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Beets, Beautiful Beets!

Beets are a favorite root vegetable here at this house. I know this is rare. I have other friends, even farmer’s market-type friends, who turn up their noses at the lovely beet. The beet is nice and simple. I roast them with their skins on, olive oil drizzled, just enough so they don’t stick to the Corning Ware dish. The outer skin just rubs right off except you are trying to get it off while they are steamy hot! Once I get them peeled I sprinkle with some sea salt and serve them piping hot. Sometimes a small dollop of sour cream adds to the eating experience. We’ve been eating them frequently as they were easy to find at our last remaining markets.

Beets and Jitterbug Perfume go hand-in-hand. I started rereading Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins this week for my fourth book in the 451 Challenge, which finishes up at the end of November-I’m in a bit of a book-reading crunch as I have to catch up by two books (The Everafter and A Curse Dark as Gold) for my long distance book club and have to read My Abandonment by Peter Rock for my other book club. I hope to get all four of these books done before Thanksgiving.

This book has been one of my favorites since I read it the first time in my early twenties. I’ve read most of Tom Robbins books and his other’s are good but this one takes the cake or well, the beet! It is a love story that transcends the normal confines of time and place. It entertwines several lives, including a few mythical characters, from New Orleans, Seattle and Paris and they all come together over perfume, immortality and beets. Yes, beets.

From the beginning:

The beet is the most intense of vegetables. The radish, admittedly, is more feverish, but the fire of the radish is a cold fire, the fire of discontent not of passion. Tomatoes are lusty enough, yet there runs through tomatoes an undercurrent of frivolity. Beets are deadly serious.

and another three paragraphs about the wonderul characteristics of beets!
The beet is unusual for sure and Robbins’ choice of this blood red veggie adds much charm as the beet is a character in this novel as much as any other.

Are you a lover of the lusty beet?
Have you read any Tom Robbins?

This post is connected to Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads.
Here’s a great post about the nutritional value of beets at The Lunch Box Bunch.

Crafting the Page-Turner by Pamela Samuels Young

Don’t you just love reading a page-turner? As a mystery writer, I constantly strive to write books that readers have a hard time putting down. After much trial and error, I learned to write fast-paced novels by dissecting well-written, engaging books and studying how the author structured the story.
You, too, can write a page turner. Here are five tips I use that will help you keep readers turning the pages.

1. Create Characters the Reader Cares About.

To hook your readers, give them characters they can root for as well as root against. If your protagonist is an underdog with the odds against her, make sure there’s a reason for the reader to be in her corner. The same goes for your villain.. If he’s a real scoundrel, readers will want him to fail. So make sure that you build your plot so readers aren’t disappointed in the end. Your characters must be intriguing as well as believable enough that readers will relate to them and care what happens to them.

2. Conflict is Crucial!

It’s essential that you have conflict in every chapter of your novel. Conflict engages the reader and entices them to keep reading. Conflict doesn’t mean people are arguing or yelling at each other. For me, it means the presence of one force working against another. There’s a struggle or collision of interests. For example, the prosecutor wants the defendant to go to jail, but the defense attorney is determined to see that his client goes free. Every chapter must have conflict. No one wants to read a book that meanders along with a bunch of happy people.

Once you’ve set up your conflict, don’t tell it all! String the reader along. Explain that Misty has a secret in Chapter 1, but hold off on revealing the secret until later in the book. If you spill the beans too soon, you must incorporate something else to keep the suspense going. If you string the reader along to a big buildup, make sure you reward them with a bombshell that is believable and worth the wait.

3. Understand the Impact of Narration vs. Dialogue.

Generally speaking, dialogue and action (e.g., people saying or doing something) will speed up

the pacing of your novel, while extensive narration and description will slow it down. Literary fiction, which is character-driver and lauded for its poetic prose, is typically heavy on narration and description. Commercial fiction, which is plot driven, often includes more action and dialogue. Compare, for example, a James Patterson mystery like Run for Your Life (commercial fiction) versus a novel like the Emperor of Ocean Park by Stephen L. Carter (literary fiction). The latter is heavy on the narrative, the former has far more action and dialogue. If you feel your story is dragging, analyze the amount of narration versus dialogue and action and make the appropriate changes.

