New Release! With Giveaway!

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Dale Mayer

It’s no secret that I have 4 kids, and like any parent, there are days when I love them more than others. Then there are days when I’d like to ‘lend’ them out to couples interested in having a family of their own. I figure it would be great for population control!

However I survived the early years of child rearing and am potentially facing some of my birds flying away this year. Regardless of the stage the kids were and are in, the good or the bad days, the children have always been inspiring. Maybe that’s why I write a lot of really creepy books :)

Just kidding. I’m blessed and I know it. I also know I would never have ventured into writing about this teenage mindset if it hadn’t been for my daughter and her voracious reading appetite and her discontent with the seemingly endless stream of the same story written in as many different ways as there were authors. This happened about a couple of years ago.

At the time, I said, “No way!”

Only to find my muse kicking up her heels and answering with, “Challenge accepted!”

Since then, there’s been what appeared to be an avalanche of YA ideas pouring from my brain. Oddly enough, the first one I wrote is not the first one I published. I released the second and the third YA books last year, and have just now released the first one.

Why did I hold back? The first two books are paranormal and urban fantasy books and they are the first in a series. This one is…different. It’s an emotional story that will make some readers tear up but they will finish the book with a smile on their face.

I’m not known for these types of stories, (maybe that’s why I released the others first as they are closer to what I write?) although the joy of being a writer in today’s world, means I have the freedom to write what I feel inspired to write. Including my Romantic Comedy with a canine sidekick – It’s a Dog’s Life!

In Cassie’s Corner - was and still is an inspirational story for me. It touches on difficult topics, like drunk driving, death, and recovery from a major loss. I’d like to think I handle the issues well, but I’m certainly aware that not everyone would agree! It is a story that would be hard to read and not be affected – one way or another.

Faith and loyalty are tested as a young girl learns what it is to believe – in herself, in her friends, and in life after death.

Cassie’s best friend, bad boy Todd, is gone. Gone as in dead. Gone as in ghost.

But she doesn’t realize that when he wakes her in her bedroom and begs her not to believe what they say about him. It’s not until the next day when her parents tell her about the accident that she learns the truth…

The police believe Todd was living up to the family name, drinking and driving and coming to a predictable end. It’s up to her to find out the truth and clear his name.

Todd is shocked at his sudden change in circumstances…and angry. He struggles with his new ghostly reality, realizing all he’s lost as he watches his brother build a relationship with Cassie as the two pair up to find out what really happened to him.

The truth isn’t always pretty, and Cassie has to be stronger than ever before. Especially when the whole world seems to be against her.

Oh and the cover?  That’s another collaborative effort with my son, Jason.

To celebrate this new YA, I’m giving away a one free copy (either Kindle or PDF) of In Cassie’s Corner to one person who comments on the best thing they remember about being a teenager!

Posted in Dale's Posts | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

The Italian Crock Pot by Selena Robins + Giveaway!

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Misty Evans

Not to be confused with The Italian Crack Pot, as I had accidentally typed crack pot, but decided to proofread one more time before submitting this blog post. Although, I’ve met my share of crack pots during my life and yes, some of them may have been Italian, but it would totally change the theme of this post. 

The Crock Pot is a writer’s best friend. It’s like having a chef in the kitchen after you’ve instructed it what to do. 

I’m going to share an Italian crock pot recipe (below), but first wanted to chat how learning how to cook at a very young age from my mom is similar to my writing journey. When I say a young—young, as in by the time one can stand on her own without tumbling over, one must know how to make homemade pasta and tomato sauce. 

It was during these cooking sessions with my mom that she would tell me stories about her childhood and of course impart her wisdom about life. At the time, as most of us do, I didn’t appreciate the stories until I was much older. My mom was a natural storyteller, she was also extremely funny, but she didn’t know it. 

I love comedy and my family members (especially the females) are hilarious. It was during these cooking sessions with both my mom and sister where we would let loose, and enjoy our mom’s unique sense of humor. It’s no wonder the kitchen is my favorite room in the house, brings back a lot of fond and fun memories. 

Saturday morning cooking lessons were not like those home-economics classes. No note taking, no recipe books (goodness, Italian mamma’s pride themselves on cooking without instructions). 

We’d ask our mom, “How much salt and pepper do we put in this? Don’t we have a measuring spoon for the olive oil?” 

