Stacia’s Newsletter
This edition contains:
Upcoming release
My author interview
Works in progress
Contest winner
A new contest
Personal news
Fun links
A quick and easy dessert recipe
And never-before seen photo of me
You can see this newsletter also at my web site:
www.staciawolf.com
Upcoming release: Let’s get the good stuff out of the way first, shall we?
Oh, wait – it’s all good!
Pretend You Love Me will be out in print on March 20th.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, here’s a review that says it better than I do:
When Mike Ashford sees his childhood friend Cassie Delistraty being bullied by her own mother to get out and date,
he does the only thing his poor brain can think of. The sexy outfit Cassie wears that day makes him blurt out that he and
Cassie are seeing each other and proceeds to kiss her senseless in front of everybody.
By pretending to love Cassie, Mike hopes that it will vent the interest he’s had in her since they were kids. And by
pretending to love Mike, Cassie tries to tell her mother that she is not yet ready to date, not after her messy divorce a
year ago.
To make their pretense realistic, they both need to act as if they were a real couple so they start going out on dates
but its becoming harder and harder to fight their attraction.
Pretend You Love Me is a romantic comedy just as I like them. It is light, funny and sexy. Cassie is a wonderful
heroine who knows what she wants and knows how to defend herself. Two things kept my attention, first Cassie is not
an airhead and second she has a vulnerability that I found charming.
Now, let’s talk about Mike. I love it when the hero of a story is strong, physically and mentally but his weakness is the
heroine. It makes the story plot believable and it also makes me want to be the heroine.
Ms. Wolf has penned a romantic comedy that proves that she has mastered the difficult craft of writing. Wonderful!
- Anne Chaput, ecataromance
http://www.ecataromance.com/248-reviews?type=&id=1258
You can wait until Tuesday to purchase it from http://www.mybookstoreandmore.com/
Or, you can pre-order it from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Pretend-You-Love-Stacia-
Wolf/dp/1599983958/ref=sr_1_2/104-0713459-5075138?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1174265713&sr=8-2
Or Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=stacia+wolf&z=y&cds2Pid=9481
Author interview
The Romance Studio conducted an interview with me. I think they did a wonderful job. It’s posted on their site. Here’s
the link:
http://theromancestudio.com/who7.php
Works in progress
I have one story at the editor right now, going through its second round of editing. It’s called Miracle at Midnight. It’s a Christmas
story. Let me tell you a bit about it:
Comtesse Amara De la Cortesse isn’t a very nice person. In 1507 France, she’s a hard-hearted ruler who things nothing of
imprisoning beggars for stealing food. Enter one saint - Saint Nicholas – whose quest is to protect children. He demands of her the
answer to one apparently simple question: What is the true meaning of love?
Her journey to find the answer brings her to present-day Manhattan, where she meets six-year-old Samantha, who totally believes
her fantastic story, and her doctor dad, Nick, who totally doesn’t.
Can Amara find the answer before time runs out? Can she even think abouyt her plight with the handsome doctor around? Or is she
doomed to forever have a heart of stone?
Miracle at Midnight is part of Samhain’s Christmas anthology, due out this December. It will be released as an e-book as well as
part of the print anthology.
I’m also working on Pretend You Don’t Care, a sequel to Pretend You Love Me. This isn’t yet contracted, but I have high hopes.
This is the story about Cal and Julia, and their attempts to fight the attraction they each hold for the other. Let me give you a little
taste:
A duck paddled across the water, and Cal watched its leisurely movements as it looked for something to capture its
interest. He wished he could enjoy such peace, could find that quiet sanctuary inside himself. He wished –
“Hello, Cal. Are you going to avoid me the entire time?”
His nerves shouted, and he couldn’t stop his muscles from stiffening in reaction. He didn’t need to turn around to
know who’d followed him into this small glen of trees, who stood behind him on the gentle slope.
Julia. And right now, Cal wondered if he had enough fortitude to handle even greeting her.
But he, before all else, was his father’s son, who never ran from a challenge. So Cal twisted his head slightly,
catching a glimpse of blue silk and golden tresses. It was enough to bring back memories he’d rather not dwell on.
Memories of the one time he’d run from a challenge, when he’d realized true defeat.
“I think avoidance is your forte, Julia.”
Julia tried to ignore the way her heart pounded at the sight of Cal, of how she felt her body responding to simply
being near him again. She’d felt dead and lifeless since he’d left. Now, with him so near, it felt as if time had melted away.