4. Hook Your Readers and Don’t Let Go.

Many readers who aren’t already familiar with an author will make a decision to buy a book after reading just the first few pages. Hence, your opening scene is your chance to grab their attention. But don’t stop there. Make sure you grab them throughout the book. You can accomplish this through conflict and suspense and by presenting engaging characters. You must end your chapters with a hook. That will make it hard for the reader to put down the book because he’s dying to know what’s going to happen next. If your protagonist narrowly escapes a tough situation, present him with another crisis. Keep your readers on the edge of their seats wondering, What’s going to happen next?

5. Record Your Book On Tape.

he last step in my writing process is to read my entire manuscript into a tape recorder and listen to it with pen in hand, ready to make any necessary changes. I often hear things that I don’t see when I’m simply reading the manuscript. I’ve discovered things like word repetitions that I missed, a lag in the pacing, and inconsistencies in my story line. After several hours of listening to my story, I’ve sometimes discovered that it takes too long to get to a pivotal events. So I go back to the drawing board.

If you’ve never listened to a book on tape, try doing so before you listen to your own book. Ask yourself if the story grips you and if not, figure out why. By the same token, if the book doesn’t grab you, analyze what the writer could have done differently to engage you. If you only follow one piece of advice from this article, please follow this tip! You will be amazed at how much you will be able to sharpen your manuscript as a result of this simple exercise.

About Pamela ~ Corporate attorney Pamela Samuels Young has always abided by the philosophy that you create the change you want to see. Fed up with never seeing women or people of color depicted as savvy, hot shot attorneys in the legal thrillers she read, Pamela decided to create her own characters. Despite the demands of a busy legal career, Pamela accomplished her ambitious goal by rising at four in the morning to write before work, dedicating her weekends to writing and even spending her vacation time glued to her laptop for ten or more hours a day. The Essence magazine bestselling author now has four fast-paced legal thrillers to show for her efforts.

Make your dreams a reality-Pamela Samuels Young Guest Post

From the desk of Pamela Samuels Young:

Today is a new day, which means you have a fresh opportunity to pursue your passion.

Have you been thinking about changing careers? Perhaps you’d like to go back to school or start your own consulting firm. Maybe being a stay-at-home mom is your dream job. Unfortunately, every time you think about taking the first step, the fear of leaving the virtual security of your current job floods your head with dozens of sound reasons why you should stay put.

Whether your dream is to write a novel, become an interior decorator or start your own catering business, you can make it happen. Here are five tips that will help you begin your journey.

1. Find Time To Plan Your Career Move

With the demands of work, family, church and community activities, you may think you don’t have a spare moment to even think about, much less pursue, your dream career. You’re wrong.
If someone had told me I could’ve published four novels in four years while still practicing law, I would’ve said, “No way.” The key is having a passion and a plan.

It won’t be easy, but you can find free time where you least expect it. The next time you’re taking a neighborhood jog or walking on the treadmill, use the time to think about possible locations for the day spa you’ve dreamed of opening or mull over the plot for that book you’ve wanted to write. Instead of listening to your favorite CD during your morning and evening commute, use the time to work on the business plan for your jewelry-making business. A Dictaphone can be a pretty handy tool in that situation. Your lunch break and the two to three hours you spend in the beauty shop can also be put to good use. With your family’s support, you might even find an evening or two to run off to your local library or a nearby Starbucks for some business-planning time. Even if it’s only an hour a week, use it.

