That is what I’m hoping someone says to me tonight after dinner. Sir Walter stopped by to share his centuries-old recipe for Cassoulet with me today, and all I can say is, this recipe is from the day of the full-time, live-in cook. (Not to mention, the full-time, live-in scullery maid. Wish I had me one about now.) So, yes, I made cassoulet and it has my entire house smelling like YUM, and I even baked a loaf of Will’s Sourdough Bread to go alongside, cuz, you know, I hadn’t dirtied enough dishes yet. *smiles* I got to thinking, though, as I prepared the six layers for this cassoulet, about the connections between love and food. My own grandmother, Dorothy Rose, used to cook for days and days before we’d arrive for a visit. I never asked why, but my Read more…

We are still freezing our tushies off here in Oregon (mostly because it is a damp, wet, soggy cold), but there are some definite signs of spring around my house. Here they are, in no particular order: Daffodils, Crocuses (Croci?), and the hot pink Hyacinth I need to replant because it bugs me so close to my red front door. Household projects including ripping out old carpet and sanding/refinishing a beautiful wood floor. (Should have done that years ago.) I’m dreaming of summer. (Something I only allow myself to do after Equinox, TYVM.) I’m thinking of publishing an Official Ripple Trilogy Cookbook. Yes, you heard right. As if the Space Trilogy, Ballet and Goblin Standalone, and Greek Novel currently in varying stages of development weren’t enough, I’ve almost decided to write down all those recipes for the food that gets mentioned Read more…

This is a great time to be a fan of goat cheese. It’s showing up on menus everywhere and my fave specialty market (Trader Joes’s) features something like 20 varieties. But not everyone likes goat cheese. Le sigh. Like me, for instance. However, my strong aversion to all-cheeses-goat came in handy recently when I got a less than admiring review of one of my books. Let me back-track a little. First, I’m just going to admit that I read every last Amazon review of my books. Now, I know that as writers, we’re not supposed to obsess about what people think about our work. I know that we are supposed to write the best book we can and create without reference to the whims and tastes of others, that we should have broad shoulders and big girl panties and all Read more…

I am out of contract with Amazon today, and for those of you who prefer not to read in Kindle format, this might be news you’ve been waiting for. If you need an ePub to read RIPPLER, just let me know in the comments. As I announced last week, I’ll be sending ’em out for a couple days. Also: I have some winners to announce from last week’s giveaway: Tracey-Cheryl T-Brittany-Bethsflutterby-KATA-Naomi-Cheri Schmidt-Juhina-Charlotte-Heather-Emilie-Shauna-Bonnie!!! If you think your name should be on this list and it isn’t, let me know! I’ll go double check the records from the Rafflecopter. If you are on this list, I’ll be contacting you shortly. I’m traveling at the moment (research for next novel! Woot!) Boring post, but that’s all I got today! Make it a great one, Cidney PS Here is how I fuel my writing Read more…

Twenty-five months is a long time to go without a paycheck. I made a few remarks about that in January back when it first looked like I could make a living as an author. So, yeah. Big Number. And since our neighbors to the north (the Canadians) see fit to have a week dedicated to Read an E-Book, I thought this week would be a great time to give away, oh, say TWENTY-FIVE copies of my best-seller, Rippler. Oh, did you notice what I did there? Yes, dear reader, YOU have made Rippler an official best-seller on Amazon. Can you believe it? I’m feeling pretty thrilled, myself. (And somewhat dazed, but that is another story.) Rippler has been on all kinds of top 100 lists for the past two weeks over at Amazon. My personal faves were:   andand On the left above, you Read more…

If you have met someone nicer than Laura Elliott, you have kept very good company, indeed. I first met Laura on an airport shuttle. I met her a second time in a coffee shop. The third time we met, she opened her “home” to me when I needed a place to crash in Portland. Yeah, she’s really that nice. One sweet girl and a very funny writer. TRANSFER STUDENT is the latest novel from Laura A. H. Elliott and will release on Amazon and Barnes & Noble March 20th. Here’s a little bit about the novel and an excerpt written from Ashley’s POV about her obsession with Rhoe’s best friend, Yuke. Be sure to read to the end to enter to win the EBOOK GIVEAWAY and this week’s SWAG! Two Worlds––Two Teens––One Wish Geek Rhoe and Surfer Ashley would never be Read more…

Writer’s block can cover a host of issues that stem from a number of sources ranging from something as simple as fatigue to something as complex as clinical depression. Most of the time though, it doesn’t come from anything quite so dramatic. Most of the time, writer’s block crops up when we’re afraid to commit our words to paper or when we have “run out” of things to say.  Although these causes are really dissimilar, the solution for both is the same. B-I-C. Butt in chair. As in: you need to sit down and just write. Have you ever primed a pump? There’s a campground I visit every summer where we have to do that. You pull that handle up and down a few times and it seems like nothing is happening, but then all the sudden you’re jumping backwards Read more…

I am so terribly sorry that I’m so late posting about this, but Amazon has my book FREE today, February 28, Tuesday. So get over and grab a copy! And then, because I’m feeling guilty about forgetting to notify everyone on my blog earlier about this, I’ll be doing some Rippler giveaways in a week or so! Stay tuned . . . Also, for those of you who read on Nooks, yes, Rippler has been exclusively available through Amazon. My plan, right now, is to offer free ePub copies to anyone who follows my blog during the week of March 10th. My exclusivity contract with Amazon will expire at that time, and before I sign a new one with them, I’d like to give away some ePubs. So, if you have a Nook, or know someone who does, let them know they Read more…

Sometimes, what you need most in life is a sprinkle of silly. This past weekend, I got to hang out with the girls of the Ladies Night Out Book Club of Eugene for a BREAKING DAWN party. There was a catch, of course. Costumes were requested. Okay, I thought, I can do this–I used to design costumes. (Really. I got an MFA to learn how.) Some of the guests went “wedding dress” or “prom dress;” I went Volturi. Yup, that’s right: Volturi as in the Italian clan who tend to wear fashions a bit “ago.” But what’s the fun of silly if you don’t share it? So, here you are. That’s me, posing  in an Italian renaissance gown with Edward. (He wanted me. I could tell.) Can you see the shiny thing on my right ring finger? That is an actual Read more…

Valentine’s Day is around the corner. I recently uncovered an old, old diary from college days. And apparently I had a particularly suck-y Valentine’s Day my sophomore year. My diary said: Today on Valentine’s Day, my mailbox was empty. (Doesn’t that just say it all?) Apparently, my roomates received, between them, the following items: Roses Carnations Packages of goodies in mail Candy Cards Letters Of course, if I remember right, this was the year one of my roomies broke up with her boyfriend on Valentine’s Day . . . It takes a confident woman to do that. I remember thinking that it was some kind of reflection on me that my friends were showered with stuff and I wasn’t. That basically, I was a second-rate human being. I’ve grown up some in the intervening years, and here’s what I’d say Read more…