No, nothing had changed. Not her reaction to him, and not his response to her. Combustion had always been
inevitable whenever they were together.
She would have rather skipped the entire day, but her current situation didn’t allow for that. She’d spent the last ten
years building up her career, only to have it stalled because of some chauvinist pig. She’d weighed her choices: either
go find another job, or try to get past Ed Swinton’s prejudices and into that anchor job. And Lydia Swinton, as half-
owner, might be her ticket.
But to reach Lydia, she needed to find her. And to find her –
She looked at Cal. She’d need his help, in one form or another. So she’d tough out this first meeting, try to get
through all the hurt feelings so she and Cal would be at least on speaking terms. Then, if need be, she could ask him
for help.
Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that. The less contact with this man, the better.
“Why can’t we talk like two reasonable adults?” She kept her voice light and friendly, but Cal didn’t seem to be in the
proper mood to appreciate it.
“Because only one of us is capable of ever being reasonable, and right now, I don’t feel very adult.”
Julia winced. Despite Cal being a few years younger than her thirty-two years, he’d been more emotionally mature on
many levels. Julia, even with her success at a highly-demanding career, knew that she tended to keep her distance from
others, and that she never quite knew how to respond to people on an emotional level. Cal, on the other hand, had
been pretty damned good at helping her admit and deal with her feelings. At first, that had been one of the attractive
things about him, how he grounded her. But after a while, she’d felt more tied down than grounded. Felt like she’d crash
and burn off that pedestal he’d placed her on.
“This was a bad idea. I’m sorry, maybe we should try this conversation some other time.”
“That’s your answer for everything, isn’t it, Julia? Walk away when it becomes too uncomfortable. Turn your back on
whatever doesn’t work.”
Her feet jerked to a halt. Twirling around to face him, she fought hard to hide her pain. Their last conversation – she’
d asked him to move out, it wasn’t working for her. Then she’d left for a week. He’d moved out all right, just not in the
way she’d expected. She’d had hopes –
But she couldn’t dwell on those now. Obviously, her dreams had been simply that – fantasies that could never come
to fruition.
Instead, she chose to defend herself, words she’d thought about saying to him over the last two years. “You wanted
me to change my career goals for you. You wanted to hold me back.”
He raised his face upwards, sighing deeply. “You know it wasn’t like that, Julia. I only wanted to be part of your world.
You treated me like a piece of furniture, or a doll to be played with at only acceptable times, when it didn’t interfere with
anything else. How was I supposed to work with that?”
His criticism cut deep, pulling at old wounds she’d thought would be healed by now. They’d only been together six
months, yet she’d never felt more alive than in that brief span of time. She remembered the shock she’d felt when she’d
returned from a trip to California, to find that not only had he moved out of her apartment, but he’d moved three
thousand miles away. If anything said ‘you’re history’, that would be the winner.
“I had a career. I couldn’t just drop it because you wanted to play house.”
She felt rather than saw him flinch. “That’s what it was to you. Playing house. You never could take me seriously.” He
turned fully toward her, and she could see that his face was leaner, harder than it had been two years ago. If anything,
it made him sexier. “Didn’t it ever occur to you that perhaps there might have been something there between us,
something worth your effort?”
She stared at him, at the features she’d never forget, at the new, short hairstyle that emphasized the angles in his
face, those incredible green eyes. She didn’t answer his question. She knew the answer all too well, and saying it aloud
wouldn’t change a thing.
Yes, there’d been something there, something incredible. But to claim it, what would have been the cost? Her
career? Her personal freedom? Her very essence?
“I wasn’t what you wanted, Cal. Let’s just leave it at that.”
Did he hear the hurt in her voice? Did he see how she’d suffered?
“I’m sorry.” He huffed out a breath, jammed his hands in his tuxedo pocket. The elegant lines emphasized his lean
form, and she wondered if he still ran five mornings a week, or if he’d found another form of workout. Perhaps with
another woman.
But he’d come here alone, just as she had. So, maybe, he’d found it difficult to move on as well.
“I’m sorry, Julia,” he repeated, one hand scrubbing across his face. “Tell you what – I’ll try to be civil for the rest of
the day, if you could please keep your distance. There’s no real reason that we need to be chummy, is there?”
A slight breeze blew across them, and she swore she smelled the cologne she’d bought him for the one and only
Christmas they’d spent together. Pain spiked in her chest; she couldn’t stand here and do this. Not now.
Probably not ever.
