So You Want to Write a Book Six and Chocolate Nut Toffee Bars

Hi Writing Friends,

What's with this photo? I took it several years ago at the hot air balloon festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It has only a tangential connection to anything in this particular post. Guess it's related to my love of all things cowboy. (See little story below.)

I've missed you. Ta-Da! This was a very busy spring. Lots of classes, but now Lifestory Writing Classes are over until fall so I think I'm going to do better on keeping up with the blog. Look below. Tip Six on what you need to know if you want to write a book.

So You Want to Write a Book -- Tip Six: What books are similar to yours? Often, writers proudly say, “There is no book like mine.” Unfortunately, that is not necessarily a good sign. If there are no such book, it means the publishers have chosen not to publish such books. Re-think your premise. You might be able to save your project.

I have been attacking some neglected chores. Like cleaning up my office. Here is where I make a confession. I cannot resist the offer of a free magazine. That means I have a stack of single issues. Like the November 2006 issue of The Writer I came across. In it is mentioned a writing problem I have -- and I sort of like it -- sometimes I just leave these in -- but sometimes I'm strong and remove them. Two examples from The Writer: Don't write: "I gave him a smile." Do write: "I smiled [at him]." Don't write: "I gave his hand a shake." Do write: I shook his hand." Okay -- that second one I agree with. Even I wouldn't write, "I gave his hand a shake." Unless, of course, it was Blackie, the black lab who used to live behind us. Then I would probably write, "I gave his paw a shake." Actually, my personal favorite is, "I gave him a look."

And now -- what we were waiting for -- chocolate. No surprise -- I haven't actually tried this recipe. Note it is copyrighted, but since the author is extensively credited and her newsletter is plugged, maybe I will be forgiven.

I wanted to include this toffee recipe because it reminded me of when I was a child and was confused by toffee and taffy. I knew I liked one of them and the other pulled out my loose tooth. That was almost as bad as my confusion about calvary and cavalry. Now I was a great fan of western movies when I was about five. What a relief when the cavalry arrived. Soldiers on horseback, uniforms with gold buttons and braid, bugles. The fort was saved. I loved it. So I was very excited when I learned we were going to visit my grandparents' church -- Calvary Baptist. I waited and waited, through the entire sermon. Finally, I complained to my mother. She tried to explain to me. I tried to explain to her. Finally, I gave up. That was the day the cavalry did not arrive. Different kind of being "saved."

All the more reason to savor today's toffee recipe. It would take the calvary to keep me away.

Chocolate Nut Toffee Bars Recipe
From Peggy Trowbridge Filippone,Your Guide to Home Cooking.FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
Toffee cookie bars are loaded with chocolate chips and peanuts, then topped with more chocolate and Butterfinger candy bits. It is important not to over-bake these cookie bars. You do not want them too crispy.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped honey-roasted peanuts
1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, at room temperature
2 (1.76 ounces) Butterfinger® Crisp Bars, crushed (see Note)

PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 15-1/2- x 10-1/2-inch jellyroll pan with nonstick foil. In a large bowl, beat brown sugar and butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, beating until combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour, half at a time. Stir in miniature chocolate chips and peanuts by hand. Mixture will be thick and sticky.

Spoon mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer with the back of a mixing spatula. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until lightly golden. Do not overbake. The cookie bars should still be a bit soft.

Immediately sprinkle with chocolate chips and let rest for 2 minutes to let them melt. Spread the melted chocolate into an even layer and sprinkle with the crushed Butterfinger® pieces.

Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes to set chocolate, if necessary.

Bring to room temperature to serve. Cut into bars to serve. Yield: 36 to 48 bars, depending on cut size

Note: Instead of the Butterfinger® candy bar, you may use toffee baking bits or even crushed bits used for ice cream toppers. Chocolate Nut Toffee Bars Recipe © 2008 Peggy Trowbridge Filippone, licensed to About.com, Inc.

So You Want to Write a Book Five and Both Worlds Chocolate

It was a chilly early Easter morning when I went in search of the Easter Bunny as someone had requested. There she was, much smaller than I expected, and snuggled in a pink sweater, popping out from my new hydrangea plant. (Thanks, Suzette, for the fun idea.)

We are now up to point five on the Ten Things to Know if You Want to Write a Book.

