Tag: books

Fiction Friday: An interview with Jenny Knipfer, author of Priscilla.

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings2 Comments

It’s time to introduce you to another one of the authors from the Apron Strings Series, a series of books by eleven different authors that follow the story of eleven women from each decade. The books can be read independently and one will be released each month in 2024 except December.

This week we are meeting Priscilla, the character from the third book in the series. This novel is written by Jenny Knipfer, who is the creator of this series. She is the one who had the idea and brought all of us authors together to create the series.

Here is a short interview with Jenny to tell you a little more about Priscilla and Jenny herself:

1.         Tell us a little about yourself:

I grew up on a small family dairy farm in eastern Wisconsin. I have such fond memories of those days, and they shaped me in so many positive ways. 

Later with almost four years of college in, life interrupted, and my husband and I found out we were expecting our first child. I was a stay-at-home mom for a number of years and also when our next son came along. When both the boys were in school, I worked part-time using some of my creativity as a florist and a children’s librarian.

I am a very creative person, and I’ve done so many things through the years to express my creativity, from playing music to painting and drawing, to sewing and crafts of all sorts. And writing. That’s been there in the background all along.

In 2014 I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and it’s been quite a rough ride since. In 2018 I had to retire from my job because of my disability and didn’t know how I was going to fill up my time, but suddenly I thought of a novel I had started years ago. I resurrected the book from an old computer and pecked away at it and finished it in a couple months. Then, I kept writing… 

Since then, I have learned a lot as an independent author, and with God’s grace, despite my continuing disability, have gone on to write and publish twelve novels. 

My writing has slowed of late because I’ve been facing more physical disabilities and emotional stress. I have been away from home for over four months, living in a nursing home. The Medicaid program I am now on is working to get me home, but it has been taking a very long time. I miss my home in the country, my family, my dog, my plants, and all of my things. I miss my happy place of writing. I hope to be back there soon and filled with more inspiration and spirit to keep writing stories that will not only entertain but encourage readers along their particular path in life. 

I am blessed to be married to a wonderful man for more than 30 years. We have two adult sons, two grandchildren with another one on the way, a daughter-in-law, and a soon-to-be daughter-in-law. I am also a dog mom to our mini Yorkie, Ruby. She is bright, fierce, tiny, and full of character, and adds so much joy to our lives.

2.         What is your latest book about? Who are the main characters and when and where does it take place?

My latest book is Priscilla in the series Apron Strings, which I created and invited other authors to join. It follows the theme of a traveling cookbook throughout a 100-year span, passing through the hands of various women. My book is set in the late 1940s after World War II. 

The synopsis: 

ONE COOKBOOK CONNECTS THEM ALL…

Book three in a string of heartfelt inspirational stories, featuring different women throughout the decades from 1920 to 2020

In the post-WWII era of 1946, Priscilla Hadley dreams of being a wife and homemaker, but there’s one big obstacle in her mind—Priscilla has been told she can’t cook to save her life. However, she’s out to prove that wrong, especially to handsome but annoying Aaron Johnson, her twin brother Jeremy’s friend and fishing buddy, who also happens to be the local police lieutenant.

 In an effort to polish up her culinary shortcomings, Priscilla joins a local cooking club. A woman from the club gifts Priscilla a cookbook that could very well put her on the path to realizing her dreams. Much to their surprise, Priscilla and her family find much more than recipes within the cookbook’s pages. What will be its greatest blessing?

With an ailing father and the Wisconsin family farm to help keep afloat, in the absence of two brothers who died in the war, where will Priscilla find the time to learn to cook? Will she renew her faith in the presence of adversity or allow her present fears and past losses to dictate her future? 

3.         What is the overarching messages of your latest book?

I toyed with the idea of turning traditional gender roles around in Priscilla. After World War II, things changed for women and men in the workforce and even with what was expected of them at home. But I would say the message of Priscilla is one of trusting God when you can’t see how or where your help will come from. I guess that’s called Faith! And Priscilla learns that what she can do or not do does not matter so much as the kind of person that she is on the inside.

4.         Did you learn anything about writing or yourself as you were writing the book?

I think that with every book I have written, I have learned more about writing and myself. Priscilla has strong elements of familial ties, and I really worked hard to portray those well and in a way that was inspiring at times and comical at others. I always relive a part of my life when I write a book, because there’s always some of my story in it, even if it’s just a little bits and pieces. I did that with Priscilla, writing about the importance of family and growing up on a farm.

