Meet Romantic Suspense Author—Margaret Daley

Today I’d like to welcome Margaret Daley to the Suspense Blog Hop.

Margaret Daley is a multi-published author of romance and romantic suspense. Past president of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), her eighty-plus books to date have won numerous awards, including the American Christian Fiction Book of the Year for Hearts on the Line, the Golden Quill Contest, Holt Medallion, FHL’s Inspirational Readers’ Choice Contest, Winter Rose Contest, and the Barclay Gold Contest. A retired teacher after twenty-seven years of working with special needs children, Margaret has been married for over forty years and has one son and four granddaughters. She writes inspirational romance and romantic suspense for the Love Inspired lines, romantic suspense for Abingdon Press, and historical romance for Summerside Press.

What would surprise readers about Margaret Daley?

My first answer was nothing. I’m a pretty open book. But here are a couple of tidbits about me: I was about thirty minutes away from being caught up in a riot in London. I came up out of the tube as the demonstration started. The press of people was scary. I knew something violent would happen. I got out of there so fast, I was a blur. I was glad I did. The next day I saw the damage the rioter did to the streets—cars burned, bricks thrown, trash everywhere. Another is I was a cheerleader in high school. A third one is that my first book I wrote was in first person and I don’t even like to read first person stories. What was I thinking?!

Tell us about your latest novel.

My current book is Scorned Justice and for three days (May 15-17) the ebook format of it will be on sale at most online bookstores for $3.99. This is the link to the page on Amazon: Scorned Justice.

The blurb for Scorned Justice: Texas Ranger Brody Calhoun is with his parents in west Texas when an unexpected attack injures the brother of Rebecca Morgan, Brody’s high school sweetheart. The local sheriff, a good friend, asks for Brody’s help. At first, it seems like an open-and-shut case.

As Brody digs deeper, he realizes the attack may be related to an organized crime
trial Rebecca will be overseeing. With Rebecca’s help, he compiles evidence involving cattle rustling, bribery, and dirty payoffs that shatter the entire community and put Rebecca directly in the line of fire.

Brody expects to protect her. What he never expects is to fall for Rebecca all over again, or for a murder to throw the case wide open. Is Brody’s faith strong enough to withstand not only deep-rooted corruption and cattle rustling, but also love?

What inspired the Men of Texas Rangers series?

I have been fascinated with the Texas Rangers. They have a rich history and are the oldest state law enforcement agency. There are 150 rangers to cover the whole state of Texas. They do an amazing job.

What is the wackiest—or most fun—thing you’ve ever had to do to research your books?

Learning to scuba dive. The second dive I couldn’t get past the forty feet depth because I couldn’t clear my ears, therefore I could do any further down. For the next dive, I took something for my allergies and that made it much better. It was beautiful seeing the fish and coral up close and personal. I’d always snorkel but this was really a different experience.

What do you hope readers will take away from the Men of Texas Rangers series?

Each book has a different theme. Saving Hope is about human trafficking and about holding on to hope. Shattered Silence is about different kinds of bullying in our society. Scorned Justice is about how destructive revenge is to the person who wants it. And my last book in the series, Severed Trust, is about prescription drug abuse.

Describe your typical writing day.

I get up and have some quiet time with the Lord, then I answer my emails before I start writing for the day. I will take breaks throughout the day and end up in the evening doing emails and promotional activities.

What is your favorite and least favorite part of being a writer?

My favorite part of writing is coming up with the story and plotting it. My least favorite part of being a writer is the promotional part. I’m not a saleswoman.

What has surprised you the most about being a published novelist?

All the waiting on someone else to make a decision.

After a 30-year writing career, what do you wish you knew then that you know now?

How hard the business of writing really is—physically, emotionally and mentally.

Tell us about your current project.

I’m working on the sixth book in my Guardians, Inc. Series for Love Inspired Suspense about female bodyguards. In this story, my female bodyguard is working with a male bodyguard to protect a famous couple while on a speaking/book tour.
This book will be out in early 2014.

