I normally read new releases, but every year around November, I treat myself to world-famous short stories written by dead brilliant minds in the English literary tradition. http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-sto...
Yesterday, I paid tribute to Edgar Allan Poe who once said, "All religion, my friend, is simply evolved out of fraud, fear, greed, imagination, and poetry" and read something I’d never read before: The Pit and the Pendulum--about death, choice and hope rolled into one. Although affective, I found myself cringing and wanting to stop reading… but I didn’t.
Two words: Disturbing. Claustrophobic. http://heroeswiki.com/Image:Claustrop...
After reading the story, I dreamed Stephenie Meyer stepped into my living room wearing a long, dark raincoat. She trudged around the room, patting her pockets, searching everywhere for the Twilight Saga journal she’d misplaced. Her eyeballs landed on my half-eaten medianoche sandwich. She grabbed it from my hand, devoured it in one bite, and smiled. I watched as she looked into a mirror and swept a hand through her cascading hair while strawberry jam dripped from the side of her mouth.
Stephenie vanished and I found the journal outside on the street and tore three pages out of it and read them voraciously, but they were about Poe’s work. I pasted them on a large mirror and can’t remember the rest.
Two things are for sure:
1. I make a mean, authentic, medianoche sandwich with a twist that would bring Poe back from his grave and Stephenie over for a bite (no pun intended).
2. I have no clue what the hell my dream meant
(Getting back to the sandwich for a second…
I've also been known to prepare a mix of an Elena Ruz--another infamous Cuban sandwich--and medianoche/midnight that I only recommend once a year because it's so rich. If you’d like to make this unusual sandwich, scroll down for the recipe... if not, watch this video which has absolutely nothing to do with recipe: http://video.google.com/videoplay?doc...#)
Until recently, when I wrote my first dark, magical realism short story for Running Press' anthology, CORNERED--to be released Spring, 2012--I couldn’t stomach dark, bloody stories, and as you can imagine, thrillers were out of the question.
Surprisingly, I’ve gone through a breakthrough.
After writing Inside the Inside, I’ve been able to read suspense and watch suspense films (LOVE them), but not sure if I can stomach hard-core thrillers yet. Violence seriously disgusts me. Can one work their way towards reading it without feeling repulsed?
Here's the mixed-up sandwich recipe I promised:
A Sort of MEDIANOCHE / ELENA RUTH SANDWICH
Buy sweet, Hawaiian, soft rolls or Challah (sweet, soft egg bread).
Cut the loaf lengthwise. Slice your piece open, toast, and spread the following on one half:
• Butter
• Mustard
* Mayonnaise
Spread the following on the other side:
• 2 TBS Cream cheese
• 2 TBS Strawberry marmalade
Add the following:
• 3 ham slices
• 2 pork slices
• 2 turkey slices
• 2 Swiss cheese slices
Place sandwich in a hot buttered skillet and press down hard with a heavy skillet or cast iron pot till cheese melts.
Enjoy!
TIDBITS:
• You don’t need to be Cuban or an adult to make Cuban bread
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=228KxO...
Yesterday, I paid tribute to Edgar Allan Poe who once said, "All religion, my friend, is simply evolved out of fraud, fear, greed, imagination, and poetry" and read something I’d never read before: The Pit and the Pendulum--about death, choice and hope rolled into one. Although affective, I found myself cringing and wanting to stop reading… but I didn’t.
Two words: Disturbing. Claustrophobic. http://heroeswiki.com/Image:Claustrop...
After reading the story, I dreamed Stephenie Meyer stepped into my living room wearing a long, dark raincoat. She trudged around the room, patting her pockets, searching everywhere for the Twilight Saga journal she’d misplaced. Her eyeballs landed on my half-eaten medianoche sandwich. She grabbed it from my hand, devoured it in one bite, and smiled. I watched as she looked into a mirror and swept a hand through her cascading hair while strawberry jam dripped from the side of her mouth.
Stephenie vanished and I found the journal outside on the street and tore three pages out of it and read them voraciously, but they were about Poe’s work. I pasted them on a large mirror and can’t remember the rest.
Two things are for sure:
1. I make a mean, authentic, medianoche sandwich with a twist that would bring Poe back from his grave and Stephenie over for a bite (no pun intended).
2. I have no clue what the hell my dream meant
(Getting back to the sandwich for a second…
I've also been known to prepare a mix of an Elena Ruz--another infamous Cuban sandwich--and medianoche/midnight that I only recommend once a year because it's so rich. If you’d like to make this unusual sandwich, scroll down for the recipe... if not, watch this video which has absolutely nothing to do with recipe: http://video.google.com/videoplay?doc...#)
Until recently, when I wrote my first dark, magical realism short story for Running Press' anthology, CORNERED--to be released Spring, 2012--I couldn’t stomach dark, bloody stories, and as you can imagine, thrillers were out of the question.
Surprisingly, I’ve gone through a breakthrough.
After writing Inside the Inside, I’ve been able to read suspense and watch suspense films (LOVE them), but not sure if I can stomach hard-core thrillers yet. Violence seriously disgusts me. Can one work their way towards reading it without feeling repulsed?
Here's the mixed-up sandwich recipe I promised:
A Sort of MEDIANOCHE / ELENA RUTH SANDWICH
Buy sweet, Hawaiian, soft rolls or Challah (sweet, soft egg bread).
Cut the loaf lengthwise. Slice your piece open, toast, and spread the following on one half:
• Butter
• Mustard
* Mayonnaise
Spread the following on the other side:
• 2 TBS Cream cheese
• 2 TBS Strawberry marmalade
Add the following:
• 3 ham slices
• 2 pork slices
• 2 turkey slices
• 2 Swiss cheese slices
Place sandwich in a hot buttered skillet and press down hard with a heavy skillet or cast iron pot till cheese melts.
Enjoy!
TIDBITS:
• You don’t need to be Cuban or an adult to make Cuban bread
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=228KxO...
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I like both Poe and Meyer. Thanks for the recipe. It's making my mouth water and I'm making it for lunch tomorrow!
Okay now I am hungry and I was craving Cuban bistec sandwich yesterday. Edgar Alan Poe is one of the few dead White male author's I loved from the get. His stuff is just nice and creepy. I love thrillers and suspense. The good ones do not need or use excess violence.
And much congrats on Inside the Inside
Thanks, Doret! I’d LOVE to read powerful suspense without violence. Any recommendations? Have you read many suspense or thrillers by people of color? Great to hear from you!
Mysteries is my favorite genre. I have recs for days. Joplin's Ghost by Due
Tethered by Mckinnon
Dark Places by Flynn
Into the Woods by French
The Reapers by Connolly
Before the Frost by Mankell
Silence of the Lambs by Harris (this is such a classic)
Some of the titles do have violence but its not the over the top stab someone 20 times type. I am not a fan of that type because to me it says the author doesn't have any other tools to hold the reader.
I wouldn't call this last mystery suspense but its very well done, a lot of fun and set in Miami
Sweet Mary by Liz Balmaseda.
Its been a few years since this came out but I am still hoping the author will do another one.
