The Worst Cake meets a Great Giveaway: Guest Author Ginger Garrett

**Weds. June 19th 11:15 AM  CONGRATULATIONS to our giveaway winner, "bonton," and thank you ALL for stopping by Authors' Galley! **

Today I'm excited to host an award-winning author with a passion to create novels and nonfiction resources exploring the lives of historical women: "art from history." Please wave those Authors' Galley wooden spoons and join me in a warm welcome for our special guest:  Ginger Garrett. 

The Worst Cake I Ever Baked

By Ginger Garrett

In 1996, I suspected that my boyfriend would propose very soon. When he invited me to fly across the country to spend Thanksgiving with his family, most of whom I had never met, I knew that my intuition was probably right.

Our families came from very different cultures. His family was from the Basque country in Spain. They loved red wine and women who cried easily. My family was from Texas. We loved unsweet tea and women who could handle a shotgun or a soup kettle with equal ease.

But I desperately wanted to make a good impression when I stepped off the plane. I envisioned carrying a lovely basket of treats to offer them, thus proving what a great cook (and catch) I was.

I phoned my mom for the perfect recipe. She read a cake recipe to me over the phone. “A family favorite,” she assured me. Even though the recipe was for a cake that required candy I had only seen at the circus, in the shape of orange jellies, and I did not remember ever eating it, she assured me that it would be a big hit.

So I whipped it up, too lovestruck and nervous to question my mother.

That was my first mistake.

When my boyfriend and I boarded our cross country flight, we were forced to wait on the tarmac for hours before taking off. Extra delays were added once we were in air, and the airline offered no snacks except a measly bag of peanuts. We both stared at the cake box nestled peacefully at our feet. That was my golden ticket, my assurance that everyone would want me in the family. I forbid him to touch it until the pilot announced we had to circle around the city for another thirty minutes.

When we got off the plane, I greeted my future in-laws with a half-eaten cake that was made from circus candy. And it tasted worse than it looked.

The cake went in the trash, but to my naïve surprise, the family wasn’t all that concerned. They were much more interested in whether I loved their son. Cake never even entered into their deliberations.

A year later, I was wearing his ring. And the cake? Turns out, “family favorite” was the title of the magazine article my mom had clipped it from. No one in our family had ever made one. Today, the handwritten recipe I wrote that night long ago is an heirloom I intend to pass on to my girls.

It’s a family favorite, indeed.

Oh, Ginger, I'm still laughing : "red wine and women who cry easily" vs. Texas women "who can handle a shotgun or soup kettle with equal ease"--classic! Thank you so much for sharing this memory with us, and for being the very first Authors' Galley guest brave enough to offer a kitchen blooper! 

And now here's an equally delightful treat: a peek at Ginger Garrett's newest novel:

 REIGN: The Chronicles of Queen Jezebel

Beyond the Drama, Her Heart Was Real

From the moment her marriage to prince Ahab thrusts her into the intrigues of palace life, Jezebel’s exotic beauty opens doors and her will breaks down walls. Torn from her homeland and wed to power in a strange country, Jezebel vows to create a legacy and power all her own. Some might call her a manipulative schemer, bent on having her way. But they don’t know the whole story, and she was much, much worse.

As she moves through the halls of power, her heart struggles between devotion to the gods she worships, the prince who loves her, and her thirst for revenge. She sparks a battle between her strangely powerless gods and the God of palace administrator Obadiah—a God who confronts her with surprising might. She will fight, though victory may cost her everything.

***

As a bonus, the awesome Wynn-Wynn Media has put together a great giveaway prize package:  a copy of REIGN, a cute kitchen tea towel, AND a bag of that classic (and unforgettable) orange slice candy! How fun is that?

To enter, please leave a comment below (maybe share your own recipe blooper?), including your e-mail address. US entries only, please.  I'll draw the winning name (via Random.Org) on Wednesday June 19th and notify the winner by e-mail.

Meanwhile, bon appetit . . . and happy reading!