The G.I. Bride
Page 33
The families saw lots of one another as almost every Saturday we travelled all over California to participate in swim meets. And then something happened which was to be extremely important to my future career.
Strolling across the university campus where I was studying, I saw a poster saying that the university was going to host a writing conference with several prominent writers, including Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Shaara and Clive Cussler, the author of Raise the Titanic. It also said that wanabee writers could send in a manuscript that would be read and critiqued. I had been trying to write a Regency novel for some time but I didn’t own a typewriter and wouldn’t have known what to do with it if Santa Claus had dropped it down the chimney. I was definitely a pencil or ballpoint pen writer. At the Friday swim class I must have looked gloomy for Agnes, AJ’s mother, asked me what was wrong – I told her. She took my hand as we sat there watching our children and she laughed. ‘Honey,’ she said. ‘I’m a secretary. You come over tomorrow and keep an eye on the kids – (incidentally a word I never use) – and I’ll type it up for you.’
I did and she did – and it seemed to take her no time at all. And because of that lovely generous woman I began to think that maybe, just maybe, I could one day be a real writer. I can still remember when she asked me about the story, finishing up with, ‘Where did you get that Marquis from, honey?’
‘He was in my head,’ I said and then her beautiful warm Southern voice floated across to me. ‘Well, he’s in mine now.’ So was created my first novel which I was also allowed to use as part of my Master’s Degree.
Thanks to AJ’s mother, I signed up for the conference, discovered that Charles Block, a very famous editor, had agreed to read my attempt at a book, and by chance I spent an entire afternoon alone with the incredible Michael Shaara, who told me how he wrote the magnificent Pulitzer prize winning The Killer Angels. And then one afternoon, Mr Block was waiting for me outside a classroom. He handed me my manuscript and said, “I think this will go.”
It did!
How I wish I knew where the family is now. We moved 6000 miles and AJ’s family went where marines had to go. Though the years and miles have separated us, I have never forgotten AJ or her mother, and am delighted to be finally writing a book with a character inspired by that incredible little girl.
Cheese and Potato Pie
You will need:
1 kg potatoes
2 tablespoons of butter
A dash of milk (optional)
1 white onion
1 garlic clove
125g sweetcorn (canned or frozen and defrosted)
125g frozen peas, defrosted
175g cheddar cheese, grated
4 rashers bacon
A pinch of salt
A pinch of pepper
2 tomatoes, for garnish (optional)
Method:
1. Clean and dice the potatoes, there’s no need to peel them, unless you would prefer to. Add to a pan of salted water and boil until soft.
2. Whilst the potatoes are cooking preheat the oven to Gas 5/190 C/Fan 170 C.
3. Peel and dice the onion and crush the garlic. Sauté them both in a little of the butter until softened but not brown.
4. Cook the bacon either under a grill or fry it. Once cooked, chop the rashers into small pieces.
5. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain and place in a large bowl for mashing. Add in the butter and the milk (if using), season well with salt and pepper.
6. Stir in the sweetcorn, peas, cooked onion and garlic plus half of the cheese. Spoon this mixture into a large ovenproof dish and, using a fork, smooth the surface.
7. Scatter the bacon and the remaining cheese on top. If using, slice the tomatoes and use to decorate the top.
8. Bake in the oven until the cheese has melted and is a golden-brown colour, approximately 40 minutes.
9. You can try the pie with a variety of different ingredients – try cauliflower, tuna, chopped ham or cream cheese. Share your photos and suggestions at www.facebook.com/MemoryLaneClub
10. Enjoy!
First published in Great Britain in 2018 by Zaffre Publishing
This ebook edition published in 2018 by
ZAFFRE PUBLISHING
80-81 Wimpole St, London, W1G 9RE
www.zaffrebooks.co.uk
Copyright © Eileen Ramsay, 2018
Cover design by Debbie Clement
Cover photographs © Colin Thomas; Alamy/Shutterstock
The moral right of Eileen Ramsay to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organisations, places and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978-1-78576-244-4
Paperback ISBN: 978–1–78576–243–7
This ebook was produced by IDSUK (Data Connection) Ltd
Zaffre Publishing is an imprint of Bonnier Zaffre,
part of Bonnier Books UK
www.bonnierzaffre.co.uk
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