Vignettes from the Past

All went well at our house for the Thanksgiving feast. Uncle Gene and Aunt Georgette joined us and brought ambrosia and spinach/pepperoni bread. Cousin Jeannette drove six hours to eat with us and brought a pumpkin/pecan pie. Daughter #3's true love brought homemade cranberry sauce and a broccoli casserole. Daughter #2 arrived with her laptop and work to do, but she was very attentive at dinner in listening to the conversation. Daughter #1, as usual, was my extra pair of hands. She washed pots, provided beverages, and picked up Granddad while hubby was picking up Daughter #2 at the train station.

Hubby carved the turkey.

It's hectic putting a big feast together, but the part I enjoy comes when everyone has had their fill and sits around the table to talk. We seldom see my father's side of the family. So it was especially nice to catch up with what has been happening in their life.

Eventually, the conversation came round to family genealogy. I do not know much about my father's family, but I told some brief stories about some of family members I had known. My uncle thought I should write everything down. However, all I really have are some short vignettes from the past--brief incidents and interactions that became embedded in my mind because they were either funny, tragic, or pointed out someone's unique character.

For instance, my Great Aunt Marion--my grandfather's sister--was truly devout. Once, when I was staying with my grandfather, Aunt Marion came to visit. However, at a certain time, all conversation ended. She was involved in saying a Novena. Every hour for nine hours on the hour, she pulled out a prayer card and recited the prayer. My grandfather and I had to be patient and quiet. As soon as she had finished the prayer, the conversation went on where it had left off.

Yes, I write fiction, but I find inspiration in people and their real-life experiences. I love characters--and we have been blessed with a wealth of relatives who have been fascinating individuals. Hosting the Thanksgiving feast is work, but for someone who has spent a lifetime studying human nature, the effort of all that cooking and baking is well worth it.

Are You Still Writing?

Since I grew up in the county, taught in local schools, and have been an active member in several organizations, I often chance to meet people I may not have seen in several years. I bump into them at the deli counter or in the mall and very often the conversation starts out, "Are you still writing?"

Oh well. They are not great fans and haven't looked me up on Amazon or Barnes & Noble lately. That's okay. From what I've heard, there are a lot of people too busy to read. :^(

I find it a disconcerting question. My sister thought as a conversation starter it was a step above, "Are you still breathing?"

At any rate, I figure I'm lucky they recognize me.

But yes, I'm still writing. I started writing a long time ago and I enjoy the process. Telling stories is what I do. I retired from teaching, but I am not going to retire from writing--unless I become too feeble to type.

Other writers understand the joy of it. I had a blast the other day typing out my heroine's dream sequence. I suppose some people thinks that's really crazy, but I can't help myself. I've got plenty of stories to tell.

Nevertheless, I feel I need a witty comeback for those people who ask if I'm still writing. Any ideas?

Like My Fan Page, Win a Book

I will give away FOUR paper editions of The Fiend of White Buck Hall tomorrow night (November 10, 2011). Due to a dark cover, it has not received much attention, which is sad because it is a great story! (Warning: It is a rather spicy paranormal.)

To enter the contest go to http://www.facebook.com/penelopemarzecbooks. That is my fan page. Click the LIKE button at the top of the page and become a fan, in addition leave a comment on this post. The four winners will be posted both here and at my fan page tomorrow night.

Hurry up and sign in to win. Good luck!

The lucky winners in the contest are Jenn, Deanna, Leann, and MarkD! Thanks for playing!

Love and Marriage

This is a photograph of the top from our wedding cake. At thirty-five years of age, what was once sparkling white is now turning yellow, but it is a precious and tangible sign of the commitment hubby and I made to each other on our wedding day.
I believe in love, which is rather obvious since I write romance novels. I believe in relationships that last forever. I’ve seen plenty of other couples who are devoted to each other and who have celebrated many anniversaries. However, the brief marriage of Kim Kardashian, last week’s big news story, wasn’t what I would call a marriage.

I have no idea what the truth is in that situation. Though the wedding boosted the television ratings and made lots of money, it did not resemble any kind of committed relationship. The big party was lavish. Kim had a beautiful dress and she looked stunning but she could not have paid much attention to the words she recited.

