If you are keeping up with the releases of the Pink Pistol Sisterhood series, book 9 is now ready for your reading pleasure.
I hope you’ll check out Lucky Shot! I shared last month about what a joy and blessing it was for me to write this book, but I thought it might be fun to share a little about the research I did for the story, since I was a toddler when it takes place, in 1972. I also had some excellent brainstorming help from the fillies here on Petticoats and Pistols. Thank you, my Pink Pistol Sisters for all the great ideas!
My grandma’s old 1960s era cookbook provided great ideas for recipes my characters might be eating.
I remember my mom having the butcher block top portable dishwasher before we moved into a new house in 1975. You can see more of the visual inspiration that helped when I was writing the story in my Lucky Shot Pinterest board.
Our very own Cheryl Pierson sent me an amazing list of songs from the summer of 1972. I think you’ll see some tunes on the list you probably recognize!
Thanks to the wonders of eBay and fast delivery, I also had this June 1972 copy of Woman’s Day magazine. I grew up with a mother and grandmother who loved magazines. It was a much-anticipated event when a new one would arrive in the mailbox (which is probably why I still love magazines). Anyway, this one took me right back to the days of my youth with all the articles, colorful and clever advertisements, and articles.
Look at the summer fashions of the day!
One of my mom’s favorite parts of the magazine was The Collector’s Cook Book. She always pulled them out and saved them. I wonder what ever happened to all of them.
Just for fun, here is a recipe from this South Pacific themed collection of recipes.
Tropical Pear Bars
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 can pear halves, drained and diced
1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1 cup flaked coconut
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
Combine 1 cup flour and 1/4 cup brown sugar and cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Pat firmly into buttered 9″ square pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, beat eggs until light. Gradually add remaining brown sugar. Mix together remaining flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir into egg mixture. Fold in remaining ingredients and spread over warm baked mixture. Put back in oven and bake 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool and cut into bars.
If you want to take a stroll down memory lane, or dive into some “retro” fun, check out Lucky Shot, available now on Amazon. You can get it in eBook, through Kindle Unlimited, in paperback, or hardback!
What’s a girl to do when her aim is true?
As a registered nurse at the Boise VA Hospital, Grace Marshall is devoted to her patients, but some wounds require more than medical care. A patient too stubborn and angry to accept the help he needs storms out of her exam room, ruffling her feathers. Yet, when the man returns to apologize, something about him tugs at her heart.
Levi Gibson left for war young and idealistic but returned from Vietnam with physical scars and a haunted soul. He tries to banish the darkness brewing inside him with hard work on his family’s potato farm, but it’s a young nurse’s kindness that brings unexpected light and joy into his life. If Levi can open up to Grace and let her see his pain, could she be the key that unlocks a future full of hope instead of mere survival?
After her father sends Grace a legendary pistol, target practice provides an excuse to spend time with Levi during the summer of 1972. As his shadows overwhelm him, it will take far more than a lucky shot for Grace to hit love’s mark.
If you could travel back in time,
what year would you visit and
what one food would you look forward to enjoying?
Post your answer then pop over to this link for a chance to win a big
Lucky Shot prize pack that includes an autographed hardback!
After spending her formative years on a farm in Eastern Oregon, hopeless romantic Shanna Hatfield turns her rural experiences into sweet historical and contemporary romances filled with sarcasm, humor, and hunky western heroes.
When this USA Today bestselling author isn’t writing or covertly hiding decadent chocolate from the other occupants of her home, Shanna hangs out with her beloved husband, Captain Cavedweller.
I’d love to travel back to the Regency Era for one day. No particular food–not sure the food was remarkable then.
I have the same exact cookbook from my grandma!
PS. My mom had that dishwasher, too. The Kenmore version, but it looks the same.
That is so neat about the dishwasher and the cookbook! The Regency Era would be fun for a day!
I really enjoyed this book, maybe because I got married in 1972 and I could relate to so much of it, especially the clothes that were worn, as I ‘traveled back in time’. I think one of the 1972 classics that is no longer served is ‘shrimp cocktail’. A frosted champagne glass was filled with crisp iceberg lettuce, and the shrimps were folded into a 1000 island dressing and placed on top. Served as a starter in all the fancy restaurants !
I’m so glad you enjoyed the book, Jeannette, and so appreciate you reading it! I thought about shrimp cocktails as I was looking through recipes. It was quite the “thing” back then! Thank you for stopping in today!
If I could travel back in time, I think I would enjoy one day in the Garden of Eden. Food there is plentiful so no need for a recipe.
Hi Rhonda! Wouldn’t that be an amazing thing to see and experience! Great choice!
Hi Shanna! I’m excited to read Lucky Shot, I just got the ebook last night. The book snagged my attention when I read that it was 1972! So, to answer your question, I would travel back to the summer of 1972, the summer of my high school senior year! I was dating a guy who I thought I would marry someday. We had a blast all summer going fishing together, enjoying the outdoor drive-in movies, and of course cruising Main Street in our small town. We didn’t get married, I went on to my senior year and he kept working and later moved to another town. Sunday dinners after church was a big thing back then. So, a fried chicken dinner or Grandma’s meatloaf was popular choices. Thanks for your post! Now, I’m off to read your groovy book!
