Dear Romance Fan,

My family and I had a great summer, and I hope you did as well! After a month of summer camp, we took a few weeks off with our two youngest children to visit Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. We decided to stop in St. Augustine on the way home. Although the kids loved the rides at the theme parks, the highlight of their vacation was a visit to the Alligator farm in St. Augustine, where they petted an alligator and snake. We even tried cooked alligator tail at a local restaurant. Believe me, it has a very unique taste. (Like chewy shrimp. Not to worry, you won’t see that recipe in any of my newsletters.) :-)

APPEARANCES AND BOOKSIGNINGS

I flew to Wisconsin for the Saturday, July 27th signing at Head of the Lakes Fair in Superior, Wisconsin with some of Port Town Publishing’s authors. We were rained out after only a few hours, but even the weather couldn’t dampen our spirits. I finally met my publisher, Jean Hackensmith, in person, as well as the other wonderful PTP authors: Donna Conger, Inna Larsen and A.J. Russo. We had lots of fun chatting during the signing, and we also visited Port Town Publishing's offices and new bookstore.

Below is a list of my upcoming booksigning. If you live in the Maryland, D.C. or Virginia area, I hope to see you, even if it’s only to stop by and say, “Hi.”

Saturday, September 28, 2002
1:00 – 4:00 PM
Island View Inn
2542 Island View Rd
Essex, Maryland 21221-6411 (Baltimore County)
Phone: 410-687-9799


LATEST UPDATE...

Port Town Publishing announced that my new romantic mystery-suspense, SHADOW OF DOUBT, would be released on October 1st – two months early! We’re in the final editing stages and I understand several readers have already taken advantage of the special pre-release pricing (if ordered before October 1st). If you’re one of them, you have my heartfelt gratitude!

I’m also purchasing copies of my books, FIERY SURRENDER and SHADOW OF DOUBT, which I’ll retain at home for autographing. If you’re interested in a personally autographed copy of either book, please email me.

FIRST REVIEW OF "SHADOW OF DOUBT"

“.... I became engrossed in the mystery of who killed Jennifer.... enjoyed trying to figure out who did it. Ms. Morelli does a great job weaving the mystery throughout the story...."
-- The Old Book Barn Gazette

RECIPE CORNER...Sinful Diet Cheesecake

My stepdaughter recently celebrated her 25th birthday and, for desert, she asked me to make my special dietetic cheesecake. Since the recipe is still on my mind, I thought I’d share it with you.

1 9” graham cracker pie crust (found in your grocer’s frozen food area)
2 cups 1% low fat cottage cheese
¾ cup frozen egg substitute
½ cup Neufchatel cheese (cream cheese substitute)
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup vanilla low-fat yogurt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon lemon juice
Fresh fruit (optional)

Combine first five ingredients in an electric blender; cover and process 1 minute or until smooth. Pour mixture into 9” graham cracker pie crust and bake at 300 degrees for 35 minutes. (Edges should be set.)

Combine yogurt, 1 tablespoon sugar and lemon juice; stir well, then spread evenly over pie. Bake at 300 degrees for an additional 5 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes and chill for at least 2 hours. Garnish with fresh fruit (my favorite is strawberries or kiwi fruit), serve and enjoy.

If you have any questions or comments on my newsletter, or know of someone else who might want to receive a copy, please write me. In any event, I’d love to hear from you!

All the best,

Linda Morelli