Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

Who here watches the Hallmark Channel?? **waves hand furiously** It seems like everyone I know is a fan of the channel just like me and never more so than this time of year.  Well, last week, I made this announcement: Needless to say, I am THRILLED!!  I know it is just optioned and nothing is written in stone yet, but a girl can hope, right??  I mean, talk about being thankful and a dream come true!  I promise to keep you all posted on any updates and as soon as I know something, you will too. In the meantime, if you have NOT checked out The Christmas Cottage, I highly recommend it.  BUY LINKS: Amazon:  http://amzn.to/1LGHfpt B&N:  http://bit.ly/1Rc43CG iBooks:  http://apple.co/1IhSdGX Kobo:  http://bit.ly/1NW7Y2Z I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!!

The pumpkins have lost their toothy grins and scary faces. It’s time to get on to the next holiday—Thanksgiving. But do you know how the holiday came to be? I doubt few people do. So here’s some Facts: Although President George Washington set a day aside to give thanks and prayers, it wasn’t made official and the leaders who came after him nixed the idea due to their interpretation of the separation of church and state. In 1846, Sarah Hale who was the editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book, began a letter-writing campaign in favor of making the last Thursday in November National Thanksgiving Day. The idea gained favor and President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation making it happen. However, following presidents changed the day to various ones they favored. Can you imagine the confusion that led to? It was pretty bad. It wasn’t until 1941 that legislation was introduced in Congress to firmly establish the fourth Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day and it ...

In honor of Thanksgiving tomorrow, we at Sourcebooks Casablanca are sharing some of the blessing for which we're so grateful. Shana Galen I'm thankful for good health, good friends, and my wonderful family. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to do what I love--write! Gina Conkle I'm echoing Shana's thanks for good health, dear friends, and my loving family. Thanksgiving is special this year because it falls on my husband's birthday. He'll get some souped up exercise equipment (likely a rowing machine). That ought to go well with the pecan pies I'll feed him, right? Mr. Conkle is one of those faithful exercisers. For years we planned to get the rowing machine, but put it off because "We need new tires" or "The hot water heater went kaput" happened. This year, Mr. Conkle will get his longed for gift. Ashlyn Chase I have so much to be thankful for, but I saw a post on facebook that about sums it up. I may paraphra...

When the pantry jars are full of mince-meat and the shelves are laden with sweet spices for a cake, When the butcher man sends up a turkey nice and fat to bake, When the stores are crammed with everything ingenious cooks can make, It's Thanksgiving Time! --Langston Hughes, from “Thanksgiving Time” It’s Thanksgiving Week, and for those of us who celebrate it, I’m not even going to pretend it’s not All About The Food. OK, it’s also about community, family, closeness, and finding things to be thankful for in trying times. And food! Mashed potatoes will be on a lot of menus, and, despite their being such a simple dish, there must be a million and one variations on how to prepare them! And countless debates on which way is best. Electric mixer, ricer, or hand-held potato masher? Russets, Red Roses, or Yukon Golds? Skin-on or skin-off? Milk, broth, or cooking water? Hot milk or cold? My earliest memories of making mashed potatoes involve Russets: starc...

Happy Thanksgiving, Readers!  While you wait for your pies to cook and the house is filled with delicious smells of cinnamon and pumpkin, sit back and enjoy tales of our best or worst Thanksgivings. Share your own memories in the comments section.  As always, readers, we are thankful for you! My favorite Thanksgiving story is when my son went back home to have Thanksgiving with his friends, but my mom, daughter and I had the most fun. We had the traditional lovely turkey dinner and it went downhill after that, although in a totally funny, wild, crazy, and memorable way. Kind of like the way I write. Anyway, I’d had roof damage in storms a couple of weeks earlier, and I didn’t realize it, but the roofers had covered the chimney with roofing paper because I’d lost my chimney cap. So here I’m trying to start a fire in the fireplace with one of those 6? hour burning logs and lo and behold, the smoke begins pouring into the living room. At the same time, my...

Meet James Theodore. Wee Jamie is the newest bairn to our clan. He's my handsome nephew who was born on September 30, 2014. Can you believe all that hair? He was welcomed home by his big sister, Maisy. I was fortunate enough to spend a week at my sister's house to help her out after the baby was born. How quickly we forget how much it truly takes a village to care for a newborn. But don't get me wrong. There's nothing like the feeling of a new life curling up in your arms. Babies truly are a miracle. My sister and I had a great time, and I really enjoyed being able to help her out. I didn't get the chance to do that when my niece was born because my niece and my son are only seven months apart. The two of them are so funny because they fight like an old married couple one minute, and the next minute they're playing like BFF's. This was wee Jamie's first trip to Toys 'R Us. He makes for a fine pirate. Aargh! Our clan has a lot to be thankfu...

