Fans have asked dozens of questions about the ghost who took over The House on Persimmon Road with her witty and old-fashioned ways. So Jackie decided to drop in, not as a writer, but as a guest to have a chat with Lottie.
If you've already read this Southern-Style Chick Lit with just a Smidgen of Romance and a Hint of Paranormal, continue to the interview now!
Wearing an apron, the bib straight-pinned to her cotton house dress, Lottie welcomed me into the house with a pleasant expression. The grand hall seemed larger than I recalled. The old floors gleamed, the walls painted a rich cream. I asked what changes Tucker and Justine had made. Lottie opened a door on the south wall. "This was my linen room. Now it's an indoor bathroom. Can't even hang my herbs to dry in season. Used to have lavender, mint, sage, marigold and such..."
The dining room was still converted into an office. I glanced in as we passed the open door. The room was modernized with state of the art computers and all sorts of electronic gadgets. In the kitchen the old farm sink was filled with green tomatoes. A hand-turned grinder stood on the counter along with dozens of canning jars, a gallon of vinegar and a bowl of salt. Lottie poured me a huge glass of sweetened iced tea. "You can sit, but I got to keep at it. I'm canning pickle relish." "It's quiet," I noted. "Where is everybody?" "Justine and Agnes are at a Girl Scout camp with Judy Ann. An overnight. Tucker, Wheeler and Pip are fishing up on Dog River. Pauline is off with her high-falutin' friends on ghost tours in Savannah and Charleston. As if there is any such thing. What questions do you have? I already explained all I know about being betwixt and between." "You may not believe it, but most of your fans want to know how to dobe a roast." "Law! You're trickin' me. Every woman ever lifted a fork knows how to dobe a roast." "Not in the Twenty-first Century, they don't. Or how to make pickle relish out of green tomatoes, either." Lottie put the first batch of ground tomatoes in a huge bowl, stirred in two tablespoons of mustard seeds, sprinkled the lot with a half-cup of salt, then wiped her hands on her apron. "I best have a glass of tea myself," she said and sat across from me, her brow wrinkled in angst. "You puttin' how to dobe a roast in another book?" "No, I'm just going to write an article about it." "Well...back in the early days, we didn't have store bought beef or pork. We butchered those animals ourselves. Or a neighbor did and you traded for a haunch. You wash that roast good and dry it. If it was wild game like a turkey hen, wild boar, or venison, you ground up mustard seeds and rubbed it all over. I allus poked a few cloves in my wild game. Next you take a good quality lard and rub it all over the meat and let it set for an hour. Then you dobe it with flour. That means you roll the roast in it. Wheat flour is best, but a fine ground corn meal will do. Next you brown the roast all over in a good hot pan of lard. I allus baked my roasts in a clay baking brick. Henry Watson made the best brick oven dish. I don't know where mine got to. Probab'ly stolen during The WAR right along with my pigs. That's how you dobe a roast. "Nowadays, you can use mustard right out of a jar and Justine swears by olive oil. But when I put up a fuss, she'll buy a pound of lard at the Publix. Hog lard makes the best biscuits. Anything else? I got to get my canning done." "One more question, if you don't mind. How did you keep up with War news?" "Why, the Mobile Register. Came up on the mail boat. Listed all our men folks kilt. That's how I found out Elmer was gone over to the Red River Campaign in Louisiana. We didn't have roads or mail delivery like today. Mail boat brought the newspaper, ice blocks in sawdust, spices and sometimes the scissors and notion man. Elmer kept our knives sharp, but he was fair mess when it came to my scissors. Captain would sound the horn when he was coming up river and folks just go down to our docks up and down the river. 'Course after the Union blowed up Fort Morgan, that was the end of any fair-sized boat slipping up river." Lottie moved back to the sink and started grinding more green tomatoes. I took the hint. "Thank you for having me. I appreciate it." I still had a bevy of questions, but thought it best not to push my luck. "If I get any more questions from your fans and readers, would you mind if I came back?" "I might. How nosy are those folkses?" "They're just curious. But mostly they're eager to learn how people lived in those early days. What they wore for everyday clothes, how they shopped and what was essential for every day living. Maybe you could talk about a day in the life of Lottie Mae Roberts. Or how you and Elmer spent time in the days before the War." "I best give it some thought and talk to Justine, too. " "I'll email her in a few days." Lottie saw me to the front door and once I was on the porch, latched the screen. "Don't knock over the mailbox backing out," she called. Oh, that poor mailbox. Both Agnes and Pauline had run over the thing while learning to drive. I hope my next visit I will see the rest of the family and learn how each is doing. Today was a good start.
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10) You can explore mysteries, what-ifs, and universal truths, and you can solve them in whatever way you want. You can stretch your imagination to the outer limits, and make your readers believe, even for a short while, in magic.