5.         Where can readers find out more about you and your projects? (Social media links)

Find out about all of my books and more on my website at: https://jennyknipfer.com/

Readers can follow me on:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07QV9HPH4

Facebook at https://facebook.com/jennyknipfer.writer/

Instagram at https://intsagram.com/jennknipferbrave/

I am most active on social media via my Facebook group, Journeying with Jenny: https://www.facebook.com/groups/402738713921985/ 

Join my newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/742af683508f/join-my-author-team-as-a-subscriber

And here is a short excerpt from Priscilla, which you can buy here: https://www.amazon.com/Priscilla-Apron-Strings-Book-3-ebook/dp/B0CM3X9LC3

EXCERPT: 

Priscilla couldn’t cook to save her life.

That was what Aaron Johnson had said, anyway, and his opinion was the only one that mattered to her.

Aaron was her twin brother Jeremy’s annoying but attractive best friend and fishing buddy, and he had been hanging around a lot of late. Far from the tall, scrawny kid Priscilla remembered

from school, Aaron had filled out nicely. She keenly noticed when he moved his arms how his shirt tightened over the lumps of muscle underneath. His face had taken on some substance too.

With a straight nose, evenly spaced, dark blue eyes, and lips that had nice curves and peaked points, he had always had fine features. But being so thin as an adolescent had made him look

like a scarecrow. A determined edge to her jaw, Priscilla Hadley folded a wad of bread dough on the butcher block counter and punched it with a fist.

Do or die; I’m gonna prove Aaron wrong! Sure, the potatoes she had made for supper last night had gotten a little too crispy, and the carrots had been a wee bit

mushy.

You can’t justify those pork chops, her conscience told her.

Her spirit sank. Those Priscilla had burnt. But not on purpose. She had only taken her eyes off the pan for a few minutes.

The screen door banged, and Priscilla turned her head to see Jeremy step into the house. His thick brown hair hung over his forehead. He pulled off his boots and walked into the kitchen.

Tucking his thumbs behind the suspenders on his overalls, he sniffed.

“What ya cooking tonight for supper?” he asked, smiling, one corner of his thin lips hiking higher than the other. He winked at her, his brown eyes fringed with what Priscilla

liked to refer to as his cow lashes.

Why does he have all the luck?

Priscilla inwardly sighed. Her lashes were thin and short, and on occasion she’d taken to coating them with mascara. Although she would never admit to that.

Jeremy cleared his throat. “I…sure hope it’ll be better than last night.”

Without a second thought, Priscilla scrunched the towel she had hanging over her shoulder and pitched it in her brother’s direction.

He chuckled and ducked. “Hey, now. None of that. I was just kidding.”

Maybe he was, but Priscilla knew the truth: she was not a very good cook. It amazed her that she cobbled enough together to pull off a meal several nights a week. Jeremy pitched in too.

Thank goodness for that. And she had to admit, he was much better at it than her.

Dad took care of breakfast, making one of his three standbys: oatmeal with raisins, honey, and cream; eggs and bacon; or hotcakes. And everyone fended for themselves at lunchtime. But suppers had been mostly left up to her since Mom had passed away, almost twelve years ago. Priscilla had been far too young to lose Mom, and not a day went by that she didn’t miss her. Mom had succumbed to influenza. It still made Priscilla mad that such an everyday illness had taken her mother’s life.

Priscilla had tried to pick up the slack after Mom died, doing most of the housework. But she had always disliked cooking, and before Mom had passed had usually made herself scarce when there was any to be done.

Somehow, her three brothers, her dad, and she had managed as a family for many years until Peter, her oldest brother, had died two years ago. Mown down by a bullet, somewhere on a

distant battlefield. It had taken them all more than a year to get over the loss of him, and of course they never truly would. How did one recover from such things? Losing Mom had been

difficult enough.

Then, a month before the war had ended, Reuben had died. They’d never found out how. Just chalked up as another soldier who had lost his life, along with so many others. That left her,

Dad, and Jeremy. Jeremy hadn’t fought because the government had considered him exempt, since he was running the family farm and a bout of polio in his childhood had left him with an

uneven gait and a weakened leg.

Jeremy snuck by her and pulled the cookie tin off the shelf.

He opened it and grabbed a couple of oatmeal raisin cookies that a neighbor had dropped by yesterday.

Taking a big bite from one, he said through a mouthful of cookie, “Mmm, these taste just like how Ma used to make them.”

And there it was—that burning pain. That little tweak of jealousy in the pit of her stomach and the whispered words in her ear: You’ll never be the cook your mother was. Nor the

woman, Priscilla ventured to wager.

Remembering Little House on the Prairie on its 50th anniversary

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings12 Comments

When I was in elementary school, and probably a bit beyond, I would walk down the long driveway toward my home, knowing what waited for me there.

