Spring 2018

From Mary Kay's Front Porch - Spring 2018 Newsletter

 

The High Tide Club book tour

 

 

ATLANTA, GA | May 6 | Atlanta Launch Party @ The Vista Room

SAVANNAH, GA | May 7 | Savannah Launch Party @ The Brice Hotel

RALEIGH, NC | May 8 | Quail Ridge Books & Music

WINSTON-SALEM, NC | May 9 | Bookmarks Author Luncheon

RICHMOND, VA | May 10, 2018 | 12PM | Junior League of Richmond Book & Author Luncheon

RICHMOND, VA | May 10 | 6PM | Junior League of Richmond Book & Author Dinner

PAWLEYÂ’S ISLAND, SC | May 11 | Litchfield Books

BIRMINGHAM, AL | May 12 | 11am-1pm | Crestline Piggly Wiggly

BIRMINGHAM, AL | May 12 | 3pm | Alabama Booksmith

SANTA ROSA BEACH, FL | May 13 | Sundog Books

FAIRHOPE, AL | May 14 | Page & Palette

HOUSTON, TX | May 15 | Murder By The Book

SEA ISLE CITY, NJ | May 16 | One Book, One Cape May County

FAIR HAVEN, NJ | May 17 | River Road Books

WAYNE, PA | May 18, 2018 | Main Point Books

MANASQUAN, NJ | May 19 | BookTowne @ Sailor Trading Company

PITTSBURGH, PA | May 20 | Mystery Lovers Bookshop

BLUFFTON, SC | May 21 | Palmetto Bluff Club

HILTON HEAD, SC | May 22 | Moss Creek Author Luncheon

ST. LOUIS, MO | May 23 | Left Bank Books

KANSAS CITY, MO | May 24 | Rainy Day Books @ Woodneath Library

REHOBOTH BEACH, DE | May 26 | Browseabout Books @ Rehoboth Beach Library

BETHANY BEACH, DE | May 26 | Bethany Beach Books

NAGS HEAD, NC | May 27 | Downtown Books @ Waveriders Coffee & Deli

DUCK, NC | May 28 | Ducks Cottage

NAPERVILLE, IL | May 29 | AndersonÂ’s Bookshop

CLEVELAND, OH | May 30 | Cuyahoga County Library

GAYLORD, MI | May 31 | Saturn Booksellers

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA | June 3 | Gwinnett County Public Library @ Aurora Theater

WOODSTOCK, GA | June 4 | FoxTale Book Shoppe

MARIETTA, GA | June 5 | Book Exchange @ Crooked Tree Cafe

MILTON, GA | June 5 | Bookmiser @ Milton Public Library

ATHENS, GA | June 6 | Avid Bookshop

TYBEE ISLAND, GA | June 7 | Seaside Sisters

ST. SIMONÂ’S ISLAND, GA | June 8 | Literary Guild of St. SimonÂ’s Island and G.J. Ford Bookshop

Stitch

RENT ONE OF MKA’s COTTAGES

The Breeze Inn
The Breeze Inn
Ebbtide
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.

Stitch

MKA Online

Dear Friends:

The thing I hate most about getting ready for summer? Trying on swimsuits! The thing I like best? Bringing you my brand new beach read!

MKA Tumbler

THE HIGH TIDE CLUB will be in stores everywhere on Tuesday, May 8, and my ginormous book tour will bring me to cities from Atlanta to Birmingham, Chicago to Pittsburgh and Cleveland, to Philly and the Jersey Shore and many stops in between.

There’s still time to claim your FREE GIFT! If you pre-order THE HIGH TIDE CLUB ahead of the May 8th on-sale date, you’re eligible to receive a custom MKA spill-proof wine tumbler. Details and entry form HERE.

Sapelo Island

I canÂ’t wait to tell you about this book, with a setting on a fictional barrier island off the coast of Georgia. Once single mom Brooke arrives on Talisa, a tale of old friendships, dark secrets, betrayal and a long-unsolved disappearance begins to unfold. ItÂ’s a story shrouded in mystery, Spanish moss, skinny dipping, love lost and possibly … love found.

Sapelo Island

To research the book I spent time on Sapelo Island, whose wide, abandoned beaches, spooky lighthouse and crumbling mansion were the inspiration for my own, fictional island.

As always, weÂ’ll kick off the tour with a fabulous launch party in Atlanta on May 6, followed with yet another on May 7, in Savannah. Both parties feature swag bags, food, cocktails and awesome raffle prizes to benefit The Georgia Conservancy.

Check the sidebar for all the stops on the MKA tour and see full details on the EVENTS tab on my website.

And in the meantime, did you know that SAVE THE DATE is just out in mass market paperback? Not only is this the perfect size for your beach bag, but that book features Brooke Trapnell, a character who makes her triumphant return in THE HIGH TIDE CLUB!

Happy spring! I hope to see you while IÂ’m out on the road this May & June!

Hugs,
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.

New in Hardcover!

Book cover: Cookbook

Stitch

Now in Paperback!

Book cover: The Weekenders

Stitch


Order NOW!

Book cover: Cookbook

Stitch

Spring 2017

From Mary Kay's Front Porch - Spring 2017 Newsletter

 

The Beach House Cookbook
Ginormous Book Tour!

