Thankful for...

As the season of giving is upon us, it's a good time to reflect on what we have to be thankful for.

And no, it's not the Hallmark cards or the never-ending display of must have's you didn't realize you needed continually parading past on TV.

Besides the obvious - health, having some kind of job and not being on the street - 2013 was a good year, despite the economy.

Some highlights included:

* Still being able to write despite the changing world of newspapers. They remain my first love though it is getting challenging to stay in that field at all.

* Having my first horror-zombie-ya-sci fi book out. I enjoyed writing GIRL Z: My Life as a Teenage Zombie  and hope to continue finding new readers and enthusiasts.

* Being nominated for a Lovey Award for Best Paranormal - Sci Fi - Horror novel. We'll see what 2014 holds when I attend the Love is Murder Mystery conference in Feb.

* GIRL Z being named the young adult winner of the Halloween Book Festival.

*  Continuing to be part of a fun, supportive and interesting writer's group and having supportive writer friends who share writing opportunities. You never stop learning.

*  I appreciate the writers and collectors I've met online. It's fun to share their successes and go along the writing journey with them.

* I especially appreciate readers willing to give a book a chance and get to know an author they may not have known before. It's a treat getting feedback when someone enjoys your book and your writing.

So, what are you thankful for? Share some of your writing highlights for 2013!

Here's to an even better 2014 and a dwindling of trolls spreading their 1 and 2 star sour "reviews" everywhere!

Holiday Traditions and Fudge by Margot Justes

I established certain holiday traditions with my daughters. We pick apples in the fall, and three years ago my younger daughter Dina signed me up for the local Turkey Trot, and for the last couple of years my granddaughter joined us. Dina runs, Sydney and I walk, and Solonge cooks our breakfast. A perfect beginning to Thanksgiving.  That is how traditions begin.

Along with Thanksgiving, we had certain  traditions for Christmas, our annual trek to the Arie Crown Theatre and the wonderful Ruth Page production of the Nutcracker ballet, and dinner afterward. We decorated gingerbread houses, baked cookies and cakes from long standing recipes, among them the fudge recipe below.

Now that my older daughter Solonge has children of her own, she decided to keep some of the traditions alive. Ruth Page and her production is long gone, but we have substituted other holiday plays and musicals. Something different every year.

This year for Christmas we’re going to see Mary Poppins at the Lincolnshire theatre, and we’ll go to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner after the play. The kiddies love the place, and the Shepherd’s Pie is pretty good. We’re also going to afternoon tea-my grandson especially loves his red tea and finger sandwiches. The hotels are beautifully decorated, festive and the tea is a delight.

We have already decorated gingerbread houses, and cookies, and they even helped put ornaments on the tree. I established these traditions with my girls, probably because I never had any while I was growing up, so I’m doubly delighted that Solonge continued with them.

The fudge is easy to make and is yummy.

Fudge
1 stick of butter
1 large can of evaporated milk
2 oz bitter chocolate (I only use Ghirardelli chocolate)
12 oz semi sweet or dark chocolate chips
4 cups of sugar
12 oz dark chocolate
½ lb small marshmallows
1 ½ tbsp Vanilla
1 cup of chopped walnuts-Optional (I use 2 cups)

1cup of raisins-Optional (I soak them in Myer’s dark rum overnight, and mix the rum into the chocolate-not a drop is wasted)

Combine butter, canned milk and sugar, stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, cook to a boil, about 5 minutes.

Turn off heat and add marshmallows, stir until melted, add the 3 types of chocolate, one at a time, stir until each is dissolved. Add vanilla, raisins with all the rum, nuts and stir.

Line a cookie sheet with saran wrap, extending the edges; pour the fudge into the cookie pan, spread evenly with knife or spatula.

Let dry for 2 days. Invert the fudge unto your counter, remove wrap and let dry for another 2 days. Cut into squares and serve.

This recipe makes quite a bit of fudge, I cut it all up and store in sealed plastic bags. My family loves the fudge; usually it doesn’t last very long. Makes a great gift too.

Cheers,

Margot  Justes
A Hotel in Paris
A Hotel in Bath
Blood Art
Hot Crimes Cool Chicks
and coming in January A Fire Within
www.mjustes.com

 

Pay It Forward! by DL Larson

There's a proverb that reminds me of the Christmas season. As most proverbs, it should be utmost in our mind and actions every day. Maybe for some, it is a way of life, but for others not so much.

I quote Proverbs 12:25
"An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up."

As we bustle about making ready for Christmas, we encounter hundreds of other folks scurrying about searching for gifts and crossing out items on their To Do List. The other day I was at one of the Big Chain stores with said list in hand. I turned a corner and met up with an acquaintance who also had her list in her grasp. A few moments later a third acquaintance shuffled up holding her list. We all laughed and chatted a few more moments before we continued on our own paths.

