Onward, onward

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: What can we say, gang? It's been quite the year.

Newsrooms often create year-ender reports, but yow. Not quite sure I'm interested in seeing any of those.

Should we count blessings instead? Look ahead? That's what New Year's Eve is about, right? 

We will not forget auld acquaintance. And there are two, at least, we especially remember. 

But let's look at new.

Like: tonight.

Here in Boston, a group of us takes turns hosting New Year's Eve. This year, we're headed to a brownstone in Back Bay, and J and I are supposed to bring the appetizers. At this particular moment, ahem, the actual apps are not yet decided, let alone made. And it is WAY too cold, I mean, WAY, to go shopping. But we will manage when the time comes. All suggestions welcome.

Fireworks at midnight, and we will happily and gratefully and yes, optimistically, ring in the new. 

How about you? What are you doing tonight? 


Copyright: suti / 123RF Stock Photo

Sweets for our sweeties on Valentine's Day

HALLIE EPHRON: Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. It's a tricky holiday. Not one to be ignored, but in our house more sweet than significant. I always hope for candy and get flowers. Or maybe it's the other way around. My favorite thing is always the valentine card that my husband draws for me.

The best valentine I've ever given was inspired by my husband's ratty old bedroom slippers. I bought him a pair of bright red LL Bean fleece slipper socks. He always leaves his slippers by the bed when he goes to sleep and when he woke up that Valentine's day, the new ones were right there for him to slip them on.

His best gift to me? Letting me throw away the old slippers. He gets very attached to his things.

So what are your best Valentine's gifts, given or received?

LUCY BURDETTE: that's such a cute story Hallie! and we envy your adorable cards. I may have told you all this a hundred times, but John proposed on Valentine's Day, back in 1992. He did it with a hand-crafted poem that started out something like:

"On the court,
A girl named Bert,
Played across the net
In a bright red skirt."

And it ended with a flourish: "Honey-bunny don't leave me in the lurch, let's go do it in the church."

Now how could he ever top that? He doesn't have to--he's good for the duration of the marriage. LOL Which we hope is a long, long time....

SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: Lucy, that's adorable! And Hallie, I love the slipper story! Noel and I try to be romantic all year long, so we don't really do a big thing on Valentine's Day, specifically. I must say the idea of going to an overcrowded/overpriced restaurant on that particular day doesn't appeal. I'd rather go somewhere on a whim on a random Tuesday. Because we both freelance and Kiddo is in school, we tend to do lunch dates!

What I do like about Valentine's day is helping Kiddo buy Valentines for kids in his class (usually Snoopy) and then doing something special for the three of us (usually involving heart-shaped cookies with red icing.)

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Susan, I think your Valentine's Day sounds great. We don't usually do much. I don't eat a lot of chocolate, flowers are twice the price of normal, and restaurants are over-crowded. Trying to remember if we've ever gone out on Valentine's Day... I usually try to cook something nice, and this year will be celebrating our little sweetheart Wren, new addition to the family.

Favorite Valentine's prezzy? Heart-shaped, raspberry-filled Linzer torte cookies from La Madeleine French Cafe and Bakery!

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: My celebration is on the day after, when all the candy goes on sale for half-price! No, Ross and I are more like Susan and Noel; we'll skip the hard-to-get reservations on Feb 14 and have a more relaxing meal another day.

I don't know about BEST Valentine's Day gift, but I can share the (inadvertently) funniest: I had been grumbling about losing weight and getting in shape, and Ross gave me a pretty heart-shaped box of sugar-free chocolates. I didn't even open them until one of my besties came calling a few days later. She and I sat by the woodstove, talking and eating chocolates, eating chocolates and talking... we were two-thirds of the way through the box before we turned it over and saw the warning on the bottom label: RECOMMENDED SERVING SIZE - 3 CANDIES. SUGAR FREE CANDIES MAY HAVE A LAXATIVE EFFECT.

So that was the year Ross gave me sweets AND a colon cleanse.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  Oh, Julia. Yes, indeed, memorable.

Valentines Day. I got nuthin. Jonathan and I pretty much ignore it...we are very cozy all the time (you know, all the Reds relationships are like that, it's pretty interesting), and we just never latched on to it.

