Welcome guest author Laura Bradford + book #giveaway

As a child, Laura Bradford fell in love with writing over a stack of blank paper, a box of crayons, and a freshly sharpened number two pencil. From that moment forward, she never wanted to do or be anything else. Today, Laura is the national bestselling author of several mystery series, including the Amish Mysteries, the Emergency Dessert Squad Mysteries, the Jenkins & Burns Mysteries, and the Tobi Tobias Mystery Series. Her first women's fiction novel, Portrait of a Sister, was the July 2018 book club pick for Delilah (of Delilah radio). Her next novel, A Daughter’s Truth, will release May 28^th.

​

Laura is a former Agatha Award nominee, and the recipient of an RT Reviewer’s Choice Award. She enjoys making memories with her family, baking, and being an advocate for those living with Multiple Sclerosis. For more information, visit:   laurabradford.com

* 

Take it away, Laura!  (Giveaway below...)

 *

Buffalo Chicken/Cheese Wheels with Dipping Sauce

From the kitchen of Laura Bradford

I am a pretty basic eater. I like my meat, I like my bread, and I love my desserts.  In fact, when I was little, my favorite thing to eat (according to my mom…my uncle…my aunt…) was “bread and water.”

Odd, perhaps, but maybe it was really just a little foreshadowing for my career today—one that has me dabbling in crime a few times a year.

Either way, I thought I’d share an appetizer recipe my daughter and I tweaked to our liking earlier this month. It’s pretty basic, cooks up quickly, and it’s really, really good.

Buffalo Chicken/Cheese Wheels (with dipping sauce)

Ingredients:

1 can refrigerated crescent dough in a sheet

2 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar Cheese

1 tablespoon Buffalo wing sauce

3 ounces of cooked chicken mean (cut small or shredded) I use the Perdue Chicken cuts

For Dip:

1 cup ranch dressing

1 tablespoon buffalo wing sauce

Instructions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line large cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Unroll dough on cutting board.

In small bowl, beat cream cheese, cheddar cheese and buffalo sauce with an electric mixer. Spread

Mixture on dough just shy of edges.  Sprinkle with cooked chicken.

Starting with the long side, roll dough, pressing edges to seal. Turn rolled dough so the seam is down and cut into slices. Place on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart!

Bake 15-20 minutes (watch carefully) until the edges are golden brown.

In small bowl, stir dressing and buffalo wing sauce for dipping. 

Enjoy!

Laura's newest release:

Just Plain Murder (Book # 6 in the Amish Mysteries series)

Jakob and Claire have been spending more time together in Heavenly, PA. With Claire's help, the

detective is making slow progress reconnecting with members of his Amish family who shunned him when he left to pursue a career in law enforcement. Jakob's mentor, Russ Granger, the long retired police chief who inspired him to become a cop is back in town. Claire's always wanted to meet the man who changed the course of Jakob's life. But not long after he arrives in Heavenly, Russ is murdered.

Jakob is shocked and can only imagine that his old friend must have been killed by someone outside of the Amish community. Claire and Jakob soon find that things are not as they seem and Jakob's old boss may have stumbled into something sinister before he was killed. The answers they uncover are closer to home and more shocking than they ever expected.

Some praise for Just Plain Murder:

“Laura Bradford’s mastery and genuine appreciation of contemporary Amish culture made this book a delight to read.” 

-Criminal Element.

"Bradford has built her world in this atmospheric homespun series. 

Just Plain Murder is an intricately plotted, character-driven story that welcomes readers back."

-Lesa's Book Critiques

Buy Just Plain Murder links:

B & N 

Indiebound

Amazon

  

Giveaway

One lucky winner will receive a signed/personalized copy of JUST PLAIN MURDER and some surprise swag. Please tell Laura what your favorite course is and leave an email in case you win so she can contact you.

 

Where to find Laura:

Website: www.//laurabradford.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/laurabradfordauthor/

Twitter:  @bradfordauthor

Instagram:  @laurabradfordauthor

Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/laurabrad4d/

Welcome guest author Elizabeth Lynn Casey + giveaway

Elizabeth Lynn Casey is the pen name for national bestselling author, Laura Bradford. As Casey, she writes the Southern Sewing Circle Mysteries. As Laura Bradford, she pens several mystery series, including the Emergency Dessert Squad Mysteries, the Amish Mysteries, the Jenkins & Burns Mysteries, and the brand new Tobi Tobias Mysteries. 