While I cannot claim to be a marriage expert, hubby and I ran a Pre-Cana program in our church for seven years. The Catholic Church has an excellent marriage preparation program. Anyone who wants to get married in the Church must attend either an Engaged Encounter or a Pre-Cana. Yes, there are Catholic couples who divorce despite the instructional course, but hubby and I believe it can be helpful. We went through both a Pre-Cana and an Engaged Encounter before we were married. We were serious about our marriage. Do we still argue? You bet we do.

My parents were married for sixty-two years until my mother died. Did they argue? Sure they did. Hubby parents have been married for an incredible seventy-one years. They have had disagreements, too.

Love is a decision. Marriage involves work, communication, compromise, and a whole bunch of forgiveness from both partners to build a sound, permanent relationship.

It isn’t easy. Unfortunately, Kim Kardashian’s stunt cheapens the idea of marriage, which is a shame. It would be wonderful to see entertainers setting a good example, but I guess that isn’t going to happen anytime soon. :^(

Nevertheless, I will continue to write about two people who find love and make a permanent commitment to each other. It can work.

Notes from the New Jersey Romance Writers Conference

There I am, waiting for someone to buy my books at the New Jersey Romance Writers Conference Book Fair. Shelley Freydont took the photo for me. Thanks, Shelley. :^)

At the New Jersey Romance Writers Conference last weekend, the theme was “Empowering You Muse.” NJRW runs a terrific conference every year which offers inspiration, support, and plenty of nuts and bolts writing advice whether a writer is a novice or multi-published.

I took notes at most of the workshops I attended. However, in the interest of brevity, I am posting only the best of the best. Reading my notes will not make anyone a better writer. Writing makes better writers. Nevertheless, some may find a few useful nuggets of information here. One thing I cannot convey in this blog is the wonderful sense of camaraderie that is an integral part of the conference. Writing is a solitary endeavor—and just a little bit crazy, but rubbing elbows with other writers...well, it’s really nice to share your dreams.

On Friday, the conference provided a special retreat for published authors. Wine and chocolate-covered pretzels were served.

Eloisa James kicked off the retreat by giving an overall view of the publishing industry, which—as most people know—is going through major upheavals. Authors are expected to do far more in terms of promotion—particularly on Facebook. They are expected to engage their fans, but they must also post direct links to their books on Amazon. Getting Facebook fans to use the share button is important.

Comments on Amazon are imperative. Authors need at least fifty comments—good or bad—to make a difference.

After Eloisa’s talk, I sat in on a roundtable discussion titled BLOGS, TWITTER, AND FACEBOOK. The moderator was Suzanne Brockmann, who is a perennially enthusiastic author with plenty of great ideas of her own. She started her writing career before the internet became a factor in promotion. Her first book was the last book published by Kismet. She gave away many copies of her book to help establish her reputation as an author.

Much of the discussion concerned Facebook fan pages along with automatic connections an author can make to blogs, Twitter, and so forth.

There is now a conversion app that can change a Facebook friend page to a fan page. However, though the contacts are transferred, all other status messages and photos are lost. The “friend” page will also vanish. Therefore, all information should be backed up before starting the conversion process.

One author suggested offering a contest to get fans to switch from an author’s “friend” page to a “fan” page.

To get a blog to automatically show up on a Facebook page, the author needs her RSS feed (usually nameofblog/feed). Feedburner will do this for the author, as will Feedmyinbox. They dump the information for you.

Some authors consider Tweetdeck extremely useful. All of an author’s accounts can be set up at Tweetdeck. Hootsuite will time tweets automatically.

When it comes to giving away books in a contest, one author noted that it is far easier to give away her books on Kindle, rather than to mail paper editions.

Several authors suggested gathering their fans into a promotion team. Fans get a free book, bookmarks and other promotional items to hand out. The author puts these special fans’ pictures on her Facebook page.

Another author suggested including book club questions at the end of the book. Book clubs are a great promotional tool! Barnes & Nobles offers book clubs for their customers. Getting in touch with the store’s community relations person is the place to start.

A Facebook chat is a convenient way to get in touch with fans. Get other authors to join in but take other time zones into consideration so fans in Australia can chat, too.

On Saturday, I listened to WHEN ONE BOOK JUST ISN’T ENOUGH given by Lauren Willig. Ms. Willig said readers love a series. To them, it’s like going to a reunion. Editors also love a series because it’s much easier for them to sell.

