I’m really excited to have Hannah from Word Lily on my blog today featuring one of the yummy author recipes!  Today’s recipe is a Espresso and Cardamom Rub which was shared with us in my interview with Leslie Patricelli whom has the most adorable board books ever.  I love them! Unfortunately, I don’t love coffee so I am thrilled that Hannah does and was gracious enough to give us the low-down!  Hannah . . .

When I first looked at the Espresso and Cardamom Rub recipe on Maw Books Blog after saying I’d try it out, I was a little bit confused: It’s called an espresso and cardamom rub, but the recipe didn’t have any cardamom! Well, this was confusing, but also unacceptable.

I was excited to try it because my husband and I both quite like coffee and cardamom. Sounds like a good fit, right?

I tracked down the original recipe, and found that it did contain cardamom:

ESPRESSO AND CARDAMOM RUB for beef, pork and chicken thighs and legs
1/4 c finely ground espresso roast coffee
1/4 c kosher sea salt
1/4 c packed dark brown sugar
3 T hot paprika
1 T ground cardamom
1 T ground ginger
2 t garlic powder

I had to substitute for the hot paprika because I couldn’t find any. Gourmet Sleuth recommended substituting Hungarian Paprika plus a pinch of cayenne, so that’s what I did.

I measured all the ingredients into a bowl and

stirred it all together (breaking up the small but inevitable clumps of brown sugar).

Once the dry rub was assembled, I realized I didn’t quite know how to use one! ChefTalk to the rescue this time. A rub, it stated, “is a massage given to meat, seafood, fowl — even vegetables — immediately before cooking or a few hours prior to grilling.” We poured about half of the rub into a smaller bowl, sprinkled it onto the steaks and then my husband rubbed it into both sides of two 1-pound-plus sirloins steaks.

We let the dry-rubbed steaks rest until the grill was hot, which wasn’t very long.

We had about half of the rub left (or maybe a bit more), which I stored in a jar with a tight-fitting lid (as instructed).

We were surprised that the flavor wasn’t stronger than it was. I found it quite flavorful, it’s just that we expected it to be more so. It was definitely yummy! I think next time we use the rub, we’ll apply it further ahead of time so the rub has more time to permeate the meat. I think I also was probably a bit shy on my use of cayenne to supplement my normal paprika — I’ve been burned by cayenne a few times, and I didn’t want to use too much — I’m guessing the pinch suggested by the experts is in addition to normal amounts for spices, in the 1 teaspoon or 1 tablespoon range, whereas this recipe called for 3 tablespoons. Instead of a just a few shakes, I probably should have used a more measurable amount, because the heat didn’t really come through at all for us.

Thanks for a great recipe, and a new cooking experience, Leslie Patricelli and Natasha!

Visit Hanna at her blog Word Lily.  Visit Leslie Patricelli’s website, check out her books, and read the author interview.

In this photo the chocolate and milk are being mixed in a double boiler.

Afterwards, it’s blended with the dry ingredients and I baked it in a bunt pan.

The funny thing was that the recipe said to sift the flour not once, not twice but four times!  After sifting it twice, I mentioned on Twitter than my hand was seriously aching.  Everybody said to stop sifting and move on!  Move on, I did.

Mary Ann Rodman also provided a glaze recipe and I obviously didn’t know how to drizzle it on, as I totally overdid it and it pooled all over the plate.  But I’m creative!  I just covered it with strawberries.

Overall, it was an okay cake.  The taste was great but it was on the dry side.  I honestly don’t know if it was the fault of the baker (which would be easy) or the fault of the recipe.  But nobody complained!

Our book club has a reputation of themed refreshments and everybody seemed impressed I could come up with a World War II ration cake.   Making a recipe like this would be fun for kids who are learning about the home front during World War II or other such historical fiction books. I said the same thing when I made Shauna Burg’s Butter Bean cookies, but it’s true, it’s so much fun to make a connection in such a tangible way!

Links of interest: Maw Books review for Jimmy’s Stars by Mary Ann Rodman, author interview, part 1 and part 2, and the nasty tomato aspic photos.   Mary Ann Rodman’s website.
Jimmy’s Stars is available from your local independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

The ingredients.   Yes, that would be tomato, celery, gelatin, cayenne, salt, lemon juice, lettuce, and mayonnaise.  It can’t get any better than that.

The tomatoes and celery ready to boil together.

After it’s boiled, gelatin added and put in the mold to form.

Perhaps the grossest photo I’ve ever shared on the blog.  Served atop lettuce and garnished with mayo.

SO!  During my book club meeting I asked for two volunteers who would be willing to try a dish that they ate from the book.  Most immediately though of the tongue they ate.  Another thought it was the salmon pea wiggle.  Two brave book clubbers volunteered before they knew what they’d be trying.

And to gross you out even more, here they are taking a bite.  Notice.  I said bite.  After one bite each, they both had to run to the sink for water.

My husband took a bite later and literally gagged.  I had a hard enough time making it, I didn’t try it at all.

Truly, the most disgusting dish I’ve ever made.  I’d link you over to the recipe, but seriously who would make this anyways?  Well, okay, maybe if you’re like me and reading Jimmy’s Stars as part of our book club reading, then maybe, just maybe you might be tempted too.

On a better note, I did make a rationed chocolate cake for book club (I’m seriously impressed with myself with keeping up with our book clubs themed food) which is also a recipe that came from Mary Ann Rodman.  Post coming up for that soon. Edited to add link to chocolate cake recipe!

I dare ya.  I dare one of ya to waste perfectly good tomatoes, celery, lettuce, and mayo on such a dish.  Any takers?!

Links of interest: Maw Books review for Jimmy’s Stars by Mary Ann Rodman and author interview, part 1 and part 2.  Mary Ann Rodman’s website.
Jimmy’s Stars is available from your local independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

So let’s turn the post over to Cindy!

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When I first saw Natasha’s comments on twitter looking for a fellow blogger to help her out I decided without hesitation to offer my assistance. Not that it had anything to do with the recipe she was offering, which just happens to be my favorite chocolate covered strawberries.

I went and grabbed the recipe to print from the blog and was reading it over. I wanted to make sure that I had everything and what I didn’t I would go out and buy. When I saw that I needed a syringe I began to wonder how could I possibly get a syringe. Honestly I have never needed one so I had no clue how to go about it.   After calling my pharmacy I was told I could buy one from them.

My plan was to make them for Easter but I was unable to make them. I had told my friend that I was making them and she said to keep some for her. That night I had called her to tell her I burned my hand and funny enough she thought I burned it will making the chocolate covered strawberries. Sadly no that wasn’t the case, I didn’t burn my hand that way. With not being able to make them for Easter I was wondering when I would get the chance to make them, although I really didn’t need a reason to make them, who doesn’t like chocolate covered strawberries? The next chance would be my son’s birthday party that we had with family which was this past weekend.

