Spicy Roast Beef and Goodbye Lie Trilogy Excerpt

Spicy Roast Beef

Do you know which female
character from The Goodbye Lie series is the subject of the excerpt below? If only she had tried the recipe which follows for Spicy Roast Beef at her dinner party...


 The Goodbye Lie Series Excerpt:


     Grammy's gift was a quart of her meat flavoring. "It's our family secret, _____. Here's the recipe. Memorize it, then burn it. Promise?"
     "Yes, ma'am. I promise."

     Peeper was not to be out done, "I saved the best fer last. It's a bottle a my very own special furniture polish."

     "The way Peep experiments out back in the little house," Michael explained to Trip, "it's no small miracle she hasn't blown us all up. Isn't that the stuff you make from turpentine, alcohol, and ether, Peep?"

     "Yup, but you forget the balsam fir and linseed oil, Michael. That's how come I'm the chemist and you're the architect." 

     The laughter had been strained and everyone had been uncomfortable. The cozy glow from the candles helped hide the chipped dishes and patched linens that came furnished with the house, and no adult noticed or, at least, mentioned the shortcomings of her table. Leave it to her brother to have asked, "How come you use all these cracked plates, ____, when you have a whole hope chest full of brand new dishes and stuff?" Everyone else had been too polite to inquire.

     She'd quickly answered, "I'll bring my chest over as soon as my cooking warrants the beauty of the china." The ladies had made a sincere attempt to reassure her that the meal was delicious. She would have believed them, too, had she not tasted her own food. The salad was gritty with sand, the deviled eggs were runny from the honey and too salty, the butter beans in the stew were hard, and the chocolate frosting was so thin, the cake showed through. ____ saw her mother throw several sharp looks at Jack Patrick each time he'd tried a new course and then opened his mouth to comment. She imagined the lecture the poor boy must have received about how to behave at his sister's house right before they'd left Dunnigan Manor...

******

Jane Marie writes:
My church friend, Kris Mandrick, brought this wonderful "stringy" beef roast to a pot luck.  I loved it.  I mean loved it!  She was sweet enough to let me share it with you.  It's made in the slow cooker with ingredients you probably have on hand.  It makes some rich gravy, is moist, is good for Sunday dinner or sandwiches and freezes well, if there are any leftovers.  Thank you, Kris. -JMM

Spicy Roast Beef

You'll need:

2-3 pound beef roast 
Lightly salt (optional) and pepper all sides.
Sprinkle with minced/powdered garlic or garlic pepper.  Put in crock.

Mix in separate bowl: 

1/4 cup soy sauce (I used lite.)

2 Tbl balsamic vinegar

2 Tbl A1 Sauce or Worcestershire sauce (I used Worcestershire.)

2 tsp yellow mustard, liquid or dry (I used liquid.)

Make several shallow slits in top of roast and pour mixture over roast. Let cook in crock 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.

 

P.S.  This recipe will also be listed in the Recipes link at the top of this page. 

Chocolate Table- Goodbye Lie Diaries, Nora

Pictured on the right is a chocolate table. Also known as a tea table, note the removable serving tray on top. Owned by my friend, Emmie Noble, she's placed her hot chocolate cup, saucer and chocolate pot set inside.

I discovered some information online by Fay Spencer of Spencer's Antiques in Waynesville, Ohio.  She explained these were especially popular from 1800 to 1850.  I also found most interesting that during our American Revolution, hot chocolate was served instead of tea as a way of protesting the British and their tea tax.

Thank you to Emmie Noble and Spencer Antiques. For more about Spencer's, call 513-897-7775, 274 S Main St., Waynesville, Ohio 45068

*****

Goodbye Lie Diaries
1880s
Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

Nora Duffy

Nora Duffy writes: My mother, you know her as Aunt Noreen, or Noreena, as Peeper calls her when she wants to irritate her, has a chocolate table in the parlor of our Duffy Place.  You can't know how many times my brother, Warren Lowell, my father, Clabe, my mother and I sit in that room, carefully sipping our chocolate treat.  Except when the milk was scorched, Mother blamed it on the stove, or that time Father burned his lip and spilled his cup onto the handwoven rug, I have wonderful memories.  I am most pleased to see such a lovely piece of furniture has survived the rigors of time to be appreciated in your century. (Jane Marie - I tried to sound somewhat dignified in my diary entry.  You know the true me and how Breelan and I can get into trouble far too easily to suit our families.  I have some ideas about what we'll do next ...)  

