Wenches of Words Guest Post: Dress for Success in 2014...

Dress Has Always Been My Strongest Suit NOT
 by Nancy DiMauro

Something strange happened to me when I turned 40. I became a girl. I was that Tom-boy on the school playground, who when forced to wear a skirt by her mother snuck a pair of shorts under it. After all, I couldn’t play on the monkey bars in a skirt. Now could I?

I didn’t experiment with makeup in high school. I was too busy running off to ride a horse, or three. My standard high school outfit was army surplus camo pants, a black t-shirt and ratty sneakers. Hey, it was the 80s. But I’m sure something in my mother died every day I went out of the house like that.

By law school, I’d learned the benefit of a little black dress and a few good suits. But my style was still a diamond in the rough. That started changing when I turned 40.

Why 40? I’m not sure, but maybe it’s because your forties is a magical decade. After all 42 is the answer to THE question. Sorry. I digress. Anyway, I finally had the money to buy shoes in those department stores where I bought my suits. There seems to be an unfortunate rule in shoe fashion. The more expensive the shoe the more comfortable it is. Spending all day in a set of heels became something to look forward to and not a torture.

Now I that had really cute shoes, I needed better clothes. At 42 (see, I told you that number was the answer to THE question), I hired a professional fashion consultant to take me from well-dressed to stunning and polished. Girlfriend, if you want to take your look from lukewarm to sizzle you need to call Annette Harris and her company, Harris Image Works.

Given the discovery of my inner girl there’s probably little surprise that one of my short stories focused on fashion turned deadly. The idea for Best Dressed and Obsessed (included in the Shots at Redemption collection) came from a computer glitch. I participated in Liberty Hall’s weekly writing prompt. One week a computer error made me receive the word “array” rather than the actual prompt. I hit a blank wall. So, I typed “array” into my word processor and hit the synonym button. The second group of words related to “dress.” I had the first half of a Medea myth retelling by the end of that hour. Best Dressed and Obsessed won an Honorable Mention from the Writers of the Future contest.

And none of it would have happened without the perfect little dress.

To read excerpts from Nancy DiMauro's Musa Publishing books, please click HERE.

Learn more about Nancy DiMauro and her impressive work on her website Falcons Fables and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter.

Guest Post: Summer Snacking with Nancy DiMauro...

This is a DiMauro family favorite. I have no idea where my Mom originally found the recipe or if she made it up herself. One of these days I’ll remember to ask. But summer always included barbeques on the grill and her marinated chicken wings. I have the recipe written down as both “single” batch and “double”. Can’t remember ever making a single batch. I wrote the recipe down from my Mom’s index card when I was still in high school (many moons ago). These wings went to Beach Week in college and what I was asked to make at most pot-luck parties. The steno book page with the recipe is stained with drops of soy sauce and lord knows what else from the years of use. While these are great hot, they’re amazing cold the next day. That’s why I always make the double batch. If you choose to do so simply double all the ingredients.

It’s one of my favorite recipes and I hope you like it too.
  

DiMauro Chicken Wings

Soy Sauce ½ cup
Oil ¼ cup
Meat Tenderizer/ Accent 1 tbsp.
Dry Mustard 1 tbsp.
Lemon Juice ¼ cup
Molasses 1 tbsp.
Crushed Garlic ¼ tbsp.*
Chicken Wings 2-4 lbs

* I always use more garlic than the recipe calls for. So if you like garlic, don’t hesitate to use more.

Mix all ingredients, cover, marinate at least overnight, and stir occasionally.

Preheat oven to 350°F Place chicken wings on foiled and greased cookie sheet.

Cook for 50-60 minutes and baste occasionally.

If you want something cool and smooth to go down with it, try this Cranberry Martini recipe from my second mom, Phyllis Hussey.

Cranberry Martini

Vodka 1 shot
Cranberry Juice 2 shots
Lime juice to taste – about ½ tsp.
Shaken not stirred.

That’s it - enjoy. Now relax. Nibble on these yummy wings while you sip a marvelous martini and read a little from Shots at Redemption my latest speculative fiction.

Sometimes even mythical beings need a second chance at love.

We all make mistakes. In this collection, a witch, a goddess, and a dragon each have a second chance at reclaiming lost love.

In "Best Dressed and Obsessed, Janelle, a graduate-level witch, chooses a magic dress to enthrall her professor. Sadly, the dress is cursed. At her graduation ball, will she kiss the man she loves? Or kill him?