My mom would be in the kitchen, the smell of whatever she was cooking drifting to me as soon as I opened the door. That door opened into a dining room with one of the ugliest green carpets you have ever seen but I didn’t know it was ugly back then. In that room was a large dining room table to my left and in front of me was a dresser with a mirror.

To my right was the living room where our old black and white TV (later it was a color one our grandmother gave us when she got a new one) sat, ready to be turned on so I could flop down in front of it and eat a snack and watch Little House on the Prairie, which would come on around 4 on our local PBS channel. The show was based on the book series of the same name by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the show’s premiere so there has been a lot of talk about it. There was even a three-day festival recently held on the ranch where the show was filmed.

By the time I was watching the show in the mid-1980s, the show had been off the air for about three years so these were all reruns. I found it relaxing to watch a show about people living life in the later 1800s, experiencing life as pioneers on the prairie. I didn’t realize or comprehend some of the harsh conditions and darker storylines until I was older.

I was probably reading the books around the same time I was watching the show, but I can’t remember for sure. I do remember reading the books late into the night, sometimes pulling the covers over my head and using a flashlight to finish a chapter or two or three. They were paperback books that had a paper and ink smell that I credit for igniting my interest in all things printed – including the print media I would work in for almost 15 years.

Sadly we lost my set during our move four years ago and it still breaks my heart. I truly hope we find them packed away in some box somewhere in the house.

I remember Mom standing in my doorway one night on her way to bed saying, “Lisa, I love that you are reading but you’ll have to continue tomorrow because at this rate you’re going to have a very hard time getting up for school in the morning.”

I’m sure that the next morning was rough for me but I was not allowed to stay home because I’d been up late reading. Books later became an escape for me during school, which my introverted self was not a fan of. I read historical fiction throughout most of high school and I’d imagine that was because my first introduction into literature was through Laura’s historically-based books.

The Little House show wasn’t exactly like the books and that was fine with me. It was still fun seeing the characters come to life in a way through Melissa Gilbert and Michael Landon and all the other actors.

Watching clips of the recent 50th-anniversary festival on various social media outlets made me feel a type of connection with others who grew up watching the show. I did not, however, know as much about the show or remember as many of the episodes as some of those fans did. I was also not as obsessed as some of them, but, hey, they were having good, clean fun by dressing up as characters and waiting in long lines to get autographs from the actors who played the characters so more power to them.

I remember the earlier episodes the most, maybe because our PBS station only ran certain seasons before starting over again. I watched the rest of the seasons when I got older but remember them not being as magical to me as the earlier seasons.

Once Mary (spoiler alert) lost her eyesight and Laura lost her son in infancy, I started to get depressed and turn it off. It was all based on the true stories of the women, of course, but I still found it heartbreaking to watch. It was no longer the escape I thought I needed.

In real life, as detailed in the books and other historical sources, Mary Ingalls did lose her eyesight. Carolyn and Laura Ingalls both gave birth to baby boys that did not survive and, in fact, none of the Ingalls women could carry boys to term and in some cases they had no children at all.

Dean Butler, who played Almonzo Wilder, Laura’s husband, on the show spearheaded the effort for the festival, along with Alison Arngrim who played the easy-to-hate Nellie Olson.

It was nice to hear that, for the most part, the time filming that show was pleasant for the cast. While the woman who played Carolyn, Karen Grassle, has made some unpleasant accusations against show creator Michael Landon, the cast has still said that their experience filming the show and in the years afterward have been pleasant. Of course, Grassel didn’t have to make accusations about some things – many people know that Landon had an affair with a makeup artist while filming, something that destroyed his marriage. That affair resulted in his third marriage.

Grassel recently said in an interview that she was never able to clear the air, so to speak, with Landon about the issues between them (one large one having to do with Grassel’s lack of a pay raise while filming and another one having to do with jokes Landon would sometimes make on set) but she was able to talk to him before he passed away from pancreatic cancer in 1991 and they were able to get along well without bringing up the past.

What I learned from watching the retrospect of the cast members during the festival held a couple of weeks ago was that even with some of Landon’s failings many in the cast look back on their time on the set as a simpler time in their lives. They look to Landon as a father figure, who was not perfect, but who was still special and important to them.

Even with some hard moments between herself and Landon, I think even Grassel saw her life during those years as somewhat simpler, at least based on some of the memories she shared.

The set was relaxed and joyful and there was a lot of free time for the children to explore and simply be children. They played in the creeks and learned old-fashioned games and values that they carried with them throughout their lives.

