Have you thanked an author today?

Some people read a few books a year, some about one a month, and some, like me,

devour books like they are daily nourishment, which they often are.
If you are a writer, you know the time, effort and sacrifice it takes to get the book in front of the reader, just like the effort of putting a good dinner on the table.
And just like you thank the cook, or compliment the chef, how about thanking the author? This is especially true of less well-known authors. I can tell you it is pure delight to receive an email showing appreciation of my writing. I feel like sitting down at my computer and getting right back to creating more enjoyment for my readers.
I am developing the habit of sending a note to authors whose books I enjoy. It is easy to find an e-mail address on the author's web site. And I have received some lovely notes back in reply.
So thank an author; you will make someone's day!

I am always wary of giving my books away for free because, of course, I want
people to buy them.
But recently I received a handwritten note in the mail from an elderly cousin of
my father, who had heard about my book from someone in the family, and wanted
to know where she could buy one. She is eighty-eight years old and I didn't know
if she uses the internet, so I broke my own rule and mailed her a copy as a
gift.
Today I received a message from her granddaughter who had seen the book, and
proceeded to order a copy for her Kindle and read it in one night. So the gift
led to a sale. Or maybe it's an example of what goes around comes around, but
there are times when giving away a book is the cool thing to do.

Cookie Candy

Sometimes the memory of a favorite childhood food is better than the reality.
My mom used to make something that I, as a child, dubbed "cookie candy." It is baked in a square or oblong pan and consists of a cookie layer topped with a meringue and brown sugar mixture and baked all together.
I remember the large oblong pan of this treat, setting on the kitchen counter cooling for dessert. When it was finally served, I relished biting into the two layers and letting the flavor combinations, mostly of sugar, explode in my mouth.
A couple of weeks ago, I pulled out the recipe and baked a small pan. First I forgot to beat the egg whites seaparately from the brown sugar for the topping, so it did not come out as thick as it should have. Second, I did not spread the topping all the way to the edge, which caused the cookie layer to sink in the middle and emerge from the topping around the edge of the pan. And last, my tastes have changed. As a ten year old, sugar was probably my favorite flavor. As an adult who tries to eat healthful food most of the time, "cookie candy" was just too sweet for my taste.
I may try the recipe again, and maybe not. Maybe it is better in my memory, or maybe my mom just knew how to do it better.

Here is the recipe, in case anyone wants to try it:

Cookie Candy


1st Layer:
½ c. shortening
1 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp. vanilla
Pinch salt
½ c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder


Mix in order given. Spread ½ in. thick in shallow pan.


2nd Layer:
1 egg white
1 c. light brown sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
¾ c. walnuts, chopped


Beat egg white. Fold in sugar, add vanilla. Spread over first layer. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake in moderate oven (350˚) about 30 min.

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Daydreaming

“Where do you get your ideas?” is a question writers are often asked. And while ideas burst into life anywhere from family stories to personal experience to newspaper articles, an idea does not become a piece of writing without silence and time to daydream.
Just like a seed, an idea needs to be left alone to germinate before it will grow. It is not so much a matter of figuring out the direction for a story or even a poem, as it is a matter of allowing the story to bloom on its own.
From childhood I have entertained myself by making up stories in my head. I amused myself this way while riding the school bus and doing chores on our family farm in southern Illinois. I have always enjoyed long walks, and I have daydreamed on walks in Chicago, Costa Rica, Colorado and London. There is something about the kinetic movement that stimulates imagination.
Lately, however, I find that I often have to purposely unplug myself to let my imagination go. I leave the iPod at home and I turn off the radio in the car (with the exception of the classical station). I avoid having the TV or radio on at home “just for background noise.”
Quiet time is essential for any artist, and this includes writers, because we are artists.
If you really are stuck for ideas, try some writing prompts. Every Friday, Mary Jo Campbell posts some great ones on her Writer Inspired blog. Other resources are The World's Newest Writing and Creativity Portal.
Play a game of pretend with your children, and stimulate their imaginations as well, with the TV turned off, of course.
Daydream – and it will carry over into your writing.

Starting Over Again on a Snow Day

I am constantly starting over, regrouping, reorganizing and trying to simplify. This applies to to writing as well as my life in general.
This morning I drove to my substitute teaching job, only to be told that the district had decided to close the school for students, meaning no work for substitute teachers.
I returned home with an unexpected opportunity to work on some of the micro-steps I have been thinking about. Since I work at a local high school most days, I need to break up my writing tasks into small manageable chunks. Finishing a "chunk" gives me a sense of satisfaction and the motivation to do more.
This morning I finished the first draft of a book review for Suspense Magazine. Ka-ching! Job done! I worked on a task from Julia Cameron's Artist's Way, to spark my creativity. Ka-ching! I wrote some more on a short story I am working on based on my memories of riding the school bus when I was growing up. Ka-ching! Not a bad morning's work!