9) Whenever you space out and forget where you’re going, or spend two hours in the bath, you can always blame it on the people in your head who, at last, decided to reveal their deepest secrets. (Of course, if you tell this to someone who doesn’t write or read romance, they might send you on an expense-paid trip to the funny farm!) 8) You can buy books as a legitimate business expense. Better, you can read books as a legitimate part of your job. 7) You can go to work in your pajamas if you want or, at the least, sans panty hose, makeup, and an 18-Hour bra. 6) You can have torrid affairs with sexy men and not risk divorce or the fiery gates of hell. 5) You can be the woman you always wanted to be: braver, thinner, sassier, with perfect skin and thick hair. Or the woman you never wanted to be: a bitch, a murderer, the opposite sex… You can be whatever you want for a while, without any repercussions. 4) You learn to develop a balanced sense of self. You’re dancing with angels when a reader tells you you’re the best thing since the discovery of chocolate; you’re in the dregs of self-esteem when your editor tells you your latest book stinks worse than limburger cheese. 3) You can tell your mother she was wrong… It’s okay to tell stories after all. 2) Writing is the one place in your life where you can be God and control your world. If your characters let you, that is. 1) The best, absolutely number one part is knowing that what you love doing will touch someone’s life and take them away from their troubles for a while. I hope you enjoyed this list as much as I love writing for you! Tina
If you would like to read a little more about what Tina writes, follow the links below to download one of her FREE bestsellers. She also has a $0.99 deal this week only! Tina's stories are available in print, eBook, and audio formats at your favorite retailer.
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Romance - Suspense - SEALs!
When Clare sees a plane go down in the desert behind her remote home and goes to assist, the sexy pilot, Quade Bonahan, kidnaps her. Since the men who downed his plane are shooting at them, she has no choice but to go along with Quade, at least until she can escape... READ MORE
What readers are saying about Tina Wainscott’s books:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Wainscott delivers unusual and satisfying romance with a supernatural twist." – Publishers Weekly
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Tina has unforgettable female protagonists and action-packed, almost haunting plotlines." – Janet Evanovich New York Times bestselling author ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Tina Wainscott always delivers … I love to curl up with anything she writes.” New York Times Bestselling author Heather Graham
If you enjoyed Until I Die Again, you will absolutely LOVE One Last Promise!
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New to Tina's Books?
Here are the FIRSTS in three of her Bestselling Series...
A summer romance gone terribly wrong.
A second chance that could go incredibly right…
Years after the car accident that separated Raleigh and Mia -- a young couple in love, but from opposite sides of the track -- Mia returns to the Florida coast for her grandmother’s funeral.
She can feel Raleigh’s presence like a gust of wind that gives her goose bumps, but opening her heart to him again seems impossible. Staying away might be harder still... Lucky for them both, Mia’s never been the kind of woman to take the easy way out.
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Every once and a while, we all need a new look! Even books! Hope y'all like these new covers! We really tried to find images that not only conveyed the stories, but also the characters. Jackie Weger has been writing romance novels between life events for thirty-five years. She's a traveler of our good earth by foot, boat, bus, train, plane and pickup, but usually only gets as far as Walmart.
A rich tapestry of wit, grit, and humor...
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Returning from Heaven can be Hell... Don't miss these romantic and suspenseful novels with just enough paranormal to keep you intrigued about the possibilities of coming back for a second chance at love...and to figure out who killed you! For a limited time, grab the first book in the collection absolutely FREE with no worries. All the books are stand-alone stories, no cliffhangers! What readers are saying... ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Tina has unforgettable female protagonists and action-packed, almost haunting plotlines." – Janet Evanovich New York Times bestselling author ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "A well-written and absorbing tale, fascinating in its concept and characterizations. Chris's struggles to assume Hallie's identity while modifying her lifestyle and Jamie's reaction to his familiar yet altered wife make a most enjoyable one-night reading experience!" Anne Cleary, Paperback Forum ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Ms. Wainscott brings a fresh new voice and perspective to romance fiction with this charming, emotionally satisfying novel. An author to watch!" – Jill Smith, RT Book Reviews Tina Wainscott is a USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty books with romantic thrills and suspenseful chills. Her stories are full of ravines and shaky bridges, sometimes scary people and situations, but at their heart are about people who overcome their baggage to find their happy endings. She's also the New York Times bestselling author of the Offspring Series under her pen name Jaime Rush. Connect with Tina and stay up-to-date on New Releases and Specials!
Website - BookBub - Amazon Sign up to be the first to know about new releases from Tina Wainscott! The Justiss Alliance Series When five Navy SEALs take the fall for a covert mission gone wrong, the brotherhood of bad-asses joins The Justiss Alliance, a private agency that exacts justice outside the law. Tina Wainscott is a USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty books with romantic thrills and suspenseful chills. Her stories are full of ravines and shaky bridges, sometimes scary people and situations, but at their heart are about people who overcome their baggage to find their happy endings.
She's also the New York Times bestselling author of the Offspring Series under her pen name Jaime Rush. Connect with Tina and stay up-to-date on New Releases and Specials! Website - BookBub - Amazon Sign up to be the first to know about new releases from Tina Wainscott! |
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