Christmas Coffee Table Book Coming Soon!

by Gail Vail

Soon to be released - a full color Christmas coffee table book of humorous and poignant stories and poems by George Heiring. Appropriately titled, "The Seasonal Heart," it is a book the whole family will enjoy. The holidays are warmly set in the clear, cold months of winter and presented with both eloquence and honesty. Here is a book to help you rediscover the heart of this season, one that offers ample pause for reflection, an abundance of laughter with space left for a tear or two.

Here's a peak at the front cover:  

As an added bonus, the book is illustrated with colorful paintings by Gail Vail, Chris Ball, Shannon Candler, Cathy McIntire, Ked Murray, David Siffert, Sherry Turner and Sandra Witty. An example of the illustrations is this adorable painting by Chris Ball:

This beautiful book will be available for purchase at Art of Oconee, Genuine Georgia, Traditions Old and New, Morning Glory's and several other area shops.

In The Good 'Ol Summertime

With Georgia cooking in record heat, my wife Donna and I escaped (as usual) to our small condo in the suburbs of Chicago for the summer.  Grandkids trooped in from Minnesota to enliven our routine and    prompt us to rediscover attractions of the city, including its world-class museums, Navy Pier, and eye-popping Millennium Park. (See picture wall at left where image periodically opens her mouth and shoots a geyser of water at delighted kids) .  This time we added a laugh-a-minute performance by the zany Blue Man Group to the schedule.  Then it’s swim, eat, bike, eat, hike and--eat.  So it goes at Camp Heiring.

As for my warm-weather writing production, the award-winning regional publication Lake Oconee Living  saw fit to print two of my pieces.  “Contraband” is a tongue-in-cheek story about the need to be speakeasy sneaky in obtaining a copy of the Atlanta Journal outside of Atlanta.  LOL’s fall issue featured original ghost stories, and mine zeroed in on an outlandish Nuwaubian cult that fascinated Georgia with Egyptian trappings and weird doctrine a decade ago.  Titled “The Mask of Nuwabu” (see LOL mag illustration on right) it conjured up the “to-die-for” last ceremony of the cult and its insidious  leader.  (The real dude is now serving time in a federal prison.)

The Seasonal Heart, a collection of my Christmas stories and poems, is headed for publication this month. Pardon the boast, but it is a handsome, full-color, coffee-table book with holiday and winter inspired paintings by Gail Vail and esteemed artist friends.  Watch for details on our lakecountryauthors.com website.   

Let me hear from you.  George Heiring

So you've written a book.

Your book is actually published, you're holding it in your hands. A few friends and acquaintances buy copies. You give some away to others. Now you wait, hungry for response. Soon you get a few calls, they love your book. Some want you to come to their homes to discuss it. Some send you Emails praising your work. You receive letters and handwritten notes. Still others comment face to face, letting you know what they felt to be the more powerful aspects of your story, telling you the things that moved them, or how your story has captured the same feelings and perspectives that they have. You're contacted by the local book clubs. You're buoyed, the anxieties that you have been experiencing are somewhat alleviated. Your confidence is elevated. After all, you tell yourself, you lay yourself on the line when you write a book.

Then comes the second gradation of response: "I read your book, it was nice." Or "it was interesting," or, "I really liked this part." "I liked this character." "I liked the way you use short sentences," "Have you always enjoyed writing?" The comments are guarded, courteous, meant to spare your feelings. So now the anxieties once again begin to assert themselves. Confidence wanes.

The final gradation of response is silence, no response, other than maybe, "I read your book." This is probably the most psychologically disconcerting. You try to piece together what you think you know about the unresponsive person, their background, their expertise, their judgment, their biases. Were there parts of the story that offended them? Did they not like the story overall, or maybe the writing style, or both? Did something in the story conflict with their values or beliefs, or some subject upon which they feel they are experts? You search and search. Wonder why they won't at least say something, even if it is negative, surmising that they know you well enough to know that you can deal with it. So you ponder what is it that prevents them from giving you a response. Why no response? Why no response, you ask yourself? When...all the while, you know in your heart that no response is a response.

