This Week on the Wet Noodle Posse
Noodlers ring in the season of good cheer with the following blogs:
Monday, December 14th: MJ Fredrick Favorite Christmas Songs
Tuesday, December 15th: Priscilla Kissinger Family Reunions for the Holidays
Wednesday, December 16th: Debra Holland TBA
Thursday, December 17th: Merrillee Whren TBA
Friday, December 18th: Q&A : What sort of books would you like to see on the shelves in 2010?
Labels: christmas songs, Dr. Debra Holland, family reunions, Merrillee Whren, MJ Fredrick, Priscilla Kissinger
This Week on the Wet Noodle Posse
Please join us this week for the following blogs:
Monday, June 1st: Introduction to Father Knows Best month
Tuesday, June 2nd: Priscilla Kissinger My Father; My Romance Reading Hero
Wednesday, June 3rd: Guest Caroline Fyffe Does Your Hero Deserve a Happily Ever After?
Thursday, June 4th: Maureen Hardegree Dad’s Favorite Dessert—Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Friday, June 5th: Noodler June Releases and Q&A
Labels: Caroline Fyffe, fathers, heroes, Maureen Hardegree, pineapple upside down cake, Priscilla Kissinger
This Week on the Wet Noodle Posse
Please join the noodlers as we continue our exploration of Spring Forward month with the following blogs: Monday, April 20th: Diane Gaston Writer’s Block: What Does It Really Mean?
Tuesday, April 21st: Theresa Ragan TBA
Wednesday, April 22nd: Priscilla Kissinger Accentuate the Positive to Avoid Writer’s Block
Thursday, April 23rd: Lee McKenzie Spring DIY
Friday, April 24th: Q&A Labels: Diane Gaston, Lee McKenzie, Priscilla Kissinger, spring DIY, Theresa Ragan, writer's block
Feel Good Recipes
Call them comfort foods or treats, some things we eat make us feel good— inside and out. Try a few of these noodler recipes to put a snap in your step: Mock Waldorf Salad, Chocolate Fondue, Homemade Macaroni and Cheese, and Orange Cranberry Scones. If you’re in the mood for a quick and tasty lunch, try RITA Award-winning Historical romance author Diane Gaston’s Mock Waldorf Salad.
Diane’s Mock Waldorf Salad
One apple cut into chunks
1/8 cup chopped walnuts
4 oz. lowfat cottage cheese
1/4 cup chopped celery
1-2 tsp splenda
Mix everything together and enjoy.
302 calories, but it tastes like a treat!
Diane Gaston http://dianegaston.com Scandalizing the Ton, Oct 2008. Still available online"...sensitive, compassionate and sensual romance ..." Romantic Times BOOKreviews
What would an offering of Feel Good Recipes be without chocolate? Here’s a recipe from noodler and 2008 Golden Heart finalist Priscilla Kissinger. “My girls, Brian and I looooove easy chocolate fondue. It's an easy, fast treat for special occasions, or to just brighten a regular day with a delicious treat.”
Priscilla Kissinger’s Chocolate Fondue
Ingredients:
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 bag semisweet chocolate chips
Dipping items: (almost any fruit, but here are our preferences)
pineapple chunks
banana slices
fresh strawberries
cherries
marshmallows (mini mallows or slice large mallows in halves)
chunks of angel food cake
peanut butter (drop a spoonful onto your plate and drizzle chocolate on top)
Heat fondue pot/small crock pot at low heat. Pour whipping cream and chocolate chips into pot.Stir until melted.Keep on low.
Technique: Using fondue forks, pierce dipping item with fork, dip into chocolate and enjoy.For less mess, we usually place dipping items onto a small plate, drizzle fondue over the pieces then sit back and enjoy.
Harlequin American author Lee McKenzie’s favorite feel good recipe is homemade mac-n-cheese. Try this and win raves from your family.
Lee’s Macaroni and Cheese
8 ounces macaroni
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 tablespoon flour
freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Cook the macaroni according to the instructions on the package. While it cooks, melt the butter in a small saucepan, whisk in the flour, nutmeg, salt and pepper, milk and eggs, and simmer till it thickens, stirring constantly. Stir in the cheese.Drain the macaroni and put it in an oven-proof skillet or shallow baking dish. Pour the cheese sauce over the macaroni and mix well.Bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes or until the top is bubbly and golden.
Lee McKenzie www.leemckenzie.com
For me, baked goods equal comfort. The following is a recipe for Cranberry Orange scones that is similar to the one I cannot find, so I can’t call it my own. Don’t you hate it when you lose a favorite recipe?!
