by jphilo | Feb 3, 2022 | See Jane Run!
Cows and plot points appear to have very little in common. In See Jane Run!, however, cows and plot points intersect often, starting on page one. Many, though not all, of those intersections are examples of art imitating life. The cow in the photo above is one such case.
The cow’s name was Snippy. The old timer milking the cow was named Walter Stuart. Walter’s farm was right behind the school where I taught in the little town where Hiram and I lived. (I am not making this up.) We and half the town bought fresh milk from Walter for 50¢ a gallon.•
Walter was inordinately proud of Snippy and for good reason. Her milk was so rich that every gallon yielded a full quart of cream. Thick, delicious cream that could be whipped into butter or used in cooking.
One day, Walter called my husband and asked him to bring over our Kodak to take a picture of his cow. Hiram took several shots and got ready to leave. Walter stopped him and said, “But you got to take a picture of Snippy’s business end.”**
A revised version of this story made its way into See Jane Run! and is an example of art imitating life. In this short excerpt, Jane is the narrator, Merle is Walter, and Snippy is Snippy:
I scooted a few steps to my left to capture Merle and his girl in the best light. I snapped a couple shots and promised to bring him the pictures once the film was developed.
“But we ain’t took the good pictures yet.” He turned Snippy until her head faced the barn door and her backside faced me. Then he pointed at her udder, so full and heavy her teats nearly dragged on the ground. “Now you just squat down and get some Kodaks of her business end. Make it quick. I want to show you my garden and have enough time to eat before she needs milking.”
I framed Snippy’s . . . ahem . . . business end in the view finder and took several shots.
The photographs Jane takes that day play a crucial part in the unfolding of the mystery and its solution. In other words, the intersection of cows and plot points can happen, at least in See Jane Run!
If this excerpt has piqued your interest, remember that See Jane Run! will be released by Midwestern Books on June 7, 2022 and will soon be available for preorder on Amazon in electronic and print formats. Until then,
*Walter also sold eggs for 24¢ a dozen. His milk and egg prices were dirt cheap then and more so now. No one worried about selling and consuming raw milk. It was a way of life.
**For those of you who aren’t sure what constitutes the business end of a cow, study the above photo.
by jphilo | Jan 26, 2022 | Recipes, See Jane Run!
Ham and potato soup has been a favorite of ours for decades. When we lived in South Dakota, I made it with fresh milk that an old farmer sold for fifty cents a gallon.* We skimmed almost a quart of cream off every gallon and added some of that to the soup, too. My love of potato soup continues too this day, but making a dairy-free version to rival what I was used to before being diagnosed with a dairy allergy has been a struggle.
Until now.
With the addition of our Instant Pot and my daughter’s knack for using cashews to make foods creamy, the ham and potato soup I served our family last night was a winner. We were so hungry before supper, I forgot to photograph the full pot. As you can see, there wasn’t much left! Also, I prepared the ham hocks in the Instant Pot the day before, a process which yielded the broth used in the soup.
Ham and Potato Soup in the Instant Pot
2 cups cooked, cubed ham or the meat picked off two cooked ham hocks
6 cups ham, chicken, or vegetable broth
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed in 1/2-1 inch cubes
2 tablespoons Earth Balance butter substitute
1 large carrot, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 cup raw cashews
1 quart shelf stable coconut or oat milk
Soak the cashews in hot water for a few minutes. Put them in the blender with 1/2 cup of the coconut or oat milk and blend until smooth.
Using the saute setting on the Instant Pot, melt the butter substitute. Add the carrot, onion, and garlic. Saute until onions are transparent. Add the potatoes, ham, and broth to the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (If using ham broth, you won’t need more salt.)
Secure the lid on the Instant Pot. Be sure the venting button is set to seal. Using the pressure cooking function, set the timer for 10 minutes. When the Pot beeps to signal the end of the 10 minutes, turn venting button from seal to vent to quick release the pressure.
When the pressure has been released, take off the lid. Turn on the keep warm function and add the blended cashews and the rest of the coconut or oat milk. Serve when the soup reaches your preferred temperature.
*The complete story of the farmer and his amazing milk cow, Snippy, made its way into See Jane Run! and the other books in my cozy mystery series. They are available on Amazon.
by jphilo | Jan 14, 2022 | See Jane Run!
June 7, 2022 is a big deal for See Jane Run! for a very good reason.
The publisher, Midwestern Books, just announced that my first book in the West River Mystery Series will be released on that day. Wahoo!
Here’s some publishing trivia to celebrate the announcement:
- Publishers always release books on Tuesdays. I don’t know why. If you do, leave the answer in the comment section below.
- Midwestern Books is a brand new publishing company, and See Jane Run! is its inaugural release.
