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Episode 9 – J. Lohr, Midnight Line, and Hardcore Twenty-Four

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On Episode 9 of our Podcast, Christie and I discussed 2 blockbuster bestsellers and we had a blast!  And to top it off, we enjoyed a bottle of one of my favorite wines, J.Lohr’s bestselling7 Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon.

Christie’s selection was the hilarious and prolific Janet Evanovich’s Hardcore 24.  As Christie mentioned, the food scenes are many, funny, and even include food fit for a snake. Her zany characters really shine in this Stephanie Plum mystery.

My choice this week was Lee Child’s The Midnight Line, a great read, and while sparse on food scenes, fitting Jack Reacher’s personality, the rural Midwest scenes, including in South Dakota, made the J.Lohr a perfect fit.  And, I shared a fan moment with Mr. Child, one I wish I could do over.

Check out Episode 9 – available this morning wherever you find your podcasts!

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Starting 2019

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I started the year in a warm, dark room.  It was lovely.  It was a yoga class called Starting 2019 with Intention – A Practice of 108 Sun Salutations.  We started by journaling and a guided meditation on our goals for the new year. Then, our teacher guided the class through 108 sun salutations. It was amazing, wonderful and VERY challenging. The  hard part was the point – to teach us that we can do what seems undoable.

This morning I saw a Instagram post form Debra Roberts who said her mother had a saying – “the way we begin the year is the way you’re going to live it.”

I’m hoping this means the year ahead will be full of positive challenges, intention and strength, as opposed to the exhaustion from those 108 salutations and the loss of the ability to lift my arms. I’m literally struggling to type these words. Stay tuned to see which it is….

How are you starting your year?

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Sparking Rose, Poison, and a Bad Hair Day – Podcast Episode 7

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Christie and I recorded our 7th podcast this week.  If you’re interested in mysteries, wine, and food, join us!  We’d love the company.

I choose the Cupcake Sparkling Rose.  Check out the joyful website for Cupcake Winery!  I’d love to meet the winemaker, Jessica Tomei.  I choose the Rose to pair with the sugar Christmas cookies that open the first scene of Mary Angela’s A Very Merry Murder, a title I loved. Mary is a SD writer and has set her 3 books in the cozy series in the fictional town of Cooper Bluff, SD.    Her protagonist is Emmeline Prather, an English Professor.

Unfortunately, Professor Prather’s cookies didn’t turn out great, but if you want an outstanding cookie recipe, here’s my current favorite from Sally’s Baking Addiction.

Christie choose to discuss another cozy (and we weren’t even planning it!).  Her choice was Trimmed to Death from Nancy J. Cohen, the 15th in the Bad Hair Mystery Series.  Nancy is from Florida, and her series takes place in a fictional Florida setting that Christie felt was familiar. Nancy also just released an update to her Writing the Cozy Mystery: Expanded Second Edition.  Check it out if you’re interested in writing cozy mysteries!

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What makes you happy?

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I think I’ve mentioned this before, but J.T. Ellison writes one of my favorite weekly newletters.  I look forward to it each Sunday.  She writes killer thrillers, too.  🙂

Last week, she included a link to an article by another woman I admire, Gretchen Rubin, also a terrific writer.  Rubin wrote a list of things, 30 things actually, that make her happier.  The idea is when she realizes she’s feeling down, she can refer to the list to make herself feel better.  Great idea, I thought.  But 30 things?  It made me wonder how many things I could list.

Instead, I’m giving myself 3 minutes to come up with a “starter list”.  Setting my timer….Go.

Tea.  Especially Earl Grey.

My dog’s ears.

My dog.

Laughing with my husband.

A clean kitchen.

A clean desk.

A new notebook (adding my favorite kind).

A clean closet.

A bath with a candle and bath oil (adding my favorite kinds).

Fresh flowers.

Reading.

Walking outside.

Being at home with just my family.  I love all the hubbub of having teens, but just the four of us?  Rare and golden.

Having written.  (I’m not alone, am I?  I know Anne Tyler agrees.)

On that same note, having done some time on the treadmill. After. NOT during.

Doing yoga.

Early mornings.

Time’s up!

Ok.  Interesting exercise.  I’m not going to edit this (even though my dog appeared on the list before my family), and put it out there, which is another interesting exercise.  But, I will say, I do feel happier right now than I did 5 minutes ago.

What makes you happy?

 

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19 Crimes, Alibis, and Bodies – Podcast #5 Recap

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Christie and I just wrapped up our fifth podcast – check it out here! We’re having a lot of fun discussing wine, mysteries, and food.

This week, I chose one of my favorite writers, Sue Grafton.  I remembered that I was reading her last book, Y is for Yesterday when I heard she had died last December and was so saddened by her passing.  Christie and I discussed her first book, A is for Alibi, and Kinsey’s love of the Hungarian food served at Rosie’s restaurant that appeared not only in her first book, but throughout her series.