Oh, I love what you shared, Karen. How neat you had that summer of young love. And yum to your meal choices. I wish I could have my grandma’s fried chicken! Hope you love the book. Thank you for downloading it!
I would go back to only 2013 when my mom was diagnosed with cancer and change her procedures and she may still be here!
Oh, big hugs to you, Teresa. It’s so hard to not have your mom with you.
I really don’t know what time I’d like to travel to! Maybe just to 2020 so Mom would be here, or maybe back to 1990 and I’ll still have most of my uncle’s, Daddy, and Mom.
Hugs to you, Trudy. Wouldn’t it be lovely to spend one more day with our loved ones.
I would go back in time to welcome my dad home from war. I have been reading letters that were found upon my mom’s death 13 years ago. Letters dated in 1945 told of the horror of war. I would want him to know I was proud of him and loved him.
That would be wonderful to be there to welcome him home and let him know how proud you are of him. I’m sure those letters mean so much to you. Glad you have them. Big hugs, my friend.
Hey Shanna! I loved Lucky Shot! Loved reading the music, the fashions, and Levi’s sweet nickname for Grace! You did a wonderful job describing Levi’s trauma. I had three uncles to serve. Two in Navy and one in the Air Force. I’m like Grace. I consider myself very patriotic and with her same reasons. 😉
I’ve always wanted to go back in time. I used to say around 1863, but I have since changed my mind. I’d rather it be 10-15 years after the Civil War. I have a great, great, paternal grandmother who was full blooded Cherokee. I would love to meet her! What tales she could tell! And learn to speak Cherokee!
What would I like to eat if I went back in time? If I went back in 1972(I would be 12), my Grandma Tom’s Chicken and dumplings! And her homemade biscuits with fresh sugarcane syrup!
Hi Tracy, Thank you to your uncles for their service. And to you for being patriotic. I’m like Grace that way too! That would be so neat to visit your grandmother who was Cherokee and learn the language! And yum to the chicken and dumplings – or homemade biscuits! Thank you so much for reading the book and stopping in today!
I would travel back to the 70’s just so I could again tell my dad how much I loved him as he passed away when I was expecting his first grandchild and to find out how my grandmother cooked her roast it was the best I ever tasted.
Oh, I’m sorry you lost your dad so many years ago, Linda. And that would be great to get your grandmother’s recipe for roast. There are so many recipes my mom never wrote down that I sue wish I had now.
I would have liked to live during the Victorian era if I were rich because they tended to eat a lot of new and different foods. Queen Victoria introduced her subjects to ‘the Victoria sponge cake”. They also ate swan and pheasant.
They did have a lot of interesting meal choices. I think it would be fun to see the clothes and the decorations in their homes too. Thanks for stopping by today!
I think I would go back to the early 1970’s & see my parents & me & my siblings when we were young. We lived in Mexico, & it was pretty challenging (because it’s a 3rd world country & we weren’t well off). I would love to give both of my parents some reassurance that it would all work out.
Oh, that would be a lovely thing if you could give them that reassurance, Ami! Everything does have a way of working out, doesn’t it? Thank you for popping in today!
I would have to travel to about 1960? My grandma made the most delicious breakfast food I can remember. After rendering a hog the meat called head cheese was used to make a German dish called Grit Wurst which was a peasant food but so delicious. One can substitute the head cheese for pork. It contained also steel cut oatmeal, spices and raisins and came out the consistence of oatmeal cereal with goodies added to it. My favorite way to serve it was by frying it and serving with butter and syrup. It still remains clear in my mind today. I was born in 1944 so I remember all the items you mentioned in your blog vividly. I was married with 2 kids in 1972. There was so very much to be thankful for back in those days, even though we had to work very hard to get everything we had. It was much more appreciated in those days. I would definitely return.
An addendum to my previous post. I lost my mother 56 years ago today, in 1967, in a tragedy which remains vivid also today. She was such a precious, sweet person and a very hard worker. She taught me so much to help me through life. She is gravely missed. Any amount of time spent with her again would be a gift from GOD. Soon, Mom, soon.
Oh, Judy! So sorry for your loss. I don’t think we ever get over the loss of our parents, no matter how much time has passed. So glad you had time with her, and she was a precious soul.
And that is so neat about the food your grandma made.
I do think back then everything was appreciated much more than it is today.
I have always found that research is so much fun. Thanks for sharing..
It is a lot of fun, Lori! Thank you for dropping in today!
I would go back to 1980 to see my grandfather one more time. He died the following year when I was only 13. Not sure about the food though.
Wouldn’t that be wonderful to see our loved ones again. Thank you for stopping in today, Diana!
