by jphilo | Jan 7, 2025 | Book Updates, See Jane Run!, West River Mystery Series
Midwestern Books lost its renaissance man and founder, Tom Walker, this past December. Tom succumbed to pancreatic cancer just two months after his diagnosis. Those who knew and loved him––his wife Kris, his three children, his eight grandchildren, his siblings, his nieces and nephews, and many more––are still reeling.
Our family was among those who attended his funeral. Tom’s brother-in-law gave the eulogy and described him as a renaissance man, a person who is educated and knowledgeable in a number of fields. That was certainly true of Tom. He assembled his own computer when they were just coming onto the scene. He was a musician, an athlete, a theologian, a pastor, and an avid fisherman. He operated a sawmill, constructed several buildings, read widely, was an IT director, and founded a publishing company. He was a lover of books, and was both a reader and a = writer.
He wrote sermons, seminary curriculum, and computer code. He created elaborate Dungeons and Dragons back stories in his role as a Dungeon Master. He helped his parents write books about their lives and wrote children’s books for his grandkids. When he retired, he started Midwestern Books to showcase writers who represented the values and stories from a poorly represented area of the United States. See Jane Run! was the first manuscript he acquired.
Tom was more than the renaissance man who published The West River Mystery Series. He was also my husband’s cousin and an appreciator of my daughter’s editorial talents. To that end, he asked her to become his partner at Midwestern Books. She accepted and they worked closely together for five years. After his cancer diagnosis, he signed the business over to her at no cost.
Midwestern Books lost its renaissance man and founder. In the midst of our grief, Anne and her husband, as well as Hiram and I, are aware of the opportunity he created for our daughter’s family before he died. Our hearts testify that Tom Walker exemplified more than a renaissance man. He exemplified Christ. We were blessed to know him and grateful beyond words.
In loving memory of Thomas “Tom” Hayes Walker,
November 7, 1953 – December 22, 2024
by jphilo | Dec 11, 2024 | Recipes
Grandma Fern’s sour cream red chocolate cake made regular appearances at the end of Sunday dinners during my childhood. Mom liked to make it for 2 reasons:
- It reminded her of the mother-in-law, Fern Stratton, who she dearly loved and who died at age 55.
- It was easy.
So easy, in fact, Mom taught me how to make it so I make it as my first 4-H project at age 10. It earned a blue ribbon.
We’re celebrating our oldest granddaughter’s 10th birthday this weekend. She requested chocolate cupcakes, so it seemed fitting to use a blue ribbon recipe. I made the cupcakes today. They appear rather plain in the photo above for good reason. I spent a good part of this morning hunting down this recipe and don’t want to lose it again. If I wait until after we get back from Wisconsin, where we’ll decorate them before her party, getting ready for Christmas may push my good intentions right out of my head.
Also, I found a card with the recipe written in Mom’s beautiful cursive and don’t want to wait another minute to share this bit of her with you.
Doesn’t her writing take you back to elementary school penmanship practice? Mine never looked that good.
One final note: Because of my dairy allergy, I used Kite Hill’s dairy-free sour cream and no one could tell the difference between it and regular sour cream. Will wonders never cease!
by jphilo | Dec 5, 2024 | Mystery Update
Welcome to the West River Mysteries Holiday Gift Guide. It was created for the soul purpose of simplifying your life.* It was also created to help you avoid busting your budget. The first two items do cost money and are the perfect gift for the cozy mystery readers on your list. The remaining items are free** and perfect for the authors in your life. Primarily for this author, though they can be adapted and given to other writers. Items 3 through 7 require no gift wrapping or card, which is always a plus.
Now, in the spirit of the holiday season, here are the gifts that made the cut for the completely altruistic West River Holiday Gift Guide.
- Inscribed, signed set of four paperbacks–– See Jane Run!, See Jane Sing!, See Jane Dance!, and See Jane Dig!––are available for $60.00, which includes shipping and tax. To take advantage of this offer, send me an email with the following information: your preferred payment method (Venmo, credit card, or check); instructions about how to inscribe the books, including the spellings of the name(s) to use; and your mailing address. Place your order by December 18 to receive it by Christmas. Sooner is better as there’s less chance you will chew your fingernails down to the quick while waiting for the books to arrive in time.
- Inscribed, signed sets of individual books can be purchased for $20.00. To order, follow the same instructions as above. Consider joining the Save Your Fingernails campaign by placing your order as soon as possible.
