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okayyyyy I am going to try this again! I posted this once, tried to edit, think I deleted instead. Either that or the computer has gone wonky. I think I am the wonky one though....
Question for Kevin: Some years ago I purchased a cook book from you. It had a green cover and was called:
The Amish Cook
Recipes & Biography
Limited Edition
BY ELIZABETH COBLENTZ
And
Kevin Williams, Editor
(BTW it was signed Best Wishes, Kevin Williams, Editor which TOTALLY made my day when I noticed that)
I'm not sure when I purchased this book, do you remember when it was published? I have had it for several years.
In that book there was a copy of the first letter from Elizabeth to you saying that she didn't care to have her name signed to each issue and that it was up to you. Now that I read it again I don't know if she was saying she didn't care (meaning she would prefer not) or she didn't care (meaning she didn't care)to have her name signed. The book says that if you had it to do again you would not use her name but would use a pen name as people would come to her house asking for autographs, etc., and you and she were both uncomfortable with that. So my question is do you still feel that way?
I don't think I would be as invested in reading a weekly column by someone I don't know. Lovina is like family to me. When she grieves I grieve. I cried over Baby Marilyn. I pray for Verena. I think if the column was just signed...The Amish Cook or something like that I just would not be as interested. I wonder how other people feel about it and if you still feel the same after 20+ years.
Thanks and I hope this post does not come up twice.
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Re: Question about a pen name.
Okay, I'll try responding to this again....Where the heck did you get THAT book?
I forgot all about that one. That truly is a limited edition, I think there might only be 200 copies of that in circulation. Copies from our first printing of the Original Amish Cook Cookbook in 1993 regularly sell on Ebay for over 100 dollars so hang on to that book, it may be worth some if the column continues.....
Meanwhile, on the topic on pen names....Originally, we were just going to go with Elizabeth's first name...but the editor of the first paper to subscribe to the column nixed that idea, so we went with Elizabeth's full and real name. I'm not sure if you would have been any less connected to the column if I had just called Elizabeth "Emma Miller" from day 1....but using a pen name would have been unwieldy and impractical because Elizabeth wrote about so any different family members in her column, so I think that would have been tough....There has been a price in privacy for Elizabeth and Lovina to pay, but reader support has been a blessing, so it's a double-edged sword...
Thanks for the pleasant "memory lane" for reminding me about that book...I had forgotten all about that...I don't even have a copy!
Re: Question about a pen name.
KEVIN........
DO NOT SAY "IF" THE COLUMN CONTINUES!!!!!!!!!!!
AND YES I KNOW I AM YELLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it must go on
What can we do to help it continue?
Re: Question about a pen name.
I just meant that if, 20 years from now, the column still around, that book may well be worth something....I am planning on keeping the column going...I am NOT, however, planning on continually reaching out to readers to prop it up, it's just not sustainable,but I don't expect this to be the case.....so, enjoy that rare book you have, really neat!:)
Re: Question about a pen name.
Kevin I love this part of the book:
Elizabeth says:
"Hard to believe it's been over 10 years since Kevin first came here and this column began. How time takes way. The girls always say that Kevin is just like a brother to them, they always say that."
That family really loves you and you are so lucky to have that.