Dream a Little Dream

A dream, from Wikipedia

LUCY BURDETTE: The night following our last REDS AND READERS happy hour in which we discussed our early reading influences, including Nancy Drew, I had such a vivid dream in which I had written an updated Nancy Drew. I was at the book launch event, but I hadn’t prepared a thing and couldn’t remember much about the book. Reds, do you have dreams like this? What are they like?

HALLIE EPHRON: It’s an updated I-have-to-take-an-exam-but-I-haven’t-studied OR I-can’t-find-the-classroom OR… dream 😫

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Mine is turning up for a college or high school class and realizing I haven't written the paper/studied for the test. Go figure…

HANK: AND that I cannot find the room where the test is behind held, and WHY didn’t I study?

RHYS BOWEN: the dream I have is being in a play, waiting backstage and not remembering my lines ! I hunt frantically for the script but can’t find it. Sometimes I step out and deliver lines perfectly, other times I stumble through the scene not knowing what to say next.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: That's my anxiety dream as well, Rhys. My youngest, Ginger, sent me a text yesterday complaining she had had an anxiety dream about Christmas: it was the night before, and  no presents were wrapped, no stockings were hung, and no one had gotten anything for her new boyfriend.

She plaintively concluded, I thought only parents had dreams about messing up Christmas!

JENN MCKINLAY: Ha! My anxiety dream is that I’m ironing a white blouse when I realize I’m two hours late for my first day as a librarian. I’m then torn between finishing the ironing (the shirt is very wrinkled) or running out the door as is! 

JULIA: I'm laughing at Jenn's -  when was the last time any of us ironed a shirt?

JENN: Right? It's ridiculous!!!

RHYS: I also have the college class or exam dream and the Christmas one. I dream it’s Christmas Day, stores are closed and we have people coming for whom I don’t have a present Luckily I took dream psychology in college and these are all too many things on my plate dreams. We all need to slow down. 

And I have never, ever dreamed about ironing. My subconscious knows it wouldn’t happen!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  Ironing, no. But for years, I did have dreams about  when the show is about to start and I don't know the lines or the steps or the words to the songs. But recently, I was in the midst of that very stressful dream, and I stopped mid-dream and said to myself, this is a dream, and of course you know the songs and the steps, and even if you don’t, you can manage just fine. And I’ve never had it again.

I am also always dreaming that I find new and gorgeous rooms in my house, filled with beautiful voluptuous things,  and I wonder—oh how did I forget about these? I love these rooms. 

JULIA: Hank, I have that same dream and I also love it. How exciting to find new rooms you didn’t know you had! What I wonder is: do people who haven't done theater have those “I’m going on and I don’t know my lines” dreams? And why, when I spent 21 years in formal education, have I never had a dream where I’m unprepared for class or know nothing about a test? 

Another one you hear of constantly in TV and movies is the alleged “appearing nude in public” dream, and not only have I never had one of these, I’ve asked friends and family, and no one I know has every had that dream. Is it just made up?

Reds, tell us about your dreams and nightmares!

And ps from Lucy, today is the official launch date for the paperback edition of THE INGREDIENTS OF HAPPINESS! Find it wherever books are sold...

The Ingredients of Happiness @LucyBurdette #giveaway

LUCY BURDETTE: I’m thrilled to announce that my women’s fiction title about a psychologist publishing a new pop psych book on happiness is finally here! I’ve heard about authors who insist their books arrived in their minds whole cloth, almost like a movie unspooling—their challenge was to write fast enough to get all the ideas and plot twists on paper. Not THE INGREDIENTS OF HAPPINESS! This book has been a labor of love, with years and years of revisions and new ideas and old ideas brought home again. This book did not arrive in a coup de foudre; nothing about it has been an overnight sensation.




Here’s the first time I wrote about it on this blog: This was 2018 and I know I’d been working on the book for years before that…

And here’s a blog I wrote in 2019 about how make little tweaks toward bigger happiness—I love this blog and recommend you read it. (It’s worth it for the singing cat and my favorite picture of T-bone’s ear!) I am certain I was working through some questions about Cooper and her book. Though it seems odd to me now that I was writing about boosting happiness when the pandemic wasn’t even on the horizon.

