I recently launched a new website, and to celebrate I’m giving away a copy of one of my all-time favorite books.

100 Things I Want is a place for people to share their hopes and dreams, and experience the powerful results that can occur from getting clear about your goals and writing them down. Inspired in part . . . → Read More: Win a Copy of the Book Write It Down, Make It Happen]]>

I recently launched a new website, and to celebrate I’m giving away a copy of one of my all-time favorite books.

100 Things I Want is a place for people to share their hopes and dreams, and experience the powerful results that can occur from getting clear about your goals and writing them down. Inspired in part by the classic book, Write It Down, Make It Happen by Henriette Anne Klauser, this concept is also at the heart of my new novel (more details to come!) about a woman who writes down everything she wants in her ideal soul mate.

Between now and May 1, 2012, if you submit a list you”ll be entered in a drawing for a new, hardback copy of Write It Down, Make It Happen. Your list can be about any topic related to your hopes and dreams, and it can contain five things, 23 things, 57 things or 100 things – the length is totally up to you. Try to keep the language positive and affirming, and e-mail your list to mylist@100thingsiwant.com. I’ll be featuring selected lists all month, and give away the book on May 2.

In the coming days, I hope you’ll stop by, say hello, and perhaps be inspired to share your own list.

. . . → Read More: New Bacon Haiku]]>

Photo by Sean MacEntee

Aroma wafts in,

He raises head, leaps from bed!

Bacon alarm clock.

~Eliza Cross

One morning last month, I took the first sip of my morning coffee and almost gagged. The coffee tasted like turpentine, no kidding! I poured the pot down the drain, made another fresh pot, and was puzzled when it was just as bad. Since I was preparing it with the same just-ground coffee I’d used all . . . → Read More: Got Pine Mouth? The Metallic Taste in my Mouth and its Surprising Source]]>

One morning last month, I took the first sip of my morning coffee and almost gagged. The coffee tasted like turpentine, no kidding! I poured the pot down the drain, made another fresh pot, and was puzzled when it was just as bad. Since I was preparing it with the same just-ground coffee I’d used all week, I began to suspect that something in our water was causing a chemical taste in my mouth.

Then I drank some orange juice, which tasted like Liquid Plumber. My morning oatmeal? Rat poison would have tasted better. The Greek yogurt I loved so much had a distinctive, oven cleaner-like taste. Slowly it dawned on me that something was very wrong with my taste buds.

This led me to the internet, home of a million possible frightening medical calamities. Searching for “chemical taste in mouth”  and “metallic taste in mouth” brought up several scary possibilities, including  diabetes, cancer, chemical poisoning, and autoimmune and neurological disorders, to name a few. Holy guacamole! Not only were my taste buds shot, I was a goner!

Fortunately, I stumbled across a report from ABC News about a rare reaction to pine nuts called “Pine Mouth Syndrome.” Sure enough, I had eaten three (you read that right – 3) little pine nuts two days prior to my taste buds going haywire. These tiny pine nuts had come in a packet of seasonings with a dish I’d received as a gift, made in China. I tried a couple of the nuts to see how they tasted and ended up throwing them away. But apparently, just that tiny amount was enough to give me the taste disturbance known medically as metallogeusia.

Since I’ve eaten pine nuts for many years without a reaction, I was inclined to believe the theory that Pine Mouth is caused by certain non-edible varieties of pine nuts from China that are being exported into the U.S. and passed off as the edible variety. Not surprisingly, these Chinese pine nuts are much cheaper than edible, U.S. grown pine nuts. It’s suspected that they are harvested from Chinese White Pine, a source of turpentine.

Pine Mouth can last up to a month (!), but in my case it lasted nine days — which seemed like a long, long time for this food lover. Everything from toothpaste to Mexican food to chocolate chip cookies to wine tasted chemical-y. I returned to the internet in desperation and searched for a cure. The passage of time seemed to be the only real remedy for a case of Pine Mouth, although someone suggested rinsing the mouth with vinegar. I couldn’t stomach the thought of that, but I did try swishing with fresh lemon juice and it seemed to ease the symptoms.

The lesson for me is to be extra-vigilant in my awareness of the source of my food. I don’t plan to stop eating pine nuts, but you can bet I’ll be careful to eat only those varieties that are fresh and U.S.-grown like authentic New Mexico Pinon Nuts. How about you? Have you ever suffered through a case of Pine Mouth?

With Iran’s nuclear program making headlines and generating international tension in recent weeks, the timing couldn’t be more perfect for Irv Sternberg’s latest novel The Persian Project.

“As you know, much of the world is becoming increasingly alarmed about Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon,” Irv says. “Here, in the U.S., we have a whole generation that . . . → Read More: Author Profile: Irv Sternberg and The Persian Project]]>

With Iran’s nuclear program making headlines and generating international tension in recent weeks, the timing couldn’t be more perfect for Irv Sternberg’s latest novel The Persian Project.

