Every Window Filled With Light by Shelia Stovall – Guest Post & Giveaway

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ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Every Window Filled with Light
Series: The Weldon Novels #1
Author: Shelia Stovall
Publisher: Elk Lake Publishing, Inc.
Release Date: March 23, 2021
Genre: Women’s Contemporary Christian Fiction

A heartwarming small town story of faith and forgiveness, friendship, family, and hope.

Welcome to Weldon, where the only things the locals love more than fried fruit pies are gossip and match-making.

Librarian Emma Baker, a young and childless widow, believes her dream to build a family is over. It’s been two years since a student accidentally stabbed Emma’s husband to death, and her grief has stifled any interest in romance—until she meets Pastor Luke Davis. But when Emma learns Luke is counseling her husband’s killer fresh out of jail, her temper gets in the way.

Meanwhile, Emma discovers twelve-year-old Harley, abandoned by her drug-addict mother, hiding in the library, and takes the girl in as her foster mom. Then a young mother is made homeless by an apartment fire, and Emma opens her home again. One person and one prayer at a time, Emma begins to discover hope.

“Every Window Filled with Light by Shelia Stovall is a warm and delightful story of forgiveness and hope. Stovall skillfully paints a great word picture of her fictional little town of Weldon and peoples it with characters you will be glad to meet as you follow their stories. You’ll love the generous heart of Emma and admire her resilience as she faces the challenges of life and love. If you like feel-good stories, then Every Window Filled with Light is a book you won’t want to miss.”—Ann H. Gabhart, best-selling author of An Appalachian Summer.

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound | BookBub

GUEST POST

In Every Window Filled with Light, Mrs. Dot, the owner of Dot’s Deluxe Diner (known as the Triple D by the locals,) features a different flavor of fried fruit pie each week. The inspiration to include fried pies on the menu hit me when I stood in front of a fried pie display at Habeggars Amish Market in Scottsville, KY. My mouth watered as I struggled to select from the variety offered, which included: apple, pineapple, strawberry, peach, rhubarb, cherry, cherry-cheescake, and more.

I grew up eating Mom’s apple fried pies, but she made cranberry fried pies. So, wouldn’t you know, a reader asked me for the fried cranberry pie recipe mentioned in my novel. See below what I came up with after several tasty trials. My son said they are the best thing I’ve ever made.

Fried Cranberry Pies

Ingredients:

• 1 – 14 oz. can of whole berry cranberry sauce
• ½ teaspoon grated orange zest (about 1 orange)
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 1 ½ tablespoon tapioca flour
• Vegetable oil
• Sifted powdered sugar
• 1 box rolled pie crust from the refrigerated section of your grocery.

Filling:

• Combine cranberries, orange zest, sugar, orange juice, and let stand five minutes.
• Add 1 ½ tablespoon tapioca flour. Bring to a boil, stirring until thickened. (About 5 minutes.)
• Set aside until completely cool. (About an hour.) It’s okay to store in the refrigerator overnight.

Constructing and Frying the Pies:

• Follow the directions on the piecrust to prepare for use.
• Unroll the pie crust on waxed paper.
• Cut into 3 ½ inch circles with cookie cutter or glass.
• Place 1 teaspoon of cooled cranberry mixture in the center of each circle. Do not overfill. Moisten edges of pastry; fold in half, making sure edges are even. Press pastry edges together firmly with a fork dipped in flour.
• Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a skillet to 375° (I prefer an iron skillet). Cook 4 to 5 pies at a time until golden brown on both sides, turning once. (About 2 minutes on each side.)
• Drain well on a wire rack on a cookie sheet for thirty minutes and then sprinkle with powdered sugar. If the pies are too warm, the powdered sugar will melt.

I hope you fall in love with my make-believe town of Weldon, KY, the setting for my novel, Every Window Filled with Light. If you do, I have the feeling you’ll have a hankering for a fried pie.

Do you have a favorite fall recipe?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR