Annnd… That’s A Wrap (Sort of),
Lemon Meringue, Lots of (Virtual) Events

Greetings, gentle readers.

What happened to August? It zipped by! And the same question could apply to my August enewsletter… which I, um, didn’t do. It was either revise The Stills (more on that later) or work on other things. I opted for The Stills!

More importantly, how are you all?

We’re still doing well. We’ve figured out how to have physically-distanced picnics/cookouts with up to two friends at a time, and have really enjoyed doing so. It turns out that smaller gatherings really work, anyway, for this introvert’s soul. And I’ve been making a lot of lemon meringue pies for these visits (recipe below!), perfect for the heat of summer.

I’m also a hugger, though, and I miss giving my friends a hug! It also turns out that making a heart sign from six-plus feet away, while sweet, isn’t quite the same.

My step-sister’s husband (my step-brother-in-law) contracted Covid-19 early in July. He felt a little “off” on a Tuesday evening, was in the hospital by Thursday, and on a ventilator on Friday. He remained on a ventilator, in an induced coma in ICU, for twelve days, and when his lungs finally could work at 60% capacity, he was weaned off the ventilator. After nearly an additional week in the Covid-19 area of the hospital, he was transferred to a rehabilitation facility. Another several weeks there, and finally, on August 20, he went home, where he’ll have six-to-eight more weeks of at home care.

We’re all thankful for this outcome, but it’s a stark personal reminder of the seriousness of this illness. He’s 62 but in otherwise good health, and no underlying conditions. We’ll all keep praying for his continued recovery.

And likewise, I keep my readers in my prayers because I’m thankful for you—and hoping you’re all well, too!

Read on for more news, invitations, a pie recipe (lemon meringue!!), and this issue’s exclusive enewsletter giveaway.

Be well,

Jess

Do You BookBub?

Are you on BookBub, the free book recommendation service that tailors those recommendations to your interests—and occasionally offers great deals on ebooks?

I am on BookBub, both as a writer and a reader, and if you’re already on BookBub, I’d love for you to “follow” me there, or if BookBub is a new platform to you, I invite you to take a look at it.

Four reasons to join in general:

1. It’s free.

2. It doesn’t clog your email in-box (you choose if you receive email recommendations—or not).

3. You can customize the genres for which you’d like to receive recommendations.

4. You can get some really GREAT deals on books.

And four reasons to follow me on BookBub:

1. You’ll get (or see online if you opt out of emails) recommendations and reviews on what I’m reading every now and then.

2. You’ll receive notifications when one of my books release.

3. You’ll be the first to know if my books are being offered as a special deal.

4. You’ll be helping me out—the more followers I have on BookBub, the more likely my publisher will be to offer a BookBub deal on my books.

THANK YOU, FRIENDS!

Thank you so much for voting for The Widows for the Ohioana’s Readers’ Choice Award!

I'm so delighted to share that The Widows was the Readers’ Choice winner in the fiction category. The support of thoughtful, kind readers means the world to me.

I was also honored that The Widows was a fiction finalist for the Ohioana Book Award.

Click here to read all about the winners in each category and the overall Ohioana Readers’ Choice Award winner.

I hope you’ll add at least a few of these titles to your “To Be Read” list/stack!

Writing News: The Stills

I turned in my revisions to The Stills on August 7! Woo hoo! I will have copy-edits and proofreading phases to come, but completing revisions is always a major milestone in the creation of a novel.

I’m grateful to have a thoughtful agent and editor to show me ways in which I can bring out the heart of my stories. As much as I love The Widows and The Hollows, I’m pretty excited about this third entry in my Kinship Mystery Series.

Prohibition was in the background of my first two Kinship novels—it had to be, as those novels are set in 1924-1926.

The Stills is set in 1927, a fascinating year in the history of Prohibition for several reasons, including that this was the year the Bureau of Prohibition was established as its own agency (rather than an arm of other agencies) and also the year the government released methanol into the supply of industrial alcohol—knowing that methanol is poisonous, often deadly, to humans.

So, I realized, it was time to bring Prohibition to the forefront of my next Kinship novel. If you haven’t read the first two Kinship novels, be assured that this one (like the others) can be read as a standalone. For those of you who’ve read the other novels, I’ll just say that I think you’ll be fascinated by what you learn about George Vogel, the series’ overarching villain…

The Stills title plays on yes, stills used to make alcohol, but also on those quiet, still moments where we reflect on our pasts and our beliefs as we work out a way to move forward.

The Stills is also already available for pre-order now! 

Join Me for (Virtual) Events This Fall!

I had such a great time at my recent online Thurber House Literary Picnic and the virtual Ohioana Book Festival!

