I can’t take the credit for most of this list. It’s taken from the Persil website, which I visited after seeing the ad on our local TV. I love this ad because it shows kids getting dirty. IMO, kids should play in the mud and get dirty. It’s part of growing up, and I certainly created lots of dirty clothes when I was a child, growing up on a farm.

School holidays start here in NZ tomorrow, and I know it’s the summer holidays in America, too. Do check out the website since it gives instructions for all these things. Believe me, a bored kid makes everyone grumpy! Oh, and just as an aside, I’m a Persil fan. Dirt is good!!

1. Lie on your back and find shapes in the clouds.

2. Build a secret hut.

3. Camp out in the backyard.

4. Catch a fish.

5. Play in the rain.

6. Build sandcastles at the beach.

7. Learn to swim.

8. Whoosh down a mud slide.

9. Grow your own garden.

10. Make mud pies.

11. Learn some basic cooking skills.

12. Have a water fight on a hot summer day.

13. Climb a tree.

Do you have any suggestions to add to the list? Do you have memories of doing these things when you were a child?

I am sooo late with posting today, my apologies.  I’ve been busy wrapping up judging a writing contests and getting the finalist information together, as well as teaching my Tudors Workshop at Charter Oak Romance Writers Group.  If you’re interested, you can sign up at www.charteroakromancewriters.org

So today I thought I would check in with everyone to see what you’re reading? 

In paperback, I just finished reading Lord of A Thousand Nights, by Madeline Hunter, it was really great!  The characters and the plot were so engaging, I had a really hard time putting it down.

I am about to start reading World Without End,  by Ken Follett.

So share!  What are you reading?

Well, in keeping with our food theme, I’d like to talk about…well, food. Meals, actually. You know, those pesky things that keep you away from writing–What? The kids have to eat EVERY night?

It’s sad, but true. Like Leigh mentioned yesterday, there are countless distractions out there. Each and every one of them are lurking in the shadows just waiting to pounce…er, distract. Sorry, got carried away there. But, you get the drift. We have enough to accomplish as parents and authors and workers.

So here is the first Tasty Tuesday. I like to cook and to bake and to eat…Do I have time to prepare a gourmet meal each and every night? That would be a resounding NO! And I’m willing to bet neither do you. In deference to that fact, I’m here to share some recipes that are simple and quick to prepare, while making you look like a culinary genius (at least that’s what I like to think they do for me ). This way you can spend less time in the kitchen feeding the vult…er, family and more time writing.

This week is Chicken in a Garlic White Wine Sauce. (Original recipe courtesy of moi.)

2-4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Cutlets

2-3 Tbls Olive Oil

1 Small Onion diced (A mini food processer–only about $15 from a department store works great)

1-2 Tbls Minced Garlic (or to taste…I’m a huge garlic fan as is my family, thank God!)

Pinch of crushed red pepper

Pinch, or to taste, Black Pepper

Dash of ground ginger if desired. Can substitute–and I kid you not–cinnamon, but be very careful with this as cinnamon is a strong spice and can overpower the meal.

1-1 1/2 cups of cold water (reserve about a 1/4 cup to mix with corn starch)

1-2 cubes chicken bouillon

1-1 1/2 cups White Cooking Wine

1-2 Tbls Corn Starch

Baby Portabella Mushrooms if desired

In large frying pan, saute onion, minced garlic, crushed red pepper, black pepper & ginger or cinnamon in the olive oil. When the onions start to turn clear, add the chicken cutlets and cook through (if desired, you can add the baby portabella mushrooms at this stage).

When the chicken is no longer pink, add all but a 1/4 cup of the cold water and the chicken bouillon and bring to a full boil. Add the white wine and bring back up to a boil. (While waiting for the 2nd boil, mix the corn starch with your reserved cold water. Make sure it is cold in order to avoid lumps)

Add the cornstarch mixture to your boiling wine sauce and stir continuously until sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat and serve. It goes very well with steamed rice. I use a Texmati Brown/Red rice with Barley steamed with chicken bouillon in my rice steamer.

