Elizabeth Maddrey | Spread the Christmas Joy

Christmas will always equate to family in my head. Growing up, our family of four would make the long trek to California from New Mexico where my dad’s family was all congregating. He’s one of seven, so by the time everyone was gathered there were a ton of people running around my grandparent’s house. It was noisy and disorganized (despite Grandma’s best efforts), but it was fun. And there was food. Oh the food.

My grandpa was a Navy cook in World War I and, when he got out, he opened up several restaurants in the San Joaquin Valley area where they lived. But being from a large German Mennonite family, my grandmother was no slouch in the kitchen either. Even still, as much as I remember eating well at every meal, what I remember most was Christmas morning breakfast, because that was when we had waffles with vanilla sauce.

Grandma would man the waffle maker with precision and enlist someone to help stir the vanilla sauce. I got to do it several times and it always felt like a special job to be the one in charge of watching to catch the moment when the thickening had reached its final point, flicking off the heat before it overcooked and the sauce broke but still being sure not to quit too soon and leave the aunts, uncles, and cousins whining about soupy vanilla sauce. We’d jostle around the table angling for more, everyone heaping the sauce onto the waffles, good-hearted teasing about whether waffles should be slightly uncooked in the center or crispy or somewhere in between. When the waffles were eaten and every last drip of sauce licked up, we’d settle in the living room for a church service to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize that not everyone understands that a waffle is not something you dig out of a box, throw in the toaster, and then slather with butter and syrup. That will do in a pinch, but a waffle can be a thing of beauty if topped with the creamy goodness that is my grandmother’s vanilla sauce. Since it’s not a heavily guarded family secret (I double checked with my mom – we’re good), I thought I’d share the recipe. I encourage you to give it a try – I can almost guarantee you’ll never go back to butter and syrup.


Vanilla Sauce

2 Cups milk – heat in a saucepan on the stove, stirring to ensure it doesn’t stick, don’t let it boil.
1 egg
½ Cup sugar
½ Cup milk
4 heaping Tablespoons flour
1 tsp vanilla

Mix the egg, sugar, milk, flour and vanilla in a bowl until combined. When the milk in the saucepan is hot (not scalding), whisk the egg mixture into the milk. Continue stirring on the stove until the sauce is thick and creamy. Don’t let it boil and don’t stop stirring!

Spoon (I recommend liberal spooning) over hot waffles and enjoy. Leftover sauce (ha!) can be frozen in ice cube trays covered with plastic wrap. Microwave a cube or two for 20 seconds and use for everyday waffle heaven.

Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win these adorable coasters!

Elizabeth Maddrey began writing stories as soon as she could form the letters properly and has never looked back. Though her practical nature and love of math and organization steered her into computer science for college and graduate school, she has always had one or more stories in progress to occupy her free time. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books and has mastered the art of reading while undertaking just about any other activity. She loves to write about Christians who struggle through their lives, dealing with sin and receiving God’s grace.

Elizabeth lives in the suburbs of Washington D.C. with her husband and their two incredibly active little boys. She invites you to interact with her at her website www.ElizabethMaddrey.com or on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ElizabethMaddrey

Website: http://www.ElizabethMaddrey.com
Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/ElizabethMaddrey
Twitter: @elizabethmaddre
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/emaddrey/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+ElizabethMaddrey/posts

Elizabeth Maddrey {Writer Wednesday}

A little bit about Elizabeth...

Elizabeth Maddrey began writing stories as soon as she could form the letters properly and has never looked back. Though her practical nature and love of math and organization steered her into computer science for college and graduate school, she has always had one or more stories in progress to occupy her free time. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books and has mastered the art of reading while undertaking just about any other activity. She loves to write about Christians who struggle through their lives, dealing with sin and receiving God’s grace.

Elizabeth lives in the suburbs of Washington D.C. with her husband and their two incredibly active little boys. She invites you to interact with her at her website www.ElizabethMaddrey.com or on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ElizabethMaddrey

How to connect with Elizabeth...


-->Website: http://www.ElizabethMaddrey.com Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/ElizabethMaddrey
Twitter: @elizabethmaddre
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/emaddrey/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+ElizabethMaddrey/posts
--> Author RE:Interview | Getting to know Elizabeth Maddrey…again

--> You and Writing

Who is one of your favorite authors and why?
...I have so many favorites for various reasons, but Anne McCaffrey is a definite standout. She was able to blend so many different genres into her science fiction that they really have universal appeal. Plus, her characters are so amazing, it’s hard to remember that they’re not my real friends who just live far away.