There are several types of series:
Family Series
Friend Series
A Series Based on Geography, such as a small town.
A Thematic Series (with a fairytale line, or a spy link)
A Series With a Recurring Protagonist (this is tough to pull off in a romance)

A series can be open-ended or finite. In a finite series there’s usually an overall story arc. A finite series is easy to pitch to an editor. Even if an author settles upon a finite series, a spinoff series can be written at a later date. However, editors and readers are afraid of a longer series. (Too much to read!)

World building is at the heart of a series. An author can personalize it and create recurring events along with recurring themes. However, the world should remain small with common places in each book. Keep the framework specific. Consistency is important.

For a series, an author needs a detailed record of everything. For instance, what time does the store in the small town open and close?

Readers must love an author’s people. Still, every book must be able to be read as a stand-alone book. All the characters do need not to be in every book. There should be no random reunions. In each book, each character must be there for a reason.

Secondary characters can turn into protagonists in the next book. The character’s basic personality should not change—that would disillusion the reader.

An author needs to decide whether to write linked stand-alones or to make an arc over the series.

There can be a slight switch within subgenres as long as the world is already firm. For instance, a character who has ESP might fit into a small town story that is not a paranormal.

There must always be a resolution at the end of each book. However, if there is an overall arc, that must continue.

With a series, an author can get lots of reader email. Readers sometimes insist upon a book for their favorite character, but an author should not feel forced to write it. Sometimes a novella or short story will satisfy readers—or a bonus chapter.

CREATING RESONANCE: THE SUBTLE ELEMENTS OF FICTION given by Winnie Griggs and Laura Marie Altom was a long workshop, but it didn’t feel long. These two authors covered a lot of ground.

They reminded everyone that an author’s use of descriptive language is much the same as an artist’s box of crayons.

There are many types of descriptive language. In using an analogy a writer is teaching or convincing the reader. Analogies are stronger than similes.

Comparative language is ZEUGMA (new word for me).

Symbolism is a kind of shorthand. There are two types of symbolism in literature: universally understood (road signs, shooting stars, falling leaves) and author-created symbols. These must be used subtly.

An author should avoid clichés and strive for fresh imagery. Setting and mood can add to that imagery. For instance, songbirds and sunshine portray a light-hearted image.

Imagery should be focused, but one image will do—avoid several at one time which would create an overload. Figurative language is powerful. An author can repeat the image but in a different way.

Foreshadowing involves either a broad stoke, providing a big picture, or a pinpoint and specific clue. Which one is used often depends on the genre. The best type of foreshadowing is a surprise.

The subtext of a story is inferred. It is what the character is really saying between the lines. When they try to hide something, the story gets interesting.

There are types of subtext:
When words are at odds with tone.
Body language.
The author’s word choice.
Snippets that have little weight alone, but can have a cumulative effect.

Subtext can deliver your agenda. It elevates an author’s work to art.

Sensory description involves the five senses. To make a richer scene, layer in the details and tailor those details to the story.

Backstory involves secrets. Hold back on those secrets. Wait until they can answer a story question. This builds reader involvement because they feel some satisfaction in guessing some of the revelations, but be subtle.

Hold back the big surprise until the last possible moment.

The epiphany is when the character reaches a revelation on his own. Set the moment up knowing who he is at the beginning and who he is at the end. His outlook will change.

An author needs to train herself to choose the right word. Choose concrete words over vague.

Transitions must condense time in a book. They bridge the gap and aid in the seamless unfolding of the story. The trick is to know what details to enclose. Mundane life events are uninteresting.

Changes in time, changes in place, POV changes, and changes in scene focus need to be handled with transitions.

There are two kinds, either simple or complex. The simple one uses individual words that cue the reader. These are short and direct. For instance, later that day or once they arrived at the beach.

A complex transition can be conveyed by mood. Sensory passages can signal the POV. A memory trigger for the character can be a transition. The memory can be that of another character, an object, or the environment (weather or seasons).

Transitions can layer in emotions but leave out the trivial things that are not important to the plot.

Atmosphere should be matched to the story. Weather can heighten a conflict. Let Mother Nature ruin your characters’ lives.

Music adds a three dimensional aspect. Just a touch is effective.

Interior design reflects the character. Give the character surroundings to match their personality.

Winnie and Laura gave a great presentation and handed out several of their books. In fact, I received so many free books at the conference that my To-Be-Read pile is now higher than ever!

If you write romance, plan on attending the New Jersey Romance Writers Conference next year.