Melissa Gilbert and I would not see eye-to-eye these days on some political or social issues, but we would see eye-to-eye on the idea of simple living. She spent many years in Hollywood working her way up the acting ladder, falling prey to the idea that to be happy in life you needed to work hard all of the time and look the way Hollywood said you should look. Now Melissa is in her 60s and she is embracing the simple pleasures of life. She’s let go of looking like a Hollywood starlet and she’s enjoying cooking on her own having a home in the country and just simply stepping away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the world.

She co-runs a company called Modern Prairie and has fully embraced her past identity as the TV version of Laura Ingalls Wilder, even as some in the world want to criticize Wilder for the topics they feel she didn’t handle sensitively enough in her books.

Melissa’s brother Jonathan Gilbert played Willie Olson on the show and for years he didn’t attend fan events or even talk about his time on the show. He walked away from acting and became a stock broker for a few years. Now, though, as he moves through his 50s, he said at the festival that he sees his time on Little House as one of the times when he really feels like he was home.

There was a definite spiritual component to the show, spearheaded by Michael Landon’s faith. Some of you may remember he also developed and produced a show called Highway to Heaven starring himself as an angel who came to earth to help people. Victor French, who played Mr. Edwards on Little House, co-starred on Highway to Heaven with him.

Christianity was the main focus of the spiritual element, which could be seen in many of the episodes but especially the Christmas episodes and a two-parter called The Lord is My Shepherd. This is interesting because Landon was raised Jewish. His father was Jewish and his mother was Christian, but in interviews, he said the Christian holidays he celebrated were mainly for family time and not out of religious devotion. Michael was born Eugene Maurice Orowitz, by the way. He changed his name for acting purposes.

Ironically, after the divorce, his ex-wife, Lynn, did become a Christian and Michael’s son Michael Jr., became one as well and has since helped make some Christian movies and entertainment.

A couple of weeks ago I read a very interesting comment on social from someone who watched the show and picked up on the Christian undertones when they watched the show as a child, which led to an eventual life-changing experience.

“I had a realization as I was watching the Church service [at the festival] that I wanted to share,” Meryl Heilberg Jefferson wrote. “I was raised Jewish. My grandfather was actually a Rabbi. I was at my grandparents’ house every weekend from Friday until Sunday from the beginning of my memory. That being said, I was a voracious reader from a young age. Not to mention an AVID LHOTP reader and series watcher. I used to play LHOTP in the schoolyard, (It was vast like a prairie) across from my house. I had a SUNBONNET and prairie-style clothing. I was hard-core living the prairie life in the 1970’s. “

“In 2010 I became a Christian,” Jefferson continued. “(I had actually been attending churches long before, but afraid to say anything to anyone for fear of my family’s rejection.) I truly believe that one of my mustard seeds, God put MANY in my path, was my love for anything and everything that had to do with Laura Ingalls Wilder. Hearing Wendi Lou Lee (Hester Sue in the show) speak tonight really spoke to my heart and reminded me of some of the memories I had suppressed from my childhood. I think Michael Landon shared the Gospel with me. I wish he was here so I could thank him personally. It is one of the first things I will do when I see him in Heaven! I now wonder if that was his intent. Or, was he looking to put wholesome television in front of families.”

It may not have been Landon’s intention to bring a generation to Christ but in some cases, it was what he did.

I’ve seen people react in anger when someone says that the past was simpler, easier or more pleasant. People often shoot back with, “There was crime and war and horrors back then too. The time you lived in wasn’t so special.”

Yes, there was war, crime, sadness, heartache, and tragedy back when I was a child. The difference was that I didn’t have it shoved in my face all day long on my phone or computer, in the store, on TV, and anywhere else that I turn.

My parents didn’t shelter me but they also didn’t talk as openly about the sadness in the world, partially because it wasn’t something they could constantly learn about through computers, smartphones, or 24/7 news services.

So for me, it was a simpler time. It was a calmer time.

It was a time when I had a routine. I went to school and then no matter what kind of day I had I could count on coming home and my mom being there cooking dinner and me eating a snack (usually peanut butter on toast) while watching Little House on the Prairie reruns. Later the PBS station would switch between Little House and The Waltons so I also watched The Waltons. At 6 they would air either The Dick VanDyke Show or Burns and Allen.

These shows were comfort watches for me back then. Now that I am older, caught up in a world that seems to be spinning faster than ever, they have become even more important to me. They are now touching points for me — a point in my life I can reconnect with, find those simpler moments again, and escape, even if only briefly, from a world that makes less and less sense each day.


Here is an interview with Melissa Gilbert about the show three years ago.

And here is an interview with Alison Arngrim from the 50th-anniversary festival in California:

And here is one of my favorite scenes from the show:

Sunday Bookends: a little outing and a book sale

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings23 Comments




It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, what the rest of the family and I have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.

