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Muffins and Mayhem, Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life
AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader
Dear Reader,
I enjoyed reading today's guest column, written by author Paul Doiron. Not only was I amused, his advice is better than counting sheep. A native of Maine, Paul is a Registered Maine Guide specializing in fly fishing and outdoor recreation and lives on a trout stream in coastal Maine.
Send Paul an email, you'll receive a personal reply and your name will be entered in his book giveaway. Five copies of his brand new book BAD LITTLE FALLS, are reserved for book club readers. Email Paul at: paul@pauldoiron.com Please be sure to include your mailing address, in case you're a winner.
Take it away Paul...
My wife Kristen and I have a nightly ritual. Before we go to sleep, I read aloud to her for fifteen to twenty minutes from a novel we have mutually chosen. Kristen has always had trouble falling asleep, but it turns out she finds the sound of my voice soothing. These days it's not unusual for her to drift off before I've even warmed up my vocal cords.
Picking books was a problem for us at first. We started with Laura Ingalls Wilder because I'd never read the "Little House" books before, and they are generally comforting stories conducive to a good night's sleep. From there the way was less clear, but we settled on the collected works of Jane Austen, which I had previously avoided but grew to adore. We tackled Tolstoy and Tolkien, Cold Mountain and Cold Comfort Farm. The Harry Potter series ate up an entire year of bedtimes. George R.R. Martin is occupying our nights at the moment.
Along the way, I learned an important cautionary lesson: if I choose a novel that bores Kristen, she will lose interest and her thoughts will begin to churn. If, on the other hand, I read a book she loves, she will stay wide awake out of pure enjoyment.
As a writer, the experience of reading great books aloud has proven instructive. Raymond Chandler offered a master class in diction. From Emily Bronte I learned how to use setting as a character, and her sister Charlotte taught me a thing or two about suspense. My night courses have been as valuable to me as graduate writing seminars.
One book I haven't tried with Kristen is my own new novel, Bad Little Falls. I read the book out loud to myself during the editing process (as I always do), and my wife read it several times in manuscript. But I've found that it's not wise for a writer to reexamine your own work at midnight, not unless you want to give yourself insomnia.
I hope you will consider adopting our little ritual. There's nothing stopping you from trying out Bad Little Falls on your spouse tonight, after all. One word of warning: you might be up all night turning pages.
Email author Paul Doiron at: paul@pauldoiron.com
(My column will return this Wednesday. I'm having a baby. Read all about it then.)
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
www.muffinsandmayhem.com
AUTHORBUZZ: THE LOVESICK CURE (Fiction) by Pamela Morsi
How do you mend a broken heart? You could spend a week wearing a disgusting, smelly yarb poultice, concocted by a genuine Ozarks granny woman. Or maybe you'd prefer a secret, no-strings affair with a man you just met. Between hog slopping, chicken tending and piccalilli production, a refugee into the Lifestyles of the Poor and Redneck finds a local love interest and a home she never knew existed.
Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE LOVESICK CURE to read more and to email author Pamela Morsi, you'll get a reply.
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