First Signing at Malice Domestic

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by Paula Gail Benson

For many of us, a return to
an in-person Malice Domestic this year was truly a reason for celebration.
Having the opportunity to greet and spend time with folks who have become like
family was completely joyous (even though an outbreak of Covid marred the
occasion at the end).

Elizabeth Crowens, Kaye George, Marilyn Levinson, Leslie Karst, me, and Kathryn O’Sullivan

Alan Orloff, Art Taylor, and Janet Laubgross

I’ll remember this Malice for many terrific experiences: (1) a blurring
genres panel with a group of terrific authors (marvelous moderator Elizabeth
Crowens, and fellow panelists Kaye George, Leslie Karst, Marilyn Levinson, and Kathryn
O’Sullivan); (2) being at the Agatha banquet table with wonderful authors and dear
friends Alan Orloff, who won for Best Young Adult Novel for his I Play One on TV, his wife Janet Laubgross,
Art Taylor and Tara Laskowski, John Copenhaver, Julie Hastrup,
and Marco Carocari; (3) enjoying a few quick meals with excellent cozy authors Dorothy
McFalls and Victoria Gilbert; (4) having a group photo with my super blogging
partners for Writers Who Kill; (5) spending some time with Art and Tara’s talented
son Dash; and (6) getting to tour Washington with a delightful guide, Aziz
Rakla, and the charming Michael Bracken and lovely Temple Walker (who would
leave the next day to celebrate the Edgar best short story nomination for “Blindsided”
written by Michael and James A. Hearn).


Tara Laskowski and John Copenhaver

Even with all of those and many other memorable moments (like hugs
from Edith Maxwell and Dru Ann Love and great conversations with Charlaine
Harris, Toni Kelner, Terrie Farley Moran, and Jeanne Dams), this Malice will
always stand out in my mind as the one when my short story “Reputation or Soul”
was published in Malice Domestic’s 16th anthology Mystery Most Diabolical and, for the
first time, I participated in a Malice signing. Following the live charity
auction, from 9:30 until 10:30 pm on Friday, April 22, 2022, the contributors from
both Malice Domestic 15: Mystery Most Theatrical and Malice
Domestic 16: Mystery Most Diabolical who were
at the conference gathered at tables in the hallway outside the ballrooms and
became part of a conveyor style signing process.

 

I’m proud not only to be in a Malice Domestic anthology, but also
to have my story with the works of other authors I greatly admire. For the
signing itself, I got to meet Lori Robbins who shared a table with me. And, I’m
very grateful that a kind soul offered to take my copy of the anthology around
to get signatures while I participated in the signing.


At signing with Lori Robbins

Thank
you to all the Malice planners. You always make the event a wonderful occasion.
And, particular thanks for my signing experience, a dream come true.

 

Why ‘Google’ Isn’t a Synonym for ‘Research’

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WHY
‘GOOGLE’ ISN’T A SYNONYM FOR ‘RESEARCH’ by Connie Berry

The quote about
Google and research belongs to author Dan Brown, who himself undoubtedly spent
days, weeks, months researching his complicated thrillers and was accused (but not
convicted) of lifting information from books, journals, and blogs written by
others which were available online. So, what was he talking about? There’s so
much information on the web. Isn’t Googling information a good way to research
a book in this day and age?

We all know research
can be a black hole, sucking up precious time while deceiving us into thinking we’re
accomplishing something. That’s one problem. The bigger problem for me is
deciding how much of that fascinating research to include in the book. Here’s
an example from my brand-new mystery, The Shadow of Memory.

When my
characters travel from one location to another, I ask questions. What kind of
terrain will they encounter at that time of year? Are there any landmarks or
unusual features that will capture their attention? Since I can’t always be in
the UK, I have Google Earth. Which leads to Wikipedia and all

sorts of
information connected with my story. While researching Vivian Bunn and Kate’s drive
from Long Barston to the fictional village of Upford, for example, I happened
upon the quaintly named “crinkle-crankle walls,” typical of East Anglia. I was
captivated.

In an early draft
of the novel, Vivian Bunn is reading to Kate about local history as they drive:

“It says there’s no market in Upford anymore,” Vivian said.
She was reading something

on my cell phone again. “Their claim to
fame is a crinkle-crankle wall running along the main north-south
road—smaller than the more famous one at Easton but just as picturesque.” She
looked up. “I’ve seen the one at Easton.”

