New! The Basket Maker's Wife

I’m thrilled to present another facet of my writing, The Basket Maker’s Wife.

I’ve written romantic suspense, contemporary romance, western romance, psychic stuff and humor. The BasketMaker’s Wife leans more to women’s fiction with a little intuitive mixed in. It’s set in contemporary Missouri Ozarks, in a small town called Mill Haven—because there is a mill there.

The book is titled The Basket Maker’s Wife because Jessie, an elderly woman and the wife of a basket maker, is one of the story leads. White oak baskets, woven in different shapes for different purposes are just fascinating, and I own several.

Portions of myself are in every book I create, and The Basket Maker’s Wife is one of my favorites. This story is set in Missouri’s Ozarks, where so many handcrafters live, where backyard gardens flourish. In spring, Missouri’s redbud trees bloom, a burst of bright fuchsia color on the rolling hills.

The craft of basket making is passed down, as you can read in the story. The Basket Maker’s Wife concerns the Celtic trio: The Maiden, The Mother, and The Crone (Elder woman). Those are the three stages of a woman’s life, and I hope you enjoy the women, their lives and loves in The Basket Maker’s Wife.

The cast of characters is large and deep. Not all readers appreciate a large cast, but this is a community filled with different characters who impact upon the story. Mill Haven and its surrounding small farms have lots of heart as you’ll discover.

Nora, the woman in the center of the trio, is facing major crisises. Not just one life problem, but a whole list. I loved writing about Nora, Jessie, and “The Gift”, another woman.

I love this book and am writing the second and loving it, too. It will take some time to complete, but I am truly into these stories. It was a real stretch to write this book, so different from my others, a true heart and soul story. To be continued….

I hope you will want to read The Basket Maker’s Wife. You’ll find more news in my enewsletter, available for free subscription.

BTW, didn't the designer do a beautiful job? Love the cover!

Hot Tips for Winter Weather.

THE BASKET MAKER'S WIFE Now on Sale.

 Blurb: Safely hidden away from her horrifying past, single mother Nora loves her elderly friend, the inituitive owner of The Basket Shop. A young woman on-the-run arrives, and the three women's lives unite, changing Nora forever. Amid a cast of characters, Nora fearfully faces the past, a new full life, and the terror of a shocking gift that has waited for her....

Don't you just love this cover? I love the book/story, too. :)

More on that later, but here's some tips for keeping warm inside....
 
We’re expecting snow/ice/freezing rain and below zero temperatures, here in the Midwest.

I thought someone with an old house like mine, or maybe newer, might appreciate one or more tips on keeping warm and reducing electric bills. I have an all electric house, but really work to keep my bill down. In good weather, there’s weather stripping, well you know… Here’s some of what I do, and I hope you’ll comment on your tips:

·      Charge all necessary batteries/electronics in case of an outage. Keep extra non-charging ready.

·      Seal off any unused rooms. If the base of the door has a gap, place a rug/towel/something across it.

·      If a patio door is unused, block it off. If it faces North like mine does, even with insulating drapes, cold seeps through. Again, if unused, place 2” insulation foam against the glass, drapes over it.

·      I’m not a fan of floor-length drapes, but I have them. In hard winter, I check to see that they are not blocking off heat vents. Or that the heat is diverted out into the room.

·      Draft dodgers. Usually sewn in a tube to match the size of the window/door, they are stuffed with something to block drafts.

·      I’m lucky enough to have a fireplace insert, which I don’t that much as fire takes tending, and I’d rather write. Note: split wood takes fire faster, round wood keeps it longer. We have hard woods, which are the best. My wood pile is covered with a tarp, and some placed near a door for outages.

·      Ceramic slow cookers are best. They stay warm/hot for some time after the electricity goes out.

·      One of our local grocery stores just got zapped by shoppers and their bread shelves look empty. If you’re not a baker, do find one bread/biscuit recipe that works for you. You can bake bread as round on a cookie sheet, and the smell is wonderful!

·      Speaking of shopping: Preshop ahead of the last minute shoppers. I make my own soups, but have found that the cups of dry soup prepared with hot water are great for emergencies. Put some in your car in case you get trapped at work or in a motel, etc. They do not freeze.

If you have any keeping-warm tips, please sure in the comments? It might help someone, including me. :)

Thank you.