House Honcho Wants YOU

Photo by Plat

Ever been to a cookie exchange?

Each December, a friend of mine hostesses a cookie exchange out of her home. She invites a handfull of us to bring our very best cookies--our chocolate-ginger treats, lime flowers, or pistachio-raspberry tea cakes--wrapped in parchment paper or buried in Christmas tins. And we exchange our goods like children trading sandwiches in the lunch room.

It's one of my favorite events of the season--as much because I love the company of women that meet in my friend's home--as it is the fact I can't wait to try a new treat.

Well. It isn't the season for trading cookies just yet, but I want to invite you to something I hope will be enjoyable and profitable.

I want to invite you to House Honcho's idea exchange.

Similar to our Author Friday interviews, I would like to begin interviewing homemakers around the world. I want to talk to home managers at every point of the homemaking spectrum--whether you've been doing it for 1 year or 100. If you allow me to, I'd like to send you 5 questions about your home. You can share things that work for you or things you've learned from others. It doesn't matter. You can even choose to change a question if you don't like it--and you can remain on a first-name basis if you so choose.

I am simply interested in gleaning your ideas and sharing them with our friends.

Please drop me an e-mail if you are interested! Let's get this party started!

Meet Kit Wilkinson

The cover of Kit's lovely book

She makes me laugh harder than a hyena high on helium.

We met two years ago at a conference, and I'm pretty sure we weren't laughing only 10 percent of the time. (And that was when she was sleeping or networking with publishers.)

I am so glad to introduce you to Kit Wilkinson, author of two books--one of which is hitting bookstores June 8, 2010--entitled Sabotage. (I'm planning to pull a "Harry Potter release night" and be at the store at 12:01.)


Photo of Kit Wilkinson

Graciously, Kit sat down to answer some of my questions about her newest novel.

1. Emilie Gill, your lead character, is in danger because someone is targeting her. Worse still, the police have charged her with murder. Nothing could be worse, in my mind, than being falsely accused of something. How would you handle it?

It depends on the situation, but most likely I’d get pretty angry about being falsely accused. (I’ve been known to have a bad temper.) On the other hand, if it was a really ludicrous accusation, I might find some humor in it. I like to find humor in life.

2. Emilie will eventually need to learn to trust again. Do you think trust is something that can be encouraged by someone else--or must it come from a personal conviction to do so?

Great question! Sure, trust can be encouraged, but in the end it’s a personal decision. In some ways, it’s like we have to be at peace with ourselves before we can trust others. And sometimes, that’s a hard thing to find—personal peace.

3. You've actually earned a handfull of impressive degrees--including one from Switzerland--yet you chose to stay home and be a full-time mother and home manager. What prompted you to do this?

Honestly, I did it because I could. And I’m so glad that I did. For one because that’s when I started writing, but also the time at home has flown by (my youngest starts kindergarten next year), I wouldn’t have wanted to miss this time with my children.

4. What is your favorite home management tip?

I like to cook things that I can double. I’ll take half of it and freeze it for a night when I don’t feel like cooking. I also try to clean my house while I’m making phone calls. Sometimes, that doesn’t work out but most of the time I can get the trash out, a few rooms dusted, mirrors cleaned, etc. It’s almost automatic now. I get on the phone and I start cleaning.

5. What do you most want for Mother's Day?

Diamonds ☺ Very large diamonds. Or, a nice relaxing day with the family. That would be good too.

6. Any other hints you want to give us about Sabotage?

Sure! So, I’m really hoping that readers enjoy the equestrian world setting and the sparks flying between the hero and heroine, two very strong characters. And two very human characters. Oh and I have to mention that Sabotage just received 4 ½ stars from the Romantic Times Review. Very exciting.

HouseHoncho, thanks so much for having me.


No, no, Kit. Thank YOU for dropping by!

This Fine Life

Read more about this book here

She's rarely still and she sleeps very little.

When I met Eva Marie Everson two years ago, I was impressed by her enthusiasm, her sense of humor, and her all-around southern charm. (I actually watched her perform in a talent show similar to American Idol--but that's a different story for a different day.)

One week from tomorrow, Eva Marie's 22nd book, This Fine Life will hit bookstore shelves. About the book:

It is the summer of 1959 and Mariette Puttnam has just graduated from boarding school. When she returns to her privileged life at home, she isn't sure where life will take her. More schooling? A job? Marriage? Nothing feels right. How could she know that the answer is waiting for her within the narrow stairwell of her father's apparel factory, exactly between the third and fourth floors?

Eva Marie was gracious enough to answer a few questions for us about her book and her love of home.