Putting the Grand Marnier in was the easiest part. After two failed chocolate burnings and setting the alarms off I quickly decided to use a double boiler to melt the chocolate. Which worked really well. If you happen to make this then I suggest using this method. It was easy and no chocolate was burned.

The adults loved the Grand Marnier Infused Chocolate Covered Strawberries and were surprised to discover that the Grand Marnier was inside the strawberries. They thought that it was in the mixed into the chocolate. I also made alchol free chocolate covered strawberries for the younger ones. Everyone loved it and I keep getting asked to make more which I will be doing in the summer with the fresh local strawberries.

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Thanks Cindy!  It looks like a great success!  Special thank you to Cindy of Cindy’s Love of Books for today’s guest post, do go check out her great blog!

Links of interest: The Grand Marnier Infused Chocolate Covered Strawberries recipe.  Maw Books interview with Michael Lee West, book review of Mermaids in the Basement.  Mermaids in the Basement is available from your local independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.  Michael Lee West website.

What I found fascinating about The Secret Keeper is that the author Paul Harris is also a journalist who covered the war in Sierra Leone.  I wanted to know how much of his personal experience played into the writing of this book and was thrilled to be able to ask Paul some of those questions.  Please welcome Paul to the Maw Books Blog . . .

Maw Books:  How and why did you become a journalist? Can you briefly share a few highlights from your career?

Paul Harris: I always wanted to be a journalist and I think I have been lucky to have had that ambition from a young age. When I was about 9 years old I started a newspaper at my school (it lasted one edition!). So it was simply a matter of doing student journalism, getting a journalism qualification and then battling to get a job. The reasons why I  wanted to be a journalist are a mix. Every journalist (I would hope) wants to change the world a little bit for the better. But every honest journalist should admit that it’s a chance to have an awful lot of fun, see some exotic places and get to see your name in print. My main highlight would be covering the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa. It was a panel set up by archbishop Desmond Tutu to examine apartheid era crimes by all sides. It was a privilege to watch a nation try to heal itself like that, with all the moral compromises and complexities that that involved.

Maw Books:  Starting a newspaper at nine?  It’s no surprise you became a journalist!  You spent a month in Sierra Leone covering the civil war.  It is obviously this experience that drove you to write The Secret Keeper.  But you’ve also covered many other conflicts across Africa and elsewhere. Why did you choose this story over any of the other stories that you could have told?

Paul Harris: I think Sierra Leone held the most fascination because for me it was the most extreme experience.  More so than two months embedded with the military during the invasion of Iraq or other conflicts which I just dipped in and out of.  In Sierra Leone I was operating alone, in a strange country amid utter chaos.  It was a heady mixture of excitement and fear.  It was also the conflict that put a full stop on my African experience. I decided to leave shortly after.

Maw Books:  I can only imagine the things you must have seen and heard.  Why write a novel in the first place?  Is it something that you have always wanted to do or have been interested in?  What led you to turn from journalism writing to novel writing?

Paul Harris: I always wrote fiction, especially when I was a child. I fell in love with Tolkien and spent many hours writing my own stories set in fantasy worlds (writing a fantasy book is still a secret ambition of mine). Then, after I had left Africa, I decided to take my desire to write a novel seriously and followed the dictum: write what you know. So I began the process of taking some of my own experiences as a setting and starting to work what sort of themes I wanted to explore.

Maw Books:  Was it easy or difficult to switch to a different style of writing for The Secret Keeper from your journalism writing?

Paul Harris: It was very liberating actually. Fiction is an opportunity to play around and say exactly what you want. Journalism has rules to stop that sort of thing.

Maw Books:  I imagine being an war correspondent stationed abroad can be very frustrating when faced with the ignorance of others who either have little to no interest in the stories that you are risking your life to bring to them.  Do you think you can reach a new demographic with a novel (as opposed to journalism writing), to those who may not be aware of some of the current conflicts around the world?

Paul Harris: Definitely. The best fiction can bring the most obscure parts of the world to people’s attention and reach people that don’t consume too much news or have become disillusioned with it. I imagine that Khaled Hosseini has done more to bring Afghanistan alive for people than a thousand news stories.  Perhaps, hopefully, what happens is someone will read the fiction and then be inspired to find out more about the reality.

Maw Books:  I must admit that Hosseini spurred my desire to read more books that take place in Afghanistan, which I’m lucky to say I have.  What do you hope the reader learns, if anything, after reading The Secret Keeper?

Paul Harris: I think, at heart, it’s a story about moral complexity. That very few things are black and white. Good people do bad things, bad people do good  things. Everything is a shade of grey.

Maw Books:  What was the personal emotional impact on you from your experience in Sierra Leone?  How does covering war stories change you?  And how do you suppress this emotion in your journalism writing?

Paul Harris: It was pretty intense. I thought I was fine but after I left (and was incredibly relieved to get out) I noticed that I was behaving in certain strange ways: edgy, short-tempered, constantly nervous. I remember walking through a Nairobi street when a car exhaust backfired several times and it set my heart racing so much I thought I was about to have a panic attack.  But I think for most journalists the impact of covering conflicts will be as varied as the person. Some very fine friends make their whole careers out of it. Some of them thrive, others become very damaged. For me, it gave me a great sense of perspective and the preciousness of life and a feeling that war truly is the greatest folly of mankind. As for suppressing the emotion in writing, I think the simple rules of writing journalism will keep a lot of it out. But also a little bit of emotion – and breaking those rules – is generally a good thing. There is no such things as true objectivity, especially about tragedy, and nor should there be.

Maw Books:  Was the experience of writing The Secret Keeper cathartic in any way?  A way for you to release some of the emotions that you felt while in Sierra Leone or any other war torn country?

Paul Harris: I think it was. It felt good to get it out on the page, probably more than I realized I needed.

Maw Books:  After witnessing so much real-life drama how do you recreate that drama in The Secret Keeper?  How are real life emotions different than emotions as written on a page?

Paul Harris: What a fascinating question. I think (I hope) that I tried to recreate that drama as accurately as possible and give my characters emotions that would ring true. I think authors should aim to recreate authenticity. Because readers are not fools and will spot a fake. So I guess it is up to the readers to say if I have succeeded or not.

Maw Books:  How have the real life people you met in Sierra Leone influenced the characters/personalities in your book?

Paul Harris: A lot, but not all. The romance between Danny and Maria was inspired by an affair that a colleague and a local aid worker were having.  Kam, Danny’s driver and fixer, was based entirely on my driver in real life. Ali was inspired by a guy I met on a helicopter trip.  I did not even speak to him, but he just looked so… shady and yet totally at home in his environment. I just extrapolated him from there. The scenes in the hotel bar were all taken from real life. That place was a real “Star Wars” bar that everyone went to every night. Covering a conflict like that at leaves gives one a vast amount of exotic source material.

