Katheryn Lane's Blog, page 17

'The Help' and Chicken Salad

I recently read 'The Help', the bestselling novel about women living Mississippi in the 1960's and if you haven't read it, do so NOW!  It's the best thing I've read in months, or maybe even years.  Several key scenes in the story are set in the kitchen (this is about women the 1960's after all) with 'the help' making all sorts of delicious food, such as fried chicken, pie etc (there's a hilarious episode about a chocolate pie, but I wouldn't say what it is in case you haven't read the book as it would spoil the story). 

However, one thing that is not mentioned is chicken salad which surprised me as I always thought that chicken salad was a staple of Southern cooking, especially for 'light' lunches.  Maybe someone could enlighten me on this?  Did I miss the section with chicken salad in it?

Despite the apparent lack of chicken salad in the book, I felt the urge to make some.  Here's my version which is very loosely based on my mother's.

Ingredients4 cups cooked chicken cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup seedless white grapes cut in half
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup toasted pecans (if you can't get pecans, you could use toasted almond slivers, or walnuts)Dressing
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup plain yogurt or single cream
1 teaspoon French (Dijon) mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper

(All measurements are very approximate and can be increased or decreased depending on taste) In a large bowl, mix all the salad ingredients together except the nuts.  In a separate dish, mix all the dressing ingredients together, pour over the salad and mix well.  Chill before serving.  Serve on lettuce with the nuts sprinkled on top (if you add the nuts too early they can become soft).

Very simple, very tasty!

An interview with author, Christy English

I am thrilled to be interviewing historical romance writer, Christy English, author of 'The Queen's Pawn' and 'To Be Queen'.

First of all Christy, can I ask how you become an author?I have been a writer all my life, but about ten years ago it occurred to me that some people actually sell what they write. So I began working on becoming a better writer so that I could be one of them.
I went to writing classes and writers' conferences, and I learned a lot from each of them, but ultimately it comes down to me, my computer and sitting down to work. The only way to become a better writer is to keep writing. And keep reading...other writers are our best teachers.

You have written two acclaimed novels about Eleanor of Aquitaine, 'The Queen's Pawn' and 'To Be Queen'. What first drew you to Eleanor?

I met Eleanor of Aquitaine when I was writing about her son, Richard the Lionhearted and Princess Alais during the first version of THE QUEEN'S PAWN. In the original conception, Eleanor was not a lead character but as I continued to work with the book and revise it, Eleanor just slowly took over. And I am so glad she did. I am completely fascinated by her. What an amazing woman.

What do you admire most about her?

The most impressive thing about Eleanor is her courage and tenacity. No matter what adversity she is faced with, and she faces a lot of pain in her very long life, she never gives up. Always, Eleanor looks at the world as it is and faces what she sees without flinching. Then and only then does she decide how to act. She will wait decades for what she wants, so in the end, she often wins.

Is there anything about her that you don't like?

No. I adore her. I know that she isn't perfect...it's hard for me to even say those words (laughs out loud) I know that she is a hard woman, but I love her for that hardness. She faces very difficult political realities, being a woman in the medieval period, and she deals with every obstacle in her path with grace and skill. I really admire her.

Some of the lines in your books are very memorable, such as 'Today was a day for witches and water' (Chapter 9, 'To be Queen'). Where do you get your inspiration from?

Eleanor is my inspiration. I tend to be a very flowery writer. My first novel, THE QUEEN'S PAWN is much more flowery in its imagery than TO BE QUEEN. Though I slipped in some imagery such as the phrase you mention, Eleanor kept me from becoming too colorful in my metaphors. And I think the book is better for it. Imagery is such a wonderful way of describing a place, of making people and places come to life.

I believe you are working on several projects at the moment. Could you tell us something about them?I am writing a romance series for Sourcebooks Casablanca of re-tellings of Shakespearean comedies set in Regency England. I am having a blast. The first novel is a re-telling of THE TAMING OF THE SHREW titled simply THE TAMING. In my version, the couple gets married early on in the book and has to learn to live together as equals. Not an easy task.