“What does crinkle-crankle mean?”

“Let’s find out.”
She peered at my phone screen. “A crinkle-crankle wall is an unusual type of
serpentine garden wall found mostly in East Anglia and especially in Suffolk.
The walls began appearing in the seventeenth century when Dutch engineers were
draining the fens. Because of their stability, they were especially well suited
to the soggy, unstable ground. Sometimes as many as fifty bricks high, they
actually require fewer bricks than a straight wall—Really? I wouldn’t have
thought that—because a wavy wall can be built one-brick thick whereas a
straight wall needs at least two layers of bricks. The American president
Thomas Jefferson incorporated serpentine walls into the architecture of the
University of Virginia, which he founded in— Look!” She screeched so suddenly I nearly
veered off the road. “There it is.”

Sure enough—a sinuous red-brick wall
snaked along the road on our right. We were so taken by the sight, we almost
missed the turning toward the village center.

Yes, I was beguiled by my research. No,
crinkle-crankle walls had absolutely nothing to do with the story. They needed
to go. Here’s the final version: 

The address we’d found for the Beaufoys—Wren
Cottage, 27 Bramble Walk—led us to

           the
east side of the market town of Upford, close to the Essex border. A sinuous
red-brick

           wall
snaked along the road on the right. We were so taken by the sight, we almost
missed

            the
turning toward the village center.

The problem with research-by-Google is
too much information and the temptation to include it in the book. I’ve learned
my lesson. Now, when I’m tempted to chuck in that captivating bit of research,
I ask myself four questions:

1. Is this information necessary to
orient the reader in the scene?

2. Does it draw the reader in
emotionally or viscerally so she is experiencing the scene along

    with the characters?

3. Does the information move the plot
forward in any way?

4. Does it reveal anything significant
about the characters?

If my answer is four “no’s,” I leave it
out.

What is the most interesting piece of
information you’ve ever found while researching a book?

Did it make it into the finished
manuscript, or did you end up cutting it out?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Connie Berry writes the Kate Hamilton Mysteries, set in the
UK and featuring an American antiques dealer with a gift for solving crimes. She
was raised by antiques dealers who instilled in her a passion for history, fine
art, and travel. Her debut novel won an IPPY Gold and was an Agatha Award
finalist. Connie is a member of MWA, CWA, and SinC. She loves history, foreign
travel, cute animals, and all things British.

 

 

 

           

 

 

 

Rejection

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 by Bethany Maines

One of my manuscript was recently rejected.  And you
can guess how I feel about that. Not good. 

I think the harshest part was that the editor took the time
to reject it personally.  When you get a form letter, you can pretend that
no one really read it and that your genius will go undiscovered another day. When
they take the time to tell you why they hate your book-child and why it’s
deformed and hideous then it feels a little personal.  I admit that the
individual may not have used those EXACT words.  But that’s what it feels
like.  

But the problem with writing is that if you want to have your work read by
other human beings then first it has to… be read by other human beings. 
And those jackasses keep having opinions! The nerve! The unmitigated
gall! 

The other problem with this particular work is that I’ve
also written it to be a script.  I
believe the idea is imminently wonderful and would be a great TV show.  However, TV and Publishing have two wildly
different esthetics.  The notes I’ve
received on the script were that it should be funnier.  The book notes said there was too much
banter.  Or in other words… too
funny. 

Here’s the idea.

Vampire Heist (based on A Bite of Paris): When the vampire Nicholas de Cervon discovers that his
former home is now a museum he reunites the old horde to pull off the heist of
his after-life and get revenge on the Igor who betrayed him.

I don’t know what to tell you.  I like banter.  Will I be taking another editorial pass at it
to see if I can make my characters express the dreaded ennui and tragedy that
makes up the drudgery of life (places hand dramatically on brow)… yes, I
probably will.  Will I add a pratfall to
the script… maybe.

Meanwhile, today is #screenpit over on Twitter. If you like
my vampire idea and agree that it should be a TV show, head on over and give me
a retweet today.  https://twitter.com/BethanyMaines

**

Bethany Maines is the award-winning author of the Carrie Mae Mysteries, San Juan Islands Mysteries, Shark Santoyo Crime Series, and numerous
short stories. When she’s not traveling to exotic lands, or kicking some
serious butt with her black belt in karate, she can be found chasing her
daughter or glued to the computer working on her next novel. You can also catch up with her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and BookBub.

