Hank the Horse--Aunt Eva's Ride

By Howard Lewis
Critique Partner Extraordinaire!

Since Rita the Mule had her day in the sun, I felt the need to speak up for Hank. He knows Rita and knows she thinks a lot of herself, but he doesn’t understand why. Okay, the mule considers herself a “hybrid.” Hank considers her a mutt. If you take away horses there would be no mules. Rita wouldn’t exist. But if you take away mules, Hank’s life would be better.

Rita made so much fuss about her being willing to fight. So what. Horses could fight if they wanted to. They just don’t want to. They’re pacifists. Nobody ever complained because Gandhi didn’t fight. Why would they worry that horses avoid battles.

Admittedly, on occasion, sometimes horses get scared, and innocent people get hurt. Most of the time it’s an accident. Hank’s relatives have helped people for 5,000 years. Horses and humans have been friends over twice as long as we’ve been counting years. That’s a long time. Why would his kind intentionally want to hurt people now?

Humans need to understand that horses are a little skitzy. You see, a lot of the animal kingdom considers them food. Understandably, this makes them a little nervous. They’ve learned to sleep standing up so they’re ready to run. Most horses only sleep lying down about 20 minutes a day. Then Hank won’t sleep at the same time Rita sleeps, so somebody is standing guard.

Maybe once or twice a person got accidentally injured, but Hank has never intentionally hurt a person. There was that individual who snuck up behind him and he kind of kicked her. Maybe she ended up on the ground. But he immediately tried to apologize. She shooed him away like she was scared of him. He was the one scared. All she needed to do was talk to him so he knew she was coming, and it all could have been avoided.

Then there was the time Eva ended up on the ground. She and Hank were having a wonderful ride through the woods, when Hank saw a rock. But it didn’t look like any rock he’d had ever seen. It looked really menacing. Turned out to be okay, but what if it had been one of those horse-eating rocks? He would have been a hero. All he did was spin and run.  That’s it. And he wanted Eva to go with him. Instead, she fell off. As soon as he realize she was no longer aboard, he went back to get her. Instead of being mad, she laughed and told him he was a very brave horse. That’s why he loved Eva, his own personal human.

If mules are so great, why are there 60 million horses? There’s not 60 million mules. At least Hank hopes there aren’t. One makes his life miserable enough. It’s not that he doesn’t like her. He does. It’s just that she ignores the rules. She’ll sashay by him, just a little too close so it makes him mad. But just far enough away that it’s not worth getting in a fight. He doesn’t want to fight her. She kicks really hard. Not as hard as him. But it still hurts.

For hundreds of years, horses have been bred for certain jobs. There are thoroughbreds who are born to run. Walking horses whose gait keeps their humans comfortable riding for miles. And then Hank’s breed, the quarter horse. Bred to handle cattle, Hank can stop, turn, and take off in the blink of an eye. That’s probably why Eva ended up on the ground when he got scared.

And even with all of their bragging, mules didn’t conquer the West. Hank’s kind conquered the West. Cowboys rode horses not mules. Indians rode horses not mules. The Pony Express rode horses not mules. Horses can make baby horses or mules. Mules can’t make baby anything.

Howard Lewis with his horse McKenzie

In Hank’s opinion, Rita’s role in Linda’s book is way too big. If any animal has a speaking role, it should be Hank. And don’t even get him started on Tammy the Pig. How in the world did she get a bigger part than him?

Let’s start a write-in campaign for Hank. Send Linda a note explaining that Hank deserves both Rita's and Tammy’s roles. He is perfectly capable of carrying both their loads. For that matter, it’s okay with him if Linda loses the goats. Support the horse. Make it Hank’s farm. Horses rule.

I hope you consider this appeal for Hank, and I hope this gets me out of hot water with McKenzie, my horse. He holds a grudge.

About the Author: Howard Lewis is a talented writer, martial artist, and a marvelous critique partner. He lives in the "suburbs" of Salem, SC, with a mule, two horses, and multiple dogs. He's the past president of the Upstate Chapter of Sisters in Crime and he's part of the Writers' Police Academy "family." He's provided tons of information on his equines for my new Brie Hooker Mystery series published by Henery Press. Hank the horse is one of the animal "characters" in B0NES TO PICK, now available for preorder. THANKS Howard!

Brie's Vegan Tomato Basil Soup

By Linda Lovely

I adapted this Barefoot Contessa recipe that appeared on the online foodnetwork site. Here's the link to the original recipe. I changed the recipe to make it vegan, e.g. no butter or chicken stock. I also have never used plum tomatoes, just whatever I happen to have--often from my own garden, especially when all the tomatoes seem to ripen at once. I LOVE this soup, and I'm sure it would be one of my vegan heroine's favorites. Hope you'll read BONES TO PICK so you can learn more about Brie Hooker and her friends in my new humorous mystery series.

Brie's Vegan Version Of Tomato Basil Soup

3+ lbs. fresh tomatoes, sliced like an apple (leave skins on)

¼ cup + olive oil

1 Tblsp Kosher salt

*****

2-3 Tbl olive oil +2 Tblsp coconut oil (can just use olive oil for all)

2 large onions chopped

*****

4 small (16 oz) cans fire-roasted tomatoes with garlic

1 pkg (6 ind. Cubes) Vegetable Cubes softened in 2 cups water

3 Tbls Agave

4 cups fresh or handful of dried basil

1 tsp thyme

·        Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss first 3 ingredients and spread on nonstick cookie sheet. Roast 45 minutes.

·        Put the Vegetable Cubes in two cups of water to soften.

·        In large stock pot, sauté onions in olive and coconut oil.

·        Add the fresh roasted tomatoes and all the juice, then add everything else including the veggie cubes and water. Bring to a boil

·        Reduce heat and simmer uncovered stirring occasionally for 40 minutes. If you're in a time crunch you can shorten this time to about 10 minutes--still great.

·        Ladle small batches into food processor and puree.

Hints: You can use any tomatoes. This is an ideal way to use excess from your summer garden. You can roast the tomatoes, freeze them, and then use them to make soup in the fall or winter. You can serve the soup with croutons or crusty bread.

Not a vegan? Add grated or hunks of sharp cheddar cheese to melt in the hot soup. You can also use chicken bouillon cubes rather than veggie cubes if you’re not doing vegan.

Rita the Mule

By Howard Lewis

Critique Partner Extraordinaire & Mule Owner

I feel the need to write on behalf of the mule, Rita. Somebody has to support her because she has a bone to pick. The mule doesn’t get near enough respect in Linda’s book.

You see, Rita’s not just some other animal. She’s a hybrid. Her mamma’s a horse, and her daddy’s a donkey. Receiving the best from each, she knows she’s better than either.

This means that she’s braver than donkeys and smarter than horses. Her intelligence is why some people consider her stubborn, but it’s pretty simple. If it doesn’t make sense to Rita, she won’t do it. Before she came to live with Lilly, her human sent her to a local horse trainer with 25 years

of experience and a great reputation. Rita had a lot of fun with him before he gave her back saying, “Mules are different.” The trainer was used to pestering horses into doing what he wanted. It didn’t work with Rita. Of course, once she got Lilly trained, she gave in a lot so she could spend time with her human.

Rita loved Lilly. This human made her feel like a friend instead of a servant. Rita grieved terribly when she lost Lilly. Unfortunately, when Brie met her, the mule wasn’t in the mood to meet another human. The first time Brie tried to put Rita in the trailer, she led the mule up as if she were a horse and asked her to climb in. Rita’s not a horse so she just stood there. Brie pulled on the lead, offered her a treat and slapped her on the butt. Rita just stood there. Brie stamped her feet and screamed her cheese curses. Rita just stood there. Eva finally said something to her. Brie rubbed Rita’s nose, hugged her face, and told her she was most beautiful mule in the world. Rita walked into the trailer.

Around the farm, Rita lets Hank, Eva’s horse, be boss. It’s not that she couldn’t whup him. Of course she could. It’s just that being boss isn’t as important to her as it is to him. Even though she lets him think he’s the leader, she does take great pleasure picking on him. She’ll creep up beside him while he’s grazing so he has to chase her off. When he’s on the other side of a fence, she’ll walk close enough to make him mad but far enough away so he can’t touch her. When in the barn, she’ll pee right next to his stall so he has to smell it.

Just like all equines (horses, mules, donkeys, zebras, etc.) Rita’s a prey animal. Other animals want to hunt and eat her. Unlike those stupid horses who always run away, sometimes Rita wants to fight. Especially if she’s mad. With a half a ton of muscle and bone, a quick, intelligent mind, and a tenacity that won’t quit, she’s never lost a fight.

The mule has an impressive heritage. Rita can do anything horses can do: drag plows, pull carriages or even carry people in saddles. George Washington believed that her kind were better workers than horses and wanted one. Being a picky man, he wanted a mule sired by a Spanish donkey, considered to be the superior asses of the time. After spending years trying to procure the donkey, King Charles III sent him two. Only one survived the trip. George immediately put him to work breeding a series of donkeys and mules. George even rented him out for stud running

newspaper ads describing his outstanding qualities. Mares and Jennies lined up for his service.

Rita and her brothers are sterile. It has to do with chromosomes. People have a standard set of questions when they discover this. Mostly dealing with Rita’s sex. Yes, Rita has brothers and sisters. Yes, even though she can’t reproduce, Rita goes into heat and her brothers want to have sex. Yes, most of the time, Rita’s brothers are “cut” or fixed. There’s no reason to keep them intact if they can’t have babies and removing certain male parts make them much easier to deal with.

Rita knows she’s beautiful, but she was made for function as well. She has a longer face, than horses and her eyes are further around her head. With just a small movement, she can see behind her with one eye and in front of her with the other at the same time. Rita has huge ears that she can independently turn toward whatever she’s listened to. While her right ear listens to her rider, she can turn her left ear to listen to whatever’s up ahead. 

Have I made it clear yet that Rita’s right? She deserves a bigger part in Linda’s book. Let’s start a campaign. Readers for Rita. Give Rita the Part She Deserves. Rita for President.

About the Author

Howard Lewis is a talented writer, martial artist, and a marvelous critique partner. He lives in the "suburbs" of Salem, SC, with a mule, two horses, and multiple dogs. He's the past president of the Upstate Chapter of Sisters in Crime and he's part of the Writers' Police Academy "family." He's provided tons of information on his equines for my new Brie Hooker Mystery series published by Henery Press. The first book, BONES TO PICK, is now available for preorder. THANKS Howard!  

Aunt Eva's Turn in the Kitchen-Making Toffee

By Linda Lovely

My great nephew, Duncan Nowling, and a friend recently visited. In addition to spending time enjoying the lake, Duncan had an in-the-kitchen request. He wanted to learn how to make my mother's (his great-grandmother's) toffee recipe, primarily because it's a key ingredient in our family favorite version of Death By Chocolate.

I'm pretty sure this recipe would also be a favorite of Aunt Eva, a main character in my Brie Hooker Mystery series, since it includes large quantities of her favorite food group--dairy. In this case, the dairy comes in the form of butter. Here's the seemingly simple recipe, since it only has four ingredients:

Two sticks of Butter (plus a pat of butter to grease a nonstick cookie sheet)
1 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
4 Hershey Milk Chocolate bars (1,55 oz bars)
Finely chopped pecans

There are three prep steps before you start cooking.

1. Grease the nonstick cookie sheet (you'll be glad you did later when it's time to lift the toffee off the sheet). 
2. Finely chop the pecans so they'll be ready when you need them. I never measure but I'm guessing 3/4 cup.
3. Open all four Hersey bars and separate the individual squares so they're ready for later use.

Okay, now comes the tricky part, the cooking. Put the two sticks of butter and the light brown sugar in a heavy skillet on a stove burner set to medium heat. Stir CONSTANTLY. When the mixture is nicely mixed and is starting to get hot, you may want to set a timer for 10 minutes. That's about how much longer you'll need to keep stirring the mixture as it bubbles and starts pulling away from the sides of the pan. The trick is to make sure it does pull away from the pan's edges but doesn't burn.

At the end of your stirring vigil, you'll pour the toffee mixture onto your prepared cookie sheet in two ribbons. Now wait about 1 minute and then start placing the individual Hershey squares on the toffee. By the time you have them all on, the first squares you place will have melted enough to spread with a butter knife. Once the chocolate is evenly spread over the entire toffee surface sprinkle the top with the pecans.

Next, put the cookie sheet on a rack to cool. If you put it in the ice box immediately, it increases the risk that the chocolate layer will separate from the bottom toffee layer. But do put the tray in the fridge when it's cool to the touch. After an hour or two in the refrigerator, it will probably be fine to separate it from the cookie sheet with a spatula and then break it into pieces, which you'll need to keep stored in the refrigerator until they're gone (maybe the end of the day).

Writers Beware--Kill An Animal, Risk a Reader

By Linda Lovely

I promise. No dogs (or horses or cats or mules or goats or pigs) will cross over the rainbow bridge in my new Brie Hooker mystery series. The easiest way for an author to offend (and lose) readers is to allow a character in her book to kill an animal. Well, maybe a poisonous snake would be okay, and, if you're Stephen King you can cast a rabid dog as a villain as he did in Cujo.

As an adult, I developed serious allergies to dogs and cats. So I haven’t had a really close relationship with a pet since Brownie, the Heinz 57 mix dog I loved as a kid. In adulthood, I’ve been bitten by a dog while walking and minding my own business. I’ve also been chased by growling hounds who appear to lust after bicycle tires. These encounters led me to make one of my animal characters a villain in Dead Line, the first book in my Smart Women, Dumb Luck romantic thriller series. The villain dog died.

In my defense, the deceased canine is the villain in a brief subplot, essential in providing insight into the snarling attack dog’s far more villainous owner. What’s more, the subplot also features a tail-wagging hero dog who saves my heroine. Any further explanation could act as a plot spoiler. So here’s what these two dogs might say if they could talk.   

