Come and Get It!!!!

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Ann Roth

Available now!! Remastered and available from Kindle, Nook and iBooks.

Another Life

Learning of her husband Stephen’s fatal heart attack is the worst thing Mary Beth Mason can imagine… Until she learns about the other family he left behind. Another wife, another daughter, another home…

For more information, click here: https://annroth.net/ebooks.html

My Sisters

In some families, there is pain and loss, but there is also the unbreakable bond of love. Sisters Margaret, Rose and Quincy Lansing were never a close or loving family. When receive the tragic news that a car accident has claimed the life of their mother, they must return to their childhood home. In unraveling their mother’s secrets, they find not only revelation, but also strength, hope, sisterhood, and a chance for love…

Entrepreneur Will Stoner was a competent executive, but when he became guardian to the son he’d never known about, Will did the only thing he could—he hired help. Dena Foster did a great job with his son. Her gentle ways took the trepidation out of parenting, and despite a bad marriage that made Will mistrust women, he warmed to Dena. Now he wanted more from this nurturing beauty—for himself.

First he had to erase the doubt he saw in Dena’s eyes about his feelings for her. Was being a successful businessman, caring father and loving husband too much to ask for?

For more information, click here: https://annroth.net/ebooks.html

Until Wednesday, and do check out that link,

Ann

Visit me at my Facebook Author page https://www.facebook.com/AnnRothAuthorPage
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And… Action!

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Ann Roth

I am in Ashland, Oregon, enjoying a few days of theater and fun. Ashland is noted for its amazing Oregon Shakespeare Festival, but it also offers contemporary plays. And some of the finest acting I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing. This is our 11th year to attend. We drive down, an 8-hour trek. It’s a fun road trip, and a chance to listen to a book or two on CD.

Actors must audition annually to appear on the theater roster, and they often appear in several plays at the same time. I am continually awed by such amazing skills–and Ashland never takes its actors for granted. It doesn’t want its talent distracted by financial matters, such as making ends meet. Unlike most other cities, where actors must work a full-time job while they appear in productions, the city of Ashland is so supportive of its actors, that it subsidizes housing and provides membership to a local gym (physical fitness helps with acting), among other perks.

Evenings in spring, summer, and part of the fall, many of the Shakespearean plays are presented in this theater (The Elizabethan Theater) under the stars. A magical experience for we who watch.

But Ashland also offers other fun. The Rogue River is nearby, and offers river rafting and enjoyable walks. Or rent a bicycle and look around. Or try a nature walk, or a picnic. There are hotels and motels and B&B’s . There are tons of tasty restaurants and coffee shops and lots of great places to shop.

Can you tell that I’m psyched to be here?

Well, it’s time to get ready for an afternoon show.

Until Monday, and wishing you a weekend of fun,

Ann

Visit me at my Facebook Author page https://www.facebook.com/AnnRothAuthorPage
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And We Have a Winner…

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Ann Roth

Ain’t it the truth….

Speaking for myself, it isn’t possible for me to produce a story I want to share without spending time and care developing the characters and plot and rewriting and polishing numerous times.

Not the best profession for an impatient person, is it? And yet, here I am, loving what I do, no matter how much time it takes.

So now you know.

Until Friday, and wishing you slow, steady progress in whatever you do,

Ann

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Eek–a Jumping Spider!!!!

Posted on September 22, 2014 by Ann Roth

Here in the Pacific Northwest, blackberries are still abundant. My favorite time for picking is late in the afternoon. I take a bowl with me and do my best to fill it.

But it’s September and spiders are also abundant.

Many of them spin webs among the blackberry bushes. I have a healthy respect for these critters, who do an admirable job of killing many kinds of pesky insects. But I also prefer to steer clear of them.

The other day, I was out, doing picking thing, and doing my best to avoid the spiders and their webs. I admit that I was distracted with a novel I’m plotting, but I was careful. Suddenly, something whizzed up, so quickly, it was a blur, and bit the flesh just above my elbow. “Ouch!” I said.

