In A New York Kind Of Mind

My time in NY for this year is nearly over. As always, I'm sad to leave. This city is such a special place, and I'm so lucky, the friends I have here are such special people, too. It's always a great treat, being here.

What shall I tell you about New York City that you don't already know?
It's huge. But then again, not as huge as one would think. It's loud, but it has sweet, tranquil corners. It's dirty, but then you drive up Park Avenue and there are all the Niki de Saint Phalle statues set up in the middle of the road.
New York City speaks all the time. It whispers, hums, moans and sings. It howls if there's need for that, and it talks to itself in moments of boredom.
It's a great beast stretched out in the sun, the turtle of life,  patiently carrying the parasites of humanity and everything that comes with them on its back. It has forgotten most of itself over the centuries, but its still there, and it still breathes.

Men have tethered it to its place. They call these shackles "bridges" and "tunnels", but the beast knows better. It knows that only one shrug would free it and toss aside the small creatures that hustle around on its
shell of concrete. It lets them build new towers and expand into the sky.

It lets them light up its night and disturb its sleep, and it lets them scurry and hurry across its back during the day.

It feeds them, and it breeds them. They are the beast's pets. They are its children, and it lets them play in its lap, and even bring their friends.

I'm imagining it watching me leave with sad eyes, eyes as large as little moons, humming at me to return some day, to not forget it completely.
As if I ever could. As if I ever would.
I'm taking the words hidden in that hum with me, the ones that say, "You haven't seen all. There are many secrets left. Come back to me, and I will show you."

And, leaving, I promise: I will be back.

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A Picture, And One Thousand Words

This trip is turning out to be quite a lot about food.
Which doesn't mean that I didn't get good food, and plenty of it, last year, but this time around I'm playing at "lunching out", and that's a totally different thing.

See what I mean: lunch with PJ Kaiser on Monday.

There's this lovely bistro around the corner, right here in Jersey City.
You have to remember this place, because here I was introduced to... BANANA CREAM PIE!
Banana cream pie is a little piece of heaven that found a new home on Earth. It may even be a serious rival to cheesecake, and that's saying something.

Yep, I just remembered in time to take a photo of it, before it was all gone. Lucky me!

Yesterday I went to Manhattan. On my own. In a cab. All the way from Jersey City to Penn Station, to meet someone I hadn't ever met before.
Now you must know that most of my life I've never done anything on my own. Or rather, most of my life I didn't feel like doing anything on my own, because there is always my hubby to go with me. I don't even much enjoy going downtown alone on my own at home, let alone in NYC.
But I did.
I told the driver where to drop me off, got out of the cab, and went into Penn Station, expecting to be lost and calling Emily to come rescue me.
But, no.
I managed! My friend was waiting for me right where we had said we would meet, and we had no trouble at all recognizing each other.

Someone on Facebook said for me to go and visit the "Serendipity" restaurant. It was a lovely place with great food and somehow connected to a movie or other... and for want of better ideas that's where we went, Val and I.
How blasé can you get: two women in a NY cab, being whisked from Penn Station all the way up to 60th St., right past the United Nations buildings, talking about their road to being published authors.

I still don't know what the special thing about this place is, but it was really fun. The entrees were great, but the desserts were amazing. I mean, really, really amazing.
Here's Val, slurping here "Frozen Hot Chocolate".

And here's my cheesecake. I think this cheesecake is better than Junior's, and that's saying something. Seriously.

The hot fudge was divine, but the cheesecake itself was perfect. Perfect. Perfect.

Leaving the place, we found this charming man sitting at a small table next to the entrance. He was signing books. When I picked one of them up to browse he informed me that he was the owner of Serendipity, and then went on to explain the images on the mugs they are selling to me. Needless to say, I'm one mug richer.
This journey will go into the annals as the mug-trip. Just wait and see.
I'm also two cook books richer. Not that I'll ever attempt to copy this cheesecake, but it feels good to have the recipe. And who knows. Maybe I just will.

Sorry, this photo is a little blurry, but I was still in this total state of cheesecake bliss. I'm sure you understand.