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Why Books
are Better for Your Brain

By Saralyn
Richard


 

Since the
beginning of television, debates have been held over the benefits of reading
over TV watching or vice versa. Some of the tried-and-true arguments include:

·        
Reading
allows you to form pictures in your brain, which involves more creativity and
imagination than having them spoon-fed.

·        
Reading
time is all quality time, with no time wasted on commercials.

·        
Books
are portable and less expensive to use.

·        
Books
delve into thought-provoking issues more thoroughly than TV shows.

·        
Reading
is a quieter, more peaceful activity.

·        
You
can read on your own schedule.

·        
You
don’t have to worry about whether you subscribe to the right channel.

All great
points, but here are a few more that come from educational (and brain-based)
research:

·        
Reading,
unlike watching or listening to media, allows the brain to stop, think,
process, and imagine the narrative in front of you.

·        
Reading
creates connections in the brain that promote language, cognitive, social, and
emotional development.

·        
Reading
rewires the brain and creates new white matter.

·        
Reading
puts the reader in the shoes of the character in the book, figuratively and
biologically. It creates empathy.

·        
Reading
increases attention spans and encourages sequential thinking.

·        
Reading
increases vocabulary.

·        
Reading
rewires your brain, so that you can imagine alternative paths, remember
details, picture detailed scenes, and think through complex problems.

In short,
reading makes you more knowledgeable AND more functional. In other words, if
television is a bag of potato chips and a soft drink, reading is a warm and
tasty meal and a delicious smoothie.

My years
in education have proven to me over and over again how important it is to be a
good reader. Literacy is the basis for all learning (even mathematics and
music, which are other forms of reading). The more you practice reading, the
better able you will be to comprehend, analyze, compare and contrast,
synthesize, and evaluate. No one I know of has ever made those same claims for
watching television.

I’m not
advocating the abolishment of TVs or television programming. But I do recommend
making reading a priority when carving out your leisure time. Whatever you
choose to read, you’ll have excellent entertainment, and your brain will thank
you.


Saralyn
Richard’s award-winning humor- and romance-tinged mysteries and children’s book
pull back the curtain on people in settings as diverse as elite country manor
houses and disadvantaged urban high schools. Saralyn’s most recent release is Bad Blood Sisters. A
member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America,
Saralyn teaches creative writing and literature at the Osher Lifelong Learning
Institute, and continues to write mysteries. Her favorite thing about being an
author is interacting with readers like you. Visit
Saralyn here, on her
Amazon page here, or on Facebook here.

A DAY OF MAY RELEASES

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Happy Monday, everyone!  Along with Stiletto Gang, which I’m pleased to belong to, I’m on a Facebook group with several romantic suspense, paranormal romantic suspense, and mainstream suspense authors. After pouring our hearts and souls into a novel, promotion is one of those pesky details we authors do, lest no one learns anything about our latest creations. Addressing this problem, Author Sharon Wray (one of my Golden Heart sisters) and I brainstormed a possible solution. What if we came up with a promotions galore strategy and focused on a DAY OF May Releases.

And that’s what we did! If you’re on Facebook YOU’RE INVITED to subscribe to the MIDNIGHT GARDEN READERS GROUP https://www.facebook.com/groups/midnightgarden/ to help us celebrate. (Who knows there might be giveaways) !!!  

Along with Sharon and Donnell, debut author Kathleen Donnelly who has a K-9 romantic suspense (CHASING JUSTICE release date May 24th) will be dropping by. Midnight Garden Authors, USA Today Bestselling Authors Christine Glover, Misty Evans, Award-winning, multi-published Zoe Dawson, are also touting their May releases. Need more incentive? Well, wait, there’s more! The Midnight Garden Readers Group is home to many more authors; they just don’t have books out this month. 

Since this is Sharon’s brainstorm, I thought I’d tell you about this talented author’s exciting May 17th release (available for preorder):

Is love worth risking everything for?