Nora, Aunt Noreen, Warren Lowell and Clabe Duffy live right next door to the Dunnigans on Amelia Island, Florida. Breelan Dunnigan and Nora are first cousins and quite the conspirators in their The Goodbye Lie series.

Tips from Mom

flowers from Laura Brown-thank you!

Happy Mother's Day!

I learned so much from my mother, Marie. A home economics (home science) teacher, she had the social graces of Emily Post, the advice of Ann Landers, the culinary talents of Betty Crocker and the overall family devotion of Donna Reed, Carol Brady and Stella Dallas, combined. 

I got to thinking about those everyday lessons from Mom and these random tips popped into my mind:

Always close kitchen drawers when you are cooking or baking to avoid having to clean out any falling crumbs.

Turn the top sheet hem back over the blanket when making the bed to keep the blanket clean longer, since you change the sheets more often than you do the blanket. 

When you finish using the oven on those cool or colder days of the year, leave the oven door open a few inches to release the expiring heat into the room.

To prevent stretching out the tops of your socks, tie each pair of socks into a simple knot rather than stuffing one inside the other. 

Ever have a cake come out of the oven and be high in the middle? To help keep a baked cake flat, push the raw batter toward the sides, leaving a shallow hollow in the center, then bake.

If your sheets have a printed side and a plainer side, in the summer, when it's hot, lay the printed side up so the pattern shows when you've no need for a blanket.  In the winter, face the printed side of the top sheet down and cover it with your blanket.  Then, when you turn back the covers, the pretty pattern will be seen. 

Sure you can buy pre-made cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle on toast, but you have no control of the amount of sugar.  Save an empty shaker bottle and make your own, lessening the sugar or adding more, for that matter!

Store household extension cords in toilet or paper towel tubes.

Save shelf space by hanging your toilet paper. Find an old paint can lid, punch two holes in that lid with a nail, thread an eight foot cord/heavy string through and tie it securely against the lid.  Take an old fashioned clothespin and tie it to the other end of the cord.  String your rolls of toilet paper over the closespin and hang your contraption  on a nail inside the linen closet!  (We still use one of these at the family home and it brings a smile every time I see or even think of it.)

There you have some of Mom's common sense teachings.  I know you have more from your mother and some of your own.  Send them along to graciousjanemarie@yahoo.com and we'll add them to our list of helpful hints.

P.S. Readers often ask me if the characters in my novels are copied from real people I know.  The answer is no.  However, I will say that my dear mother was the inspiration for Miss Ella, the matriarch of the Dunnigan family of Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida in the late 1800s...

What a Surprise Plus The Goodbye Lie Diaries-Aunt Noreen

Present Day

Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida

Jane Marie types:  Have a look at the pictures to see what I saw as I pulled into the driveway of our humble home.  Not only was the bird sitting on our roof massive, but it held its outstretched wing in this position for at least five minutes.  It was plenty enough time for me to exit the car, grab my phone and snap these pictures. When it didn't fold its wing, I thought, perhaps, it was injured. I was happy to figure out the separated and ruffled feathers on its wing and head indicated it was all wet and now drying those feathers in the heat of the Florida sun. Finally, it shook itself and flew away.  While I've seen different birds in our time on Amelia Island, including my first Eastern Blue Bird the day before, this creature was remarkable with regard to its size and location, on the top of my house!   As to what kind of bird it was, the mailman said it was a buzzard. Whatever it was, I'll never forget it!  

*********************

Late 1880s
Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida
 

Aunt Noreen

Aunt Noreen writes: You may have seen a buzzard one time on top of your house, Jane Marie, but our family has a pet buzzard living next door to me.  We have named it Peeper! Having studied this particular species in depth because it eats with us as well as hovers inside and outside Dunnigan Manor, the vegetable garden, church, and the entire town, for that manner, it is difficult to escape its presence.  I warn all. Beware of the buzzards within. We all have them in our midst. 

*Aunt Noreen and Grandmother Peeper are featured and forever fighting characters in The Goodbye Lie historical romance series.  

 PURCHASE The Goodbye Lie Series HERE 

available in e-book and paperback

Gilbert's Underground Kitchen/Brunswick Stew

We recently dined at Gilbert's Underground Kitchen in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida. Kenny Gilbert, owner and chef there, was on Bravo's Top Chef, did well and is now quite famous. 

The first thing that captured my attention on the menu was their Brunswick Stew, as pictured above.  Since Miss Ella's Brunswick Stew is featured at her daughter Breelan's first dinner party in  The Goodbye Lie historical novel I wrote, I naturally had to order it. (Please refer to Miss Ella's recipe below.)  While Gilbert's stew was very flavorful, I kind of doubt he used two squirrels, as did Bree, in the story set in 1882.

