Zen Moments: Good-bye to All That

As the last few days of summer slip away, here's my farewell to the beach:

Release Day: The Wedding Soup Murder

And I hope you'll join me in celebrating! (Don't forget that you can have a free taste of soup right here on the Rosie G site!)

Today there's a giveaway at Read Your Writes Book Reviews and later on a review at Charming Chelsey's. Check back for more details!

Get It While It's Hot!

The soup, that is! In just two days, the second book in the Italian Kitchen Mysteries, The Wedding Soup Murder, releases in stores and online.

Starting September 1, I'll be on a ten-day blog tour that includes interviews, guest posts, reviews, and lots of giveaways, so please join me!

Put Your Money Where Your Ice Is

My youngest son recently challenged me to dump a bucket of ice on my head to help spread awareness for ALS, a debilitating disease that famously claimed the life of Lou Gehrig. While I have no intention of inducing an ice headache, I would like to make a public promise to make a donation to the ALS Association in the name of a former mentor and colleague, John Goodson.

I was a first-year teacher when I met John, a guidance counselor who was already struggling with the late stages of the disease. Wheelchair bound, he remained a productive member of our high school community, even after he could no longer hold a pencil. He had a brilliant mind with a lively, dry wit, and he helped me navigate a challenging year for a twenty-two year-old fresh out of college. And while the phrase has become a cliche, John truly was a role model for his colleagues and students. I think of him often, but especially as this campaign takes the internet by storm.

A long overdue thank you, John, but this bucket's for you.

 photo credit: lissame via photopin cc

My Favorite Places "Down the Shore": the Main Avenue Galleria

Now that summer is well underway, I'd like to introduce a new feature here at the Rosie G blog: descriptions of my favorite Jersey Shore locales. The first one is a recent discovery, the Main Avenue Galleria in Ocean Grove, NJ:

 This charming little storefront gallery is an artists' collective that sells wonderful paintings, photographs, mosaics, jewelry, and a host of other beautiful, one-of-a-kind pieces. I visited the store in March when I was in town for a book signing and got chatting with one of the artists and employees, Christine Rotolo. After admiring her landscapes and beachscapes, I gave her a copy of my book and she presented me with a postcard of one of her paintings:

 Wouldn't you love to have a seat in one of those chairs? Christine is just one of the many artists in the collective. You can get a peek at some of the other wonderful work in the Galleria here. (And for those who want to channel their inner Van Gogh, the Galleria also offers art classes.)

The Main Avenue Galleria was a cozy little refuge on a cold spring night--the arts are alive and well here at the Jersey shore!

photo courtesy of Norma, Main Avenue Galleria

image courtesy of Christine Gattuso Rotolo

Beach Reads, Anyone?

Beach season hasn't officially started yet (dang it) but I'll be heading to the shore with some fellow New Jersey authors on March 1. It's part of the Girlfriends' Getaway Weekend in charming Ocean Grove, New Jersey, a location that plays a prominent role in Murder and Marinara, and one of my favorite towns along the shore.

 If you're in the area, stop by and see us!

What I'm Reading: February Edition

My current reading list is a smorgasbord of genres--mystery, contemporary romance, and fantasy. While very different books, each shares an important February theme: love.

I'm just wrapping up Where Memories Lie, Book #12 in Deborah Crombie's popular series featuring Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James. I've been a fan of this series almost since its inception in 1993, and Crombie's in fine form in this entry. Gemma's involvement in a cold case leads her to one that Duncan is handling, and the connection of the two across generations is believable and fascinating. I adore Duncan and Gemma as a couple, and this book provides an oh-so-satisfying surprise at the end.

I'm about to start The Perfect Match, a contemporary romance by none other than the reigning queen of the genre, Kristan Higgins. Just selected by the NY Times as one of the best romances of 2013, the story features a whole bunch of my favorite romance tropes: an endearingly flawed heroine, a marriage of convenience, and a hero with a British accent. Can't wait to curl up with this one!

 Neil Gaiman's Stardust is very much a fairy tale for adults--and a mildly spicy one at that! Young Tristran Thorn goes out on a seemingly impossible quest: capture a fallen star for the beautiful object of his desire. When his journey takes him beyond the high walls of his quiet village into a land of enchantment, he finds unexpected surprises, including the real meaning of love.

