Blog
The Kauai Writers Conference
The Kauai Writers Conference (https://kauaiwritersconference.com/) offers amazing resources for writers throughout the year. I'm listening to the Zoom recording with author Sam Horn (https://samhorn.com/about/) as she gives attendees tips on how to make the most of...
One Month Out
The story of Spirit River was inspired by my grandfather, William Edward Perry, by what I knew about him and by reading his unpublished poetry since I was young. He grew up in and around Yreka, California, and spent a lot of time fishing, hunting, and exploring along...
Legacy
One month out until the Kauai Writers Conference! I'm pitching Spirit River to three agents and meeting lots more agents, writers, and other wordy folks (see how I did that...wordy instead of nerdy). I've submitted an intro along with the prologue and first chapter....
Soul of Sole Meunière, Part II
Cooking as Therapy Immersing myself in Sole Meunière a la Julia Child this last week or so has entailed adding new cookbooks to my collection, studying her recipes, tips and watching the movie, Julie and Julia, again. That movie speaks to my soul (okay, this time, no...
Discovering Sole Meunière’s Soul
The Soul of Sole Meunière, Part I The Inspiration Many little girls love princesses and dressing up. I was not one of those little girls. My heroine was not a princess. She was a chef. Her name was Julia Child and I found her talent in the...
Mushroom Magnum Opus: Chanterelle Mushroom Soup with Chanterelle Butter Toasts
I am in the kitchen again. It is a gorgeous late October fall day and my garden is beckoning. But, I am focused on my purpose today, and that is creating my own recipe for chanterelle mushroom soup. Chanterelles are in season and available from local foragers, at the...
Anticipating the 2017 Rebirth of the Hotel de Crillon in Paris
Visiting Paris is memorable enough with its epic architecture and world-class museums. And then you add the food. The French know food. I recall Julia Child writing about her first, and one of her favorite meals, in France, sole meuniere. The French work their magic...
Kale in a Gale
Kale is ubiquitous. I see bumper stickers and t-shirts saying “eat more kale” and restaurant menus with bruised kale, walnut and whatever salad, kale this and kale that. Next, we’ll hear that renewable energy can be extracted from kale. One can hope. But seriously...
Top Five Fall Fancies
The morning air has that cool, mossy, dried-leaf scent. The days are growing shorter. Fall is upon us. One of my favorite times of year, autumn, comes with an instinctual urge to make comfort food and travel to the mountains and the high desert in Oregon. I’ve put...
Retreating
When my “to do” lists start chasing me around the house it is time to flee. I have a room in our house that is dedicated to my writing and most of the time it truly is my creative sanctuary; like this morning. I’m typing away. It is quiet. Things on the old “to do”...