Brief update!  As has been reported, "Women Like Us" met its funding goal and will be published under Inkshares’ Quill imprint. But we actually hit that goal a couple of weeks before the funding deadline of 2/17, so if you still want to pre-order and haven’t yet, why not now? I am shooting for 300 because...why not? Meanwhile, design of the Honor-Derric-of-the-Beagle-Freedom-Project tattoo is in progress so more on that soon. And I have created a Facebook page just for the book. On this page I will include any updates on publication plus little things I think might pique your interest. For instance the first post is a picture of what Edith Vale’s house in Pasadena would look like because here is where much of the action of the book takes place.

If you like sprawling Paul Williams-designed Monterrey Colonials you’ll like this house too. 

So here’s the link to the Facebook page. If you’re on Facebook please head over there and hit that like button.

https://www.facebook.com/womenlikeusnovel/

Okay that’s it for now. Thanks again for all the support.  Stay tuned for more.

We have us  a book, folks! Over the weekend pre-orders surpassed the 250 mark, and "Women Like Us" will become part of the Quill imprint. A most hearty thank you to everybody who supported this endeavor. It really means a lot. Of course it's also a little scary -- now you'll have an actual book in your hands, which means you'll be reading it. Feel free to criticize, though. I have developed a very thick skin! While I'm not exactly sure of the timeline, the book will go through a short edit and design phase, and then it goes into production. I'll update again when I know exactly when delivery will start to take place.  Thanks also to all those who participated in the somewhat kooky contests, and of course the winners -- CJ Dukes, who won the cool osoporto.com Surf/Swim mugs, Michael Scotti who took home the Beagle Freedom swag, Terry Lillienfeld, who snagged that sweet McCall's Meat and Fish Company Gift Certificate, and Victoria Weaver, who won the chance to help design and place on my person the tattoo honoring our Derric of the Beagle Freedom Project!

Having had no experience running a crowd-funding campaign, this was certainly an educational experience with lots of ups and downs. But a shout-out to a few fellow Inkshares authors and their books for their encouragement and support seems in order too, including Matthew Sobin's https://www.inkshares.com/books/the-last-machine-in-the-solar-system, Billy O'Keefe's https://www.inkshares.com/books/these-are-my-friends-on-politics-0985, Amanda Ornecks https://www.inkshares.com/books/deus-hex-machina, Tony Valdez's Dax Harrison https://www.inkshares.com/books/dax-harrison-2276 and Janna Grace's https://www.inkshares.com/books/the-talkers-are-talking.Check out these books too. There are more of you guys who were a big help, and to all of you I offer most sincere thanks as well.

Honestly, it's rather exhausting running one of these campaigns. So for a while I will be focusing on getting the book out and not doing the hard-sell (although of course sales are always good so don't hesitate!) But once again, I truly thank you all for helping to make this happen.  

Throwback Thursday you say? I say that's a good time for a recipe!  Especially if it's another excellent old-school recipe, this time for New England Clam Chowder.  (Pretty sure, by the way, I'm going to throw recipes into the back of the book, so it's a good gift for anybody who likes to cook, huh?)

In "Women Like Us", Susan's introduction to the culinary world comes when she lands a job in an old Clam shack on Martha's Vineyard, which is where she meets Henry's father Andrew, who's the son of Edith Vale. She's starts as a waitress but when the old cook drops dead, she's put in charge of the small kitchen, where one of the most important jobs is making the Clam Chowder.  This recipe, which I've always loved, is another one adapted from Julia Child's "The Way To Cook". Again, it's a Julia recipe that harkens back to her New England roots and is not in any way French.  Anyway, here ya go:

New England Clam Chowder

(Recipe adapted from Julia Child's "The Way To Cook")

1 1/2 pounds littleneck clams

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup good smoked bacon, cut into thin slices

1 tbsp. butter

1 1/2 cups onions, sliced

1 Bay leaf

1/2 cup crushed oyster crackers

2 cups liquid (clam steaming juices and some water)

2 small or 1 large russet potato, diced (about 2 cups)

salt and fresh ground pepper

1 cup whole milk

More Oyster crackers for serving

Chopped chives or parsley for serving

1)  Wash the clams well and place in a large kettle with a tight fitting lid.  Add the water and bring to a boil. Cover the kettle, and let clams steam a couple of minutes, just until most of them start to open. Remove open clams and steam the rest 2 minutes longer, then discard any unopened clams.  Remove the meats to a bowl.  Pour the liquid through a sieve lined with paper towel into a 2 cup liquid measure. Add water to make two cups if you need.  Set aside.