 

 

Atlanta, GA | April 30 | Launch Party at The Cook’s Warehouse

Atlanta, GA | May 1 | Atlanta Botanical Garden

Atlanta, GA | May 2| Book Exchange

Savannah, GA | May 4, 11:30am| Savannah Golf Club w/ E Shavers Booksellers

Savannah, GA | May 4, 5:30pm | Brice Hotel w/ E Shavers Booksellers

Charleston, SC | May 5 | High Cotton Author Series w/ Blue Bicycle Books

Atlanta, GA | May 6 | Food that Rocks w/ Bookmiser

Houston, TX | May 8 | Murder by the Book

Fairhope, AL | May 9 | Page & Palette

New Orleans, LA | May 10 | Octavia Books

Red Bank, NJ | May 11, 12pm | AAUW Luncheon, Molly Pitcher Inn

Sea Bright, NJ | May 11, 7pm | Ama w/ River Road Books

Richmond, VA | May 12 | Berkley Hotel w/ Fountain Bookstore

Atlanta, GA | May 13 | Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Showhouse, Eagle Eye Book Shop

Chapel Hill, NC | May 14 | Southern Seasons

Raleigh, NC | May 15 | Quail Ridge

Winston-Salem, NC | May 16 | Clemmons Library w/ Bookmarks

Greensboro, NC | May 16 | Greensboro Library w/ Bookmarks

Greenville, SC | May 17 | Fiction Addiction

Newberry, SC | May 18 | Library Benefit Luncheon w/ Books on Main

Florence, SC | May 18, 6pm | Florence County Library w/ Books-a-Million

Pawleys Island, SC | May 19 | Litchfield Books

Tybee Island, GA | May 20 | Seaside Sisters

Savannah, GA | May 22 | Hadassah Fundraiser

Birmingham, AL | May 23 | Piggy Wiggly w/ Alabama Booksmith

Birmingham, AL | May 23 | Alabama Booksmith

Destin, FL | May 25 | Barnes & Noble Crystal City

Destin, FL | May 25 | Emerald Beach House

Rehoboth Beach, DE | May 27 | Browseabout Books

Bethany Beach, DE | May 27 | Bethany Beach Books

Manteo, NC | May 28 | Duck’s Cottage

Cleveland, OH | May 30 | A Cook And a Book

Cleveland, OH | May 30 Cuyahoga County Public Library

Boonsboro, MD | June 3 | Turn The Page Bookstore

Macon, GA | June 17 | Design, Wine and Dine

Stitch

RENT ONE OF MKA’s COTTAGES

The Breeze Inn
The Breeze Inn
Ebbtide
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.

Stitch

MKA Online

Dear Friends:

Here we are, just one month until the publication date of my very first cookbook! The Beach House Cookbook will be in stores on May 2nd. I can’t wait to share it with you!

If you order the book before May 2nd, you are eligible to receive a custom-designed MKA wine opener while supplies last. To claim your FREE gift, visit HERE.

Beach house sweepstakes

The Beach House Cookbook may be my 25th book, but it is my first ever cookbook. As you know if you’ve been reading my novels and following me online for a while, I am a bit food obsessed. I share recipes all the time, sometimes even in my books. My husband Tom and I love to entertain. Our favorite meals are the casual kind where family, friends, and neighbors gather in our Tybee Island beach house and enjoy fare that matches the book’s subtitle: “easy breezy recipes with a Southern accent.” In fact, I’m pleased as punch that Publishers Weekly called the book “a true primer on Southern cuisine.” They said other nice things too. Read the full review HERE.

MKA Family

As my gift to you, and with my heartfelt thanks for your support and for being a subscriber to my email newsletter, I am sharing with you 5 recipe card downloads straight from The Beach House Cookbook. I hope you enjoy this sneak peek. Hopefully these recipes will tide you over until May 2nd when you’ll have access to all 100 or so of the gorgeously photographed and lovingly prepared recipes in the book.

Recipes

The first event on my ginormous book tour is the big launch party in on Sunday April 30th. It will be at The Cook’s Warehouse on Piedmont in midtown Atlanta. In typical MKA launch party fashion, this will be an over-the-top event complete with a cooking demo by yours truly, an autographed cookbook, swag bag, food prepared from the book, signature cocktails, and prize drawings to benefit The Giving Kitchen. It’s gonna be a blast, all for a great cause! Get your tickets HERE.

Tom grillingWe have one fab gift already lined up for one lucky launch party-goer. Once we hit 50 RSVPs, we will give one lucky stiff this nifty Boulevard Brewing Company BBQ apron from our friends at Big Green Egg. It comes with grill tools and folds into a handy tote. (Mr. MKA not included!)

RSVP TODAY and you’ll be entered to win!

All the dates and cities on my ginormous book tour are listed at left. I so look forward to catching up with some of you while I’m out on the road. For further details on the tour, check the Events page of my website and follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Please know how much your support means to me. Thank you for reading my books and for always spreading the MKA love to your friends and family.

Hugs,
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.

New in Hardcover!
Coming May 2!
Order NOW!

Book cover: Cookbook

Stitch

Coming in Trade
Paperback May 2!

Book cover: The Weekenders

Stitch

Coming in Mass Market
Paperback May 2!

Book cover: Ladie's Night

Stitch

Summer 2016

From Mary Kay's Front Porch - Spring 2016 Newsletter

Summer 2016
– Announcing THE WEEKENDERS Book Tour!

Atlanta, GA | May 15 | 3:00pm
Launch
Party at Ponce City Market

Savannah, GA | May 16 | 5:30pm
Launch
Party at The Brice Hotel

Savannah, GA | May 17| 11:00am
E.
Shaver Bookseller

Mt. Pleasant, SC | May 17| 7:00pm
Barnes
& Noble Mt. Pleasant Towne Centre

Raleigh, NC | May 18| 7:00pm
Meredith
College hosted by Quail Ridge Books

Fairhope, AL | May 19 | 6:00pm
Page
& Palette

Marietta, GA | May 20 | 1:30pm
Book
Exchange

Gaithersburg, MD | May 21| 1:00pm
Costco
Wholesale

Gaithersburg, MD | May 21 | 4:15pm
Gaithersburg
Book Festival

Oakmont, PA | May 22 | 11:00am
Mystery
Lovers Book Shop

Sykesville, MD | Monday, May 23 | 7:00pm
A
Likely Story Bookstore

Hanover, PA | May 24 | 6:00pm
Guthrie
Memorial Library Hosted by A Likely Story Bookstore

West Chester, PA | May 25 | 7:00pm
Chester
County Book Company

Fair Haven, NJ | May 26 | 7:00pm
Nauvoo
Grill Club Hosted by River Road Books

Pawleys Island, SC | May 27 | 11:00am
Pawleys
Plantation Hosted by Litchfield Books

