September 15

Now Available in Paperback!

Gentle Readers:

I write to you from the road—well, across the pond, actually. My darling husband (DH) Randy and I are in Europe, researching the next Nicholas Drummond book. Number 4, can you believe it? And just you wait until you see what happens in the next book. It's pretty epic—that's all I'm going to say about that. We're also celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary! We've been hitting up Paris and the Italian countryside, some of our favorite places in the world. We even took our first trip to Venice and had a delightful time! And, of course, along with the gorgeous scenery and fascinating history, I'd be remiss if we didn't talk food. You guys know I eat gluten-free, so I'll report back and let you know if I find any good GF-friendly eateries around. Lord help me around the baguettes and piles of pasta. Rest assured, there will be wine! Oh, so much wine . . .

With the advent of September, I get to declare: fall is nigh! Which, of course, means it's Prime Reading Season. And what would Prime Reading Season be without some good reading material to go with it? Thus it's with great pleasure that my friend Catherine Coulter and I present the third book in the A Brit in the FBI series, THE END GAME, which goes on sale Tuesday, September 15. I'm so pleased the book has gotten some great buzz as a Romantic Times Top Pick!, as well as starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist, but more importantly, I hope YOU guys enjoy it. It is a thrilling, topical story that will blow your minds! You can pre-order it from any bookseller you see on the right, or pick it up from your local bookstore on September 15. Once you finish it, let me know what you think—I'm eager to discuss it with you! Here is a short excerpt to whet your appetite . . .

And if you are behind in the series, never fear. The paperback of book two, THE LOST KEY, is available now!

And more Nicholas and Mike news . . . Catherine and I are so excited to announce that we have just agreed to do two more books in the series! What could be better than more of your favorite sexy Brit and his brainy and beautiful FBI sidekick?

Events

Between international travel and writing Nicholas Drummond #4, I've got nothing public on the schedule for September. I'm still keeping my eye on the Southern Festival of Books, though—it's a staple every second weekend in October here in Nashville. Huzzah!

Get Thee to a Bookstore

I've been making quite a dent in my to-read pile (ahh, the joys of vacation!) and plowing through some fabulous stuff—only some of which I can share, since there are some blurb books in the mix. But of the ones I can . . .

COLD ALONE ‐ Laura Benedict
THE STRANGE VISITATION AT WOLFFE HALL ‐ Catherine Coulter
NEMESIS ‐ Catherine Coulter
BEST LAID PLANS ‐ Allison Brennan
IN A DARK, DARK WOOD ‐ Ruth Ware
THE STORIES WE TELL ‐ Patti Callahan Henry

If you’re on Goodreads, friend me, and follow along. I’m always interested in what you’re reading, too!

September Contest

The September contest is live now: enter to win a trio of paperback novels by Joseph Teller including DEPRAVED INDIFFERENCE, OVERKILL, and BRONX JUSTICE.

Enter here to win.

September Recipe — Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken with Basil & Sun-Dried Tomatoes
(Click here for printable PDF)*

Still have basil in your garden? I've got a delicious recipe that'll help you use up the last of it. For all of you who are in the white-meat-only, no bones, please camp of poultry like moi, you'll enjoy this recipe. And those of you who have trouble keeping a boneless, skinless chicken breast moist, saddle up—the secret ingredient makes this hard-to-cook cut a little more forgiving (thankfully).

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• salt and pepper, to taste
• ¼ cup mayonnaise (stay with me, people, I speak truth here)
• 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced (1 tablespoon dried will work in a pinch)
• 8 slices prosciutto
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• Preheat oven to 425°F, and position oven rack in middle of the oven.
  
  
• Line a 9x13 pan with aluminum foil, and set aside.
  
  
• Pat the chicken breasts with paper towels, and pound them until they're ¼-inch thick. (Pro tip: place the chicken on top of a piece of plastic wrap, and top with another piece of plastic wrap before you go to town on the pounding. Zip-top bags also work to keep messiness in, too!)
  
  
• Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper, and place the breasts skin-side down. Set aside.
  
  
• In a small bowl, mixed the mayonnaise, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil. The mayo will keep this super moist and succulent (and if you're mayo-averse, I hear you—but you won't be able to taste it in the final product, I promise!).
  
  
• Divide the now-zesty mayo into four portions, and add a dollop to each flattened chicken breast.
  
  
• Spread the mayonnaise over the chicken, leaving a ½-inch edge on each. Carefully roll each breast to form a cylinder. Wrap two pieces of prosciutto around each breast, and place on the pan seam-side down (secure each end with a toothpick, if you'd like). Brush each with olive oil.
  
  
• Bake in the oven for 35 minutes, or until cooked completely through. Slice for a beautiful presentation, and enjoy! (You could even serve with warm marinara, mmm . . . )
  
  

YUM, right? That's all from me, folks. Enjoy the cool breezes, football games (Go Titans and Broncos!!), and some mighty fine reading! I'll see you next month.

xoxo,

P.S. I've just gotten some great news — thanks to you all of you, we debuted at #6 on the New York Times this week. Thank you so much for reading and buying THE LOST KEY!

*You can see all of my previous recipes and download them here.