Behind The Words With Author Tracie Peterson

6 November 2023

Hi Tracie! Welcome to Reader’s Entertainment. Today, we’ll be talking about Tracie’s latest release KNOWING YOU. First, tell our reader’s about Knowing You.

May Parker is an American artist who happens to be half white, half Japanese. She works at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in 1909 Seattle. As one of many Camera Girls, May spends her days adding color to postcards and taking time to visit the Japanese Building where she learns about her heritage. Lee Munro is an old friend and police detective, who has been long absent from May’s life due to prejudices felt by his family. When criminal interest in the samurai armor display suggests trouble, Lee and May are brought together to figure it out. In doing so, they also come to renew their friendship and interest in one another. Can God help them to overcome the prejudices of family and the world in order for their love to flourish?

Knowing You is the final book in the PICTURES OF THE HEART series. What was the connecting element for all of the books in this series?

The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition of 1909 brought millions of people to Seattle. This series shows a fictional group of “Camera Girls” who work taking souvenir photos of expo attendees and in the process, fall in love.

Are there any threads that run through the whole series that will be wrapped up in this book?

There are a few in the form of the exposition itself, as well as what happens to several beloved characters.

What are some of the main themes or lessons covered in Knowing You?

Dealing with racial prejudices. Facing the past to overcome the power it has on you. And not allowing other people to dictate your relationship with others, but rather looking to God for direction.

Knowing You combines history and romance, but it also offers a thread of suspense. Can you provide a hint of the dangerous situation that May and her childhood friend Lee Munro encounter?

A notorious criminal comes back into Lee’s life and threatens May’s welfare, leading Lee to realize just how important May is to him.

Most of your story takes place at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. When did you learn about this expo and why did you decide to use it as the setting for your book?

A few years ago I was doing research for another book when it mentioned something about the A-Y-P expo as it was nicknamed. I decided to check into it and found the exposition and the setting to be fascinating and fun. I was particularly caught up in comments about the new Kodak camera being available at an affordable price for the average family and thought it was a neat side note to include in the story.

What do you hope readers will gain from reading Knowing You, and how have you been impacted by this series?

Each series always touches my heart as I explore the history and the spiritual aspects of the storyline. I believe my writing is a ministry and in that, I always want to share the Gospel as well as biblical encouragement. I want the reader to know that God is real and that He cares. I want them to see the simple ways God encourages us daily through His Word and others, and how we, too, can offer this encouragement to each other.

How can readers connect with you?

Readers can contact me through my website www.traciepeterson.com or through Facebook.com/AuthorTraciePeterson

Where can readers purchase a copy of Knowing You?

Bakerbookhouse.com, Christianbooks.com and any place that offers books for sale.

Thank you so much for joining us today, Tracie!! Reader’s here’s a quick look at KNOWING YOU, which releases tomorrow!

Could a captivating art exhibit hold the key to truth–and love?

Budding artist May Parker is captivated by the Japanese exhibits at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition and longs to know more about her mother’s heritage–which her mother refuses to speak of because of the heartache she left behind in Japan. Wanting to experience more of the exhibits, May works as a Camera Girl–but her curiosity leads her into danger when a suit of samurai armor becomes the target of an elusive art forger.

After ten years apart, May is reunited with her childhood friend Lee Munro, a police detective assigned to keep a watchful eye on the exposition. Their friendship immediately begins to blossom with hints of something more, but when they become entangled in a dangerous heist involving the samurai armor and their love is threatened, can they overcome the odds against them?

A Family Dog Named Scar is Curious, Mischievous…and a Little Impatient for Some Tasty Thanksgiving Fare in This Delightful Picture Book

Jocie McKade

5 November 2023

A bit of nostalgia is on the way with a new picture book by author Vida Fernández, celebrating a special holiday and a beloved family pet. In Scar’s Thanksgiving, Scar is a lovable and precocious Rottweiler who lives with his familia and learns about gratitude…and the deliciousness of holiday pork.

Something scrumptious in the air at Scar’s home with Big Gladys and Vida. What could it be? It reminds Scar of something festive but he knows it’s not Christmas yet. What did Big Gladys put in the oven so early in the morning? Scar’s tummy is rumbling and he just can’t wait to find out what the irresistible aroma is. When he wakes up a sleepy Vida, the girl explains that it’s Thanksgiving and it’s the pernil that Mami seasoned that they smell. It’s not long before the house is filled with visitors, a table of food, gratitude for familia…and a big pork bone for Scar, of course.

