December is the month for lots of cookie-baking—in our home and many others. In the spirit of the holidays, here is my recipe for a perennial Texas favorite—Ranger Cookies. Enjoy and happy holidays!

Ranger Cookies Print Recipe 1 cup butter 1 cup white sugar 1 cup brown sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal 3 cups Rice Krispies ½ cup shredded coconut ½ cup chopped pecans ½ cup chocolate chips ½ cup dried cherries Cream the butter and sugars together. Add the eggs and vanilla; mix until smooth. Sift flour, soda, baking powder, and salt together; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Add cereal, oats, chocolate chips, dried cherries and pecans, and mix. Form into balls and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Should yield about six dozen cookies.

Check out my recipe page for more of my favorites.

The Texas Christmas Gift is now available on Amazon Audible!
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

Dear Readers,

Christmas is my favorite time of year. I love the music—the decorations, indoor and out—the cookie baking and tasting—the fun of buying and wrapping presents—and all the time we get to spend with loved ones, enjoying the season.

My favorite Christmas movies are an eclectic mix. A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS, THE FAMILY STONE, NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION, A CHRISTMAS STORY, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, and pretty much any holiday movie on the Hallmark Channel. I especially like them if they make me laugh and cry. I also love writing—and reading—Christmas stories. I have a brand new one out this December, THE TEXAS CHRISTMAS GIFT. I also have a number of previously published Christmas stories, now available in e-book. [See the list below] I wish you all a very merry holiday season, and a happy New Year! Cheers, Cathy Gillen Thacker

PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED CHRISTMAS STORIES by Cathy Gillen Thacker
Click on a cover or title to read an excerpt

THE TEXAS RANCHER’S MARRIAGE	A COWBOY UNDER THE MISTLETOE	A COWBOY TO MARRY
A MOMMY FOR CHRISTMAS	A BABY IN THE BUNKHOUSE	THE RANCHER’S CHRISTMAS BABY
SANTA’S TEXAS LULLABY	A LARAMIE, TEXAS CHRISTMAS	BABY’S FIRST CHRISTMAS
	DADDY CHRISTMAS

Dear Reader,

Thanksgiving will be here before we know it, and I’m already thinking about what I’m going to cook for the family this year-- while my husband, our intrepid tour guide, is planning the social events (hockey game, children’s museum, movie) for the group.

Not in the mood yet yourself? Check out the latest Williams Sonoma or Sur La Table cooking catalogues, and or the recipes they post on-line. Or read a romance that will get you in the spirit of the day.

Here are three of my stories that just might do the trick.

READ AN EXCERPT

READ AN EXCERPT

READ AN EXCERPT

Have a happy holiday!
Cathy Gillen Thacker

Dear Reader,

The holidays are an emotional time of year. For some of us, deeply so. Eve Loughlin has never experienced the true joy of Christmas. She has accepted that for her, and her family, this is just the way it is. Yet she still feels a pang when December rolls around and she sees the giddy excitement of those around her.

Derek McCabe grew up with all the advantages. For him, Christmas was a time when family abounded and dreams came true. Yet now, as a divorced dad, he worries he will not be able to provide his baby girl with the same happiness he experienced. Eve is ready to help Derek find the perfect home in which to raise his daughter. She doesn’t expect, however, in this season of miracles, to find such bliss of her own. And when she does, she can’t help but wonder if such unexpected happiness will last. I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. For more information on this and other titles, please visit me on Facebook. Happy holidays! Cathy Gillen Thacker

EXCERPT

Dear Reader,

We all have goals and dreams. Some may even seem impossible. Until the day when we realize we have no choice but to pursue them.

This is the case for Justin McCabe. He was the kid who did everything right. The kid with the great home and happy family, who had every opportunity.….

Amanda Johnson had everything working against her; an unhappy home, little familial support, doors closed to her at every turn.

Growing up, both Amanda and Justin thought they knew what the future held. Then things changed. Justin saw a different, less privileged side of life. Amanda found family to love her, and show her all that was possible.

Both ended up on a ranch for at-risk boys. The girl who’d been ‘nothing but trouble’ and the ‘role model’ of Laramie, Texas. They should have had nothing in common. And yet…

I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it!

