I knew the phone calls were going out today, but I couldn’t stand the pressure. Instead, I chose to leave the house and go to get my car fixed at the dealership. If I were at home, I’d start obsessing over it, and get no writing done, and well…I’ve never finaled in a romance contest in my life. No local contests, no Golden Heart…I never even got to be a bridesmaid in a contest, let alone a bride.

So, I’d pretty much decided that, even though I’d entered two books, the chances of making the finals were pretty much done for. Even so, I used the free wireless at the dealership and worked on my novella, thinking, well, it’s not going to happen, so just get over it and get some work done. The names of finalists started rolling in, and as I saw more and more historical authors listed, I thought–great! I’ll have to try those books. But it’ll never be me.

Then, a close friend of mine, Larissa Ione, e-mailed me with a huge congratulations. She didn’t even tell me why, just wrote in all caps: I KNEW IT! My hands started shaking, and it was a miracle I even managed to type the web address of RWA to see who the latest finalists were. When I saw my name up there, I wanted to start bawling in the dealership. Do you KNOW how hard it was to keep those emotions bottled up? I wanted to scream to everyone there– “Oh, my gosh, I’m a Rita finalist!!! Can you believe it!???”

So I e-mailed my editor and agent in all caps, and I’m not even sure what I typed. Maybe something like Glbwerioug aweroiu OMG werpwoij RITA FINALIST werawoe;j. I don’t know. But there were four messages on my phone when I got home–2 from the RWA Board and 2 from the person trying to contact me, confirming that yes, my wildest dream had indeed come true.

There are many, many talented authors out there. I feel humbled and honored, because never in my wildest dreams, did I ever think something like this could happen. Today was so incredibly special to me, and regardless of the outcome of the Ritas, I feel like I’ve already won something. Being able to share my joy with such good friends makes it even nicer.

It’s been a very good day. Those of you who come to the RWA National Conference in Nashville this July will see a big smile on my face. I think, out of all of my MacEgan books, Ewan’s book holds a special place for me because I always loved him as a character. Having that hero earn a Rita nomination is just amazing.

In other news, I’ve found out that I have two more stories coming out. This June, look for Innocent in the Harem a novella from Harlequin Historical Undone! that’s set in 16th century Turkey in, well…a harem. And then in September, my last MacEgan Brothers book, Surrender to an Irish Warrior (Trahern’s book) will be published. Lots of things to celebrate!!

We’re attending a wedding tomorrow, and so that will double-up as our own celebration. It’s kind of a nice weekend for celebrating Valentine’s Day, I think. I just hope the snow holds off so it’s not too dangerous for driving.

I’m guest-blogging over at Jaunty Quills today, giving away another signed copy of The Accidental Countess and a free download of “An Accidental Seduction,” which is the prequel to Countess. Sorry, can’t sign that one.

I hope everyone has a wonderful, romantic holiday with your significant other!

P.S.–I thought I’d include a romantic picture, which is the cover of my April release Pleasurably Undone. I love it!

Thanks to everyone for sharing your favorite comfort foods!

Also, I’ll be blogging at Jaunty Quills on February 12th, so if you didn’t win today, you have a second chance there.

Another bit of good news? Trahern MacEgan’s story will be titled Surrender to the Irish Warrior, and it will be released in September 2010.

To celebrate both, I wanted to give away another free download of “An Accidental Seduction,” the prequel to Countess. I’ll draw the name of one lucky commenter by Saturday and send you the coupon code for a download from eHarlequin.

Ready? Since The Accidental Countess is centered around food, I thought I’d keep the theme consistent.

All you have to do is post a comment and tell me your favorite comfort food(s). For me, it’s Kettle Cooked Jalapeno Potato Chips. Whenever I am completely stumped on a plot point, for whatever reason, the spicy chips help. How about you?

Baked Chicken and Dressing

Buy about a five lb. hen—always with white fat if possible. Old hens have real yellow fat and big pores, so when possible, select the light cream colored fat. Wash thoroughly, almost cover in water (cold) and boil at gentle heat until wings and thighs will feel loose when pulled from the body. When the chicken is about half done, salt.