My best Valentine story was for TV. I did a big experiment about two things: First, whether putting roses in plain water, aspirin water, sugar water, or floral stuff water made a difference in their staying power. I put one rose from the same bouquet of 12 into a separate vial, in the same place with the same light and temp, and changed the water and food every day, and took video every day over two weeks. It was a great experiment.

I also checked the price of a dozen roses a month before and then compared the price of the SAME bouquets on Valentine's Day. HIGHWAY ROBBERY. (Buying champagne on New Year's Eve, too. Ripoff.)

RHYS BOWEN: As we are always in Arizona for Valentine's Day we have an ongoing joke. Our first year here,2007" John bought me a balloon and fake roses at the dollar store. They have lasted to this day so every year he dusts them off and presents them to me again! The balloon refuses to collapse!

We never go out to eat as the service is terrible but I think we will console ourselves with lobster tail and lamb chops and maybe chocolate. And the night before we are going to Bruno's Desert Light exhibit at the Botanical Garden. So no complaints.  

HALLIE: AND AND AND?? Hank, which rose lasted the longest? Deb, linzer cookes are my all-time favorites. I make them with hazelnuts and raspberry jam.

So we're dying to hear what do you hope the Valentine bunny is bringing you this year? And what are your fondest memories of Valentine's Days past?

A Jungle Red News Years QUIZ

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: It’s still January, right? Never too late for champagne. And we haven’t missed it: our new year’s resolutions!  (Oh, don’t think you’re gonna get out of here without them.)  And keep reading--a quiz is coming up! (You'll find out how well we know each other...)

Here are the most popular resolutions of 2015, according to someplace: 

Lose weight

Volunteer to help others

Quit Smoking

Get a better education

Get a better job

Save money

Get fit

Eat healthy food

Manage stress

Manage debt

Take a trip

Drink less alcohol

So then I went back and looked up the most popular resolutions of 2008. They were:  

Get out of debt or save money

Lose weight

Develop a healthy habit

Get organized

Develop a new skill or talent

Spend more time with family and friends

Join a social network

Break an unhealthy habit

Clear out wardrobe on Ebay

I guess times do change.  This was the midst of a recession—look how much higher “get out of debt” is. 

But my favorite: Would ANYONE you know resolve to join a social network?  Ha. Our resolutions would be to get OFF of them. Right?  And when was the last time you thought about EBay?  (Am I completely out of it/ Is there still an Ebay?)

So then I went back to our Jungle Red resolutions blog from 2008, And hilariously, one commenter vowed to get off FREECELL. And another praised her new cutting edge iPhone.

Back in 2008, we Reds also listed our resolutions.  So now I’ve asked each Red to tell me a 2015 resolution. Just one.

And here they are:  But wait—which of us said them?

One of us resolved:  “To check email only after I've written at least 100 new words and no more than five times a day.”

This year, the same person said: “Do one thing at a time and try not to keep thinking of what I’ve got to do after..”

Another of us said: “This year I will learn that I don't always have to be perfect--that trying to be perfect comes with a physical price.”

This year she said: “Decluttering!”

Want to try another of us? In 2008, she said: “Try harder to live in the moment.” 

This year she said: “Let it go, let it go.  Stop worrying about what you can’t control.”

And one more? Who said: “Have more fun with folks I love, quit wasting time on stuff I can't control. “

Hint: This year, she’s in Australia! With folks she loves. 

Red Debs has since taken up Reds residence: this year her very luxurious resolution is:   “Take more baths. Long, soaking, bath salt/bubbly, relaxing, meditating baths.”

We welcomed new Red Susan this year…and her resolution is one for all of us: “Take a lesson from Miss Edna and enjoy life, Auntie Mame style...”

So two things Dear Reds:

Can you guess the Reds’ resolutions? Who vowed not to check email? Who decided not to be perfect? Who promised to let it go?  And who took off for Australia?

And of course—what are YOUR resolutions? Do you think they’ve changed since 2008?

Luxury or Necessity?