This week I’m joining up with Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer, Deb at Readerbuzz, and Kathyrn at The Book Date.

What’s Been Occurring

My husband has been running every day this week for either work or a play he was rehearsing for but he still wanted to go to lunch and a used book sale 45 minutes away from us. We spent the morning and part of the afternoon doing that and I came home with a large stack of books, some children’s books, and some cozy mysteries. Today they had a $ 5-a-bag sale so we filled up two bags.

Little Miss picked out four for me but I rejected the one because I am not a huge fan of the author.

I told her I liked the cover very much though and thanked her.

Little Miss picked out several books with animals on them.

The Husband picked out a number of books, including two he had been looking for other places.

Today we will go see The Husband in his play. They are performing The War of The Worlds radio drama.

What I/we’ve been Reading

Currently:

Right now I am reading The Secret Garden by Frances Hodges Burnett, The Proverb of the Divine Streusel by Sara Brunsvold, and at night I’m reading a cute, short cozy mystery called A Troubling Case of Murder on the Menu by Donna Doyle.

Just Finished:

This past week I finished Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor and Nightfall on Predicament Avenue by Jaime Jo Wright.

I hated Wright’s book by the end and will not be endorsing it in the future.

I liked Murder in an Irish Village and purchased a couple of other books in the series on the Kindle.

Soon/eventually to be read:

The Mystery at Lilac Inn by Carolyn Keene

Death At A Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly

Murder Always Barks Twice by Jennifer Hawkins

What everyone else is reading:

Little Miss and I are reading The Middle Moffat at bedtime.

The Boy is reading Horus Rising and The Pearl by John Steinbeck.

The Husband is reading … well, I have no idea. He’s been so busy this week I don’t think he’s even had time to read.

What We watched/are Watching

This past week I watched Dr. Quinn Medicine Women, To The Manor Born, and yesterday  I watched a marathon of As Time Goes By and then a couple episodes of Mary Berry.

What I’m Writing

I finished Cassie and this week I  hope to write some blog posts and then start Gladwynn Grant’s third book.

On the blog I shared:

What I’m Listening to

I’ve been listening to an audio dramatization of Jane Austen books. Right now I am on Mansfield Park.

Blog Posts I Enjoyed This Past Week

Cards and Scrapbooking Pages I made by My Slices of Life

Joy in Imperfection by Ink Torrents

Words for Wednesday by Mama’s Empty Nest


Now it’s your turn

Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.

What I’m currently loving, looking forward to, buying, planting, and . . . cleaning?

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn currently, everyday musings13 Comments

I am joining Jennifer at All 4 Boys for Currently for April after seeing this on Erin’s blog at Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs. This is a feature held the first Wednesday of the month where you share what you are currently …well, whatever the themes are for that month. This month the theme is what we are currently loving, looking forward to, buying, planting, and cleaning.

Currently Loving

I am currently loving reading The Middle Moffat by Eleanor Estes to Little Miss, who is 9. I read this book in March for Middle Grade March and really enjoyed it but it is even more fun sharing it with my daughter. It is old fashioned, sure, since it was written in the 1940s but that doesn’t bother me at all. It has some super cute stories in it.

I am currently reading Little Miss the chapter where the main character Janey (she’s about 10) is trying to keep the “oldest inhabitant” safe. The oldest inhabitant is a 99-year-old Civil War veteran whom the town is anxious to celebrate the 100th birthday of and Janey makes friends with him in the beginning of the book. Throughout the book she works hard to protect him from any harm and the friendship grows. It is super sweet and adorable.

I am looking forward to reading the other books in the series soon.

Looking Forward To

I guess I could have used the above sentence for this. However, in addition to looking forward to reading the other Moffat books, I am also looking forward to warmer weather.

The last couple of weeks have been very cold, rainy, snowy, and dreary in our neck of the woods and I really need some sun.

Life has been a little down lately and I’m hopeful the sun might cheer me up a bit. That and the blooming flowers which will be pretty to look at even if they trigger my spring allergies. The neighbor has a few daffodils in their yard so that’s been nice to look at.

Buying

A new planner. I don’t know how I got into buying planners that go from July of one year to July of the next but I have and now I can’t seem to get myself unstuck so I am buying another planner this week so I can plan further out than July of this year. I used to buy these huge planners, but now I buy smaller ones that I can slide into my purse and carry around. Not so I can look at it and remember what I have to do, mind you. Just carry around and look like I’m organized, when I am totally not.

Planting

I should be planting plants or vegetables this month, but I’m not. Gardens, flowers, plants – they’re all failures for me usually. I kill them and sometimes they even toss themselves off shelves instead of letting me take them home with me where they know they will die anyhow.

