My Writing Process Blog Tour

Sunshine makes me want to go on vacation.  (Not that there's any sunshine today, but there was last week.) So, with the sun shining, I agreed when Kristin Nador (of Kristin Nador Writes Anywhere)  invited me along on her My Writing Process Blog Tour.  

Hey, I’ll take any vacation—even a virtual one.  Would you like to join me?

Taking a break at a writing retreat

Before going on a trip, there’s always paperwork. So, here's where I earn it.

What am I working on?

Picture books.  I've written a couple of novels and was well into another, when I decided to take a detour. It feels good to travel off the beaten path for a change.

How does my work differ from other of its genre? 

Whether it's novels or picture books, I like to write about possibilities in a world where what you think you see isn't always what you get. I play with the idea of "Okay, it's not real, but why not...are you sure?"

Why do I write what I do?

I write about "the magic of everyday life" on my blog. Most of my YA work has fantastical elements with hints of magic in our regular world, which lends itself nicely to picture books. Recently, I decided to practice the “write what you know” adage.  We devour picture books in this house.  We have stacks and shelves of them. In my former life as a high school teacher, I felt that I had never really left high school. Now,  I'm living and breathing picture books.  Everywhere I turn, I see magical possibilities through the sparkling enthusiasm of my children as well as their intense, face covering drama.  Children see the world as a magical place full of possibilities, and I like the idea we share that perspective. I enjoy parallel worlds where something isn't quite what it seems.   That explains childhood pretty well.

I enjoy writing novels, but labyrinthine plot lines require large chunks of time from me.  With picture books, I can work on a single big idea. Writers go into the world to gather ideas and feed their creativity. I just have to listen to the kids' stream of consciousness chatter. I've heard of writers doing drugs to have creative injections. I have psychedelic creativity padding into my bedroom at 5:58 AM whispering, " Mom.  Mom.  I wanna tell you a story."

How does your writing process work? 

Give me tea (preferably one with bergamot), a baked good, and either a computer or journal, and I'll write. I envy people who churn out novels while chaos surrounds them. That's a challenge, but I'll take what I can get.   Still, a nice, three hour chunk is ideal. It allows me to revisit my most recent writing adventures, experience more and then review them. It's a nice vacation from life into my imaginary world. However, I usually get an hour.  I work best when I get time on a consistent basis so my brain can play with problems and possibilities for the characters before I return to the computer and write it down. I love that feeling of living my writing life in my head while I'm doing something mundane like folding laundry.

Thanks for your interest in my writing process. Mark your itinerary for next Monday when each of the following authors will tell you about her process.

Sonia Gensler is the award-winning author of THE REVENANT (2011) and THE DARK BETWEEN (2013), both from Alfred A. Knopf. She blogs a little about writing, but more often about reading, travel, TV and movies over at www.soniagensler.com.

Gayleen Rabakukk enjoys creating stories that explore the mysteries of days gone by, both real and imagined. Find her online at www.gayleenrabakukk.com

Stephanie Clinton is a mommy blogger who writes about family, food, and all that goes with it (including the hard stuff) over at Hugs, Kisses, and Snot. She will also be featured in Oklahoma City's 2014 Listen to Your Mother Show.

Happy travels!

Summer Salad Virtual Potluck Round Up

Summer is officially over which means that so is our Tasty Tuesday Summer Salad Virtual Potluck.

Don't be sad. We'll party again soon. Thanks for joining us!

Since party favors make every party more fun, I have a parting gift for you: A round up of all of the salads from the summer. Just click on the picture for the link.

 Oh boy, there were some goodies.

Jennifer McMurrain's Mac Daddy Macaroni Salad

Dee Dee Chumley's Black Bean and Hominy Salad

Brandi Barnett's Tortellini Salad

Lisa Marotta's Mama Mia Pasta Salad

Kelly Bristow's Mississippi Cornbread Salad

Heather Davis' Oh Crap! I Forgot! Salad

Tom Barczak's Summer Chicken Salad

Shel Harrington's Peach Fluff

Malena Lott's Avocado Feta Tomato Salad

Lisa Czlonka's Kalua Pig

Mari Farthing's Orzo Veggie Salad

Heather Ezell's Caprese Salad

 
I love introducing people and watching friendships form. If you haven't already, please visit my fellow bloggers on their home pages.  Who knows? You may find a new place to visit.  After all, they're fascinating people... just like you.

