Linda K. Sienkiewicz's Blog, page 62

Go ahead: get crazy with vegetables

Brussels Sprouts

They’re good for you!

Fact: Brussels sprouts, eaten steamed, can lower your cholesterol.

2014 was undoubtedly the year of the Brussels sprouts! They exploded on the food scene like mini green cannonballs, bouncinglike little darlingson the menus ofmy favorite metro Detroit restaurants, and getting front page features in Fine Cooking and Cooking Light magazines. My husband is a big fan of Brussels sprouts, andto makehim happy, I’ve been boiling, buttering and gagging on them for...

I Don’t Do Christmas Cookies

There are a dozen other things I’d rather do than bake Christmas cookies, including trimming my dog Clementine’s toenails, or possibly writing. It takes a lot to motivate me to bake or cook, and unless I’ve been tricked into having people over for dinner, I’d rather not, especially if the prep andcooking time involves over forty-five minutes,the meal has more than 3 ingredients, orrequires an extra trip to the supermarket.

Yet, I often thought it would be nice to surprise friends and family by...

What’s the Difference between a Small Press and Indie Press?

Is there a difference between asmall pressand anindiepublisher? Or are they the same thing?

At one time, small press and independent (indie) press meant the same thing:a publisher that is independently owned,and operates independent of large publishing corporations.More and more, though, writers say their books are “indie published” instead of using the term “self-published.” An author whose lagging sales meant her big-name publisher was less than interested in her new work decided to “go indie...

No Elf on the Shelf

I didn’t know whatThe Elf on the Shelf® was.I was sharing a funny picture with my grown daughter that reminded me of how my toddlergrandson can make my 6 year old granddaughter scream. My daughter explained one of the rules is you can’t touch the Elf, so, to a little girl who believes, what happened in the pictureis devastating.

I have since learned thatthreat of getting a lump of coal in your stocking from Santa Claus is not enough to keep children in line,not since the creation ofThe Elf on...

The Saffron Crocus – Award Winning YA Historical Fiction – Cover Reveal!

I’m thrilled to share in the cover reveal for The Saffron Crocus, written by friend and fellow Stonecoast alum, Alison McMahan. It’s fitting thatAlison’s beautifulnovel, and thewinner of the2014 Rosemary Award for Best Historical for Young Adults, would have such an extraordinary cover, created byartist MishiBellamy.

Cover artist,MishiBellamy,divides her time between India and France, where she has her own art gallery, theAtelier des Colombes. The beautiful crocus brooch, on the cover ofThe Sa...

Nifty Gift Ideas for the Writer in your Life

It’s that time of year again, where you bang your head on the wall to come up with the perfect gift. I think I’ve outdone myself in this collection ofuniqueChristmas orHanukkah gift ideas for the writer in your life, or for you writers to put on yourwish list:

Every writer needs to be comfy at home in order to write well. Denise Duhamel saysin her poem “How Much is this Poem Going to Cost Me” -I need to be comfortable–a sweat shirt and sweat pants,which used to be cheaper before everyone start...

The Risk in Writing Unlikable Characters

What kind of fictional characters do readers enjoy most? Good-hearted people who somehow find themselves in trouble? Or shady characters who create mayhem? Likability in fictional characters can be a complicated matter, especially for a writer.In an essay from last year, author Jennifer Weiner noted that some writers are being urged by their agents and editors to make their charactersmorelikable, in the interest of sales. Yet, writer Mohsin Hamid confesses,“I read fiction to fall in love. And...

Smile! Time for your Mammogram

Last week I had the cheeriest mammographer ever. I’llcall her Madge. Madge was wide-eyed, loud and over-animated, full of witticisms as she told me where and how to stand, how to lean, which way to turn, and where to put my arm as she pushed mybreast where it needed to be on the mammography machine. I understand she was attempting to easemy discomfort at beingbare from the waist up and having my body parts shoved betweencoldplastic plates, but she was a bit much.Maybethe mammographer should a...

What is a Productive Day for a Writer?

How would you, as a writer, quantify a productive day? Do you base productivityon word count, or something else? On Pinterest, which is turning out to be an inspirational hangoutfor writers, I found an interview with Karen Russell in the Daily Beast. Russell’sfirst novel, Swamplandia!, was a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize, and she now has a second novel. I’m always up for learning how successful writers write.

Noah Charney, the interviewer, askedRussell:How much do you have to write, in...

A Male Horse in the Nude

My granddaughter, L, had brought a coloring book of horses to amuse herself in a restaurant, so she and Icolored a picture together while we waited for our food. I loved coloring as a child. I still enjoy the soothing sweep of a crayon against the soft toothinessof coloring book paper.

L seemedstartled to see I’d colored the hooves of one horse a bright blue.

“Why did you do that?” she asked, looking puzzled.

I shrugged. “I thought it wouldlook goodon her. Wait… I think this isa boy horse,”I sai...