RHYS BOWEN: Luxury or Necessity?
Every five years I buy a new car. For the past twenty years that car has been a Camry-- good, solid, dependable family car. But this time, with the books flourishing, I thought I might treat myself to a little more luxury.  So I started looking.....
 I had always dreamed of a Porsche but my logical side says why pay for a car that can do 130 m.p.h when I get a ticket for anything over 65? And it really is rather small for that long journey between San Francisco and Phoenix.

 I have always wanted a convertible but most people have stopped making them, apart from VW Beetles and companies like Mercedes for the price of a small house.
 And Lexus has exactly the same body as my Camry. And Mercedes gas mileage isn't great. And I don't like Audis very much-- so the question is what exactly does luxury mean for me?
 A good looking sleek exterior, but then my Camry looks pretty elegant.  Heated seats would be nice for winter, but my winters are in Arizona where they are not necessary.  I don't need wood trim. I don't like leather seats--too hot in summer.  But I would like a moon roof. And a built in GPS system. And blind spot warning would be nice and something that flashes if I stray out of my lane. And a car that parks itself?  That would be great. So I'm going to keep looking. I may well end up with another Camry!
And this has started me thinking, dear Reds. What does the word LUXURY mean to you? Not just in cars but in life?
For me it's not designer clothes or expensive wines. Oysters and lobster any time, definitely. Being pampered with a massage occasionally although I died of boredom when I had a facial. I find as I get older I am less attracted by things. Time to myself  is a great luxury. And I have to confess that traveling business class really is fabulous and worthwhile. And being able to visit far off and exotic places.
So how about you?

HALLIE EPHRON: A Camry IS luxury... said the woman who's driven a long line of Honda Civics into the ground. Reliability is what I care about in a car. Period.
I'm sure this will come as a surprise to no one, when it comes to luxury for me it's all about food. The occasional really good steak. Lobster of course. Fresh fish right off the boat. Ripe garden tomatoes. Real saffron and fresh herbs. A really swell bottle of champagne to wash it down.

ROSEMARY HARRIS: There have been trips when a flush toilet was a luxury for me.
When I was young I thought the Jaguar, British Racing Green of course, was the coolest car. Now I just want something I can throw all my toys in. My car is a 12 yr old Jeep Grand Cherokee. Pushing 150,000 miles.
Luxury is now mostly experiential. Less about the thing and more about the experience. Privacy is a huge luxury for me. I would rather have a tiny house on a plot of land with no neighbors than a MacMansion chock-a-block with the next guy. Not a jewelry person - I'm wearing a $6 ring from Urban Outfitters next to a Cartier. And I'm happy shopping at TJ Maxx.
I don't really have Food Envy either. I have framed the menu from Paul Bocuse but no desire to go back. And nice hotels are fine but I've really taken the kool-aid on house or apartment rentals. I don't really like all that bowing and scraping.
Lest I sound boringly high-minded or highly-evolved...last May we stayed at Villa San Michele in Fiesole. Their scraping was mighty fine. Luxury is the perfect thing at the perfect time. And just the way you want it.
And I confess when we travel, when I can afford to I stay in nicer hotels.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: My Honda Accord is five years old. I traded in my last Accord at five years, but think I'll be driving this one at least another couple. It has 40K on it, and is still great. It is an EX: leather seats (a must for me because of the dogs), seat warmers (which I ADORE), and a moon-roof. And I do like high-performance cars (I once had a Honda Prelude, which was fabulous,) but they just don't make any sense for my lifestyle.
Other luxuries? I don't care anything about expensive jewelry, or fancy-label clothes. Nice restaurants are an occasional treat, but most of the time I think I could make better at home. My idea of a fun evening out is a couples' date with my daughter and her fiance at Mi Cocina's. (Mambo limos!) Or dinner and a movie at iPic. I like nice hotels and room service when I'm traveling on book tour, but am happy with a Hampton Inn or Hilton Garden--middle of the road and just fine.
$10 a bottle Sauvignon Blanc is my wine of choice, although I dare say I'd enjoy better but it's not a priority.
I'd like to travel more, but when, between book tours, trips to England for research, and deadlines!
Most of our money that could be spent on "luxuries" goes into the old house!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: This is such an interesting question. It really is. What is luxury? Ah...I love to travel with extra legroom seating, love to get on the plane first and stash my carryon without battling for space.. i  love to have a comfortable hotel room, and room service.  (Part of it is--just wanting to have some time to myself. I love my profession, and the book tour--it's a dream! But sometimes, the luxury is quiet, and time.
I'm not big on jewelry, and fancy food is nice but not something I think about. I love to go to Costco--but buy rack of lamb. Does that make sense? I love nice t.owels, and bathrobes, and great shoes, and  perfume. I have a lot of clothes--but I've been on TV for35 years.  And RO, to quote Sue Grafton, I don't do rustic.
Our car! Oh, dear. it's a 12 year old Avalon, which we love which has, I think, 145,000 miles. We love it. I always look at BMWs on the road, but I don't need a BMW. I really don't care about cars. And, more than you ever needed to know, I have never had a massage or a facial. But I do use a Chanel compact and I insist it's the only one that works.

