Pie-of-the-month club – Jane Kurtz

In celebration of a pair of pie-related books I have coming out later this year (Babyberry Pie and Pies & Prejudice – see related post), I’m hosting a “pie-of-the-month-club” here on my blog.  Throughout 2010 I’ll be serving up a stellar selection of new books by some of my favorite authors and illustrators .  Oh, and pie is on the menu, too, of course.   Enjoy!

JANE KURTZ

Jane Kurtz, signing books -- and other things -- in Chicagao

Here kick off pie-of-the-month-club is Jane Kurtz. What delicious new treat have you been cooking up for readers, Jane?  I’d love to hear about your new book, and how it came about.

Lanie is the new character I invented for American Girl, and she has two books: Lanie and Lanie’s Real Adventures.  Okay…she’s also the doll of the year and she also has ACCESSORIES.  Pretty fun.  I never expect to walk down Michigan Avenue in Chicago, again, and see a huge window display of a character that popped out of my imagination.  I’d written for American Girl once before when they tried a line called “Girls of Many Lands” and contacted me to write a historical novel about a girl in Ethiopia, where I spent most of my childhood (and where many of my books are set).  I was doing an author visit in Indonesia in spring 2008 when the editor got back in touch and asked if I’d consider writing the books for the doll of the year.  Would I!  They wanted some kind of theme related to ecology.  I proposed a girl with outside genes, born into a family with inside genes, jealous of her best friend who is off in Indonesia helping save orangutans, who ultimately discovers the wide wonderful world in her own backyard.  Along the way, I learned all kinds of things about milkweed, monarchs, and Boston birds.

Do you have a favorite pie-in-the-sky moment as a writer?  One of those “I never dreamed it would happen to me” experiences?

I helped start a nonprofit, Ethiopia Reads, that has planted 43 libraries for children in Ethiopia.  In 2008, the founder, Yohannes Gebregeorgis, was named one of the Top Ten CNN Heroes, and I got to go to Hollywood and sit in the Kodak Theater while he was honored.  Afterwards, I said to Vanessa Redgrave, “Thank you for coming.”  She gave me a deep, earnest look and said, “No, thank YOU.  Thank you very much.”

Almost as sweet was when I was signing the new Lanie books in a bookstore in Boston.  A girl came in who only had money for two books.  She asked if she could read some of mine to decide.  (A tense audition if there ever was one.)  She came up to me a while later and said, “This is the best American Girl book EVER,” and bought it.

Has there ever been a moment in your career when you had to eat humble pie?  (I did, big-time, when as a fledgling, clueless author I showed up at a major chain bookstore for what I thought was just a signing and found to my chagrin was educator night – dozens of teachers waiting for me expectantly, and I hadn’t prepared any remarks…)

I used to say I knew how many people rejected me when I was trying to get my books published.  I just didn’t know how many were waiting to reject me after my books started to get published.  Probably the worst was when my first book, Fire on the Mountain, won an award and I went to New York City, all shiny faced, and hardly anyone showed up for the ceremony.

Now let’s REALLY talk pie.  What’s your favorite kind?  Do you have a favorite pie memory?  How about the recipe you’re sharing – can you give us a little background on it?

My dad was quite an outside guy.  He had a huge garden in Ethiopia and, once he moved back to Portland, Oregon, grew all kinds of berries in his back yard.  When he died just before Christmas, we opted not to serve the usual foods at the memorial and had pie instead.  Oh my… did my dad love pie!

The recipe I’m sharing is related to Lanie’s story.  Her little sister Emily will only eat things that can be cast as pizza.  (This was a set-up so the girls could plant a pizza garden later.)  So I’m sharing my favorite recipe for pizza pie!

Jane Kurtz’s Pizza Pie

1 package of yeast

1 cup of lukewarm water

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. basil

1/4 tsp. oregano

2 T. oil

1 egg yolk (optional)

2-1/2 cups flour

Put the package of yeast into a bowl with the cup of water, salt, and sugar.  Stir until the yeast dissolves.  Let the mixture rest five minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients, slowly stirring in enough flour until the dough isn’t sticky.  Let it rest another five minutes.  Knead about fifty strokes.  Spread pizza sauce on top.  Cover with mozzarella cheese.  Add whatever pizza ingredients you like.  Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Jane’s grandchildren love to help make pizza pie!

A pearl of a film

I’m donning my movie critic hat again here briefly to let everybody know about a FABULOUS documentary we watched over the weekend:

A Man Named Pearl came out in theaters in 2006, so obviously I’m behind the times here.  If you are like me, however, and missed it, you must go IMMEDIATELY to the video store (or Netflix, or the library) and track it down.  It’s one of the most inspiring and uplifting movies I’ve seen in a long time, and as empress of the world (well, OK, of this blog), I’m hereby designating it required viewing for artists everywhere.   Heck, for everyone, everywhere.

