Category: Annies-stories

Hurry Winners!

7/20/2014

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Winners Zoe Blair* AND Susan Johnson** have until

Tuesday July 22nd

to contact me or I will need to choose new winners.

* Zoe won the Abandoned Dreams inspired Earrings
** Susan won Annie's Stories by Cindy Thomson

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Annie's Stories 3-Day Countdown Release Day - Book Interview + Giveaway

7/1/2014

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In anticipation of the upcoming release of Annie's Stories we will feature a different post each day from
June 29 - July 1st with all things related to the book, you never know what neat things we will dig up to share with you.

TODAY IS RELEASE DAY!

Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (July 1, 2014)
ISBN-10: 1414368453
ISBN-13: 978-1414368450

Annie's Stories
An Ellis Island Novel book 2
by Cindy Thomson

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is taking New York City by storm, but for Irish immigrant Annie Gallagher, the book is more than mere entertainment. It's a sweet reminder of her father, a traveling Irish storyteller. After his death, with only a dream and his handwritten stories, Annie flees to America, finding work and friendship at a boardinghouse in the heart of the city.
Just as Annie is settling into her new life, a friendly postman begins to show a particular interest in her – and her father's unpublished writing. He suspects the tales may hold a grand secret. But Annie isn't sure she wants to risk sharing her last remnants of home with the world. More trouble brews when authorities make accusations against a fellow boarder and threaten to shut down Hawkins House, jeopardizing everything Annie holds dear.
Facing obstacles on all sides, Annie must forge her own path to aid her friend and build a new home to call her own.

Interview with Cindy Thomson about her upcoming release
Annie's Stories

#1. What was the inspiration for this book? 
I have always been inspired by my love of genealogy research. It's estimated that 40% of Americans today have at least one ancestor who came through Ellis Island. Thousands arrived every day during the period my novels are set. So many displaced people came with the hope of a better future. When I realized L. Frank Baum's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was published during that time, and was an immediate success, I imagined Dorothy's quest for home and the friends she finds along the way was a story some of these people related to.

#2. How long did it take to finish writing this book? 
That is not as simple a question as it seems! I wrote the book long before it was contracted. Then later I had to rewrite, and rewrite it again. The rewriting took the better part of a year.

#3. Do you have favorite character(s) in this book? 
Since the story is told by Annie and Stephen, of course they are favorites. I do love Mrs. Hawkins, the owner of Hawkins House, though. She a lovable, kind heart, but wise too, wiser than her tenants seem to realize.

#4. What do you hope your readers will take away with them when they read this book?
That even when God seems to have abandoned us, He never does. That if we only pay attention, we will see the work of his hand everywhere. And that we are truly only at home in the hearts of who love us, and no one loves us more than God.

#5. What made you choose some of the specific locations for this book? 
Well, certainly Ellis Island and Manhattan was where my immigrants had to be. The countryside where Annie comes from in Ireland was in my heart because I have traveled there. I was there, in fact, as I was completing the final draft of the novel. I have a friend who lives in County Mayo, a fellow novelist who writes wonderful immigrant novels, Kate Kerrigan. I even attended her book launch party there. Just driving through the countryside in that part of Ireland was enough to bring Annie's early life alive for me, especially her wonderful memories of her father.

#6. How did you name your characters? 
Annie Moore was the first immigrant to come through Ellis Island. She was a young Irish girl. So I decided to use the name Annie and have her immigrate from Queenstown like Annie Moore. Gallagher is an Irish surname with a bit of history to it (I know, they all have history) which you can read about in the final chapters of the novel. For Stephen I was looking for a very American sounding name. I chose one of the presidents for his last name, and Stephen is pretty common.

#7. Tell us something funny, sad, embarrassing, whatever, that happened involving this book.
I wrote this story originally before my father passed away. It's the first story in the series I wrote, even though it was not the first to be published. Editing it after my father passed away gave me a greater connection to Annie. We always miss our loved ones when they go to heaven; that never completely goes away. The scene where Mrs. Hawkins takes Annie to the cemetery where her husband and his family are buried, however, I added more recently. I hope it resonates with readers because I think it's a lesson I'm continually learning: I'm at home only when I remember that God is always with me.