*Don’t be intimidated by the length of this recipe. It only takes a few minutes to prepare and then about 15 - 20 minutes to cook depending on the thickness of your chicken. That’s why I like to use cutlets. They’re thinner.

Enjoy!

Sandra Barkevich

Ok. Using last weeks post to segue into food related euphamisms, I’m talking about when the momentum gets going, how do you share it amid your other life’s duties? Some people would say become organized. That is a project in of itself. But I know it could be done. I think, as with writing, you just have to sit down and do it. Or run around. Some things can’t be done sitting on your duff. You can think about doing it. You can plan how to get it done. You can even look forlornly out your window at your unweeded garden, listlessly gazing at what won’t get done by staring. I’ve heard that a watched pot never boils, though. Hmm.  Well. I’ve procrastinated enough, I’m sure. I resolve to accomplish today what needs to be done, in whatever time I have to do it. Yeah. That noncommittal goal will accomplish nada. 

As life gets in the way of your goals, it is so easy to make excuses and to get by. But if you really want or need something, you make it happen. So. I’m going to make it happen. I will. Right after I make lunch for the family and tidy up. I can do five pages. Sure!

I’ve been asked to do a guest speaker spot next month and was hoping you guys could help me out a little. When you’re stalking calmly admiring your favorite author, what kinds of things do you look for? Bookmarks? Pens? Those cute notepads or stickypads? Personally, I’m a postcard collector. Love them. I collect them when I travel and I collect them from authors. Cover flats are another collectible for me. I love bookmarks too, especially the shorter ones. They fit in the albums better.

As a writer, what are some things that you personally like to have? Do you have a specialty item like coozies or coasters? What about keychains?

There’s places online to order these things for real cheap and I’m going to share that at my workshop, but I’d love to hear what floats your boat.

Some of mine have been:
Pens
Postcards
Flyers
Rack Cards
Bookmarks (in various styles)
Brochures (especially handy for a LOT of info or groups)
Magnets

I also really like VistaPrint. It doesn’t take a lot of graphic know-how to make a collection or themed promotional item. I’ve also used Overnight Prints for some excellent business cards.

Aside from the collateral promotional items, I’ll also be covering how to get inexpensive exposure online and how to get Google to love you. I register with all the Search Engines, and that helps a lot, but name branding is huge. The more you can get your name attached to (hopefully in a positive way) the more often your name will be found by the cyber spiders.

So if you’ve done promo online, what are some of the things that works well for you? As a reader what catches your attention? I’ll be covering this subject in depth next month in San Antonio.

This might seem a random topic to blog about, but last week, not far from where I live, a woman was killed during a handbag robbery. Most women carry their lives in their handbag. I know I’m guilty of carrying way more stuff than I need. I thought a refresher of some commonsense rules wouldn’t go astray.

Here are a few things we can do to keep both our possessions and ourselves safe.

1. Be aware of your surroundings. When exiting your car in a carpark look to see who is around.

2. Walk with confidence and display positive body language.

3. Avoid walking in badly lit or isolated areas, especially if you’re alone.

4. Keep your bag close. Zip it shut and be wary of anyone who tries to distract you. Don’t leave your bag unattended. e.g. in a supermarket trolley.

5. Keep your car door locked while driving, and avoid leaving valuable items in your car when you leave it, if possible. Secure valuable items in the boot (trunk) before arriving at your destination.

6. Have your keys in your hand before you reach your vehicle. Secure your handbag first before your shopping.

7. Watch your handbags while in restaurants, public toilets. If you’re at a club and dancing have someone you know look after your bag. I’ve done a lot of traveling and I know how quick thieves can be. When I’m traveling I have my hand on my bag at all times. Sitting on the seat beside you is not a good place to keep your bag.

8. Keep your bag in front of you or in your hand while you’re at the bank or a ticket counter.

If you have any other suggestions add them in the comments section.

Goodmorning!

Over the last week I have discovered something:  I like to write outside.

