Diane Chamberlain's Blog, page 19
March 16, 2012
Story Weekend: The Magazines in Your Life
My work-in-progress is set in 1960, so I went on ebay and bought a whole slew of magazines from that year. Despite the mildew (wow, do old magazines reek!), I've enjoyed checking out the news of the day (Kennedy vs Nixon), the fashion (girdles, garters and shirtwaist dresses), and especially the advertisements (Ipana toothpaste, S & H green stamps, and Philip Morris cigarettes). Needless to say, magazines are on my mind and I wondered what stories you have about the magazines in your life, either from your younger years or from today.
If you're new to Story Weekend, here's how it works: I pick a theme and you share something from your life that relates to that theme, however you interpret it. Thanks to all of you who've been contributing. As always, there are a few "rules":
▪ The story must be true
▪ Try to keep it under 100 words. Embrace the challenge! That's about six or seven lines in the comment form. I want others to read your story, and most people tend to skip if it's too long. I know how tough it is to "write tight" but I hope you'll accept this as a challenge.
▪ Avoid offensive language.
Have a good weekend, everyone!
March 12, 2012
Enter the GoodReads Contest for a copy of The Good Father
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The Good Father
by Diane Chamberlain (Goodreads Author)
[image error][image error][image error][image error][image error] 4.63 · rating details · 19 ratings · 11 reviews
A beloved daughter. A devastating choice. And now there's no going back.Four years ago, nineteen-year-old Travis Brown made a choice: to raise his newborn daughter on his own. While most of his friends were out partying and meeting girls, Travis was at home, changing diapers and worrying about keeping food on the table. But he's never regretted his decision. Be…more
Paperback, 400 pages
Expected publication: April 24th 2012 by Mira
March 9, 2012
Story Weekend: Bras, just for the heck of it
Curious to see what you'll all do with this one!
If you're new to Story Weekend, here's how it works: I pick a theme and you share something from your life that relates to that theme, however you interpret it. Thanks to all of you who've been contributing. As always, there are a few "rules":
▪ The story must be true
▪ Try to keep it under 100 words. Embrace the challenge! That's about six or seven lines in the comment form. I want others to read your story, and most people tend to skip if it's too long. I know how tough it is to "write tight" but I hope you'll accept this as a challenge.
▪ Avoid offensive language.
Have a good weekend, everyone!
March 5, 2012
Dinner!
I have all sorts of blog ideas running through my mind, but I thought I'd share an easy peasy recipe instead. This was dinner tonight and it's quickly become one of my favorite recipes. Bet it will become one of yours as well. . . as long as you like garlic and ginger! I've adapted this recipe from Linda Gassenheimer's "Quick Fix" column, which appears in the Raleigh News and Observer. Enjoy!
Shrimp with Lemon Basmati Rice
2 servings
Ingredients
For the rice:
3/4 c basmati rice
3 T lemon juice and enough chicken stock to equal 1 1/2 cups liquid
1 t grated lemon skin
a small chunk of fresh ginger
one microwavable bag of snow peas
For the shrimp:
12 oz of shrimp, peeled, deveined and tail off (I use a 12 oz bag of frozen cleaned shimp because they're so easy to thaw in a colander under cold running water)
1 T cornstarch
1 T diced fresh ginger
1 T oil of your choice
4 large cloves garlic, crushed
2-4 T chopped basil (optional)
salt and pepper
Directions
Add the grated lemon skin and chunk of ginger to the liquid and make the rice as you usually do. I use my rice steamer to avoid burning another pan on my too-hot stove.
Mix the cornstarch, salt and pepper and ginger in a bowl. Add the thawed shrimp and stir to coat with the cornstarch mixture.
Five minutes before the rice is finished, nuke the bag of snow peas and start the shrimp. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok. When hot, add the shrimp and garlic and cook, stirring, until the shrimp is pink. Add the basil to the shrimp during the last 30 seconds.
Remove the chunk of ginger from the rice. Stir the snow peas into the rice and spoon onto two plates. Top with the shrimp mixture and enjoy!
What did you have for dinner?