Reminiscent of favorite classics including Alexandra Day’s Good Dog, Carl and Don Freeman’s Corduroy, families and educators of young children will welcome this heartwarming Thanksgiving story of family and gratitude, sprinkled with a bit of latino flair. Fernández’s gentle storytelling complemented by beautiful painterly illustrations by Shelby Faircloth make for a wonderful holiday read-aloud to return to again and again. Scar’s Thanksgiving is the second title in the Misadventures of Scar Fernández picture book series which debuted with Dog Letter.

If you would like more information about author Vida Fernández and Scar’s Thanksgiving, please contact 367933@email4pr.com or visit https://www.vidafernandez.com/.

Hide and Seek: In Pursuit of Justice (The Azrieli Series of Holocaust Survivor Memoirs)

Jocie McKade

5 November 2023

Canadian Holocaust survivor dedicated to social justice and reconciliation releases new memoir — Ben Carniol

As part of Holocaust Education Week 2023, the Azrieli Foundation’s Holocaust Survivor Memoirs Program launched Hide and Seek: In Pursuit of Justice at the Isabel Bader Theatre on Oct. 30, 2023. Authored by respected social work educator Ben Carniol, the memoir is his story of survival and his response to it: a deep commitment to creating a safe and just society for all.

“It is a story full of love, tragedy, grief, loss, hope, power and healing in which kindness remains an important human trait,” says Minogiizhigokwe, Dr. Kathy Absolon, author of Kaandossiwin: How We Come to Know, Indigenous Re-Search Methodologies. “This is a story that draws the reader into a journey full of spirit, transformation and hope. I have a deep respect and love for the work of Ben Carniol. This memoir is well worth reading.”

The launch focused on two main components that shaped Carniol’s life: his survival and his later work with Indigenous communities in Canada.

“It is incredibly powerful to see how Ben was compelled to take action as a young adult,” says Jody Spiegel, Director of the Holocaust Survivor Memoirs Program. “After experiencing his own trauma, he was, and still is, committed to helping others who are facing their own traumas.”

Carniol, separated from his parents, survived the Holocaust in Baudour, Belgium, living with a non-Jewish couple active in the Belgian resistance. His parents were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Carniol came to Canada as an orphan in 1947, where he united with extended family members in Ottawa, Ontario. Though young at the time, the loss he experienced and the violence he lived through instilled a deep, lifelong commitment to advocate for those facing injustices. In his new memoir, he writes about these experiences and where this commitment took him.

Hide and Seek: In Pursuit of Justice is now available at online book retailers. As part of the Holocaust Survivor Memoirs Program, a non-profit operated by the Azrieli Foundation, all revenues from the memoir sales go towards the program’s publishing and education work.

About the Azrieli Foundation:

With a firm belief that everyone has a contribution to make, the Azrieli Foundation has been opening doors, breaking ground, and nurturing networks for more than 30 years. The Foundation – the largest non-corporate foundation in Canada – funds institutions and operates programs in Canada and Israel. The Holocaust Survivor Memoirs Program, one of the Azrieli Foundation programs, was established in 2005 to collect, preserve and share the memoirs and diaries written by survivors of the Holocaust who came to Canada. Learn more about the Azrieli Foundation: https://azrielifoundation.org/.

Behind The Words With Elaine Roth

Jocie McKade

5 November 2023

Today, we welcome Elaine Roth to our blog. We’ll be talking about her debut novel THE MIDNIGHT GARDEN. Welcome Elaine, first tell our readers a bit about yourself.

I live in New Jersey, but I’m originally from New York—born in the Bronx and then moved to a suburb outside of the city. My family is originally from Odessa, which is in the Ukraine now, and I was the first person to be born in America.

Writing is not my full-time job as of now. When I’m not writing books, I’m writing freelance articles or teaching Pilates. When I’m not doing any of that I’m a solo mom to two middle-school aged kids—which basically means I’m a chauffeur, chef, house manager, tutor, and more. When I’m not doing any of that, I’m taking care of Coco—a fourteen-year-old maltipoo we rescued about seven years ago. It all makes for busy days, but I’m lucky that I love all of what I do.

How long have you been writing?