Thinking about the long gestation of this book, I grew curious and dug around in my email folders. I found several drafts of chapter one from 2008. Overnight sensation? Ha! Today’s opening bears very little resemblance to the earliest version. Plus, the title has been through many iterations. And so has the plot. But the thing that has never changed is the presence of the basic character, Dr. Cooper Hunziker. I just had to figure out how to dig deeper, to understand who she really is and why she is that way.

Oh wait, lest you think I’m exaggerating about how long this book took, I just unearthed one more blog. This is a real oldie, back when Rosemary Harris and Jan Brogan were blog sisters, and I went by Roberta rather than Lucy, and Julia and Debs and Jenn were not even a twinkle in our eyes… Cooper was chasing happiness even back in those days!

Though it may sound completely goofy, gratitude has been shown to boost happiness by promoting the savoring of positive life experiences, bolstering self-worth, helping the reinterpretation of stressful life experiences, encouraging helping others, building social bonds, inhibiting invidious comparisons, diminishing negative emotions, and thwarting hedonic adaptation!! One simple technique pinpointed by the research of psychologist Sonja Lyubomirski is counting blessings. In her study, people who actively expressed optimism and gratitude felt happier and less depressed than those who didn't. From THE HAPPINESS CONNECTION by Cooper Hunziker, Ph.D

All that angst aside, I’m so happy this day has finally arrived! I’d love to celebrate by giving away one copy of HAPPINESS, and two of these adorable tea bags that I found on Etsy. They say “the ingredients of happiness” in Italian! Leave a comment about a project that’s taken far longer than you ever dreamed of, or else pitch us your best tip about boosting happiness! (It helps a lot to leave a disguised email too…)


"Lucy Burdette's The Ingredients of Happiness is a compelling take on contemporary life and society's longing for personal fulfillment. Dr. Cooper Hunziker takes the reader on quite a journey -- which includes the friendship of a gargoyle named Howard -- as she untangles the threads of her life to accept the past, reveal a present betrayal, and finally find her own brand of happiness in an honest and heartfelt tale of self-discovery." --Jenn McKinlay


The setting is well developed, and Cooper’s journey has depths that are well-balanced with lighter moments. I would happily re-enter the world and lives introduced here. Burdette has the recipe for a feel-good - and thought-provoking - read. Give this to readers of Barbara O’Neal. Becca B., Librarian (Netgalley)


Ways to buy the book


And ps I'll be celebrating both this book and A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison CT on August 9 at 7 pm. Call ahead to reserve your spot 203-245-3959

Hot Fudge Sauce @LucyBurdette

 LUCY BURDETTE: After being served the most divine profiterole in Paris, I knew I had to try making them. But this would also require a batch of hot fudge sauce. (I know, the sacrifices we make on this blog!) Today’s recipe is for the hot fudge sauce, which makes a lot. You could make half the amount if you don’t want it lingering in the fridge…or give it away in little mason jars to friends. The recipe was borrowed from the New York Times Cooking app. I might try freezing the leftovers and will report back on the results.

Ingredients

2 cups heavy cream

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup light brown sugar

¾ cup granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate in small pieces

1¼ cups sifted good quality cocoa

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium pan, combine the cream, butter, sugars and salt and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile cut the chocolate into pieces and sift the cocoa. (I used King Arthur triple cocoa blend and Ghirardelli’s chocolate.)








When those ingredients are combined smoothly, add the chocolate pieces and stir until melted.








Add the cocoa and whisk everything well. Bring it back to a simmer and whisk until thick and shiny. Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the vanilla.









Serve over ice cream, waffles, whatever suits your fancy! Store in the refrigerator and warm it over low heat on the stove or for 30 seconds or less in the microwave. (PS, we did freeze some of it and it tasted fine when melted!)