March 3, 2012
Story Weekend Theme: Morning
I'm a night owl and have been ever since I was a kid. I loved to go to bed as a child, but not to sleep. I would snuggle under my covers and make up stories for hours. In the morning, I'd wake up exhausted. I kept a bunch of pillows by my bed and would put them behind my back, one at a time, until I was finally in a sitting position and my head had cleared. It made getting up easier for me. Now I'm a grown up and when I open my eyes in the morning, I'm filled with delight that I've been given another day. That helps me ignore my grogginess as I get up. I've substituted gratitude for my stack of pillows. I don't want to waste a precious second of the rest of my life.
How about you? What personal story does the word "morning" conjure up for you?
If you're new to Story Weekend, here's how it works: I pick a theme and you share something from your life that relates to that theme, however you interpret it. Thanks to all of you who've been contributing. As always, there are a few "rules":
▪ The story must be true
▪ Try to keep it under 100 words. Embrace the challenge! That's about six or seven lines in the comment form. I want others to read your story, and most people tend to skip if it's too long. I know how tough it is to "write tight" but I hope you'll accept this as a challenge.
▪ Avoid offensive language.
Have a good weekend, everyone!
February 27, 2012
But How Will 21st Century Authors Autograph Their Books?
So cursive is on the way out. Starting next year, North Carolina teachers will no longer have to teach cursive and this change is happening all around the country. Some North Carolina school districts may still teach cursive, but they won't be required to do so. I think this is fine. Let's face it. Keyboarding is the future and if I had a school-aged child right now, I would want him to be able to zip around a keyboard at lightning speed. I'm not sure what happens when it's time to endorse a check or sign a contract (or a book), but in the 21st century, I'm okay with leaving cursive behind. It's really difficult for many kids and honestly, why bother? I'd much rather that we focus on the content of what a child is writing, whether by hand or by keyboard. I want to know his ideas and I want him to be able to share them with me easily and maybe even beautifully.
What do you think?
February 25, 2012
Story Weekend: Laundry
As I pull the suddenly pink towels (and the culprit: a red t-shirt) out of the dryer ($%#%&*#!), I can think of only one topic for Story Weekend. So have at it, folks. What's your laundry story?
If you're new to Story Weekend, here's how it works: I pick a theme and you share something from your life that relates to that theme, however you interpret it. Thanks to all of you who've been contributing. As always, there are a few "rules":
▪ The story must be true.
▪ Try to keep it under 100 words. Embrace the challenge! That's about six or seven lines in the comment form. I want others to read your story, and most people tend to skip if it's too long. I know how tough it is to "write tight" but I hope you'll accept this as a challenge.
▪ Avoid offensive language.
Have a good weekend, everyone!
February 22, 2012
Sneak Peek at the United Kingdom Cover for The Good Father
Quite a different look from the North American cover. I like them both. I love Bella, the little four-year-old waif in The Good Father, and I love her little wings. I've already seen some wonderful early reviews of this book by my fantabulous UK readers. I can't wait till the end of May when The Good Father hits the stands over there (end of April in the US). Just wanted to share!
February 20, 2012
What Would You Pack?
I'm rushing around the house today as I try to get organized for a quick getaway to my little place at the beach where a couple of appliances are in need of replacing. Let's see: I've had my beach place two years and this will make three major appliances I've had to replace. Oh, and one water heater. However, the view from the living room: priceless.
My mind is on packing right now and I was trying to think of a quick blog post, so one of my Facebook friends, Kerry Brown of the UK, suggested I ask my readers this question:
If you were going to spend a month on a beautiful desert island where all your basic needs would be taken care of, what five things–not including other people or animals–would you absolutely have to pack? (First, I thought I'd give this island electricity, but let's make it a real challenge. There is NO electricity on the island.)
I'll add my own list shortly. I started it but the lack of electricity stopped me cold. This is hard!
February 17, 2012
Story Weekend: First Car
You may have earned the money to buy it, or it may have been your parents', or you may have stolen it. Whatever! One way or another, most of us have feelings about our first car. I'd love to hear yours.
If you're new to Story Weekend, here's how it works: I pick a theme and you share something from your life that relates to that theme, however you interpret it. Thanks to all of you who've been contributing. As always, there are a few "rules":
▪ The story must be true.
▪ Try to keep it under 100 words. Embrace the challenge! That's about six or seven lines in the comment form. I want others to read your story, and most people tend to skip if it's too long. I know how tough it is to "write tight" but I hope you'll accept this as a challenge.
▪ Avoid offensive language.
Have a good weekend, everyone!