I think I’ve been writing something since I learned to read, but I really started to write novels after my son was born. I’d left a career in tax law to be a stay-at-home mom and felt like I wanted to do something more. I told my husband I wanted to try my hand at getting a novel published, and he thought it was a great idea and became my biggest cheerleader.

What does your typical writing day look like?

All of my days are dictated by the kids’ schedules, so it’s hard to describe a typical day, but every morning is the same. I wake up at about 5:30 a.m., make myself a coffee, and start to write. I write until it’s time to get the kids ready for school. Then I usually don’t have another chance to write until after school—and this typically happens in my car while the kids are at a various activities. When I’m drafting, I try to get at least 1000 words in a day, but it doesn’t always happen.

Tell us about your debut novel.

The Midnight Garden is my debut, and it started with my own journey of finding bits of magic in the world as I was learning to navigate life as a young widow and solo mom. I wanted to tell a story about grief, hope, and second chances because those are themes that mean a lot to me.

Could you share one detail from your current release with readers that they might not find in the book?

Bluebirds play a large role in the story to help develop the magic, and the day I submitted my completed manuscript to my agent, a bluebird landed on the tree outside my window—in February in the northeast! It felt like a good sign. It felt like the magic I wanted to share in my story.

Who has been the most difficult character for you to write?

Maeve was the hardest character for me. I wanted readers to question her, but also like her. I wanted them to trust her and also not trust her. Finding and staying on that line was a fun challenge.

If you could be one of your characters for a day which character would it be?

I’d love to be Maeve for a day. I love the way she sees the world and the freedom in which she moves through it. She’s unapologetically herself and that’s a beautiful, rare thing.

What character would you spend the day with? What would you do? What would that day look like?

If I could choose a character to spend the day with, I’d pick Hope. She’s a young widow, too, which means we’re in the same terrible club. It means we speak a language that other people don’t have to learn to speak. I’ve always clicked with every young widow I’ve met, and I don’t think Hope would be different. I’m not sure what we would do—but it would most certainly involve a lot of dark humor and looking for signs that we’re headed in the right direction.

What’s your take on research and how do you do it?

Research is so necessary, and at the same time I find it overwhelming! I tend to research as I write, which often means I’ll go down a rabbit hole and realize I used up my entire writing session researching some obscure fact that I ultimately don’t even need.

Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write?

I’m influenced heavily by Alice Hoffman, Emily Henry, Sarah J. Maas, and Taylor Jenkins Reid. They are all able to make their stories and characters pop off the page and it’s inspiring to read their work.

Do you have a secret talent readers would be surprised by?

I’m exceptionally good at memorizing license plates. It’s a useless talent, except when friends are filling out DMV forms and call me for their license plate, so they don’t have to go outside to check.

Your favorite go to drink or food when the world goes crazy!

If the world is crazy—then coffee. A really good, creamy latte feels very grounding.

What is your writing kryptonite?

My phone! If I have it near me, one innocent notification check or swipe can end up wasting precious minutes—or longer!

What is the one question you never get asked at interviews, but wish you did? Ask and answer it.

Q: What has been the best part about the publishing process so far?

A: Receiving the ARCS! For the obvious reason, because I got to hold my book, professionally bound and printed, for the first time, and for the less obvious reason—because of how excited my kids were when they held my book. One of my favorite life memories is watching them run around the house shouting and jumping and celebrating. They were so proud, and I was so thrilled to be able to show them the value of persistence and following a dream. It was so meaningful to show them that even though I’m a solo mom, I’m capable of making dreams come true for them and myself.

Thank you so much for sitting down with us today, Elaine!

Reader’s THE MIDNIGHT GARDEN has just released. Here’s a quick look::::

From debut author Elaine Roth comes a hopeful and heartfelt story about a young widow who uncovers the magic of everyday life―and the power of second chances.

After the sudden death of her husband, Hope finds herself reeling from the loss in more ways than one. First a young wife and now a grieving widow, she feels like fodder for never-ending town gossip.

But when Hope meets Will, a screenwriter back in town to run his family’s inn, she sees in him another resident oddball. And like her, Will has been navigating a loss of his own.

As Hope falls for Will, she seeks out another enigma in town: Maeve, an eccentric woman who makes healing teas and communes with the dead. Some of the townspeople think she’s a grifter, a fake. Will, too, is skeptical.

Hope yearns for closure and forgiveness, seeing in Maeve the chance to trust herself again―and in Will, a chance to rediscover the enchantment in the world around her…

And the courage to build a bigger life than she ever thought possible.

