Jenny Hale's Blog, page 11

Author Quick Chat with NY Times Bestselling Author RaeAnne Thayne

Being an author can be a solitary process. Wouldn’t it be fun if all of the authors could get together and have a quick chat about writing and life? Wouldn’t it be even more fun if you as readers could listen in? I thought so too. So I got together with some of my favorite authors—the first one is New York Times Bestselling Author RaeAnne Thayne. The two of us sat down for a little virtual conversation. Grab a cup of coffee and join us! We hope you enjoy this little glimpse into our world…

 A Conversation with RaeAnne Thayne

Jenny: One of the weird things that I need to give me the creative energy to write is a group of total strangers. I find that if I go out to a coffee shop to work, the liveliness around me gets my brain going. When I stay at home, all I think about is how I should probably unload the dishwasher.... Do you have any weird writing quirks?

RaeAnne: I’m lucky enough to have an office away from my house, sort of. Several years ago the rather dilapidated house next door went up for sale. We bought it and fixed it up with the idea of renting it out but then I decided to use it for my office. I really have the best of both worlds. I have my own space but I can walk through the backyard in my pajamas to get there! It’s funny how writing habits change over the course of a career. I spent the first twenty years of my writing world embracing the chaos, writing around kids’ homework assignments and doctor appointments and folding loads of laundry. Since moving over to my office, I’ve discovered that while I can write in the midst of juggling other things, my most creative times are when I’m alone (except for the dog!) in my clean, comfortable, absolutely quiet office, with the Internet turned off.

Jenny: I’m currently in the chaos phase right now. :) The time I like to have everything absolutely quiet like that is when I read. But I have the hardest time reading fiction because it’s like speaking another language that only me and the author use, and I get all kinds of inspiration for my own writing just reading someone else’s. If an author makes me fall in love with a character, I’m inspired to make others fall in love with mine in my own way—I think, “How can I build that kind of emotion?” And the whole time I’m reading, all I can think about is how I can write my own character. I end up reading a page and then jumping up to write. What’s your favorite way to get ideas?

RaeAnne: Oooh. This is a hard question. I can’t say I have only one favorite idea-generating method. I’ve written sixty-five books and I’m not sure any two ideas came to me the same way. The more books I’ve written, sadly, the harder I have to try to come up with fresh and new ideas. I read an article a few months ago that said if you have a hard time coming up with ideas, you should try to come up with ten new ideas every single day. For every ten ideas you come up with, you might have only one or two that are actually viable. Since reading that, I’ve tried to exercise my idea-generating muscle. Every day I try to write down at least six or seven germs of a idea I could use for a book. Some of them would never work, some of them aren’t strong enough to carry an entire book, but there are a few pearls in there I’m sure I’ll use. It’s been fun to see what my subconscious comes up with when challenged!

Jenny: I’m the same way with ideas—I get them from so many places. Coming up with ten a day seems hard! I’m lucky if I come up with one or two every few months! I suppose it’s a practiced skill, though. I will jot little snippets of thoughts onto sticky notes—they’re jammed in my desk drawers, stuck onto the outside of file folders, all kinds of places. But I don’t really brainstorm ideas until I’m starting the next pitch for my editor. Then I usually dive in and write out a thin story synopsis. Speaking of the writing process and our editors, once I finish a manuscript and send it to my editor, I jump right in to the next book. If I turn in a manuscript on a Wednesday, I’m writing the next book on that Thursday.  I think it’s hard for me to come down off the buzz of finishing. And I don’t sit still well. What’s the first thing you do after you turn a manuscript over to your editor?

RaeAnne: I usually sleep. LOL. It seems the last few weeks of a deadline are so emotionally and physically draining that I’m completely exhausted at the end of it. All I want to do is sleep for about fourteen hours straight. I usually give myself a day or two to catch up with the chaos and get to know my family again then jump into the next book. 

Jenny: I think it’s hard for those around us to know what goes on in our brains all the time! I adore the publishing process. I actually prefer editing my novels to starting with a blank page. I love the mental gymnastics of adding things in, and I’m always trying to outdo myself with every draft. What do you get most energized about during the writing and/or publishing process?

RaeAnne: I love the final editing process, especially when reading the copy edits from my publisher. That’s usually a month or two after I’ve finished the book, when I’m already deep into writing another book. Re-reading a finished book is like reconnecting with a beloved old friend. After I’ve been away from it for a little while, I can find whole phrases or lines of dialogue I have no memory of writing. It always reminds me what a magical, miraculous endeavour it is to tell stories. I always marvel that I’ve somehow once more managed to turn a random, barebones idea into a fully formed novel, filled with characters who have become real to me during the writing process. 

Jenny: Oh, I love that too! And I will read sentences that I have no memory of writing as well! Sometimes, I’ll think the book I’m writing is a mess, and I’ll go back to the beginning to shape it up. When I start reading it, I’ll think, “Oh! That’s not so bad…” I won’t remember what I’ve written until I go back and look at it again. Storytelling is definitely, as you say, a magical endeavor. Thank you for letting me in on your process! Cheers to happy endings!