Thanks for coming to the party and come back soon!

Summer Salads: Heather Ezell

For those of you who regularly read my blog, you'll know Heather Ezell from Hang Zen yoga on Lake Tenkiller or this post about SUP yoga, this post from Oklahoma Women Bloggers and this post about Inklings 2013 summer retreat. 

She's cool.  She's fun.  She's adventuresome.

I was thrilled when Heather finally decided to start a blog because she has a variety of interests.  I'm hoping to live vicariously through her travels.  Heather's also a bit of a foodie and loves wine. These traits I can aspire to, but...she also flips houses.  (Will I learn some DIY pointers for my home so I can dazzle the hubby with some yet-to-be-learned mad skills?) I'm looking forward to reading more of Heather Ezell's Never Zending Story.

I'm happy you joined us today for the last guest post of the Summer Salad series. Check out what Heather brought to the virtual potluck.

 For me, Salads are a staple. Whether I'm cooking something only for
myself, the two of us, or for a crowd, I almost always have a salad of
some sort. As well, it is not unheard of for me to do more than one.
They're light, delicious and versatile. I DO love a salad. I have many
that are included in my rotation but this one may be my favorite. (It
is often requested when people come to visit.) It's simple and
elegant. Also during this time of year, the ingredients are fresh and
in abundance. Most of the time, I use what I have grown in either mine
or my neighbors' garden.

Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Salad

AKA Fancy Name: Caprese Salad

Ingredients list: (Tip--the fresher, the better)

Tomatoes--your favorite variety, or whatever you have on hand from the
garden, the farmer's market, etc.

~ Do not refrigerate tomatoes. It will zap the flavor.

Basil--a bunch or a handful

Mozzarella--Fresh is vital for this recipe. I generally use buffalo
mozzarella packed in water.

Olive oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Greens--again whatever is fresh and available. Sometimes I use spinach
or microgreens or whatever I find at the farmer's market.

Directions:

Pour a glass of wine. (Or sparkling/mineral water) Slice tomatoes and
mozzarella according to your preference. Sip beverage.

Take basil and stack it from largest to smallest leaf. Roll it up in a
tight package. Run knife through, cutting small ribbons into the herb.
It is best to only do this once and no more than twice to avoid
obliterating the basil and turning it into mush. Voila'! This is known
as a chiffonade. (Fancy French cooking term)

Take another sip.

Place greens in individual bowls or a serving dish. Layer tomatoes and
cheese alternating each. I prefer even amounts but it's up to you if
you would rather have more tomatoes vs. mozzarella or vice versa.
Sprinkle basil ribbons over everything.

Sip.

Now lightly dress with a good quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Sip.

Now, bon appetit!

Magical Meal Combination
When choosing a wine to pair with this salad think, light. A Reisling
or a Pinot Noir would both be appropriate. You want to take a walk on
the wild side? Give a Spanish Rioja-Crianza a whirl.

Friday Favorite: Giveaway and Getaways

I have some cool news: My blog was mentioned in the Muskogee Phoenix.  Earlier this summer I wrote about Glamping at Girl Camp on Oklahoma Women Bloggers, and it is a hot topic right now. Click here for your how-to-glamp guide.

You know how Hollywood always chooses younger, prettier actresses to portray real-life people?  The Muskogee Phoenix kindly does the same thing.  Valarie Olson's photograph was featured in the article this morning and showed our pal Moria Kinsey playing...me.

Here's a link to John Kilgore's article in the Muskogee Phoenix about Camping for those not so inclined to camp. Check it our for some great glamping websites.

Photo of the article: The lovely Moria Kinsey is playing me in the photo above.

If you are looking for a weekend getaway close to home, glamping might be just right for you.

Of course, if you don't want to leave the house at all, you can grab some Wailani's Body Scrub and have a mini Hawaiian spa experience in your own shower. Thank you to everyone who entered and shared your ideal weekend getaway.