Mom: “Measure? How much? What you asking me these questions for? You reading those recipe books again? Like I told you, cook with your eyes, feel, taste, listen to your mamma and also to the sizzle in the pan.” She’d point a finger to her head and say, “Use your imagination. It’s not going to be perfect first time, but it will when you trust your instincts.” 

My mom’s creativity in the kitchen kept a family of seven well fed on a limited budget. 

As you can imagine most of our training dishes were akin to a science project, however, with all the trials and errors and really paying attention to her basic instructions about cooking with passion, love and using our senses, slowly but surely, my sister and I did turn out some great dishes. (To this day, I still think I make a better sauce and pizza than my sister. I’m sure if you ask her, she’ll say hers is better. Typical sisters, but I still say my way is better.)

My school lunches were packed with homemade bread, roasted red pepper, zucchini and eggplant sandwiches, with slices of fresh mozzarella cheese (which she also made at home) and homemade cookies. My school mates would look at my lunch and ask, “what the heck are you eating?” I did trade my lunch one day, for the more popular peanut-butter and jam sandwich and a couple of Oreo cookies. I liked them and the girl I traded my offerings with didn’t like my lunch; so she traded the Italian feast with the boy next to her. He loved it and asked if I could bring extra the next day. 

How is similar to my writing journey? That it’s okay not to follow a trend and to stick to my own individual style, some will question it, some may try it and like it, some may try it and not like it (maybe even pass it on to someone else) and that’s okay. 

What A Girl Wants by Selena Robins

The main thing my mom taught me while we baked and cooked together was to add a lot of love into cooking. She emphasized how important it was to cook with passion, to use all my senses, touch, taste, sight and smell (and hear too, for the fire alarm that is, when I had accidentally burned a pot or two in my learning process). 

This too can be applied to my writing journey, as I create characters, dialogue and plots that will give the reader not only a visual experience of what’s happening, but hopefully they can taste what the characters are tasting, smell the scents of the scenery, close their eyes and hear the voices (not the ones in our heads, that’s another story), but the tone of the characters, and most importantly, feel the passion I (and other writer’s) have put into creating a wonderful story to draw you into a comical, suspenseful, mysterious and romantic world. 

Here’s a recipe to warm your bones (if you live in a colder climate, still tasty if you live in the tropics as well). Let the Crock Pot do the cooking, while you’re writing, reading or just hanging out with family and friends. 

Crock Pot Italian Sausage Soup

 Ingredients

3 TBSP olive oil

2 pounds Italian sausage (sweet or mild, your choice)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium Vidalia (or any other sweet onion), chopped

2 (16 ounce) cans tomatoes

1 ½ cups dry red wine (not cooking wine, if it’s good enough to drink, then it’s what you cook with)

6 cups beef broth

3 TBSP fresh basil, chopped

3 TBSP fresh Italian parsley, chopped

1 yellow zucchini, thinly sliced

1 green zucchini, thinly sliced

1 sweet red pepper, chopped

1 package of frozen spinach (defrost and squeeze the liquid out)

salt & pepper to taste

Package of pasta (16 oz. your choice of pasta)

Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese 

Directions 

In a large pot, add olive oil and heat, add sausage and cook over medium heat until brown.

Remove from heat, pat with paper towel and cut into slices. 

Add garlic and onion until tender (about 2 – 3 minutes). 

Heat up your crock pot to low and add: sausages, onions, garlic and stir in the rest of all the ingredients. 

Cover, and cook on Low for 6 hours. 

When soup is done you’re ready to make the pasta to add to the soup. (Tip: soup tastes better when you make it a day ahead and warm it up on the stove, but it’s also delicious the same day as well).

Cook Pasta al dente (according to package directions). 

Drain water and add pasta to the soup, simmer for a few minutes. 

Season with salt and pepper. 

Ladle in bowls and add cheese if desired. 

Buon appetite!

Readers, do you have a favorite memory of cooking or reading with your mother? Comment and win a copy of Selena’s book WHAT A GIRL WANTS. 

About Selena Robins: Genre-defying, witty, humorous, suspenseful, romantic and sexy— words used to describe Selena’s novels. A self professed foodie and chocolate guru, she loves to dance with her dog, sing into her hairbrush and write in her PJ’s. In love with her family, friends, books, laughter, hockey, lively discussions and red wine (sometimes all at the same time). Selena is a dragon slayer who enjoys reading and writing sassy heroines and hot heroes (the ones your mamma warned you about, but secretly wished she’d dated a few in her life).

