Leap Year in Honey Creek

I've always been fascinated with leap year. The idea we had an added 24 hours of time every 7 years. Who decided THAT? And then I imagined a group of white haired men with wire rimmed glasses arguing loudly over where to put these extra hours.

"I say add them in June when the sun shines!"

Collective nodding.

"No." Says a father of twelve. "Add them to September once school resumes."

I'm not historically accurate, but you see what I'm saying.

The added days has captivated me for years. What do you do with an extra day? A whole DAY?
Personally, I don't do as much as I used to. But, this year I get to ponder what would the good citizens of Honey Creek do?
I think this day would be the Honey Creek equivalent to a full moon. I think they would live it up. For the party they will need delicious home cooked foods and desserts baked at the hands of the local ladies. And I'm absolutely certain there would be some ladies throwing caution to the wind and proposing to the man they love. Ahhhhh...get me in the mood to write another sweet romance. *taps chin*
If you're thinking of celebrating leap day like a Creeker, you should try this fabulous strawberry recipe. Here in Ohio, the strawberries are being shipped form Florida while the ground stays frozen, but it's never too early to start perfecting recipes for the Strawberry Festival!
To loosen up for the proposal, LOL or to enjoy a girls night out try this delicious

Strawberry Shortcake Drink (skipping the alcohol is just as yummy)*over 21 drink*

1/4 cup frozen strawberries, thawed
1 1/4 fluid ounces amaretto liqueur
2 (1/2 cup) scoops vanilla ice cream
1 dash vanilla extract
1/2 cup crushed ice
1/4 fluid ounce vanilla-flavored vodka (optional)
1 tablespoon whipped cream
1 fresh strawberry
Directions

Place thawed frozen strawberries, amaretto liqueur, vanilla ice cream, vanilla extract, crushed ice, and vanilla vodka into a blender.
Cover and blend until smooth.
Pour into a glass and garnish with whipped cream and a fresh strawberry.

And for dessert:

Strawberry Cream Cheese Clouds

2 (10 ounce) packages puff pastry shells
2 pounds fresh strawberries
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream
Directions

Bake the frozen pastry shells as instructed on the box. Each box contains six pastry shells. Using two boxes, all twelve will fit on a large baking sheet. After they are done, remove top and hollow out the inside of pastries. Set tops aside to use later as garnish.
Slice strawberries lengthwise into medium-thin pieces. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar and set aside to chill in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla until smooth. In a separate large mixing bowl, whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form (about 3 minutes). Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture. Set aside and chill.
Fill each pastry with cream cheese until it just reaches the top. Spoon strawberries over top. Use the pastry tops as a garnish with a dollop of the cream cheese mixture and a strawberry slice on top.

Besides yumming up some strawberries and proposing to your sweetie, what are you doing to enjoy your extra day?

Knee Deep in the Editing Swamp

I'm deep in the middle of edits for my first Honey Creek book, Nursing Second Chances. Sure, I wrote the book and generally know everything that happened, but I still find it incredible how much of the story I forgot in the last year. I remember the major plot points, but the little details were nice to discover for a second time.

More importantly, it's amazing how much I've changed in the past year. Part of me was tempted to cut nearly every word and rewrite the whole book. I'm a different writer now. I've gone through edits on other manuscrips and learned a ton in the process. In addition, my voice and writing style grows with each new book that I write.

So why didn't I? Because it would change everything. My hero and heroine came to me with the voice that book is in. Changing that would mean changing who they are, and I don't want to do that. Instead, I want to give them the book that they dictated to me. It might not be perfect, but it is their story.

What's the hardest part of edits for you?

Pinterest

There's this new social media outlet that's spreading like wildfire. Here, people have virtual bulletin boards where you can search all over the web and "pin" items you like. For example, a bride may want to have one place where all her wedding ideas are without the paper clutter.

I must admit. I'm a pinner. Friends invited me and I was hooked. So bad, I downloaded the app to my phone and if I'm stuck somewhere without a book *gasps* I pin. I love the site because you can see what your friends like, what they're trying and what works.

My favorite aspects are the food and beverages. I'm a foodie and I love to cook. I also hate to be in a meal rut. With Pinterest, I'm able to try new recipes my friends have tried and comment on them later. Such as, I tried this recipe and omitted this ingredient and it tasted like this.

So, being the thinker I am, I took my pinning a little bit farther and created a Honey Creek board. On it, I share items, recipes and pictures that remind me of HC.

Keep your fingers crossed but I'm hoping this link will work. (I might have mentioned I'm not the most tech/computer savvy person around.) Come check out my Honey Creek Board. If there's something you see and it makes you think of HC, let me know. I've love to add your ideas.

