Susan Wiggs's Blog, page 22
January 1, 2015
(re)telling all
Writers always get questions about the writing process. I don’t blame you for asking. I ask other writers about the process, because I’m convinced they have a better way. One of my better known quirks is that I write my first draft of a book in longhand, using a fountain pen, peacock blue ink and Clairefontaine notebooks. It’s not an affectation. I’m a lefty, which means my hand (and sleeve) drag across the page behind the handwriting. But the Skrip ink dries instantly, thus saving my sleeve. The header above illustrates this.
Other Qs about process: The Examiner recently asked me some tough questions. Okay, they weren’t tough. I love answering questions. If I don’t know the answer, I just make stuff up. Don’t judge. I’m a fiction writer:
Q. You hand write your original drafts! Holy Cow…. Why? Do you just like communing with ink? The feel of the paper? You feel more connected to the book? Tell us about your process.
SW: Its a habit I started since before I even knew how to read or write. At age 2-1/2, I used to scribble on paper and tell my mother, “Now, write this down.” And bless her, she did. All my stories were about a girl who was chased up a tree with Bad Things after her. To this day, that’s pretty much what all my books are about. 
As a teenager, I lived in Brussels and then Paris…I used to carry around notebooks (cahiers) filled with terrible angsty poetry. Later, when I started writing novels (grad school), I was so broke that I had to use half empty cahiers left over from high school. Since I hated (still hate) to type, I only wanted to type up each page once, so I would get the story down by hand and then transcribe. These days, I use Dragon Naturally Speaking and read the text into the computer. Ann Tyler once said writing by hand is like knitting a book. Its crafty! And you don’t save the wrong version or lose text (unless there’s a house fire). So the habit has stuck with me.
Q. How I Planned Your Wedding is such a sweet, charming and romantic idea. Tell us about the book you wrote planning your daughter‘s wedding.
SW: This book was my alternative to being murdered by my daughter. We drove each other crazy during the wedding planning, but discovered that a sense of humor can rescue even the biggest disaster. Elizabeth started a blog which was howlingly funny and went viral, so she brought that snarky voice to the book. As the mom, I got to chime in. Some of the brutal honesty in the book still makes me squirm, but we both found a way to tell the story that every bride (and her mom) can relate to. Even those not planning a wedding will relate to the conflict and craziness of the mother-daughter bond.
Q. It seems you started the way many authors start: by thinking, “Hey, I can do that.” Since you had such great success for so long, besides the obvious advent of e-books, what are the biggest changes you’ve seen in the publishing industry?
SW: Honestly, the essence of publishing hasn’t changed. Since the days of the cave man carving stuff on the cave walls, people have wanted stories, and storytellers have wanted an audience. That is still the case. The changes are really a matter of format. Publishers consolidate, methods of publishing change, but readers and storytellers are forever. Thank God.
Q. Since you so enjoy keeping your toes wet in the teaching pool, if you had to pick the most important piece of craft information you’d like all new writers to take away from a conversation with you, what would that be?
SW: Tell the
story that’s in your heart
, and don’t hold back. Write a book the reader will want to melt into. And for Gods sake, learn your craft. Do NOT try to publish anything until you have nailed the basics (grammar, spelling, usage, syntax) and the refinements of writing. Readers deserve your very best, always….There are practical techniques a writer can use to keep the pacing of the novel strong, by introducing 
unexpected emotions, twists and turns, actions and reactions. You want to leave out the stuff the reader is going to skip, anyway.
Happy New Year to All!
December 26, 2014
How many books are in the Lakeshore Chronicles?
One of the questions I get most frequently is “How many books are in the Lakeshore Chronicles series? In what order should I read them?”
Today’s plan: Stay inside where it’s warm and curl up with a good book.
You can read the books in any order because each book is a complete novel unto itself, but if you want to go chronologically (and if you’re a fan of the Daisy Bellamy storyline, I recommend this), it’s
1. Summer at Willow Lake
(a) “Homecoming Season” (a novella in the anthology MORE THAN WORDS: STORIES OF COURAGE)
2. The Winter Lodge
3. Dockside
4. Snowfall at Willow Lake
5. Fireside
6. Lakeshore Christmas
7. The Summer Hideaway
8. Marrying Daisy Bellamy
9. Return to Willow Lake
10. Candlelight Christmas
11. Starlight on Willow Lake
How many Lakeshore books will there be? Well, here’s a hint:
(This glimpse into the future comes to you courtesy of the multitalented Suzanne Selfors.)
December 23, 2014
happy holidays to all
Here’s Lenny in a Christmas sweater, ca 1985 (I kid you not). It was the sweater that refused to go away. So Jerry re-purposed it. Lenny is feeling as warm as a Christmas wish.
