Captain's Log, Stardate 01.29.2009 Bluegrass Courtship By Allie Pleiter The celebrity host of TV’s Missionnovation , Drew Downing is comfortable with his fame. He’s become accustomed to the cheering, star-struck townfolk that usually welcome him as he renovates churches countrywide. Usually . Then he and his crew set up in tiny Middleburg, Kentucky, to rebuild the church’s storm-damaged preschool. The very lovely, very no-nonsense hardware store owner Janet Bishop is suspicious of Drew’s true motives. It looks like Janet Bishop’s faith—in God, in herself, and in love—needs some serious rebuilding. And Drew Downing is just the man for the job. From RTBookreviews Magazine: “Four Stars--With some delightfully humorous moments, Pleiter delivers an appealing romance as well as a story filled with interesting characters” And now, here’s me and Allie! Tell us about your Kentucky Corners series. They are a wonderful series of four books set in the fictional Kentucky s...

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.28.2009 Ane Mulligan tagged me, so here goes: Rules: Once you've been tagged, write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 10 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you. 1. I am currently exercising 6 days a week! Yay! 2. I’m walking/jogging to try to build up so that I can eventually run for 30 minutes straight. 3. I am currently wearing pink fingerless gloves I knit myself. 4. I am also currently wearing a spiral scarf I knit myself. 5. I’ll be teaching a mentoring group at the HeadStart program at Mount Hermon Writers Conference this spring. 6. Actually, I just realized I’m also wearing socks I knit myself. 7. I am really an introvert because large groups of people drain my energy, they don’t give me energy, but being an introvert doesn’t mean I can’t be friendly and outgoing—it just means that once I hit a certain poi...

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.27.2009 Okay, that title might be a slight exaggeration, but as a writer, my life is in my hands. And my computer keyboard. Those of you following me on Twitter know that a few weeks ago, I accidentally spilled water on my keyboard. Captain Caffeine oh-so-sympathetically said, “Well, you shouldn’t have been drinking near your keyboard.” But I always have water when I’m working! I drink about 10 glasses a day, more in the summertime since I sweat like a horse. Well, I did the correct thing—I unplugged it (electrocution is not my preferred way to die) and turned it upside down. And shook it a little. TWO drops came out. I also tried compressed air to try to get some of the water out. More drops came out that way (but this might have caused damage—see below). Then I called Captain Caffeine in a tearful panic, which is when he uttered the wonderfully encouraging words above. I dried it upside down for three days, then plugged it in. It still didn’t work—sev...

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.26.2009 The Red Siren by M.L. Tyndall Faith Westcott, a fiery redhead, is a lady by day and a pirate by night. How long can she maintain this dual identity before she's caught red handed? Dajon Waite, who scours the Carolina coast, expunging it of pirates and smugglers, is a more-than-capable captain in the British Royal Navy. But when asked to take on the guardianship of Faith and her two sisters, he finds himself in deep water. Having vowed to avoid women, what will he do when he begins falling for Faith? Can the all-consuming love of a godly captain redeem a not-so-ladylike pirate? Camy here: Female pirates! What’s not to like??? The hero in this book, Dajon, is my favorite hero of all of M.L. Tyndall’s stories that I’ve read. Kent from The Restitution used to be my favorite, but Dajon reminds me of Captain Wentworth from Jane Austen’s Persuasion —passionate, strong, a solid naval officer, a strong Christian. Yet he has a softer side that comes ou...

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.23.2009 My blog has been awarded the "Premio-Dardos" Award today by Crystal Miller of the Chat ‘n’ Chew Café . Isn’t that just the most delicious title ever? Makes me think of homemade sushi and a joke from my uncle Richard. Here is what is said about the Premio-Dardos: "This award 'acknowledges the values that every Blogger displays in their effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values with each message they write.' Camy here: “Cultural, ethical, literary and personal values”? Um ... well, I get the cultural part, but ethical, literary and personal values? I don’t know if my blog even aspires to such greatness. :P Awards like this have been created with the intention of promoting community among Bloggers. It's a way to show appreciation and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web. Camy here: Okay. Well, Crystal must be taking pity on me. I understand this award comes with a couple of rules, and th...

