Marian Allen's Blog, page 454
November 10, 2011
The Sadness of the Dog
Joe - click to enlarge image - click back arrow to return to post
Long-time readers know all about Joe, from his hosta adventures, his shameful Bubbles White Schmeltz adventure and as cover boy for LONNIE, ME AND THE HOUND OF HELL. So here's the thing: Joe is getting old. He's probably 11 or 12 now. He's a rescue dog, so I'm not certain, but it's around that.
Joe still acts a lot like a pup. He gets into trouble in an amusing number of ways. He barks at people he knows perfectly well and is as likely as not to ignore strangers. On an SAT test, the correct answer would be Joe is to Deer and Rabbits in the Garden as Politicians are to Lobbyists.
But. There are more white hairs around his muzzle than there used to be. He hasn't stopped jumping up on people because he's finally been trained but because he has arthritis in his hind legs. He relishes his food more in anticipation than he does in fact.
I've spoken to Oldest Grandson, whose dog he really is, and Oldest Grandson has asked me to take the dog to the vet for release when I feel the time is right. He doesn't want us to drag the dog through treatments or pain or debility.
But when is the time right? It's hard for the dog to get up, especially when it's cold. But, once up, he runs and frisks and leans against me for petting. When is the time right?
When is the time right?
WRITING PROMPT: Imagine a character with this question in his or her life, about an animal, a loved one, an enemy, him or herself.
MA
November 9, 2011
Why Women Kill – And Why They Refrain
So I'm in the home office, working away, and my husband sticks his head in and says, "How about some baked potatoes for supper?"
And I say, "Sounds good!" and continue working.
Fifteen minutes later, he sticks his head in again and says, "Did you think I was going to make them?"
o_O
However, when I went in the kitchen to get the potatoes going, though he hadn't even taken the spuds out of the pantry, he had prepared fried apples, which were happily cooking their hearts out.
Imma tell you about fried apples, in case you've never had them, but first a word about my recipes, which tend to be kind of Medieval.
Medieval cookbooks were not intended for the amateur, but for experienced cooks or for those under the guidance of experienced cooks. Details like whether to use salted or fresh meat, how much of anything to use, how long to cook something, or how to prepare the ingredients were left out, since the people using the recipes would either know those things or be able to ask someone who knew.
Instructions tend to say things like, "boil a good piece of beef as tender as you may", "chop it as small as you will", "boil it well until it is done", "strew it with sugar and spices enough", "salt it just right", and "when it be done, take and serve it forth."
Everyone I know who cooks a lot does the same thing. Ask for a recipe, and they either say, "…Recipe?" or they give one and then give so many possible variations you see the recipe as no more than a basic idea.
So here's a recipe for fried apples:
FRIED APPLES
Take as many apples as you will. Peel and core them and slice them thin. In a pan, melt a lump of butter the size of the end of your thumb. Put the apples thereto and strew with sugar and cinnamon enough. Cover and cook at medium low heat until the apples are tender. Remove the cover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is mostly gone.
Take and serve it forth.
WRITING PROMPT: Do you cook with a recipe, without a recipe, or not? Write a character who does it differently.
MA
November 8, 2011
Darting About
Yesterday, while Cedric MacKinnon was fascinating my readers, I was over at That Book Place interviewing Haley Elizabeth Garwood, author of The Warrior Queen series.
Today being Tuesday, I'm at Fatal Foodies, posting about mac & cheese — the kind I make, not the fluorescent orange kind.
I'm far behind on my NaNoWriMo word count, but not far enough behind to despair or, worse, be philosophical about it. Yesterday, I finally stopped playing around with the action figures and made something happen. Too far into the story to suit today's reader — or, more importantly, today's editor? Ask me if I care at this point. Go on, ask me. ~MA squeaks, "Do you care?" out of the side of her mouth.~ Well, I'm glad you asked. The answer is, "No. No, at this point, I don't. This is NaNo. I don't have to."
So Mamie and Florence — The Kitchen Bitches — made the first cut for the Cannibal Kitchen show. They're in the winners' hall with Bud Blossom (see here and here) and a bunch of new characters, and Carlton Cornflower, the town's sheriff-for-life, takes one of them out for questioning, then the rest are released. On the way home, the radio news says that the judges were all indisposed by something they ate.
Oops.
Been done, I know, but what hasn't?
WRITING PROMPT: How would your main character feel if something he or she served an important stranger disagreed with him or her? Would your main character have done it on purpose?