What advice do you have for any aspiring authors?

Keep writing. No matter what anyone else tells you, no matter how discouraged you get, please stay in the chair. No one can tell your story but you. If you do not tell it, your story will be lost forever. So please persevere. Don't give up. We need your story. There can never be enough stories in the world...readers will always want more.

Katheryn thank you so much for letting me do this. I have had a ball!

Thank you very much Christy for taking the time to chat with me.  It's been great hearing about you and your work. Please let us all know when 'The Taming' comes out.  I can't wait to read it!
Christy's novels are available at www.Amazon.com and www.Amazon.co.uk

Widowed to an author

My husband is a very patient man, luckily, but at times I do feel that he is a bit of an author widow, left on his own to watch TV and go out alone to see his friends while I tap away on the computer (like I'm doing now).  I'm sure he's not the only one out there.  There must be hundreds, perhaps thousands (millions?) of other husbands and wives like him who wonder why they married an author.  I haven't yet shown him this list that I found the other day on Lili Tufel's blog as it might be a bit too close to the bone for him, but personally I found it hilarious.  I'm reproducing here with Lili's kind permission.


Number 10:
Your spouse refuses to get dressed and claims that the writing is better while wearing pajamas.
Number 9:

Your spouse gets upset because the cat has managed to change all the settings on the keyboard.
Number 8:

Your spouse takes notes while watching television because even a duel between the red-back spider and the bull ant can make a great action scene.

Number 7:

Your spouse stops you mid-conversation and says, "This is great dialogue."
Number 6:

Your spouse has a bad day but doesn't take it out on you, instead there are new characters to harass, torment, and kill.
Number 5:

You catch your spouse checking his/her Amazon page for the fifth time today.
Number 4:

You meet someone new … and as your spouse shakes her hand you hear, "What a beautiful name! That's my protagonist's name."

Number 3:

You find your spouse crying because someone has just died and you know you have to ask if that person is real or imaginary.
Number 2:

You come home and see that she's made dinner … you don't know what it is, but it has a great title. – Robert Tufel (my husband)
And the number 1 sign you're married to an author is:
You find questionable items on the Google search history: "detonator, fertilizer, FBI protocol, properties of acid, violent chemical compounds" - Nicholas Denmon

Thank you to Lili Tufel for letting me reproduce her blog article here.  Lili is the author of the #1 Smashwords bestseller SAND, a thriller also available from Amazon – check it out!

Lastly, to all the author husbands and wives out there, a huge thank you for all your love and patience!   

Stephen King on how to be a bestselling author

Stephen King is one of the world's bestselling authors and although I'm not a reader of horror, I couldn't help but think that his book, 'On Writing', might be worth a look and I was right.  The first half is mainly about his journey as a writer (a short autobiography) and the second part is advice on how to write.  I found both parts fascinating (you wouldn't believe how many rejections he received before he finally got published).  If you're an author, a Stephen King fan, or just someone who's interested in how one man became a bestselling writer, this book is a must-read.

Mae West - a great movie star

Love the hat!
A while back, I posted a couple of Mae West quotes and this picture on Facebook and ever since I've been meaning to say just a tiny bit more about about her. 
Mae West (1893-1980) was a great movie star and I love watching her films which are now famous for her one-liners, many of which she wrote herself.  Here are some of my favourites (from Wikiquote) that always make me laugh:
Goodness had nothing to do with it, dearie. Response to an exclamation, "Goodness! What lovely diamonds!" in Night After Night (1932). She later used Goodness had nothing to do with it as the title of her autobiography (1953).Why don't you come up sometime and see me? ... Come on up, I'll tell your fortune. She Done Him Wrong (1933)Is that a pistol in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me? She Done Him Wrong (1933)When I'm good, I'm very good. When I'm bad, I'm better. I'm No Angel (1933)[1]I used to be Snow White, but I drifted. I'm No Angel (1933)[1]Between two evils, I generally like to pick the one I never tried before. Klondike Annie (1936) Sometimes quoted as: "When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I've never tried before."[2]A man in the house is worth two in the street. Belle of the NinetiesIt's not the men in your life that matters, it's the life in your men I'm No AngelWhen women go wrong, men go right after them. She Done Him Wrong[3]I other thing I love about Mae West was that she proved that you could be a sex symbol without being a size 0 (or even a size 4, 8 or even 10!)