It's here!

I've been patiently waiting. Stalking my email. Pacing the room.

All my hard work is paying off. Drum roll please.....

MY COVER!!!

Isn't she beautiful. (yes, she's a girl! DUH!)

I couldn't wait any longer to share with our creekers.

Thank you to KJ for her wonderful work and dedication to this line of books.

Remember, Ice Princess releases April 29th!

Toiletries, Clothes, and Books, OH MY!

My day job has me traveling to India for the next month. Before you get too jealous, this trip will involves very little sightseeing and fun. Instead, I live out in rural area where the only food available is what the hospital cafeteria serves. No gift shops. No awesome architecture. Just me, myself and I. This will be my 4th trip to this location and I told someone recently that I had packing down to a science. I thought I'd share some of my packing tips.

• What do you really need? This is such a hard one. It is always tempting to bring eight pairs of shoes and a four ballgowns. I mean, you never know what is going to happen. Think through each outfit carefully and only pack the essentials. Make sure you aren't packing an outfit that needs an entirely different set of accessories from something else. 
• What will already be there? If you're staying at a hotel, you might have toiletries in your room. What can you absolutely not buy in country (toilet paper and tampons?) and what could you buy more of if you don't bring enough (soap). 
• Space Bags. Seriously. They should be paying me to tell people about these. They help get all the air out of your clothes and other bulky items. Especially important if you are going for a long time and might not have the option of doing laundry. 
• Pack a carry on. I know it is tempting not to drag a little bag through the airport, especially if you have layovers. On my last trip, I went a week and a half without my luggage. Thank goodness I'd packed my carry on with a few changes of clothes and some toiletries so I wasn't dying. When all else fails, find someone to take you shopping. 

Hope these help. Share your own in the comments.

High School Year Book Photo Fail

Image by The Mountaineer

How is your high school yearbook photo? Do you love it? Truthfully, mine could be in one of the online advertisements people use to make fun of old hairstyles. Back in the day, we were encouraged to wear a black dress and pearls for the image by which our classmates would forever remember us.

Somewhere along the way things changed, and young adults are now allowed to wear casual outfits, and have their yearbook photos in outdoor settings, sports settings, or whatever best reflects their personalities. This is fabulous! That way everyone is remembered for who they were in high school.

Now the new issue is should sexy photos be allowed in a yearbook? Do you remember the national news story about Sydney Spies, the Durango High School senior whose yearbook photo was rejected by the staff? She submitted a photo of herself in a short, short, yelllow skirt, with only a black scarf tied around her chest, leaving her midriff and shoulders bare. If you click on the link to this ABC News article about Sydney, you’ll see the picture she wanted in her yearbook.

Personally, my first thought when I saw this was, "Hello, Mom! What are you thinking! Do you really want your daughter projecting that image?"

But let's give Sydney the benefit of the doubt. I can think of a couple of scenarios for why Sydney dressed the way she did for her photo shoot.

• Alarm clock malfunction

She wakes up late, and in her haste to get to the appointment with the photographer, she forgets to finish dressing. In the car, she looks down and sees her bare breasts.

"Mom! You were rushing me and I forgot to put on my bra and blouse today!"

"That's alright, honey." Mom reaches in her handbag and pulls out a scrap of material. "Here's a silky black shawl you can wrap around yourself."

"Thank goodness. I thought I might end up with a photo that would embarrass me in front of all my friends."

• Beverage malfunction

She has an accident with her coffee on the way to the photographer. It happens. The car screeches to a stop at a red light leaving a trail of black tread marks wider than Sydney's shawl on the pavement.

"Mom! You slammed on the brakes and spilled coffee all over my blouse!"

"That's okay, honey. Just take off your top. I'm sure the photographer has something you can wear."

The school decided Sydney wouldn’t be allowed to use that particular photo, or either of the next two racy photos she submitted. They replaced her picture with her school I.D. photo. She’s protested, and her mom has protested.

I've no doubt Sydney's quite the popular girl with the boys at Durango High School, but I believe young women should be empowered as people, not sex objects. One could argue that it’s Sydney's right to post whatever picture she wants. It’s our right to not look at it. But for a moment, let’s stop talking about rights and talk about common sense. Sydney’s photo looks like it belongs in an almost-to-the-bedroom scene of a romance story. My common sense tells me it does not belong in a high school yearbook.

What do you think? Should Sydney have been allowed to use that photo? Can you think of more malfunction reasons why she might have turned in that photo? What do you think her classmates will say about her at their high school reunion?