Book Review: “Storm Watch” by C.J. Box

Jocie McKade

4 November 2023

Book Review: “Storm Watch” by C.J. Box

This is book #23 in the Joe Pickett series. And yes….I’ve read them all. 🙂

Joe and Marybeth are now “empty nesters”.

Sheridan is working with Nate Romanowski at Yarak, Inc., and she is close to becoming a master falconer.

April is interning for a PI in Montana (Cassie Dewell!), and

Lucy is a Sophomore at the University of Wyoming.

Marybeth still runs the local library and Daisy, Joe’s yellow lab, is getting old, but, still occupies the passenger seat in Joe’s Game Warden truck……which is new….again! 🙂

A huge snow storm is rolling in and a vehicle ran into some elk in the road. One injured elk needs to be found and Joe has asked for permission to go on private property to find it.

He finds the elk, but he also finds a metal shack with huge fans making a whining noise, in the middle of nowhere. The inside of that shack is filled with computer equipment and…a dead body!

Yikes!

Menwhile, Nate and his new friend Geronimo are talking about mining Bitcoin to help Yarak, Inc. keep making money and possibly expand.

Then…..Nate is approached by a guy who is with an anti-government organization….and they want Nate to join them.

Nate, who has no love for the government, is thinking about it.

Then……

Things go “Western” really quickly and…….

Oh, you’ll have to read the book to find out what happens. 🙂

“Storm Watch” is a super fast, action-packed thriller full of intrigue, plot twists, brutal violence, and the usual tip of the hat to the late, great, Chris LeDoux.

A fantastic read!

A History of the Postal Service … for Kids!

Jocie McKade

4 November 2023

A History of the Postal Service … for Kids!
Click here for a FREE download

The U.S. Postal Service is offering a new activity book to teach kids about postal history. A Kids’ History of the United States Postal Service is a colorful, 40-page booklet full of historic facts, photos and stories about the U.S. Mail and the people (and animals!) who kept it moving. The new publication is illustrated throughout with archival photographs and drawings.

Starting with the American Revolution and continuing through the present day, A Kids’ History combines the Postal Service’s rich history with activities and fun facts. Some of the activities, like word games, puzzles and mazes, can challenge a young person’s skills. Others, like addressing an envelope or making a paper airplane, teach life skills and encourage creativity. Children can express their artistic talents by designing their own pretend postage stamp, while teachers might use the booklet in lessons about history, geography, writing, and math.

“We hope this book helps to teach kids about the important role the Postal Service played in uniting the nation. Even in this digital age, the Postal Service still connects us, just as it has for nearly 250 years,” Judy de Torok, corporate affairs vice president, said in announcing the book.

The new activity book, created by Jenny Lynch, the USPS historian, and her team, is available now online.

Creating the book was “a labor of love,” Lynch said. “We had fun thinking about USPS history from a kid’s perspective — how to tell the most essential parts of our story, while keeping young readers engaged.”

A Kids’ History of the United States Postal Service can be downloaded for free from the USPS website.

Please Note: The United States Postal Service is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to nearly 165 million addresses six and often seven days a week. Overseen by a bipartisan Board of Governors, the Postal Service is implementing a 10-year transformation plan, Delivering for America, to modernize the postal network, restore long-term financial sustainability, dramatically improve service across all mail and shipping categories, and maintain the organization as one of America’s most valued and trusted brands.

The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

For USPS media resources, including broadcast-quality video and audio and photo stills, visit the USPS Newsroom. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the USPS YouTube channel, like us on Facebook and enjoy our Postal Posts blog. For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and facts.usps.com.

Travel Back in Time With These 5 Reads

Jocie McKade

4 November 2023

This fall cuddle up with your warmest socks and coziest blanket and transport yourself to another time and place with any of these thrilling and intricately plotted historical reads. Plenty of adventure and mystery await readers in these pages…

Murder at the Merton Library by Andrea Penrose

Join Wrexford and Lady Charlotte in the atmospheric world of Regency England. When the reclusive librarian of Oxford University is murdered, and a rare manuscript disappears, Wrexford is drawn into a perplexing investigation where his own name becomes a clue. Meanwhile, Charlotte, writing under her pen name, A. J. Quill, must uncover the truth behind a suspicious laboratory fire and its connection to a high-stakes race to build a revolutionary steam-powered ship. As they untangle the baffling clues, Wrexford and Charlotte realize that a sinister conspiracy lurks in the shadows. Get ready for a riveting tale where deception and danger intertwine, and only their wit and determination can save the day.

