Alanna Peterson's Blog, page 7

Persian-Style Rice with Barberries

One of my favorite things about writing When We Vanished has been learning more about Persian culture (since several main characters are of Iranian descent). Through the years, Ive done a lot of experimenting and have come to love ingredients like rosewater, saffron, fresh mint, nigella seeds, dried limes, and sumac. But one of my absolute favorites is the humble barberry.

Barberries and dried orange peel soaking in a bowl

These small crimson berries are packed with tart flavor and are...

A Journey to Guguan

This is the fourth installment in a series about my familys trip to Taiwan back in April 2018. Previous posts covered our adventures in Taipei, the tea-growing region of Pinglin, and the northern coast destinations of Yehliu and Jiufen.

For the last leg of our Taiwan trip, we struck out on our own and journeyed to Guguan. Brett had been to the small mountain village on several of his previous visits to the island, and suggested that it would be the perfect place for relaxing in hot springs...

Misadventures in Northern Taiwan

This is the third post in a series about my familys trip to Taiwan back in April 2018. The first post was about our journey and adventures in Taipei; the second covered a magical day in the tea-growing region of Pinglin.

Sometimes, the most memorable vacation days are the ones when nothing goes as planned.

Since our trip to Taiwan was so brief, we had to pack a lot into each day, and didnt have a lot of wiggle room in our itinerary. My husband Brett really wanted us to see Yehliu, a geopark...

A Magical Day in Pinglin, Taiwan

This is the second post in a series about my familys trip to Taiwan back in April 2018. The first post about our journey and a whirlwind day in Taipei can be found here.

The first time I traveled to Taiwan, thirteen years ago now, my husband Brett and I spent a day exploring Pinglin (坪林). This small town is adjacent to many plantations growing baozhong, one of my favorite types of oolong tea. Since Brett was in the tea biz at the time, we had made the trek with the express purpose of buying a...

A Day in Taipei

These days, when were all stuck at home, I find myself longing for far-flung getaways more and more. So I decided to dust off the travel journal I wrote two years ago, shortly after returning from an epic family vacation to Taiwan. I mean, who couldnt use a little armchair travel right now??

The Journey Begins

We left on the first day of April in 2018. My husband Brett and I had traveled to the island eleven years earlier, and were looking forward to sharing it with our kids. Our daughter (C)...

Writing Diverse Characters: 4 Lessons Learned

When I first started writing When We Vanished, I was figuring it all out as I went along. I didnt stop to question some of the important decisions I was making without even realizing it. Case in point: my characters racial and ethnic backgrounds. Originally, they were all race neutraltheir race was never stated. At the time, I figured this was a good thing. That meant that they could be any race the reader wished to ascribe to them, right?

Well, no. As I came to learn, if race is not stated,...

The Best Tofu

Ive been vegan for a little while now (*cough* nearly two decades *cough*), so I should hope that by now Id know my way around a block of tofu!

This is my favorite recipe for making delicious slightly-salty-slightly-sweet-and-definitely-garlicky tofu. These tasty cutlets go great with everything, so this is pretty much the only way I cook tofu these days.

The method is quite simple. Just take a block of extra-firm tofu (if using water-packed, its best if you press it first, as detailed in...

The Quarantine Diaries: Week 3

While we adapt to this new reality of social distancing and COVID-19 quarantines, Ive been journaling about my experiences. This is the third installment of this series (first post here; second post here).

Monday, March 23

I decided to start setting my alarm this week. Ive gotten used to sleeping in late; some days just drag on forever, so getting a late start helped them go by a little faster. But now that Im feeling better and have a massive backlog of work to catch up on, it was definitely...

How My Scientific Background Influenced My Novels

As you might have guessed if youve read When We Vanished, I am a total science nerd. My bachelors degree was in molecular biology with a minor in chemistry, and I completed my masters in nutrition in a research-focused program. Plus, I currently work in the research world.

So when I decided to write a novel where science played into the plot, I didnt want to revert to standard tropes, with a mad scientist cackling in a darkly-lit lab surrounded by Erlenmeyer flasks full of bubbling...

The Quarantine Diaries: Week 2

While we adapt to this new reality of social distancing and COVID-19 quarantines, Ive been journaling about my experiences. This is the second installment of this series (see the first post here).

Uncertainty: Monday, March 16

Still not feeling well this morning. Dragged myself to work, grateful that my commute only involved carrying my laptop to the dining room table. Received emails from both my employer and my doctor that Id been denied COVID testing. I expected as much; my symptoms...