Take out as much broth as needed for the gravy and use the remaining broth to make up the dressing. Set the chicken aside until you are ready to brown it when the dressing is about half done.

Dressing:

Make a good egg bread—about 1 ½ cups meal, 2 eggs, 3 full Tablespoons melted lard (I use bacon drippings lots). 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt and make into fairly soft dough with sweet milk. Bake in hot oven. Then crumble up in bowl. Add about 2 small biscuits or maybe 1 ½ slices light bread, one medium size onion and one small piece garlic (leave off the garlic if you don’t like it), 1 cup chopped celery. Make all this up into right consistency with the broth. Put in shallow pan and bake. Stir one time after it has begun to get dry on sides, at this stirring, add 2 Tablespoons sugar—then put the chicken in center of pan and bake to golden brown on both sides. Call Mary to come eat dinner with you.

* * *

What I love about this recipe is that I can almost hear my great-grandmother talking to me. The last line truly is in the cook book, and it makes me smile.

I wanted to create a character who loved to cook and who found her refuge in making food for others. And so, the character of Emily Chesterfield, the Accidental Countess, was born. In the prequel short story “An Accidental Seduction,” Emily is reunited with her childhood sweetheart, and she cooks an unconventional meal for him during a winter snow storm. I’ve also included some of Emily’s true recipes here. I’m doing some free download giveaways on Facebook and this month you can be entered to win a $10.00 Amazon gift card simply by joining in the conversation.

Food is a universal element, bringing families and generations together. Whenever I browse through old cook books, I feel like I’m stepping into the past where women served love and affection along with their food. It makes me wonder what sort of people they were and what stories lie untold.

And I especially like the fact that none of the recipes contained low-fat ingredients! Bring on the lard, sugar, and full flavors!

The Accidental Countess goes on sale in the UK January 1st and the U.S. at the end of January. Click the Book Browse Widget to get a glimpse of my next release.

On October 1st and October 4th, I’ll be over at Unusual Historicals.

On October 2nd, I’ll be at Romance Bandits.

Hope to see you there!

Ewan has always been a favorite character of mine, and it was fun to watch him grow up over the course of the other three MacEgan books. Now he has a heroine of his own, and I hope you enjoy his story! You can read an excerpt here.

I was asked to write a short story that was connected to Ewan’s book, and after I finished writing Taming, I wanted to explore the secondary characters of Lady Katherine of Ardennes and Sir Ademar of Dolwyth. Sir Ademar is a very different kind of hero, and I enjoyed having the chance to write a bigger book, by offering readers this novella. It’s available to download here, and you can also read an excerpt here.

From now until March, I’ll have new releases and novels available. I know it’s been a long wait, but one of my books was put on hold in order to do back-to-back releases in February and March.

To celebrate each month, I’m hosting a hidden picture contest. Newsletter subscribers already got a hint on where to find the first castle and what it looks like (if you want to subscribe, just type your e-mail address in the yellow subscriber box above the calendar on the left, and I’ll e-mail you whenever new books are released). For new subscribers in the next month, I’ll forward you a copy of the newsletter so you can get the hidden picture link hints.

If you find the correct castle picture on my website, you’ll be entered in a drawing to win both a free book (or download) of your choice, plus a $5.00 Amazon gift certificate! Only one entry per person, void where prohibited. Just e-mail me your answer. Winners will be announced on October 1st, and there will be a new drawing every month through March.

I hope you enjoy the new books!

Warmest wishes,

Michelle Willingham

P.S.–if you attempted to enter the contest in the past two days, my web account was temporarily frozen because of some server issues. Please re-send your answer, and I’ll make sure you’re entered!

In other news, Taming Her Irish Warrior now has a cover! This is Ewan MacEgan’s book, and you can read an excerpt and pre-order it here.

My Irish Warriors made their way over to Brazil and Greece, and it’s so much fun to see what the foreign covers look like.

I’ve been enjoying my summer with the kids, and we plan to take them to Disneyworld for the first time. I haven’t been in fifteen years, and I think I’m as excited as they are! If any of you have tips to share, I’m glad to hear them.