“Yes, you’re right,” she snapped. “There’s no reason at all. Let’s just forget that your sister and my brother are
getting married, and very soon we’ll be at their wedding and pretend that everything is wonderful. I’m sure that nobody
will pick up on the minor fact that we can’t stand to be in the same room together.”
Twisting on a narrow heel, she turned to go. But the heel caught on something, and it threw her off-balance. She
grasped for a nearby branch to keep her upright, but just as her fingers nearly came in contact, a hand clamped on her
other arm, making her reach an inch short of her goal.
And tossing her totally off balance.
“Julia, wait,” Cal was saying, apparently not realizing the chaos he’d created. “You’re ri-“
All her five-foot-nine, one hundred and forty pound body smashed into Cal’s chest, into his lean, a-bit-over-six-feet
frame, knocking him silent. She grasped wildly at the leaves around her as her other foot failed, sliding on the gravely
slope and sending her completely off-kilter. One of her flailing arms connected with his chin; she heard his painful
‘oof’.
And Cal – damn him, he must be wearing slick-soled dress shoes – he shouted something incomprehensible as he
too starting going backwards –
Right into the pond. And still back, deeper into the water as he tried to stay upright, Julia’s free-falling taking her right
along with him. Then they both toppled over, right into a duck who madly fled.
Despite the hot September day, the water felt like ice on her heated skin, and Julia shrieked in shock. She landed on
her butt – on top of Cal in his expensive tux – and tried in vain to keep from going completely under in the shallow pond.
But Cal bucked out from under her and she sank under the surface.
She windmilled her arms, pulled her face out of the water and gasped in a welcome lungful of air. The first thing she
saw was Cal already upright, glaring at her. Sitting up, she wiped the smelly water from her face, shoved her soaked
hair from her eyes and sucked in yet another breath. Then she saw it, saw the twitching of his mouth, the humor in his
eyes. And she knew – knew she couldn’t handle that, not now, not when she’d have to face all those rich people with
connections, her family, Cal’s family, looking like a drowned rat. So she glared right back at him.
“Don’t you dare, Cal Prescott. Don’t you dare laugh at this.”
And that did it. He began to roar his laughter, actually, doubling over in amusement, and she couldn’t handle it. She
hauled herself to her feet, then found herself tipping right back over again as she discovered one of her heels had
broken off one of her very expensive shoes. Cal roared.
Let me know what you think!
Another project, one that’s dear to my heart, involves a young lady named Arianna Steel, Ari for short. Ari’s a rather messed up
woman. She’s a roaring alcoholic, recently lost her boyfriend of several years, lost her family years ago and now she’s reached the
very bottom. She’s the subject of my fantasy, Hollow Hope. She does some rather unpalatable things, and ends up robbing a dying
woman. Only she’s no ordinary dying woman. She holds the key to another world, and Ari just stole that key. What happens is a
strange journey through a vastly different world than what she’s used to. What she discovers about that world – and about herself –
is what makesme keep writing this story. I’m hoping to finish it this year. When I’m a little closer to completing it, I’ll give you a
peek. As of yet, this isn’t contracted either, but I have high hopes for it.
Contest winner
Earlier this year (much earlier) I held a New Year’s resolution contest. Unfortunately, time and circumstances didn’t help
me choose any winners. The contest was: tell me your resolution, and you’re entered into my contest. Give me the
best resolution, and you can win again. So here are (finally) the winners of that contest:
Random inner of $5 MBAM GV: Cathie Caffey
Winner of $10 GV for the best resolution: Nancy Leidel
A new contest
Okay, I need some help, and I’ve decided to have some fun with it. In my current WIP (work in process) Pretend You
Don't Care, Julia’s boss’ mother is named Lydia. Well, if you’ve read Pretend You Love Me, you know that Cal’s mother
is named Lucia, and his Grandmother Lorraine. See the trouble? Too many L’s!
I want to rename Lydia. I’m going to post this contest on my blog, but I’ll give you an exclusive taste of Lydia here, so
you can have an idea of who you’re naming. I’m not promising that I’ll use any of the suggested names, and I’d like only
five names max. per contestant, and only one entry per contestant. If your name’s chosen, I’ll give you a print copy of
Pretend You Love Me. If I don’t choose any of the names, then I’ll randomly choose a winner. Contest closes April 1st,
and I'll make a decision by April 6th.
