We’d Rather Be Writing: 88 Authors Share Timesaving Dinner Recipes and Other Tips

I’m excited to be part of this extraordinary venture organized by USA Today Bestselling Author Lois Winston.

You can pre-order the eBook for 99 cents and receive your copy on October 30. A portion of proceeds will be donated to No Kid Hungry.

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Description

Have you ever wished you could find more time to do the things you want to do, rather than just doing the things you have to do? Most authors juggle day jobs and family responsibilities along with their writing. Because they need to find time to write, they look for ways to save time in other aspects of their lives.

Cooking often takes up a huge chunk of time. In We’d Rather Be Writing: 88 Authors Share Timesaving Dinner Recipes and Other Tips you’ll find easy, nutritious recipes for meat, poultry, pasta, soup, stew, chili, and vegetarian meals. All of the recipes require a minimum of prep time, freeing you up to read, exercise, garden, craft, write, spend more time with family, or whatever.

Within the pages of We’d Rather Be Writing: 88 Authors Share Timesaving Dinner Recipes and Other Tips you’ll be introduced to authors who write a wide range of fiction—everything from mystery to romance to speculative fiction to books for children, young adults, and new adults—and some who write nonfiction. Some of the authors write sweet; others write steamy. Some write cozy; others write tense thrillers.

Some are debut authors with only one published book; others are multi-published and have had long publishing careers. Some are New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors who may or may not be familiar to you, but being a bestselling author doesn’t mean they still don’t have to juggle their day job along with their writing.

The authors who contributed to this book are a rather creative and resourceful bunch when it comes to carving out time from their busy lives. So in addition to timesaving recipes, within the pages of this book you’ll find timesaving and organizational tips for other aspects of your life. And if you happen to be a writer, you’ll also find a plethora of great ideas to help you organize your writing life.

Authors who contributed to this book include: Lisa Alber, Reggi Allder, Judy Alter, Krista Ames, Rose Anderson, Cori Lynn Arnold, Judy Baker, Beverley Bateman, Donnell Ann Bell, Paula Gail Benson, Kris Bock, Maureen Bonatch, Ava Bradley, Susan Breen, Lida Bushloper, Michelle Markey Butler, Ashlyn Chase, Judy Copek, Maya Corrigan, Mariposa Cruz, Melinda Curtis, Lesley A. Diehl, Conda V. Douglas, Nancy Eady, Helena Fairfax, Jennifer Faye, Flo Fitzpatrick, Kit Frazier, Shelley Freydont, Mariana Gabrielle, Rosie Genova, Marni Graff, Joanne Guidoccio, Margaret S. Hamilton, L.C. Hayden, Linda Gordon Hengerer, Heather Hiestand, R.Franklin James, Kathryn Jane, M.M. Jaye, Elizabeth John, Stacy Juba, Gemma Juliana, Carol Goodman Kaufman, Melissa Keir, Kay Kendall, A.R. Kennedy, Lynn Kinnaman, Marie Laval, B.V. Lawson, Claudia Lefeve, Alice Loweecey, Cynthia Luhrs, Sandra Masters, Lisa Q. Mathews, J.M. Maurer, Sandra McGregor, Kathy McIntosh, Claire A. Murray, Ann Myers, Tara Neale, Stacey Joy Netzel, Jayne Ormerod, Alice Orr, Laurel Peterson, Irene Peterson, Pepper Phillips, Caridad Pineiro, Kathryn Quick, Renée Reynolds, Josie Riviera, Elizabeth Rose, C.A. Rowland, Cindy Sample, Sharleen Scott, Terry Shames, Susan C. Shea, Judy Penz Sheluk, Joanna Campbell Slan, Karen Rose Smith, Lynette Sofras, Kaye Spencer, Skye Taylor, Lourdes Venard, Lea Wait, Regan Walker, Lois Winston, and Aubrey Wynne.

Buy Links

Amazon Canada | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon Australia

A Mermaid Hoax

barnummermaidIn 1842, Phineas Barnum obtained a dead mermaid from the estate of a dead sailor who had purchased it from Japanese sailors. The sailors had captured the mermaid near the Fiji Islands in the South Pacific.

Intrigued, Barnum visited a naturalist who quickly dismissed the find, claiming that “he never knew a monkey with such peculiar teeth, arms, hands nor had he knowledge of a fish with such peculiar fins.”

The following conversation took place:

Barnum: “Then why do you suppose it is manufactured?”

Naturalist: “Because I don’t believe in mermaids.”

Barnum: “That is no reason at all, and therefore I’ll believe in the mermaid and hire it.” Barnum displayed the mermaid in his Museum in New York and attracted large crowds and media attention.

