It’s getting that time of year again. I can’t believe we’re a week away from Thanksgiving and a little over a month from Christmas! Where did the year go?

Like most everyone, I love trying new recipes but finding them is the hardest part. I have 2 to share with everyone today. These dishes go fast around here so double up the recipe like I do. *wink*

Chocolate Éclair Cake

1 (1 lb.) box graham crackers
2 sm. pkgs. instant French Vanilla pudding
3 1/2 c. milk
1 (9 oz.) container Cool Whip
1 Container (store bought) Chocolate Frosting

Mix pudding with the milk. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Blend in Cool Whip. Line the bottom of your pan with graham crackers then pour a layer of pudding mixture over graham crackers. Repeat until all ingredients are used.(Just like you do a banana pudding) End with your graham crackers on top. Refrigerate for 2 hours then spread your frosting on top.

Note: If you’re inpatient like I am….put the pan in the freezer until it sets. Once its firm, take the lid and foil off the icing and microwave for 1 minute. Stir the mixture and pour it over the graham crackers, smooth until pretty. Refrigerate. It’s best eaten the following day. It gives the crackers time to soften.

Serves 12 to 14.

(If you have a really deep dish, (I have a 9×13 deep dish) you can double the ingredients and make a monster pudding. You’ll need it. This never last very long. LOL)

Butterscotch Rum Cake

Ingredients:
1 pkg. Yellow Cake Mix (Duncan Hines)
1 pkg. Butterscotch Pudding
3 large eggs
1/3c. cooking oil
1/2c. water
1/2c. Rum (Spiced Rum)

Rum Glaze:
1 stick butter
1/4c. water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Rum (Spiced Rum)
1 1/4c. walnut pieces-chopped (Pecans work for this too)

Directions:
– Pre-heat oven to 325. Lightly grease and flour Bundt Pan
– In mixing bowl, add cake mix, Butterscotch Pudding, Eggs, Cooking Oil, Cold water, and 1/2 cup Rum. Blend til light and fluffy.
– Sprinkle chopped nuts into the bottom of your pan. Pour batter equally into the pan, on top of the nuts. Bake for 1 hour.

Prepare Glaze when the cake is out of the oven:
In a saucepan, melt butter, add water and sugar. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add Rum.

Poke holes into top of cake (toothpicks work for this) then spoon the glaze over cake. It will not be real thick but slightly runny. Cover and put in a cool place. Let set then go back in a few hours and spoon more glaze onto it. The more it is soaked with the glaze the better it is!

Double Layer Chocolate Pie

2 cups cold Milk
3 pkgs. (4 serving size) Chocolate Instant Pudding
1 (12 oz.) container Cool Whip
1 graham cracker crust

In large bowl, mix milk and pudding mix with wire whisk for 1 minute. (Mixture will be very thick) Whisk in 1/2 the cool whip. Carefully spread into crust. Spread remaining cool whip over the top. Sprinkle shaved chocolate or chocolate sprinkles on top. Refrigerate until chilled and set.

Fluffy Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

2 pkgs (8 oz) cream cheese
2/3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
2 eggs
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
1 graham cracker crust

In large bowl, mix cream cheese on medium speed until fluffy. Add sugar and pumpkin spice. Mix until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined after each addition. Stir in pumpkin. Pout into crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool for 1 hour on a wire rack. Refrigerate at least 3 hours.

Notes: Soften cream cheese in a microwave at high for 15-20 seconds.
You can substitute 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger & 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves for Pumpkin Spice.

All material &copy2005-2012 to Lily Graison

All material &copy2005-2012 to Lily Graison

This past Saturday, I was able to be a part of an annual event held in this area. Dr. Robert Hart has spent the last 30 years rescuing and restoring Carolina life of the nineteenth century, recreating an entire village, Hart Square—the largest collection of original historic log buildings in the United States. Dating from 1782 to 1873, the seventy log structures—chapels, barns, houses, shops, and more—are all furnished, and around 220 volunteer artisans demonstrate the period techniques of flax breaking and hackling, spinning, weaving, herb dying, open-hearth cooking, broom and shoemaking, shingle riving, wheelwrighting, tinsmithing, and moonshining. It is ‘Living History’ at it’s finest. I’ve had the pleasure of spending the last year participating in local living history events but this was by far, the best. This was the first time I’ve attended this event and I hope it won’t be the last.

 

We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day. It was cool but not cold and the sun shining off the pond, which the buildings surround, was awe-inspiring. We spent the day touring the buildings, while dressed in our period (1860’s) clothing and answering questions about that time period, and the way of life to anyone who asked.

My daughter was able to attend with us and wore the period Wedding Dress I made for her. She was the ‘Belle of the Ball’ and could barely walk 10 steps without having to stop to have her picture made.

 

Of course, I can’t possible go without giving you a look of myself, in all my period finery. Another one of the dresses I made due to a hobby that keeps me from my keyboard more than it should. When I get quite online, you can bet I’m slouched over my sewing machine, trying to create a new dress and probably cursing a blue streak that it isn’t working the first time I try.

To see more of my dresses, visit my Hobby Page on Pinterest!

All material &copy2005-2012 to Lily Graison

 

 

I was talking to a writer friend and the discussion of book reviews came up and if they had any real effect on book sales. For those of you who don’t know how book reviews work, authors, or their publisher, will send an authors book to a review site. Everyone does it this way. Occasionally, a review site will request a book for review and they’ll get put into the sites database that way but that’s neither here nor there.