Posted in Giveaway, Guest Posts, Misty's Posts, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 32 Comments

THE BOOKS OF MY CHILDHOOD

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Karin Tabke aka Karin Harlow

 I have a real treat for you all today, my good friend Jake aka J Carson Black is here to chat and she is giving away a $25 Amazon gift certificate to a lucky commenter! 

When I was a kid, my parents and I had a tradition.  One Friday night a month, we would go out to dinner at the Sizzlers, and I’d walk down along the strip mall to the Baskin Robbins for a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone.  And then my parents would take me to the House of Paperbacks.

Books were cheap back then.  My mother is a smart lady; she appealed to my materialistic nature, the desire to grab up as many books as I could. This is how she fostered my love of reading.

In Tucson, where I live, there’s a big used-book superstore called Bookman’s.  My husband and I like to go there on Saturdays and prowl around.  First, I go and see if they have any of my old paperback books.  (It’s humbling to see how many friends have sold books I’d signed to them years ago.  One of them was the best man at my wedding, and I’d blathered all over the page: “So-and-so, you are one of best friends I’ve ever had in my life!”) I love you, man.

After that, I look and see what the best writers in my genre have out new, because I like to keep up with them. I buy their latest hardcovers to study.

Then I go to the Childrens’ Section.  

Over the years, I’d lost tons of books from my childhood.  They’re not famous books, but I read them at a time when they meant something to me.  A lot of them where Scholastic Books.  I remember coming across a favorite I’d read as a kid and had somehow lost: HOBBY HORSE HILL, by Lavinia Davis.  Oh, how I loved that book!  My husband was out of town, and I found myself reading it again—I was up until three in the morning.  It was as good as I remembered it.

So now I look for the older books, for books that strike a chord. They don’t even have to be favorites like HOBBY HORSE HILL.  If they have the same cover, I buy them.  I have 4 versions of MY FRIEND FLICKA. There were two books that came out with the same cover of a boy and a horse against the Wyoming hills.  One had pink up top and bottom, and one had dark green. All these years later, I found the dark green one.

The one book I really wanted had the original cover of SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES, by Ray Bradbury.  The cover brought me to that book, and distills its essence. It shows a dark sidewalk with leaves blowing up in a dust devil or scary words.  I wanted the cover as well as the book, even though I had the book with a newer cover.  But when I looked for it online, the darn thing cost $800.00.  Fuggedaboudit.

Then one day, I dropped by Bookmans. I always went to the Fantasy section to look for the book, even though I knew Bookmans would be too smart to let an $800.00 book go out the door for a couple of bucks.

But there it was, face out.  My cover!  Turns out, there was a book club version reprinted in the early nineties. The book was in perfect condition, and now I had the cover.  I think I paid eight dollars for it.

So I have a library of old faded books that came from my childhood and that I bring out and look at and hold—they are my talismans. 

Sometimes, these old books play into the novels I’m writing.  When I got the idea for THE DEVIL’S HOUR, the third thriller in my Laura Cardinal series, I kept thinking of the girls’ summer camp in DONNA PARKER: MYSTERY AT ARAWAK.  And so I put a girl’s summer camp up on Mt. Lemmon above Tucson, and as homage to the book, I came up with the name Camp Aratauk.  The camp only plays a bit part in THE DEVIL’S HOUR, although it is important to the story.

The books I read as a child formed me.  They went through a part of my life with me, whether it was a couple of days, or a week, or a month.  They will always be there, and I am glad to find them again and add them to the special shelf in my library.

Are there any books from your childhood that strike a chord with you?  

Before you go, checkout Jake’s site http://www.whokilledbriennecross.com and check out The Shop, a Thomas & Mercer, Amazon’s thriller! THE SHOP will be rereleased, on February 6, 2012.  Check it out!

Posted in Guest Posts | 29 Comments

Sharing What We Love

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Amy Atwell

There's something so inviting about sharpened pencils. They make my fingers itch to write.

Writing a book is often a solitary task. Oh, authors aren’t always in a vacuum. We have writing friends, critique partners, editors and beta readers who give us feedback. But it’s a long process from conceiving a book to seeing that story fully-realized and available to the reading public.