• The Villain Dog

I’m only following orders. I was abused as a puppy, and I was trained to fight other dogs. When I growl and savage other dogs, people cheer, and I get food and praise. I’ve been chained up and beaten. I do what I’ve been trained to do in order to survive.  

• The Hero Dog

I love people. Haven’t really met one I wouldn’t lick. They scratch behind my ears, give me yummy treats, and help rid me of annoying fleas. Sometimes they talk baby talk to me even though I’m fully grown. Guess they still think of me as a puppy even though I’m a hard-working adult. Don’t I chase all those obnoxious squeaky squirrels out of our yard? I’m brave, too. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep my humans safe.

Okay, I’ve given my dog characters a say they didn’t get in Dead Line since they weren't afforded speaking parts. Nonetheless, I renew my pledge to avoid any future canine (or other animal) deaths in my books. I’ll stick to killing off literary stand-ins for the people who have seriously annoyed me.

So readers why is it that mystery/suspense/thriller authors can kill kindly, wrinkled grandmothers and clueless, fresh-faced teenagers as often as their plots and murder counts require, but they should never, never, ever kill a dog on the page of a novel?

Why do you think the death of a fictional animal seems more offensive to many mystery readers than the death of a fictional human being?  Like the villain dog in Dead Line, human villains also may have been abused in their youth and rewarded for bad behavior, but we can handle their deaths. Is it because dog is man’s best friend and we have an emotional bond with the species? Is it because humans are supposed to be the protectors of helpless animals? What’s your opinion?

Book Covers and Book Titles-Hooking Readers

By Linda Lovely

On Sunday, I was delighted to have Dru’s Book Musings schedule a cover reveal for Bones To Pick, my new Brie Hooker Mystery from Henery Press. In response, I received a variety of comments. Most—but not all people—really liked the cover. (I love it.) A couple of people also advised me to change the title of my book because other authors had already published book with the same (or similar) titles, e.g. A Bone to Pick by Charlaine Harris and Bones to Pick by Carolyn Haines.  So it seemed a good time to talk about how the publishing world deals with book cover creation and the selection of book titles.

Book Titles

The folks who pointed out that other books carry the same or similar titles to my Bones To Pick are absolutely right. Is this a problem? No. For starters, book titles can’t be copyrighted.  Searching for Bones To Pick on Amazon calls up a list of 11 novels with the same/similar title, and mine hadn’t yet joined the list. This isn’t unusual. I searched for Fatal Flaw and found about 40 books with that title or a similar one before I stopped counting.

Why is there so much overlap? Book titles need to be short, easy-to-remember and relate to the story. Bones To Pick was a no-brainer for my book since (a) a skull is dug up early in the book, and (b) many of the potential villains have “bones to pick” with the victim and/or the person accused of murder.

There’s really no danger of confusing readers as long as the cover of the book and the back cover description don’t mimic other books that carry the same title. The cover created by Henery Press certainly fills the bill here. There’s no chance of it being confused with another book when doing an online search. The fact that my name appears in large print on the cover also ensures that anyone buying my book won’t mistake it for another.

Book Covers

I’ve heard authors complain about their covers. Understandable, given that cover design decisions are ultimately made by publishers, not authors. However, most publishers do seek input from their authors to guide cover design and ensure they’re satisfied.

That was certainly the case with Henery Press, and it’s why I’m delighted with my cover. Before the cover artist, Stephanie Savage, started design, I completed a form that allowed me to share key information about the characters and plot, the book’s tone, and location. I also was able to list covers I liked as reference points as well as the types of covers I disliked.

The Bones To Pick cover is eye-catching, uses bright colors, and communicates setting (a goat dairy). It also suggests the reader can expect a light-hearted read with a side of humor. I hope people who pick up the book based on the delightful cover won’t be disappointed.

Pigs Don't Sweat, Authors Do!

By Linda Lovely

My Brie Hooker Mysteries are set on a Udderly Kidding Dairy in Upstate South Carolina. The farm's 400 goats and animal menagerie often figure in the plot. In BONES TO PICK, the first book in the series (debuting Oct. 24), Tammy the Pig roots up a buried skull and with it lots of deadly secrets.

In BONES TO PICK, Tammy is a pot-bellied pig adopted by Aunt Eva after her original owners abandoned her. As Udderly's veterinarian laments, too many people buy pot-bellied pigs as pets when they're cute babies but lose interest when they grow.

So what is a pot-bellied pig and how big do they get? While the breed is considered "small," the average adult weighs about 150 pounds. Yet because it's so dense, a pig of this size would be much smaller than an 80-pound German Shepherd. And Tammy would be a dwarf compared to her farm hog cousins that can weigh in at 900 pounds. Long prized in Vietnam as a symbol of happiness, satiety and wealth, the once plentiful breed was put on an "endangered" list in the 1970s in its native habitat. It was marketed as a pet in the US during the 1980s. Purebred potbellies were black and heavily wrinkled with sway backs sagging bellies.