Instead of living things, I am trying to plant some more faith this month. Faith and gratitude. I have been horribly depressed, bitter, and sad about the state of the world this week and I don’t want to be that person so I am taking advice from a book I am reading and doing the things I want the future me to do and that includes being more positive than negative. I have failed this week so pray I get better for the rest of the month.

Cleaning

I’m not cleaning the way I should be cleaning. I always seem to get wrapped up in other things – like writing blog posts or dealing with my daughter’s friend dramas.

It seems like I clean my living room and an hour later I clutter it again. Since our dishwasher died several months ago, I have been cleaning a lot of dishes and I will be doing that again today. I will also do my best to finish cleaning my daughter’s room and sliding a new sheet on her bed.

How about you? What are you loving, looking forward to, buying, planting, or cleaning currently?

My complex and confusing relationship with social media

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings15 Comments

I’m going to preface this post with a clarification – I am not whining about not making money or book sales. I’m just rambling to blog friends about some disappointments I’ve experienced and lessons I’m learning along this writing and life journey.

I have a love-hate relationship with social media and lately, that relationship has tipped into the hate category more than the love.

As a self-published author, I need to have some sort of presence online if I want to sell books and that includes social media. I started writing my fiction books for fun and to escape anxiety and depression. I shared them here on the blog, chapter by chapter, again, as an escape and for fun.

Selling books was secondary. When I saw that I might be able to provide a tiny amount to the monthly family income, I became more interested in selling. Unfortunately, to earn any money as an independent author you need to be willing to put out more money than you earn at first and when you already don’t have a lot of money, that’s a definite challenge.

I’ve been pushing posts and sharing about my books fairly consistently for five years now (while also trying not to always be pushing books) and in the end it really hasn’t mattered. Every month I make about $40 on book sales. Previously I would make between $10 and $20.

I work hard for that $40 but it’s really not a good return on all the time and money I’ve put into my books. A lot of it’s been – dare I even say it – a waste of time. One of those things are the posts I make and share to Instagram.

I have a lot of fun making memes, laughing over them, sharing them, and meeting people on social media through them. I don’t find everything I’ve done online a waste of time.

I’ve met some of the coolest people.

I’ve had some amazing opportunities.

I’ve found a way to distract myself from depression and anxiety that doesn’t involve drinking or eating myself into oblivion.

There is some good that has come from the time I’ve spent online.

A lot of good.

But I’ve also spent way too much time on things that haven’t mattered and aren’t helping my soul.

Balance is definitely key when it comes to social media.

Spending too much time on there can eat up your soul.

Spending too little time means you can’t connect and meet more people who might be interested in buying, or at least reading, your book.

This weekend I decided my soul was more important.

Now, this isn’t an announcement that I’m leaving social media, never to return. It isn’t even an announcement that I’m taking a break (even though I’m taking a small one that doesn’t involve going cold turkey but does involve backing off a bit). It’s just me sharing some thoughts about how social media has changed so many of us, how draining it can be, and how it steals a little part of our soul when we get too wrapped up in it.

I have seen people change as they become more popular on social media.

They’re more willing to compromise their values and morals as they become popular.

They often seem to be more interested in gaining followers, pats on the back, and overall attention than they are in sticking to their beliefs on a variety of issues. I get it. That shot of endorphins when someone likes a post or a lot of someones likes a post is addicting. Been there. Done that.

I have just decided I’d rather be unknown and poor than have to pretend I am someone I am not, to completely overshare every aspect of my personal life, or to compromise my integrity to get those likes.

The bottom line about my relationship with social media is . . . it’s complicated but I have my lines drawn and I intend to do my best to stay within those boundaries.

Sunday Bookends: Happy Easter, busy week so less reading, comfort watches

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends10 Comments

First, Happy Easter.

He has risen! He has risen indeed!

It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, what the rest of the family and I have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.

This week I’m joining up with Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer, Deb at Readerbuzz, and Kathyrn at The Book Date.


What’s Been Occurring

Last week was a crazy week in some ways and I detailed that more in my Saturday Morning Chat. The long and short of it is that there were some health issues within our family, everyone is okay, and my brain is trying to recover from it all.

Yesterday I didn’t have tons of time for my brain to recover since our daughter had a friend over and they tend to be a little crazy when they get together. They had a lot of fun, though, and it was a good day. And they weren’t really that crazy. We went to the playground and then they had fun splashing in the bathtub in their bathing suits. Earlier in the day they went to two Easter egg hunts as well.

And I did have some downtime for reading and watching Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, at least.

Today we are going to my parents for Easter dinner and an Easter egg hunt.

