Thanks for sticking with me through this long, hot summer. In June, I underwent a hip replacement, which put me out of commission for a while. I’m doing well and back on track with the publication of my book, RELATIVE CONSEQUENCES.
Now that I’m ambulatory, as they say, I’m actually cooking again. My poor husband has had to carry the load for quite some time, and we’re actually making meals a joint effort.
During last year’s stay-at-home year, Mike purchased an Instant Pot, which has a slow cooker setting. Many a time, we’ve made roasts, both beef and pork, stews, etc. with that setting, and for some reason, it would always take a lot longer than expected. In addition, I wasn’t always satisfied with the results.
I decided I wanted an original Crock-Pot like the one I used to own—the old one breaking down a few years ago. Remedy – I bought one on Amazon. I can pop in a chuck roast and expect it to turn out according to plan. Now, some people might like the other kind of cooker, but it’s just not for me.
Dishes cooked in a Crock-Pot must simmer for a long time. I compare the birthing of my novel, Relative Consequences, to a long-simmering recipe that cooked for at least FIVE YEARS as I added flavor, a pinch at a time.
The story of Jessy Tate simmered in my mind for a few years before I began to type it on my laptop. I changed it, molded and shaped it, reversed this or that, and tore it up and started over more times than I can count before I could say, “It’s done.”
A little about Jessy
We first see Jessy Tate, the fictional protagonist of the book, living in Atlanta in 2005. A retired schoolteacher, she is married to a successful corporate attorney, Phillip. She has a grown daughter, Gretchen, and a college-age granddaughter, Mimi. To this day, she keeps up via letters and emails with Rita Rhodes, an old friend from childhood who lives in D.C. However, Jessy has only seen Rita twice in the last fifty years.
Jessy Tate is a creative and artistic person who loves to ride her horse and enjoy a glass of wine now and then. She seems a bit introverted, and remains persnickety about her home and her appearance. She’s kind and generous to a fault, but keeps her distance, not involving herself too much in church or neighborhood functions.
Jessy keeps secrets—like the crush, she has on her psychiatrist. Her unconscious harbors a different kind of secret, an unintentional one from the past, one that if known, could shake up Jessy’s world.
Jessy Tate would be content to go along with her life as planned if she could cope with her mysterious nightmares. However, plans change.
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I’m on the home stretch and it won’t be long now. Shooting for a release date before the holidays!
Thanks for stopping by.
Jody
Jody Herpin 