Rose Guthrie, a reluctant erotic dancer, hasn’t trusted
anyone since her parents’ death. Yet, to make money for her brother’s heart
transplant, she agrees to deliver a sealed box to a mysterious buyer. Until the
box—and the seller—disappear. Not surprised by the betrayal, her situation
becomes more dangerous when she learns that two brutal arms dealers also want
the box and are willing to kill everyone she loves for it. With one clue left,
she breaks into Doom—Savannah’s violent, illegal fight club. Unfortunately,
Doom’s referee—the sexy, ex-Army Ranger, Kade Dolan—stands in her way. Although
she harbors a secret attraction to Kade, she can’t let him stop her. If she doesn’t
deliver the box on time, she’ll lose everything. Including her own life.

Rose doesn’t trust ex-Army Ranger, ex-con Kade Dolan, but
that’s okay—he doesn’t trust

himself either. Why? Because he lies to everyone
about everything, including his time in Leavenworth and his job as an illegal
fight club referee. Then there are his two side gigs. The first as an informant
for the Prince, the leader of a secret, two-thousand-year-old private army. The
second, loving from afar the beautiful, secretive Rose Guthrie. After the
Prince discovers Rose is the courier of a lost 18th century artifact, he orders
Kade to help her find the box before their greatest enemy does. If they
succeed, Kade must return it to the Prince. If they fail, Kade must kill
her. 

Betrayal or death. When faced with an impossible choice,
Kade can’t lie anymore, at least not when it comes to what he’s about to do the
woman he loves. But when Rose uncovers Kade’s lies, they learn a terrible
truth—the 18th century box holds a secret far deadlier than they imagined. A
secret that could destroy them all.

 

BIO:

Sharon, a Jersey girl who landed in Virginia, is a
chemical & patent librarian who once studied dress design in the couture
houses of Paris… and worked as a Red Cross caseworker in South Korea. Because
it took her forever to decide what she wanted to do when she grew up, she now
writes romance and women’s fiction novels filled with suspense, adventure, and
love. 

Her bestselling Deadly
Force romantic suspense series is set in a world with scary assassins
who bow before killing, sexy Green Berets seeking redemption, and smart, sassy
heroines who save them all. It’s also a world where, since Sharon is slow and
clumsy, her chances of making it out alive would be slim. 

She also writes small-town contemporary romances, gothic
romantic mysteries set in the sultry south, and Christmas stories. Because
nothing brings out the romantic feels more than stories set during the
holidays.

Army wife, mother of twins, and caretaker of rescue
dogs, she’s repped by Deidre Knight and Kristy Hunter of The Knight Agency.

 

 Follow her on Social Media to keep up with new releases,
sales, and giveaways.

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

BOOKBUB

PINTEREST

GOODREADS

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

Midnight in the
Garden FB Group

Isn’t it Romantic
Book Club FB Group

 

So there you go. And while Sharon has romantic suspense covered, I’m targeting readers who  prefer mystery, suspense, and thrillers.  Releases 5/31, review now on NetGalley, and available for preorder:  


 This killer won’t stop . . . until she’s dead

When Lt. Everett T. Pope is notified of an explosion in downtown
Denver close to the judicial buildings, his first instinct is gas leak. No such
luck. As Incident Command and Pope’s own Major Crimes unit move in, he discovers
he knows the intended victims—an Assistant U. S. Attorney—and Pope’s former
partner, now a private investigator, has died shielding the injured AUSA with
his body.

As ATF and the FBI take over investigating the bombing and unraveling
motives behind the murder attempt, Pope is relegated to a peripheral role. But
the injured AUSA’s aunt is a United States senator used to getting results. She
turns to the team that solved the Black Pearl Killer murders with a very big
ask—find her answers and locate the bomber.

FBI Special Agent Brian DiPietro must recall his entire cold case
team from their far-flung assignments knowing he’s being asked to do the
impossible. The senator, however, doesn’t know the meaning of the word. All too
soon, DiPietro finds his team working alongside ATF on a red-hot mission.  One that uncovers a decades’ old cold case.

To learn more about Donnell, check out her website at Author Donnell Ann Bell | Romantic Suspense & Crime Fiction | 

Hope you’ll join us on May 31st, for a day of May releases!

So You Want to Write a Book

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By Sparkle Abbey

Part 1: Where to Start

All of the wonderful authors in this group have written books. Some have written many books, but we all started somewhere. 

