Marian Allen's Blog, page 360
June 16, 2014
Writer’s Tools: Clothing
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It’s the turn of Clothing. I wrote before about my favorite food books for fiction writing, but clothing is fun to research, too. Not as much fun as food, because obviously. Best Clothing Resource Book EVER My one go-to book … Continue reading →
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June 15, 2014
Cosmo And Bud #SampleSunday
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Cosmo is a character who Came to me one day. I was surprised to learn that he was the son of one of my other characters, who works for the infamous Bud Blossom. Cosmo has turned up in quite a few Bud Blossom stories. This excerpt is from a story that tells how Cosmo and Bud first met.
Cosmo and BudI called in and told Bud I wasn’t coming to work.
He didn’t answer me when I said that, but I could feel his eyes burning through the telephone.
I knew he didn’t want to hear it, but I explained. I told him everything.
And he said, “You got problems. Sounds like you also need some income. You want to keep it, be here on time. Tell your mother to make you something special to eat for a change.”
He hung up.
I ask you, what could I do?
“Mom?” I rapped on her door. She didn’t answer. “Mom, I’m coming in.”
She was lying on the bed, on her side, staring at the night table.
“Mom, I’m going to work. You know what I’d really like? You remember that stuff you used to make with the roast beef and noodles and goopy sauce?”
After a few seconds too long, she said, “Stroganoff?”
“Maybe.”
“We don’t have any roast beef.”
“Could you maybe roast one?”
Her mouth twitched. Before Dad left, she would have laughed out loud.
“Please, Mom? I’d really like it.”
She nodded and sat up. It looked like the hardest thing she’d ever done.
We hadn’t hugged for a couple of years, because I thought I was too big to be hugging on my mommy, but we hugged then.
“I can taste that beefy goodness now,” I said. “See you later.”
It was hard to keep my mind on work. After I dropped the third salt shaker, I wasn’t surprised to find Bud glowering over my shoulder.
“You think salt comes free? You think I don’t have to pay for it, so you can pour it all over the table?”
Tears started coming out of my eyes and I couldn’t stop them. I didn’t blubber, but I couldn’t turn off the waterworks.
Bud just looked at me with that golden statue stare of his. He pulled out two chairs and sat down. A flick of his hand was his idea of inviting me to sit in the other one.
“Apparently, you think I’m an idiot, but I’m not,” he said. “People leave people. They even leave their children. They don’t honor their commitments. I don’t have a problem with that, especially if it’s me who’s doing it.”
Maybe he considered that funny. I didn’t.
He went on, and I thought he sounded faintly surprised, like he was just realizing something. “The people who get left behind feel pain.” He shook his head. “It happens. So what?”
“I’m worried about my mom.” As soon as I said it, I knew it was a lie. I wasn’t worried, I was terrified. My fingers flexed. If I’d had something sharp, I’d have cut myself anywhere she wouldn’t see it, telling any God who would listen that I was offering the pain and the blood as a trade for Mom being okay.
~ * ~
“The Catfish Enchantment,” the story this excerpt is from, appears in THE CORNER CAFE, a project of The BBTCafe Writers.
Sweet, dreamy, steamy, and sometimes slightly seamy, this multi-genre collection of short stories includes something for every taste. Prepared by the BBT Café authors: Marian Allen, Shonell Bacon, Karen Casey Fitzjerrell, W.S. Gager, Helen Ginger, Dani Greer, S.B. Lerner, Audrey Lintner, Morgan Mandel, Maryann Miller, Bodie Parkhurst, Bob Sanchez, Mary Montague Sikes, Red Tash, Christine Verstraete.
Read about it and sample it.
Buy it from Amazon for Kindle
or borrow it for free through KDP Select.
#File Size: 262 KB
#Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
#Language: English
#ASIN: B0085YDO7E
A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: Two different characters deal with depression in very different ways.
