My second novel, Enchantress of Paris, hit bookstore shelves yesterday. The launch event at Barnes & Noble and all the wonderful feedback from readers and reviewers have touched my heart. Have I mentioned how much I love and appreciate you, dear readers? Thank you for making my work possible!

USA Today just allowed me to write as their guest and published my article about the unsung heroines of history here.

Also today, Harper Collins is revealing the cover for our WWI anthology A Fall of Poppies. I’m pleased and humbled to be included in this anthology centered around Armistice Day with such incredible, bestselling authors as Heather Webb, Hazel Gaynor, Beatriz Williams, Jennifer Robson, Jessica Brockmole, Kate Kerrigan, Evangeline Holland, and Lauren Willig. The line about a Belgian rebel in the following blurb…that’s my story!

~ “Top voices in historical fiction deliver an intensely moving collection of short stories about loss, longing, and hope in the aftermath of World War I…

A squadron commander searches for meaning in the tattered photo of a girl he’s never met…

A Belgian rebel hides from the world, only to find herself nursing the enemy…

A young airman marries a stranger to save her honor—and prays to survive long enough to love her…

The peace treaty signed on November 11, 1918, may herald the end of the Great War but for its survivors, the smoke is only beginning to clear. Picking up the pieces of shattered lives will take courage, resilience, and trust. Within crumbled city walls and scarred souls, war’s echoes linger. But when the fighting ceases, renewal begins…and hope takes root in a fall of poppies.” ~

Without further ado, I give you…the cover & links…. [isn't it beautiful?!!]

Fall of Poppies Cover Reveal

Barnes & Noble / Amazon / IndieBound / Books-a-Million

William Morrow Trade Paperback; March 1, 2016; $14.99; ISBN: 9780062418548

Tiramisu Trifle

Spring Break 2013 started with a Big Easter Bang and ended with Big Book News. Not much beats a family gathering with lots of delicious food. And what does a historical fiction author take to Easter potluck? Dessert with a history stretching back to seventeenth century Italy; a Tiramisu Trifle! As part of the This Writer’s Life category on my blog, I’m posting the recipe today. I promise it’s easy, because This Writer has kids and a nursing career and a house and there are just limits to what one woman can accomplish in a day!

And the Big Book News? Well, my debut novel has a new title! It’s still about the beautiful Royalist exile who rejected three of the seventeenth century’s most illustrious kings. But she also graced England’s coins for generations as the model for Britannia, which is why I’m proud to announce the new title here for the first time …

Girl on the Golden Coin,

a Novel of Frances Stuart

Now bear with me while I attempt to scrub out all mentions of the old title in previous posts. And update Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook, my website, third cousins, and my mail carrier. Whew! All this excitement calls for celebration with another Tiramisu Trifle!

Marci’s Tiramisu Trifle

Ingredients:

packaged lady fingers (enough for 3 layers in your trifle dish)

two 8 ounce packages mascarpone cheese

two cups heavy cream

one cup sugar

one cup espresso

one or two cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips for chocolate curls

Instructions:

Layer the bottom of your trifle dish with lady fingers (I halved mine to get the edges closer to the curve of the dish). Brush espresso over the lady fingers (or use a turkey baster – the spongy cookies absorb liquid well). Stir half of the sugar and mascarpone cheese in a bowl. In a separate, chilled bowl, whisk heavy cream and the other half of the sugar together until stiff peaks form. Fold the cheese mixture into the cream mixture. Proceed to layer this mixture with the lady fingers (adjust according to the size of your dish, mine held three layers of each). Don’t forget to brush each layer of lady fingers with espresso. End with a cream layer and top with chocolate curls. Refrigerate until time to serve. Enjoy!

To make chocolate curls:

Melt chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals. Spread into a thin layer on a cookie sheet and allow to harden. Use a metal spatula to scrape the edges of the chocolate away from you to form curls (this takes some practice, but even if it just flakes it will be pretty on top of the cream).

Historical cosmetics lovers, have no fear. My spring break travels took me to a wonderful museum exhibit in Cincinnati that I’ll share with you soon. Photos of ancient cosmetic containers may even be included!