  

Miss Ella's recipe taken from the pages of The Goodbye Lie

Miss Ella

Local chatter says Gilbert's has a great big BBQ sandwich for $5, but I haven't tried it. What I did try was the mac-and-cheese. Because I'm a cheese-aholic, I am qualified to judge and it was yummo! The serving was big enough for two.  But this one time, I'm with Aunt Noreen from my 1882 tale, the less than lovely next door relative to the Dunnigan family.  If she ate at Gilbert's, I can hear her saying, "I ordered the noodles with cheese.  Get your own!"

For info about Gilbert's Underground Kitchen, click on this link:
http://www.undergroundkitchen.co/ 

Purchase The Goodbye Lie Series HERE

Aunt Noreen, in The Goodbye Lie series, is a prime example of how one should not act, most of the time. 

NEW GALLERY PAGE

Dear Readers, aka Friends,

I've added a new page of photos to my blog called GALLERY. Click on the word GALLERY among all the page tabs, located just above and to the left of the date shown on this post. GALLERY is beside the CONTACT page.  I thought it would be interesting to me, and perhaps you, to see some of the activities writing has brought into my life.  You will find me with many new friends I've made as I've done book signings over time.  You'll also see pictures of my handcrafted wares  available only at craft/art shows, along with my novels.



If you ever wonder why I don't produce more books quickly, you'll see some of what I'm up to when I'm not writing. Please know that besides this blog, a pleasant time-stealer for me, and painting small objects like my Secret Pebbles, among other things, my first love it writing.  Stay tuned for the next book.  I won't say when it will be out.  I will tell you to visit this blog often and look for the latest Goodbye Lie Diary entries by Peeper or Aunt Noreen or Breelan, etc.  Along with their help, we'll keep you up to date ...


Meanwhile, take a look at what goes on this side of the keyboard!

Jane Marie

Cast Iron and The Goodbye Lie Diaries-Peeper

Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida
Present time

Jane Marie writes:  My friend, Emmie Noble, had Bunko at her house the other day.  Emmie loves antiques, as do I.  Quick to spot the unusual, I spied this case iron string holder hanging from beneath her kitchen cabinet. 

 *****************************************************

Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

1880s

Grandmother Peeper writes:  

I have one a them twine holders ahangin' in my pantry. I use the string ta tie up chicken legs and packages. Miss Ella is forever sendin' gifts and such ta her sister, Aunt Coe.  I have been knowed ta tie a piece a  string about my wrist in order ta remind me not ta fight with Aunt Noreen.  It don't stay on my wrist fur too long 'cause I like ta fight with Noreena. I always win. 

Valentine Brownies

Shirlene Reeves, our contributing chef,  has created a simple, yet elegant, Valentine dessert. She's a scratch
baker and we all appreciate her efforts because scratch is so rare these days.  If you are unable to take the time to make scratch brownies, grab a box of brownie mix at the store.  As you can see from the picture, Shirlene had a heart shaped mini-brownie pan. Once baked, she placed her brownies on a pretty platter and gave them a light dusting of powdered/confectioners' sugar.  Add some whole strawberries as garnish and you've got a lovely holiday sweetie to share at home, work, church or to keep all for yourself (while you read a good romance novel...say something from The Goodbye Lie series, perhaps?)  Thank you, Shirlene. You've done it, again! 

If You Don't Have a

 Heart-Shaped Pan

Use one round cake pan and one square pan. When your cakes are baked, turn them out of the pans. Lay the square brownie so it looks like a diamond on a foil covered cookie sheet unless you have a large platter. One corner of the square brownie will be the bottom point of the heart. Next, take the round brownie and cut it in half.  Place a half-round at each diagonal top edge of the square brownie to form the shape of a heart.  Slather on chocolate frosting to keep it together. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and top with those fresh strawberries.  For one thick large brownie, use two boxes of mix.  For one thin large brownie, use one box. 

Picture Hat + Goodbye Lie Excerpt

Large, wide-brimmed garden hats, later called picture hats because they framed the face, were very popular in the  late 1800s and into the new century. Decorated with silk flowers, ribbon, lace, tulle, etc, their detail was appreciated by both men and woman, and, I dare say, they were sometimes the subject of talk, kind and unkind.  

 

Excerpt from The Goodbye Lie: 

      ... "Breelan, answer me! I said open this door!"