The Novelist from Berlin by V.S. Alexander

Delve into the captivating world of post-WWI Berlin in this gripping novel inspired by the audacious true story of Irmgard Keun. Niki Rittenhaus, a brilliant and resourceful woman, defies societal norms to survive in a city simmering with volatility. Her escape from a marriage to a Nazi-supporting husband propels her on a perilous journey for her art, her life, and the safety of her child. From pseudonymous literary success to life on the run, Niki’s unyielding spirit leads her through a web of danger, resistance, and war-torn landscapes. This engrossing tale transports readers into a tumultuous era, where a courageous woman fights for freedom and the power to pen her own destiny.

Murder Wears a Hidden Face by Rosemary Simpson

Dive into the dark underbelly of Gilded Age New York where Prudence MacKenzie, heiress-turned-lawyer, and former Pinkerton Geoffrey Hunter are drawn away from the glittering mansions of high society to the gritty streets of Chinatown when a diplomat’s murder shocks the city. As they investigate the assassination of Lord Peng, they’re thrust into a complex web of cultural complexities, alliances with dangerous Tongs, and a relentless killer seeking revenge. Simpson weaves a gripping tale that immerses readers in a richly atmospheric historical mystery, where every step into the labyrinthine streets could be their last.

Take the Long Way Home by Rochelle Alers

Embark on a mesmerizing journey spanning decades and continents in this vivid narrative that follows one woman through the sweeping tides of history. From a cloistered 1950s Mississippi town to the vibrant streets of 60s and 70s Paris and Rome, from the glitz of 80s Wall Street to present-day New York. Claudia Patterson is a freedom fighter, a devoted wife, a master of languages, and a savior of a European dynasty who shapes her own destiny but is changed by four remarkable men she meets along the way. Rochelle Alers delivers a powerful, richly historic narrative, a captivating epic of triumph over adversity, and the indelible impact of love throughout the ages.

The Queen of the Valley by Lorena Hughes

Step into the lush yet wounded landscape of 1920s Colombia on the brink of a cholera epidemic in this enthralling tale that weaves together the lives of three strangers. A daring photographer, a Spanish chocolatier in disguise, and a Palestinian-Colombian nun are drawn into a perilous search for the missing owner of a coveted hacienda. Secrets, unrequited passion, and explosive memories converge in this suspenseful saga filled with lush prose and intricate storytelling, Hughes delivers a vivid historical novel that explores love, loss, and the enduring power of the past to shape our destinies.

Reprinted with permission from Kensington Books.

PODCAST::::Spooky Asylums and Murderous Teens with Author Tracy Hewitt Meyer

Jocie McKade

3 November 2023

Spooky Asylums and Murderous Teens with Author Tracy Hewitt Meyer on Book Lights

LISTEN HERE!

Tracy Hewitt Meyer is the award-winning author of young adult fiction. Her works range from gritty contemporary to edge-of-your-seat thrillers. She tackles tough themes teens face in today’s world with raw, direct, and honest prose.

When not writing, Tracy works as a mental health therapist for adults with concerns such as depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.

Born and raised in West Virginia, Tracy now lives in Virginia with her family and two dogs, Lila and Leonard, and spends far too much time lost in her daydreams. You can find out more at her website: https://tracyhewittmeyer.com/generation-annihilation/

And for more about our host Lisa Kessler visit http://Lisa-Kessler.com

Book Lights – shining a light on good books!

Here’s a quick look at Tracy’s latest release: Generation Annihilation (Blackthorn Peak Book)

For seventeen-year-old Shaun Treadway, terror and rage are a way of life. Living with the fear that his abusive stepfather will one day kill his mother, Shaun decides to kill him first—by setting fire to his childhood home with his stepfather inside.

Fleeing Baltimore to his mother’s hometown in West Virginia, he hides out in his family’s isolated cabin. Except the small town of Blackthorn Peak is anything but welcoming. The streets are deserted, there is no sign of life, and at the end of Main Street is the creepiest abandoned building he’s ever seen: Blackthorn Peak Lunatic Asylum.

