Averil Dean's Blog, page 16

Dog and Pup

A week ago Saturday my laptop gave up the ghost. That little Mac has been chugging along for so long I thought it would never die. It was the one I bought when I started my photography business, four houses and eight years and another lifetime ago, and in all that time it’s given me nothing but faithful service. Slow, but faithful. It was the ol’ Shep of laptops.

But the time has come to bury the poor old thing, plant a lilac over its grave and bring another puppy home from the store. I’ve bee...

Sputter

And, Monday. Two good things happened over the weekend:

1. I wrote an outline for the new book.

2. I found a vegan coffee creamer that I really like.

Of the two, I’m more excited about the creamer. That morning cup of coffee is pretty damn important, and it never did taste quite right without something rich and velvety to stir in. I tried almond milk, coconut, soy—all of which either vanillaed the flavor or thinned down my brew or both. But yesterday I discovered a soy coffee creamer with tapioc...

Screen Test

Oh, Junot!

What books have surprised you by being so. fucking. good? Why were you surprised?

Ones and Threes

I’m stirring a melting pot of ideas at the moment. The essential story, insistent enough now that I’m pretty sure I’m going to write it, can go any number of ways. Could be gritty or romantic, modern or post-apocalyptic, and it probably could slide into one of a handful of different genres depending on the age of the characters and how I choose to write them. But it will never be a thriller. That’s a problem, since the first two books I’ve put out there are psychological and literary suspense...

Anti-Rebels

The next real literary “rebels” in this country might well emerge as some weird bunch of anti-rebels, born oglers who dare somehow to back away from ironic watching, who have the childish gall actually to endorse and instantiate single-entendre principles. Who treat of plain old untrendy human troubles and emotions in U.S. life with reverence and conviction. Who eschew self-consciousness and hip fatigue. These anti-rebels would be outdated, of course, before they even started. Dead on the pag...

There

Where do you want to be right now? What do you want to be doing?

Mascots

I’m late writing today because my son has brought home his art projects and I’ve been busy admiring them. I have a small collection of these objects scattered around my writing space: a clay hippo, missing one ear but redeemed by the most adorable toe point of its left hind foot; a corn-husk doll with twine belt and tie; a 3D extravaganza titled The Dancing Mushroom, made with oil pastels and paint; a sock puppet sporting googly eyes and a felt uni-brow, its sticks held upright between the sp...

Pollution

Over the weekend I tried to start writing the new book, but realized almost immediately that something was off. In planning this story, I had reached to include an element that fascinates me but doesn’t belong, is not essential, and will expose one of my biggest flaws as a writer: a lack of imagination. I can’t do world-building. My strengths lie in the dark realms of character: schemes and obsession and polluted headspace, all manner of malicious deceit. There’s no imagination in that for me...

Chana Masala

One trip to the farmers market + one trip to the food co-op = one of our favorite dinners, courtesy of Isa Chandra Moskowitz:

Chana Masala

For the masala spice blend:

1 tablespoon plus one teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed or chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne

For everything else:

3 tablespoons refined coconut oil

1 large yellow onion, sliced into medium pieces

2 jalap...