Times Square.
I know. A short while ago I said I'd be willing to live there in a tent, I loved it that much.
Uhm, no.
Either I've grown old within a year or I was delusional and utterly crazy last summer. Maybe it was because we just drove by, and it was nice and cool inside the car. But this summer, walking down Fashion Ave. in the humid, blistering heat of a July afternoon, it wasn't half as much fun as I'd thought it would be.
Still, here's the obligatory photo of a tourist in NYC. This is Val, btw. Not me.

It's hard to see from this pic that it was about (felt!) 110F, right?
Times Square on a July day: hot, humid, gritty, noisy, stinky and crowded.
Val said, "I wonder how many people would be left if they took away all the tourists? I think... like... six?"
I think she's right.

Oh, before I forget: I nearly, really NEARLY bought a purse. A $400 purse, and in lime green, too. I loved that purse. I wanted it. Badly. But I was good and didn't buy it. See, I can be frugal. Sort of.

Oh, since this is a blog about food, mostly: Here's my birthday dinner at Carnegie's. Yes, this is a pastrami sandwich. And yes, I know it's decadent, to say the least. But it was a fabulous birthday dinner, with much beloved friends.

And here's what the others had.

Tomorrow I'll go and visit the publisher. I'm very excited about that!
So expect a more "literary" blog post in a couple of days, ok?

And now excuse me while I go and get the left-over apple pie out of the fridge for breakfast.

Half A Million Miles From Home, At Home.

If you don't have a window seat in one of these big planes that nowadays fly across the Atlantic a trip from Germany to the US doesn't seem a a trip at all anymore.
It's more like being in a movie theater that shivers a bit from time to time, and with full service included.
I mean, Lufthansa really serves decent meals, and with style. No plastic knives and forks, and real food. Hot, tasty, and clearly recognizable as food.
Oh wait - they serve cocktails before feeding you. Someone once told me that everybody likes to drink tomato juice on a plane because it tastes better in high altitude, but I think that's a fable. It's good, but not better. I also think that some people shamelessly take advantage of the free drinks.

I watched the "Hunger Games" on this flight. Didn't make it quite through the entire movie, and I wasn't overly impressed. The hype passed me by. We had movies like that before. In a way, it reminded me of "Logan's Run" and "Soylent Green". Do you remember Logan's Run? That girl had the greatest legs ever. Jenny Agutter was her name I believe.

Funny thing is, I had to come all the way to NYC to watch Downton Abbey. Loving it! That show clearly tells me that I'm living in the wrong house. And I need a maid and a footman. No idea what I need them for, but now I do. In addition to a housekeeper, of course. Won't go into the social thing. I just want that beautiful house and the lovely Edwardian dresses. Call me shallow. But I love pretty.

Oh, immigrations! This time I HAVE to mention immigrations.
After my experiences at the Canada/USA border last summer I was in a panic about immigrations. One wrong answer, and that's it for you, right.
But not so! The immigration people at JFK are the nicest, most courteous, and attentive people. They make you feel welcome to the US, and they wish you a lovely day! THIS is the America I've known for so long! BIG kudos to whoever picked the men and women doing that job at this airport.
I was asked only ONE question: "Have you been to the US before?"
And I replied that yes, indeed, I had traveled here, they wished me a lovely day and stamped my passport. I was through in less than a minute!

Keith and Emily came to pick me up.
Driving back to their house was a strange, a lovely and actually weird experience. It felt as if I'd never been away! New York felt familiar. The streets felt familiar. It was exciting in the way it wasn't exciting.
This was the reason why I wanted to come back, and come back here, to this exact place:
visiting a city or people once is a wonderful experience. Visiting them again, is making them real. It means making them familiar, well-known, comfortable.
It's taking them out of a "once-in-a-lifetime" into "I'm at home with you".

In a few days I'll go and see my beloved publisher again, too. I'm excited about that, but in a different way than last year.
This time around I'm going to meet a friend, someone I've come to know well over the last year.
I'm looking forward to hanging out with her, the way friends do, and not only business partners.
In that, I'm the luckiest person. I have the publisher I need for me to be the best writer I can be, and she's also the greatest friend. Lucky, lucky, lucky me.