MA
November 7, 2011
Cedric Bares . . . er . . . TELLS All
Today, I'm pleased to welcome Cedric MacKinnon, Male Vampire Courtesan and Badass, to the dear old blog. Cedric is the point-of-view character in Denise Verrico's latest Immortyl Revolution series, MY FEARFUL SYMMETRY. If you missed the excerpt yesterday, here's a link to it.
Now, as more than one person has said, let's get to Cedric.
Tell us a little about yourself.
Click to enlarge, click back arrow to return to post.
I was born in Scotland and lost my parents at an early age. I grew up in a children's home and ran away to London when I was fifteen with dreams of becoming a rock star. Needless to say, that wasn't a great idea. I made my living on the streets selling the only thing I could. To make a long story short, rent boys in London have a 33% HIV infection rate, and I became a statistic. I turned to playing my guitar in the underground to supplement what I got from the government, and one night I encountered this lovely Indian gentleman–or so I thought. Raj made me the man I am today. That is to say, a vampire courtesan turned assassin. Complete sociopath, Raj.
Aside from those dreary details, I'm a musician and play the guitar as well as Indian instruments. My prized possession is a vintage Stratocaster. I love all kinds of rock music. My favorite artist of all time is David Bowie. Flashy clothes, fast cars and the latest electronic gadgets are my weakness—and beautiful lovers. I believe in spreading the wealth, so to speak.
What do you like best about your work?
I'm an adept of the ancient arts, which is an Immortyl temple artist in service to the Goddess Kali, but we're used as courtesans in political intrigues by the Chief Elder, Kalidasa. Hmm…the courtesan part was usually a drag, except for the singing and dancing. No one does a blues riff on a sitar like me. Music is my true passion. I'm in a new line of work now. Mia tells all about my exploits in Book Four, which we hope will be out in early summer. I take heads now instead of give…well you get the drift. I've had excellent teachers in New York. Mia is quite the swordswoman. Philip and Sheih have taught me martial arts. My dance training comes in handy here. They call me a living weapon. I rather like that.
It might be even more indelicate to ask what you like least about your work but, if there were one thing you could tweak … er … CHANGE, what would it be?
Too many uncongenial lovers, too many beds, too little rest. Lord Liu was the exception. He's a gentleman and knows how to treat a boy right. My official duty was to serve the Goddess Kali and bestow Shakti's blessings through an elaborate tantric ritual. During my training in the ashram, I told my guru and love, Sandhya, "I've been called many things in my time, but never a conduit of divinity". She wasn't amused and hit me on the back of the head with all her rings on. Ouch. Vampires aren't known for being gentle. Well, maybe those sparkly, wussy ones. The worst experience was when I had an encounter with a bloke who was once with the Spanish Inquisition. No Monty Python fun here. Torture isn't officially allowed on an adept, but with our new Rani, Giulietta, anything goes. The change I'd like to see is Giulietta's head at the business end of my knife.
Is there a Special Someone in your life?
Well, there are currently two. With my omnivorous nature it's rather difficult to settle. Mia is the earthly manifestation of Shakti in the form of Durga, and I'm her "tiger" servant. Grrr…we do get a bit rough sometimes. I love a strong woman. However, I must say that Lord Liu remains a powerful presence in my life. You've got to love a Chinese warrior from the former Han Dynasty turned scholar turned Immortyl elder. He's deep. And dare I say sexy?
Where do you see yourself five years from now? 10? 25?
Still young and beautiful, of course, but hopefully wiser. With my new line of work, it's hard to say whether I'll be around in 10 or 25 years. I'm on a secret mission at the moment. So, I can't say exactly what I'm about—or as you Yanks say—what I'm up to. If I survive this mad quest, I hope to aid Mia and Kurt in their mission to find a cure for this condition that makes us perish in the ultraviolet and addicted to blood.
Bonus question: Do you have any words of advice to young people wanting to go into your line of work?
Just say no. Don't run away from home and live on the streets as a prostitute, don't become a vampire and above all, don't kill people for a living. I'd much rather be the front man for a band.
Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to speak with us today, Cedric. We hope to see more of you … I mean of your character.
A boy becomes a vampire and fights to become a man.
Title: My Fearful Symmetry
Author : Denise Verrico
Genre: Urban fantasy
Format: Print and multi format ebook
Links to buy:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/nu811n
Nook: http://bit.ly/qnnjaZ
B&N Paperback: http://bit.ly/qdm73e
Omnilit: http://bit.ly/p25o2x
Allromance: http://bit.ly/paIPje
Fictionwise: http://bit.ly/Oe
Link to trailer for first two books of the series:
website: www.deniseverricowriter.webs.com
Blog: www.ImmortylRevolution.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/deniseverrico
Facebook fan page: http://on.fb.me/pwZB5L
Follow Cedric on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/ozVCZq
Cedric on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/cedricmackinnon
WRITING PROMPT: Who would your main character most like to kill?
