A Prelude to Christmas: Jan's story about Moostletoe and a recipe

Welcome Jan Elder to the blog today! She's here to share an excerpt and a recipe from her new novella, Moostletoe. Jan's book is in a “boxed set” with five other Christian authors. The boxed set is called "Frosting and Flurries: Five Delicious Christmas Romances." Here's the cover picture of it:

"Frosting and Flurries" contains five Christmas novellas and is available for purchase on Amazon. The other authors in the set are Kimberly Rae Jordan, Cecelia Dowdy, Clare Revell, and Marion Ueckermann. Jan's novella in this boxed set is called Moostletoe.

You may compete to WIN a copy of Jan's book by filling out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below: 

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Enjoy your time with Jan today! 
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Book blurb for Moostletoe: Fresh out of divinity school, Rev. Samantha Evans is ready to conquer the world for Christ. She lands in Moose Creek, Maine, a tiny backwater town with more moose per square mile than men. Even worse, one of her new parishioners chews up new ministers for breakfast, and he’s hell-bent on sending her packing. 

Forest ranger Eric Palmer is done with women. Determined to live simply with no encumbrances, he’s moved to Northern Maine to study the moose population. With Christmas right around the corner, he runs into his buddy, Sammie, the girl who’d been his best friend when they were teenagers. Unlike most of the women in his life, he trusts her implicitly. But could she ever be more than a friend?

When Samantha’s career is on the line, Eric must save her job and rescue his own shattered heart in the process. But how does Matilda the town moose factor in?

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Excerpt from Chapter Four of Moostletoe: 

As they headed toward the fence at the back of the large yard, the trapped moose turned her head and fastened Samantha with the longest, most distressed face she’d ever seen. Somehow, the words “there’s a moose stuck in the fence” had not prepared her for the sight of two hooves sticking to the top of tall pickets.

Poor moosie indeed!

The TV news reporter strode toward Eric and Travis, a determined set to his jaw.

Eric took charge. “Dale, you can film, but be quiet about it and keep well back. I know everybody loves Matilda, but she’s a wild animal and she’s scared. You too, Mr. Tremblay.”

“We’ll do our best to behave.” Dale smirked. “But the TV audience is going to eat this up and we’re here to serve.”

Eric grimaced. “She’s just a moose for crying out loud. People in Aroostook County see them every day.”

The TV crew moved into position. Eric glanced at Samantha. “Sammie you asked what you can do. Your job is to pray we can get this moose out of trouble, fast.”

“Will do.” Samantha nodded and clung to the fence line several yards away. Matilda puffed, her breath sending up a cloud of steam. Samantha’s heart went out to the creature, and she unleashed a silent prayer. If God cared for the lowly sparrow, He surely loved the magnificent moose.

Eric’s eyes zeroed in on the television camera as two men continued to edge closer. “Confound it, Dale, stay back. Don’t you have a zoom on that contraption?”

The cheeky, young reporter lifted his chin. “We’ll stay back as long as you give us an exclusive after the rescue.”

Eric planted his hands on his hips and huffed. “Exclusive? Dale, what do you think this is? Portland? You’re the only TV station there is in these parts. Just keep your distance. Hey, Tremblay? You have a small hatchet?”

A protest erupted from the cameraman. “Surely, you’re not going to hurt that wild animal.”

Eric shook his head. “No, of course we’re not going to hurt her. We have to break up the fence.”

Dale cocked his head. “Why can’t you just yard on it until her feet come out?”

Huh? Samantha searched her memory banks. Yard on it. Ah, yes. Pull hard.

“Do I look suicidal? I’m not getting anywhere near those back hooves. We have a crazed five-hundred-pound moose who’s not thinking straight, here.”

The cameraman grumbled and when Eric turned his back, the cameraman made a hand gesture that meant … Samantha wasn’t sure what it meant, but it couldn’t have been nice.

Matilda shifted her back feet, tried to maneuver backward and pitched a bit to the side. The wooden fence scraped against her front fetlocks and she bellowed, a terrible noise that rang hollow in the damp, night air. Terrified, her eyes flicked back and forth, the whites showing. Helpless, Samantha prayed harder and shuffled her feet to keep the circulation moving, her chest squeezing.