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.22.2009 I posted over at Faithchick today, and I’m looking for tips for staying motivated in my New Year’s Resolution: Camy here, asking how everybody’s doing on New Year’s Resolutions? I know, I know, I hear the collective groan. But really, it’s not too late to try something new for 2009. Click here to read my blog post and PLEASE leave a comment (here or over there) if you have any tips or ideas for staying motivated.

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.21.2009 I think I did this meme before, but OH WELL! 1. What time did you get up this morning? Noon—I slept in today 2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds 3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? I think it was Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End which I saw with Shelley Adina . 4. What is your favorite TV show? Right now, it’s Leverage on TNT. I used to rave about 24 , but so far, this season hasn’t been exciting my interest as much as other seasons. 5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Homemade low fat yogurt! I’m actually quite proud of myself that I’ve been eating breakfast everyday within 30 minutes of waking up. Before, I wouldn’t eat until lunch, which was very bad of me. 6. What is your middle name? Mie 7. What food do you dislike? vinegar 8. What is your favorite CD? I don't have any one favorite. Right now I’m listening to Matthew West, Something To Say 9. What kind of car do you drive? Toyota Camry 10. Favorite sandwi...

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Centurion's Wife Bethany House Publishers (January 1, 2009) by Davis Bunn and Janette Oke ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Davis Bunn is an internationally acclaimed author who has sold more than six million books in fifteen languages. His audiences span reading genres from high drama and action thrillers to heartwarming relationship stories, in both contemporary and historical settings. Honored with three Christy Awards for excellence in historical and suspense fiction, his bestsellers include My Soul To Keep, and Full Circle. A sought-after lecturer in the art of writing, Bunn was named Novelist in Residence at Regent's Park College, Oxford University. He and his wife, Isabella, make their home in Florida for some of each year, and spend the rest near Oxford, England, where they each teach and write. Her first novel, a prairie love story titled Love Comes Softly, was published by Bethany House in 197...

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.20.2009 I’m afraid I forgot to take pictures, but this recipe is just too good not to share. I love Mexican food, and I love bean burritos. So I thought I’d try to make homemade refried beans, because people I’ve talked to said that the homemade stuff is tons better than the canned stuff. I found this recipe , which cooks the beans in a pressure cooker, plus you don’t have to presoak them overnight. Makes the entire process very easy. The frying/mashing part took less than 15 minutes. I used less oil than they called for—only a tablespoon versus two—and added more cooking water from the beans. I varied the recipe a bit by frying the onion with chopped garlic (lots and lots of chopped garlic!). I also stirred in cumin (lots and lots of cumin!) with the salt. It made for very tasty beans! The homemade beans were a lot creamier than the canned stuff, plus the flavor was more intense, probably because of the extra garlic and cumin. And they were so easy to ma...

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.19.2009 Naturally, since I’m giving away healthy living books today, I have to blog about food. LOL I have never had mincemeat, although I read about them in my Regency historical romances and I had an English coworker once who described them to me. I know they’re traditionally eaten at Christmas, and I wanted to try one at some point but never had the opportunity. Then Captain Caffeine saw this box of commercially made mincemeat tarts at Marshall’s right after Christmas. The fact they’re made with Glenfiddich single malt scotch whiskey is the main reason he bought it, but it happened to coincide with my desire to try mincemeat. So we heated them up according to the package directions and tried them. They weren’t bad, but BOY OH BOY was the whiskey strong in those puppies. I liked the currants in them, but Captain Caffeine didn’t care for them because he dislikes raisins, and the currants were too much like the texture of small raisins for him. All in all...

Today's Wild Card author is: M.L. Tyndall and the book: The Red Siren Barbour Publishing, Inc (January 2009) You'll be swept away by this latest historical romance by bestselling author M. L. Tyndall. Faith Westcott is a lady by day and a pirate by night. Can she garner the riches she so desperately needs before her secret is revealed? Captain Dajon Waite is determined to catch the fiery redhead who has been pillaging the Carolina coast. When Faith invites his courtship, she hopes his infatuation will shield her true identity and keep other suitors at bay. Can the love of a godly captain win her heart, or will she be forced to marry Sir Wilhelm Carteret, a man obsessed with taking her to wife? ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Best-selling author of The Legacy of the King’s Pirates series, MaryLu Tyndall writes full time and makes her home with her husband, six children, and four cats on California’s coast. Her passion is to write page-turning, romantic adventures tha...