- Write reviews of each See Jane! book, as well as for those written by other authors you love, and post them on Amazon and GoodReads. Your reviews raise visibility and help readers decide if the book is for them.
- Recommend the series to friends. Gush about the books if you are so inclined. Positive word of mouth advertising is highly effective!
- Recommend the series (and books from other authors you enjoy) to your local library. A certain amount of their book buying budget is earmarked for purchasing patron-requested items.
- Like and share social media posts about the West River books. Doing so increases visibility and gives them legs.
- Join Down the Gravel Rd on Facebook to get background information about the series and early peeks at what I’m writing before anyone else does.
I hope the West River Mysteries Holiday Gift Guide adds sparkle and magic to your life as you prepare to celebrate the season with family and friends. On behalf of Jane, her students, the citizens of Little Missouri, and Snippy the cow, we wish you a Merry Christmas!
*Actually it was also designed to boost book sales, but you can ignore that angle completely.
**They were designed to boost book sales as well…another angle to ignore.
by jphilo | Oct 25, 2024 | Recipes, See Jane Dig!
The origin of See Jane Dig’s Early Bird Coffee Cake recipe came straight from the little box where my mom filed her favorite dishes for several decades. As you can see, she clipped this one from a newspaper or magazine and glued it to an index card. As you can also see, it is dog-eared, spotted, and well-used.
What you can’t see are the ingredients and instructions for making it.
Why? Because this post is designed to tantalize readers enough to move them to purchase the book on Amazon. For those who are not yet motivated to spend your hard-earned dollars on Jane, her adventure, and this recipe, please know that Early Bird Coffee Cake met all the Dorothea Stratton (that’s my mom) cooking criteria.
- It uses common ingredients.
- It’s easy to throw together. Bonus: no mixer required.
- The crumb topping negates the need for frosting or glaze.
- It doesn’t require turning out of the pan. Just slice and eat.
- It’s delicious.
Having made and eaten my fair share of more Early Bird Coffee Cakes than I can count, I can vouch for that her criteria are spot on. Especially the last one.
It’s flavor is different from most other coffee cakes. In my opinion, no other varieties measure up to it. My siblings, husband, my kids, and my grandkids love it. The grands like it best in muffin/cupcake form so they can pack it in their lunches and make their classmates jealous.
Now that you know the origin of See Jane Dig’s Early Bird Coffee Cake recipe, you must be curious to taste it. So go ahead and buy the book. Once you’ve made and sampled the coffee cake, leave a comment below about what you think of it. I’d love to hear from you!
by jphilo | Oct 10, 2024 | Mystery Update, See Jane Dig!, See Jane Ride!
An update about See Jane Dig! launch week is most certainly in order, so here’s a quick recap:
- The publisher reports that almost 5,000 books in the series (most of them for See Jane Dig!) were sold.
- At its height, its Amazon rank reached #2 in Cozy Mysteries, #2 in Amateur Sleuths, and #4 in Women Sleuths. Way to go, Jane!
- So far the book has received thirteen 5 star rankings and one 4 star ranking.
- Seven reviews have been written and posted so far. Special thanks to those who have posted reviews. They are so valuable as many potential buyers read them before making a purchase. You can post a review any time. After a book gathers 50 reviews, Amazon increases its promotional efforts.
Now on to See Jane Dig! fun on the docket for this fall:
- Chocolaterie Stam in Ames (230 Main St, Ames, IA) is once again hosting Jane’s book launch party. It will be held on Saturday, November 2 from 10:30 AM until noon. There will be a book signing, a reading of the first chapter, free chocolate, door prizes, a gift basket silent auction, live music, and The Stam may be hosting a wine tasting that morning. How fun is that? It would be great to see you there.
- Twin Cities friends, mark your calendars for November 16. I’ll be one of four mystery authors participating in a book signing at the Once Upon a Crime Bookstore (604 W. 26th Street Minneapolis, MN 55405) from noon until 2 PM. My sister lives in the area and will be attending, so you can meet her too!
One more thing that’s not really an update about See Jane Dig! launch week, though it did happen during launch week.
Drum roll please,,,,
The first draft of the next book in the series, See Jane Ride! is done. Can you hear me shouting wahoo? That’s because finishing a first draft means this author has her life back.
But wait! There’s more…
The cover for See Jane Ride! is finalized, and I’m in love with it. That’s all the excitement I can stand in one blog post, but stay tuned as the cover will be revealed in an upcoming post very soon!
