Gentle Pleasures

from Emily Bryan

I'm in the middle of revisions for STROKE OF GENIUS (June 2010) and trying to come up with the next premise that will propel me 400 pages. But this morning, I'm calling a halt. It's time to do something mindless and soothing.

I'm making origami Christmas ornaments.

This too is writing related because I need to send them out to the readers who participated in NightOwl Romance's virtual signing for A CHRISTMAS BALL. With my apologies for taking so long about it. Thank you to everyone who was part of that virtual signing. (If anyone would like a signed copy, please see The Book Oasis. I've just made an agreement with a local indie bookseller to provide signed copies of all my books online!)

I learned to make origami cranes when I was in 5th grade and when they're done with foil paper, they're perfect for the Christmas tree. When my DH and I first married, we lived very lean (young people wildly in love can do that without realizing it at the time!) so our first trees were always decorated with homemade ornaments. I still have a few of those early ornaments to remind us where we've been.

If you and I were sitting at my kitchen table with a cup of my DH's delicious fresh ground coffee, I'd show you how to make a Christmas Crane. But alas, we'll have to do this virtually. Here's the link to the best directions I've ever seen on how to make these. Enjoy!

What homemade Christmas ornaments are special to you?

PS. If you haven't entered my MERRY CHRISTMAS BALL CONTEST, there's still time. The drawing for the $100 gift card will be held December 1st! Please tell your friends!

Thanksgiving Traditions

Traditions. This time of year we have so very many of them to contend with. Some we like. Some we endure. Some we actually enjoy! Traditions are a big part of the Thanksgiving holiday, and every American has their own way of celebrating--from stuffing the turkey to taking in a football game. I wanted to try to figure out what it is we all do on Thanksgiving Day…here’s what I came up with as the five most popular traditions.

1. Turkey and Stuffing
From the first Thanksgiving to today's turkey burgers, turkeys are an American tradition dating back centuries. According to the National Turkey Federation, 95 percent of Americans eat turkey at Thanksgiving. Regional twists offer variations on the traditional roasted bird, including coffee rubbed turkey from Hawaii, salt encrusted turkey from New England, and deep-fried turkey from the South.

2. Time out for the Pigskin
Throughout the United States, football on Thanksgiving Day is as big a part of the celebration as turkey and pumpkin pie. Dating back to the first intercollegiate football championship held on Thanksgiving Day in 1876, traditional holiday football rivalries have become so popular that a reporter once called Thanksgiving "a holiday granted by the State and the Nation to see a game of football."

3.Parading Around
The first American Thanksgiving Day parade was held in 1920, organized by Gimbel's Department Store in Philadelphia, not Macy's as most people believe. The NYC Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade tradition actually began in 1924, and has grown into an annual event of balloons, bands, and floats, enjoyed by more than 46 million people each year in person and on TV.

4. Making a Wish
Does your family fight over the wishbone from the Thanksgiving turkey? Known as a "lucky break" the tradition of tugging on either end of a fowl's bone to win the larger piece and its accompanying "wish" dates back to the Etruscans of 322 B.C. The Romans brought the tradition with them when they conquered England and the English colonists carried the tradition on to America.

5. Giving Thanks
Last, but certainly not least, Thanksgiving is about giving thanks for the people and blessings of the past year. From pre-meal prayers to providing holiday meals to the homeless, the holiday is truly a celebration of praise and thanksgiving.

There are two traditions I look forward to every year, on top of those listed here. My husband and I watch the movie, Home for the Holidays, a few days before everyone comes over for the Thanksgiving Day feast. The movie always makes me feel like nothing that happens with my family could ever be as bad as all that! Perspective is everything at holiday time!
The other tradition I must embrace is Pumpkin Pie. Love it! But don’t love all the calories that go along with it. So here’s a recipe I created and use every year that makes the pie indulgence a little more of a guilty pleasure instead of something I regret.

Crustless Pumpkin Pie
1 15-oz can pumpkin
3/4 cup egg substitute
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup Splenda or sugar, whichever you prefer
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsps pumpkin pie spice
1 can evaporated non-fat milk

Mix together pumpkin, egg substitute and vanilla. Combine Splenda or sugar, spice and salt, then add to pumpkin mixture alternately with milk, starting and ending with milk. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then 350 degrees for 55 minutes. Top with whipped cream if desired.