     Trip shook her and mumbled callously, "Tell him you're fine. Tell him, or the next time you'll get more than a little slap from me. Tell him!"

     Coming around, Breelan knew Waite would break the door down if she couldn't convince him of Trip's lie. She didn't want to involve him any deeper in her misery. "Yes, yes," she said breathlessly. "I'm fine, Captain... Leave us. Please." 

     Unconvinced, he called again, "Bree?" 

    He has to believe me for both our sake. Trip is capable of much cruelty, and I fear for Waite even more than for myself. "We'll be with you in a moment. We're both very hungry. They are still serving breakfast, aren't they? It isn't too late, is it?" The more she spoke, the more composed she commanded her voice to become. "See you in the dining salon soon."

Get The Goodbye Lie series in e-book and paperback HERE

     "If you're not on deck in fifteen minutes, I'm coming back!  Understood?"

     "Yes, sir!" she said, forcing a jovial lilt to her tone.

     Trip smiled at her. "Very good. Very good," he whispered through gritted teeth. "I'll remember how readily you lie. I'll remember, too, just how trustworthy you are. And you remember, Breelan, I'll be watching you!" His malice filled the beautiful room and turned it ugly. 

     "Dress at once. We wouldn't want your friend, the captain, bothering us again when we're so in love."

     A heavy dusting of powder and a wide-brimmed hat tied with blue tulle hid the light lavender bruise rising on Breelan's right cheek. The white silk gardenias on her chapeau cascaded around the edge of the brim, so she cocked her headpiece to conceal and distract...

Make Your Own Picture Hat:

Although much less pain-painstakingly created than the original hats, it is easy and fun to make your own hat for a costume or play.  Find a large beach hat you have or go to the thrift store and, as I did in the photo, twist and tie ribbon and tulle around the base of the crown.  Stick in flowers and a bow, fluff, and you're done, no glue or stitching needed.  Quickly remove and you have your original hat back and ready for the beach, gardening or vacation.  If you want the decorations to stay permanently, use hot glue (keeping a glass of water close to dip in your fingers in the event you accidentally touch the glue) or baste with thread.

Fun Discovery-Hollywood Hearts

Eagle Eye, that would be me, does it again.  Look at the picture above.  There is Bette Davis on the left and Miriam Hopkins on the right in Old Acquaintance from 1943. It's about two frenemy-type authors competing for more than book sales. (Being a writer, I especially enjoy movies about writers.)  It was during the final scene from this film I made my discovery.  Examine the photo more closely now to see a physical representation of the occupation of these women.  Find it????  Look at the coffee table in front of the couch.  It seems to be two huge books, one atop the other!  I am proud of my powers of observation.

Writers, like set designers, add so very many tiny details to a story/movie to flavor it up, just like this book-table.  And how many of those tiny details are more often missed than seen?  It's a bonus when the audience finds our efforts.  That's why we all never tire of rereading-rewatching favorite books and movies. Each time, we can uncover a new something in the words or pictures to treasure. 

P.S. Do a search and you can find free versions of Old Acquaintance to download or pay $2.99 for it.  

By the way, I read where Bette and Miriam disliked each other immensely.  With a little research, that is a future blog...

Genius

Displayed in an office, this lovely tree reminds me of the ones we had at home when I was growing up.  Although it is artificial and doesn't have the big colored lights or the rotating color wheel shining up at it from the floor,  with the mismatched ornaments, it still says home, in part, because of the hanging tinsel. 

   

I remember that tinsel we used to have, which landed more on the floor than on the tree, and how my sister and I got into fights over the stuff.  She wanted it hung skinny strand by skinny strand, singularly. If I am honest, that is the way it should be hung.  It didn't matter to me.  Short of rolling a handful into a ball and pitching it toward the branches, I threw pinches of it at the tree.  Most of what the needles caught, lay in silver clumps, and only a few feet up from the bottom.  I was a short little kid, after all, so my aim wasn't great and my reach wasn't too high. 

Since you don't always see tinsel on a tree these days,  I was happy to discover it.  The thing is, it's not your mother's tinsel. This stuff is wider and longer and probably made of that mylar balloon-type stuff. I tried to take a photo of it for you. Look closely, below, to see that the tinsel doesn't come in single strands.  It is, instead, cut in strips and part of several layers of mylar.  You simply rip off what you want and the rest stays put, waiting for you next year, when you decorate.  Genius, I tell you.  Pure genius!   

tinsel just waiting to be ripped off and hung!

