Summer Time Saver

While I love the summer, it's probably the least productive season for me, writing-wise. With my kids home full time, it's just impossible to get in the writing I can accomplish when they are at school all day. So I want to use every spare second I have to get some wordage in. Which means I'm always on the lookout for fast and easy recipes that I can throw together quickly so I can dive right back into my current WIP :)

One of the favorites in my house is what my mom calls Lasagna-In-A-Pot. It came about one night when she had planned to make lasagna for dinner only to realize she didn't have any lasagna noodles. She did, however, have rotini noodles (those cool corkscrew ones). So she tossed all the ingredients in the pot with the rotini noodles and ta-dah! Lasagna-In-A-Pot. It became our preferred way to eat this tasty dinner. And you can make it in half the time because it doesn't need to bake. Win!

Here's what you need (please note this recipe is never anything my mom wrote down. It's sort of an "eye-ball it" recipe so the amounts listed below are approximately what I use. Feel free to change according to your preference):

Ingredients:

1 pound ground hamburger

1 jar spaghetti sauce

2 cups cottage cheese

shredded mozerella cheese (probably about 2 cups, though honestly I just toss it in 'til it looks good) :)

1 package rotini noodles

Salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic salt, italian seasonings - to taste

Directions:

Cook noodles according to directions on package; drain 

In a skillet: Brown hamburger (add seasonings to taste)

Drain and put in a pot that will be large enough to hold the entire dish

Stir in cottage cheese (this needs to be added to the meat before the sauce or it won't incorporate right)

Stir in noodles and sauce

Stir in mozerella cheese until nice and melted

Enjoy!

Last Day of Schoolitis

Today was my kids' last day of school. They are now home, all day, for the rest of the summer. Eep! I love having my kids home, but they tend to bicker with each other a lot and trying to write anything while they are running around and wanting my attention is almost impossible.

Which means I start pulling a lot of late nights and early mornings to get writing time in. Which also means my eating habits (such as they are) get a little out of whack.

I've started making a lot of fruit smoothies lately, both to give myself something healthy to snack on when I'm playing vampire all night, and to give my kids a yummy breakfast. For them, I make the smoothies really thick and call it ice cream. They love it :D

The recipe almost can't be called a recipe because it is ridiculously simple. But here you go :)

Breakfast Ice Cream

Ingredients:

Your choice of fruit (I use frozen fruit so I don't need ice, but if you prefer fresh then add ice to the mix - my favorite = the tropical mix - peaches, mango, pineapple, and strawberry)
Enough milk to create your desired thickness
A splash of vanilla
A couple teaspoons of agave nectar to sweeten (to taste)
(I'll also toss in flax seeds, wheat germ, bran, etc for a little extra healthy kick) :)

Toss it all in a blender...

And enjoy!! A little dollop of whip cream makes it an extra fun treat!

The Post-Edit Diet

When I am in the middle of edits, especially if I'm under a deadline, one of the last things I worry about is healthy eating. Chocolate and goldfish crackers are my staples :D So when the edits are done and my life gravitates back toward normalcy, I try to get back on the healthy eating train. Which isn't always the funnest thing to do when I've been chowing whatever I want for the last several weeks :D

One recipe I've found that I LOVE is one for Almond Flour Blueberry Muffins. I use almond flour a lot because my son has eczema and white flour makes him break out like crazy. It costs a fortune at my local grocery store, however you can get it online fairly inexpensively. I buy mine in 5 pound bags from Nutsonline.com and my kids have no idea when I substitute it for white flour. They love the treats I make for them using it :)

Ingredients:

2 cups almond flour
3 rounded tablespoons Splenda (I use Stevia)
1 rounded teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs (at room temperature)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Directions:

Butter or line 12 large muffin pans with muffin tin liners.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, mix together the wet ingredients.
In a larger bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (but not the berries).
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined (do not beat).
Finally, add the berries and briefly mix again.
Divide the mixture between the 12 muffin pans and bake for 20-25 minutes until risen, golden brown and set in the middle.
Leave in the pans on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, and then loosen carefully with a knife before turning out to cool completely. Makes 12.

