Now what did I do with my grandmother’s recipe for Pistachio Pie? I just had it. Argh! Every year, I swear it, every year, I will put it where I won’t lose it. I could have sworn I tucked it into my old recipe keeper, but nooooo, not here. Oh wait! It stuck to the back of my Thanksgiving Fruit Salad recipe. Oops, little cranberry sticky stuff will do that. Whew, crisis averted! *looks around sheepishly to make sure nobody witnessed the crazy lady wailing and gnashing teeth over the recipe box*

Oh, but I need to clear all this list writing and recipes out of the way because I have a guest coming today. Engaging and fun-loving, (oh if you only knew… okay those who visit Mr. Darcy’s library know what I mean.) Sheila is coming all the way from Pennsylvania to visit and chat with me.
And my little corner of Michigan is not playing nice today for her visit with all that blustery wind and rain.

Sheila is a fellow book lover and what’s more she adores Jane Austen and Austenesque stories. We first met here on GoodReads in the Austenesque Lovers Group. I’ve come to appreciate her thoughts on books and seeing her whole-hearted support of authors and bloggers through her well-thought reviews, comments, and book discussions in the group.
But shh, enough talking about her, here she is.

Howdy, Sheila!
Oh, quick! Get in here out of that weather. I’ve got the fireplace going and a candy cane hot cocoa ready to go on the stove to warm your insides.

How are things back home in Pennsylvania? Getting reading for Thanksgiving?

First, let me say, “Thank you” for inviting me into your drawing room. I have visited the state of Washington many times over the past 7 years as my daughter, Nicole, lived there with her husband, Anthony, until August of this year when they moved in with us in order to find housing and jobs on the east coast. They got married over the water in Hatley Castle, Victoria, in 2011.

As for Thanksgiving, my other daughter, Heather, has again invited the family to her home in Wayne, PA and we all bring something to help out. This year there will be a separate “kids’ table” as some of her children and nieces and nephews are old enough to sit alone and feed themselves. I always take pies (pecan, pumpkin and apple) and sometimes my homemade Finnish Viipiri Twist bread, which has been a family favorite for special meals for a long time.



Sheila has graciously provided the recipe for her Viipiri Twist Bread. If you need a larger font, message me or Sheila for the recipe

I know you’re a grandmother and enjoy getting the grandkids for babysitting opportunities. Do you have any special grandma things you do for the holidays with them/for them?

I like to read to my grandchildren and I have a special memory that reinforces that practice. I used to babysit 2 grandchildren an hour and a half away in NJ regularly. One day Mae (1 year old granddaughter) was told to go and get a book to read and who does she bring it to? “Moi”….letting us know that she is aware of who reads to her the most. My grandchildren live too far away (an hour for one family and 1.5 hours for the other and it is all busy Interstate highways) so I only see them for special days but as they are getting older I am hoping soon to have them overnight and thus we can bake cookies and visit holidays exhibits locally.


Crayola Crayon Factory of Eaton, PA Can I crash that grandma/granchild date, Sheila?

There is a zoo and the Crayola Factory nearby, which I have been waiting to take them to visit. The oldest grandchild, Jackson, only turned 4 in August so you can see he is only getting to the age to go out without his parents. I did take him to the Turtle Back Zoo http://turtlebackzoo.com/ in NJ alone last Spring.

Do you do reading aloud with them? If so, what’s a favorite children’s book you read together?

I saved not only toys, i.e., Fisher/Price, Legos, Brio wooden railroads and Little Tyke, etc. but also hundreds of books. I was a Kindergarten teacher at a Lutheran School in Emmaus, PA for two years so collected more books while teaching. And during my education courses at Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA in my late 40’s I was introduced to many new-to-me authors. One of my favorites is Mem Fox from Australia. I wrote to her (She and I was the same age.) and she wrote back 3 times, saying that was the limit for “fan correspondence”. If you and/or your readers have not read her books, please treat yourselves. This time of year (Halloween in the USA) her book, Guess What?, is a special seasonal treat. Pay attention to the graffiti in the “walls” of the pages.

