Going Primitive

Herb Garden

Bored champion Bouvier, Tess who said she'd posed for enough pictures.

Everyone needs a dead pheasant in their dining room.

Living Room or Keeping Room, maybe.

Kitchen

Dining Room with goat skull on table.

Back of Dining Room

Keeping Room

Another view of Keeping Room

Storage shelf in hallway

My sister Pat and her husband Mark have gone primitive. No, they don't run around naked (at least to my knowledge, but that's too much information), but they are decorating their home for a simpler life. They're handy with wood and saws and have created some of their furniture replicating that of times past. Many of their furnishings are antiques and I have given them a couple of skulls from my collection..... (a goat and a possum). I've always liked primitives and have a few that I've collected over the years, but I have very eclectic tastes, and I must admit I'm not willing to forgo any of my creature comforts. Pat and Mark haven't given up modern appliances and plumbing, but some things are best hidden. You'll see Pat's laptop computer in one of the pictures, but that's because we were doing some genealogical work while I was there. I hope you enjoy the pictures. I think you'll admit the lifestyle has a charm all its own, but I'll warn you in the event you want to go primitive..........genuine primitive antiques are getting very hard to find and they're extremely expensive. I didn't have room for pictures of the bedrooms and bathroom!

50th Wedding Anniversary

One of 50 Red Roses


My husband and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary June 19th. It proves two people who are polar opposites can co-exist. We married while in college and after I graduated, my husband earned his PhD. They were interesting years to say the least. About the only things we have in common are two children and our love of horses. We raised horses for many years and our children took them into the show ring. Our son wanted to be a cowboy and wasn't too interested in horsemanship, but our daughter was serious about getting her horses to do exactly as she asked and worked at it every day. We have an attic full of trophies to prove it.

My daughter and son-in-law had planned a family celebration on Saturday night at St. Elmo's restaurant in Indianapolis. I became ill with an infrequent but recurring illness Thursday evening and wasn't sure I would be able to attend, but I made it, and we enjoyed it tremendously. It was a wonderful evening at one of our favorite places.

Every anniversary, without fail, my husband has sent me a red rose for each year we've been married. The red rose in the picture is one of the 50 I received this year. It's beginning to fade a bit, but then so am I. Don't ever tell my husband my favorite rose is yellow. I never have.

Launch of Bedlam at the Brickyard

Part of the crowd

On the right is Ginger Bock who is in charge of marketing

at CardinalPublishers Group

Crowd waiting to get books signed

Special cake designed by Diana Catt

Snack Table

Tom and Adriane Doherty, owners of Cardinal Publishers Group, and publishers of Bedlam at the Brickyard under their Blue River Press imprint

Authors signing book

Still signing books

Authors still signing books. They signed hundreds.

Marianne Halbert with books to sign


The Speed City Indiana Chapter of Sisters in Crime launched their new anthology, Bedlam at the Brickyard, Saturday, June 12th, at the Barnes & Noble bookstore, Carmel, IN. Diana Catt, president of the chapter, did a magnificient job organizing the event with input from the chapter.
Michael Dabney, publicist for the chapter, did a great job getting the word out. About 150 people turned out for the event and the authors were kept busy signing hundreds of books as most people bought multiple copies. I heard a few complaints of writer's cramp! Dave Reddick designed the invitations for the event which featured the book cover and were stunning.
All royalties the chapter receives from the sale of the anthologies are used for its literacy, library and writing programs. Thanks to everyone for their support.

Roadtrip to Sweet Stuff Bakery and Cafe

Luscious desserts.

Some of the charming decor.

This picture shows a small portion of the desserts available.

Stacy Wheatley, owner and chef.

Marlis sipping her raspberry iced tea.

The drink counter.

Last week, my friend and fellow author, Marlis Day, and I had lunch at a great little bistro named the Sweet Stuff Bakery and Cafe in Petersburg, Indiana. Marlis lives nearby and had told me about a great place for lunch. She sure was right. It's a charming little place located on Petersburg's main drag, 605 Main Street to be exact. It's owned by Stacy Wheatley and she also does the cooking. Soups and sandwiches, soft drinks, flavored teas or coffees are available as well as the most extensive grouping of desserts I have seen anywhere. There is every kind of cheesecake you can imagine along with many other scrumptious desserts. The bistro is open for lunch from 11a.m-2 p.m. If you're going to be traveling in the area, it's worth your while to go over to Petersburg and visit the Sweet Stuff Bakery and Cafe. Tell Stacy I sent you.

