Just a little advertising for an upcoming gig!
I might switch the pitch!
February 9, 2012 at 9:10 pm (transgressive fiction, Writing)
Tags: Writer's Conferences, Writing
First of all, thank you to all who commented and provided feedback when I asked “Which Pitch to Pitch?” The overwhelming majority of those comments were to pitch the dark comic Transgressive fiction piece, the one that is probably “unpublishable.”
It appears my passion for this piece emerged while discussing my options. Rather than appearing equal to both, a preference inadvertently showed through.
That’ all right, though, because I was leaning toward it anyway. So, done, right? Hold that thought.
I wanted to have two finished pieces available for this writing conference, didn’t want to put all my literary eggs in one basket, so to speak. I was going to bring both. Weekend Getaways was ostensibly finished, just some cosmetic touches to make the interior with its strange fonts and line spacing stand out and be more appealing. Swansong needed a final edit, some tightening to keep it on track for being a face-paced hard-boiled crime fiction.
As I’m working on Swansong, I’m realizing that I’m really really enjoying it. It started out as a NaNoWriMo piece but had long since passed out of that phase and became defined and developed and, well, tight.
I love both of these children equally. They are stylistically different, deal with different themes, have a somewhat different voice, and show drastically different influences.
Yes, I’m bringing both to the writing conference. But I may make a switch on which pitch to pitch.
H B Gumbo
February 6, 2012 at 9:44 pm (Food and Wine)
Tags: gumbo, recipe
I will not hide the fact that I am a New England Patriots fan and have been such since 1976. That being said, their last two Super Bowl appearances have been heartbreaking.
But, I recognize that it is a game and has turned into a family event. As I have always been fond of saying “It’s all about the food.”
I have crafted my own recipe for gumbo. This recipe was entered into the Wichita Eagle’s Holiday Cookbook contest about six or seven years ago and then briefly made the rounds of the internet.
Yesterday, I made my finest batch. Needless to say, it would have tasted better with a sweeter outcome. Nevertheless, I offer it up for your consideration.
H B GUMBO
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, cut into
½ in. pieces
1 ½ lb shrimp
1 lb scallops
1 lg. onion, chopped coarsely
1 lb pkg. frozen okra
4 scallions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 jar clam juice
½ cup flour
½ cup butter
1 Tbs. oil
1 Tbs. gumbo file
CREOLE SEASONING
(only about a third of this spice blend
will be needed. You can store the remainder
in a glass jar in your pantry)
1/3 cup paprika
3 tsp. oregano
3 Tbs. black pepper
2 Tbs. basil
2 Tbs. Kosher (coarse) salt
½ – 1 Tbs. cayenne pepper
1 Tbs. dried onion
4 tsp. thyme
4 tsp. garlic powder
(1) Brown sausage. Drain grease. Set aside.
(2) Thaw shrimp in colander under cold water. Remove tails. Set aside.
(3) In a non-stick saucepan, SLOWLY melt better. Add flour a little at a time. Stir constantly over medium-low heat until roux becomes golden brown with a slightly nutty aroma.
(4) Heat oil in large Dutch oven. Add onion, okra, scallions, and garlic. Cook until vegetables are tender.
(5) Add tomatoes and clam juice. Add shrimp and scallops. Bring to a quick boil then lower to a simmer.
(6) Add sausage. Add roux. Stir and blend thoroughly. Add 1/3 of Creole seasoning and gumbo file. Stir.
(7) Simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.