The cameraman hefted his camera and aimed it at the reporter. The show was about to begin.

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Author bio: 

Jan Elder is an inspirational romance writer with a passion for telling stories other women can relate to on a deep level. She strives to write the kind of book that will strengthen the reader’s faith, introducing the reader to a loving and forgiving Lord who walks beside us in our daily lives, while also providing an entertaining and engrossing love story.

Happily married for thirteen years to loving (and supportive) husband, Steve, the two live in central Maryland along with Jamie (a chubby black and white tuxedo cat), and Shu-Shu (a willowy tortoiseshell cat). On the weekends, Jan and Steve comb the nearby countryside in search of the perfect ice cream flavor.

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Connect with Jan Elder:
Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Jan-Elder/e/B00VXW5F2C/
Website - http://janelderauthor.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/janice.elder.author
Twitter - https://twitter.com/JanElderAuthor
GoodReads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13261561.Jan_Elder

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Recipe from Jan's story:

*Note from Jan: In Moostletoe, the owner of the local coffee shop is a baker. There is a celebration in each of the five books, complete with a very special cake. The following is the recipe for the delicious cake in mine:

Janice Bittner’s Chocolate MOOSTLETOE Cake

CRUST:

3 cups finely crushed chocolate graham crackers

¾ tsp. espresso powder

1 stick butter, melted

FILLING:

3 cups chocolate chips

2 tbsp. butter

2 eggs

4 egg yolks

2 cups heavy cream

1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tsp. espresso powder

1 tsp. vanilla

1 package (10 ounces) peanut butter chips

Directions: 

Mix the crushed crumbs and the espresso powder. Add the melted butter and mix well. Press into the bottom of a 9” or 10” springform pan. Chill until ready.

Beat the eggs and the egg yolks, and set aside.

Melt the chocolate chips and butter in a medium saucepan. Slowly add the egg mixture in 3-4 additions, whisking well after each addition. Transfer to a large bowl to cool slightly.

With and electric mixer, beat the cream until soft peaks form. Add the confectioners’ sugar, espresso powder and vanilla, and beat until stiff peaks form.

Stir about 1/3 of the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate, mixing well.

Gently fold in another 1/3 of the whipped cream. Gently fold in the last 1/3 of the whipped cream until as few streaks remain as possible without deflating the mousse.

Fold in the peanut butter chips.

Pour mousse onto the crust. Freeze until ready to eat. Thaw for about 1 hour before serving.

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Love is in the Air: Author interview with Jan Elder

My Spring 2015 "Love is in the Air" blog series concludes today with an author interview of Jan Elder.

Jan's first book, a novella called Manila Marriage App, released in April and it is a pure delight! A story filled with intrigue, surprises, plot twists and clever lines awaits you because Jan promises to send one copy of her novella to the winner of the book giveaway contest!

Enter the contest by first leaving a comment and your e-mail address in the comment section below this post and then fill out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget.

Meanwhile, enjoy this author interview featuring Jan Elder.

*Words from Alexis in bold, words from Jan Elder not in bold

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Alexis: Congrats on the publication of your first book, Manila Marriage App! What did it take to write it?

Jan: Tenacity! To be a bit more specific, it took a year to write, another few months to have professionally edited (a must if you’re going to attract a publisher) and another year after I received a contract before it was released (April 17, 2015.) Yep. An author learns patience very quickly. Or slowly…as the case may be.

Why did you write Manila Marriage App?

It all started in a little café in Silver Spring, Md. I was meeting with a few other ACFW members (American Christian Fiction Writers) and fellow writer, Carole T., mentioned that Pelican Book Group was searching for authors to write for their Passport to Romance series. What did I do after I hurried home? You got it. I checked it out. Pelican/White Rose publishing has a lovely website with terrific handy-dandy info all about their requirements.

Here’s an excerpt from their website at www.pelicanbookgroup.com/ that shows the requirements for their newest series:

PASSPORT TO ROMANCE

Take a trip and fall in love! Passport to Romance™ titles are contemporary romances set in exotic locations around the world. These stories offer the contemporary Christian reader adventure, vivacity, romance, and faith. Passport to Romance™ features chic heroines who are sparkling, confident, open for adventure—and who are a perfect match for a contemporary alpha male who has a zest for life, a thirst for God, and who likes an intelligent woman who can hold her own.