Here’s an excerpt about Lydia:
Cal nodded. Lydia Swinton, despite her socialite upbringing and delicate air, emphasized by her silver-blond hair
framing ivory skin, and those porcelain-blue eyes – why did the color have to remind him of Julia? – knew what the
battle ahead would contain.
“All right, then let’s get busy. You do realize that since he lives in New York, I’ll have to get some help filing papers,
things like that. I can’t fly back there and do it myself.”
“Oh, but –“ One hand fluttered to the base of her throat. “Can’t you practice law in New York still?”
Cal smiled. Fat chance of that. He had no desire to ever return to the Big Apple. “I could probably do that, but I have
clients here that can’t afford to lose me for several days. But don’t worry, my old college roommate will probably give us
a hand.”
Lydia nodded. “So we can’t just file the papers here?”
Cal shook his head. “The property in dispute is in New York.” Shuffling through some papers, he found the forms he’
d probably need. “On the phone you said you have a copy of your husband’s will.”
She nodded and handed him a large envelope. “It’s pretty clear – I’m to live on the estate until my death, then the
property becomes my son’s. It did allow for him to live there at the same time, and he decided to do just that. My son
and I get along quite well. Or at least we used to – until he married that woman two years ago. She turned him against
me, told him lies about me, and made all of us living in the same house impossible. When I tried to convince him that
she was causing trouble – well, he took her side.” She sighed, a shuddering sound that told Cal how deep the wound
her son’s lack of loyalty went. “I couldn’t stand to live there another minute.”
Cal scanned through the will. Very thorough and well-written. Although he’d specialized in criminal law, he knew
enough about estate law to be a bit dangerous. As he continued to read, he realized the extent of Lydia’s deceased
husband’s empire. If he’d been that well-off, then why did his widow reside in a senior citizen retirement home?
Then he saw the answer. The son acted as his mother’s trustee. What a conflict of interest there.
“So your son’s cut you off from funds?”
Lydia frowned. “He didn’t approve of what I did with my money. He told me that I needed to modify my habits or he’d
stop giving me money. Then when I refused, his wife, Tansy, talked him into having me mentally evaluated.”
Cal worked with people who suffered from all sorts of mental afflictions, from ADHD to bipolar disease to mild
schizophrenia. Lydia didn’t seem to fit any of those, but one couldn’t always tell. “And what did she think your problem
was?”
“Alzheimer’s, perhaps, or dementia. Or maybe both. I think she just wanted me out of the way. With me gone, there’s
more for her – more money, more of my son’s time.”
Cal’s anger simmered toward boiling. What was wrong with this idiot son? He’d stake his reputation on the fact that
Lydia didn’t suffer from anything more than a bit of absent-mindedness that stemmed from being over-indulged for most
of her life.
“So what did the experts say you suffer from?”
Lydia’s gaze skittered away from Cal. “They didn’t say anything. I never went in for the evaluation. I came here
instead.”
Uh-oh. The true picture began to form. “Did you run away from home?”
He could see the guilt on her face. Then he watched her shove it aside and become indignant. “Please, I’m sixty-four
years old! I didn’t run away. I simply – chose to live elsewhere.”
“Does your son know where you’re at?”
She shook her head. Terrific. That would surely add to the wife’s claims of mental instability.
His hand tapped a rhythm on the table top. He could see tears in his prospective client’s eyes. He couldn’t blame
her. What a mess.
“I’m afraid that if he knows where I am, he’ll get me institutionalized.”
Cal sat back, and studied Lydia. “All right, then we’ll cut him off at the pass. You need to be honest with me here.
Do you feel that Tansy’s claims have any merit?”
Lydia looked outraged. “Of course not! I’m perfectly fine. You can talk to Rebecca.” Rebecca, her pal since college,
was the friend she currently lived with. “Talk to any of the residents here. They’ll all tell you I’m fine.”
Cal scribbled on his legal pad to do just that. “Then this is what we’ll do. I know a couple of mental health
professionals. Very good at what they do. We’ll have them evaluate you. When you pass, then we’ll have those
documents to back us up when we go to court. Now, I’ll draft a letter to your son, telling him you’ve retained me to help
you recover your property. His name’s Jonathan, right?”
Lydia nodded. “Yes, but he goes by his middle name, Edward. My husband’s name is Jonathon also, and Edward
didn’t want to ever be called ‘Junior’.”
Edward. Ed Swinton. Damn it – Cal remembered him now. He’d only met him once, at the same party he’d met Lydia.