What is one book or resource you would recommend to other writers? Why? 
...A good editor is a resource you really can’t do without. As a writer, we get so attached to our books that it’s hard to see the places where they’re ugly. Even when we’re looking for those ugly bits, we gloss over some of them. Having someone who will be honest (brutally so, if necessary) about the things that need fixing is critical. And then you just have to remember that you asked for their help, swallow the innate desire to be defensive, and implement the changes.

Share a writing-related milestone with us?
...This month I released my first indie project. I love the small press that has published the rest of my books (and has contracted another series for next year), but I’m pleased to have also taken the deep breaths necessary to dip my toe into the world of self-publishing.

How do you balance your time between writing and other actives? Any helpful tips, tricks, or suggestions? 
...Sometimes I’m not sure I do very well at this! The most helpful thing I try to keep in mind is actually something my husband reminded me of when I was expressing some mommy guilt because I was coming down to the wire with my deadline and I felt like everything else was slipping out of control: life has seasons. I try to keep things balanced and work a little writing into every day while keeping my priorities on the kids, homeschooling, and keeping the house tidy, but sometimes one has to take precedence over the others for a day or longer…and that’s okay. After the major hurdle is past, you rearrange and get back to the more balanced schedule. So it’s a matter of constantly evaluating and adjusting.

-->Your Writing
Tell us a little bit about your book.
...Kinsale Kisses is a contemporary romance that primarily takes place in Cork County, Ireland, though the hero and heroine are both Americans on travel.

Here’s the back cover:

She wants stability. He wants spontaneity. What they need is each other.

Colin O’Bryan cashed out of the software company he founded and started a new life in Ireland. Content to wander from town to town as a traveling musician, he had no goals beyond healing from the betrayals that led to his career change, and finding his next gig.

After the death of her parents, Rachel Sullivan hoped her aunt’s B&B on the Southern coast of Ireland would be a place for her to settle and start a new life. Though she can’t deny the sparks in Colin’s touch, his lack of concern for hearth and home leave her torn. Can this free-spirited minstrel win her heart or will Rachel choose roots and stability over love?

What was one trail you faced when writing it? One success?
...I initially wrote Kinsale Kisses for Pelican Book Group’s Passport to Romance line, but in the time it took for me to write, Ireland went from available to having a novella already contracted. I was bummed. Since it was so specific, there didn’t seem to be much point in trying to submit it elsewhere, but I’d fallen in love with the story and wanted it to have a chance for others to enjoy it as well. So for a success, I guess you could say it finally pushed me to give self-pubbing a try. I’d been kicking it around in the back of my head and this made me do more than that.

Who is your favorite character and why?
...As much as I love Rachel and Colin, I think Rachel’s Aunt Siobhan might be my favorite character. She’s a 70-something, feisty B&B proprietor who’s still willing to reach out and grab life by the horns.

What is one take-away from your book that you hope readers identify with?
...That God’s plans are bigger and better than ours, and when we fail, we need not be afraid to wait on Him.

You

Favorite writing snack: I try so hard not to snack while I write – if I start, it’s tough to stop. But if I absolutely have to munch, I aim for mixed nuts or a cheese stick.

Book you’re reading right now: Right now I’m beta-reading the second in a fantastic indie Christian fantasy series titled The Dragon’s Tongue. The first in the series is Things Unseen. Both are fantastic!

If you could go anywhere in the world for one month (for free) where would it be and why?
...This is hard. My knee-jerk response is Ireland – I adore Ireland. We’ve been twice and I’m dying to go back again. But there’s so much more of the world to see! My hubby and I are tentatively planning a trip to Scotland for our 20th anniversary next year, so that definitely makes the list but I also desperately want to see New Zealand before too long.

Enter to win a copy of Kinsale Kisses by leaving a comment below! I'll announce the winner next Tuesday.
                                                          _________________________

Thanks for sharing with us Elizabeth! Your advice about swallowing the desire to defend your work to an editor (I'd add critique partner too) is so true and timely for me! I always think I want to hear critique...and yet when it comes it's always hard but good to take. Also love hearing about your next book - I love that its set in Ireland! So great that you've gone there two times already. I'm also extremely jealous of your tentative trip planned to Scotland. That is on the very top of my list :D

Elizabeth Maddrey {Writer Wednesday}

A little bit about Elizabeth...

