Spring 2016—New
e-book novella Change of Scene! Weekenders coming soon!

BAILEY’S IRISH CREAM CUPCAKES

Cupcakes:

2 1/2 cups cake flour
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cups unsalted butter softened
3 eggs at room temp.
3 teaspoons of vanilla
1 cup Bailey’s Irish cream, divided in half

Frosting:

1 stick salted butter, softened to room temp.
8 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temp.
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. Bailey’s Irish cream.

For the Chocolate drizzle over the top:

1/4 cup of heavy cream
1/2 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips (or if using a bar, chopped)
3 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the muffin tins with 36 cupcake liners or 4 dozen or so mini cupcake liners.
In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt.
Cream together softened butter and sugar with mixer. Add eggs one at a time, then add vanilla.
Add dry ingredients, a third at a time, alternating with the half cup of Bailey’s, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full and bake for approximately 17 min. for regular cupcakes, 15 min. or less for mini. Check often.
Cool in pan for 5 min., then remove & cool on baking rack.
While cupcakes are still warm, poke holes in the tops, and using a pastry brush, brush the additional 1/2 cup of Bailey’s over the cupcakes.
After cooled, make frosting—whip together butter and cream cheese, beat in lemon juice and powdered sugar, a cup at a time, and add Bailey’s a tablespoon at time, til desired consistency.
For drizzle-melt chocolate chips and cream together in ovenproof bowl in microwave, 1 min. at time, until melted. Mix in Bailey’s, drizzle over top of frosted cupcakes.

RENT ONE OF MKA’s COTTAGES

The Breeze Inn

Ebbtide

Did you know that MKA’s own beach cottages—that she has lovingly restored with her own hands and decorated with her own junking treasures—are available for rent?! You and yours can chillax in beautiful beach cottage comfort in the very spot where MKA pens her bestselling novels. Smaller group? Choose The Breeze Inn which MKA took from ramshackle to the pages of BH&G in a year’s time back in 2009. For larger groups, check out MKA’s new treasure, Ebbtide, which was featured in a huge spread in HGTV Magazine. Contact Tybee Island Vacation Rentals and book yourself in for the full MKA experience. Get yourself on “Tybee time” and discover the magic of slowing down.

MKA Online

Dear Friends:

Dear Friends:
Like a spring bouquet of flowers, everything seems to be popping up MKA beach reads right now. On Mar. 1st, the mass market paperback edition of SPRING FEVER hit the shelves in supermarkets, drugstores, Target, Wal-Mart, and local bookstores. If you can’t find a copy near you, there are buy links in the right sidebar where you can order.

And now for my sneaky little super-secret project. On April 5^th, St. Martin’s Press will release my first e-original novella, called CHANGE OF SCENE. This is a prequel to last summer’s BEACH TOWN, which will bring you up-to-date on the backstory of BEACH TOWN protagonist Greer Hennessy, her mother Lise, and grandmother Dearie. CHANGE OF SCENE is a novella and only available for e-readers–like your Kindle, iPad, Nook, or however you read electronic books. The buy links are right over there in the right sidebar of this newsletter. Just think, you can download and read on the way to your spring break destination…so long as you’re not behind the wheel!

Speaking of BEACH TOWN, it will be released in trade paperback on May 3rd. While you’re waiting for that, why not go ahead and download the prequel, CHANGE OF SCENE.

In the meantime, we’ve got a fun promotion in March to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day (did you know my maiden name is Kathleen Patricia Hogan?) and the advent of spring. You could be one of 25 winners to get a copy of the new SPRING FEVER mass market paperback, as well as a trade paperback copy of IRISH EYES, the last book in my Callahan Garrity mystery series. The winners’ goodie bags will also be stuffed with a new bookmark and a recipe card for some tantalizing seasonal treats. Enter to win HERE.

And of course, while all that spring celebration is going on, I’m gearing up for the May 17th publication of THE WEEKENDERS. Plans for the Atlanta and Savannah launch are well underway, as are the plans for my book tour. Stay tuned to my website and social media for news about where I’ll be this May and June. I always look forward to meeting friends, old and new, while I’m on the road.

Happy reading!
MKA

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.