Charity Andrews

A few weeks back, I reviewed an awesome book named Spy of Richmond. Jocelyn has written a series of books called Heroines Behind the Lines. When you hear stories of the Civil War, it’s always on the battlefield, or in the prisons. How often do you think about what the women left behind were dealing with? Their homes raided for food and animals needed for the armies. Often times, the ladies weren’t safe from the men either.

Each one tells the perspective of women and how they managed to live through, and help their cause. Check these books out on Jocelyn Green‘s Amazon page.

As a homeschool mom, I was excited to hear that Jocelyn also homeschools her children. I was telling her that her books were so full of history, I was having my 11th grade son read one of them. That is when she informed me that she is, in fact, so passionate about teaching history through books and novels that she has begun writing a curriculum based on these books. You will have to check it out. I thought it was really awesome!

Ok, now that we have the official business taken care of….. HERE WE GO!

The rules are simple. I ask Jocelyn some random questions. She replies and then I give my answers. Each winning answer is worth one point and I get to decide whose answer is better.

It’s my blog.

Here we go!

1. Have you ever gone Ice Skating in NYC at the Rockefeller ice rink?

Jocelyn – Nope—I’ve been to NYC a few times, and to Rockefeller Center, but haven’t skated there.

Charity – I have not been there, let alone skated there 😦 I saw a lot of NYC, just not there.

— Easy point for Jocelyn

Charity 0 / Jocelyn 1

2. Do you ever set all the clocks in your house ahead by a couple hours on New Years Eve so you can celebrate with the kiddos and get them to bed at a good time? ha ha ha

Jocelyn – I haven’t yet, but this is a great idea! Thanks!

Charity – I haven’t either. My friend did it every year. Her and her friends would have a big party with all the kids and then go home and have their kids in bed by like… 9:00. ha ha ha. My husband thinks that horrible. I like it!

— Fail

Charity 0 / Jocelyn 1

3. Do you do Civil War Re-enacting?

Jocelyn – I don’t, but my husband did in high school. He was a re-enactor at Fort Clinch, Florida. Ironically, though, he wore Union blue because nobody else wanted to be a Yankee!

Charity – ha! That’s awesome. Well, I used to do a lot of it when I was a teenager (over 20 years ago….). I am currently part of the Regency Society of Virginia though. I love that.

— I get that one! woot!

Charity 1 / Jocelyn 1

4. Any relatives (that you know of) in the Civil War?

Jocelyn – Yes, I had a relative who fought at Gettysburg but died of pneumonia around Little Rock the next year.

Charity – One of my great grandpa’s was also in the Confederate Army. Pretty crazy! What’s crazy is how it wasn’t even that long ago…Seems so archaic.

— Tie

Charity 2 / Jocelyn 2

5. Do you have any guilty pleasure tv show (that may, or may not be embarrassing)?

Jocelyn – Parks & Rec. And Psych. I need a little buffer of ridiculousness between researching the Civil War and going to bed!  I also love more cerebral shows like Sherlock, but I wouldn’t call that a guilty pleasure.

Charity – I am a sucker for all those cheesy Hallmark movies. Big time!!! The funny thing is, I like Jane Austen movies, Hallmark movies, and then SUPER bloody movies like Warrior and Lone Survivor. No in-between with me, I suppose.

— Not sure how to judge that one.

Charity 2 / Jocelyn 2

6. What’s your biggest phobia?

Jocelyn – I know there are worse things in the world to be afraid of (ebola, tornadoes, etc.) but the one recurring fear I have is of bats in my house. I have friends who appreciate bats, but I do not appreciate bats in my home. We’ve had this happen three times, and I just can’t stand it. Once a bat flew into my office at 11pm while I was writing Yankee in Atlanta, and I was so freaked out I almost couldn’t move. Not long after that, a bat was swooping around my kitchen at two o’clock in the afternoon! Ack!

Charity – OMGosh. That is bad. ugh. We had a injured bat in front of our house a few months ago and I was FREAKING OUT. My biggest phobies are snakes and spiders and crickets and heights. ha. I have a lot!! We were raking our back yard a couple of years ago and I was wearing flip flops because it was in the middle of summer. I look down, and there is a copperhead RIGHT. BY. MY. FOOT. Omgosh. I almost died. I told my son (he was 13 at the time) that I needed something QUICKLY so that I could kill it before it devoured my toes. He comes back with a little tiny garden shovel and scissors. ????!!!!!!!!!! I was like, “What in the world!??” So, I pinned it’s head down with the shovel and cut through his body…… *shiver* it was SOOOOOO GROSSSSSSS AND TOOK SO LONG! *shudder*

— Both had horrible experiences. Even

Charity 3 / Jocelyn 3

7. I see on your Amazon profile that you love Mexican (I applaud you). Do you have any amazing Queso or Guaq recipes for us?

