We're in the business of celebrating heroes, and among the many heroes this nation has spawned, the veterans of the June 6, 1944 invasion of Normandy Beach hold a special place all their own.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I grew up with this date emblazoned in my mind. For as long as I can remember, June 6th was a day to celebrate the selfless courage of the men who braved all.
So, since we're in the business of creating heroes, I thought it would be appropriate today to celebrate the 75th anniversary.
CBS ran a story that included an interview with a 99 year-old veteran who was one of the first men on the beach.
This video includes touching footage of many of the Royal Marine veterans.
When we're talking craft, we often talk about needing tp create characters who are flawed and dynamic. I think these interviews are interesting because none of the men pretend to be perfect. They admit their fear, praying to God, and wondering if they'd make it. Many of them said they couldn't face the memories for many years after they returned.
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear. ~JAMES NEIL HOLLINGWORTH
So, in honor of all those who courageously fought their fears because defeating Hitler was so much more important, let us say THANK YOU. Your very lives define the word hero.
Patricia posted a delightful recipe yesterday as part of our idea to include recipes with some of our posts. I had already decided to do the same today. I hope you enjoy.
Are you one of those people who gets caught up in the food that characters in books are enjoying?
I always find myself craving whatever is in the book. I went on a tea and scones binge the entire time I was reading the Tea Shop cozy mystery series by Laura Childs.
This one included a recipe for lemon scones.
Or how about Christmas stories and Christmas cookies.
I could go on and on. Clearly, I'm very suggestible.
The trend also holds true when I'm writing my own books. I'm currently working on one book set in Texas and one set in Maine. Since I often spend summers in Maine, this is a great chance for me to enjoy some of my favorite dishes. All in the name of research and getting in the mood, of course.
In a scene I was writing the other day, my character was enjoying a hearty dish of fish chowder (chowdah!). I was so jealous. I wanted one too. Maybe because it reminded me of a favorite moment I shared with my husband.
Back in 2014, we celebrated my sale to LIS with dinner at our favorite
lobster house in Maine.
We started off the meal with their fabulous fish chowder.
Long after we were home, I was craving this haddock chowder, so I played with some recipes and came up with one that I thought came close. (Although nothing could compare to that restaurant deck overlooking the harbor.)
This recipe is really pretty simple.
Start with @ 1 pound of haddock fillet and a pot of boiling water. I like to use my Dutch Oven for this. (You could also substitute cod or any firm white fish if you don't have haddock available.)
Boil the haddock in the water. You'll have to skim off the foam, but after boiling it for about 10
minutes, you'll have a nice fish stock.
Note: Many recipes call for salting the water, but I find the fish salty enough. So, add salt to taste.
Remove the fish and break it into bite-sized pieces. Then add about 3
cups of chopped potatoes and a cup or so each of chopped onion and celery to the stock.
Cover and simmer until tender.
When everything looks ready, add the fish back in. You can add some salt
and pepper at this point, and then swirl in 1 cup of milk/cream/half
and half (depending on richness you want) and a pat of butter.
Add a fresh loaf of crusty bread and you're all set for a hearty Down East meal. My character was sitting in front of a fire during a storm, but imagine sitting with this view.
As I was going through my photos, I found one of this fish chowder from a different restaurant. As you can see, they added shrimp as well as fish. Even more yum!
So, I'm curious. Please tell me I'm not the only one who gets cravings for certain foods either when you read about it them books or write them into your own. Let's here about what tempts you.
Can it be February already? It seems like just yesterday we were welcoming in a brand new year!
Hopefully, everyone is thawing out from the great polar vortex of 2019. If not, maybe we can help warm your hearts with some stories of love and romance.
With Valentine’s Day just one week away, my partner Cate Nolan and I thought it would be fun to poll some of our Facebook readers.
We asked them this question: What's the most romantic thing someone has done for you? It didn’t have to be just for Valentine's Day.
Today, we’re sharing some of their responses with you.
Lisa Ann Phillips said, “My husband always ask me in the morning if I have taken my medicine for my blood pressure and diabetes. Because he wants me around for a long time. At night he makes sure my feet are rubbed and lotioned.”
Danica Favorite said, “For our anniversary one year, I was really stressed out and overwhelmed, so hubby sent me away for a night at a hot springs. By myself. He knew that introvert me needed time alone, so instead of doing some big couple thing, he gave me what I needed.”
