Spring 2012

From Mary Kay's Front Porch - Spring 2012 Newsletter
Key Lime Pie

RANCH HOUSE KEY LIME PIE

Back in early February, Mr. MKA and I stayed at his favorite mom-and-pop motel on Marathon, in the Florida Keys, where Diana, the owner of The Ranch House Motel, served us this fabulous Key Lime Pie made with juice from her own lime trees, in exchange for some of Mr. MKA’s fresh-caught snapper fillets. Diana was kind enough to share the recipe with us. It’s quite different from the usual recipe, with the finished product resembling an ice cream pie, but I guarantee, this tart and creamy dessert will make you forget those other pies. A note: if you can’t find the small yellowish Key Limes in your grocery store, you could look for bottles of Key Lime juice like Joe and Nellie’s, or substitute the larger, easier to find Persian limes.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 graham cracker pie crust—prepared or homemade
  • 10 ounces of Cool Whip
  • 1 can sweetened, condensed milk
  • Key Lime juice

INSTRUCTIONS:

Mix the Cool Whip and sweetened condensed milk (note: NOT evaporated milk) together.

Mix in 1/2 cup Key Lime juice—and taste, I added about a tablespoon more juice for a tarter taste.

Pour into graham cracker pie crust, garnish with grated lime zest and freeze several hours.

For a show-stopper, pipe edge of pie with whipped cream and add lime slices.

Stitch

RENT THE BREEZE INN!

The Breeze Inn

Did you know that MKA’s very own fixer upper—The Breeze Inn on Tybee Island—is available for rent?! You and yours can chillax in beautiful beach cottage comfort in the very spot where MKA’s most recent bestsellers have been penned, surrounded by junking treasures uncovered by the author herself. Call Diane at Mermaid Cottages and book yourself in for the full MKA experience! If your crew won’t all fit at the Breeze, Diane has 30+ one-of-a-kind cottages sprinkled around the island, all just a short ride on a beach cruiser away from each other. Get yourself on “Tybee time” and discover the magic of slowing down.

Dear Friends:

Azaleas and dogwoods are in bloom, and bluebirds have been flitting around our bird feeder for the past few weeks, which means spring has sprung in Atlanta. Thankfully, we’ve had a mild winter here in Atlanta, but spring will be ever so welcome anyway. Guess you could say I’ve got SPRING FEVER? I’ve got lots of exciting news to share with you, and the most exciting thing of all is to announce that my new book, SPRING FEVER, hits the bookstores June 5th.

As a hint of what you’ll find between the gorgeous turquoise covers, let me introduce you to Annajane Hudgens, who works for Quixie, her ex-husband’s family-owned soft drink company in the cozy town of Passcoe, N.C. Divorced for four years, Annajane is convinced she is over Mason Bayless, in fact, she thinks she is so over Mason, she accepts the invitation to his wedding to the exquisite Celia. But one look at the Armani tux-clad bridegroom sends her reeling. She wants him back! And maybe, just maybe, Mason feels the same way. When fate intervenes as the bride is floating down the aisle toward the altar, Annajane begins to believe in second chances. But there are secrets afoot in this sleepy Southern town, and old family grudges still persist. On the peaceful surface of Hideaway Lake, Annajane discovers that the past is never really gone.

We’re still planning the SPRING FEVER book tour, but I can tell you now that we’ll kick things off with a fun benefit launch party in Atlanta, before heading to Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, NC for a signing party on June 6. I also have events in the planning stages in Baltimore, the Jersey Shore, West Chester PA, Birmingham, Memphis, Nashville, Houston, New Orleans, and several other places. Watch your email and my Facebook, Twitter, and blog posts for additional tour stops.

To make sure you get your copy of SPRING FEVER in time for your summer vacation—or just to read while lounging around the neighborhood pool, I’d urge you to pre-order a copy from your favorite bookseller here.

If you send me proof of your pre-order, here, we’ll send you a gift—a free packet of perky zinnia seeds specially branded with the SPRING FEVER book cover graphics to remind you that spring fever is catching. Sow the seeds now and enjoy fresh flowers just as SPRING FEVER pops up everywhere in June.

While you wait for the new book, remember that the trade paperback of SUMMER RENTAL will be available May 8th, just in time for treating yourself, or for Mother’s Day, end-of-year teacher, graduation or just-because gifting. You can pre-order the paperback here.

We’ll have a Mother’s Day promotion to announce in the coming weeks—more signed bookplates and recipe cards like last year. So stay tuned for details on that.

My Grand daughterIn the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy this latest recipe for a wickedly tart and tangy Key Lime pie we tasted on a trip to the Florida Keys recently. It’s so easy, even our little granddaughter Molly could make it with only minor assistance from me.

Happy Spring and happy reading!

Love,

MKA

Dividing Stitch

Bookclub Corner

Do you have a book club? If your club is reading one of my books, I would love to call in and join your discussion. You never know, I may even be able to drop by in person if it works out right. E-mail us with your request and we’ll see what we can do! Be sure to include a snail mail address and info about the size of your club.

COMING JUNE 5th! PRE-ORDER NOW!

Book cover: Spring Fever
 

Stitch

COMING IN PAPERBACK MAY 8th

Book cover: Summer Rental
 

Stitch

 

EVENT SCHEDULE

SPRING FEVER LAUNCH PARTY

Monday, June 4

5:30 p.m.

Harbour Bar

129 Church St.

Decatur, GA

 

Book sales courtesy of Fox Tale Bookshoppe

Stitch

 

PROMOTION

Send in proof that you have pre-ordered a copy of SPRING FEVER and we’ll send you a gift—a free packet of perky zinnia seeds specially branded with the SPRING FEVER book cover graphics to remind you that spring fever is catching. Sow the seeds now and enjoy fresh flowers just as SPRING FEVER pops up everywhere in June.

Stitch

 

MKA Online