Jocelyn – Thanks! I was a nanny in Mexico one summer during college, and I was in total food heaven. As for a recipe, here’s one for a dip I really enjoy:

½ lb. ground beef
½ t. ground mustard (dry)
¼ – ½ t. chili powder
¼ c. chopped onion
¼ c. finely chopped green pepper
1 can (16 oz) refried or black beans
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
Finely shredded lettuce
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream topping (mix 1 c. sour cream, 2 T. shredded cheddar, ¼ t. chili powder)

1. Cook beef in skillet. Drain.
2. Stir in rest of ingredients (except for sour cream topping, lettuce and cheese). Heat to boiling, stirring constantly.
3. Spread in ungreased pie plate. Spread sour cream topping over it. Sprinkle with lettuce and cheese. Serve with chips.

That’s really delicious, but sometimes I don’t have enough time for that. SO if that’s the case, I resort to another yummy but simpler version of Taco Dip. I call this one my Dip on a Deadline since I’m usually on a book deadline if I’m too time-starved to make the first recipe. Here we go:

1 package (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1 c. (8oz) sour cream
1 carton (8oz) French onion dip
1 envelope taco seasoning
4 c. shredded lettuce
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 ½ c. chopped tomatoes

In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, onion dip and taco seasoning until blended. Spread onto a 12-in. round serving platter. Top with lettuce, cheese and tomatoes. Serve with tortilla chips.

Charity – Oh goodness. I will be trying that!!!!!

Charity 3 / Jocelyn 4

8. How is God being brought the most glory in your life?

Jocelyn – I would like to think that my books, both nonfiction and fiction, bring Him glory. That is certainly my goal. But I’m sure that I bring Him the most glory when I fulfill the role He has for me inside my own home as wife and homeschooling mother to our children.

Charity – Great answer. I agree. It’s like God is letting us “babysit” these people He has huge plans for somewhere down the road. It’s up to us to take care of His kids and train them up right. Heavy, but lovely job ❤

Charity 3 / Jocelyn 4

9. What made you choose Libby Prison over Andersonville?

Jocelyn – I had chosen to do a novel on Richmond’s spy network because I was so intrigued by the historical figure of Elizabeth Van Lew. So Libby Prison just naturally fit into that because of its location, and Van Lew’s connection to it. Even beyond that, though, Libby appealed to me because it’s much lesser-known than Andersonville. Many books have been written about Andersonville, so I didn’t feel the need to shine more light on that prison.

Charity – Ok, that is pretty neat about the spy ring. I can’t imagine how scary that would be. I live right outside of Richmond and didn’t even know about Libby Prison!!! I was, however, part of the movie Andersonville. I used to be in the Yorktown Fife and Drum Corp and we were able to take part in the production. So fun!!!

— Again, no real winner here!

Charity 3 / Jocelyn 4

10. Do you have any writing rituals or warm-ups you routinely perform as you get ready to write for the day?

Jocelyn – Other than prayer, which is absolutely indispensable, I do two things. I read a little bit of poetry, which shows me that it really is possible to say a lot without overwriting. I also put on my writing pants. These are really just pajama pants from L.L.Bean, but they are so comfortable, I just love them. It’s easiest for me to be creative when I’m wearing comfortable clothes.

Charity – Ok, I see what you did here. You asked me a question that you knew I couldn’t win a point for!!! My My. (; I will agree that I wear my yoga pants all day. You know there’s a problem when you put normal clothes on and your kids start freaking out wanting to know where we are going…”I’m just getting dressed…” “huh???” That confuses them. ha ha ha ha

Final:

Charity 3 / Jocelyn 5

Total annihilation. One day, I WILL BEAT one of you (:

Thanks so much, Jocelyn. I had a great time getting to know you better and facing off. Readers, check out her website. She has some awesome ministries to military families as well as her books and some homeschool stuff.

You can also give her a on her FB page, or on .