Cue the confetti and bring out the band!

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

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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, first published in 2008

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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…

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…

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

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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

Photo from one of the Storycorps stories

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
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

Hummingbirds of a Feather…

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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.

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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
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

Eat Your Cake and Have It, Too

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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
Follow me on Twitter @Ann_Roth
Stop by my website: www.annroth.net

And on Thursday…

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

storybroads-masthead


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

Stepping Off the Cliff

take_the_step

I’m finally taking the plunge–getting ready to self-publish three books from my back list. I’ m also making plans to self-publish more. For some reason, taking this necessary step in my career is scary… And yet at the same time, also very exciting.

That’s all I want to say just now, but I promise to keep you posted.

Watch for a delicious recipe that I’ll post on Friday.

Until then, and wishing you that first little step,

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

Pocket Full of … Magic

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I believe in magic. It is everywhere–provided we open our eyes and see it. For example, not long ago, I was watering the back garden, as I often do on an early summer morning. Suddenly a hummingbird appeared and landed right on top of the spray!

Hummingbird_Aerodynamics_of_flight

He (his iridescent green color told me he was a male) wasn’t more than 3 feet from my face and looked straight at me, his amazing wings blurring with their rapid and incessant fluttering, while his feet moved as he balanced on the spray. I wanted to call out for someone to see this amazing sight. I wanted to take a photo and capture the moment. Of course, I didn’t do anything at all, just stood transfixed until he flew off. Now, that’s what I call magic! I will never forget it.

But more mundane things are also magic. The sight of the sun, glistening on water. I can almost imagine a sparkly creature floating on the surface, providing me with what-if moments of fun.

sun glinting on water

The same can be said of the sun on autumn leaves.

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Or the magical smells that come from a soft rain. I could go on and on. Instead, I’ll leave you to find your own magical moments.

Until Wednesday, and wishing you magic everywhere you look,

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

TGHF: Thank Goodness He’s Fabulous!!

front cover

In less than a month, A Rancher’s Redemption will be out. I loved writing this book and I really, really like this cover. Sexy cowboy, huh? And once you get to know him, he’s even more attractive. 🙂

Which brings me to pre-ordering. To pre-order, stop by www.annroth.net. Right there on the home page, you’ll see the links to do that.

For a chance to win a free book, stop by https://annroth.net/ and enter the monthly contest. And don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter, with a sneak preview of this book and later on, sneaks to other upcoming books.

Until Monday, and wishing you a fabulishous weekend,

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

Thursday, Thursday…

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

storybroads-masthead


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