Rhode Island Author Expo Spotlight – Amy DeLuca

This post was originally posted on Martha Reynold’s blog and has been reposted here with author permission, minor revisions have been made.

Each day this month, a different Rhode Island author will guest blog here. Today I’m happy to welcome Amy DeLuca, who anchored the news for 12 years at various TV stations in 4 different states.  Amy writes young adult fiction as well as fantasy/paranormal and contemporary romance. She’s published 8 books under her pen name Amy Patrick.

What is your most treasured possession? 
Assuming I can’t cheat and say my wedding ring or my children’s baby albums, I’d have to say it’s the coat I’m wearing in my author photo. It’s not really valuable or anything, it just feels like the thing I own that’s the most “me.” It’s actually pretty old. It belonged to a friend’s mom who’d bought it at a Memphis department store in the 60’s. She was going to throw it away, and I begged her to give it to me instead. That was back when I was in college, and I still wear it now whenever I can. I feel very Breakfast at Tiffany’s when I wear it.

Would you say you’re temperamental or easy going?
My blood pressure’s so low, I’m barely alive! I’m very slow to be offended, people tell me I’m always smiling, and I pretty much always assume everything is going to work out okay. You know what? It usually does.

Do you like to write with music or silence? 
I need quiet to write. I’m not the coffee-shop type. I’m too easily distracted! Oh look, a squirrel! That’s why I write in the most boring corner of the library where I can’t even see any interesting book titles. Just a blank wall. I stay off the internet during writing time and force myself to concentrate for a few hours.

You used to be a local news anchor, in Rhode Island as well as in several other states. How did you get into writing fiction? That’s got to be a completely different style of writing. 
It is! I actually tried writing a novel the year I graduated from college when I was working my first job as a TV news anchor/reporter. I covered an amazing murder trial and it inspired me to write a murder mystery. But I quickly discovered that news writing and novel writing were very different. I didn’t know how to get past the first few chapters. As I moved from city to city, moving up the TV news career ladder, I kept trying, starting several novels over the years. It wasn’t until I quit my full-time job to stay home with my kids that I really began the long process of learning about story structure and good writing. I was fortunate that the first novel I completed was selected as a RWA Golden Heart finalist in 2013. I was a finalist again the next year with that murder mystery book! That’s the book that got me my agent, too.

Do you have any favorite writing advice?
Elmore Leonard said, “Try to leave out the parts that readers tend to skip.” And I’m not sure who said it first, but “First drafts are allowed to suck,” was very freeing for me. It’s absolutely true. Just push through to “The End.” The magic is in the revisions.

Want to find out more about Amy? Check out her website, like her Facebook author page, follow her on Twitter, Goodreads, and Pinterest, and learn more about her books here.

Rhode Island Author Expo Spotlight – Anita Greene

This post was originally posted on Martha Reynold’s blog and has been reposted here with author permission, minor revisions have been made.

Thanksgiving Traditions 

Thanksgiving Day is my favorite holiday. No pressure to find the perfect gift. No guilt that the Christmas cards are still in the box. Thanksgiving revolves around family, food, and fun. Our traditions tie all these elements together.

There is comfort in knowing I belong with this group of people I call ‘family’. We have a shared history that connects us to the generations that came before us. Thanksgiving Day is a time to remember the past as we create new memories. It’s a time to appreciate the ones we love and to celebrate the values we share.

Our Thanksgiving feast is the same menu my Grandma Dinwoodie served when I was a child, and the table ran from one end of the dining room/living room to the other. I had to crawl underneath to get to my seat on the itchy horsehair sofa. The turkey is served with an old-fashioned bread stuffing. The winter vegetables—mashed potatoes, butternut squash, turnips, and creamed onions—are abundant. To fill in around the edges there are brown and serve rolls, cranberry sauce and pickles. (My mouth is watering as I write this!)

With each generation, traditions evolve. Our family grew and changed, so we no longer have young people coming in cold and hungry from the Bulldogs vs Bears high school football game. We have also added an after-dinner-but-before-pie walk to the day.

Many years ago a table of appetizers became a part of our celebration. My cheese ball recipe is now another one of our traditions. If you are looking for something new to serve, this cheese ball has a robust flavor.

Bacon-Cheddar Cheese Ball
2 packages (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 pound cheddar cheese, grated*
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons pimento, diced
3 Tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
Blend all ingredients. Form into a ball. Refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to blend.
* The store-bought packages of shredded cheese do not blend very well with the cream cheese. Better to grate a block of cheese.
What traditions do you treasure? What new traditions have you added to your celebration?

Anita K. Greene writes “inspirational novels filled with romance and adventure.” Learn more about Anita and find links to her books and blog here.