In sum, I believe all of us have a story or two to tell. We should not fear taking pen in hand and telling them, but with an understanding that the responses we receive will not always be even or measured.

Lou Jones

Amid the homegrown goodies

By Joan Ungerleider

We Lake Country Authors were novice vendors as we awkwardly set up a tent at the Harmony Crossing Farmer's Market and advertised ourselves as "Homegrown Authors." Little did we anticipate what fun we would have among the fruit and vegetable people.

Cheryl Taylor dropped by and offered a sip of carrot juice she purchased from a man in a nearby tent. The concoction was sweet and satisfying.

Toni Jones, wife of novelist-poet Lou Jones, enthusiastically displayed her purchase, a fennel plant with a live caterpillar crawling among the fronds. She bought it from the Tapestry greenhouse folks. "It will turn into a monarch," she explained. It was an appropriate purchase: her husband's debut novel is called And Then the Monarchs Flew Away. It's clear to me that Lou knows butterflies.

Andrea Wuori stopped by with Kathy Scott. Andrea is an adventuresome and educated cook and I consult her to help me locate the best produce when I shop. Another market regular, Teresa Walczyk, chatted with us, her familiar basket on the crook of her arm.

We authors petted poodles who pranced up to our booth, and we admired some friendly retrievers, all on leashes as required. We chuckled to see one stout canine muscle his bearded master halfway across the green.

Good tastes and good people abound at the outdoor market as I've discovered on previous visits. It's easy to become addicted to the Saturday morning event.

I like to spend time with Cheryl Dye -- the "pickle lady." I've never canned a thing in my life, and Cheryl is the expert I'm hoping will give me a lesson some day. Her pickles, relishes and jams are irresistible. I bought a jar of pickled squash that I'm eager to toss in my next pasta salad.

I can count on Clay from Ripe Thing to choose a luscious ripe-and-ready cantaloupe for my Sunday breakfast. Other sellers, too, generously offer advice on storing and preparing their produce.

I'm always tempted at Tabitha's booth. Tabitha is an enterprising young woman who recently fulfilled her life dream by opening a bakery in Milledgeville. Every week I try something new that she has made. Her cheese Danish is divine, her pies ooze with sweet juices, but my all-time favorite is her Portuguese sweet bread.

My newest pal at the market is Nina, the "apron lady." She searches yard sales and flea markets for vintage fabrics and transforms them into appealing aprons like our moms used to wear.

I'll go back next week. I've got a craving for the savory tomato pie I spotted Saturday, and I need to get some of that carrot juice to take home.

Thanks to all who stopped by our authors' booth and bought our books. We'll be back again some day, but in the meantime, I'll see you there shopping.

Your friend, The Cherry Tomato Lady

LCA at Harmony Crossing Farmer's Market

by Gail Vail

     Saturday, July 9 from 8 a.m. to noon, The Harmony Crossing Farmer’s Market provided the venue for newly formed “Lake Country Authors” group to showcase its wares.  Members of the group belong to the Greensboro Arts Alliance and most belong to the Greensboro Writers Guild, the literary arm of GAA.

     Five of the newly formed group’s authors (Davis Temple, Don Adams, Lou Jones, Joan Ungerleider, and Gail Vail) were on hand to display, sell, and autograph their various works.

     Books from the authors ranged from full length novels, cookbooks, books of poetry, a children’s book, and the beautiful coffee table book:  SEASONS ON LAKE OCONEE, a collaborative work of 40 local artists and writers. 

 Pictured: Don Adams, Joan Ungerleider, Davis Temple, Gail Vail and Lou Jones. George Heiring was unavailable.