And now...

through the magic of random.org...

I'd like to congratulate Peggy for winning the mango and green tea scrub! Thank you for telling us about your grownup slumber party experience.

Email your address to brandi at brandibarnett.com, and I'll mail your prize as soon as possible. Please drop by my blog and visit again soon.

Summer Salad: Mari Farthing

 

 

When I first met Mari Farthing, I felt like I'd met her before.  I'm not sure if it's because her name was familiar because she was a (now former) editor at MetroFamily Magazine or Senior editor at Buzz Books. She also blogs at Oklahoma Women Bloggers and Mari's Virtual Notebook and shows off her musical addiction interests at The Music Mamas. We officially met at the table reading of the Listen to Your Mother Show. 
 

We chatted. She's funny and unassuming and humble and passionate. That's when I realized Mari is just one of those people. You know...the kind you meet and it's like you've always known each other and what took so long for it to be official? After making her salad, check out her blogs.  You may feel that way about her, too.

 

 

Orzo veggie salad

1/2 box cooked orzo pasta, rinsed, drained and cooled

1 package herbed feta cheese chunks (6 oz)

1 cup of small cherry/grape tomatoes, quartered or 1 md tomato, chopped

Good handful of baby spinach, chopped

bottled Greek vinaigrette salad dressing (or Italian dressing or homemade)

Dice veggies to be of similar size:

1/2 ea: red, yellow & green bell pepper

1 md. cucumber, peeled & seeded 

1/4-1/2 red onion

Italian seasoning, salt, pepper to taste

Optional: black or Kalamata olives, pickled banana peppers, pepperoncini (all chopped in a similar to above fashion)

Combine chopped vegetables with pasta and gently toss. 

Add in seasonings at this time, plus a small amount of dressing. 

Gently combine and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Just before serving, add cheese and a little more dressing (or a lot, if you like a lot of dressing) and toss.

 

Magical Meal Combination

This is great if you're going to have Greek food, such as kebabs or souvlaki-marinated pork (the optional ingredients are a perfect tie in for Greek food), but works equally well with just about any grilled meat or as a stand-alone pasta salad. The add-ins are very flexible to what you have available; use your leftover vegetables from a previous meal, add a protein like grilled chicken or shrimp in the salad to make it a full meal. I would enjoy this with a nice Sauvignon Blanc, but then I think the only requirement for a nice Sauvignon Blanc is a lovely summer day!

Summer Salad: Heather Davis

Guess who is at our virtual potluck today, ya'll?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minivan Momma is in the house! Heather Davis is the award winning author of 

the TMI Mom humor series.

     

She's partied with Dr. Oz, so I feel extra fancy that she's hanging out with us.
You may know her as one of the leaders of Oklahoma Women Bloggers as well
as one of the talented producers from the Listen to Your Mother Show in Oklahoma City.
Watch her video here.



How does she accomplish everything?  Stick around the party, because she's sharing
some of her magic tricks.

***

I found myself awake at 3:00am (that's the morning, y'all) just knowing I had

forgotten something. I just knew it, but I didn't know what it was. Later that 

same morning, when we were trying to get out the door on time, I remembered. 
I had to take a salad to work for a luncheon. I could have stopped by Hellmart 
on my way to work, but I really didn't have the time or the desire to do that.

I opened up my fridge and contemplated dousing the head of lettuce with ranch 
dressing and Parmesan cheese, but I was afraid of the lawsuit, because the lettuce 
was limpy and the Parmesan was putrid.

I perused the panty not really sure what I would find. I felt the spirit of Julia Child 
enter into my soul as I glanced at three cans of beans. Within five minutes I had what 
I now call the "Oh Crap! I Forgot! Salad."And at the end of the luncheon, I had an 
empty bowl to take home. What do ya know? I pulled it out just in time.




 Oh Crap! I Forgot! Salad

Three cans of beans, any kind, drained and rinsed. (My favorites are black 
 eyed peas, garbanzo beans and kidney beans. But, I've made it with chili 
beans, black beans, purple hull beans. I'm pretty sure re-fried beans would not 
work, though. Pretty sure.)

