kwan bowed out with injury, but even the ice skating, normally my favorite, didn't draw me to the TV each night. I did, however, watch Sasha Cowan win silver, though I admit to being totally unAmerican because I was cheering for the Russian skater to take the gold!!

Do you think the difference this year was that there just weren't any "sympathy" stories as there have been in the past? No heroes that we could hang our hearts on?

Ice bound

We're iced in again today. Well, not actually. The roads are thawing and Gene has been to the bank and to feed the cows, but school was called off. We live in a mainly rural area with back roads that become treacherous during an ice storm. So today I'm just chillin'. Later, I'll put my nose to the grindstone and work on TOUCHED BY GRACE. It's started to flow pretty well and the characters are coming to life for me. I love it when that happens.

I'm also trying to learn Russian so that when the Lord opens the door, I can go to Ukraine and be able to communicate on some basic level. Ever heard anyone speak Russian with an Okie drawl? That should be interesting! Seriously, if you've ever studied a foreign language, how did it go? I'd love to hear your experiences.

Linda Goodnight

I'm reading the best book. It's called "The Battle Belongs to the Lord." You see, I'm a control freak. I always think I have to do everything myself. But lately, I've run up against something that I have no control over. In fact, I'm just pretty helpless to do anything at all. And it's an incredibly important situation that I believe God specifically called me to do. This book has helped me understand more and more how to really, truly cast my care upon the living God and let Him handle things. Do I have it down pat? Nope. But I want to. I think the most important thing I'm learning is to keep my focus on him instead of my problem. God is so much more able to handle the closed doors and troubling situations than I am.

Linda Goodnight

I just finished the AAs for my first book for the new Harlequin line. Originally, the line was called Romance! and was meant to be a merge of Silhouette and Harlquin Romance but now I'm hearing rumblings that the title is too confusing and may experience yet another change. Whatever they choose to call it, I can't wait for the debut series to hit the stands. It's the Valentine series and I was blessed to work with some of the industry's best traditional romance writers. My book, MARRIED UNDER THE MISTLETOE, is a very emotional story. When I reread it this weekend for the final edit before it goes to print, I became so excited to share it with my readers. It won't arrive until November so I'll be reminding you again. :-) You knew that, though, didn't you, you smart person?