2. Don’t Reinvent The Wheel

You may not realize it, but you have a multitude of resources all around you — family, friends, colleagues, church members, sorority sisters, and even strangers. Don’t be afraid to request an informational interview. If you want to run a bed ‘n breakfast, call up the owners of a similar establishment in another community, invite them to lunch and tap their brain. People love to talk about themselves and many will be flattered that you want to ask them for advice. The Internet is also a valuable resource. You can enter a few key words on Google and thousands of helpful articles will appear right before your eyes. Just remember: research, research, research!

3. Join Professional Organizations

It’s a good idea to surround yourself with others who share your interests and passion. There are hundreds of professional groups whose sole function is to help their members develop their creative talents and realize their business goals. As a writer, I belong to Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America and Romance Writers of America. I rarely make many of the meetings, but when I do, I always learn something or make some contact that helps me along in my writing career. No matter what your passion is, there’s bound to be a networking group you can join.

Organizations like Minority and Women Business Owners, Women Entrepreneurs, Inc., and BizyMoms.com, just to name a few, provide information, support and networking opportunities. Find the organizations that can be most helpful to you and join them.

4. Understand That It Won’t Happen Overnight

Unfortunately, entrepreneurial ventures don’t come with the guarantee of a regular paycheck. I assumed that after releasing my first novel in 2006, Oprah would call and the rest would be history. That has yet to happen. Somehow, I’m still balancing both my legal practice and my passion: writing legal thrillers. It can sometimes be quite stressful, but each time I have a new book that hits the stores, I’m re-energized and more committed than ever about reaching my goal of becoming a full-time writer.

There will no doubt be disappointments when things don’t happen in accordance with your time schedule. But if you remain faithful and focused on your goal, it will happen.

5. Ignore The Naysayers

We all know people who believe you should find a good job, work as hard as you can for 30 years, then retire at 65 and enjoy life. For them, the thought of leaving a secure, well-paying position for the uncertainties of entrepreneurial life is unthinkable. That kind of limited thinking won’t help you realize your dream.

When I proudly tell people I hope to one day give up practicing law to become a full-time novelist, they smile and look as if they want to pat me on top of my head and say, “That’s nice. Now run along back to your briefs.”

You have to decide what you want to do and go for it. And don’t be surprised if you turn out to be your biggest obstacle. When that happens, just look your self-doubt squarely in the face and command it to go away. The same degree of preparation and persistence that helped you land your current position will also help you smoothly transition into your dream career.

So don’t just dream about pursuing your passion, make it happen!

I need to follow this sage advice and get some of my bucket list crossed off!
Thank you Ms. Young for contributing this piece for my readers and thank you for getting up so early in the morning to write!
Pamela Samuels Young’s website

Buying Time

by Pamela Samuels Young

(2009)

414 pages

Goldman House Publishing

I’m always stunned when I read a well-written book by an author that I’ve never heard. It’s not that I think I know every good writer but the book world does seem to buzz, buzz buzz about the already famous ones, like Piccoult, Kingsolver, Scottoline and the list goes on. I am so happy to have discovered this author

This is Pamela Samuels Young’s fourth novel and I plan to backtrack and read the others because I enjoyed her writing style so much. Young is a successful lawyer herself and began her writing career to create characters of color with real experiences as smart and interesting attorneys-something she didn’t find in other thrillers. She has definetely succeeded.

Buying Time is a sexy, fun, fully-engaging mystery focused on the viatical insurance business. Viatical insurance is when a broker swoops in and buys your life insurance policy for half the amount, giving you quick cash for a medical procedure not covered by insurance or even a family vacation before you die. Terminally ill patients are generally the focus for this business. Young’s characters are as interesting as the mystery, making the book spin rapidly along. Many of her characters are unsavory but still likeable. Waverly Sloan is the down-on-his-luck lawyer, about to be disbarred, who “stumbles” upon the viatical business. He quickly moves up in this shady business and is soon under investigation as his clients are dying unexpectedly. Angela Evans, an Assistant U.S. attorney, leads up the team of investigators looking into Waverly Sloan. Lawrence Erickson is chairman of a top law firm with Roland Becker as his right hand man. Erickson is being considered for attorney general by the president of the United States and Becker needs to make sure Erickson wins the nomination. Erickson, unfortunately, has a few problematic issues to hide and he’ll do just about anything to keep them secret. Sloan, Evans and Erickson, alternate chapters and bring a slew of family and friends into this twisted tale, creating very interesting sub-plots including Angela and her love life!

