Wednesday, November 21, 2012
VIDEO: International bestselling mother-daughter team P.J. Tracy talk about SHOOT TO THRILL
Uploaded on Feb 23, 2010
The Monkeewrench crew returns in this stunning new thriller and must solve their most baffling case yet: a serial killer posting his crimes online.
VIDEO: The P.J. Tracy mother/daughter writing team quiz each other
How well do P.J. and Traci Lambrecht, the mother/daughter writing team behind the successful Monkeewrench mysteries (author name P.J. Tracy) know each other? Check out this fun quiz to find out!
Q & A: PJ Tracy
Excerpt from interview @
http://writerunboxed.com/2007/02/02/interview-pj-tracy-part-1/
Q: Did you write under another name? Care to share some of your previous titles?
PJL: We’ve written under many names! PJ Platz, PJ Lambrecht, Melinda Cross (Harlequin), Mariah Kent, Jessica McBain. I believe that some Melinda Cross novels are still in print after ten or more years…and occasionally we see an old Melinda Cross romance on used book sites. I just googled Melinda Cross and was surprised to see that they’re still out there!
Q: Was it clear you’d collaborate on a mystery-suspense thriller in particular? Were any other genres pulling at you?
TL: We collaborated on many different things throughout our 18 year career together, including screenplays and romance, but mystery/thrillers have always been our favorite genre to read, so it made sense to us to eventually take a stab at writing them.
Q: Your scenes are generally short and vivid. Did you make the decision early on to craft short scenes, and do you find brevity keeps your pacing slick? Are there any unique challenges to crafting short scenes?
TL: Our brief history of screenwriting really gave us an appreciation of short scenes and how effective they can be as a storytelling device. It’s the classic, ‘less-is-more’ philosophy — if you make sure every word progresses the plot or builds the tension in some way, chances are, you can keep your readers reading. Of course, this minimalist style can be a challenge sometimes. I’m sure most writers would agree that it’s hard to know when to shut up, and we’re no exception!
Q: How do you create your characters? Do any of the characters feel like they “belong” to one of you over the other? Who are each of your favorites?
TL: They’re all a slapped-together mess of reality, imagination, and observation. We both have always paid very close attention to the way people behave, and often the odd gesture or comment of a stranger sends our minds spooling off in all different directions. But generally, we each develop characters that we’d like to know in real life or have over for a dinner party. And both our footprints are on all of the players – they are all truly collaborative figments of our collective imagination. And I don’t think either of us could pick a favorite – that would be like singling out a favorite child.
Q: That last comment, about strangers spinning your off in creative directions, seems to beg a story or two. Do you have any memorable instances of how people watching evolved into an interesting character or plot twist?
TL: Mr. Drool from the grocery store; an arrogant, obnoxious lawyer who should have been mainlining Ritalin instead of meth; my wonderful religion professor, whose name is actually Anantanand Rambachan; Sheriff Ed Pitala from DEAD RUN, who is not a sheriff, but a real person and very dear friend; and all of our psychotic family members, who will hopefully read this interview from the institution.
Q: The pairings of officers Halloran & Bonar and Magozzi & Gino are humorously similar—something the officers realize once they finally meet one another. I think it’s Gino who says, “It’s like we’re a couple sets of twins that got mixed up.” Did you do this purposefully?
TL: Making the Halloran/Bonar and Magozzi/Gino characters similar pairs was one of the few things in Monkeewrench that was indeed intentional, and the roots of that can be found in reality. In the past, PJ worked with officers from several different departments and communities, and learned that the job and the personality that led each officer to it creates a commonality that often overshadows individual characteristics and unique histories.
Q: Did you write under another name? Care to share some of your previous titles?
PJL: We’ve written under many names! PJ Platz, PJ Lambrecht, Melinda Cross (Harlequin), Mariah Kent, Jessica McBain. I believe that some Melinda Cross novels are still in print after ten or more years…and occasionally we see an old Melinda Cross romance on used book sites. I just googled Melinda Cross and was surprised to see that they’re still out there!
Q: Was it clear you’d collaborate on a mystery-suspense thriller in particular? Were any other genres pulling at you?
TL: We collaborated on many different things throughout our 18 year career together, including screenplays and romance, but mystery/thrillers have always been our favorite genre to read, so it made sense to us to eventually take a stab at writing them.
Q: Your scenes are generally short and vivid. Did you make the decision early on to craft short scenes, and do you find brevity keeps your pacing slick? Are there any unique challenges to crafting short scenes?
TL: Our brief history of screenwriting really gave us an appreciation of short scenes and how effective they can be as a storytelling device. It’s the classic, ‘less-is-more’ philosophy — if you make sure every word progresses the plot or builds the tension in some way, chances are, you can keep your readers reading. Of course, this minimalist style can be a challenge sometimes. I’m sure most writers would agree that it’s hard to know when to shut up, and we’re no exception!
Q: How do you create your characters? Do any of the characters feel like they “belong” to one of you over the other? Who are each of your favorites?
TL: They’re all a slapped-together mess of reality, imagination, and observation. We both have always paid very close attention to the way people behave, and often the odd gesture or comment of a stranger sends our minds spooling off in all different directions. But generally, we each develop characters that we’d like to know in real life or have over for a dinner party. And both our footprints are on all of the players – they are all truly collaborative figments of our collective imagination. And I don’t think either of us could pick a favorite – that would be like singling out a favorite child.