Though I do hope to attend in-person events in the future, I’ve discovered definite advantages to online events. The comfort of home, saved time and money from travel that can go toward reading more books, occasional surprise cameo appearances by pets…

In any case, here’s where you can catch up with me online in the next few months:

• September 19, 2:00-3:30 p.m. EST—Hosted by Wright Memorial Public Library—a workshop on “Using History to Enhance Your Writing in Any Genre.” Free but registration is required; register here.
• October 1, 11:30-Noon EST—“First Chapter Fun” reading of The Hollows, led by authors Hannah Mary McKinnon and Hank Phillippi Ryan. Free; join in the fun here. 
• October 1-11, Southern Festival of Books—I’ll be one of many authors participating in the 32nd annual festival; the event is online and free. Learn more at the festival’s website, and check my FB page for details on exactly when I’ll be ‘on.’ An opportunity to learn about a lot of great writers and books!

• October 13, 7:00-8:00 p.m. EST—Book Club Discussion of The Hollows hosted by Wright Memorial Library. Free; follow this link to join the virtual discussion on Zoom.
• October 22, 8:00-10:00 p.m. EST—Pulpwood Academy Live Chat (on Facebook) of The Hollows. Free; follow this link to join in the discussion on Facebook.
• October 29-31, Erma Bombeck (Virtual) Writers’ Workshop—I’ll be teaching a session at this event (see my FB Page closer to the event for details.) In the meantime, registration for the workshop opens September 1, 2020. Details and registration here.
• November 5-7, Writer’s Digest (Virtual) Annual Conference—I’ll be teaching a session (under my given name of Sharon) on the craft element of Voice. Find out more about this conference here.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Yes, that’s a stock photo of lemon meringue! I swear I’ve made several this summer—but they’ve been gobbled before I could take a photo!

I found this recipe years ago—maybe from Dear Abby? It’s an old newspaper clipping, so I’m not sure. My additions to the recipe:

• Use the lemon zest, for heaven’s sake. It’s not called for in the original.
• The original says to bake for 10 minutes—in my oven, it takes 15.
• Let the pie completely cool on your counter, so the meringue will ‘fuse’ to the filling.
• Do the first step in the meringue recipe first, before anything else, so the cornstarch/cold water combo has time to cool properly.
• And this meringue recipe is good for any pie that calls for meringue (I’m looking at you, butterscotch…)

Pie

Ingredients

• 1 baked 9-inch pie shell (cooled)
• 1 ¼ cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 cups water
• 1/3 cup lemon juice (preferably fresh from juiced lemons)
• Zest from lemons
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 ½ teaspoons lemon extract
• 2 teaspoons vinegar
• 3 tablespoons butter

Method

• Mix sugar, lemon zest (if using) and cornstarch together in a heavy saucepan.
• Add the water, stir until well-combined.
• Combine egg yolks and lemon juice and beat with a fork or whisk until well mixed
• Add to the sugar/cornstarch/water mixture.
• Cook until thickened over medium heat, stirring often, and constantly as it heats.
• Remove thickened mixture from heat.
• Add lemon extract, butter and vinegar, and stir in thoroughly.
• Pour into the pie shell.
• Let cool.
• Top with meringue.
• Bake in 350-degree oven, about 15 minutes, until lightly browned.
• Let cool on rack on countertop before covering and putting in refrigerator.

Never-fail Meringue

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• ½ cup boiling water
• 3 egg whites
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Pinch of salt

Method

• Blend cornstarch and cold water in a saucepan.
• Add boiling water and cook, stirring until thickened.
• Let stand until COMPLETELY cold.
• With electric beater at high speed, beat egg whites until foamy.
• Gradually add sugar, and keep beating until stiff but not dry.
• Turn mixer to low, and add salt and vanilla.
• Gradually beat in cold cornstarch mixture.
• Turn mixer back to high and beat well until peaks form. (Test with back of spoon.)
• Spread meringue over completely cooled pie filling.

September/October eNewsletter Exclusive Giveaway

Thank you to all who participated in the June/July eNewsletter survey about ice cream preferences. It was quite a popular survey!

Sixty-one percent preferred their ice cream in a bowl; thirty-one preferred a waffle cone; two percent a regular cone, and two percent would rather skip ice cream and opt for another cold treat such as sorbet.

I have to admit, I was surprised by the preference of waffle cones over regular cones! I’m usually an ice-cream-in-the-bowl kind of gal, but every now and then I go for the sticky fun messiness of a regular cone.

Congratulations to Rachel from Arizona and Tom from Ohio (who both voted for ice cream in a bowl) and who won the giveaway via random drawing.

We’re heading into fall, so I set up a quick survey about autumn leaves. Do you like to step on them to make the crunchy sound on an fall walk, or just go around them and let them be?

Share your answer for a chance to win a moonshine-scented candle.

The Usual Reminders… Virtual Book Club Visits, Reviews, And More

If you’ve read The Widows or The Hollows, and you’ve rated/reviewed either or both novels, thank you so much. Reviews make a big difference in how many other readers find books, and how authors do in general.

And… reviews are welcome any time. So, if you’ve read either novel, please consider leaving a brief review (a sentence or two is fine) on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, or other sites.

Please contact me if you’d like me to make a virtual visit in September, October or November.

Just visit my Book Clubs web site page for a Reading Discussion Guide, a video FAQ interview, to request personalized autographed stickers and goodie bags. Email me at jessmontgomeryauthor@gmail.com to arrange a Skype, Facetime or Zoom visit.

Be well,

Jess