The son of a sharecropper, Pearl Fryar bought a home on the outskirts of Bishopville, S. C., a couple of decades ago, only to learn that because he was African-American, residents didn’t think he would keep his property up.

Boy did he prove them wrong.

Pearl taught himself topiary and worked night and day in an effort to win the local garden club’s “Yard of the Month” award.  The result (which has now spilled over into downtown Bishopville and many other destinations) is a visual delight, filled with whimsical creations that have been described as “Dr. Seuss meets Edward Scissorshands.”  Pearl’s garden draws tourists from all over the world and has elevated him to the ranks of horticultural and artistic genius.

Part sculptor, part gardener, part philosopher, part philanthropist, Pearl Fryar is one of those rare human beings who lights up not only the screen, but also the corner of the world in which he’s been planted.

But I’ve given too much away already.  Watch it.  Please.  Trust me.

Hunger Mountain

The Vermont College of Fine Art’s journal has just been posted!

Hunger Mountain is a wonderful resource for writers and other artists, and I’m particularly thrilled about this latest edition because an excerpt from my dear friend and writing buddy Susan Hill Long’s work, Tornado, is featured in it.

Sue was a runner-up for the most recent Katherine Paterson prize, and having read Tornado in its entirety (lucky me),  I can only say that Ms. Paterson is obviously a woman of discriminating taste.  I LOVE this book, and hope that an equally discriminating editor will snap it up soon.  It’s so deserving of publication.

Go, Sue!

National Pie Day

You’ve got to love a country that sets aside a whole day on the calendar to celebrate dessert.  Yes, my fellow Americans, it’s that time of year again — get out your rolling pins and let the flour fly!

Pie just happens to be my favorite dessert of all time.  I love ‘em all — apple, pumpkin, cherry, lemon meringue, blueberry, marionberry (a Northwest specialty).  My favorites, though, are strawberry-rhubarb and coconut cream.  Mmmm.

And since it’s National Pie Day, I figured this would be the perfect time to announce two forthcoming books for 2010 which, coincidentally, are both pie-related.  What can I say?  I must have been piestruck when I picked up my pen…

Drumroll, please:

My first picture book!  And no, as you can see, I did not illustrate it (I can’t even draw stick figures).  The sublime Ms. Amy Schwartz did.  Wait until you see what she has in store — I’m absolutely head-over-heels in love with her artwork.  As a writer, handing over one’s manuscript to an illustrator is akin to handing over your newborn to a babysitter the first time you venture back out into the world.  Let’s just say there’s some trepidation involved.  With Amy, though, I hit the jackpot, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with her vision for my story.

Babyberry Pie will be published next fall by Harcourt.

The second book in my pie-a-palooza of a fall lineup is the fourth installment of the Mother-Daughter Book Club series.  The cover is almost-but-not-quite-ready-for-prime-time (check back here in a few days).  The title tells it all, though.  Pies & Prejudice hits the shelves in September, and I’ll bet you can guess what the book club will be reading this time around!

All this talk of pies is making me hungry.  Fortunately, there’s one waiting for me in the kitchen.

Coconut Cream Pie

Years ago, I coaxed one of the waitresses at Heather’s Cafe in Cannon Beach, Oregon, into sharing the restaurant’s recipe for coconut cream pie.  The cafe, alas, is no longer in business, but its memory lingers on in this sweet treat.  Here’s the recipe:

Coconut Cream Pie
Heather’s Cafe — Cannon Beach, Oregon

1 c. heavy cream
3 c. milk (don’t use less than 2%)
1-1/4 c. sugar
6 egg yolks
4 T. cornstarch
Pinch of salt
1 T. vanilla
1 T. butter
3-4 cups coconut
Baked pie crust
Whipped cream

In a bowl, mix 1/2 c. milk, salt, egg yolks, and cornstarch.

Bring remaining cream, milk, and sugar to a gentle boil.  Pour a bit slowly into the egg mixture, stir, then slowly pour egg mixture back into the heated milk (the point here is to avoid scrambled eggs).  Return to medium low heat and stir until thickened and boiling (small bubbles, not full rolling boil).  Boil for about four minutes.

Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla.  Add 3 cups coconut (more or less, depending on your preference).  Cool.  Pour into baked and cooled pie crust.  Top with whipped cream and toasted coconut flakes.

Happy National Pie Day!

Naptime for Bonnie, take two

Much better.