My novel, Sycamore Circle, begins in a coffee shop called Sacred Grounds. It’s in the middle of a small Ohio town’s square, and the proprietors converted a former church into a coffee destination. It sounded like a perfect place for Joy, the book’s heroine, to be tutoring her adult literacy students. It’s also the place where Bo, my ex-con-hero, first spies Joy, and where several other important scenes in the novel take place.
When I write a novel, I try to fill it with characters who I would like to know. I usually also try to make at least one of the settings a place where I would like to hang out. Sacred Grounds is definitely one of those places.
Do you have a favorite coffee shop? I don’t currently have one, but I used to when we lived in Littleton, Colorado years ago. I’d meet my friend Susan E. there every morning at 6:45. We’d stand in line, grab our lattes, then take turns driving to the elementary school where we taught. The school was in the foothills of the mountains, and it was fifty-five miles away. Those coffees were lifesavers, especially when the weather was snowy and cold.
I guess I drink coffee the way I read and write books-I like variety. Every morning gave me a new opportunity to try a new flavor or the barista’s special of the day. Not so much for Susan-she was a creature of habit. She always ordered the same thing. So much so that whoever was working would start making her drink when she walked in the door.
But Susan and I did agree on one thing-on Friday we’d have scones. I’m not sure why we chose scones instead of one of the many other fresh baked goods-I can only guess that it was Susan E.’s suggestion-I didn’t have much of an appreciation for scones back then. That soon changed, though! Soon, those scones-and the fact that it was Friday-would be my best incentive to get out of bed on Friday mornings.
Susan and I drove together for three years. She was single and dating. I was married and had two kids under four. During those long drives we’d catch up on personal news, help each other with lesson plans, and counsel each other through various dramas. Somehow the conversation never lagged. We’d talk and sip large coffee drinks as we headed to our school. On really perfect days, we’d be munching on warm scones as the sun rose. For a few short moments, life was bliss.
In a lot of ways, that routine got me through a very stressful time of my life. Eventually, I transferred schools to be closer to home, then eventually moved to Ohio. Susan moved to Tennessee and over the years our correspondence faded. But oh, those memories! On our last drive together, Susan gave me a recipe card and a bag of our favorite scones: white chocolate, toasted almond, and apricot. If I close my eyes, I can still remember the way the inside her trusty Toyota smelled when she opened the bag-like rich almonds, sugar, and friendship.
Those sweet memories are one of the reasons I decided to make a coffee shop to be such a special place for Joy and Bo in Sycamore Circle. They needed a place to feel welcome. To ground them. A place where two seemingly different people could meet and feel safe. And, perhaps, feel a little bit special, if only for a little while.
I got kind of a kick having Bo order Joy a coffee and on impulse add a couple of scones, too. It sure brought back some good memories for me! I hope you enjoy the book-and, if you enjoy baking, I hope you’ll consider making a pan of white chocolate, almond, and apricot scones. They’re not too hard and worth the effort.
Here’s the recipe. This one is courtesy of Betty Crocker. I add a touch of almond extract and a sprinkling of toasted almonds on the top, but it’s your choice.
- 1 3/4 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup firm butter or margarine
- 1/3 cup finely chopped dried apricots
- 1/3 cup white vanilla baking chips
- 1egg
- About 1/3 cup half-and-half
- 1/3 cup white vanilla baking chips, melted
*add ½ teaspoon almond extract with the half-and-half and sprinkle ¼ cup slivered, toasted almonds on top before baking if desired.
Heat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease cookie sheet with shortening or cooking spray. In large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until mixture looks like fine crumbs. Reserve 2 tablespoons apricots for topping. Stir remaining apricots and 1/3 cup vanilla baking chips into crumbly mixture. Stir in egg and just enough half-and-half so dough leaves side of bowl and forms a ball. On lightly floured surface, knead dough lightly 10 times. Pat or roll into 8-inch round on cookie sheet. Cut into 8 wedges, but do not separate. Bake 14 to 16 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet; carefully separate wedges. Place melted baking chips in small resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag. Cut off small corner of bag; pipe small amount of melted chips over scones. Sprinkle with reserved 2 tablespoons apricots. Pipe remaining melted chips over scones. Serve warm or cool.
The Rumors in Ross County #2
New York Times bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray returns with the second novel in her “tantalizing” (Publishers Weekly) Rumors in Ross County series. In Ross County, love can stay the course, but first you have to know who to trust.
There’s a lot going on in Joy Howard’s life. She’s got an ex-husband who starts acting like he doesn’t want to be an ex anymore, a sixteen-year-old daughter in need of a guiding hand and a lot of rides to dance practice, more orders for paintings than she has time to paint, and a roster of tutoring clients who sometimes need far more than she can give.
What she doesn’t have is time for a new relationship.
Samuel “Bo” Beauman is a lot of things. He’s a counselor for transitioning ex-cons, a good friend to many, a construction worker, a brother and son, and even a part-time model for a high-end sportswear catalog. He’s also a man searching for redemption.
One thing he isn’t is a man in need of a girlfriend.
But none of that seems to matter when Bo hears Joy’s kind voice in a crowded coffee shop. He instantly knows she’s someone he wants to know better. The two of them hit it off—much to the dismay of practically everyone they know—but Bo doesn’t care what other people think. He feels at peace whenever he’s with Joy, and he won’t let her go without a fight.
When Joy starts getting mysterious texts and phone calls from unknown numbers, she tries to ignore it. But instead of going away, the messages escalate and Joy realizes she can’t handle it alone. But she is juggling a jealous ex-husband, a handful of students with little to lose, and a brand-new boyfriend who spent several years behind bars. Who can she trust?
Romance Suspense [Blackstone Publishing, On Sale: February 7, 2023, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781799923732 / ]
Uplifting Inspirational Romance
Shelley Shepard Gray is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time HOLT Medallion winner. She lives in southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.
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