Chocolate and Writing....and Chocolate :D

When life gets hectic and projects beckon, sometimes a writer can use a little pick me up. And what could be better than chocolate? :) However, we've been trying to be a little more healthy at my house lately, so there is nary a piece of chocolate to be found. So I looked around (hey, a writer trying to push through the last half of a tough revision NEEDS her chocolate!) and found Chocolate-Covered Katie and her healthy dessert blog who had a wonderful recipe for...wait for it....healthy chocolate! Well, at least sugar-free chocolate :D

For this recipe you need exactly three ingredients:

• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 4 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil (melted)
• 1/4 cup agave or Katie suggests you can also use NuNatural vanilla stevia drops (she uses 10 drops. Triple or quadruple that amount if you don’t like extra-bitter chocolate.)
• optional: extracts, cocoa nibs, or other add-ins

• Combine coconut oil with agave or stevia drops. 
• Stir, then add cocoa powder (and add 3-4 T water or nondairy milk if using stevia.). 
• Stir until it gets thick. 
• Pour into any flat container (or candy molds or smush between layers of wax paper or in ziploc bags). 
• Fridge or freeze until solid.

And enjoy :)

(recipe and picture came from Katie's blog. Click the links for the original info and to visit her awesome blog)

Interview with Christine Fonseca - and Yummy Pasteli!

We've got the awesome Christine Fonseca with us today, author of the soon-to-be-released Dies Irae, a novella that is launching her Requiem series. Christine was kind enough to answer a few questions for us and also provided a yummy recipe for a delicious Greek treat, something the characters in Dies Irae would really love.

About Christine Fonseca

School psychologist by day, critically acclaimed YA and nonfiction author by night, Christine Fonseca believes that writing is a great way to explore humanity. Her debut YA Gothic series, The Requiem Series, including DIES IRAE and LACRIMOSA, examines the role of redemption, sacrifice and love. When she’s not writing or spending time with her family, she can be sipping too many skinny vanilla lattes at her favorite coffee house or playing around on Facebook and Twitter. Catch her daily thoughts about writing and life on her blog.

DIES IRAE will be released next week!! Be sure to check it out.

Some sacrifices should never be made—even for love.

Mikayel lives by one rule—obey the orders of the angelic Council at all costs. But when he and his friends, Azza and Demi, are sent to Earth as teenagers, following the rules is more difficult than they expected.

Being human isn’t the only problem facing the three angels. Unbeknownst to the Council, demonic activity is on the rise, threatening to break a tenuous peace that has existed for a millennia.

Caught in a struggle for power with unseen demonic forces, and fighting against his rising emotional, Mikayel must now decide how many rules he is willing to break to save his friends, a decision that could reignite an ancient war and will threaten the only thing that matters to the angels, the survival of humanity.

Author Endorsement(s):

“Dies Irae is the perfect introduction to Christine Fonseca’s Requiem series. The beauty of the words will tempt you, the tragedy of the story will break you, and the love, woven throughout like music through the trees, will haunt you for days afterward. Dies Irae promises a tale unlike any you’ve read before.”
~Ali Cross, Author of BECOME

INTERVIEW:

OA - Describe the best cook you know and something wonderful he or she has served you. 
CF - My mom is easily the best cook I have known. My childhood memories are steeped with the sights and sounds of her cooking – making everything from her famous Leek soup (so amazingly good), to Beef Bourguignon (also amazing) to delicious holiday meals. She instilled a love of cooking in me and now, whenever I find myself creating something new in the kitchen, I think of mom and her influence on me. Incidentally, she is also the one who instilled such a passion for reading and books.

OA - Too much salt can ruin an exquisite meal, and the perfect dessert tempers earlier mistakes. What ingredients can destroy a book through overuse or salvage a book despite its flaws? 
CF - OOhh, great question. I think that nothing kills a story faster than purple prose- thick, overused language that bogs down the pacing and plot. No matter how fabulous the storyline, or how authentic the characters, purple prose can ruin a great book. As for what saves even the worse book – characters I love. I can think of a few examples of books that were not written particularly well, nor were they particularly well crafted stories. But I loved them. Why? The characters. Something in the characters connected with me on a personal level, enabling me to overlook the typically fatal flaws within the story itself.