Excerpt From Bedlam at the Brickyard

Excerpt from Bedlam at the Brickyard: The Race Is On, by Brenda Robertson Stewart

After the radiologist declared me fit to race, I called my garage at the track. Smitty answered and said he'd come to the hospital and give me a ride back to the garage. While I was waiting, I called my friend Joe and told him about my 'haring' around. He laughed, but I was not too amused. I could have been killed getting back to the track.

"What were you thinking about when you shifted?" he asked.

"I wasn't thinking anything. I was getting dizzy from the 360's I was doing. I could hear Smitty on the radio calling out, "Lapin, hang on."

"Ah. You must have unconsciously focused on your name. You know 'lapin' means rabbit in French. Don't you remember the French teacher teasing you about your name in high school?"

"Well, I've got to figure out how to control this shape-shifting or find an antidote to reverse it."

"That old witch who sold me the mix didn't say nothing about being able to reverse the spell."

Come to the book launch for Bedlam at the Brickyard, Saturday, June 12th, 2-5 p.m. at the Carmel Barnes & Noble bookstore. Or, order a copy from Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com.

There are 15 short stories in the anthology and fact sheets about the Brickyard in between each story. Plus, the Foreword is written by James Alexander Thom.

Too Many Irons in the Fire

In my last blog, I said Wanda and I would be on the TV show Indy Style June 20th. I meant May 20th--day after tomorrow.

While I have your attention, I want to tell you about a wonderful contest we're having at Books We Love. Every week until July 31 one winner will be drawn to receive their choice of an ebook from any one of our Books We love authors. On May 31, June 30 and July 31st three winners will be drawn who will each receive an autographed copy of one of the print books displayed on the page. On July 31st one lucky winner will receive a Kobo, a brand new reader just being released from Borders, and their choice of any five Books We Love ebooks.
Go to www.bookswelove.net . To enter the contest, simply visit five of the author pages displayed on the web page index and sign the guest book of the author you choose to visit. Then fill out the entry form on the website and click submit.

Indy Style

Speed City Indiana Chapter of Sisters in Crime has a new anthology coming out in June. All fifteen stories were written by chapter members and the book was co-edited by Wanda Lou Willis and me. In between the stories are facts about the Brickyard 400 and the good ole boys from NASCAR. The introduction was written by New York Times best-selling author, James Alexander Thom. Bedlam at the Brickyard follows award winning, Racing Can Be Murder, with stories revolving around the Indianapolis 500, which was released in October, 2007, and was co-edited by Tony Perona and me. I have a short story in each of the books. Our chapter will launch Bedlam at the Brickyard June 12, 2010 at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Carmel from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. All are welcome to attend the party. Refreshments will be served. Both books would make great Father's Day gifts! All royalties received by the chapter are used to promote the chapter's library and writing programs.

This Thursday, June 20th, Wanda and I will be on the TV show Indy Style which airs from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on Indianapolis channel 8, to talk about the release of Bedlam at the Brickyard. If you miss the show, you can watch the segment later at www.indystyle.tv .

If you like fun blogs, check out my friend Marlis Day at www.marlisday.blogspot.com

Spring in Indiana

As a sixth generation Hoosier, my roots go deep in the Indiana soil. I come from a long line of gardeners. My maternal grandmother propagated her own roses and was very proud of her rose garden. In my mind I can see her in the garden wearing white gloves covering sprouts with large glass jars. Spring came early this year and it was very welcome after a winter of record-breaking snows. The crocuses, hyacinths, and tulips were first followed by daffodils, red buds, and weeping Japanese cherries. My friend Judi, in South Carolina, sent me some new daffodil bulbs this spring and I eagerly await their blooming next year. I have about 15 lilac buses and the whole outside smelled of lilacs. The azaleas were magnificent and the magnolia tree was so full of blossoms it was hard to see the green leaves. The snowball bushes were in full bloom, but they didn't like the cold front that came in last weekend. Clematis' are blooming and hydrangeas are budded. It's time to plant the annuals in pots to coordinate with the hanging baskets of flowers I received as Mother's Day gifts. Never an idle moment..........