Maw Books:  I thought Kam was quite the character!  How much (if any) of you is there in Danny?  Is there anything specifically that happened to him that is based upon your real life experiences?

Paul Harris: I think inevitably there is a lot there. A friend pointed out that there is very little physical description of Danny in the book and I guess that is because in my mind’s eye he was basically me. There are several specific incidents inspired by real life events: the shooting outside the RUF leader’s house, the trip to Bo and the fire fight up country towards the end of the book. Mining those events for fictional purposes did feel a little surreal at times.

Maw Books: Knowing what your author photo looked like I have to admit that I kept picturing Danny as you.  And what fascinating experiences!  Was there a particular scene that you knew you had to write about?  That never changed from the moment you conceived it?

Paul Harris: Weirdly, the last sentence was pretty much the first sentence that came to my mind. Writing the book felt like a journey to get to that point and though it took lots of turns and twists, I felt I never really lost sight of it.

Maw Books:  What surprised you most about your book and/or characters as you were writing? Did anything turn out radically different than you’d originally thought it would?

Paul Harris: This is a tough one. I had an unusual experience writing the character of Danny’s girlfriend, Rachel. I wanted her to be a sympathetic, good person.  But at the end of the first draft my editor said she didn’t really care for her at all, saying she came over as negative and complaining. With that in mind I went back and reread those bits of the book with a fresh eye and was astonished to discover she was right. I had written her in print in a way completely different than what I thought I had. So I went back and rewrote her parts to do her more justice.

Maw Books:  While I was reading The Secret Keeper I kept visualizing the story as a movie playing out in my head.  If The Secret Keeper were a movie, who would you cast as your characters?

Paul Harris: That’s a fun question. A lot of people say it feels very cinematic. Perhaps Penelope Cruz as Maria. As Danny is inspired by some of my own experiences, I think modesty forbids me making any suggestions. I’ll leave it to readers’ imaginations. They are likely to be more honest than mine.

Maw Books:  I could totally see Penelope Cruz as Maria.  Good choice!  Can you briefly share with us what you think the current state of Sierra Leone is and what you think is in it’s future?

Paul Harris: Sierra Leone – I am delighted to say – is doing well. It is still desperately poor and has huge needs, but the war is over and has been for almost a decade now. Progress is slow but with such a history any sort of progress is to be celebrated. The same can be said of much of the rest of the region where equally devastated countries, like Liberia, are also recovering and stable. It is good news in a troubled world.

Maw Books:  I was haunted with the blank stares and listless ex-child soldiers as you wrote about them in the book.  Maria, works for an orphanage that took in ex-child soldiers in an attempt to rehabilitate them and place them into homes.  Will you share with us some of your experiences with child soldiers in Sierra Leone? Is enough being done for them?  What, in your opinion, needs to be done?

Paul Harris: My experiences were mostly limited to meeting them at  roadblocks and trying to negotiate my way through them. It is incredibly scary and also incredibly sad, to meet such young children, armed with machine guns, drunk and high and dangerous, and yet fundamentally still children who respond to a laugh and a smile. It is a problem that felt almost impossible to solve and I am no expert. But they need all the help and understanding they can get to help them recover from traumatising experiences that we can never imagine and yet not lose sight of the fact that they remain children.  Like everything else in Sierra Leone, resources are small and the need is great.  But, at the very least, no more child soldiers are being created.

Maw Books:  I have a special interest in Sudan.  You have spent some time in Sudan.  Can you briefly share a little bit about some of the stories that you covered there?

Paul Harris: I spent some time traveling with Christian missionaries who were buying back black African Sudanese who had been captured in slave raids by Arab Sudanese. I know that sounds incredibly medieval but the South of Sudan back in the 90s was just that kind of place. It is a different world.  I also covered a lovely story on a sort of ‘Olympics’ that aid groups organized in the area for local kids who had little else to enjoy in tough childhoods defined by the ongoing civil war. I loved south Sudan.  People were generous and kind and it really felt like going back in time.  My favourite moment was sleeping in a south Sudanese village, deep in the bush and being awoken by terrible screams and shouts. In the middle of a war zone, you could imagine all sorts of horrors. But the next morning we discovered one of the village elders had had too much to drink and his wife had kicked him out of their hut. It was their argument we had heard.  As someone who fundamentally believes that every human being is basically the same, it was a good lesson in the universality of human experience!

Maw Books:  I’ve read a bit about the slave trade in South Sudan.  It’s just so crazy!  And now for a few more “lighter” questions.  What’s the last book you finished and what’s on your nightstand right now?

Paul Harris: The last book I read was the excellent Columbine by Dave Cullen. I have not got anything on my night stand just yet as I am about to start doing research for a new book and am going to draw up a long non-fiction reading list based around US politics to kick things off.

Maw Books:  What is the best writing advice you have ever received and in turn the best writing advice that you could give?

Paul Harris: The best advice I got was write what you know. It was a great help in giving me the focus to write a book after several false starts over the years on less solid ground. My advice would simply be: a writer writes.  So many people say they have books in them, but never finish what they start.  You have to persevere. To the end. It sounds blindingly obvious, but the main reason most people don’t get published is because they don’t write a book.

Maw Books:  That makes perfect sense.  If you could have dinner with any five people, dead or alive, who would they be and why?

Paul Harris:

Jesus Christ (just to solve the mystery of who he actually was)
Archbishop Desmond Tutu (the most ‘good’ person I have ever met) Aristophanes (great sense of humour)
JRR Tolkien (he created an entire world inside his head)
Mae West (she would make it a proper party)

Maw Books:  Speaking of dinner, a question that I ask of every single author I interview is to share with us a recipe that I will later make and blog about.  Do you have a favorite from your world travels that you would care to share with us?

Paul Harris: Food during a lot of my travels has not been that good (two months of military rations in Iraq!). But here is a dish from Cape Town in South Africa, with its origins in the Cape Malay community, people descended from Malaysian slaves brought over by the Dutch in the 17th Century.  It is called Bobotie and is a bit (only a bit) like a moussaka.

Link to Bobotie recipe.

Maw Books:  Seriously, sounds delicious.  I’m going to try to get everything I need for it.  So what are you doing right now?  Do you have any more books in your future?

Paul Harris: I am just starting a second book. Set against the backdrop of an American presidential campaign. I covered the 2004 and 2008 elections and want to capture some of that amazing excitement and drama. As I said earlier: write what you know.

Maw Books:  Anything else you would like to share with the Maw Books readers?

Paul Harris: Just to say thanks for reading and commenting.  The experience of doing this sort of thing online is a lot of fun and also blogs like Maw Books are so important these days. For readers and for authors.  We’re entering a whole new world together.