LUCY BURDETTE: I love good food, but it needn't be fancy or expensive. I like to read about tasting menus costing hundreds of dollars, but more for the theater of it and the personality of the chefs than all that frou-frou food.
Cars I don't care much about either. But like Debs, I'm crazy for seat-warmers--on days when your back hurts a little--heaven!
And the times we've upgraded to business class with miles have been very very very pleasant. Seats and baggage space are so tight on planes these days--I find the whole business quite stressful and not at all civilized. Some years ago we were taking my elderly father and stepmother to England for a last hurrah. I worried ahead for months and months about getting us upgrades for the trip overnight to London. When we got to JFK (a horrible airport!), I sent my wonderful hub up to the counter to check our status. He came back after a while and reported that we'd been offered the upgrades to business class but he turned them down.
"They were going to charge us an extra $75!"
You can imagine how fast I sent him back over...and how much we all four enjoyed those reclining seats with foot rests and the little packet containing slippers and an eye mask and a toothbrush. Ahhhh, heaven...

RHYS: I'm amazed that so many Jungle Reds seem to drive 12 year old cars. I like to have a car within warranty when I drive those 800 desert miles between SF and Phoenix. So I think our combined confessions seem to indicate that luxury is not brand or style, it's comfort and good food and time. Amen to that.
How about you dear readers? What is your idea of luxury?

...And the condemned ate a hearty meal on True Crime Tuesday

HALLIE EPHRON: The State of Texas, always the leader in these kinds of things (sorry Debs), just eliminated 'last meal' request of prisoners about to be executed.

Apparently the request of a vicious white supremacist killer was the last straw: two chicken-fried steaks with gravy and sliced onions; a triple-patty bacon cheeseburger; a cheese omelet with ground beef, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and jalapenos; a bowl of fried okra with ketchup; one pound of barbecued meat with half a loaf of white bread; three fajitas; a meat-lover's pizza; one pint of Blue Bell Ice Cream; a slab of peanut-butter fudge with crushed peanuts; and three root beers.

The final insult? He refused to eat it.

Now issues of death penalty aside, please, what this story got me thinking about was:
What one thing would I order up if I knew it was my last meal?

Easy answer: Chinese soup dumplings.

The best ones in Boston these days are in Chinatown at the (cramped, noisy, worth the wait no matter how long) Gourmet Dumpling House (on the menu they are the Mini juicy pork dumplings). And whoever's in that kitchen really knows what she's doing.

These little tender noodle-wrapped packets of savory pork and ginger are served in their steamer. The soup is IN the dumplings, so you have to carefully ease the dumpling off the steamer rack and into a spoon, tear a hole in the dumpling, ladle over it a bit of vinegar and soy dipping sauce, and slurp your way into heaven.

What's your final request?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I regret to disclose that I've actually thought about this.

It's so sad that I really can't decide.Because how would anything taste good? And I completely understand the guy trying to take his last bash at the system by making them provide a raft of food. Good for him. Hey, cheaper than feeding him for the rest of his life, right? The whole thing is horrible.

(Did you have those dumplings at The Royal East Restaurant? I agree, yummy.)

But if you're making me answer :-) : strip steak, grilled on charcoal, crispy on the outside and rare on the inside, with blue cheese melting on top. And french fries and green beans and lemon souffle for dessert. (But its still sad.)

