Writing by committee?

 I recently hosted the first annual meeting of the people who contribute to my books. One of the attendees coined the phrase, "Dean's Book Family."

For the most part, writing is a solitary pursuit. Like most authors, I spend hours on the computer with my fictional friends, creating what I hope are intriguing plots, with engaging characters, set in interesting places. In addition to the actual manuscript creation, there are hours of internet research involved in technical details. (Yes, I assume I'm on some FBI watch list because of the dark sites I've visited while researching the decomposition of bodies and the chemistry of duct tape.)

However, there is a human side to writing as well. I use an array of consultants, beta readers, muses, and proofreaders. Their input in things from police procedures and horse tack, to veterinary science (Is it possible to crossbreed a Basset hound with a St. Bernard?) is invaluable. With an email or text I get technical background that might take hours of internet searches, if it can be found at all, like the Basset/St. Bernard question. 

Okay, now that I've mentioned the Basset/St. Bernard question twice, I owe you an answer. According to Mike Westfall DVM, it is rare, but possible. 

With all but two of my experts in the same room, there was a buzz of conversation. Authors tend to be introverts. My consultants are mostly extroverts. There was a bit of kidding about what a scary place the inside of my head must be. I was skewered for not using as much information as was sometimes provided. Anne pointed out that her grandmother has not been told that she's one of the more colorful characters in my cozy series, although all of her children and grandchildren immediately recognized her despite her name being changed.

My sister-in-law, Natalie Lund, had only met the others peripherally and was delighted to put faces to the names in my acknowledgements. She also pointed out that she's used up most of the ink in the three red pens I sent last year. (Deep sigh).

Fran, my archaeology and Southwestern life consultant was delighted to meet my Two Harbors, tuba playing consultant who she thought was a fictional character in the cozy series. Brian is real, and he personally supplied most of the tuba jokes salted into the five (soon to be six) Two Harbors cozies.

Brian's wife, not a consultant but a reader, pointed out that she had been convinced I was using a ghost writer for the cozy series because it was so different from the darker Fletcher and Pine County series. Always helpful, Dr. Mike assured her I my mind was such a mess that I was able to slide back and forth between the fluffy cozies and grisly hard-boiled mysteries without problem.

Several attendees expressed disappointment that Deanna, my horse and cop consultant, and her daughter Kinsley, my teen jargon consultant, couldn't attend because of their recent Covid-19 exposure.

So, armed with an afternoon of playful kidding, I am inspired to plop into my chair and let the characters lead me off into another adventure. Dr. Mike asked for the date of the second annual Dean's Book Family reunion. 

Where to next? I told BWL publishing that there will be two Fletcher mysteries, a Two Harbors Cozy, and a Pine County mystery in both 2022 and 2023. There are titles, locations, and outlines for those eight books. Now all I have to do is write them! 

Thanks to the assistance of my book family, that won't be a problem.

Check out "Grave Survey", the first of the 2022 Fletcher books 

Hovey, Dean - Digital and Print EBooks (bookswelove.net) 

or Amazon.com : Dean L. Hovey

Party like the Eighteenth Century! In January, by Diane Scott Lewis

 

Rose aspires to be a doctor, impossible in the 18th century, but uncovers evil village secrets in Cornwall-- and love in the most inappropriate place.

Check out all my historical novels: BWLDSL

But let's explore the lighter side of the eighteenth century, especially the celebrations of Twelfth Night, as Christmas cheer continued into January. 

Twelfth Night, usually January 5th or 6th, was celebrated as the end of the Christmas Season since the Middle Ages. It marked the Feast of Epiphany, when the Three Wise Men visited the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. It also evolved from Pagan fertility rights, celebrating the end of winter and the soon to arrive spring.

In the 18th c., it was the perfect excuse to throw lavish parties. Great spreads of food, especially enticing desserts, were the centerpiece. Over-indulging in food and drink, people partied hard, before returning to the drab winter of their lives.