OA - If you could invite a character to dinner who would it be and what would you serve?
CF - Another great question! I would definitely invite Aydan, one of the main characters from the series. He is not in DIES IRAE, sadly, but he is a main character in LACRIMOSA. As for what our meal would consist of, that’s easy. Aydan is a highly sensual character. His meal would need to be as well. Additionally, it needs to be a hearty meal. He is a warrior of sorts, so he needs his protein and a balance of carbs. Here is the menu I’d prepare for him:


• Green herb salad with champagne vinaigrette
• Steak with shallot-red wine sauce
• Artichokes with béarnaise sauce
• Warm molten chocolate cakes


A rich meal, but a yummy one. Hmm…now I want to make it!

OA - If you were marooned on an island, and Pots 'N Pens granted your wish for only one book and one food, what would you choose? 
CF - Hmm, see this is hard, because I think wine and a book is ideal. Or cheese, wine and a book. But the cheese would not last on an island. And the wine…well, the wine may still be a great choice. After all, I can try to catch fish…right??? So, how about a fab bottle of wine, and a copy of anything by Cassie Clare or Libba Bray. Yes, that would work. At least temporarily.

RECIPE!! Pasteli (pronounced pah-STEH-lee):

Treats my characters would love! Mikayel and Azza love this special sweet treat Demi makes for them. Hannah and the other teens in the village can often be seen nibbling these treats when they should be finishing their chores. It’s fabulously easy to make and keeps the angels human bodies well fueled for their battles:

• 1 1/3 cup honey
• 3 cups hulled sesame seeds (approx 1 pound of seeds)

In a medium saucepan, bring honey to a boil. Add sesame seeds, stirring continuously. Continue to cook, thoroughly mixing the seeds and honey. When the mixture returns to a boil, remove from heat. Spread hot mixture thinly (about ¼ inch high) and evenly on a piece of parchment paper (on a cool surface). When the pasteli cools to room temperature, refrigerate on parchment paper (no covering needed). Chill for 2-3 hours. Using kitchen shears, cut the pasteli and parchment paper into small pieces. Peel off the paper before eating. YUM!

Thanks for joining us today, Christine!! For more information on Christine and her books, be sure to visit the links above. And LACRIMOSA, the first full length novel in the Requiem series, will be out very soon. Here's a little teaser:

As if casting out demons isn’t hard enough, five-hundred-year-old Nesy has to masquerade as a teenage girl to do it. Nesy is the best of the warrior angels called Sentinals. She never makes mistakes, never hesitates, never gets emotionally involved. Until she meets Aydan.

He is evil incarnate; a fallen angel that feeds off the souls of others. Everything Nesy is supposed to hate. But she can’t, because he’s also the love of her former life as a human girl—a life that ended too soon, tying her to emotions she was never supposed to feel.

Now Nesy must choose between doing her duty—damning Aydan to the fiery depths of hell—or saving him, and condemning herself.

Lost in Translation - and some Sugar Cookie Cupcakes

You know, sometimes it's hard to get all the gloriousness that's in my head to translate correctly to the page. At least the first time. It takes a lot of time to get that perfect, movie-like story in my head recreated on the page. It's a lot like (please excuse the lame food tie in) watching Cupcake Wars and trying to get my own to look just as pretty :D

My kids both had their holiday parties yesterday. And I volunteered to make cupcakes. I have the yummiest recipe. It tastes like sugar cookies (and you can't get much more Christmasy than sugar cookies). But it's a cupcake. And it's utter deliciousness. But they don't always look all that great when they come out of the oven. It takes a little time and tender loving care to get those babies looking gorgeous :D

Here's what you'll need:

Sugar Cookie Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla. Combine the flour and baking powder and add to the creamed mixture. Mix well. Stir in the milk until the batter is smooth. Bake 30-40 mins for a 9x9 cake or 20-25 mins for cupcakes.