One purple onion, diced or sliced. (How much time you actually have when you 
remember that you forgot will determine how fancy you cut up your onion.)

Half a cup of Italian dressing. (Truthfully, I don't have a clue as to whether
or not it's a half cup or three-quarters of a cup. I never measure. I just pour, 
cover and shake.)

When all of your ingredients are in your salad bowl, stir well. Or put a lid 
on the bowl and shake well.

This does well when you have an hour or two to refrigerate it. It'll last for 
three days if you make it for your family and they refuse to eat beans.

Camping Round Up

Are you a happy camper?

 

This post explains how I avoid tent camping with my babies.

This one indicates I do enjoy the great outdoors.

Posts like this one about the Inklings and this one about the Red Tent Sisterhood show I'm not totally opposed to camping within walls. And with air conditioning.

Have you seen my post on Oklahoma Women Bloggers today? I shared my guide on how to glamp.

What do you think about camping? What about glamping? Where is your favorite spot to camp/glamp?

Summer Salads: Lisa Marotta

Welcome to the party! Every Tasty Tuesday this summer, I'm hosting a Virtual Potluck.  

A gal who loves celebrations as much as--or possibly more than--I do is my friend and Inkling critique buddy Lisa Marotta. You may have caught her last month as Oklahoma Women Blogger's Blogger of the Month. She's known around the web as The Feelings Doctor.  Check out her blog and you'll know why.  

My father claims her dish is the best pasta salad he's ever tasted.  *sniff* I'll pretend he didn't say this when my own pasta salad was available, but I can't.  Whether it's the magic of Marotta or mozzarella, it is certainly delicioso! 

*Mama Mía! Pasta Salad

1 lb Campanelle Pasta (Or you can use plain or tricolor Rotelle)

16 oz Wishbone Robusto Italian Dressing (Robusto has zing! Don’t accept substitutesJ)

1 Large Bell Pepper, or 3-4 Mini Bell Peppers, sliced

1 Cup Cherry Tomatoes, halved

¼ Cup Red Onion, sliced

1 6oz Can Pitted Black Olives

1 8oz Fresh Mozzarella Ball, sliced into bite sized chunks

Prepare the pasta according to the al dente directions.  Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water.  Put in a large bowl, add the Robusto. Set aside.

Slice the vegetables (Pepper,Tomatoes,Onion) and drain the black olives.  Toss together in a small bowl before adding to the cold Robusto pasta.

Refrigerate for at least one hour. The longer you let the pasta marinate the happier you will be with your salad. 

Slice the mozzarella and set aside for later. If you add the cheese too soon it gets hard by the marinating.  Let the pasta and veggies do the soaking first.  While you are waiting try not to nibble the mozzarella even though you will be tempted. 

Mix the yummy fresh mozzarella to your chilled pasta salad before serving.

Magical Meal Suggestion: This pasta salad is named Mama Mia! because when I was pregnant it was a frequent midnight craving. Back then I skipped the marinating and it still tasted good.  It just tasted BETTER in the morning! These days I pair this cold salad with anything hot off the grill, like burgers or chicken breasts or pork loin.  I like to add a fresh green salad and fruit for color. If the grill master wants a break I grab a rotisserie chicken and make it work.  For a second meal: Cut up the left-over rotisserie chicken and add to your salad for lunches or a main dish later in the week. 

 

Friday Favorite: Foodie Friday

 Check me out over on Oklahoma Women Bloggers today. 

I tell you what my kids eat with chopsticks.

After you've mastered my recipe, click here to learn how to use chopsticks.

Happy Friday!

Summer Salads: Dee Dee Chumley

Thanks for dropping by my Virtual Potluck today.  We're partying every Tuesday.

 

I'm so glad you are here so you can meet my friend Dee Dee Chumley.  She's the author of young adult novel Beyond the Farthest Star and one of my critique buddies in the Inklings. Plus, we taught together, so I'm not kidding when I refer to her as the Grammar Goddess.  She also knows a thing or two about the many uses of cream cheese. Today, however, she brought a delicious and healthy salad and margaritas! 

