Valerie Davisson's Blog, page 3

My Secret Weapon!

NEW YEAR’S DAY IS BEACH DAY! I’m not sure when I started this tradition, but for years now when Jan 1 rolls around, I don comfortable layers and good walking shoes, load up a small backpack with essential supplies, then tuck myself into my car and drive to the nearest ocean. I’ve been fortunate to live within 5 to 30 minutes of the Pacific for years now. First, it was Laguna Beach in Southern California, this year I think I’ll try Beverly Beach here in Oregon, a five minute drive from here.

Not too many crowds to fight on New Year’s Day, so I often have the whole stretch of sand to myself. Once I find a comfortable spot, I settle in to think…and feel…to wait for whatever the natural world has to teach me. Sounds a little woo woo, I know, but I think I’m a hippie born a half-a-generation too late.

Once I’m feeling peaceful, I pull out the goals I wrote last year and see how I did. Write Logan Book 7? Check! Lose ten pounds? Check! (then gain half of them right back…ha) Learn to grow greens year ’round? 50% success rate on that one. Make a GoBag? Check!

Just making a list of goals doesn’t work for me, but I did find a goal setting and time management ‘system’ of sorts that does. I’ve used it now for over twenty years and still find it useful. It’s based on the Steven Covey concept that you will make more progress by spending your time on important and non-urgent activities (Quadrant 2) than by running around putting out fires (Quadrant 1), wasting time on unimportant things, or constantly being distracted and interrupted.

Take a look at the graphic below and make a blank one for yourself. Without judgement, for a week or so, track where you’re spending your time. It’s an enlightening exercise. It will quickly become apparent that if you spend more time in Quadrant 2, you will focus on what’s really important to you and won’t need to put out fires all the time. An ounce of prevention…

To take control of my year, I do an abbreviated version of his Roles and Goals activity. My roles include Writer, Business Manager, Wife, Family Member, Neighbor & Friend, Household $ Manager, etc.  If you have more than 7 roles, you may need to streamline your life a little!

I write where I want to be at the end of the year in each of those Roles. Using that as my guideline, I do a super quick Roles and Goals session with my calendar each week or month. For example, if I want to write Logan Book 8 plus a short story and five poems, I ask myself what i need to do this month or week in order to make that happen. I back plan. Yes, I am something of a nerd and love to do this! There’s something very satisfying about checking off tangible goals reached. If my goal is to have a stronger relationship with a distant relative, I schedule phone calls or visits or Family Facetimes. If I want to go on a 20-mile hike, I need to schedule training each week to increase my fitness or for me, either get that knee surgery or shorten my hike goal to 10 miles. Measurable and doable. That’s my motto.

On average, I usually achieve about 80-90% of my goals each year. I set the bar within reach and allow for interruptions and delays and setbacks. Sometimes I move a goal over to the next year if there is a major crisis like an illness or death in the family.

People always ask me how I managed to write books while I was working full time and keep writing them with a busy family schedule and a few minor health challenges, now. This has been my secret weapon!

If you have a big goal you’d like to achieve, I guarantee you this system will help you achieve it. If there’s one thing these past two years of Covid and all the other disasters have taught us, it’s that instead of just dreaming that Someday you’ll learn to play the violin, start taking lessons today! Share your progress and I will post!

 

 

 

 

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New Year’s Black Eyed Peas

ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT NEW YEARS DAY is enjoying a warm, delicious bowl of Southern Black Eyed Peas. Serve it with cornbread & greens and you’re off to a prosperous New Year! There are many versions, start with this basic one and add ingredients you and your family enjoy.

Ingredients

1 lb dry black eyed peas (may also use frozen)

1 medium chopped onion

1 or 2 meaty ham hocks (can also use ham bone or bacon)

Apple-cider vinegar

Water and/or chicken stock (3 parts liquid to 1 part dried blackeyed peas)

Salt and pepper

Directions

Rinse black-eyed peas in a colander and remove any debris.

Add peas to the pressure cooker along with the ham hock (or salted pork), onion, water, and apple cider vinegar.

Cook on High for 30 minutes, let it do a natural release (~15 min more)

Fluff up peas and Serve with cornbread, greens, and sweet potatoes.

This recipe is very forgiving-you can saute bacon or ham and onion first, then add the beans and liquid or add diced green peppers and tomatoes. Make your own version!

 

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Writing Fuel

COOKING KEEPS ME OUT OF TROUBLE when I’m not dreaming up trouble for Logan to get into. With Fall and Winter in the air, I was craving baked apples. The best variety of apple for this is a Rome Beauty, but you can’t find them in the grocery stores anymore. Apparently, they’re too much trouble to grow and ship, so most commercial farmers don’t bother with them.

BUT…! I found these Rome Beauties online. Kauffman’s, an Amish family fruit farm in Pennsylvania, packs and ships them right to your door! I got a box of 8 for a Christmas treat. Romes are too mushy to eat as is, but they make AMAZING baked apples!