Julia had introduced him – it had been a Julia party, after all. Edward Swinton had just bought Crimes, the magazine
Julia worked for. Terrific. Freaking terrific. Ed Swinton, his client’s son, was Julia’s boss.
But that couldn’t explain Julia’s presence at his parents’ wedding, because Ed Swinton didn’t know that Lydia had
retained him. He didn’t know where Lydia was.
Or did he?
“Lydia, have you contacted your son recently?”
“Why, yes, I did. I wrote him a letter, then called him on Rebecca’s son’s phone. He was up here from California, so Ed
wouldn’t have any clue I’m in Seattle. I wanted to give him another chance to do the right thing and give me back my
house.”
“Did you tell him about talking to me? Did you mention me by name?”
She nodded, obviously concerned about his frown. “Well, yes, I think it was in the letter. Did I do something wrong?”
Yes. You’ve released the hounds of Hell on me. “No, of course not. Any time we can resolve something peacefully,
it’s good. I do remember your son now. Early forties, blond, seemed like a nice guy.”
Lydia’s eyes glittered, perhaps with tears? “He is a nice guy, or was until Tansy got her claws into him. Can anyone
explain why men become such total idiots over a woman?”
I could write you a thesis. “Lydia, like I explained on the phone, I’m not a family law expert, but my partner is. I’ll
handle the first letter, then hand this over to her, if we need to proceed further.”
“Oh, but I don’t want her. I trust you. You see, when I saw you on the news talking about your sister, I knew that you
could fix this for me. I don’t know your partner.”
“My sister is my partner, and she’s very trustworthy. You’ll like her.”
Lydia’s eyes beseeched him. Their color, reminiscent of Julia’s, tugged at him. “But I don’t know her.”
“Lydia, you don’t know me either. We met once, almost three years ago, at a party.” He smiled gently, to offset his
words. “Trust me, you’ll want someone who knows what they’re doing on your side.”
Lydia sat back in her plush chair, and her smile matched his. “I know that you’re the one who blew the whistle on
that banking scam. All those poor people, losing their retirement funds that way. And because of you, they got at least
some of their money back.”
Cal’s blood chilled. “How do you -?”
Lydia tapped her forehead. “I lived with my son for almost three years. I answered phones, saw papers lying around.
Sometimes, I overheard conversations. At that party – I heard that man threaten you. He was trying to be quiet, but I
heard him. And then, my son mentioned that you’d left town abruptly, disappeared off the face of the world.
Coincidence?”
He didn’t know what to say, and truthfully, what could he say? Lydia was right. He’d violated a client’s trust by
leaking a story, through Julia, about bank officials siphoning off several large pension funds. She’d promised to keep his
name out of it, but apparently she’d told her boss. Damn, and he’d thought he could trust her.
Lydia smiled again, a vacant, happy smile that Cal now realized hid a lot of inner strength. “So you see, I trust you,
because I know you want to do the right thing. And getting my house back for me – that’s the right thing to do.”
Cal nodded. “You don’t have to manipulate me, Lydia. I’ll be happy to help you, and you’ll have to agree with work
with my sister as well. I’d like her to at least look things over for you. Agreed?” The older woman nodded.
“And if anyone connected with your son should call or stop by, do us all a favor and refuse to talk to them, all right?”
And here’s a bit more:
Cal didn’t know quite what to expect when he knocked on Julia’s door. Her call had been cryptic, simply asking him
to come right away and she’d explain when he got there.
He’d thought maybe she wanted to talk, that she’d decided to run now. Or perhaps she’d come up with a convoluted
way they could keep this thing between them alive.
He hadn’t expected to see his client, Lydia Swinton, sitting on Julia’s sofa, one arm in a sling and her cheek scraped.
She looked lost and very frightened. Uniformed officers stood nearby while a tall clean-shaven plainclothesman took
notes. From somewhere he could hear angry barking. The stress hung in the air about everyone.
They all looked at him when Julia ushered him in, her face awash with concern. Lydia’s eyes filled with relief as she
smiled at him.
“Here’s my lawyer now. He can explain better than I can the situation with my son.”
He knelt in front of her, his eyes scoring her face. “I can do that, but first tell me what’s going on. You look like you
were hit by a car.”
“No, of course not! Julia missed me by miles, but she scared those horrible men away.” He must have looked as
bewildered as he felt, because she looked past him to where Julia hovered nearby. “Darling, didn’t you tell him what
happened?”
