Geri's Take

Stalked in Silver Valley Coming Soon!

The Silver Valley PD series is my most popular to date, and it’s hard to believe but Book 9 (!) Stalked in Silver Valley, will be released in just a little over a month. Don’t miss this latest installment. Preorder now.

KINDLE B&N/NOOK  CUPBOARD MAKER BOOKS

Kit and Luther are the most psychologically intense couple I’ve written. As a woman finally freed of the underage marriage she was forced into, Kit wants justice for all women in the same situation. She’s been hired to be a special data/intelligence analyst for Silver Valley PD, and in the course of the story gets recruited by the super-secret government shadow agency headquartered in Silver Valley. Add undercover agent Luther into the story, and Kit’s world is blown apart when she discovers that there is a man she can love again. But the mob is after them, and it’s a thrilling ride to see if they’ll survive to love another day.

Need more deets? Here’s an excerpt. Make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter to avoid FOMO on any of my releases, with an occasional give-away included.

Much love and joy to you and yours.

Peace,

Geri

Holiday Cheer (and some recipes!)

My holiday started with a sparkly bang as I signed alongside Nora Roberts at Turn the Page Bookstore this past Saturday. For all of you who attended, thank you and it was so nice to meet you!

December 5, 2015 Turn the Page Bookstore
December 5, 2015 Turn the Page Bookstore

To continue the sparkle, let’s not forget all of the generous authors who shared their holiday customs and recipes with us last year.  There’s something for everyone. Most of all, please remember to take time for quiet wherever you can get it. I like to brew a cup of tea every few hours or so. It gets me up from the desk and refreshed, ready to rock and roll on the next Silver Valley PD story!

 

Three More to Go!

I love when live and work dovetail in the least expected ways. This past week I enjoyed a beautiful drive to my hometown of Buffalo, NY, where I took my parents for a day trip to a local vineyard. Eveningside Vineyards is owned by fellow high school alumnus, Randy Biehl. Randy gave us the royal tour of his lovely winery in the midst of  a Western New York autumn. It doesn’t get much better than this! As one of our classmates commented on Facebook, “wine and literature, two favorite things.”

Dream chasers from the same high school
Dream chasers from the same high school

It’s nearing the end of my promo tour this year and the best is yet to come with my next three appearances.  First up, I’ll be signing tomorrow with Heidi Hormel and Karen Rose Smith at the Reader’s Cafe in Hanover PA, then I’ll be signing and speaking at the Las Vegas Readers Festival next Saturday.

I’ll be celebrating a long-held dream when I sign with Nora Roberts at her bookstore in Boonsboro, MD on December 5th. Details on all my appearances are over at my events page. I hope to meet you soon!

The Cup is Half Full!

Fantabulous Table at the WRWDC Luncheon
Fantabulous Table at the WRWDC Luncheon

The Washington Romance Writers Reader and Blogger Luncheon this past Saturday marked the half-way point for my fall appearances. Let me tell you a secret: I didn’t realize how many events I’d planned until I sat down to do my calendar after RWA, my big romance author’s conference, back in July. I am an extrovert by nature so meeting readers is always a priority and fun for me. And yet…I’m needing to squeeze in some power naps here and there, and pay better attention to my food choices. I want to keep my energy up and enjoy the remaining events, not drag through them. But I digress…
If I haven’t had a chance to meet you yet, I do hope you’ll come out for one of the many exciting events I’m attending. I’m a storyteller and I write my stories for you!

The Joy of Romance for Read a Romance Month

Today’s post is for Read a Romance Month, founded by Bobbi Dumas who is a tireless advocate of romance fiction. With articles for Kirkus Reviews and NPR, Bobbi also has interviews of some of today’s most beloved romance authors. Lorelei’s Lit Lair graciously asked me to join in the celebration, and Lorelei has a post explaining how she got involved as a romance advocate here.

What does the Joy of Romance mean to me?

The Joy of Romance, and more specifically, in romance novels, has had her warm, loving hands on me since I was in elementary school.

My very first romance!