There are so many wonderful children’s authors out there. I used to read the Newbury Award and the Caldecott winners every year while teaching so as to keep up with the best so that is a good place to search for titles on the Internet PLUS our library prints lists of recommendations for age levels if parents are looking for such. Even when my children were middle school age (12, 13, & 14) I remember their enjoyment while I read An Indian in the Cupboard (A movie was made from this book.) when I learned of its existence in my Elementary Education courses.

My oldest then took the sequel books out of the library to read them. I and my son enjoyed Hatchet and others by Gary Paulsen and I got him the rest of that series. (The author began writing for his sons as they had no interest in other books.)


With retirement, that has given more time for hobbies. What are some of your hobbies (besides reading of course)?

I have always been a reader but with retirement I not only have more time for reading but I have now made a promise to myself to write reviews of the stories I read. And, I have now narrowed my interests mainly to JAFF books, although I am reading the last of the 8 Outlander books and want to then start the long series of Poldark books.
I go to Bible Study weekly. I take my 95-year-old father-in-law (who lives near us) to his podiatrist appointments. I also do some activities with the Women’s group and with the Seniors’ group at my church. I correspond with my sister and my brother, who don’t live nearby. We do get together once a year for Christmas Dinner at the Greenfield Inn in Lancaster PA and I have lunch with my sister there once a year in the summer. I do some walking but not enough. I keep in touch with several past co-workers from the Children, Youth and Families and the Office of Developmental Programs (both under the Human Services Division in our county) and have lunch with those friends occasionally.


US Nat'l Women's Soccer League Seattle Reign and Chicago Red Stars photo


One person and I used to travel to Women’s Professional Soccer regularly until the local teams disbanded and even traveled to Cincinnati Ohio one year to watch the USA play Germany. I also have a hobby of making Polish Star ornaments. I learned to do this while a Girl Scout leader. http://www.instructables.com/id/Polis... The star has 96 points all of which are hand rolled. I usually do this while watching TV.

I follow a lot of Marvel comic heroes on TV, i.e., Arrow, The Flash, S.H.I.E.L.D. but, of course, also follow Masterpiece Theater and some series on STARZ and HBO. I don’t watch any daytime TV but have one or two shows each night I like to watch. I do like to bake but don’t do as much now that my children have grown. And I love keeping in touch (mostly through e-mails) with authors and others readers in this community. I have now met Claudine in NYC three times and met Debbie B. locally once while she was visiting friends with her husband here in PA. Ironically, I have made several friends who commented on my reviews on Amazon and we talked back and forth and then I referred them to Goodreads for a wider audience and more information about JAFF.
I love seeing that you're making the most of retirement and engaging with so many life opportunities.

Have you always been a reader? What are some of your all-time favorite books?

I have always been a reader. My interests have changed over the years. While in Junior High School our one summer reading assignment was Jane Eyre and I reread that about 8 times. While in High School our one English teacher was “big” on Thomas Hardy and Shakespeare. During college, at Ursinus College, the little time I had for outside reading was spent with James Bond, among others. Then in my 20’s a coworker lent me a historical romance novel. I forget the author but have very fond memories of certain authors, i.e., Kathleen E. Woodiwiss (Her Shanna is #1 on my list.) who is credited on the Internet as being the first author to take us into the bedroom. bookcover:Shanna|896621] Judith McNaught is another favorite author from those days (Too many great books to pick one). But I also read and shared with my children the love of Terry Brooks’ books and can recommend his The Shannara Chronicles which have been made into a TV series.

I love mystery novels and watch or read Sherlock Holmes, Poirot, and all those British TV series, i.e., Inspector Morse. I have read most of John Grisham’s and many of Nicholas Sparks but don’t like the endings of the latter’s books so don’t read him anymore. Love seeing your reading journey from the past until now.

