Category: Food for Storytelling

Total 7 Posts

Food for Thought: What’s Your Character Eating?

 

When I’m writing, I sometimes snack. Not always a good idea, but it’s “food for thought”, or so I tell myself. I’ve noticed that when writing about a character in one of my stories, I include the types of foods which I enjoy.

For example, in Angels Among Us, Kay Lassiter, a stained glass artist who happens to be psychic, is entertaining her brother and a friend with a dinner that included homemade soup, bread, and a blueberry pie. I enjoy baking bread and blueberries whether in a dessert, a scone, muffin, or plain.

I’ve also mentioned my favorite Mexican cuisine of beef or chicken enchilada, tacos, and flan in Sacred Fires.

Whether consciously or not, the foods used are ones which I’ve enjoyed, and mealtime is essential to bringing the characters together, thus furthering the plot.

I haven’t yet tried peanut butter pie which is a real dessert and savored by Georgina Claythorne and her boyfriend and fellow ghost hunter in A Kiss Out of Time, my young adult novel. However, I enjoy peanut butter enough to try using it in a pie.

Here’s a cool recipe for “No Bake Peanut Butter Pie” from Kasey Schwartz.

Please see the link.

What’s the point of this? I think that when writers create our characters, their stories, their interests, hobbies, ideas on life, and tastes in food come into play. To me it makes the characters more human and the fictional story more real. Plus, it’s fun to bring in.

Have you any favorite foods? Send me a comment for a favorite food, and I’ll consider it for my next story. Thank you.

Writers on Writing

 

There has always been that need in me to write. I will never forget my teacher Mrs. Seguine at Public School 23 on Staten Island who helped me with not only adjusting to a move from a parochial to a public school for fifth grade but also planted the seed for me to become a writer.

She’d given the class an essay assignment. I don’t remember the topic. All I remember was that I took my sweet time to write my best and I was the last to hand in the paper. A couple of kids in the class snickered at that, but Mrs. Seguine quickly put a halt to their snickering when she said in her firm but kind voice, “That’s okay. Catherine will be a writer someday.” So, when it came to writing school papers, I took my sweet time to turn in my best. I filled small notebooks with poetry and scribbled stories when I could.

I’ve done writing professionally as a copywriter, a publicity assistant, and as a writing teacher. I’ve written and published five books with three in the works and several in boxes in my closet.

Writing is often a solitary occupation. Lately, I’ve been meeting with fellow writers to discuss what we do and how we do what we do. That is why I found it necessary to reach out and make connections over time with other writers. I’m involved with three writing organizations, a critique group which meets on a bi-monthly Zoom, and staying in touch with other writers via emails or social media.

Recently I went to the annual Writer’s Digest Conference in Manhattan. I think that W.D. did a great job providing workshops, keynote speakers including award winning authors Beverly Jenkins, Marlon James, and Tiffany Jackson, a book fair, and safety provisions during the pandemic. The three day event offered opportunities to learn, to refresh and reflect, and to connect with others. Even though I’d heard a lot of the same information before, I also heard information which motivated and encouraged me. In particular I enjoyed listening to Susan Shapiro on “How to Sell Your Book  – No Matter What Genre – Without Going Broke”, David Corbett on characterization in his workshop “Misguided Desires and Misbegotten Yearnings”, and Jeff Somers “Learning to Love the Downside”. The event included a pitch session where writers had timed three minute intervals over one hour with agents representing diverse genres.  I stood on a line with close to 100 other writers. It proved a bit daunting, but it also energized me. While we stood around, stepped up to potential agents, and did our best to pitch our creations, many of us cheered one another on. That bit of courtesy and the positive comments drove home the point that we understood our struggles and our dreams for our writing. It felt great!

I’m looking forward to more conferences, author events, and being on author panels in the future. I’m also looking forward to meeting more writers and to getting more of my writing published!

Summertime and the Reading is Easy

 

Path over sand dunes to the Atlantic Ocean at sunrise in Ventnor City, New Jersey.

 

Summertime meant more time for reading, whether on the beach, on the plane, or in a hotel somewhere. I’ve always enjoyed reading, and I made my living from it as both a teacher and an author. First and foremost, being a reader is important. I always have shelves loaded with books, anything from non-fiction to fiction. When asked who is my favorite author, I am truly stymied as there are several, and my taste varies over the years. As a teacher, I read a lot of young adult books, classic works, poetry, and short fiction. As an author, I read to learn more about the craft, for research, and for fun!

When my son was a young boy, he called our home the house of books. I realized that was not an insult, but a compliment. Books spill all over the rooms. I’ve learned to set reading goals for myself, to incorporate reading time into my days, and to be a bit more organized about home library books. I can say so much about reading, it is fundamental being both fun and mental at the same time. I learned so much!

If you are a parent of a young child, please, please, please read to them! I did it with my son, even before he could walk.  We talked about the books, and I encouraged him to get his own library card. 

Libraries are sacred! Visit them! Support them! Long before the mega bookstores and the on-line sites for books, I got my books from the libraries. Ever vigilant to return the books on time as to avoid getting a fine. The smell of books lingers in my memory as does the feel of the plastic coverings, the leather bound books, and the crisp, printed pages.

Summertime is here! Enjoy a cool glass of lemonade, iced tea, your favorite beverage, and a book! Sacred Fires

You Can also find my books at the Smashwords July Booksale

A Kiss Out of Time book cover