Remember that movie, Homeward Bound, when the two dogs and the cat make their way back home and the younger dog runs in the house saying, "turkey, turkey, turkey"? That's the feeling that we get around our house as Thanksgiving approaches. It's the holiday when all our kids, their friends, their in-laws or whoever they can get in the van, the truck or in the car to bring with them come home for Thanksgiving. And just like Chance, the dog in the middle in the picture, I can just hear them saying, "Turkey, turkey, turkey" as they park those vehicles and come running toward the house. Dinner, served buffet style, goes on the bar, the fold out table, the dry sinks in the dining room and the stove. Feasting begins at noon as soon as the blessing is said. Sometimes Mr. B says grace but he has been known to call upon the youngest child in the house to say the prayer before "turkey, turkey, turkey" begins. It's our holiday to the kids so they do...

Let me preface this rant by saying that I love the winter holidays as much as the next girl. (Personally, I do a mini Winter Solstice celebration and then a big fat Christmas with the fam.) But I've got a big bone to pick with all you anxiety-inducing reindeer-whipping present-wrapping carol-singing freaks at this time of the year. BACK THE HECK OFF MY THANKSGIVING!  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of them all. Yes, it even edges out the big traditional Christmas by just a touch. It's totally food based, which is so my wheelhouse. It's about being together, and cooking, and eating, and I'm sure you're supposed to be thankful at the same time, which is sort of hard to do at about 2pm on Thanksgiving day when you're snoring like a freight train in front of the football game while some unlucky family member is STILL washing dishes. But seriously. Thanksgiving is the best holiday, and Christmas needs to stop glomming all over it.  By Jamain (Own work)...

By Cheryl Brooks Here we are in that transition period between Thanksgiving and Christmas, wondering whether to go shopping, continue giving thanks, or start working on Christmas cards. Funny, even though I'm now essentially writing full time and not working as a nurse anymore, I can't get over viewing the holiday season with some trepidation. I still have to do all of the same tasks, and theoretically have more time in which to accomplish them, but the same vague sense of panic remains. The first Christmas card I receive always cranks the tension up a notch. Is it time to send mine out, or is it still too early? Should I spend a day updating my list to include all of the people I no longer work with? Trust me, there are a lot of them and the postage alone will probably mean less candy in the stockings of my two sons. Not that any of us really need candy, but that candy is part of our tradition. When counting my blessings this Thanksgiving, first and foremost was the added...

by Amanda Forester The countdown to Thanksgiving is on!   Has anyone else been completely caught off guard by how early this holiday is arriving this year?   I am not at all ready for this!   Not only has the early arrival of one my favorite holidays got me scrambling, it also has me in a quandary regarding my next favorite holiday - Christmas.   In a spirit of full disclosure I will admit that I am one of those people who every years goes out Thanksgiving weekend to chop down my Christmas tree.   We have friends we go with to chop the tree and then go out for Mexican food (nothing says happy holidays like an authentic chile relleno).   By the end of Thanksgiving weekend the lights are up, the decorations are out, and I am full of the ho ho holiday spirit from my snowflake sweater to my Santa Claus mug.   I also have jingle bell antlers for the cat, but you wouldn't believe the grief I have trying to get him to wear it.     This y...

By: Macy Beckett And if you think I'm referring to Christmas, you're wrong! Despite "much mistletoe-ing" and "hearts glowing"  in December, Thanksgiving is the holiday to rule all holidays, and I'm going to prove it to you! So sit back, grab a slice of pumpkin pie, and prepare to be enlightened, friends, for I give you: The Top Five Reasons Why Thanksgiving is the Best Holiday Ever 1. No presents . I love giving to others, but the pressure of finding The Perfect Gift for dozens of friends, colleagues, business associates, and family members makes me want to hide beneath my desk and assume the fetal position. Can't we just stand in a big circle and pass a $20 bill to the person on our left? Guess not. But that's what makes Thanksgiving so awesome: We get to relax with our families and enjoy a good meal without the stress (and expense) of gift giving. 2. Football . I don't like tossing the pigskin, nor do I enjoy watching it, but I wil...