New Friends

Sue'Anne Dawson, Jane Marie and Kim Marcum

It is such a pleasure for me to meet new people.  This day was particularly special because Sue'Anne Dawson, Kim Marcum and I had a fine chat.  From a discussion about personalities that evolved into novels, the minutes slipped away and I have made two new friends.  I am blessed.             

Georgia Friends

Left to right: Sue Brown, Jane Marie, Sally Whitten

Last year I attended the annual King of Peace Bazaar in Kingsland, Georgia, not quite an hour from my Amelia Island, Florida home. I met tons of folks as you do when working a craft show. (Besides my novels, I have many handmade crafts, most of which are only available when I do a big show.  I will put some of them online for sale, when I can find the time.) I attended the bazaar this year, too. An hour into the show, two lovely ladies came up to me and told me how much they enjoyed my Goodbye Lie series. So much so, they drove from Georgia down to Fernandina to get their copy of my latest novel, Amelia Island's Mark of a Man. I told them they could have ordered it online or from their local book store, but because Amelia Island is so wonderful to visit, they preferred to come to our little town where the stories take place, and get it here, locally.

They went on to tell me how they saw an ad saying the bazaar would take place in a month's time and they made a point of attending, in the hope I would be there, with my 4th novel, Amelia Island's Sand and Sin.  I had to tell them it is written and I will begin editing it in 2016.  I was very flattered, of course, because their love of the stories was apparent.  They "get" the whole Goodbye Lie world. So, please say hi to Sue Brown and Sally Whitten.  They are faithful Goodbye Lie-rs, like the rest of us! 

Oh, please be sure and share this blog with your friends.  We do have some fun and, once in a while, informative times, don't we?

A Lucy Moment - What Does It Mean?

It was a gray and nasty day and there I was, signing books at Books Plus in Fernandina.  I looked out the rain streaked window to see one of those roadside snipe signs, which read: OKS.  Hmm, thought I.  Could it stand for Oklahoma State, Old Kings' School, Odd Key Store?  Then the wind blew the other way and the bent sign straightened out to read: BOOKS.

Anti-Shades of Grey

This is America and that means you are free to read the book and watch the movie Fifty Shades of Grey. To quote a description of the movie I found online: true sexual proclivities push the boundaries of pain and pleasure.  If this is what you like, have at it.

If however, you prefer the less graphic, more tasteful romantic, as I do--Well, my Amelia Island historical series is like that. And I'm proud of that fact.  I often tell potential readers I dedicated The Goodbye Lie  to my father  and I didn't want to be embarrassed when Daddy read it.  All the females know what I mean.  

Bottom line:  There are alternatives out there that keep the proprieties in tact.  Spread the word.  Tasteful is still in style.  Let's keep it alive for future generations. The idea of romance in the privacy of the mind, is a better thing. Think Gone With The Wind...

A taste of romance from The Goodbye Lie: 

     Mental pictures of Breelan overpowered his wishes. Who the hell am I? Some irresistible rake she couldn't live without?  What a fool I've been to think she would return my affection. Because I love her is no reason she should love me.  I'm but one of the drooling dogs.  

     "Only a few more days," he said aloud and the overhearing crew silently commiserated with their mournful captain, knowing his affliction would last a lifetime.

Happy Valentine's Day!

The Goodbye Lie, Amelia Island's Velvet Undertow and Amelia Island's Mark of a Man are available in paperback and ebook at Amazon.com and book sources everywhere. http://www.amazon.com/The-Goodbye-Jane-Marie-Malcolm/dp/0974918229 

First Official Poster

Here is the first official poster for my recently completed Goodbye Lie trilogy.  I thought the antique looking background added the element of history.  The phrase -  "where Little House on the Prairie meets Gone With The Wind ..." - combines the two wonderful entertainments to speak not only of family, but of tasteful romance.  The copy is descriptive yet simple.  I like it!   -jmm

PS - Did you notice, the poster says The Goodbye Lie series and I write about the trilogy.  Hmm ... Could that mean there may be a forth book in the future?  I'll enjoy the feeling of accomplishment for a few months at having three and then ...

Buy your paperback or e-Book today:
 
 The Goodbye Lie - http://www.amazon.com/Goodbye-Lie-Jane-Marie-Malcolm/dp/0974918229/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422151796&sr=1-2&keywords=the+goodbye+lie

Amelia Island's Velvet Undertow - http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=amelia+island+velvet+undertow&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Aamelia+island+velvet+undertow

Amelia Island's Mark of a Man - http://www.amazon.com/Amelia-Islands-MARK-OF-MAN/dp/1496944429

... at book sources everywhere!