What was your inspiration for the story?

My single brother. He’d always talked about how difficult it was for a busy missionary man to find a good woman. It would be a great deal easier to just send out an application and choose a mate without all that fuss, muss, and emotion. He was kidding of course, but hey, what if he wasn’t? What if there was a man out there who would have the audacity to advertise for a wife in this day and age?

Shay Callahan is quite a name! Tell us more about your leading lady. What made her want to fill out the Manila Marriage App? What are her greatest dreams and biggest fears? What makes her tick? What makes her heart melt?

Shay was doing just fine, thank you. Just fine. Except she wasn’t. There was no joy in her life, no passion…no close walk with God. What started out as a plan to bring our hero, Timothy Flynn, to his knees, turns into a real adventure for Shay. She yearns for a real relationship where there is deep love and self-sacrifice. She’s just not sure how to get there. She may seem a bit brash, but she has a huge heart and a stifled desire to make a difference in this world. What makes her melt? A man who will love her for who she is and bring out the very best in her.

Dr. Timothy Flynn is the hero of this book who is not very likeable for the first few chapters of your book. Is that how you wanted it to read? Explain. What was your favorite part of creating this character? What did you find most challenging?

Timothy Flynn is a complicated man. To use Shay’s words, he’s a mountain of contradictions cloaked in complexity. What looks to be arrogance on the surface is merely insecurity when it comes to women. He’s sure and confident in his passion for teaching and mentoring students, but at his center, he’s a shy introvert with a fear of getting hurt. So, he approaches marriage the only way he knows how—with his brain rather than his heart.

The best part of creating his character was creative his myriad layers. Taking this seemingly egotistical man and revealing his true personality, one with a heart full of love just waiting for the right woman to share his dreams, took some doing, but I hope you see his true self by the end of the book.

Why did you choose to set your book in the Philippines?

The Pelican Passport to Romance series has over 50 exotic cities to choose from so the defining factor in writing Manila Marriage App was, of course, location, location, location. And since they were taking “open submissions” that meant I didn’t need an agent, a big plus for a new author. In addition, the extra-cool thing was that in each of the countries, the author must sprinkle in three specific items—objects that are completely different for each country. One of the three for the Philippines was a cat and I’m a cat lover from way back. Yippee! How much more perfect could it be?

According to your author bio, you are “A Christian romance writer with a zeal for telling stories other women can relate to.” How long did it take you to realize this was your niche? Share the story of finding your voice as an author.

I’ve heard many writers say there was a pivotal moment in their lives that marked the beginning of their writing career. I know that was the case for me. That joyful (not to mention traumatic) moment occurred on my 50th birthday. My ever-loving husband, Steve, surprised me with a weekend at the Ritz Carlton (yes, I can hear some of you sigh, he is a wonderful husband and I am very blessed!) After the glow from the spa facial wore off, (a facial “created for those on the go, a refreshing treatment including cleansing, mild exfoliation, a facial massage, and moisture infusion”) real life began again, but the desire to write had grown and taken hold deep down in my psyche.

Three months later, I heard about the National Novel Writing Month  (NaNoWriMo), an annual internet-based creative writing project that takes place every November. NaNoWriMo challenges its participants to write 50,000 words with the goal of stimulating those creative juices and keeping writers motivated throughout the process. A group of fledgling writers were meeting at a café fifteen miles from my house, and I decided to give it a try. I only made it to 30,000 words, (okay, okay, it was actually 29,000 something, but thirty thousand sounds so much more impressive) but I was hooked.

And thus began my humble writing career.

I think your goal to write books that strengthen the reader's faith, while also “providing an entertaining and engrossing love story” is quite the goal! How do you think you accomplished that goal in your writing of Manila Marriage App?

I think it’s important that the characters in a book, especially a Christian book, grow and change throughout the story. The hero and heroine we see at the end of the novel should be very different from the people we meet on page one. When one or both of the main characters cry out to God, how does He change the direction of the story? I tried my best to achieve that goal in Manila Marriage App and as the story unfolds, I hope the reader will be pleased and surprised at the character development…and with the way Shay and Timothy discover true love.

Who is your favorite Christian author and which one of their books inspire you the most?