Feedback often comes to us in the form of reviews. Professional reviews and customer reviews, good and bad, every reader has their opinion about a book. And that’s as it should be. The reader is an active participant in receiving and interpreting the story. But reviews often just scratch the surface. As an author, I’ve often wished there was a way to pinpoint what specifically in my story touched a reader’s heart.

The Kindle* “Popular Highlights” feature comes close. If you’re a Kindle owner, as you read you can highlight sections of text. You can choose to share your highlights with other Kindle readers.  Amazon takes all these bits and pieces of highlights and tallies them.  If a book has three or more people highlight the same piece of text, that “popular highlight” gets added to the product page for that book on Amazon.  It looks like this:

Now, I can see why people would highlight a text book or a cookbook or even poetry. But a romance novel? When popular highlights appeared on my product page for my historical novel Ambersley, I was surprised and then pleased. Pleased because the most highlighted text in the book (now up to 31 highlights) was a tiny snippet that I remember touched my heart as I wrote it:

Most people misunderstood the moon. It wasn’t cool and distant, shrouded in mystery. The moon waited in the sky and offered its friendship to the people below, but was often overlooked in favor of its brilliant rival. The moon encouraged silence. It kept your secrets. It presented your worst fears, yet it offered hope when the bright reality of day denied there was any hope left.

What I didn’t realize was that these same words would touch others deeply enough that they would highlight them or that a message of hope I wanted to deliver with this story would be received with equal passion.

Popular highlights are way cool in my book because it allows an author to see what bits and pieces of a story connect most with the reader.  So, thank you to all the readers out there who are sharing their highlights.  Also, if you own a Kindle and you don’t  want to share your highlights, read how to Customize Your Reading on Kindle Keyboard to learn about annotations and sharing privileges—you can keep your highlights and notes private.

Of course, nothing beats a personal note. Most authors include their website and/or email address at the back of their digital books. I can’t tell you how much it means to me to receive an email from a reader who loved my story and my characters. It’s what gives me the strength to move forward with the next story, even when it’s in the chaotic infancy stages or the mire that some people call writer’s block.

I write because, first and foremost, I love to READ. Thank you to all the readers out there for sharing the joy.

(Please note: I used Kindle as an example in this blog because it provides a unique reader experience. I do not own a Kindle nor do I personally endorse Kindle or Amazon.)

Posted in Amy's Posts | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

What Are You Reading?

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Liz Kreger

I gotta admit that as of about a week ago, I went on a totally dry spell of not reading.  It lasted better than a month.  I didn’t pick up a book, my Nook or even paged through a magazine.  An occasional newspaper was the only thing that I’d read.  I was even in the middle of Jennifer Estep’s “Spider’s Revenge” when I stopped reading.  Now this is a fantastic book.  I was three quarters through it when I put it down and didn’t pick it up for a month.  Why?  No idea.  Jennifer is one of my favorite authors.  The characters were compelling, the plot tight, the action exciting.  I had picked up five or six books by authors whose releases I had been salivating over.  Was I even tempted into reading them?  Nope.

Don’t’ mind sayin’ that it had me worried.  I don’t think I’ve EVER gone so long without reading a book.  Now I’ve been an avid reader since I was around five or six years old … when I first realized that those funny squiggly things were actually words and those words translated into stories.  Stories that I could lose myself in.  There was no looking back from there.

Since then, it was story books for kids, every animal story I could get my hands on, anything with horses in it, graduated to Harlequins in my teens, discovered historicals, science fiction, back to romance, then on to romantic paranormals and urban fantasies.  Obviously my tastes have evolved over the decades.  While I still read science fiction ‘pon occasion, I’m pleased that I came back to my first love … romances (no pun intended).

I’m also pleased to say that my reading dry spell came to an end last week.  Whatever my funk was, I snapped out of it.  I finished Jennifer’s book in record time, read Ione Andrew’s “Magic Bites”, and am now in the middle of Faith Hunter’s “Raven Cursed”.  Right behind that come I have Carrie Vaughn’s latest, another Ione Andrews book and a whole slew of other books lined up for my attention.

So what are you reading right now?  And have you ever gone through a dry spell where it seems like nothing — absolutely nothing, appealed to you?

