Come in, visit with writer L.B. Joyce, read an excerpt from her romance Goodbye Heartbreak, discover her recipe for Cinnamon Chocolate Chipperdoodles

 Welcome L.B. Joyce. Tell us about your books and your writing:

 

Ten years ago, if anyone had told me I would now be on the 9th book of my contemporary/new adult romance series, Twelve Months, Twelve Love stories? I would’ve told them they were crazy.

I honestly never planned on writing a book, let alone a romance novel. Nope, not at all. But here I am, now the author of 9 books* and currently working on my tenth. And I’m loving every minute.

By day, I am an artist, with designing Christmas ornaments as my specialty. By night, I write.

When I first contemplated writing a book, I thought it would be a more humorous account about my experience entering recipe contests. For those of you who are familiar with the Pillsbury Bake-off, I was a finalist in the contest three years in a row. I also placed in a few other baking/cooking contests. So, I felt like I had lots of interesting stories to tell.

But when I finally did sit down and start to write, the story of Anna and Nicholas (A Million Decembers, book 1) is what came out on paper. I had no plans of writing a second book, but after my readers asked when the next book would be out, a series is what it became.

What was I thinking, right? Evidently, by deciding to tackle a series with 12 books, at the time I wasn’t thinking at all. But I can now say I’m very proud of how far I’ve come.

I love writing a series. You know that sad feeling when you finish a book and you have to say goodbye to your now favorite characters? This doesn’t happen in a series. You’re still friends, and they’re bound to show up somewhere in the next books to let you know how they’re doing. Or more likely, hand out advice.

Book 1 of the series starts out in Chicago (Illinois), with a little bit of London added in. All the action then moves to Cleveland (Ohio) in Book 2, and this is where it has stayed. After all, Ohio is known as “The Heart of it All”.  

 Family and friends, love and marriage… this is a common theme throughout. As in real life, this doesn’t always come easy, but love has a way of leading the way. Add in some serious chemistry to bring on that spark. And a little humor. A relationship doesn’t have a chance without a few laughs along the way.

In each book, except for Book 1, a recipe that plays a big part in the story is included. (Except for A Million Decembers since I hadn’t planned on writing a series). The simple act of preparing food for someone can be anything from a cure, a celebration, or just a way to soothe your soul. It’s also a way to show your love.

The recipes are my own, and all have been tested and given 5-Star ratings by readers!

 

 

Stephanie’s Cinnamon Chocolate Chipperdoodles from Goodbye Heartbreak, Hello May

For Cookies:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated orange peel
  • 1-1/3 cups bread flour
  • 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips (These work the best, providing a sprinkling of chocolate in each bite)

For Coating:

  • 2 tablespoons sugar and 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, well-blended

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line the cookie sheets with parchment paper. Beat the butter and ¾ cup sugar until smooth. Add egg, and beat until well blended. Beat in vanilla, baking powder, salt, and grated orange peel. Add flour, and beat until well-blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. Scoop dough into balls (I used a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop for each cookie) then roll in the cinnamon/sugar mixture to coat. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, about 2-inches apart. Using the bottom of a glass, flatten slightly. Bake 7 to 8 minutes for soft cookies, and 9 to 12 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool for 1-2 minutes on the cookie sheet before moving to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

Enjoy

 

 

Excerpt from Goodbye Heartbreak, Hello May, Book 8 -

Deep in thought, it was the hot coffee overflowing the cup and onto his hand that had Evan letting out a little yelp. After a quick glance around to see no one had witnessed this, he mopped up the spill.

He took a cautious sip from the full cup. Seriously, what is wrong with you? Was he losing his mind, or what? Why was he still so nervous, as though something unexpected was about to happen? You need to relax. You already got the job, remember? It’s yours... you nailed it. Yeah, it had turned out to be one of the easiest interviews he’d ever sat through.

He had only one concern, and this was he had little experience working with kids. But he was more than willing to take on the challenge. He could handle this. How hard could it be? After all, he was an excellent photographer. A damn good one at that. Yet they hadn’t even discussed this in the interview. Maybe this is the reason you feel so uncertain? 

He was still trying to figure out how Elenore had managed to get him to open up, sharing with her almost his whole life story. It seemed his vow to keep the less desirable details of the past to himself had flown right out the window. At the same time, he got the feeling she already knew more about him than she was letting on.

The cup halfway to his mouth, he paused, his brows knitting in a frown. But who gave her this information? Maybe Joe? Lost in thought, he reached for a cookie from the plate on the table and took a bite.

Whoa…

He held up the cookie and studied it before he finished it off. With the crunchy cinnamon sugar coating on the outside, and a soft vanilla cake-like texture inside? This alone was addictive. But add in the little hint of chocolate sprinkled here and there? He’d swear it was like an explosion of flavors in his mouth. Hands down, it was the best cookie he had ever tasted.