Angela Evans is about to marry Judge Cornell L. Waters, III, even though she’s not really feeling it. She meets Dre, a sexy, single father, at the gym and her heart and her eyes notice what is missing from her relationship with the steady and controlling Cornell. I loved Angela’s character and hope she might be featured in upcoming titles. Young does an amazing job of writing characters who, like us, make mistakes, say the wrong thing, and make bad choices. Most of these characters I loved even despite their poor choices but a couple of them made decisions that simply could not be forgiven. But you’ll need to read it for yourself to discern whom I found dispicable and who had more redeeming qualities.

I leave you with a good tantalizing teaser:

At only 130 pounds, she was no physical match for her assailants. They easily overpowered her, forcing her back into a prone position. As one man sat on her upper legs, strapping her left arm to her side, the other man bent her right arm at the elbow and guided her hand up toward her forehead.

During her deepest period of her grief, Veronika had longed to join her mother. But now that she was face-to-face with the possibility of death, she fought valiently for life. That changed, however, the second Veronika felt something cold and hard connect with her right temple. She stiffened as one of the men grabbed her fingers and wrapped them around the butt of a gun. (3)

I’m all pumped up again just rereading the passage to type the quote. This book hooked me from the very first chapter and I thank Tracee L. Gleichner, PR specialist from Pump Up Your Book for my copy. Not only did I enjoy this mystery but I have a new author to search for!

Buy a copy here:

Shop Indie Bookstores

Books that make you teary…

Story time tonight we read The Junkyard Wonders by Patricia Polacco. I am always amazed at the stories Polacco has to tell. She had difficulties during her childhood and she shares these stories through her books so others, young and old, can, I don’t know, feel represented out there in the big world. Each time I read some of her titles I get teary. Betty Doll did it to me. Thank You, Mr. Falker did it to me. Pink and Say did it to me. Add The Junkyard Wonders to the list-Books that make me cry.

Polacco tells the story of the year she stayed in Michigan for school and was placed in the junk class of misfits. Mrs. Peterson, her new teacher, is one of those amazing individuals who see her students as unique and worthwhile.The class bonds and work together to create some special hands-on projects. Mrs. Peterson’s brilliant teaching is reason enough to read the book but there’s more. If you haven’t checked out Patricia Polacco’s latest book I highly recommend it to all.

What books are on your tear up list?

GTC reviews it at Books For Kids.

While I haven’t had a chance to download my Halloween photos I did make this over the weekend…Watch my Skater Girl video-she is learning to spin! I should have added music-I’m a novice-and the best moment is at the end. She is awfully cute.

Tomorrow stop back to read about Buying Time by Pamela Samuels Young.

Welcome November

I like it when I push myself to write/blog everyday so I am signed up to do just that via National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo) and the question for today is What if I didn’t have a to pay a mortgage or rent?

1. Charities/Church

2. A few big vacations (some place tropical, Scotland, NYC for a week or two)

3. College Funds

4. Retirement

Wouldn’t it be fantastic to not have that major payment every month? Yes! Dream On…

Upcoming Events:

Tomorrow’s post will be my review of Buying Time by Pamela Samuels Young and two guest posts she has contributed which will appear this week. Lots of exciting events happening. I look forward to November, sliding quietly in after the excitement of October and Halloween. November is a month to celebrate gratitude and all things I am thankful for in my life. What better way to do that than posting everyday.

Blessings as we turn the calendar page.