Here’s the recipe I use:

INGREDIENTS

4 large Rome apples (or Jonathan in a pinch)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)

1/4 cup raisins, chopped dates or currants

1 T butter

3/4 cup boiling water

DIRECTIONS

preheat oven to 375

core apples and peel skin off the top in a ring

stuff apples with raisins and nuts, top with brown sugar and place a pat of butter on the top of each apple

Place apples in a baking dish

Pour boiling water into bottom of baking dish

Bake for ~30-45 min depending on size of apples (when fork goes in easily, they’re tender and done!)

Serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or just a few tablespoons of heavy cream poured over them.

MMMmmmmm!

 

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I AM THANKFUL FOR everyone from my editor and designer to...

I AM THANKFUL FOR everyone from my editor and designer to you, the readers, who keep Logan’s adventures coming! Taking a break to enjoy family, friends, and of course, the Thanksgiving Feast! Hope you are doing the same. Back at my writing desk next week!

 

The post first appeared on Valerie Davisson.

Who Knew?

THE THING ABOUT RESEARCH is the unexpected tidbit you learn along the way. Take my recent trip to the Cascade Raptor Center in Eugene, OR while researching a storyline for Book 8. The Executive Director, Louise Shimmel, arranged for me to spend time with several members of the staff, including Bird Curator, Kit Lacy, a serious young woman dedicated to the animals who knows her stuff. During our tour, she explained the use of leather jesses attached to the raptors’ legs to keep them from injuring themselves by flying up against the cage if they are frightened or startled. I saw eagles, several kinds of hawks, owls, and other really impressive raptors. Then we got to a less traditionally attractive bird.

“Except for these guys,” she added as we passed the turkey vulture enclosure.

My ears pricked up.

“Why not? Why don’t turkey vultures wear leather jesses?”

Kit hesitated, then said, “Well, turkey vultures defecate straight down their legs.”

Not sure how this explained anything, I waited. She then explained that urine and feces got caked onto the jesses, stiffening the leather and caused chafing and skin problems for the bird.

Cool! I love learning these weird things that are part of a world I would never know about if people weren’t so generous in sharing their time and expertise with me. I still have more questions. Questions are like that—one leads to another. How are turkey vultures configured anatomically that they poop straight down and other raptors don’t? Is there some kind of evolutionary advantage to pooping this way?

I’m still not sure how I’m going to use this bit of information in the book, but you can bet it’s going in!

Sometimes these become essential to the story. In Forest Park: A Logan McKenna Mystery Book 2, a man who did intake at the morgue explained to me how if you bend a corpse’s wrist, the hand opens. Try it on yourself. Make a loose fist, curl it towards your body, then with your other hand, flip your wrist back and voila! Your hand pops open! This detail determined a critical turning point in the murder investigation in that book.

Speaking of books…I need to get back to writing this one! Hope you are staying safe and sound out there, finding ways to stay sane amidst all that is going on in our world right now. Engage your mind. Develop a talent. Make some popcorn and watch an old movie. Get outside at least once a day. Have some fun! (Oh…and drink a lot of water and eat your veggies.)

 

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Owls, Mushrooms, and Music…Oh, My!

IN THE MIDST OF LOGAN’S NEW WORLD UP HERE ON THE OREGON COAST, I’m having a great time with background research for her ever-evolving story in Book 7.

I am continuing to learn about mushrooms, of course, that were introduced in the last book. So far, I’ve only braved collecting and eating two edible species: chanterelles and lobsters. Both were delicious! This lobster mushroom was my first and it was surprisingly crunchy and delicious, sliced and sauteed in butter and garlic. There is a large cauliflower mushroom growing on a log along the forest path behind my home, but so far, I’m just admiring it.

Need to verify that’s what it is for sure, and then find out what to do with it. Maybe in a soup? Anyone know?

I’m also learning more about the different types of owls that inhabit the coastal forest against which Logan & Ben’s new house is snugged. So far, I’ve seen a huge owl—with no ear tufts—perched high in the thin, bare branches of a winter alder. Very impressive. I think it was a great grey owl. Never seen one so huge.

Much more common are the barred owls. We have one here. They are apparently pushy creatures who are muscling into the spotted owls’ territory. Mixed opinions about these guys…not sure what Logan’s opinion will be

Happy Thanksgiving!

I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED THANKSGIVING because of its non-denominational, universal nature. Every culture and religion encourages gratitude. I am grateful for so many things, I can’t begin to list them here, but they include this amazing planet we live on, family, friends, education, art, animals, plants and so much more. And, since this is an author page, I am grateful in particular today for each and every reader who has purchased a book, taken the time to leave a review, or shared one of my stories with a friend.

You are appreciated!

So, however you are celebrating the holiday tomorrow—Zoom, masked, outdoors, indoors, alone, or with family and friends, may your Thanksgiving be warm and full of joy.