The summer I turned ten I ran out of Nancy Drew and Sue Barton, Student Nurse books. My mother carefully picked a Candlelight Romance from her nightstand for me. It was Night Duty Nurse by Katherine McComb and was everything that was romance back then. The big sexy part was the kiss at the end of the book. A peck. Nothing else. I was ten; I wasn’t ready for anything more. But the story swept me away to long hours in a hospital where a dedicated nurse fell in love with her burn patient, an attractive and virile man. She discovered he wore a wooden prosthesis for his leg, and I can remember that scene so clearly, her reaction, how much more of a hero he became in that moment. Maybe that’s why in my very first published novel the hero had lost his leg in a war? And why I still have to put suspense in every story I write?

When I was a midshipman at the Naval Academy there wasn’t a whole lot of time for leisure reading but I managed to devour romances over Christmas and spring breaks. The pure joy of being a girl in a bubble bath with a romance novel, after strenuous training and wearing a uniform 24/7 (yes, even our pajamas were Navy-issued!) was better than any spa day I’ve had since. As a Naval Intelligence Officer deployed to Sicily and Bermuda (and all points in between) I subscribed to the Harlequin Reader Service and escaped from the demands of the Cold War, if only for twenty minutes once a week.

When I was a Navy spouse raising two tiny tots and my husband was deployed to war, I let the joy of romance comfort me via novels and movies, and kept the faith that he’d return to us. He did, thank God.

Once I figured out that I, too, was a romance writer, I devoured romance novels across the spectrum of heat levels, publishers and of course my favorite authors. I was in search of the perfect publisher fit for my stories, and I wanted to know how the most successful authors had achieved their status. So now you know why I chose to sell to category romance to start off my career.

I write more angst-filled, romantic suspense that deals with life-or-death situations. And yet my characters show me that no matter what, true love can bring joy to the most desperate situation. It can heal the deepest wounds and restore faith that has been chewed up and spit out by the machinations of what can be a very challenging journey on this planet. Or any other planet, or dimension, or time setting. Nothing is beyond the touch of romance and her ability to shower her characters and readers with undulated joy. And how cool is it that my novella in the Christmas anthology Coming Home for Christmas is Navy Joy?

Author Questions from RARM

1. Tell us about a moment in your life when you experienced sheer joy.

Most recently? When I saw my dear friend and Academy-sister Caro Carson win the Romance Writers of America’s “oscar,” the Rita for her wonderful book A Texas Rescue Christmas.  I cried tears of joy!

2. Tell us about a place that brings you joy, or is attached to a memory of joy.

The beach and ocean, where we took our kids each year to enjoy time with their grandparents. Stone Harbor, New Jersey is an instant serenity place for me.

3. Tell us about a sound that brings you joy.

Birds. I love birds, and spend hours writing on my patio through three seasons so that I can hear cardinals, robins, mockingbirds, blue birds, hawks (their mating cries are primal), and many others.

4. What recent book have you read that brought you joy. Why?

Teardrop Lane by Emily March. I’ve so loved her Eternity Springs series and this one was particularly heart wrenching and worth the read to the pure joy when Cicero and Rose get together.

5.  And for fun, the joy of choice ;o) ~ Pick Your Chris!

It will always be Christopher Plummer in the Sound of Music. Hands down. Who are your favorite romance authors?

My absolute favorite romance authors include Sherry Thomas, Barbara O’Neal, and Heidi Hormel. Sherry’s prose is like poetry and her sexy love scenes are a crescendo to her hero and heroine’s arias through conflict and sexual tension. Barbara O’Neal’s voice is the most unique in our genre with simple phrases opening the heart to a journey of unconditional and intensely romantic love. Heidi Hormel is a debut author this year and her fun, light-hearted voice doesn’t skimp on the realities of a good romantic conflict.

Since you’ve stopped by, I’d be delighted if you please take the time to sign up for my newsletter. I only send one when I have a new book or amazing news, so I won’t flood your email, promise. You can sign up here. As a thank you to my readers (that’s you!) I run a give-away contest over on Fresh Fiction each month. Please enter here and good luck!

 

Grabbing the Blooms Where I can

Summer has settled into the Northeastern USA and I’m making the most of it with walks and long mornings writing on my patio.

