To Bill and Coo

    Yes, as you may know, to bill and coo means to 

smooch and speak softly to each other. As the author of The Goodbye Lie  historical romance novels, I thought it best to find out the origin of this idiom. (Don't be too impressed.  I looked it up.)  I guessed the coo represented the sweet sound doves make, doves usually being the birds in love birds.  But billing?  I had no idea.  It seems the origin of billing is from birds affectionately rubbing their bills together. It's as simple as that.  These are the things that clog my mine.  -jmm

                             The Goodbye Lie series  

        in E-books and Paperbacks

The Goodbye Lie series is on Amelia Island in north Florida, circa late 1800s

 - the Lure, the Love, the Legend that is the Dunnigan family saga ...    

Write Wail

Silly things, such as write wail,  just come to me.  

Of course, my first thought is how it describes an author struggling to imagine the  next clever plot twist in his or her story. After long hours having that dreaded writer's block, they let out one heck of a yowl or write wail. Happily, I confess that a lack of mental creativity has never been my concern because my mind is always squirmin' like a toad.* 

Then again, write wail could be a description of a mother or grandmother pleading with her teenager to write a thank you note to Aunt Lulu for that thoughtful dorm room gift of a repurposed upside down plunger turned topiary. (Yes, it has been done, but not by Aunt Lulu ... Just sayin' ...) -jmm

*The great phrase sqirmin' like a toad is from Riders on the Storm by The Doors.  Thank you

Ye Olde Rubber Band Trick

You are probably looking twice at the picture above. This is the inside of my purse.  You see some gum and a tube of lipstick within a zippered pocket.  And the only blue in the photo is a rubber band wound tightly around the gathered pocket fabric, closing off the hole in the corner.  While this may be less than sightly, it certainly is functional, until I either sew the hole shut or buy a new purse.  

I have my father to thank for this easy repair tip.  I remember him showing me the rubber band at the tip of the pocket in his trousers.  When the rip occurred as he was teaching school, he quickly solved the problem like this.  Thank you, Daddy.  Good one!

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Goodbye Lie Diaries
Fernandina, Florida 
late 1800s

Peeper

Grandmother Peeper writes:  I pronounce yur trick ta be Peeper approved, Jane Marie.  I been a-doin' the same thing with string once er twice myself, especially durin' the war.  My bonnet's off ta your pa.  Glad ta see you a-carryin' on his tradition.

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Note:  Peeper is the ever-thrifty grandmother who walked into Dunnigan Manor on Amelia Island, Florida in the 1860s, home of the beloved Irish family in The Goodbye Lie Trilogy, and never left! 

Apple Butter Recipe w/ Goodbye Lie Excerpt

I was raised to love apple butter, and I still do. Miss Ella Dunnigan is the mother of four in my historical Goodbye Lie Trilogy. With Fall coming, I thought making her apple butter recipe would be perfect.  Her version is easy and your whole house will be a delight with all those wonderful apple cinnamon smells.

Excerpt from Goodbye Lie concerning Apple Butter:      Turning to leave the barn Miss Ella asked, "How did you happen to come home so early today? It's just now five o'clock. Are things going well in the world of architecture?" Michael knows supper is always served at six, she thought, unless there's a potluck meal at church or some other social event. Then again, it could be his already bulging belly demands an earlier feeding.       "What's the use of being the boss, if I can't play a little hooky with my baby here?" His tone was short. This was certainly one of his hungry moods coming on.         "I'll see if I can't hurry up your dinner, Michael."      "What? You mean it'll be a while?"    "Yes, darling," she responded in as sarcastic a voice as his question deserved. "If you'd listen to your wife occasionally, you'd hear her say she has a few things to do besides following the timetable of her husband's stomach."      He reacted with a snort.      "Today, as substitute choir mistress, I was called upon to make last minute changes in this Sunday's schedule of hymns because Miss Bayer is out of town visiting her grandfather and Mrs. Lingenfelter is having her baby."      Her husband grumbled in disgust. Unable to stay cross with him for long, she offered, "If you'll give me ten minutes, I'll pull some cornbread from the oven and slather it with apple butter for you to nibble on. That should tide you over for a bit until I'm sure the soup is done."      "You know how I hate it if the beans are the least bit hard," he cautioned.      "We only hate the devil," Marie announced.     "Yes, baby girl. That's right. See there, Michael. It's true what they say about little pitchers having big ears and our little pitcher hears everything. Don't think she doesn't."      Michael replaced his grimace with a smile and kissed his youngest child on the cheek. MISS ELLA      Miss Ella shook her head at her sometimes moody, but very wonderful husband, thinking how lucky she was to have him. Back inside the aromatic kitchen, she checked the steeping jelly kettle of peaches, stirred the pot of salt pork and bean soup, and cleared a spot for the hot cornbread among the fresh radishes and onions. It had been such a peaceful afternoon. Too peaceful, she realized.       Where was Jack Patrick? Her only son, age eight, was usually so noisy she knew his whereabouts every minute. She left the kitchen, went down the long hall past the stairs, and entered the front parlor to find her mother, Hettie Eckert, known to all as Grammy. Grammy was swaying in her rocker, intently working on a braided rag rug, and there was Jack Patrick, sneaking up from behind, scissors in hand, about to cut the soft wild-hair wispies from his sainted grandmother's head!       "Jack Patrick!" yelped his mother.       Calmly placing the shears back in the sewing basket, he stated, "Mama, I hope lightning flies through the window and kills the cat. I'm innocent!"       She knew exactly how innocent he was. She allowed the boy to dash out the front door before he caught her laughing.