Or, I'd be happy to have those dumplings with you.

RHYS BOWEN: Everything high cholesterol/high fat that I've been avoiding! I seriously don't believe I could swallow a last meal knowing what was going to happen to me. But maybe a few oysters would slip down. A lobster? Or skip the meal and have three desserts?

JAN BROGAN: Wow. I've never thought of this. But those dumplings sound awfully good. Using Rhys logic - which I applaud - they might not be high cholesterol/high fat enough though. I think I'd want lobster - but only if they could assure me it was right off the boat (I'm spoiled ) oysters, and eggplant rollitini. Roasted Broccoli. an Apple Fritters from Back Door Donuts in Oak Bluffs and New York Cheesecake. I think there's a good chance my heart would stop before they actually executed me.

And not for nothing, but couldn't the state of Texas just put a limit on the last request meal instead of banning it completely?

LUCY BURDETTE: First of all, no wonder the man couldn't eat the fried okra--he had them put ketchup on it??? Completely ruined...just hot sauce on mine please. And I like the idea of BBQ, maybe a few slices of Pepe's pepperoni pizza from New Haven, CT, mashed potatoes and turnips and gravy, a big piece of yellow sponge cake with chocolate icing and a glass of milk...and dumplings with Hallie!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: In my Southern incarnation, I think I might go for a fried oyster po-boy with coleslaw. (Ketchup on fried okra? Not even going there.) In my across-the-POND replication, I might have had the perfect last meal the other night. Fresh artisan bread dipped in olive that smelled GREEN and tasted heavenly, then steamed fresh mussels in garlic, cream, and white wine sauce.

And for the main course, roasted pork belly, which I don't think we even get in the US because people think it's too decadent, although I suspect it's not nearly as bad for you as a MacDonald's hamburger. (This is pork with the crisp crackling left on, and the rest of it melts in your mouth.)

Oh, and then, you might guess, shared Sticky Toffee Pudding. Probably a very good thing I don't get to eat like that very often!

ROSEMARY HARRIS: I had dinner at Paul Bocuse once and as I recall the food just kept coming and coming - so I can understand wanting to have a long, long last meal if only to be on the planet a little longer. Three bottles of champagne, caviar, cheese and crackers and foie gras (which I haven't had in years and don't even know if they still make.) And creme brule. I'd probably be so sick after all this that I'd want to go.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: How about some sashimi of that puffer fish that will kill you if not prepared correctly? I mean, what the hell...

If I had to choose a last meal, I'd probably ask for a Proustian one: the taste of my memories. So German sauerbratten with Syracuse salt potatoes on the side. Sliced tomatoes with vinegar and crispy fried okra. Wash it all down with a Pimm's Cup and for dessert? Maine blueberry pie. Oh, and on the soundtrack while I ate? Puccini's Turandot.

Hmm. Maybe I shouldn't wait until it's my last meal on earth to do this...

HALLIE: Definitely, don't wait! Bring on the fugu, if it's your heart's desire! Because tomorrow... well, you just never know, do you?

What would be on your table for your last supper?

Life is Like a Fruit Cocktail. (?)

Instant gratification is not soon enough.
**Meryl Streep

Instant gratification takes too long.
**Carrie Fisher

HANK: Would you eat your dessert first? (If no one was watching?) Are you a best-first? Or a best-for-last? And if you get something new, do you wear it or use it? Or do you save it?

Deb's question last week about celebration got me thinking. I have a fridge full of champagne, and an amazing new purse my husband gave me as a gift. What connects those--is that they are both untouched.
I'm "saving" them for the right time.

I think, oh, it's winter, the purse will get spots on it, and get ruined in the news car, and I'll wait til spring to bring it out.

And the occasion is never big enough for the champagne--okay, we had some when each book sold, but that's...about it. And goodness knows, enough wonderful things have happened that I COULD "justify" it...but I think, oh, gee. Pride goeth before a fall, so I don't want to be too happy or it'll be over. Okay. That's neurotic.

I was packing the other night, and in my closet I found some cute tank tops with the price tags still on them--I must have been "saving" them for exactly the right time. And I forgot about them.