So here I am now, in Jersey City, on a sunny Monday morning, drinking coffee and eating a raspberry jam sandwich. It's my birthday, I was on the phone for an hour with afore-mentioned publisher, and there will be pastrami sandwiches and cheesecake for dinner.
I'm taking Keith and Emily to Carnegie's.
And I'll bring back a jar of pickles. Those Carnegie pickles... yum!

Tomorrow, Penn Station and a meet-up with @southboundcat's Mommy!
Stay tuned!

How To Entertain Your Teenager

You didn't really expect an instant recipe, did you?

Here's the problem. It's called "summer break". I'm alone with The Kid (nearly 18) for two weeks while my hubby's gone to teach summer classes at an academy for highly talented children.
The kid's BB (best buddy) has been hogged by his family, and even worse, his GF (girl friend) has gone to the mountains with her sister and parents for a bit of hiking and climbing.
We are alone.

For all it matters, we could as well be alone on the space station. Or during winter in a science station in Antarctica. In that scenario, I would be the always busy and always enthused explorer, and the kid would be the love-sick guy mooning around in the kitchen. Or in his bunk. Or playing Tetris on the computer.
The REAL problem is, I'm the Mom, and consequently boring by default, and he's the teenager, bored.

"Let's go to the mall, kiddo. I'll buy you some new shirts, a DVD of your choice, and while we're there, we can have lunch!"
"Sure, Mom."

And you end up with a tall, unshaved, moody hulk slouching along beside you.
Just fabulous.

"Wanna go downtown?"
"Nah."

"Wanna go visit Dad at his academy?" (Which is located in a very pretty vacation spot on the North Sea! Beach and all!)
"Nah. Boring."

Sigh.

"Would you like to play Skyrim? I'll read you all the cheats!"
"You get on my nerves when we play Skyrim. You talk too much."

"Want to go to the movies?"
"Yeah, but I want to see Avengers!"
Right, I talked him into MIB 3, which was ok with him since that was on his list anyway.

A real highlight of the day for him is when the GF calls. Then he's gone for an hour into his room, and returns with misty eyes. Which is totally ok with me.
The mood in this house is not the best.
"Look, my new book cover! Do you like it?"
"Yeah, Mom, I get that you're a successful author now. You don't have to tell me."
NOTHING takes your enthusiasm out of you like that, trust me.

Here's the killer though.
"Would you like to come to NY with me if I could take you?"
"Nah. Don't dig sightseeing."

SERIOUSLY?

I'm off to make lunch now. He still loves his food. And the GF will be back on Friday.
YAY for girlfriends.
Mothers don't count once a kid is eighteen.
Come to think of it, I even believe that's a good thing.


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A Housewife With A Half-Life!

It's a great pleasure to be part of Alison's blog hop!

She has just released her novel "Housewife With A Half-Life", the very funny account of Susan and her adventures in other worlds.

To be QUITE honest: Alison had the same idea I had. A while ago I outlined a possible science fiction story to my publisher, but I can save myself the effort of ever writing it: Alison has done it already! 

So here, today, I've put some tough questions to the author A.B.Wells. 






         When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?

Probably when I was about ten! I’ve been writing all my life. When I was a teenager I thought I would be a journalist. I submitted my first manuscript – a children’s story – when I was eighteen and received a lovely handwritten reply of encouragement. In college I studied both Communication Studies and later Psychology, allowing me to explore both writing and the human mind. Eventually I worked as a writer of scripts for computer based training courses but it’s only in the last few years that I’ve written continuously and tried to make a career of writing. 






Is “Housewife” the first book you attempted? What gave you the idea for the story?

No it’s not my first attempt. I have two mainstream novels in the proverbial drawer which I see as practice runs. In 2010 I had an idea for a literary novel and the idea for the sci-fi comedy that became Housewife with a Half-Life. I was about to embark on the writing challenge Nanowrimo (where you write 50,000 words in a month) and was at a phase of life when I needed to work on something lighter. I came to the story through a series of notes rather than one significant idea, the characters of Susan Strong and Fairly Dave stood out. It was when I began writing the book that more and more situations and characters emerged. 