Giveaway: I was able to pick up a second copy of The Secret Keeper that I would love to pass on to you.  To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me what you found the most interesting from this interview with Paul Harris.  If you would like to double  your chances of winning, also leave a comment responding to my book review of The Secret Keeper.  Giveaway is open world-wide and I’ll pick a winner on May 27th.

Links of interest:  The Secret Keeper website.  Maw Books review of The Secret Keeper.
Genre:  Mystery/thriller.
Publisher:  Dutton Adult.  April 2nd, 2009
Hardcover, 336 pages.  ISBN: 0525951024
The Secret Keeper is available from your independent bookstore, Powell’s, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.
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Maw Books:  You say you wrote Crocodaddy based on your own memories with your own father and watching  your two sons play in the backyard pool.  What was the moment like when it “clicked” and you realized that you had the base for a fun story?

Kim Norman: Many of my inspirations come from wordplay. I just love words, especially made up words, which kids are good at inventing.  So I kept thinking Crocodaddy MUST be in a book, and probably in rhyme, but… what KIND of book.  That took a bit more time.

Maw Books:  Did you start writing it right away or did you let it “stew” for a bit?

Kim Norman: Yes, I’d say as much as a couple of years. I like to walk in the early morning, and I’d think about it then, during my walks. Not every day for two years, of course, just now and then. Finally I drafted a version that had some solid rhymes and a bit of suspense, but my critique group thought it might be a bit too intense for toddlers, maybe even scary. So during another walk, the rhythm of that refrain came to me, (”Crocodaddy, Crocodaddy, whatcha gonna do?….”) and somehow that added extra playfulness to the story.

Maw Books:  The illustrations for Crocodaddy by David Walker are adorable.  What is it like to put your book into the hands of an illustrator in hopes that they have the same vision as you?

Kim Norman: You know, that is such fun. I always wait with anticipation to see what they come up with. Not just how the characters will look, but also how they add to my story. So far, none of my illustrators have disappointed me in that regard. I often show students during school visits how the illustrators have added to the story beyond my words on the page. I’ve already begun to see sketches for TEN ON THE SLED, one of the two books I’ve got coming out next year. Again, the illustrator made me laugh out loud with humorous touches she added to flesh out my story. And, of course, with CROCODADDY, David Walker’s paintings are so lush, I want to jump into the paintings and join the fun.

Maw Books:  What is your favorite spread in Crocodday and why?

Kim Norman: Gosh, hard to pick just one. Can I cheat and pick 2? The first is “slowly, s-l-o-w-l-y Crocodaddy sinks.” I like not only David’s painting, but the design of the whole page, including the way the book designer arranged the text. (Oh and let me just put in a plug for book designers everywhere, at this point. At Sterling, a young man named Scott was in charge of the book’s overall design. It was he who chose that delightful crocodile-bumpy typeface for the cover, the text arrangements and all that other great stuff. Such an important contribution to the quality of the book.)

Number 2, a page that’s so sweet it speaks for itself without a single word from me, is the final page where dad and son are walking off at the end of a fun day. I won’t give away the delightful surprise on that page, but students always gasp with satisfaction when I point it out.

Maw Books:  That end illustration is wonderful.  You have illustrated books for other authors.  Do you ever intend to illustrate one of your own books?

Kim Norman: Well, to be honest, I just did that one book, THE MUSEUM DUCK, which is sold locally in our county museum. It was a great experience and a nice credit to get me started, but the longer I watch the amazing illustrators in my critique group as well as the illustrators of my own books, the more I know I’d still have to learn if I were ever to illustrate my own books. I’m a graphic artist, but my drawing muscles have withered in the past decade or two thanks to clip art. So, while I’d be very capable of designing the layout and choosing typefaces, I think I’ll have to leave the illustrating to the real pros until I’m closer to retirement, with more time to hone my skills.

Maw Books:  Crocodaddy is the perfect book to read-a-loud to a child because of the tempo and rhyme.  I’m not a writer so I’m clueless on all of this but is getting it just right difficult to do or does it come naturally to you?

Kim Norman: I adore writing in rhyme. It seems to come naturally to me, although I probably picked up many tips and tuned my ear to it by reading old poets when I was a child. Our house was full of my dad’s poetry books, like A Children’s Garden of Verse and A Treasury of the Familiar. Rhyme is the only type of writing I find addictive. I have to keep at it until it’s just right. Other types of writing… I tend to procrastinate. The one downside of writing in rhyme is that — if you change a word — you often have to go up and change the whole stanza above. But that’s fine, too. I always tell my editors, who are a bit apologetic asking me to change things — knowing the extra work of rhyme — that it’s okay. There are always other words to choose from.

Maw Books:  What is the best thing about writing books for children?  And what are some of the challenges of writing books for children?

Kim Norman: Probably the best thing is the kids themselves. Getting to meet them and interact with them at schools, once my book is published. And I seem to still have a childlike outlook about many things — humor, fantasy and imagination — so children’s writing just felt like home to me when I decided to give it a try after dabbling in several genres.

The biggest challenge of writing for children, especially picture books, is that EVERY word must count. There’s no room for extraneous plot points, or even unnecessary words, in a picture book. So editing a picture book usually involves cutting — which can be fun and excruciating at the same time. It’s kind of fun, seeing how tight and spare I can make it, but sometimes that means cutting a phrase or sentence I thought sounded especially nice.

Maw Books:  You were really active in musical theater and love to sing and dance. How has that background influenced your presentations when you go into schools to talk about books and reading?

Kim Norman: It has been immensely helpful. No one ever has to ask me to speak up. Unfortunately for my friends, I tend to speak too loudly on the phone, probably because of all those years of having to project to an audience. I also perform a few songs I wrote myself, so the music always adds a nice highpoint at the end of the presentations — to the younger students, anyway. I usually skip the songs with older students who would think they’re too babyish.

Maw Books:  It’s better to have an outgoing presenter than one who you can hardly hear.  Why do you love to visit schools?  What do you think you get out of it in addition to the kids walking away with a “spark” for the love of books.

Kim Norman: I do love it, probably because I’m a natural-born show-off. I’ve also been a home schooler for about a decade, including teaching classes at several co-ops, so I love teaching, too. I’m pretty good at controlling a crowd. In fact, I had a proud moment last week at a small school, where I’d been warned the 2nd grade class can be rambunctious. At one point, they were all listening intently to the story of my struggles with an “Evil Inner Editor.” (I also show pictures of her, which are good for some laughs.) At the end of that section of the talk, a woman who’d been sitting in the back of the room took a second to introduce herself. Turns out she was the principal, who said she was very impressed that I’d tamed those famously energetic 2nd graders.

Maw Books:  Do you have a funniest moment from your school visits?  A time when a child said something really funny or you had an embarrassing moment?

