WOW!

June 15, 2017 / jchoffman61

Haven’t posted in a while, lots of stuff required my attention. Family, farm, politics, community work have filled this past year. And writing, just not here.

So what’s happened?

Family seems to be doing well.

Farming is always a worry. The harvest was delayed for a variety of reasons, but we did get it in before the snow flew(not always the case).

Politics…that should be enough said, but the refrain of “We the people” echoes throughout our history. We should not forget that this government is ours, not the other way around. We need to be involved, there is no one else to blame or praise.

But I have been writing. The second Edie Swift book, Darkness Endured, is out. The third Edie Swift book, untitled as of now, is in revisions–hope to have it out later this year.

Hope everyone has a safe, enjoyable summer ahead.

Writing isn’t done in a vacuum

June 15, 2016May 25, 2016 / jchoffman61

Writing isn’t done in a vacuum, writers read other writers, are friends with other writers. So I get a good belly laugh when reviews from writers are taken off a book’s sale site–what are those monitors thinking? Are they thinking?

When I decided to write a crime/police procedural novel these are a few of the books a read to acquaint myself with current writing. Most of the books were first-in-a-series because I wanted to see how those authors started.

First Degree Fudge by Christine DeSmet

Ava Oosterling wanted out of Door County, Wis. Hollywood was the place she wanted to be. Now she wants out of that shark tank. Her dream is to return home and open a fudge shop. But soon she is a suspect in a murder case. Did she bring the shark tank with her?

On the Road to Death’s Door by M.J. Williams

What does Emily Remington, retired police officer, do during retirement? See the country in an RV with her husband and solve crimes.

Bad Policy by James M. Jackson

Seamus McCree is greeted by homicide detectives when he returns home from a business trip. How does he know who murdered the guy in his basement? He was out of town. Well, he has to find out because he is the prime suspect.

Stalking Susan by Julie Kramer

Riley Spartz, investigative reporter in the Twin Cities area, delves into two cold cases. Two women named Susan, murdered exactly a year apart. Will it happen again? She tracks down the killer while filing reports on current stories, dealing with office politics, and the death of her husband.

Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin.

Henry II of England asks the King of Sicily for aid. Some one is killing children in England, and the Jews are being blamed.

Vesuvius Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar, aka Adelia, aka Dr. Trolula, is sent. But she needs to keep her identity as a doctor hidden or be accused of being a witch.

All good books to read. Gave me some ideas on how to begin a series. Hope you find one you enjoy among this list.

Spring Planting

June 1, 2016May 25, 2016 / jchoffman61

For being optimists, farmers worry a whole bunch: is it too early to plant, will there be a freeze, will the crops survive an early freeze, is the ground too dry, is it too wet, when will it stop raining, when will it start raining, why haven’t they delivered the seed, why haven’t they delivered the fertilizer, what the hell is the market reacting to…it goes on until the crops have been harvested and sold. Then comes the new year, and the worries start all over again.

There was a freeze in mid-May, about the time we can expect the last freeze of spring. Here is what a corn plant looks like with frost damage. Notice the brown edge on the leaf.

The next photo is of corn plants just emerging. This is the first time we farmers give a sigh of relief, the seed is growing.

The next photo usually brings the next sigh of relief, it looks like a green haze over the field. A miracle, the crop is really growing.

From here until the harvest is complete, we will be walking the fields to monitor the progress of the crops. Why all this work? We enjoy the work…mostly.

Second Edie Swift novel on its way

May 25, 2016 / jchoffman61

I thought I had all the kinks worked out with the first book, but a few new ones popped up. And I worked through them, and added to my list of what to do in getting the next Edie Swift book ready for publication. I find it thrilling that Darkness Endured, the second book in my Edie Swift series, is almost ready to be published.

Detective Edie Swift is cleared for duty. Her docs say that she’s recovered from the near fatal beating of last fall. Is she mentally ready to take on underbelly of society?

When a murder victim is found in Troutbeck, Edie believes she is ready for the challenge of police work.

Below is a photo of the cover. Hope you enjoy this work.

Almost missed it

April 14, 2016 / jchoffman61

I received an IPPY(Independent Publisher Award) this week, a bronze in the Great Lakes Fiction Category. I went to a book festival, talked with an award winner last year, decided to enter the contest. It was just before the deadline. I won an award. Yeah!