I Have a Lot of Words

I have an assortment of magnetic words on my refrigerator. Romantic words, corporate words, spiritual words, rock and roll words, and country words are all jumbled together in a big jar. I put the words together to create silly little poems out of them or clever phrases. Most people who visit our kitchen play with them. My daughters and hubby switch them around and laugh at the results--so I'm never entirely sure who wrote what.

Now and then, I take all the words down and put up a different batch. However, before I remove the poems and phrases, I write them in a notebook for posterity ascribing the name of the author, if I suspect the guilty party.

For instance, here's a good, short one for Halloween. I think hubby put the words together--that's why it's such a brief piece.

his song was full of moist blood

The next one sounds very artistic.

come dance on
your sensuous wet canvas
imagine a color
of love

Daughter #1 wrote the following:

liquid dew
surrounds the rose
secret petals blush
in a red bouquet

Here's one of suspicious origin:

champagne cloud note
I always sing sweetly
into the drunk microphone
breathing an alcohol miasma
like slow lyrics in metal blues

Here's another with a musical theme:

righteous raucous roadie rap
by punk artists
crank it loud
group scream between songs

Words are fun. More words are more fun. Get a few sets of magnetic words and watch the silliness begin. :^)

Romantic Encounters of the Wrong Kind

I have three daughters. Sometimes the discussions in our house are rather illuminating. Recently, I listened to my daughters detail situations where they were with a young man who had the wrong idea about their relationship.

This discussion was a bit scary for a mother to hear, though I was not surprised about the problem. When I started dating, my mother warned me, "Men want only one thing." She was speaking about sex, of course. In my mother's day, making a pass--or getting "fresh" was liable to be rewarded with a slap in the face. Nowadays, young women accuse men of "hitting" on them. Whatever term is used, it refers to an unwanted advance and it has been going on since the dawn of time.

There is a crazy statistic making the rounds about men thinking about sex every seven seconds. Snopes has debunked this and you can read about it here. Still, men do have all that testosterone flowing through their veins and it can ruin their judgment at times.

On several occasions, my daughters assumed they had a platonic and casual friendship with a young man. However, the young man had other ideas--and my daughters claimed that very often it was the setting that seemed to turn the young man's thoughts to sex. Granted there are times when a woman would welcome an advance, but that would be with Mr. Right--not Mr. Wrong.

Here is the list they made of situations which could turn too romantic:

• Sitting on a roof together.
  
• Sitting on a couch together.
  
• Playing the guitar, listening to music, or simply hearing music in the background.
  
• Riding in a cab or a car together.
  
• Riding on the ferry together. (In fact, any vehicle other than a bus seemed to be conducive to turning a young man's thoughts to sex.)
  
• Eating together.
  
• Sitting in a park together.
  
• Sitting next to each other at all.
  
• Being near the woods and/or near a body of water together.
  
• Sitting next to a fire together.
  
• Crossing paths on the way to separate destinations.
  
• If either party is staying in a hotel. (i.e. for work)
  
• Drinking coffee together.
  
• Holding onto the same subway pole.
  
• That five minutes when you are at your parents' house but your parents aren't there.
  

As a romance writer, I looked at this list and thought that I could use some of these ideas for my characters, but as a mother it disturbed me. I worry about my daughters.

Confessions of a Romance Writer

I Told You So

My first book, Sea Of Hope, was published in 2001 by Awe-Struck EBooks. It was originally published only in digital format. However, for those who wanted a physical "book" it could be purchased as a file on a 3 1/2 inch diskette. (Remember those?)

It was very difficult being an e-published author at first. While I believed in the viability of ebooks from the first time I held a Rocket eReader in my hands, most of the world had no idea what I was talking about. Worst of all, many traditionally published authors denigrated those of us who had decided to try our luck with ebooks. That stung a bit, but I knew I was right and that ebooks would catch on.

Nevertheless, I spent several years attempting to educate people on the wonders of ebooks. For the most part, it was a wasted endeavor.

Then came the Kindle. It was the right gadget at the right time with the right price. Suddenly, reading on an electronic device was the height of fashion. Ebooks took off and soon their sales surpassed those of paper books.

Now traditionally published authors, who were unwilling to give any credence to ebooks at first, have mined their backlists and republished their books on their own, making tidy profits in digital sales.

I hold no grudges. I was aware from the first that the traditionally published were fearful of the new media and waiting to see what would happen. In truth, ebooks turned the publishing world upside down. To those traditionally published authors who are now enjoying success in digital publishing, I offer my congratulations. I am glad that ebooks have become accepted as I knew they would.