Sometimes delayed gratification is a good thing, right? I won't open presents until the actual event holiday or birthday, and I love to see them all sitting there, waiting for me, surprises. (Sometimes I read the last page of a book first, but that's different. And another blog.)

But I'm thinkin'--I'm going to try to be a bit more go-for-it. Are you a saver? Or a user?

ROSEMARY: I like to think of myself as a "don't postpone joy" kind of gal but I too have dresses with the tags still on them and I have to force myself to use the pricey handbag. I won't wear the Hermes scarf if I'm going out for Italian food (olive oil....)And my "good" china and silver...rarely touched. That's a pity, I should work on that.

Other than that - Be Here Now, baby. Sometimes a glorious sunset is reason enough to crack open that bubbly. Or a bad day. or a great review. Or an excellent random on your ipod...that first springlike day when you can wear open-toed shoes...all causes for celebration!

JAN: I think I'm going to object to the term "user" mostly because the way the kids use it.

HANK: Oh, I agree. Can we think of something else?

JAN: On champagne -- here's the problem. Once you open the bottle you are pretty much committed to either drinking the whole thing or throwing out half. I even once bought a special device designed to preserve the carbonation, but I don't use it. It's sort of the culture of champagne.

My mother used to instruct us to buy her a bottle of Emeraude when we asked what she wanted for Christmas or her birthday. When she died we found a closet full of twenty Emeraude bottles unopened.

But she insisted on using the sterling silver and china for everyday, so who can figure? Like my mother, I'm a little bit of both. There are bottles of champagne I still haven't opened, but all my new and favorite clothing gets worn. No price tags still in my closet!

RHYS: I'm afraid I'm like Hank. As a child I used to nibble around the pastry edge of jam tarts until I finally got to the jammy center. But it's a habit I'm trying to cure. When I go through my closet I always come across items I loved but barely wore because they were too good for everyday and should be worn on special occasions--BUT they are now out of fashion.

HANK: Yes! Yes! Me, too.

RHYS: So I'm trying to make myself wear that new horrible expensive new Chico's ensemble untl it falls to pieces.

One trouble is that I'm a messy person. If I have a pale outfit on I can guarantee I'll spill spaghetti sauce. One of my most embarrassing moments was doing a daytime TV show sitting on one of those high stools. My segment ended and I had to stay perched on my stool while they did a cooking demonstration of---spaghetti sauce. The chef then handed me a plate to try, on camera. Yikes!
But I am getting better about some things. I now bring out the Royal Doulton china whenever we have guests. But all those silver serving dishes wrapped away in a closet? Bringing those out would mean cleaning them. I draw a line.

HALLIE: Great question, Hank. Way back when, the test on this was how you ate your canned fruit cocktail. Remember? Diced up pear, peach, grapes, pineapple and a smidgen of cherry. Were you an all-at-oncer? Or start with the cherry or end with it? I'm a cherry-last person, even though I could swear that all the fruit tastes the same.

But my new clothes get worn. Sometimes out of the store (after I pay!) The only problem is that I confess to shopping end-of-season sales, which means I might have forgotten about the tank top before it's warm enough again to wear it.

I love that closet full of twenty unopened Emeraude bottles. When my father-in-law died he had about 30 unused potholders.

No one has been able to figure it out.

ROBERTA: Thirty unused potholders, wow, that's unusual! Now we see where Jerry gets his packrat tendencies:).

My husband hates that I'm reluctant to use the china and the silver, so I'm slowly getting better at it. If you own a few extra plates, makes it a little easier. And there's always Ebay, right? But I have a set of lovely green water goblets that belonged to my grandmother. They have yet to make it to the table, because what would happen if one got broken? they're irreplaceable.

Fruit cocktail: grapes and cherry only for me.

HANK: My step-mother (well, sort of, I guess, let's just call her the fabulous Juliet) gave me HER mother''s antique glass dessert dishes--the top half, glass, is shaped like a champagne glass, then they fit into sterling silver holders. (Oh, if I were home I'd take a photo) I'm terrified to use them, because if one breaks-well, there are no others.

