Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **AUTHOR SPECIAL** with JESSICA ASPEN!
Welcome to my Friday bonus feature called Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special**!! Today, in lieu of one of my own recipes, I’m going to introduce you to a new author who will share one of her favorite recipes. Not only will you and I occasionally learn how to make something new and delicious, but we’ll get a chance to check out some wonderful authors. Introducing author, JESSICA ASPEN, and her favorite recipe for JESSICA ASPEN’S FLORIDA HOLIDAY MUFFINS!
GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS PAST
A Haunted Holidays Novel
By JESSICA ASPEN
Book Blurb
Jen MacNamara flees the Christmas wedding of her best friend and cheating fiancé and runs to the country to spend the holiday alone. It’s the perfect plan, until her unexpectedly sexy neighbor and landlord, Nate Pierce, insists on bringing the holiday to her—complete with a Christmas tree, hot chocolate, and an unexpected kiss.
And that’s not Jen’s only problem.
The cozy country farmhouse is already occupied by something evil. Now Jen’s nights are spent wrapped in sensual dreams of a past life, and her days growing closer to Nate as they solve the mystery of the malevolent ghost that haunts not only the house, but also wants Jen dead.
Dare to discover Jessica Aspen’s sexy, new adult, contemporary, Gothic romance, today.
Available at:
Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Ibooks, AllRomanceEbooks
Add Ghosts of Christmas Past to your Goodreads shelf.
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GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS PAST
A Haunted Holidays Novel
By JESSICA ASPEN
Excerpt
Jen turned, gazing over the bare winter fields to the tangle of trees. No explanations, no obligations, no complications. For two whole weeks she could just hide here, and write.
The first genuine smile she could remember since April spread her face wide.
Then the pickup arrived.
Black, large, and full of male attitude it parked right next to her vacation house, dwarfing her small car and taking up the entire drive.
“Oh, there’s Nate now.” Mrs. Castlebury waved at the man pushing an eager black Labrador back into the cab while trying to exit the vehicle.
He got the door shut, faced them, and grinned. Dressed in New England casual of laced-up work boots, jeans, and plaid shirt under a denim jacket, Nate Pierce, striding across the snow, hand out in welcome, was a commercial for settling down. Tall. Good-looking in a rugged, works-for-a-living kind of way. And he had a dog. A big, sloppy, super-cute dog, wagging its tail and drooling on the driver’s side window.
For one impulsive moment Jen wished this was her life. She loved big dogs, the country, and secretly, men in plaid shirts, but she hadn’t had the opportunity for any of it since her dad’s death. Their daddy-daughter fishing trips, where he’d gotten to get out of his suit and she’d gotten to be free of her school uniform, had stopped cold the year she’d turned twelve.
This was the first time since then she’d ventured outside of somewhere hot and warm with a very clean, very controlled hotel. Her mom’s idea of a vacation. Of course, neither her mom nor her ex, Jason, tolerated dogs of any size. And as for living outside of the Boston city limits?
Neither of them would consider the horror.
She squashed the sudden surge of loneliness and desire for something she’d probably never have, and pasted on a smile.
Mr. Good-Looking Country Boy tramped through the snow to the porch, pushed his overlong forelock of sandy brown hair off his face, and held out a hand. “Hi, I’m Nate Pierce, your landlord.”
“My what?” She shot a quick look at Mrs. Castlebury.
“Your landlord, dear. I’m just the listing agent. Nate owns the house and he’ll see to any upkeep you need.”
“In fact, I’ll be back in an hour or so after you’ve gotten settled and bring the Christmas tree.”
“The Christmas tree?” She’d forgotten. She’d purchased the Christmas in New England package because it had been cheaper than renting by the day. “That’s not necessary,” she said, her voice chillier than she’d intended.
“I’ve already cut the tree down.” Nate’s friendly grin wavered as did his hand hovering in the air between them. “It would be a shame to waste.”
She didn’t want to be friendly with the neighbors. She wanted to hide out and recuperate. Make up her mind as to what in the world she was going to do next. But good manners won out.
Jen repressed a sigh, reached out, and slid her bare hand into his. As it disappeared into his tan callused grip, her hand seemed slim and small. He squeezed gently and a tingling warmth spread across her skin.
Hot caramel sensation slid from the connection between them, up her palm, along her arm, and through her entire body. Her hand tightened automatically, and a responding spark lit in his eyes.
Jen swallowed. Shoot! She wasn’t ready for this. She was here to lick her wounds, not some guy’s abs. And given the strength in his hand and his wide shoulders, she’d bet he had some killer abs.
She gazed up into Nate’s warm chocolate brown eyes and his face blurred. For a moment she saw another face superimposed over his. Same brown eyes, same tanned, rugged New England skin, but more boyish, broad-boned and black haired.