How I Get the Cozy Vibes

I’m a little bit obsessed with coziness at my house. One of the ways I achieve it is with lots and LOTS of pillows and throws. I keep the patterns coordinated and the colors within the same color scheme throughout the house, but I vary textures and sizes. A secret love of mine is the giant basket of throws that I keep on my hearth. Every single day, from morning to evening, someone in the family has taken one of the blankets out and used it. I’m always rolling them back up, but I don’t mind at all for some reason. Maybe it’s because I know I’ve given them a little memory they can keep about how they never felt cold at home.

What I'm Reading

The Path Made Clear by Oprah Winfrey was an amazing read in my opinion. In true Oprah fashion, it gives a message, using interviews with successful people, about how we find our true meaning in life. As some of you know, the career of being an author literally fell into my lap, but it’s what I did with the gift that got me where I am and keeps me going today. I’ve said more than once, that if I quoted everything from The Path Made Clear, that applied to my own journey, I’d be in violation of copyright. It’s that real. I loved it!

Winter Maple Salad Dressing

One fact about me is that I love salad. It’s my own little happy-dish. It’s super easy to throw together and ingredients can change for every season. In the winter, I love feta cheese, candied walnuts, and cranberries on my salad. I’ve got a great winter dressing to go with all these winter ingredients, and it’ll knock your socks off! Here’s the recipe:

¼ cup maple syrup (or more to taste)

1 tablespoon dried or minced onion

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (or more to taste)

1/4 cup mayo 

1 teaspoon brown sugar

a pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3/4 cup walnut oil

Place all but the oil in a blender and blend. Slowly add oil a little at a time, while blending.

Recycle Christmas for a Winter Warmth

You know that blah feeling you get for about a month or so when you have to stare at your house sans Christmas decor? Who says we have to strip our homes of all the holiday warmth? Yes, the tree probably will go, but what about all the greenery? Strip it of its red and green, and you can warm your home right up for winter! When those little wreaths and winter items go on sale, snap them up! They’ll be useful to get you through to those warm months! A simple spruce candle ring is an easy addition for the winter. Then, when spring arrives, just slip it off and that winter blue candlestick becomes sea-blue!

From My Kitchen to Yours

When the weather turns cold, I crave the comforts of home. This past holiday, we had a new breakfast casserole for Christmas morning and it was so delicious that we can’t stop making it! I thought I’d share the recipe with you! It’s super delicious and healthy!

1 lb. breakfast chicken sausage

1/2 of a yellow, red, and green pepper, chopped

1/4 onion, chopped (or dried onion—that works too)

7 eggs

a splash of milk

2 cups reduced fat shredded cheese

dash nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

In a skillet brown sausage, with peppers and onion, and drain. Then place sausage and veggies into a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

Combine all other ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk. (Save about 1/4 c of the cheese to sprinkle on top if you’d like.)

Pour the egg mixture into the 9 x 13 casserole dish, over the sausage.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

Cook at 350 degrees F for about 35-40 minutes. (Or until the eggs are firm and not jiggly in the center.)

Enjoy!

Sale Alert!

For a VERY limited time, the US eBooks of It Started with Christmas and We’ll Always Have Christmas are on sale over on Amazon! Here’s the link so you can snap them up—just click the “Buy Here!” button below.

Buy Here!

What are your resolutions for 2020?

I always make goals for the next year. Goals keep us going and give us something to shoot for, even if we don't meet them. Here are some New Year’s resolutions just for bookworms! How many are on your list?

Christmas isn't over!

For all of you who just can’t let the holiday go... I’ve got a final Christmas gift for one lucky reader: a SIGNED copy of BOTH Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses (that was a Hallmark movie this year!) and my latest release Christmas at Silver Falls! Details on my Facebook page!

Learn more

Christmas Cleanup Organization Made Simple

Let’s face it: we all would love nothing more than to jam the whole Christmas tree—ornaments and all—into a closet and not have to spend time cleaning up after the holiday. But I believe that I need to be kind to my future self and put things away so that next year, when I’m filled with holiday spirit and ready to jump into the festivities, I have everything I need to get started as soon as possible. Every year, I try to put my Christmas decorations away in a manner that will afford me an easier set-up next year. Here are a few of my tricks:

1. I use plastic cups of different sizes to store those precious ornaments. Lay the flat ornaments on top. And if you’d like extra padding, wrap your ornaments in tissue paper before placing them in the cup.

2. To be sure that my baubles are evenly distributed on my tree when I’m decorating, I pack them up by color the year before. That way, I can start with the fewest colored ones first and gradually add them.

3. I write notes to myself! I cut my garland to size so it fits perfectly on my tree. But the top piece is much shorter than the bottom one. I label them when I put them away for easy decorating next year.

4. I never know what to do with those gorgeous Christmas cards I get. I make ornaments out of them for the next year! Trace circles in any size (as long as you have the same size for one ornament. Bigger circles, obviously, will make a larger bauble.) Fold the edges of the circle to make a triangle in the center. Glue the folded edges together and hold with a mini clothespin until dry. That’s it!

Happy packing and enjoy the year to come!