But did she mean for me to keep them in the pantry?

Okay, here's my proposal. Let's choose a day, then USE THE CHINA!

How about you, Reds? Use the heck out of it? Or save it?

To Fizz or Not to Fizz

Deb: I've just finished my second copy edit in the last three and a half weeks, the first for the UK, the second for the US. The scribbled-on manuscript went into the Fed Ex drop at at quarter to six this afternoon, just under the wire. We writers all know what a HUGE relief that is . . . sort of.

But it's also wrenching, the last birth pang of a book that's taken us a good few months, and sometimes years, to bring to life. It's our last chance to get it right, to participate in the story, to check our logic, to make sure that our characters have done and said all the things we'd like for them to do and say. Because the next time we see these pages, they will be typeset--a real BOOK. And although we'll read for type-setting errors, we will then be outside the story. Observers, not writers.

Today, the book is out of my hands. So elation is mixed with a smidgen of sadness. My brain is fried. (I meant to blog about a very interesting true crime, but discovered I simply could not contemplate the repercussions of DNA testing. Not today.)

So what did I do to celebrate? Champagne? Dinner at Rick's Chophouse? (the most elegant option in my town.) Not exactly.

I was thrilled to wash my hair. I made tortellini and watched a little mindless TV. I thought about how much I would LOVE to clean my house and do a little work in the garden Read a good book. Sleep.

But by tomorrow, I suspect that the next book, put in abeyance these last few days, will be making nagging demands. And that perhaps I can contemplate that champagne cocktail.

So what about you, my fellow Jungle Red writers, and you, dear readers? How do you celebrate the last touches to a book, or a major milestone?

On writing...authentic dialogue with James Scott Bell

Continuing with our look a the just published second edition of “The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing,” welcome James Scott Bell, a bestselling suspense writer and former trial lawyer who wrote three of the most popular writing books ever, including "The Art of War for Writers" and the the classic “Plot & Structure.”

Jim contributes a terrific article to "The Complete Handbook" with some truly insightful tips on how to create authentic dialogue.

HALLIE: Love your advice, Jim, especially “Pour it out like cheap champagne.” What did you mean by that?

JAMES SCOTT BELL: We all remember those New Year's Eves, or weddings, where the champagne flowed freely. The guests all looked happy, didn't they? They were talking it up, laughing it up. In the moment. When you write dialogue, one of the best ways to go about it is to let it flow without too much thought. You can always edit later. The free form pouring out will get you things you didn't anticipate, just like those champagne conversations at the New Year's party may have got you the love of your life, or a new, good friend.

HALLIE: One that’s counterintuitive is “cultivate silence.” I know you don’t mean to leave blank space on the pages in place of dialogue. Can you give an example?

JAMES SCOTT BELL: What I mean is, think about silence as a response from time to time. Substitute an action instead. The story I reference in the Guide is Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants." He makes masterful use of silence, in the way the character reacts: looking at a table leg, reaching out for a beaded curtain and so on. We too often think of putting words in mouths as the only way to respond, and that's wrong.

HALLIE: Can dialogue be just a bit too clever for its own good, and how can you (as the author) tell?

JAMES SCOTT BELL: Absolutely. Dialogue that jumps too far off the page can seem forced. On the other hand, I'm all in favor of polishing bits of dialogue so it's fresher, even memorable. There is no scientific way to measure it, of course. I would ask a couple of questions. First, is it completely natural for the character? It has to sound like this is what that character would say at that moment, even if it's elevated. Second, how does it sound out loud? Often, saying the words will reveal weaknesses, and "too clever" may be one of them.

HALLIE: What mistake do you see new writers most frequently make in writing dialogue?

JAMES SCOTT BELL: Too often writing dialogue in complete sentences. Trimming out a word or two will sometimes work wonders. Also, too much "on the nose" dialogue, meaning direct response followed by direct response. While you shouldn't avoid it altogether, it does help sometimes to do what I call "the sidestep." Be a little indirect in response, or give a sudden punch, or answer a question with another question. There are various techniques that work. The nice thing is that anything "off the nose" creates an immediate sense of conflict. Why'd the character answer that way? Reading interest goes up.