Bonus. Share with us a thought, Bible verse, whatever is on your mind/heart.
No matter how dreary and gray our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country, be it ever so beautiful. There is no place like home.~L. Frank Baum, THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ

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Cindy Thomson

Bio

Cindy Thomson is a writer and an avid genealogy enthusiast. Her love of history and her Scots-Irish heritage have inspired much of her writing, including her new Ellis Island series. Cindy is also the author of Brigid of Ireland and Celtic Wisdom: Treasures from Ireland. She combined her love of history and baseball to co-author the biography Three Finger: The Mordecai Brown Story, which was a finalist for the Society for American Baseball Research's Larry Ritter Book Award. In addition to books, Cindy has written on a regular basis for numerous online and print publications and is a mentor for the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild. She is also a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and the Historical Novel Society. Cindy and her husband have three grown sons and live in central Ohio.

Connect With Cindy Online:

Website

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Annie's Stories 3-Day Countdown June 30th

6/30/2014

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Countdown Day 2

Recipes

Annie and Stephen in Annie's Stories have two very different backgrounds, she is from Ireland and he is from New York City. I have carefully chosen the recipes to highlight the differences, and the similarities. These are food that they MIGHT have made or eaten. Hopefully these recipes will inspire you to try a little something new and take you deeper into the world of 1904 New York City.

American

Grilled Hot Dogs
With Sauerkraut

Ingredients

1 (1 pound) package sauerkraut, with juices
2 pounds natural casing all-beef hot dogs (such as Boar's Head or Dietz & Watson)
Buns and brown mustard for serving

Directions

1. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill, and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Alternatively, set half the burners on a gas grill to the highest heat setting, cover, and preheat for 10 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate.
2. Place sauerkraut and juices in a 10-inch square disposable aluminum pan. Alternatively, construct a tray out of a double layer of heavy duty aluminum foil, 10 inches square, with sides about 2 inches high. Nestle hot dogs into sauerkraut.
3. Place tray on hot side of grill and cook until simmering, about 4 minutes. Slide to cooler side of grill. Cover grill with vents over the sausages. Cook with all vents open until hot dogs are heated through, about 10 minutes, turning once in the middle.
4. Remove lid. Using tongs, remove hot dogs from sauerkraut and place directly on cooking grates over hot side of grill. Cook, turning occasionally, until well browned and crisp, about 3 minutes total. Return to sauerkraut. Toast buns over hot side of grill if desired. Serve hot dogs with buns, mustard, and sauerkraut.

Sources:
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/05/grilled-hot-dogs-with-sauerkraut-recipe.html
http://www.chow.com/recipes/28172-boxty-irish-potato-pancake

Irish

Boxty
(Irish Potato Pancake)

Ingredients

2 pounds (3 to 4 large) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
3/4 cup whole milk
1 1/4 teaspoons fine salt, plus more for seasoning the potatoes before cooking
1 large egg
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Directions

Heat the oven to 200°F.
Chop half of the potatoes into large dice, place in a medium saucepan, salt generously, and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, and simmer the potatoes uncovered until fork tender, about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, grate the remaining potatoes on the large holes of a box grater. Toss with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and place in a fine mesh strainer set over a medium bowl; set aside.
When the boiled potatoes are ready, drain them, return them to the pot, add 1/4 cup of the milk, and mash until the potatoes are smooth.
With a plastic spatula, press the grated potatoes against the sides and bottom of the strainer to remove any liquid. Add the grated potatoes to the mashed potatoes (no need to stir though).
Place the egg, remaining 1/2 cup milk, flour, pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl and whisk until smooth, about 10 seconds. Add the potatoes and stir until evenly incorporated.
Heat a large nonstick frying pan or griddle over medium heat. Test to see if the pan is hot enough by sprinkling a couple of drops of cold water in it: If the water bounces and sputters, the pan is ready to use; if it evaporates instantly, the pan is too hot.
Once the pan is ready, add enough butter to lightly coat the bottom when melted. Drop 3 dollops (about 1/4 cup each) of the batter into the pan and spread each to about 1/4 inch thick. Cook until the pancake bottoms are golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes more. Place on a baking sheet and set in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining butter and batter. Serve warm.

Annie's Stories
An Ellis Island Novel book 2
by Cindy Thomson

Order Your Copy Today!

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Notice: I have affiliates with Amazon & DeeperShopping so if you purchase
a book through the links provided I will receive a small kickback.