By the way, our favorite ice cream shop in Key West is called Flamingo Crossing. I always order coffee ice cream (I think it's called cafe con leche) and top it with hot fudge. I have to say my version was pretty darn close to being as delicious as theirs! What's your favorite ice cream treat or topping?

Coming to a bookstore or library or e-reader near you on July 4...THE INGREDIENTS OF HAPPINESS!

Lucy is Remembering Old Friends #amwriting @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: I'm supposed to be working on Key West food critic mystery number 14, as yet unnamed. But I have been distracted by a number of things, including the upcoming launch of The Ingredients of Happiness (July 4.) Last week I was sorting through a pile of old photographs (another form of procrastination) and came across this one of our friend, Dr. Howard Blue, with our daughter, many years ago. 

Howard was a psychiatrist and a tennis player, extremely smart and with a huge sense of humor. For a stretch of years, he went on vacation with our family. He fit right in and the kids loved him. Then we moved a little further away, and I became involved with writing, and we lost touch. It was a big shock a couple of years ago to hear that he had had a sudden heart attack and died in his office. How I wish I had reconnected with him!

 The Happiness book is dedicated to my old friend, which makes me me feel a little better, though it's not the same thing at all as having him over to dinner. I also gave Howard a quirky role in the book. Here’s a little snippet from Happiness, where Cooper Hunziker is showing her sister her new office. (The office is at Yale, which does in fact have decorative gargoyles on many of the buildings.)

My phone chimed and Trudy’s FaceTime picture popped up on the screen. “I know you’re busy with Daniel and all, I wanted to check in and see how it’s going.”

“You’re just in time to get a tour of my office,” I told her, ignoring the not-so-subtle hint about my love life. I walked the phone around the room, explaining what still needed to be done. “Oh, here’s the best part,” I said, hurrying to the window. “My next-door neighbor.” I held the screen up so she could see the gargoyle.

She yelped with delight. “I love him! He’s perfect! What are you going to call him?”

“Howard, I think,” I said, surprising both of us.

“After Dr. Blue,” she said.

I nodded. Howard Blue was the psychiatrist who’d been particularly kind to my mother over her last three years. Under his care, she’d managed to achieve an improved level of calm and balance that made life easier for both of us.

“I love that,” she said. “And here’s another idea. What if you posted a picture of the gargoyle on your Instagram and asked for suggestions for his name? It could go viral. He’s that cute. You don’t have to tell them you’ve already settled on Howard.”

“You’re brilliant,” I said. “When Meeka the publicist fires me, I’m hiring you.” I heard the shrieks of her children squabbling in the background and she signed off to referee. I snapped the photo out of my window, adjusted the lighting, and posted: My new neighbor. How would he introduce himself? #rockthehappinesschallenge #gargoyle #gargoyles #namethegargoyle #theneighborhood #gargoylewisdom #rockyourhappinessjourney. 

The comments began to ding my phone instantly. “Claude!” “Peter!” “Handsome Dan!” “Pierre!” “Orlando!” “He’s adorable!” “Is he single?”

LUCY: Do you have old friends who were an important part of your life whom you haven't seen in a while? Tell us about them!

You can pre-order The Ingredients of Happiness

Or reviewers can request it on Netgalley

Or, ask your local librarian to order!

Finally, I wanted to mention that our friend Elizabeth Varadan was featured in Top Retirements last week in an interview about retirement in Portugal--go have a look!

Paris?? No Really, It's Research! @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: You might remember when I wrote about a nubbin of an idea for a women’s fiction a.k.a. book club book mostly set in Paris. Last week I was thrilled to start thinking about the novel while actually on the scene. A Recipe for Paris or The Paris Recipe (working titles) isn’t a sequel to The Ingredients of Happiness but it takes off from (will take off from!) one of the subplots from that book about a girl given up for adoption as a baby, her birth mother, and her unknown birth father. Once the mother, Betty, finds her daughter, Winifred, she gives her a box of clippings she’s been keeping for 20 years about the biological father, who is a patisserie chef in Paris. Winifred decides she has to go meet him in order to understand herself. You can see why I had to go back to Paris to do the research!