Clematis
Clematis

My organic veggie garden is something of a hot mess as I always over plant. The green beans and cucumbers are climbing up the tomato cages, and alas, some of the tomatoes. One success I’ve had is with wavy petunias. They were neglected by (cough, cough) certain family members while I was gone for a writing event. They were crispier than bacon on a grill. But with a little shade and a lot of watering, they’re back! I’m taking such joy in seeing a garden progress over years instead of months or only two growing seasons, as we dealt with while living our Navy life.

I hope your summer (winter for our southern hemisphere readers) is off to a good start, too.

Beginnings and Endings

Spring Storm in Silver Valley
Spring Storm in Silver Valley

It’s a busy month Chez Krotow as one college kid has finished Freshman year and the other is about to graduate. I’m much too young to have a college graduate child but I digress… I’m happily working away on the Silver Valley PD Series. You’ll be able to read the first book in November with Her Christmas Protector, and the second book is slated for a March 2016 release. I’ll post updates on Pinterest and Facebook as I can. As always, our family will take a moment on Memorial Day to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

 

Silver Valley PD–A New Series in 2015

I’m delighted to announce my new series for Harlequin Romantic Suspense  will launch later this year.

Safe or filled with mystery?
Safe or filled with mystery?

The Silver Valley PD Series is sometimes loosely, sometimes closely, based on where our family has settled after years of Navy moves. I’ve fallen in love with my new hometown and now the characters of its fictional sister, Silver Valley.

Silver Valley is set amidst the Appalachians
Silver Valley is set amidst the Appalachians

The Whidbey Island Series continues, as well, with Navy Justice out in September.

I’m including  a couple of  photos to give you a taste of the setting I’m writing in this winter and spring, for your reading by the holidays 2015.

Super Secret Christmas Cookie and Frosting Recipes

As my sincerest, most joy-filled thank you to my readers and dear author friends who have supported the release of Navy Christmas and Navy Joy in Coming Home for Christmas, may I present my most closely-held family recipe! If I could have sent a dozen of these to each of the military and their family that you helped me send books to, I would have. Enjoy!

Misha Guards the Cookies

Geri’s Christmas Cut-Outs

This recipe is a combination of my Polish-American Grandmother’s huge cut-out cookies, and my mother’s Christmas cookies, topped with my aunt’s incredible frosting.

Sour Cream Cut-Outs

(very loosely adapted from Southern Living’s Sour Cream Cookies in their Christmas Cookies book of 1986):

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened

1 cup sugar (I like to use turbinado or raw cane but white is best for special occasions)

1 egg

1 8-oz container of sour cream

2 tsps anise flavoring (all natural is best)  note: my grandmother’s original recipe says “use 39 cents worth of anise.”

4-5 cups flour (I use King Arthur Unbleached but Whole Wheat Pastry flour works fab, too)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar, add egg, anise, sour cream. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl, add to wet mix very slowly but make sure to mix well. You will need extra flour later, for rolling out dough. Divide the dough into thirds and chill for at least an hour. I usually make the dough a few days before I am ready to bake.

Preheat oven to 350.

Roll dough onto floured surface to ¼” and cut out in desired shapes (you can go thinner but they won’t be as scrumptious, plus you want a substantial cookie to hold the frosting). These cookies will rise and expand in the oven so leave enough room between them on the cookie sheet. Place cut-outs on ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes depending upon thickness. They are done when very lightly browned. Cool on racks before frosting. Sometimes I don’t get to the frosting until the next day, that’s okay– just make sure you store in an airtight or foil-topped container.

 

Aunt Margie’s Frosting

 ½ cup milk

1 tbsp cornstarch

Mix the above 2 ingredients and cook in medium saucepan until it thickens. Stir in:

1 tsp vanilla

 Cool thoroughly.

Pour into

½ c. butter (softened)

1 lb. confectioner’s sugar

Beat with a hand mixer (or stand) until creamy. Divide up as desired and color with food coloring. White with different colored sprinkles is always a hit. Frosting will set as it dries on the cookies. We set up a cookie decorating workshop and I put my family to task (since I’ve done all of the baking). They can decorate 12 dozen inside of 90 minutes!