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Book Review - Annie's Stories by Cindy Thomson

6/21/2014

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Genre:
Historical

Annie's Stories
An Ellis Island Novel book 2
by Cindy Thomson

-From the back cover-

I've been easily persuaded to read any Christian fiction book that even mentions Ireland, I've been fascinated with the country and their history since I was a little kid. I heard about book one, Grace's Pictures, last year, read and enjoyed it. So, when I got the chance to read and review Annie's Stories I jumped at it.

I love history and Cindy Thomson left me feeling like I was right there walking down the street or sitting in the parlor with Annie. Those little extra details that add flavor to a story are very present in this book.

This is a historical novel but I loved the taste of mystery and even a little intrigue that was woven into the story. There is nothing like threats, boarders returning at midnight, and family secrets!
The romance part of the story is liberally sprinkled throughout the book but does not take over, it instead supports the plot and, along with the mystery, keeps the reader interested and turning the next page.

.
.
.

This Book earned a 4.5 Bark rating.

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.
.

Cindy Thomson

Author's Website

I can't finish my review without saying that I loved the gorgeous cover and the Wizard Of Oz theme that ran throughout the story. I loved the book as a child and it was fun imaging along with Cindy Thomson just how interested and excited both children and adults were to read the story when it was still hot off the presses.

Pick up Annie's Stories for the lovely cover and read it for the great story inside!

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives Annie's Stories by Cindy Thomson a 4.5 Bark rating.

Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (July 1, 2014)
ISBN-10: 1414368453
ISBN-13: 978-1414368450

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KINDLE

Christian Book Store

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Notice: I have affiliates with Amazon & DeeperShopping so if you purchase
a book through the links provided I will receive a small kickback.

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Hurry Winners!

Tuesday July 22nd

Annie's Stories 3-Day Countdown Release Day - Book Interview + Giveaway

TODAY IS RELEASE DAY!

Annie's Stories
An Ellis Island Novel book 2
by Cindy Thomson

Interview with Cindy Thomson about her upcoming release
Annie's Stories

Connect With Cindy Online:

It's Time For A Giveaway!

Annie's Stories 3-Day Countdown June 30th

Countdown Day 2

Recipes

American

Grilled Hot Dogs
With Sauerkraut

Irish

Boxty
(Irish Potato Pancake)

Annie's Stories
An Ellis Island Novel book 2
by Cindy Thomson

Order Your Copy Today!

Book Review - Annie's Stories by Cindy Thomson

Annie's Stories
An Ellis Island Novel book 2
by Cindy Thomson

Author

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Hurry Winners!

﻿Tuesday July 22nd﻿

Annie's Stories 3-Day Countdown Release Day - Book Interview + Giveaway

﻿﻿﻿TODAY﻿ IS RELEASE DAY!﻿﻿

﻿Annie's Stories﻿ An Ellis Island Novel book 2 ﻿by Cindy Thomson﻿

Interview with ﻿Cindy Thomson﻿ about her upcoming release﻿Annie's Stories﻿

Connect With Cindy Online:

﻿It's Time For A Giveaway!﻿

Annie's Stories 3-Day Countdown June 30th

﻿Countdown Day 2﻿

﻿Recip﻿es﻿﻿

﻿American﻿

﻿﻿Grilled Hot Dogs With Sauerkraut﻿﻿

﻿Irish﻿

Boxty (Irish Potato Pancake)

﻿Annie's Stories﻿ ﻿An Ellis Island Novel book 2﻿ by Cindy Thomson

﻿Order Your Copy Today!﻿

Book Review - Annie's Stories by Cindy Thomson

﻿Annie's Stories﻿ ﻿An Ellis Island Novel book 2﻿ by Cindy Thomson

Author

Follow Us

Get new posts by email:

Jasmine's bookshelf: Currently Reading

2023 Reading Challenge

Archives

Categories

Tuesday July 22nd

TODAY IS RELEASE DAY!

Annie's Stories
An Ellis Island Novel book 2
by Cindy Thomson

Interview with Cindy Thomson about her upcoming release
Annie's Stories

It's Time For A Giveaway!

Countdown Day 2

Recipes

American

Grilled Hot Dogs
With Sauerkraut

Irish

Boxty
(Irish Potato Pancake)

Annie's Stories
An Ellis Island Novel book 2
by Cindy Thomson

Order Your Copy Today!

Annie's Stories
An Ellis Island Novel book 2
by Cindy Thomson