I am happy writing my stories and being a published author. That's all I wanted in the first place.

Simply Amazing

Dad bought a Mac Mini this week. This amazing computer is very, very small--but very, very powerful. Dad had been frustrated by his old WebTV. Microsoft stopped supporting it and the browser cannot display such sites as Facebook or YouTube. Nevertheless, it had been easy for Dad to receive and send email with the WebTV, so he was reluctant to change.

I thought the Mac Mini could nearly duplicate the experience of Dad's WebTV because he could use his television as the monitor. With a wireless keyboard and trackpad, I had hoped it wouldn't be too difficult. It was a breeze to set up.

However, there's a huge learning curve involved. Dad now has a very powerful machine. I bought him a book on the Lion operating system, which is the latest Apple system. I went through the steps of how to turn the machine off and on, find his email, and log on to Facebook.

It's going to take a while before he is proficient, but it is wonderful that he is willing to take this on at his age. Many elderly people refuse to use computers and they miss a lot.

Dad signed up for Facebook when I told him he had to do it to keep in touch with his grandchildren. He enjoys the gossip. He also enjoys reading the New York Times online. He gets a big thrill out of sending pertinent articles to everyone, a task that had become impossible with his old WebTV.

Watch out world. Dad will soon be cluttering up your inbox with news he believes you should read. :^)

Too Much Water

Hurricane Irene is gone, but she left a lot of misery in her wake. For the first time in the thirty-two years we've live here, the reservoir near our house overflowed at the same time the tide rose. This created a huge flood.

There have been several storms where the level of the river was high. I have a blog post with photos from several years ago here. However, Hurricane Irene dumped more water on us than any other storm.



There is a bridge somewhere underneath all that water. Fortunately, the dam did not break--though we were worried that it would. Other dams in our state did not hold.

Our house was safe up on the hill. Our neighbor's house, to the left of the road in the photo, was flooded and knocked off its foundation by a chunk of the bridge that broke away. That house has now been condemned. Another neighbor had a tree fall on their house. Many of our neighbors have lived for a week without electricity.

Other communities in our state had far more devastation from this one storm and my heart goes out to all of those who have lost so much.

A WRITER’S INFLUENCE

Many authors have promoted worthy causes and influenced readers’ opinions. Philip Freneau, the poet of the Revolution, rallied patriots to the cause of freedom. Rachel Carson sounded a warning about the grave danger of synthetic insecticides when she wrote Silent Spring..

Harriet Beecher Stowe helped to abolish slavery in this country when she wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin. She did it with fiction. (If you haven’t read her book, you should.)

Not all authors set out to change the world, but all have the potential to do so. Some—like me—intend to entertain and offer their readers hope in the beauty of everlasting love.

Other writers do not expect to change the world—only a small part of it.

Marguerite Henry was given such an opportunity. As a children’s author, her publisher sent her to Chincoteague, Virginia, to write a story on the town’s wild ponies. Ms. Henry stayed at Miss Molly’s Bed and Breakfast, visited the Beebe Farm and forever immortalized Misty, the little filly who is still loved by millions of children. It wasn’t quite the same as fomenting a revolution, but the book’s popularity has endured and among other things provided a booming tourist trade for Chincoteague.

We visited Chincoteague through a Road Scholar program. Last summer, hubby and I joined the Road Scholars and journeyed to White River Junction in Vermont to learn about the railroads of that area. You can read about that adventure here.

Road Scholars’ motto is “Adventures in Lifelong Learning.” An elderhostel, their programs are all-inclusive. In addition to all meals and lodging, they provide participants with lectures, excursions, and other experiences so that they can understand more fully the culture of the area.

We were treated to the seafood at various restaurants on the small island. We learned about the wild birds of the area, watched an artist demonstrate her skill in painting a duck, and saw a decoy carver fashion a sandpiper from a block of white cedar. We listened to the music of the Three Sheets. We heard the tale of a waterman and how he spends his days catching crabs or gathering oysters.

We also went on a safari of the interior of the wildlife refuge.

We heard about the history of Chincoteague and how the ponies came to the island.

Nearly every shop has copies of Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry. You can see Misty and her foal, Stormy, at the museum in town. They have been preserved by a taxidermist.

Every year in July, the ponies are rounded up to swim from Assateague to Chincoteague. Thirty thousand—or so—people come to witness the event immortalized my Ms. Henry in her book.

How’s that for influence?


Whatever you write, write well.