Enjoy.

Light, delicious, and healthy!

Black Bean and Hominy Salad

15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

15-oz can hominy, rinsed and drained

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1 small yellow pepper, diced

½ small red onion, diced

1/3 cup fresh, chopped cilantro

1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

1 tsp honey

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

¼ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp table salt

In medium-size bowl, combine beans, hominy, tomatoes, pepper, onion, cilantro, and jalapeno.

In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, honey, oil, cumin, and salt; pour over bean mixture and toss to combine. Yields about 6, ¾ cup servings.

You can serve this right away, but it is better after an hour or so or even a day.

Magical Meal Suggestion

This salad goes well with anything southwest or Tex-Mex. You can use it as a side salad with grilled chicken or beef or fajitas or as a topping to tacos or tostados. Serve with chips and salsa and/or queso and—ole—you’ve got yourself a south-of-the-border meal in minutes!

The perfect beverage? Frozen Margaritas!

1 can frozen limeade

1/3 can Triple Sec

Tequila to taste (I use about half a can)

Ice

Lime wedges

Blend ingredients in blender to desired consistency.

Run lime wedge around rim of glasses, dip rims in margarita salt; pour, add lime wedges, serve.

Can’t you just hear the mariachis?

 

Stop by next Tuesday to see what Lisa Marotta is bringing to the party!

Friday Favorite: Miss July

I'm pretty excited that my little blog and I are Miss July over at Oklahoma Women Bloggers. Check us out this month.  While you're there, get to know some of the other Oklahoma bloggers.

Inklings Retreat 2013

I love my writing group and our annual writing retreat at Lake Tenkiller.  This summer was our tenth-ish year to hang out at the lake, eat lots of food, critique works in progress, and laugh. A lot.

photo courtesy of Lisa Marotta

This year Dee Dee Chumley introduced a word tournament.  It's kind of like March Madness, but with a bunch of logophiles instead of athletes  We (okay, mostly I) slung a lot of words around trying to intimidate other players and help Dee Dee with tough-talk dialogue for her next novel. Of course, one can only sound so intimidating when throwing around language like "confabulation" and "diaphanous." But it paid off.  I won with the word "petulant."  (Ironic since I was talking trash, don't you think?) We might have trouble if you tell me you would have voted for Lisa Marotta's word that also made the finals:"serendipity.'

Sometimes we make it to the water to float around and commune with the dragonflies.  This year, a few of us ventured forth and practiced water yoga with Heather Ezell of Hang Zen.  It was awesome. Then we went back to the deck and enjoyed some of my daddy's special sangria--that Kelly helped doctor with OJ--while talking about all things bloggy. I'm already looking forward to our fall retreat!

Pictured below are Martha Bryant, Dee Dee Chumley, Kelly Bristow, Heather Ezell of Hang Zen, Lisa Marotta, and Brandi Barnett.

photo courtesy of Kevin Ezell of Hang Zen yoga

  
 Read more about my ideas about yoga over on Oklahoma Women Bloggers.

Summer Salads: Jennifer McMurrain

Hello, friends! I'm so glad you made our Virtual Potluck Party. We're meeting every Tasty Tuesday this summer.  Today's guest blog is brought to you by Jennifer McMurrain.  Enjoy!

 

I love a good potluck. So when Brandi said she was doing a virtual potluck featuring salads, I knew just what I wanted to make, my Mac Daddy Macaroni Salad. Now I must issue a warning, this is a salad you want to make in moderation, it's definitely not on any diet lists, but it's oh so yummy, you won't be able to help yourself. And you don't need anything to go with it, this salad is a meal in itself, although saltines are a nice addition.