Is there a book in you? If you believe there is, you’re not alone. 

There’s a statistic floating around the internet from a USA Today survey that took place almost twenty years ago that says 81% of Americans feel they have a book in them. We can only assume that percentage is closer to 90% now with many people taking stock of their life goals. Maybe more than 90%.

The first question is: Just because you want to write a book, should you? And the answer is: Maybe.

Writing definitely stretches your creativity and enhances your life. It also can impact the lives of other people. Which is a great reason to write that book!

However, here’s the reality — while anyone can write a book, not everyone will. Why is that? Mostly it’s because writing is hard. And writing, well, is even harder. In the words of Dorothy Parker, “I hate writing, but I love having written.” 

But though it is hard to write well, the truth is that writing is like a muscle. The more you exercise, the stronger you become. The more you write, the more you learn and the stronger your writing becomes. For many, setting aside the time to do that work is the hardest part.

For all of you who have said you’d like to write a book, but don’t really know where to start, we want to help you get moving. No more just thinking about it, we want to help you take action. In the next few months, we’re going to talk about the steps you need to take to write a book. So, let’s get started! 

You’re ready to put in the work.  Where do you begin?

Well, first you need to have something to say. Are you passionate about a story idea that you’d love to read, but no one has written? Do you have a message or belief you’d like to share with others? What idea is constantly on your mind? What is your story worth telling?


Here’s your homework. Pull out a notebook and jot down ideas. Right now, all ideas are good ideas. Don’t overthink it. While you’re recording your thoughts also think about what type of

book you’re going to write. Fiction, non-fiction, self-help, memoir, cookbook. 

If you’d like, please feel free to share in the comments what you might want to write a book about. And if you have questions, feel free to ask. 

Next month we’ll talk about what happens once you’ve settled on your idea!

Sparkle Abbey’s latest story (written in first person) is a short but fun one. If you’ve not yet
checked out PROJECT DOGWAY, this is a great time to do that. 

Sparkle Abbey is actually two people, Mary Lee Ashford and Anita Carter, who write the national best-selling Pampered Pets cozy mystery series. They are friends as well as neighbors so they often get together and plot ways to commit murder. (But don’t tell the other neighbors.) 

They love to hear from readers and can be found on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, their favorite social media sites. Also, if you want to make sure you get updates, sign up for their newsletter via the SparkleAbbey.com website

Clicking Our Heels – Favorite Form of Exercise

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Clicking Our Heels – Favorite
Form of Exercise

In the past, we’ve discussed what the Stiletto Gang
members would be doing if we weren’t reading or writing, but the question came
up as to what our favorite form of exercise is.

 

Debra H. Goldstein: 
I’m a couch potato. During the pandemic, I thought I should do something
so I ordered a Cubii exerciser. After a week, I shrouded it. Periodically, I
look at it from the couch.

 

Lynn C. Willis: Hiking with Finn.

 

Barbara J. Eikmeier: Favorite doesn’t necessarily imply I
do it with any regularity, right. I love swimming laps, but mostly I ride my
stationary bike.

 

Donnell Bell: 
Walking.

 

Gay Yellen: Dancing with my husband. He took me dancing on
our first (blind) date, and that almost sealed the deal right there!

 

Lynn McPherson: I love walking.

 

Bethany Maines: Karate! I’ve been taking and teaching
karate for over a decade. It’s a great place to keep fit and connect with my
community.

 

Mary Lee Ashford: My favorite exercise is walking, outside
if the weather permits. I also enjoy yoga though my knees are not enjoying it
lately, and I love dance though I don’t often get the opportunity except around
the house. In which case, I hope no one is watching!

 

Shari Randall: I love Zumba and country line dancing.
They’re so much fun they don’t feel like exercise to me at all.

 

Linda Rodriguez: Dance (or gardening) used to be mine. But
lately, it’s physical therapy.

 

Anita Carter: I love kickboxing!

 

T.K. Thorne: Before Covid, I did Akayama Ryu martial arts
twice a week. This year I learned a Tai Chi series and that has really kept me
sane. I like to walk outside where there are trees and space to breathe.

 

Debra Sennefelder: I love exercise. It keeps me in shape
and it keeps me sane. I love weight workouts, walking/treadmill workouts,
Pilates and Yoga. I aim for five to six workouts a week, so I like a lot of
variety.