Cranberry Orange Scones
courtesy of Bon Apetit November 1998 on Epicurious.com 
3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chilled buttermilk
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda into large bowl. Mix in orange peel. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in dried cranberries. Gradually add buttermilk, tossing with fork until moist clumps form. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead briefly to bind dough, about 4 turns. Form dough into 1-inch-thick round. Cut into 8 wedges. Transfer wedges to prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until tops of scones are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let stand on baking sheet 10 minutes. Serve scones warm or at room temperature. (Warm is better!)
How about you? What are your comfort foods? Do you have a recipe you’d like to share?Labels: Diane Gaston, feel good recipes, Lee McKenzie, Priscilla Kissinger
This Week on the Wet Noodle Posse
Noodlers finish our month devoted to our motto Be Good to Yourself--Or Else with the following blogs:
Monday, January 26th: Maureen Hardegree Ten Inexpensive Ways to Be Good to Yourself
Tuesday, January 27th: Theresa Ragan Read a Good Book Lately?
Wednesday, January 28th: Priscilla Kissinger Pockets of Time
Thursday, January 29th: Various Noodlers Recipes that Make Us Feel Good
Friday, January 30th: Q&A
Have a great week!
Labels: feeling good, Maureen Hardegree, Priscilla Kissinger, Theresa Ragan
This Week on the Wet Noodle Posse
Holiday fun continues. Please join us in celebrating the season with holiday-themed blogs.
Monday, December 15th: Theresa Ragan "Let's Make Some Cookies!" and Recipes
Tuesday, December 16th: Maureen Hardegree "Have Cookies--Will Travel"
Wednesday, December 17th: Karen Potter "Where's the Cranberry Sauce?"
Thursday, December 18th: Priscilla Kissinger "A Heartwarming Family Memory"
Friday, December 19th: Q&A
Labels: holiday recipes, holiday stories, Karen Potter, Maureen Hardegree, Priscilla Kissinger, Theresa Ragan
This Week on the Wet Noodle Posse
The Posse is continuing this month's holiday theme with some fabulous recipes and heart-warming memories. Don't miss out on the opportunity to win a copy of Diane Gaston's holiday story A Twelvth Night Tale in the Regency Anthology MISTLETOE KISSES (Nov 2006)! The more you post, the better your chance of winning.
Monday, December 8th: Priscilla Kissinger “Candy Cane Bark Recipe”
Tuesday, December 9th: Delle Jacobs “Put These in Your Stocking: Great Gifts Any Writer Can Wish For”
Wednesday, December 10th: Merrillee Whren “Christmas Tree Memories”
Thursday, December 11th: Lee McKenzie “A Family Heirloom and Recipe for Spicy Nuts”
Friday, December 12th: Q&A Topic: Great Gift Suggestions for Under $50
Labels: Christmas memories, Delle Jacobs, gift-giving ideas, holiday recipes, Lee McKenzie, Merrillee Whren, Priscilla Kissinger
This Week on the Wet Noodle Posse
Please join us as we explore the topic of Writing Challenges.
Monday, November 10th: Priscilla Kissinger "Setting Personal Goals/Challenges"
Tuesday, November 11th: Trish Milburn "Mini-Challenges"
Wednesday, November 12th: Delle Jacobs "Why Can't We Stop Procrastinating?"
Thursday, November 13th: Karen Potter "100 Words for 100 Days Challenge"
Friday, November 14th: Q&A (Readers ask questions; noodlers answer)
Have a productive writing week!
Labels: Delle Jacobs, Karen Potter, Priscilla Kissinger, Trish Milburn, writing challenges
This Week on The Wet Noodle Posse
Noodlers finish up Writers' Health Month, and we begin a new topic, dear to our hearts, Golden Heart Contest Preparation.
Here’s what’s on the calendar for this week:
Monday, September 29th: Norah Wilson “Today Was a Good Day”
Tuesday, September 30th: Guest Blogger Bonnie Vanak, Author of Egyptian Historicals for Dorchester and Werewolf Paranormals for Silhouette Nocturne
Wednesday, October 1st: Priscilla Kissinger “Golden Heart Preparation Month Introduction” & Raffle winner for September Announcement
Thursday, October 2nd: Debra Holland “Why Enter the Golden Heart Contest”
Friday, October 3rd: Noodler New Releases for October
Labels: Bonnie Vanak, Debra Holland, Golden Heart, Norah Wilson, Priscilla Kissinger, Writers' Health
This Week on the Wet Noodle Posse
We have another great week on the topic of Inspiration. Remember all comments posted will be included in the Barnes & Noble $20 gift certificate raffle, so comment often.
