The All You Can Dream Buffet, and other news.

Good morning, folks. Long time, no see. I'm having a terrific amount of trouble posting from my home computer and have had for about a month. So, today I'm working from a different computer.

"The All You Can Dream Buffet" by Barbara O'Neal, aka Barbara Samuel, arrived on my doorstep on Friday. I have to tell you I've been waiting with bated breath for this newest Barbara novel to come out, for like, a year. It's finally here now, and although I want to romp through it, devouring it in wild, airless gulps, I'm forcing myself to eat slowly, to savor every chapter, to weigh each one when I've finished, and tonight I'm on Chapter 18 and I can hardly wait to get to the next chapter.

To write like Barbara does, with such easy luminousity, such color and voice, that is what I hope to be able to do in my own work. I've taken some flak for writing what is called women's fiction - from people who don't understand what women's fiction is in the first place. And that's sad.

What is women's fiction? Well, it's not genre romance, let's get that out of the way first. Women's fiction can be described as stories about women, now they interact with one another, how they overcome hurdles the great game of life throws their way, how they love (and lose), their strengths, their weaknesses, how their hearts are broken in a million pieces by a husband, a lover, a child. How they overcome the cards they're dealt. It doesn't have to be War and Peace, folks. It just has to be real.

In my own writing life, I have to say, I've been so, so busy this first quarter of 2014. I've been editing and reviewing work for other writers, yes. And I've been receiving royalty checks for the book I co-wrote with Rick East (nice, so validating, so exciting when that check comes in the mail), and I've been working on the manuscript I've been working on for so long, my own women's fiction novel.


Speaking of which, my publisher friend, Sharon Kizziah-Holmes, sent my manuscript to one of her readers for review. I waited, and waited, and waited to hear whether it sucked or what. Didn't hear anything for so long, and I finally decided, it must be so terrible she can't bring herself to say it's terrible. Sitting on pins and needles is not fun, and I sat on those things for over two months. Talked to Sharon in the meantime, she'd heard nothing, and then, finally, her reader came through, just about the time I'd decided I'd better never quit my day job.

Sharon's reader liked it. Thought some parts were a bit slow but once she got engaged, she liked it.

She liked it!!!! She had good things to say, constructive things to say, and I'm digging it. It gives me reason to work harder because, quite frankly, readers are where it's at for all of us. Readers are integral to a writer's progress.

All in all, I'm happy and pleased with this review and I'm working on the comments, to make the book better, stronger, more credible. And I can do this. I got it.

How do you feel about your newest venture? Does it have wings? Can you make it fly? I so hope and pray I can make my book fly - what about you?

Advice to Writers

With the beginning of a new year, here are some thoughts for us as writers.


1. First drafts are okay. That’s why they’re called “drafts.” Give yourself permission to blow it all out on paper unbridled, and resist the temptation to edit as you go. Editing as you go is a clumsy dance, one that lends itself to stepping on toes and losing one’s partner at the twirl. Once the floodgates open, let the words flow. Clean up comes later.

2. Tell the truth. Don’t pussyfoot around it. One thing that drives me nuts is reading superficial nicey-nicey characters. Let’s face it – people have bad tempers, people swear, people do not always exhibit spotless character and sometimes, don’t even care. Don’t ever censor yourself. Let your character say the bad words, and experience the thrill/shame of bad behavior. And don’t worry about what others will think of what you’ve written. What kind of reading world would we be living in if every character was pearly white? Your story must have tension coming from somewhere, actually everywhere, or it’s a broad yawn.

3. Today is the day you must start, not next week, or after the first of the year. Okay, all you procrastinators out there, stop making excuses and plant butt in chair, apply fingers to keyboard. Simply put, the work will not get done until you do it.

4. Daydream. Absolutely, yes. Daydream much and often. The imagination is where great stories are born, where the wonderful tomes we treasure are nurtured and where they grow.

5. Read. Read everything – read your own genre, read a genre you’ve never read before or one you’ve never enjoyed. Read the classics. I remember reading my dad’s Zane Gray collection when I was something like twelve – typically, I would not pick up a western but I loved those books. I have to force myself to read non-fiction but at times, I do. For me, reading is a “getting away” time and non-fiction is generally matter of fact. While I don’t get that great vacation from life from non-fiction, I find I always learn something that I can relate back to my fiction roots.

6. Don’t bow to the haters. I don’t know why, when an author reaches some level of success, the haters come out to meet and greet. They might shrug at your book, insult the cover, or outrightly diss your work. Maybe they’re ashamed of themselves for not working as hard as you did. No idea, but don’t bow to their negativity. Let them sulk. You go on.

7. Artist Dates. Important. The well does and will go dry and when it does, the well must be replenished. As I’ve said before, take yourself out on an artist date – go to the movies, take your camera out and shoot pictures, try a new restaurant, visit an art gallery, or just go for a walk. You’ll be surprised how seamlessly your brain will bounce back into the world of stories.