Every hair on her scalp tried to climb out of its slicked back, ponytailed restriction.
Then her new neighbor’s sharper, more intense features came into focus. Jen panicked and jerked her hand away. Wiping her buzzing palm on her long red wool coat she backed up, nearly running into Mrs. Castlebury.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Pardon me.” She circled around, putting the older woman between herself and Nate Pierce.
What the hell just happened?
Jen tucked her hands into the safety of her coat pockets, surreptitiously rubbing her tingling right palm along the silk inside her pocket. Trying to get rid of the strange feeling spreading along her skin and telling her pounding heart that everything was fine. That something bizarre hadn’t just happened to her. And that life was safe and normal.
About the author…Jessica Aspen.
Jessica Aspen has always wanted to be spirited away to a world inhabited by elves, were-wolves and sexy men who walk on the dark side of the knife. Luckily, she’s able to explore her fantasy side and delve into new worlds by writing paranormal romance. She loves indulging in dark chocolate, reading eclectic novels, and dreaming of ocean vacations, but instead spends most of her time, writing, walking the dog, and hiking in the Colorado Rockies. You can find out more information and read about Jessica’s paranormal romances at http://JessicaAspen.com
To sign up for Jessica Aspen’s new release email please go to: http://eepurl.com/zs4Sj
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Links to Jessica’s website, blog, books, etc.
Website: http://jessicaaspen.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5759763.Jessica_Aspen
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JessicaAspen
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JessicaAspenAuthor
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jessicaaspen/
Join the Jessica Aspen mailing list! Get the scoop on new releases, sales, plus the chance to win ARCs and participate in special giveaways. When I send you an email, there’s always something in it for you! http://eepurl.com/zs4Sj
I hope you enjoy the recipe Jessica is sharing with us today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy eating!
Karen
P.S. We’re at 161 recipes and counting with this posting. Hope you find some recipes you like. If this is your first visit, please check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. In the right hand column menu, you can even look up past recipes by type. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, Author Specials, etc.
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Hi Karen, and all the readers here at Karen’s Killer Fixin’s! Between the approach of Halloween and promoting my new ghostly Christmas book, I’m ready for the holidays. Deciding which holiday recipe to feature was a tough call. I ended up with a recipe that works for both holidays—and its gluten and grain free!
I used to celebrate Christmas in Florida with my grandmother, so tropical flavors are a big Christmas trigger for me. This recipe combines fall’s pumpkin and Florida’s lemon and tastes delicious. Use if for a fall brunch all the way through Christmas morning and you’ll have sunshine in your kitchen as well as a pumpkin holiday feast!
JESSICA ASPEN’S
FLORIDA HOLIDAY MUFFINS
6 eggs-room temperature
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup melted coconut oil (you can use butter, but you lose the tropical flavor)
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup maple syrup (the real stuff!) room temperature
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ginger
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine wet ingredients, blend well and set aside. Combine dry ingredients, get all the lumps out of the flours by using a fork to mix. Stir to combine wet and dry ingredients and set aside. While letting ingredients sit, grease a muffin tin. Divide batter evenly into the well-greased muffin tin and bake for 35-40 minutes.
**SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Jessica is giving away an ebook copy of GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS PAST to one lucky winner who comments on her Killer Fixin’s blog. Don’t miss this chance to read this great story! Thanks, Jessica, for sharing your new release and recipe with us!
Hi Karen! Thanks for having me on as your guest. I’m super happy to be here, and happy to be sharing my gluten free/ paleo recipe for muffins. It’s nice to have something yummy for the holidays. 🙂
Morning, Jessica! Thanks for stopping in to share your muffin recipe, as well as your holiday story! This sounds like a great recipe I’m going to have to try, maybe at the same time as I sit down to read your book. 🙂
That sounds lovely! Maybe some tea and muffins with a good ghost story. 🙂
Interesting excerpt! I’m wondering if the ghost is a long dead ancestor of Nate’s…..
The muffins sound great too. 🙂 Pumpkin and coconut are an unusual combination. …
In gluten free baking you find coconut flour in everything, but this recipe has a very tropical taste, not only because of the coconut oil and flour, but because pumpkin is very sweet!
Oh, yum. I love anything PUMPKIN, especially if I’m able to use fresh pumpkin. I think these muffins qualify! Looking forward to trying these this weekend!
You can use fresh, you just have to pre-cook it. But I bet you already know how to do that. I love using fresh pumpkin and I’m sad that because of all the cooler weather this summer I didn’t end up with any pumpkins in my garden. Thinking of heading to the pumpkin farm before the Halloween rush and buying a few pie pumpkins. 🙂
Book sounds really good! Off to sign up for your newsletter! 🙂
Thanks! I love testing out new gluten free/grain free recipes, and this one is a keeper. And thanks for signing up for the newsletter!