 

The Twelfth Night cake was the highlight served to guests. Martha Washington's (wife of the famous George) recipe included 40 eggs, four pounds of sugar, and five pounds of dried fruit. A bean or coin, sometimes a metal Baby Jesus, was baked into the cake, (people were warned to chew carefully) and whomever received that piece became the King. This king caused mischief as he presided over the festivities.

The ale-based drink with spices and honey, called Wassail, was put in huge bowls and passed around the revelers. The name is derived from the Old English term "Waes hael", meaning "be well."

People donned costumes and danced and performed plays in the village streets. Some dragged plows house to house, seeking treats and alcohol. While the Upper Crust held elaborate balls.

Mervyn Clitheroe's Twelfth Night party,
by "Phiz"

Live birds were hidden in empty pie casings, so when opened, scared the recipient. Traditional foods were anything spicy or hot, such as ginger snaps. Or anything with apples; apple tarts, apple-walnut cakes. And lots of Port and Sherry to drink.

The common folk partied, drank to excess, releasing the frustration of their hard-working lives. One Pennsylvania upper-class man of the time said of the commoner, "were a set of the lowest blackguards, who, disguised in filthy clothes and ofttimes with masked faces, went from house to house in large companies, ...obtruding themselves everywhere, particularly into the rooms occupied by parties of ladies and gentlemen, (and) would demean themselves with great insolence."

This holiday as a time to party is largely ignored today.

To find out more about me and my books, please visit my website: DianeScottLewis

Diane lives in Western Pennsylvania with her husband and one naughty dachshund.

Interview with a Snowbird and Recipes from Gloria Hart by J.Q. Rose #BWLpublishing #mystery #recipes

 

Terror on Sunshine Boulevard by J.Q.Rose
Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
Click here to find more books by J. Q. Rose from BWL Publishing

Hello and welcome to the BWL Authors Insider Blog!

Gloria Hart, the main character in my mystery novel, Terror on Sunshine Boulevard, is my guest today.

INTERVIEW WITH SNOWBIRD, GLORIA HART

I caught Gloria just before she was leaving for exercise class at the community center in Citrus Ridge 55+ Resort and Golf Club located near Florida's Gulf of Mexico. We sat in her golf cart to chat a bit.

JQ--Thank you for visiting today with our readers, Gloria. You refer to yourself as a snowbird. What exactly is a snowbird?

Gloria--Oh, yes, my husband and I are snowbirds, running away from the snow up north during the cold winter season. However, I prefer to be called a sunbird because we really leave to chase the sun. 

I am so happy to be here with your readers on this beautiful sunny day in Florida. 

JQ--You went through a pretty rough winter here in Citrus Ridge several years ago. Tell us about that winter that wasn't so much fun for you.

Gloria--You can say that again. We had a horrible, frightening winter, and it wasn't because of the weather or sickness invading our community. No golf, no games, no beach time, and no early-bird dinners at the Golden Corral. Instead, the residents in our retirement community lived in terror. We had no idea who or what was killing the folks on Sunshine Boulevard, one of the streets in our community.

JQ--I understand your husband Jim was quite involved in solving the mystery.

Gloria--Because Jim is the Captain of the First Responder Team, he was pulled into the investigations and saw first hand the emergency calls. He still has nightmares when he remembers those death scenes.

JQ--I'm sorry to hear that. What about your friends? Were any of them murdered? 

Gloria--Sadly, we lost neighbors. We did lose some friends, but not because they died. Our friends betrayed us by keeping secrets from us. One of them even ended up falling naked into a geranium bed!

JQ--Oh my! I bet there's a story there! Didn't people go back north to get away from this terror?

Gloria--Some snowbirds left, but many of the people in Citrus Ridge live full-time in Florida. They couldn't leave their homes. 

JQ--Why did you stay?

Gloria--We discussed leaving, but we couldn’t leave our friends and neighbors during this catastrophe. Jim wanted to stay to help with the First Responders Team. Many of the old folks were experiencing heart attacks, panic attacks and health issues brought on by the frightening events in the neighborhood. We couldn’t return to Michigan because our hearts would remain in Florida. So we stayed and managed to survive that winter of deadly events and do what we could to help out in the situation.