 

Kathryn Lane: Walking in a beautiful setting, especially in
the mountains, brings me great joy and peace of mind.

 

Dru Ann Love: Definitely a couch potato. Give me a sci-fi
movie and I’m in heaven.

 

Kathleen Kaska: I love running. I just completed my
twenty-fourth marathon.

 

Saralyn Richard: Long walks (working out plot points while
walking).

 

Robin Hillyer-Miles: Yoga.

 

Lois Winston: Walking.

Editing, Updating, and Completing a Manuscript

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By Kathryn Lane

Technology innovations are accelerating at warp speed. At
least that’s what it seems like in my writing world.

A year-and-a-half ago, I started research about a child math
prodigy interested in rockets and space travel. The story takes place in the present
day. The plot revolves around a family-secret type mystery and a subplot
involving the girl’s dream of space exploration.

Then my commitment to write another novel in my Nikki Garcia
mystery series shelved the girl-genius project.

Recently I took up the prodigy manuscript again and realized that maybe I should re-do my research since space travel has changed – several
ordinary citizens have flown to or near the Kármán line – an imaginary but practical boundary separating mere air travel from space
travel. Blue Origin flew 62 miles above the earth’s surface and kissed the Kármán line while Virgin Galactic flew a bit
over 50 miles, the altitude where the Federal Aviation Administration awards
astronaut wings to crew members.

The real clencher is SpaceX’s flight to the International Space
Station. The crew were civilians. These three events impact important details
in my young girl’s story.

All of those events were anticipated in the manuscript. Yet now they’ve actually occurred and it’s possibly a game changer for me. I’m wondering if I should make several substantial edits. Not that those space companies will be mentioned specifically, but the accomplishments do impact the story.

I can leave the novel as it was originally conceived and not
re-do my research or I can spend time rethinking and rewriting it. You, as
writers, might tell me it’s irrelevant to update it since I’d never complete it
if I keep revising for the latest space and scientific discoveries. That’s true,
but these events have been groundbreaking. To ignore them would be the easy way
out. Plus the developments of the past year should make a positive difference
in the young girl’s story.

Regardless of whether I update or not, the novel is about
three-fourths done. If I’m going to make changes, now is the time.

Has anyone else faced this issue? If you have any advice, please
share it!

Kathryn’s latest Nikki Garcia Mystery Thriller: Missing in
Miami (available on Amazon)



About Kathryn

Kathryn
Lane started out painting in oils and quickly became a starving artist. To earn
a living, she became a certified public accountant and embarked on a career in
international finance with a major multinational corporation. After two
decades, she left the corporate world to plunge into writing mystery and
suspense thrillers. In her stories, Kathryn draws deeply from her Mexican background as well as her travels in over ninety
countries.

Visit my website at https://www.Kathryn-Lane.com

Photo credits:

All photographs are used
in an editorial and/or educational manner

Earth Math by NASA 

Rocket Launch – Twitter

SpaceX’s Dragon Capsule Docking with the International Space Station by NASA 

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 Five Tips for Meal Planning

It’s no secret, I’m a hardcore plotter when it comes to my writing. I’m also a serious planner girl who reaches for her Erin Condren planner constantly throughout the day. So it’s no surprise that I’ve embraced meal planning. And today I’m going to share with you why I have and give you a few of my tips.

 

This month I’m sharing a tool that I’ve been using since the
beginning of 2021 to help keep me on schedule with my writing and feed my
family. It’s meal planning. I’ve dabbled in it over the years, but it never
really stuck, even though I love to plan. Guess it was all about the timing.
Ready to learn why I’ve embraced meal planning and learn a few tips I have to enjoy
it as much as I do?

What is meal planning:

Meal planning is the simple act of planning what you’ll be
eating over the following X number of days. It can feel unattainable or
overwhelming because it involves planning which recipes to make, what groceries
to buy, and a week’s worth of dinners to make. It’s a lot, but I’m finding
success in meal planning, and now I’m dipping my toes into meal prepping (that’s for another day).

I started off simple. I grabbed a journal from my stash, and
I’ve been using it since then. It is a place where I can plan next week’s meals.
I can also look back and see what I’ve made in the past when I need a
little inspiration or when I need to get out of a rut.