His Leading Lady - Romance in the West End of London

We LOVE the West End of London - nothing like a great play, ballet or opera - and here's a book based on some of the behind-the-scenes drama, HIS LEADING LADY by Paula Martin.
This is the Amazon product review:
Jess Harper's predictable life is turned upside down when she discovers that Lora, her twin sister, has disappeared. It's just a week before rehearsals are due to start for a new West End musical in which Lora has the lead role. Jess decides to pose as her sister in order to save Lora's career. This brings her into close contact with arrogant theatre director Kyle Drummond. Attraction sparks between them but there's also evidence that he had been dating Lora. So is Jess simply a substitute - in real life as well as in the show? And what will happen when Lora eventually returns?
This is what the reviewers say (and there are HEAPS of great reviews!):His Leading Lady is the perfect e-read for summer, whether you are waiting for kids at swimming lessons or relaxing on the beach. Paula Martin knows theater, and she's created an exciting backdrop for a sizzling love story. alsoI will be quite honest and say that I was taken in by the first chapter and it was hard to put my Kindle down until I'd finished reading the entire novel!! Paula has brilliantly written a page turner that dives the reader head first into romance, intrigue and mystery, set in England's Theatrical West End.

What do I say:London - what a great place!  The world of the London West End sounds like a wonderful setting for a story.  The reviewers love it and I'm sure I will too!

The Stage Door - Romance in the West End of London

We LOVE the West End of London - nothing like a great play, ballet or opera - and here's a book based on some of the behind-the-scenes drama, HIS LEADING LADY by Paula Martin.
This is the Amazon product review:
Jess Harper's predictable life is turned upside down when she discovers that Lora, her twin sister, has disappeared. It's just a week before rehearsals are due to start for a new West End musical in which Lora has the lead role. Jess decides to pose as her sister in order to save Lora's career. This brings her into close contact with arrogant theatre director Kyle Drummond. Attraction sparks between them but there's also evidence that he had been dating Lora. So is Jess simply a substitute - in real life as well as in the show? And what will happen when Lora eventually returns?
This is what the reviewers say (and there are HEAPS of great reviews!):His Leading Lady is the perfect e-read for summer, whether you are waiting for kids at swimming lessons or relaxing on the beach. Paula Martin knows theater, and she's created an exciting backdrop for a sizzling love story. alsoI will be quite honest and say that I was taken in by the first chapter and it was hard to put my Kindle down until I'd finished reading the entire novel!! Paula has brilliantly written a page turner that dives the reader head first into romance, intrigue and mystery, set in England's Theatrical West End.

What do I say:London - what a great place!  The world of the London West End sounds like a wonderful setting for a story.  The reviewers love it and I'm sure I will too!

J K Rowling's doing it, I'm doing it, are you?

J K Rowling and I actually have a few things in common, such as the fact that we have both lived in Edinburgh and we have both taught abroad.  The latest thing that we now share is that we both believe in publishing our books as ebooks.  According to a recent press conference at the Victoria and Albert Museum (a great museum by the way - more on that another time maybe) J K Rowling said, 'I wanted to give something back to the fans that have followed Harry so devotedly over the years, and to bring the stories to a new digital generation.' 
Basically, from October it seems like the whole Harry Potter series will be available as ebooks.  This is great news for all people who have gone into a bookstore to buy the one book that is missing from their collection only to find that it is the one book that the shop does not stock (I have 2 boys and this has happened to me several times - let me just say that there were tears).
Hopefully J K Rowling and I will continue to share many more things in common in the years to come. . . 