The controversy continued in the New York Sun where the following review appeared:

“We’ve seen it! What? Why that Mermaid! The mischief you have! Where? What is it? It’s a twin sister to the deucedest looking thing imaginable—half fish, half flesh; and taken by and large, the most odd of all oddities earth or sea has ever produced.”

Unfortunately, the mermaid was destroyed in a fire. Many replicas of the Fiji Mermaid (also called Feejee Mermaid) were created by sewing the head and torso of a juvenile monkey to the back half of a fish. These “mermaids” were common features of sideshows.


Protagonist Interview

interviewpixIn Between Land and Sea (released in September 2013), I introduced Barbara Davies aka Isabella of the Mediterranean Kingdom. She returns in The Coming of Arabella.

Before writing my novels, I like to interview the characters. Here’s what Barbara had to say at the beginning of The Coming of Arabella.

Continue reading on Kathy Bryson’s blog.


Spotlight on Heather in the Mist

I’m happy to feature Madelyn Hill’s new release…

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Blurb

Forced to wed to save her clan, Lady Rogan Cameron agrees to wed without love.

What her father doesn’t know is Lady Rogan has plans of her own—plans to keep her from a loveless marriage. Can she save the clan before she has to say “I do?”

Ian Albright abolished all ties to Scotland after his family betrayed him and he is now nursing a wounded ego due to an unfaithful fiancée. He pledges never to return to his home until the fateful day he accepts an invitation to his dear cousin’s wedding. The minute he sees his cousin’s betrothed, his heart is captured. If only she didn’t belong to another . . .

Lady Rogan and Ian have known each other since they were young and bent on vexing each other. Now, the only thing they find vexing is the fact Rogan is betrothed to another. Together they fight their growing attraction while investigating the forces bedeviling the clan. Yet at every turn their foe appears and wreaks havoc. When tragedy strikes, their hopes are dashed again.

Can Lady Rogan and Ian’s love win when fate seems determined to keep them apart?

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Bio

Madelyn Promo-Photo (2)Madelyn Hill has always loved the written word. From the time she could read and all through her school years, she’d sneak books into her textbooks during school. And she devoured books daily. At the age of 10 she proclaimed she wanted to be a writer. After being a “closet” writer for several years, she sent her manuscripts out there and is now published with Soul Mate Publishing. And she couldn’t be happier!

A resident of Western New York, she moved from one Rochester to another Rochester to be with the love of her life. They now have 3 children and keep busy cooking, watching their children’s sporting events, and of course reading!

Where to find Madelyn…

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

Clean Jokes for Toastmasters

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Use one of these jokes at your next meeting.

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A couple walked into a dentist’s office. The man said, “Doc, I’m in one heck of a hurry. I have my buddies sitting out in my car waiting for us to play golf, so forget about the anesthetic. I don’t have time for the gums to get numb. Just pull the tooth, and be done with it! We have a 10 a.m. tee time at the best course in town and it’s already 9:30. I don’t have time for the anesthetic to work.”

The dentist wondered about this brave man who wanted to have his tooth pulled without anytime to kill the pain. He asked, “Which tooth is it?”

The man turned to his wife. “Open your mouth and show him.”

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A little boy opened the big family Bible. He was fascinated as he fingered through the old pages. Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible. He picked up the object and looked at it. What he saw was an old leaf that had been pressed in between the pages. He called out: “Mama, look what I found.”

“What have you got there, dear?”

With astonishment in his voice, the boy answered, “I think it’s Adam’s underwear!”

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A Scottish mother visits her son in his New York City apartment and asks, “How do you find the Americans, Donald?”

“Mother,” says Donald, “they’re such noisy people. One neighbor won’t stop banging his head against the wall while the other screams all night long.”

“Oh, Donald! How do you put up with them?”

“What can I do? I just lie in bed quietly, playing my bagpipes.”


10 Vintage Obsessions

I’m thrilled to welcome Maia Chance to the Power of 10 series. Today, Maia shares the reasons behind her love of research and her latest release, Come Hell or Highball.

Here’s Maia!

Sometimes I deeply suspect that the real reason I write historical mysteries is because of the research portion of the job. Not, mind you, the dry, dusty, dates-and-facts part of historical research. No, I love the stuff.

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Some of my favorites…

Pyrex. To me, colorful vintage Pyrex bowls are like candy. I don’t know why this is, but I take solace in knowing that I’m not the only one . . . and I know this because not only are Pyrex museums in existence, but there are a lot of people on Etsy who are DRIVING UP THE PRICES on Pink Gooseberry Cinderella bowls. *Shakes fist*

Shoes. Louis heels, t-straps, jeweled buckles, button-up . . . I love them all. It is unfortunate that I have somewhat large-ish, wide-ish feet, so I never can find vintage shoes that fit me. At least, not women’s shoes. Maybe men’s. (Although I saw a few pairs of Napoleon Bonaparte’s shoes in a museum exhibit. Shockingly small. They aren’t joking about his tininess.)