Kim Norman: Can’t think of anything particularly embarrassing; maybe because I’m hard to embarrass after all those years onstage, rolling with the punches. You’ve got to be prepared for anything in theater, ready with an ad-libbed line if something goes wrong, like the time I played the evil Miss Hannigan in ANNIE. I opened a door at the appointed time and found a chagrined policeman who was supposed to be delivering Annie back to the orphanage. He was alone because “Annie” had forgotten her entrance.

Gotta be quick with the rewrites in a situation like that, so countering a silly question or even a student who is being flippant & rude, (a fairly rare occurrence) — it’s all part of the think-on-your-feet training I had in theater.

I don’t want an audience that’s TOO tame, though. I like enough action and noise to know they’re enjoying the performance. (I do consider it a performance, although there is much more student interaction and participation than if I were simply giving a one-woman show). So there are many places where I invite laughter, especially when I show images of my homely “Evil Inner Editor,” created by a computer program which distorts images like a funhouse mirror.

Maw Books:  I’d love to see you in action!  What were you like as a young reader and what are you like now?  Same?  Different?

Kim Norman: I AM different now. I read almost no nonfiction as a child. I was addicted to fiction back then — absolutely INHALED books during what I call my “golden age of reading” around 5th grade. Read all the great series: Little House, Oz, The Black Stallion, even Freddie the Pig. Then as a young adult I spent about half a decade reading thru 19th century classics: Dickens, Austin, Elliott. Some I liked, some not so much. Now I find myself reading more nonfiction, particularly memoirs, (which — I realize — are probably closer to fiction sometimes!)

Maw Books:  I love memoirs.  Some of my best reads.  What is one book you will never be too old to love?

Kim Norman: Oh dear, do I have to pick only one? In that case, I’ll cheat and pick one from picture books and one from midgrade. In picture books, anything with cumulative verse/repetition, like The House that Jack Built. (Both my books coming out next year are based on cumulative verse classics.) And in mid-grades, I love stories set in the early to mid-20th century. I’m fascinated by the Depression and WWII eras. Not the war part, but the way families were living on the home front. (At which point, I should put in a plug for my friend Doris Gwaltney’s marvelous midgrade set in that time frame, HOMEFRONT, Simon & Schuster, 2006.)

Maw Books: I love books set during World War II too.  I’ve just put Homefront on hold at the library.  If you could have anybody illustrate one of your books, dead or alive, who would you choose and why?

Kim Norman: When my kids were little, and we were checking out books from the library, I always loved Steven Kellogg’s jolly illustrations. So much to see on each page! Someone sent one of my early manuscripts to him, and he kindly responded with a handwritten letter. What a sweet guy. He DID illustrate the book of my good friend Debbie Guarino, Is Your Mama a Llama?, which is still in print after nearly 20 years. That’s amazing in this industry of sometimes yogurt-length shelf life.

After that I discovered Stephen Gammell. You could spend hours looking at  one of his books and still find something new next time you opened it. He illustrated I Know an Old Teacher by Anne Bowen, a member of my critique group, and since I love her, I try not to be too jealous.

But so far, I have been very happy with all the illustrators hired by my publishers. My editors are more familiar with all the talent out there, so I’m content to let them do the choosing.

Maw Books: By the way, I recently met Ann Bowen, she’s a local author to me. This is a question that I ask of every author I review and that’s to have them share a favorite recipe of theirs, whether they appear in their book or not. I try to make it and then blog about it later.  Do you have a yummy favorite recipe that you’d like to share?

Kim Norman: How fun! In the past year or two, I’ve been trying to shake up my side dishes. The same old frozen vegetables can get boring. So one of my favorites is roasted vegetables. Any root vegetables will do, although an absolute MUST for me is parsnips, which I discovered a only couple of years ago and wondered, “Why didn’t someone tell me about this delicious vegetable years ago!!?” In roasted vegetables, the natural sugars in the vegetables caramelize, increasing their sweetness.

Cut the parsnips and other vegetables, (carrots, potatoes, turnips, sweet potatoes, etc.) into chunks, maybe an inch or so. I like to include large slices of red pepper for added color. Place in a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with kosher salt, (and black pepper, if you wish.) Cook in oven, 400 degrees, for about 30 to 40 minutes, turning with a spatula at least once during that time. The parsnips will turn a golden brown and the peppers might blacken in a few spots, but they’re still pretty and yummy that way.

Another great thing about this dish is that the flavors combine, so the veggies taste even better the next day, if you’re lucky enough to have some left over. I’ve been known to eat them for breakfast before anyone else is up, so I don’t have to share. (Bad mom! Bad bad mom!)

Maw Books:  I don’t think I’ve ever had a parsnip in my life.  This sounds delicious!  Tell us a bit about your two upcoming books, I KNOW A WEE PIGGY WHO WALLOWED IN BROWN and TEN ON THE SLED?  And when can we expect to see them?

Kim Norman: Oh, one of my favorite topics: upcoming books! Well, as they say, “the good Lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise,” both books should be released on 2010. Dutton has hired Henry Cole to illustrate WEE PIGGY, which tickles me no end. He is such a prolific and popular illustrator. WEE PIGGY, as the longer title implies, is a variation of “I know an old woman who swallowed a fly,” with colors replacing foods in the repetition pattern. At a county fair, Wee Piggy dashes from one colorful adventure to another, wallowing in brown (mud), yellow (butter), red (canned tomatoes… maybe), etc. I say “maybe” because many of those choices will be left up to Henry Cole to illustrate. I built in a rhyme scheme that allows the reader to guess the color coming up on the next page. (Thank you to my critique group buddy, Joe Kulka, for that great suggestion.)

And TEN ON THE SLED is a phrase that popped into my head one day as a variation of the old favorite “Ten in the bed.” In my version, ten arctic animals find themself in a race with an ever-growing snowball filled with the animals who have been recently ejected from the sled. Liza Woodruff is illustrating that, and I’ve already seen her marvelous first sketches. Sterling is hoping to have the book out by the fall of 2010, in time for the winter/holiday season.

Maw Books:  They both sound fantastic!  I look forward to checking both of them out when the are published.  I wish you the best of luck!  Do you have anything else you’d like to share?

Kim Norman: Can’t think of a thing. You’re a terrific interviewer!

Maw Books: Ah, shucks . . thank you Kim!

Kim Norman: Thank YOU, Natasha!

Links of interest: My book review of Crocodaddy,  Kim Norman website,  David Walker website.
Genre:  Picture book, ages 4-8 (I would put it more like ages 3-6 though)
Publisher:  Sterling.  May 5, 2009
Hardcover, 32 pages.  ISBN 978-1402744600
Crocodaddy by Kim Norman is available from your local independent bookstore, Powell’s, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Check out what other bloggers are saying on the Kidz Book Buzz tour:  A Christian Worldview of Fiction, A Mom Speaks, A Patchwork of Books, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Booking Mama,Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Elizabeth O. Dulemba, Fireside Musings, KidzBookBuzz.com, Looking Glass Reviews, Maw Books Blog, Never Jam Today, Olive Tree, Our Big Earth, Reading is My Superpower, SMS Book Reviews, The 160 Acrewoods, Through a Child’s Eyes

The following photo is all the ingredients for the pie.  The recipe said to make your own Nilla wafer pie crust, but hey, I’m a woman of convenience and just bought it instead!  Basically, you take one box of instant chocolate and vanilla pudding and  mix it with 1 1/2 cups of milk.  Add two cups of softened ice cream, pour into pie shell, chill and serve.