What exciting events do you have planned for November?

Soup making is big on my list.

Poetry in Motion

Yesterday

Send #1 son off to state XC meet;

He wouldn’t eat breakfast.

Took 8-yr-old to skating lesson,

watch her twirl.

Smile.

Head to Target, Hobby Lobby,

and Staples to

find things I need for school;

Sticker shock at the inflated prices

at Staples.

A project board (it’s cardboard, really!)was three times as

much as the very similar one at Hobby Lobby-both big box chains!?

Why, I say!?

Does noone at Staples go comparison shopping??
Step Down off the I’m-not-crazy soap box.

Breathe.

Drive home, make pb, honey
with a smidge of nutella

sandwiches.

Road trip across the state to XC Meet.

Read Buying Time by Pamela Samuels Young-

a perfect mystery that had me on the edge of

my less-than-comfortable car seat.
Love husband who always drives.

Smile.

Watch 7 varsity boys from small school take State!!

Woo! Woo! Woo! (jumping up and down).

A perfect day to be wearing black and orange.

Drive back home, read more of Buying Time.

Make massive bowl of popcorn for dinner.

Breathe.

Watch this week: Tuesday I review Buying Time and Pamela Samuels Young has a guest post here! Right here at Peaceful Reader. I am in the process of switching from a blogspot.com to just a .com but I’m having a few technical difficulties so I hope you can always find me. Pamela Samuels Young’s website.

Howling for Halloween

Reading Halloween books this week to a few classes makes me want to share some Halloween book love.

Halloween books give me special credence to use all sorts of fun/scary voices for read-alouds! Students are thrilled as I stomp around our reading circle.

1. The Perfect Pumpkin Pie by Denys Cazet: I love pie and this book makes a great read-aloud about a dead man’s love for pie. This book has a marvelously fun refrain about pumpkin pie with delightful illustrations.

2. That Terrible Halloween Night by James Stevenson: Louie and Mary Ann think they have Grandpa tricked when he doesn’t know that October 31st is Halloween but it’s really Grandpa tricking them. Kids love the speech bubbles in the illustrations and the ending had everyone thinking!!

3. The Three Bears’ Halloween by Kathy Duvall: Mama, Papa and Baby Bear dress up for Halloween and trick-or-treat around the forest. When they find a house door open they venture in…A funny take on Goldilocks, kids love it when they figure out the story is the reverse of the original.

4. Where’s My Mummy by Carolyn Crimi: Little Baby Mummy wants to play one more round of Hide and Shriek and runs away from Big Mama Mummy. When she doesn’t come looking for him, he has to search for her in some unusual places. John Manders illustrations show us a perfectly creepy graveyard with a wildly un-frightning but fun cast of characters. This also has some easy repitition for young ones to repeat with you.

5. Boris and Bella also by Carolyn Crimi: A romantic tale of a friendship that forms between Bella Lagrossi and Boris Kleanitoff-one messy and one tidy vampire, both wishing to host a Halloween Bash. Everyone heads to Harry Beastie’s party instead as he’s neither messy nor too clean. Cris Grimly illustrates this one for Crimi and they are perfectly spooky! Crimi is the only author on this list to have their own website…such a shame!! I think it should be a requirement for publishing houses to get a website up and running for an author with a few books under their belt, at least! [soap box moment] I discovered this interesting interview with Crimi at Make It Better, a North Shore publication.

What Halloween books have you spooked?

I’ll be back this weekend with a photo celebration of our own holiday fun including an up-date on all my pumpkin seed roasting trials. My groovy girl is Ladybug Girl and again I shout from the mountain top how hap, hap, happy I am that she chose a book character herself!! Go Young Happy Reader Girl!!!

The Sorceress

by Michael Scott

(2009)

488 pgs.