8. Critique groups. Allowing others to caress your baby is important too. Now, not everyone is going to love you, believe me. There’s something to be said for developing thick skin. However, constructive comments from people who care about you and care about your future as a writer are essential to your work. Connect with writers’ groups in your area or online. The resources you discover will be tremendously beneficial.

9. Research the craft. The nuts and bolts of spelling, grammar and sentence structure are crucial. Beyond that, study the weightier nuances of writing, such as style, voice, pace. Study the publishing industry standards. You can speak directly to agents and editors now via the internet. Find out what they’re looking for and what they’ll reject. Be knowledgeable. With knowledge comes power and you need both in your writing life.

What advice would you give to writers this year?

Happy New Year!

Hello All.

I wish for each and every one of you who take the time to stop by my blog, a very happy, healthy, prosperous and joyfilled new year.

I've got plenty to talk about and I promise I'll be back in 2014 to let you all in on it.

Thank you!

My Last Diatribe of 2013

Once Upon a Time. As writers, we carry an image in our heads of the scribe, hunched over his writing pad/typewriter/computer, under a dim light bulb in the attic of a Victorian mansion, slaving away at his manuscript. Once upon a time, said writer would have sent the work off to an agent or publisher and then voila! He’s instantly known worldwide, some kind of writing prodigy this guy, and he comes down from the attic and appears on Oprah looking remarkably well rested and smug. Well, don’t count on it. Publicity is up to the author now and visibility is key. Platform, platform, platform. Amazon author page. Facebook, Twitter, website, blog. Post/comment on other blogs and websites. Put a button on your website or blog going directly to Amazon so that your book can be ordered from your site/blog.


It’s becoming increasingly important in our new publishing world to think of yourself as a brand. So, once you are published, make the most of marketing by contacting schools, bookstores, libraries, county fairs, anywhere you can host a signing, keeping the appropriate audience in mind. You wouldn’t go to an elementary school to promote your 1,000 page Scottish historical fiction novel, for example. At your signings/appearances, distribute little niceties, such as refrigerator magnets, bookmarks, or pens with your book’s cover and your information on them. But keep your face out there because, well, we like to see it.

One last point with this, keep in touch with other writers, published and not published. I firmly believe that one way to guarantee your success is to assist someone else in attaining success. Participate in critique groups. Help edit a manuscript. Promote your fellow authors when their books come out. Review books on platforms such as Goodreads. Leave reviews on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Whatever you do to further someone else will come back to you in droves.

Don't be Modest



As writers, we're all different in the subject matter we choose to splash on a page and I understand that so before I go too far and make anyone uncomfortable, just know that I know and recognize that fact.

Our November speaker at SWG talked about the five plus one things he wished he'd known before he started writing a novel. One of the points he raised stuck out for me because, well, I've been known to get on my soap box about this very concept. He said, "write about something that scares you." Now, he didn't mean the "boo!" kind of scary. He was talking about writing about the dark stuff, delving into the unknown, pushing the envelope. And writing it real.

I maintain that no writer worth their own spit can write without coming up against an uncomfortable subject sooner or later. It's got to happen or there is no story, no tension. Your work will be one-dimensional. I find it similar to painting taupe on an off-white canvas. When you finish your great masterpiece, and stand back, crossing your arms over your chest and gaze upon your beautiful work, what do you see? Blah. But if you slam a bucket of wild red across the canvas, ah, then you've created interest. You've created dimension.

You see, I think we worry too much about what others will think about what we write, and I think this happens often within a writers' group. It's difficult to reveal your words, your inner brain workings, to others. What will they think? Will they think it's dirty or lewd, or twisted somehow? Will they be grossed out? Will it be a reflection on me? We should not be so modest.

I believe a writer must write in the moment. If your character is that person who unluckily became part of a convenience store robbery, and his face is pressed against the cold tile floor, you need to be able show your reader what the floor smelled like (all those rubber soles that went before), the hoarse panting of someone an aisle over (must be old, sounds hoarse, like a smoker's breath), how did it sound when the doors to the cold storage shattered as a bullet jetted through them, does he taste his own blood in his mouth because one of the assailants slammed him to the floor (bitter iron paint, spewing from his jaws)?

There are more controversial subjects; i.e., rape, incest, family violence, terminal illness, divorce, death, mental illness, or murder. Point is, at some point you need to pick one and let yourself write about it. Push the envelope. Write about something scary. Let yourself be free with it.

This is your challenge as we finish 2013 and move into 2014. Write about something that scares you to the bone when you go back and read it. And don't be modest. Do you think Stephen King got to where he is by being modest?

Be honest, write in the moment. Write about something that challenges you.