What I/we’ve been Reading

Currently:

I’m reading Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor and Night Falls on Predicament Avenue by Jamie Jo Wright still thanks to the aforementioned crazy week. Both are very good. I’ll probably be finished with Murder in an Irish Village today and Night Falls… later in the week.

The Secret Garden is also being read but slowly.



Soon to be read:


The Divine Proverb of Streusel by Sara Brunsvold

The Mystery at the Lilac Inn by Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew)

What We watched/are Watching

This week I watched Little House on the Prairie and Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman.

I also enjoyed relaxing to my favorite YouTube farmer, Farmer Pete:

There is something comforting about watching Pete and his wife work on the farm – feeding the cows and the chickens, fixing tractors, cooking beef brisket and just doing what they do every day.

I also watched this interview with two of the authors I am in a multi-author project with.

You can learn more about our project by watching this video or visiting our Facebook group.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/511319271100448

For Easter I am watching this:

and other songs related to Easter like this:


What I’m Writing

What I’m Listening To

I’ve been listening to Ellie Holcomb’s album, Canyons.

Blog Posts I Enjoyed This Past Week

Did Jesus Die on Friday by Nostalic Italian

Are You Following the Breadcrumbs by A New Lens

The Bookstore With One Million Books – Literally by Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs

Good Friday’s Not the End by Mama’s Empty Nest

Photos from this Week

Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.

Book recommendation: Murder Plainly Read by Isabella Alan

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings5 Comments

Murder Plainly Read by Isabella Alan, the fourth book in the Amish Quilt Shop Mysteries, was hard for me to put down not only because I wanted to find out who committed the crime in this super cozy mystery, but because I became attached to the main character Angela “Angie” Braddock and those around her.

Angie owns a fabric and quilting shop in the small town of Millersburg, which has a very large Amish population. She owns two pets – a loveable French Bulldog named Oliver and an aloof cat named Dodger. She’s dating the town’s sheriff, James Mitchell, which creates some interesting situations when she’s trying to investigate things she shouldn’t really be investigating.

Angie’s friends work in the shop or are connected to the shop in some way and are Amish. There are two different types of Amish sects in this community – more strict and more liberal. Angie’s employees – Anna and Mattie – are a mix of both.

Anna cracked me up because she is Amish but also wants to get to the bottom of things and in this case those “things” are surrounding the murder of a very cranky bishop of the Old Order Amish named Bartholomew Belier. He’s found dead in the library bookmobile by Angie and Angie’s “prim and proper” mother. Standing over him is brash librarian Austina Shaker, who is quickly blamed for the murder.

Angie isn’t sure if Austina is guilty or not but when Austina begs her to help clear her name, Angie can’t seem to help trying to find out. Anna also pushes Angie to get involved, certain she can help get to the bottom of what really happened to Bartholomew.

Angie does have a history of trying to solve murders, after all since she’s investigated and solved three murders previously. I should add that I didn’t realize this was the fourth book in this series when I started it and I had no issues understanding what was happening despite not reading the previous three yet.

The loveable cast of characters in the book include Anna and Mattie, Angie’s friends Rachel and Jonah, who are also Amish, Mitchell and his son Zander, a mischievous goat named Petunia, and Angie’s parents.

Her father is extra loveable and fun as he tries to navigate life after retirement. Her mother is more on the irritating side of things as she tries to run the show a lot and seems a bit stuck up but she keeps the storyline even more interesting as the reader braces themselves for what she’s going to say or do next.

There is much more than a mystery going on in this book and I like that. I like the little side stories with the different characters. I also loved the undercurrent of romance between Mitchell and Angie and how Alan didn’t need to add anything explicit or detailed to get across the feelings between the two.

There were even a few swoon-worthy scenes that made me giggle with delight over the gentle affection shown between the couple – affection that didn’t involve anything blush-worthy.

It’s amazing to me how just Mitchell brushing his fingertips against the back of Angie’s arm was enough to hint at sexual tension. No spicey scenes or language were needed.

I am looking forward to reading more books in this series.

Sunday Bookends: cozy mysteries, Little House on the Prairie marathon, and a few photos from the week

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends9 Comments



It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, what the rest of the family and I have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.

This week I’m joining up with Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer, Deb at Readerbuzz, and Kathyrn at The Book Date.

What’s Been Occurring

 It’s still been very cold this past week so we have been lighting a fire every other day.  We lit one last night as the temperature dropped to somewhere around 22 degrees. It looks like temps will warm up this week as we move into Good Friday and Easter.

I wrote a bit about our week last week in yesterday’s Saturday Afternoon Chat post if you want to catch up on other “events” of our week. Spoiler – there weren’t a lot of events actually.