2)  In a large soup pot, melt butter and toss in sliced bacon. Cook bacon over medium heat until it just starts to crisp, and then toss in onions. Add bay leaf. Cover, lower heat and cook slowly about 10 minutes, until onions are soft and translucent.  Toss in crushed oyster crackers. Mix in well, then add in the 2 cups clam steaming liquid. Add potatoes. Liquid should just cover potatoes, so add a little water if you need. Bring to the boil and then simmer, loosely covered, for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.  Blend in milk, bring to simmer again and taste for seasoning.

3) Roughly chop the clams.  Fold them into the chowder and remove from heat. Sprinkle with chopped chives or parsley and serve with more oyster crackers on the side.

Serves 3-4

Here's the final product!

Hey all!  Over the weekend we passed the 200 pre-order mark, which I consider a milestone, and I most heartily thank everybody who has supported "Women Like Us."  As of right now we're at 206, so any followers who haven't ordered, come on and join in!  

Now onto hopefully the last raffle in this campaign. If you haven't been following (or paying attention, and if that's the case we need to talk!) in this raffle the winner will help select the design and placement of a tattoo on my person* that will honor Derric of the Beagle Freedom Project, who has numbers and letters tattooed in his ear. The ear tattoo was the way these dogs were identified when they were in labs, so for five years Derric went by BCT-8 and did not have a name.  Somehow Derric's tattoo will be incorporated into my design, and again I am doing this as a way of honoring Derric's bravery -- he survived five years of being caged up and subjected to who knows what. And yet he has emerged as a fun, playful little clown. Could we all say the same?  Always remember when publish goal reached, 10% of book sales will go to the Beagle Freedom Project.

So...onto the raffle.  I will be in touch with the winner and we'll figure out how to get this done.  Here, watch:

https://youtu.be/12umOlxOiUI

Thanks, all. And again if you haven't pre-ordered, now's the time, and if you have, no harm in another copy!

*Fine print: there are some restrictions on tattoo placement!!  

65 books, 29 days!!  Plus a raffle!

Hello all and Happy Tuesday!  We're getting closer and closer, but there's still a ways to go so why not jump in and pre-order "Women Like Us" if you haven't yet (or you can order again even if you already have...just saying!)  Today I'm also announcing what I hope will be the last raffle for people who order the book. This one has to do with our Beagle Freedom Project adoptee Derric. If you don't know about the Beagle Freedom Project (see link below), this wonderful organization negotiates freedom for Beagles and other animals from labs where they were being subjected to either medical or cosmetics testing.  When these beagles are in captivity they are not know by names, but by letters and numbers tattooed in their ears.  Derric actually has two tattoos, which means he was in two different labs during the first five years of his life.  Some other adopters have honored their beagles with tattoos of their own, and I always loved that idea. Why?  Well, mainly because I consider Derric such a brave little man -- how many of us could be put through what he went through and still emerge the fun, playful little clown he is today. So...the raffle (which has already started and has some names in the hat) -- I will pick a winner from the next bunch of pre-orders and that winner will help select the design and placement of the tattoo honoring Derric.  Here, watch the video for more (plus you'll get a glimpse of Derric and his beagle bro George!)

https://youtu.be/ujmig4jqKLY

Because it's hard to make out the design I'm toying with, here's a look too. And hey if you are artistically inclined and have any ideas, please submit them because I can't draw for S**t!

By the way, if publish goal is met I will be donating 10% of book sales to the Beagle Freedom Project, and here's the link if you want to know more:

www.beaglefreedom.org

So that's it for now.  Thanks for your support so far.  And have a great day.