        You have chosen Science Fiction to start out your writing career. Will you stick to this    genre? What do you think of “genre-hopping”, or of the rule to stick to one?

It’s important to publishers to identify a genre so that they focus their marketing efforts but there are many examples of cross-genre books in the public eye. One example is Audrey Niffenegger, her books have a very strong sci-fi element although they are marketed as general women’s fiction. While my book is termed a sci-fi comedy, it’s also got a wide appeal, particularly to women and mothers. The science and the tone of the book is light. So while it is important to choose a genre, I think it’s equally important for variety and creativity for there to be flexibility in combining genres. The way publishers and readers handle this is by create subgenres eg urban fantasy. 

 “Housewife” is self-published. What made you decide to go this way? Did you attempt to find an agent or publisher before deciding to self-publish?

There are several reasons. I did first attempt to get Housewife with a Half-Life traditionally published but only tried two publishers. They saw positives but did not know where it would fit with their catalogues. At the same time I was associated online with many indie authors and admired their energy and artistic freedom. I felt that self-publishing was an optimistic step I would like to take. However I don’t think I would have taken the plunge until I chatted with my editor and other respected writing professionals who thought that Housewife with a Half-Life would be a good candidate for trying as a self-published venture. 

I am still actively trying to get an agent and have a literary novel on submission. 

 Do you have help with the “publishing” side of being a self-published writer?

Self-publishing is a huge learning curve and it’s true to say that organizing all the elements is massively time consuming, particularly the marketing side. However I have had assistance from a variety of professionals. Sarah Franklin edited the book and other friends and associates proofread it. Andrew Brown of DesignforWriters worked on the eye-catching cover. My technically minded husband was of enormous practical help for the upload and formatting for files for ebook and paperback. I’m also about to sign up to join the wonderful Alliance of Independent Authors who provide structured support services to authors going it alone. Finally, I’ve been really lucky that a local bookshop of the Irish Hughes & Hughes chain have offered to stock the book and hold a launch and book signing. They are working hard on promotion and it really makes a difference to have a third party working on your behalf. 

 Are you working on a new project yet? 

Yes, I’ve just completed a literary novel called The Book of Remembered Possibilities and it’s about to be submitted after a final read over. It has very similar themes to Housewife with a Half-Life in a way – search for identity, the alternative lives we might have lived – although it has a more serious tone? I’m also on the first draft of a novel based on one of my short stories called The Exhibit of Held Breaths. It’s about an unusual exhibit which strongly affects the exhibit’s curator and the town’s inhabitiants. I’m very excited to have received a place on a writing retreat for eight days to work on it. 

What’s the best part of being a writer for you, and what the worst?

The best and worst bits of being a writer are the same – the writing and how you feel about it! You either feel that you are crafting something fantastic or that what you have written is rubbish and there’s no way of knowing when your internal critic will strike! But like most writers I can’t give it up, I have to continue writing, the compulsion will never go away! 

Housewife with a Half-Life is available as a paperback

On Amazon DEAmazon.de

On Amazon UKAmazon.uk

and Amazon US.Amazon.com

The ebook is available on Kindle 

kindle on Amazon.de

 kindle Amazon.com 

 Kindle Amazon.co.uk

More information about A.B. Wells

A.B.Wells is the mother of four children under twelve. She lives in Bray, Co. Wicklow, Ireland. As Alison Wells her more literary writing has been shortlisted in the Bridport, Fish and Hennessy Awards and she’s been published or is about to be in a wide variety of anthologies and e-zines, including the Higgs Boson Anthology by Year Zero, Metazen, The View from Here, Voices of Angels by Bridgehouse and National Flash Fiction day’s Jawbreakers. She recently won the fiction category of the Big Book of Hope ebook with a flash fiction medley and has a  novel The Book of Remembered Possibilities on submission. She blogs for the popular writing website, www.writing.ie and on her own blog about writing and life www.alisonwells.wordpress.com

The blog hop goes on on June 18th at 18^th June Writing on a Wet Rock http://marthawilliams.org/

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The Loneliness Of The eBook Reader

Here. This is the print version of my award winning book.