Award Show Fever

I hear the Grammy's were last night. It's hard not to notice if you spend any time on Facebook or Twitter. First come the discussions of the clothes followed by commentary of the performances and winners (and losers). I actually signed out last night just to avoid the craziness.

Yeah, I'm one of those people. I've never understood the draw of watching those ceremonies on TV. Sure, there are lots of pretty dress, but I can always catch the highlights online the next morning. Otherwise, I don't really care. The person who wins Best New Artist isn't going to get anything from me. If I've heard their music, I've already made a decision about whether I like it or not. No award is going to charnge that opinion. The same goes for the movie award shows. I either like the movie or I don't. It isn't personal against anyone there, I simply have an opinion.

You could say the same thing about books. Everyone has an opinion and that isn't going to be changed by reviews or awards. If it looks interesting to me, then I'll read it. I've never bought a single book because it won an award or got a great review online. On the opposite end, I've never been deterred from buying something I wanted simply because someone said it was terrible.

What about you? Do you pay attention to award shows? Do they influence what you watch/listen to?

A Book Conversation about Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Phoenix Firebird image by ImageShack

Wednesday, on Jennifer Anderson’s blog post, she shared part of an email conversation we had about Cinder by Marissa Meyer. It’s the newest book in the growing phenomenon of fairy tale retellings. Since we’re both writers of Young Adult fiction, we read a great deal of YA to stay current with what’s happening in the genre. If you haven’t read the first part of the conversation, I’ve linked here to Jennifer's post. Now I'll share the second half of the conversation.

Suzanne Lilly: Jennifer, how do you feel about the way the story ended? It clearly ended in a spot that cries out, "Bring on the next book!"

Jennifer Anderson: I definitely can't wait until the next book. Ugh, I hate cliffhangers. I know they're a necessary evil, but as a book fan, I want to rip my hair out. I will say, around page 30 or 40, (I think I Twittered you,) I was thinking, "I know what's going to happen at the end," or at least I was able to easily put the pieces together. Watching the pieces unfold was the fun part.

Suzanne Lilly: I've read so many books, that it's often hard to give me a surprise. I agree in some places Cinder seemed predictable, but Marissa Meyer wrote some interesting plot twists. Were you surprised at the ending?

Jennifer Anderson: As for the ending, I am totally waiting like a drooling idiot, but I have a feeling she'll surprise us in the next book. I hope she reveals that what we read was all an act for those around Cinder and Kai. She's keeping us on our toes.

Suzanne Lilly: I didn't see the twist at the end of this story coming. Now I can't wait for the next book in the series to see how she develops more of the political and family intrigue. Tell me, if you were to rewrite a fairy tale, which one would you choose, and what things might you change?

Jennifer Anderson: Picking one fairy tale to rewrite is a toughie. I'm like you, a complete sap, and I love a happy ending. I'm currently watching Once Upon a Time and I love how they retell some of the old favorites, stories I'd completely forgotten about. I'm not sure what I'd redo, but it does make me think. What would you do?

Suzanne Pitner: There are so many to choose from. I think some of the better known fairy tales have been done so many times it might be hard to put new spin on them. But people love the familiar stories, so if I had to choose one, I think The Little Mermaid could do with more of a kicking heroine. She needs to put the sea witch in her place.

In my previous post about fairy tales, I mentioned interest in retelling The Firebird, a Russian tale full of thievery, kidnapping, blackmail, and plenty of sibling rivalry. There’s no end to what a writer could do with that. Mercedes Lackey did a retelling in her own distinctive style that was published in 1997. If someone wants to write a modern day rendition of a fairy tale, it's probably best to choose a personal favorite and run with it.

Now I’d like to turn the conversation over to our readers. Have you read Cinder? If you did, what did you think of it? Are there any other retellings you enjoy?

Dual Book Review

Hey guys!  Suzanne, my fellow Creeker, and I wanted to try something new.  Its a mix of book club and review.
Let me clarify.
We both write and read YA. A few weeks ago on Twitter we both noticed we were reading or going to read the same book, Cinder by Marissa Meyer. And then inspiration hit.  Why don't we both read the book and discuss and then share our thoughts with you.
Ding! Ding! (Not sure where that came from??)

Let's get started....

What first drew me(us) to this type of book? 

JA: I love a good retelling of a fairy tale or an old story.  I like to read something familiar with a twist.  It's like the Jackson Family version of the Wizard of Oz.  Plus, the hype surrounding this book made you want to see what the fuss was about.  What do you think Suzanne?

