Birthday Sit-Down - with Presents Of Course #Giveaway

Howdy y'all! Crystal Barnes here and we're continuing the fun today with a sit-down with birthday girl and author Rebecca DeMarino. Rebecca inherited her love of baking and gardening from her mother; a love of horses, reading, and writing from her dad—and the wanderlust gene from both parents. Her new novel, To Follow Her Heart releases this month from Revell. She is the author of A Place in His Heart and To Capture Her Heart, books one and two of The Southold Chronicles.

Happy Birthday, Rebecca! Welcome back to Stitches Thru Time. We feel so privileged having you here on your special day. For those of us who don't have the privilege of knowing you, tell us a bit about yourself.
My father was a Navy pilot, and my husband career military so I’ve lived and traveled many great places, but I call the Pacific Northwest my home. I came to writing pretty late in life, though I’ve always loved to read and thought from time to time I’d like to write. With the frequent moves and raising three little girls, the timing never was right for me. But God knew the time, and as I look back he prepared a path for me filled with the right experiences and people who touched my life.

Congratulations on your newest release! What is your story about?
In 1664 Patience Terry is devastated to learn that Captain Jeremy Horton’s ship has been shipwrecked off the coast of Barbados. There were no survivors. She had hoped that Jeremy would someday give up the sea and settle down with her in Southold, Long Island. Unaware his memorial service is being planned, Jeremy sails aboard a British warship with secret orders to attack New Amsterdam and claim it for the British Crown. When he makes his surprise return to Southold—and to an overjoyed Patience—it’s not quite the happily-ever-after his beloved had hoped for.

Where did you get the inspiration for your story?
To Follow Her Heart is the third book in The Southold Chronicles series. While the original idea for the Southold Chronicles series came after I journeyed with my mother in 1999 to Long Island in search of the lighthouse named after our ancestor Barnabas Horton, the idea for To Follow Her Heart, book three in the series, developed as I wrote the end of the first book. In my original research I became aware that Joshua Hobart would eventually replace Reverend Youngs as minister of Southold. And as I imagined the three books, each set about ten years apart, I thought of Patience Terry—a young (fictitious) woman who came across from England on The Swallow with the Hortons in my debut, A Place in His Heart. And I imagined a romance between Patience and Joshua. Things do get complicated when you mix fiction with history and timing is everything, lol. But complication is a good thing in fiction!

What do you hope folks will take away from your story?
I hope my stories entertain and sweep my readers to faraway places and times. A spiritual theme that emerged as I wrote To Follow Her Heart is that God is faithful and He knows our hearts. A Bible verse that came to mind over and over again while I wrote this book is Jeremiah 29:11 ~ “For I know the plans I have for you . . . plans to give you hope and a future.”

Do you have a favorite scene in the book? If so, can you tell us a bit about it?
Some of my favorite scenes are those with a character named Harry. He’s an old shipbuilder and a friend to Jeremy. I didn’t really plan on this character—I’m very much a seat-of-the-pants writer—but he developed and I just love him. And for not being planned, he’s so crucial to the story!

Haha! I'm a pantster too! Love those take-you-by-surprise moments. :)
What do you plan to work on next?
I just finished the first draft of a new historical romance set in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. I love this story and am very excited about the project!

That's an interesting choice of time frames. Where can readers connect with you? Where can readers buy your book(s)? For more information and a free prologue to The Southold Chronicles please visit me here: www.RebeccaDeMarino.com and I would love to meet you at www.facebook.com/AuthorRebeccaDeMarino and www.twitter.com/RebeccaDeMarino (@RebeccaDeMarino)

Thanks for the info and the free peek. :)
Last but not least, apart from writing, what is your favorite creative outlet?
I love gardening. And reading and hiking—three things I love that replenish my soul and stimulate my creativity.

I'm sure you've hiked in some interesting places. Thank you again for being our guest. Thank you! It’s been fun chatting!

Yes, it has been a treat. And speaking of treats, in honor of our guest's birthday, I'll be giving away a FREE paperback copy of book one of Rebecca's Southold Chronicles series, A Place in His Heart, to one of today's participants. 

Since we're talking birthdays this month, tell us--what is your most memorable birthday moment? Ready. Go. 

Is it a Cake or Biscuit? with Guest Rebecca DeMarino

An English cake sometimes was really more of a biscuit. Biscuit has its origins from the Latin "bis coctus" meaning twice baked, and perhaps were introduced in Great Britain by the Romans. Small and flat, they were portable. And by the time the English were immigrating to the New World in the 17th century, they were a mainstay in their provisions.

17th century Long Island found the Dutch inhabiting the west end with the colony of New Amsterdam, while the English inhabited the east end. The American present-day term "cookie" comes from koekje, the name the Dutch used for their little biscuits. A wonderful resource for the history of food can be found here: Foodtimeline.org.

The English biscuits could be savory or sweet. The little sweet cakes, or tea cakes, might be flavored with ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, or anise seed. My Grandmother Horton baked little ginger cookies and every year we could be sure we would receive a box at Christmastime. The recipe has been handed down through at least four generations now. As I wrote The Southold Chronicles series, the crisp little ginger cakes became a favorite for my characters.

Here's the recipe from my Grandmother Horton. They are small and crisp, and melt in your mouth! If you prefer a chewier cookie, or cake as the Hortons in To Follow Her Heart call them, make the ball of dough slightly larger and experiment with the baking time.

GRANDMOTHER HORTON'S GINGER CAKES

  Combine 2 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 2 level teaspoons baking soda in small bowl. In large bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3/4 cup oil, 1 egg, 4 tablespoons molasses. Stir in flour mixture. Roll 1 rounded teaspoonful of dough into a ball - should be 1 inch diameter. Dip in sugar. Place on greased baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

REBECCA DEMARINO inherited her love of baking and gardening from her mother; a love of horses, reading, and writing from her dad—and the wanderlust gene from both parents. Her new novel, TO FOLLOW HER HEART releases July 19th from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. She is the author of A PLACE IN HIS HEART and TO CAPTURE HER HEART, books one and two of THE SOUTHOLD CHRONICLES. A free prologue to THE SOUTHOLD CHRONICLES series is available here: www.RebeccaDeMarino.com And please visit Rebecca here: www.facebook.com/AuthorRebeccaDeMarino or on Twitter.