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September 15

Gentle Readers:

How is it the summer is drawing to a close? It feels like this one flew by, probably because I've been on the road for several weeks. One of the odd things about writing for a living is the necessary solitude of the endeavor. I like being alone. I like hanging out with the cats in a nice quiet house, reaching into the recesses of my mind to come up with things that might entertain you. But it's also fabulous to go out on the road and meet readers, and catch up with old friends. I did just that in July, literally going from coast to coast, from ComicCon to Thrillerfest, wearing clothes (not that I don't at home, but you know, hair, makeup, dresses, heels!) schmoozing with editors and publicists and marketing folks and my agent, not to mention getting to see several of my writing besties in person. It was a great week, though I did manage to catch the ComicCon flu, and am still sneezing. Poor me, I know.

There are a few more trips ahead, namely to California to start work on the new Nicholas Drummond with Catherine — and a fun research trip for the book on its heels. It's Brit in the FBI time in my house — kind of like football season, Nicholas and Catherine come to party in September every year.

August brings the release of THE LOST KEY in mass market paperback, so you can get caught up before THE END GAME comes out in September. With a starred Publishers Weekly review, a starred Booklist review, a Romantic Times Top Pick, a great Kirkus review, I promise you, this new adventure will knock your socks off.

Even more fun news on the Brit in the FBI front — the books have been optioned for television! That's about all I know, but it's enough to sustain me for a while. The idea that the books have grown so much, with such awesome fans, is very heartening.

I've also just completed the revision of NO ONE KNOWS, the new standalone coming March 22. I love writing psychological thrillers, and I hope this one really gets under your skin. You can pre-order the book here.

One last thing — do stop by the blog and leave me a love note in the comments. Facebook is being really feisty about showing my links in the newsfeed. You can fix this partially by clicking on the "Like" Button on my Facebook page, then marking the option to always see my posts. But the limitations to linking outside of Facebook means they won't show you my blog posts, so you'll have to bookmark the Tao and remember to stop by sometimes to say hi! And to tickle your fancy, we've got a new feature on the Tao: Sunday Smatterings, a collection of links to interesting things I've found during the week that I think you might like too."

Events

My events are all centered around research activities until October, when I'll be attending the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville. Time to buckle down and get back to writing full-time!

Get Thee to a Bookstore

I've been up to my ears reading the MISTBORN trilogy by Brandon Sanderson, which are fantastic fantasy novels with a female hero, Lady Vin, who I absolutely love. But there are other books in the pile that I'm going to be diving into...

SILENT CREED ‐ Alex Kava
THE IDEA OF LOVE ‐ Patti Henri
SOMEBODY I USED TO KNOW ‐ David Bell
99 PERCENT KILL ‐ Doug Richardson
THE GATES OF EVANGELINE ‐ Hester Young

If you’re on Goodreads, friend me, and follow along. I’m always interested in what you’re reading, too!

August Contest

The August contest is live now: enter to win a Cynthia Rowley memo pad with pen, keychain, paperback copies of WHEN THE DUKE WAS WICKED by Lorraine Heath and LETHAL RIDER by Larissa Ione, and a $10 gift card to Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million OR iBooks (winner’s choice).

Enter here to win.

August Recipe — Cherry Rice Krispie Cakes
(Click here for printable PDF)*

The oppressive Nashville heat has sapped my energy for cooking. I'm hard pressed to do more than tacos or soup and salads right now. So when it came time for this month's recipe, all I could think was easy, easy, easy.

So let's indulge, shall we? I know I've mentioned here before that I'm wheat-free/gluten-free, and I'm always on the hunt for desserts that I can have that aren't full of flour. I've been on a flourless chocolate torte kick, but they're so rich and overwhelming sometimes. This little recipe is quick, easy, cheap, and delicious, without being overbearing on the sweet. And of course, since you're using Jello, the flavor can be changed at will, from cherry to strawberry to pineapple to raspberry.... Whatever your heart desires. Let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

• 8 cups Rice Krispies
• 11 oz Dark Chocolate
• 6 tbsp Butter
• 1.5 tbsp Cherry gelatin, powder
• 16 oz package mini marshmallows

• In large saucepan, melt butter with gelatin powder and marshmallows on low heat.
• Stir constantly until marshmallows are completely melted and smooth.
• Fold in Rice Krispies cereal.
• Press mixture into a buttered baking sheet.
• Frost treats with melted dark chocolate.
• Allow to set, about one hour.
• Cut into squares and enjoy. Store in a covered container.

That's it for me — have a brilliant time getting the kiddos back to school, getting in that last vacation, running off to the beach or the mountains to camp, whatever makes you happy, all the while, reading! I'll see you next month!

xoxo,

*You can see all of my previous recipes and download them here.