The Long Way Home by Kathleen O’Brien

My guest today is the hugely talented and absolutely fabulous author, Kathleen O’Brien.  With well over 40 titles to her name, Kathleen has penned all types of romances that range from dark, brooding suspense to hot and sexy contemporaries and it’s no wonder she’s captured the hearts of millions of readers!

Kathleen’s new book from Tule Publishing, and book 4 in the Homecoming series, The Long Way Home captured my heart once again as I fell in love with her beautifully drawn characters.  She graciously agreed to join me here on my blog to share with you all more about her new release so please, help me welcome Kathleen O’Brien! —

People always ask whether my books and characters are taken from my own life.  My answer is always some variation of “I wish!”

But I do have to love and identify with each character I create….writers live very intimately for long periods of time with these people.  So I often give each person a trait that is either a quirk I have, or a quality I would love to have.

In THE LONG WAY HOME, Joe’s feisty mom, Mary, got my rotten cooking skills, poor lady. She loves her four boys, but she just can’t make herself concentrate on cooking for them all day long.  She has good intentions, starts off with high hopes, then inevitably gets distracted, grows bored, wanders off, and lets everything burn.

To my eternal regret, that’s me!  I admire people who are creative in the kitchen, and I wish so much that I could learn to be that way…but I’m afraid I’m hopeless.  All the recipes I work with have to be super easy.

Joe, my hero, has learned to be a pretty good cook, in self defense.  All the Carlyle boys have, which, in my opinion, goes a long way to making them the perfect heroes!

Here’s a recipe for the blueberry pancakes he makes for Abby at the Marietta High pancake fundraiser.  It’s super yummy, and easy enough that even I can make them!

COCONUT-BLUEBERRY PANCAKES:

2 cups unbleached flour
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
3 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup shredded coconut

Mix the dry ingredients together, and, in a separate bowl, mix the liquid ingredients.  Then combine and put in fridge for about 45 minutes.  Cook by ladling batter onto hot, no-stick greased griddle, creating whatever size pancake you prefer.  When first side begins to bubble, add blueberries to taste.  Flip only once.

Serve while piping hot, with the rest of the fresh blueberries piled on top.  If you like extra coconut flavor, add toasted shredded coconut, which you can easily toast right beside the pancake as it cooks.

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Thank you, Kathleen, for sharing with  us!  Readers, as always, if you haven’t downloaded a copy of this book, please head to your online retailer and get it today and help me spread the word about this wonderful story.  And to make it more fun, I’ve got an amazing JP Fall prize including books, giftcards and treats for one lucky winner!  For a chance to win, tell me are you creative in the kitchen?  Or share what one trait you wish you had.  Winner will be announced on Wednesday.  Happy Reading!