MA
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June 14, 2014
Artistic Katya On #Caturday
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June 13, 2014
Nuttin’ But Food!
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Food is for Wednesday, but I seem to be all foodified this week.
Food and FoodishnessFirst, Go visit The Gypsy Nesters, two Baby Boomers who are also Empty Nesters, traveling and sharing their discoveries. I’m sending you to a video they took of an awesome restaurant in Osaka, Japan, where everything is cooked and served on sticks. I’m like, “Oh, HELL, yeah!” Dude in the video pulled food off the stick and tried to eat it with chopsticks. “Whyyyyy??????” I would love that restaurant. I would be so OM-nom-nom-nom-nom!
It’s the Simplest Things is more of a food porn site for me. Beautiful food, but more complicated than I do things. I mean, a grape leaf? In dill pickles? A jar wrangler? But beautiful.
I just added the kitchn to my subscription list. Listen: 2-ingredient Nutella brownies. Yeah.
If you’ve known me for about fifteen minutes, I’ve probably told you that I started cooking when I was 13, using recipes from the backs of food packages like packages of noodles or cocoa or oatmeal. And I’m here to tell you that product websites still have some knock-out recipes. Earth Balance, for instance, the vegan margarine I like better than any non-vegan margarine I’ve ever had, has some great ones. Irish Cream Whiskey Brownies, anyone? STAND BACK AND DON’T GET IN MY WAY!!!!! ← (Five exclamation marks — Terry Pratchett says that’s sure proof of an insane mind.)
Are you drooling yet? I am.
While you’re at it, take a gander at COZY FOOD, the recipe book with dishes from 128 mystery writers (including me). If you buy the print version, the Kindle version is only 99 cents. As my grandpa used to say, you can’t beat that with a stick.
A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: Write something with food, whiskey, vegans, and a stick.
MA
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June 12, 2014
It’s Summerville A Week Early In Louisville
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What is Summerville?Saturday, June 14
at 10:00am – 3:00pm
South Louisville Community Center
Louisville, Kentucky 40208
Vendors and Awareness Programs from all around the State, and a few from out of State will be joining us to give you this great opportunity to explore new products and take part in specials!
~~~Come shop, treat yourself, and have fun!~~~
The following vendors will be with us:
Louisville Singles Events by Lauren Nichole; Thirty- one by Amanda Amy Williams; Scentsy by Ashley Oliver; The National Federation for the Blind – Louisville Chapter & Outreach with Melanie Peskoe; Lupus Awareness and Molly’s Fund with Ellasha Jean; Younique with Jessica Ravizee; Jamberry Nails by Amber Bohnen; Forevermore Event Service by Michele Moffitt; Body by Vi with Rob Wright; Paparazzi by Penny Sutton; Dove Chocolate Discoveries with Tammy Lane; Two Friends with a Lens by Natasha Epperson; Premier Designs with Tina Slone; Anna and Andrew With Impossible Fitness; Lights by Lisa with Lisa Livers; Pampered Chef by Cherry Cubbage; Plexus by Krystle Gordon McCalll; Damsel in Defense by Jennifer Hamilton Stidd; Origami Owl by Pam Cecil; For Tails only with Sarah Gerber; Three Fates Press/ Line by Lion Publications and Southern Indiana Writers with Marian Allen; Tastefully Simple with Marge Baker; It Works with Candice Joffrion; Lia Sophia with Katie Miller Howard; Pink Zebra with Judy Glasscock; Arbonne by Cathy Carroll Orr; Pure Romance with Eva Collins; Partylite with Karen Poppelwell; Avon with Christi Scovel; and Tupperware with Tamara Woods Ellzey!
I’ll be there with T. Lee Harris; we’ll be representing the Southern Indiana Writers Group, Three Fates Press/Line By Lion Publications, and she’ll also be representing her own Per Bastet. If you’re in the area, buzz on in and say howdy!
A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: A character celebrates the change of season early. How and why?