 SL:

I've always been in love with fairy tales. I talked about some of my favorites in my last Friday blog post. Now that fairy tale retellings are becoming more popular, I'm diving into the stories and television shows. The publisher of Cinder has been doing a fabulous job of promoting Marissa Meyer's books. The hype around it made me curious too, and made me move it to the top of my TBR pile. Plus, I love cyborg stories. (I'm a long time Battlestar Galactica fan.) I love China. (I spent a summer teaching there.) I love Cinderella. (I cry in the Disney version. I'm a sap!) That's three pluses for Cinder!

 

Favorite part(s) of the book.

JA: I’m not ashamed to admit I love a good book cover.  Not shallow.  I think it’s a bit girlie!  One part of the story I really liked was how one of her step sisters liked her.  Loved her in fact.  I saw a little glimpse in the retelling Drew Barrymore starred in, EverAfter, where one of the sisters, seemed to like her or at least was more sensitive towards her.  I also enjoyed the easy back and forth between Cinder and Prince Kai.  Did you like the Asian twist the author included?  Along with the syborgs, I hadn’t expected some much Asian influence.    

 SL:

Yes, the book cover is fabulous and a huge selling point. We're told, "Never judge a book by it's cover," but we all do it. My favorite parts of the book had to do with the palace and political intrigue. I don't want to give away the story, but when Cinder finds herself involved deeper than she wants to be after doing the droid repairs, that's when the novel started to develop an interesting underlayer. Another favorite part is when Kai asks Cinder to the ball. Again, I can't tell you what happens, but if you read the book, you'll know what I'm talking about. I laughed out loud. I read many books with Asian influences, (I love the Dune books,) and in Cinder, it made sense. Our most populous culture on Earth will certainly have a major presence in the future world. At the same time, the author kept it light and simple, not going deeply into Asian culture, just giving the novel a twist of it.

Here's more information from GoodReads about Cinder.

Thanks Suzanne! Stay tuned Friday where we will continue our discussion.  Happy Reading!

Super Bowl Madness

The Superbowl was last night. You know what that means, right? It means football season is finally over and I can stop checking the scores in the morning so that I can pretend I have any idea what is going on.

Yeah, that's right. I am not a football fan. Really, I'm not a sports fan at all. I'll watch the occassional hockey game and I love the Olympics, but other than those I just don't care. Maybe it's because I come from a state with no professional sports teams. Maybe it is just part of who I am.

Lest you believe I don't know what is going on, I should tell you that I spent my entire high school career in marching band. That means I went to EVERY. SINGLE. GAME. All of them. Every year. My best friend walked me through the games and taught me al the rules so that I could at least be sure which team scored and when to play the correct cheers.

What about you? Are you thrilled the season is over or counting the days till football returns?

What Do You Think of Fairy Tale Retellings?

Image by Jeroen Kransen, Queen Fabiola's Fairy Tale

I love fairy tales. Judging from the popularity of television shows such as Grimm there are plenty of other adults who enjoy them too.

I tend to go for the lesser known fairy tales or the lesser known versions. I especially loved Hans Christian Anderson’s tales, and the Norwegian tales. My father had a book collection called the Harvard Classics, and it was in these books I found the tales other children didn’t know about.

Image by Edmund DuLac

I love the original, extremely sad, The Little Mermaid, by Hans Christian Andersen. The most famous retelling of this story is by Disney. Of course, Disney gave it a happy ending with the prince and the mermaid living happily ever after. In the classic version, the mermaid dies without ever gaining the prince’s hand. That fairy tale was a guaranteed 15 tissue story. Whenever I needed a tearfest growing up, I read it and enjoyed a good cry.

Another favorite is East o’ the Sun and West o’ the Moon, a Norwegian tale about an enchanted white bear who marries the beautiful daughter of a woodcutter. Of course, as is true of most fairy tales, she doesn’t know he’s actually a prince, and a rich one at that, until she’s given her love to him.  Swoon. I wrote a modern version of that story set in New York City for a recent anthology titled Rapunzel’s Daughters.

When I first read about Cinder, a futuristic retake of Cinderella, written by Marissa Meyer, I was already sold on it. I was a bit skeptical of how such a short fairy tale could be turned into a four book series, but after reading the first book, I can’t wait for the second. Jennifer Anderson and I will be chatting about Cinder on the blog next week, so check back for more about this book.

Personally, one fairy tale I’d love to see retold is the Russian tale, The Firebird. There’s so much a writer could do with that story, most notably, empower the princess.

How about you? What fairy tales are your favorites? Which ones would you like to see retold?