And then they sent me to the yacht club...

...with a bag full of cash.

Nostalgia is a funny thing. A friend of mine is in the area and I drove to Newport Beach to take him to lunch. We tooled around and as sometimes (always) happens, I nervously filled the space between us with a running commentary on how I'd worked in a couple of upscale hair salons in Newport as a stylist's assistant. Roughly speaking, back in the late seventies and early eighties, a stylist's assistant was someone to whom you could say, "Honey, baby, sweetie, darling, go get me..." fill in the blank.

I was the only woman in the salon. The men I worked for were all straight, all womanizers, and all brutally plainspoken about what they wanted in a stylist's assistant. When they said jump, it was my job to ask, "How high?"

Today I realized how much fun I had during that brief period of my life. From the Palm Reader in the storefront next door where no one ever came to work after the first day when an immense, beautifully dressed man with hands the size of hams introduced himself to me and then left mysteriously, never to return, to the clients who thought it was a brilliant idea to get the stylists drunk while they were doing hair, there was never a day when I was bored.

Here's to all the the Jacks*, the Allens*, the Stewarts* and the Umbertos* (Names changed to protect the not so innocent.) Here's to high stakes backgammon and poker--although in retrospect, taking a bag full of cash to hotel room filled with strangers doesn't bear thinking about.

Here's to working for pirates, because that's what it felt like.

Here's to fielding angry girlfriends and angrier wives.

Here's to Candies mules and Qiana, and DuPont, and the brief way they married with disco to become one big happy, synthetic family.

Here's to all the things I didn't caught doing by either my mother or my pastor, thank heavens.

And here's to the very best Christmas party I ever went to and the Newport Beach boat parade, and for oh, so many reasons, here's to youth and stupidity, how can I miss one so much and be so glad I've gotten over the other.

This is DAY SIX

of the GREAT HOLIDAY ZAMFEST!
what's in it for you?

Welcome to the twelve days of ZAMfest All you have to do is comment to enter the daily drawing and I'll pull a new name from the hat each night to win an ebook from my backlist. The TWELFTH day will be Christmas, that's when I'll put the name of anyone who leaves me a comment on all twelve blogs, into a drawing and one very lucky person will win the grand prize-- a $50 dollar Amazon Gift Card. If you're new to the ZAMfest, it's not too late to go back and comment on earlier blogs. Good Luck!

DAY Five's winner is Crissy! I'll be contacting you to see which ebook you'd like!

In the meantime, how about a little nostalgia from a member of generation Jones, (Me)

f

What was popular when you were young and stupid?

(Okay, I admit it, you were never, ever stupid.)

Soup's on...

This is DAY FIVE

of the GREAT HOLIDAY ZAMFEST!
what's in it for you?

Welcome to the twelve days of ZAMfest All you have to do is comment to enter the daily drawing and I'll pull a new name from the hat each night. The TWELFTH day will be Christmas, that's when I'll put the name of anyone who leaves me a comment on all twelve blogs, into a drawing and one very lucky person will win the grand prize-- a $50 dollar Amazon Gift Card. If you're new to the ZAMfest, it's not too late to go back and comment on earlier blogs. Good Luck!

DAY Four's winner is Tara Wojton! I'll be contacting you to see which ebook you'd like!

So come back EVERY DAY and comment on all twelve blogs to be entered for the GRAND PRIZE! A $50 Amazon gift card. (If you're coming just now, you're not to late to comment on the previous blogs; you will be eligible for the grand prize, but you won't be entered in those daily contests.)

RECIPE for a Rainy Day

I live in Southern California, and it doesn't rain often here. There have been several lovely rainy days lately though, and I took advantage of that to make a vast pot of soup for the kids, because they walk home from school (unless their books will get wet) and I have never been one to bring a healthy kid out of the rain. 

In fact, when my children were young, I used to dress all four of them in mismatched sweats and rubber rain boots so they could go out and get soaked in the backyard until they were covered head to toe with mud and blue with cold. 

Then they'd come in and take turns in the shower. I'd stand there, waiting with towels I'd warmed up in the dryer and we'd make hot cocoa because I'm a firm believer one should run in the rain unless one is likely to be struck by lightning. 

There is nothing quite so wonderful as a warmed towel and a cup of cocoa, even if you're only as cold as a you can get on a rainy SoCal day.