Icing: (I use the buttercream recipe you find in the Wilton's ready-to-use fondant box)

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup butter
Cream together

Add 1 tsp vanilla

Gradually add 4 cups sifted powdered sugar

Add 2 tbsp milk to reach desired consistency.

Decorate to your heart's content :) Happy Holidays!!

Three Ladies Chatting at a Table with Lisa Amowitz

Good morning everybody! Today we are in for an amazing interview. We get to have a conversation with two amazing authors. One you have met already. She is another contributor on Pots ‘N Pens, Michelle McLean. *blows kisses to our wonderful readers* The other is the beautiful Lisa Amowitz. *smiles and waves to everyone while the room irrupts with applause*

Lisa is an artist, graphic designer and illustrator who writes young adult fiction. She is a mom of  an actual teen, so YA; She's living it. She is represented by the incredibly awesome Victoria Marini of Gelfman, Schneider, and is currently working on her most recent book, BREAKING GLASS. You can visit her on the web at: http://lisa-amowitzya.blogspot.com/

Hello Ladies, welcome to the table! If you were serving one of your characters his or her ideal meal, what would it be and why?

LA: Well, let's see. I write both dark supernatural YA and illustrate and write picture books (I have just completed a collaboration with your blogmate, Michelle McLean), so I would have to feed my two most recent MCs very different meals. For Jeremy Glass, the lovesick boy from BREAKING GLASS, I'd make chicken soup. Poor Jeremy can really use some mothering. As for Lyria, Michelle and my highly imaginative MC from our picture book, LYRIA'S EXTRAORDINARY WISH, I'd probably make something nutritious, yet magical--like a delicious yogurt parfait, topped blueberries, bananas, strawberries and honey.

MM – LOL the first thing I thought of was this cake I saw that was called Unicorn Birthday cake (or something like that). It was seven layers, each color of the rainbow, neon bright, covered in white frosting that glittered with sugar crystals. I think Lyria would LOVE that :)

I think my daughter would love that cake as well! She loves unicorns and glitter…Anyway back to your character. Let's say they are raiding your fridge right now, what are they most likely to eat? Are they disappointed or excited about what they find?

LA: I think BOTH my MCs would be incredibly unhappy. Jeremy exists on a diet of pizza, meatball heroes, Indian food and whatever takeout stuff his dad brings in. Lyria would most likely want mint butterscotch chocolate ice cream or whatever. I don't bring much sugary stuff into my house, so if either MC is interested in leftover broccoli soup or seafood pasta (actually Jeremy might approve of that) they'll be in heaven.

MM - I agree. Lyria is pretty much unhappy with everything about her ordinary world, and there is certainly nothing extraordinary in my fridge. She could probably dream up something fabulous though.

Share your favorite literary feast or treat. What makes this food and/or writing so memorable?

LA: I guess a memorable moment for me is when, in the first book of the Hunger Games, Katniss is treated to her very first sumptious meal in the train on the way to the Games. The way her mouth waters, even though she is consumed with guilt over how her friends and family back home will never experience such a savory delight, is so vivid and well written I can still practically taste the meal.

MM – one scene that has always stuck with me is that one from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (I believe) where Voldemort possesses Harry for a moment. Dumbledore and his friends are standing there helpless while Harry writhes in agony trying to fight Voldemort off. Just the thought of watching a loved one suffer like that, or suffering like that for your loved ones, was an very memorable image for me. If we are going for plain food…every feast scene in Harry Potter LOL How awesome would it be to just have tables full of amazing food appear before your eyes!

Is there a food you'd love to learn how to cook or a different genre or type of book you'd love to try to write?

LA: Hmmm...I think working on this picture book with Michelle was a big stretch for me. Though I am trained as an artist and illustrator and have been writing YA for years, I found writing in picture book language was nearly impossible. That's how I ended up begging the amazing Michelle for help. But I got more than help. I got a partner--a partner who has inspired me and spurred me toward real enthusiasm for the project. One thing I do plan to tackle down the road is a middle grade book. But first my agent would dearly like me to write another YA thriller to pair nicely with BREAKING GLASS.