My three year old helped make the pie while his brother was taking a nap.  Between the two of us it took less than ten minutes to make.  Easy!  My little guy insisted upon doing everything by himself.  And the beauty of this recipe was that he could!

And it’s done!  The tin foil plate isn’t the prettiest but who cares!

The birthday boy really excited!

We served the pie with fresh cut strawberries with a little whip cream on top.  Seriously, so yummy!  Blowing out the candles:

I have no idea what’s up with this face.

We had a wonderful and simple birthday celebration and the yummy chocolate pudding pie made it completely stress free.  I will definitely make it again!  Thank you Ingrid Law!

Ingrid Law’s website and blog.
Maw Books Savvy book review and interview with Ingrid Law (including the recipe for the chocolate pie).
Savvy is available from your local independent bookstore, Powell’s, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.
Enjoy this post?  More recipes from your favorite authors.

Chicken Butt!

Maw Books:  Where in the world did you get the idea to write a book that’s well . . . mainly about a chicken butt?!

Erica Perl: I always thought the nonsequitur joke “You know what? Chicken Butt!” was funny, and I wanted to figure out a way to put it in a book.  Originally, I thought it could be a board book (with flaps) for hipster parents.  But then, when I worked on it, the voices of parent and child just came to me, and it became more of a book told from both a kid and a grown-up’s perspective.  I like writing books that both kids and parents can enjoy, so I was pleased at the direction this one took… it ended up feeling like the scene at our house!  Minus the chicken, that is… we don’t have one.

Maw Books:  Describe you new book in just one word.

Erica Perl: Cluck!

Maw Books:  Chicken Butt! is a great read-a-loud book.  It must be so much fun to do school visits and presentations.  What are some of your favorite experiences from sharing Chicken Butt! and your other books with young readers?

Erica Perl: I LOVE doing Chicken Butt! with school groups.  Basically, I divide the group in two and assign one group the role of “kid” and the other group the role of “grown-up”… they immediately start throwing themselves into it, hamming it up on both sides.  And without realizing it, they do all the reading… I’m just the conductor.  Also, I always pause between the page turns and ask kids to guess the rhymes.  I’ve gotten some great ones, like “chicken stew!” and “chicken hair!”  So we go over the concept of rhyming, which kids love to play with.  And then I always encourage everyone to read the “chicken” lines… everybody loves to read the “Chicken Butt! Chicken Butt!  Chicken Butt!” page together.

Maw Books:  I bet that gets really loud!  Could you talk with us a little about why books with a tempo/rhyme are excellent choices for young readers learning how to read.

Erica Perl: Rhyming books are great because kids can anticipate the rhyme, which helps emergent readers decode more easily.  And rhymes are fun – kids love to play with words and have more ease than grown-ups, who get caught up in what is a “real” word.  Also, I always talk to kids about meter, because I like to make the connection between rhyming verse and musical rhythm.  It’s important that the tempo of a piece is consistent (as you see in Dr. Seuss, for example) so the reader can really lose him or herself following the beat of the words.  This is one of the reasons I like to sing my book NINETY-THREE IN MY FAMILY with kids, and I always point them to the recording of the song, which can be found on my website: www.ericaperl.com (it is on the “and more” page).

Maw Books:  Did you test your book out on any young readers before submitting it for publication?  Do you have certain young reviewers in your life that you trust?

Erica Perl: I always read everything out loud, alone and to kids.  I trust my own kids, but I try to read to other kids as well… classmates and friends of my kids.  And I get kids to read stuff aloud, to see how they read it.  Always a lot of research before I take a book to the next step.

Maw Books:  Reading out loud definitely makes a difference.  And now you saw how I read it!  Have you had any feedback from parents, librarians, or booksellers expressing dissatisfaction with the subject matter of Chicken Butt! Personally, I thought it was cute when my three year old starting repeating the words chicken butt back to me and laughs real big at the monkey butt.  But I’m sure not all parents would say the same.

Erica Perl: So far, no complaints.  I too am waiting for it, but the teachers and parents I’ve met have been very positive about it.  One parent did tell me that her daughter was surprised that “the governor” would let me put “BUTT” on the cover of a book.  But no complaints from the authorities yet either!

Maw Books:  Phew!   So much of a picture books personality comes through its illustrations.  What is it like when you first saw your words put to the illustrations and are you happy with the way they turned out?

Erica Perl: Extremely happy.  I love Henry Cole and was thrilled with his illustrations.

Maw Books:  What is it with you and chickens anyways?!

Erica Perl: I’m not sure.  This is my second chicken book.  I guess I can’t run that fast… the chickens always catch me!

Maw Books:  Ha, ha!  One of my regular features in my author interviews is to ask for a recipe, either one featured in their book or a family favorite.  Later I make that recipe and blog about it.  I didn’t think Chicken Butt, gave me much to work with as far as recipes but then I saw your adorable Chicken Butt! cookies that you made on your blog. They are so cute!  Can you share the recipe with us?

Erica Perl: They are gingerbread cookies and I made a royal icing for them (egg whites, powdered sugar, lemon juice and a drop of glycerin, which you can buy in specialty stores, for shine).  They were yummy!

Maw Books:  What are some of the challenges and rewards of being a children’s picture book writer?

Erica Perl: I love writing my books and sharing them with kids!  The hard part is how long it takes for a book to come out… I’m impatient and it is hard to wait.  But worth it!

Maw Books:  What’s your earliest reading memory?  And a few picture books that you think nobody should miss?

Erica Perl: I have always loved books and my childhood favorites included SYLVESTER AND THE MAGIC PEBBLE and BREAD AND JAM FOR FRANCES.  I am currently doing a bunch of book events with Ayun Halliday, whose new book, ALWAYS LOTS OF HEINIES AT THE ZOO is terrific, so definitely check it out!

Maw Books:  I saw Always Lots of Heinies at the Zoo on display at a bookstore with your book!  Great idea to market them together!  If you could choose any illustrator, dead or alive, to illustrate your next book who would you choose and why?

Erica Perl: Perhaps James Marshall, who I love.  Or Simon James, or Emily Gravett (I’m partial to British illustrators, for some reason).  I also love Matt Phelan’s work.   And I’m very excited about JULIA DENOS, who is illustrating my next book, DOTTY!