My eleven bean soup recipe is more of a procedure than an actual recipe. It varies from pot to pot. I take four cups of eleven bean soup mix (from the bulk section of Sprouts) and use the quick soak method to prepare them. First, I check through for anything un-beanlike. Stones and withered beans must go. Then I rinse and place the beans in a pot, covered by a couple inches of water. I bring that to a boil for a few minutes, then turn off the fire and cover. I let them sit for an hour, and that's what softens the bean mixture so you can cook with it.  Some people soak overnight but I never think that far ahead.

Once that hour is over, I drain and rinse the beans, and I clean the pot. Then I put the beans back in with a chopped up onion (large), two bay leaves, some dried Italian herbs to taste, and two 32 oz. containers of chicken stock. At this point, you could use any kind of stock, beef, vegetable, low sodium. I just use run of the mill organic chicken stock, again, from Sprouts. I like the kind that comes in the carton because it's flavorful and easy. (But there's no reason you can't use homemade, or even water.) I like the flavor chicken stock brings to the soup. Later I'm going to add other things, and chicken stock doesn't overwhelm. I don't season at this point. There's plenty of sodium in the stock, and in the later ingredients that I don't season with salt until the very end and then, it usually isn't necessary. 

I bring the beans to a boil and simmer them for a couple of hours. Mostly I'm doing this as I'm doing other things, so I just let it go. I have a burner on my stove with a precise simmer setting, but I suppose at this point you could put the whole deal in a crock pot. If you keep the fire too high, the beans will burn and stick to the bottom of the pot. Stirring and keeping a low fire will help you avoid this.

I just simmer it until all the beans are tender, and at that point, I add some other things, depending on what I have around the house. I always add a couple cans of diced tomatoes -- I like the kind that are flavored with basil because I generally use Italian seasoning and add Italian sausage. If I were going to change things up, I could use Mexican spices and a diced tomato product like Ro-Tel that has peppers in it, and go in a whole different direction, maybe add cooked chicken or turkey. Sometimes I use vegetable stock and go vegetarian.

Vegetables are good to add at this point because they won't get mushy, diced carrots or parsnips, mushrooms, spinach, kale, cooked potatoes, squash. What you're adding here has to be cooked already or it has to cook quickly. You're basically finishing the soup and giving it "personality." And no one likes mushy personality. I usually crumble and brown hot Italian sausage (and drain the fat) then I add it in at the last minute. I serve this with fresh baguettes and always have lovely leftovers for lunches, later. 

Tasty and alliterative. 

The only thing better than a nice hot bowl of soup while rain is pouring down outside is a great book to read. I read A Christmas Carol every year, if I can. I love that book. I love reading it aloud. I love to listen to audiotapes of that book and discovered only this year, that Tim Curry made one! 

Get it HERE

Win-Win...

What's your favorite rainy day thing (snowy days accepted, for those of you who get them!)

It's a wonderful... film!

This is DAY FOUR

of the GREAT HOLIDAY ZAMFEST!
what's in it for you?

Welcome to the twelve days of ZAMfest All you have to do is comment to enter the daily drawing and I'll pull a new name from the hat each night. The TWELFTH day will be Christmas, that's when I'll put the name of anyone who leaves me a comment on all twelve blogs, into a drawing and one very lucky person will win the grand prize-- a $50 dollar Amazon Gift Card. If you're new to the ZAMfest, it's not too late to go back and comment on earlier blogs. Good Luck!

DAY THREE's winner is Marge! I'll be contacting you to see which ebook you'd like!

So come back EVERY DAY and comment on all twelve blogs to be entered for the GRAND PRIZE! A $50 Amazon gift card. (If you're coming just now, you're not to late to comment on the previous blogs; you will be eligible for the grand prize, but you won't be entered in those daily contests.)

While we're on the subject of Films I Cannot Do Without At Christmas:

Do you have a movie you can't go without during the holiday season?

Baby, It's cold outside!

A little romance...

This is DAY THREE

of the GREAT HOLIDAY ZAMFEST!
what's in it for you?

Welcome to the twelve days of ZAMfest All you have to do is comment to enter the daily drawing and I'll pull a new name from the hat each night. The TWELFTH day will be Christmas, that's when I'll put the name of anyone who leaves me a comment on all twelve blogs, into a drawing and one very lucky person will win the grand prize-- a $50 dollar Amazon Gift Card. If you're new to the ZAMfest, it's not too late to go back and comment on earlier blogs. Good Luck!

DAY TWO's winner is Erika! I'll be contacting you to see which ebook you'd like!