Pawleys Island, SC | May 27 | 2:00pm
Litchfield
Books

Rehoboth Beach, DE | May 28 | 2:00pm
Browseabout
Books

Bethany Beach, DE | May 29 | 12:00pm
Bethany
Beach Books

Duck, NC | May 30 | 9:00am
Duck’s
Cottage

Manteo, NC | May 30 | 2:00pm
Downtown
Books

Charlotte, NC | May 31 | 7:00pm
Park
Road Books

Winston-Salem, NC | June 1 | 11:00am
Reynolds
Library

Greensboro, NC | June 1 | 7:00pm
Glenn
McNairy Library Hosted by Bookmarks NC

Asheville, NC | June 2 | 11:00am
Friends
of Madison County Library Author Luncheon at Mars Hill University

Asheville, NC | June 2 | 7:00pm
Malaprop’s
Bookstore

Greenville, SC | June 3 | 2:00pm
Fiction Addiction

Spartanburg, SC | June 4 | 2:00pm
Hub
City Bookshop

Jefferson, GA | June 5 | 2:00pm
Jefferson
Public Library Hosted by FoxTale Bookshop

Roswell, GA | June 7 | 7:00pm
Bookmiser

Decatur, GA | June 8 | 7:15pm
Decatur
Library Hosted by Eagle Eye Bookshop

Woodstock, GA | June 14 | 6:30pm
FoxTale
Book Shoppe

Highlands, NC | June 18 | 2:00pm
Highlands United Methodist Church Author’s Tea

Stitch

RENT ONE OF MKA’s COTTAGES

The Breeze Inn
The Breeze Inn
 

Ebbtide
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.

Stitch

MKA Online

Dear Friends:

Here we are, in the final weekend before my 24th novel,

THE WEEKENDERS
, finally hits bookstores everywhere.

I have been as busy as I can ever remember being getting ready for the 30+ city tour that my publisher, St. Martin’s Press, is sending me on. You can see all the details of my book tour on the
Events & Appearances page of my website. There is also a snapshot of
the dates and cities with links in the left sidebar.

Of course, as is the norm each year, we’ll be kicking things off with
a massive launch party extravaganza! On Sunday May 15th I’ll
be at Atlanta’s super-cool Ponce City Market at 3:00pm for a couple fun hours of eating, drinking, dancing, mingling, and making merry with you—my friends and readers. If you’re in the area, come on out and party with me for a good cause. We’ll have goody-filled
swag bags and amazing raffle prizes with proceeds going to Atlanta BeltLine’s “Light the Line” initiative. Call or email
FoxTale Book Shoppe to reserve your tickets.

Why have just one launch party when you can have two?! On Monday, May 16th, I’ll head to Savannah where we will celebrate THE WEEKENDERS in grand fashion again at the elegant and hip Brice Hotel.
This shin-dig kicks
off at 5:30pm and there will be swag bags, a signature cocktail, and delicious food from local chefs, as well as raffle ticket drawings for amazing Savannah packages of local goods and services with 100% of proceeds going directly to the American Diabetes
Association.

The events after these launch parties are pretty much non-stop through the end of June. I hope there are some stops local to you that you can make it out to. I just love meeting readers!

There are a couple giveaways you should be sure to get in on before it’s too late…

May 17th, you can claim one of these cute embossed leather luggage tags, care of St. Martin’s Press, while supplies last. Details and entry form are
HERE. Act fast before they’re all gone!

Macmillan Audio also has a Vera Bradly “Weekender” bag stuffed full of my books and audiobooks up for grabs. There is no purchase necessary. Go
HERE to get more information and to enter to win.

Keep an eye on my Facebook page,
Twitter feed, and
Instagram account as I am always sharing news you can use and letting you know when there’s more
MKA swag and free goodies up for grabs.

OK, now I have to get back to packing for tour and attending to the last minute details for the upcoming mother of all launch parties.

Please know how much your support means to me. Thank you for reading my books and for always spreading the MKA love to your friends and family. I hope to see some of you while I’m out on the road this month and next.
Meanwhile, happy (almost) summer, happy reading, and happy #weekending!

Hugs,
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.

New in Hardcover. In stores May 17! Pre-Order Now!

Book cover: Weekenders

Stitch

Now in Paperback! Order Now!

Book cover: Beach Town

Stitch

New E-Book Novella! Order Now!

Book cover: Change of Scene

Stitch

Now in Mass Market! Order Today!

Book cover: Spring Fever

Stitch

Spring 2016

From Mary Kay's Front Porch - Spring 2016 Newsletter

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

BAILEY'S IRISH CREAM CUPCAKES

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.

Stitch

RENT ONE OF MKA’s COTTAGES

The Breeze Inn
The Breeze Inn
Ebbtide
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.

Stitch

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 5th, 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.

Giveaway

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

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.

Now in Mass Market! Order Today!

Book cover: Spring Fever

Stitch

NEW E-book Novella! Coming April 5! Pre-Order Now!

Book cover: Change of Scene

Stitch

Coming in Paperback May 3! Pre-Order Now!

Book cover: Beach Town

Stitch

New in Hardcover. In stores May 17! Pre-Order Now!

Book cover: Weekenders

Stitch

Fall 2015

From Mary Kay's Front Porch - Winter 2015 Newsletter

SLOW COOKER APPLESAUCE

SLOW COOKER APPLESAUCE

I adapted this applesauce from one of my favorite Ina Garten cookbooks to use with my slow cooker. I love using Georgia-grown apples like Pink Lady for their sweet-tart taste, or Honey Crisp or Cripp’s Pinks, but use whatever apples you like, and adjust the brown sugar and orange/lemon juice to account for your taste.

