To enter for your chance to win either SIGNED copies of Wendy Markham’s If Only in My Dreams and The Best Gift or one of the author’s famous homemade holiday rum cakes, simply email me at OyeJohn52@aol.com before 11:59 PM EST tonight and write GIVEAWAY in the subject line. (Winners will be notified tomorrow.) In addition, please continue to leave your comments (excluding email address) below, as the authors and I truly appreciate reading them. And don’t forget to subscribe to Hartford Books Examiner—by doing so, you will receive email notifications when each new entry in the Holiday Book Giveaway Extravaganza is posted.
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Today, Hartford Books Examiner is celebrating the holidays with his good friend Wendy Corsi Staub.
The New York Times bestselling author of more than seventy books, Wendy Corsi Staub is perhaps best known for her suspense novels. But it is her literary alter-ego, Wendy Markham, who is making this particular season bright. Under that pseudonym, she writes romance and chick lit. titles, and her most recent offering is last month’s The Best Gift. The book revisits time-traveling heroine Clara, who was first introduced to readers in If Only in My Dreams (2006), which Publishers Weekly called “subtle, effective, and enjoyable” and Romance Designs heralded as “unpredictable and thoroughly romantic…a perfect 10.”
But whereas If Only in My Dreams found Clara traveling long into the past, The Best Gift has her mysteriously transported into an uncertain future…
From the publisher:
When Clara wakes up on Christmas morning next to her husband Drew, she's filled with joy because she has the perfect present: she's seven weeks pregnant with their first child.
But no sooner does Clara tell Drew the news than an earthquake strikes in nearby San Francisco. The next thing Clara knows she's waking up in bed-alone-and discovers she's three years in the future. Where is her husband and what has happened to the child she was expecting? Clara is no stranger to unusual occurrences, but the last thing on her Christmas list was to time travel...again.
Now, Wendy shares a special family recipe with you…
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My mom used to make the most amazing rum cake. It was moist, coated in a sugary glaze and caramelized nuts, and baked in a festive bundt pan.
I got the recipe from her a few years back, before she passed away, and began making the cake every December. It started small--just one cake, which I'd make and serve when we had holiday company. But it drew such raves that I started making them for people. And when I sent one over to my publishing house for Christmas, the rave reviews from those who had managed to snag a piece before it disappeared were so enthusiastic that I had to send three more so that everyone could try it--along with the recipe.
Now I make at least half a dozen rum cakes at a time. Since I can't send one to all of you, I'm sending the recipe. Enjoy, and happy holidays!
Holiday Rum Cake
Cake:
1 cup chopped, toasted pecans
1 18-1/2 ounce yellow cake mix
1 1-3/4 ounce (4-serving size) instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup cold milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup dark rum
Glaze**:
1 stick butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup coconut or vanilla rum
Cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Sprinkle nuts on bottom of pan. Combine all cake ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes on high with electric mixer. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool in pan. Invert on serving plate. Prick top with fork. Drizzle glaze over top of cake. Use brush or spoon to put extra dripping back on cake.
Glaze: Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in rum.
** My secret is to use another half-recipe of the glaze so that it's extra moist--in other words, I make it with 1 1/2 sticks butter, 1/4 + 1/8 cup water, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 3/4 cup rum. Then, instead of drizzling it over the cake, I use a marinade injector (looks like a large syringe!) to actually inject it into the cake.
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Don’t forget to email me at OyeJohn52@aol.com before 11:59 PM EST tonight for your chance to win one of these delicious cakes or signed copies of If Only in My Dreams and The Best Gift.
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Related articles from Hartford Books Examiner:
Book Review: Dying Breath by Wendy Corsi Staub (Win a signed copy!)
Wendy Corsi Staub's Dead Before Dark in stores today (Win a signed copy!)
Behind-the-scenes with Wendy Corsi Staub...and a free book giveaway! (Part 1)
Behind the scenes with Wendy Corsi Staub...and another free book giveaway! (Part 2)
Wendy Corsi Staub: The video diaries (Win a signed book!)
Wendy Corsi Staub re-launches her young adult series, Lily Dale
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Other entries in the inaugural Holiday Book Giveaway Extravaganza:
Announcing the Inaugural Holiday Book Giveaway Extravaganza
Holiday Book Giveaway, Day 1: Wally Lamb shares Wishin’ And Hopin’ & his favorite seasonal songs
Comments
I emailed you, John! :)
Alice (www.aliceteh.com)
Wendy's Christmas book sounds like it would be interesting.
Yummy! Wendy--so lovely of you to share your family recipe...what kind of cake pan do you prefer? Can't wait to try this...
xo
I emailed you cause I LOVE RUM CAKE!
E-mail's on the way, John! I love what you're doing. And, no, I'm not sucking up. :-)
Wendy, I think I gained two pounds just reading the recipe. Yum! Love your books, too.
Congratulations to Alice (books) and Renee (rum cake). Random.com selected your names as the winners of today's giveaways!
Hi - I've been looking for a good rum cake recipe since forever. Too late for the giveaway but be sure to tell Wendy thanks for giving away her family recipe!
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