To read Eva's interview, keep reading below. . .

Meet Eva Marie Everson

Photo of Eva Marie Everson

7 Questions. 7 [genius] Answers.

1. According to a recent reviewer, This Fine Life is the story of growing up and facing the reality of choices we’ve made. What is a choice you made, growing up, that you are still glad you did?

I made some pretty bad choices growing up! LOL But one in particular, one good one, was making GOOD life-long friends. I was blessed in that area. I still am.

2. Mariette Puttnam, the lead character of This Fine Life, finds herself in the midst of an unlikely romance. In my opinion, the best romances are the "accidental" ones. Do you agree?

Absolutely. My husband -- who I can't imagine living without -- is the polar opposite of me. I like to "go and do" and he likes to "sit and stare." I like having lots of friends and he likes having no more than five -- and that's pushing it. He is the exact opposite of what I always thought I'd have for a husband and I just love him to pieces!

3. You were born and reared just outside of Savannah, Georgia—meaning you were not only living in the Bible belt, but you were living in a never-ending, living Housekeeping magazine. Did you ever witness any fascinating homemaking habits?

My mother was a great homemaker. I remember her ironing every little thing. Even my father's underwear and his handkerchiefs! Like most women in her day, she had the "once a week" help but I never knew Mother to be afraid of getting her hands dirty. I think the "help" came mostly to allow Mother to run errands without little ones hanging on to her legs. :)

4. This Fine Life begins in the summer of 1959. The 1950s were to the apron and high heels what the 1970s were to bell-bottom pants and platform shoes. What did you learn about this time period during your research?

What amazed me was the amount of work the average housewife/homemaker did in order to keep her home in order. I interviewed various women--typically my mother--and asked them about the day to day. I learned about things like "wash day" which ended with taking the clothes off the line, sprinkling them with water, rolling them up and then putting them in the refrigerator overnight before ironing day dawned the following morning. I also had the opportunity to revisit the fashion, the new products, the hot artists, and the cool sayings.

5. Tell us about your writing space. Where does the magic happen?

My husband and I turned a third bedroom into a shared office. My desk (with hutch) is against one wall, his (without hutch) is against the other. Back to back we face each other ... I have an antique pie safe from my paternal grandmother's home that I took the doors off of and turned into a book case. Another antique pie safe -- this one belonging to my maternal great-grandmother is also used for storing books, promo materials, and special items such as mother/daughter porcelain what-nots from my mother, photos, etc.

6. What is your favorite home management tip?

I clean every day. EVERY DAY! I start at the back of the house and work forward. I don't do a little here and a little there. If I did, it would never get done. Make it one of the first things you do each day: keep it clean and keep it up.

7. What is something you’d like us to know about This Fine Life before it officially hits the shelves on May 1?

Honestly, I love this story so much! When it was done, I cried, mostly because I would not get to visit with Thayne and Mariette on a daily basis any more. Between sending it in and seeing it on the shelf I would, occasionally, go back into the .doc file and, at random, read a few pages just to visit with them again. Now, I have my book copy and I do the same.

But seriously, I think everyone will enjoy This Fine Life ... more than anything, I hope they conclude the message I tried to convey: God's long arm will reach to the heart of every child, but in His time and in His way.

(From Eva) This display is on an antique chiffarobe as you walk inside the master suite of our home. The hats belonged to my mother and father (Mother wore hers on her wedding day) and the Bible was Daddy's. I have it opened to his favorite psalm (27). The flowers on top came from the arrangement sent to me by my AWSA sisters when he went on to Glory. This entire display is one of the most important to me, inside my home.

Thank you, Eva Marie Everson!

Meet Deborah Raney

Deb Raney!

She writes incredible books in a pretty amazing place.

Meet Deborah Raney, author of 20 novels, winner of multiple awards, and home manager for a husband, children, and grandchildren.

From the inside flap of her recently-re-released novel, Beneath a Southern Sky:
Her Second Husband Healed the Sorrow of a Tragic Loss. Her First Has Just Returned from the Dead. Which Man Has the Right to Claim Daria's Heart?


Learn more about this book here.

And here are my questions for Deborah:

1. You are a home manager and a writer. How do you find time to balance both, (and do them so well!)?

Well, I have to admit that now that we are empty nesters, it's much easier than when we had four kids at home. But even then, the secret was to delegate. My husband helps in so many ways, not the least of which is picking up after himself. We made sure the kids did the same, and they each had assigned jobs that helped the household run more smoothly. We kept charts and lists of whose turn it was to do what job and switched off often so everyone learned how to do each job well.

