Good news! And good reads!

Hey, guys! I don't talk a whole lot about my books here, but in addition to all the crafty goodness I share here, I write novels.

This weekend, I got some very good news . . . both of my novels released last year were among the five finalists for the 2013 Whitney Awards!
 

The Spy Another Day series

(so far)

I, Spy Book One	Spy for a Spy Book Two
To save her secrets and her country, CIA operative Talia Reynolds must sacrifice the man she loves.	Talia's new boss is her ex-boyfriend. And that's the just beginning of her problems.

BOTH. Out of five finalists in the Mystery/Suspense category. This was a BIG surprise, and in a lot of ways, it still hasn't sunk in yet.

But I have even more of a reason to celebrate, because today I'm also releasing a prequel novella to those books!

We're celebrating the launch of Spy Noon, a prequel novella to I, Spy! You can also find Spy Noon at the special 99¢ launch discount through Singles Awareness Day (Feb 14) on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and JordanMcCollum.com!

About the Book

Canada's the last place you'd expect to find an American spy, but CIA operative Talia Reynolds has problems piling up higher than a Canadian snowbank. When Elliott Monteith, her ridiculously handsome new coworker, shows up (and shows her up), Talia decides it's game on. She'll be the first to track down a dangerous counter-spy, and she'll give Elliott an unforgettable souvenir of his time in Ottawa: some humble pie.

Her plans don't work as well as she expects, though. Elliott's over-the-top flirting dredges up too many painful memories for Talia and undermines the confidence she's worked hard to regain. To do her job and keep her integrity intact, she'll have to keep her personal feelings at bay. Now Talia must find a way to work alongside Elliott—and maybe even trust him—to outsmart the enemy.

More about Spy Noon | Add Spy Noon to Goodreads! 

Praise for the series

A fast-paced, crisply written story with entertaining plot twists, told in a first person, wryly self-deprecating narrative voice. . . . I, Spy is a well-crafted romantic suspense with humor, heart, and a uniquely engaging heroine.

— Vanessa Kelly, Love Rocks column, BarnesAndNobleReview.com

I knew by the first page that I was going to love [I, Spy]. I absolutely loved Talia's inner voice. . . . The plot is enjoyable and I loved the action! I really could not guess what was going to happen next. There were so many surprises at the turn of each page, especially during the climax, it didn't matter what time it was, I had to finish.

— Mindy Holt, LDS Women's Book Review

 One of her top reads of 2013

The series has this great combination of sarcasm and wit in the MC, great chemistry and dialogue between her and her love interest, and then a whole slue of spying, deception, intrigue, and danger. Especially of that last one. . . . I thoroughly enjoyed [Spy for a Spy]! I would definitely read it again and I am highly anticipating the next book that Jordan McCollum writes! If you enjoy action-adventure, suspense, or books about characters who are spies and some romance, then I would definitely recommend this.

— Tressa, Tressa's Wishful Endings

 

About the author

An award-winning author, Jordan McCollum can’t resist a story where good defeats evil and true love conquers all. In her day job, she coerces people to do things they don’t want to, elicits information and generally manipulates the people she loves most—she’s a mom.

Jordan holds a degree in American Studies and Linguistics from Brigham Young University. When she catches a spare minute, her hobbies include reading, knitting and music. She lives with her husband and four children in Utah.

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Chocolate chip maple pecan pie

So, hey, my first book came out last week. But we're gathered here today not to go and buy my book (though I totally won't say no if you want to!), but to celebrate with FOOD. Not just any food: PIE.

Chocolate chip maple pecan pie. Maple chocolate chip pecan pie. However you want to arrange it, it. is. DELICIOUS.

And not only is this amazing pie . . . well, amazing, but it's also featured in my book.

My pie		My book
Both yummy .

The pie was inspired by a real pie, made at a real restaurant. My characters get to visit Wilfrid's, the totally awesome restaurant at the (Fairmont) Château Laurier (amiright, Jaime?). Yep, I've been there—but I'm pretty sure they didn't have this dessert at the time, a specialty of Chef Ernst's.

Since Ottawa is a bit far away right now, I made the pie at home. It's good chilled, but let me tell you: eat it warm. Nuke it if you have to. YES.

Ingredients
adapted from Pioneer Woman's Pecan Pie recipe. kind of a lot of adaptation

• 1/2 c granulated white sugar
• 1/2 c + 3 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 c corn syrup
• 1/2 c maple syrup (the real stuff! You can really play around with the levels here, swapping corn syrup for maple—but you'll want more than 1 oz of maple syrup, which is all I had on hand when I made the recipe!)
• 3/4 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 c salted butter, melted (and somewhat cooled so you don't scramble the eggs)
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 c pecan halves, plus more pecan halves for the top layer (~20)
• 3/4 c chocolate chips
• pie shell (being me, I also made this by hand, but that's optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Microwave the 3/4 c pecan halves just until warm, then crush or chop them. (This releases more oils and flavors. Or something. I made this recipe up a year ago, and I did a ton of research at the time, okay?)
3. Line a 9" pie pan with a pie crust. Pour the chopped pecans and chocolate chips into the bottom of the crust, shaking to settle them in an even layer
4. Mix the sugars, syrups, vanilla, melted butter and beaten eggs in a bowl. (I actually put the chocolate chips in here, but it doesn't matter which way you do it.)
5. Place the whole/half pecans (neatly & prettily!) on top of the chopped pecans & chocolate chips in the pie shell
6. Slowly pour the filling mix in the pie shell

7. Gently shake the pie from side to side to make the pecan halves float
8. Arrange the nuts with a toothpick to make a pretty pattern, spell your name, ask someone to marry you (uh. Don't think you'll have room for that. But you can ask out loud, and then celebrate with pie!)
9. Gently cover the exposed crust with foil

10. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil. Bake 20 more minutes, or until set.
11. Let cool (if you can).