Later, at the check out counter I was able to do one of my favorite things - people watch. To my left was a snarky man with a rancid bite to his words. He spoke to the pre-teen children with him as if being with them was worse than punishment. I mentally commended the kids for their good behavior despite his badgering for no good reason that I could see. His attitude did not improve when he encountered the clerk, who was an older woman. I wondered if this man enjoyed anyone's company. Who would want to spend time with him this Christmas? I couldn't decide if I felt sorry for him or disgust that he couldn't pull it together for common decency's sake.

To the right of me stood a young couple. The girl obviously knew her task as provider of gifts while the man stood quietly by not offering much assistance, but seemed agreeable to enduring the task. My smile turned lopsided. This young man had great potential. He smiled to the clerk and laughed at something the girl said as they pushed their cart toward the door. The clerk turned to her next customer with a smile and I like to think the young couple had made her day brighter.

As I waited in line, the family in front of me had become antsy. I couldn't blame them. I wanted out of the line too. I wanted to get on my way. I counted two other lanes open from the twenty registers. I heard the mama use bribery like a pro. If the children could stand quietly until they were finished and no she did not know how much longer it would take, they would stop for a treat. Drooping shoulders told me the youngsters understood the consequences. Dad ruffled the little boy's head and picked up the little girl who had wanted down just a moment before.

Determined to keep my peace, I endured the long wait. The little girl asked another ten times if they could go now. Dad laughed. I laughed. It had been an absurdly long wait, but this family kept their happiness in tact. It made my day to see them succeed in the tight confines of the waiting line.

I remembered to smile and chat with the clerk. She too was an older woman and seemed to appreciate the common courtesy of treating her as a human being. I left the store much later than I had anticipated.

I still stopped for a treat. I guess the mama's words had inspired me as well! The drive-up window went much faster and the young man who handed me my milkshake offered the biggest smile along with my change. I smiled back.

A kind word, a warm smile is a small price to pay in order to have a better day. I plan to pay it forward. How about you?

Til next time ~

DL Larson
www.DLLARSON.com

Kathleen Kaska Shares a Secret About Holiday Gift Shows

Today, I'm happy to host the award winning mystery and non-fiction author, Kathleen Kaska, who gives us the lowdown on Holiday Gift Shows. Morgan Mandel

Kathleen Kaska writes the award-winning Sydney Lockhart Mysteries set in the 1950s. 

Her first two books Murder at the Arlington and Murder at the Luther, were selected as bonus-books for the Pulpwood Queens Book Group, the largest book group in the country. The third book in the series, Murder at the Galvez, has just been released. Look for Murder at the Driskill in 2014. 

She also writes the Classic Triviography Mystery Series, which includes The Agatha Christie Triviography and Quiz Book, The Alfred Hitchcock Triviography and Quiz Book, and The Sherlock Holmes Triviography and Quiz Book. The Alfred Hitchcock and the Sherlock Holmes trivia books are finalists for the 2013 EPIC award in nonfiction. Her nonfiction book, The Man Who Saved the Whooping Crane: The Robert Porter Allen Story, was a George Perkins Marsh Award nominee for environmental history.

Find Kathleen Kaska online at:

http://www.kathleenkaska.com

http://www.kathleenkaskawrites.blogspot.com/

Holiday Gift Shows:

The Right Venue, A Great Spiel, and A Cute Puppy

by Kathleen Kaska

            It’s no news that writers have to market and promote their own books nowadays. I’ve always said that if I had to make a living in retails I’d probably starve. But, I’ve learned something over the last few years that has made the task of selling my own books easier. Yes, I still get tongue-tied if I have to ask people for money, but I have no problem talking about my books. I often speak at libraries, book groups, community organizations, and writers’ conferences. Folks who attend these events are there to learn and listen and not necessarily to spend money, which is okay because I enjoy doing those engagements. And most times I pick up a stipend and a few sales. But there are other events, especially this time of year, where I can usually count on big sales.

            Do as many holiday fairs and gifts shows as possible. Unlike the library and seminar crowds, those who attend these events are there to let go of some cash. They’re usually looking for a unique gift, a gift that cannot be found in a department store.

            A couple of weeks ago, I rented a table at a local holiday gift show and sold almost sixty books. By the second day of the four-day show, I had sold out of three of my Sydney Lockhart mysteries. My sales would have been even greater had a prior inventory request arrived on time.

            The cost for participating is minimal, usually just space rental; and for authors, that means a table with a banner or poster advertising your books. At most events, the vendors handle their own transactions. Occasionally, an organization will take a small percentage of the sales, but that also means there is a central checkout so when the dust settles, we get a check in the mail and can have more leisurely time during the event to chat up potential readers. And for me, it’s worth the extra cost. Like I said, I’m uncomfortable taking money from people. So when I don’t have to, I can have fun talking to my customers. If they don’t bite immediately, they often return before leaving to pick up a book or two.