2. Your novels tend to center on strong family relationships, (in this case--a husband/wife missionary team). Do you draw from your own family experiences as you write?

Absolutely! There is so much of me and my family in my novels––both my immediate family, and my family of origin. I draw from what has worked for us, as well as what has caused conflict between us.

3. A recent review of Beneath a Southern Sky called it "emotionally intelligent" writing. After reading it, I know exactly what she meant. Whether something great happens or something terrible happens, I as the reader felt it. How do you connect to that emotional core of your reader?

I think one of the necessary skills of a writer is being able to put ourselves in someone else's shoes and truly imagine how it would feel to have this thing that's happening to our character happen to us. Even if I've not experienced the exact event my character is undergoing, using something that author Brandilyn Collins calls "emotion memory" I can empathize with my characters' emotions and thus write them convincingly. For example, I have never committed murder, but I can remember how it feels to be enraged when someone hurt my child.

Deb's lovely office!

4. What is your favorite tip for keeping your home office organized?

I think one secret to staying organized is getting organized in the first place. Once I clean out a drawer, closet or room, I'm motivated to keep it that way by having experienced how nice it looks and how much easier it makes my life to have things in order. I try to walk through the house each evening before I go to bed and tidy things up along the way. I think it helps me sleep better, and I know it makes waking up and facing a new day far more pleasant.

5. One of the reasons I couldn't put Beneath a Southern Sky down was because there was no easy answer to the conflict. In life, what do you find helpful for solving conflicts as they pertain to the home?

Compromise! Anytime more than one person lives in a household, there are going to be disagreements and differing opinions on how things should be done. I think one of the best things my husband and I have done to resolve conflict involving our home is to divvy up tasks. I hate to empty the dishwasher and Ken doesn't mind, so that's his gift to me. He despises changing the empty toilet paper roll, so I've simply accepted that task as my own. Ken's a neatnik who's really bothered by clutter, so I try to keep clutter to a minimum in the parts of the house we share, but he agrees not to say a word if I let my office closet become a rat's nest.

It takes a while to learn what works, but once you do, it simplifies life so much. We decided early on in our marriage––after watching a couple compete negatively (to the point of divorce!) over every little task that needed to be done––that we wanted our own marriage to be a competition of who could serve the other best, who could outgive the other most. We've been doing that for almost 36 years now and it works!

6. What is something you keep in your office that we wouldn't expect to find there?

I don't know that there's anything especially unusual in my office, but one thing my family wouldn't expect to find there (until they read this, of course!) is my stash of candy! I can buy a package of chocolates or a box of jawbreakers and make them last for months. If I put that same candy in a bowl on the coffee table, it will be gone in 24 hours! So I always keep a secret stash in my office. The vegetable crisper in the fridge is another good hiding place for candy!

7. Any last-minute tips from one home manager to another?

Just that when it comes to home management, people are always, always more important than any material item, than any routine, than any standard we might try to attain. I'll never forget the comment of our hostess when a friend's son accidentally broke a beautiful dish at a dinner party. She said, "Don't think a thing of it. There is not one thing in my house that is worth someone's feelings being hurt over." I've never forgotten how welcoming that attitude made her home feel, and I've tried to adopt it for my own home.

Thank you, Deb!

(Now go...check out her books!)

Introducing...AF!

Photo by LollyKnit

Introducing Author Fridays.

On my list of loves—right before baking soda and right after my affection for notebooks—is a good plot. (As in novels, not cemeteries.)

Good writers—the truly reliable ones that write a good book every time—are hard to find. And when they are found, they usually have a lot of good things to say. In my line of work, I rub shoulders with a lot of great writers every day--many of whom happen to love home management, (since many of them work out of their homes!)

So since Friday is the designated day we work on our home office/library/study spaces, it would only make sense that we interview the people whose books line our shelves. I intend to use Friday's blog space to interview writers of all types--asking questions that pertain to you and your home.

One of my personal favorite writers is Deborah Raney. I met her two years ago at a conference and now search for her books at book shops with the tenacity of a child searching for Easter eggs.

What has always impressed me about Deb, in addition to her truly intriguing writing, is her love of home and family. (And, let it be known that she has created and maintained a home office worthy of her work. (Though rumor has it, her first office was synonymous with with her kitchen table.)

Deb was kind enough to answer some questions for me about her recently-re-released novel, Beneath a Southern Sky, mixed in with a few questions about her love of home management. You'll want to come back to the blog tomorrow to check out our inaugural Author Friday interview, as well as see pictures of Deb's cozy office space.

Keep it simple!