I don’t know what it is but I get such a thrill, the ideas and thoughts really flow.  I sit on my deck, setting up my laptop on our patio table, with the umbrella up so I’m in the shade.  The kids play in the baby pool and the dog lays at my feet. 

We’ve stayed out there for hours and hours, even going so long as a four hour stretch.  I wrote ten amazing pages that time!

So I suggest to all of you, try writing outside sometime this summer.  Whether on your patio, balcony or deck.  Or going to cafe that has outdoor seating.  Just try it, I think you will find that your creative airs will really revel in it.

Also a reminder, I’ve been teaching a workshop in the forum this week, Conducting Historical Research Online.  Today is the final lesson, so come on by and check it out!

Cheers!

Eliza

No, I’m not talking about food, although, I am eating while I’m working. And there is butter involved. I am talking about motivation and velocity. You know how they say ‘the more sex you have the more you want’? Well, I don’ t know who they are, but I’ve heard it said. I think the same could be said of writing, well, for me anyway. I’ve had a bit of a dry spell over the past few months and anytime I sit down to write through a scene I feel like it’s a trudging fight. Two paragraphs seems to be torture. Well, last night I got over that hump and sat down for some writing time. Timed challenges are excellent for those who need to write as a team effort. Yes, alright, I’m codependent. But not really. The first 40 pages or so of my current work was completely solo. But the last 60 that I’ve done, well, that has been because I challenged myself. First it was in I think January or February, a book in a week challenge hosted by Jenna Petersen. I exceeded my goal and I was so stoked that in that next month alone I accomplished 22k. Yes. I had a taste for prolific writing and I kept at it. March, well, it was blah. Life got in the way and I lost the discipline I’d gained in those other months. I kept making excuses, valid reasons, I thought, but it all came down to discipline.

Ok. So what’s happened since then? Well, I remembered life is too short and I’ve had my good cry and last night, bam! Five pages in four hours. Well, hot dog! (see more food, must be reallllllly hungry.) And today, uh-huh, you got it, more writing.

I’m addicted! But it’s more about going with the flow, keeping up the momentum and remaining disciplined. Surely if I can do it, anyone can.

So, grab whatever snacks you enjoy, get your butt in the chair and write! I’ll see you in a chat challenge perhaps?

I love it when I stumble upon something that’s useful to my writing. This week I went to our excellent public library (to return overdue books—bad me). I usually stay downstairs in the addition, where the newest books are displayed. But this time I ventured up the stairs. The original building is vintage and beautiful—lots of wood panelling, fireplaces, comfy reading chairs and Oriental rugs on the inside, stonework and a dome on the out.

On an oak table I found a fun book, A Country House Companion by Mark Girouard. It was lavishly illustrated with pictures of houses and had lots of comments gleaned from diaries and letters by folks who either visited, worked or lived in these palatial properties. I’ve visited a few estates in England that have been open to the public, and they truly do overwhelm. From the gardens to the kitchens, I can’t begin to fathom the amount of effort necessary to maintain them.

The book listed menus which featured things like “a patty of lumber with trout about it” and “a pastry of venison in blood.” Yuck, and I don’t even know what lumber is. There was a snippet about a party at Byron’s, where a skull was passed filled with burgundy. Yuck again!

Would you like to step back in time and be a guest at one of these great houses, dining upon lumber and sipping wine from skulls? Would you hunt, shoot, play cards, write letters, gossip or flirt? Do you enjoy reading historicals that use a house party to advance the romance between the hero and heroine?

On one of the boards that I’m a member of a lady posted this time sucking device and trust me when I say, it’s a black hole!

However, it can also point out a few things to writers, like what your favorite word to use is in your WIP. Yup, just paste some of your WIP content into the box then click go and in no time you’ll see which words you use the most.

I did it and saw the words I use the most are the character names.

Give it a try and tell us your results!

Link to the black hole of fun.

PS. In just two days RI’s very own Eliza will be conducting a workshop over at the Message Board. Don’t miss it!