I would love to travel back to the 1950’s when I grew up and the world was a different place. The beauty and simplicity of bike riding all over the city, walking to your friend’s house, playing at the park and enjoying the everyday life. Yes, I miss those special days and that era very much. I would catch up with my relatives, parents and value every single minute that I could be with them since I miss them everyday and pine for those simpler days.
What a lovely thing if you could travel back then. The simple life would be wonderful to experience! Thanks for stopping in today, Sharon!
Sometime in the 80s… I remember a lot of great moments with my grandparents… would love to experience that again… as for food… ET cereal. 😀
Oh, I’d forgotten about ET Cereal! Thanks for the reminder and for stopping in today. How awesome it would be to go back to those moments with your grandparents!
Hello Shanna- I started your book this morning and I’m already in LOVE.
I’d pick 1976, I remember going to all the rodeos that year with my dad and it being The Bicentennial of our country, everything was so patriotic. I even shook Slim Pickens had at one rodeo. Oh the fun times. I’d also want to have some of those great chili dogs they served at the rodeos! Messy and oh so good.
Congrats on another great book.
How cool is that you got to shake Slim Pickens hand! Love that. And I do remember the Bicentennial being such a big thing to celebrate. I bet you had some amazing times with your dad!
And thank you for reading Lucky Shot. Hope you enjoy it from beginning to end, my friend!
Hi Shanna, your book sounds like a great read and I love your book cover! I would go back to 1972 which was the year I graduated, I loved those days and I would go back to that time because then I would be on my way to where I am at right now. Not sure about the food, I think all the food was pretty good then or at least what I ate was. Congratulations on your new release. Have a great rest of the week.
Hi Alicia, Thank you so much! That is so neat you graduated that year. I bet if you could go back, you’d have some great words of wisdom to share with your younger self!
Have a beautiful summer!
I have contemplated time travel and this would be an extraordinary adventure. Back in time and meet my family who I would treasure meeting and learning from. The 1920’s when they settled here and their lives and hopes and dreams. I would cherish this precious time and know what I need to learn. Everyday I wonder why I didn’t ask more, and didn’t sit and talk about their lives. So now I could.
That would be amazing to go back in time and meet your relatives. I’ve often wishes I could go back and meet my grandparents when they were young and just starting out in life together. Like you – I’d love to just sit and talk with them!
Thank you for stopping in today!
I have been sorting through old photos from my husband’s family and trying to put together at least a time line from their early days in Washington State. 1917 would be a good year to ask lots of questions about who the people are in the pictures and where they were taken. Most of them are not labeled and his youngest aunt graduated from high school that year.
That version of the Betty Crocker cookbook is so loved in our family our three daughters each found copies of it for their own homes. One has my moms and the other two found theirs at antique and collectibles shops. My copy was a gift when I was still in high school.
That is so neat about the cookbook! Love that your daughters each have one!
And it would be amazing to be able to sit with relatives from long ago and ask them about photos and their lives, wouldn’t it.
Thank you so much for stopping in today, Alice! Have a beautiful summer!
1880 as I am told my great-great grandmother made a wonderful fruit pie.
Oh, how fun! That pie sounds like it would be worth the trip!
Congratulations, Shanna! I can’t wait to read this story. I’m not sure what year I’d want to travel back to–SO MANY CHOICES AND REASONS! LOLLOL Probably would love to just have some of my mom’s great home cooking again. She could cook anything and it was always good. Looking forward to reading this story!
Wouldn’t it be nice to spend a day enjoying all the favorites your mom used to make! Thanks so much, Cheryl! Hope you enjoy the story!
I would travel to the 1950’s to hang out with my mom when she was a girl and I would love to spend time with with family members that have long since passed. My grandfather was a chef and I would enjoy eating his cooking again.
How fun about your grandfather being a chef. I hope he passed along some of his recipes! Thank you for stopping in today!
I would travel back to the late1800″s. I’m sure it was an exciting time with so many new inventions. I would enjoy eating bacon. I seldom eat it now, I know it’s not very good for you, but people didn’t realize it back then and they ate it a lot.
Isn’t bacon yummy? Yes, they did seem to eat a lot of it back then! Thanks for stopping in today!
I would like to go back to the early 1900’s. My grandmother died before I was born. I would love to get to know her. I would love to eat some of her home cooking. I have heard all my life that she was a fabulous cook. I would love to have some of her homemade biscuits with farm fresh eggs. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
Oh, Debra! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could spend time with your grandmother. She sounds like she was a wonderful cook and person!
Hugs and blessings!
1972 was a good year, it was the year we got married. I wouldn’t mind going back to the early 1960’s. One grandmother made the best rice pudding and the other made the best poached eggs on toast for breakfast when I stayed with them. These foods aren’t fancy but they bring back comfort and good memories.
Comfort foods never go out of style! And congrats on your marriage in 1972!
So much fun! I was a toddler in 1972 as well. I think I might have a copy of that cookbook. Thanks for the chance to win a prize package. You ladies are so very generous.
You are so kind, Vickie! How fun you might have that cookbook too! It seems like it was a popular one back in the day.