Santa on board
December 16, 2014
Cookie tiiiiime!
Mine never look this beautiful. Image from hdwallpapers.com
This is the only cookie recipe I’ve ever committed to memory. These are pretty much the best rolled cookies there are. I used to call them “Sailboat Cookies” because for some reason, I was in possession of only one cookie cutter, and it was shaped like a sailboat.
1-1/2 cups pure unsalted butter at room temp
1-1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups flour
(You can add optional flavorings like lavender, almond oil, lemon extract, etc.) Cream the butter together with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, then salt and flour. Roll and cut. Don’t make these too thin, because they’re very tender and will break (see below). Make them nice and thick. Lay on ungreased parchment lined baking sheets and bake at 325F for about 10 minutes, just until they start turning brown at the edges. Frost with your favorite icing or make a glaze of confectioners sugar mixed with an egg white. Sprinkle on colored sugar. 
December 12, 2014
deck the halls
This is ridiculous. You’ve been warned.
December 10, 2014
such a deal
Hey gang! It’s a winter romance with a bakery. And recipes. And it’s $1.99. Enjoy!
The Winter Lodge
By Susan Wiggs
From a #1 New York Times bestselling author who “paints the details of human relationships with the finesse of a master” (Jodi Picoult): After a fire destroys Jenny’s home, she finds one of her grandfather’s belongings among the wreckage — and sets out on a journey to find love and fulfill her dreams.
$1.99
Originally: $7.99
Get Deal:
Deal ends: December 15
December 4, 2014
baking for the right-brained
From the Gundersen family right-brained recipe file. No cookie cutters required!
Christmas Morning Plum Bread
2 c. self-rising flour
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
1 c. oil
3 eggs
2 jars baby food plums
Dump everything in a bowl and beat with mixer. Pour batter into oiled and floured pans. Makes 2 medium loaves, 4 mini loaves or one bundt pan. Bake at 325-350 for 50 min. to 1 hour.
Intensely Flavored, Moist Gingerbread
I adapted this from the Splendid Table website. I cannot tell a lie–I simplified it, increased the sugar and added the candied ginger and cayenne pepper. It’s pretty much the best gingerbread ever.
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup chopped candied ginger
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
3/4 cup molasses (dark corn syrup works, too)
3/4 cup very hot water
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
Preheat oven to 350°. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with waxed paper (you can also use 2 loaf pans or 4 mini loaf pans), coat with nonstick spray and dust with flour. Beat together the butter, molasses, hot water and brown sugar. Beat in the egg and quickly add the rest of the ingredients, stirring until blended. Pour into pans. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool on a rack in the pan.
November 13, 2014
sharing the light
Hi friends,
I almost never pass along email notes, but I love LittleSun and the good they are doing around the world, so I wanted to share this newsletter. With the holidays coming up, you might be thinking about the perfect stocking stuffer. This is it!
Love,
Susan
Dear Little Sun friends,
With this one-time only email, we would like to take the opportunity to thank you for supporting us in bringing light to the 1.2 billion people in the world without access to electricity by having purchased Little Sun solar lamps from our online shop!
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November 12, 2014
THE GENIE KNOWS YOU!!!
Silly fun! You can play this game where you think of any character, real or not real, alive or dead, movies, TV, books, real life, and it will guess who you’re thinking of.
AND IT KNOWS ME! http://en.akinator.com/ Thanks to Elizabeth the smartypants for the heads up.
August 20, 2014
these BEES are having a BALL
So the good readers at Mineral County Public Library in Superior, Montana had a real Beekeeper’s Ball. They read the book and then had a picnic featuring the menu of recipes from the book. OMG, I am over the moon! Every writer dreams of a group of readers, sharing food and stories and laughter on a beautiful summer’s day. Please enjoy these shots of their own private Beekeeper’s Ball.
A perfect setting. Could be the cover of one of my books.
Tables were set up around the hostess’s yard. If there is a more gorgeous place than Montana, I’ve yet to see it.
Some of the gals.
Book marks made by one of the book club members.
honey lavender lemonade, piernik, vincotto over salad greens..all recipes from the novel
Honey Butter Fried Chicken. The best four words in the book.
summer fruit with honey dressing, Hummingbird Cake
Bee Sting Cake. Can these ladies cook, OR WHAT? I love the fine china they used.
I will treasure this thank you note always!
Food, fun and friends. There’s nothing better. Thank you, ladies, for sharing these images of your own BEEKEEPER’S BALL!
Note to book clubs! If you would like to receive a Book Club Care Package, send a note to susanmwiggs (at) gmail.com and we’ll set you up.
