Essays & Media

We spent yesterday exploring Milan by foot, passing through the famous Galleria and the Piazza Duomo, enjoying an extravagant nine-course vegetarian, Michelin-starred lunch, and being swept into parades of thousands of Italians singing “Bella Ciao,” a 19th century, much-loved protest song.

We checked into our hotel in Milan late yesterday afternoon and started walking. The sidewalks are barely wide enough for two people, so we often had to pop into the street when someone came towards us, but the streets are narrow too. It was a little precarious, especially during their rush hour, but we were too busy ogling all the fashionably dressed Italians to worry about being hit by one of their little cars.

I’m astounded at the volume of continuous advertising on social media that suggests we all need much more help managing our lives.

During the year, I make one every Friday. During Passover, I make one nearly every day. Each platter has a minimum of three vegetables and can easily turn into a full meal. Leftovers can go in soups, stir-fries, or be mashed and covered in a tangy sauce.

The Lyric’s program claims that Proximity is a “collaborative complement of some of the most creative minds of our time — winners of the Pulitzer Prize, Grammy Awards, and Emmy Awards, as well as MacArthur “Geniue” Grant winner Yuval Sharon making his mainstage directorial debut.

I remember seeing Carmen (the opera) for the first time in about 1977 or 78, although I can’t recall who sang any of the roles. It was a production at the Indiana University School of Music, where I was studying piano, and I sang in the chorus. I recall waiting for the cigarette girl chorus cue to enter stage right, but last night when I saw the opera again for the 10th or 11th time, I couldn’t remember if I sang alto or soprano.

Alex welcomes the delightful G.P. Gottlieb, author and podcaster for a fun, free-ranging discussion about writing and being a writer, the role of food, the pandemic, the Chicago backdrop in her work, and so much more. Follow the show (free!) and listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Anchor, and wherever you get quality pods.

Let’s say you went to school with a girl whose resting expression was cranky and who thought herself superior to everyone else. If you feel compelled to turn that irritating show-off into a character in one of your books, my advice is to disguise her so that she’ll never know. You won’t even need to use a pen name

This story is also posted on Bouncin' and Behavin' Blogs at Medium.Com - https://medium.com/bouncin-and-behavin-blogs/how-to-make-a-character-unrecognizable-da1396e88e5f

One: After writing and rewriting your manuscript thirty-seven times, you submit your final draft to 150 agents and/or publishers. You finally got a publishing contract, congrats! Now you can relax, scroll the internet looking for new boots, and read a juicy mystery set in Door County. True or false?

Below are the 10 things I love about being a published author of Culinary Mysteries. Don’t forget to check out my recipe for 3 Ingredient Artichoke and Sweet Potato Dip.

In culinary mysteries, which I love reading, someone is murdered, the sleuth tries to figure out who did it, and everyone eats breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

I’ve been going to Chicago bars and restaurants since I was a kid. Some of them still brag about having been speakeasies during the Prohibition era.

I loved playing piano as a child, but when I got to the music school at Indiana University, it seemed like everyone else was a better musician. I still liked playing, but I got nauseated whenever I had to perform. I finished my degree in piano and psychology and stopped playing.

When I write a story or novel, I always try to convey normal conversations with friends, realistic dialogues between my characters, and frustrating but not-too-scary interactions with law enforcement.

Dear Pre-Published Self,

Remember the day you got that email saying that DX Varos Publishing was going to publish your first culinary mystery? You were too excited about the thought of being a published author to realize that six months (launch date 8.6.2019) was cutting it close. Way too close for someone who knew nothing about publishing.