Paula Shreckhise said, “For our 48th wedding anniversary he wrote me a poem and framed it.”
Tina Susedik said, “Last year my husband had the words to our song (Thank You by Led Zepplin) printed on a coffee mug. OMG I cried when I opened the box. We've been married almost 46 years.”
Shelia Hall said, “My daughter had got me roses for Mother's day and after they died she saved the petals and framed it with a special poem that she wrote for my 45th birthday.”
Karen Mcnicol said, “My husband always holds my coat for me to put on, at home and when we are out. He also has always held the door for me, opens and closes the car door, he is a pure gentleman! (since having 2 mild strokes) when he is home he always helps me put on my shoes and boots as well.”
Cate Nolan said, “My husband used to joke that he was the more romantic of the two of us. I'm not sure I'd grant him that, but I wanted to share the one of his romantic gestures that meant the most to me. It has to do with how supportive he always was about my writing. Many years ago, when I was raising two babies and trying to fit in time to write, he was my biggest cheerleader. I wanted to enter the manuscript in the Golden Heart contest, but the baby was cranky and I was having a hard time finishing in time to get to the post office. (This was back in the day when you had to mail the partial.) He bundled the babies into the car and drove me into the huge post office in midtown Manhattan at 11:00 o'clock at night so that I could meet the midnight postmark deadline. When I finished writing the manuscript, he brought me a dozen roses. And when that manuscript was a finalist in the Golden Heart, he sent me to San Francisco to the national conference. That book never sold, but if it ever does, it's going to be dedicated to him!”
Mary Alford said, “My husband still holds the door for me, holds my hand wherever we go, and still holds my heart. He is the truth-life hero that I base all my hero’s on.
There were so many more beautiful stories of love and romance.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t share them all with you, but if you’d like to read more
of the comments, you can find them here: https://www.facebook.com/mary.alford.1272.
Just scroll down until you find the post
with the pink-gloved hands holding some
colorful hearts.
Well, those are our stories…What about you? We’d love to
hear about the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for you?
This title could apply to so many things, but in this case, I'm thinking of the end of October and the beginning of November and all that is symbolized within.
To quote Anne from Anne of Green Gables
"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn't it?"
I love Anne just for that quote.
There's so much to appreciate in October. The month (at least here in the northeast) just sort of reaches out and grabs you with all its colorful splendor.
I was thinking today about how much joy I feel just looking at the brilliant foliage in my neighborhood.
But October also brings color of a different sort. It's still October as I type this, so Halloween is still the holiday of the month. In my neighborhood, Halloween is a huge thing. My husband used to say that Halloween was celebrated more enthusiastically than Christmas. That's certainly true of the decorations.
This is just a sampling of what you'd see if you'd wandered through my neighborhood any time in the last month (because YES, it's a monthlong celebration).
There are lots of houses that celebrate with autumn-themed colors and decorations.
Some houses go for color.
Miles and miles of this stuff.
Some are just all about the lights. Since when did Halloween become a light show?
I happen to love the creativity of this one.
I stumbled across this front yard a few weeks ago before my mind was into thinking of Halloween. My writer's imagination was the first thing that kicked in.
Just a random couple hanging on the stoop.
A graveyard or two.
I was walking past this one when I heard a little girl whisper to her mother than someone was buried there!
A lonely ghost.
And another.
Or a lively trio.
A plethora of pumpkins.
Some decorations don't seem sure what season they belong to.
The night ends with a huge parade. We loved to do this when the kids were little. Everyone dresses up and parades down the main avenues for a couple of miles. Tonight my favorites were a father who was the snowman to his daughter's Elsa and a family from the sea: mom was a jellyfish, dad was a shark, and the little girl was a lobster/mermaid.
Such fun times!
And some political pumpkins.
By the time you read this, October 2018 will be a thing of the past, and we'll be on to November.
What does November say to you?
Darkness falling earlier?
End to Daylight Savings time?
Marathons?
A time to be grateful?
NaNoWriMo?
What does your November look like?
Do you bring your imagination to lighting up the darker days?
Do you NaNoWriMo?
I'd really like to hear from people who do it. I've never participated. I was tempted this year, but I have no business starting a new book when I have one I need to finish first. I think I'll follow along informally, using the motivation to keep me going.