Monday, August 11th: "Funny Bone Moments As Inspiration" Maureen Hardegree
Tuesday, August 12th: "Inspiration--Grab It When You Can" Diane Gaston
Wednesday, August 13th: "People As Inspiration" Delle Jacobs
Thursday, August 14th: "Music As Inspiration" Priscilla Kissinger
Friday, August 15th: Q&A (Readers ask questions. Noodlers answer.)
Labels: Delle Jacobs, Diane Gaston, inspiration to write, Maureen Hardegree, Priscilla Kissinger
Character Month
Last month The Wet Noodle Posse covered Getting Started. This month our topic is Character.
We Romance writers often ask each other whether we are “Plot Driven” or “Character Driven.” I’m definitely Character driven, which is why I volunteered to moderate our WNP Character Month. Almost all my stories develop out of a character, the idea of a person whose story I want to tell, often a character who appeared in a previous book.
All of our characters are important, but I believe the success of a romance novel mostly lies with the hero. We want to fall in love with the hero of a romance novel and we want the heroine to be someone --- like us, or an ideal of us.
We don’t want our heroes or heroines to be perfect, because part of the delicious fantasy of romance is to see how love can change us, transform us, make us into better people. At the end of our books, we want the hero and heroine to be more than they once were, to have the injuries of the past healed because of love. We want Beauty to tame the Beast; Cinderella to wed her Prince; Snow White to be awakened with a kiss.
But how to craft these strong, to-die-for heroes and valiant heroines? How important is backstory? What should their Goals, Motivations, and Conflicts be? What flaws should they have? What will make the reader fall in love with them? How can I make them unique? How can I show who they are in the writing?
That’s what we will be discussing in a variety of ways this month.
This week’s schedule:
Tuesday:
Maureen Hardegee, author of quirky southern short stories like her latest in
At Home in Mossy Creek, discusses Using Pet Peeves to Inform About Characters.
Wednesday:
Dianna Love, whose next book,
Phantom in the Night, is written with the fabulous
Sherrilyn Kenyon, covers that thorny question, Is Your Character Acting Out of Character?
Thursday: Noodler and Multi-award winning
Priscilla Kissinger writes about Character Interviews
Friday: Q and A Day, a day to ask any questions you like about crafting characters. You may ask your questions ahead of time by emailing me at
diane@dianegaston.com or just asking in the comment section on Friday.
There is more.
We are giving away prizes this month! Dianna Love will give away a signed copy of
WORTH EVERY RISK and a booklight. And
Jill Monroe will give away a signed copy of
HITTING THE MARK. All you have to do is comment on the blog! Dianna’s winner will be randomly selected on Friday, Feb 15, and Jill’s winner, on Friday, Feb 29. So join the discussion and have a chance to win.
Beginning now.
What do you think are the important elements in a romantic hero and heroine?
What are your peskiest problems in developing characters?
(Speaking of prizes, come visit my
website and enter my contest. My friend
Kathryn Caskie, whose
How To Propose To A Prince is due out Feb 26, and I are each giving away signed copies of the books that started our series. From Kathy, it will be
How to Seduce A Duke, and from me,
The Mysterious Miss M. )
Labels: Character, Diana Love, Jill Monroe, Maureen Hardegee, Priscilla Kissinger
Leaving them Asking for More: Hook Endings -- Priscilla Kissinger
Hook your reader. If you’ve ever read a how-to book, or listened to a presentation on writing, I’m sure you’ve heard those words of advice.
Hook the reader: in the beginning and at the end of every chapter. Later on in the month, Trish Milburn will share pearls of wisdom about opening lines and how to reel in the reader. Today, I’ll share with you my thoughts about leaving the reader wanting more.
Have you ever read a book where, as you reach the end of the chapter, you find your heroine breathing a sigh of contentment as she climbs under the covers (alone), ready for a good night’s sleep (hence, she’s going to bed, alone; meaning, no hunky hero nearby ready to ravish her or to be ravished). The heroine lays her head on her pillow, closes her eyes and drifts off to sleep. Seconds later, you, the reader, close your book, turn off the light, and join her. The perfect chapter ending, right?
Wrong!