Serves 6

What are your family traditions on Thanksgiving?

"Chance" Story

from Emily Bryan

Well, I've been NaNoWriMo-ing for a little while now and I'm ready to throw in the quill.

For those of you who aren't familiar with National Novel Writing Month, the goal is to produce a 50K word novel by November 30th. Quality of writing is not the main focus. Output is the sole metric by which success is measured. The whole point is to pop your creative cork, silence your internal editor and let the story flow.

Judging from what I've produced, I need my internal editor.

Badly.

The story flowing out of me is a disjointed mess. I have two guys in my ramblings, either of whom might be the hero, but neither of them seem to be stepping up to don the hero's mantle. My POV is spotty, my sense of place ambiguous. The only thing that seems to be working is the dialogue, which is freakin' hilarious.

Unfortunately, that was not my intent.

When I studied music, I learned about John Cage, an avant garde musician so devoted to the philosophy of randomness his most famous piece is called 4'33' (Four minutes and 33 seconds during which not a single note is played on the theory that some ambient noise might intrude in the concert hall and create "chance music.")

What I've produced doing NaNo is a "chance story." It's literary random noise.

I don't mean this as a slam against anyone for whom the NaNo method is working. If you're happy with your results, God bless you. I'm happy for you. Truly.

But we're all wired differently and I'm done chasing my tail. I've invited my internal editor back out to play so we can make some sense of this mess. I've learned something of value here. I need structure. I need an overarching plan when I write. I need to do all my pre-work instead of charging blithely into word spewing. It doesn't work for me. Like Edison learning thousands of ways not to make a lightbulb, I've learned a way for me not to write a novel.

How about you? Are you doing NaNo? What do you like about it? What's your experience with this method been like?

PS. I'm also at House of Muse today, talking about my real life brush with sexual harrassment. (Don't worry. Like all my stories, this one has a happy ending! And commenters are entered in the drawing for a copy of A CHRISTMAS BALL!) And if you need a giggle, please pop over to www.emilybryan.com . I've heard of fan fiction, but this is the first example of "fan photoshop." It's hysterical, I promise!

MERRY CHRISTMAS BALL CONTEST!

Enter for a chance to win $100 gift card on December 1st!

Several Tidbits

The big announcement this week is that Harlequin is launching a new e-pub-only publishing house, which will be run separately from it's main HQ/Sil lines (different acquisitions, different pay system, etc.)

The new press is Carina Press, which will be a no-advance e-pub house (similar to EC and Samhain), but no definite word yet on royalty rate. (EC and Samhain pay anywhere from 35-40%, so I'd hold out for that, writers.) Angela James, formerly of Samhain, is on board.

The official website and blog is: http://carinapress.com// They plan to publish romance plus many other genres (mystery, fantasy, etc), and launch in Spring or Summer of 2010.

Lots of people chatting about this all over the net.

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Another neat thing: The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie is now available in hardback from Rhapsody and Doubleday (and I think Book-of-the-Month as well).

At Rhapsody: http://www.rhapsodybookclub.com/pages/nm/product/productDetail.jsp?skuId=1049535682

If you've been looking for it in hardback, or know someone who has, here it is, in time for Christmas.

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I keep reading about this new FCC regulation (or proposed regulation) that requires bloggers who do product reviews (including books) to add a statement as to whether they've been paid to endorse (e.g., getting books free to be reviewed/raved about.) So here's mine:

Hey, I buy all these books myself. I pay for them. I read them. If I really like one, I do a mini review and say why I liked it and recommend it to others. It costs me my own time and my own money. So I can say what I want, OK?? However if anyone wants to give me loads of chocolate for these reviews or just because you want to send me chocolate--You Go For It!

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My recommendation for this week is Must Love Hellhounds. In brief, strong paranormal stories from strong authors. The stories lean more to the fantasy side than the romance--there is romance in them, but it's not emphasized as much as the plot and fantasy elements. The romance is there (integral part of the stories), but these aren't "relationship" stories.

Very enjoyable short reads for dull days. Plus great taste of authors' styles/stories/series if you haven't read them before.

Veteran's Day 2009

I'd like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all vets and their families, especially ones who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Special prayers to the families and friend of the soldiers recently fallen at Ft. Hood.

Joy