            The trick is to get shoppers to stop at your table so you can give your spiel. Here are a few “baits” you might consider having on hand: a cute puppy, a bottle of wine, a plate of chocolate cookies, or a crime-scene tape around your table. Okay, I was kidding about the dog and the wine. But if the cookies and crime-scene tape don’t get their attention, you can always sidle up to a potential buyer and whisper in their ear: “Have you ever found a body in the trunk of your car?”

Great advice, Kathleen. I love your wit! 
Here's some information on one of Kathleen's books, The Sherlock Holmes Triviography and Quiz Book:
http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Triviography-Quiz-Book/dp/0957152760
or http://www.ll-publications.com/sherlock.html

Step out of your hansom cab and onto the foggy streets of Edwardian London with The Sherlock Holmes Triviography and Quiz Book, a comprehensive collection of fun and challenging trivia about the adventures of the inimitable detective whose intellectual feats overwhelmed criminals and Scotland Yard.

More than a century after Sherlock Holmes stepped from the pages of Arthur Conan Doyle’s first detective story, the greatest sleuth of all time is still firmly solidly ensconced in the work of modern literature. Television series, new Holmes writers, Holmes books, Holmes societies, websites, and numerous films have kept Sherlock Holmes fans intrigued with Holmes and Watson lore.

The Sherlock Holmes Triviography and Quiz Book, a finalist for the 2013 EPIC Award in nonfiction, offers brainteasers on each story and novel about the detective and his associate Dr. Watson, as well as background on how Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s own experiences contributed to his literary work. 

Review:

“Kathleen Kaska has put together a wonderful mind teaser for all Sherlock Holmes aficionados. She covers it all: stories, books, the media; with lots of questions, puzzles, and trivia facts. No true Sherlockian will want to miss this grand Triviography and Quiz Book.”

—Michael R. Pitts, author of Famous Movie Detectives I, II, and III, and

co- author of The Great Detective Pictures

Happy Holidays,

Kathleen Kaska

http://www.kathleenkaska.com

http://www.kathleenkaskawrites.blogspot.com/

Please leave a comment to welcome Kathleen Kaska to Book Beat Babes.

Holiday Season and Rum Balls by Margot Justes

Focus and organization seem to be missing during the holiday season. I had such plans to accomplish so much, and I seem to be spinning my wheels and going nowhere.

Writing is out, focus is out, organization is out-what’s left you ask? Well, drinking coffee is definitely in, but that is about it as far as work-as in writing-is concerned.

There are holiday lunches with friends, family outings, and all the other wonderful stuff that happens around this time of year. I love all of it, and am grateful that I have family and friends, and am able to celebrate and be with them. There is baking, and cooking, and decorating too. That all takes time, but I used to do all that and stay focused.

I’m an indie author and have self imposed deadlines, and schedule my time accordingly. At least the writing part, however marketing should have a continuous presence, and I let that slide-not a good thing.

Just like for Santa, this week I made a list, and guess what? I didn’t stick to it. This morning I revised it, and we’ll see what happens by week end.

Part of the problem seems to be the fact that this time last year I was still gainfully employed, and had to be organized, this year there is a fantastic sense of freedom, because I have retired from my paying job. Now I have to focus and remind myself that I would really like to make a living writing, and have to work no matter the time of year.

In the meantime, on with good cheer. I thought I’d share some of my favorite holiday recipes, and start with rum balls. They are yummy.

Rum Balls:

2 1/2 cups of ground Vanilla wafers
5 1/2 cups of ground walnuts ( I use a food processor for both the wafers and nuts)
1 cup of honey
1 cup of rum (I use dark rum)
1 cup or as needed of powdered sugar
Mix all ingredients well. Let rest covered in bowl for a couple of hours. I've even left overnight.
Form into balls and roll in powdered sugar. ( I use a teaspoon to scoop out the mix)
Set on foil or plastic wrap and let dry a couple of hours, put on serving plate, sprinkle more powdered sugar on top and enjoy!

Cheers,

Margot  Justes
A Hotel in Paris
A Hotel in Bath
Hot Crimes Cool Chicks
www.mjustes.com

 

It's Time We Spoke Up! by DL Larson

A thought from the national news ...

Did you see the young woman who took a picture of herself with the troubled person in the background contemplating suidcide? Many have put names to her selfish behavior. I have my own words and the first one is called ... immature! It's also called detached. Lack of compassion for others lingers in my mind.

I'm shaking my head right now, wondering how we have allowed this calloused behavior to grow. It shames me that our society, our peers as parents have not done a better job of teaching our children compassion for others. If this woman has a child, will she learn compassion? Or will she pass on her un-caring attitude to her offspring? Only time will tell us.

