Things my grandmother taught me...

When I teach a writing workshop, I often ask "What's the most attractive quality in a hero or heroine?" I get tons of responses, but rarely the one I'm looking for. I think the best character trait I can give my imaginary people is the willingness to sacrifice themselves for those they love.

The idea comes from my grandmother. She was a lovely lady in every sense of the word. Whip-smart, she skipped a couple of grades in school, graduating at 16. She's one of the few people I've ever known who truly never said a negative thing about another person. She was love on two feet.


My uncle once told me about something she did for him when he was a little boy of about 9 or 10. They lived on a farm, dependent on water from their well. One time, it got clogged up so they had to drain it to clear out the muck that had collected. After most of the water was drained, someone needed to go down and send up buckets of mud until the well was cleaned out. My granddad lowered down my uncle because he was small enough to fit in that tight place, yet strong enough to do the job.

As he rode the bucket down, the sky above him became an ever-shrinking circle of blue. The sides of the well were dank and slimy. He was afraid every chink in the stone hid a multi-legged creature or a water snake.

My uncle started to cry.

My grandmother told my granddad to haul him up. Then she put her foot in the bucket and took his place at the bottom of the well.

By the time he got to this point in the telling of this story, my uncle could scarcely speak. His mother went down into that dark hole for him. She'd have walked through fire for her children.

I was blessed to have my grandmother in my life until well after I had kids of my own. Toward the end, she developed Alzheimer's, and, one by one, stopped recognizing those who loved her. The last to go in her mind was my uncle.

It was a long, painful goodbye.

That's why, when my friend Tammy Falkner invited me to contribute to an anthology to benefit Alzheimer's and brain health, I jumped at the chance. It's a chance to honor the memory of my grandma.

Forget Me Not is an anthology of ten short stories by ten different authors who are donating 100% of the proceeds. I hope you'll join Tammy Falkner, Jane Charles, Ava Stone, Marquita Valentine, Lj Charles, Andris Bear, Jerrica Knight-Catania, Caren Crane and Diane Franks and me to help combat this terrible disease.

Forget Me NotA charity anthology to benefit Alzheimer's research

10 ink artists auditioning for a shot at working at the parlor of their dreams
10 skins, each with a story to tell
10 perfect tattoos so they'll never forget
A little bit of healing
A whole lot of heart

Now available for pre-order on Amazon and iBooks!
More formats coming soon.
Read an excerpt here...

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If you've lost someone to Alzheimer's, please share. It's good to remember those we love, even if they can't remember us.

Beans & Ham Hocks from the Green Apple Grill

The kids are back in school. The leaves are starting to turn and sooner or later, there'll be a nip in the air. Jake Tyler, the wounded warrior hero of The Coldwater Warm Hearts Club and owner of the Green Apple, is getting ready to add his infamous Beans & Ham Hocks to the menu.

("Why infamous?" I hear you asking. It's a recipe for beans. Think about it...)

But it's sure to please the hungry mouths around your table, especially if you pair it with fresh cornbread and cold apple cider. Here's what you do:

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups dried pinto or Great Northern beans (8 oz.)
6 cups water
2 small smoked ham hocks (about 8 oz. each)
1 onion, diced
2 teaspoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1.      Rinse the beans. In a large saucepan, combine beans and 3 cups of the water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 1 hour. Drain beans and return to saucepan.
2.      Add the remaining 3 cups water, ham hocks, and butter to beans. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until beans are tender, adding more water, if necessary, and stirring occasionally.
3.      Remove ham hocks; cool slightly. Remove meat from ham hocks; chop meat. Stir chopped meat, onion and salt into beans. Cover and cook for 5 to 10 minutes more or until heated through. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Enjoy! And click over to check out some more Green Apple Recipes. 

Do YOU have a favorite fall recipe you'd like to share?

Oh! Did you know I'm giving away this lovely collection of novels?

To enter my Stack of Books Contest just click over and sign up for The Coldwater Warm Hearts Club newsletter. Better hurry. The contest closes September 30th.