I spotted what looked like a bee (but is actually a fly), but they can’t sting. So what was it? To my relief, the sting lasted all of 5 seconds before it faded into oblivion. No red spot or itching, either.

I returned to my picking, and figured out some cool stuff for the story. Suddenly it happened again–a blur and a sting, this time in the vee between my second and third finger. “Ouch!” Wouldn’t you know, I was so startled that I upended the bowl and I lost a good half the berries.

Then I saw it–a spider dangling from a single thread, attached to the outside bottom of my bowl. Shrieking, I spun around a couple of times, until the thread snapped. I’m sure if anyone had seen, they would have questioned my sanity.

At which point the spider went on his or her way and I went on mine. In opposite directions. Phew!

Until Wednesday, and wishing you a spider-free day,

Ann

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Cue the confetti and bring out the band!

Posted on September 19, 2014 by Ann Roth

I have exciting news!

I have just self-published two of my older books. These are my first self-published books ever–actually they are remastered from books first published in 2007 and 2008. I am over the moon that I am able to share them with you now.

Another Life, first published in 2007

For more information, click here: https://annroth.net/ebooks.html

My Sisters, first published in 2008

For more information, click here: https://annroth.net/ebooks.html

Until Monday, and thanks for your enthusiasm and excitement,

Ann

Visit me at my Facebook Author page https://www.facebook.com/AnnRothAuthorPage
Follow me on Twitter @Ann_Roth
Stop by my website: www.annroth.net

You Know This…

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Ann Roth

It’s Thursday! You know what that means: I’m blogging at Storybroads. http://storybroads.com/ .

Come on over and take a look!! You never know what you’ll learn about me and some of your favorite authors.

Bonus: if you leave a comment, your name is automatically entered in a drawing to win a Kindle Fire!

Until Friday and wishing you a chance at winning that Kindle Fire,

Ann
Visit me at my Facebook Author page https://www.facebook.com/AnnRothAuthorPage
Follow me on Twitter @Ann_Roth
Stop by my website: www.annroth.net

Hooked on … StoryCorps

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Ann Roth

Photo from one of the Storycorps stories

If you like stories, and I certainly do, have I got a link for you. StoryCorps has been recording and sharing stories for years now. To quote the website, “StoryCorps is an American non-profit organization whose mission is to record, preserve, and share the stories of Americans from all backgrounds and beliefs. StoryCorps grew out of Sound Portraits Productions as a project founded in 2003 by radio producer David Isay.

…is one of the largest oral history projects of its kind. Since 2003, StoryCorps has collected and archived more than 50,000 interviews from more than 80,000 participants. Each conversation is recorded on a free CD to share, and is preserved at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.”

Anyone can record a personal story through StoryCorps, and I have heard some amazing stuff. I never come away from hearing these short stories without feeling enriched. If you have a story to share, check out this link: http://storycorps.org/about/faqs/ . It doesn’t have to be exciting or anything, just something you would like to preserve. You can even record with a family member or friend.

I have been hooked on these stories since they were first aired. How could I not be? After all, I am a writer. I tell stories. Listening these snippets of what ordinary people do or did, what they have experienced, and how they grew from this is like nosing into someone else’s business.

With most stories, my creative juices begin to flow. What would happen if…? Suppose instead, a person…..? You get the gist. Then, a germ of a story I want to tell is born.

For more information or to hear some of the most recent stories, visit http://www.npr.org/series/4516989/storycorps .

Until Friday, and wishing you stories to enrich your life,

Ann
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Hummingbirds of a Feather…

Posted on September 15, 2014 by Ann Roth

In a post last week, I mentioned the hummingbird that perched on the water spray coming from my hose one summer morning. These little birds have built a nest high up in the fir tree next door. Unlike many other kinds of hummingbirds, they don’t migrate south for the winter. This got me thinking about how little I know about them. I decided to investigate further.