Maps. I am a total Map Nerd. I loathe that turn-by-turn navigation lady on computerized maps. She is so micromanaging. I love to unfold paper maps alllllll the way and navigate. And I LOVE looking at old maps. You can get a sense of a historic worldview just by studying, say, the blank spots on old maps.

Clothes. Oh my goodness. One word: Pinterest.

Furniture. I have this theory that the “historical body”—the gestures, carriage, and even, to some extent, the shape of the body itself—is conditioned not only by food, clothing (corsets, for example), and modes of labor, but also by the furniture a person uses on a daily basis. The cushy feather bed or the scratchy straw mattress? The crude stool that makes you hunch to keep your balance, or the straight-backed armchair that presents you as a ruler but makes your lumbar ache?

Transportation. They simply don’t make cars the way they used to. Period.

Food. I adore researching and writing about food. I edit out SO MUCH detail on food from my early drafts. I mean, I totally understand that it can get in the way of a fast-paced plot, but who isn’t at least a little intrigued by towering aspic jellies, Spam mousse, or orgeat?

Slang. I believe there is no better way to give a story the flavor of history than by inserting some choice slang. Butterfly’s boots? Confabulate? Geewillikins? Sign me up!

Makeup. From demure Victorian face powder to 1920’s Maybelline cake mascara to mod nude lips, makeup really sets a historical tone. I purposely created heroines for my two series who happen to have a knack for cosmetic application: One is an actress and the other, well, she simply likes makeup. Part of the reason for this was I wanted them both to be good at creating disguises. Also, secretly, I want a reason to study vintage magazine ads.

Houses. Here’s another place I have to pare way, way down with the description. I’m totally serious when I say that all of my books have started with a house. Before the characters, before the plot. Because a house (or a castle, chateau, shack) is so suggestive of both a time period and, well, just sitting empty there, it’s got to be filled with a story.

Come Hell or Highball (2)

Blurb

31-year-old society matron Lola Woodby has survived her loveless marriage with an unholy mixture of highballs, detective novels, and chocolate layer cake, until, her husband dies suddenly, leaving her his fortune…or so Lola thought. As it turns out, all she inherits from Alfie is a big pile of debt. Pretty soon, Lola and her stalwart Swedish cook, Berta, are reduced to hiding out in the secret love nest Alfie kept in New York City. But when rent comes due, Lola and Berta have no choice but to accept an offer made by one of Alfie’s girls-on-the-side: in exchange for a handsome sum of money, the girl wants Lola to retrieve a mysterious reel of film for her. It sounds like an easy enough way to earn the rent money. But Lola and Berta realize they’re in way over their heads when, before they can retrieve it, the man currently in possession of the film reel is murdered, and the reel disappears. On a quest to retrieve the reel and solve the murder before the killer comes after them next, Lola and Berta find themselves navigating one wacky situation after another in high style and low company.

Charming, witty, often laugh-out-loud funny, Maia Chance’s Come Hell or Highball introduces a sparkling new voice in crime fiction.

Bio

MaiaChance_Photo-262x300 (2)Maia Chance writes historical mystery novels that are rife with absurd predicaments and romantic adventure. She is the author of the Fairy Tale Fatal and The Discreet Retrieval Agency series. Her first mystery, Snow White Red-Handed, was a national bestseller. Her latest releases are Cinderella Six Feet Under and Come Hell or Highball.

Where to find Maia…

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon


Happy Autumn!

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Whenever I look out at Nature’s breathtaking fall palette, I am inspired and invigorated to start anew. Anything and everything is possible during the cool, crisp days of autumn.

Some of my favorite quotations…

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. George Eliot

No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace
As I have seen in one autumnal face. John Donne

Autumn, the year’s last loveliest smile. William Cullen Bryant

Autumn, the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits. Samuel Butler

Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn. Emily Dickinson

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting, and autumn a mosaic of them all. Stanley Horowitz

Autumn asks that we prepare for the future—that we be wise in the ways of garnering and keeping. But it also asks that we learn to let go—to acknowledge the beauty of sparseness. Bonaro W. Overstreet

I’ve never known anyone yet who doesn’t suffer a certain restlessness when autumn rolls around…We’re all eight years old and anything is possible. Sue Grafton

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. Albert Camus

Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn. Elizabeth Lawrence