Lake Country Author Davis Temple discusses his new book, Dose of Insanity, with Reynolds Plantation Ladies Book Club, Between the Covers, on June 2, 2011

At Elaine Thillen’s invitation, I spoke to a group of savvy readers about my new book, Dose of Insanity.  The session was held at the lovely home of Carol and Larry Kurlander in Reynolds Plantation, who interestingly enough are also our neighbors in Bonita Bay in Florida.  I spoke about why and how I write, the books I have written, and gave a basic overview of Dose of Insanity, including a discussion of the vagaries of developing drugs for psychiatric diseases.  A spirited discussion followed, aided by good wine and nibbles, and fun was had by all.  I came away with the feeling that all had enjoyed reading my latest book and I benefited from their sage comments.  My wife Patty also attended to keep me honest.  Patty is an avid reader who runs her own book club in Florida.    

Davis L. Temple, Jr., Ph.D.

How do your tomatoes grow?

By Joan, The Cherry Tomato Lady

Welcome to the Cherry Tomato Lady's blog! I'm not sure what you are expecting in a blog written by a woman who calls herself "The Cherry Tomato Lady," but I can promise you the content won't be strictly about tomatoes.  However, much of it will be about food and cooking. And some days it will be about someone I've met or something I've learned from friends or read in the news or heard in the beauty shop....

That thought brings me to planting tomatoes. My hair stylist (Jeff at Strandz -- don't you love the name of that salon?) swears by using Epsom Salt as a fertilizer for tomatoes. My mother always kept Epsom Salt in the bathroom closet for long soaks in the tub, but I'd never heard of feeding it to tomatoes.

So the old reporter in me turned to an Epsom Salt website where, sure enough, the Epsom Salt Council cites the product's gardening benefits. According to the council, salt may help seeds germinate and make plants grow bushier and produce more flowers.

For tomatoes, it suggests applying one tablespoon per foot of plant height per plant every two weeks. For roses, the same application is recommended. Just sprinkle the salt at the bottom of the plant and water it thoroughly.

I am not actually endorsing this process because if you read commentary on the Internet, you'll see some controversy about it; but I am experimenting on a plant or two. I'm sticking with tried-and-true Miracle-Gro for the rest of them. That's what my grandmother, the original "Cherry Tomato Lady," used for years.

Incidentally, the scientific name for Epsom Salt is magnesium sulfate; magnesium sulfate was discovered in Shakespeare's day in Epsom, England.

I bought a big bag of it so I have plenty left for soaking. If you try it, you need two cups for a standard-sized tub, but four cups for an oversized garden tub.

I'll let you know how my tomatoes grow. In the meantime, if you have any sure-fire tips for growing tomatoes, send them my way.

You can respond on this blog site, or, if you prefer a little more privacy, send me a note by e-mail. My address is cherrytomatolady@plantationcable.net.

Lake Country Authors Meet at Lake Oconee

by Gail Vail

The Lake Country Authors met at the gorgeous home of Davis & Patty Temple on the morning of May 25, 2011. We dangled our feet in the water as our noted area photographer, Lisa Wheeler, snapped candids of the authors. After the photo shoot, we "got down to business" and discussed our group, our speaker's bureau and ideas about marketing our books.

Editing "Seasons on Lake Oconee"

By Gail Vail
Editing and publishing a book, especially a collection of writings from many individuals, paired with paintings from many more individuals, is indeed an exercise in patience. I was about three-fourths of the way through the editing and pairing.  I had no time to paint myself and was getting a little distraught about the few writings in need of just the right painting. I was talking to one of the artists and she asked me which pieces were still in need of a painting. I started to describe a writing about an osprey and she quickly said she had just completed a painting about an osprey. She quickly sent it to me via email. When I opened it up, I literally got goosebumps. The painting, by Sandra Witty, is a lovely painting showing an osprey sitting next to a nest on the branches of a lone dead tree in the middle of the lake. The writing, "Osprey", by Kathrin Rudland,  refers to the osprey who, "pointed her towards her nest, a crown of tangled twigs and branches that topped a skeletal tree...". Perfect!!

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