What's Tammy's temperament?

She's very smart. Pigs are considered  earth’s fourth smartest animal group just behind apes and chimps, whales and dolphins, and humans. Sorry, dogs. Potbellied pigs are not only intelligent, they're curious and have distinct, charming personalities. They can be taught tricks but they have an independent streak. While they can be housebroken, Tammy is an outdoor pig. (They will not soil their water source.) Affectionate creatures, they usually get along well with dogs and cats. 

Pigs Don't Sweat

At age three, Tammy is still a youngster. However, she can expect to reach a ripe old age of 15. Like my vegan heroine, Brie, she enjoys fresh fruits and vegetables and needs to have clean water always available. That's because Tammy, like all her pig relatives, doesn't sweat. So she needs the water to cool off. 

Rooting is a natural instinct and how pigs find food in nature. Tammy loves toys. Like her brethern, she's susceptible to Porcine Stress syndrome, e.g. "freaking" out. But Udderly's vet knows how to calm her down.

Authors Sweat

When I was a kid, I spent a great deal of time on my cousin's farm and helped feed the hogs. But I'm no expert on pigs in general or potbellied pigs in particular. That means that I may have made more than one mistake in my portrayal of Tammy. As an author, I do try to get the details right. But I hope Tammy will forgive me if I made a mistake.

Do you enjoy reading books that include animals?  

Write What You Fear?

 By Linda Lovely

We’ve all heard the old saw—write what you know. Oh, really?

Fortunately, most authors of mysteries, thrillers, and romantic suspense have never been shot, beaten, handcuffed, kidnapped, stalked or targeted by a relentless assassin. So does that mean we can’t write about heroines and heroes thrown into terrifying situations?

I couldn't do this!

Of course not. There is a way to write what we “know” when we place our heroines/heroes in dangerous situations we’ve never experienced. Method actors do it all the time. They draw on the real emotions that gripped them at some point in their lives.

I suffer from “moderate” vertigo and a fear of heights. Years ago, when I was a partner in a PR firm that prepared feature articles for corporate clients, I covered the Miss Universe contest for a computerized lighting equipment manufacturer. The client requested photos (I was both writer and photographer) taken from “above” its overhead lights to spotlight its equipment with the Miss Universe contestants on the stage below. To get the shots, I was allowed to climb the scaffolding during rehearsals. (Did I mention this contest was NOT held in the USA where OSHA standards might apply?)

As I scooted along the beam, the whole rickety structure seemed to sway. I was terrified. Sweat beaded on my forehead. My heart raced. My fingers were so sweaty I could barely focus the camera. I got dizzy. Closed my eyes. Tried to steady my breathing. I watched a sweat droplet plummet and wondered if the lady below thought there was a leak in the roof. The incongruous thought made me want to giggle. Edge of hysteria? Maybe.

I climbed to the top of this lighthouse to take
pix for a client. As high as I go & not thrilled. 

My seventh book, Bones To Pick, a humorous mystery, will debut in October. The plots are quite different. But—what a surprise—my heroines all suffer from vertigo and a fear of heights and often find themselves in situations where they must overcome those fears to survive.

In Dear Killer, Marley Clark climbs to the pinnacle of a lighthouse to flee a gunman. In No Wake Zone, the sequel to Dear Killer, Marley must leap from a rooftop to the scaffolding of a roller coaster to lure a killer away from her cousin. In Dead Line, the first of my Smart Women, Dumb Luck Romantic Thrillers, Nexi Ketts rappels into the depths of a cave that’s deeper than the Statue of Liberty is tall.

Do you take advantage of your fears and remembered emotions when you write? If so, do you have fears that resurface in different guises in your manuscripts?

   

Vegan Summer Fare-Blueberry Pie

By Linda Lovely

Here's another dessert that would my vegan chef heroine, Brie Hooker, would be pleased to serve to her friends. I'm posting vegan recipes every other Friday. Okay,  I'm on a dessert kick at the moment, but blueberries are in season. Still picking from my bushes.

Blueberry Pie Filling

For baked single-crust 9-inch pie

5 cups fresh BLUEBERRIES

4 tablespoons of cornstarch

3/4 cup sugar

Pinch salt

½ + Tsp. Lemon zest (grated lemon peel)

1 Tblsp + Lemon juice

½ Cup Water

In a 1 quart pan, thoroughly stir/mix the sugar & cornstarch. This ensures no lumps. Then add 2 cups of blueberries, the lemon peel, lemon juice and water. Cook over medium high heat. You need to stir constantly after it starts bubbling. It will come to a full boil and thicken rapidly after it does. It’ll be almost like paste when it’s ready. Take the pan off the heat and fold in the 3 cups of uncooked blueberries. Then spoon the combined mixture into your baked pie crust. Let cool, then refrigerate.