The Circus Came to Town

Hubby and I went to the Cole Bros. Circus yesterday. We haven't seen a traveling circus show for a very long time. The last time we went our daughters were very young.

The Cole Bros. put on a good show. There were tigers, elephants, ponies, poodles, trapeze artists, clowns, and the guy who gets shot out of a cannon. The motorcycle act was something new to me. There were three motorcycles inside a huge metal cage--they drove around inside the ball--at a very fast speed--and did not crash. They made me very nervous.

Hubby and I were entertained. We truly enjoyed the show. It was far superior to a movie. It was all live. Simply watching the speed at which the stage was set for the next act was intriguing.

My brother was a circus roustabout one summer. He needed a summer job after high school and when the circus came to town, he decided to join it. In a few weeks, he was muscular and tanned. He had lots of exciting stories to tell about the way the circus works, how the whole circus moves from town to town, and the life of a roustabout.

I never forgot my brother's tales of the circus life. When my hero in The Fiend of White Buck Hall needed an intriguing past, I decided the circus had been a part of his life. It fit.

If the circus comes to your town, go and see it. It is well worth the price of admission. Maybe it will inspire you. :^)

Grounds for Sculpture

Manet painted The Boating Party. Seward Johnson made it into a life-sized reproduction. And I put myself in the picture, just for fun.

If you haven't visited Grounds for Sculpture, you should. Seward Johnson founded it and many of his works are there. However, many other artists are featured there as well.

We were there last week because Daughter #3 had some of her pastels displayed in a special exhibit.



Grounds for Sculpture is incredible. I would love to go again--soon. I highly recommend it.

Just Write

Last week, a friend asked me what software I use to write my books. I was a bit surprised by the question. I just type my novels into Word. The publishers want the books in Word, or Word's rtf--depending on the publisher's preference. I don't know of any other authors who use a special software to create their stories--and I belong to several writing groups. None of those groups has ever had a workshop on writing software. Of course, I only belong to fiction writing groups. We all make up stuff in our heads and I don't know how that could ever be programmed. :^)

I went online and discovered a wealth of software programs for those who want to write a book. Some are very expensive. You can see a bunch of them here.

In looking at the features of the various programs, I must admit that having a program to help organize an index for a non-fiction book would probably be a good idea. However, for a fiction book, there is no index.

I have attended many, many writing workshops. I have read many books on writing. I have had my work critiqued. I own several dictionaries and I am a frequent visitor at dictionary.com. I have a favorite thesaurus. I write my own outlines and if I need to brainstorm, I call up a friend.

Word count and spellcheck are built into Word, but it's always good to have a real editor because Word can screw things up.

I think the best aid to help any writer in getting the job done is to put glue on the chair and sit down. Then just write and keep writing. Don't stop until you've reached the end.

You can save a lot of money on software programs that way.

Carrot Crunchies Cookie Recipe

This cookie recipe is an old favorite. There's some real good nutritious stuff in these cookies so I think it is perfectly acceptable to eat them for breakfast. Everyone in my family agrees. :^)

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup finely shredded carrots (about 2 small carrots)
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups toasted rice cereal

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper. (Or you can grease them, but the parchment paper makes cookie baking easy.)

In a bowl, combine first 5 ingredients; set aside. In large mixer bowl with electric mixer at medium speed, cream butter, sugar, milk and vanilla. Beat in eggs until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake about 15 minutes. Remove from sheets, cool completely on wire rack.

The original recipe called for pecans, but I like walnuts. I also substitute a small amount of shredded coconut for some of the carrots--if I happen to have the coconut. The original recipe called for dropping teaspoonfuls of batter onto the cookie sheets and baking the dough for 10 minutes. However, the cookies came out puny. I like big cookies so I use a tablespoon.

Enjoy!

Inventions and Fiction Writers

I have an iPad. One of my sisters has an iPhone. Lately, instead of talking on the phone we video chat with FaceTime. It is almost as good as having my sister here for a visit. Way back when we were kids, the idea of video chatting was science fiction. Now it's a reality.

The amazing thing is that so many inventions were dreamed up in fiction. Most readers are familiar with the gadgets Jules Verne and H.G. Wells wrote about that were able to be produced much later when technology caught up. However, I found an incredible site on the web that details many more technological wonders that were dreamed up by novelists who were way ahead of their time.