If October is known for color and Halloween, then November is the month of giving thanks. It would probably be a good month for starting a gratitude journal like the one Dana wrote about last week.
As we begin the month of November today, tell me something you are grateful for. I'll start off by saying that I'm grateful to have this place to visit with all of you. I'm extremely grateful for all the wonderful friends that writing has brought into my life.
How about you? Any fun Halloween stories to share or something for which you are grateful?
I imagine most "Call" stories don't involve the author missing the editor's call because she was asleep.
That's what happened to me.
But let's go back to the beginning.
Once upon a time - a very long time ago - a young(ish) reader got the idea stuck in her head that she could write a book.
That writer was rather nervous. Authors were her very favorite people. They created wondrous books that filled so many happy hours. She had really never dared think that she could be one, too. Writers were special, talented people, and she was just an ordinary person.
But then one day, she read an article in a magazine about two secretaries in California who wrote romance novels on their lunch breaks (Rosemary Rogers and Shirlee Busbee).
The reader dared to dream. Was it possible? Could an ordinary person become an author?
So, like any good heroine, she found a goal. She would write one of the stories she'd been making up in her head.
Okay, so this is where the director steps in and says CUT!
This reader turned writer did have an unfortunate tendency to write looooong.
So fast forward 30 years. There had been many contests, a good number of prestigious finals and even some wins, but no book contract. Neither the Golden Heart nor the Genesis offered the magic key to publication.
But the author, for she now dared think of herself as such, persevered. She wrote on lunch hours and in coffee shops, she tried historical and contemporary and even paranormal.
And then she got discouraged and went back to grad school for a degree in teaching special ed.
But the stories were always there, so eventually she would start writing them again. She had no choice.
Then one day in early February of 2014, Harlequin's Love Inspired Suspense editors announced a contest - The Search for a Killer Voice.
Hmmmmm, there was that story idea... the one where everyone at the Christmas party was poisoned....
So over the next frantic weeks as the contest progressed from round to round, I (yes, let's abandon all pretense, it's me) wrote like crazy.
The contest had four stages.
Stage one was to submit a first page. Based on that, the editors chose teams. Emily Rodmell chose my entry.
Next up - authors had to submit a synopsis. Again the crowd was winnowed down. Those who made it through were invited to submit the first three chapters.
Finally, in May, the editors each asked 5 people to submit the full.
I wrote like crazy for a month and emailed in the entry less than an hour before deadline. I was exhausted, but proud to have miraculously completed my story.
And then the waiting began.
Side note: In my story, the heroine has a favorite hymn that she sings when she is troubled - How Great Thou Art. I had played Holly Tucker's version from The Voice often while writing the book.
So on a warm Sunday in July, as I came out of church, all of a sudden the church bells started playing How Great Thou Art. Goosebumps literally rose on my arms. Was this a sign?
I don't remember much about the next day, except that it was hot and mid-afternoon, I sat down on my bed to read. I fell asleep. When I woke up, I noticed a missed call on my phone.
A missed call with a 212 area code.
My hands shook as I played the message.
I couldn't believe it! Emily Rodmell had called to buy my book - and I had been asleep!!!!
In retrospect, it wasn't a bad thing because I was able to keep the message and replay it when I started to imagine it had all been a dream.
The message said she would be in a meeting, but I had slept long enough that her meeting was over, and I had just enough time to call before she left.
Emily was so sweet. After we talked through the whole part where SHE WANTED TO BUY MY BOOK, she told me they knew I was planning to head out to RWA in a few days (San Antonio that year), so she and Tina had rushed to get a decision so they could invite me to all the Harlequin events.
And that is how an author works for 30 years to sell a book - and then misses the call because she is asleep! But there is one little extra part.
That RWA conference was such a surreal experience, from breakfast with
my new editor to attending my first ever Harlequin party, but the
absolute highlight of the conference was finally being able to swap out
my general member badge for my PAN badge. That little pink band along
the bottom proclaimed to all that my dream had really come true.
Christmas in Hiding, my debut book from the Killer Voices contest, was released in October 2015 and is still available on Amazon.
Thanks so much for letting me relive the memory!
(PS - after many rounds, Emily and I came to the conclusion that the poisonous Christmas party had to go. I rewrote the beginning.)
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