So You Want to Write a Book 8,9,10 and Weird Chocolate Recipe

Good Afternoon Greetings,

What did you do this weekend? (I started this on Monday. Got sidetracked.) Something to write about? I'll bet you did. Think about it. Can you remember last weekend? If not, just make up something and write about that.

Saturday I visited Holy Trinity Orthodox Church where I spoke to a small group about Five Fun Ways to Write Your Life Story. From what my friend, Betty, told me, and from the church website, I learned the following: Holy Trinity Orthodox Church was settled in 1917 by Russian immigrants in the Kansas City, Kansas neighborhood known as Russian Hill. Over the last 85 years, Holy Trinity Orthodox Church has grown from a small Russian-speaking parish to one whose members are primarily American-born, English-speaking converts to Orthodoxy. The growth of the parish mandated the sale of the small Russian Hill church, and a much larger temple was built a few years ago in Overland Park, Kansas at 119th Street and Pflumm Road.

This history is wonderfully documented in photographs lining a downstairs hallway. The heading over the photo collection perfectly captured our mission in exploring life story. The heading read: Respecting the Past . . . Embracing the Future.

Thank you Betty and the women and men of the church who were such a a warm and interested audience Saturday.

Now, let me ask you -- Are you tired of this dragging on? Let's do it! Here are the last three items on the Ten Things You Need to Know if You Want to Write/Publish a Book:

8. How is your book unlike other books in its category? Show how your book is even better than other similar books and will be even more successful and fits a more compelling need. (Remember -- Number 7 was how is your book like other books in its category.)
9. How many chapters/sections/divisions will your book have? Is it long enough to be a book? Do all the chapters stick closely to the subject?
10. How are you uniquely qualified to write this book? Don’t worry if you don’t have an advanced college degree or publishing credits. If you are writing about how you were mother to a handicapped child who lived 22 years longer than doctors predicted, who better than you to write about such a subject? If you are writing your life as you are living with Stage IV cancer, who better than you to write about it? Your life experience qualifies you. If necessary, you can hire someone to help you with the mechanics. Publishers are looking for compelling stories told by the people who lived them.

Our chocolate recipe for today was found under the heading of weird desserts. Actually, it is only the name that is weird -- Barking Crackers. Let's change it to Chocolate Bark Crackers or better yet, Chocolate Toffee Crackers. (You know my love of all things toffee.)

Anyway, this recipe is from Carroll Pellegrinelli, the dessert authority at About.com. When I read it, I realized I had tasted this a couple of years ago at a party. I think it was this recipe. I kept asking, "What is this? What is this?" Everyone else seemed to know and had the recipe so all I got was that it was "Oh, it's that cracker toffee." Salt, chocolate, crunch, nuts. This recipe has it all.

Barking Crackers

40 (plus) soda crackers

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar, packed

12 ounce package (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup finely chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a jell roll (15 x 10-inch with sides) pan with foil and grease lightly. Completely line pan with crackers. Boil butter and brown sugar for 3 minutes. Stir constantly. Pour mixture over crackers. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle chips over pan. Let chips soften so they can be evenly spread. Spread nuts over top. Refrigerate for 1 hour and then break apart into bite-sized pieces. Store in refrigerator.

If you would like to schedule Five Fun Ways to Write Your Life Story for your group, contact me at: carol@angelinyourinkwell.com. Scheduling now for fall.

Meanwhile, find writing tips and other fun stuff at my website -- (updated monthly) www.angelinyourinkwell.com

Help a Fellow Artist - Eat Ice Cream Cake

Dear Friends,



If you are an artist of any kind, imagine your work floating in water. That's the situation for some Iowa artists. Jane, an oral historian of Iowa women artists, tells us how we can help. I have copy/pasted a message from her below. Don't worry. It's not all bad news. We can still indulge in chocolate -- and ice cream. Recipe at bottom. It's summertime after all.



(1) In cooperation with the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, Legion Arts has established an Iowa Artist Relief Fund. This fund will provide support to individual artists who have lost studios and tools, equipment and musical instruments, canvases and manuscripts, photos and archives, even their homes, as a result of the flooding. For more information on giving to this fund, and to check on future information on applying for help: http://www.legionarts.org/

(2) Have you or do you know of a professional craft artist who has experienced a recent, career-threatening emergency? You or your friend may be eligible for Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) assistance. CERF emergency relief assistance includes small grants, no-interest loans, access to resources, waivers and discounts on booth fees, and donations of craft supplies and equipment. If you need help: http://craftemergency.org/programs/relief/ To contribute to the fund: http://craftemergency.org/support/contribute/



Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Cake (or Pie) Wow! This recipe has it all!



1 (18 ounce)package small chocolate chip cookies

1/4 cup margarine (my theory is -- use butter)

1 cup hot fudge topping

2 quarts vanilla ice cream (hm, I might go for chocolate -- all the way.)

1 cup whipped cream

12 cherries



Crush half the cookies (the recipe says about 20) to make crumbs. Combine crumbs and melted margarine and press into bottom of 9-inch springform pan or pie plate. Stand remaining cookies around edge of pan. Spread 3/4 cup fudge topping over crust. Freeze 15 minutes.


Meanwhile, soften 1 quart of ice cream. After crust has chilled, spread softened ice cream over fudge layer. Freeze 30 minutes.


Scoop remaining quart of ice cream into balls and arrange over spread ice cream layer. Freeze until firm, 4 hours or overnight. To serve, garnish with remainder of fudge topping, whipped cream and cherries.

OR -- put some crushed cookies, ice cream and fudge sauce in a bowl, top with cherry and eat it standing at the kitchen sink or while watching Oprah.

Find Writing Tips, Writing Prompts, Life Story Writing FAQ, Resources and Fun Stuff for Writers at http://www.angelinyourinkwell.com/. Updated monthly. Except I might take a break in July.


And -- scroll way, way down to the bottom to find links to other blogs. Maybe. I'm trying.

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.

Other Blogs of Interest
www.goinggreenintheozarks.blogspot.com
100% Green every Monday and Wednesday

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.