MA
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June 11, 2014
Hearty Salad #Vegan #Vegetarian #Anybody
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So we have a daughter who’s vegan, and Charlie asked her, “What do you EAT?”
Daughter and I just looked at each other before she answered him, “Vegetables. Grains. Beans. Fruit. Nuts. Eggs from my chickens. A little organic cheese.”
You’ll be proud to hear that I did NOT say, “The same things we eat.” I really did not say it. I deserve a medal. I mean, yeah, sometimes we fall off the turnip wagon and split a sausage patty, and I’ll eat anything that doesn’t run fast enough, but mostly we just don’t happen to meatify these days.
It’s weird. I was always like, “Vegans are so weird. There’s nothing to eat, if you don’t eat meat.” But most of what humans eat is not meat. What do you have for Thanksgiving? Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie. If you take away the meat, what’s left? EVERYTHING EXCEPT THE MEAT.
A Hearty Salad
Anyway, we had this hearty salad the other day. I used to think a salad was lettuce and tomato. Nothing else. Life with Charlie has taught me to get creative with salads and now I can make a meal fit for a longshoreman off of them.
Here’s the one we had: raw broccoli, sweet red bell peppers, mushrooms, lettuce, and vegan chicken-flavored strips (made of seitan, which is a wheat product). Delicious, and pretty, too.
A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: A father and daughter disagree about diet.
MA
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June 10, 2014
Where I’ll Be On Saturday, In Summerville!
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In Louisville, on Taylor Boulevard, back in my old stompin’ grounds.
Come to Summerville with me!
Saturday, June 14
at 10:00am – 3:00pm
South Louisville Community Center
Louisville, Kentucky 40208
Vendors and Awareness Programs from all around the State, and a few from out of State will be joining us to give you this great opportunity to explore new products and take part in specials! ~~~Come shop, treat yourself, and have fun!~~~
I’ll be there with T. Lee Harris; we’ll be representing the Southern Indiana Writers Group, Three Fates Press/Line By Lion Publications, and she’ll also be representing her own Per Bastet.
And now, hop over to Fatal Foodies, where I’m posting about Kale Soup.
A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: A character returns to the old neighborhood.
MA
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June 9, 2014
Patterns For Fiction
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By “patterns” I mean archetypal characters or stories. They’re used in non-fiction, too, especially in newspaper articles, ads, and political campaigns. Just for fun, be mindful of patterns and see how often you read an article about, say, the horse nobody thought was worth anything who turned out to be a great racehorse. Or, say, a guy who grew up dirt-poor who is now running for office.
So, for fun or for your use, here are some:
Patterns For Fiction (Or Non-Fiction)
Transformation
Royalty in Disguise
The Unjustly Persecuted
Triumphant Fool
The Maiden in Distress
The Animal Bridegroom (or Bride)
The Faithful Servant
The Tenacious Wife
The Clever Serving Girl
Brothers in Conflict
Winning the prize
Winning or losing the loved one
The blessing becomes the curse
Overcoming obstacles/Rising from the ashes/wasteland restored
The ugly duckling
The emperor has no clothes
Descent into the underworld
Redemption through sacrifice
Life from death (agriculture myths)
Blood is life
Nature cycles
Purification by water/fire
Dual unity
Father Sky and Mother Earth
The slaying of monsters
Least becomes greatest/triumph of the underdog/rags to riches
The Hero Journey
The Scholar who seeks to change the world through knowledge and technology
The Soldier who seeks to change the world through might and magic
The Politician who seeks to change the world through words and guile
The Priest who seeks to change the world through faith and vision
Trickster Hero
The Good King
The False King
The Misguided King
The Wicked Step/mother
The Brave Prince
The Evil Witch
The Good Fairy
The Talking Animals
Helpful Animals/Inanimate Object/Natural Forces
Wise Woman
Earth Mother
Shrew
The Madwoman
A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: Pick one of these patterns at random and use it in a story.