See? There's the award sticker! It's ON the book, put there by my publisher.
They had this moment of glory when those stickers came in the mail, when they could detach them from the sticker sheet and pick a spot on the book cover to put it.
It must have been a moment of tactile glory. Something they could touch, success, felt in the embossed surface of that plaque.
My publisher tells me  – and they know these things  –  that print sales drop the moment the eBook version is launched. They are all in favor of eBooks, too, tell me they are more profitable, which I believe. It's obvious, right? Less work, less fuss, no print costs, no shipping costs, no mountain of books sitting in storage waiting to be sold.
It's easier for the reader, too. Instant download, no shelf space, no extra weight in the luggage when you travel, and it's also much easier to read from a highlighted screen that from paper on a plane.
There's no denying that – I bought an iPad just the other day for my travels this summer, and yes, I downloaded books that I've always meant to read but never got around to buying.

I've also downloaded some movies. And before I leave I'll buy ALL of Dr. Who to watch on the plane.

Here's the thing, though. I have to admit this wasn't my own thought. It was brought up by my best friend's  daughter. She's twenty-two, a math student, and an avid reader and music lover.
While we were having coffee together today, this subject came up.
We were talking about the launch of my new book, "Under The Same Sun", scheduled for October 1st. I said that I had no idea how many copies would actually be printed because the demand for eBooks seems to be so much higher, and how glad I was that it says in my contract that I'm getting ten copies. I love to have my own books in print. I WANT to have my own books in print!
Constanze threw me a very sad, very thoughtful glance and said, "Soon there won't be any shops at all anymore because everyone buys everything online."
That made me think.
She went on to say that for her (she's twenty-two! A member of the electronic generation!) going to a book store was an adventure. It meant foraging for new books, leafing through them, talking to people, listening to reading advice, and finally coming away with a bag full of loot, something she could hug to herself on the ride home. She also said that even though she didn't have a whole lot of time to read just now, she really enjoyed just looking at her book shelves, seeing all the books she loves so well there. It gives her the feeling that she can pick out one at any moment and read. It's tactile, it's real, it's a friend.

The movies, she said. People don't go to the movies like they used to, with TV on demand, cheap DVDs and film downloads.
The record stores – why spend time at a record store, browsing through CDs, if you can just download the songs you want from iTunes?

"We are creating a society of loneliness," was her verdict, "We don't have to leave our homes for anything at all anymore. But it's fun to go to the movies and share the experience with a theater full of people, and it's fun to buy a book because an enthusiastic sales person tells you what they thought of it. It's an adventure, one of the last adventures we city creatures have, to go to a book store and find new books. If it goes on like this we'll all be spending all our time in front of computers, on our own, cut off from other people, and gratify our needs speedily and without having to talk to anyone else at all. We won't even need clothes anymore because no one else will see us."

I'd not seen it like that before.

I'm an author. I want to hold my book, the book a publisher took the trouble to publish, in my hands.
I also want to go on book signing tours, make contact with my readers, look into their faces and hear their opinions of my novels. I want to meet the REAL people.

What I'm trying to say is, maybe not everything that's new is also a blessing.
Maybe there will come a day when we regret not having a print copy of the book we love so much.
A paper book can't easily be taken away from you. An electronic copy can just be deleted.


My publisher posted a blog post about the same subject today. They know better than I do, of course, being involved in the market while I'm only the writer. If you want to read their insights, go here:

http://amwriting.org/archives/11880






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The WriterMama Giveaway

Today I am featured over at Christina Katz' blog, The Prosperous Writer, as part of her fifth annual daily book giveaway.

So, if you would like a chance to win my book today and books by other authors all month long, come on over to http://christinakatz.com and answer a daily question about your writing process.

You can "win" just by participating, even if you don't get selected by random drawing to "win" a book.

This is all part of an annual effort by Christina to support the author mama community and the writer mama community and to bring the two communities together.

Hope you will swing by and participate to win!