For the latest news on these and other titles, please also visit me on Facebook and Twitter.

Best wishes,
Cathy Gillen Thacker

THE LONG, HOT TEXAS SUMMER EXCERPT

Two of my favorite McCabe love stories are now available in this 2-in-1. Hope everyone is having a great summer! Best wishes, Cathy

Josie and Wade are at the top of the heroes and heroines from Laramie, Texas family tree. Parents to the five strapping McCabe sons, their romance got its start in Wildcat Cowboy. With a new cover and now in digital format, readers can get Wildcat Cowboy again in either paperback book or e-book format…

Read an excerpt here...

Dear Reader,

Josie and Wade McCabe met and fell in love in WILDCAT COWBOY. Years later, they have five strapping sons. The eldest, Grady, is a Fort Worth developer. He found his perfect mate—professional matchmaker Alexis Graham-- in MOMMY FOR HIRE. His four brothers are about to find their true loves, and the satisfying home lives they’ve longed for, in a new series, MCCABE HOMECOMING.

In THE TEXAS LAWMAN’S WOMAN, Deputy Colt McCabe is an all-around good guy and natural-born rescuer. Trouble is, his gallantry cost him the love of his life, years before. Now Shelley Meyerson is back in Laramie, with big troubles of her own. Colt is there to help Shelley and her son, whether Shelley wants his assistance or not. But will that lead to a love that will last forever?

THE LONG, HOT TEXAS SUMMER introduces Amanda Bliss Johnson, a carpenter hired by philanthropist Justin McCabe, to complete work on the Laramie Boys Ranch he is founding. Problem is, the former wild child Amanda is better at handling troubled teens than he is. With his job as director suddenly in jeopardy, Justin wonders if his own squeaky clean past will cost him his long-held dream, and the happiness he wants.

THE TEXAS CHRISTMAS GIFT showcases venture capitalist Derek McCabe and high-end Dallas realtor Eve Laughlin. Eve must win a sales contest to shore up the spirits of her ailing mother and simultaneously find a home for Derek and his infant daughter. Derek wants to pursue the attraction they feel, but Eve never gets emotionally involved with clients. Will her stubborn refusal to risk her heart cost them both the joy they want so badly?

THE TEXAS WILDCATTER'S BABY begins with unexpected news, an even more surprising proposal, and a decision to casually "share space" via a honeymoon cottage for the rest of the year. Although lady wildcatter Ginger Rollins and environmental engineer Rand McCabe vow that none of these events will change them—or their outlook on life in the slightest—, the third parties involved in their situation have other plans. Before Ginger and Rand know it, they are closer than ever. But is theirs the kind of closeness that will last?

I hope you have as much fun reading this new series as I did writing it!

Best wishes, Cathy Gillen Thacker

Dear Readers,

At the end of 2014, I will publish my 110th novel! And while I am so excited to have reached this professional milestone, I am even more thrilled to have so many of my previous novels coming back into print, with new covers and artwork. This is especially helpful for those who have recently discovered my McCabe books and all the connected stories set in the fictional small west Texas town of Laramie, and have had trouble finding the books published at the very beginning of the series.

There are 33 titles available on the Harlequin website for purchase, as I write this, including all of the books set in Laramie, Texas, (29, with two more on the way later in the year) and two bigger books: TEXAS VOWS—also a Laramie, Texas novel, and THE HEIRESS, which is set in Charleston South Carolina, and part of the Deveraux Legacy series.

Having trouble keeping it all straight? It’s understandable. To help readers, I am working on a family tree, that will be up later this summer, that will show how all the heroes and heroines from Laramie, Texas are connected.

In the meantime, I’ve put together a great series guide, with excerpts and story information (i.e. the kind of thing you read on the back cover of every book) for each title. It is located on my website. So if you like to read a few pages before deciding whether to buy a book or not, this is for you….

Here is the link for the website—series guide. When you visit, feel free to look around, there are Texas recipes and answers to frequently asked questions, as well as general information about me and my writing career.

And here is the link to the Harlequin website, where many of my books can now be found.

Have a great spring! And look for my new book out in May, 2014.

Best wishes,
Cathy Gillen Thacker