What’s New
The View from Lone Butte
The view from Lone Butte plays a significant role in See Jane Run!, the first book in the West River Mystery Series. I'm not spilling the details here because I'd rather have you read the book once it's available for purchase in June of 2022. However, I will provide...
So That’s Where the Can Opener Went
So that's where the can opener went. That was my first thought when I cleaned out the dishwasher at our son and daughter-in-law's house not too long ago. It was the can opener of my childhood and a good one at that. The narrow end made prying the caps off pop bottles...
Mom’s Apple Dumplings Embraced by a New Generation
Mom's apple dumplings (as in author Jolene Philo's mom and not fictional protagonist Jane Newell's mom) were mouthwateringly good. My mom learned how to make them from her mother, who made them in a huge, metal dishpan to feed her large family. Neither Mom or her mom...
It Could Be Worse. It Could Be -45°.
It could be worse. It could be -45°. That was my first thought when I scrolled through Facebook and saw the low temperatures my friends, both near and far, were posting. Curious, I checked the local temperature on my phone. "It's -21°," I told my husband. He shook his...
Jane Threw Her Bible Away
Jane threw her Bible away years before she moved to Little Missouri. Her lack of faith is a major player in See Jane Run! Finding a way to show rather than tell readers why Jane threw her Bible away was a real challenge. My daughter, who is doing a final consistency...
To Take an Editor’s Advice–or Not–Is Tricky Business
To take an editor's advice or not is, at least in my book, is a tricky business. In this case, the book is See Jane Run! I cut my fiction writing teeth on this story. Writing the manuscript took the better part of ten years with interruptions due to the births of 4...