“As you know, much of the world is becoming increasingly alarmed about Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon,” Irv says. “Here, in the U.S., we have a whole generation that doesn’t know the history of our relationship with that country dating back to 1978, when Iranian students overran our embassy in Tehran and held American hostages for more than a year. The Persian Project relives the events of that period through the eyes of several compelling characters, and informs or reminds readers of those events.”

The novel—written under Irv’s pen name Mark Irving—features Clint Jagger, an indomitable and determined Special Ops veteran of Vietnam. Set in the late 1970s, Clint thinks he has escaped his wartime demons by settling in a quiet town high in the Colorado Rockies. Then his former commander asks him to undertake a secret mission in Iran—an adventure that surpasses anything he faced in Vietnam.

Irv graciously agreed to answer some questions about the process of writing and publishing The Persian Project—and what’s in store next.

Eliza:  How long did it take you to write The Persian Project from the spark of an idea to the finished product?

Irv:  The idea came to me in 1978 when I was working in Iran for an AT&T subsidiary commissioned by the shah to upgrade Iran’s telecommunications, both commercial and military.  As the rumblings of discontent grew louder—demonstrations, riots, fires, shootings—I became aware that I was witnessing history.  I started keeping a journal and preserving  maps, newspaper  and magazine articles,  directories—everything  that would help me recall and write about the events  occurring daily.  In 1989, about three years after I retired, I dug out the journal and stored items and reviewed them.  I had always wanted to write a novel so I decided I would try to write one using my experiences in Iran and setting the action against the events I had witnessed.  I called it The Persepolis Project.  But agents and potential  publishers told me the American public was tired of reading about Iran and there was no market.  I think they were being kind—that my book, being my first effort at novel writing, lacked the polish needed to publish.

I put it aside and started a new book, Deadly Passage, using the same protagonist, Clint Jagger.  It was published in 1994. I went on to publish more books, but I never forgot about The Persepolis Project.  In 2008, when  Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear  capability became international news, I dusted off my old manuscript, rewrote lengthy portions and  heavily edited the rest.   Changing the title to The Persian Project, I published it in 2010.

Eliza:  What has been the most personally gratifying aspect of having this book published?

Irv:  Aside from a favorable reception,  I’m delighted that my instinct to keep a journal and save  lots of reference material  bore fruit so many years later.  I think most writers see themselves as teachers at heart, and I enjoy the fact that my book is sort of a history lesson for young people who knew nothing of the events  in Iran in the late 1970s, events that were a harbinger of current hostilities between Iran and the U.S.  I also enjoy speaking before groups about my experiences in Iran.

Eliza:  Can you tell us about your personal  writing routine?

Irv:  After conceiving the idea for a new book and undertaking the necessary research, I  try to spend  three hours a day on the actual writing.  But as most writers know, distractions often sabotage my intentions.  So even when I’m not writing, I try to think about the plotting, the characters and setting the next  scene.

Eliza:  What are you writing these days?  What’s still on your bucket list?

Irv:  Currently, I’m writing a sequel  to my Izzy Brand mystery, No Laughing Matter.  I’ve also gotten into the geneology thing for a family history, which I’ve already started.   Down  the road, if the passion is still there, I have an idea for another 1850 era historical based on facts I uncovered while researching my first historical, Neptune’s Chariot.

Eliza:  What advice can you give other writers who dream of having their books published?

Irv:  My advice would be the same writers have always heard: Keep writing, keep polishing what you write, and keep submitting.   Today, the path to traditional publishing is extremely difficult but, fortunately, technological advances  have offered unpublished writers more options, such as Print-on-Demand and E-publishing.

The Persian Project is available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, or at your favorite book store.  It’s available in paperback for $24.95 (or less) and may be downloaded to Kindle for $6.00.  Reviewers have called it a highly informative, well-researched and entertaining read. For more information about Irv and his other books, visit his website.

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Photo by Larry Odebrecht

‘Ceptetarian

Eats fruits, veggies, grains, no meat

Except for bacon.

~Eliza Cross

Attention – published authors, writers, freelancers, bloggers, poets and aspiring authors. Australian YA author Rachael Harrie is organizing the fourth Writers’ Platform-Building Campaign to help writers of similar genres network and make connections in the writing community. To participate, you must sign up by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, February . . . → Read More: Meet New Writers and Build Your Platform]]>

Join the Fourth Writers' Platform-Building Campaign

Attention – published authors, writers, freelancers, bloggers, poets and aspiring authors. Australian YA author Rachael Harrie is organizing the fourth Writers’ Platform-Building Campaign to help writers of similar genres network and make connections in the writing community. To participate, you must sign up by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, February 15.

Since I’m currently working on two new novels I’ve signed up for the women’s fiction group, but you can join groups for writers of children’s books, mainstream fiction, YA, science fiction, horror, romance, thrillers, devotionals, poetry and more.

Sign up here, and if you’re participating in the campaign be sure to say hello in the comment section below!