MA
November 6, 2011
#SampleSunday – Two Excerpts For The Price Of ONE!!
First, in further reparation for my having forgotten to post Cedric's interview on Halloween, I'm posting an excerpt from Denise Verrico's book about him AND his interview, instead of one or the other. The interview will run tomorrow.
Second, I have an excerpt from "Evergreen Gaze", the winter holiday story in Alliteration Ink's SPEC THE HALLS anthology.
Cedric first, which I'm sure pleases him.
A boy becomes a vampire and fights to become a man.
Urban fantasy
Excerpt from MY FEARFUL SYMMETRY by Denise Verrico
Click to enlarge, click back arrow to return to post.
I reached for the golden door to the ashram, only to crumple to my knees again swooning and dizzy. With the last of my strength, I inched my way on my belly across the open courtyard to my room. The sky above turned from black to purple to lavender. In another thirty minutes, the rays of the sun would cook my tattered flesh into Bolognese. It seemed like a good idea. I collapsed against the paving stones. Deep inside of me a voice called my name—only it wasn't my name.
Shardul!
I lifted my aching head. The sacred spring lay between my room and me. The Goddess stood sentinel above the pool. Hers arms beckoned. The waters hastened healing. I pulled myself over and eased in, letting the water bathe my broken skin. It stung and burned, but at least I knew that I was still alive.
Kali's black face looked down. Her long tongue stuck out as if to taunt me.
I clung with what strength remained to the pool's stone edge. "Is this what you mean about the tyranny of the flesh?" But she didn't answer. She remained silent and oblivious as death. "Bitch…" I lost my grasp on the lip of the pool and slipped below the surface, still gazing into her unseeing eyes.
I thrashed, but couldn't pull myself to the surface. My body sank like a stone. Water filled my throat and nostrils. Consciousness dissipated into an explosion of dots, like colored pixels. My Mum's voice floated in my head.
Hush a bye, don't you cry
Go to sleep my little baby
When you wake, you shall have
All the pretty little horses…
The wavering image above me dissolved into golden skin and waves of dark hair. The Mother reached out two arms and pulled me from the water. The avatar's supple, golden form suggested Parvati, consort of Lord Shiva. An aura of pulsating color surrounded her. I sputtered and coughed the liquid out of my lungs, collapsing into my benefactor's arms. My head rested against a bosom soft and rounded, not hard and bony.
She lifted me as if I were a child, bearing me away to my room, and rolled me belly-down onto my bed. My head lay on its side. The hand stroking the wet hair away from my face felt warm. Lips full and red with blood kissed mine. Was this real, or was I hallucinating?
The Goddess anointed and bandaged my wounds. She pressed her own wrist to my lips restore me. Blood never tasted so sweet. Warm tears bathed my face as she kissed my mouth again, a sweep of silken hair brushing over my arm. As she drew back, my eyes focused and her image became clear.
A pained hiss passed my cracked lips. "Sandhya?"
Format: Print and multi format ebook
Links to buy:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/nu811
Nook: http://bit.ly/qnnjaZ
B&N Paperback: http://bit.ly/qdm73e
Omnilit: http://bit.ly/p25o2x
Allromance: http://bit.ly/paIPje
Fictionwise: http://bit.ly/Oe
The excerpt from "Evergreen Gaze" is temporarily parked on this page. When SPEC THE HALLS is no longer available, neither will the excerpt be, until it appears in another anthology or collection.
See you tomorrow, with an interview with the delicious Cedric!
WRITING PROMPT: Would you accept vampirism as the price of life? Why or why not?
MA
November 5, 2011
Good Advice for Anyone
I'm sending you to Jim Butcher's blog for great advice. Whether you're a generally struggling author, a NaNo sufferer or anyone facing a long hard row to hoe, this is the advice you need to read and heed. Here it is at Goodreads and here it is at LiveJournal. All his other entries are specifically writing-related, but anyone can take this entry to the bank of Who Am I And What Am I Doing.
Me, I'm going to take the advice, myself, and put my butt in that other chair — the one in front of my NaNo project.
See you tomorrow!
WRITING PROMPT: Give your most difficult character a pep talk. How does he or she react?
November 4, 2011
Beating Myself Up
Not really beat up. Result of a 2005 encounter with a parking lot. The parking lot won.
If I were still Catholic, I would go to confession and say, "My bad, my bad, my most grievous bad."