Eleanor of Aquitaine - Great historical romance

'The Queen's Pawn' and 'To Be Queen: A Novel of the Early Life of Eleanor of Aquitaine' by Christy English both deal with Eleanor of Aquitaine.  Eleanor was a woman who lived at the time of Robin Hood and was the wife and mother of many kings, including King John ('bad King' according to '1066 and All That') and Richard the Lionheart.
This is what the Amazon product review says about 'The Queen's Pawn':
A historical novel of the legendary Eleanor of Aquitaine and the one person she loved more than power-her rival for the throne. At only nine, Princess Alais of France is sent to live in England until she is of age to wed Prince Richard, son of King Henry II and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. Alais is an innocent pawn on the chessboard of dynastic marriage, her betrothal intended to broker an uneasy truce between the nations.

Estranged from her husband, Eleanor sees a kindred spirit in this determined young girl. She embraces Alais as a daughter, teaching the princess what it takes to be a woman of power in a world of men. But as Alais grows to maturity and develops ambitions of her own, Eleanor begins to see her as a threat-and their love for each other becomes overshadowed by their bitter rivalry, dark betrayals, conflicting passions, and a battle for revenge over the throne of England itself.
This is the Amazon product review for 'To Be Queen':With captivating and lyrical prose, the author of The Queen's Pawn delves into the early life of the legendary Eleanor of Aquitaine...Duchess at fifteen, Eleanor of Aquitaine marries the King of France. But will she find that she must pay too high a price to be queen?

Although Louis VII is enamored of his bride, the newly crowned king is easily manipulated by forces in the Church. Trapped in a loveless marriage, Eleanor fights for her freedom and for the love of her life. In the arms of Henry of Normandy, Eleanor may finally find the passion she longs for, and the means to fulfill her legacy as Queen.
What the reviewers say:"An astonishing debut! Christy English spins an unforgettable tale of dangerous splendor..." --C. W. Gortner, author of THE CONFESSIONS OF CATHERINE DE MEDICI
"...Treachery, betrayal, lust-and an unusual and compelling love story, beautifully told." --Karen Harper, author of THE QUEEN'S GOVERNESS "... one of the best written and captivating historical fiction novels of the year... "To Be Queen" is a historical fiction novel you will not want to miss!" --Pittsburgh Historical Fiction Examiner
What I say:Eleanor of Aquitaine was an amazing woman.  If you love the Tudors and Robin Hood, have a look at some medieval romance and intrigue.  Get both of these books and read them! 

Big Backpack - Little World. Travel writing from an inside point of view

Personally I love to travel, but there is so little (holiday) time and it's such a big world.  However, for a bit of armchair travelling, here's a book from someone who has really seen the world from a local point of view: BIG BACKPACK - LITTLE WORLD by Donna Morang.


The is what the Amazon product review says:In 2000 Donna Morang sold all her earthly possessions and left the United States to teach ESL (English as a second language). Join her as she travels to three continents, and twelve countries. Step into her classroom and teach English in Mexico, Nicaragua, Colombia, and Vietnam, or vacation with her in Spain, Thailand, and Cambodia. Fall in love with her students learning English, the special street kids, some crazy bartenders, and fellow backpackers. Meet new friends and hear their stories, or laugh with a romantic man or two from around the world. Venture into the countryside to dance with local people, drink moonshine, explore caves, fish for marlin, catch buckets of squid, or squirm as she eats strange bugs and worms. Hold her hand as she explores new city streets and countries-- often lost, once robbed, or tremble when guns are pointed at her, as she crosses one more border. Donna Morang, teacher and traveler has done this and more with a smile and a gusto for life. She definitely knows how to experience life as a true adventurer. This book is NOT about a woman going in search of herself, or looking for a better life. She already knows that life is beautiful, and she lives it to the fullest
This is what the reviewers say:We have just thoroughly enjoyed this book.Cottentop has a real fun, interesting life story that only a tough Montana gal can tell. Donna we just loved your book. Thanks
What I say:Sounds like 'Eat, Pray, Love' without the sickly bits.  An interesting bit of travel writing!