What I/we’ve been Reading

I’m reading A Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor. It is very authentic Irish and I’m enjoying it.

I just started The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett but will probably read this one very slowly because of some books I’m reading for tours and to review for Clean Fiction Magazine. I already know the story of The Secret Garden from watching the movie.

I have also started Night Falls on Predicament Avenue by Jamie Jo Wright. This one is for a book tour in April. I honestly think it is going to be too creepy for me but I guess it is good to branch out once in a while.

Just Finished:

Murder Plainly Read by Isabella Alan and The Middle Moffat by Eleanor Estes.

Currently:

I enjoyed both of these books and will have reviews up soon.

Soon to be read:

The Divine Proverb of Streusel by Sara Brunsvold

Who Brought The Dog to Church? By Tracy Smoak

When You Returned by Havelah Mclat

What others in the family are reading: The Boy is reading Horus Rising and listening to A Tale of Two Cities. Little Miss is listening to The Railway Children and we are reading The Middle Moffat together.

The Husband is reading Do the New You by Steven Furtick

What We watched/are Watching

This weekend I watched all things Little House on the Prairie. This year is the 50th anniversary of the debut of the show and they are holding a festival with many of the old cast members in California. I have been watching the show and some footage from the festival such as interviews with Melissa Gilbert and Dean Butler, etc.

I didn’t realize how attached I was to the show until I saw Melissa Gilbert come out in front of all her fans and begin to cry and then I began to cry as well. I have good memories of running home from the bus stop to watch the show when I was a kid. I’ll ramble about that in a future blog post.

Here is the video I watched of the Melissa Gilbert interview if you are interested:

My daughter and I watched a couple of the episodes based more directly on stories in the books, which we read over the last couple of years and then watched three more that were loosely based on stories. I, of course, had to watch with her the episode when Laura pushes Nellie down the hill to prove she has been lying about not being able to walk. After that one, Little Miss was hooked and asked to watch more.

Earlier in the week I always watched Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman and Lark Rise to Candleford.

Over the weekend I watched original Perry Mason episodes with The Husband.

What I’m Writing

I am on the epilogue of Cassie and then I will be beginning book three of the Gladwynn Grant mysteries.

On the blog this week:

What I’m Listening To

On Audible I am listening to A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens (Lord Jesus be with me. Literally.) and The Railway Children (with Little Miss).

Photos from Last Week

Blog Posts I Enjoyed This Past Week

Billyisms and Winnie the Pooh by Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs

This post cracked me up, especially this line: “This was all just to warm up to the topic of my husband being a human Winnie the Pooh, but one who wears pants of course.”

Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.

Reviews of Gladwynn Grant Gets Her Footing and a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings7 Comments

There have been some lovely reviews of Gladwynn Grant Gets Her Footing over the last week and a half.

I’m going to share a couple today and also remind you that you can enter to win a copy of the paperback of the book and a $50 Amazon gift card HERE.

This one from Devoted to Hope was so nice:

Step into the nostalgic embrace of Gladwynn Grant Gets Her Footing, a delightful haven for lovers of vintage charm and heartwarming mysteries. With its retro flair and cozy atmosphere, this book invites readers to immerse themselves in a world where classic style, old-fashioned values, and the timeless allure of small-town life reign supreme!

As you journey through the pages, you’ll be swept away by Lisa R. Howeler’s storytelling, which effortlessly transports you to a bygone era filled with quaint cottages, a bustling town, and the comforting aroma of freshly brewed coffee. With every twist and turn of the plot, you’ll find yourself captivated by Gladwynn’s spirited determination and unwavering resolve as she unravels the mysteries lurking beneath the surface of her beloved community.

The intriguing storyline and the rich tapestry of characters who populate this enchanting world will steal your heart. From Gladwynn’s endearing quirks to her grandmother Lucinda’s timeless wisdom, each character is infused with a warmth and authenticity that feels like a welcoming hug. As you follow their journey, you’ll find yourself becoming deeply invested in their lives, eagerly anticipating each new revelation and heartfelt moment.

Read the rest of the review and find other amazing reviews of Christian or clean fiction books HERE.



I also loved this fun interview with Gladwynn that Amy Walsh did on her blog. It was seriously so cute and fun.

Gina Holder shared an interview with me on her blog today, which I very much appreciated.

This review from Holly’s Book Corner was perfectly short and sweet and I really appreciated it.


There have been so many nice mentions or reviews of the book since last week and I truly do appreciate those who took the time out of their days to read the book and then share about it or leave reviews on their blogs, Amazon and Goodreads. It really does mean so much! The tour ends March 25.