It's a family affair

When I couldn't sleep last night, I started thinking about my grandma's farmhouse. While it's been years and years since I've seen it, it is still vivid in my mind, from the grate we huddled over in the winter, doing crosswords on a metal TV tray (my grandma, a German immigrant, was a whiz at wordplay), to the wonder of the many drawers and shelves in her bedroom, to the attic, chockablock with my grandfather's WWI uniform, Mason jars of buttons, dried bunches of flowers, and dusty furniture.

I long for such a home, but I don't have to long for the comfort of family. Copies of The Prairie Girl's Guide to Life went out to various family members and I'm getting wonderful comments. My brother Chris writes from Georgia, "My personal favorite story was your mention of Marvel Gordon and the fresh roadkill in the pot. I had to turn my nose up when you described the recipe on rhubarb pie. I never liked it. Somehow it always reminded me of red celery and just didn't look like a pie." Hmm, he's got a point. My stepmom Pat sent encouraging words from Michigan. My niece Rebekah e-mailed me, telling me that she has to try the rock candy project again, as her fifth-grade experiment didn't work.

While I love getting praise from the media, friends, and readers of my books, hearing my family embrace my words, thoughts, and memories brings me to tears. Not only do I want to do them proud, I want to represent them accurately and lovingly. With The Prairie Girl's Guide to Life, I hope I'm on the right track.

I'd love to hear your thoughts about the book. What was your favorite part? What project are you interested in trying? Holla back here, post a review on amazon, or e-mail me.