My friend has always been leery of reviews for her books. I have to, to a certain extent. They make me queasy. LOL The thought of purposely handing one of my books over for someone to tell me what they think is scary. What if they hate it and tell the whole world? But on the up side, what if they love it and then tell the whole world?

I think all of my books have been reviewed, some books by several review sites. I’ve almost always gotten decent reviews, some very good actually. A Touch of Heaven, my very first published book with Linden Bay Romance won the 2005 Reviewers Choice Award from eCataRomance.Com. Not bad for a newbie, huh?

But back to my point. I promise I have one! The impact reviews have. I’m not entirely sure they ‘produce’ sales but I’d love to be proven wrong. Getting ‘reviewed’ is something every author does, whether they enjoy the process or not. I’ll admit there are times I break out into a cold sweat waiting for a review of a brand new book. Waiting to see how the ‘public’ will view it.

So, dear readers…do you read book reviews? Do they influence your decision to buy certain books? Do you frequent book review ‘websites’ actively looking for new books to read or do you rely on word-of mouth (friends, co-workers, family) to find new authors/books? Do the little ‘review quotes’ on books/websites help you make a decision to buy? Your input is greatly appreciated!

All material &copy2005-2012 to Lily Graison

I’ve been in a slump as of late. I blamed it on the fact its summer time. BBQ’s, the sun always shining and the lure of the backyard swimming pool. Of course, all of those are just excuses. I don’t spend every daylight hour outside. I doubt I spend over 4 hours outdoors any given day. One thing about the south…it’s HOT down here! One can’t stand being outside for very long.

I decided I just needed a change. Change is always good so, I moved my laptop downstairs and thought, I’ll just write from a new location. It didn’t work. The constant traffic of my family was too distracting. That along with normal household chores. Not that I enjoy cleaning but when I’m procrastinating instead of writing, washing a few dishes seems like a better plan to me. So, I came back to my office the other day. And still nothing. I wasn’t sure what to do then. The words were all there, just waiting to be written, but—nothing was happening.

My desk is L-shaped and the long side sits against the wall. My laptop sits on the short side, allowing me to see out the windows and see the lovely flowering Mimosa tree and the butterflies it attracts. I moved to the long side of the desk, facing the wall. I shut my door and opened word to see what would happen. Nothing again. LOL

THE GATHERING is less than 10,000 words from completion but I’m so sick of the story, I could scream. Why? I don’t know. I just am. I don’t even want to read it, let along write it. If you don’t follow me on Twitter and Facebook, then you’ve probably missed the fact that I’ve been plotting out a 4 book series set in the old west and the lure of those cowboys has my muse doing back flips. It’s all I can think about. I can see the open range, hear the snuffling of horses and taste the dust on the wind. It’s where I want to be so yesterday, I gave myself permission to play hooky from the paranormal and venture to the Montana Territory, circa 1872. The muse danced with joy and an hour later I had 5 pages written. By that time, it was 2am and I could barely keep my eyes open, so I called it a night. It feels GOOD to be writing again. So good in fact, I think I’ll just let THE GATHERING sit for a while. If I force the ending, it’ll turn out to be crap and as long as it takes to write a novel, I’d rather it be good from start to finish than rush the end and destroy what I had intended.

So, for the time being, you can find me hanging around Willow Creek Montana, fighting it out with the town Marshall. Well, Abigail, my heroine will be. I’m just going along for the ride. For a sneak peak at the covers, head over to my website and check them out. You’re going to love these!

All material &copy2005-2012 to Lily Graison

School is out for the summer, my niece and grandbabies will be here almost constantly, and the flow of water they carry in from the pool leaves my carpets wet and me complaining, while everyone ignores me, as usual.

The sun is shining brightly today, its 91 degrees outside and my desire to be outside, playing in the sun with everyone else, is strong. As it will be tomorrow and the day after that. I’ve said many times I wished I lived somewhere cold year round. Maybe then my muse would be able to concentrate longer, but that isn’t to be.

Living in the south has its advantages, though. These wonderful sunny days for one. The nights are just as fantastic. Sitting on the back deck, sipping a cool drink while the stars number in the thousands overhead and the crickets, cicadas, and frogs serenade you while a warm breeze tickles your skin. Sigh. No, I don’t think I’d give it up. While my productivity may go down in the spring/summer, I know I wouldn’t be happy anywhere else so if I’m not around as much, just imagine me in the pool. I’m sure that’s where I am!

All material &copy2005-2012 to Lily Graison

A nasty flu bug got hold of me and laid me up for a while. I’m just NOW starting to get over it. Of course, I’m so behind now I’ll never catch up. I’m off to the Dr. today…for a totally unrelated thing. Still a pain in the backside.

The website is back up! It was all my fault. I don’t know the difference between a Megabyte and a Gigabyte, apparently. I do now! It shouldn’t happen again. *wink*

The website Contest is still going on. You have until the end of the month to enter for your chance to win a Print copy of WICKED: JADE BUTTERFLY! I received a shipment of them in the mail yesterday. I can’t wait for someone to get a hold of it!

All material &copy2005-2012 to Lily Graison

I’ve broken my website. I upgraded a few days ago to get more space and ever since then, the site has been down. A bandwidth issue of some sort and I can’t for the life of me figure out what I’ve done. I’m in contact with tech support so hopefully we’ll be back ‘online’ soon. I realize there’s a contest winner announcement due and I’ll get to it as soon as I can ‘see’ the website. Just hang with me for a little while longer until I can find out where I goofed.

Lily

All material &copy2005-2012 to Lily Graison