In addition to the ad hoc list I sent to Jo Francis Johnson and the other suggestions from Chris and Sharon, here are some lists of the top 100 songs from 1968 through 1975.
What songs do YOU want to hear at the reunion?
Friday, June 12, 2015
Songs for PHS class of '75
So yay! *\0/* (that's me shakin' my pom poms!)
In addition to the ad hoc list I sent to Jo Francis Johnson and the other suggestions from Chris and Sharon, here are some lists of the top 100 songs from 1968 through 1975.
What songs do YOU want to hear at the reunion?
In addition to the ad hoc list I sent to Jo Francis Johnson and the other suggestions from Chris and Sharon, here are some lists of the top 100 songs from 1968 through 1975.
What songs do YOU want to hear at the reunion?
Sunday, April 5, 2015
A Taste of Hope
Where do you get your ideas?
I get this question all the time. Most of the time I have no
clue. But with my latest book, A Taste of Hope, out on April 8, 2015, I can
draw a map about this book beginning inkling of an idea to the words “The End”
on the last page on the manuscript.
My heroine, Hope Monahan, initially showed up in Mike’s Best
Bet, the first book in my At The End Zone series, set in my fictional town of
Addington, Massachusetts, on the north shore of Boston. We don’t actually see
Hope. She’s a caterer who works out of her kitchen and is famous for her
version of shrimp in puff pastry. She also stays low key in the second End Zone
book, What Ian Wants, but the shrimp puffs show up on the buffet table at a
couple of gala events.
Finally, in Charming Dave, the third End Zone book, we meet
Hope. Her business has grown to the point where she’s opened her own Earth to
Table restaurant called Hope’s.
Even though her life progressed in the course of the books,
I didn’t plan to write a book for Hope. Just wasn’t there on my radar screen.
Then I went to RWA National in 2011 and went to listen to an
editor/agent panel. It came to the part of the panel when the panel talked
about what they were looking for, what they’d like to see. One of the agents said
that she was crazy about reality shows and competitions. That’s when Lucien
Durand, the hero of A Taste of Hope tapped me on the shoulder.
He let me know that he was the Gordon Ramsey of Cajun
cooking and would love to show Hope how to cook. Lucien owns several
restaurants world wide, all called L’Enfer, a.k.a. Hell.
International playboy chef versus small town locovore chef?
Absolutely.
Thus No Hope in Hell was born.
Hope and Lucien led me on a merry chase. I couldn’t trust a
word Lucien said for like the first six chapters of the book. Then two
secondary characters, Shane Baker, Hope’s sous-chef, and Angelique Durand,
Lucien’s baby sister started acting up.
Since we couldn’t use Hell on the cover of the book, No Hope
in Hell became A Taste of Hope.
Here is one of Hope’s favorite dessert recipes:
Rose and Champagne
Sorbet
Ingredients: 2 cups of gently packed rose petals from
culinary grade (pesticide free) roses – Hope grows her own.
1 cup plus
2 tablespoons of caster sugar (superfine sugar)
3 cups of
cold water
3
tablespoons of freshly squeezed orange juice
1 cup brut
or extra dry champagne
1
tablespoon of Nielson-Massey rose water
orange
zest, or thin strings of orange peel
Directions: Process the rose petals with the sugar in a food
processor until the mixture turns into a smooth paste. Stop the scrape down the
sides if you need to. Add ½ cup of the water and process again, about 10
seconds. Add in the remaining 2 ½ cups of water, the orange juice, champagne
and rose water.
Pour the liquid through a fine sieve. Freeze the mixture in
an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.
While the sorbet freezes, candy the orange zest or orange
peel strings and some rose petals. Garnish the finished sorbet with the orange
peel and rose petals.
Friday, February 13, 2015
Why Star Search matters
Every year my buddies and I run the best musical camp ever, Star Search. All the campers have to sing, dance, and act. They have to make their props and they have to make their own costumes, with no help from parents and spending no more than $5.00.
For 21 years now we have guided hundreds of tweens and teens to discover their creativity and confidence. Some of the campers have gone on to careers in musical theater, on-stage and back-stage. We know that after participating in Star Search they'll never be afraid to give another book report! And beyond that, they'll have confidence going on school and job interviews.
Star Search teaches life skills.
We're doing a one week session next week and two sessions in August. The August scripts are The Y Files and Bored with the Rings. Come check us out!
For 21 years now we have guided hundreds of tweens and teens to discover their creativity and confidence. Some of the campers have gone on to careers in musical theater, on-stage and back-stage. We know that after participating in Star Search they'll never be afraid to give another book report! And beyond that, they'll have confidence going on school and job interviews.
Star Search teaches life skills.
We're doing a one week session next week and two sessions in August. The August scripts are The Y Files and Bored with the Rings. Come check us out!
Sunday, January 18, 2015
New Book!!!!
Happy 2015!
I am proud to announce that I have a new book coming out on January 23, 2015, called Working My Way Back to You!
Here's the description and an excerpt! And don't forget to come back tomorrow for another excerpt!
Excerpt
I am proud to announce that I have a new book coming out on January 23, 2015, called Working My Way Back to You!
Here's the description and an excerpt! And don't forget to come back tomorrow for another excerpt!
Beth and her ten-year-old son are living
happily in Lobster Cove, Maine--the only place she's felt true love. She works
hard as a single mom to provide for her son. Her world is rocked by the
appearance of her high school sweetheart. Love for Jeff battles with fear that
he will find out he's the father of her precious son. Lies pile upon lies as
she dodges his questions about the child.
PE teacher Jeff Myers can't believe his eyes when he spots a familiar face in the diner. Though the beautiful Beth ducks his advances, his persistence finally wins out and she agrees to a dinner date. But when he discovers she gave birth to a son rather than the daughter she'd told him about, he is over-the-top angry.
Can they escape the quagmire of emotions, rediscover love, and bring three people together as a family?
PE teacher Jeff Myers can't believe his eyes when he spots a familiar face in the diner. Though the beautiful Beth ducks his advances, his persistence finally wins out and she agrees to a dinner date. But when he discovers she gave birth to a son rather than the daughter she'd told him about, he is over-the-top angry.
Can they escape the quagmire of emotions, rediscover love, and bring three people together as a family?
“She isn’t here. Don’t say anything else.” She
disappeared behind the door.
A tiny blonde, Jenna squeezed the bridge of her
nose looking like Tinkerbelle trying to stave off a
migraine. “I wouldn’t dream of doing anything
different.”
“You are totally made of awesome,” Beth said
from behind the door. “I owe you.”
Jenna sighed. “I’ll put it on your tab.”
“And that’s why I adore you.”
“You adore me because I sign your paychecks.”
The door to the shop opened. “Shut up,” Jenna said,
sotto voce. “May I help you?” she said, in a very hearty
voice, to the new arrival in the shop.
“Yeah, I’m looking for someone named Beth.” Jeff
glanced around the store. “I know this looks weird, but
Maggie and Sally told me she works here.”
Jenna cleared her throat. “Beth isn’t here right
now.” Big pause. “Do you want to leave her a
message?”
Beth trembled waiting for Jeff to answer Jenna.
“When she comes back, tell her Jeff Myers was here
asking about her. Here’s my card so she knows how to
get in touch with me.”
“You got it.”
“Thanks.”
Beth waited until the store door opened and closed.
Jenna yelled, “Ollie, Ollie, oxen free! Come out,
come out wherever you are!”
Beth inched out of the storeroom. “Thank you so
much.”
Jenna crossed her arms under her chest. “Okay.
Who is that man and why is he wearing my coffee?"
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