You don’t want someone to put your book down. You want readers so engrossed in your character’s story that they have to keep reading, have to know what happens next. For your contest entry, especially one the length of the GH, your entry may wind up stopping at the end of a scene, in the middle of a chapter. In this situation, some writers make minor changes in order to have that hook ending.
Some of my Posse sisters have volunteered their winning or finalist entry hook endings as examples.
From Saving Grace, by Norah Wilson
Jumping up, she seized the handle of the satchel and dragged it closer to the edge of the bed. A tug of the zipper, a wrench of the wrists and the bag lay open.
Grace leapt back. Holy cow! Guess she hadn’t remembered everything she’d packed.
“Ray?”
His name emerged as a croak, probably because of the fear making her tongue cleave to the roof of her mouth. She swallowed, then walked carefully out of the bedroom to the head of the stairs. She called Ray’s name again, louder this time. He materialized below a second later.
“What is it?” he asked, his expression politely inquiring.
“I think you’d better come up here and take a look.”
Now, I don’t know about you, but I really want to know what’s in Grace’s bag. Notice the details that show us Grace’s anxiety and pull the reader in: fear making her tongue cleave to the roof of her mouth, her voice a mere croak, she tugs the zipper and her wrists wrench. And then, the big question at the end that has the reader turning the page to find out what Grace found in her bag.
From Diane Perkins, who said she often altered her entries from the “whole book” version when her entry ended at the completion of a scene instead of a chapter:
The sound triggered memories. Voices of dying men assaulted his ears. His knees trembled, and he feared them buckling underneath him. The dream of Waterloo assailed his waking moments. With it came the terror that had only been too real.
Clamping down on his panic, he rushed into his bedchamber and pulled fresh stockings from the chest. He shrugged into his coat, and retrieved his boots from the parlor. Without a word, for he could not guarantee his words would be coherent, he rushed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him.
Me? I’d be following this guy out the door. Intrigued by the panic rising inside of him, needing to know more about the memories the sound triggered. There are hidden pains deep inside him and I want to know about them.
From Trish Milburn, the last paragraph of Ch. 1 and 2 from Coven, winner of the 2007 YA GH:
Ch. 1
She had to learn to control her emotions and powers better or she’d have to leave him behind, him and the belief in soul-deep love he brought to life in her.
Ch. 2
“Excuse me.” She headed for the bathroom. Everyone would think it was to wash the ice cream out of her hair or to cry. They wouldn’t have any idea it was to prevent herself from killing one of their classmates.
Gulp. Um, “killing one of her classmates”? This girl is practicing some pretty heavy will power if she can walk away from this situation. I’m following her anywhere ‘cuz I want to see what she’s up to next.
From Mary Fecter, the end of Ch. 1 from Beneath the Surface, 2007 finalist:
He was a free man now. She had no hold over him.
But she couldn’t say he no longer had a hold over her.
She’s still in love with him, or at least, emotionally tied to this man. I’m thinking she wants to keep this to herself. Will she be able to? How will it effect her life or what she does next? I want to know, so I’m turning the page to find out.
From Cradle of Love, my 2003 finalist entry:
Dinner was going to be an interesting affair. Raquel was less than pleased about him joining them. Tony grinned, ignoring the prick of guilt for enjoying the opportunity to make her squirm a bit. It was high time the tables were turned.
Hopefully, you’re interested in sitting down to dinner with Tony and Raquel, anxious to see what trouble he stirs up.
The bottom line is this: you want to leave the judges clamoring for more. More about your characters. More questions about their conflict. More cravings to see the romance flourish and flounder. More, more, more.
Take a look at your chapter endings. You may even need to add a line or two to your contest entry. It’s okay to do that. Nothing drastic, mind you. Just the little zinger that has the reader giving you the 9 your entry deserves.
Have you considered your entry ending? Have you made any changes? Is there a compelling hook ending you’ve read recently and want to share? Let’s hear ‘em!
Labels: Golden Heart, hook, Priscilla Kissinger
Introducing Priscilla Kissinger
Priscilla Kissinger will be blogging today about Leaving them Asking for More: Hook Endings.
Priscilla finaled in 2003 with Cradle of Love in the long contemporary category. Inspired by her own Hispanic background, Priscilla’s latest novels feature Latino characters dealing with family and cultural issues. She’s still working on catching the right editor, but faith and determination keep her baiting that hook and tossing it back out into the rough waters of the publishing world.
Labels: Golden Heart, Priscilla Kissinger
