Have Some Pie

In my youth, my older sister and I were responsible for preparing the family dinners. She usually did the main cooking and I made the desserts. I enjoyed baking, but my skills, as a ten-year-old, were pretty basic. I made cookies and tapioca pudding, that type of baking.

So, I realized I needed help when my writing and my story lines took me to pioneer baking. I'm working on two manuscripts simultaneously, and both of them involved baking pies, of which I know nothing. It was time to call in the big guns. One of my writing buddies is a pie-maker extraordinaire. She shows off her pie-making capabilities on her Facebook page, and I drool over them. Unfortunately, she lives on the other side of the continent, so I've not been able to taste any of her creations, but when I needed some assistance in my fictional pie-baking, she was there for me.

Together, we created a strawberry pie for my hero to enjoy while the heroine was convincing him to let her stay on the farm and help out. After all, the way to a man's heart, and all that...

Hopefully, the hero will realize the heroine is more than a pretty pie. Thank you, Micah, for all the help.

We're All In This Together

I don't know about you, but I've been hearing from my family and friends on a regular basis these days. If it's done nothing else good, at least the Corona Virus has brought my family closer. We have weekly phone call check-ins now, to make certain everyone is still safe and healthy. And my friends, who are the family I've chosen, not the one I was born into, all check in several times a week, so we can stay abreast of each other and our emotions as we roll along through this crisis.

This past week, I heard from my 85-year-old uncle in Ohio. The last time we talked was months ago. 

So, silver lining to this madness. I'll take it. 

In times such as we're currently living through, it's family and friends that can get you to the other side. I feel a circling of the wagons taking place in America. Stay safe and wear your mask. 

Bring On The Heat

It's summer in the south...need I say more?

It you're addicted to the HGTV show HomeTown, like so many of my friends are, you know how hot southern summers can be. Poor Ben can't get through a day without his shirt being soaking wet from his sweat within minutes.

But I'm talking here about another kind of heat. Here's part of a review from my latest book, A British Heiress in America:

 In some of Becky Lower's hottest writing to date, we see a British stowaway make her way to Boston in the heart of upheaval.

My best friend had an aunt named Dot who I had the pleasure of meeting a few years before she passed on. She was well into her 80s when we met, but she got a kick out of knowing an actual author and insisted on reading my books. Her only complaint about them was the sex part was boring and I should learn some new tricks. After reading this book, my friend said Aunt Dot would have been pleased. 

This is the start of a trilogy about three English ladies who, for differing reasons, reach the shores of America during the Revolutionary War. Book One sets the tone for the rest of the series, and if this one is considered hot, the rest of them should be as well. Especially the second one, which is entitled A British Courtesan in America. 

So, I've been spending this week, which is the hottest week of the year so far here in North Carolina, amping up the heat in my second book. Even in the A/C, it's getting hot in here. 

Any recommendations on how to cool off? 

Giving Thanks

I know–it's not Thanksgiving.

But it is Independence Day Weekend. It's time to give thanks for being raised in this country. When I was a kid, living in the country, we just had sparklers for fireworks. It wasn't until I moved to Washington, DC, while in my 20s, that I saw real fireworks. The show during the celebration of our nation's 200th anniversary, in 1976, has never been duplicated, at least in my mind.

This year, it's not safe to gather for a big fireworks display, so my dog, Mary, and I are staying home and hunkering down. We'll stay safe and count our blessings. Mary's thankful for the new FreshPet Chicken bits I bought for her, since she no longer is interested in dry food. I'm thankful I can work from home and only wander out to the grocery and the dump. I'm thankful to my loyal fans who have been waiting for two years for the Revolutionary Women series to be published. I hope the wait was worthwhile. I love each of my spunky heroines. They would have contributed to the cause of freedom, for sure.

https://www.amazon.com/British-Heiress-America-Revolutionary-Women-ebook/dp/B089RNSY3P

We are facing new challenges to that freedom today. As Ben Franklin said about the type of government we had, so long ago. "It's a Republic, if you can keep it."

We are trying, Ben.

I'm thankful that my voice counts, as small as it is. I can peacefully protest, even though that's been called into question lately. I will wear my mask in public, not question the choices of others, and cast my vote in November. That's my right and for that, I'm thankful. 

Happy Independence Day Weekend, everyone!