She wondered if the hard times for her were behind her as well. It was hard to think it was possible, but she did know there was joy ahead, too. She needed to find a way not to get lost in the pain. Her children would help her, as they always had, and Pete and Gayle would help her too, and in his own way, Charlie would be a part of that as well.
“There is a wonderful life yet to be lived by you, Charlie Pouhu. Don’t let it pass you by.”
Aloha Cookies
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon coconut flavoring (optional)
1 teaspoon butter flavoring (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
11/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup quick oats
1 cup coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
11/2 cups macadamia nuts, chopped
1 cup white chocolate or regular chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter, shortening, and sugars together. Add eggs and mix well. Add flavorings and vanilla and mix well. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add oats and coconut. Mix until combined. Add nuts and chocolate chips. Mix until well blended. Drop by 1-inch balls (or use a 1-inch scoop) onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until just barely browned. Cool two minutes on cookie sheet before removing to cooling rack.
Makes 5 dozen cookies.
Note: Gayle prefers this with the coconut and butter extracts. Tanya prefers milk chocolate chips.
Acknowledgments
There was a time when the only people who knew what I was doing while I was hunched over the computer for hours on end were my husband, my kids, and my sister, Crystal. These days I wonder how I ever did this without an auditorium full of people helping me move forward and cheering me on.
Shadow Mountain once again did an amazing job with their production. Thank you to Jana Erickson for supervising all the details, Lisa Mangum (The Hourglass Door series, 2009–2011) for smoothing out my words and making me sound so good, Shauna Gibby for another mouthwatering cover, Rachael Ward for the fabulous typesetting, and everyone else who operated behind the scenes at Shadow Mountain to make this book what it is. I have an amazing pit crew—thank you so much.
Thank you to my writing group: Nancy Allen (Isabelle Webb series, 2008–2012), Jody Durfee, Becki Clayson, and Ronda Hinrichsen (Trapped, 2010). Thank you for your continual guidance and help as I honed the story. I don’t know how I ever did this without you guys.
Much thanks to my beta readers: Curtis Moser, Tina Peacock, Melanie Jacobsen (Not My Type, 2011), Krista Jensen (Grace and Chocolate, 2013), my sister, Crystal White, and my aunt, Sandy Drury. My eyes were crossed by the time I sent the manuscript to you guys and you provided priceless feedback. Susan Law Corpany (Lucky Change, 2010) was a priceless Hawai’i resource for me—mahalo.
Sadie’s Test Kitchen Bakers were once again amazing: Whit Larson, Annie Funk, Michelle Jefferies, Laree Ipson (Grandma Jensen’s Caramel Sauce and Homemade Hot Fudge), Don Carey (Bumpy Landings, 2010), Megan O’Neill, Sandra Sorenson, Lisa Swinton, and Danyelle Ferguson ((dis)Abilities and the Gospel: How to Bring People with Special Needs Closer to Christ, 2011). They are the brilliance behind the recipes and work so hard to ensure everything in this book is as good as we say it is.
To my amazing family, who have now seen me through fifteen published novels, thank you for every bit of the beauty and magnificence you bring into my life. I often say I couldn’t do it without their support; it is not a rote phrase meant to gloss over their contributions. From brainstorming ideas with me to fixing their own dinner to encouraging me when I lose my faith—thank you Lee, Bre, Madi, Chris, and Kylee for making the entirety of my life so worthwhile. May I give you wings the way you have given me mine.
And once again and always, thank you to my Heavenly Father who loves me and has given me such remarkable blessings.
The Story Behind the Story
Enjoy this sneak peek of Tres Leches Cupcakes Coming Fall 2012
Chapter 1
It was the cold that woke her.
Sadie reached for the plush blanket, as soft as kitten’s fur, so she could pull it up to her chin and settle back in for a couple more hours of sleep; the fire she lit in the evenings always burned out in the early morning hours, inviting the autumn chill back in. But instead of finding the comforting softness she expected, her hand brushed across rough stone and rubbed gritty sand beneath her fingers. A breeze passed over her, rippling the silky fabric of her blouse that afforded no protection from the cold night air.
She wasn’t in her apartment. Why not?
Then she began to remember.
Her body tensed as equal amounts of confusion and memory swirled together, like two children trying to talk over each another as they both explained their version of events. From the bits and pieces of her recollections, she knew she was in the New Mexican desert. She’d been at the Balloon Fiesta, the annual hot air balloon festival in Albuquerque. She’d been selling cupcakes—Lois’s Tres Leches Cupcakes to be exact—but then . . . then something had happened. Someone had brought her here, far away from the tourists and balloonists and anyone else whom she could call to for help.
The Cowboy.