Scorned Justice and your Guardians, Inc. series sound fabulous. Thanks, Margaret. For information, see www.margaretdaley.com and www.abingdonpress.com/margaret_daley.

Next up on the Suspense Blog Hop—check out Margaret Daley’s interview of Heather James at www.margaretdaley.com/margarets-blog/.

A Southern Christmas—Spicy Cheese Straws

8 oz. Extra Sharp Cheese
1 ½ stick margarine—softened
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cayenne red pepper

1. Grate cheese into large bowl.
2. Sift flour into another large bowl.
3. Measure flour again and sift once more with 1 tsp of cayenne.
4. Mix cheese and flour by hand.
5. Using a spatula, stir in softened margarine until of consistency to press out with cookie press.
6. Score before baking. My cookie press has an attachment that produces a “straw effect.”
7. Bake at 350 degrees until bottom is browned—about 20 minutes.

Hope you enjoy the recipe. Let me know how you like it.

My Aunt Grace’s Sausage Ball Recipe—By Popular Request on Facebook

Ingredients:

1 lb. Neese’s Country Sausage, Hot
1 lb. NY Sharp Cheddar—grated
3 cups Bisquick

Directions:
1. Grate cheese—I use one of those hand-cranked graters.
2. With your hands, mix sausage and shredded cheese.
3. Incorporate fully the 3 cups of Bisquick.
4. Roll into balls.
5. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
This is super easy. I don’t—can’t—won’t do hard. It involves a great deal of kneading—cheese and sausage, cheese/sausage and Bisquick. After you’re done, you have a tin full of sausage balls and much less tension in your body.

Enjoy. Let me know how you like it.

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving

When my children were small I would often hand them child scissors, construction paper, glue and a JC Penney catalog to make a Thanksgiving Book on that Wednesday before the holiday. I instructed them to cut out pictures of anything they were thankful for. A codicil—learned the hard way—prohibited them from including pictures of things they didn’t have—preventing this from turning into a Christmas wish list.  I was always immensely flattered at the beautiful, bone skinny models they chose to represent me. As if . . .

My children obviously have a flair for fiction, too.

Beyond the Storm—A Review

Have you ever been through a storm?

In light of recent events, Carolyn’s Zane’s Beyond the Storm was a perfectly timed read for me. Living in NC, I’ve experienced tornados and hurricanes as a routine part of life. She captured with great sensory detail what it would be like to be caught in an EF5 tornado.

The first novel in Abingdon’s Quilts of Love series, Zane’s characters are well-drawn and the setting is realistically depicted. I found myself laughing and crying as the book follows the story of a handful of people when a tornado bears down on their small community. The first portion of the book describes their normal life before the storm. Many of the characters are struggling with internal storms before the natural calamity ever hits. The second part of the book describes each character’s experience during the storm itself. The third portion of the book delineates how the characters survive and adjust in the aftermath of total devastation.

The writing is suspenseful as you turn page after page hoping to discover which characters survive. Some do not survive the storm. The survivors have to cope with guilt and anger. One character in particular struggles to reconcile her experiences with the stirrings of her heart toward God. How would you react? What would you do?

The book is about so much more than just dealing with loss—whether physical, material or emotional. It’s about forgiveness and triumphing over setbacks; it’s about faith and becoming more than you thought you could ever be; and it’s ultimately about hope and the sufficiency of God.

Are you in a storm? What’s bearing down on you today? A natural disaster or a relational earthquake? What’s looming on your horizon—a financial hurricane or a medical tsunami?

Where are you in the storm’s path? Do you see a storm coming your way? Are you in eye of the storm? Or are you dealing with the tattered pieces, like the quilt in Beyond the Storm, of the storm’s devastation?

How have you coped thus far? Is that working? In the midst of your storm, have you found the peace, strength and comfort Zane depicts in Beyond the Storm? Or are you in a spiritual firestorm right now?
I’d love to hear your story. For an inspirational read, I encourage you to seek out Beyond the Storm. Let me know what you think.