I wanted to tell someone, stepped out my front door, but the barn cats were unimpressed–they were expecting food. Told the birds at the bird feeder, they wanted me to go away so they could eat. The Sandhill cranes kept picking their way across the fields. The sun was shining. That was a wonderful way to congratulate me. Nothing like living in the country to bring you back to reality.

Now it is on to getting the second Edie Swift book ready for publication and begin the next one.

What’s in a Title?

April 7, 2016 / jchoffman61

Working on the final revision, maybe, of my second Edie Swift novel and still don’t have a title for it. But there are possibilities.

The original title was Whistling in the Dark. Nice title, it reflects Edie’s struggle to deal with the emotional aftermath of her beating, but lots of books have that title. The next was A Steady Heart, another good description of Edie’s internal struggles and what it takes to stay the course . Again, a well used title. Then Two Steps Back, Dej Vu, All Over Again– the last book started with a murder and Edie’s waffling about the changes in her life..so does this second book. But you had to read the first book to understand either of these titles.

So, what’s a gal to do–punt?

Maybe.

Winter Storms

March 2, 2016 / jchoffman61

We went for a walk last week, it was warm, and there wasn’t any snow on the road. The Canada geese were honking and flying north, we heard Sandhill cranes calling from the marsh–spring is almost here. But winter isn’t over, yet– this week proved that. Most of us in the area still talk of blizzards in the middle of March and April, snow in May, and the dreaded ice storms of February and March that we have experienced.

The first year I lived on the farm there was an ice storm. For three plus days we didn’t have electricity, something we usually take for granted. Without it the well pump couldn’t run, we didn’t have drinking water, bath water or water to flush the toilet. Luckily the farm came with an outhouse. For light we used candles and oil lamps. What an introduction to farm living!

But there were some good things that came from that storm: my husband had the outside electrical lines buried, we no longer worried about live wires during a storm, and I always prepare to hunker down when a storm is forecast.

Like everyone else I stock up on the essential foods, put wood in the basement to supply the fireplace which I’ve used to cook our meals. Pitchers are filled with water for drinking. Buckets are filled with water to flush the toilet as the outhouse is gone. As for everything else, it can wait.

We prepare for what we can during late winter storms, and then hope that spring is really around the corner as we listen to the winds howling around the house.

Book Review

January 26, 2016 / jchoffman61

During my research for a future book I came across Bruce Catton’s Waiting for the Morning Train. This is his memoir of growing up in Michigan as the lumber industry was in sharp decline.

The people of Benzonia, Michigan struggled to keep their town from disappearing. To give their youth the education needed for a different future. They created, and supported, a college until it went under, then recreated it as a boarding high school.

Catton tells of idyllic times sledding and ice skating during winter, during summer swimming at a local lake. High school plays, concerts, religious revival meetings are also detailed.

His high school years ended shortly before the U.S. entry into World War I.

Catton’s premise is that these years we live between two eras. The one we grow up, and the very advanced technological world we live in as an adult. One is so far removed from the other, that we have a limited capacity to understand it, let alone live in it.

As with all memoirs, there are shared pieces of wisdom that he learned along the way: “Proud that we have escaped from age-old superstition, we have condemned ourselves to live in a world of our own creation, a world which we fondly believe has no mysteries. We are made helpless by our own omnipotence.”

Bruce Catton is a wonderful writer, best known for his U.S. Civil War series, but this book is worth your time. It is a little gem.

First Book Festival

November 12, 2015November 8, 2015 / jchoffman61

There’s been a lot of firsts this year for my writing: my first book published, my first book sold, my first book launch, my first panel on writing, and now my first book festival.

Edgerton hosted its 10th Annual Sterling North Book and Film Festival. Sold some books,talked to a lot of people. I enjoyed the day.

Harvest

November 8, 2015November 8, 2015 / jchoffman61

Every farming season has its challenges, this year it is corn harvest.

In July straight line winds swept through the Columbus area. The wind goose necked the corn. The pictures below show what this corn looks like. The much of the corn crew at an angle making it hard to see the rows during combining, and, in some fields, combining it in one direction. This has added more days to the combine season than anticipated.