So come back EVERY DAY and comment on all twelve blogs to be entered for the GRAND PRIZE! A $50 Amazon gift card. (If you're coming just now, you're not to late to comment on the previous blogs; you will be eligible for the grand prize, but you won't be entered in those daily contests.)

There is nothing I like more than holiday music. I like the sacred pieces like Handel's Messiah, and secular music like the one above. Today I thought I'd share three musical experiences my holiday would not be complete without!

A little Muppet love...





And of course for Hanukkah, festival of lights!





And my favorite sacred song:






Music plays a rather lively role in my process, even though I don't necessarily listen to music while I write. I am much more likely to use music to put me into a kind of mood, a frame of mind, depending on the scene I'm going to write, and then I'll turn the music off and get to work.

Lately I've been exploring the possibility of making up certain "rituals" around the act of creating, as if by listening to a piece of music, or lighting a candle, I might more easily get down to work.

Someone suggested ritual would be a good way to clear my mind of the minutiae that seems to intrude. I can just picture myself lighting a candle to banish the non-work related malarky that goes on in my house, (if only because I would tell my kids if they see the candle lit, that means I'm not to be disturbed.) I figure the candle would be my signal to put away anything but the words I need in the moment.

So, two questions for today's blog post, what's your favorite holiday music (doesn't matter which holiday) and how do you carve out time for your acts of creation, whatever they are? Readers and writers both, you know what I mean. Everyone needs generative, or regenerative space. Does anyone else beside me have ritual surrounding and protecting the time they use for creative endeavors?

Share!

A Single Spark...

Welcome Zammers. Today, I'm thinking about Secret Light!

The victim’s dog was exactly the kind of pet Ben Morgan had wanted as a kid -- smart, funny, eager to please, and equally determined to protect. He’d envisioned a collie like Lassie or a German shepherd like Rin Tin Tin, but Colman’s stout little mutt dog -- some kind of terrier -- guarded his back, barking a warning if anyone got too close. 

Colman had introduced Ben and Mooki, and of course, at first Ben thought it was odd that a dog should “speak” only German. While Colman struggled to get the paint off his door, Ben tried to get the dog to walk with him. Colman -- he told Ben to call him Rafe, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to do it -- did everything he could to get her to go with him. She didn’t necessarily trust him yet, and he didn’t speak German, but he took her leash, and after a few minutes, she marched alongside him, ready to take on all comers, just as she’d done for her master. 

Christ, what a mess. Colman’s tools, a bicycle, sports equipment, and a tiny sailboat. All ashes. The firefighters had the blaze out, but they’d drawn a small crowd of curious neighbors who stood on the curb across the street and watched. They didn’t seem friendly with Rafe, and they didn’t offer him any assistance. They stood silent, watchful, some in hastily donned trousers and work shirts and some still in sleepwear, wrapped in dressing gowns and bathrobes. Some were even barefoot, shuffling for a better angle, a better view of the drama as it unfolded. 

Ben felt bad for Colman. It was obvious his accent, fair hair, and blue eyes had triggered someone’s anti-German sentiment, and they’d taken the opportunity for payback. He seemed like an ordinary guy too: a little pent up, a little too fastidious and polite. 

But maybe he was a little lonely too, and Ben could certainly understand that.

One of the firefighters on scene cracked wise about him living alone, but Ben had known more than one person who didn’t fit in so well, starting with himself. He lived with his mother, for God’s sake. It was hard to believe a guy like Rafe wasn’t batting a thousand with girls. He could have a family if he wanted one. He was probably too busy enjoying the chase to give it up for a wife and kids.

A guy with those looks who loves dogs? 

(Note from ZAM -- You'd better believe Ben wanted in on that...)

This is DAY TWO

of the GREAT HOLIDAY ZAMFEST!

All you have to do is comment to enter the daily drawing and I'll pull a new name from the hat each night. The TWELFTH day will be Christmas, that's when I'll put the name of anyone who leaves me a comment on all twelve blogs, into a drawing and one very lucky person will win the grand prize-- a $50 dollar Amazon Gift Card. If you're new to the ZAMfest, it's not too late to go back and comment on earlier blogs. Good Luck!

Yesterday, DAY ONE's winner is LE Franks! I'll be contacting you to see which ebook you'd like!

So come EVERY DAY and comment on all twelve blogs to be entered for the GRAND PRIZE!

