Kathleen Grissom's Newest Book Arrives Tomorrow!

Some of you may have read The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom, and if you did, and enjoyed it as much as myself, you will be excited to hear that her newest novel, Glory Over Everything (which happens to be a continuation of her first success -- yeah!), arrives tomorrow.  Reviews that I have seen so far are extremely positive. Can't wait to dive into this one!

For more on Kathleen Grissom, check out her website at http://kathleengrissom.com/.

Quote of the Day

I do not have respect for you who takes advantage of the soul that is kind and giving, for it is you who takes such liberties that becomes the ultimate fool.

C.C. Franklin

Quote of the Day!

Saw this on the Forbes website and loved it:

"It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants.  The question is:  What are we busy about?"

-- Henry David Thoreau

First Book of the Year! A Separate Peace

So I have decided to start my first book of the new year with a classic, A Separate Peace, written by John Knowles.  Yes, I know, it's an oldie (published in 1959), and was required reading for many students, however it is a book that I have never read. Although published as a work of fiction, there seems to be circulating murmurs about how much truth is actually revealed in this writing and whether the character of Finny was actually based on a friend of Knowles.  Truth or not, reviews appear to be that many become emotionally affected by this book -- either loving it, or conversely, hating it.  So, I figure that since it is a relatively short read, what do I have to lose?

Happy Reading Everyone!

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.

Writing Update and Thank You

Hello Friends,

I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you who have followed my writing endeavors.  Your encouragement means much more than I can adequately express.

In 2015, I will be continuing work on my novel in addition to more flash fiction pieces.  So I hope to have some new, fresh and exciting stories for you later this year.

Story Shack Magazine will be going through some exciting changes including an improved website, improved author and illustrator bios and writing resources.  Because of this downtime, they will be closed to submissions until spring.  This is not a negative for me.  In fact, it will hopefully help me to refocus on completing my book.  Until that time, you can still read all of the previously published stories on their site, including my author bio page and of course my blog!

Best wishes everyone for a healthy, happy, successful and fantastic 2015!

"Defining Shoulders" Went Live

It's here!  My latest story "Defining Shoulders" is up on Story Shack Magazine.  As always, thank you for reading and I welcome your comments.

New Story Coming Soon "Defining Shoulders"

Good Morning,

On November 5th my next story will be coming out on Story Shack Magazine, "Defining Shoulders".  For this collaboration, I am being paired with the very talented Cait Maloney from the United States, and can't wait to see the illustration she comes up with.

Stay tuned!

Update: Just Hit My Original Goal

For those of you who have been following the progress on my book, I am happy to report that this afternoon I have finally hit and surpassed my original goal of 70,000 words.  So am I finished?  Nope, not yet.  Since I still have a little more story in me to make this feel complete and a lot of refining and polishing to do, I am not ready to call this one done yet.  It has taken me a while I know.  After all, I wanted to have this completed last year, and here I am in the middle of September still not there.  But I'm trying not to beat myself up about that.  I mean, that's what happens sometimes.  You know, life.  It gets busy.  You get sidetracked.  But I'm not giving up yet.  Hey, if it takes until I'm old and gray, swaying in my rocking chair listening to the oldies with my teeth soaking next to me in a jar, so be it.  I'm determined to put a "The End" on this story.  Now hopefully I won't have to wait quite that long, since my new goal is the end of this year, but I'm just covering all the bases here, you know?

Until then, if at any time you're interested in checking in on my progress, you can view my word count meter on the right-hand side bar of my blog.

Have a good night and great week everyone!

"Pecan Pie" Went Live

Hi All,

"Pecan Pie" went live today on Story Shack Magazine.  Check it out when you get a break in your busy day.

Thanks for your continued support!

Chris

Illustration Received for "Pecan Pie"

Hi Everyone,

I'm happy to report that today I received the illustration for my next piece coming out this week (August 27th on Story Shack Magazine.  Alankrita Jain came up with a beautiful drawing that was exactly what I was envisioning, and I can't wait for you to read and see the results.

Enjoy the rest of your day, and have a great week.

Chris

New Changes to Story Shack Magazine

Hello,

I recently noticed that Story Shack Magazine has been experimenting with great some changes to their website.  A few of these changes include a list of "Regular Authors" at the bottom of the home page (you may see a familiar name here), as well as a rating system under each story (one to five stars) making it even easier to show your appreciation for some of the fine writers and artists sharing their work for free with the world.  When you're waiting in line or at the doctors, on the bus or train, or a have a few minutes to spare, do check out some of the great stories and illustrations posted here.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Chris