Elizabeth Maddrey began writing stories as soon as she could form the letters properly and has never looked back. Though her practical nature and love of math and organization steered her into computer science for college and graduate school, she has always had one or more stories in progress to occupy her free time. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books and has mastered the art of reading while undertaking just about any other activity. She loves to write about Christians who struggle through their lives, dealing with sin and receiving God’s grace.

Elizabeth lives in the suburbs of Washington D.C. with her husband and their two incredibly active little boys. She invites you to interact with her at her website www.ElizabethMaddrey.com or on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ElizabethMaddrey
How to connect with Elizabeth...

Website: http://www.ElizabethMaddrey.com
Blog: http://www.ElizabethMaddrey.com/blog
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6585434.Elizabeth_Maddrey
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ElizabethMaddrey
Twitter: @elizabethmaddre
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/emaddrey/
Purchase: Faith Departed

Author Interview | Elizabeth Maddrey

You and Writing

Tell us a little bit about yourself: How did you start writing? What has kept you writing?
...I started writing because my mom told me to “Go write a story or something” when I was little and bugging her. Of course, this kind of backfired for her, because then I wanted to read her my story and, as kids do, the retelling of the story was much, much longer than the few paragraphs I actually wrote down. But something in that sparked the fire in me to write, and it’s never really gone away. I tried, for awhile, to quash it. But inevitably the stories keep coming – so I write them down. It was only after I started sharing them with a few friends here and there that I decided maybe it was worth trying to share them with a broader audience. And knowing that those stories connect with even one person makes it worthwhile.

Do you have a favorite book or work that you’ve written? If so, why?
...You know, I feel like my most recent book ends up being my favorite. Then I write something new and it takes over. It almost makes me feel a little bad for the other books. But I do have a slightly softer spot in my heart for my novella, Joint Venture, than my full-length novels. That’s primarily because I love Matt and Laura as characters, so their story is special to me. 

What was the hardest thing about publishing? The easiest?
...The hardest thing for me was realizing that what I write isn’t particularly main stream. Just because they’re stories I would want to read, doesn’t mean they have a mass-market appeal. So finding a publisher who’s willing to go out into that fringe with me and explore characters who are living in the world but struggling not to be of it…that was tough.

...I’m not sure I can think of anything that I’d classify as “easy.” But every aspect of it has been rewarding!

Your Writing

Tell us a little bit about your book or what you’re working on currently? Why are you/did you write it?...Faith Departed is the story of twin sisters embarking on a journey to start a family with their respective husbands. But, like so many people, they run straight into the wall of infertility and it sends their worlds into a tailspin.

...This series (Faith Departed is book 1) is a bit of a departure from my usual contemporary romance, but it was a story that was heavy on my heart. My husband and I struggled with infertility for thirteen years. And while it wasn’t thirteen years of darkness, they are definitely some of the hardest years of my life. The Church as a corporate body doesn’t seem to treat the infertile with compassion (as a rule. I’m sure there are many exceptions – but I never ran into them.) Some of it may be our fault – after all, not many women want to walk around advertising “Hey, I’m infertile!” Instead, we tend to shrink to the back of the room and avoid the conversations about kids. So it’s possible that you know people dealing with infertility without realizing that they’re enduring that struggle. But even when we do mention it, we’re very often met with a bumper sticker response – “Let go and let God”, “It’s all in God’s plan” and so forth. I’ll tell you, infertility taught me a lot of compassion for the single folks at the church – because I think they deal with the same kinds of things, just about getting married instead of having children. For me, the years of infertility were the years of my deepest spiritual struggles. And talking to other women who’ve gone through it, I found that I wasn’t alone. So I wrote Faith Departed with the hope that the women (and men, I’ve got a few male readers) who read it will realize that they aren’t alone either.

Do you have a favorite character in this work? If so, why?
...Probably June. Of the sisters, she’s the one who most echoes my own heart’s cries. She isn’t afraid to just let God have it, understanding that He can take it, and that it’s only by being honest with ourselves and with God that we have any hope of getting through our trials.

What is one take-away from your book that you hope readers identify with?
...That infertility hurts in a myriad of ways. It’s not just the inability to have kids, but it’s the feelings of failure, the insensitive comments well-meaning people send our way, and the subtle undercurrent that somehow we’ve convinced God that we’re not acceptable enough to be deemed parents (even when we know better, that little lie creeps in.) If you’ve experienced infertility, I hope it helps you feel less alone. If you haven’t, I hope it opens your eyes to the silent suffering around you and helps you minister in little ways to those who are hurting.