Beach scene

JQ--So do you return to Citrus Ridge every winter?

Gloria--Yes, we do. I doubt any winter could be as bad as that one. Although the Covid pandemic has been pretty bad. We are following the precautions and returning to normal as quickly as possible.

JQ--I saw your lovely garden behind your place. 

Gloria--This year, the garden is doing great. Jim is happy with the harvest. He loves growing vegetables and sharing them with friends and neighbors. Needless to say, I have had to come up with some creative recipes to use up all the wonderful, fresh produce from his garden. 

JQ--Oh, fresh veggies from the garden in the backyard during the winter months sounds like a dream. Can you give us some recipes on how you prepare the vegetables for your dinner table?

Gloria--I'd love to share some recipes with you and your readers. I'm sure some of them have made New Year’s resolutions to eat healthier this year, so maybe these recipes will inspire and keep readers on track to a healthier year.

JQ--Thank you, Gloria!

Garden vegetables
Image courtesy of Sereneste at Pixabay

RECIPES FROM GLORIA HART

Stuffed Green Peppers

We like the peppers stuffed with or without the meat using corn or peas or more veggies from the garden.

Place 6 peppers (either a full-sized pepper with the tops off and seeds cleaned out or a cleaned pepper cut in half) in a micro-waveable 8" x 8 " dish. (Yes,this is so much easier than boiling them for 5 minutes in boiling water, I think.) Salt the inside of the peppers. Cook the peppers in the microwave for 3-4 minutes depending on how thick the wall is. They need to be hot.

Prepare a cup of rice--instant, brown, whatever your family prefers.

Brown one pound of ground beef with onions in a large skillet. Drain. Return to the skillet.

Add rice and 3/4 can of diced tomatoes to the meat and onions including juice. You may add salt and garlic to taste. Heat through.

Stuff peppers with meat mixture. Top with remaining tomatoes and juice. Return to microwave and cook covered 10-12 minutes or bake in 350 degree oven, covered, for 45 minutes. Remove foil from oven baked peppers, and cook 10-15 minutes longer.

Remove from heat and sprinkle tops with cheese. No need to return the peppers to the heat as the cheese will melt.

I let the dish of peppers set for five minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Seven Layer Salad, one of our family favorites. You may want to add or delete any of the layers. I like to add boiled eggs and radishes, so that may make it a nine layer salad. Use what you have from your garden to make this a tasty addition to your turkey or ham dinner or to your cookout with burgers and dogs.

Seven Layer Salad

Shred lettuce to fill a 9 x 13 pan.

1/2 c. chopped green pepper

1/2 c. celery

1 sweet onion, sliced thin or green onions from your garden

1 package frozen peas, not thawed or fresh from the garden

1 c. mayonnaise mixed with 2 T. sugar(I use the light mayo)

Place veggies in pan in order listed above.

Sprinkle 4 ounces cheddar cheese on top of dressing. (Sub fat-free cheese)

Cook 6 strips of bacon. (optional) 
Break them up when cool and place on top of cheese.

Cover. Place in refrigerator for 24 hours.

Click here to connect online with J.Q. Rose

It's Not Spring by Helen Henderson

 

Windmaster Golem
Click the cover for purchase information

 

In my family, spring cleaning traditionally began when the weather warmed enough to open the windows. The heavy drapes were taken down and hung out to air. Carpets adorned porch rails for beating out the winter's accumulation of tracked-in dirt. Trunks came down from the attic full of summer clothes and went back up full of heavy, woolen sweaters. And in the coal country of my ancestors, wiping down windows, walls, and glass lampshades removed the omnipresent coal dust and gray film.

Holiday decorations are back in the attic and the house is again neat and tidy. Outside it is 20 odd degrees, chill factor in single digits, and snow covers the ground. It is not spring, so why am I cleaning?  

