Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Slops Up!

Diminutive English rose, JL Simpson, was stolen away by a giant nomad and replanted in a southern land filled with gum trees and kangaroos. She quickly grasped the meaning of G’day and mate whilst steadfastly refusing all attempts to convert her to Vegemite. She loves sharing tales about unexpected twists of fate. Holding on to a steadfast belief every obstacle can be overcome, she spends her moments of solitude creating adventures where mystery and mayhem collide. Please welcome Janet as my Wednesday guest.

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Slops Up!

When Judy offered me a spot on her blog I was delighted and a little bit concerned. What on earth could I write for a blog with the name stew in the title?  My lovely husband is the cook at my house. The man is a magician. He spends hours reading up on recipes and experimenting with new flavors. We rarely eat out, and why would we when I have my own personal chef.

When we were first married, and our boys were little, I was the homemaker, chief cook and bottle washer.  I used to announce that dinner was ready by yelling, ‘slops up,” which might give you some idea about why he took the apron off me. It’s not that I can’t cook, it’s just not something I enjoy doing, unless it’s dessert. I make a killer lemon meringue pie, but you can’t live on pie.  When I went back to full time work we reversed roles and a chef was born. My husband had hidden talents that even he knew nothing about. Once he discovered his culinary bent I was happy to step back and let him go for it.

My aversion to cooking even spills into my writing. I’ve never had a heroine who can create a meal anyone would actually want to eat. In fact I kind of like writing anti-heroines. In my new book,  Lost Cause, Daisy Dunlop is hopeless in the kitchen but her husband loves her anyway. When you write stories with a humorous bent it’s fun to create characters with flaws. Burnt food, inappropriate clothing and a woman with an aversion to physical exercise is a great foil for an immaculately dressed male PI with a love for the good things and a lifetime membership at the local gym.
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Before anyone points the finger, Daisy is not based on me. My cooking has never poisoned anyone, I have a unique sense of style and my personal trainer will confirm that I am fully paid up member of the local gym. Also, I have never been shot at or blown up, unlike poor Daisy.

Daisy Dunlop thinks heir hunting will be an adventure. The man charged with ensuring her safety thinks it will be murder.

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Learn more about Janet at these sites: Website: http://jlsimpson.com/;


 Twitter: @jlsimpsonauthor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 comments:

Sandy Cody said...

Daisy sounds like a heroine after my heart. I love eating, but have cooked too many meals to want to read about cooking.

Polly Iyer said...

Janet, I'm with you. I cook but it's not my favorite thing to do. My husband also cooks, though lately he doesn't care as much about eating as he used to so he doesn't care about cooking like he used to. You're ahead of me with the desserts, though. I draw the line at baking. I was hoping to learn more about your abduction to Australia. Maybe next time.

Anonymous said...

Dang. I'm the rotten friend that left Janet sitting alone in a restaurant all night. My name is anonymous since she didn't slaughter me via this blog. I am not a robot but I can't prove it - but would a robot leave Janet in a restaurant alone? Of course, wince, like a forgetful friend. It's the time of the year. We all get a little light deprived when the days grow long and we don't think straight. I thought this was a recipe page, f'rinstance.

Unknown said...

Thank you for having me as a guest, Judy. And thankyou Sandy, Polly and anonymous for your comments. I love to eat so you would think I would love to cook but alas no.