IT'S #NANOWRIMO TIME: No Wrong - Just WRITE-WRITE-WRITE!

Gail's stock picnic lunch
during NaNoWriMo 

 

This year, I've decided to have a "no cook" month of writing. All my meals will be grab-and-go picnic foods like lettuce salads with chicken or salmon chunks, tuna salad, PB&J on English muffins, protein drinks, hummus with baguette slices, yogurt, cottage cheese, Cup O' Noodles, and fruit cups.

Of course, there are the "Write-In" days at Pa'ina Café downtown with our NaNoWriMo tradition of Frozen Hot Chocolate drinks and poke (raw tuna) bowls! That's every Saturday. On Thursdays, we'll be meeting at Coffee Talk in Kaimuki where they serve mega-choices of fresh baked goods and croissant sandwiches.

Come to think of it, I'm not sure if my excitement is more about writing my next novel or choosing my next meal. One thing is certain, though. I'll be supplementing my food choices with plenty of

C * H * O * C * O * L * A * T * E

 

And my goal? To get another one of these:

 

 

 



 

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My #Goodreads Read and Review Challenge Week-46

As I near the end of my Goodreads reading goal for October 2015 - October 2016, I am pleased to find ever more exciting novels to entertain me when I want to read for pleasure. My range of choices for September will include newly published novels, an anthology, a Kindle Scout winner, traditional and self-published novels.

* * * * *

FEAR DREAMS by J.A. Schneider
Author J.A. Schneider seamlessly shifted from writing medical thrillers to a psychological thriller, adding a paranormal twist without requiring the reader to totally suspend disbelief.

My goal in reading novels is to be entertained by a plausible story with believable characters, colorful settings, and especially satisfying endings. FEAR DREAMS earned my 5-star rating by delivering on all accounts.

Several excellent reviews on Goodreads, (including those by Uvi Poznansky and Melanie Adkins) offer insight into the plotline and the author's ability to portray a character's almost tangible fear.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29522370-fear-dreams?from_search=true


TALES FROM THE CACAO TREE Anthology of Short Stories

Chocolate is a food choice for me. I can make a meal out of mini peanut butter cups. A box of Godiva chocolates takes me back to my father's ancestral land of Belgium, although the trip usually lasts a short time. It is difficult to make Godiva last for more than a day!

The short stories and poems in TALES FROM THE CACAO TREE had me smiling like a silly school girl. Every time I read the book's title, I had to reach for a mini cup to satisfy a craving. Is it possible to express your love for someone with flowing chocolate? Is the anticipation of chocolate of chocolate melting in your mouth really better than s-e-x? Can chocolate be the beginning of a beautiful friendship or cause for suspicion?  You will find answers to these questions and many more in this lovely anthology.

* * * * *

 

Other September selections include:

LETTUCE READ WILLS by Una Tiers

BREAKING MEASURES by Emma Raveling

DARK DAWN A Lei Crime Series Novella for Kindle World
by Fiona Manning

Choosing Between Coffee and Chocolate

Is it fair to ask you to choose between two simple and relatives inexpensive caffeine pleasures, coffee and chocolate? I didn’t think so.

While reading the morning newspaper on Kindle, I enjoy two cups of freshly brewed coffee, usually 10% Kona but this week 100% Molokai dark roast. For me, beginning the day slowly is sort of a pleasant, guilt-free ritual. For years, I awoke to a clanging alarm clock, rushed through breakfast and morning tasks, then traveled to my place of work, whether across town, miles down the highway, or merely a few short blocks' walk. It was the choice I made when I was sixteen years old and continued to make for decades. Now that I can stay home and compile stories at my own pace, another choice freely made, I appreciate the more relaxed lifestyle.

Recently, I attended an informal talk given at the Duty-Free Shop in Waikiki by an author and coffee aficionado. Shawn Steiman earned his doctorate in Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences at the University of Hawai‘i. One of his comments, something to the effect that coffee opens the mind and clarifies thinking, stuck with me. Could this reasoning apply to my writing? It was an idea worth some thought.

It isn’t necessary for me to have a clear idea of what I want to express when I first transform my thoughts into written words, I reasoned. But once the thoughts are on paper, I need to convert those ideas into a comprehensible format for others to easily understand. The mystery within a novel should not remain a mystery after the reader finishes the story. If I understood Shawn correctly, a cup of coffee, once consumed, should open my mind and give me the ability to clarify important details.

Yes, I know, the writing process still requires that I bring all the tools with me to the coffee table.

Shawn’s book, The Hawai‘i Coffee Book - A Gourmet’s Guide from Kona to
Kaua‘i also peaked my interest in coffee production and the diverse varieties

of coffees grown here in the islands. Some are even described as having a “chocolate character” so there really is no need to choose between coffee and chocolate. You can have your chocolate, and drink it too.

Knowing your brain needs stimulation to function properly, and assuming you have eaten all your vegetables, could you make a choice between that cuppa joe and a chunk of Belgian chocolate?

Click on the link below to check out Shawn Steiman's book:
The Hawai’i Coffee Book