Eons ago, Zeus decreed that Odysseus leave Kalypso. In "Kalypso's Song", Odysseus is reborn as a scholar. Can Kalypso convince him to reclaim the love they were denied? The sea dragon Ryu spares a ship crossing her domain when a human child aboard reminds her of her own lost children. Ryu finds an unlikely surrogate family in "A Sea Serpent's Tale". When her new family is attacked by another dragon, can Ryu save them? 

Shots at Redemption. Even supernatural creatures want them. But, do they get them?

BUY LINKS Musa Publishing Amazon Barnes and Noble

To read excerpts from Nancy's other Musa Publishing books, please click HERE.

Learn more about Nancy DiMauro and her impressive work on her website Falcons Fables and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter.

Books, Banter & Bites on my Dock…featuring Nancy DiMauro

Photo by Brianne Boulton

Welcome to my virtual dock in the wilds of Muskoka, where it’s always sunny and warm no matter what time of the year it is. Please pull up one of the dock chairs, sit your butt down, and be prepared to be entertained and enlightened. Today, I’ve got fantasy/romance author, Nancy DiMauro stopping by for a visit. If you’ve never heard of this wicked-awesome author, here’s a little background information about her:

Nancy DiMauro is a mommy, writer, lawyer, and farmer. Her condo-raised husband agreed to move

out to the country with her 12 years ago because living on a horse farm was her dream. They have two horses in their front yard, and two dogs, three hermit crabs and four cats in the house. Her dear hubby has managed to resist the pleas for a partridge in a pear tree so far. But, he doesn’t realize she planted a pear tree this last spring.

Anyway, she’s lucky enough to have two boys (soon to be 14 and 12). Nancy has been a practicing trial attorney since 1995, and in her free time, she writes. Actually, she’s pretty regimented about when she writes – between 9pm and 11pm 4-5 nights a week. After all, being a writer is one of her jobs.

Since Nancy loves the early morning (I think it’s a must if you live on a farm), she arrived VERY early this morning, and has brought along her favorite appetizer and sweet treat. Now since it’s too early to serve chicken wings, I’ve popped them in the oven to keep warm. In the mean time, we’ll snack on some of her Sesame Seed cookies with our morning tea while we’re chatting and watching the sun come up from my dock. Thank goodness, I managed to slip into Huntsville yesterday to grab some teas from Flotron’s Tweed and Hickory, one of my favorite local shops!

If you wish to sample either the wings or cookies at a later time, Nancy was sweet enough to bring both recipes. She’s my kind of guest! Here are both recipes:

Chicken Wings – single batch

½ cup soy sauce

¼ cup oil (olive is ideal)
1 tbsp. meat tenderizer
1 tbsp. dry mustard
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tbsp. molasses
¼ tsp. crushed garlic
½ tsp. “Accent”
2-4 lbs. wings.

Mix all ingredients together, Marinate, covered, for at least 12 hours, 24 hours is better. Stir occasionally.
Place on a foiled greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

 

Sesame Seed Cookies – Recipe feeds an extended Italian family (and don’t ask about the calorie count).

1 lb. Crisco (I like using the Crisco blocks over trying to scoop it out of the can)

6 eggs
1 lb. of confectionary 10X sugar
6 heaping Tsp. of Baking Powder
1 Tsp. Vanilla
6-7 cups of flour
Sesame Seeds.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream Crisco, add eggs on at a time while creaming.

After all 6 eggs are incorporated; add sugar and baking powder slowly into the mixture.
Then add the Vanilla. Slowly add the flour into the batter until the mixture has the consistency of cooking dough. I add one cup at a time in the beginning. When the dough starts to become more incorporated I add ½ cup a time. The dough should be soft and not sticky.
Roll Dough into logs about ½ inch thick. Cut into 1inch – 2 inch long pieces. Roll the pieces in toasted sesame seeds. Place on cookie sheet.
Cook until bottoms are lightly brown, about 10-15 minutes.

ENJOY. These are great dunked into your morning coffee (or tea, in my case).

So let’s get to business, Nancy. Where did you get your idea and inspiration to write Flashes of Life one of the short stories in Paths Less Traveled?

On one of the Writing Excuses podcasts, Mary, Brandon, Howard and Dan were brainstorming story ideas to show how it might be done. They posed a question about halloysite clay. And sort of challenged the listeners to figure out how to use it in a story. So, I started wondering, how in the world was I going to do that? The neat thing about halloysite is that has naturally occurring nanotubes and may be used to disrupt electronic signals. So, maybe, it would also repel psychic powers. Hum, I can work with that. Then came a long internal discussion about how and why, but since those elements are in a later story, I won’t go into them now.