Not a vegan? You can serve with ice cream or whipped cream. A vegan? The pie’s good solo or with one of the nondairy ice creams.

Hints: Buy a real, fresh lemon. Use a grater to zest the skin, then squeeze the lemon and remove the seeds. I use half the lemon zest and half the lemon juice for one pie. You can refrigerate the rest of the lemon juice/zest for your next pie, which will be baked tomorrow if your family eats blueberry pie like mine does.

The uncooked berries are what makes this pie so delicious. You can make the pie with frozen/defrosted berries but it won’t have the same texture and will tend to be more watery. But in the winter, it’s still a treat.

Critique Partners & Beta Readers with Unlike Minds

By Linda Lovely

I love to write (and read) mysteries and romantic suspense/thrillers tailored to an adult audience. That’s why I initially sought critique partners who focused on the same genres and shared my sense of humor and fondness for snark.

They “got” me—and my writing style.

Me (center) with critique partners Howard Lewis & Robin Weaver 

However, mostly by happenstance, I’ve widened my critique/Beta reader circle. I belong to a five-person local critique group (three women and two very secure men). We meet one afternoon each month for an intensive critique session. We’ve been at this for several years.  We limit the size of the group to five so we have the time to provide in-depth critiques.

Group members include a man working on a young adult fantasy, an author who focuses on Southern-flavor, character-rich short stories, a published memoir author, and a former Air Force co-pilot writing about his experiences in Vietnam. Our backgrounds are as different as our writing styles and reading tastes. Our birthplaces include Algeria, two Southern states and two Midwestern states. Our former professions include English teacher and labor union representative, engineer, translator and manager, college professor, and me handling all types of public relations and advertising.    

To prepare for monthly in-person sessions, we each email five+ pages from a work in progress. These submissions may or may not be sequential. For example, I may choose a love scene I’m insecure about, pages with troublesome dialogue where I’m trying to surreptitiously shoehorn in some backstory, or a section where I want to see if my attempts at humor are actually funny.  We also read completed manuscripts for each other once we’ve polished them and feel we are nearing the finish line.

While I’d never give up the invaluable feedback I receive from fellow hard-core mystery/romantic suspense authors, I find the questions, suggestions, and comments from authors who don’t share my mindset to be equally valuable. (Long-distance critique partners Maryanne Romano and Robin Weaver have been lifesavers for YEARS.) 

A male critiquer—no matter what genre he writes—is priceless, because he can warn when a hero’s dialogue is pure nonsense—“No man would ever say that.”  Having critique partners from different parts of the country helps you discover which regional sayings are fun versus ones that prove so puzzling they cause a “huh?” reaction that takes readers out of the story. I firmly believe the more diverse your critique circle the more likely you are to appeal to a broader audience—plus you become a more nuanced writer and reader. I didn’t know how much I could enjoy fantasy, short stories, and memoirs until I joined this group.

Members of my local group are—Donna Campbell, Danielle Dahl, Howard Lewis, and Charles Duke.

I also have recruited members of my book club as Beta readers. The more (and more diverse) the merrier.  Who critiques your manuscripts? Who are your Beta readers?

Great Pyrenees-Meet Udderly Kidding's Animal Cast

By Linda Lovely

My new light-hearted Brie Hooker Mystery series is set on a goat farm, Udderly Kidding Dairy, in Upstate South Carolina. Naturally, the farm boasts lots of four-legged residents, who often play important roles in the plots.  So, every other Friday, I’ll be introducing readers to my animal cast. Today’s spotlight is on the Great Pyrenees dogs that guard Udderly’s 400 goats.

Kay Barrett and Coke

Udderly has five Great Pyrenees, just like Split Creek Farm, a real goat dairy located in the Upstate. While I’ve seen Split Creek’s guard dogs, I’m better acquainted with Coke, a relatively new addition to my friend Kay Barrett’s.household. A few months back, Kay went to an animal shelter to adopt a much smaller dog. However, she quickly fell under Coke’s spell. When we play tennis at Kay’s house, she sometimes lets Coke out to greet her tennis buddies at the end of our matches. Coke is a BIG delightful, friendly bundle of energy.

Appearance: Pyrenees are large—85 to 115 pounds when full grown—with luxurious white coats, chocolate eyes, and a plumed tail.

