tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post4669577320810954419..comments2024-03-29T07:15:33.972-04:00Comments on Jungle Red Writers: Aunty Lee's DelightsJungle Red Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-7479641524364871182013-09-25T19:23:44.516-04:002013-09-25T19:23:44.516-04:00I hope to be done with my first volume in about 6 ...I hope to be done with my first volume in about 6 months, Lucy. Then I set my agent to work :) Thank you for your kind words!! Best, KimKimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15354719566758459929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-69990092361559281152013-09-24T22:19:53.922-04:002013-09-24T22:19:53.922-04:00Ovidia, I love the cover art. Your character is ve...Ovidia, I love the cover art. Your character is very intriguing. I'd never heard the back story or known that part of history. I'm sure I will enjoy reading the book.Maureen Harringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03499876353651763590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-21495913079156296252013-09-24T20:02:48.078-04:002013-09-24T20:02:48.078-04:00Sounds interesting and different. The only other ...Sounds interesting and different. The only other mystery I have that's set in Asia is by Nury Vittachi. It's a feng shui detective book.Michelle F.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12177153343842684190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-24444568833875723482013-09-24T18:59:01.933-04:002013-09-24T18:59:01.933-04:00Oh Kim, that sounds wonderful--hope we get to read...Oh Kim, that sounds wonderful--hope we get to read your book soon too!Lucy Burdette aka Roberta Isleibhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04660402177299546055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-32081793886878789872013-09-24T18:32:14.844-04:002013-09-24T18:32:14.844-04:00Dear Ovidia,
Your novel sounds wonderful. Having b...Dear Ovidia,<br />Your novel sounds wonderful. Having been a food writer for almost 20 years (I specialize in Vietnamese food), I have met a few people who would make wonderful amateur PIs ... the woman who is on my mind now is one of the founders of the LA Times food section (50+ pages each weekend with one of the largest test kitchens in the world back in the day). She specialized in Mexican food, spent her days exploring LA's ethnic food scene - and so had access to unique communities and all the comings and goings at the newspaper. In fact, I am actually working on a series based around this woman's life. So it's wonderful to read about your experiences incorporating fact with fiction. I can't wait to read Aunty Lee's Delights.<br />Best,<br />KimKimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15354719566758459929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-37997965207679701022013-09-24T17:51:09.983-04:002013-09-24T17:51:09.983-04:00Ovidia, so interesting about your mother's nam...Ovidia, so interesting about your mother's name in the hospital!<br /><br />Seems like a lot of friends with new grandchildren have spent time trying to decide what they want to be called...that may be something new for this generation of grandparents.Lucy Burdette aka Roberta Isleibhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04660402177299546055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-50322350965274393622013-09-24T17:19:01.557-04:002013-09-24T17:19:01.557-04:00Hi Gram, I agree--the loved ones who stay alive in...Hi Gram, I agree--the loved ones who stay alive in our memories can sometimes be both the ones who see most clearly and thanks to who we see more clearly too... Ovidianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-48020535504205303142013-09-24T17:16:06.766-04:002013-09-24T17:16:06.766-04:00Denise Ann I love the idea of your Aunt Pat playin...Denise Ann I love the idea of your Aunt Pat playing the role of a brilliantly funny Visitation sister, a cloistered nun!Ovidianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-32856763216761434902013-09-24T16:48:14.280-04:002013-09-24T16:48:14.280-04:00Sorry, sent before I was ready.