Summer 2018 will see the release of Laura’s first Amish-based women’s fiction novel, Portrait of a Sister. 

Laura is a former Agatha Award nominee, and the recipient of an RT Reviewer’s Choice Award in romance. When she’s not writing, Laura enjoys making memories with her family, baking, and being an advocate for those living with Multiple Sclerosis. 

Don't miss the giveaway below!!!

WECLOME ELIZABETH...aka LAURA!!

The Sweet South

By Elizabeth Lynn Casey (pen name for Laura Bradford)

For me, writing the Southern Sewing Circle Mysteries has been a true labor of love. I’ve grown very fond of Tori, Margaret Louise, Rose, Leona, and the rest of the ladies in the sewing circle. They’re all such unique characters that have wormed their way into my heart.

Sometimes, I imagine them having meetings outside the confines of my books. I imagine Margaret Louise watching one of her grandbabies perform in a school show, her smile a mile wide. I imagine Leona walking down the street in the center of Sweet Briar, flirting with every male that walks by…and every one of them turning to stare at her.

Maybe that sounds weird, but these characters have been part of my life for eight years. I’ve been there when good things have happened and I’ve been there when not-so-good things have happened. And I’ve been there when they’ve assembled at one of their homes for a sewing circle meeting with desserts in tow, my mouth watering at all the delicious choices.

So in honor of last month’s release of Patterned After Death (book # 12 in the series), I thought I’d share a southern named dessert that surely made it to meeting or two over the years—Mississippi Mud Bar.

Mississippi Mud Bar:

Bar Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons butter (unsalted)

9 Tablespoons granulated sugar

6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg, large

¼ cup flour

¼ cup chocolate chips

1 cup mini marshmallows

Frosting Ingredients:

6 Tablespoons butter (unsalted)

4 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 Cup powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons milk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

To Make the Bar:

1)     Preheat oven to 325.

2)    Line loaf style pan with parchment paper.

3)    In a microwave safe bowl, combine butter, sugar, and cocoa powder.

4)    Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir well. Microwave for 30 more seconds. Remove from microwave.

5)    Add salt and vanilla to bowl and stir well.

6)    Add egg. Stir well.

7)    Sprinkle in flour. Stir well.

8)    Add in chocolate chips and stir.

9)    Spread in prepared pan.

10) Bake for 22 minutes.

11) Sprinkle mini marshmallows evenly across top and return pan to oven for an additional 3-5 minutes.

12) Remove from oven and set aside.

To Make the Frosting:

1)    Beat all ingredients together until spreadable.

2)    Pour evenly over warm, marshmallow topped-bar.

3)     Refrigerate until set.

***

Murder hits close to home for the Southern Sewing Circle in the latest mystery from national bestselling author Elizabeth Lynn Casey.

Everyone in Sweet Briar, South Carolina, knows former high school football stars Jake Davis and Noah Madden. The two were fierce rivals once and now, twenty years later, the dueling quarterbacks haven’t lost their luster. So townsfolk are surprised when Jake and Noah team up for a business venture. And there’s only one suspect when Noah turns up murdered.

Margaret Louise, Jake’s mother and one of the founding members of the sewing circle, isn’t about to take the attack on her son’s reputation lying down. In fact, she’s in full mama-bear mode. And Tori and the rest of the Sweet Briar gang are more than willing to help her sharpen her claws to catch a killer.

***

GIVEAWAY

Today, I'm giving away to one commenter 

ONE copy of Patterned After Death plus ONE Copy of Éclair and Present Danger.  

Tell me do enjoy reading books where you know the characters well? 

Remember to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win.

  

To learn more about Laura, visit her website: www.laurabradford.com, or hang out with her on Facebook at:  https://www.facebook.com/laurabradfordauthor/?fref=ts. 

She can also be found occasionally tweeting at: @Bradfordauthor.

Welcome guest Laura Bradford + book & mitt #giveaway!

