Guest blogger -- Lynnette Baughman

Saturday, January 17, 2009
Guest Blogger -- Lynnette Baughman

I love romance!! With so much depression (and Depression, capital D) in America today, it’s good to escape for a hour or two into a story with a HAPPY ENDING.
I’ve always loved to read. If I won a lottery and could stretch out on the deck of a yacht, or the porch of a lovely mountain cabin, or on a Lear jet to Martinique, what’s the first, second and third thing I’d do?
I’d pick up a book and READ!
Which leads me to this logical DUH! thought: Hey, I can pick up a book and read NOW.

I like books where something happens. Crime fiction by Michael Connelly, for example. And romances by dozens and dozens of authors. My #1 favorite author combines crime/suspense and romance. Sandra Brown.

I’ve had four mysteries published. If you’re interested, please visit my website, http://www.rainshadowromance.com/, to learn more. But my heart is in writing ROMANCE fiction. And I’m proud to announce my first romance, “Love with a Welcome Stranger,” is out now from The Wild Rose Press in ebook and in print. Both versions are available at the publisher’s website: www.thewildrosepress.com and the print edition is also available at www.amazon.com and www.bn.com.

Here’s a taste of the story:
SHE DOESN’T REMEMBER that the handsome Montana rancher was once a poor cowboy who loved her.
HE CAN’T FORGET that she left him and never looked back.

MANDY McCAY’S LIFE as a Hollywood starlet ended with a bullet from a deranged fan. Miraculously, she recovers, learns to walk and speak, but there are gaps in her memory. Important gaps. The years her face and figure were splashed across tabloid pages are easy. But what happened the summer before she left Montana?
LIKE EVERYONE ELSE in Mandy’s hometown, Campbell West followed her medical miracle on TV. He’s not prepared for her to come home more beautiful than ever, or for the sudden new attraction between them. At least, Mandy thinks it’s new. Cam--God help him!--remembers every inch of her body! When should he tell her of their passionate love, her betrayal, and his pain? Or can he risk forgetting it all--and hoping she’ll never remember?

Here’s a quick look at some of the reviews of “Love with a Welcome Stranger” --
Brenda Talley, on the site Romance Studio, gave it 5 Hearts and said: “The tension, as well as attraction, with this at-odds couple was powerful. Her secondary characters were remarkable and served to enhance the beautifully developed story of the primary couple. The poignant dialogue and actions between the two was so emotionally charged it was impossible to put the book down. Obviously I loved the book. I look forward to more from this author. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to escape in a story and appreciates a surprise ending.”

Breia Brickey said in Between the Lines: “This story ranks up there with the best of them. The characters were well thought out and easy to fall in love with. They were average everyday people that you might walk by on the street or if you're lucky someone that you're actually blessed to have in your life in some capacity. To me this story is about forgiveness. Forgiveness of others, of ourselves and our faults. Life is too short to be lived in pain and anger. This story captures perfectly the life I want to lead. It says that you may fight, and you may want to walk away, but all good things are worth fighting for. Even if the person you have to fight is yourself. I say very well done Lynnette Baughman and I look forward to more from you in the future. This book reminds me of why I got hooked on romance at the age of fifteen.”

A reviewer at Joyfully Reviewed said: I really liked this story. D’Ann, Mandy’s sister, all the other supporting characters and of course Mandy and Cam made Love With A Welcome Stranger a fantastic and wonderfully enjoyable read.

Lynnette’s latest news: The second contemporary romance set in Bitter Falls, Montana, is titled, “Lovin’ Montana.” It will be out in ebook and also in print on August 14, 2009.

When Mandy recovers from her critical bullet wound, she has a strange new quirk. She (who couldn’t boil an egg before this) wants to cook. Her senses of taste and smell are heightened. She reads cookbooks and watches the food channel. And--she keeps showing up at Cam West’s door with delicious food, and inviting him to her place to try her culinary creations. Since she lives on a heritage apple farm (with varieties of apple trees that go back more than one hundred years), she does a lot with apples. Here’s one of my favorite ways to use apples. (Find more recipes on my website.)


GRANNY APPLE SOUP

First, BAKE medium butternut squash until cooked through.
Cool and remove from shell.
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup sliced celery
COOK onion and celery in oil (hot, then medium) for 10 minutes.
Add 4 Granny Smith apples (medium), peeled and cut into chunks
Cook for 10 minutes, covered (hot, then medium)
Add 3 cups turkey stock (or chicken broth) and 1 cup water.
Add the cooked squash.
Add a dash of salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground sage (or fresh sage)
Bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
Gradually put the mixture through a blender or food processor. Serve.

ANNA KATHRYN -- thanks for having me today. I’d love to hear from others about their favorite authors.