What's New from Author Gail Gaymer Martin February 2012 #michlit

What's New?  From Author  Gail  Gaymer Martin  February 2012 I hope January found you healthy and happy as much as it did me. We have been blessed with the opportunity to spend time in a warmer climate than our usual Michigan winter and we have been having a wonderful time with family and friends. Our condo overlooks three amazing rock formations in Sedona—castle rock, bell rock and courthouse rock. The white spots beyond the shrubbery in the middle of the photograph are the rented condos where we are staying. Besides working on a new novel, we have been walking daily as well as golfing and hiking as the weather and time permits. I don't do the strenuous hikes that many people do but I enjoy some minimal climbing and the adventure of what we find. We've seen mountain lion footprints and numerous other wildlife including javelina tracks. On one of our walks, we ran across a bobcat resting on the golf course. He lifted his head, looked at us, and then lowered his head and closed his eyes. I was grateful that he preferred a nap over his afternoon meal since it could have been us. As I was creating this newsletter, our house guest ran in to tell us my brother-in-law was hiking and ran into a small herd of javelinas. We dropped everything and ran out the door and down the hill, hoping to see them, too. The problem was we didn't realize the distance and the difficult walk. We had to traverse a dry creek bed filled with rocks of all sizes and shapes. I left my hiking stick back at our condo so I found a downed tree limb and used it. The effort was worthwhile. We did get a very closeup visit from a javelina although you should have seen the nine of us scatter. They can be dangerous. My husband shot a great photo. It's rare to see them standing still.   When my brother and his wife came to visit along with her sister and husband, we had much fun with the usual activities but also playing games, cooking big dinners and taking in some of the local sites. We spent an afternoon hiking in the Palatki Indian ruins where we could view pictographs and petroglyphs. They will be leaving tomorrow and we'll miss the fun of having them here with us. One of the activities I always look forward to when I travel is reading. I've been enjoying novels that are on the NY Times Best Sellers list as well as some of my Christian writer friends' novels. I read Rick Acker's When The Devil Whistles and Lisa Samson's The Passion of Mary Margaret which I enjoyed very much. I also read James Patterson's novel, The Christmas Wedding and a very funny story from a young boy's perspective, The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt. Now I'm reading a Nicholas Sparks' novel The Best of Me which I know—if he stays true to his story style—will have a very sad and tearful ending. When I finish I'm looking forward to Jodi Picoult's House Rules and Kristin Hannah's Angel Falls.   Dreams Come True      Book 1 A Dad Of His Own  Love Inspired March 2011   Order Here       Book 2 A Family Of Their Own Love Inspired September 2011 Order Here   Book 3 - A Dream Of His Own -  Love Inspired -  Coming in June 2012     With Christmas In His Heart ISBN: 9780373786961 Order    Upon A Midnight Clear  ISBN: 9780373786909 Order Christmas Gifts  a duet novel from Love Inspired including Gail's novel,  A Small Town Christmas November 2011 Click to order   STILL AVAILABLE    Dad In Training           Click here to purchase  Groom In Training      Click here to purchase Bride In Training         Click here to purchase Monterey Memories    Click here to purchase  2012 APPEARANCES, TRAVEL AND EVENTS Nothing scheduled at this time. RECIPE Three-Berry Lemon Trifle When my sister-in-law visited us while we were vacationing in Sedona, she prepared this wonderful dessert for us. It's low in calories and easy to prepare. We enjoyed the dish without the almonds so I would say they are optional. If you prefer only one type of berry that would work too, but I agree that the three berries are delicious. This makes enough dessert for 10 people with a generous serving. Serve it in a clear glass trifle bowl (one on a pedestal is great) and it looks pretty as well as tastes great. Ingredients 1 (14 ounce) can fat free sweetened condensed milk 1 (8 ounce) carton non-fat reduced sugar lemon yogurt 1/3 cup lemon juice 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel 1 (8 ounce) container reduced-fat whipped topping, thawed, divided 1 (16 ounce) package angel food cake mix, prepared and cut into 1-inch cubes 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries 1 cup fresh blueberries 1 cup fresh raspberries 2 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted (optional) Directions In a large bowl, combine the milk, yogurt, lemon juice and peel. Fold in 2 cups whipped topping. In a 3-qt. trifle bowl or deep salad bowl, layer a third of the cake cubes, a third of the lemon mixture and all of the strawberries. Repeat cake and lemon mixture layers. Top with blueberries and remaining cake cubes and lemon mixture. Sprinkle with raspberries. Spread remaining whipped topping over berries; sprinkle with almonds or a few berries. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Enjoy. GAIL'S FREE BOOK CONTEST DRAWING The winner of the January free autographed book and small gifts is Deanna Pauline from Washington. The free book drawings are held six times a year: January, March, May, July, September, and November, offering you six opportunities to win, but you must sign the guestbook for each drawing. The next drawing will be in March, so please drop by www.gailmartin.com and look in the boxed area for the Read and Sign My Guestbook. I love to hear from you. SHARE THIS NEWSLETTER If you have friends or family who love to read, please share this newsletter, and invite your friends to subscribe for all the monthly news. DO YOU HAVE A NEW EMAIL ADDRESS? When you change email addresses, please don't forget to re-subscribe to this newsletter with your new email address. You can delete the old or you can let it stay and it will be deleted automatically by Ezine Director who manages my newsletter account. FAITH THOUGHT This cross, hewn from an olive tree, hangs in Christ Lutheran Church where we have been attending worship on Sunday mornings. The cross represents the rawness and ruggedness of the cross on which our Lord hung and died for our sins. It reminds me of our lives, raw and unadorned except for the love and grace of our Savior who gave His life for us. We hear the same idea in the wonderful old hymn, The Old Rugged Cross. On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, The emblem of suffering and shame; And I love that old cross where the dearest and best For a world of lost sinners was slain. But the chorus reminds us that we will lay down the cross and one day exchange it for a crown. Each day I pray that I will live my life in glory to the Lord for His great gift. I pray the same for you. May God keep you close and give you strength to carry the cross until that day you exchange it for a crown.                             Gail