The person contemplating suicide brought me back to my latest historical, Promises My Love.
My character, Francis Frailey, struggles with an abusive past and wonders if ending his life will bring him peace or would killing his abuser calm the revenge rushing through his veins? Neither is a good solution. And as my story unfolds Francis learns another way to combat his demons.

As a help to those struggling with depression and rancid emotions, I placed the following message at the end of my book:


Note from the Author

When I worked at Northern Illinois University, I was in the Department of Children and Family Services office for eleven years. Our department helped educate social workers, counselors, clergy, policemen, etc., through on-going educational programs.

Listening to professionals talk about the domestic problems in our society never became routine. But the hundreds of stories I heard were filled with heartache and senseless acts of cruelty.

Promises My Love was written so all might know there is hope for a better tomorrow. No matter the circumstances, each of us needs to understand we can’t always solve our own problems. If you or someone dear to you is in mental anguish and contemplating suicide, please let someone know.

The National Suicide Hotline is there for you!

Don’t be like Christine and think you can solve your loved one’s problems. She didn’t have the resources we have today to assist those in need. Don’t be like Francis and keep your anguish bottled up.

“Let someone know your pain!”

“Call for Comfort ~ Call to Survive”

“Don’t Wait, Don’t Hesitate”


Call The
National Suicide Hotline USA

1-800-SUICIDE
1-800-784-2433

or

1-800-273-TALK
1-800-273-8255

These hotlines are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.


Sincerely,

DL Larson

(The quotes are taken from the National Hotline USA website.)


In conclusion, I want the person on the bridge to know ... there are folks who care. There are people who want to help you. Compassion still exists. I pray you learn that and live for a brighter tomorrow.

Til next time ~

DL Larson

Cheryl C. Malandrinos Shares Her Costly Pen Name Experience

I'm happy to host the multi-talented Cheryl  C. Malandrinos at Book Beat Babes today, where she shares with us her pen name experience. Morgan Mandel

Cheryl C. Malandrinos is a freelance writer, children’s author and editor. Cheryl has written numerous articles on time management and organization for writers. She is also the author of Little Shepherd and A Christmas Kindness, a member of the SCBWI, a book reviewer, and blogger. Cheryl also writes under the name of C. C. Gevry. She lives in Western Massachusetts with her husband and two children. She also has a son who is married.

Visit Cheryl online at http://ccmalandrinos.com/

The Costly Pen Name
by Cheryl C. Malandrinos

As a virtual book tour coordinator, I give marketing my own writing a fair amount of thought. For me, writing is as much a business as it is a creative outlet. Having released Little Shepherd in 2010, when A Christmas Kindness was contracted, I opted to use a pen name. Many writing friends asked why. I thought I had a good answer. The first book was a Christian title, but the second wasn’t.

So, I invested in a second website and opened social media accounts under my pen name. It soon became apparent how difficult it would be to properly build a platform for my pseudonym.

The first challenge is that I had been writing under my actual name for years through blogging, numerous articles for an online magazine, and my first book. The pen name had no history. Talk about starting back at square one. Lack of time didn’t help. I found myself spending what little time I had focusing on what I wrote under my real name rather than seeking opportunities to spread the news about a book that was still a year from being published. The simple act of having to log out of one Facebook or Twitter account to use the pen name’s social media accounts became cumbersome. My followers didn’t increase the way I wanted them to because I only used those accounts about 10% of the time I was online.

Almost a year after my second book was published, I had an expensive epiphany. Why couldn’t A Christmas Kindness be published under my actual name? Both books are set during Christmas and both books have a message to share with readers. Though A Christmas Kindness is not a Christian title, it shares values that would appeal to both secular and Christian markets. How could I have not seen that earlier? Darn hindsight.

When the publisher offered authors a chance to have their printed books formatted for digital, I decided to have A Christmas Kindness totally reformatted using my actual name. The printed version will follow in the future, but both reformats cost me money I wouldn’t have spent if I had more carefully considered using a pen name in the first place.

Agent Janet Kobobel Grant, founder of Books & Such Literary Management, wrote an excellent blog article that discussed reasons why writers might want to use a pen name and why pen names don’t always work. You can find it at http://www.booksandsuch.biz/blog/should-you-use-a-pen-name/ Just don’t scroll down to the comments where I openly admit (like I do here) that my use of a nom de plume falls into the latter category. There’s only so much humiliation I can take in one day.

About Cheryl's Little Shepherd Book:

Obed is in the hills outside Bethlehem on the night of Christ’s birth. Can he trust the miracle of Christmas to keep his flock safe while he visits the newborn King?

Buy at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/little-shepherd-cheryl-c-malandrinos/1103471571

Visit Cheryl online at http://ccmalandrinos.com/

Please leave a comment to welcome Cheryl C. Malandrinos to Book Beat Babes.