Q: That last comment, about strangers spinning your off in creative directions, seems to beg a story or two. Do you have any memorable instances of how people watching evolved into an interesting character or plot twist?
TL: Mr. Drool from the grocery store; an arrogant, obnoxious lawyer who should have been mainlining Ritalin instead of meth; my wonderful religion professor, whose name is actually Anantanand Rambachan; Sheriff Ed Pitala from DEAD RUN, who is not a sheriff, but a real person and very dear friend; and all of our psychotic family members, who will hopefully read this interview from the institution.
Q: The pairings of officers Halloran & Bonar and Magozzi & Gino are humorously similar—something the officers realize once they finally meet one another. I think it’s Gino who says, “It’s like we’re a couple sets of twins that got mixed up.” Did you do this purposefully?
TL: Making the Halloran/Bonar and Magozzi/Gino characters similar pairs was one of the few things in Monkeewrench that was indeed intentional, and the roots of that can be found in reality. In the past, PJ worked with officers from several different departments and communities, and learned that the job and the personality that led each officer to it creates a commonality that often overshadows individual characteristics and unique histories.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Squash from October meeting
Roasted Butternut Squash Filled with Port-Soaked FruitNonstick cooking spray- 11 1/2 pound butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
- 1tablespoon olive oil
- 3/4teaspoon salt
- 2cups port wine or pomegranate juice
- 1/4cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4cup sugar
- 1cup dried apricots, chopped
- 1/2cup dried tart cherries, chopped
- 1/2cup salted whole almonds, chopped
- Aged white cheddar cheese or Gruyere cheese, shaved
- Toasted baguette slices
directions
1.Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
2.Rub squash halves with oil then sprinkle cut side with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place squash, cut side down on prepared baking sheet. Roast until easily pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 33 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a platter, cut side up.
3.Meanwhile, in a large saucepan combine the port wine, vinegar, sugar, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring mixture to boiling over medium-high heat and cook, uncovered, 4 minutes. Add the apricots and cherries. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Remove fruit from saucepan with a slotted spoon; set aside. Return saucepan to the stove over medium-high heat. Bring port mixture to boiling; cook until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and reduced to about 1/2 cup; about 14 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the fruit mixture and nuts. Season to taste with salt and ground black pepper.
4.Spoon fruit mixture into squash. Place any remaning mixture in a serving bowl.
5.To serve, place shaved cheese on baguette slices. Spoon on squash and fruit mixture. Makes 6 servings.
From October 2012 Better Homes and Gardens.
See more squash recipes from that edition here: http://www.bhg.com/recipes/from-better-homes-and-gardens/october-2012-recipes/#page=6
Recipes from Levi's meet and greet
BEST CHEESEBALL EVER
2 8-oz. cream cheese
2 c. (8 oz) sharp cheddar cheese
3 T. chopped green olive and pimento
3 T. chopped green pepper
3 T. chopped red onion
1 T. Worchestershire sauce
3 t. lemon juice
Pecans, chopped
Mix all ingredients together. Roll into a ball. Chill. Roll in chopped pecans. Serve with crackers.
* I always add a little too much worchestershire sauce and lemon juice, and extra olives, pepper and onion. I like a lot of flavor, and this delivers.
MANGO MADNESS
(From Better Homes & Gardens February 2010)
2 c. Chopped mango
1/2 c. Chopped red pepper
1/4 c. Finely chopped red onion
2 T. chopped cilantro
2 T. lime juice
Pinch salt and pepper
*This recipe looks oh, so beautiful in a bowl with the vibrant reds of the onion and pepper, the orange of the mango and the green from the cilantro. Plus, when my hubby got home, he couldn’t stop eating it.
Cilantro, Bean & Tomato Salad
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can corn
1 package grape tomatoes, sliced in half
2 T. scallions, sliced
2 T. fresh cilantro
1/4 c. lime juice
2 T. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients. Serve alone or with chips.
Monday, October 15, 2012
December 2012 book: Sing You Home
Amy has selected "Sing You Home" by Jodi Picoult for our December 2012 book.
ABOUT THE BOOK
ABOUT THE BOOK
Every life has a soundtrack. All you have to do is listen.
Music has set the tone for most of Zoe Baxter’s life. There’s the melody that reminds her of the summer she spent rubbing baby oil on her stomach in pursuit of the perfect tan. A dance beat that makes her think of using a fake ID to slip into a nightclub. A dirge that marked the years she spent trying to get pregnant.
For better or for worse, music is the language of memory. It is also the language of love.
In the aftermath of a series of personal tragedies, Zoe throws herself into her career as a music therapist. When an unexpected friendship slowly blossoms into love, she makes plans for a new life, but to her shock and inevitable rage, some people—even those she loves and trusts most—don’t want that to happen.
Sing You Home is about identity, love, marriage, and parenthood. It’s about people wanting to do the right thing for the greater good, even as they work to fulfill their own personal desires and dreams. And it’s about what happens when the outside world brutally calls into question the very thing closest to our hearts: family.
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