How would a bookstore or library categorize your book? Oh let them figure it out. Nope. Won’t work. If the nice book publisher, bookstore lady or kindly librarian doesn’t know how it should be categorized, what is she to do? You have noticed, haven’t you, how people today are overburdened at work? Help them. Look at the signs above the bookstore bookcases. Where would your book fit? Also, look on the back cover or inside some of your books to get an idea of categories. For example, at top of the back cover of my copy of the novel, Gilead, there is the category: fiction. At the top left of the back cover of Kitchen Table Wisdom, I see the designation, inspiration. A book may have more than one category, such as writing/self-help, found on the back cover of Writing As a Way of Healing. The category may sometimes be listed on the inside of the book. There now, your book is one step closer to being on store shelves.

And one step closer to our chocolate recipe. This came from Lynda after Halloween, but it will work with Easter candy too. The hardest part is finding "leftover" Snickers bars. (Oh, just eat what you have on hand and go buy more.) It isn't really a "recipe" so it didn't have a name, but, considering the ingredients, (healthy apples and yummy Snickers bars) I named it.

Best of Both Worlds Chocolate Dessert

Chop leftover Snickers bars.
Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place apples in a baking dish.
Sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream.


See www.angelinyourinkwell.com for more writing tips, writing prompts, fun stuff for writers, life story faq, and where I will be speaking or having classes.

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So You Want to Write a Book 3 & 4 + Bonus Brownies

I've lost track of myself in the past few weeks. We had a couple of nice days so I went out and rejuvenated . Last Friday I strolled through Family Tree Nursery on Farley, just north of 87th Street in Overland Park, Kansas. Tables and tables of pansies. I came home with a couple of purple and yellow to have on the kitchen table where I can see them. And today is so bleak, they are needed.

Where were we on ten things you need to know to write a book? Below are points 3 and 4. I'm including point 3 again. You'll see why.

3. What’s the point of your book? Write a one-sentence answer to this question. Practice saying it aloud. If, when asked this question, you find yourself drawing a deep breath and saying, “Well, see, . . . .,” then you need to refine your answer. The answer is often referred to as an “elevator speech.” Imagine yourself at a writers’ conference. You are in an elevator with just the editor you want to meet. The door closes, and she asks, “What is your book about?” You have until the elevator door re-opens to answer the question. Knowing the answer to this question will help you maintain focus as you write your book, and it will help you when you pitch your book to an agent or editor. As you write, you may discover your answer changes. That’s okay. Just keep a clear answer and clear focus in mind.

4. What is the purpose of the book? This sounds like the previous question, but isn’t exactly. Think about the reader. (Always be thinking about the reader.) What will the reader get from spending her time and money on your book? What do you propose to give the reader? Information, inspiration, motivation, entertainment, historical perspective, understanding, or something else? Do you watch American Idol? Have you noticed the judges repeatedly say, Pick a song that suits your voice. Do the contestants do that? No. They choose a song they love to sing for their grandmother. They choose a song they love to sing at church. They choose a song they love because it makes their dog howl. (Okay, maybe not that last one.) Anyway, you get the point. Writing is the same. It doesn't matter what you love. Think about what the reader will love.

Below (in pink) is an e-mail from Mary Anne Demeritt, author of The Twilight Ride of the Pink Fairy. You can find more information about the book by going to www.angelinyourinkwell.com and clicking on Fun Stuff and scrolling down to Books.

I am going to be at Border's Bookstore at Metcalf on Saturday April 5th for a storytime at 10 am and at the Booksigning Event for Educators in the afternoon from 12-2 p.m. It should be a lot of fun. I will wear my fairy godmother costume and little girls can come dressed as fairies. FYI. Mary Anne

And speaking of love -- here's the chocolate.

The "recipe" is from The Dinner Doctor by Anne Byrn. I renamed it Bonus Brownie.

Bonus Brownies

Make brownies from a mix.

Cut brownies into rounds with a biscuit cutter. (Anything involving a biscuit cutter means we are really baking.)

Sandwich two rounds together with raspberry jam.

Dust top with confectioners' sugar.

Now here's the bonus part I figured out all by myself. You have to do something with all the pieces left after you cut out the rounds. Bonus! Eat them immediately.

See more stuff you will like at www.angelinyourinkwell.com. Updated monthly -- or so -- depending on if I am on a quest for sunshine & flowers.

