Lowrywrites.com

Jeff Bezos and I are in the same business. He calls it customer satisfaction, but what he means is reader satisfaction. After all, Amazon started with the goal of being the worlds biggest online bookseller. It’s grown into so much more, but for me, the core of the business is the book biz. And to niche it down a little, it’s my little piece of it via KDP publishing. My business is reader satisfaction with a two fold goal. Leave ‘em happy and leave ‘em wanting more. Pretty close to my dating philosophy! But back to Bezos. He says Criticism is a gift. Which means any time someone leaves a 3 2 or 1 star review, it’s an opportunity to learn how to make your readers happy. I haven’t seen many 2 star reviews, but there are a lot of 1 and 3 that offer insight into how to make a reader happy. A lot of it is common sense. My best 3 star is “Get this guy an editor. He can really write.” One, it validated all the hard work. Two, it told me something I already know. I

  It’s been awhile since we heard from the Marshal of Magic and I think it’s time.   The end of summer is a good time for the stars to align and do some spell work.   Like 7 new books in the series.   The hardest part for me as a reader is waiting for the next book in the series.   Take Dresden for instance.   If you haven’t read it yet, go grab PEACE TALKS and find out what Chicago’s own wizard, Harry Dresden is up to in the latest installment from Jim Butcher.   It’s one of my favorite series.   But it’s book 1 of 2, and the next won’t come out for a few more months.   What do I do?   I admit, I’m an addict.  I read Peace Talks , and then I’ll read it again just in time for book 2 to be released and make a long weekend of it.   There will be libations, I assure you.   So as a reader, I like to think more books are coming fast.   As a writer, sometimes life just gets in the way.  There are pandemics and stock market crashes, there are school’s emptying and baseball seasons cancelled.

Hey it’s Chris, Welcome to the first official weekend of summer. The world we find ourselves in is like no other right now. We’re assaulted by uncertainty on all sides. Covid. Justice. Murder Hornets. Sahara Dust Cloud. And now, meth gators. You may not know, but I divide my time between Florida and Arkansas, and both are alligator country. A lot of addicts are flushing their meth stash before they get busted by cops, or the byproduct of drug production is getting into the sewer system and ending up in the canals, lakes, rivers and watery homes we lovingly call gator country. Gators are getting hyped up on meth making them super aggressive, hence August’s chaos du jour. Personally, I’m not too worried. Have you seen a meth head’s teeth?   Meth mouth makes them all go black, then bye bye, so a toothless gator isn’t as scary as some of the stuff we’ve faced. Once you’ve lived through a Sharknado, it takes a lot to scare you. But dang, 2020,

I got caught again. I drive with the radio off and any time someone hops into my truck, they ask about it. My kids think it’s weird. Others think I’m weird. Maybe I am. But I like to think.  Sometimes all the noise in the world, the chattering heads on the radio, the sometimes great lyrics songwriters can make, all it if combines and conspires to block out my own thoughts. I can solve world problems in silence. I can plot and outline and consider. I can plan and pray and do a hundred other things, including dredging up old songs with misheard lyrics that stick tight as earworms. With a rebel yell, I cry more more more. I like to create big problems just so I can think of solutions. How to cure the Covid Crisis. How to make money fast. How to solve world hunger. I get mad at politicians because they are all crooks. I think about that too. And then I get home and take action. I write Congress. I write CEO’s. I tweet and tag. I send letters to the Mayor and to the Governor. I try to offe

Giblets and Rice Boil 2 or 3 strings of chicken giblets (about 1 pound) until quite tender, drain, trim from bones and gristle and set aside. Boil one cup rice in one quart water for fifteen minutes. Drain, put in double boiler with broth from giblets and let boil 1 hour. Brown 1 tablespoon flour in 1 tablespoon butter and 1 teaspoon sugar, add 1 chopped onion, and boiling water until smooth and creamy, then add some bits of chopped pickles or olives, salt, pepper, teaspoonful of vinegar and lastly giblets, cover and let simmer for twenty minutes. Put rice into a chop dish, serve giblets in the center. May be garnished with tomato sauce or creamed mushrooms or pimentos.

Chicken Pot Pie Prepare same as for stewed chicken . When done remove chicken from bones now boil potatoes enough for family. Line a deep baking dish or a deep pan with good rich paste. Sprinkle flour in bottom. Lay in a layer of chicken; now potatoes, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper; now cut thin strips of dough, lay across; then a layer of chicken; then a layer of potatoes, and so on until the top of the pan is reached; pour over all the chicken, the gravy and put a crust over all the top and bake until well done and nicely browned. Make little punctures in dough to allow the steam to escape.

Stewed Chicken Clean and cut chicken and cover with water; add a couple sprigs of parsley; 1 bayleaf and a small onion. When chicken is almost done add salt and pepper to suit taste. When chicken is done place in dish or platter and add one half cup cream to the gravy; thicken with a little blended flour and strain over chicken.

Hungarian Goulash           3 lbs. beef (cut in squares)           6 oz. bacon (cut in dice)           1/2 pint cream           4 oz. chopped onion Cook onion and bacon; add salt and pepper; pour over them 1/2 pint water in which 1/2 teaspoon of extract of beef is added. Add the meat and cook slowly one hour; then add cream with paprika to taste and simmer for two hours. Add a few small potatoes.

Pepper Pot           Knuckle of Veal           4 lbs. Honey Comb tripe           1 Potato           1 Red Pepper           1 onion           A little summer savory           Sweet Basil Soak tripe over night in salt water. Boil meat and tripe four to six hours

Risotti a la Milanaise           2 lbs. rice           1 chicken           1 can mushrooms           1 lump butter           Parmesan cheese Cut up chicken and cook in water as for stewing, seasoning to taste. When almost done add mushrooms and cook a little longer. Now put a large lump of butter in a pan and after washing the rice in several waters, dry on a clean napkin, and add to butter, stirring constantly. Do not allow it to darken. Cook about ten minutes and remove from fire. Take baking dish and put the rice in bottom. Now sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese. Cut chicken up and remove all bones, pour over rice and cook until dry, adding gravy from time to time. This can be eaten hot or cold.