For the first time, I let one of my authors down. I was supposed to do an interview with Cedric MacKinnon, Male Vampire Courtesan and Badass from Denise Verrico's Immortyl Revolution series on Halloween, and I totally didn't. I had all the bits of the interview. I knew I was supposed to do it. I knew I was supposed to do it Real Soon Now and I was excited about doing it. But the day came and the day went and then I was like — sorry, Mom — OH, SHIT! (Mom says, "I wouldn't have in my hand what you just had in your mouth.")
Denise has forgiven me, and so has Cedric (though I suspect it's going to end up costing me a sparkly). I've featured Denise twice before, here and here, so she has some basis for forgiveness. Still, I thank her. The interview will run this coming Monday. Meanwhile, in partial reparation, all of today's recommendations are for Denise and Cedric.
The Immortyl Revolution web site promises vampires who do NOT sparkle, although Cedric may sport jewels and body glitter. "Immortyl Revolution vampires drink blood, have fangs and deal with mature conflicts and politcal struggles within their culture." Keep up-to-date on who's who and what's what with a background piece on the underlying lore at the base of Verrico's take on vampirism, a character list, videos, excerpts from all three books and artwork inspired by the series.
If you're on Facebook, you can find Denise Verrico and Immortyl Revolution there and you can subscribe to Cedric's Fan Page.
If you're on Twitter, Denise and Cedric are there.
If you just want to cut to the chase–so to speak–here's a page of buy links and links to reviews.
WRITING PROMPT: A character completely fails to meet an obligation. What is his/her reaction? What sort of repercussions (if any) does he/she face? Does reputation and past performance play any part in that?
MA
November 3, 2011
The Red Badge of Success
I've attended Magna cum Murder crime writing festival for many of its 17 years, but this was the first year I attended as an Author. My upgrade is thanks to Echelon Press' publication of FORCE OF HABIT, which is a crime/sf/farce. I got to be on two panels: Strangers On A Boat, under the moderation of Sarah E. Glenn, about putting a series character in an unfamiliar situation, with special reference to this year's One Festival-One Book selection, Agatha Christie's DEATH ON THE NILE; and, under T. Lee Harris' gentle guidance, the one on ePublishing.
So here are my badges of belonging: my red name tag and my bio in the program book. Yay, me!
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I'm also pleased to announce that SPEC THE HALLS is now available from Alliteration Ink Publishing as an electronic download only. SPEC THE HALLS is an anthology of spec-fic winter holiday stories. My own "Evergreen Gaze" is one of them. All proceeds from the sale of this anthology go to Heifer International, one of my own favorite charities. Please consider contributing to this fine cause, either by buying the anthology or by direct donation. My mother always buys a goat. We like to give bees.
WRITING PROMPT: Invent a winter holiday.
MA
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November 2, 2011
White Sauce Without The Murder
MURDER WITH WHITE SAUCE is the title of my NaNo novel this year. So, just in case you don't know what white sauce is, imma tell you.
In France, they call it bechamel, but it ain't a thing in the world but plain old milk gravy.
WHITE SAUCE
1 Tablespoon butter, oil, margarine or meat grease
1 Tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
Heat the butter (or whatever). Remove from heat and stir in the flour, mixing well. Return to heat and cook for a minute or so. Remove from heat and stir in milk. Return to heat and stir until sauce is thick and glossy.
If you want it thinner or thicker, adjust the proportions of milk and flour.
Cream will thicken more easily than low-fat milk.
Taste before you add salt and pepper, since the fat you start with will flavor the sauce you end up with.
You can add herbs and spices. You can begin with flavored oil or herbed butter. If you use spices, add them to the flour and toast them in the oil to release the full flavor.
Put some dill weed in with the milk and this is delicious over salmon.
A very versatile sauce.
WRITING PROMPT: How many ways can you combine "cat" with "white sauce"?
MA
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November 1, 2011
November Update – NaNoWriMo – Contest OVER
There's a new micro-flash on the Hot Flashes page, so check that out.
Today is Day One of National Novel Writing Month. I've made a less-than-auspicious beginning, having done fewer than 1000 words this morning. I like to get my allotted word count done before the day starts, so everything else I write is bonus, but that didn't happen this morning. Ah, well, I have the afternoon to make it up. And I like what I've done so far. Here is a link to my NaNo page.
The contest is closed. I'll use an automated number selector to choose the winners, contact them, and post them. But not right now. Soon. This week. Really.
I'm posting today on Fatal Foodies with a recipe for in-the-pumpkin "pie".
Now I'm plunging into the day and hoping for more NaNo words before the sun sets.
WRITING PROMPT: How does your main character feel about the day after a blow-out festival, specifically Halloween or a Halloween-type, if that's appropriate?
MA
