A Time to Play

I'm always a little flummoxed when it comes time to share about the Pulpwood Queens Girlfriend Weekend. So many emotions intertwine over the course of three days that it's difficult to sum it up in a few words. With this year's circus theme, though, every time my mind drifts back to that little town in East Texas, I can't help but smile. We did have fun, didn't we? So rather than tell you about it, I'll let you judge for yourself.

Authors Eleanor Brown and Stephanie McAfee

Authors Carolyn Leavitt, Margaret Dilloway, & Karen Harrington

Lovely Book Club members from Mr. Pleasant, TX

Jenny Wingfield of MAN IN THE MOON fame!

Courtney Walsh painted this picture for me to put in the Silent Auction which benefitted the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. THANKS, Courtney!!!!

Housemates from the DELTA STREET INN ready to head to the circus.

Book Signing with fellow panelists. Stephanie McAfee, Eleanor Brown, Me, Rebecca Rasmussen

PROM night! Karen Harrington is an amazing lady and author!

Fabulous Authors Nicole Seitz, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Lisa Wingate, and Marybeth Whalen

Comparing footware with Marcia Fine - the coolest gal from Arizona you'll ever meet!

HEAD Pulpwood Queen Kathy Patrick - lovely as always.

Fun Times at the Circus!

Aren't these the cutest clowns you've ever seen?

The Purple Leopard Clowns - so fun!

The group from Eureka, Kansas

Author group that won FIRST Place for their portrayal of THE NIGHT CIRCUS

New friends from Dallas area. 

Can you see my dilemma? Too many things to describe and this is only a tiny portion of the weekend! There were 50 authors, 300 bookclub members, a bookstore, a former soap opera star, Hollywood peeps, more than a few NYT Best Selling authors, and more.

One of the more poignant parts of the weekend was the emphasis on literacy and the fantastic job Kathy Patrick does in generating enthusiasm among the 525 Pulpwood Queen Book Clubs to promote literacy and books. But that's a post for another time.

We had joy. We had fun. We acted silly. We went to the circus.

When was the last time you did something silly? Or laughed until you cried? If it's been awhile, then maybe you need to think about going to Girlfriend Weekend in Jefferson, Texas next year! See you there!

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day Three

Day 3. The letter C. 

Have I got a surprise for you today! But first – a little thanksgiving dance for my favorite “C” word – coffee!

Anyone who has known me for more than five minutes knows I LOVE coffee, the nectar of heaven. Thank you, Jesus, for that little burst of caffeine that gets me going in the morning, that keeps me percolating through the day, and is the perfect benediction to a great dinner with family or friends. AND a highly recommended accompaniment to any of the recipes in the just-released, greatly anticipated, first annual Novel Morsels: Your Favorite Authors Bringing Recipes to Life.

Isn’t this a tempting cover? This e-book is the brainchild of Nicole O’Dell, writer, radio host, and teen advocate. And now Cook Book Editor! Sixty-three Christian Fiction authors contributed to this collection of more than 120 recipes. Some are found between the covers of our books and have our character’s fingerprints on them. Some are from authors who cope with the rigors of writing by escaping into the kitchen. I can’t wait to try some of them myself, and I know you’ll love it, too.

Novel Morsels is available on Nicole’s site now at the low price of $2.99 and will soon be available for the Kindle, Nook, and iPad. HOWEVER . . . as a thank you to the faithful readers of this blog, I will send a *coupon code* to anyone who leaves a comment on this post for the next two weeks and you will get the cook book FREE! Zero dollars. Please include your contact information so I can send the code to your inbox.

Read the complete list of contributing authors here. 

That's it. My surprise for you today. I’m thankful for writing friends who journey with me, love and support one another, and do fun things like putting together a cook book. A special thanks to Nicole O’Dell for the magic that pulled it all together. All the credit is hers. Enjoy!

So, what is it? Coffee, tea, or ??? Remember - comment for the coupon code!

Friendship on my Mind

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words." 

 

Isn't that beautiful? I want to be that kind of friend - to be there when disappointments and trials come. To wipe the tears from the eyes of my friend as my own cheeks moisten. To celebrate small moments and big with whoops of joy and to listen with an open heart. I want to be dependable and encouraging and honest and grateful. Often, I fail.  Perhaps it's a sign of growing older, but in the past few years, I've become more aware of the priceless treasure that friendship is. I want to savor it more. 

