Prescott’s Antiques
A periodic newsletter for fans of
Jane K. Cleland’s traditional mystery series
featuring Josie Prescott
An Antiques Roadshow for Mystery Fans |
Vol. I, No. 7 |
Unpublished Fact
About Josie
Josie hates to ski. Growing up in New England, skiing was a popular winter activity. She went for the first time with a girlfriend and her family when she was twelve and twisted her ankle. Her next try was when she was in high school. She didn’t hurt herself, but found the experience unpleasant. "I fell a lot. And it was cold."
Cooking Tip from
Josie’s Mom
The secret to luscious Broiled Tomatoes is to caramelize the sugar first. Josie makes these tomatoes as a side dish and serves it with Jerry’s Chicken (named for Josie’s granddad who created the recipe) in Lethal Legacy. To caramelize sugar, first melt butter over medium-high heat, then whisk in the sugar, continuing to cook it until it forms a syrup. Drizzle the syrup over the tomatoes in advance to let the flavors merge together. This, and all recipes, are published on Jane’s website as soon as the book they’re in is published. That means you’ll need to wait until April 2008 when Lethal Legacy is published to learn how to make Jerry’s Chicken! The recipes from Deadly Appraisal, however, will be available no later than April 2007!
Josie's Mom's Recipes
A Matter of Character
That’s the name of the Bouchercon 2006 panel that Jane’s moderated this year in Wisconsin. Jane’s panelists included Mark Arsenault, Michael Bowen, Gillian Roberts, and Hallie Ephron. During the panel, these esteemed authors discussed how they create robust characters, avoid clichés—and how they make them memorable. Got questions about these authors’ characters?
Got questions about character- ization in general? Send your questions to jane@janecleland.net.
Antiques Collecting Fact:
Did You Know?
The easiest way to find out if an object is made of ivory is to perform the "hot pin" test. Heat the tip of a pin until it’s red hot, then try and pierce the material. If it is ivory, it will not go through.
19th Century Hindu Goddess
If it is a composite material, then the pin should penetrate it easily—and it will leave a mark. Objects made of composite have little auction value.
Rodin Watercolors
Worth $30,000
Four watercolor s of Cambodian dancers by the much sought-after artist Auguste Rodin submitted to our free on-line e-mail antiques appraisal are estimated to be worth as much as $30,000!
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, the renowned auction house, conducted the appraisal.
Blogcasts Now Available!
Jane's Blogs are now available as Blogcasts too. Read her latest,
A Moss Garden Grows in Manhattan or listen to the blogcast.
And coming very soon -- podcasts of the excerpts from her first two Josie Prescott mysteries. Stay tuned!
Help the New Orleans Libraries
Mystery Scene magazine will send $5.00 to the New Orleans Public Library for each back issue of the magazine purchased through the end of the year. Check out the excellent magazine, and this generous offer, at their site.