 

But that story was going to be a murder mystery. So, now I needed my heroine. I started thinking about what a curse being a psychic could be if you were very strong but your talent was so limited as to be practically useless. So, I started playing with the idea of a psychic who could pull memories from the dead. But that wasn’t enough for me. How else could I make her an outcast? I use to have a boyfriend who saw people as colors more than features. One of the people in my building walked by my door one day and he jumped back a step. When I asked him why? He said a flash of orange had just walked past. I knew that orange blur as Sally (not her real name). So, what if my psychic didn’t feel emotion but saw it? I loved the idea of expressing emotion through color. Vonna was born.

Flashes of Life started its life as the prologue of the murder mystery and as Vonna’s origin story. She decides that she doesn’t want the life laid out for her, and chooses another path. Once Flashes was done, I realized that the novel length story I had been outlining to go with it really was better suited to a position later in a series. What? I was writing a series, how did that happen? Anyway, Flashes became a story in its own right.

Oh, I know all about how a series can get started! What sets Flashes of Life apart from other books in the same genre?
 
My kick butt heroine. There are female detectives. There are female psychics. But to my knowledge, Vonna’s the only psychic detective out there.

 

Sounds like you have a winning combination there, Nancy! How long did it take for you to start and finish Flashes of Life?

 

It took me about three months to get Flashes to the point it could be marketable. I originally planned on submitting it to the Writers of the Future Contest, but then had an opportunity to submit it to Musa Publishing. I spent another month on edits after Musa accepted it. So, about four months of work.
 
I do believe I’m a tad jealous of your speed. Do you have any advice for writers wanting to write in your genre?

 

Keep working. Keep mashing together ideas that don’t seem to go together until the puzzle pieces fall into place. Most writers give up before they achieve their publishing goals. Don’t give up.

 

Such sage advice, too. So, what's next for Nancy DiMauro the author?

 

I just finished the first draft of my erotic romance, New Bohemia: Just One Night. It needs to cool off a bit before I can start on edits. I’m editing The King’s Falcon, which follows the other kick butt heroine from the Paths Less Traveled short story collection. And I’m outlining Vonna’s next novel, a thriller about a serial killer targeting feline based shape shifters. My goal is to have the rough draft of that story done by ThrillerFest on the 4^th of July.

 

All I can say is move over Allison DuBois here comes Nancy DiMauro and Vonna! Sounds like you’re one author who knows how to juggle your life! Oh here, let me warm up your tea, and please help yourself to another cookie. Later, we’ll dig into those chicken wings, and enjoy a Vodka Gimlet together. Now, before the sun hits the dock, please let readers know where they can buy your book, and how to connect with you. I want to thank you for taking the time to share your novel and your wisdom with us on my dock today. Cheers and best wishes in ALL your publishing ventures, Nancy.

Buy Links: Musa Publishing and Amazon

Learn more about Nancy DiMauro on her website and blog

 

Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter

Wenches of Words Wednesday: Nancy DiMauro

I’m excited to feature fellow Wench of Words, Nancy DiMauro, a wench of many talents including writing speculative fiction, on my blog today! Take it away, Nancy…

Welcome, Nancy, and thanks for coming out. Tell us about yourself.

I’m a mommy, writer, lawyer, and farmer. Wow, that’s a mouthful.

My condo-raised husband agreed to move out to the country with me 12 years ago (almost to the day) because living on a horse farm was my dream. So, we have two horses in our front yard, and two dogs, three hermit crabs and four cats in the house. My dear hubby has managed to resist the pleas for a partridge in a pear tree so far. But, he doesn’t realize I planted a pear tree this last spring. 

Anyway, I am lucky enough to have two boys (soon to be 14 and 12). I’ve been a practicing trial attorney since 1995, and in my free time, I write. Actually, I’m pretty regimented about when I write – between 9pm and 11pm 4-5 nights a week. After all, being a writer is one of my jobs.

Tell us about your book.

My newest release is Apollo Rising about Apollo’s quest to break Daphne’s curse and restore her to her true form. In seeking to enlist the aid he needs, Apollo bargains with Hades for Daphne’s soul. But the god of the underworld may demand too a high price. 

Here's the official BLURB:

Shot by a golden arrow, Apollo has only truly loved Daphne. He visits her each eclipse, and longs for reunion. He seeks the Fates’s advice and learns he may finally restore Daphne to her true water nymph form by enlisting other gods’ assistance.

