Fall 2021
Available October 1st
“The majesty and intrigue of a ranch is of course invested in the land and livestock. But the true soul of a ranching property rests with the humans involved, both staff and owners. Judy Alter has done a magnificent job of explaining and describing the amazing family of the world-famous Waggoner Ranch, all under one fence.” —Red Steagall
The land, cattle, horses, and oil are the backdrop for this story of five generations of one extraordinary family who lived at the largest ranch under one fence for over 150 years and built a fortune. Commanche raids and the Civil War, cattle barons and international celebrities, long marriages, short marriages, and many marriages, divorces and lawsuits, lavish entertaining and simple devotion to the land—it’s all here.
A quintessential Texas story
Available for pre-order: The Most Land, the Best Cattle: The Waggoners
Summer is almost over, and I’m looking forward to fall publication of my newest book. It’s a story I’ve been chasing in one way or another since the 1980s, when it began with a visit to the Waggoner ranch—but that story is told in the book. And so is the way the Waggoner family bounced back and forth between the North Central Texas plains and my home city of Fort Worth.
It’s been a different sort of summer. While some of the country sweltered under unusually hot temperatures and burned in droughts, we have had cooler-than-usual days and lots of rain. And as Covid-19 seemed under control, I began to get out, see friends I’d missed, go to restaurants, and live a normal life. Now the Delta variant has hit us, and I, being at high risk, am pulling back in. But it’s okay—I can always write.
I did get two tiny trips: one to spend a long weekend at a neighbor’s lake house and another long weekend in Austin with all my children, most of their spouses, and most of my grandchildren. What a delight that was! We ate, they swam and sunned, I wrote, and we sat around late at night, telling old family stories and laughing a lot.
I have several projects on my desk—who knows what will come of them? One thing about the writing life is that it is peppered with uncertainty. But I recently rediscovered a thick file of letters from the late Dorothy Johnson, the Montana author of several books and the classic stories, “A Man Called Horse,” “The Hanging Tree,” “Lost Sister,” “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” and many others. The letters, written to me in the early Eighties, are a delight. Dorothy unleashed her wry humor on everything from her writing to my personal life. I have to figure out how to share her larger-than-life personality with the world!
I have finished the first draft of the sequel to Saving Irene, the mystery I thought I’d never write and then couldn’t give up once I started. It’s way short, so I’m not sure if I’m writing a novella or a full cozy mystery. Rewrites and editing will tell. I’m calling it Irene in Danger, and it is again set in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood with several scenes at the now-closed Palmer House Hotel.
And there’s all my research on cook (she never called herself a chef) and fascinating figure Helen Corbitt. Her work dovetails with my interest in American food culture and its development, especially in the Fifties and Sixties which saw the introduction of fast food and convenience cooking. While Betty Freidan urged women out of the kitchen, Julia Child enticed them back in—and Helen Corbitt was ahead of both ladies. I know there’s a home for this story—I just haven’t found it yet.
Helen Corbitt
Blogging still keeps me busy. Have you checked my blog Judy’s Stew lately? If not, try this post on writing as a career in your senior years. Want recipes? Dip into my other blog, Gourmet on a Hot Plate: try some summer salads from my July post, quick before Fall hits or how about an omelet—that simple dish cooks like me think they can make and really can’t.
(Not my creation, but something similar.)
As we head into cooler months, here’s a Fall recipe for you. We call this Christian’s potato salad, because he loves it. Serve with some kind of sausage—I have one pack of Irish bangers in the freezer, left from St. Patrick’s. The perfect accompaniment.
Christian’s potato salad
- 3-4 slices bacon, fried and crumbled; reserve grease
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 4 green onions
- 1 heaping Tbsp. flour
- ½ c. each water and vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. prepared mustard
- 2 cans sliced white potatoes (The original recipe called for fresh cooked potatoes, of course, but this is one of the few places where I think canned does just fine and is actually better—they don’t crumble like fresh-cooked potatoes; if you cook your own potatoes, chill before slicing.)
After you fry the bacon, if there’s too much grease in the skillet, drain some, but you want at least two-three Tbsp. to cook this. Sauté celery and green onions in bacon grease. Add flour and stir. (If you can’t bring yourself to cook with bacon grease, use vegetable oil.)
Add water and vinegar—more of each as needed until sauce is a good consistency.
Add mustard. Add potatoes. Crumble bacon and stir in. Sprinkle with parsley just before serving to add color. Serve hot or cold; Christian prefers hot.
A reading list – here are some titles I’ve enjoyed recently
Forget the Alamo – Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson, and Jason Standford
A new look at the history of the famed Battle of the Alamo and its ongoing effects on life in Texas. The journalist authors are a bit snarky in tone, but their insight into the current battle over Reimagining the Alamo was helpful and gave me better understanding of the current flap in Texas about critical race theory.
In Royal Service to the Queen – Tessa Arlen
A novelization of the story of Marian Crawford, “Crawfie” who was governess to the young princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, sacrificed her own personal life when her charges needed her, and was ultimately shunned by the royal family.
The French Paradox – Ellen Crosby
Latest entry in the Wine Country Mysteries series, with sort of retrospective cameo appearance by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. One of my favorite series.
A giveaway
Since Irene, the diva/chef, is on my mind these days, I’ve chosen Saving Irene as my free gift to the first three who write me with a promise to review the book on either Amazon or Goodreads. Remember, a promise is a promise.
Keep in touch, please
As always, I’d love to hear from you if you have questions about my books, ideas for my blog, recipes I should try, whatever. Write me at . I truly look forward to hearing from you.
—Judy
My four loves who inspire me daily