I’m going to go with the amazing, Mr. C.S. Lewis. One of the best gifts I’ve ever received was a Christmas present of The Chronicles of Narnia. I reread them every few years and they never fail to thrill me. And speaking of C.S. Lewis, one of my favorite books of all time is A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanalken, a friend of C.S. Lewis’s. If you haven’t read it, check it out. It’s beautifully written and one of the best love stories of all time. I plan to reread that one again this summer.

Every creative has a muse. What or who is yours?

My husband, Steve, has been a terrific inspiration to me and he urges me on. When I first got serious about writing, he insisted on buying me a new laptop so I could write in style. He also helps me with male dialogue so my manly characters don’t sound feminine!

How does your real faith in God play into your fictional storytelling?

Writing Christian romance was a natural fit for me. I was born again at age five and everything in life centers around God for me. My goal in writing is to shine a light on a particular concept or new way of thinking that might resonate with the reader. Oh yeah, and they have to be fun. I like injecting humor in my stories to up the entertainment factor.

What’s your next work in progress? Can’t wait to read another book written by you!

I just finished writing a contemporary Christmas novella and submitted it to Pelican Book Group in April, 2015. It’s called A Semi-Precious Christmas and starts with a bang—a jewelry store heist in progress. I’m hoping that Pelican decides to publish it, in which case, it should be out this Christmas. It was a great deal of fun to write!

Describe your writing space. What makes it special to you?

I write on my laptop while sitting on the couch in my living room, feet crossed up under me, a cat or two plastered to my side. My husband is generally watching TV while playing on his computer, and we often converse back and forth concerning the show or an article he is reading. In between all of that noise, I come up with plot, characters, and dialogue. I’ve tried writing when it’s quiet, but it doesn’t work as well. Weird, huh?

Complete this sentence: If I could make the perfect cup of coffee, I would make_____________with______________because___________.

If I could make the perfect cup of coffee, I would make a Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino® with skim milk, Splenda, and plenty of whipped cream because there are just some days when you need a good cup of coffee.

Thanks for the interview, Jan! Please leave a question for my readers to answer.

Jan's question: If you could visit any country in the world, what would it be, and why?

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Author bio:

Jan Elder is a Christian romance writer with a zeal for telling stories other women can relate to. She strives to write the kind of book that will strengthen the reader’s faith, while also providing an entertaining and engrossing love story. Pelican Book Group/White Rose is publishing her first novella, Manila Marriage App, one of many in their successful Passport to Romance series.

Besides writing romance, she enjoys the occasional hazelnut cappuccino while watching Turner Classic Movies. Always an avid reader, she devours books voraciously, both Christian and secular. She was born a cat-lover and all future books will, no doubt, feature a feline in some way or another.

Happily married for twelve years to loving (and supportive) husband, Steve, the two live in central Maryland along with Jamie (a tuxedo cat), and Shu-Shu (a tortoiseshell cat). On the weekends, Jan and Steve comb the nearby countryside in search of the perfect ice cream flavor.

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Blurb for Manila Marriage App:

It all began as a lark. 

Shay Callahan’s life was just fine, thank you, but when the seemingly misogynistic missionary, Timothy Flynn, places an advertisement for a wife in a Christian magazine, she decides to give it a whirl and sends in the five-page application. Why not? After all, she’s not currently seeing anyone, and this man truly needs to be taught a lesson.

Finding out she’s Dr. Flynn’s pick of the litter, Shay hops on a plane and flies to The Philippines. The strategy is to jet in, enjoy an exciting two-week vacation, and jet out again, all at his expense. Instead, her plan backfires. The handsome missionary man is not what he seems, and the foreign land has far more to offer than she could imagine.

Embark on a tropical adventure with Shay that challenges everything she believes.

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Buy Jan's book:

Amazon.com - http://amzn.to/1K03ivU

Barnes & Noble - http://bit.ly/1IoJGvF

Christianbook.com - http://bit.ly/1BtoLuu

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Connect with Jan Elder:

Amazon Author Central - http://amzn.to/1d64Upp

Facebook  - https://www.facebook.com/janice.elder.author
Twitter - https://twitter.com/JanElderAuthor

Website  - http://janelderauthor.com/books