  • 2 large navel oranges, zested and juiced
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  • 6-8 cups of firm cooking apples, peeled and sliced.
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • half stick of unsalted butter
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

Dump everything into your slow cooker, give it a stir, set it on slow/low and prepare to have your house smell like an apple-pie factory when you come inside from raking leaves. Your applesauce is done when the apples have melted into a lumpy mush—say 3-4 hours, maybe more, depending on your slow cooker.

Stitch

RENT ONE OF MKA’s COTTAGES

The Breeze Inn
The Breeze Inn
Ebbtide
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.

Stitch

MKA Online

Dear Friends:

This October marks a life-changing milestone for me. Twenty-five years ago this month, I answered the phone at my desk at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. To my complete amazement, an editor at HarperCollins Publishers in New York was on the other end of the line—calling to tell me he wanted to buy EVERY CROOKED NANNY, which would become my first published novel.

All these years later, the process of birthing a book has lost none of its thrill. This past summer, thanks to loyal readers like you, BEACH TOWN, my 23rd novel, debuted on The New York Times bestseller list at #6.
As always, my favorite part of the writing process was meeting old and new fans on my book tour where this time I visited 20+ cities. I can’t thank you enough for coming out to my signings to say hello—and even to bring me gifts like the gorgeous basket of farm-grown produce one sweet reader brought to my signing in Vero Beach.

Of course, no sooner was I off tour than I plunged into working on next summers book. I can’t wait for you to meet Riley Nolan Griggs and the rest of the cast of characters who make up THE WEEKENDERS, which goes on sale in May 2016. The new book is already available for pre-order, so go ahead and order now to make sure you’re the first on your block to have it in your hot little hands. Here is the cover. I hope you love it as much as I do.

Although THE WEEKENDERS is set on a fictional barrier island off the coast of North Carolina, for the past three months I’ve been escaping to a rented mountain cabin to write. Since it’s apple-picking season in the mountains, I’d love to share my super-simple recipe for slow-cooker applesauce.

Speaking of Christmas, I’m happy to say that St. Martin’s Press has released a paperback version of CHRISTMAS BLISS, the fourth in my Savannah set series featuring Weezie Foley and BeBe Loudermilk—just in time for your holiday gift-giving.

To celebrate my big silver anniversary of published authordom, I’ve planned lots of great giveaways with other bestselling novelists, starting with a super Halloween-themed mystery and thriller giveaway. Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest to get in on the giveaway action—and, as always, to see where I’m signing, talking, and junking.

All my best,

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.

NOW IN PAPERBACK! ORDER TODAY!

Book cover: Christmas Bliss

Stitch

ALSO AVAILABLE. ORDER NOW!

Book cover: Ladies' Night

Stitch

SHORT STORY

Download the
E-Book Now!

Book cover: Fatal Fruitcake

Stitch

SHORT STORY

Download the
E-Book Now!

Book cover: Ladies' Night

Stitch

Spring 2015

From Mary Kay's Front Porch - Spring 2015 Newsletter

Charleston Salad

CHARLESTON SALAD

After I was served this salad at the Charleston Book and Author Luncheon several years ago, I couldn’t wait to get home and make my own version. Quantities of all ingredients depend on the number you’re serving. For dressing you could use the recipe I’ve included, or simply buy one of the good bottled poppy seed or raspberry vinaigrette dressings available in the produce section at your grocery.

To make this a main dish salad, add rotisserie chicken, cooked shrimp or even poached salmon.

  • Chopped lettuce—Romaine, Bibb or even arugula.
  • Hulled and sliced fresh strawberries
  • Sliced avocado
  • Pink grapefruit sections. (I buy the ones in jars in produce section)
  • Red onion rings
  • Goat cheese crumbles
  • Almonds—blanched and sliced

Arrange chopped lettuce on each plate. Top with avocado, onion, strawberries and grapefruit sections, dribbling a little grapefruit juice over avocado to keep from browning. Add goat cheese crumbles. Sprinkle sliced almonds on top. Drizzle with dressing

Poppyseed dressing:

  • 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. honey
  • 1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (optional)
  • 2 tsp. Dijon mustard, or 1 tsp. dry mustard and 1 tsp. Dijon
  • 2 tsp. poppyseeds
  • 1/2 to 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup good quality olive oil

Combine everything except olive oil in a lidded jar and shake well. Pour olive oil slowly into jar and shake vigorously again.

Stitch

RENT ONE OF MKA’s COTTAGES

The Breeze Inn
The Breeze Inn
Ebbtide
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 she fixed up in her own signature style. Call Diane at Mermaid Cottages and book yourself in for the full MKA experience! If MKA’s places are not available, Diane has 50 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.

Stitch

MKA Online

Dear Friends:

I can’t believe the release of my 23rd novel—and 13th written as MKA—is right around the corner! Kirkus Reviews calls BEACH TOWN “a perfect fit for the romance lover’s beach bag.” Circle the date of May 19th to get your copies of BEACH TOWN! Better yet, pre-order now, so you don’t miss out. If you pre-order the book by May 18th, you’ll be eligible to receive these awesomely cool and customized BEACH TOWN sunglasses.

Details HERE on how to get your own pair just in time for sunny days ahead.

BEACH TOWN is the story of movie location scout Greer Hennessey, who’s tasked with finding the perfect “old Florida” location for a big budget Hollywood film. She finds the sleepy Gulf Coast town of Cypress Key, but things get complicated when the stubborn mayor, a long-time local named Eben Thibadeaux, tries every roadblock in the book to shut her down.

For research for the book I spent time this winter in Cedar Key, FL, which was the inspiration for the book’s setting. After a few spectacular sunsets like this one, I wanted to settle in for the rest of winter!

As always, we’re cooking up an epic Atlanta launch party with our friends at FoxTale Book Shoppe. Circle the date—Sunday, May 17th. This year’s soiree is at the Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams home furnishings showroom at the Avalon shopping mecca in Alpharetta and it will benefit the Atlanta Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer alliance. Go HERE to buy your party tix and to get in on some great incentive prizes for booking early. Your ticket price gets you an autographed first-edition hardcover copy of BEACH TOWN, a great swag bag full of freebies, plus food, drinks, shopping, and fun. We’ll be raffling off awesome door prizes again this year, including restaurant dinners, book baskets, and much more.

