I'm not sure why I can't write a story that doesn't have food in it.  It's like food is a recurring character across all my manuscripts, regardless of setting, plot, or genre.  I'm starting to think my personal paradise would be the Hobbiton Public Library, if such a place existed--nothing like a good novel over second breakfast, after all!

Today, second breakfast will be doughnuts, apparently.

     Sometimes I use food as a way to add depth to a character.  Sometimes I use it as a means of setting a mood for the scene.  But in my current project, it actually plays a pivotal role in uncovering the main character's lost history, & in putting ghosts to rest.  Literally.
     This means cooking will be a part of my literary research!  If I'm going to have my character preparing plot-critical dishes, I'd darn well better know how to make them myself!  It's not enough to go out & find them at a restaurant or bakery (which is a little challenging at the moment, regardless).  I need to know about the ingredients.  I need to hear the sound of my knife against the cutting board.  I need to feel the texture of the dough.  I need to experience the changes in aroma as the recipe progresses, and the satisfaction of eating things freshly made from scratch.
     Have I made you hungry yet?  No?  Well, here's the growing list of what I need to learn to cook for this novel:

   - Kimchi
   - Golabki
   - Pierogi
   - Conchas
   - Pan de Muertos
   - Cookies

     Yes, it's a motley list.  It's a complicated plot.
     "Cookies" I intentionally left vague, because these have to be mind-blowingly delicious cookies, so I anticipate baking several.  They will probably be some variation of chocolate-chip, because chocolate.  If you have an outstanding recipe for chocolate chip cookies you would like to share with me I would be very grateful.
     As I try my hand at these dishes I will document my efforts here, & let you see my glorious mistakes and tasty triumphs as they occur.  In the meantime, I have writing to do...& doughnuts to find.

     These days, the letter "C" is very much the theme of my life.*  "C" is for Corona virus, and COVID-19, and even though "quarantine" starts with a "Q" there are first graders who will misspell it with a "C."  But we're not calling it quarantine in my household--we're calling it "temporarily banished for the good of the realm."  I encourage you to do the same.
      But "C" is also for coffee, & chocolate, & conchas (which I intend to try baking later this week).  It's also for chats & chums.  It's also for Critique Groups, & I am here to happily report that I have been able to join a new one!  Admittedly, I'm joining at a point where we have to meet remotely so I'm giving & receiving feedback to disembodied voices (we haven't figured out the video features yet), but it has given me the extra motivation needed.  Writing is once more a part of my routine.  Now I get up in the morning, put on my comfy composition clothing (pj pants & a fluffy hoodie), & get in front my laptop.  It has already improved my mental health.
      So thank you, new critique comrades.  Thank you, cat who sits next to me & purrs while I write.  Thank you cup of caffeine.  And thank you, readers: you may not start with a "C," but I cherish your continued check-ins on the content of this blog.

Here's a baby porcupine.  It has nothing to do with anything, but it's super cute, and "cute" starts with "C."  You're welcome.

*Oh yes, hello!  And by the way I'm not dead!