MM – I’ve got to say, working on the picture book with Lisa has been beyond amazing for me. I actually write several different genres. Non-fiction, historical romances, and YA urban fantasies, as well as picture books. But I can’t draw to save my life. And the really stunning ideas for PBs aren’t always there for me. So to pair with Lisa, who had this amazing vision and is able to create these absolutely gorgeous illustrations has been a dream come true for me.

Actual cooking…yeah, I’d like to do it ALL better LOL I can bake, but my husband is the gourmet cook in the family. When I attempt anything other than spaghetti, the family revolts :)

What are three must-have foods/seasonings in your kitchen?

LA: pepper. olive oil. fresh garlic.

MM – chocolate, bread, chocolate :D

I love chocolate too, but my kids can sniff it out so it is never in my kitchen longer than a few hours. Speaking of kitchen, what's your favorite kitchen accessory or appliance? How about a favorite writing accessory or reference?

I LOVE my blending stick. It's how I make all my puree soups. My favorite writing accessory is the software Scrivener. I put all my research in there and do my outlining.

MM – umm it’s a toss - up between my microwave and toaster :D For writing, google. And I’m just starting to use Scrivener and liking it so far.

What is your A+, number 1 writing snack?

LA: that's easy--late at night it's a steaming mug of chai tea. For a writing lunch its egg salad on a rice cracker topped with a slice of tomato. Or if I want a quick breakfast, I make a scrambled egg, melt some cheddar cheese and top that with a slice of tomato.

MM – okay, Lisa is making me feel like such a slob LOL I generally go straight for the Goldfish crackers :)

If you could borrow one person's zest for writing and/or life, whose and why?

LA: I think I would borrow Michelle's! She is one of the most disciplined, positive and amazing people I know.  And she is lightning quick, reliable and super-efficient. Then there is my critique-mate Dhonielle Clayton, who is brimming with ideas, plans, and so much imagination I don't know how it fits into one tiny little woman. And last, can I borrow genius? I would borrow a QUARTER of the brain of my critique-mate Kate Milford (THE BONESHAKER, 2010). This woman is utterly, insanely brilliant and so jaw-droppingly creative it takes my breath away. And, guess what, she's as nice as a person can be. And one more? How about the amazing Libba Bray? I have had the good fortune of meeting her several times and she is SO funny, and kind that I would like a little (or a lot) of her GRACE. To be so successful, yet so grounded and have a sense of humor about herself is a thing to behold.

MM – I think my kids’ zest for everything. They get so excited over the littlest things – it always reminds me to look at the good in everything. Last Christmas, we got my kids little work desks and I stocked them with office supplies – pens, crayons, glue, paper – and I wrapped everything just for fun. My son opened the paper, looked confused but with a smile, and then said “I don’t know what to do with this but it’s awesome!” :) And I’d love to have their energy for sure :)

Please share one cheesy "writing is like cooking" thought.

LA: Don't have one of these.

MM – *crickets*  

What inspired your latest book, and what ingredients do you hope make it a tasty treat for readers?

LA: I guess part of what inspired BREAKING GLASS was thinking back to high school and how there was always some guy who would put me on a pedestal, but not really like me for who I really was. In other words, they would form some romantic notion of me, and love that person. I had a boyfriend like that and it always annoyed me that I couldn't really be myself. That's why we broke up after I went to college, because I came back as ME and that was that. Then, there is the somewhat spooky magical Northern Westchester town my close friends live in. The town is Croton-on-Hudson and the town in BREAKING GLASS (Riverton) is close visual replica of Croton, with its winding roads, gorges, reservoirs and rivers. Otherwise, I have no clue---it's just a mishmash of the dust collecting in my head.

MM – My lips are sealed on this one. Sorry.

Hey. I totally get it. What's cooking? Can you share a bit about your next project?

LA: Michelle has a whole lot of PB ideas up her sleeve, so she'll have to fill you in on those. My next WIP will be about a country boy who finds himself afflicted with a strange supernatural malady that puts him on the trail of a serial killer. I don't really want to say too much more about it!

