Did you know that "March Madness" is not all about sports? Perhaps these days it is, but since I'm not one to watch sports (I know the basics, and then I'm lost.), so I went searching for the origins. Tickled I was to discover that it dates further back than collegiate sports—some sources claim people went mad from the weather, others say it has something to do with hares and breeding season.
No matter it's origins, madness seems to describe this month well. That time before taxes (in the US; always maddening) and the first transition between winter and spring with the month having one foot in each season.
It seems appropriate to turn all that madness into a perk for book lovers! Hence, the e-book deals. This month, watch out for the titles below going on sale (starting March 10). Be sure to check the price in your country.
Books are the joy that bring light and life,
In their pages, worlds unfold and stories thrive,
Words dance like fireflies in the night,
Guiding us through darkness, shining bright.
Their stories hold secrets and dreams untold,
A world of wonder waiting to unfold.
With every turn, a new adventure begins,
Books are the joy that feeds our souls within.
Three things I wish someone would have told me before I started writing:
1. It's hard. Like, really, really hard. Sometimes you'll want to pull out your hair. Other times (like a lot), you'll want to quit. And when you want to quit, you'll call yourself a fool because you can't imagine not writing, which means the cycle continues, round and round until you don't know your own thoughts from the voices in your head. It's pretty cool.
2. Everything is a distraction. All those wonderful things you love about life: family, hobbies, exercise, free time, well, it's all distracting. Sometimes it's distracting to where you wish none of it existed, and then you feel guilty about feeling that way, but you keep feeling that way until you don't know if it's really guilt or just what you think you should feel. Follow me?
3. It's not healthy. Okay, the embracing of one's imagination and living any life I could ever want to live. Those are cool. Super-duper cool. By unhealthy, I mean physically. It's mentally and emotionally draining. And one has to work twice as hard to stay in decent shape because there is a lot of sitting and reading and more sitting, so you have to find extra time somewhere for more physical activity, and you have to watch what you eat (which is tough when you love to cook) even more than before because of all the sitting and reading.
Would I have started writing even if I had known what I know now? You bet! Writing is awesome. Plus, books are magical, so it's worth every moment of angst and joy.
Updated: Mar 4
So easy. So good. What is it? Cinnamon-Kissed Apple Crisp. Actually, I added the cinnamon-kissed part, but that's how it tastes, which is why I'm sharing the latest treat from my self-proclaimed professional test kitchen. Baker tested, writer approved.
Cast-Iron Apple Crisp
Apple Crisp and Apple Crumble are terms often used interchangeably, and yet they are different desserts, most notably with the use of oats and/or nuts in the crisp topping. Apple Cobbler is another similar dessert, and yet quite different. If one of these desserts were to show up in the kitchen at Hawk's Peak ranch, or in Clara Stowe's inn, then it would have been Apple Cobbler or even Apple Brown Betty.
And now I'm hungry.
In the 1860s or 1880s, if a yen for apple desserts hit in Februrary, they would pull out a jar of apples, carefully canned during harvest before winter's first snow coated the ground.
And even though an apple crisp recipe did not appear in a proper cookbook until the 1920s, who are any of us to say that some industrious cook somewhere didn't have their own version of it two hundred or more years ago. I'd be willing to bet that Briarwood and Crooked Creek had such talented bakers in their midst.
Ready to have fun in the kitchen? Get the recipe here, pour yourself a cup of delicious herbal tea (or beverage of choice), and induge in this tasty and easy-to-make treat.
This is really a Tart Apple Crisp from Paula Deen's Cast-Iron Favorites (2019). The recipe I found on her website is different.
What does Jane Austen have to do with Apple Crisp? Not a thing. Although, the many variations of baked apple desserts we enjoy today were adapted from recipes originating in England. It's wonderful how food alone can connect the world across the centuries.
Actually, I enjoyed this movie, and therefore I'm sharing it.
An American in Austen
If you're a fan of fun and Hallmark movies with a Jane Austen twist, then it's possible you've already watched An American in Austen. It really is more than I had expected going into it (thanks to Eliza Bennett). The cast is fun, even ridiculous at times, but fun and they did a charming job in each of their roles. Lots of laughter and an escape into Pride and Prejudice await.
I've only ever seen Eliza Bennett in Julian Fellowes's From Time to Time, and she was great in there, too!