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.16.2009 Hey, I figure if other people can post pictures of babies and grandkids, I can post pictures of my dog, right? This is Snickers with her favorite toy, her yellow ducky. Actually, its color is more of a "bright" slobber ecru. Try to smile, don't look so sad, this really isn't that demeaning... Let's try to distract her with food so she'll look perky. Oh wait, put the food near the camera, not in your hand... Except now she looks sad and pathetic as she stares at the hot dog, waiting for it and wondering why we're torturing her. "Are you stupid humans done YET???" "While you try to figure out your camera, I'm going to sleep, which I could do better if you'd stop sticking this stupid duck under my head."

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.15.2009 Sweetwater Gap by Denise Hunter A story of new beginnings from best-selling Romance for Good™ author Denise Hunter. When Josephine's family insists she come home to help with the harvest, the timing works. But her return isn't simple benevolence-she plans to persuade the family to sell the failing orchard. The new manager's presence is making it difficult. Grady MacKenzie takes an immediate disliking to Josephine and becomes outright cantankerous when she tries talking her family into selling. As she and Grady work side by side in the orchard, she begins to appreciate his devotion and quiet faith. She senses a vulnerability in him that makes her want to delve deeper, but there's no point letting her heart have its way-he's tied to the orchard, and she could never stay there. A brush with death tears down Josephine's defenses and for the first time in her life, she feels freedom-freedom from the heavy burden of g...

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.15.2009 I blogged on Girls, God, and the Good Life about Becoming a better person in 2009 , and no, it wasn’t all about weight loss. :P Camy here. I love New Year’s Resolutions—I don’t know why so many people hate them. I think they’re fun. And so, to that effect, I’m making some resolutions for 2009 to make me a better person. I think Jesus would be happy with me. Click here to read the rest of the post , and weigh in with any “better person” resolutions you might have for 2009!

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.14.2009 Captain Caffeine sent me this link for a 16 pound prime rib roast that can be ordered at Costco.com. I think they offered it mainly for the holidays. Go ahead. Click on the link. See how much it costs. I’ll wait here until you come back. Go on. . . . . . . . . . DID YOU SEE HOW MUCH THAT PUPPY COST?????? Captain Caffeine says it’s a fine grade of beef like Kobe. At the restaurant, Kobe costs about $200 for 8 ounces, so 3Gs for a 15 pound roast is actually a deal. Right? I had Kobe beef once—my parents took us out to dinner for a special occasion except I can’t remember the occasion, just the beef. LOL Anyway, the Kobe beef was REALLLY GOOD. I mean REALLLLLY. For a beef lover like me, it was heaven—super super tender, with a delicate beef flavor. But it wasn’t quite worth the price, I’m sorry to say. I’d rather spend $35 for an aged ribeye. Sure, the pleasure factor wouldn’t be as high, but the pleasure per dollar ratio would be a lot better with ...

Today's Wild Card author is: Chantel Hobbs and the books: Never Say Diet WaterBrook Press; Reprint edition (December 16, 2008) and The Never Say Diet Personal Fitness Trainer WaterBrook Press (December 16, 2008) Note from Camy: I'll be giving these books away on January 19th! ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Chantel Hobbs is a personal trainer, certified spinning instructor, and motivational speaker whose no-excuses approach to fitness has won her a grateful following across the country. The author of Never Say Diet, Chantel hosts a weekly fitness program on Reach FM radio and is a regular guest on Way FM. Her “Ditch the Diet, Do the Weekend” bootcamp takes place several times a year in a variety of locations. She has presented her unique approach to lasting fitness in People magazine and on Oprah, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Fox News, The 700 Club, Living the Life, and Paula White Today. Chantel enjoys life with her husband and their four children in South Florid...