I also chose a Pinot Noir from 19 Crimes as our wine of the week, as Pinot Noir makes for a nice pairing with veal stew, the dish Rosie served in A is for Alibi.  Both Christie and I enjoyed the wine and the story behind the 19 Crimes label.  Punishment by Transportation made for a good conversation starter!

Christie shared a YA thriller from Kimberly Derting.   The Body Finder was recommended to  her by her daughter and it made for a great discussion.  Check out the FAQs on Kimberly’s website for her stories about how she got her agent and when she got the “call.”

If you’re into mysteries, food, and wine, check out the Game of Books Podcast!

Game of Books Blog is participating in the Amazon Associates, an affiliate advertising program which allows us to make a commission if you use the link and make a purchase.  We wanted you to know!

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Doing the things

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Lately I’ve been reading a lot of articles on productivity.  I’m always interested in learning how we can best get our work/writing done.  Here’s a round-up of what I’ve read lately and found helpful.  
Start by working on a small section – just a sentence will do!  
We need to focus more.   And,  here’s how.
Not that the concept is new, but your phone is bad for your productivity and NY Times editor Tim Herrera actually locks his in a drawer. I’m not opposed. 
Habits lead to a strong writing routine. 
This is extreme, and probably not for me, but we have to do whatever works! 
What tips do you have for being productive?
 

 

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The Thrill of Hope

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I was just at the grocery store.  My intention was get my errands done, return home, get this blog written, and move on to other tasks needing my attention.  I even had a blog about the end of NaNoWriMo outlined.  But, then I saw this headline a the grocery store  – The Thrill of Hope:  choosing to live in HOPEFUL EXPECTATION.  I was so attracted to the title, I immediately added the magazine to my pile on the conveyor belt.  Some people at Magnolia Journal obviously did their jobs well. And now, I’m writing about it here.

But, it is a thrill to find hope and luxuriate in it, isn’t it? It’s why we spend any time considering what we’d do with the recent immense lottery winnings. The very possibility is so incredibly remote that it’s silly to spend any real time discussing, but we do.  We talk about it, think about it, joke about what we’d do.  It’s the thrill of the hope, isn’t it?

On a recent car trip, I was listening to some podcasts (have you checked ours out?).  In one of them, Katie Couric was interviewing Tony Robbins.  It’s been a few weeks since I listened but my recollection  of the conversation was that she was asking him how to maintain positivity when there is so much to be concerned about in the world.  (It was recorded in March 2017, a few weeks after the inauguration).  She listed several, serious and legitimate concerns, all still present today.  Tony answered by saying the antidote to fear and anger is gratitude. 

Not satisfied, Katie repeated the question in a different way.  In response, Tony asked her what she could do about most of the concerns she was listing.  She didn’t have an answer.  He said we need to live our lives the way we want to and not focus on the things we can’t control. She asked how.  He shared several suggestions, but one stuck with me. He starts each day with a meditation on 3 things:  gratitude, prayer or some positive thoughts, and daily intentions. 

Since I’ve listened to that a few weeks ago, I’ve been practicing what he suggested (in fairness, he also said he did some intense breathing and jumping on a rebounder; I’m NOT doing that).  I’ve started each morning for most of the last  3 weeks writing in each category – gratitude, prayers, and intentions.  And while I do have concerns each day, many of which don’t let me sleep as much as I’d like (anyone else?), I have to say that this exercise has put more positivity in my day.  Having hope and expectation is lovely, but living with it foremost in your mind is, well, thrilling.

 

 

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Cheers to a Happy Thanksgiving

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I’m currently setting my table for a Thanksgiving gathering of 10 – as Christie told me – a perfect number of guests!  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday – it’s a celebration of tradition, friends and family, being together, and being thankful.

I’m thankful this year for food, a home, and an opportunity to welcome in my family and friends.  I’m mindful of those who are not as fortunate – those who have lost their homes, don’t have family or friends, and those who are working so hard on this day to protect the families and homes of others.  I watched California Firefighters this morning on the Today Show, many of whom lost their own homes while protecting others, share a meal together.  I was struck by their grace and ability to find gratitude in their circumstances.  They are on my mind as I prepare to gather my family.

I’m thankful for opportunity and the ability to follow through on goals and dreams. I’m thankful I tried NaNoWriMo…I’m not going to reach the 50,000 mark, but I have a great start on a mystery I’ve been thinking about for so long.  And, because productivity in one area seems to lend itself to increased productivity in other areas, I’m happy to report my revisions on my current WIP are in better shape than they have been for some time.  I’m thankful I met Christie this year, and that we share a love of trying new things!  And I’m thankful for her joyful companionship on this blog and her leadership on our new podcast!

Cheers to a few, or hopefully more, moments of gratitude and gathering on this Thanksgiving 2018.

 

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