The Million-Dollar Chocolate Recipe

Of all the chocolate in the world, my favorites are M&M's® candies. No contest. I like 'em plain. Just me, the chocolate and the crunch. [Although...I tried the chocolate mint variety over the holidays, and I like them for a change.] I'm partial to Green. She's a sassy gal, and I like her style. M&M's® were introduced to the market the same year I was born, so I tend to think my enjoyment comes from that special bond.

M&M's® are made by Mars, Inc., a company owned by the Mars family. In Las Vegas, I visited M&M's® World, the Ethel M Chocolate Factory (named for the matriarch of the clan), and the nearby cactus garden.

What's this got to do with a very expensive chocolate recipe?

Over the holidays, my husband and I took a few days off to enjoy Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. It's a living history museum which has recreated the capital city of Virginia from the Revolutionary period with many of the buildings dating from the 1700's. One of the buildings recently reconstructed is Richard Charlton's Coffeehouse. In the early days, coffeehouses were like the Starbucks company of today, serving coffee, tea, and wait for it...hot chocolate!

Not the 12-ounce economy size, milky sweet. R. Charlton's chocolate is the 2-ounce tiny, demitasse- cup size. Filled with rich, thick, hot, smooth, and lightly spiced liquid excellence.

As in all things in the Colonial city, the historians obsess about the details. In the notes of the coffeehouse from over 200 years ago, they found the original recipe for the chocolate served, describing the preparation and spices used. A call went out to the major chocolate makers of the world. Can you reproduce this recipe for us?

Forrest Mars (of Mars, Inc. fame) took a look at the recipe, visited Virginia and was fascinated that chocolate had been such a large part of our United States history. He immediately set out to reproduce the recipe and supply the chocolate to the coffeehouse. Of course, seeing the business potential, he also created an Historic Division in Mars, Inc. to produce the American Heritage® Historic Chocolate in its several historic forms for purchase by the public.

And appreciating the work of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, he and his wife donated millions of dollars to reconstruct R. Charlton's Coffeehouse, and they continue to contribute to the Colonial city today. Now we can enjoy Colonial chocolate right in the coffeehouse where it was served.

Although I enjoy Colonial chocolate now and then, I stand by my M&M's®. The candies often find their way into my writing (M&M's® play an important role in the The Master's Plan), and I always keep a supply on hand when I take a break from writing.

Do you like M&M's®, and do you have a favorite color? Comment and let us know!

Snowed In? Read a Good Book!

The Giveaway Hop finished long ago, but there's always time to find a good book to read. 

Although I now live in the Triangle of North Carolina and we don't get much snow, I've lived in the mountains of Pennsylvania and in Michigan, so I have a good handle on the "snowed in" concept. And right now the temperatures are COLD! My number one way to stay warm? Snuggle up with the hubby. When he's at work...I get the fire going in the fireplace and read! 

One of the books on my keepers shelf comes from the Love Inspired Suspense series. The author is Sharon Mignerey and the book is a contemporary inspirational -- Small Town Secrets. 

Finally back on her feet after a nasty divorce from a local cop, Lea is ready to adopt the baby she's always wanted. But her ex is stalking her, and no one will stand up to a police hero. Enter Zach, ex-con, recovering alcoholic. Lea finds herself irresistibly drawn to his protective strength and quiet faith. 

Every time I start this book, I can't put it down. The writing draws a portrait of a woman under siege and the man who protects her at the cost of his own freedom. This is a wonderful story for a winter's day. 

Sharon Mignerey is one of the reasons I write inspirational romance. I love her light touch that presents a message of faith by showing people struggling to make moral decisions in difficult circumstances. I used that same "show-don't-tell" approach in my own inspirational The Master's Plan and readers say they liked the result. 

If you were snowed in, which book is the first one you'd pull off your shelf or load on the e-reader? 

Librarians Make Great Characters

It's National Library Week and time to honor the librarians in our lives. I'm a librarian, and librarians have been mentors, friends and family (both my sister and my mom). I also love to bring librarians into my romance novels and show the great diversity of careers and personalities these wonderful professionals have. Today, I'm sharing an excerpt from my novel The Master's Plan, available in paper, and launched as an e-book fro Astraea Press on July 29, 2014. 

For Caralyn Masters, an accident leaves lingering effects — she grieves for her sister, her faith is unsettled and automobiles give her the literal shakes. While hiking in the Ozarks, she shares a trail shelter with a wet and weary hiker. He’s charming. She’s attracted. Things are looking up. 

from THE MASTER'S PLAN...

Grinning, Cara retrieved Jason’s garments and gently squeezed the cloth outside the slightly opened gate, letting the water drip in the area protected by the overhanging roof. From the corner, she heard more rustling cloth.

“Kansas Jayhawks?” he said. “Are you from the University of Kansas?”

Cara glanced his way to find him staring at the plump bird emblazoned on the black sweatshirt he now wore. The overlarge yellow beak, blue feathers, and ridiculous grin marched across the material in wild abandon.

“Yes, actually. I work there.” She moved to hang the clothes carefully on the line.

“I’ve always thought,” Jason said, “that the Jayhawk was created by a student who indulged in alcohol to excess. I guess you could say he’s cute... in an obnoxious sort of way.”

Cara faced him. “Did you go to KU?”

He shook his head. “No, but I’ve got a friend who teaches there.” He reached for her rain jacket. “What do you do at the university?”

“I’m a reference librarian at the main library.”

“Ah, the noble calling of librarian.” At her skeptical glance, he chuckled. “No, I’m serious. A great librarian saved my hide a couple of times when I was working on my history degree. I have a lot of respect for what you do.”

Cara glowed inside and her lips curved up. “Thanks. People don’t always appreciate our work. The old-lady-with-the-bun image gets in the way.”

“Although you’re a lady,” he teased, “you’re definitely not old, and I don’t see a bun. I think we can safely put the cliché to rest.”

Cara blushed. His voice was light, but she could feel his eyes on her.

He was feeling less like a stranger by the minute.

*******

The Master's Plan, now available in paper and eBook formats.