Work History:  Once France’s “royal” dog, he was bred to guard flocks in the Pyrenees mountains. His French nickname is Patou—shepherd. He’s a descendant of mastiff-type dogs. He isn’t a herder, he’s a protector. The Marquis de Lafayette brought the first Pyrs to America. At Udderly Kidding Dairy, these brave dogs protect the goats from coyotes—and poachers.

Traits: Gentle with children and all kinds of young animals. (Kay’s grandchildren adore Coke, who also puts up with a new kitten’s attentions.) A good hiking companion, but as an avid explorer or territory, he isn’t the best candidate for off-the-leash walks. .He’s great in cold weather, but sensitive to heat and he drools. The breed is naturally nocturnal.

Hope you’ll want to meet Udderly’s Pyrs when Henery Press releases BONES TO PICK, the first Brie Hooker Mystery in October. 

Always Ask-Research The Fun Way

By Linda Lovely

The Internet has given authors tremendous new research tools. We can Google almost any topic and find a wealth of materials and information, though it pays to do some vetting to make sure the sources we’re tapping are reliable.

YouTube gives authors a visual/audio window that lets us witness everything from Billy goats in rut to lessons for beginners who want to fly drones. These are actual examples of how YouTube helped me craft scenes in my second Brie Hooker Mystery, my current work in progress.

However, there’s still no substitute for speaking directly with experts. I was journalism major in college and have spent the bulk of my career interviewing individuals for (nonfiction) feature articles. So I’m quite comfortable asking folks questions about their work and themselves. I realize some authors are shy and feel they may be imposing if they ask strangers to spend time answering their questions. Yet most people are flattered rather than annoyed and enjoy talking about their work and themselves. In fact, I can’t ever recall being rebuffed by a single information “source.” Of course, that’s also because I make it clear why I want the information and how I plan to use it. Now that I’m writing fiction, that simply means I’ll be using their experiences and insights to help build more interesting, well-rounded characters and more credible plots.

For BONES TO PICK, my first Brie Hooker Mystery, my interviews included in-person visits to goat farms and breweries (what a hardship). This gave me an opportunity to ask the owners a variety of questions. I also got to taste goat cheese and fudge, and, of course, sample moonshine. Visiting locations helps you visualize potential scenes and also provides ideas about situations and activities for your characters.  Joining a goat yoga class was a true adventure!

So how do you find experts if you want information related to law enforcement topic? 

Even authors of cozy mysteries should try to be as accurate as possible in describing law enforcement and legal procedures, forensics, investigative techniques, etc. I’ve found attending my local Sisters in Crime chapter’s monthly meetings and the phenomenal annual Writers’ Police Academy have been treasure troves of information—and contacts. 

Through these organizations I’ve met everyone from FBI, ATF and Treasury agents to paramedics, coroners, detectives and defense attorneys. What’s more, since we've met, I’m not a stranger calling \out of the blue. We have a prior connection and they know my request is legitimate.

If you don’t know an answer, ask! Not only may you be surprised by the answer, you may find answers to questions you didn’t even know you should ask. Conversations can be a wonderful adventure.

Vegan Summer Fare-Mixed Fruit Pie

By Linda Lovely

Brie Hooker, the heroine of my soon-to-be-released humorous mystery series, is a vegan chef who lives with her Aunt Eva, a cantankerous carnivore, on a goat dairy farm in South Carolina. 

Every other Friday, I hope you'll tune in for a vegan-friendly recipe that I'm convinced would even win a thumbs-up from skeptical Aunt Eva. 

Summer is an ideal time to try adding some vegan dishes to your repertoire, even if you're a die-hard omnivore That's because there are so many delicious fruits and vegetables that make for beautiful entrees and desserts. Here's a recipe for a fruit pie--only nuts and fruits. No eggs or dairy. Everyone I've served this has loved it.

I first found a version of this recipe here: Get Healthy Marshall Texas

Fruit Pie(Vegan)

The “crust”

1 generous cup pitted dates

Heaping 1/3 cup each: Walnuts, cashews, almonds

1 tsp vanilla extract

The Filling

2-3 ripe bananas, sliced lengthwise

1 cup strawberries pureed

Your combination choice of whole/sliced fresh fruits:

Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, mandarin oranges

·       Put all the nuts in the food processor and process till they’re finely chopped, then add dates (I cut them into smaller pieces first) along with vanilla and process to create a sticky goo.

·       Press the crust into a glass pie plate (9-10 inches)

·       For the first filling layer, arrange the bananas slices on the crust and use a fork to smoosh them into a layer.

·       Place sliced strawberries on top of the bananas and pour the pureed strawberries on top.

·       Next arrange all of the whole (or sliced) fruits on the top alternating colors for a pleasing display

·       Cover and refrigerate.

