What IS Hallie Writing...

 

HALLIE EPHRON: It's WHAT WE'RE WRITING week... and my usual question: Am I writing? And if I am, then where is it?? 

The answer: ideas are swirling in my head. Which is a step forward.

I’m still disinterring and collecting the personal writing I’ve done over the decades and sorting. Since Jerry and I were married for more than 50 years, a lot of the writing is about him. I've been printing it all out, three-hole-punching, and putting the pages into a spiffy red 3-ring binder.

So it feels as if something is happening.

On a parallel track I’ve scanned the hundreds of cartoons he drew and saved, much of it from the cards he drew for me and capturing our family history. Every birthday, Christmas, New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, Ground Hog Day, and once on Bastille Day I’d find a hand-drawn card in the bathroom in the morning when I groped my way to the toilet.

It started out with just us and two cats. Then us and a baby. Then us and another baby. The last cards include my daughter's handsome husband and their two delicious grandchildren. It was a sort of rite of passage when you assumed cartoon-character form in one of his drawings.

He was a lunatic who raised “silly” to a fine art. Who turned cartoon drawings into love letters.

Friends have urged me to use his drawings to tell a story.

I met Jerry in 1968. He was a graduate student in physics, living near Columbia, and I was a junior at Barnard. We were fixed up by one of his roommates. I’d just been dumped by Charlie; then, months later Charlie whistled and I dumped Jerry.

Jerry was persistent. He wooed me with cartoons. Here’s a postcard he sent me.

He’s Don Quixote and I’m one of the evil grimacing faces on the windmill along with Charlie. The text is from a poem by Frederico García Lorca. Jerry loved poetry and spoke pretty good Spanish.

When Charlie dumped me (again), it’s telling that I’d kept Jerry’s card. I must have known in my heart of hearts, that he was the one. And lucky for me, he thought I was, too. We got back together, and stayed that way happily (almost) ever after.

Here’s a picture of Jerry as he was when I first met him and again in 1990. Was he handsome or what?? I must have been out of my mind to dump him.

And here’s how he portrayed the change he’d undergone in those three decades. Cue: laughter.

Is your family history in photographs? Letters?? A recipe box?? A binder?? A book???

A MERRY LITTLE MURDER PLOT: Releasing this week!

 

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JENN McKINLAY: There it is! My fifteenth Library Lover's Mystery. It is absolutely wild to me that it's been fourteen years since the release of the first book in the series BOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING. I was thinking about it the other day and I was trying to determine if I have changed as a writer during the thirteen years between these releases. 

My first thought was YES! I have changed but not in ways I would have expected. The first library mystery was my eighth published book. I'd written three romcoms for Harlequin, two writer for higher mysteries about decoupage, and two cupcake bakery mysteries. I had barely cut my teeth in the publishing world and, honestly, had no idea what I was doing. I like to think I know what I'm doing now but note the use of "think I know" just to be clear that I'm not completely certain...yet.

In the beginning, I said yes to everything. Every interview, every book tour, every signing opportunity, every request to speak, every guest blog post--I did them all. In retrospect, if I knew then what I know now, I would have been more respectful of my own time and turned down most of these "opportunities". Because the truth is, the writing is the most important part of the job and I let it fall behind promotion way too often at the start of my career. I don't do that anymore and even wrote "Say No!!!" in huge purple letters on my whiteboard to remind myself.

One change that didn't manifest like I thought it would is that the writing is just as hard now as it was then! Shocking, I know! You'd think word smithing would get easier but no! Frankly, I wonder if it's because I've murdered so many fictional people (forty-eight mysteries) that I've worked out all of my issues and now I'm dismissed from therapy, as it were. 

Lastly, the change in myself that I appreciate the most is a newfound calm. In the beginning, I remember always feeling frantic. I feared at any moment my publisher would dump me and I'd have to start all over again. In fact, I'm positive that's why I had five mystery series going at once, why I pivoted to romcoms, and why I took on another writer for hire project when I already had three series going. It was a decade of mayhem, I tell ya! I have slowly pulled away from that constant state of anxiety--after sixty books you just need to chill out-- and am living more in the present and embracing new writing challenges like my first fantasy WITCHES OF DUBIOUS ORIGIN slated to release in October of 2025. I have become very protective of my Zen so if ever you see me disappear from the socials for a day or two or more, that's why.

Tell us, Reds, how have you changed during your writing journey? And, Readers, when you've been with an author for a long time do you see their personal growth reflected in their work?

About A MERRY LITTLE MURDER PLOT:

‘Tis the season in Briar Creek, and this year festivities become fatalities in the newest Library Lover’s Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Fatal First Edition.

During the most wonderful time of the year, famous author Helen Monroe arrives in Briar Creek to be the writer in residence, but her “bah humbug” attitude excludes her from the many holiday celebrations the town residents enjoy. To try to spread some Christmas cheer, library director Lindsey Norris invites the new writer in town to join her crafternoon club. Helen politely refuses and when an altercation happens between Helen and another patron, Lindsey begins to suspect the author has been keeping to herself for a reason.

Another newcomer, Jackie Lewis, reveals she’s visiting Briar Creek to be near Helen because she believes they are destined to meet. Having dealt with a stalker in the past, Lindsey feels compelled to tell Helen about Jackie, as she suspects that Helen is unaware her “number one” fan is in town.

When Jackie’s body is later discovered in the town park beneath the holiday-light display with a copy of Helen’s latest manuscript in her hand, the reclusive novelist becomes the prime suspect in the murder of her self-proclaimed mega-fan. Helen’s frosty demeanor melts when Lindsey offers her help, and now the librarian and her crafternoon pals must prove the author innocent before “The End” becomes Helen’s final sentence.

What Autumn Means to Me (a recipe) by Jenn McKinlay

Jenn McKinlay: What Autumn Means to Me!

I grew up in New England and autumn has been my favorite season all my life. There is just nothing like the feeling of crisp mornings after a long humid summer, or watching the leaves change into their gorgeous array of colors and then drop to the ground like nature's confetti. I just love love love it. 

Of course, this is also the season of apple picking, pumpkin patches, and trick o' treating. I mean, seriously, as a professional candy freak, what's not to love? 

Sadly, I live in AZ where the arrival of autumn is a bit subtler (it dropped under the triple digits for the September equinox and then shot right back up). So, what's an autumn loving gal to do when she can't force fall (see Julia's fabulous post on this topic: HERE).

She (i.e. me) makes salted caramel sauce! Caramel is synonymous with autumn for me - probably because of my deep and abiding love for caramel apples - way more than pumpkin spice ever could be.

RECIPE: 

1 cup granulated sugar

6 Tablespoons of unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon salt

Directions: 

Heat granulated sugar in a medium stainless steel saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a amber-brown liquid as you continue to stir.  Be careful not to burn it.

Once sugar is completely melted, stir in the butter until melted and combined. If you notice the butter separating or if the sugar clumps, remove from heat and whisk to combine it again. Return to heat once it’s smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Then slowly add the heavy cream, stirring constantly. 

Once the heavy cream has been fully incorporated, stop stirring and allow to boil for 1 minute. It will rise in the pan as it boils. 

Remove from heat and stir in the salt. The caramel will be a thin liquid at this point. Allow to cool, so it will thicken, before using. 

Leftover sauce can be stored for up to 1 month in the refrigerator. The sauce will solidify in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove to desired consistency.

Reds and Readers, what recipe means autumn to you?