Maw Books:  I love Matt Phelan!  What’s the last book you read, the book you’re reading now and a book that you are looking forward to reading?

Erica Perl: I just read KARATE PIG, which is an adorable board book, and THE GREAT PAPER CAPER, by Oliver Jeffers – fabulous.  I’m also reading THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, which is NOT for children but is highly enjoyable if you are a grown up.

Maw Books:  Share with us what it was like to serve on the Cybils judging panel for picture books.

Erica Perl: It was so much fun and I was thrilled that Bob Graham’s HOW TO HEAL A BROKEN WING was our winner – what an amazing book!

Maw Books:  Going off of the Cybils question, what role/influence do you think book bloggers are playing in the book industry?

Erica Perl: Kidlit bloggers rule!  I always tell parents that this is THE place to discover great new (and old) books for kids!

Maw Books:  They do rule!  What do you enjoy to do outside the world of books?

Erica Perl: Cooking, running, going to the zoo and embarrassing my children.

Maw Books:  So what’s next?  What are working on right now?

Erica Perl: My first YA novel, VINTAGE VERONICA, comes out next spring from KNOPF!  Until then, I’m writing more picture books and shaking my CHICKEN BUTT! wherever they’ll have me.

Maw Books:  A YA novel!  How awesome.  I look forward to it.  Anything else that you’d like to add?

Erica Perl: You know what?…  Just kidding!

Maw Books:  Thanks Erica!

Erica Perl: Thank YOU!!!

Erica will be on tour the rest of the week at  Tales from the Rushmore Kid,  Motherreader, A Pen and a Nest, Hen Blog,  Fuse # 8,  Write for a Reader,  Chicken Spaghetti, and Three Silly Chicks.  Erica is celebrating with a  prize drawing of Chicken Butt! and other fun prizes.  To register for the prize drawings, all you have to do is visit any of the participating tour blogs during the week (including this one!) and then leave a comment on Erica’s blog.

Erica S. Perl’s website & blog.
Genre: Picture book, ages 2-8
Published: Abrams Books for Young Readers, April 2009
Hardcover, 32 pages. ISBN: 978-0810983250
Chicken Butt! is available from your independent bookstore, Powells and Amazon.

I was super excited when I realized that Ingrid Law was going to be at the LA Times Festival of Books!  I even brought two copies of the book to get signed.  So then I was super bummed when I missed her panel and couldn’t find her signing at any other time.  So, so sad.  I would have loved to chat with her for a moment & get a photo as well.  So many authors there and I didn’t get to see half that I wanted to.

BUT I’ve got the next best thing: a fantastic interview with Ingrid today!  I’m thrilled to present another author who can claim a Newbery under their belt.  So please welcome Ingrid Law to the Maw Books Blog!

Maw Books:  You wrote Savvy in a relatively short amount of time (five months, I believe).  Was this a story that you had been thinking about writing about for awhile before you sat down to write it or did it just hit you with a force that you just had to get it all out?

Ingrid Law: I think of Savvy as a gift.  It came into creation so quickly and with so much excitement and love.  I had been submitting a different manuscript to agents for about six months but kept getting the usual “Dear Author” responses.  However, a couple of the agents who read the whole thing told me in personal notes that they like my writing and to send them future projects.  That boosted my confidence so much and made me realize I needed to start a “future project.”  I sat down to write Savvy without knowing a thing about what I wanted to write.  I decided to write the craziest sentence I could think of without judging it too much.  That sentence became the first sentence of Savvy and stayed the first sentence forever.  After that, the words just rolled out. I think it was a story that just wanted to be here. I just feel fortunate that I got to be the one to tell it.

Maw Books: I’d thought I’d share that first sentence with our readers:  “When my brother Fish turned thirteen, we moved to the deepest part of inland because of the hurricane and, of course, the fact that he’d caused it.”

What surprised you the most as you were writing Savvy? Did anything turn out different than what you intended or did any of your characters/story evolve on their/its own?

Ingrid Law: There were connections in the book to things that were happening for me through the writing process, connections I didn’t consciously recognize until after the book was in print and I had to start talking about it publicly.  That may sound strange, but sometimes I think we know things, yet don’t truly understand their impact until we talk them out.  As feelings become words they alter into concrete meanings.  The biggest example of this in Savvy is, while writing the book, I very consciously told myself to ignore any voices that popped into my head that whispered to me that it might not be good enough, that an idea might be too strange or weird, that told me not to trust myself and tell the story my own way.  Of course, it’s this very same thing that Mibs has to learn as well.  But I can’t remember making a conscious connection between these two things at the time.

Maw Books:  That is a fantastic lesson in follwing your own heart!  As a debut author, did you have the confidence or premonition that Savvy would do so well with readers and critics or were you taken completely by surprise with its reception?

Ingrid Law: Completely surprised!  I thought of it as such a little story.  Cozy and fun.  I knew it was quirky and had some unusual elements.  My sense of humor is usually one that comes out in mostly in my writing, but being a bit of a shy person, I wasn’t sure how other people would respond to it.  I’ve been really amazed and so incredibly thankful for the reception it has received.

Maw Books:  You say that if you could pick your own savvy, you would probably want to fly or breathe underwater.  I’d like to know more about that.  What about flying or breathing underwater would be cool to you?

Ingrid Law: I’m such an escapist and I love solitude.  Flying or breathing under water would allow me the ultimate escapes in beautiful, serene ways, into places where there aren’t a lot of people.  And both would feel weightless, which would be nice, being a fairly weighty person myself!

Maw Books:  I think I’d rather fly than breathe underwater.  Large bodies of water terrify me!  Where were you and what were you doing when ALA called to tell you that you Savvy received a Newbery Honor?  How did you react and what did you do to celebrate?

Ingrid Law: I was sitting in bed hoping that they would call, but not wanting to hope too hard so that I wouldn’t be too disappoint if they didn’t.  They called at about 6:55am.  I was playing a game on my iPod–one that keeps my mind focused when I’m anxious.  After the call, I immediately woke up my daughter to tell her, then cried for fifteen minutes (you would have thought that someone had died), called my family, talked to my fabulous editor, agent, and publishers.   To celebrate, first my daughter and I went and filled a shopping cart for the local food bank–spreading the good, you know?  Later, we had fondue dinner with some wonderful friends from Walden Media who were in town for ALA.

Maw Books:  I love hearing those stories!  Brandon Dorman, Savvy’s illustrator, is a BYU graduate – my alma mater. I loved this cover as soon as I laid eyes on it. After reading the book, I loved the cover even more. What was your reaction when you first saw the book cover of Savvy?  And likewise, what do you think about the other covers for the other editions.