You adore Jane Austen, Austenesque, and Jane Austen Fan-Fiction (JAFF), this I know. Ha! How and when did you first encounter Jane Austen’s novels?

I didn’t learn of her books until….drum roll….the 1995 P&P movie hit PBS on TV. Big surprise, right? Then I had to read the book. I didn’t learn of JASNA until I read that a local chapter had attended the play form of P&P at DeSales College near us and then made inquires to the newspaper as to how to contact them.

What was your first JAFF story and how did you discover it?

I think, but can’t swear to it, that I found the first of Pamela Aiden’s trilogy (2003) Fitzwilliam Darcy Gentleman on Amazon.
You know how that site makes recommendations to you based on your browsing history and I was probably looking at Jane Austen’s books there. It wasn’t long after that when I found Abigail Reynolds.
I found Meredith’s blog as I keep reading her book reviews on Amazon and clicked on the link to her blog under one review. That opened up the JAFF world to me as she introduced authors, readers and books on her Austenesque Reviews Blog. Yes, love all those and Meredith's blog is great.

I consider you quite the connoisseur, Sheila, so I’d like to shamelessly beg for some recommendations. What are a few JAFF books that you feel haven’t gotten enough notice, but that you think are quite amazing?

That is a very tough question. I have expanded those I now find enjoyable from what I read maybe 2 or so years ago. I used to stick to Regency era and, those who know me also will realize that I also concentrate on P&P variations. BUT Anji convinced me to read modern take-offs and told me to read The Muse, Boots and Backpacks and Lucky 13.
I now have also accepted paranormal books onto my list after Mary Lydon Simonsen persuaded me that her Mr. Darcy’s Bite (werewolf) was more a romance than throats being ripped out.
I love all of Cat Gardiner’s books.

You ask about overlooked books: I think that there are many unpublished ones that readers would enjoy. Debbie B., I and others have reviewed many of those on Goodreads and one author was convinced to publish…her book used to entitled Bruises and was published as Side by Side: Apart – lovely book but get out your tissues. There is another unpublished author who is to be releasing a book soon and I am waiting but won’t name names in case something doesn’t pan out.
Some which had not gotten notice in the past are Laura Hile and a newer one along the same line, Cass Grix. Both are Freaky Friday type of books.
I have read 240 books this year so you and others could just go to my reviews and look for 4 or 5 star reviews. Yep, see, I knew you'd be good for several good recommendations and I will definitely spy out what's on your 'read' shelves.

Shifting gears here, I’m curious about your little corner of Pennsylvania. Do you have any Jane Austen or Regency events? Or have you traveled to a Jane Austen event?

I attended the New York City Annual General Meeting in fall of 2012 plus a number of events in Philadelphia and some closer to home with speakers, luncheons or dinners and the play I mentioned. I also was a member of a JASNA reading group in our area but it fell apart as lives got busy or people moved. I went to see the Sense and Sensibility Play at the Bedlam theater in NYC with Claudine (of the JustJane1813 blog) and also watched the Amazon prescreening of Love and Friendship with her in NYC and just this past Sunday we had the pleasure of sitting in on a Q&A with Whit Stillman, the writer and director of said movie.

Okay, and what about other fun activities and sites would you suggest if I came for a visit to your area of Pennsylvania?

Well, you must know that Pennsylvania is the State of Independence and if you have not visited Valley Forge, the Betsy Ross House and/or Independence Hall then do so but there is also the Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences and the Philadelphia Museum of Art (Rocky Balboa climbed its stairs.) and we are within an hour or an hour and a half of NYC and Hershey, Pennsylvania so the list of cultural and sports events are endless.