MA
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June 8, 2014
How To Make Holy Water #SampleSunday
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Lonnie calls Tiny in the middle of the night in this excerpt from “Lonnie, Me and the Hound of Hell” looking for advice. Tiny, as always, obliges.
How To Make Holy Water – “Lonnie, Me and the Hound of Hell” excerptby Marian Allen
The phone rang in the middle of the night. I checked the clock: just a little before three. My heart thudded like it always does when the phone rings after ten. Momma? Grandpa? Mary Lee’s sister, changing her mind about her wallpaper?
It was Lonnie, whispering so Leona couldn’t hear him.
“Tiny? Buddy? That dog is outside. He’s been out there, barking and whining and howling since dead midnight. I woke up and looked out the window and seen him down in the back yard. He looked up at the window here, and his eyes is glowing red!”
“That’s how dogs’ eyes do when the light hits them at night, Lon. Go back to bed.”
“How can I go back to bed, with that hell-hound prowling around out there?”
“Did Rocky ever come down out of the tree?”
“Yeah, he come down and come in, and he won’t go out. Oh, Lordy, I wish I’d never thought of that deal! Now the Devil’s gone and dumped this Beast on me that’s too mean for perdition! That’s what I get for rattling the Devil’s cage. It just serves me right. Oh, I am so sorry. Oh, what in the world am I going to do?”
I had my serious doubts that, if the Devil was going to dump a dog, he’d leave a note, especially not on paper, which is kind of well known for catching on fire. But Lonnie wasn’t in any state for logical arguments, so I said, “Make some holy water and sprinkle it around the doors and windows. He can’t get you, then.”
“Oh, yeah!” I could hear Lonnie thumping down the steps and wondered why he bothered to whisper. If Leona could sleep through that elephant stampede, she wasn’t likely to wake up if he yodeled, much less spoke out loud. Then he said, “Tiny?”
“Yeah?”
“How do you make holy water?”
“You take some water….”
“Yeah?”
“And you boil the hell out of it.”
There was silence.
“Swear to God. Some Catholic told me.” Okay, he told me as a joke, but Lonnie didn’t need nothing but comfort. This would give him something to do and make him feel better, and it wouldn’t hurt anything. Unless…. “Let the water cool down before you stick your fingers in it to fling it around.”
“Oh, yeah — Important safety tip. Thanks, buddy. You’re a life-saver!”
~ * ~
Yeah, Lonnie is a natural-born fool.
Just in case you take a notion to read more of the story:
Price $0.99
These are stories of animals and oddities–some definitely sf/fantasy, some, maybe not. IS the new dog in the neighborhood a hell-hound? Where was the cat all that time, and how did he show up where he did when he did? If there are aliens visiting us, maybe Cyrano the Lab and Fiona the Terrier did save alien life, and maybe Mr. Sugar, the elegant gay white Persian, really did save the DiMarco woman.
Seven of these stories are collected from previous print and online publication, and three are new.
Read about it and sample it.
Buy it for the Kindle at Amazon.
Buy it for the Nook.
Buy it for iTunes.
Buy it in other electronic formats at Smashwords.
A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: A friend calls a character in the middle of the night asking for help.
MA
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June 7, 2014
Katya Hard At Work
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Katya Graymalkin here.
Mom’s back-to-back blog challenges are over, and it’s back to the grindstone for poor me, blogging every Caturday again.
I must say, though, I enjoyed Mom’s writing stories about me on Saturdays.
The night air has been wonderful, and I’ve been enjoying it like this.
This way, I can smell anything interesting that goes by, but nothing can bother me, and I can stroll off and have some food or water, or curl up for a soft nap any time I want to. The best of both worlds. Charlie gets mad because I get paw-oil all over the windowsill, but what’s more important: clean windowsills or a happy cat? I ask you.
A happy cat.
See you next week!
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