Ingrid Law: Brandon is a genius!  I just got to meet him recently, too, and he’s such a great guy with a really beautiful family.  He is doing the cover of my next book as well and even the sketches are amazing.  I was over the moon when I saw his cover for Savvy.  But I’ve also loved seeing what other art departments for the foreign editions come up with.  In Finland, they used Brandon’s cover.  But the German, Dutch, and UK covers are all so different and interesting!  I can’t wait to see what kinds of covers appear in Korea or Croatia or China (not to mention Indonesia, Italy… am I missing any?).

Maw Books:  Savvy has been optioned for a feature film.  If you could control everything about the movie (ha!) who do you think would be the perfect actors/actresses to be cast into your characters roles?  And if somebody else were to write the screenplay, what would you say they weren’t allowed to change at all and something that you feel has a bit more of a creative license?

Ingrid Law: Oh, such a hard question about actors!  And I almost hate to say who I can imagine in the roles, because I know that if Walden Media does decide to greenlight the film, they will do a great job.  But…. since you asked. bI think Madeline Carroll might make a great Mibs, Luke Benward could match her well as Fish.  Rocket?  A younger, dark haired version of Zac Efron, maybe (he’s got to have those awesome blue eyes)… or maybe Ben Barnes (probably still too old)… who else? Bobbi?  I’m not sure.  Maybe Anna Sophia Robb?  Now you’ve got me thinking and having too much fun.  Someone like Robin Wright Penn, perhaps for Momma–but not quite so thin.  I don’t know!  I love to know what other people think, though.

Enough about actors.  The folks at Walden Media love Savvy and are very protective of the book, so I feel like it’s in good hands.  The screenplay is already close to done and I actually get to meet the screenwriter, Karen Janszen, in LA (or will have just met her when this interview goes up).  So, I’m excited about that.  In regard to changes, I’m doing my best to hold onto a kind of flexible open-mindedness for now. Rigidity makes things more fragile, right?  I am open to seeing what other people’s talents bring to the story.  But I do want it to have heart.

Maw Books:  I would see this movie the day it comes out!  This is a question that I ask every single author I interview and that’s to share a recipe with us – either a family favorite or a food that is featured in the book.  Later, I try to make the recipe and then blog about it.   In Savvy, Mibs wants the perfect cake for her birthday – a cake with pink and yellow frosting, and perfect sugar roses – which isn’t really asking for much since her mothers savvy is being perfect.  Are you the type of mom who would make a cake from scratch, out of a box or buy it from the store?  Do you have either a cake recipe or a family favorite that you could share with our readers?

Ingrid Law: Right now, I can barely manage ordering take out, I’m so busy.  A cake from scratch would be like climbing Everest.  My daughter’s birthday is at the end of the month.  I’ll be sure to buy her something beautiful and delicious.  For years, a dear friend always made my daughter’s cakes because she had mad cake skills!  I’ll make one now and then from a great gluten-free mix (I have a family member who needs this concession).  Then I’ll have fun decorating it.  But that’s pretty easy.

But a favorite family recipe?  I’ll give you a favorite pie recipe from when I was growing up, since Momma’s all about the pies…

Close to Perfect Chocolate Pie

Crust:
1 1/2 cups Nilla Wafer crumbs
6 Tbsp melted butter

Mix well and pat into pie pan. Chill for one hour (more or less) OR bake it at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

Filling:
Blend for a minute with a mixer or in a blender:
1 package INSTANT (don’t make the mistake and not get instant) vanilla pudding
1 package INSTANT chocolate pudding
1 1/2 cups milk

Now add one pint (2 cups) of softened vanilla ice cream and mix it into the pudding blend. Pour this into the crumb crust and chill for several hours. Top it with grated chocolate, mini chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, or whatever your heart desires! I tried whipped cream once, but it put it too far over the top!

Maw Books:  Whoa!  Sounds too easy and too delicious!  Now that you have a Newbery Honor under your belt, for your debut novel no less, do you feel the pressure when you sit down to write your second book?

Ingrid Law: Yes. I’m going bald.

But . . . since I probably should elaborate a bit (not about going bald, that’s not true–yet): I didn’t think about awards or accolades at all when I was writing Savvy. I just wrote it because I loved it.  With the next book, I’m not trying to out-do Savvy.  I think Savvy will always be the most special book to me, and maybe to everyone else as well, because it came first.  I’m happy to have the chance to write more about this crazy family tree.  But again, while writing, I’m just trying to tell a good story.  After the success of Savvy, I couldn’t ask for more.  I just hope that kids enjoy reading the new book.

Maw Books:  Tell us a bit about the new book that you are writing now, which is a companion novel to Savvy and when we can expect to see it hit bookstores?

Ingrid Law: My second book will come out next year–in summer, I think.  Savvy will be out in paperback next March.  I wish I could tell you the title of the next book, but it’s still being tossed around.  Anyway, yes, it is a companion to Savvy and is told from the perspective of an all new character–a cousin of the Beaumonts–Aunt Dinah’s oldest son, Ledge.  I felt that Mibs’s story had been well told for now, and didn’t want to simply plunk her down into a new adventure just because the book was popular.  Since the books are just as much about the inner journey as the outer, I was ready to explore a savvy birthday from the point of view of someone with different concerns–someone with different things to learn.  Plus, I liked the idea of switching to the POV of a boy character.  It’s been fun to create a new “savvy” voice.  For those people who may be going “Wait! What about all the characters I love?” do not fear.  There will be some familiar faces along the way… only they will be 8-9 years older!  Rocket will be there, as will Gypsy.  And Samson will–and won’t–be there as well. *Mwaa-ha-ha* More savvy-powered fun on the way…

Maw Books:  Argh!  Now you made me want to read it!  Thanks so much for joining us today!  It was fantastic!

Ingrid Law: Thank you, Natasha!

Ingrid Law’s website and blog.  Many thanks to Kidz Book Buzz for coordinating Ingrid’s blog tour!  Check out what other bloggers are saying about Savvy: A Christian Worldview of Fiction, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Booking Mama, Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, Hyperbole, KidzBookBuzz.com, Looking Glass Reviews,  Never Jam Today, Olive Tree, Our Big Earth, The 160 Acrewoods, Through a Child’s Eyes.

Want your own copy of Savvy?  (And why wouldn’t you?!)  Check back tomorrow for a giveaway of Savvy.  Don’t miss it!  Now you must excuse me.  I have a pie that I must go bake . . .

In my author interview with Susan she said, “My favorite sandwich is a take-off of the Whole Foods tomato-mozzarella pesto sandwich, which I make at home.  Use whole grain bread and cover one side with tomato slices and slabs of fresh mozzarella.  Then spread the other piece of bread with thin layers of soy mayo and pesto.  Smoosh it all together, slice and eat.  It’s yummy!”

Seriously, SO yummy!  I ate this for like a week straight when I made this!  And I’m about to go make it right now.   So consider this your reminder to go eat a good, healthy meal and good luck continuing on with the read-a-thon!

Visit Susan McBride’s website.