Welcome to Meanwhile!
It’s autumn in Meanwhile, Michigan and the gang at Meanwhile Baptist Church is already planning ahead for their annual Christmas production. Usually a clunker, they are determined that this year it will be a showstopper. As the big occasion draws near, inspiration strikes the inimitable Harold T. Broadmoor. Always looking for a way to increase church attendance, Harold, a self-professed “master marketer” pulls off a series of publicity stunts that lets everyone in West Michigan know about the “Perfect Gift” play. A series of mishaps leads to a Christmas no one will soon forget.
At the heart of the action is new pastor Mike Lewis and his fun-loving wife, Sandy. The young couple is surrounded by an endearing and eccentric congregation filled with good loving people who drive each other crazy. As madcap situations swirl along with the snow, Mike begins to doubt himself and the church… The Potluck People is an unforgettable comedy peppered with moments of love, tenderness, and lives being changed. After you’ve spent time in Meanwhile, you’ll want to come back. And since this is the first book in a series, you can.
The Potluck People is available as an eBook on Kindle (www.Amazon.com) for just $2.99. If you don’t own a Kindle, you can go to Amazon and get a free eBook reader for your computer or smart phone.
A Barbershop Quartet Jingle
Do you like Barbershop Quartets? No? Not even if their songs only last 4 seconds? Not even then? Now I wish I hadn’t paid a quartet thousands of dollars to create this jingle.
A Camp Prank… On Me!
Reality or fiction? I am often asked if some of the stories in my novel, “The Potluck People” are based on real life experiences. And the answer is “you bet.” None of my characters are based on specific people, but many of the traits of my characters are found in people I’ve known. And some of the stories are just rearranged tellings of true life happenings. For example, the account of teenager Whit Carson pranking Pastor Mike happened to me. This video describes that “gotcha” memory.
Fan Mail? Shucks, I like it.
New reader Marge C sent me this note yesterday:
Oh my goodness! I just finished reading THE POTLUCK PEOPLE and it was WONDERFUL!
Does this book also come in book form or just e-readers? I have it on my Kindle but would love to purchase copies for friends who don’t own e-readers. I would also like to know if you have any other books you have written.
God bless you and thank you for brightening up my last two days with this marvelous book.
Then she posted this on her facebook page:
I just finished reading a wonderful and entertaining book called The Potluck People by Ron Sheveland. It seems it is only available in ebook format but I highly recommend it. There were some parts that made me laugh so hard that my sides were hurting. It’s a great read.
She made my day. Thanks, Marge.
A Christmas in Two Egg
A video review of “A Christmas in Two Egg, Florida” by Dale Cox. This book was free when I downloaded it from Amazon.com. I will include the link below if you want to get it.
I enjoyed my visit to Two Egg, Florida. As you will see in my Video Review, there were many things I really enjoyed about this novel. There is just one thing that I think could be improved…
Kindle Gifting
The Amazon Kindle Store has a gifting feature that allows customers to purchase Kindle titles as gifts and have them delivered on their specified date. All titles published through KDP are automatically available for gifting. And if your gift recipients don’t have Kindles, they can easily get free aps from Amazon so they can read your gift book on their computer, iPad, smart phone, etc.
New and Improved!
I am happy to announce that a new and improved version of “The Potluck People” now available. If you haven’t got it yet, its time! Stop depriving yourself. 
You can grab it here:
What if you already got it? You get the new version totally FREE! Simply go to the Manage Your Kindle page at http://amazon.com/MYKupdate. Find the book in your Kindle Library and click on the “update available” link next to the book’s title. Within 5 minutes, any of your devices that have the eBook currently downloaded and have an active wireless connection will be updated automatically.
To the 1000′s who have been curious…
I tire of all those who ask me about the etymology and history of the word “potluck.” Enough already! But I have succumbed to peer pressure. Here is some info from Wikipedia:
Etymology
The word put-luck appears in 16th century England, in the work of Thomas Nashe, and was there used to mean “food provided for an unexpected or uninvited guest, the luck of the pot”. The sense “communal meal, where guests bring their own food”, appears to have originated in the late 19th century or early 20th century US, particularly in the Western United States, either by influence from potlatch or possibly by extension of traditional sense of “luck of the pot”.
To the Irish, a putluck was a meal with no particular menu. Everyone participating brought a dish for all to share. The term comes from a time when groups of Irish women would gather together and cook dinner. They only had one pot so they cooked the meal together with whatever ingredients they happened to have that day.
Summary
Putluck dinners are often organized by religious or community groups, since they simplify the meal planning and distribute the costs among the participants. Smaller, more informal get-togethers with distributed food preparation may also be called putlucks. The only traditional rule is that each dish be large enough to be shared among a good portion (but not necessarily all) of the anticipated guests. In some cases each participant agrees ahead of time to bring a single course, and the result is a multi-course meal. Guests may bring in any form of food, ranging from the main course to desserts. In the United States, putlucks are associated with crockpot dishes, casseroles (often called hot dishes in the upper Midwest), dessert bars and jello salads.