Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar's Blog, page 3

Violence Against Women is a Men’s Issue

UNiTE to End Violence against Women

Where to Find a Detective’s Sidekick #nanowrimo2014

I’m twenty-three chapters into my first crime thriller. There’s seven more to go, and the falling action is as exciting as the setup. Hopefully this is the payoff readers are hoping for. In the meantime, allow me to introduce you to another member of our ensemble cast: Fatma, an enterprising student, on the verge of […]

Sunday Supper: Pasta with Cauliflower as White Sauce

Hubs loves roasted veggies. In our fridge, depending on the day of the week, there is at least one head of broccoli and cauliflower. The established flavor of roasted broccoli is a crowd favorite. Cauliflower is a taste I’m not as familiar with. Imagine my surprise at the creamy goodness of cauliflower sauce on pasta. […]

How I Wrote 20,000 Words in 15 Days

If you’ve heard of NaNoWriMo, then you know that 20,000 words isn’t that impressive. In actuality, someone writing 1,666 words a day should have 25,000 words in 15 days. But, as my students are fond of saying, I have a million things to do, so 20,000 is a goal post I’m willing to celebrate. This […]

Slower Cooker Root Stew for #Sundaysupper

We eat soup as often as we can in our house, regardless of the season. Now that cooler temperatures are in the air, even in the desert, soup will be on the menu two nights a week: the night it was made and the next day for leftovers. Tonight will be no exception with this […]

Wordless Wednesday: Making Peace with Suicide

An Arab Detective is Born During #NaNoWriMo2014

I’m doing #NaNoWriMo, that crazy month of writing pell-mell, towards the goal of a 50,000 manuscript by December 1st. This is my fourth time taking the plunge to write 1666 words a day. I’ve only ‘won’ or finished on time once and that was for the award winning novel Saving Peace. The very first time […]

#SundaySupper: Clean Out Your Cupboard Slow Cooker Soup

Cooler weather has found us, even in the desert. This time of year, I find the urge to eat soup every day and no room in the cupboard. That calls for an inventive soup in the slow cooker. I love crock pots because you can toss everything in with fairly little effort, leave it alone […]

Beginner’s Guide to Laos: The Opposite of Hate

I married a man who everyone assumes is Chinese because of the epicanthic folds of his eyelids. I didn’t know Laos was a country until I heard my husband explain over and over again that no, Laos was not another name for Cambodia. That was the beginning of the idea of a book, loosely based […]

Possible: A Surprising Health Care Model for Nepal

I generally have a policy to say yes whenever it makes sense. In the last week this led to my serving as an auctioneer for a breast cancer fundraiser, and also a guest at a dinner discussing health care experiences. The dinner was hosted by Possible, a non-profit that is offering high quality care to […]