Can’t make the Atlanta party? Join us the next night, Monday, May 18th for another launch, in Savannah, at the Brice Hotel. Food, fun, friends! Watch my Facebook page for details.

The 2015 BIG-AZZ BEACH TOWN BOOK TOUR (details at right) will have me hopping to beach towns like St. Simon’s Island, GA., Grayton Beach, FL., Vero Beach, Fairhope, AL, and the Jersey Shore, as well as hot-spots like Raleigh, Birmingham, and Houston. Stay tuned to the EVENTS page on my website as the tour continues to take shape.

And don’t forget, the paperback of SAVE THE DATE releases May 5th—just in time for Mother’s Day, which is May 10th. Back by popular demand is our Mother’s Day gift to you, recipe cards with some of my favorite springtime dishes. Details to come soon on how to get yours.

Also, for a limited time, Amazon is offering an amazing “Kindle Monthly Deal” on the Ladies’ Night e-book. From now through May 4th you can get it for the special low price of just $2.99.

In the meantime, at left enjoy my recipe for Charleston Salad, which is perfect for a Mother’s Day brunch.

Happy Spring, y’all!

Hugs,

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.

In stores May 19th! Order NOW!

Book cover: Save the Date

Stitch

In Paperback May 5th! Order NOW!

Book cover: Save the Date

Stitch

BEACH TOWN TOUR

Sunday, May 17

ALPHARETTA, GA

Launch Party

Hosted by FoxTale Book Shoppe

At Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams

Monday, May 18

SAVANNAH, GA

Launch Party

Brice Hotel

Tuesday, May 19

SANTA ROSA, FL

Sanctuary at Redfish

Wednesday, May 20

FAIRHOPE, AL

Page & Palette

Thursday, May 21

RALIEGH, NC

Quail Ridge Books & Music

Friday, May 22

ST. SIMON’S ISLAND, GA

GJ Ford Bookshop

Monday, May 25

DUCK, NC

Island Bookstore

Tuesday, May 26

HOUSTON, TX

Murder by the Book

Wednesday, May 27

BIRMINGHAM, AL

Books-A-Million with Patti Callahan Henry

Thursday, May 28

FLORENCE, AL

Florence-Lauderdale Public Library

Friday, May 29

FAIR HAVEN, NJ

River Road Books

Saturday, May 30

MADISON, CT

R.J. Julia Booksellers

Sunday, May 31

PLAISTOW, NH

Plaistow Public Library

Monday, June 1

WELLSELEY, MA

Wellesley Books

Tuesday, June 2

JACKSONVILLE, FL

Jacksonville Public Library

Wednesday, June 3

JACKSONVILLE, FL

Bookmark with Mary Alice Monroe

Thursday, June 4

VERO BEACH, FL

Vero Beach Book Center with Mary Alice Monroe

Tuesday, June 9

ATLANTA, GA

Book Miser

Wednesday, June 10

ATLANTA, GA

Omega Books

Thursday, June 11

ATLANTA, GA

Book Exchange

Friday, June 19

PAWLEYS ISLAND, SC

Litchfield Books

 

Winter 2014

From Mary Kay's Front Porch - Winter 2014 Newsletter

APPLE STRUESEL PIE

APPLE STRUESEL PIE

The streusel topping is inspired by my son Andy’s favorite dessert—Apple Crisp. And to be honest, I always buy pre-made crusts, but if you’re a pastry chef, just use whatever pie crust recipe you like. Need a shortcut?—buy a package of Betty Crocker Oatmeal Cookie mix and cut in a stick of softened butter or margarine to make the topping. To make this more festive, feel free to add half a cup or so of dried cherries or cranberries in with the sliced apples. To make it more decadent, top it with a scoop of ice cream and drizzle over some warmed up caramel or butterscotch topping.

For topping: 1 cup oatmeal (quick oatmeal works just as well as old-fashioned)

  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
  • dash salt
  • 1 stick softened butter or margarine

Mix together dry ingredients and cut in stick of butter until you have crumbly mix.

Pie shell—one unbaked pie shell.

Filling:

  • 3 cups peeled and sliced tart apples.
  • 1 Tbsp. sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice

Toss sliced apples with lemon juice to prevent discoloring, then mix apples with dry ingredients. Place filling in unbaked pie shell, top with streusel topping, patting down lightly to get topping to stick to apples. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until topping is browned.

Stitch

RENT ONE OF MKA’s COTTAGES

The Breeze Inn
The Breeze Inn
Ebbtide
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 she fixed up in her own signature style. Call Diane at Mermaid Cottages and book yourself in for the full MKA experience! If MKA’s places are not available, Diane has 50 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.

Stitch

MKA Online

Dear Friends:

While much of the rest of the country has been under one kind of winter storm watch or another recently, I’ve been down in Florida soaking up the sunshine. Do I feel guilty? Not much. I was holed up in a tiny rented cottage in Cedar Key, pounding away at my new book, BEACH TOWN, which releases May 19th!

If you’re in the Atlanta area over the holidays, I do have two signing events (details here) lined up for my Christmas novel, CHRISTMAS BLISS. I love to give signed books for gifts, don’t you? Calorie-free, easy to wrap—and always just the right size.

Because I seem to have some strange need for chaos, back in June, the week before I left on the massive SAVE THE DATE book tour, we decided to buy a new house and sell our old one. We stayed in our same, beloved Atlanta in-town neighborhood, moving only a few blocks to a restored 1926 cottage, but it was insane, nonetheless.

Yikes! Christmas is looming large on the calendar, but even larger is my deadline. That said, I’m trying to keep calm and keep typing. I did take the time to test a new recipe for you—an apple streusel pie that uses Boomerang Boy’s favorite apple crisp topping in a pie crust. Yum!