Writing

Where do you find inspiration for your story/characters? Are they based on real life or pure imagination or both?
...Both. Not all of my books come from personal experiences, though they definitely work their way in. But I find story ideas everywhere I look. One of my favorite things to do is watch the people around me and make up a back story – why does the woman at the grocery store keep checking her phone? Is she waiting for a test result? Or a text letting her know someone’s all right? Is she late for an important meeting or wasting time at the store because someone she doesn’t want to talk to has said they’ll be swinging by later in the day and she doesn’t want to be home? There’s story fodder everywhere!

When you write, what is your overall intention with your stories?
...I want to let Christians know that it’s okay to be real people. I think sometimes we look at fictional characters, particularly the Christian ones, and they’re either the epic bad guy (intolerant, cruel, fist-shakers – you know what I mean, right?) or they’re the too-perfect, super-spiritual who never sins because Jesus has given them complete victory (all their sin is in the back story, not the here and now). And while we certainly all yearn for the latter to be the case, in the real world, I think most of us fall in the middle and we cling to the grace and forgiveness available to us in Christ. And that’s okay. We’re walking that line, trying to find the balance of living in, but not becoming of, the world.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors for writing and/or publishing?
...Write the story you have, don’t try to shoehorn yourself into being someone—or writing something—you’re not. And if you’re a little out there, a little off the mainstream, don’t be scared of the smaller presses, or even self-publishing. But no matter what, go into publishing knowing that being an author is hard work – and that work doesn’t stop once the manuscript is complete. 

You

What is a favorite memory you have of your mother?
...I can’t put my finger on one specific memory right now, but she’s always there when I need her. And inevitably she knows just what to say. I may not always appreciate hearing it, but it’s inevitably what I need to hear at the time.

If you had to choose one type of food, what kind would it be? (Example: Italian, German, Chinese etc.)
...Can I just say “Yes?” Though I do love some good German food. Mmm…schnitzel.

April showers bring May flowers – or so they say. Do you have a favorite flower? If so, why is it your favorite? ...Lilacs. They’re purple (I love purple) and they smell so heavenly. Also we had a lilac bush outside our house growing up and, for whatever reason, stray cats would often curl up under it. So it let me feel like I had a pet cat (up until I finally coerced my parents into letting me adopt one of the strays.)

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Thank you so much for sharing with us today Elizabeth! I love how you say that you write to let Christians know it's okay to be real. Amen, Sister! I think we often get caught up in trying to look perfect when trials hit and we forget how David cried out to God and how the Lord promises to comfort us in those times of trouble, though He may not take away the trial itself. I'm looking forward to being in the DC area with you and hope to hear more about new books from you soon!

Spread the Christmas Joy with Elizabeth Maddrey | Day 19

Joy from Elizabeth Maddrey

When I was growing up, Christmas always started with the fifteen (or so) hour drive from where we lived to my grandparent’s house. This was back in the day before mandatory seat belts and car seats – so my sister and I spent the bulk of the drive reading and playing games in the far back of our full sized van in a nest of blankets and luggage. Once we arrived, it was a reunion of cousins and aunts and uncles and noise and exclamations of “Oh, look how you’ve grown!” And then before long, it was Christmas Eve.

Rather than going to church, we’d gather in the living room of my grandmother’s house (a room that had a piano and an organ and was so rarely used that if I ever walked through it I always felt like I needed to tiptoe) and someone would read the Christmas story out of Luke 2. Then my dad and his siblings (seven in total) would sing and there’d be little group ensembles of this or that duet or quartet or solos. Then the grandchildren would take turns on the piano or flute or whatever other instrument they’d brought. And then we’d all sing the Christmas hymns together. For the longest time, this is what I imagined a choir of angels would sound like.

My grandparents are gone now, but whenever I think of them, it’s most often in the context of our Christmas gatherings and the glorious music that would fill the room. It’s a tradition we’ve continued – though now my parents are the grandparents. And I hope that my boys will always remember that Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus with a glorious and joyful song.

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Elizabeth Maddrey began writing stories as soon as she could form the letters properly and has never looked back. Though her practical nature and love of math and organization steered her into computer science for college and graduate school, she has always had one or more stories in progress to occupy her free time. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books and has mastered the art of reading while undertaking just about any other activity. She loves to write about Christians who struggle through their lives, dealing with sin and receiving God’s grace.
Elizabeth lives in the suburbs of Washington D.C. with her husband and their two incredibly active little boys. She invites you to interact with her at her website www.ElizabethMaddrey.com or on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ElizabethMaddrey

Purchase her book here: Serenity to Accept