HALLIE: Can you tell us what you’re working on now, and do you find as I do that it’s harder to take your own advice than it is to give it?

JAMES SCOTT BELL: Great question. I think about this all the time. Teacher, teach thyself! I must admit that it's easier to be objective when you're looking at other work besides your own. But I do find things becoming second nature. When I write dialogue, for example, I do use the tools I've come up with, and do so somewhat naturally. I guess I've finally drummed some of that into my own head. I'm entering the home stretch on the first draft of a novel. I can't slow down for too much reflection. I write and I trust. I'll go back over it, though, and fix things later. That's really what all this writing technique should be about. When you write, write like the wind. When you edit, edit like a gentle breeze.

HALLIE: Jim will be checking in today so please, if you have any comments or questions, join the discussion!

And tune in tomorrow to join the conversation with the amazing Jane Friedman, former Writers Digest Books publisher, who truly is what she bills herself: "the most progressive media professional you'll ever meet." We'll be talking about how some literary agents are adapting in order to survive in a changing publishing industry.

On the Glass Half Full

Our most foolish belief is that we have time. (author unknown)

ROBERTA: Last year my DH John went into New York for the launch of Grandparents.com, a website started by a former colleague. There was going to be a lot of talk about marketing to Baby Boomers, a subject near to John's heart because of his retirement website. The speaker began with an audience-engaging question: "Considering your life now, how many of you believe the best part of your life is yet to come?"

Many hands were raised.

"And how many of you believe the best part of your life is behind you?"�

John, thinking of his impending 60th birthday and the few aches and pains that were currently limiting his usual round of vigorous sporting activities, raised his hand. He was the only one.

The speaker laughed and said: "We'd better leave that between him and his therapist."

John was perplexed and embarrassed, only trying to make an honest assessment. I'd have to agree with him in some ways: my physical body isn't going back to its peak, no matter how many pilates sessions I attend. My writing, on the other hand, I'd like to think is only halfway (maybe even less!) to where it could be.

Big question for a Wednesday morning: Is the best yet to come for you?

RO: A resounding YES. I may not look or feel the way I did at my physical peak, but I'm so much less crazy now,that it more than makes up for it. Would I like to feel like a 20 yr old every once in a while, sure. And this week I discovered a great way to do it. Go to a Wednesday matinee in NY. It's filled with 80 yr olds. Saw South Pacific. Some of the people in the audience looked like they'd served with MacArthur. I felt like young stuff.
BTW, my DH, Bruce talks about this a LOT. He frequently mentions that each decade has been better than the last (I don't remind him that he was married twice before and this last decade was MINE!)

JAN: I understand John completely -- only because my DH, Bill, has also always been an athlete. Athletes feel the aging process most acutely because they remember how fast or fit they used to be. Lucky for me, I didn't become obsessed with sports and physical fitness until I was 35. So, to me, every ache and pain has to do with this new sports addiction of mine, NOT aging. I fail to make the association. I also think it helps to be a writer. For the most part, writing is about perspective -- and I think perspective improves with age.

HANK: Oh, we love John. And yes, he was just being honest. And doesn't that make the discussion more interesting?

Anyway, it's probably an indication of how old I really am, but it's so nostalgic for me, now, to watch teeangers struggle and battle for postiion and popularity and self-esteem. How many times did my mom tell me, in high shcool--don't worry, honey, high school is not the pinnacle of your life? And in hindsight of course, that's right. It just--seems as if it is, at the time.

Now I feel--stronger (usually), and confident (sometimes), and at least more flexible about what's to come. The world is funnier, somehow. People are strange, events are unpredictable and yeah, that's how it is. I can more easily go with it.

(And Ro, we have season tickets to Symphony here in Boston. It's terrific. And not just for the music. Except for the music students, I'm by far the youngest. Remember when we wished we were older?? Mwa ha ha.)

Is the best yet to come? Sure. Around every corner. I think we just have to be open for it.


HALLIE: Is the best is yet to come? I certainly hope so. But if not, this has been a pretty great ride.

It’s the old: Is the glass half full or half empty? Seems to me the real question is: What’s in the half that’s left? As for me, I hope it’s champagne.