I think the first James Patterson book that I read was “Along Came a Spider,” the only book that he published in 1993. Then, I read “Kiss the Girls,” the only book he published in 1995. After just those two books, I decided that he was my favorite author. His books sold like ice cream in the Sahara Desert. Soon, he was everybody’s favorite author. He is currently the best-selling author in the world. During the next two decades, he sold so many books in so many languages in s

Cat Campbell/For The Madera Tribune Cranberry orange shortbread cookies will disappear quickly when set upon a holiday table. Every family seems to have favorite recipes that have been handed down over generations, whether written, clipped from a magazine or just memorized. Sometimes favorite recipes are not even family heirlooms or traditions, but are newly discovered. It is fun to share, even though I do know many great cooks who choose to guard their secrets. One time I re

Courtesy of the Madera County Historical Society Madera County Superior Court Judge, M.D. Crocker. Judge Crocker was the county’s 3rd superior court judge. Not long after his installation on the superior court, Judge Crocker was elevated to the federal bench in Fresno. The year was 1958, and President Dwight David Eisenhower was looking for a few good judges. Since one of the federal vacancies he was attempting to fill was in California’s San Joaquin Valley, he wound up appoi