MM – ah yes, poor Lisa…I’ll keep her drawing till the end of the century :) Since Lyria’s story is a bit more girl-centric, we want to do a book with a cute little boy hero who will have all sorts of fabulous adventures. And…I have a few more but I don’t want to send the illustrator into a panic attack ;-) For my other projects, I have an NF book on how to write poetry and my fiction WIPs a historical about 3 sisters set in Gold Rush California and a YA urban fantasy partial verse novel :)

 What's your go-to meal when you need to serve something quick and easy?

LA: A variation of the above---melted cheese on a rice cracker topped with tomato.

MM – spaghetti – it’s fast, easy, and my kids will eat it

If your book were a menu item, describe the restaurant that would serve it?

LA: BREAKING GLASS CAFE would be dark, moody and candlelit. There would be Tarot card readings and the waitresses would all be dressed like Pirate Queens. There would be no alcohol, but you'll have to read the book to find out why.

MM – hmm I think it would be very bright and colorful, with wispy drapes of iridescent fabrics hanging from the ceilings, crystal drop chandeliers, with a glass bottomed floor above a massive fish tank…and they would only serve desserts :D

LA: I think I’d rather eat at Lyria’s Luncheonette than the Breaking Glass Café. J

Tell us about your edible specialty, and rate your skill in the kitchen: novice, not bad, or nominate me for a Michelin star.

LA: I make a great ratatouille with eggplant, zucchini and polenta. I would rate myself as an intermediate cook--definitely not Julia Child, but not half bad. No one starves in my house. One thing I am awful at is baking. I leave that to my husband (not that he is that good, but beggars can't be choosers). :)

MM – I can bake – I make a chocolate cake to die for :D but cooking…yeah, not so much. I mean I’m not horrible…but I’m close :D

Describe the best cook you know and something wonderful he or she has served you.

LA: My dear friend Debbie Cohen is a great cook, but her son, college student Josh Karp is an awesome baker. Now, 20, when Josh was 13 he made a peach tart that was literally the best thing I ever tasted in my life. Sadly he is much too busy (and far away) at college--but I know we'll get him back in the kitchen eventually. (Hi Josh!)

MM – my husband. He really should have been a chef, he’s AMAZING. We do a huge taco night once or twice a month with the neighbors. He makes this incredible marinated shredded pork with homemade chips and a corn guacamole that I could live off of. And his souvlaki is soooo yummy!

Leftovers can be great, especially when the same ingredients are retasked into another magical meal. Name a book that you wish had a sequel (or another sequel) and what kind of story you think that literary remix would tell.

I adore the Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness. I would nearly sell my soul for a fourth book in that series (or fifth or sixth). AND I am still waiting for another book by Marcus Zusak of the Book Thief. Drumming my fingers. Marcus? What the heck is taking you so long? Oh, and while we are at it, Libba Bray, what about a sequel to Going Bovine? And lastly--if only there was a sequel to one of my favorite books of all time. The Secret Garden. Hmmmm..maybe my MC can bring Frances Hodgson Burnett back from the dead to write that one.

MM – hmm you know, I really liked The Host by Stephanie Meyer. Keep hoping for a sequel to that one.

Not every idea is a winner. Written or not, what's the most ill-conceived story idea you've ever had?

LA: I had this idea of alien kids growing up on Earth with a jewel in their bellies that transmitted a signal to the other alien kids. Yeah. NOT!

MM – lol I wrote this picture book about a caveman who had to learn to share and he gathered a bunch of stuff for a meal and ended up sharing his fish and caveman salad with a dinosaur (because, you know, I wanted him to have a healthy meal lol) :D

Too much salt can ruin an exquisite meal and the perfect dessert tempers earlier mistakes. What ingredients can destroy a book through overuse or salvage a book despite its flaws?

LA: I have a long list...

Negatives:

LA: Too many exclamation points.

To many dialogue tags. Add adjectives and it gets even worse. (said, Mary, excitedly.)

