Today we raise a glass of whatever beverage we find most genial to beloved author Barbara Mertz / Elizabeth Peters / Barbara Michaels …
We remember with joy a full life well-lived.
Meanwhile …. back in the MIDWEST, where Barbara was born….
JOAN HESS carried out book launches in Forest Park (near where Barbara went to high school) and in Madison, Wisconsin, at two beloved independent book stores….
CENTURIES & SLEUTHS and MYSTERY TO ME
At Centuries and Sleuths, two large carrot cakes appeared (courtesy of relatives of Barbara’s who live in the Oak Park area), in honor of the occasion. (Also mindful of the fact that Joan had declared carrot cake a full meal, as it contains all necessary food groups — protein, vegetable, fruit (raising) and carbs…) (no comment!) Owner Augie Alesky remembered that Barbara LOVED kolackies from a local bakery, and had sneakily asked him to help her find some when she last visited Centuries and Sleuths. So he and Tracy made sure they had some of those delicacies on hand also!
In the window at Centuries and Sleuths, in honor of the occasion, was a display featuring Ancient Egypt (oh no, Budge!!) and details on The Painted Queen. Joan put on her sparkle, and greatly enjoyed conversations with fans who had come from all over. (She and Barbara both talked about how they would go to signings and “sparkle” for fans…)
NEXT STOP — Mystery to Me, a favorite haunt for mystery readers in Madison, Wisconsin. Joanne Berg, Jayne Rowsam, and Doug Moe greeted Joan with (of course!) carrot cake. Doug not only conducted a wonderful interview, but made sure that some vodka appeared as well.… An enthusiastic audience joined in, and lined up for a book signing afterwards. Another independent bookstore that came in high on Joan’s list, Mystery to Me is stocked not only with mysteries but with children’s books and other fare to feed the hungry reader!
When the Painted Queen hit the bestseller list, Doug again checked in with Joan and published a terrific column to celebrate. He described the launch party in Madison:
I’ve been doing author interviews at events at Mystery to Me for two years now and have enjoyed almost all of them.
The night of July 26—Beth Mertz came, too—was special. Not only because of the unusual circumstances behind the publication of “The Painted Queen,” but because in person Joan Hess turned out to be as spirited, humorous and salty as she was in our phone chat.
Illness and a bad hip kept her in a wheelchair that night, but Hess was undaunted. Entering the store, she spied the carrot cake that Mystery to Me proprietor Joanne Berg and brought for the occasion. There was wine, too, but I sensed from Hess that something was missing.
I phoned home. “Bring vodka!”
Mrs. Moe is resourceful, and we live near the bookstore. She was there in minutes with the requested libation. She and Hess bonded. The store was packed with readers of the Peabody novels, grateful to hear the backstory…
And indeed, it was a special evening. Together with the previous evening at Centuries and Sleuths, it gave Painted Queen a midwest launch that did justice to two friends, Mertz and Hess, in a final bow.
VERSION I: THE OMNISCIENT NARRATORS’ STORY (really)
Joan Hess was asked if she would finish The Painted Queen shortly after Barbara Mertz’s death. At first she was uncertain about whether she would take on that very daunting task (exact quote, “Hell no.”) Within several months, she was invited back to Barbara’s celebrated home (The Manor) along with highly respected Egyptologist (and another dear friend of Barbara’s) Salima Ikram. Piles and piles of notes and drafts for PQ were still at the house. The weekend trip was designed to allay Joan’s fears that taking on a book with so much Egyptology in it would be just too much. The plan was that Salima, with background encouragement from Barbara’s daughter Beth, would demonstrate her palpable support for Joan, and give everyone a basic introduction to the relevant Egyptology and its many pitfalls.
The three women found many folders of notes and research done by Barbara in preparation for writing PQ, along with multiple versions of the initial chapters. Over the course of the weekend, the small team examined each folder carefully, discussing how things would fit together. While there was a lot of material, this didn’t necessarily make things easier — everything was jumbled in a way that made sense to Barbara but not necessarily to anyone else. The three also shared discussions that they had been having with Barbara while she was plotting and writing the book. When Joan initially gazed on Barbara’s bust of Nefertiti, covered with a black Victorian lace headscarf, she turned pale and said, “Take that away.”
Local Frederick friends of Barbara’s dropped in bearing food and especially drink to support the endeavor. Everyone plied Joan with inducements, including one of her big favorites — carrot cake. (Carrot cake, she pointed out, counts as a full meal because it includes all 4 main food groups — fruit (raisins), vegetables (carrots), protein/dairy (egg/milk/nuts) and carbs.) Cocktails were made. And consumed.
By the end of the weekend, Joan was able to face Nefertiti (both with and without the scarf), fortified by much carrot cake (and, did we mention especially ‘drink’?). She was heartened when they found the final paragraphs of the book, handwritten by Barbara, in which the villain was identified and Amelia had the last word, as usual. (These are are reproduced verbatim in the published book.)
Dressed in borrowed Egyptian robes from Barbara’s amazing vintage and Egyptian clothing collection, Joan joined with Salima and Beth in a celebratory (okay, throwing in the towel) ritual to seal the deal and send Nefertiti (or at least part of her) wandering all over Egypt.