But he’d been sent by someone else. Langley? Standage? She wasn’t sure. But she knew the Cowboy had brought her here to kill her. He said she’d crossed a line.
What line?
Why couldn’t she remember everything?
She must have made a run for it. How had she gotten away? They’d come after her—the Cowboy and the man he worked for. And then . . . then . . .
What had happened then?
Sadie attempted to sit up, but her head spun, causing her to lie still again. Then she rolled to her side and used a rock, gray against the blackness behind it, to pull herself up, though her joints and muscles screamed in protest. As her eyes traveled up the side of the hill above her, she could make out the scraggly silhouette of brush against washed-out desert dirt. She looked toward the bottom and saw that the hill she was on continued for several more yards, ending in an arroyo. She’d come to a stop at a ledge of sorts near the middle of the incline. Perhaps the rock she’d used to help her sit up had stopped her. None too gently, it seemed.
Once sitting, she put a hand to her throbbing forehead and gasped in pain at her own touch. She pulled her hand back. Even in the minimal light of the crescent moon, she could see the contrast between her pale skin and the dark smudge on her fingers. Knowing the stain was blood made Sadie’s throat tighten and her hand shake from something other than the cold. Where was she?
Fear began to take over. It was hard to breathe, and her body seemed to involuntarily curl in on itself though her back and hip protested. Everything hurt. What had happened? How long had she been here?
“She went this way,” a voice said from somewhere above her, the words carried to her on the wind. Another voice answered the first, but Sadie couldn’t make out what was said. She didn’t need to. What she needed to do was hide. Quick. Though she couldn’t remember everything, she knew that if they found her—whoever they were—she’d never get back to Santa Fe.
Sadie knew firsthand how well the desert could hide a body.
Discussion Questions
1. Have you read other books by Josi Kilpack? If so, how did this book compare?
2. What did you think about the opening chapter? On a scale of 1 to 10, how intense did you feel the scene of Sadie finding Noelani’s body was?
3. At the beginning of the book, Sadie agrees to go snorkeling with the Blue Muumuus simply because she doesn’t want to reject another invitation. Have you ever felt pressured to do something you would never have considered otherwise? Was it a positive or negative experience?
4. In this book,
Sadie is involved in an internal battle with growing anxiety and depression. Have you or someone you know struggled with this? Did Sadie’s journey feel authentic?
5. The police seem eager to attribute Noelani’s death to a drug overdose. Do you feel that law enforcement tends to dismiss or gloss over drug-related crimes? Why? As a society, do we tend to be less-sensitive to victims of drug-related crimes?
6. Was there a particular scene or element of the book you particularly liked? Disliked?
7. Mr. Olie says that CeeCee is one the best foster parents he has in the program. What qualities does she possess that make her a good foster mom? Do you think the foster care program helps or hinders a child’s development?
8. Have you made any of the recipes in any of the books in the Culinary Mystery series? If so, what did you think? What additional recipes would you have included in the book?
9. How did you feel about the revelation of whodunit? Was it a satisfying ending?
10. Did you use the QR code or visit the website www.ldsliving.com/story/67270-banana-split-secret-chapter to read the “Story behind the Story” of Noelani and Charlie? If so, what did you think?
11. Did you read the first chapter of Tres Leches Cupcakes? Do you have any predictions as to what will happen in that book?
About the Author
Josi S. Kilpack grew up hating to read until she was thirteen and her mother handed her a copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond. From that day forward, she read everything she could get her hands on and accredits her writing “education” to the many novels she has “studied” since then. She began her first novel in 1998 and hasn’t stopped since. Her seventh novel, Sheep’s Clothing, won the 2007 Whitney Award for Mystery/Suspense, and Lemon Tart, her ninth novel, was a 2009 Whitney Award finalist. Banana Split is Josi’s fifteenth novel and the seventh book in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series.
Josi currently lives in Willard, Utah, with her wonderful husband, four amazing children, one fat dog, and varying number of very happy chickens.
For more information about Josi, you can visit her website at www.josiskilpack.com, read her blog at www.josikilpack.blogspot.com, or contact her via e-mail at [email protected].
Other Books by Josi Kilpack
Her Good Name
Sheep’s Clothing
Unsung Lullaby
Culinary Mysteries
Lemon Tart
English Trifle
Devil’s Food Cake
Key Lime Pie
Blackberry Crumble
Pumpkin Roll
Tres Leches Cupcakes (coming Fall 2012)
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Acknowledgments
The Story Behind the Story
Enjoy this sneak peek of Tres Leches Cupcakes Coming Fall 2012
Discussion Questions
About the Author
Other Books by Josi Kilpack
Banana Split Page 34