Carla Neggers's Blog, page 2

Ah, Boston, for real or in fiction

Boston has served as a setting for a number of my books. I think of it as my city, although I live on a hilltop in northern New England. I attended college in Boston, and Joe and I lived in a cute (as in tiny) Beacon Hill apartment when we were first married. We went back for a year when our daughter was small. Now our adult children and our grandchildren live in the Boston area.

Let’s just say my love of this great city continues and my frequent visits inspire new scenes, characters and stories.

I was struck recently by this quote from iconic author Mary Stewart:

“If you create a place properl… Read More

Light, fluffy scones (a recipe) for Christmas

Fresh, warm scones are a treat any time of the year but especially at Christmas. I prefer them plain or with dried currants or sultanas, but various additions are popular, from blueberries to nuts to chocolate, as well as savory options.

You’ll find a number of my fictional characters enjoying scones, often amid rising tension in their lives, e.g.,  charming, haunted art thief, mythologist and Cotswolds farmer Oliver York. Although “enjoying” might be too strong for the scone renowned private art detective Wendell Sharpe brings him in a pinch:

“I brought you co

… Read More

High atop Mt. Washington

The magnificent White Mountains in New Hampshire feature in a number of my books. I’ve hiked up various peaks and hope to do more this fall. The most spectacular (and difficult!) so far has been Mt. Washington. Our bright, sunny morning turned into dense, swirling fog and high winds by the time we reached the summit. Fortunately, unlike the other peaks in the Presidential Range (named after US Presidents), Mt. Washington has a cafe at the top.

Tech wizard and billionaire Noah Kendrick hikes Mt. Washington in That Night on Thistle Lane, the second book in my Swift River Valley series:

“I could pa… Read More

Wild Maine blueberries (recipe included!)

I just put a quart of wild Maine blueberries in the freezer. I know I’ll love having them when it’s frosty outside! They’re a family favorite, whether for pies, muffins, cobbler, pancakes or sprinkled fresh on yogurt or cereal. We love cultivated blueberries, too, but wild berries bring back many special memories. The photo below is of my granddaughter a few years ago in a coastal Maine wild blueberry patch.

My first memory of picking wild blueberries for the first time was a child, too, on a family picnic at Quabbin Reservoir with my parents and six brothers and sisters. Quabbin an… Read More

Walking on the southwest Irish coast

Walking and writing go together for me, whether I’m working out a specific issue, letting my wander, taking a break or not thinking about writing at all. I love getting outside and heading off on a trail or a garden walk or a beach or a city street, whether for a short distance or f0r miles.

Ireland, of course, is one of my favorite places to walk (and run). Below are some of the places I wandered recently on the southwest Irish coast, coming away energized, refreshed and filled with creative ideas. The top two photos are in Derreen Garden and the bottom one is in Kenmare. Azaleas and rhododendro… Read More

It’s back: Strawberry Meringue Roulade Recipe

Strawberry season is upon us (soon!) and here again is my recipe for strawberry meringue roulade. It’s gluten-free, relatively easy to make and delicious. I only make it when local strawberries are available.

The recipe also works well with mixed fresh fruits or raspberries. Enjoy!

Strawberry Meringue Roulade

Ingredients

4 egg whites
1 c superfine sugar
1 pint heavy cream or whipping cream
1 pint fresh strawberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 300​°F.​ Line an 8″X12″ jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites with half the sugar unti… Read More

The Elusive Finian Bracken

Irish priest and whiskey man Finian Bracken has become a reader favorite. A man with a tragic past, serving a parish in a struggling Maine fishing village, he appears as a key secondary character in every Sharpe & Donovan tale.

And he started and has remained one of my most elusive characters.

The clock was ticking on my deadline for Saint’s Gate, the first book in the series and I took a three-week writing retreat in a little hideaway cottage on the southwest Irish coast, an experience it itself. I didn’t know at the time if Saint’s Gate would be a standalone novel or the fir… Read More

The joys of rhubarb

My first encounter with rhubarb wasn’t promising: I was around seven and ate a chunk off the vine. It was ultra-tart. I had friends who loved it straight that way but not me! I don’t like it too sweet but I do like some sweetness.

Since then I’ve come to love rhubarb stewed, in pies, cakes, crisps, crumbles, pies and jams. I’m trying savory glazes for meats and vegetables now, too. It’s hard to go wrong.

Not everyone is a fan. An Irish friend remembers his mother peeling rhubarb and using it in many dishes, but he never developed a taste for it. After many years, he gave … Read More

Spring flowers…I’m ready!

With a surprise ten inches of snow and a spell without power this past Sunday, I’m in the mood for flowers! Maybe you are, too. Here are some images from our visit last spring to the Keukenhof gardens just outside Amsterdam in the Netherland. They open for the 2024 season on March 21.

Enjoy!

 … Read More

Yes! “Write postcards.” ~Maeve Binchy

Long before either of us visited Ireland, my mother introduced me to Irish novelist Maeve Binchy’s books. I, too, became a fan. I can see my mother, who died a little over two years ago, reading one by the fire in the back room.

Ms. Binchy, who died in 2012, left behind a few tips for us:

“Learn to type. Learn to drive. Have fun. Write postcards. (Letters take too long and you don’t do it; a postcard takes two minutes.) Be punctual. Don’t worry about what other people are thinking. They are not thinking about you. Write quickly. (Taking longer doesn’t usually make it b… Read More