That was part of the reason I wrote Broken Wings. To celebrate friendship, especially the friendships of women. To show that it's a give and take. That sometimes you're the one down and need a hand up. Or sometimes you're the comforter your friend needs. Or the kick in the pants. Friends come in all ages and sizes. For the next few weeks, I'm going to share stories about some of my friends (no worries - I'm honor bound to get your deep dark secrets) and tell you why they're so special.

Yours truly with early childhood friends

In the meantime, I've heard from some of you that your copy of Broken Wings has already winged its way to your mailbox via Amazon. THANK YOU so much for pre-ordering the book! I hope you love it as much as I loved telling the story of Mitzi and Brooke.

I also have a new "author" page on FaceBook. I'd thought about having a party there to launch Broken Wings and give away some cool prizes. Wouldn't you know? The same day I put up my page, the FaceBook guidelines changed and contests can no longer be held on FaceBook itself. But I will be able to direct people here to the Cafe for some fun partying and a grand prize that I think will make you drool. So, stay tuned. And please "like" my author page here.

 

Now, for a fun quote about friends:

A true friend is someone who thinks you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked.   ~ Bernard Meltzer
 
Can you name three friends from your grade school days? Did you have a best friend? Please share!

 

The Year of Reading Pleasures

One of the gifts I've given myself this year is permission to read great novels and not get waylaid by trying to catch up on the books I should have read and didn't quite get to. Yes, some of those shoulda, coulda, woulda books are still on my "waiting to be read" shelf, but some are not. Here's why:

On New Year's Eve, I persuaded my sweet hubby to help me clean up the house for company that we'd invited for the evening. He suggested that perhaps we should do something about those books. Meaning, of course, the obstacle course in front of the beautiful bookcases he built on one entire wall of our den. It hasn't always been a hazard to walk past, but in the past year or so, my "to-be-read" shelves had begun to  bulge, and because I really did mean to read EVERY SINGLE ONE of those books, I started stacking them on the floor in front of the shelves. This has led to profound guilt, denial that I have a book hoarding obsession, and may, in fact, be the beginning of some deep-seated inability to grasp reality.

I could not read all those books in the coming year and probably not in the next five years even if I did nothing else, so an intervention was in order. I'm happy to report that two sacks and two boxes of books will find wonderful new homes. We still have three shelves of "to-be-read" books, but they are not stacked two and three deep. We also have a "his" and "hers" shelf so Max doesn't have to sift through many of mine in which he has no interest. And vice versa.

So, on to the topic of this post: My Year of Reading Pleasures for 2011 will include:

South of Broad by Pat Conroy (halfway through this one already)
Half-Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls of The Glass Castle Fame 
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
Paradise Valley by Dale Cramer
The Book Thief by Markus Zusack (yes, I'm very late to the game w/ this one)
Charlotte Figg Takes Over Paradise by Joyce Magnin
The Summer Kitchen by Lisa Wingate
Blue Skies Tomorrow by Sarah Sundin (not released yet)

I'm also looking forward to Wings of a Dream by Anne Mateer, an up and coming debut novelist as well as new titles from Gina Holmes and Marybeth Whalen whose debut novels I enjoyed this year.

It's going to be a great year! A little humor, a little history, and a whole lot of great writing.

What's on your list for reading this year? It's not too late for me to sneak one or two more titles on my "to-be-read" shelf.

Novels: MY TOP FOUR PICKS THIS YEAR

As I might have mentioned earlier, my “best of” lists include mostly books that were published in 2009. However, by my own rules, they qualify if I first read them this year, and I want to give them their due praise.

There were a LOT of great books in 2009, but even as I looked back, there were four that rose to the top. If you’ve not read them, I highly recommend that you treat yourself. They are wonderful.

THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett. A much-acclaimed book that had me from the first paragraph. I was reminded at once why I love books set in The South. It’s a place where you can feel the flies biting and the sweat beads pop out on your scalp the minute you step out the door. The voices have a rhythm all their own. Ms. Stockett captured the cadence and social climate of Mississippi in 1962, and even if you’ve never stepped a foot south of the Mason Dixon line, this book will make you feel you’ve had a personal tour.