Posted in Liz's Posts | 26 Comments

Novels to Delight the Taste Buds with Sarah McCoy, Kristina McMorris & Jael McHenry

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Marilyn Brant

Today, I have the pleasure of welcoming three talented writing friends to Magical Musings, all with wonderful new or upcoming women’s fiction releases that feature some fantastic recipes between their pages, alongside compelling characters and intricate plots. Being a fan of stories that weave food into the narration (you all know this about me already, don’t you?! :razz: ), I asked them to give us a few details about their books and to share a recipe with us. They were each kind enough to do so.

Sarah, Kristina and Jael ~ my lovely Mt. Hood Retreat pals! ~ thanks for stopping by. It’s so nice to have you all here!!

The Baker’s Daughter by Sarah McCoy (Crown, January 24, 2012) is a novel Tatiana de Rosnay, international bestselling author of Sarah’s Key and A Secret Kept, called, “A beautiful, heart-breaking gem of a novel written just the way I like them, with the past coming back to haunt the present, endearing heroines and a sunny, hopeful ending. You’ll wolf it up in one delicious gulp.” Here’s a little bit about Sarah’s novel (out in just 4 days!!), followed by a special recipe that had my mouth watering:

In 1945, Elsie Schmidt was a naive teenager, as eager for her first sip of champagne as she was for her first kiss. She and her family have been protected from the worst of the terror and desperation overtaking her country by a high-ranking Nazi who wishes to marry her. So when an escaped Jewish boy arrives on Elsie’s doorstep in the dead of night on Christmas Eve, Elsie understands that opening the door would put all she loves in danger. Sixty years later, in El Paso, Texas, Reba Adams is trying to file a feel-good Christmas piece for the local magazine. Reba is perpetually on the run from memories of a turbulent childhood, but she’s been in El Paso long enough to get a full-time job and a fiancé, Riki Chavez. Riki, an agent with the U.S. Border Patrol, finds comfort in strict rules and regulations, whereas Reba feels that lines can often be blurred. Reba’s latest assignment has brought her to the shop of an elderly baker across town. The interview should take a few hours at most, but the owner of Elsie’s German Bakery is no easy subject. Reba finds herself returning to the bakery again and again, anxious to find the heart of the story. For Elsie, Reba’s questions are a stinging reminder of darker times: her life in Germany during that last bleak year of WWII. And as Elsie, Reba, and Riki’s lives become more intertwined, all are forced to confront the uncomfortable truths of the past and seek out the courage to forgive.

Reba’s Granny’s Blue Ribbon White-Cherry Truffles
An Adams’ family tradition and first-prize winner at the Virginia State Fair
Ingredients:
12  1-oz. squares of semisweet chocolate
3  1-oz. squares of unsweetened chocolate
1  can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1/4  teaspoon salt
2  tablespoons cherry liqueur
1/4  cup chopped hazelnuts
1/2  cup maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
2  6-oz. packages of premium white chocolate baking bars
2  teaspoons vegetable oil
Red sugar sprinkles
Directions:
Heat chocolate, sweetened condensed milk, and salt in pot over medium heat, stirring until chocolate is just melted. Remove from heat. Add liqueur, chopped nuts, and candied cherries. Put a sheet of wax paper over the surface and refrigerate until cold or overnight. Using a melon baller or a rounded teaspoon, scoop out heaping tablespoon from chilled chocolate mixture. Roll into smooth ball between hands. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Keep scooping and rolling until every bit is used up. Melt and stir together white chocolate with oil in a saucepan over low heat. Let stand a minute until cool to the touch. Using two forks, gently dip balls into white chocolate. Transfer to waxed paper to dry. Decorate with red sprinkles. Makes about three dozen truffles or more, depending on the size of your bonbons.

About  Bridge of Scarlet Leaves (Kensington, February 28, 2012) by Kristina McMorris , Margaret Dilloway (How to Be an American Housewife) wrote, “An epic romance…I followed [their] fast-paced journey to unexpected places with my breath held and fingers crossed.” And Jenna Blum (Those Who Save Us) said, “Readers of World War II fiction will devour [this] poignant, authentic story…” Read on to learn more about Kristina’s lovely upcoming novel and to try a devilishly good recipe:

In spite of her Julliard ambitions and family’s wishes, violinist Maddie Kern secretly elopes with her Japanese American boyfriend—the night before Pearl Harbor is bombed. When her beloved Lane is evacuated to an internment camp, she dares to remain at his side. Behind barbed wire, tension simmers and the line between patriot and traitor blurs. As Maddie strives for the hard-won acceptance of her new family, Lane risks everything to prove his allegiance to America, at tremendous cost. Skillfully capturing one of the most controversial episodes in recent American history, Kristina McMorris delivers an authentic, moving testament to love, forgiveness, and the enduring music of the human spirit.

