Jane's Tour Is Coming Together
Come on down!

The official launch of Antiques to Die For , the third Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery, is on April 17, 2008 at the wonderful Greenwich Village mystery bookstore, Partners & Crime at 7:00 p.m.

In addition to several New York events, Jane plans on visiting her friends in the mystery community in California, Texas, Arizona, Indiana, Alabama, Colorado, Michigan, Florida, Louisiana, Virginia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and North Carolina. She'll be signing at various stores, attending several conferences, and speaking at many library events. She'd love to say hello!

See Jane's Schedule

Ask Jane:
Lisa C. asks: What do you read?

Jane with Julia Spencer-Fleming
at the 2007 Black Orchid Banquet

"Mostly, I read mysteries, and my favorites are Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe stories," Jane replies.

"I'm a long-term member of the Nero Wolfe literary society, The Wolfe Pack.

"I'm honored to be the chair of the Wolfe Pack's literary awards—we're the folks that give out the Nero. Last year's winner was Julia Spencer Fleming for All Mortal Flesh.

"We also award the Black Orchid Novella Award in partnership with Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine.

Cooking Tip from Josie's Mom
Baked Chicken Marinade

"Lemon juice is the secret! Marinade chicken before you bake it to add complexity to the flavors. Just be certain to use fresh, juicy lemons!"

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice, about two lemons
• 1/4 tsp dried basil leaves
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper

PREPARATION:

1. Rinse and pat dry chicken pieces and place in plastic bag or covered dish.
2. Whisk together all ingredients.
3. Add the marinade to the chicken and seal the bag or cover the dish.
4. Place chicken in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, turning at least once.
5. Discard marinade before baking.
6. Coat chicken with whatever sauce or spices you choose. Josie's mom often used full-grain mustard or barbeque sauce, for instance, and bake at 350◦ until done.

Serves 2-4 people.

Antiques Collecting Fact:
Did You Know?

Half-dolls, usually made of porcelain and bisque, are dainty figurines of female upper bodies, heads, and arms. They were enormously popular from the early 20th century until the 1940s when they all but disappeared. Sometimes the dolls were kept as is; other times, people added voluminous knitted, crocheted, or hand-stitched skirts and used them to cover everyday items like rolls of toilet paper or powder boxes.

If they were adorned with skirts, they were known as pincushion, dresser, or tea cozy dolls. Adding skirts was quite the craze for awhile, but no matter how lovingly the skirt was created, nor how beautiful it was, the enhancement didn't add anything to the doll's value. 

If a half-doll's arms were tucked against her body, the figurine could be produced cheaply, as one molded unit. Because they are easy to find and tend to lack desirable embellishments like flowered ribbons or baskets, they aren't much sought by serious collectors. 

Open-armed dolls are worth more. There are several reasons to account for their higher valuation. They are more vulnerable to breakage, which reduces the supply. And their more expressive faces and meticulously rendered details add to their popularity.

Finely crafted open-armed dolls would be likely to sell at auction for upwards of $500 each if they are in excellent condition. The commonly available molded examples generally available for between $15 and $20 each, depending on coloration and decorative details.

To pit your antiques appraisal skills against those of the world renowned antiques auction house, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, take the free, interactive challenge: What's It Worth? You Be the Judge.

Antiques to Die For

An excerpt from the book is now
available to listen to or read.

Can you imagine what it would be like to be a 12-year old orphan whose sister is murdered? Can you imagine what it would be like if your sister told you that you owned a treasure—a priceless antique—but you don't know what it is or where it is?

The murdered woman is Josie's friend—and her young sister consults Josie, asking her for help in finding the treasure. Set on the beautiful New Hampshire coastline, Antiques to Die For is filled with antiques lore and complex plot twists. In the end, using her knowledge of antiques, Josie finds the valuable antique—and solves the crime. And in doing so, she gives a young girl hope.

Place your advance order now.

Anatomy of Persuasion
An excerpt from
Jane's latest Blog

I've spent a fair amount of time thinking about the nature of persuasive arguments. Why is one person good at it, and not another?

Certainly, one needs well-framed and well-developed content and a delivery style people find pleasant to listen to or read—after all, people aren't stupid and they won't pay attention unless they want to. But that's all theory... in order to become more persuasive in person or in print, I needed to understand more about the structure of persuasion. I developed the Matrix of Persuasion to help me persuade others to my points of view.

You'll notice that across the top I'm contrasting two variables: are people "on your side"? Or not? On the left, I'm considering whether people have the resources they need to do as I ask. Are they constrained? Or not?

As an aside, I'll mention that .... [MORE}

Unpublished Fact About Josie

Josie wants to buy a sports car. "But a convertible just isn't practical in New Hampshire. Someday maybe I'll get one—when I have a garage to keep it in, and as a second car. But for now, it's not smart."

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