Deb, your grandmo...Sorry, sent before I was ready.<br /><br />Deb, your grandmother Lilian sounds lovely too. It's hard for me to imagine my granny being interested in Egyptology but of course that happens.<br /><br />Something I think is a pity though. My mother (who has the same name as I do) became 'Mummy' after we kids came along--even my Dad called her 'Mummy'. Then after my brothers' children came along she became 'Nai-Nai' (which is Chinese for mother of a father. Mother of a mother is 'Poh-Poh'). Even my Dad called her 'Nai-Nai' for years before her death. I guess that's the equivalent of 'Granny'. Other people called her 'Mrs Yu' and 'Aunty' and she had few friends her age. Till one day in hospital when the nurse called her 'Ovidia' my Mum just didn't answer because it had been so many years since anyone called her by name. Ovidianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-16281665879692705742013-09-24T16:39:31.106-04:002013-09-24T16:39:31.106-04:00Thanks for that, Deb. I hope you like it! Thanks for that, Deb. I hope you like it! Ovidianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-28691171630409711992013-09-24T16:36:59.337-04:002013-09-24T16:36:59.337-04:00Hi Karen I so love the hair in the wringer Aunt Ro...Hi Karen I so love the hair in the wringer Aunt Rosie story too! Short hair is so much more practical but she must have had beautiful hair... waist length... I love the idea but could never live with that, even without using a wringer! Wish long hair could be put on for special occasions... like agonizingly gorgeous heels. Ovidianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-29521540124566422232013-09-24T15:29:59.517-04:002013-09-24T15:29:59.517-04:00My Grandmother Sue would be a perfect cook and pro...My Grandmother Sue would be a perfect cook and problem solver. She has been gone a long time, but I still see her in my mind.Gramhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01027824918114690029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-32442997992625565312013-09-24T14:58:24.347-04:002013-09-24T14:58:24.347-04:00Hi Ovidia! It was so nice to meet you at Boucherco...Hi Ovidia! It was so nice to meet you at Bouchercon--and I am so aggravated that I didn't get a copy of your book! It sounds wonderful and I'm very much looking forward to it.<br /><br />Characters in my family... I adored my grandmother, Lillian. She was called Nanny by all the grandchildren. She was always kind, always encouraging, and interested in everything. Just last night I was pulling some coffee table books out of a basket and found her copy of a huge book on Tutankhamun. She was fascinated by Egypt and many other cultures. She's been gone more than thirty years and I still miss her.Debhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11519514786198185277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-61169387059363797712013-09-24T13:14:33.798-04:002013-09-24T13:14:33.798-04:00This sounds marvelous!
In Hawaii "Aunty&quo...This sounds marvelous! <br />In Hawaii "Aunty" is also a term of respect. <br />When I was growing up anyone older than me was either Mr. or Mrs._____.<br />A close family friend might be Aunt_____ even if she did not earn that title through marriage. Libby Doddhttp://www.libbydoddart.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-42512925631547370632013-09-24T12:48:04.137-04:002013-09-24T12:48:04.137-04:00SO lovely to meet you at Bouchercon, Ovidia! And ...SO lovely to meet you at Bouchercon, Ovidia! And characters in my family? The wacky ones are so prevalent, they are shouldering each other aside to be in the book. A few of them are so unpredictably nutty, you'd never believe them as fictional characters.<br /><br />My Gramma Minnie made chopped liver too..YUM! With onions, and tiny bits of hardboiled egg white.Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-28119701239100208152013-09-24T12:23:51.665-04:002013-09-24T12:23:51.665-04:00Karen, that's a fabulous character--love the s...Karen, that's a fabulous character--love the story about the hair in the wringer!Lucy Burdette aka Roberta Isleibhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04660402177299546055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-38416751372219099152013-09-24T11:23:12.352-04:002013-09-24T11:23:12.352-04:00I am ordering this book immediately. If I "w...I am ordering this book immediately. If I "win" a copy, I know just the friend who will get it. I love the sound of this book, but especially the back story. Don't we all have a beloved auntie? I am rich in aunts, although only two are still with us. <br /><br />Now that you suggest it, I may put a Visitation sister, a cloistered nun, brilliant and funny like Aunt Pat, into my story!!!Denise Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02790883493798517829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-70220685010635289982013-09-24T11:18:57.538-04:002013-09-24T11:18:57.538-04:00I'm blessed with a family rich in characters -...I'm blessed with a family rich in characters -- and what fun it is to borrow bits and pieces and reassemble them into whole new people on the page!<br /><br />I've been thinking about elders quite a bit lately -- true elders, who glow with wisdom and inspiration, draw us to them, and Deb's Aunt Mary fits the bill beautifully.