by jphilo | May 11, 2022 | See Jane Run!
The release date for See Jane Run! is less than a month away. I’m scratching my head trying to figure out how, after spending more than 10 years dreaming about the arrival of this publication date, it is approaching faster than I can get through my to do list by June 7, 2022.
By far my least favorite item on the list is begging asking people to join the See Jane Run! book launch team. I’m not sure why this particular task repels me since all team members are asked to do is write and post a review on Amazon, for which they receive a free Kindle copy of the book. That’s a pretty good deal, right?
Even so, when I beg ask people to join the team, I feel like I’m crossing a boundary. Today, I’m sticking my toe over that boundary and begging for volunteers for some simple reasons.
- Amazon reviews provide a tremendous boost to a book’s visibility.
- Amazon reviews persuade people to buy or not to buy books.
Based on those two reasons, feel free to imagine me at this very moment getting down on my very aged knees, clasping my hands in supplication, and begging asking you to consider becoming part of the See Jane Run! launch team. If you’ve been persuaded, here’s what to do next.
-
Send an email to me at jolenephilo@me.com ASAP saying you want to be part of the team.
-
Watch for a reply email with an advance electronic copy of the manuscript attached.
-
Read your advance copy between now and the release day, June 7 and compose your review.
-
Watch for a June 2 email invitation to pick up a free Kindle copy of See Jane Run!
-
Pick up your free copy between June 4 and June 6. This allows you to write a VERIFIED review on Amazon.
-
Post the review you composed on Amazon. (The June 2 email will have more details about how to do this.)
If you have any questions, email them to the address listed above. But hurry! The release date for
See Jane Run! is less than a month away. Once June 7, 2022 has come and gone, so does this opportunity.
by jphilo | Apr 20, 2022 | See Jane Run!
The skinny for claiming your See Jane Run! preorder bonus is very skinny. Or as Jane might say, it’s easier than milking Merle Laird’s prize Jersey heifer. Those of you who are wondering who Jane is, who Merle is, and what the cow’s name is, will find answers when you read See Jane Run!
The preorder bonus is a zip file containing a baker’s dozen of stunning photographs taken in northwestern South Dakota. The photos are of all seasons and provide a taste of the vast and wild land where See Jane Run! takes place. The photos are suitable for printing, framing, and using on calendars.
To claim your preorder bonus for the Kindle version:
- Preorder See Jane Run! on Amazon anytime between now and June 7, 2022.
- After placing your order, click on the “Returns & Orders” button in the top right corner of the Amazon web page.
- Download an electronic copy of the invoice/receipt for your order or take a screen shot of it.
- Send an email to anne@midwesternbooks.com. Type “See Jane Run Bonus” in the subject line. Attach the electronic invoice/receipt in the body of the email.
- Your zip file should arrive shortly in your inbox. If it doesn’t, leave a comment below and I’ll check into it.
To claim the bonus for the paperback version which will be available for purchase on June 7, 2022:
- Order the print version of See Jane Run! within 48 hours of its release on June 7, 2022.
- After placing your order, click on the “Returns & Orders” button in the top right corner of the Amazon web page.
- Download an electronic copy of the invoice/receipt for your order or take a screen shot of it.
- Send an email to anne@midwesternbooks.com. Type “See Jane Run Bonus” in the subject line. Attach the electronic invoice/receipt in the body of the email.
- Your zip file should arrive shortly in your inbox. If it doesn’t, leave a comment below and I’ll check into it.
Leave a comment if you have questions about how to claim either the Kindle preorder bonus or the 48 hour print order bonus. I’ll get back to you shortly!
by jphilo | Apr 13, 2022 | Reflections on the Past
Spring blizzards on the South Dakota prairie are uncommon, but they do happen. This week’s weather reports and pictures posted by friends who live west of the Missouri River attest to that fact. Their pictures inspired me to locate snapshots my husband and I took when we lived in Camp Crook. In the top one, a much younger me is holding our son Allen. The one below shows my husband Hiram doing the same.
Now for a few fun facts to accompany the photos:
- Our son was born in 1982. Judging from his size, these photos are from 1984 or 1985. My gut says 1985, the last year we lived there.
- This snowstorm was in early May. That’s right. May. I believe a week after our school’s spring field trip, which took place on a beautiful day.
- Hiram’s mother was visiting at the time. She was tired of arriving or departing during raging snowstorms and expressly chose to come in May to avoid bad weather. Instead, she watched 18 inches of snow, fall, then melt and create 18 inches of mud.
- The top photo shows the Methodist Church furthest to the left and the Catholic Church to the right. We lived in the yellow gold house. It is still there, but the building behind us is gone.
- Hiram and Allen are standing to the south of our house. The log buildings are a hunting cabin and its outhouse. Hiram made good use of the outhouse when our electricity was out. We had the presence of mind to fill the bathtub with water when the storm began. Hiram’s mom and I used bathtub water to flush the toilet until we had power again.
- I am not making any of this up.
- The Methodist and Catholic churches in See Jane Run! are similar in appearance to the ones pictured above. Since art imitates life, it is safe to assume that spring blizzards on the South Dakota will appear in future books in the series.
- It is not safe to assume the same for the outhouse. Neither Jane nor Jolene consider outhouses artistic. Not at all.
by jphilo | Apr 6, 2022 | Daily Life
Lower your grocery bill with this money saving secret. It was handed down to me by my mother. She learned it from her mother during the Great Depression. I passed it along to my daughter and son, and now I am sharing this family secret with you.
Save your bacon grease.
When I saw these tubs of bacon grease on the grocery store shelf next to the lard, I burst out laughing. Then I saw the store was charging $7.99 (which according to an accompanying sign was a price cut) for 14 ounces of bacon grease. That’s when I knew it was time quit guarding our family secret and speak up.
Save your bacon grease.
Whether you fry your bacon in a pan or bake it in the oven, simply let the pan and the grease cool. Then pour it into a container and store it in the fridge. It will harden up and look like this:
As the BaconUp label says, bacon grease can be used to fry, cook, and bake. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
- My mom always used it instead of butter when frying eggs.
- She also used it instead of oil in pancake batter.
- It is the secret ingredient in her fabulous Franklin Chex Mix.
- I use it when frying hash browns.
- My daughter has even used it instead of lard in pie crusts in savory recipes like quiche.
For those of us with dairy allergies, bacon grease can be a life saver and a flavor enhancer. No matter what your dietary needs may be, saving bacon grease really can lower your grocery bill. So can other recipes found on this blog, most notably bone broth. It’s another example of old-fashioned suddenly going vogue.
I am so in vogue!
by jphilo | Mar 25, 2022 | See Jane Run!
I promised to make chocolate chip oatmeal cookies for the grandkids this afternoon. Therefore, this post is short and to the point.
- The bonus for those who pre-order See Jane Run! are almost ready to go. There will be a post about how to claim the bonus in the near future. Thanks to those who have already pre-ordered. You are the best!
- Hiram and I spent the first full week of March in and around Norfolk, Virginia. I spent much of the second full week of the month keeping my mom company in the hospital. I spent this week recovering from the previous two weeks.
- Every cloud has a silver lining. In the case of sitting with Mom during her hospital stay, she slept a lot. So the silver lining was unexpected time to write. Enough time to finish 3 chapters of See Jane Dance!, the third book in the West River Mystery Series.
- The publisher is finalizing the cover for See Jane Sing!, the second book in the series. I can hardly wait to show it off in an upcoming post.
May these four facts for Friday hold you over until I have time to write a longer post regarding the viability of using homemade cookies instead of graham crackers when making s’mores.