In my search for information, I learned that this particular hummingbird is an Anna’s hummingbird. I found a website and learned more.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/annas_hummingbird/id

This is what the website says about Anna’s Hummingbirds: “… are among the most common hummingbirds along the Pacific Coast, yet they’re anything but common in appearance. With their iridescent emerald feathers and sparkling rose-pink throats, they are more like flying jewelry than birds. Though no larger than a ping-pong ball and no heavier than a nickel, Anna’s Hummingbirds make a strong impression. In their thrilling courtship displays, males climb up to 130 feet into the air and then swoop to the ground with a curious burst of noise that they produce through their tail feathers.”

This photo shows just how tiny these very special creatures are.

How do these remkarable birds survive the winter? According to http://www.wildbirdshop.com/Birding/Annas_hummers.html:

“It is thought that Anna’s Hummingbirds are able to winter so far north because their diets contain a larger proportion of insects and arachnids than most hummingbirds. Not only do these bugs provide nutrients during the winter when there are few flowers blooming, but they also provide a slower metabolizing source of food which may help them survive the long nights. Anna’s Hummingbirds also have a fairly large body weight for a hummingbird which may also help them. But they do live a precarious existence in the winter and the presence of hummingbird feeders has probably also helped to encourage their northward expansion.”

Now you know. 🙂

Until Wednesday, and wishing you the pleasure of a hummingbird’s company,

Ann
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Eat Your Cake and Have It, Too

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Ann Roth

Brown Sugar Caramel Pound Cake

This cake is soooo tasty that I had to share. Maybe you’ll make it this weekend.

Brown Sugar Caramel Pound Cake

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups butter softened (I used 1 cup instead)
2 cups light brown sugar, packed (a bit too sweet, and I recommend cutting to 1 ½ cups)
1 cup granulated sugar (you may want to cut this, too, to ¾ cup)
5 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt (if you use unsalted butter, add ¼ tsp salt per cube of unsweetened butter)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup whole milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 8oz bag toffee chips
1 cup pecans, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325
Grease and flour a 12 cup Bundt pan.

Beat butter until creamy. Add sugars, beating until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla.

In medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mix to batter alternately with milk and vanilla, beat until just combined. Stir in toffee buts and pecans. Spoon batter into pan.

Bake 85 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean. (Mine was done in about 77 minutes.) To prevent excess browning, cover cake with foil while baking. (For the first 50 minutes or so, I covered with foil, with slits in it to let out steam. Then I took off the foil.)

Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool for 15-30 minutes on a wire rack. While it cools, make caramel sauce. (Or buy your favorite caramel topping and use that.) I used a recipe from Barefoot Contessa, below.

With a chopstick of some other stick, poke holes in the cake. Spoon Caramel Sauce over hot cake, letting it seep into the holes.

Barefoot Contessa Caramel Sauce: (for this cake, I halved the recipe)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup water
1 1/4 cups heavy cream (I substituted whole milk, which makes this a runnier sauce–perfect for this cake)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Mix the water and sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Do not stir. Increase the heat to medium and boil uncovered until the sugar turns a warm chestnut brown (about 350 degrees F on a candy thermometer), about 5-9 minutes, gently swirling the pan to stir the mixture. Be careful – the mixture is extremely hot! Watch the mixture very carefully at the end, as it will go from caramel to burnt very quickly. Turn off the heat. Stand back to avoid splattering and slowly add the cream and vanilla. Don’t worry – the cream will bubble violently and the caramel will solidify.

Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until the caramel dissolves and the sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes. The Barefoot Contessa suggests letting this sauce cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours, but I let it cool for about 10 minutes and used it!

Until Monday, and wishing you Happy Cake Eating,

Ann
Visit me at my Facebook Author page https://www.facebook.com/AnnRothAuthorPage
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And on Thursday…

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Ann Roth

It’s Thursday! You know what that means. Today and every Thursday, I’m blogging at Storybroads. http://storybroads.com/ .

Stop by and read posts by some of your favorite authors!!!!!!

You’ll like it, and you might even learn something new.

Bonus: if you leave a comment, your name is automatically entered in a drawing to win a Kindle Fire!

Until Friday and wishing you a chance at winning that Kindle Fire,

Ann
Visit me at my Facebook Author page https://www.facebook.com/AnnRothAuthorPage
Follow me on Twitter @Ann_Roth
Stop by my website: www.annroth.net