Modern . . . Ice Cream

by | Aug 17, 2009 | Modern Mondays

Ice cream has been on my brain this weekend. I enjoyed a delightful cookies -n- cream milkshake on my birthday Friday (before dinner, no less!) and then some mint chocolate chip last night. So it seems fitting to delve into that creamy world of nonstop delight for my Modern Monday. =)

When I was reading and critiquing the YA novels of best-bed Stephanie Morrill, I nearly drooled every time she had her teen characters meeting up at Sheridan’s Frozen Custard. Now, in my neck of the woods, we have no Sheridan’s (though we have the Queen City Creamery, which is divine . . .), so my knowledge of the small chain is limited to Stephanie’s stories and then some research. Because, you see, when I set a book in her neck of the woods, I had no choice but to have my characters go to Sheridan’s too!

In my defense, when the hero and heroine of my contemporary romance decide to go for ice cream, I was totally willing to send them to Dairy Queen. (Didn’t want to copy my best-bud just for the sake of it, you know), but the local who advised me on this stuff assured me that they would drive to Sheridan’s before DQ–so to Sheridan’s they went!

Now, feel free to drool over their menu if you want some inspiration on this hot summer day. I know I spent ridiculous amounts of time going ga-ga over the choices. Can we just say “Yum!”?? Grasshopper, Caramel Pretzel, Dirt & Worms . . . ah, bliss in a cup.

Of course, one of the quirks of my heroine is that she is a genuine waffle-cone when it comes to choosing ice cream. She always knows exactly what she wants on the way and then changes her mind in line–and regrets it. Our hero gets to demonstrate his deep-abiding love for her by always ordering what she really wants and then casually trading her when she makes eyes at his treat. Is he a gem or what? 😉

So on this (or any of the other upcoming) sweltering August day, treat yourself to some joy-in-a-cone (or cup;-) and beat the heat with some ice cream. Roseanna’s perscription for a great summer evening. =)

(And do I get a gift card or something for promoting a shop I’ve never even been to?? I think I should! You know, for when I’m down that way . . . lol.)

We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Blog . . .

by | Aug 14, 2009 | Misc.

. . . to bring you my birthday. No, got nothing special. Just feeling too lazy to decide which of my awesome friends to write about this week. 😉

Not sure what, if any, plans I have. My party was last weekend (joint party with my dad, whose birthday is the 2nd) and the rest of the extended family is camping, so babysitters are out of range–kinda rules out a romantic dinner. Might have a family dinner out (or brought in) but haven’t decided yet.

And you know what? I’m not gonna worry about it. I’ll just relax today (as much as possible, given the wee ones), do what strikes me as fun (you know, read, write something useless), and enjoy the fact that my nearly-4-year-old daughter bounced out of bed this morning and promptly said, “Happy Birthday, Mama!” Then tacked on, “I’ll just follow you around like a duckling.” (Isn’t she cute???)

I even got my house clean yesterday so I’d be able to enjoy it today. Sweet, eh? Now, off to enjoy my first cup of birthday coffee and a banana muffin fresh from the oven. Have a great weekend, everybody!

Thoughtful . . . About Romance

by | Aug 13, 2009 | Thoughtful Thursdays

It’s a topic I’ve written about before. Romance in novels–what we expect from them, what we expect from life because of them. There are some people who have been adversely affected by them, drawn astray or given unrealistic expectations. There are others who had found inspiration and the draw of the Lord.

I firmly believe that the call of a Christian Romance writer is to try for that second option–we want to pain a picture of love and romance as God intends it to be. Maybe not perfect from the get-go, mind you, but with characters who are all messed up and find the one the Lord intends for them anyway.

We’ve been discussing this on one of the groups I belong to, and one thing that came up was how quickly things tend to happen in romances. Ignoring the disturbingly-fast tendency to jump into bed with each other in secular novels, even in CBA a story usually only covers a few weeks. Is that really enough time to fall in love? To know?

Yes and no. In my opinion, it’s plenty of time to feel that burst of love and know this is one God has in mind for you–it’s just not enough time to be ready for marriage (generally speaking). And in thinking about this, it occurs to me that in the majority of my manuscripts, I avoid this problem by having main characters who already know each other very well by the opening of the book.

