Too Many Books? Naaaa . . . . .

Oh my, what to read next.  Seven new books for Christmas!  What a terrible dilemma to have, huh?  Join me on Goodreads to talk, discover and discuss what else, books!

Ideas in the Works

So what to do while going through the pitching process with book one?  Work on book two of course!  Now here's the thing.  While I have notes for a sequel to book one, my fingers are taking me on a totally separate path by typing out something new and different.  Well, as they say, it's only just begun, but well see where I'll travel this time . . . .

Good night.

Word of the Day: Miasma

Okay, here's your word of the day from Merriam-Webster!  Miasma is a noun (pronounced mye-AZ-muh).  See below for definition and examples from M-W. Now grab your coffee, snap out of your morning miasma, and go dazzle your friends!

Definition

1

: a vaporous exhalation formerly believed to cause disease; also : a heavy vaporous emanation or atmosphere

2

: an influence or atmosphere that tends to deplete or corrupt; also : an atmosphere that obscures : fog

Examples

"A local photographer graciously let me borrow a good lens-cleaning cloth, which I used repeatedly in the swirling miasma of mist and rain." — Clark Fair, The Alaska Dispatch News, 13 Sept. 2015

"Economists say Greece, which had only started to recover from a grinding five-year recession, risks a relapse because of the miasma of financial uncertainty." — Jack Ewing and Liz Alderman, The New York Times, 7 May 2015

Cheers!

NaNoWriMo is almost here!

What is NaNoWriMo?  It's National Novel Writing Month of course.  Taking place in November, this annual event invites and challenges participants from around the globe to write a novel (50,000 words or more) in the span of one month (November 1-30).  For all kinds of tips, encouragement, trackers, forums, inspiration, etc, check out the NaNoWriMo website  Sign up or just browse around, but whatever you do, have fun!

What Is Your Biggest Book Pet Peeve?

Here are the results from a Goodreads poll.  Did your peeve make the list?  I know some of mine certainly did.

Library Love Fest - Books, Books and More Books

Need some reading inspiration? Poke around this useful site, from classics to sci-fi and everything else in between, Library Love Fest has it all.  http://www.librarylovefest.com/

Sfogliatella -- The little pastry with a funny name

Imagine for a moment that you spot an unusual little treat in an Italian bakery.  Its shape resembles a ridged sea shell or lobster tail.  You are told that it is a tasty little treat named Sfogliatella (and no, I don't profess to be able to pronounce it correctly either).  So you purchase this little gem that fits into the palm of your hand, and your taste buds first discover the delicately sprinkled powdered sugar. This sweetness is then followed by a crisp flaky melt in your mouth bite of pastry, ending with a creamy citrus center.  Yum.

You see, what you have just discovered is a special Italian pastry dating back to the 17th century. And while its origins are controversial, Sfogliatella is thought to be native to Campania coming from a monastery, while others will claim that perhaps it is actually from Naples.

Of course over the years the original recipe has developed into different creative versions (both sweet and savory), but those sticking closest to the original recipe will make fillings such as lemon or orange, with ricotta or almond paste.

So, sound intriguing and delicious?  Well I thought so too, which is why after sampling one . . . or two, I placed mention of these little darlings in my book. Now, perhaps you too should venture on over to your nearest Italian bakery for a little shell shaped treat, and by all means, let me know the results of your taste test!

Ciao!

Summer's Bounty!

This year's harvest has been very giving.  Love the colors of these veggies!  (Orange cherry tomatoes, Big Boy, Early Girl and Plum tomatoes, red beets and beet greens.)  

Quote of the Day

"We can throw stones, complain about them, stumble on them, climb over them, or build with them."   
-- William Arthur Ward

Amish Country -- A Common Assumption

The beautiful rolling landscape of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania dotted with working farms and horse carriages comes to mind when most people hear the phrase "Amish Country".  After all, this location with its quirky town names and the unusual customs of its residents has been popularized by reality TV shows and movies such as Witness with Harrison Ford, Jodi Picoult's Plain Truth, and For Richer or Poorer starring Tim Allen and Kirstie Alley (funny movie by the way), but did you know that the country's highest concentration of the Amish population is in fact Ohio?  Of course Pennsylvania is a very close runner up falling behind with less than 2,000, and although it is the state where most Amish and Mennonites immigrated to in the 1700's, it is not the only state where the Amish reside.  In fact, rounding up the top five would be Indiana, followed by Wisconsin, and then New York.  And while this culture appears to be predominantly centered in the East and Midwest, Amish communities have rooted themselves across the country in such states as Montana, Colorado and Texas, with a small population also in Canada, thus dispelling the myth that the Amish only reside in Pennsylvania.

And there you have it.  Now go rent one of those great movies I mentioned!

A Website Face lift! My Fiddle Faddle Sabbatical has a new name.

Hello Friends,

Welcome to my new and improved blog!  After some tweaks and a few adjustments, I have given the former "My Fiddle Faddle Sabbatical" a new name and a fresh look.  Look for new content coming soon.

As always, thank you for reading!

New Author Page on Story Shack Magazine!

My new and improved author page is up on Story Shack Magazine!  Here's the link:  http://thestoryshack.com/author/christina-c-franklin/

Quote of the Day

“Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.” 

― Abraham Lincoln

Happy National Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day!

Get out that rolling pin, wash off those strawberries and cut up some Rhubarb, because it's National Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day!  For some inspiration check out Food Network, All Recipes, Simply Recipes, or Epicurious.

A Little Afternoon Funny

Okay, so from time to time I get wrong number calls on my direct line at work from a certain grocery store chain.  Well today I received a call from a gentleman at this grocery store asking me about his missing egg order.  He was wondering where it was.  And although tempted, I refrained from telling him to contact the Easter Bunny about his missing eggs.  I mean, everyone knows that he is the culprit egg hoarder this time of year.

Mother Nature the Poker Player

So I've determined that Mother Nature is a poker player.  It snows, we shovel, she says, "I see your five and I'll raise you five," and she wasn't bluffing.