Visit To Assumption High School Louisville, KY

I go to Assumption High School in Louisville, Kentucky about once a year to help the students in Mr. Bob Brown's forensic science class with their facial reconstructions. Assumption is a college prep school for girls and the final project in their forensic class is a clay facial reconstruction on a skull. This year I went on April 23rd. The girls are bright, attentive, and polite. They have many intelligent questions and are fun to work with. They received their project skulls the day I was there, and have until May 10, 2010 to complete the reconstructions. Having seen projects from past years, I am amazed at the credible reconstructions. I applaud Mr. Brown for his dedication to his students and for bringing another art form to the students' attention. These students always infuse me with some of their energy and inspiration.




Assumption High School forensics class.

Students picking out a skull for facial reconstruction.

Mr. Bob Brown, forensics science teacher and a skull I took for demonstration purposes along with a couple of 'heads' from past years sitting on the desk.

Ice Cream Shop Road Trip

This picture shows the soda 'jerk', Wilma Hare and the cashier, Janelle Binger.

Wanda is about to enter Zaharakos. Note the lovely stained glass in the doors.

Wanda Lou Willis and I took a road trip to Zaharakos ice cream parlor and museum in Columbus last Wednesday. Three brothers from Greece opened the original shop in 1900 and it has been completely restored. There is a double backbar which has 50 feet of mahogany, stained glass, mirrors and marble. The Welte orchestrion (1908) is a beautiful piece of art with 184 pipes of wood, tin and brass. Wanda and I enjoyed our sandwiches and chocolate sodas while the sounds of Oklahoma entertained us. If you order Eve with the lid on you get apple pie. Check out Zaharakos at http://www.zaharakos.com/

Take a Road Trip

I took a road trip last week to the Wayne County Historical Museum in Richmond, Indiana. It's a gem of a museum. Exhibits include a superb collection of automobiles made in Richmond, log cabins, steam powered tractors, a blacksmith shop, print shop, bakery, an extensive Native American collection, an Egyptian room containing a 3,000 year old mummy in his coffin as well as display cases filled with Egyptian artifacts just to name a few of the exciting wonders in this museum. There is a great giftshop where you can buy a souvenir or pick up a gift for a special occasion. Check out their website at http://www.waynecountyhistoricalmuseum.com/ .

One of my favorite exhibits is the large dollhouse. I've included a picture of it along with a photo of the director, Mr. James Harlan, standing in front of the museum. Visiting the museum makes a great road trip.

I reconstructed the face of a 3000 year old Egyptian mummy for a museum last year. I made a mold of the sculpture and cast it in ceramic clay, but wasn't very happy with it so I made another one and finished it today. He'll be going to the museum to replace the other one, but he's been with me so long and has become so attached to my cats that the museum director may have to find him a cat. No one has come forward to identify the mummy. :-)Now I can really get back to writing.

Starting Over

It's been a long time since my last blog. I did more sculpting than writing in 2009, but it's time to jump-start my writing. I went to a writing workshop Saturday at Ball State sponsored by the Midwest Writers' Group. There were three intriguing presenters. Dr. Dennis Hensley, from Taylor University, was one of them. He was funny and inspiring, but dead serious about writing. I ordered some of his books from Amazon when I got home.

The second book in my forensic artist mystery series is almost finished and I'm quite anxious to finish it. I did co-edit an anthology written by members of the Speed City Chapter of Sisters in Crime called Bedlam at the Brickyard which is due out the first part of May, 2010. All the stories revolve around the Brickyard 400 while our first anthology, Racing Can Be Murder, released in 2007, revolves around the Indianapolis 500. I did manage a short story for Bedlam and it was totally out of my comfort zone--about a shape-shifter--but it was fun to write. Until next time........
Brenda