Praying Godspeed and blessings upon wherever you find yourself today,
Lisa

Family Secrets—Sshh . . . Don’t Tell Anyone

The Apple Pie and Fool-Proof Crust Recipe

I love October because I get to visit family I see only once or twice a year. In early October, we have a family reunion. In late October, we travel to my aunt’s church homecoming and see cousins and other people that make up a Southerner’s extended family. This includes people to whom we’re not actually related but who were grafted in because somebody married into the family line. And despite not being blood kin, we all grew up together and enjoy getting to see each other. We have a lot of fun and it’s never a dull moment with that crowd.

I know this sounds complicated—but if you’re a Southerner, you get it. And did I mention the food at these reunions and homecomings? My children have been known to get weepy at the thought of these upcoming feasts. Barbecue—pork and vinegar-based; cornsticks, Brunswick stew; butter-beans—lima beans for the Northern brethren among us; ham biscuits; coconut cake; pineapple cake, etc . . . I’m going to stop now before I break down, too.

Here’s a sure-fire winning autumn recipe—from the family I married into.

Fool-Proof Pie Crust
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 ¾ cups vegetable shortening
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 egg
½ cup water

Mix first 4 ingredients with a fork or pastry blender. In a separate dish, beat the remaining ingredients. Combine the 2 mixtures, stirring until all ingredients are moistened. Shape dough into a ball. Chill at least 15 minutes before rolling into a crust. Dough can be left in the refrigerator up to 3 days or frozen until ready to use. Makes 2 pies—4 top and bottom crusts.

Apple Pie
6-8 apples—I’ve used Rome, Granny Smith and Magnabonum
Juice of half a lemon
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. butter

•Heat oven to 425 degrees. Peel, core and slice apples into ¼” pieces. Place apples (6 cups) into large mixing bowl. Pour lemon juice over apples.
•Add sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg. Toss well. Spoon spiced apples into piecrust and dot with butter.
•Roll out top crust. I like to also cut out piecrust dough ornaments to add to top crust. Cut slits in dough to allow the steam to escape. Brush the top with milk for a glaze.
•Place pie in oven. I put the pie in an aluminum-foiled tray to catch drips. Bake for 45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and juices bubble.
•Let the pie cool and slice into wedges. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!!!!!

Do you have family reunions or church homecomings? What recipes do you look forward to each year? Do you have a family recipe you could share with us?

A Taste of Autumn—Autumn Pumpkin Muffins

From my friend, Wendy Woodworth, who often shared this delicious treat with our Precept Bible Study class—

You have to try these scrumptious autumn pumpkin muffins. Fix yourself a cup of chai tea or coffee, put one of these fabulous muffins on a plate and enjoy yourself a taste of autumn.

And of course, I think these are best eaten when also curled up with a good book.

Makes: 18
Oven: 350 degrees

1. Combine—
3 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. salt

Set aside.

2. Mix in separate bowl—
2 cups pumpkin
1 cup canola oil
3 cups sugar
3 eggs

3. Add set-aside dry ingredients. Mix well.
4. Stir in ½ cup walnuts if desired.
5. Pour batter into muffin tins 2/3 full.

6. Cream Cheese Mixture—
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg

Mix until velvety and smooth.

7. Use a teaspoon to place a scoop of cream cheese mixture into the center of each tin. Sprinkle a few nuts on top.
8. Bake 20-23 minutes or until middle is done.

Enjoy.

What’s your favorite autumn recipe?

The Unforgettable State Fair

Another one of my favorite things in autumn is the North Carolina State Fair. There are few years in my life that I’ve actually not attended the fair. Like many Raleighites, I have my favorite Fair vendors from which to get a foot-long hot dog. Or a ham biscuit. Another place to get mountain-cold apple cider, funnel cake dusty with powdered sugar or cotton candy.

My Fair experiences have changed over the years with my—ahem—maturity.

