barbara samuel « A Writer Afoot

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The Practice of Giving Something Up

Today is Ash Wednesday, the day that marks the opening day of Lent, a period of atonement and abstention in the Christian, particularly Catholic, tradition. Although I no longer attend Catholic masses or actively practice many of the traditions, Lent still seems to me to be a powerful time to practice mindfulness, to notice what excesses [...]

An excerpt from the new collection by the Faery Four

We’ve been playing again, the Faery Four, and our latest collection of magical stories is out! The book is called THE CHALICE OF THE ROSE novella collection, written by Jo Beverley, Mary Jo Putney, Karen Harbaugh, and Barbara Samuel, and it traces the tale of the Grail through four different time periods. I [...]

6 days till THE SECRET OF EVERYTHING arrives in stores

Not long now!

I get so excited when it gets so close. I’ve known Tessa and Sam (oh, you will love her father!) and Vince and Natalie (darling, troubled Natalie) for more than two years. Very happy for you to be able to finally meet them.

Here’s my favorite review of the [...]

Right brain book building

My youngest son has a cat named Knucks, a long legged and elegant creature who must be coaxed and seduced into letting me play with him or pet him. He will play, he wants to play, and he especially wants me to rub his long black nose so he can purr almost silently, nose buried [...]

Deconstruction Challenge, via Top Chef

Tonight, the chefs were asked to deconstruct a classic dish. One of them was fish and chips, which happens to be one of Christopher Robin’s favorites, so I found myself trying to imagine how to do it. As we watched, I kept tossing out ideas, and CR finally said, “Try it!” (Subtext: please please please!)

So, [...]

Signs of autumn

Last weekend, I hiked around Florrisant on a moody, foggy Saturday. This leaf seemed a sign of the coming season.

My gluttony of choice…reading, reading, reading

Over the past two weeks, I’ve had a slight hip injury (incurred while hiking the top three miles of Pikes Peak without enough warm clothes), and a cold that knocked me flat for a couple of days. Also a side effect of the big hike, probably, and someone said, “Why do you keep doing these [...]

Orienteering, baking up a new book and Aha Moment

I’ve been baking up a new book that I superstitiously can’t talk about yet, but having a blast and think you will love it madly, too. Haven’t had much time to blog properly, though I’ll have a little more time this week.

Saturday, I went to an orienteering event but bombed out badly on the orange [...]

Cooking and books, books and cooking: my Julie/Julia story

One Christmas season, I was at loose ends. I was finally, officially divorced after a fairly long marriage. My sons were working and traveling, or out with their friends. There was a man I’d been seeing, but he was traveling, too, and anyway, he was never going to be My Guy and I knew it.

I was [...]

Gifts of summer: Peaches, green beans and a ghost

Around here, we’ve been mellow. Haven’t gone back yet to my usual schedule–the girls and my brain needed a rest. I’ve been haunting the farmer’s markets, gardening, going to Nia, and working with the bounty from summer gardens. Don’t you love summer food?

One day this week, I ambled around the markets, picking up plums and [...]

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The Practice of Giving Something Up

An excerpt from the new collection by the Faery Four

6 days till THE SECRET OF EVERYTHING arrives in stores

Right brain book building

Deconstruction Challenge, via Top Chef

Signs of autumn

My gluttony of choice…reading, reading, reading

Orienteering, baking up a new book and Aha Moment

Cooking and books, books and cooking: my Julie/Julia story

Gifts of summer: Peaches, green beans and a ghost

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