Love Lessons Learned : Bulletproof Badge - Angi Morgan

Synopsis: Bulletproof Badge - Book #1 Texas Rangers Elite Troop - Angi Morgan - January 2016
HE'D TAKE A BULLET FOR HER

His key witnesses dead, Texas Ranger Garrison Travis had to protect innocent bystander Kenderly Tyler. Her crucial evidence had two very dangerous Texas crime families willing to do anything to keep her quiet. But Garrison's undercover status had branded him a killer, and now the bad and the good guys were after them both.

Hiding out with a handsome protector, on the run for her life, was so beyond anything Kenderly had imagined. While there was more than just adrenaline pulsing between them, the Ranger vowed his job was his life. Dare she wonder what would become of them should they actually make it out alive?

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25986861-bulletproof-badge?ac=1&from_search=1

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My characters rarely get to eat anything other than fast food. I thought I’d share my chocolate chip cookie recipe…since warm cookies definitely go with any story.

2/3 cup Butter Flavored Crisco, softened--not melted

2/3 cup margarine, softened--not melted

1 cup granulated sugar

1 3/4 to 2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed

2 eggs

4 teaspoons vanilla (if you use REAL vanilla, back it down to 2 teaspoons)

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

chocolate chips to your liking

nuts if you must

NOTES: You’ll definitely want a good mixer.  Invest in baking stones. The perfect cookie isn’t achieved on a metal baking sheet. The cookies bake in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes and they’ll be sooo gooey you can’t remove them. You’ll be tempted to put them back in the oven. If you know how a baking stone works, it retains heat and will continue to cook the gooey cookie while it cools. THAT’s THE SECRET!  Fortunately, I have more than one stone and can cook a batch while one is cooling.

If your cookies are a bit too soft, back off the brown sugar a tad. Honestly, I discovered Baker’s Chef brown sugar and have noticed a difference in the taste of the cookies when I didn’t use this brand.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Thoroughly blend softened margarine and Crisco. It needs to be one blended mixture. Add eggs, blend again. Add vanilla, blend again. *I do things differently, I add the baking soda, baking powder and salt here (realizing that most people add them with the dry ingredients, but I want to make certain they blend well--and after the flour goes in, it gets harder to mix). Add granulated sugar, blend. Add brown sugar, blend. Add 1 cup of flour at a time until all is blended. Add chocolate chips, but the recipe is great without them too.

Drop cookie dough onto baking stones. Another secret to a soft cookie is to make them larger. I had a bus driver accuse me of making mini-pizzas. Band kids always wanted second cookies, but the band director said they could only have one. HAHA…so I made larger single-serving cookies. But this rebellion helped me develop a very soft cookie.

Don’t squish the dough, just spoon it and let it sit tall, give it plenty of room to spread out when it cooks.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes (at least in Texas).

Cool at least 8 minutes on the baking stone.

·         How-To-Tips for Aspiring Writers:
Advice on how to break into the series-writing business

My advice– One: write every day. Two–Establish your writing time to discover what works and what the process is. Then when you sell–because those who don’t give up, do–you and your family will be ready for deadlines. Series authors have a lot of deadlines. How do you accomplish either? By writing every day.

·         Song Playlist:
A prepared playlist of songs that embodies the book’s characters and their love story.

Kenderly & Travis’ song is SUNRISE by Rascal Flatts. The first verse is perfect for them. If you can’t read to music, try using the soundtrack to KNIGHT & DAY. I love this album and write each book to it LONGMIRE and the sound track from R.E.D.

·         Love Lessons Learned:
Real life romance lessons learned from the book.

Love me…love my dog. Garrison Travis has two great big Labradors who immediately love Kenderly Tyler who loves them right back. Witnessing their bonding, touches Garrison. Racing across the city of Austin, Texas, Garrison and Kenderly learn that you can trust your heart to those who protect your life.

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