Laura is the national bestselling author of several mystery series, including the Emergency Dessert Squad Mysteries, the Amish Mysteries, the Jenkins & Burns Mysteries, and the brand new Tobi Tobias Mysteries. She also pens the Southern Sewing Circle Mysteries (under the pen name, Elizabeth Lynn Casey). She is a former Agatha Award nominee, and the recipient of an RT Reviewer’s Choice Award in romance. When she’s not writing, Laura enjoys making memories with her family, baking, and being an advocate for those living with Multiple Sclerosis.

Laura is offering a giveaway below!  Don't miss it!

Take it away, Laura!

*

One of the best parts of writing The Emergency Dessert Squad Mysteries, is the opportunity it affords for research—specifically baking research. And let me tell you, after a day spent coming up with names for the emergency-themed desserts mentioned in each book, I can’t keep myself away from my measuring spoons and mixing bowls.

Of course all this “research” may be why the numbers on the scale keep creeping up, but hey, anything for my readers…

In honor of Tuesday’s release of The Silence of the Flans (book # 2 in the series), I solicited my daughter’s help to make a batch of the Black-And-Blue Cookies my protagonist, Winnie Johnson, might deliver to someone who has suffered a fall or been banged up in an accident of some kind.

And let me just say, after seeing everyone’s reaction to their first bite of this cookie, Winnie has quite a hit on her hands.

Black-And-Blue Cookies

Cookie ingredients:

1 ¼ cups flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup buttermilk

½ teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup unsalted butter (softened)

½ cup sugar

1 egg

To Make the Cookie:

Cookies:

       1)     Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt in bowl.

       2)    In second, smaller bowl, mix vanilla and buttermilk.

       3)    In still another bowl, beat butter and sugar together until combined well. Add egg and beat until blended.

       4)    Slowly beat in flour and buttermilk mixtures a little at a time, alternating between each one until all has been added. Mix until smooth.

       5)    In ¼ cup serving sizes, spoon batter onto baking sheet lines with parchment paper.

       6)    Bake in 350 degree preheated oven for 15 minutes (tops will be golden and springy).

       7)    Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting.

Blue frosting ingredients/directions:

3 1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar

3 Tablespoons light corn syrup

3 Tablespoons hot water

¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

A drop (or to desired color) of blue food coloring

       1)    In bowl, whisk confectioners’ sugar, corn syrup, and hot water together.

       2)    Add in vanilla and mix.

       3)    Add blue food coloring. 

       4)    Spread blue icing over one-half of each cookie.

       5)    Set aside.

Chocolate frosting ingredients/directions:

2 2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar

3 Tablespoons light corn syrup

¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup hot water

¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted.

    

       1)    In bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, and hot water. Stir until smooth.

       2)    Melt chocolate (in microwave or in double boiler—watch carefully to avoid burning)

       3)    Add melted chocolate to mixture and stir well.

       4)    Spread on remaining half of each cookie.

       5)    Let icing set (at least 30 minutes)

***

The Silence of the Flans is the second delectable Emergency Dessert Squad Mystery from the national bestselling author of Éclair and Present Danger.

Baker Winnie Johnson does her best work when the heat is on. As owner of the Emergency Dessert Squad, she has a deft touch in the kitchen and a soft spot for lost causes. So when her business professor beau, Jay Morgan, expresses misgivings over having to fail one of his fourth-year students, Winnie cooks up a sweet solution.

She’ll offer an extra credit opportunity in exchange for a little help with her growing business. But when her protégé’s first dessert delivery poisons a student journalist, the publicity threatens to burn Winnie’s business to a crisp. Now the entrepreneur-turned-detective must uncover the ingredients behind a recipe for murder before she crumbles under pressure...

Giveaway

I am giving away a copy of The Silence of the Flans plus a fun Emergency Dessert Squad hot pad to one lucky commenter. Tell me if you have a soft spot for lost causes or...do you have a cute "emergency-themed" name for a treat?  Remember to leave your email so I can contact you if you win!

***

To learn more about Laura, visit her website: www.laurabradford.com, or hang out with her on Facebook.  She can also be found occasionally tweeting at: @Bradfordauthor.