Meal planning doesn’t have to be a big, fat binder filled
with a month’s worth of detailed menus or a freezer full of prepped food
waiting to be tossed into a slow cooker or pressure cooker. Meal planning can be
as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. What it is, for me, is a tool
that has helped me be more productive, save money and enjoy cooking again.

Why have I embraced this?

Until 2021, I hadn’t created official meal plans. I always had
an idea of what meals I’d cook during the week, but I never had a “plan”.
Then again, before 2020, I really didn’t cook many dinners. My husband works
nights, and he was often out of the house at lunchtime, so I only cooked
dinners for us twice a week. Then 2020 rolled around, and we know what happened
that year, and my routine went out the window. Suddenly I was preparing three
meals a day. Hence, meal planning has become a real thing in my life. Which
now, I’m grateful for. Because for me, 2021 was the sequel to 2020, and 2022 is
looking like it’s going to be another heck of a year.

Last year, I had to continue making dinners because my
husband returned to work, and because restaurants weren’t staying open late, he
needed to take meals with him. Then as the restaurants started to extend their
hours, their prices began to increase. These two things made it imperative that he
take meals to work.

The other reason why I’ve come to love meal planning is that
it makes grocery shopping so much easier and quicker. We divide our shopping
between Costco and our local grocery store. Meal planning also takes the
constant stress question of “what’s for dinner” off me. I know what’s for
dinner; it’s in my planner. This, hands down has been the most significant
benefit of meal planning. It’s one less thing to have to worry about. Besides
the major shift in my routine, I’ve also been dealing with elderly parents and
crushing deadlines for books. So not having to think about what I’ll cook when
I close up my office at the end of the day is a relief.

Ready for five tips that have helped me succeed in meal
planning? Great! I’ve also included a bonus tip.

Five steps to meal planning:

Make a list – Once you have your meals planned, it’s the
perfect time to write up your shopping list. Review your meals and write up a
list of ingredients. Shop your pantry first, and then add what you don’t have
to your shopping list.

Stock your kitchen – Having a well-stocked pantry is one of
the keys to success in meal planning and meal prepping. We buy in bulk as much
as possible to fill our freezers and pantry shelves.

Keep it simple – The meals in your plan don’t need to be
complicated or fancy. And you don’t need to do hours of prep work, either. The
whole point of meal planning is to take some of your stress away.

Have a theme night – It’ll be fun and saves you time after a
hectic day. How about Slow Cooker Sundays? Or pizza Fridays? Get your family
involved in the meal planning process.

Create a planning routine – I like to settle in my kitchen
with my journal to plan out the following week’s meals. Then, I make a cup of
tea, grab my steno pad (I use it for my grocery list), and start planning.

Bonus tip – Even though you have a plan, you can still be
flexible because life loves to throw curveballs. Of course, not every day is
going to go as planned. But it’s so much easier to get back on track when you
have a plan.

 

This is how I’m keeping my sanity these days. Meal planning
has become a regular part of my week. So, I’m curious, do you meal plan? If so,
what does it look like for you?

 

 

Debra Sennefelder is the
author of the Food Blogger Mystery series, the Resale Boutique Mystery series and the upcoming Cookie Shop Mystery series.
She lives and writes in Connecticut. When she’s not writing, she enjoys baking,
exercising and taking long walks with her Shih-Tzu, Connie. You can keep in touch
with Debra through her website, on Facebook and Instagram.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just Joys — T.K. Thorne

/in /by

 

 Writer, humanist,
          dog-mom, horse servant and cat-slave,
       Lover of solitude
          and the company of good friends,
        new places, new ideas
           and old wisdom.

 

 

 

The whirling weeks have left me vaguely unsettled, looking for what I have “accomplished.” I am used to measuring that in terms of word count, and I don’t have many of those. Rather than wallow in guilt, perhaps word count is the wrong measurement. I decided to look back and ask, “What happened?” And specifically, “Where did I find joy?”

While I listened to the talented Lia Frederick bring my characters to life in an audio book version of House of Rose* (the first in a trilogy about a police officer who discovers she’s a witch), I pulled the grass/clover/weeds out of the moss on the brick walkway. You might call this gardening. I call it a Zen exercise.  

[* Contact me at TK@tkthorne.com to get a promo code for a free audiobook!]