My son and I picked up The Alchemyst; The Secrets of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel (2007) from a book store-he was in middle school at the time and still enjoyed reading the same thing as me- we devoured it pretty quickly. Eventually we also read The Magician and then The Sorceress. My son finished it oh, like a year ago and it has been resting peacefully on my tbr bookshelf just waiting for me. It was a great book to kick off October as it would be so much fun to be Perenelle Flamel for Halloween.

Nicholas and Perenelle have been married for centuries, which reminds me always of one of my favorite reads, Jitterbug Perfume, which also features a couple who beat the whole aging trick. I need to reread Jitterbug for another challenge and I think it will fit perfectly on the heels of this one. I thought when I was reading this one that it was the end of the series-fantasy books often come as a trilogy but as I researched Michael Scott for another post I discovered he has another one out with perhaps two more in the works. Wow!

Synopsis:

     Nicholas Flamel’s heart almost broke as he watched his beloved Paris crumble before him. The city was destroyed by Dee and Machiavelli, but Flamel played his own role in the destruction. Sophie and Josh Newman show every sign of being the twins of prophecy, and Flamel had to protect them and the pages from the Dark Elders.

     But Nicholas grows weaker with each passing day. Perenelle is still trapped in Alcatraz, and now that Scatty has gone missing, the group is without protection. Except for Clarent-the twin sword to Excalibur. But Clarent’s power is unthinkable, its evil making it nearly impossible to use without its darkness seeping into the soul of whoever wields it.
     If he hopes to defeat Dee, Nicholas must find an Elder who can teach Josh and Sophie the third elemental magic-Water Magic. The problem? The only one who can do that is Gilgamesh, and he is quite, quite insane.

Here is a snyopsis of The Alchemyst to catch you up:

The Alchemyst is a contemporary fantasy which opens in modern day San Francisco when brother and sister, Josh and Sophie discover that the owner of the bookstore where Josh works is the immortal French alchemist, Nicholas Flamel. Flamel and his wife, Perenelle, are the guardians of the Book of Abraham which they have protected for centuries. This is a collection of the most powerful spells in the world. When Dr John Dee discovers the Flamels’ whereabouts, he attacks and snatches the book. Josh and Sophie intervene to help Flamel, but now they too are being hunted by Dee and creatures that predate humanity.

All of the main characters in The Alchemyst series are based on figures from history or mythology.

It is the last sentence that makes this series come alive for me. Discovering and researching the real characters mixed into the fantasy tale make it very intriguing. The Sorceress especially brought to life some characters (name-dropping…Shakespeare, for example) which add to the overall excitement. If I found myself between the pages of this book I would love to meet Shakespeare-maybe not many of the other characters, but Shakespeare, yes! It would be a blast to be Sophie or Josh and discover all these amazing new talents although they do come with a very heavy price. This book like Harry Potter and Charlie Bone will make kids wish for a magic wand that really works-in this series Josh gets to use a famous ancient sword that he commands. This is a very well-written series and I hope to read The Necromancer in a more timely fashion!! Oh, the fun of living in a fantasy world! Michael Scott is somewhat of an expert on Celtic folklore and I would love to read more of his large body of work. Counts for Reading from my own Shelves Challenge hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. I plan on placing this book gently back on my son’s bookshelf-which are fairly empty compared to mine.

(4/5 peaceful stars)

Michael Scott’s website

Caroline from A Portrait of a Woman review

Purchase it here: Shop Indie Bookstores

Do You Roast?

I’m not talking about temperatures or coffee but pumpkin seeds. We had a huge Fall festival yesterday at our church and many came to carve pumpkins and stayed for the chili cook-off. During the pumpkin carving I put out a large bowl to collect seeds and nobody wanted to take any seeds home! My mom always roasted our seeds and we loved to crunch our way throught them. The bowl was pretty big so now I have many, many seeds to roast so I thought it would be a good time to do some experimenting. I found this site, Pumpkin Patches and More, which gives several different recipes. I will sort through a few more sites tonight. Do you roast your pumpkin seeds? What’s your recipe?