ICE CREAM COMES TO THE OLD WEST By Kathleen Lawless @kathleenlawless

Many different eras and cultures claim credit for the earliest form of ice cream, which appears to date back to China’s T’ang period, or ancient Persia. Creating this frozen treat must certainly have been a labor of love before the invention of ice houses, ice boxes, and finally, modern-day refrigeration. Eventually the recipe for this frozen confection made its way to the New World by way of the Quaker Colonists where, before long, it was sold in shops in New York and other large cities. Small-scale hand-cranked ice cream freezers were invented in the 1840’s although it was still an expensive, labor intensive treat before commercial manufacturing got underway in the latter half of the nineteenth century. In my Western series, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Georgina, a spinster who owns the town’s café, is introduced to this yummy treat in a different town. It was important Georgina do something to ensure the café’s popularity and planned expansion, so I had her start making her own ice cream to sell in her café. Thank goodness, the time period made this a credible undertaking for this heroine, who eventually becomes one of the brides for the seven Mason brothers.

If you’ve not yet read this series, Book 1, Brody’s Bride, is on sale during Black Friday and Cyber Monday for only 99 cents, starting November 25th.



I’m not sure who first had the genius idea to dip a homemade cookie in ice cream, but if cookies and ice cream are your go-to dessert pairing, here’s a free cookie recipe book to download at your favorite online book store. target="_blank">https://books2read.com/dickens-cookie

USA Today Bestselling author, Kathleen Lawless, blames a misspent youth watching Rawhide, Maverick and Bonanza for her fascination with cowboys, which doesn’t stop her from creating a wide variety of interests and occupations for her many alpha male heroes. Her hero, Steele, in HER UNDERCOVER COWBOY, is a modern-day cowboy, so when she was wooed by a man called Steel— while he’s not a cowboy, he is an alpha male and her forever hero. Which is why all of her stories end Happily Ever After. Sign up for Kathleen’s VIP Reader Newsletter to receive a free book, updates, special giveaways and fan-priced offers. http://eepurl.com/bV0sb1 AMAZON | WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | BOOKBUB