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Inspiration Alley

I DIDN’T PLAN IT THIS WAY, but moving to the Oregon coast meant moving Logan with me. As I explored my new neighborhood, which includes miles of paths through an old growth forest and a walking path along a rocky ocean cliff, new story lines and characters emerged as fast as the mushrooms each fall after a good rain.

I had originally intended on keeping the series down in Southern California, in Logan’s fictional home town of Jasper, but quickly realized I need to be physically in place when writing a scene. Even though I am very familiar with the sights and sounds of SoCal, the sights and sounds of the Pacific Northwest forest, ocean and beaches was much more immediate and essential. I have to immerse myself in a place. I need to touch, hear, see, smell, and feel my character’s environment in order to write a scene. And Oregon is full of fascinating new life. Well, new to me, anyway.

Right now, Logan still straddles both worlds, but more and more of the action is taking place near and around the central Oregon fishing towns of Depoe Bay and Newport, OR. For those of you who love stopping off at Tava’e’s for a giant cinnamon roll, great coffee, and maybe a game of chess with the chess queen herself, not to worry. Tava’e, Iona, and friends will pop up in future books and Jasper will always be home to Logan. And as of Book 6, her daughter, Amy and her little family still live there.

As readers know, I love research and in each book I explore one or two new areas of interest in more depth than I probably need for the story. But I can’t stop myself!

In SAFE HARBOR: Book 5, I dug into the local fishing community and developed a deep appreciation for the risks and inherent dangers taken in this life.  LIES THAT BIND: Book 6, I had a great time learning about mushrooms and local history—a discovery of an old still nearby set me off learning about 1930’s rum running in the area.

The research usually suggests story lines and I have a great time following those threads to see where they go. Without the help of experts who generously give their time to answer my many questions, none of these books would be possible.

SNEAK PEEK! I’m already exploring for Book 7…I’m thinking more mushrooms…owls…whale watching? Who knows what might be featured this time as Logan continues to grow and change in this next book.

 

 

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Writing in the Clutch of COVID…

There is much to say about 2020, but for this post, I’m going to ask readers how they want us, as authors, to write COVID into our stories set in this year? Do you want total realism, realism with a bit of blur when it comes to shut downs, masks, and scary death statistics, or leave it out?

What do you, as readers, want? I’m still struggling with what I want.

My last book, LIES THAT BIND: A Logan McKenna Mystery Book 6, was set on the cusp of the COVID crisis—January/February of 2020. Wavering on the teeter totter for a split second, I opted to leave the pandemic out of my storyline. The action wraps up in the Spring of 2020—so it was doable. I figured most readers had enough of reality in their every day lives and were seeking something of a reassuring escape in Mystery/Thriller fiction. And the timeline fit.

But now….I’m brainstorming Book 7, Logan’s next adventure, which will take place squarely in mid/late 2020, smack dab in the middle of our mask-mandated, quarantined, temperature-taking, politicized immediate lives. How do I leave this reality out of Logan’s world?

I’d like to hear your opinion. What would you like to read? A time without COVID, one referred to only in passing, or one that deals with all its gritty realities for Logan, law-enforcement and whatever other characters make it into Book 7? And what about politics? Do you want me to write in the 2020 election?

Comment, email, message…I’d like to know how much YOU want to know about the elephants in the room.

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Warm and Hearty Potato Soup

ALTHOUGH TODAY IS SUNNY, we had almost a month of rain here and it’s cold outside! Time for soup! This is a tried and true recipe I pull out every winter to warm the tummy and the soul. It’s fueled many a writing session and can be made from ingredients I usually have on hand. A versatile recipe, it can be tweaked for all the vegetarians or carnivores you may have at your table. (Just serve the bacon separately…) I always double the recipe—leftovers are always better than the first day for soups.

I’ve made this since the 70’s when I was in my “earth mother” phase.  Just serve with a tossed green salad, a crisp, dry, white wine, and some good, crusty bread to dunk.  Make dessert something simple, too, like poached pears, pomegranates, or berries and cream.

Ingredients

5 large russet potatoes — peeled and diced

3 leeks — up to 4 depending on size

3 1/2 cups water…to cover potatoes

1 1/2 cups whole milk (can use lactose free)

1/2 teaspoon caraway seed

2 tablespoons dill weed (fresh if you have it, freeze-dried if you don’t)

salt and pepper to taste

a few dollops of sour cream

butter

garnish: fresh chives, parsley or more dill

Directions

Peel potatoes. Wash leeks and chop them up well, discarding tough green ends. Cook vegetables together in boiling water about 1/2 hour until tender. Add milk, caraway seeds, dill, salt and pepper to taste. Let the soup simmer another 15 -20 minutes or until it begins to thicken and the potatoes begin to fall apart a little. Stir in a few tablespoons of sour cream and a tablespoon or two of butter. Let it all heat through and serve. Garnish with chopped chives, chives or parsley.

I saw the original recipe for this in The Vegetarian Epicure (a great little cookbook even if you’re not vegetarian).