Once upon a time, my best friend, Kathye and I tested our mettle on the rollicking, rolling Himalaya; scanned the Raleigh skyline atop the Ferris Wheel; and clamped hands over our ears at the grinding gears at the tractor pull. We braved the House of Mirrors; attended concerts at the Dorton Arena; stayed to ooh and aah over the fireworks.

With small children, my Fair experiences comprised of winging strollers through packed crowds. There’s an art to it in case you didn’t know. As a Fair aficionado, I have my own preferred route from one end of the Fair complex to another end. Every native Raleighite has one. What to do first, second . . . last. A state fair sized version of the Normandy invasion. When Corinne and Kathryn were small, we did pony rides; frequented the petting zoo; and had a craftsman from the Village of Yesteryear cut paper silhouettes of each girl.

Now with teenagers in tow, we try to do something for every family member’s interests. We go through the gorgeous Art Deco Ag buildings, admiring the 4-H booths, and get free samples from the It’s Got to Be NC tent. Corinne enjoys the art and the horse show. Kathryn’s mainly in it for the food, so in this economy we share funnel cakes, cotton candy and ice cream. We inspect the Master Gardener displays at the Flower Show and walk and walk until our legs ache, our bellies are full and its time to go home.

Do you like the Fair wherever you live? What are your favorite things to do at the Fair? What do you like to eat at the Fair?

If you love Downton Abbey . . .

If you enjoy watching Downton Abbey, you will love Queen of the Waves. With rich historical detail, Janice Thompson brings the Titanic and its passengers to life once more. You may say, “I know how this story ends.” But under Thompson’s masterful hand, do you?

In Thompson’s story version, the reader experiences a vivid recreation of the doomed liner. The lush tapestry of silks and satins and the intricate architectural details from the privileged lives of the first class passengers. The glitter-studded midnight sky and looming monoliths of ice. The freezing water like shards of cold that befell every passenger regardless of class or station that becomes the metaphor for the human condition. Thompson creates a feast for the senses and strong characterizations that will leave you rooting for their ultimate survival. Throughout each passenger’s story runs a thread of hope, redemption and second chance.

Thompson paints a bittersweet portrait of a watershed event perched on the precipice of the Great War (the one that was supposed to end all others) like the last rose of a time and innocence that would never bloom again.

Loving Me Some Autumn

It’s October and finally beginning to feel like autumn. Autumn is special–my favorite season—and we shouldn’t let it pass us by without a celebration.

So I’ve ventured to the Farmer’s Market—one of my favorite autumn activities—and decorated the exterior of my house.

Autumn is my excuse for buying mums, pumpkins, chai tea, apples and apple cider. Farmers from the Blue Ridge and Great Smokies come to Raleigh and sell from their mountain orchards a variety of apples, perfect for applesauce or pie.

When my girls were small, every autumn we planned a long weekend to a different corner of NC and camped. Okay, my version of camping—renting a cabin with electricity, indoor plumbing and preferably close to a larger lodge to which to walk for all meals.

But we had a fireplace, made s’mores and I lugged some of my favorite autumnal children’s books with me to read aloud to them in front of the fire and after the s’mores. Books like Miss Suzy by Miriam Young from my own childhood; Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey; and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen—which we re-enacted all over the cabin.

These weekends included hikes to lacy, cascading waterfalls and picking our own bushel of apples from a local orchard. We tried to do something for everyone so for mom that included visits to mountain quilt shops.

But with busy, social butterfly teenage girls, my mountain vacation has been reduced for now to a stay-cation involving a stolen afternoon with the girls and a trip to the Farmer’s Market. This year, we bought Magna-bonum’s (ranked as one of the ten greatest Southern apples) and here’s the apple pie that resulted.

How do you celebrate the arrival of autumn? I’d love for you to share your memories and what traditions you built with your families.

If you’d like a list of my favorite autumnal children’s books to share with your children and grandchildren or to try my Foolproof Piecrust and apple pie recipe, email me at lisa@lisacarterauthor.com.