As we walked and walked and walked the city streets, I tried to keep Winnie's story burbling in the background. What would she see and feel and taste?

(I'm not sure how she'll end up hearing a concert like the one we did, but it will happen...)

Many of the Paris novels I’ve read over the past few years involve a secret inheritance, maybe a high couture dress or a fabulous apartment left languishing for years. I don’t expect to find either of these in the book I’m planning, but there will surely be an unexpected upper crust grandmother. I had such fun, figuring out where she lives (the seventh arrondissement), which is old money, and very formal. Maybe it would look something like this? 

or this? 

(Photo from the Sotheby’s booklet of Parisian apartments for sale.)

When Winifred arrives in Paris to work for her biological father (who knows nothing about her), I’m pretty sure she’ll be assigned to live in a bunk on a houseboat on the Seine until she gets her bearings. It might very well look like this: 

I’ll be telling you lots more as the story evolves, but if you’re heading for Paris for real, or want to go in your imagination, I recommend these blogs: David Lebovitz, Heather Stimmler's Secrets of Paris, Cake Boy Paris on Instagram, the Real Emily in Paris, Dorie Greenspan, Paris by Mouth. Here are a few of the novels and memoirs I’ve enjoyed: there are so many more!

Hidden in Paris

Almost French

The Paris Wife

My Life in France

The Sweet Life in Paris

Paris is Always a Good Idea (Jenn!)

The Paris Dress

The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris

The Paris Dressmaker

Jacqueline in Paris

The Paris Library

The Keeper of Happy Endings

The Paris Key

Cara Black's mysteries

Sophie Valroux's Paris Stars

and of course...

Rhys's THE PARIS ASSIGNMENT, which kept me glued to my kindle app on the long trip home...

 

Meanwhile, THE INGREDIENTS OF HAPPINESS, where Winnie makes her first appearance will be in bookstores July 4 –I'm so excited! Reviewers, you can get your copy on NetGalley now.

Reds, do you share my Paris obsession? Or have a place you visited or yearned to visit that would make a great story?

PS Reds, Barnes and Noble is running a big 25% off sale on all pre-orders (print, ebook, and I think audio--for two days only! You can pop over and preorder any of the upcoming Reds' titles!

What We're Writing @LucyBurdette

 LUCY BURDETTE: In spite of the fact that I’m way behind in my schedule for Key West mystery #14, I've spent much of this last month in New Haven rather than Key West--in my mind, that is! The editorial comments on THE INGREDIENTS OF HAPPINESS arrived in my inbox during Christmas week. This book falls into the category of contemporary or women's fiction, and it takes place in New Haven with a little side trip to Madison CT. I've been lucky in my writing life to land amazing editors who help make my books stronger, and this time was no exception. Lots of changes were made to strengthen the character and the story. Soon I'll be able to show you the cover, and provide a pre-order link… But meanwhile, here’s the opening introducing psychologist and so-called happiness expert, Dr. Cooper Hunziker:

Chapter One

Things my mother taught me, part one: chocolate cake makes everything better. 

This thought floated through my mind as I paused, willpower wobbling, preparing to run the gauntlet of glassed-in cakes that greeted each coffee shop visitor as soon as the door closed behind her. Carrot cake, sponge cake, coconut cake, poppyseed pound cake, peach shortcake, chocolate cake with chocolate fudge frosting: not a single one was on my no-white flour, low-carb, low-sugar, low-fat, I’m-in-control-of-my-life diet. 

Except I wasn’t in control, and every cell and synapse in my body recognized that. “Could I get a small-ish piece of the chocolate cake?” I asked the girl behind the counter.

She shrugged and grinned, the piercings around her lips and nose bristling. “Sorry. We’ve already cut it into slices. What if you bought a piece, ate half, and threw the rest out? Or wrapped it up for tomorrow?”