“No, I didn’t. The officer here wanted to talk to me, so I didn’t have time.”
He glanced back at her, and now picked up on the strain in her face, and the way her hands gripped her upper
arms – too tightly, with her fingers curled into claws. He wanted to wrap his arms about her, tell her everything would be
okay.
But he didn’t know what ‘everything’ was. He brought his eyes back to his client. He sat down on the couch beside
her. Taking one of her trembling hands in his, he asked softly, “Why don’t you tell me what happened?”
And Lydia did so, with a preciseness that must come from being in a publishing family. “I’d taken Muffin and Tidbit for
a walk. I’d barely crossed the road, started down the sidewalk toward the park when someone leapt out of a car, and
before I could react, they grabbed me and dragged me toward a car. Then Julia rammed the back of their car, the man
dropped me and they drove away.”
“You said ‘they’.”
She nodded. “The creep who grabbed me and a driver. The car seemed empty when I walked past it. Then the rear
driver’s side door flew open. He jumped out and grabbed me. And before he reached the car, someone sat up and
started the engine. Then Julia hit it and they took off.”
So, do you have a feel for Lydia? Then go to the blog, enter the contest and let’s see if we can give Ms. Swinton a better first name!
Remember: 5 names only, one entry per person. They're due April 1st. Good luck, and have some fun with this!
http://staciawolf.com/blog.html
Personal news:
My life’s been very busy. First, my wonderful parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. What a rare thing that
is, to be a child of that kind of union. I owe them a lot for just that simple fact.
My brothers and I hosted a dinner party for them a few nights before their actual anniversary. You see, my folks believe
an anniversary is a private thing, so we respected that. That didn’t mean we didn’t tinker with it a bit though.
We paid for a limousine and dinner out for their actual anniversary night. Not just any limo, though – a 1933 Packard.
And not just any dinner – dinner at the fanciest restaurant in town. They loved it. So now since I’m the one that insisted
on the Packard, I’m the golden child. LOL
Then, nine days later, my daughter, Cara, married. I have a new son-in-law, Chad. And to make it even more
memorable for me, the photographer became ill, and I was roped in to the job. First let me say, that of all the thankless
jobs, wedding photographer beats most of them. And when you’re an amateur photographer, it’s a nightmare.
Demanding parents (okay, I was one of the parents, but still - ), stressed out couple, children who don’t cooperate, and
general chaos that I’d rather not have to take photos of. But other than that, it was a lovely wedding.
So, now, I have my life back, and have managed to survive two rather impressive life events: the celebration of a lifelong
love, and the beginning of a new journey.
As many of you know, my nephew, David, and his wife, Sara, had a baby boy, Solomon David. Solomon was born
prematurely, weighing in at just 2 pounds 6 ounces. As we speak, he’s in NICU, fighting for his life. I’m going to keep
putting updates on my blog as I get them, which is every few days (none of us want to bother the parents too much.
Ours is a large family, and so is hers). So please keep the little guy in your prayers.
Recipe
I found this recipe on the Samhain café group. I’ve modified it only slightly, and I’ll tell you that this is a wonderful, easy
and very impressive dessert. The original recipe called for fresh cut strawberries, but I’ve discovered any fresh berries
work well, as does sliced peaches. And those bags of frozen mixed berries: wonderful!
Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients:
Angel food cake, cut into three layers
1 pkg. Instant pudding, vanilla, 4 serving size
Whipped topping, thawed, 1/2 tub (8 oz)
Crushed pineapple, no sugar added, 20 oz, undrained
Fresh berries or frozen mixed berries, thawed
Directions: Into a medium bowl, mix the can of crushed pineapple, complete with juice, and the instant pudding
thoroughly. Add about 2 to 3 cups of the whipped topping, stir well. Now, don’t worry about measuring the whipped
cream. I just add it to taste.
Starting on the bottom layer of the angel food cake, set it on a large plate.
Cover the top with the pudding mixture, then add some berries.
Place the second layer on, repeat, then the final layer, repeat.
Cover the top with any remaining pudding mixture, then remaining berries.
Fill the center of the cake with whipped cream and if you like,
you can cover the top as well. Chill for an hour, then enjoy.
I like to make this in a large clear bowl, with the top layer as the bottom,
and I build this upside down.
Lighter version: light or free topping. I usually use the light topping.
My photo
I took some new pictures of me the other day. I realized that I’ve not had a
good picture taken in years. So here’s a new photo of me.
This one’s not been seen by anyone before.