<br /><br />Sounds like Ovidia's Aunty Lee does, too -- what an intriguing premise! Thanks to Ovidia and Lucy for telling us about it. <br /><br />(I believe Lisa See does have some Chinese ancestry, through her mother, novelist Carolyn See. Loved Lisa's Peony in Love.) Leslie Budewitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11942314846112875042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-76511190873919343902013-09-24T11:01:53.863-04:002013-09-24T11:01:53.863-04:00Back from the gym. Ovidia, that's so interesti...Back from the gym. Ovidia, that's so interesting about Lisa See. It's fascinating to read about a completely different perspective, so I'm sure I'll enjoy your story, as well. Aunty Lee sounds like a winner! <br /><br />My Aunt Rosie was almost a widow in WWII; Uncle Red was a POW for nearly a year, but when he got home they were inseparable for the rest of their long lives together. She had two sons, and was a Cub Scout leader for both of them, and later a Boy Scout leader, in the 50's and early 60's, when women did not do such things. Uncle Red was an electrician and his company was working on a power plant in Argentina, so they went, the whole family, for five years. Aunt Rosie had to buy her meat in burlap bags from an open-air market, and they really had to rough it, even by standards in the 60's. <br /><br />She could do any craft you can think of, and was a weaver almost to the end of her life, as well as a golfer, a bowler, and a tennis player, despite being blind in one eye. I still have the dolls she dressed in exquisite hand-crocheted outfits for me, including three bridesmaids, a flower girl, and a bride, plus some others, complete with picture hats and nosegays. (I always thought it frustrated her not to have a daughter!)<br /><br />One of our best family stories was of Aunt Rosie, doing laundry at the wringer washer in the basement, and getting her waist-length hair caught in the wringer, which imprisoned her for hours. She cut her hair short and it stayed as short as a boy's for the rest of her life. <br />Karen in Ohionoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-75094003693111901452013-09-24T09:39:27.239-04:002013-09-24T09:39:27.239-04:00Ovidia,
I didn't have time earlier to say tha...Ovidia,<br /><br />I didn't have time earlier to say that I want to read that book! I enjoy reading about other cultures, and your protagonist sounds intriguing. (I can almost smell the kitchen aromas!)Deb Romanonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-6252102028355130622013-09-24T09:13:20.846-04:002013-09-24T09:13:20.846-04:00Hi Karen, I love Lisa See too! Especially as my la...Hi Karen, I love Lisa See too! Especially as my late mother was Shanghainese and I actually had a great uncle (who I never met) who returned to 'build the new China' but who got put into a re-education camp (he had two doctorates and was a classical violinist) and then just disappeared. For a long time I thought Lisa See had to be Chinese and my mother's age but I'm seeing now she's not... and younger than me, let alone my mum!<br /><br />Hi Marianne, I haven't read those books you mentioned but thanks for the pointer--I'll look them up. I used to avoid war books after hearing Japanese Occupation stories from parents and grandparents but maybe that was the wrong way to deal with it. So... yes, maybe stories from the West would be a good place to start.<br /><br />Hi Hallie!!! *waving wildly* you walk really fast! (no I wasn't stalking / tailing you... just doing the fan lurk thing and getting lost in the city...) I had no idea people in America ate chicken liver too. It's a side you can order with chicken rice in Singapore but only the 'serious' chicken rice eaters know that.Ovidianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-21237180177265402662013-09-24T08:47:20.003-04:002013-09-24T08:47:20.003-04:00I, too, had the pleasure of meeting Ovidia at Bouc...I, too, had the pleasure of meeting Ovidia at Bouchercon -- waving! <br /><br />This is completely fascinating about Singapore and women's roles. I had no idea . . . and what a lovely memory of your "aunt," Ovidia.<br /><br />Oh, dear, thinking of relatives who would make good murder victims -- not going there. <br /><br />But I will say that my fondest and most vivid memories of my grandma are all about food. Delicious thin crisp cookies sprinkle with a layer of cinnamon sugar -- if anyone has a recipe I'd kill for it. And scrumptious chopped chicken liver (begin by rendering chicken fat -- I have her wooden bowl with the chop marks in the bottom).Hallie Ephronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04759439029582054503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-17825461156804447832013-09-24T08:45:41.300-04:002013-09-24T08:45:41.300-04:00Great to "meet" you, Ovidia. Auntie Lee...Great to "meet" you, Ovidia. Auntie Lee sounds like a great character; I can't wait to read the book.<br /><br />My mother was a Navy nurse in WWII. I like reading books about military nurses - Charles Todd's Bess Crawford especially and even Diana Gabadon's Claire in the Outlander series. I just finished a nonfiction book about Army Air Corps nurses who crash landed in Albania in 1943.<br /><br />Thanks for sharing with us.Marianne in Mainenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-51848184166995340832013-09-24T08:39:42.977-04:002013-09-24T08:39:42.977-04:00Hi Ovidia! so nice to have you here:).
Deb, your ...Hi Ovidia! so nice to have you here:).<br /><br />Deb, your description of Aunt Mary is wonderful. I love the idea of a character who is able to talk the bad guy into turning himself in.<br /><br />And what a compliment that your friend wanted to be taken to her when she was troubled...Lucy Burdette aka Roberta Isleibhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04660402177299546055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-76398202760114906872013-09-24T08:37:27.548-04:002013-09-24T08:37:27.548-04:00What a fun premise for a book. I'm a mystery f...What a fun premise for a book. I'm a mystery fan, but also love stories that take place in different cultures, Lisa See's, for instance. <br /><br />Yes, my Aunt Rosie. I have to run out now, but will try to share her with you all later. She was a pistol. Karen in Ohionoreply@blogger.com