Curry Deviled Eggs

6 large hard-boiled eggs, shelled 
1 teaspoon curry powder (or wasabi)
1/4 cup Miracle Whip or mayonnaise                         
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon minced onion                                        
toasted sesame seeds

Cut hard-boiled eggs in half lengthwise. Scoop yolks into a small bowl and mash with a fork. Add Miracle Whip, onion, and curry powder; mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper. Fill the egg-white “boats” with the yolk mixture and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

And the brand new trade paperback edition of The Kitchen Daughter (Gallery Books, December 20, 2011) by Jael McHenry is now out and features a fabulous quote on the cover from O, The Oprah Magazine: “McHenry writes passionately about food…her sharp story has as many layers as a good pâte á choux.” (The hardcover original had been named a “May Must-Read” in Oprah’s Book Club newsletter last spring!) Here’s a little more about Jael’s fantastic debut novel, along with a recipe that I would love somebody to make for me right now:

After the unexpected death of her parents, painfully shy and sheltered 26-year-old Ginny Selvaggio seeks comfort in cooking from family recipes. But the rich, peppery scent of her Nonna’s soup draws an unexpected visitor into the kitchen: the ghost of Nonna herself, dead for twenty years, who appears with a cryptic warning (“do no let her…”) before vanishing like steam from a cooling dish. A haunted kitchen isn’t Ginny’s only challenge. Her domineering sister, Amanda, (aka “Demanda”) insists on selling their parents’ house, the only home Ginny has ever known. As she packs up her parents’ belongings, Ginny finds evidence of family secrets she isn’t sure how to unravel. She knows how to turn milk into cheese and cream into butter, but she doesn’t know why her mother hid a letter in the bedroom chimney, or the identity of the woman in her father’s photographs. The more she learns, the more she realizes the keys to these riddles lie with the dead, and there’s only one way to get answers: cook from dead people’s recipes, raise their ghosts, and ask them.

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
2 C flour                     
2 t sugar
2 t BP                         
1 t salt
1/3 C shortening         
2/3 milk w/1 T vinegar
Cut shortening into dry ingredients. Stir in milk – may take more – dough should be soft and puffy. Knead lightly 20 times. Roll or pat out 1 inch thick. Cut in circles. Bake at 450 for 10 to 12 minutes.
~*~
¾ lb sausage              
¼ C flour        
1-2 C milk
Crumble and brown sausage in large pan. When brown, add flour and stir to coat. Return to heat and add enough milk to cover sausage. Cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently, as gravy thickens. Adjust with add’l milk for desired consistency. Grind on black pepper. Serve.

Thanks, again, for sharing these with us, ladies! And, to everyone: What are some of your favorite novels that have memorable dishes? For me, two other delightful books that sprung immediately to mind were Melissa Senate’s The Love Goddess’ Cooking School and Barbara O’Neal’s How to Bake a Perfect Life. What about for you? And, if you’re a writer, have you ever written a story where food was prominently featured? (If so, you can bet I’d love to read it! ;-) )

Posted in Marilyn's Posts | Tagged , , , , | 21 Comments

I Call It Keeping My Sanity

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Karin Tabke aka Karin Harlow

Hubby calls it expensive.  I’m talking about my hobbies over the years.  I’ve dabbled in my fair share.  Horses and showing, shooting and hunting, fishing, sailing, starting businesses, selling businesses, showing my dog, raising snakes and iguanas, refinishing stuff, ceramics, flower arranging, growing roses, culinary classes, gardening, showing my dog again, training my dog to track, yadda yadda yadda, the list goes on.

It drives my husband crazy. I jump feet first into whatever it is at the moment that captures my fancy and immerse myself until I have mastered it or in some cases, just become bored by it all. But for me, there is always something exciting around the corner.  I am always involved in something. I can’t not be.

A few years ago I made the decision to re-populate my back yard with an abundance of flowering containers and flower beds.  I’ve only had moderate luck growing things. Stuff dies on me.  Usually because I forget to water it. Or move it out of the sun. Basically, I have never possessed a green thumb. But when I decided to redo my garden, I also made the decision to educate myself and make the commitment to actually care for the flora.

My kids and hubby shook their heads.  “You kill everything, mom!”