“As if that would ever happen,” I said with a chuckle. “Might as well give me the whole thing. I’ll do my best.”

I paid for the massive hunk of cake and a full-fat latte and carried the soul-soothing loot to a small wooden table near the far door. From here I could watch out the big window and try to picture whether New Haven would ever feel like home. Yale students and worker bees streamed along Chapel Street, headed toward their morning destinations—some chattering and laughing, some expressionless, absorbed in whatever played through their headphones. How many of them were happy? How much did that matter?

My attention caught on a couple sitting at the next table over. I had taken them for lovebirds, with their heads bent toward each other, whispering sweet nothings, sharing a slab of coconut cake. His voice rumbled and I made out the words: “try again, a different therapist, the puppy.” 

Then her hissed voice grew louder. “I don’t want the puppy. I never wanted the damn dog in the first place,” she said. 

She dabbed the tines of her fork over the crumbs on the plate, though most of their cake was intact. She brought the fork halfway to her mouth, but then let it drop to the table. (I would have licked that implement clean.) After wiping her hands on a napkin, she grabbed her purse strap and slung it over her shoulder as she stood. She lowered the volume of her voice a notch.

“You don’t seem to understand, I can’t do that. I need space, lots of it. Right now I feel like I can’t breathe.” She pressed her palm to her neck and then clacked out of the shop on tall heels, model-thin and businesslike, leaving her husband (I assumed) sitting alone.

Awkward as it felt, we were left facing each other and I couldn’t avoid meeting his gaze. His cheeks bloomed pink and he flashed an embarrassed smile. In spite of the sweater and the glasses and the tiny overlap of his front teeth, once he smiled, I could see he was cute. The kind of cute that could make your gut flip a little once you’d noticed.

“That went well,” he said, and crooked another little smile. “Sorry to subject you to my marital dirty laundry. She’ll come around, eventually. Don’t you think? From a cake-loving woman’s perspective, I mean.”

I glanced down at my plate, which was in fact empty. This was the problem with getting distracted and not eating each bite mindfully—I’d powered through the whole slice. As for his wife coming around, I didn’t think so. 

“I don’t know her, so it would be hard to say,” I offered, trying for something noncommittal and diplomatic.

“But supposing,” he said, his face so hopeful, “you were giving your very best advice to a lovesick friend.”

How could I flat-out lie? 

“Things my mother taught me, part two,” I said. “Don’t count on someone else to make you happy because chances are, you’ll end up alone anyway. Except for the dog. You’ve definitely got the dog and that counts for something, right?” 

Instantly I wished I’d gone with my first instinct and not said anything other than sorry. This was none of my business and now I’d made him feel worse. “I’m so sorry, that was a dumb thing to say. I blurt when I’m nervous.”

But he’d started to laugh. “Your mother sounds like a wise woman.” He stood up to leave. He was taller than I would have expected, solid and muscular like an athlete. “Now I’m curious about part one. Have a good day.” He smiled again, gathered their dishes for recycling, and disappeared out the side door. 

I drained the last bit of foam clinging to the bottom of the mug, placed it and my empty plate in the rubber bin marked for dirty dishes, feeling a little sad and definitely regretful. The poor man must have felt bad enough without me clanging him on the head with the bald truth as though I was wielding a cast-iron skillet. How humiliating to be dumped in public. 

So that's coming in July! 

In addition, A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS, #13 in the Key West food critic mystery series, has a gorgeous cover and is now available for preorder. 

If you are a Netgalley reviewer, A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS is available there. 

(I got a big kick out of this review: I have loved this series since it first came out. But this book is the best yet. It had me completely absorbed into the story and I read it in one setting. Then I got mad at myself because I finished it so quickly.)

Final news: The first seven Key West mysteries will be available as audiobooks soon, in case you or someone you know prefers listening over reading. AN APPETITE FOR MURDER will be out on February 7, and DEATH IN FOUR COURSES on February 21.

Phew! What I need right now is to jumpstart the real writing and skip over the distractions of all the above... Suggestions welcome!