September leaves are waving, a new season’s on its way…

Hello Readers and Fellow Authors:

What comes to mind when you think of September? Could it be…
1) Autumn’s brilliant colors?
2) The hazy last days of summer?
3) Earth, Wind & Fire’s classic tune? “Do you remember the 21st night of September? Love was changing the minds of pretenders while chasing the clouds away. Our hearts were ringing in the key that our souls were singing as we danced in the night. Remember how the stars stole the night away.”
4) Woody Allen’s campy movie featuring his former wife Mia Farrow?
5) A late-in-life love affair that ignites diminishing embers?
6) Memorial Day and the re-incarceration of wayward school children?

Or might it possibly be all of the above? Whatever your answer, September no doubt holds reflective change and the promise of rebirth on tomorrow’s  horizon. So during this month, remember to hold tight to possibilities and never lose sight of your goals.

And for those who are looking for more reasons to celebrate September’s rush,
be sure to add these to your calendar:

AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Month
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Month
Apple Month
Atrial Fibrillation Month
Baby Safety Month
Backpack Safety America Month
Be Kind To Editors & Writers Month
Chilldren’s Good Manners Month
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
College Savings Month
Fall Hat Month
Go Wild During California Wild Rice Month
Great American Low-Cholesterol, Low-fat Pizza Bake Month
Gynecology Cancer Awareness Month
International People Skills Month
International Self-Awareness Month
International Strategic Thinking Month
Library Card Sign-up Month
(World) Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness Month
National Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Month
Million Minute Family Challenge (Sept.-Dec.)
Mold Awareness Month
National Chicken Month
National Childhood Injury Prevention Month
National DNA, Geonomics & Stem Cell Education Month
National Coupon Month
National Head Lice Prevention Month
National Honey Month
National Mushroom Month
National Organic Harvest Month
National Osteopathic Medicine Month
National Prime Beef Month
National Sickle Cell Month
Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month (ovarian.org)
National Pediculosis Prevention Month
National Piano Month
National Preparedness Month
National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
National Rice Month
National Skin Care Awareness Month
One-on-One Month
Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month
Pleasure Your Mate Month
Reunion Planning Month
Schoolhouse Triangle Project Month
Sea Cadet Month
Self Improvement Month
September Is Healthy Aging Month
Shameless Promotion Month
Sports and Home Eye Health & Safety Month
Subliminal Communications Month
Update Your Resume Month
Women’s Friendship Month
World Animal Remembrance Month
National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15)

Most memorable September lyrics:

“I don’t wanna say goodbye for the summer
Knowing the love we’ll miss
Oh let us make a pledge to meet in September
And seal it with a kiss
Guess it’s gonna be a cold lonely summer
But I’ll fill the emptiness
I’ll send you all my love every day in a letter
Sealed with a kiss.”

Do you remember who wrote and sang this song?

(Answer – Bobby Vinton!)

Another 5-star review for Flaherty’s Crossing!

“One crushing truth often leads one to more. “Flaherty’s Crossing” is the story of Kate Flaherty as she tries to come to terms the truths that surround her life that she has often ignored. With her father revealing facts about her mother, a car accident sending her into soul searching, Kate’s first response is to run away from it all, only to find running never changes anything. “Flaherty’s Crossing” is a powerful and inspiring read, highly recommended.” – MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW, Oregon, WI

Kaylin’s Recommended Reads for August:

• Stormy Weather by Paulette Jiles – This book is an engrossing speculation of how life was lived by the families of men who chased the emerging oil-fields across Texas during the dust bowl era. Not since Grapes of Wrath have I felt so caught up in the details of life during that period.
  
• A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff – Phoebe Swift, the proprietress of a new vintage clothing boutique, forms the center of this richly layered novel filled with the luxurious fashions of a bygone era. As Phoebe discovers, when you buy a piece of vintage clothing, you’re also buying a piece of someone’s past. There’s one item in particular that will unexpectedly change her life. Seamlessly blending humor and heartbreak, A Vintage Affair is an excellent read.
  
• A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick – Nothing is what it seems in the pages of A Reliable Wife, the debut novel by adman and memoirist Robert Goolrick. What starts as a brooding tale of trickery and betrayal is, in fact, a meditation on loneliness. It has roots that reach far beyond the frigid Wisconsin landscape where the tale is set, and which suck their sustenance from the personal torment of Goolrick’s own southern-gothic past.

CURRENT GIVEAWAYS

Have you picked up your copy of Flaherty’s Crossing yet?
Be sure to post your review on Amazon.com and/or BN.com to automatically be entered to win a monthly drawing for a custom-designed Flaherty’s Crossing T-shirt!

(No special requirements to qualify. Names will be randomly picked, so be sure to visit
Kaylin’s  website at http://www.kaylinmcfarren.com to discover if you’ve won.)

Kaylin’s Recipe of the Month: Apple Strudel Bread

Ingredients: 3/4 cup milk 1/3 cup margarine or butter, cut up 1 egg 3-1/4 cups bread flour 1/3 cup granulated sugar 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon active dry yeast or bread machine yeast 3 tablespoons  margarine or butter, softened 3 cups  thinly sliced, peeled apples 1/2 cup  packed brown sugar 1/2 cup  raisins 4 teaspoons  bread flour or all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon  ground cinnamon 3/4 cup  sifted powdered sugar 1/4 teaspoon  vanilla milk

Directions:

1. Add the first 7 ingredients to a 1-1/2- or 2-pound bread machine according to the manufacturer’s directions. Select the dough cycle. When cycle is complete, remove dough. Punch down. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
2. Line a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with foil; grease foil and set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 24×12-inch rectangle. Brush with the softened margarine.
3. For filling, in a medium bowl combine apples, brown sugar, raisins, the 4 teaspoons flour, and cinnamon. Starting about 2 inches from a long side, spoon filling in a 3-inch-wide band across dough. Starting from the long side, carefully roll into a spiral. Brush edge with a little water; seal seam and ends. Carefully place roll, seam down, in the prepared pan, curving to form a crescent shape.
4. Cover and let rise in a warm place about 45 minutes or until nearly double. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
5. In a small bowl combine powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in enough milk (2 to 4 teaspoons) to make a glaze of drizzling consistency. Drizzle over bread. Makes 16 servings.

So remember … Stay positive. Give happiness away. And be sure to recommend Flaherty’s Crossing to everyone you know!

Have a great month!

Kaylin