Apple Butter

You'll need:

• 4 cups unsweetened applesauce (made from cored apples that have been slowly cooked to reduce them to pulp or purchased applesauce)

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

• Nutmeg to taste (use sparingly)

• Cloves to taste (use sparingly)                                                   

Combine the ingredients and bring them to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  

Spice to taste.

Serve on warm cornbread, muffies or bread.

Makes five cups.

Goodbye Lie series Purchase Info Here

Future Plans - Author's Digest Interview Concludes

The following questions and my answers were taken from Author's Digest posted by M. Burns on March 29, 2015. - jmm

Jane Marie, are you working on your next book?

I have several completed manuscripts that are in need of editing. One is set in Hong Kong, one is about our Martha Bear (“spokesbear” for our blog), and one is about the ravings of a nine-year-old girl, complete with my cartoon sketches. The next story, though, will the continuation of Amelia Island’s Goodbye Lie Trilogy Plus One. It’s called Amelia Island’s Sand and Sin. It’s about the Dunnigan family, their Aqua Verde Passenger Line, and the same Dunnigan Manor on Amelia Island, but is set in modern times!

Do you have any events or promotions planned for your books?

A driving tour around our historic Amelia Island of places/scenes from The Goodbye Lie is in the works. I’m also gathering ideas for a companion piece to go along with the series. I continue to give talks to different groups who enjoy reading about the Dunnigan family. I call the talks “Random Ricochets Off the Backsplash of My Mind” because I’m never quite sure what I’ll tell them, since I have so much to share. And I can’t forget my blog that features all kinds of tie-ins to the series, including The Goodbye Lie Diaries (written by the characters themselves).

Jane Marie Malcolm/author

Is there anything else you’d like to add before we wrap things up?

Island living has given rise to my writing. I’m blessed to find my stories in the ocean’s wind as I walk the beach along the edge of the world. Characters bombard my thoughts with their ridiculous banter, which leaves me laughing. Other times, their words are so tender, I feel tears in my eyes, literally. Often they surprise me with their deeds and misdeeds, which can turn the story’s direction after just a few syllables. My fictional friends joined my family and, through my novels, may they become part of your family, too.

And remember, no matter your circumstances, if you’re ever stuck, with regard to writing, look around you and inspiration will show itself. Write for the love of the sport.

Look What I Saw!

I was so excited to spy what I thought was a red-headed woodpecker.  I was lucky to snap a picture of it, too.  See him on the right?  Well, I Goggled red-headed woodpecker, as anybody would.  I wanted to find out more about it and discovered that is not what it was.  It was, instead, a pileated woodpecker.  A red-headed woodpecker has a round head with no red crest, that pointy feather part that makes it look like Woody Woodpecker. This pileated bird likes to dine on carpenter ants, lives at all levels of the trees, has a very shrill call, leaves rectangular holes in dead trees and is as big as a crow!

Enjoy video from YouTube.  

Thank you, YouTube!

EZ BBQ CHICKEN

According to the Amelia Island's Mark of a Man short excerpt, I expect Clover's preparation of BBQ Chicken takes longer than mine and he must stand over a blistering fire. Oh, it must be so worth it. Read below:

Amelia Island's Mark of a Man excerpt:

   “Marie is in a mood lately but she’s foraged for colored glass bottles and will fill them with wild flowers for the tables, last minute, so they don't wilt too much. We’re lucky so many plants have recovered from the storm in time to have a few new blossoms and enough greenery.  And this afternoon, we’ll fashion a pretty bouquet for Winnie from three white rose buds off my struggling climber, some ivy and fiddle-head fern and tie it all with Marie’s blue hair ribbon.”

   Pat couldn’t remember when his mother was so excited about something. It was good to see.
   “Oh, here's another surprise for everybody, including Clover. Peeper found time to make him a red apron from a tablecloth and stitched Love Chef across the chest. Butter thinks it's a fine idea, so he'll wear it. Anyway, he and Butter have been working on the barbecue since early this morning."  
   “I can smell Clover’s chicken clear up here.”
   "It's always so delicious."
   "He'll tell anybody who asks that his secret is burning black jack oak he gathers just off the island somewhere. Ya know, I can't decide if I like his chicken or pork better.  It's the best in the county and ... 

Clover inspired me to create my own BBQ chicken. We're all so busy and this is hands free, once it's prepared.  The best part, next to being so easy, is that it is simply delicious - if you like chicken and KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce, that is.

Jane Marie's EZ BBQ Chicken

You'll need:

Slow cooker

Chicken- skinless, boneless, 6 to 8 tenders or breasts, according to how much chicken you want to produce

1/2 cup KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce- original flavor or your favorite BBQ sauce

1/2 cup water

Place rinsed chicken in slow cooker. Mix the BBQ Sauce and water. Pour over chicken.  Cover and cook on high for 3 hours. Reduce to low for 2-3 hours.  (Times depend upon how hot your cooker gets. My newer cooker is half again as hot as my old, original pot. Just make sure the chicken is cooked through.  While chicken doesn't take that long to cook, you want sauce to permeate throughout each tender or breast, so reduce the heat to low.  Don't scorch, of course.) Shred when cool enough to handle. Serve on your favorite buns and pass the BBQ sauce!

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The Goodbye Lie Diaries

Clover

1880s

Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

Clover writes:  Thank you, Miss Jane.  I'm happy my kind of cooked cluck made you try your own.  Makes me wanta go out hunting some black jack oak right about now.