April 10, 2024

Battle Lake Book Club!

If you've ever wanted a fully immersive reading experience that includes a monthly book club, prizes, and a supportive community, let me introduce you to the Mira James Book Club! It's the brainchild of Kristin Lyman, owner of Battle Lake's very own Lionseed Bookstore.

If you're not familiar with Battle Lake, it's a charming town in north central Minnesota as well as the setting for my 12-book Murder by Month romcom mysteries. Word on the street is that the town has mixed feelings about my books being set there, 😂 but it's where I was living when I wrote them, and I fell in love with the place.

Kristin wanted to celebrate the town of Battle Lake as well as the Murder by Month mysteries being re-released with new covers, new content, and deep edits, so she pulled together this genius book club. It looks like it'll be loads of fun. There's even the option for a book box subscription! You can find out all the details here.

I particularly love that ordering (and pre-ordering) the series from Lionseed not only supports a fabulous independent bookstore (which in turn supports the community), but also gets you free admission to the paid level of the book club (plus a $15 bonus gift bag mailed to you, if you're one of the first 100 to sign up).

The inaugural meeting is on May 5 at 2:00 pm. It's online, free, and open to the public, and I'll be the host! We'll be celebrating the re-launch of MAY DAY and talking all things books and Battle Lake, plus I'll share the backstory on how I came to write about Battle Lake. You can find out more here.

Mark your calendar, baby, because you've just been invited. :)

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March 25, 2024

Make Gloup

A blizzard is hurtling toward Minnesota as I write. Pre-storm means only one thing in the Lourey house: homemade gloup.

1. Grab all those veggies you prepped and bagged last week because you really really were for sure this time going to start eating healthy, but now they're going soft. Dice three or four cups worth (any veggies will do, including cauliflower, broccoli, and beets; such is the magic of gloup.)
2. Sauté the veg in olive oil. As they're just going soft, generously sprinkle with a couple teaspoons of dried herbs or tablespoons of fresh, dealer's choice, and sauté another minute or two for luck.

   

3. Stick veggies and herbs in a crock pot along with a carton of broth (or the Ziploc block of homemade stock in your freezer if you're a weirdo, Depression-era-style cook like me who doesn't let bones to go to waste).
4. Salt, pepper, and toss in leftover rice or a packet of noodles (it's wild rice for me today).
5. Next, add a packet of dried mushrooms (I keep some around for just this reason) or diced up, left over meat, including bacon (but cut it microscopically small; big chunks of meat in gloup is considered gauche).

   

6. Let it simmer on low for seven hours or high for three. (I recommend high for seven to really blend those velvety flavors plus draw out the righteous smell of homemade food bubbling away).
7. A half an hour or so before you're ready to eat, melt a stick of butter on medium low, whisk in an equivalent amount of white flour until you have a paste, and then slowly add in enough cream or 1/2 & 1/2—still whisking—until you make a thick roux that is barely pourable. (This roux is key; it's the pantyhose of the soup world, covering a multitude of sins.)

   

8. Fold the roux into (that one's for you, Schitt's Creek fans) the crock pot, add more salt because we're not heathens, let it get up to a low simmer until the roux has thickened it all into a nice chowder consistency, and you have gloup, a magical amalgamation of bits and bobs that cleans out your fridge and feels like a hug from the inside. It goes great with a crusty sourdough and a crisp beer or Topo Chico.

Cheers, friends. I hope you're warm and safe today and every day. ❤️

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March 24, 2024

April/May Tour Dates

I am visiting *every* corner of my beloved home state this April and May, signing at bookstores and presenting at libraries, where I'll be talking about my books, how I write, and my path to publication.

I hope you'll stop by. Questions will be so, so welcome.

Click here to see if I'm coming to your neck of the woods!

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