Hanukkah started on the eighth this year, and of course I had to buy gelt for the kids to give their friends at school. We don't actually celebrate Hanukkah, I never did, even though my family has Jewish roots. But in some ways, I think we should all celebrate any holiday that focuses our attention on the miracles that surround us daily: love and kindness, the way ordinary people become heroes in extraordinary circumstances, the passion people have for causes, even those not their own, the way people defend the rights of others, and even the miracle of laughter, which BELIEVE ME, I have come to regard as a miracle in this tough year of my life.

If I can laugh even while my house in burning and feel better for it, laughter can be placed squarely in the miracle category. At the end of this month, this year will be over. For good or ill, what was is past, and we get to look forward to growth, happiness, more trials, and maybe, more chances to find our resiliency. I look forward to it all, and through it all, I look forward to writing new books for you!

Even though Nigel Gasp was in the book Gasp! I think this bit from his song "Light A Candle" is quite fitting here, as a single, tiny spark does banish darkness:

A single spark

banishes darkness

Every breath you take

fans the flames

A single spark

can ignite a conflagration

so we'll never feel the cold again.

Light a candle

help me find a way back home

Light a candle

I'm so tired of being alone

Just a single candle's light

is all I need from you tonight

It's only ever been you

who could see me through.

Light a candle...

( Music and Lyrics by Nigel Gasp.)

SANTA IS COMING!

To a bookshelf near you!

This is DAY ONE

of the GREAT HOLIDAY ZAMFEST!

The Great Holiday ZAMfest is my way of saying thanks so much to everyone who has been there for me this year. This has been a pretty tough year but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and things are looking pretty good! 

For the next twelve days starting today I'm doing an ebook-a-day giveaway. All you have to do is comment to enter the daily drawing and I'll pull a new name from the hat each night. The TWELFTH day will be Christmas, that's when I'll put the name of anyone who leaves me a comment on all twelve blogs, into a drawing and one very lucky person will win the grand prize-- a $50 dollar Amazon Gift Card. 

So come EVERY DAY and comment on all twelve blogs to be entered for the GRAND PRIZE!

In honor of the anthology I did with LB Gregg, Josh Lanyon, and Harper Fox, we're joining forces to have a little fun today! As everyone knows, I have been oh, so thoroughly and completely out of touch this year. The holidays are upon us and so I thought we'd check in on Chandler, Steve and Poppy to see if they've got the holiday spirit...

Dear Diary,

Chandler is my uncle but he is also is my new Dad (because my mom and dad died). He and his husband Steve adopted me, and now I belong to both of them. 

My new Dad Steve is Santa Claus.I don't tell my friends because they might be sad their dad isn't Santa too. 

Being Santa's little girl is fun for me, because I don't have to write a letter to tell him what to bring me for Christmas. I can just tell him while he's taking me to school. 

Anyhow, I'm mad though, because he says I can't have a llama, even though that's what I really want. I saw a llama at the zoo, and they jump, boing, boing, boing. It's really funny. 

Today, my Grandma is here and we're going to make snacks. She makes them with square cereal and we shake them in a bag. 

Grandma is helping me write this. We are saving the recipe in here so I can make it again.

Love,

Poppy

P.S. My Dads call me Pop-Tart.

On the FIRST day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...Chex Muddy Buddies, just like Grandma Makes:

INGREDIENTS

*9 cups Corn Chex®, Rice Chex®, Wheat Chex® or Chocolate Chex® cereal (or combination)
*1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
*1/2 cup peanut butter
*1/4 cup butter or margarine
*1 teaspoon vanilla
*1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.
2. In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.
3. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

For More His For The Holidays from my pals LB, Harper, and Josh, check out these websites!

http://joshlanyon.blogspot.com/

http://harperfox777.livejournal.com/

http://lisabea.blogspot.com/

To purchase His For The Holidays
To purchase I Heard Him Exclaim

Scriptorial Self-Abuse

Halloooo NaNoWriMo!


And welcome. It is the eleventh day of November, 2012. At this point, I should be just a little more than 30% finished with my 50K. Here's where I stand:

16173 / 50000 words. 32% done!

None of this is difficult really, the hard part isn't word count, it's making sense. I'm trying to abandon the mindset that this all has to be worthy of publication but at this point, I'm loath to write simply for the sake of writing. I'm cheating on NaNo, because I have a hard and fast deadline on the book I was writing, so I have to finish it, and I'll add the word count I get when I finish this project up, along with the word count I get from the next one. 

My goal is to write 50K this month, on those two projects.

Keep your fingers crossed and look for some contemporary cowboys from me around February and the third volume in the Hours Trilogy right after that. 

Yup. You heard me right, partner, I said Contemporary Cowboys.

In LOVE.

Coming soon.