My deepest thanks to all of the readers who voted for me at the 2015 Best of the Best Awards hosted by Sweet-N-Sassy Book-a-holics Blog (SNSBAH, for short). What an honor to win in TWO categories! I’m honored and humbled, but I will have to say that I cherish the Military Romance one the most because it’s the first I’ve ever received in that category anywhere. You all know how much I love writing about my military men and women! For a list of all the great winners, click HERE!

Winner of the iPad Mini 2 giveaway among my newsletter subscribers who entered this week is not on Facebook but her name is Ginnie S. of Ann Arbor, Michigan. She has been a subscriber to my newsletter since 2014. (I’m glad it wasn’t someone who just signed up to win an iPad, but is an actual reader and fan!) She was among more than 1,100 individual entries!

Thanks to all who entered the contest this week! While not the biggest prize I’ve ever given away, it’s sure up there! I hope Ginnie will love reading via the iBooks store and using that app as much as I do!

Here goes (mostly as of today):
1: Hair up or down? Down (too short for up)
2: Jeans or Yoga pants? Jeans
3: Painted or non painted nails? non-painted. I have no nails.
4: Favorite color? red (at the moment)
5: T shirt or dress shirt? T shirt
6: Flip flops or sneakers? flip flops (with socks)
7: Big purse or small? Medium-sized, although sometimes I carry a small backpack, too
8: Tattoos? Never (fear of needles, so no acupuncture either)
9: Piercings? Never (see #8)
10: Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds–all sparkly
11: Favorite animal? Cats
12: Favorite food? lamb (sorry, PETA folks, but I’m of Irish descent)
13: Rap or country? Country (I can’t STAND rap)
14: Height? 5’1″
15: Sports or couch? I don’t understand the question. LOL But the only sport I follow is international cycling, so I’ll say couch. But I don’t own a couch. Maybe someday! Love it when hubby sits on a couch and I put my head in his lap and stretch out and he strokes my hair. (As readers know from Nobody’s Hero and the foreplay in the Shibari scene, I have a thing for men playing with hair!)

A little more fun…
A- Age: 57
B- Biggest fear: ?
C- Current time: 6:03 PM
D- Drink you last had: Wagner Reserve Blush wine
E- Every day starts with: Diet Coke with Lime
F- Favorite song: ?
G- Ghosts, are they real?: Of course!
H- Hometown: Louisville, KY (pronounced LUH-vul or if you must give it 3 syllables, then LOO-uh-vul)
I- In love with: Mr. Ray
J- Jealous of: people taller than 5’1!
K- Killed someone?: Not in real life, although a couple of my characters’ loved ones have passed. Never the villains, though, because I think you can make them suffer much more here on earth
L- Last time you cried?: watching the news tonight (we lost a paramedic here in Kentucky last week)
M- Middle name: none (well, Kally doesn’t have one!)
N- Number of siblings: 6 (5 sisters, all Mary something, and 1 brother)
O- One wish: my sister’s Stage IV cancer would disappear
P- Person you last called: My sister, Mary 5
Q- Question you’re always asked: Only by the uninformed who know better than to ask: When’s the next book coming out?
R- Reason to smile: my 3-year-old grandson
S- Song last sang: Somewhere Over the Rainbow (karaoke duet with Mr. Ray tonight–and no, I will NEVER do that at a con or in public!)
T- Time you woke up: 7 AM
U- Underwear color: white
V- Vacation destination: Europe next (for a signing in Essex, England in June)
W- Worst habit: picking at my fingers (I even gave a couple of my characters the habit hoping their Doms would take care of it. Still working on it!
X-X-Ray’s you’ve had: too many to name
Y- Your favorite food: fresh fruit
Z- Zodiac sign: Um, Taurus? Yeah, that’s the one!

At my Aug. 27 “4 Years of Eyes on Me (& my Masters)” fourth-anniversary party on Facebook, we held a contest for one of four $50 Gift Cards and asked readers to bake or cook something from the recipe bonus section in my newly released Box Set: Rescue Me Saga, Books 1-3. To be eligible for the contest, they had to post a photo of what they made next to their e-reader.

Twelve entries were eligible for the random drawing and were posted by readers in North America, Europe, and Australia! The winner was from the UK. We’ve gotten permission to post these photos along with the comments made by each person who was eligible. Get your copy of the box set and cook something up (in the kitchen–or elsewhere in the house)!

Karla’s Arista: Florentine Pork Roast
Masters at Arms & Nobody’s Angel

On Aug. 31, my hubby accepted my challenge to make Karla’s Florentine pork roast recipe. Here are the pics I took (and since I wasn’t in a contest, I didn’t include the e-reader)! As I posted on Facebook: Mr. Ray made Karla’s Arista: Florentine Pork Roast recipe from the new Rescue Me Saga box set. Smells delightful! When I said I had to post pics, he said, “What if it doesn’t taste good?” I told him you all can’t taste the pictures. LOL I think he didn’t think garlic and pork sounded like a good combo. After all the grousing he did about making it, though, we all loved it, and he’s ready to make it again!

Angelina’s Minestrone
Nobody’s Hero

Monica S.– “Yummy! So I found two things out while cooking with these recipes. 1) I get a perverse joy out of making the food and bringing them into my office for my boss (an attorney) and 2) It’s frowned upon to be drinking the wine while cooking with it. (I make my meals in the morning).”

Tracey L. – “I’m making the minestrone right now and partaking in a little of the wine. (Later) OMG, me and the hubs just ate two bowls apiece…. Soooo gooood! I grated fresh Romano to put on top. I never came across this recipe for Minestrone. It’s a keeper, my husband gave it the thumbs up, and it didn’t even have any meat!”

Karla’s Peanut Butter Brownies
Masters at Arms & Nobody’s Angel

Carol C.– “Would she (Karla) ever think they’d be made the other side of the Atlantic! Delish by the way!”

Monica S. – “My attorney (boss) loved the minestrone and tried taking the whole container of the peanut butter brownies to his office! These recipes are yummy and I’m looking forward to making more of them this weekend when I’m off work and have time to make some of these that take longer.”

Anne R.– “Got my brownies done.”

Bridget T.– “brownies made! Not a massive fan of peanut butter so I used it sparingly.”

Karla’s Tuna Noodle Casserole
Masters at Arms & Nobody’s Angel

Da Angel – “Added carrots, cheese, and bread crumbs.”

Kally – “She also added handcuffs on the e-reader!”

Savannah’s Snickerdoodles (Referred to as “Cinnamon Cookies”)
Nobody’s Perfect

Latochia B.– “I had to hurry because my little one wanted to eat them all! LOL… I think Kally scored with this recipe! And my kids get treats way too often!!!”

Denise L.– “We are enjoying a plate of snickerdoodles.”

Adam’s Cinnamon Rolls (burning them was optional)
Nobody’s Hero

Monica S. – “the non-burnt cinnamon rolls”

Karla’s Broccoli Casserole
Masters at Arms & Nobody’s Angel

Bridget T.– “It must be an american thing i think as i never heard of it until reading her books. Although anything with broccoli in it is yummy in my book.” …LATER… “It was yummy! I filled up on it and couldn’t finish my roast pork or pots which is almost unheard of!”