Happy Reading, everyone! 

Mary, Mary, and Me

A fourteen year old me, flanked by the formidable Marys

My stories all seem to feature grandmothers. In my Italian Kitchen series, the character of Nonna is a composite of the two women in the photo above. Given that they were so strong a presence in my own life, I think it's my way of keeping them with me. Both my grandmothers were named Mary, but two more different women you could not imagine.  One Mary was tall, big-boned, the kind of woman people termed "handsome." She started going gray in her thirties, but never dyed her hair. No matter what drama was enfolding around her, she kept her counsel and her cool. She suffered the losses of her husband and oldest son with a strength and grace I've never seen in another person.

My maternal grandmother as a young woman

Because she came to this country as a baby, she grew up without an accent, and Americanized herself with great success. I spent the first year of my life under her roof, and growing up, I felt extremely close to her. I have fond memories of trips to the five and dime store and the Grand Union, and I remember her endless patience as she attempted (unsuccessfully) to teach me to knit. When I got my first job, I used to go to her house on a weekly basis to do my laundry and have dinner with her. She's been gone for nearly two decades now, and I'm grateful that she lived long enough to know my oldest son.

My other Mary was pretty, petite, and unapologetically vain about her appearance--a trait I seemed to have inherited, along with her facial structure. Sharp-witted and sharp-tongued, she was unafraid to speak her mind. She was also a gifted seamstress. If you can get past the polyester, take a close look at the dress she's wearing in the top photo. Note the cute collar and the unusual seaming--her design, as were all her clothes. She made me every dance costume I ever wore, and mine were always the envy of the other girls! In many ways, I think she was a woman out of her time. She worked her whole married life, and once confessed to my aunt that she had always wanted to learn fashion design, but never had the money to go to school. It was from her I learned to sew, as well as to appreciate good tailoring. She retained her accent, her hair color, and her sassy attitude until the day she died--at the age of 102, by the way. I hope I've inherited her longevity as well. When I look at that picture above, I get a pretty good sense of what I'll look like in about 15 years. I could do worse.

My paternal grandmother at about 20

I feel that Nature has played a cruel trick on me. As a middle-aged woman myself, I've come to appreciate my grandmothers in ways I never did as a young girl. I have so many questions I'll never be able to ask them, and so much to tell them in return.  In the meantime, I'll give my characters their nonnas. But I'll never stop missing my own.

                                                                                           ♥ ♥ ♥

Whatcha Got Cookin'?

It's clear from the photo what I'm about today:

My favorite part of the holiday--Christmas baking. I associate holiday baking with my childhood, my boys' childhood (though the days of decorating gingerbread boys have long gone), and most significantly, time spent in my grandmothers' kitchens. Each year I looked forward to Mema C's spritz cookies and Mema G's sesame biscotti, so I shouldn't wonder that my own sons have their own favorites from my kitchen. Magic bars--a cookie so easy and sugar laden that it comes with its own Eagle brand of guilt--are a must, for example:

That's some sweetened condensed paradise right there.

The other cookie we can't do without are Italian ricotta cookies flavored with anise.Tender little pillows that aren't biscotti, they're soft and sweet. These cookies are featured in The Wedding Soup Murder, which will also include the recipe. The secret is the anise; that gorgeous licorice smell permeates the house when I make these. (Bet you can't eat just one.)

 But what I enjoy most is giving the cookies away. Actually, that's a lie. What I enjoy most is eating them.

Have a wonderful holiday and the happiest of New Years!

 ♥ ♥ ♥

Autumn Faves

October is my favorite month of the year (followed closely by June, July, and August) and I can't let it slip away without celebrating its joys. What do you love about this glorious, golden month?

1. Pumpkins--carved or whole, orange or white and lit with a candle. On the front porch, or in muffins, pies, bread, or cake. But not the ones chewed by squirrels.

2. Color. Color. Color.

 4. Sweaters and scarves.

5. The harvest moon.

6. Sleeping with the windows cracked.

7. And speaking of sleeping, flannel PJs.

8. Walks in the woods.

 

9. The start of winter cooking: soups, stews, and slow-cooked roasts.

10. Halloween, when we're kids again. And when a few of us make ourselves sick on candy corn.