In Fire Eyes, they grew up together. In Mafia Princess they grew up together. In Peculiar they grew up together. In Note to Self, the one I just finished on Tuesday (woo hoo!), they’d known each other for about five years. Sure, once in while I’ll write something where they don’t–but it’s an issue for them. One that requires certainty from the Lord and some serious prayer before they make any decisions.

This is a broad topic, and I might touch on other parts of it in later weeks. But for now, I’d love to hear other opinions on the pitfalls and virtues of the romance novel (Christian ones in particular) and how they should be handled–in writing and in life.

Remember When . . . There Were No Vintage Cars

by | Aug 12, 2009 | Remember When Wednesdays

One thing that’s super interesting about the 20s is that what we consider “modern life” had taken hold in some areas (like big cities) and was virtually unknown in others (read: rural areas–like where I live, lol). Electricity? You’d find it everywhere in town, but go five miles out, and nada. Phones? They were gaining traction fast, but very few private residences had them, even in urban areas.

One thing I really enjoyed researching, though, were the cars (partially, perhaps, because my husband did the bulk of the research, lol). So this blog is totally for my car-loving hubby (and all those other people out there who think Car and Driver is literature at its finest [for the record, I thoroughly enjoy the snippets my hubby reads me from C&D]).

When it came time to put my 20s characters behind the wheel of a car, I yelled across the room, “Hey, honey. What cars would these people drive in 1922?” My hubby dear spent the next hour looking them up for me. We decided that my hero would drive a Nash. A what, you ask? At this point in history, a Nash was your solid, middle-class car. Affordable, but offered considerable value for your buck. They rarely broke down and had a certain elegance. Totally the car my ever-reasonable hero would drive.

But keep in mind this is a book about the Mafia, so naturally I needed something a little more ostentatious too. For that, we went with a Pierce-Arrow. Made famous by another Chicago gangster (who died in 1920), the Pierce-Arrow was distinctive, huge, and sooooooo expensive. What I found interesting in reading about them is that you could choose to make them less distinctive. They were known for the unique placement of their headlights, but you could also order the more standard placement. I have my heroine’s father, a fictional mob boss, do this. He wants the status symbol of the Pierce but doesn’t want to be confused with Colosimo (the aforementioned gangster).

One thing I’m looking forward to in the sequel to Mafia Princess which I haven’t yet written is picking out what car my new hero will drive. He does some rum running (bad, Tony, bad!) so it’ll have to be something with some get-up-and-go. Should be a fun choice to make. =)

Story Time . . . MY HEART REMEMBERS by Kim Vogel Sawyer

by | Aug 11, 2009 | What We're Reading

Since last Story Time Tuesday I wrote about a book that dealt with turn-of-the-century orphan issues, I thought today I’d talk about the other one I’ve recently read with the same topic–though the similarities end there.
My Heart Remembers by Kim Vogel Sawyer is a must-read. No surprise that it’s a finalist in ACFW’s Book of the Year contest!

Maelle promised her father that she’d watch after the wee ones in the rush to escape their burning apartment building. All night long, she cared for her little brother, Mattie, and the baby, Molly. But when her parents never emerge, the care for them in taken out of her hands–and not long after, they’re on an orphan train, headed west. As her younger siblings are torn from her arms, Maelle swears she’ll find them again–and sends with each a token to ensure they’ll recognize each other when they meet again.

Through the years, the three siblings lead very different lives. Maelle, known as Mike, becomes a photographer. Her passion? Capturing the plight of the orphaned children who are overworked and under-loved across America. Mattie learns all about ranching–and the hard price a boy might pay if he finds himself under an unfair “guardian.” Molly is raised as a wealthy socialite . . . who is tossed onto the mercies of others when her brother forces her from her home, penniless and alone, after their parents’ death. Will anything bring them together again?

There are so many things I love about this book. First, though it’s not technically a romance, there’s a strong enough thread of that to keep my romantic’s heart a-pumping happily. As always, Kim delivers characterization that will make you sigh, laugh, and cry (or nearly, in my case;-). The plot has hints of suspense, tons of passion, and clearly demonstrates the redemptive and restorative powers of an Almighty God.

This book is like a tapestry–richly woven, beautifully hued, saturated with feeling and depth. I enjoyed following each thread, learning more about each sibling, and their Joy was mine in the end.

For an awesome story of homecoming, faith, and the kind of deep-set love that doesn’t fade, even through the decades, open up My Heart Remembers. It’s a book you’ll never forget.

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