During the tough three years ahead, Joan soldiered through many difficulties to finish the volume, supported by Salima on Egyptology and historical Egypt, and Beth on various sundry research questions. She also had the help of other experts, friends of Barbara’s who had long given Barbara feedback on the Amelia books — Dr. Ray Johnson and Dennis Forbes (editor of Kmt). We will not speculate on whether all this help was fortified by the occasional sip of some sort of genial beverage. But certainly she completed the task with style.
Today we celebrate Joan Hess, friend and mystery writer extraordinaire, and also Barbara Mertz — aka Elizabeth Peters — as we join Amelia and company on one last adventure.
Version II: Joan Hess’s Story
If I recall, the sky was a curious shade of yellow as I departed the train station next to BWI. I knew I was doomed as I climbed into the car with Beth and Salima — they were masters of manipulation and I was an easy target. Indeed, upon arrival at Mertz Manor, I was plied with vodka & tonic (with a splash of lime juice). “Finishing the book will be a piece of cake,” Beth cooed as she slid a piece of carrot cake across the kitchen table. My protests were dismissed. Beth had gathered all of Barbara’s manuscript pages, most of which had scrawled notes in the margins. The notes were very challenging to decipher and not always illuminating. We read aloud what we could and searched for ways to rearrange the scenes for clarity. Although I’m certain that Barbara had devised the entire plot, she did not share the convolutions — with the exception of the final scene. Salima was able to answer my dumb questions about Egypt and Beth supplied insights into Amelia and Emerson.
By the end of the weekend, we had come up with some ideas where the story might go. I felt I was out on a limb that had been patched with duct tape by my dear friends. Or masking tape. Thank goodness for vodka and carrot cake.
…AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY (local?) (different?)
And once more in response to some expressed interest, we’re posting this news on an upcoming local auction at Trout’s Auctioneers in Frederick, Maryland. Items can be viewed on line, but there will not be on-line bidding (absentee bidding seems to be accepted, though).
Different parts of Barbara’s massive book collection will be showing up in various venues in upcoming months, and since some have asked for updates and news, we’re trying to oblige. To Trouts went her collection of pop-up books. (Yes, you heard us aright — she also collected pop-up books. She loved how they folded out in amazing ways when you opened them. One of her favorites (of which many family members and friends received copies over the years) was called “America the Beautiful” and featured scenes of the US accompanied by stanzas of the song.) There are also some children’s books included in the Trout’s collection from MPM.
… there are certain beloved readers … you know who you are … to whom we are considering sending warnings (**don’t go, you know you don’t need more books!!**) (on other hand, most of us book lovers could use that warning!!)
In addition there will be all kinds of non-book items (notice how we categorize stuff!), from a baby grand piano to the ornate shelving used to house Barbara’s extensive martini glass collection (when that woman got into something, she really got into it — and her “refreshing beverage” was definitely gin, rather than Amelia’s favorite whiskey & soda… ergo the ebullient display of martini glasses above!)
This is the kind of local auction at which Barbara loved to muddle about, coming home with various “treasures” after hours of happy digging of a non-Egyptological sort. From a safe distance, we who don’t share that delight can simply point those of you who are “local” and similarly insane toward this latest outcropping of MPM madness… (…albeit, perhaps, with a *wistful backward gaze*)
Two years after Barbara’s death, we who loved her want to mark the occasion in an appropriate way. The heading above just begins to list her many passions; as one friend noted, “Barbara was an enthusiast!” She was enthusiastic about her many hobbies — some of which originated in research she did for her books. She was enthusiastic about her family and friends, the state of the world, her beloved cats, chocolate — and oh, did we mention … gin? (surprisingly, not whiskey!)
“Confound it, Peabody,” Emerson shouted … “Drink your whiskey like a lady…” (from Seeing a Large Cat)
Since there isn’t much to Barbara’s recipe for a martini (wave the vermouth over the gin, add two ice cubes) (actually, just skip the vermouth part altogether) …. we thought we should honor the occasion with a different recipe, one that was passed down to Barbara by her mother, who got it from a beloved neighbor in Oak Park, Mrs. MacDonald. The aim of the recipe was to get as close as possible to the fabulous chocolate cookies that were obtainable at that time only from Marshall Field’s.
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Mrs. MacDonald’s Frosted Chocolate Drop Cookies (per Barbara)
1/2 c. Spry (ok, the recipe’s a bit dated)* 1 egg 1 c. brown sugar 1.5 c. flour 1/2 c. sour milk (add a little vinegar to milk) pinch salt 1/2 t. soda vanilla 2 sq. chocolate, melted (or 3/8 c. cocoa)
*Spry
DUMP IT ALL IN A BOWL AND BEAT. (Very typical Barbara rendition of a recipe) DROP FROM tsp. ONTO GREASED BAKING SHEET, BAKE 7-10 MIN. IN MODERATE OVEN.
FROST WITH CHOCOLATE ICING (a couple of squares melted chocolate plus conf. sugar and water. If you want to get fancy, add a little butter.) (No wonder this was so popular. Not much more work than a cake mix.)
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This brings to mind one of Barbara’s favorite J.K. Rowling quotes: “Professor Lupin was breaking an enormous slab of chocolate into pieces. ‘Here,” he said to Harry, handing him a particularly large piece. ‘Eat it. It’ll help.'”
So, lift a cup of a genial beverage (your choice!) and have a bit of chocolate on Barbara. She would tell you that there is no woe that cannot be cured by the application of appropriate food and drink …. (or perhaps other remedies of a similar sort — more on that soon!)
remembering barbara mertz 