 

The beginning of a new year offers the opportunity to discard, shred, or otherwise dispose of outdated paperwork. Files more than ten years old come out of the file cabinet or storage boxes and piles of papers litter the floor. Each stack contains receipts, drafts of published articles, cards, utility bills, or no-longer needed documents. 

Image Courtesy of Pixabay

Some piles are recycled. Others are more fun to dispose of. There is a cathartic sound to a shredder chomping sheets of paper into little bits. The small fire pit in the backyard will gobble up sensitive sheets while providing a comforting warmth.

Don't forget to include reviewing and purging your electronic files in your cleanout. They may not take up physical space, but can slow your computer or tablet. Even more serious can be the delays the clutter causes in your research. 

While not as satisfying as a fire, deleting digital files or organizing digital photos for quicker access is a useful activity. The new year can also be a good time to delete (or toss for prints) photographs that are blurry or upon reflection you decide you don't want in the public domain.

Although it it not spring, it is time to start cleaning, sorting, and organizing. You might even have a surprise benefit at the end. You're ready to file the paperwork needed for the taxman.

~Until next month, stay safe and read. Helen

To purchase the Windmaster Novels: BWL

Find out more about me and my novels at Journey to Worlds of Imagination. Follow me online at Facebook, Goodreads or Twitter .

Helen Henderson lives in western Tennessee with her husband. While she doesn’t have any pets in residence at the moment, she often visits a husky who have adopted her as one the pack. 

To Write or Not to Write by Nancy M Bell

 

To explore more of Nancy's books click on the cover above. 

I'm working on another installment of the A Longview Romance series. Storm's Refuge was the first book, which was followed by Come Hell or High Water and A Longview Wedding. Michelle is the heroine in the first three books and her life is turned upside down when her supposed fiance comes home from the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas married to someone else. 

Rob Chetwynd, the fiance in question, has played a role in the first three books, but this time I'm sharing how the impromptu Vegas wedding comes about. Kayla's Cowboy is the title and is told from Kayla's POV. How she meets Rob and how their relationship progresses is certainly a work in progress.  

I'm struggling with how to bring these two disparate characters together. Kayla is an accomplished dressage rider who is at the NFR to give a demonstration of her sport. Her sponsors have arranged the whole thing and have sent another horse and rider pair along as well. Kayla and Anna split the duties with one of them doing the riding and the other providing the commentary on a rotating basis. This is all okay until Anna's horse, Arizona, gets cast in the stall and unable to perform, which puts added  pressure on Kayla and Wellington. 

Anna's a bit of a party animal and she brings Rob and his pal into Kayla's orbit. She thinks the cocky, but admittedly sexy, cowboy is an adrenaline junkie for getting on rough stock not to mention enraged bulls.  But, things take some twists and turns and she is thrown into his company more and more. Somehow, the cockiness wears off and a more vulnerable side of Rob comes to the forefront.

He confesses that, while he and Michelle have been friends forever, and everyone in Longview expects them to get married, Rob isn't in love with Michelle that way. His mother is pushing him to get on with it, and Michelle is certainly unaware of his reservations, added to the pressure is the fact his late father's dying wish was that Rob and Michelle get married and combine the Wilson and Chetwynd  ranches. Rob isn't ready to settle down with Michelle and he sure as hell isn't ready to quit the rodeo road.

That's it so far, now I've just got to figure out how Kayla agrees to marry him. She noticing the chinks in his armour and as a woman who was raised by her aunt after her parents died, she realizes how Rob's cocky facade is just a front to hide the face he's fighting his own demons. 

So, to write or not to write, the dreaded writers block. I keep turning my characters this way and that and trying to figure out how they fit together. <sigh> 

I know this dilemma should help me deal with the Covid isolation blues, but somehow it just doesn't seem to be working. I'm into Covid Winter x 2 and not liking it at all. Hopefully, either Kayla or Rob will cosy up with my muse and help me out here.

Until next month, happy writing. Stay warm, stay safe and stave off the dreaded writer's block.

Nancy