Hints: This is a beautiful (and tasty) summer dessert. The only problem? It doesn’t keep well. Serve this when you expect it to be consumed in one sitting—two at most. I use the roasted cashews rather than raw cashews and I’m generous in measuring my nuts. Too many nuts? Not a possibility. 

My Book Club Improves My Writing--And My Mind

By Linda Lovely

While I’ve always been an avid reader, I didn’t join a book club until after I’d written my first novel. Even then, I joined reluctantly at a local bookstore owner’s urging. I’ve now belonged to he Book Feast Club for several years. I’m absolutely certain my membership has made me a better writer—and maybe even a more rounded individual. And no, I’m not talking about my hips, even though the ladies of Book Feast always combine discussion with dinner.

Our book club has 15 members. Not all were able to make this summer dinner meeting
--and some photos didn't quite turn out so not everyone's pictured on this page. 

Why did I resist joining a book club? My two main reasons are interrelated. The first is time. I didn’t want to spend time reading books someone else picked for me when I didn’t have enough time to read all the novels I really wanted to read. My to-be-read stacks were already teetering with new works from long-time favorites along with manuscripts and novels from new authors I was meeting in organizations like Sisters in Crime and Romance Writers of America. My second reason for reluctance was my impression that book club selections would be dominated by “literary” titles that were presumably good for me but usually depressing and certainly not my mystery/thriller/romantic suspense mainstays.

So what did I discover? This book club’s fiction selections are eclectic. While we all make suggestions and vote, we attempt to balance our annual list with a little of everything--historicals, mystery/thrillers, romance, humor, classics and, yes, thought-provoking literary prize winners.

Do I wind up reading some books I don’t like? Yes, but that’s more than balanced by discovering authors I otherwise might never have read and learning new ways to engage readers (as well as what really turns the readers in Book Feast off). I  should add that our club is not militant. If you don’t like a book, you are not required to slog through to the end just to attend the meeting where it will be discussed. The general rule of thumb is try to read the first fifty pages before you give up.

Of course, I also have to add that I LOVE our members. The wonderful women are just as diverse as our reading selections. Ages range from forties to eighties. Professions (current and former) run the gamut from librarians and professors to nurses, flight attendants, and medical techs. The group includes Southerners and Yankees, liberals and conservatives. Our conversations are always lively—and civil. Politicians could learn a lot from our members.

So why do I say authors should join a book club? Writers tend to spend a lot of time with each other. We talk about point-of-view and plot structure, character arcs and dialogue tags. Do readers know or care about these things? No. It’s interesting and instructional to see what engages readers and what writing flaws they will overlook if the characters are compelling and the storylines keep them hooked. It's just as interesting to see what they can't abide. The club members by and large are a big part of my target audience.

Want to know what the Book Feast has on its calendar for the next 12 months? I’ll include our reading list in my next Once-In-A-While Newsletter. Here’s a link to sign up. Newsletter Sign-Up

Do you belong to a book club? If so, what do you like most about your group?

P.S I love to visit with book clubs—in person if feasible or by Skype or Free Conference Call. Let me know if you’re interested.

A 200-Word Gem—Write It and Cash In

I don’t write short stories. I’d rather write a complete chapter than a 200-word story. My husband will testify that I can’t answer a simple question in less than 200 words.

But I DO appreciate short stories. And, for the last several years, one of my responsibilities as a veteran Writers’ Police Academy (WPA) volunteer has been to line up reader judges for the Golden Donut Short Story contest. Another of my duties is to count the words in each story—to make certain they contain EXACTLY 200 words, including the required title.

Here's a man who knows how to make words count! Craig Johnson,
author of the Longmire series, and this year's contest judge.

The exact word count is a unique contest rule that writers (can you believe it) sometimes fail. Hey, how many of us were math majors or big on following a rule book? Nonetheless there are big rewards for short story authors who can tell a riveting tale in exactly 200 words. The winner of this year’s Golden Donut contest not only receives a nifty trophy and lots of recognition—online and at the WPA banquet—but also gets a FREE registration to a 2018 WPA event. And, guess who's the final judge for this year's Golden Donut contest? Craig Johnson, author of the Longmire series. 

It’s been a pleasure to read the Golden Donut entries in past years. They’ve ranged from funny to spine-tingling, melancholy to horrifying. It’s amazing how a single photo can spark such different tales. The rules of the contest are simple. The contest photo absolutely MUST be the main focus of the story, not just a mere mention within the text. Here’s the inspirational photo for the 2017 contest:

And the good news? There’s still time to enter! The deadline for entries is July 2. Plenty of time to pen 200 words. And you don’t have to be registered to attend the 2017 Writers’ Police Academy to enter. The contest is open to all. Here’s the link to all the details: http://www.writerspoliceacademy.com/short-story-contest/

And don’t forget I’ll be COUNTING on you…

Good luck!