Also included in my instructions from testing the recipe: mop, shower. I don't think the pie was that messy to make, but you never know....

When I measured the syrups together, they made some really cool patterns, probably because of viscosity differences:

Look closely if you have to

And, um, PIE.

What's your favorite pie? Or book? Or book with pie in it? Or pie to read books by?

Centerpieces

For our centerpieces on the tables at the reception I wanted something not on Pinterest. Not that Pinterest is bad, I just didn't want to have the same reception as everyone else. Then I was stuck. It's kind of hard to think of these things on your own. Jordan had beta fish in cool vases. Jaime had cornocopias of flowers (she got married right around Thanksgiving). Brooke (who also got married right after Christmas) had ornaments. The bar had been set! I thought of something but I Googled it just to see what it would look like. There weren't many options on Google but it looked like it could work. So it was settled. We would have books as centerpieces.

I wanted thick, hardback books that had red covers. In order to save money we went to every thrift store around us. We nearly cleaned out all the red covered hardback books! But we found some pretty good finds. Plus, if you're like me and love the smell of old books it was great. It took us some time to do this but we bought about 4 or 5 books for each table.

Now came for the set up. We placed 2 table runners on the table over a white tablecloth. One was wider and was red. The other went on top of the red and was the gold color. We found square and circle mirrors at the dollar store and also battery powered candles (off-white and darker red.) We placed the candles wrapped with a band of ribbon on the mirrors and gave each table two candle and mirror combos. We then sorted the books in size order so it was easy to put them on the tables in nice stacks. We then plopped a Harry Potter book or Lord of the Rings book in the pile because these are our favorites! Now, our centerpieces were personalized.

To top it all off, we put 4 framed (gold frames from Target, Wal-Mart and the dollar store, not too hard to find them) pictures of us on each table. Three of the pictures were from when we were little and one of the both of us. And voila, beautiful centerpieces!

When deciding centerpieces think of the theme your wedding has or stick with the wedding colors. Pictures are always and easy go to and they're also fun. There are a lot of things you can do with pictures. Pinterest is a pretty good place to look for ideas of things to do with pictures or anything else, really. Think of something that fits both your personalities even if it's subtle.  If your venue allows candles, those create a wonderful glow to the room and can be more pleasing than regular lights. Battery powered candles work great too. Flowers are also a simple and elegant option. Flowers are especially welcome at spring and summer weddings. Centerpieces should enhance the overall feel of the reception hall and the wedding itself.

Announcing I, Spy!

I think I've shared this almost everywhere except here, but I'm very excited to announce that my first novel will be published in less than a month! Yep, because last month wasn't busy enough with having a new baby ;) .

Don't worry—this won't be the only thing I blog about. But I'll keep you posted on the biggest book news  . . . and keep your eyes peeled for a brand new pie recipe next month that I created myself, inspired by my book!

About the Book

Canada is probably the last place you'd expect to find an American spy. But even idyllic Ottawa has its deadly secrets—and so does CIA operative Talia Reynolds. She can climb through ventilation shafts, blend in at the occasional diplomatic function, even scale buildings (small ones). But there’s one thing she can’t do: tell her aerospace engineer boyfriend Danny about her Top Secret occupation.

It worked for a year, keeping Danny in the dark, keeping him away from danger, keeping her secrets. And then Talia finally catches a hot case: Fyodor Timofeyev. Russian. Aerospace executive. Possible spy?

She can make this work, too—until Danny needs her at the same time her country does. And when Fyodor targets Danny? Suddenly her schedule isn't the only thing suffering. Now to save her secrets and her country, Talia must sacrifice the man she loves.

Add I, Spy to your Goodreads to-read list!
Join my mailing list for a chance to get a review copy!

Advance praise

The edge-of-my-seat undercover operations kept me turning pages, and just when I thought the story would go one way, plot twists sent it down another path. Thrilling, adventurous, and romantic, this book has it all for an Alias fan.

— Jami Gold, award-winning author

Jordan McCollum’s debut novel is a delightful combination of mystery, action, and romance. Talia’s CIA training and almost OCD caution feed her quirky humor while exposing her very human fears and insecurities. Add in her boyfriend Danny, and it's enough to twist your heart.

— Donna K. Weaver, author of A Change of Plans

Clever, suspenseful, and charged with political intrigue and romance, I, Spy is the perfect combination for a fun and captivating read!

— Michelle Davidson Argyle, author of Monarch

About the author

An award-winning author, Jordan McCollum can’t resist a story where good defeats evil and true love conquers all. In her day job, she coerces people to do things they don’t want to, elicits information and generally manipulates the people she loves most—she’s a mom.

Jordan holds a degree in American Studies and Linguistics from Brigham Young University. When she catches a spare minute, her hobbies include reading, knitting and music. She lives with her husband and four children in Utah.

Add I, Spy on Goodreads and join my mailing list for a chance to get a review copy today!