Investigating the grounds, Shaun meets the elusive and mysterious Cass. Thrilled to find someone his own age, he asks her on a date. On the night they’re supposed to meet, though, Cass desperately tries to get him to leave. Running into the asylum, she tells him to never return.

He decides to do just that—leave. This girl and this town are far too creepy for him to stay. But when he hears Cass’s scream, he can’t help but rush into the building. What he discovers once inside is far darker and more sinister than even his worst nightmare. Uncovering the secrets that Cass keeps just might cost him his life.

New Release: Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare

Jocie McKade

3 November 2023

Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare

Two outcasts find themselves caught in a web of forbidden love, dangerous magic, and dark secrets that could change the world forever in the start of a riveting epic fantasy series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Shadowhunter Chronicles.

“It began with a crime. The theft of a boy.”

In the vibrant city-state of Castellane, the richest of nobles and the most debauched of criminals have one thing in common: the constant search for wealth, power, and the next hedonistic thrill. Sword & Sorcery Fantasy

Kel is an orphan, stolen from the life he knew to become the Sword-Catcher—the body-double of a royal heir, Prince Conor Aurelian. He has been raised alongside the prince, trained in every aspect of combat and statecraft. He and Conor are close as brothers, but Kel knows he has one destiny: to die for Conor. No other future is possible.

Lin Caster is one of the Ashkar, a small community who still possess magical abilities. By law, they must live behind walls in the city, but Lin, a physician, ventures out to tend to the sick and dying of Castellane. Despite her skills, she cannot heal her best friend Mariam without access to forbidden knowledge.

After a failed assassination attempt brings Lin and Kel together, they are drawn into the web of the mysterious Ragpicker King, the criminal ruler of Castellane’s underworld. He offers them each what they want most; but as they descend into his world of intrigue and shadow, they discover a conspiracy of corruption that reaches from the darkest gutters of Castellane to the highest tower of its palaces. As long-kept secrets begin to unravel, they must ask themselves: Is knowledge worth the price of betrayal? Can forbidden love bring down a kingdom? And will Lin and Kel’s discoveries plunge their nation into war—and the world into chaos?

Author Heather Gooden Shares Fall Memories and a ‘keeper’ Recipe!

Jocie McKade

3 November 2023

Fall Memories by Heather Gooden

It’s fall again; the time of year when the air smells rich, teeming with life and death simultaneously.

In between trying to keep up with the regular household chores, this time of year also makes me yearn to go outside and tidy it all up.

As a child, I remember spending long days harvesting vegetables with my grandparents. I loved the way everyone would pitch in and pick an entire field of corn, then I’d watch as my grandmothers blanched it, and my grandfather would use the coolest electric knife to take the kernels off. I would hold a freezer bag open as he filled it, then suck out all the air, twist it, and put on a twist tie to close it as tight as I could, my hands so sticky from the juice I smelled like corn myself.

At the time, I didn’t realize how much these memories shaped me. Now, as I look back, I can’t help wish I’d appreciated it more. But even then, even as I balked at the work, I loved the way the sun would warm my skin. Cool breezes caught the yellow and orange leaves and pulled them off the trees, then we’d rake them all into a large pile and burrow through them, hiding from the adults to jump out and scare them.

(They knew, of course they knew, but pretended to be surprised when we shot out of the leaves as they walked past.)

Fall also brings Thanksgiving, a time for enjoying the fruits of our labour throughout the summer, turkey, and more pie than one person should ever eat.

One of my favourite dishes is one I started making my first adult thanksgiving, an easy sweet potato casserole. I’m sure it could be classified as a dessert, but the recipe said it’s a casserole so I’m sticking with that.

I haven’t met anyone yet who didn’t like it (including my father-in-law who doesn’t like sweet potato) because it’s just that good.

It had become a staple of most of our fall and winter holidays, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Requiring very few ingredients, the hardest part is precooking the sweet potato itself. Follow THIS link to the recipe:::

Enjoy!

Readers, make sure you check out Heather’s latest release: Poetry in a Pandemic: Volume 1: Changes

2020 was a year that changed life as we know it.

In this collection of poetry and prose, Gooden explores her longing for more than her daily routine as she makes her way through a “once in a lifetime” world event.

In the middle of turmoil, she creates magic in the mundane as she examines her life in an honest, poignant, and often irreverent way.

As she reflects on life and all it encompasses through her perspective as a healthcare worker, she proves there can be light even in the darkest of days.

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