Passive writing--I think that's what this is called (I saw the man lift the vase. I smelled the lingering smoke)

An unlikable MC

excessive description of items, scenes, etc that have nothing to do with the narrative

Telling the reader in the first paragraph the color of the mc's hair and eyes--particularly while they look in the mirror.

Positives:

Beautiful, lyrical writing

a great mc with great dialogue

a clever and unique plot

MM – negatives – too much body language, especially during dialogue. Force-feeding the reader info or being redundant. Trying to use dialogue to info dump “You know Mom, the tall blonde with the glasses who went to Harvard and then gave up her career to raise five boys? She’s making lasagna for dinner, your favorite meal!”

For me, a great character saves the book every time. The rest might be dreadful but if I care about the character, I’ll usually put up with the rest.

Tell about a time when food inspired your writing or a book inspired your cooking.

LA: I have a blog post from February 2010. I had just seen Julie/Julia, the movie and ran out to buy a fancy French casserole dish. It was a time that I was feeling rather blue about my writing..but cooking excited me--and not just for the outcome, but for the simple joy of it. I decided to approach my writing the same way--focus on the process and worry about the results later. It paid off--that summer I signed with my wonderful, wonderful, (I can't praise her enough) agent Victoria Marini and haven't looked back. Oh--and I do like to make sure Victoria gets her share of cupcakes, though she wouldn't want any I baked myself. :)

MM – I read a blog post from someone who had just come back from a trip to England. They had tried lime marmalade there and loved it. I’d heard of orange marmalade, but never lime. It sounded delicious lol So it became my MC’s favorite breakfast item :)

If you could invite a character to dinner who would it be and what would you serve?

I would invite Molly Weasly from Harry Potter and ask her to conjure the meal. She is one tough chick and I love her!

MM – agreed!

Me too! She’d have to be a great cook with all those boys. One last question, if you were marooned on an island, and Pots 'N Pens granted your wish for only one book and one food, what would you choose?

LA: Oh--man. Harry Potter of course! And the food? Papaya? Refreshing, healthy and sweet? Uhhh--I think I would hate that after the first day if it was all I had to eat. Maybe I should change it to rice pudding. I never get sick of rice pudding, but I try to avoid it since it is one of the most fattening foods on the planet!

MM – hmm probably Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I love that book (well the series really). And it’s really long so that would be helpful. As for a food…something I wouldn’t find on the island…like steak LOL

Pudding and steak, sounds good to me. Thank you, ladies. It was a joy talking to you. We look forward to reading your work.

Expect the Unexpected

One thing I always try to do in my stories is keep my readers on their toes. I want them to be surprised when a twist pops up in the book. This is something I keep an eye out for when I'm doing revisions. I always go through and chunk out my scenes, noting on Post Its the characters, the setting, what's going on, and the POV for each scene. These go up on my cork board. Then I can go through and see exactly what needs to be added, cut, expanded, condensed, etc.

It's during revisions when I try to add those subtle layers - make that character a little deeper, make that motivation a little more complex, make that first kiss a little more spine-tingling ;-) It's all about the layers. And the more unexpected those layers can be, the better.

So, although yesterday was Thanksgiving, I will not be sharing a Thanksgiving recipe today. In honor of layers (and my birthday which is today) :D here is my all time favorite "layered" recipe.

Mom's Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk

(See the directions for the following ingredients)

1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup boiling water

Directions:

Cream sugar, shortening, eggs, and vanilla. sift together dry ingredients and alternate with 1 cup milk, adding to creamed mixture. Mix the 1/2 cup cocoa and 1/2 boiling water together and add to mixture. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

I usually double this recipe to make 3 or 4 round layers and you end up with something scrumptious, like this:

*ahem I promise not all of my recipes will involve chocolate and/or cake :D But gotta go there for the birthday post ;-) *

Meet the Contributors: Michelle McLean - and a Guest Interview with Sandra Ulbrich Almazan

I am so excited to join all the amazing writers on this blog. Food and books = two of my all time favorite things :) The quick rundown on me: I write young adult novels, picture books, and non-fiction educational books (my first book, Homework Helpers: Essays and Term Papers was released in Jan of this year). I currently have a NF book on how to write poetry and a picture book on submission and a novel in revisions with my agent (the fabulous Krista Goering) so I'm a little antsy at the moment :) In addition to my personal blog, I'm also a contributor over at Operation Awesome.

