Skip to main content

#Giveaway & Guest Post with Lisa Maliga

Lisa Maliga has held a variety of jobs in her years of struggling to keep just about any rent-paying occupation to support her writing. From cashier, library overdue clerk, telemarketer, store detective, and Hollywood office temp. She’s also toiled in the fields of construction, architecture, law, publicity, financial planning, gymnastics, banking, insurance, and as a bath & body products designer. She still makes and uses her own soapy creations. 

Check her out at her website.



Yolanda Carter comes from a family of artisans and lives in her deceased grandparent's cottage in Sherman Oaks, California. She works at a small cat shelter but dreams of owning a bakery. Her friend from high school, Teagan Mishkin, knows that Yolanda needs money and suggests better paying work as a cocktail waitress. The interview takes an unexpected turn and she stumbles across a scheme to close down the cat shelter. 

The plan Yolanda concocts may be the only way to save the shelter. Helped by her parents, coworkers and friends, a rising young blogger also takes an interest in her plight. Will she bake the best brownies of her life? 



  • Kindle: 1009 KB
  • Print Length: 113 pages
  • ASIN: B00K1HR4AG

AMAZON US   |   AMAZON CA   |   SMASHWORDS

What's So Great About Brownies?
By Lisa Maliga
Copyright 2014

There are books on the subject of baking the best brownies, along with dessert cookbooks that dedicate whole sections to brownies. There are websites that offer loads of brownie recipes—some of them quite scrumptious. And in any supermarket or bakery, and you can always buy fresh brownies.

Of course, people will debate whether to make them from scratch or from a mix.

Mixes are easier and definitely faster. They can also be enhanced with added goodies like marshmallows, shredded coconut, caramel, chocolate chips, and nuts. Once you take those brownies out of the oven and they cool off you can frost them and add some sugar sprinkles. Better yet, serve them with a scoop of ice cream.

I needed to bake brownies so I could photograph them for my newest eBook cover, The Great Brownie Taste-off: (The Yolanda's Yummery Series, Book 1). Shopping for the mix, I bypassed the usual suspects of Betty Crocker and Duncan Hines for a more expensive alternative, Ghirardelli Chocolate Supreme Brownie Mix. Like the others, the additives were few—water, vegetable oil and one egg. It also contained a chocolate syrup pouch for added flavor. I'll admit that the brownies were quite good after they emerged from the oven. They almost tasted like homemade brownies. Almost. The brownies in my book are baked from scratch and require a little more work than a mix brownie. But they are more flavorful!

When you bake from scratch, you have total control over all the ingredients from the flour to the sugar to the type of chocolate and/or powdered cocoa you use. That was the fun part of making the brownies as I could use farm fresh eggs and my preferred Valrhona chocolate. While I'm not a pastry chef or even a baker, I really got to understand my main character a lot better after making "from scratch" brownies. I even tweaked the ingredients and baked a few other batches to make sure I got the recipe right!

If you like to read about bakers, or romantic fiction, check out The Great Brownie Taste-off. It's the first book in the Yolanda's Yummery series. Yolanda Carter is a self-taught baker who dreams of owning her own bakery, a/k/a yummery. Employed at a small cat shelter, she stumbles across a scheme that threatens all the employees and cats. Will her magical brownies save them?

BONUS ~ Includes the winning brownie recipe!

AND NOW THE GIVEAWAY

Fill in the Rafflecopter.
Open worldwide.
Full terms & conditions at the bottom of the form.


a Rafflecopter giveaway




Comments

  1. My kind of girl! Good way to be, a must read.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks so much, Karen S. Glad to meet another fan of brownies. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Yvonne, bn100 & Harvee!
    Fun brownie tip--brownies are great in warm weather when topped with ice cream!
    All the best,
    Lisa

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Comments are for Google Users Only due to spam comments. Thank you for taking the time to leave your opinions and comments.

Popular posts from this blog

Scooby Doo: The Sword And The Scoob

AVAILABLE ON DIGITAL NOW AND DVD MARCH 23! RATED F 72 minutes AMAZON An evil sorceress transports the gang back to the age chivalrous knights, spell-casting wizards, and fire-breathing dragons. While there, Shaggy unwittingly pulls out Excalibur from a nearby stone to cut a block of cheese and now no one is sure who the rightful ruler is. The legendary wizard, Merlin, appears and explains that the throne of Camelot must be determined through TRIAL BY COMBAT. Our heroes pull out all the stops to try and win the tournament, break the witch's hold on King Arthur, and find a way back to the present in this legendary story of Scooby Doo in King Arthur's Court. REVIEW: It was weird starting off with a He-Man lookalike, Thunder the Barabarian), until I realized a character from the film was watching the cartoon in the airplane. Still, it was kind of cool to reminice about two cartoons from my childhood. So many great actors bring the film to life! What a fun story it was too! Although

Great Gift Ideas from the Jennifer Lopez Collection and the Marc Anthony Collection

For your Mom Jennifer Lopez Marilyn Belted Shopper ($129.00) For your Sister Jennifer Lopez Tuxedo Jacket ($84) For your Best Friend Jennifer Lopez Marilyn Heels ($79.99) For your Mother-in-Law Jennifer Lopez Cowl Neck Sweater with Lurex ($84) For your Work Friends Jennifer Lopez Gold Tone Bead Multistrand Necklace ($34.00) Jennifer Lopez Jet Studded Ball Necklace ($38.00) Jennifer Lopez Gold Tone Simulated Crystal Hoop Earrings ($26.00) Jennifer Lopez Jet Studded Dome Stretch Ring ($24.00) Jennifer Lopez Gold Tone Twisted Ring ($18.00) Jennifer Lopez Gold Tone Multistrand Bracelet ($28.00) Jennifer Lopez Silver Tone Chain-Wrapped Bangle Bracelet ($28.00) For your Boyfriend Marc Anthony Fashion Moto Jacket ($150) For your Dad Marc Anthony Tonal Striped Sweater ($65) For your Brother Marc Anthony Boots ($120.00) For high resolution images of items from the Jennifer Lopez Collection and the Marc Anthony Collection, please visit the holiday look book .

#19: Cinder - Marissa Meyer

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .  Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. KINDLE:  448 KB Print Length:  400 pages Publisher:  Feiwel & Friends (January 3, 2012) ASIN:  B005KJJ4F8 AMAZON US   |   AMAZON CA AUTHOR BIO: Marissa Meyer was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington, home of Almond Roca and Stadium High School, which was made famous when Heath