Ingredients:

3 cups uncooked macaroni

1 can sweet peas, drained

10 to 12 chopped green onions

8 oz of cubed cheddar cheese (I like mild cheddar)

1 lb of cubed ham

4 to 6 boiled eggs, roughly chopped

3 heaping spoonfuls of Miracle Whip Light

1 cup Light Ranch Dressing

 

*Author's note: My mother has informed me that I must include cucumber in my ingredient list because it is her recipe. So you can add one peeled, roughly chopped cucumber if you like that kind of thing. I don't. ;o)

 

Directions:

 

1. Cook macaroni per package instructions.

2. Boil eggs.

3. Drain macaroni and rinse with cold water. Pour into bowl.

4. Add peas, green onions, cheese, ham and eggs.

5. Add Miracle Whip Light and Ranch Dressing, to taste. You want it to be kind of tangy. Start with what I have above and then add a bit at a time until desired taste.

6. Chill overnight before serving for best results.

 

And done. My family will eat this for day and then beg for more. It's a quick one bowl meal, that's great for picnics and pot lucks. Enjoy.

One thing I love about parties is meeting new people.  If Jennifer McMurrain is new to you, go visit her over on her blog A Moment of Jen and check out all of her books.

Oklahoma Love

 During a still Monday morning, I looked at a weather map indicating storm chances. I said, "Oh my. Oklahoma is the center of a bull's eye.  

But I was thinking, "Dear God, help us."

Here are a few links addressing ways you can help with the recent tornadoes that ripped up Oklahoma and broke our hearts.

Child psychologist Lisa Marotta wrote how to soothe your child's fear after the storm. 

Be sure to check out Metro Family's ways to help victims of the May 20 tornado.

Oklahoma Women Bloggers posted a list of different ways to help, too.

Please comment below if you know of other ways to help.

And the winner of TMI Mom: Oversharing My Life is...

Tracy! Congratulations.

Random.org selected the winner since I could not possibly choose from the stories.

For those of you who would like to purchase a copy, you can go here or here.

Check me out with the author Heather Smith Davis and her editor Mari Farthing.

Listen to Your Mother Show: These are my people

We send our stories into a theater packed with 400 bodies. That's 800 ears.  We send our stories into a social media project that will spread our stories to more bodies, more ears.

We can't take them back.

The house lights go up, but there is a strange combination of stage lights still shining that leave much of the crowd in the dark--at least from my view point. Applause fades to giddy conversations as cast members reunite with their people.

I stand alone onstage, peering into the gloomy abyss.

Where are my people?

A silhouette waves, and I think it's one of my tribe.  The cast member in front of me waves back.

Where are my people?  They were coming... right?

Loneliness sweeps over me as the waves of emotions the show tossed about go out to sea and come back for me--pulling me into a place that churns like a sea monster.

Then I take a deep breath.  I'm being silly. A saying drifts across my psyche: "If your ship doesn't come in, go out to meet it."

Right. Even if my people aren't here, I have a whole new sisterhood in the inaugural cast of Oklahoma City's Listen to Your Mother show. And these amazing women and man deserve to be congratulated.

I step off the stage and into this new world where everyone knows my story.

My eyes adjust to the light.  I see them.  I hear others call my name. 

I am not alone.  I never was. 

That's the thing with sisterhoods.

Some you grow up with.

childhood friends Tina and Ange--and our mommas--at the show

Some you help create.

my Inklings at Christmas--didn't get a pic after show!

Some you find through other people.

Tina, moi, Shannon, Kellie, Ange

Ashley and Jennifer at Kentucky Derby party. (They didn't wear the hats to the show.)

And some you share your soul onstage with.

2013 cast of Oklahoma City's Listen to Your Mother show (photo by Macy Fitzgerald)

Just when I feel lost at sea, my family--the ones I'm related to and the ones I've adopted--buoy me.

my hubby and kids at after-party

my mother-in-law, mom, and dad at after-party

They always do.

Even if I can't see them doing it.

Our cast was warned about the "me too" moments when strangers approach post-show and connect to your story.  I really didn't experience that.  However, I did catch people watching me, and when I looked their ways, they avoided me.  Now I know why. Since that day, I've heard from two people who told me my story helped women who were still so raw that they couldn't tell me personally.

I didn't share my secrets in vain. My story is a letter in a bottle tossed into the sea meant to be found by someone I may never meet.

That's why I did Listen to Your Mother.

Because, sometimes, it's not about me having a buoy. It's about me being the buoy.