Enough Winter - More Chocolate - Book Tip 3

Yesterday as I looked out at the frozen flower pots on the patio, I tried to remember what they had looked like last summer. Okay, you! No cracks about my memory. I bet last summer seems a long time ago to you, too.
Scrolling through my unorganized Adobe photos in search of something summery was like looking at one of those little flip books -- flip the pages and the images appear to move. My photo images moved through the seasons. There were daffodils, begonias, ornamental grasses, fall trees, snow on the pasture, all flying past. How about geraniums? A good hot weather reminder -- until the real thing appears.

I recently read an article about how to make a successful blog. One of the points was that the blogger must fulfill any promises made (to the blogee). With that in mind, I thought I better return to what I earlier promised -- Ten Things You Need to Know if You Want to Write a Book. Here is Thing Three:

What’s the point of your book? Write a one-sentence answer to this question. Practice saying it aloud. If, when asked this question, you find yourself drawing a deep breath and saying, “Well, see, . . . .,” then you need to refine your answer. The answer is often referred to as an “elevator speech.” Imagine yourself at a writers’ conference. You are in an elevator with just the editor you want to meet. The door closes, and she asks, “What is your book about?” You have until the elevator door re-opens to answer the question. Knowing the answer to this question will help you maintain focus as you write your book, and it will help you when you pitch your book to an agent or editor. As you write, you may discover your answer changes. That’s okay. Just keep a clear answer and clear focus in mind. (Here's an extra tip: Chocolate will help you focus. See below.)

Cold weather or hot. Any time is perfect for chocolate. A couple of years ago, before Rachel Ray had her own talk show, I saw her on Oprah making her "Rachel Ray's Five-Minute Fudge." The recipe is probably on the Internet or on her website, but I scribbled it onto an index card -- and I do mean scribbled. You know how fast she talks. At the time, I just hoped I had written everything. My concern was soon allayed. At the grocery store, having purchased only the ingredients for the fudge, the checker, a boy who was maybe 17, said, "Oh, are you making fudge? I make that every Christmas. It's great." With two powerful endorsements, I knew this fudge would be good -- and it was. Enjoy!

Rachel Ray's Five-Minute Fudge

Melt together over low heat:
12 0z. pkg. chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup Eagle Brand milk (You know, the thick sugary stuff.)
1 tsp. vanilla
walnuts

Rachel Ray was making this for Christmas so she put the empty Eagle Brand can in the middle of a round cake pan and poured the mixture around it to decorate later as a wreath. I just put it in an 8" x 8" pan, refrigerated for 30 minutes, according to the directions, dumped it out, cut into squares, and let the good times roll.

Taking My Own Advice

After yesterday's snow (non) storm, during which most of the local television stations had a little freakout and went on full snow coverage, reporting on how to use a snow shovel and how to build a snowman, it seemed a good time to enjoy the roses my gentleman friend had delivered in time to enjoy both before and after Valentines Day. The candy in the heart-shaped box had already been deployed to the sitter part of my anatomy.

Then it seemed a good time to take a dose of my own good advice. You know how I tell writers how much writing can be accomplished in only ten minutes a day? The same ten minutes applies to any task: ten minutes of (gasp) house cleaning, ten minutes of prayer, ten minutes of watering plants. After Christmas I bought a treadmill and told myself just ten minutes a day. The old ten-minute-plan is working. I walk ten minutes, then ten minutes more. So far, I am only up to twenty minutes, but if I follow my advice, maybe I will get up to the half-hour or hour Dr. Vigorous has in mind for me.

What goal did you set for yourself this year? Maybe the ten-minute-plan will work. Give it a try. To help, here is one of my favorite recipes from my favorite cook book, given to me by my mother for Christmas in 1973 -- Southern Living Party Cookbook.

Chocolate-Pecan Meringues

2 egg whites

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

3/4 cup sugar

1 (6-ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate bits

2/3 cup chopped pecans

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Line cookie sheets with plain white paper. (Parchment paper for baking.) Beat egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar until frothy. Add sugar gradually, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold in chocolate, nuts, and flavoring. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto paper. Bake at 300 degrees about 25 minutes. Remove with sharp spatula. Store in airtight container. Yield: 36: double the recipe for a tea for 40 to 50. (Tea? I doubt it. I'll be snarfing these down as I watch Oprah.)

For new Writing Tip, Writing Prompt, Life Story FAQ, and Fun Stuff for Writers, visit my website: www.angelinyourinkwell.com. To find when and where I will be having classes, click on Calendar.