PorchIn between pounding out chapters, I’ve haunted estate sales, junk shops and Craigslist, in search of the perfect finishing touches for our new home. I’ve already furnished our big covered back porch with Restoration Hardware sofas and chairs scored at an estate sale, a coffee table made from a cut-down farm table from another sale, and my fave piece, a distressed wood console hand-crafted and painted for me by the amazingly talented Mr. MKA from plans we found on Pinterest! Love me some Pinterest, don’t you? Did you know you can follow me there? Yup, and on Instagram too.

Spring is already lining up to be just as busy as fall. You can check my personal appearance schedule on my website here. I’m thrilled to tell you that the paperback of SAVE THE DATE will be out May 5th. And here’s another nice surprise—St. Martin’s Press is publishing SUMMER RENTAL in mass market paperback, for the first time, also on May 5th.

Just because I’m feeling especially thankful this year to have friends and family close by during the holiday, we are putting together a fun group giveaway of Christmas books by some of my favorite authors we are calling “A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS.” The winner of the drawing will also receive an extra prezzie—each author is including one of her personal favorite gifts to give. My gift is one of my beloved Red Currant aromatherapy candles. I love to burn these for inspiration while I’m writing. Stay tuned to my Facebook page for details.

Speaking of writing, I’m going back to that . . . right now!

Wishing you all my best,

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.

IN HARDCOVER. ORDER NOW!

Book cover: Save the Date

Stitch

IN PAPERBACK. ORDER NOW!

Book cover: Ladies' Night

Stitch

Download the
E-Book Now!

Book cover: Fatal Fruitcake

Stitch

Download the
E-Book Now!

Book cover: Ladies' Night

Stitch

Summer 2014

From Mary Kay's Front Porch - Summer 2014 Newsletter
Poppyseed Salad

STRAWBERRY ALMOND SPINACH SALAD
With Poppyseed Dressing

This is a great mix and match salad. Don’t like spinach? Sub in romaine or even baby kale. No almonds? Try lightly toasted pecans. Prefer blueberries or blackberries to strawberries? No problem. I’ll bet fresh or dried figs would be great in this too. Or chunks of peaches or nectarines. Are you drooling yet? You can also substitute feta or blue cheese, or add chicken, shrimp or poached fish for a heartier main-dish salad. I add avocados because I love ’em!

  • 8 cups washed and dried baby spinach leaves
  • 1-1/2 cups sliced almonds, slightly toasted and lightly salted
  • 1 pint strawberries, sliced.
  • 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
  • 1 avocado, peeled and thinly sliced and sprinkled with lemon juice

Toss together ingredients and just before serving pour dressing over salad.

Poppyseed dressing:

  • 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. honey
  • 1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (optional)
  • 2 tsp. Dijon mustard, or 1 tsp. dry mustard and 1 tsp. Dijon
  • 2 tsp. poppyseeds
  • 1/2 to 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup good quality olive oil

In a jar with a lid combine all ingredients except oil and shake. Slowly pour oil into jar, cover and shake again. Shake again before dressing salad.

adapted with permission from DINNER ON THE GROUNDS, By James T. Farmer III

Stitch

RENT ONE OF MKA’s COTTAGES

The Breeze Inn
The Breeze Inn
Ebbtide
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 she fixed up in her own signature style. Call Diane at Mermaid Cottages and book yourself in for the full MKA experience! If MKA’s places are not available, Diane has 50 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.

Stitch

MKA Online

Dear Friends:

We’ve swept away the last of the pollen, hung the fern baskets by the steps and dragged the porch furniture cushions up from the basement. So let summer 2014 finally commence!

And may I suggest you kick off the sweetest season with my newest book? SAVE THE DATE is the story of Cara Kryzik, a Savannah wedding florist/planner who’s convinced herself that storybook endings never happen in real life. But all that changes one busy Saturday when a handsome stranger mistakenly dognaps Cara’s goldendoodle puppy. Jack Finnerty restores historic homes for a living, and like Cara, he has a cynical view of love and marriage. But all that can change in the blink of an eye.

The early reviews have been raves. Delta Magazine says SAVE THE DATE is “storytelling at its best,” and AARP calls it “an absolute delight!” Booklist says “all will swoon over steamy scenes…right up to the wholly satisfying happy ending.” Kirkus Reviews declares SAVE THE DATE “a date Andrews fans won’t want to miss.”

We’ll celebrate the launch of my 23rd novel with a huge party here in Atlanta on Sunday, June 1, with proceeds from the party benefitting The Atlanta Humane Society. Reserve your tickets now with the fabulous folks at FoxTale Book Shoppe. Full details and ticket info here.

Two days later we’ll move the party down to Savannah, with a second launch party at The Andaz Hotel. Full details and ticket info here.

I’ve got so many tour stops for SAVE THE DATE I can’t keep them all straight, but I do know that I’ll be hitting Charleston, Raleigh, Myrtle Beach, Fairhope, Birmingham, Houston, Chicago, St. Louis, the Jersey Shore and the Connecticut coast, and then Savannah—again! See all my tour stops here, and be sure to save the date for a good time and a great read.

In between tour stops, I’ll be working on next summer’s book, breaking ground on a new home office, and hopefully finding some time to chill out with my family at the neighborhood pool. We do lots of grilling in the summer, and I’m always looking for a cool new side dish. This strawberry-almond salad with poppyseed dressing (recipe at left) is adapted from my friend James Farmer’s new cookbook DINNER ON THE GROUNDS: Southern Suppers and Soirees. I added goat cheese and avocado because they’re my favorites. If you’re taking this on a beach picnic or to a covered dish, pack the salad ingredients in separate zip-lock bags and tote the dressing in a Mason jar. Yummers!

You know what else is great to pack for a trip to the beach or the pool—or just the hammock in your own backyard? A copy of SAVE THE DATE! Or two!

Thanks, as always, for your support.

All my best,
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.

In stores June 3rd. Get your copy NOW!

Book cover: Save the Date

Stitch

In Paperback Now!