I’d show them.  And I did. I researched everything. I love research.  LOVE. IT!  And I paid attention to those flowers. I gave them what they needed, not what I thought they wanted.  Despite my best intentions, and due diligence, I lost about half of my plants and flowers that first year.  But the following spring I was ready to give it another go, and by the time early summer rolled around, my garden was worthy of the cover of Home and Garden. I’d stand out front in the mornings with a cup of coffee and gloat as I gazed upon my luscious begonias, fat purple hydrangeas, and velvety lilies. I did the same out back, but more. My bougainvilleas were two stories tall and in constant righteous bloom.  My angel’s trumpet was glorious. My containers of impatients, dahlias, and daisies overfloweth.  It was amazing to behold.  And I did it.  But I had help. My father-in-law.  Dad and I spent hours and hours selecting the right plants, soil and fertilizer. But when dad passed away that summer, my garden died with him. I didn’t care about the flowers. I didn’t care about much of anything.  

The following spring, I had no urge to plant.  Not one seed. Not one bloom. So, I didn’t.  The left overs from the previous year barely eeked out an existence in my yard. But by fall, I realized I missed my garden. I missed my quiet time. I missed spending that time with myself. And by its pathetic appearance, my garden missed me too. But it was too late to plant.  So I stared planning for this spring.  I’ve mapped out where my container veggie garden is going. I’ve begun to collect begonia and dahlia bulbs. I’m picking up a half a dozen half wine barrels Friday for my tomatoes and dwarf lemon trees. But my prize project this spring is to populate the area around my koi pond with orchids.

I have become obsessed with orchids!  It started in October in Kauai.  There’s this great little place called Orchid Alley in Kapa’a. I just knew as I talked to the grower that my climate would be perfect for many types of orchids!  I visualized my yard bursting with exotic fragrant blooms! I wanted it so bad I could taste it! I felt like Ralphie from A Christmas Story. I was going to get my Red Ryder no matter what!

  Hubby saw the glint in my eyes and my brain cells smoking as I mentally planned it all.  He shook his head and put his hands up.  “No! You’re not doing this again.”

I think that’s what he said. I wasn’t paying attention.  Since then, I have become obsessed with learning everything I can about orchids.  Everything!  I’ve been in contact with local growers.  I’ve been to one orchid show.  I’m going to another next weekend and in February, the mother of all orchid shows is being held in San Francisco.  Whoo hoo! Virtually my backyard!  How fortuitous is that?  (not so much for hubby, he groaned when I told him)

Of course I couldn’t help myself. I’ve already purchased a few orchids. Ok, six in the last couple of months.

And guess what?  They’re all in bloom!  And staying in bloom.  Some have lovely fragrances while others are just beautiful to gaze upon.  Each one has a different requirement and each one is thriving. They look healthy and happy.  I love making my daily rounds and I can’t wait to add to my collection.  I’m chomping at the bit for this weather to break so I can start working outside.

I find great solace in caring for those lovelies.  It isn’t hard either.  In fact, orchids are damn easy.  It’s just knowing what they want.  Their likes and dislikes, and respecting it.  Just like in any relationship.

And while my husband continues to roll his eyes, he doesn’t get on my case about the time and money spent.  My orchids keep me occupied. They make me happy. I look at taking care of them as indoor gardening for now.  I can clear my head when I tend my plants.  I work plot points out, or character issues or realize I need to go back and add a pertinent fact I overlooked.  Gardening gives me peace.  It zenifies my world.  In so doing, it makes life for those around me livable. I’m no fun to be around when I’m stressing.

I realized that I have always had some outlet, something that was just mine.  Something that challenged me, and gave me a great sense of accomplishment when I became successful at it.  I’m not sure which part of the process I like better: the journey, or sipping the coffee once it all comes to fruition. I think it’s a combination of both.  It certainly can be said for my writing.  I love to research and develop my characters and plot.  Then there is the challenge of the actual writing of the story.  But when I get that book in my hands for the first time, it’s damn satisfying, and I can’t wait to do it all over again!

What about you?  Do you have a hobby you’re passionate about?

Posted in Karin's Posts | 23 Comments

Need a Recharge

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Michelle Diener

My 7yo son likes to tell me that his battery recharges at night. I’ll tell him it’s time for bed, and he says: “But my battery is still 70% charged”. :)

Right now, for some reason, my battery feels like it’s about 10% charged. Part of it is the heat. Ugh. Unrelenting. Heat. Western Australia at the height of summer. I should be used to it, but I still don’t like it. And February will be worse. So not looking forward to that!