Hello and Happy Saturday!  Here we have a short video where we determine the winner of the McCall's Meat and Fish Company gift certificate raffle.  So sit back and enjoy, especially the last seconds, which include an amusing directorial snafu!  

https://youtu.be/PNyFq2z7-Rs

As of today only 78 copies of "Women Like Us" need to sell and we'll have met the goal for Quill Publishing. If you're like me you want to hold this book in your hands, and we're getting closer every day. But there's only a month left, so please pre-order if you haven't, and if you have there's nothing wrong with having that back-up copy, just in case!

Finally, stay tuned for an announcement next week about one more beagle-freedom related raffle that you can get in on if you already haven't. This  one involves a tattoo!

Hey!  Happy Hump Day everybody!  With much needed snow blanketing the Sierras lately my thoughts turn to skiing, and while I plot a trip to the mountains, maybe you'd enjoy a little bit of plot about skiing from "Women Like Us"!  About 90 pre-orders to go by Mid-February so if you are following and haven't ordered, why not jump in?  If you're a fellow inkshares author, I'll reciprocate with a pre-order if you jump in now too.  

So on to a small passage about skiing from the mind of Edith Vale as she drives her grandson and his friend up north. This passage includes a tip about how to de-stress Edith Style.  You might want to try it!

Ski Excerpt

Of course the place was gone. All the good things went away, thought Edith Vale, as her old turbodiesel chugged north and passed the spot on Interstate 5 where, for years, there was that funky little diner they’d stop at when she, Frank and Andrew drove from Pasadena to Tahoe for their annual winter vacation. Now some massive gas station and truck stop had taken its place, vulgar and ugly like everything else new. She always looked forward to the diner, which had a giant neon sign in the Googie style that shot up into the sky like a starburst and could be seen like a beacon from miles away, the halfway point of the journey. There they’d fortify themselves with warm white toast slathered in good sweet butter and slipped into wax bags, along with cups of steamy hot chocolate, which they’d take back to the big Pontiac wagon Edie drove in those days and nibble on and sip after hitting the road again, as Frank never wanted to lose any time on the slopes by actually sitting down inside the diner for the snack. The trip to Tahoe was always the longer of the ski trips they’d make through the winter. Smaller ones were made to local mountains – Big Bear or even better, Waterman, in the San Gabriels and barely an hour north of Pasadena, albeit on a road full of frighteningly treacherous curves. Sometimes Edie would go on those day trips with Andrew and Frank, but sometimes she’d let the boys go alone and stay home so she could catch up on her magazines. She loved that quiet time, made even better with a warm bubble bath, a daiquiri and a couple of Miltowns. Indeed those days were like mini-vacations, the house so peaceful, and she didn’t need to sit down and make plans and lists or even pack a thing.

Raffle news, times 2!!  First, if you click the video link you can see who won the raffle of Beagle Freedom swag (cap and scarf), but wait, there's more!!  Also on the video is an important announcement about a new raffle.  Next 20 people to pre-order "Women Like Us" will get a chance to win a $75.00 Gift Certificate to McCall's Meat and Fish Company. If you live in Los Angeles and you like to cook, you probably know about McCall's -- it's easily the best butcher shop in the city, and both Nathan McCall, and his wife Karen (an excellent and immensely talented Pastry Chef who makes the most delicious pastries and breads that are also for sale at McCall's) are super, super nice!  I remember when they opened their doors a few years back (I think I was one of the first people through those doors) and it's been a joy to watch this business grow and expand and become a really important part of the community. When we were based in Malibu I would even drive in to town with a cooler so that I could stock up for a week or more at a time. Anyway, if you want in on the raffle and you don't live in LA, not to worry -- McCall's also sells some very well curated groceries (beautiful pastas and hard to source dry beans and olive oils and spice blends, etc) and I could easily put together a really nice basket of goods for an out-of-town winner. So no worries!

Here, take a look at the raffle video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DG_C6Z4pAA

And here's the gift certificate for McCall's, just FYI:

Now go get that order in!!  If you've ordered already, no harm ordering a second copy for a friend, right?!

And as always, thank you for the support of "Women Like Us".