It’s the story of three women: two black maids who work for white families, cooking, cleaning, raising their babies, and keeping their secrets. The third young woman is from a family who employs “help” and as she interjects herself into the lives and secrets of “the help” history is made and lives are changed. I didn’t want the book to be over, and it will be one I read again in 2010.

SUMMER OF LIGHT by W. Dale Cramer. I’m really not sure why I’ve never been introduced to this author, but at a friend’s recommendation, I ordered this 2007 release, and I’m so glad I did. It lands a spot in my top four. Here is the review I wrote for it earlier this year:

Mick Brannigan, a construction worker, loses his job when an accident occurs on the “high steel,” and he finds himself playing stay-at-home-dad to his and Layne’s three children. The results are hilarious and poignant, often on the same page. During his tenure, mishaps aplenty occur, a menagerie of animals roam the five-acre lot where the Brannigans live, and Mick discovers passion and purpose in his life. While his wife, Layne, is certain the children will be psychologically scarred . . . if they survive . . . Mick plods along in hopes that the damage to his kids won’t be permanent.

This story was delightful in countless ways, laugh out loud funny at times, and heartwarming to the end. I’ll be reading more from this author.

THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY by Mary Ann Schaffer and Annie Barrows. Doesn’t the title alone make you want to dive in and see what this is about? First, I must tell you, I’m not sure I’ve ever read an “epistolary” novel before. For those who might not be familiar with such a strange word, it’s a novel presented only in letters and other correspondence. Set in London and on Guernsey Island (of the Channel Islands between Paris and England), I was captivated not only with the setting which was unfamiliar to me, but also a slice of history that I knew nothing about – the German Occupation of Guernsey Island during WW II. The story is tender and charming, a tale I could read again and again.

One note about the book: Mary Ann Schaffer, the author who carried this story in her heart for many years, had just sold it to a publisher when she became ill and unable to finish the editing process. Her niece, Annie Barrows stepped in and make the final additions. It’s truly an act of grace that the world now has this lovely book. Ms. Schaffer has now passed away.

HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET by Jamie Ford. Again, this title mesmerized and enticed me. It’s also a story of an era that I knew little about. Set in the Chinese and Japanese districts of Seattle during WW II, it is a story of forbidden love—a first love that is torn apart when a young Japanese girl and her family are sent to a Japanese internment camp in Idaho. Her young Chinese friend carves a new life for himself, and many years later, upon the death of his wife, is drawn to a hotel where the belongings of many Japanese families have been stored in the basement. For him, it is the beginning of a search for the past, and it’s a lovely journey.

So, for you, my faithful readers here at the Café, I present the four books that captured my heart in 2009. Each is unique and has different qualities that endeared them to me, but the unifying factor is simply this: The stories have lingered long after the last page. The characters are people I would be proud to call friends. I hope you have the opportunity to meet them too.

Q for you: What is the best book you’ve read this year? Please leave a comment and tell me the name of the book, the author, and what made you love the book.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! May 2010 bring you many reading pleasures.

BATTLE OF THE SEXES

So, I’ve been thinking about which I like more . . . male authors or female. Do I choose one over the other? Do I gravitate toward the straightforward, often plot driven books that guys are known for? Or the more character driven, emotional books associated with female authors?

Looking over our bookshelves, there are probably more books by male authors (for simplicity, I’m sticking with novels here, not non-fiction). Both hubby and I tend to find an author we like and read their entire collection. Hence, we have rows of Erle Stanley Gardner (and all the AA Fair titles, too), John D. McDonald, John Grisham, Dick Francis, Rex Stout, Robin Cook . . . are you seeing a pattern here? We enjoy mysteries. On the female side, we have a large collection of Lillian Jackson Braun, Diane Mott Davidson, Agatha Christie, Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich. Again, a lot of mysteries. My conclusion: My reading history is pretty balanced male and female, maybe tipping just a little in favor of male authors.