Book cover: Ladies' Night

Stitch

SAVE THE DATE TOUR

Sunday, June 1, 2014 | 4:30-6:30 PM

Launch Party, Westin Buckhead, Atlanta, GA

Tuesday, June 3, 2014 | 4:00-6:00 PM

Launch Party, Andaz Hotel, Savannah, GA

Wednesday, June 4, 2014 | 7:00 PM

Barnes & Noble, Mt. Pleasant, SC

Thursday, June 5, 2014 | 12:00 PM

Quail Ridge Books & Music, Raleigh, NC

Thursday, June 5, 2014 | 7:30 PM

Quail Ridge Books & Music, Raleigh, NC

Friday, June 6, 2014 | 11:00-1:00 PM

Pawley’s Plantation, Hosted by Litchfield Books, Pawleys Island, SC

Friday, June 6, 2014 | 2:00-3:00 PM

Litchfield Books, Pawleys Island, SC

Friday, June 6, 2014 | 4:00-6:00 PM

Surfside Beach Library, Surfside Beach, SC

Saturday, June 7, 2014 | 12:00 PM

City Range, Hosted by Fiction Addiction, Greenville, SC

Monday, June 9, 2014 | 5:00-6:30 PM

Omega Books, Peachtree City, GA

Tuesday, June 10, 2014 | 7:00 PM

Park Road Books, Charlotte, NC

Wednesday, June 11, 2014 | 1:00 PM

Decatur Public Library. Decatur, AL

Wednesday, June 11, 2014 | 7:00 PM

Books-A-Million, Birmingham, AL

Thursday, June 12, 2014 | 7:00 PM

Nauvoo Grill, Hosted by River Road Books, Fair Haven, NJ

Friday, June 13, 2014 | 7:00 PM

Wilton Library with Jane Green, Wilton, CT

Monday, June 16, 2014 | 1:00 PM

Warren Newport Library, Co-hosted by Lake Forest Bookstore, Gurnee, IL

Monday, June 16, 2014 | 7:00 PM

Anderson’s Bookshop, Naperville, IL

Tuesday, June 17, 2014 | 6:00 PM

St. Charles City-County Library District, Spencer Road Branch, St. Peters, MO

Wednesday, June 18, 2014 | 6:00 PM

Katy Budget Books, Houston, TX

Thursday, June 19, 2014 | 6:00 PM

Fairhope Public Library, Fairhope, AL

Saturday, June 21, 2014 | 2:00 PM

Parnassus Books, Nashville, TN

Monday, June 23, 2014 | 7:00 PM

Barnes & Noble, Atlanta, GA

Wednesday, June 25, 2014 | 10:30 AM

Literary Guild of St. Simons Island, St. Simons Island, GA

Thursday, June 26, 2014 | 6:30 PM

Book Exchange, Marietta, GA

Tuesday, July 1, 2014 | 7:00 PM

SCAD Museum of Art with Patti Callahan Henry, Savannah, GA

Tuesday, July 8, 2014 | 6:30 PM

FoxTale Book Shoppe, Woodstock, GA

 

Winter 2014

From Mary Kay's Front Porch - Winter 2014 Newsletter
Crab Dip

EBBTIDE SPINACH-ARTICHOKE CRAB DIP

This recipe was inspired by a dip I had at The Sandbar, on Anna Maria Island, Fla. Buy a good-quality artisan bread round to serve it in, and a second loaf to cut into chunks to scoop out all the dippy goodness. This recipe serves a big crowd, so cut the recipe in half if your party isn’t quite as large. Serves 18-20

  • 1 large unsliced round loaf bread
  • 1 unsliced loaf artisan bread
  • 2 8-oz. packages softened cream cheese
  • 1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 2 cans artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 cup crabmeat—claw is fine.
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
  • 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese plus
  • 1 Tbsp. additional parmesan cheese
  • 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Pre-heat oven to 350. With serrated bread knife cut hole in round bread loaf, hollowing out a bowl as container for dip. Set aside bread. In large mixing bowl combine all other ingredients except olive oil. Spoon into bread bowl, sprinkle with additional parmesan, drizzle with olive oil. You’ll have left-over dip, which you can reserve to re-fill bread bowl when emptied, or save for another party.

Place on cookie sheet, and bake for approx. 15 minutes, or until dip is browned on top.
Cut unsliced loaf of bread into 1-inch chunks to serve with dip. Can also serve with crackers or celery and baby carrots.

Stitch

RENT ONE OF MKA’s COTTAGES

The Breeze Inn
The Breeze Inn

Ebbtide
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 she fixed up in her own signature style. Call Diane at Mermaid Cottages and book yourself in for the full MKA experience! If MKA’s places are not available, Diane has 50 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.

Stitch

MKA Online

Dear Friends:

As I write this, I’m staring out the window of my home in Atlanta, at ice-frosted treetops, and a snow blanketed yard. I’m here physically, but in my head, I’m in Savannah, in June, with all the attendant heat and humidity—in other words, I’m in the world of the book—my upcoming June release, SAVE THE DATE. (St. Martin’s Press, June 3). The novel focuses on Cara Kryzik, a Savannah florist who is about to score the wedding of a lifetime—one that will solidify her career as the go-to-girl for society nuptials. When the bride spirals into a crisis and the wedding is in jeopardy, Cara must find the bride and figure out what she believes in. I can’t wait to share this story with all of you.

Straddling two worlds is business as usual around here. Even while I’m putting the finishing touches on my June release, I’m celebrating my newest re-release—HEART TROUBLE (HarperCollins) which is available in trade paperback, electronic, and for the first time, audiobook formats. This is the newest re-publication in my Atlanta-based Callahan Garrity series. HEART TROUBLE is the fifth in the series, and I’m already hearing from old and new fans how much they’re enjoying getting to know this feisty Atlanta private investigator/house-cleaning operator and her quirky House Mouse crew. Thanks to the generous folks at Harper Collins, I have 10 copies of the HEART TROUBLE paperback to give away. Details of this latest giveaway offer are in the left sidebar. Good luck!

