Jo's Old Site

I had always thought because of my vocabulary, that my writing is more for young adults and older adult age group. Though while I was writing my Mopp story, a few people that I had spoke to about it thought that children was my story’s age group.

One lady even suggested, that I should go to a preschool and read it to the kids but I didn’t because I thought that they would have trouble understanding it.

My mother even suggested turning it into some kind of book with illustrations, but now that I have wrote it as a short story she now agrees that it is for older people.

Last Sunday I got some wonderful constructive feedback from my sister about my story, and afterwards I decided to make my Mrs Mopp story into a short story; as trying to write it as a story with chapters had made it too confusing. So I have now done it all again and instead of being sixty seven pages it is now only three pages long.

The short story also has a new title, as I renamed this story “The Changing Mrs Mopp” and I made major changes to the story as Mrs Mopp is now the main character; I also think that in this short story that I have been more successful at figuring out what the main plots are and keeping to the big picture.

Anyway, Mr and Mrs Mopp cooks a baked dinner in “The Changing Mrs Mopp” and I thought to put the veggie recipes here as I know that some people are always interested in them. The recipes came out of a Family Circle Christmas Edition magazine and my mum cooked these recipes on Christmas Day.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

You’ll need:

750g Brussels Sprouts, peeled
if necesssary.

125g pancetta (Italian Bacon),
chopped.

Squeeze of lemon juice.

25g butter.

1) Steam the sprouts until tender about ten minutes. Meanwhile, put the pancetta in a frying pan and fry until it turns crispy. Leave the pancetta in the pan while the sprouts cook.

2) Once the sprouts are cooked, toss them in the pan with the pancetta and over a high heat, add the lemon juice and the butter and stir until the butter has melted. Then put the sprouts and pancetta in a warm serving dish.

Lemon and Garlic
Roast Potatoes.

Use Olive Oil Cooking
Spray.

You’ll need:

2.25kg sebago potatoes,
peeled and washed then
cut up into 6cm pieces.

1/3 cup of olive oil.

Finely grated rind of
one large lemon.

2 garlic cloves crushed.

2 sprigs of rosemary, cut
into 3cm lengths.

sea salt, to taste

1) Preheat oven to 220C and lightly spray a large oven tray with oil.

2) Put the potatoes in a large saucepan. Cover with cold water, and bring to the boil over a high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook, partially covered for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender then test them with a skewer.Drain potatoes and return to the hot saucepan.

3) Cover saucepan and shake vigorously, until the surface of the potatoes are rough.

4) Combine the olive oil with the lemon rind, and garlic and spread the potatoes over the prepared oven tray. Then brush potatoes with the flavoured oil. Next scatter over the rosemary sprigs, and then roast the potatoes in pre heated oven, turning halfway through the cooking, for an hour or until golden and crisp. Season with salt and serve immediately.

Mrs Mopp also cooks other veggies in the short story, but I’ll put those recipes up later.

As I’m revising “Mrs Mopp’s Diffficult Dilemma” I started to think that the title needed changing and a couple of people who have read it hinted that the title needed to be changed too, and so I’m now calling my story “The Mopp’s Difficult Dilemma” as it is not just Mrs Mopp’s problem but it’s her family’s problem too. My eldest nephew Liam also told me that he is still interested in doing the illustrations, and so we decided that he will draw some characters and I’ll draw some too. I’ll also be making further updates.

Just like to add another update on my story called Mrs Mopp’s Difficult Dilemma, as I have just completed the sixth chapter and now I’m revising what I got so far before I’ll start on the seventh; then I’ll be doing more drawings. As I still like the idea of doing the illustrations myself, and I have also been looking up websites about writing that had gave me some quite useful tips, and then another thing I also found is an American website called Writer’s Mind: they got a cd available that is also called Writer’s Mind on the site which I now got and believe that it is helping me with my revising, it has two tracks on the cd and both tracks go for some time – the idea is that it is to be listened to while the listener is working on their writing.

We have the kids over at the moment, as their mother is in hospital. Anyway, Liam my eldest nephew asked about my story called Mrs Mopp’s Difficult Dilemma, and I printed the first chapter out and got Liam to read it out loud to his sister Mikayla and myself ( as I’m still coughing.) Mum then came in while he was reading, and he told her I’m reading Auntie Jo’s story, and mum jokingly said what did you do to deserve that punishment? He then told mum no, this is good and I’m going to buy a copy of the book when it is published.

Also as he was reading it he stopped and asked whether the story was based on his two sisters and himself, and I said that the main children characters were sort of based on them but not exactly, though they might find they have similar interests; he then told me that the explaination that explains what Lee Anne was like was like his youngest sister, and of course he saw that he had similar interests to Thomas as they both play soccer for their school and enjoy playing video games. Then after Liam had finished reading I asked Mikayla and him what they both thought about it, and they both said they liked it and as Mikayla spoke first she said she enjoyed the arguing and Liam said he enjoyed that part too, plus reading about the lemon meringue, and the apple pie.

I then asked Liam what age group does he think my story belong in, and he said that he thought the story would appeal to kids that are aged between ten and young teenagers.

He then asked me if he could illustrate my story and I said he could.