If Apollo fails Daphne will be lost to him forever. To regain Daphne’s soul, Apollo must deal with the devil, King of the Underworld. Love-torn and treacherous, Hades would slay the pantheon to remain with his wife for the full year. Apollo’s quest might just give Hades the leverage he needs to do so.

Will Pheobus Apollo surrender the sun to try to reclaim love? Can he break Daphne’s curse or will his attempts destroy her forever? Will she still love him after millennia as a soulless tree? With the end of the quest see Apollo rising, or in sunset?

You can find Apollo Rising on Amazon.

Who is your favorite character from one of your books and why?

Has there ever been a question designed to cause more strife? It’s like asking which child is your favorite. I love them all. Vonna, from the Flashes of Life story in Paths Less Traveled, is probably my favorite to play with right now. While I have other characters with supernatural powers, Vonna’s ability to recover memories from the dead is pretty out there. Also, Vonna sees emotion as color so I’ve had to create a color wheel of emotion. That was really challenging. The other neat thing about Vonna is she’s living in a near future Washington, D.C. so I get to mix in politics with the vampires, psychics and weres. Oh my! Vonna’s talents also make her a target for anyone wanting to get away with murder.

What are you working on now?

I’m in different phases on three novels. I’m editing/ rewriting The King’s Falcon, which follows Falcon from Lightning Strikes in Paths Less Traveled. I’m hoping to turn that in for consideration by the end of the year. I’m almost done with the first draft an erotic romance called New Bohemia: Just One Night in which May has a favor to ask of her best friend and housemate, Pete. I’m outlining The Nocebo Effect, which follows Vonna as she tries to solve a string of murders that initially appeared to be natural deaths before the killer finds her.

Do you listen to music when you write, if so what?

I don’t listen to music, but I tend to have the TV on for background noise. I notice silence, but I can ignore the TV if I’ve seen the show before. So, my DVR gets a lot of play while I’m writing.

Which of your covers is your favorite?

Wow. That’s tough. Kelly Shorten did all the covers for my four Musa books. They are all really wonderful and tie in so well with the stories. Since I have to pick, I think the Shots at Redemption cover is my favorite. I love the ghost ship.

Check out the cover and blurb at Amazon, Musa Publishing, or Barnes and Noble.

Where do you find inspiration?

My family. My boys (all three of them) do and say the most outrageous things. My youngest son also loves telling stories so he and I will spend hours talking about worlds that only we can see.

Name 5 things that are on your desk right now?

Pictures of my boys as babies; The Describer’s Dictionary by David Grambs; The Character Naming Sourcebook by Sherrilyn Kenyon; a list of e-mails from Dave Farland’s Novel Rewriting workshop participants; and a stack of business cards I still need to scan into my contact list.

What is your biggest distraction when it comes to writing?

The need for sleep. Because I write so late in the day, there are times when I just can’t stay awake long enough to get the words on the page. I’ve learned just to give up and try again the next day.

When did you discover the need to write?

Back in high school. I’d been writing poetry for years, and wrote my first novel when I was a sophomore. Of that fan-fic novel, let’s just all be glad that the changes in technology since the 1980’s have made the story unrecoverable.

How do you handle writers’ block?

I don’t really believe in writers’ block. For me, when I hit a point I’m struggling to find the words, it generally means one of a few things. Usually, it means I haven’t taken the time I need to pre-write the scene. Because my keyboard time is limited, I spend a lot of time daydreaming scenes before they ever hit the page. The ones I struggle with are often the ones where I haven’t spent the time visualizing them first. I’ll log off for the day and imagine what I’m missing. It might take another day to get to the point where I can write the scene, but my high word count days are ones where I’ve been daydreaming a lot about the story.

Another reason I can’t write is because sometimes I need more research. In New Bohemia, I have a significant section of the story in the Swiss Alps. When it came time to write it, I realized my visualization of the area came solely from my memories of The Sound Of Music. So, not so good. I spent about two weeks researching locations, building construction, and most importantly snow rescue techniques. When I went back to the keyboard, the scenes were much easier.

The final reason I can’t get words on the page is exhaustion. My other jobs (mommy and lawyer) are demanding. Sometimes they take everything I have. When that happens I have to give into the inevitable and use my writing time for sleep.

Where can readers find you?

On my website and blog. I’m also on Facebook and Twitter.

I have to run now. Thank you for interviewing me, and thanks to everyone who took the time to read it. ~Nancy DiMauro