To further draw readers into Callahan’s world, I’ve also just published an electronic short story called THE FAMILY JEWELS, which is available for .99 on all e-platforms, including Kindle, Nook, Kobo and Apple iBooks. In March, the sixth in the Callahan series, IRISH EYES, will become available again, in trade paperback audiobook and electronic versions.

And as if that’s not enough activity to keep me busy, my friends at Mermaid Cottage Vacation Rentals and I just played hosts for our first ever TYBEE SLEEPOVER, a fun-filled girlfriend getaway on Tybee Island, Georgia for 19 lifestyle bloggers from around the country.

The bloggers blew up social media with their great pictures and postings of the six adorable Mermaid Cottages they stayed in, plus the dinners, lunches, beach walks, and shopping and sight-seeing excursions they enjoyed.

Our own circa-1932 Ebbtide Cottage served as the clubhouse for the ladies, and on the first night we served a decadent spinach-artichoke-crab dip I’ve now dubbed Ebbtide dip. I’m sharing the recipe here (at left)—but to replicate the full Tybee experience, you might just need to book yourself into either Ebbtide or Breeze Inn on Tybee.

The bloggers in attendance were: Rhoda from Southern Hospitality, Kim from Sand and Sisal, Leslie from Fairhope Supply Co., Beth from Unskinny Boppy, Heather & Vanessa from At the Picket Fence, KariAnne from Thistlewood Farms, Laura from Finding Home, Jen from Balancing Beauty & Bedlam, Brittany from Pretty Handy Girl, Lucy from Lucy’s Inspired, Holly from Storywood Designs, Heidi from Parties for Pennies, Michelle from Iron and Twine, and Cindy from Cindy Barganier. I encourage you to check out each and every one of their blogs and to seek them out on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. These ladies so many great, creative ideas and such good taste. And definitely check out these two great wrap-up posts about our fab weekend from Rhoda and Heather & Vanessa.

Here’s hoping wherever you are during this snowy winter 2014 you’re safe and warm, with something yummy to eat—and a good book to read.

Hugs,
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.

Dividing Stitch

HEART TROUBLE GIVEAWAY

Heart Trouble, a mystery I originally wrote under the name Kathy Hogan Trocheck featuring the character Callahan Garrity, has just been re-released by Harper Collins in paperback, audiobook, and e-book with a brand new package. I have 10 copies of the paperback to give away. To enter, tell us your favorite character in any of my books. To be entered to win, fill out this simple form and hit submit. We will pick 10 lucky winners at random. Open to US residents only (no PO Boxes). Entry deadline: midnight EST on the first day of Spring, March 20th. Winners will be announced the week of March 24th.

In Stores June 3rd. Pre-Order NOW!

Book cover: Save the Date

Stitch

New Re-Issue In Stores Now!

Book cover: Heart Trouble

Stitch

New Short Story. Download Now!

Book cover: Family Jewels

Stitch

Coming in Paperback April 29th!

Book cover: Ladies' Night

Stitch

Holidays 2013


Enter to win 6 Christmas books! Happy Holidays from Mary Kay Get MKA's Christmas Bliss recipes!

Dear Friends:

This is not one of those Christmas newsletters designed to tell you that little Clementine was elected senior class president, prom queen and MVP of her field hockey team, and Rutherford III has been accepted at Harvard, while Rutherford Sr. and I have just returned from summering in Cannes, and that our Malinois Muffelata was named Best in Show at the Westminster Dog Show. This is not one of those holiday newsletters designed to make you feel inadequate and inferior in every way. No, this is simply a newsletter to say thank you.

Thank you for such a warm and loving reception for CHRISTMAS BLISS, my new novella featuring Weezie Foley and BeBe Loudermilk. Thank you for asking me to bring back two of your favorite fictional characters from Savannah Blues, Savannah Breeze and Blue Christmas. Thanks to the anonymous reader who so many years ago wrote to implore me to write a book where I got Weezie married off—and BeBe knocked up. Thanks to everybody who came out to our fun and festive launch party in Decatur. Thanks to all the folks in Savannah, where CHRISTMAS BLISS is set, for coming out to three marathon events—in one day. Thanks to the fans in Raleigh, who joined me at Quail Ridge Books. Thanks to those who travelled from as far away as Florida, to join me at the Chapel Vintage Market in Pike Road, Alabama. Thanks to those amazing bakers who brought their favorite Christmas cookie recipes to the fun tea party given by The Book Exchange in Marietta, Ga. Thanks to all of you who crowded into FoxTale Bookshoppe in Woodstock, and thanks to the sweet fan who brought me a pair of adorable homemade burlap Christmas stockings. Thanks to the fans who came out to meet me at the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut. I lost a little at the slot machines there, but won big at meeting new friends.

MKA at ChristmasIn the middle of all this touring and travelling, I’m already knee-deep in plans for my own family’s holiday. This year we’ll celebrate Christmas in Atlanta with the whole family, including grandchildren Molly, 4, and Griffin, 2. It’s such fun to re-create old traditions with them. Molly loves to bake, so we’ll certainly be baking some cookies—which Griffin will drown in colored sprinkles. Right after Thanksgiving I’ll get Mr. MKA to bring up the bins of vintage Christmas decorations from the basement. We’ll make the rounds of Christmas parties—including our neighbor’s party, where we dance to ’60s tunes from their basement jukebox. At some point, I’ll settle down with a glass of cheap chardonnay to watch my favorite holiday movie, White Christmas. Years ago I had a costumer make me a copy of Rosemary Clooney’s Mrs. Claus outfit from the finale of the movie—and I’ve worn it to several of my CHRISTMAS BLISS signings. On Christmas Eve, we’ll attend the children’s mass at our church, where the children’s re-creation of the Nativity scene never fails to bring tears to my eyes and gladness to my heart.

Whatever your holiday customs or beliefs, dear friends, my wish for you, as always, is a time of peace, laughter, and yes, bliss.

Hugs,

MKA Signature

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