Swimming in the ocean, or at the pool, helps, but I just deep down feel tired. And that’s not how I usually feel.

I’m trying to come up with some strategies, though. I’m swimming with the kids, which helps, I’m doing things like spending more time tending my herb garden in the cool of early morning or late evening, I’m reading more.

I already feel better. Especially today.

But I don’t think I’m alone. We all go through times were we realize we don’t have the energy level we usually do. It’s only when it’s gone that I miss it.

And I’d love to hear your strategies for re-invigorating yourself and getting your groove back. I’ll take all the tips I can get! :)

Posted in Michelle's Posts | 8 Comments

Charleston, SC (with giveaway!)

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Lori Brighton

I’m in love… with a city.

Although we always visit family for Christmas, over Thanksgiving we’ve started a tradition of going on a mini vacation. Usually these vacations revolve around the beach and/or historical cities. This Thanksgiving we went to Charleston, South Carolina.

I’d never been, but always wanted to go. If you have a chance to visit the city, take it! I’d absolutely move there, if even the smallest of homes in the historical district didn’t cost a million dollars. Perhaps someday… after I hit the N.Y. Times Best Seller list, make a few movie deals, sell my kidney and win the lottery. But for now, I’ll have to do with visits.

Why do I love it so? It has a wonderful historical district with amazing row homes from the 1600s, another section sports huge Victorian homes. There are quaint cobbled streets, plenty of shops, lots of restaurants. There are also lots of beautiful churches with creepy, old cool cemeteries. Pretty much everything I love :) Sunday mornings are a perfect time to walk the city and take pictures. Not only are there few tourists out and about, but hearing the church bells ringing is purely magical.

Charleston has a free trolley system, perfect for getting around the town. If you go, I suggest hopping on the Green Trolley line. This will take you around some historical areas and most of the shopping district so you can get a feel for the area. It also has a drop off at the docks where where you may see dolphins and cruise ships in the bay.

If you have a car, there are also plenty of islands within 10-20 mins of downtown Charleston. And did I mention cool, old plantation homes not far from town? So much to see and do! I can’t wait to return. For now I’ll have to do with sharing a few pictures with you.

As a late holiday treat, I’m giving away two Ecopies of my soon to be released contemporary paranormal, The Demon Hunter, which will be out in a couple weeks. Just leave your name and email addy!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

Posted in Giveaway, Lori's Posts | Tagged , , | 27 Comments

Thoughts on free books

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Edie Ramer

A lot of authors are putting their books for free to jumpstart sales, while other writers believe the many free books are devaluing ebooks. But isn’t this the same thing as New York publishers with their free ARCs? Free is a successful marketing ploy for many products. A local grocery gives out a lot of free samples. Every time I’m in the store, I’ll search out the cheese samples. Though I don’t buy every brand I sample, I do sometimes. Much more than at stores without samples. Other times I’ve bought different brands. But if I hadn’t sampled the free cheese, it wouldn’t have awakened my tastebuds, which send pleasure notices to my brain, which demand cheese. Other times I walk away, because (1) for once I’m really keeping to my diet (samples don’t count!) or most likely (2) I have plenty of cheese in my fridge already.

I put CATTITUDE, my paranormal romance, free for the first three days of January. Almost immediately, my other books sold more. I’ve heard the same thing from other writers. And I’ve been selling more of all my books since then. Dale Mayer had her YA, VAMPIRE IN DENIAL, for free and the same thing happened. (For writers: I’ve written about our free experiences and a couple others at the How To Write Shop.)

Even though a book is free, I don’t automatically download it. I’ll still look at the cover and read the blurb and a sample before I make that decision. I’m guessing other people do the same thing. But because it’s free, I’ll take chances on books I normally wouldn’t buy. I often find I do love the book. When that happens, I will buy other books by the author.

Another comparison is getting books from the library. I’ve found favorite authors at the library, and have gone on to buy many of their books. Just a few are Jayne Ann Krentz, Rachel Gibson, Susan Wiggs and Dick Francis. No one is afraid that libraries will devalue books.

What are your thoughts about free or even 99¢ books?

Posted in Edie's Posts | Tagged , , , | 24 Comments