About eight or ten years ago, I began exploring new areas of fiction—mainstream, Southern fiction, Christian fiction. Again, I would find an author whose voice I liked and read everything on the backlist. Anne Tyler, Jan Karon, Barbara Kingsolver, Billie Letts, Adrianna Trigiani, Alexander McCall Smith, Charles Martin, Frank Peretti, Lisa Samson, Susan Meissner, Rene Gutteridge. Now, I find that the list weighs in a little heavier on the female side. Hmmm.

Matter of fact—in the past 18 months, I’ve read 20 books by male authors, 50 books by female authors. Which ones do I like more?

Answering that would be like deciding between a Café Americano coffee with half and half or a Latte with an extra shot of espresso and a dollop of whipped cream. Child A or Child B? Dark chocolate or milk chocolate? The truth is, I love books! I love reading, learning about new things, getting the beejeebies scared out of me once in a while, lingering over phrases that steal my breath away, and laughing out loud while I’m turning the pages. Male or female? Doesn’t matter as long as it draws me in, tells me a great story, and lingers in my mind long after the last page.

How about you? Who are your favorite authors? Male or female? Why?

After you all chime in, I will be posting a couple of reviews of two recent books I read by male authors. I want to be fair, give them equal time (most of my reviews of late have been of books written by some lovely, gifted gals).

In the meantime, I’m flipping a coin. Will the next novel I read be by a male or female????

MEA CULPA !

My link and the name of the new blog I told you about yesterday was wrong. So much for trying to blog and carry on a family conversation. My apologies to my friends who created this new blog for all you romantics out there. I've corrected the original post.

The correct name is ROMANCE YOUR SPOUSE. Take another look! Today they've added a contest for Valentine's Day.

An another thing I forgot to point out. This blog is the creation of the wonderful folks at Tekeme, Ashley and George Weiss. Check them out, too. They usually have a contest going on for cool stuff or discounts on their creative work.

Have a great weekend!

THE BOOK BUFFET

Trying to decide what books to put on my reading list this year makes me think of the endless buffet people talk about on a Princess cruise liner. Every choice imaginable, but only so much room on the plate. And you don’t want to fill up on just one thing, so I’m imagining my reading list as a scrumptious, carefully chosen meal that promises hours of blissful escape, a hearty dose of laughter, and a few tear-filled moments.

For example:

An appetizer or two: Perhaps a new author or a genre I haven’t tried before.

Soup and salad: Lighter fare, like a novella or cozy mystery to be tucked in for a quick read and taking me on a mini-cruise (think Gilligan’s Island).

Main course: The bulk of my reading list, comprised of books in the genre I write (women’s fiction), longer works that intrigue me, books on the craft of writing craft, and a literary work or two for variety.

Dessert: Ah . . . the delectable, rare tidbit that satisfies by providing the perfect metaphor, prose that inspires and takes my breath away. A story that lingers long after the last page and makes me wish for dessert three times a day. I know in this year's list I will find many sweet treats because I’ve either heard great things about these books or they are from authors who I've enjoyed in the past. So, hand me a plate . . . I’m ready to sample the buffet.

MY LIST TO BE READ: (More will surely be added – these just top the list for now)

Same Kind of Different as Me (Ron Hall and Denver Moore)
Demon, A Memoir (Tosca Lee)
Havah (Tosca Lee)
Ice Cream for Breakfast (Leslie Levine)
Where The River Ends (Charles Martin)
Daisy Chain (Mary DeMuth)
Odd Thomas – the series (Dean Koontz)
World Without End (Ken Follett) Note: this was on my list last year, and I didn’t get to it. I’m hopeful in 2009.
The Red Siren (M. L. Tyndall)
Tiger Lillie and Women’s Intuition (Lisa Samson)
What Sarah Saw (Margaret Daley)
The Christmas Sweater (Glenn Beck)
Par for the Course (Ray Blackston)
Revision and Self-Editing (James Scott Bell)
All the Way Home (Mary Sue Lopez)
Until We Reach Home (Lynn Austin)
Sweetwater Gap (Denise Hunter)
One Perfect Day (Lauraine Snelling)

Also, two special writing friends – Myra Johnson and Erica Vetsch – will have their debut novels published this year, and I can’t wait to read them. You’ll be hearing more about those when they release.

So, what book on your nightstand is screaming “pick me” in the early days of this new year? I’ll take a break from reading to check on your answers.