Go to http://www.technovelgy.com/

This compilation will show that ebooks were thought up in 1961 by Stanislaw Lem. Frederik Pohl wrote about cellphone voicemail in 1965. Poul Anderson wrote of laser rifles in 1966.

So though truth may be stranger than fiction, fiction writers are rather clever when it comes to devising useful tools that people need.

Thanks to fiction writers, my sister and I can talk to each other in real time. I love those fiction writers!

Two Years Ago

Two years ago today my mother died. In the photo above, my mother is the toddler on the right. She was the daughter of a coal miner and grew up in a family with six other children. She went to art school and then joined the Marines in World War II. She met my father after the war.

Mom was truly gifted as an artist, but she also had an indomitable spirit and a heart filled with compassion.

I miss her, but I can't help but believe that she's still busy painting, giving out good advice, or delivering food to some poor soul somewhere.

Invasion

Large, black carpenter ants live in New Jersey. In fact, carpenter ants are hearty and find many locations just to their liking. Though they are not termites, they are still destructive to wooden structures like houses. You can find information online about these prolific insects here.

Over the years, carpenter ants have wandered into our house--typically during the springtime. We stepped on them and bought ant baits which we placed in corners about the house. That seemed to alleviate the problem.

However, on Thursday the ants chose our home for their annual convention but they really should have made reservations first. We were totally unprepared for the invasion. There were hundreds of them crawling around in the living room. It resembled a scene in a horror film. I got out the vacuum to remove them and while that did not kill them, I placed the scurrying contents of the vacuum into a plastic bag and tied it tightly in the hope that they would suffocate.

An exterminator came later in the day to assess the situation. He was impressed with the size of the ants. Maybe what we had in our house was a convention for bodybuilding ants. The exterminator set up an appointment to have the house treated on Saturday. Meanwhile, I had to deal with the ants. I spent much of the day vacuuming the aliens life forms crawling across the rug. Some of them came in carrying food on their mandibles. Maybe there was a potluck supper going on.

By that evening the influx of bugs had diminished but Daughter #1 read online that carpenter ants are most active from 10 pm to 2am. She placed another fresh ant bait near the spot beside the chimney which the ants appeared to be using as their special entrance to the big convention.

We did not sleep well, but in the morning while we did find a few ants it was nothing like the inundation of the previous day.

The exterminator sprayed outside and inside on Saturday. On Sunday, not a single ant was to be seen. I'm hoping it stays that way.

My Experience in Sales

One summer, between my junior and senior year of college, I landed a job as an aide in a summer school program. It was a great experience since I intended to become a teacher. However, it paid next to nothing and I needed more money for college. To supplement my puny salary, I decided to sell cosmetics. My success in selling cosmetics depended almost entirely on the vanity of women. Fortunately, many women long to be beautiful and anything that will help them toward that goal is something they desire to own. (Especially if it is not too expensive.)

In fact there were only two real problems selling a line of beauty aids for me. One was my fear of getting bit by a dog. I went door-to-door initially to gather a customer base, but I skirted around any house with a snarling dog.

My other downfall was that I tended to use up my profits by buying many of the cosmetics for myself. Yes, I longed to be gorgeous and alluring just like everyone else. I believed all the hype--and, of course, I looked in the mirror and found myself lacking--even though I was twenty, thin, and did not have a single wrinkle in my face. Still, my lips seemed too thin. I had freckles. I wanted glowing cheeks and come-hither eyes. I put on way too much makeup.

Nevertheless, I had fun. I got to chat with people, something I've always enjoyed because in the process I collect gossip and characters--an extremely useful habit to develop for a writer.

My customers never complained about the products I sold. I'd douse myself with the newest fragrance, they would get a good whiff when I walked in the door and then they would order some for themselves.

It was a great business.

Selling books is far more difficult than selling cosmetics. Some people don't read and those who do read, don't read romances. Most people refer to my habit of touting my wares as shameless self-promotion. In addition to that, there's always criticism in the form of reviews.

Despite that, some of the techniques I learned in selling cosmetics actually do work in selling books.

Here are the salient points:

1. Stay away from snarling dogs.

2. Dress up and smell good.

3. Smile.

4. Enjoy the conversation, wherever it goes. (You might get an inspiration for another character.)

5. Always believe in your product. (I have had to explain over and over what a romance novel is. Some people really do not understand the genre at all.)

6. Help the customer find what they want. If they don't want to read any of your books, point them to another author who writes in the genre they claim to enjoy.

7. Keep writing!