BUT we live next to Bethlehem PA and it is a national attraction with its fame as The Christmas City http://www.christmascity.org/ . Now it also has top rated musical acts at http://www.steelstacks.org/ plus in August we have a Musikfest http://www.musikfest.org/ with many musical groups and ethnic foods to taste. It was formed to imitate an October Fest atmosphere and is very popular. The shows are mostly nationally recognized groups but we also have some polka bands and local Irish step dancers in their colorful costumes. In September we have a Celtic Fest with their bagpipes and men in kilts vying against each other in the most beautiful legs contest. Moravian Church has a “Putz” program with hand carved figurines passed down over the centuries to tell the Christmas story http://www.centralmoravianchurch.org/... and we have two BIG sports attractions with The Lehigh Valley Phantoms, a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League who play at the PP& L Center which also hosts musical and other acts year round and with baseball, The Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs who are the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. Oh wow, sounds like I could spend days of wonder there.


And here is the Pumpkin Muffin recipe Sheila mentions. Let me know if you need a larger print and/or wish for the Great Pumpkin cookie recipe, too

Now, last question, might I tempt you with a slice of pumpkin bread? What’s your favorite fall snack?


Caramel and nut covered apples on a stick….but I also have recipes for pumpkin muffins and pumpkin cookies that my past co-workers and my family love. I always look for pumpkin flavored coffee, breads and baked goods in the fall.
AND from my husband’s ethnic background (Wendish = Hungarian/Austrian) there is a type of cookie called a Kiffle. My favorite bakery where I obtain those is just ending their pumpkin/cream cheese variety for this year. My siblings look for me to gift them with several dozen of those at Christmas, although by then the flavors are different. They are a lot of hard work and although I learned how to make them with my husband’s Tica (aunt) I buy them from a local nationally famous bakery. http://www.kifflekitchen.com/

Sofa Starters:
Snoopy or Scooby Doo? Snoopy – Although I have watched Scoopy Doo on TV, I have followed Snoopy/Charlie Brown comics from my childhood in the comic section of the newspaper plus watched all his holiday movies on TV…even The Great Pumpkin Patch.
Stuck in traffic or grocery store line? Probably the latter as I love to watch people and there is such a variety as you may turn your head and observe many people, even babies and toddlers, waiting in line and then there are all those gossip rags on which you can read how Angelina is mistreating Brad…LOL
Elinor Dashwood or Fanny Price? I have to say Elinor here. Although Fanny is an observer of a small group of people both in her uncle’s house and when she visited back home, her experiences seem more limited in scope. Elinor grew up in one location where her family probably had many more visitors due to their standing in society. Then even with her reduced circumstances she and her family were invited to Sir John Middleton’s house and then to London with Mrs. Jennings so there they mixed in society (for better or worse) and Elinor had in her abilities a much broader range of topics to discuss or observations to make about society. Both women had high moral standards but one was more exposed to general society.
Apple or Pumpkin? Apple – I make an apple pie which one of the girls on my old caseload described as “slammin’”! More apples and a very thin crust and not too much sugar.
Egypt or Greece? Greece: the seat of civilization with all its artwork, ancient buildings, sites of historic value, etc. just seems to have more of interest for me.
Parakeet or Gerbil? I own two parakeets and have owned many over the years: one of which I taught to talk: “Hello, Baby, want a kiss?”, “What’s up, Boss?”, “Cool down, Frank, Frank.”, “I love Sheb” (couldn’t pronounce “Sheila”) and other phrases.

Thanks so much for dropping by, Sheila. You and your family have a Happy Thanksgiving. And be safe out there going home.

And Happy Thanksgiving to all from me and thank you for this opportunity to sit and chat. You have been a gracious hostess to share time with me. Signing off, Sheila

If Sheila’s not hanging out on Goodreads, you can find her at: I share my e-mail address through personal messages on Goodreads but I am not on Facebook although I was on the latter in the past. I am on Twitter (However I don’t pay much attention to that) and have a number of boards on Pinterest. My book reviews are posted both on Goodreads and on Amazon.

Claudine and yours truly, October 30, 2016