The Distant Hours by Sarah Morton v. The Family Sheedy at Springlawn Farm

Has a novel you've read ever reminded you of a real life event, an event you've been intrigued by and studied, without having read the novel in the first place?

I find myself in such a place, having read The Distant Hours by novelist Sarah Morton, and being fascinated with Springfield history, having done some research on our local Sheedy family and Springlawn Farm.

The Distant Hours concerns three spinster sisters, one of whom is certainly crazy, and maybe the other two are just as crazy but on another level of crazy. The sisters live in a castle in England, the estate of their forefathers, a place the sisters share a passion for. None of them ever married or had children, although the youngest sister had the opportunity to marry her true love but that opportunity was later thwarted by her eldest sister who murdered the girl's one and only by accident. Eventually, after much intrigue and drama, the castle was burned to the ground, and all three sisters perished in the blaze. Never more, never more, to sound like Poe.

Well, Springlawn Farm, here in Springfield, belonged at one time to Mike Sheedy, a potato farmer from Ireland, who brought his substantial family over to the US and eventually settled in north Greene County, prospering like a maniac. He had sons, of course, but for whatever reason, it seems the sons died young. He had daughters also, the last three of whom remained on the Sheedy property, known as Springlawn Farm until their deaths. The last Sheedy daughter, Helen, passed away in 1979 and in 1980, a mysterious fire engulfed the beautiful Sheedy home and the place burned to the ground, only stone pillars and a stone fireplace remain.

Supposedly, Mike Sheedy committed suicide on the property and his ghost now haunts it. But, I have to ask, are we referring to Mike Sheedy the original purchaser of the property, or his son, Mike Sheedy? Can't find any details on that, but it's intriguing just the same.

Springlawn is a mysterious place now. If you drive out North National, past Greenlawn North, and take the first left after the cemetery, you will find a new subdivision named aptly "Springlawn." Just a mite farther from the last house in that subdivision, on your left, still heading north, you will notice the stone pillars, and the stone entrance to something on the property that was at one time important. The barn, much prized during Mike Sheedy's time, has been destroyed. Only the silo remains. You may notice a path over something that could have been a creek once.

Sad that such a magnificent footprint has been erased.

Driving out past the new Springlawn subdivision, I am heartened by the glimpse of a street sign, Headley Place. Nice. Mike Sheedy bought the acreage from someone named Headley and so, history remains.

Back to The Distant Hours and a comparison. Whether or not the stories are related, and most likely they are not, it's a fascinating sketch into the past and the passions governing the characters sought.

Have you had such an experience? The melding of the past into the present? If so, do tell.

 

Apple Crisp

I haven't posted a food post in I don't know how long but I had to today because it's autumn, and I particularly love the autumnal spices and herbs, the bounty, the whole crisp deliciousness that speaks to autumn.

So, today, we're making an apple crisp - perfect for fall, a great compliment to a meal of pork and potatoes and root vegetables. But enough about that. Let's get to the apples!

Okay, here is what I do.

Now, if you know me at all, you know that I support local growers and I urge others to do the same. So for my apples, I went to the local farmers' market and purchased five big Honey Crisp apples from a local grower.

So now we have apples. Goodie. Let's move on.

Like me, you are in your kitchen now, pulling out your casserole dish, assembling the items from your pantry and your refrigerator and here is what you will need:

1 lemon, make it a good one, large and medium soft
1/2 cup of white sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger

So, peel and core your apples, cut them into generous chunks. Squeeze the lemon juice over, partially to prevent your apple slices from browning and partially because the lemon adds a clean, fresh element to your dish. One caveat here - do not, and I repeat, do not, buy the reconstituted lemon juice stuff from the local grocery store. Buy real lemons and squeeze. It's better.

Throw the rest in and stir. Give your baking dish a generous swipe of unsalted butter. Drop your apple mixture in.

For the topping, you will need, and here it gets dicey because I don't measure anything, so go with your gut.

3/4 cups of flour (3 or so palms)
1/2 cups of white sugar (or maybe two palms)
1/2 cup of brown sugar, or possibly a bit more if you're like me and you like the brown sugar action more than white
1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
Oatmeal - how much depends on your take on the flour but I'd say a cup
Unsalted butter - five or six tablespoons according to the packaging.

Now really, it's all about your taste buds and your flavoring so work the ingredients to your specifications. Mine are simply general.

So, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter your baking dish, doesn't have to be huge, just a nice baking dish, not a 13 x 9 baking pan. You want the topping to bake down over the apples to soften them so no big dish is required.

Put your topping ingredients together, use a fork and combine and drop it over your apple mixture already in the baking dish. Bake for one hour until the apples are tender and the crust is browned. Serve with ice cream or a nice home made whipped cream.

Shop your local markets, folks. Fresh is better, support your local growers.