- Asking other authors to write endorsements (those blurbs about a book’s amazingness printed on pages inside the front cover and also on the back cover) is my least favorite writerly job. Probably because it involves a certain amount of rejection. Maybe that’s why, when I receive an endorsement request, I almost always say yes.
With the release date set, the production schedule is moving into high gear. In the next month or two, the publisher will make the book available for pre-order on Amazon. There are pre-order bonuses to create, a book launch team to assemble, and a launch party to plan. Plus completing and approving the galley proofs after they’re received, as well as finishing the concept editor’s revisions on See Jane Sing! and finishing the first draft of See Jane Dance!
Those of you who consider me to be a trouble maker can rest easy this winter and spring. I’ll be too busy to get into or make trouble.
Thankfully, the same can’t be said of Jane, the protagonist of the West River Mystery Series. Even though her job keeps her busy, she gets into trouble. A lot of trouble. Since it’s the lifeblood of a good cozy mystery, I’m okay with her getting mired in it. In fact, I intend to lead her into more trouble on an almost daily basis until June 7, 2022 arrives.
Wahoo!
by jphilo | Dec 2, 2021 | See Jane Run!
The cover art for See Jane Run! is done.
Like a good book cover should, it offers clues about what readers can expect when they delve into the story.
Like a good mystery writer should, I’m not going to reveal what the clues are. Instead you’re invited to list what clues the cover art for See Jane Run! reveals and why you think they’re clues.
If looking for clues doesn’t float your boat, you can still participate.
Think of what you want to say as market research because that’s what it is. You’re providing valuable feedback to the publisher about what works about the cover and what to improve for future books in the series.The more specific your feedback is, the better. Explain why you do or don’t like it, what you like or don’t about it, how it appeals to you or how it doesn’t.
Just type your comments–whether they fall into the clue category or into market research–in the box below. There are no wrong answers. All comments will be approved unless you’re a spammer or write something crass. That kind of stuff goes straight into the spam folder in a hot minute.
On the other hand, feel free to say that the cover art is fabulous. Better yet that the author is fabulous. Because you know us insecure author types. We need all the fabulous we can get!
by jphilo | Sep 16, 2021 | See Jane Run!
The See Jane Run guessing game, at least for today, is all about the rock pictured above. Here are a few fun vacts about this geological wonder.
- In real life, my students and I took more than one field trip to the rock. In the book, Jane explores it with her adventuresome uncle, her worried mother, and a stranger they picked up at the town dump.
- In real life, my husband and I drove up to see the rock again during the South Dakota drought this past July. In the book, a rainstorm cuts short the picnic Jane and company were enjoying.
- In real life, the rock is made of limestone. In the book it is, too. Why mess with a good thing?
- In the book (and in real life) the rock bears the name of a famous building in Washington, DC.
Now for the guessing game. If you think you know the name of the rock, leave your guess in the comment box below. If you live or once lived near this rock and know it’s name, please don’t comment. Because if you know it’s name, you’re stating a fact rather than making a guess and are violating the spirit of the game.
In about a week, I’ll come back and amend this post with the name of the rock and the names of those who guessed right.
by jphilo | Aug 26, 2021 | See Jane Run!, South Dakota
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 plenty of other tantalizing details. Here goes:
- Hiram and I climbed Lone Butte this past July while staying with friends on their ranch that encompasses the butte.
- It’s a pretty easy climb. If you know me, you may have already surmised that it had to be for me to attempt it.
- The vegetation changes along the way. It becomes more desert than pasture higher up.
- The butte is peppered with animal burrows. We didn’t see rattlers or any other kind of snake, so I keep telling myself they were rodent burrows. Faulty thinking, of course, as we didn’t see any rodents either. Still, faulty thinking can be a great comfort at times.
- The view from Lone Butte is spectacular. On a clear day, a person can see for miles, Not just a few miles, but for 20 or 30, perhaps even 50 miles. Which means that a person standing on the butte can see Montana, two miles to the west; North Dakota, fifteen miles to the north; and South Dakota to the south and east.
The day we climbed the butte, haze from the forest fires in the western United States limited the view. Even so, Hiram and I marveled at the beauty stretching before us. Standing there, I realized that the words used in See Jane Run! to describe this land were inadequate.
Fierce.
Remote.
Beautiful.
Vast.
Wild.
Intimidating.
Each word describes a facet of the landscape. Even when combined, they can’t capture the view from Lone Butte and the northwest corner of South Dakota where the series is set. Still, I try. Why?
Because this place and the people in it captured my heart more than forty years ago.
Because the view from Lone Butte explains the transformation of the main character in See Jane Run!
Because it changed me.
And because, dear reader, there’s a chance it might change you.