He sent another glance over at the cookies. From what he could see, there were at least a couple dozen piled on the plate. If he were to take another one, no one would even notice it was gone.

After a quick glance up and down the hall to find it was deserted, he did just that. Hey, he was hungry. Not at all surprising, since he had skipped lunch in his rush to get to this interview.

He had just popped the last of the cookie in his mouth when Elenore’s voice came from behind him. “So, what do you think? Pretty good, huh? Well, today is your lucky day. Because in a few minutes you’ll be able to compliment the baker in person.” She checked her watch. “Give her about another ten minutes and she should be here. I can’t wait for the two of you to meet. Her name is Stephanie… Stephanie Bennett. But here at the hospital, she goes by Steffi.”

Evan slowly swallowed what was still in his mouth. That he did this without choking, or worse yet, spitting it all over Elenore, was a miracle. His mind racing, he stared down into the empty cup.

Her name is Stephanie. Remember? No shortcuts with her.

Thinking he had said this aloud, he glanced over at Elenore.

The look on Evan’s face had Elenore worried. If she had to guess, she’d say he was in shock. Concerned, she watched as he carefully set his empty cup on the table.

His voice came out in a loud croak. “Stephanie? Stephanie Bennett?”

Now even more worried, she rested her hand on his arm. “Yes, Stephanie Bennett. My goodness, do the two of you know each other?”

Running his hand back through his hair, he continued to stare at her. Do you know each other? You thought you did. Only to find after those brief yet perfect hours you shared, you didn’t know her at all.

Adjusting her glasses, Elenore peered more closely at him. Then she frowned. “Oh, my… you do, don’t you? And it didn’t end well.” She frowned. “I hope this won’t be a problem? Whatever happened has since been resolved and you are now friends.”

His mind still trying to process this new information, his response was slow to come. “Friends? Yes, we were… until… well, you know how things go. We lost touch, and I didn’t call… and I still like Stephanie. I do…” His voice trailing off, he shrugged. “Don’t worry, we’ll be okay. I’m sure we’ll be able to put the past behind and everything will be fine.” He laughed, this coming out much harsher than he intended. “Can’t always expect that happy ending, right? I, for one, can attest to this.” 

A look of comprehension flashed across her face. She nodded. “Good. I like it when people get along. It makes life so much easier, don’t you agree?” Her point made, and not waiting for an answer, she began walking down the hall, gesturing for him to follow. And even though she talked non-stop, mostly about the grand opening and all the work that still needed to be done, he didn’t hear a word. How could he? His mind was in turmoil, trying to deal with this new development.

It didn’t seem possible. Out of all the staff here at the hospital, what were the odds Elenore would choose Stephanie? Look at the difficult time you had when you saw her yesterday in Café Latte? And now you’ll be working together? He frowned. This was all Paul’s fault. He never should have let him convince him to take this job. And he was going to make sure he told him this. But first things first. Ten minutes. This was how much time he had to get it together before Stephanie joined them. A mere ten minutes…

You’re in big trouble.

 

Thank you for reading!

About the Author L.B. Joyce

L. B. Joyce lives in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. A freelance artist by day, with designing Christmas ornaments as her specialty, she’s also a writer by night. She loves getting lost in a good book, has redecorated almost every room in her house more times than she’d like to admit, loves baking up a storm in her kitchen, hates housework with a passion, and will drive just about anywhere because of her fear of flying.

You can check out the latest L. B. Bear Christmas Ornament designs and just about everything you ever wanted to know about Christmas at: https://www.facebook.com/LBGlitterGirl 

 

 

Books in this Series:  

A Million Decembers

For the Love of July

February’s Angel

Promise Me November

An Unexpected June

A January to Remember

September’s Moonlight Serenade

Goodbye Heartbreak, Hello May.

Website/blog: https://www.lbjoyceauthor.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLBJoyce

Twitter: https: https://twitter.com/lbjoyceauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lbjoyceauthor/

AllAuthor: https://allauthor.com/author/lbjoyce/

Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/L-B-Joyce/e/B01N2AFD4L/ref=aufs_dp_fta_dsk

Links to Buy: Available in Print: $14.89 and E-Book: $4.99

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08N6SLTBS

https://bookshop.org/shop/lbjoyce12

https://www.draft2digital.com/book/

*Besides the first 8 books in the Twelve Months, Twelve Love Stories I have also published –

A Grand Slam Kind of Christmas, Book 1 of the series, Holidays in White Oaks Valley.

Links to Buy: Available in Print: $13.29 and E-Book: $4.99

 Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Grand-Christmas.../dp/0960031154/

Universal Book Link: https://books2read.com/u/mVgeL6

Independent Book Stores: https://bookshop.org/shop/lbjoyce12  

 

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