A few goofy facts: I have an overflowing bookcase in every room of my house (including the laundry room); I think my treadmill attracts spiders because the two times I got on it (in my current house anyway) a spider dropped down from the ceiling right in my face - so I don't touch the thing.

I am also excited to be able to share a fun interview with Sandra Ulbrich Almazan, who just released her novella Lyon's Legacy.

If you were marooned on an island and Pots & Pens granted your wish for only one book and one food, what would you choose?

It’s harder to choose a single book than food; for food, I’d say chocolate. I can probably find more nutritious food on the island, but there aren’t too many wild candy bars roaming around. If I was going to bring a book to read (not just to use as a survival manual), it would be the complete works of Shakespeare. You could read that over and over and see something new each time.

If you were serving one of your characters his or her ideal meal, what would it be and why?

When I read that question, Joanna immediately popped into my head and asked for sushi. It must be hard to get good sushi on a spaceship.

If you could borrow one person's zest for writing and/or life, whose and why?

I’d like to borrow my four-year-old son’s zest for life. He has such enthusiasm for things like Halloween, and he has a great imagination too.

Hot out of the oven: What inspired your latest book, and what ingredients do you hope make it a tasty treat for readers?

It was inspired by a friend’s story about a woman who heard the Beatles perform in the Cavern, a club in Liverpool where they performed many times before they became famous. I wanted to add a science-fiction twist to that, so I came up with the idea of a time traveler going back to the past to listen to a concert by a famous musician. I asked myself who she was, why she was there, and how she got there, and eventually I came up with Joanna, sent on a mission to get DNA and clone the musician. Instead of using the Beatles, I created a single musician who lived in Chicago in the early sixites to be Joanna’s great-grandfather, the man she’s supposed to help clone.

I hope my readers will enjoy Joanna, a science geek with an attitude; George, the geneticist she falls in love with; the spaceship they travel on; and the old-fashioned Chicago Joanna visits to complete her mission.

What's cooking? Can you share a bit about your next project?

I actually have a three-course meal in the works. The appetizer is “The Fighting Roses of Sharon,” a standalone fantasy story about three generations of women in a small town with an unusual annual ritual. Next comes Twinned Universes, the sequel to Lyon’s Legacy. Both of those are in the revision stage. Finally, I’m drafting a fantasy novel called Scattered Seasons, about a group of four women called Season Lords who must combine their various magics to protect their country.

Half-baked ideas: Not every idea is a winner. Written or not, what's the most ill-conceived story idea you've ever had?

I once wrote a story about a woman who wrote birth announcements for people who would become famous at some point in their lives; the announcements were supposed to be the opposite of obituaries. (She had some way to look into the future to predict what they would do.) But I couldn’t explain the concept clearly or fill some of the plot holes, so that story is staying on the shelf where it belongs.

Thanks so much to Sandra for hanging out with us today! If you'd like a copy of Lyon's Legacy you can find it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. Be sure to check out Sandra's blog for more info on her and her books.

Recipe Time! Chocolate Cake in a Cup

This is one of my all time faves and my kids absolutely love it. It's very fast, very easy, and perfect for a chocolate lover :D It's especially perfect for Nanowrimo (which is coming up TOMORROW!!) since it takes about a minute to throw together and only 3 minutes to bake. Can't get better than that for a writer with a deadline :D

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
dash of vanilla
dash of baking powder (optional)
handful of chocolate chips or nuts (optional)

Directions:

Mix everything together in a big mug

Microwave for 3 minutes

Eat :D

I usually top it with whip cream or powdered sugar. You can also make a healthier version of this by using almond flour and Stevia in place of the regular flour and sugar. This is a fast, fun chocolate fix and fun to do with your kids. They can mix and cook everything themselves so it's a blast for them.

Enjoy!!