Category: Fun Stuff

Cool additions to the site

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We’ve made some fun changes here at juliejames.com that I think you all are really going to like.  Most notably, I’ve added a page for the FBI/US Attorney series that provides a tongue-in-cheek overview of the series, and talks about the inspiration behind the books. I’ve also created profiles for the three heroes in the series that you don’t want to miss.  (Trust me–it’s worth checking out.)

In addition, I’ve also added an international editions page that includes publisher links, titles, and covers (where available) of the various foreign translations of my books.  If you get a chance, click through the lineup of international covers for each book. There are some fun, great covers in there–and a couple rather, um, interesting ones, too.

Like the changes? Is there something else you’d like to see?  I’d love to hear your feedback!

Thanksgiving Giveaway– What’s In Your Oven?

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**Giveaway is closed. Winners will be posted shortly.

Hey everyone! Some of you may remember this giveaway from last year. . . . I figured since we all had fun (and got some really great recipes) that we might as well do it again!

So tomorrow begins my four-day preparations for Thanksgiving (my husband and I have both of our families over every year). And as the holidays approach, I thought, who couldn’t use more books? Or a gift card to buy more books?

Thus, I’ve decided to do a giveaway. Grand prize is a $25 gift card to either Barnes & Noble or Amazon, and I’m also giving away three runner-up prizes of a copy of my current release, A Lot Like Love.  All you have to do to enter is tell us, in the comments below, one thing you’re baking/cooking for Thanksgiving AND you have to include the recipe.  (Hey, we all can use good recipes this time of year, right?)  And if you’re not cooking or baking anything this Thanksgiving, then just post any favorite recipe of yours.  The contest will be open until 8pm CST on Wednesday, November 23rd.

I’ll start us out, with recipes from two fantastic cooks: my grandmothers.  One is one of my favorite desserts, and the other is for the best stuffing I’ve ever tasted.  I make both of these every Thankgiving.

Grandma Arline’s Magic Bars

1 1/2 cups corn flake crumbs

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups flaked coconut

1 12 oz pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup chopped walnuts

3 tablespoons sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Combine corn flake crumbs, sugar, butter and mix thoroughly.  (I melt the butter first.)  Press mixture evenly into 13 x 9″ baking pan.  Use back of spoon to press firmly into bottom of pan to form crust.

Scatter chocolate chips over crust.  Spread coconut evenly over chocolate chips.  Sprinkle the walnuts over the coconut.  Pour sweetened condensed milk over walnuts.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until lightly browned around edges.  Cool.  Cut into bars.

Grandma Marge’s Bread Stuffing

3 loaves of bread

1 1/2 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 cup chopped celery

1 1/2 cup melted butter

1 tablespoon salt

2 tsp ground sage

1 tsp pepper

1 beaten egg

Milk

Break bread into pieces and leave out to go stale.  (Note: I do this two days before I plan to make the stuffing and leave the bread out for two days in two brown paper grocery store bags.)

Saute the celery and onion in the melted butter until soft.  Add the salt, sage, and pepper.  In a large bowl, mix celery/onion mixture with one beaten egg. Begin adding stale bread, add milk as you mix in the bread to keep the stuffing moist.

Bake for about one hour at 325 degrees in a buttered 13 x 9 casserole dish.  If made the day before and refrigerated, increase cooking time to about 1 1/2 hours.

Enjoy!  And happy Thanksgiving!

A LOT LIKE LOVE in Cosmo

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Hey all!  I’m still in the writing hole, finishing things up to turn in Book 5 at the end of this week–whoo-hoo!–but I just had to share something very cool.  A LOT LIKE LOVE is the “Red-Hot Read” in Cosmopolitan’s October issue!!!

Summer Reads

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Hi everyone!

See?  I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth. I’ve just been busy, working away on About That Night.  So far, I’m very pleased with it.  I hope to share more about the book soon.

Speaking of books… in the spirit of summer, my book club decided that we wanted to read something “fun and light” for our next meeting.  I wanted to thank all of you who gave me great suggestions on Twitter and Facebook!  The book club has voted and this month we’ll be reading Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters.

Has anyone read it?  If so, what did you think?  (No spoilers, please.)

Anyone have other recommendations for light and fun summer reads?  Please feel free to share!

Hope you are all enjoying the sunshine!