During the early stress-filled days of the Pandemic, weeding the moss calmed me. It requires concentration (if you pull wantonly, the moss will pull up too; if you are lazy, other plants will take over.) One of the encroachers was a tiny flower with a deep violet base and translucent blue-white petals, perhaps large enough for an ant’s umbrella—a Japanese Mazus. I left it in the moss.

 

Two + decades ago, I worked in the Birmingham Police Department with two dear friends, Becky and Juanita. Becky recently had a hip replacement, and Juanita stepped up to be a full-time care-taker. (A lesson about the meaning of Love!) We visit regularly, and our tales ensure a lot of laughter, the good kind that runs deep as a river between us. Becky’s husband died not that long ago, and she asked me for a painting based on a photo he had taken on a special day. The photo is beautiful, a solitary duck and crimson reflections in the water of (unseen) day lillies on the bank above. Here my first stab at it:

The Left Coast Crime conference in Albuquerque, NM, was a mixture of delight in being with people and anxiety at the crowd after the last two years of isolating and masking.  The highlight was being with my friends, Vikki and Kevin who were experiencing a writing conference for the first time. Also loved meeting fellow Stiletto Gang members, Donnell Ann Bell and Dru Ann Love.  Didn’t get to talk much with Dru Ann (who was always surrounded by admirers!☺), but I sat at Donnell’s table at the banquet, and she kindly offered a ride to the airport, so we got to chat a bit, enough to know what a kind, generous person she is and hope our friendship grows.  
 
Also enjoyed extended conversations about writing and law enforcement stuff  with fellow panelists and police crime writers—James L’Etoile, Frank Zafiro, Dana King (and his wife, Corky), and Colin Conway. The best part of conferences is the people!
 
 
 
 
Brushed tangles from Foxy’s tail. Tomorrow it will be tangled again, but
today it’s a silk flag in the wind, and she is prissy, knowing how
beautiful she is (because I tell her constantly). She was a racehorse,
but during the pandemic (or perhaps because her hooves don’t grow well)
she was sold at auction with a future as dog food in Mexico if no one
rescued her. She is such a baby, wanting constant petting and treats.

 
Janice is almost my age (i.e., an “elder”). We met this winter at a martial arts clinic (yes, really). She rode with her sensei (teacher) from Wyoming to Alabama! Fourteen hundred miles separate us, yet we chatted via email about tying up her gutter that fell in the Laramie wind to the porch with a bungee cord, and I told her about a piece of my day. The thread of a new friendship weaving across those miles lightened my heart.  
 
Our old dog, Glenny, walked all the way to the barn with me today. Usually, he goes to the end of the yard and then abandons me, heading back to the house. This time I had to wait while he stopped often to read the “newspaper” of smells along the drive, a lesson in patience, but I was happy with his quiet company.
 

This is not Glenny in quiet-company mode. This is it’s-time-to-cook-dinner mode.

 
Colors in the water of Becky’s painting are giving me fits. Do I still like it?  Yes . . . no.  Frustrating. Trying to push through the fear of an ugly mess, giving the paper the paint and waiting to see what it does with it.
 
Took some mint to my sister (so grateful she lives nearby) and helped her move hosta plants she had grown for years to her new house and decide where to put them, as well as an ornate wrought iron gate she bought at a yard sale. (She is a yard-sale queen!) She helped me load two trellis plant stands (that she would have sold, but gave to me), into the truck. I put them in the back yard in front of the ugly metal poles of the clothesline. Any thoughts what I should grow on them?  Clematis, maybe? Only partial sun back there.
 
More paint on the duck. Hoping Becky will like it. Hoping I will like it. Layers defining, softening, brightening. It will never look like the photo but that’s okay has long as it evokes the wonder of the light, the quiet dignity of the duck rippling through still water, but I don’t know if it’s working or not.  Really struggling with making this right.

 
I was up at midnight the night before taking this to Becky because it was still not right, but in the end, I went to bed feeling it was good, or as good as I could do. 

 
She cried when she saw it.  
 
Her happiness made me very happy.

 
Writing this woke me to the small joys that happen every day. Looking for “accomplishments,” I miss their significant. What a gift life is.  
 
 

T.K.Thorne is a retired police captain who writes books, which, like this blog, go wherever her curiosity and imagination take her.  More at TKThorne.com