Welcome

The winner of the Carol of the Rooms- (A retell of A Christmas Carol) by Diana Leagh Matthews is:

                   Elizabeth D.

Congratulations, Elizabeth. 

Be sure to check out next month’s novel food scene at sallyjopitts.com/author for another chance to win a book. 

Investigating Food Used in Novels

This month’s food scene and recipe comes from Diana Leagh Matthews’ novel Carol of the Rooms.   

Scene excerpt from Carol of the Rooms:

Terri’s mind drifted to the obligations of the day. Tomorrow would be Thanksgiving Day. For many businesses, today meant a partial workday, but she had no intention of closing early. She would be there all day. No need to miss out on a dollar less than could be earned. She’d signed a deal with Mr. Peterson to design a skyscraper for his international business moving to the area. That would pad her bank account nicely. Her heart leapt at the thought of all those bills in her hand.

Her smile dissipated when she pulled into the lot and parked. Waiting for her was the one person she didn’t want to see. Ever.

She pushed open her car door. “What do you want?”

“Good to see you too, Aunt Ri,” Emma said.

Her adopted niece stood before Terri for her annual visit. The girl grated on her nerves. She was always so sweet. Too sweet. Emma never gave up trying to include Terri in various holiday celebrations—no matter how much Terri wished she would.

“I hate that name.” Terri bristled, grabbing her purse and files for the office.

Emma seemed to ignore her aunt’s sour mood. “Happy Thanksgiving.”

“If you say so.” Terri pulled her keys out of the ignition.

“Derrick and I want you to join us for Thanksgiving dinner.”

“I’ll pass.” Terri stepped out of the car and shot the young woman a menacing look.

“But we’ll have turkey, ham, macaroni and cheese, homemade dressing—”

“I said I’d pass.” Terri slammed the car door and stormed toward her office building. “Don’t follow me,” she called over her shoulder. She had no desire to spend time with this girl. Why did Sophia ever make her Emma’s godmother? Terri had no use for the young woman. After all, she’d lived while her mother died giving birth to her.

Terri caught her breath. I miss my best friend.

“If you change your mind, we’d love to have you,” Emma called one last time.

That girl wouldn’t give up.

Author Diana Leagh Matthews shares this recipe from her Great-Grandmother. It is a classic cornbread dressing recipe that she grew up on.

            Grandma’s Southern Cornbread Dressing

For the recipe go to Investigatin’ Recipes above under Investigator’s News or Click Here. 

More about Carol of the Rooms:

Driven. Divisive. Dissonant.
Terri Neely is propelled by greed and ambition. She refuses to let anyone—except for her beloved Gramps—past her hard exterior. Long ago, her faith waivered, and her love of music turned to hate.
That is until an accident forces her to view the soundtrack of her life as she visits her past, present, and future.
Can the songs in Terri’s life change her heart and restore her faith before it’s too late?

 A reviewer says: It was uplifting and a perfect story for the holiday season. A Christmas Carol is a favorite of mine and this retelling by Diana Leagh Matthews, did not disappoint. It reinstated what is important in life—loving others. The music theme weaves its way through the story as we follow Terri Neely and her discovery at coming face to face at what she’s become.

About the author:

Diana Leagh Matthews shares God's love through her story from rebel to redeemed. Her day job is as a volunteer coordinator, but at night she writes and hunts genealogy. She provides programs as a speaker, teacher, vocalist, and presents historical monologues. Leagh’s (pronounced L-e-e) debut novel Carol of the Rooms premiered in late 2023.  Her second novel, Forever Changed, will be released in early 2025. Leagh lives in South Carolina with her spunky Maltese and writes about the history behind the hymns at www.DianaLeaghMatthews.com. 

BOOK GIVEAWAY

Share your favorite classic holiday food in the comments for a chance to win a signed copy of Carol of the Rooms.

Investigating Food Used in Novels

This month’s food scene and recipe comes from the WWII novel, The Road Remembered, by Kaye D. Schmitz

Here’s the scene featuring main character Sam Ryan:

We woke to find that in addition to a tent shortage, the camp also suffered a food shortage, so we scrounged for anything we could find. I was luckier than most. My mother had taught me to recognize edible greens, like watercress, and I pulled enough of it to make a scant salad. In the days that followed, the shortage continued, so I trapped a few rabbits—scrawny little things—and cooked them on my alcohol stove until our food supply caught up with us. My cooking abilities increased my popularity among the men and at the end of our famine period, I banked quite a stash of candy bars and cigarettes, traded to me for some of my rabbit stew.

                                                                   Rabbit Stew

Author Kaye D. Schmitz shares the recipe with these special notes:

The Road Remembered were actually my Dad’s experiences. And this was one of them. But in his real-life version, he found a farmer who raised rabbits and bought some from him using whatever currency he had for the country he was in at the time. He said he had no idea how the money translated to U.S. dollars, so he just handed the farmer a bunch of bills and the man’s eyes popped, so he figured he had probably given him enough money to buy his whole farm. He always laughed when he talked about that.

Sam’s version wouldn’t have included olive oil or Riesling, but probably would have included wild onions, an old potato from the mess hall and possibly a carrot or two if he could have gotten hold of them. No leeks, fennel, or tomatoes or fancy herbs like Rosemary. He may even have been able to get hold of a beer to add to the pot.

For the recipe Click Here.

More about The Road Remembered:

Love and humanity triumph amid the atrocities of World War II.

In the final months of World War II, Sam Ryan takes his place as a new soldier in the 89th Infantry Division on the front lines in Europe. He's trained to kill but struggles with the thought of taking the life of another human being, a contradiction with the way he was raised. How, he wonders, will he ever reconcile the action his head dictates with the way his heart feels about it?

On the other side of the war, Gerda Ziegler's heart aches over the monster her beloved Germany has become. But she confronts the Nazi soldiers who guard the Jewish-only sector in Zwickau and is appalled to learn that a Jewish baby will be killed because of a large birthmark. Can she manage to whisk the child away right under the noses of the brutal Nazis?

Sam and Gerda face their enemies head-on, but they also battle internal elements on their own sides of the fighting that violate their shared values of humanity. They meet under the worst of circumstances but find a way to help each other through the trauma of war.

About the Author:

KAYE SCHMITZ is the author of the award-winning novels, THE CONSORT CONSPIRACY and ON DEADLY GROUNDS, winning both the prestigious Literary Titans award and Florida Authors and Publishers Award. Active in the writing community, she is a member of the Florida Writers’ Association, Sisters in Crime national, Northeast Florida Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, and Women’s Fiction Writers’ Association. She is also an active speaker and teaches a writer’s workshop titled, “Fiction Writing Tips and Techniques That Work!!” Ms. Schmitz makes her home in St. Augustine, FL, where she lives with her husband, Michael, and close to their two grown children and four grandchildren. https://www.kayedschmitzauthor.com/