When I was 12 years old, our family friend author Pauli Wanderer gave me a blank hardback journal for Christmas, and inscribed it “to start becoming a writer.” I’ll never forget how excited I was by her belief in me, and I loved having a book I could fill up with my own words.

Some thirty years . . . → Read More: The Power of Encouragement]]>

When I was 12 years old, our family friend author Pauli Wanderer gave me a blank hardback journal for Christmas, and inscribed it “to start becoming a writer.” I’ll never forget how excited I was by her belief in me, and I loved having a book I could fill up with my own words.

Some thirty years later I met my food writing idol, the great Ruth Reichl who was at that time the editor of Gourmet magazine. I was an executive in a publishing company, but I confided to Ruth that someday I hoped to pursue writing full time.

So Ruth inscribed a copy of her book, “For Eliza—publisher and food writer.”

As I look back on my path to becoming a writer, I am grateful for the angels along the way who encouraged me—not only authors like Pauli, Ruth and many others—but my parents and my sixth-grade teacher Mrs. Swenson.

Is there someone in your life who could use a little boost? In the coming days I’m going to try and be especially mindful of opportunities to be encouraging. We don’t always know the impact our words have on someone who needs a little extra confidence, but I for one can certainly testify to the power of positive affirmation.

Winifred Gallagher is an author of six books, including her latest, NEW: Understanding Our Need for Novelty and Change, a fascinating exploration of humans’ natural affinity for the new and different—and how that affects and drives us in our modern world.

I recently reviewed her book at Happy Simple Living, and if you visit the site you . . . → Read More: Author Profile: Winifred Gallagher, and her NEW book]]>

Winifred Gallagher is an author of six books, including her latest, NEW: Understanding Our Need for Novelty and Change, a fascinating exploration of humans’ natural affinity for the new and different—and how that affects and drives us in our modern world.

I recently reviewed her book at Happy Simple Living, and if you visit the site you can enter the giveaway to win a new hardcover edition of this timely and thought-provoking book. Winifred generously agreed to answer some questions about her writing routine, her source of inspiration, and the next subject that’s piqued her interest.

EC:  What inspired you to write NEW, a book about humans’ attraction to novelty?

Winifred:  After I wrote Rapt: Attention and the Focused Life, an interviewer asked me if there was anything I wish I had included in the book. To my surprise, I blurted out that “I think we’re ‘addicted’ to novelty–to new things and change.” I began to look into the scientific research on our responses to the new and different, starting with our evolution in Africa, where Homo sapiens emerged as a separate species about 195,000 years ago. Unlike many species, we survived in that very turbulent environment of catastrophic environmental shifts– monsoons alternating with drought–because we figured out how to adapt to change.

EC:  How long did it take you to write this book, from the spark of an idea to finished manuscript?

Winifred:  It took about two years to write NEW, which is pretty quick for me.  The fact that I had done considerable research in the past on the science of temperament and personality gave me a bit of a head start in investigating our various degrees of “neophilia,” or our affinity for the new and different.

EC: You’re the author of a half dozen books and have been widely published. Can you tell us about your writing routine and how you manage to be so productive?

Winifred: I love doing my work, but I’m not very romantic about it, in the sense that I don’t have to be “in the mood” to write. I pretty much hunker down from 9 till 5 or 6, with a break for errands and yoga or the gym. I find that even if I get off to a sluggish start, sooner or later I’ll become engrossed. I’ve also learned that a simple change of scene can really jack up my energy and enthusiasm, which is one reason why I commute from New York City to the wilds of Wyoming.

EC: What has been the most personally gratifying aspect about the release of this book?

Winifred: I hope that it offers a fresh way to look at many aspects of our lives, both private and public, in a rapidly changing world in which we’re deluged by novelty–for better AND worse. We need to stay mindful of neophilia’s evolutionary purpose: to focus on, adapt to, learn about, and create new things that matter, while ignoring the rest as distractions.

EC: What’s next for you? Do you have another project in the works?

Winifred: Working on NEW has gotten me fascinated with our own modern Age of Communications and its effects on our behavior and culture, and I’m looking forward to exploring that subject further.

EC:  Thanks for your time, Winifred, and we wish you continued success with NEW and your upcoming projects.

Spam comments are inevitable if you write a blog, but they can also be a fine source of wacky humor. Here are some of my favorites from 2011:

Dr. James Roberts is a leading researcher on consumer behavior, a professor at the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University, and the author of the new book Shiny Objects: Why We Spend Money We Don’t Have in Search of Happiness We Can’t Buy. I recently reviewed his book for Happy Simple Living, and if you . . . → Read More: Author Profile: Dr. James A. Roberts and his new book, Shiny Objects]]>

Dr. James Roberts is a leading researcher on consumer behavior, a professor at the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University, and the author of the new book Shiny Objects: Why We Spend Money We Don’t Have in Search of Happiness We Can’t Buy. I recently reviewed his book for Happy Simple Living, and if you visit the site you can enter the giveaway to win a new hardcover edition of this thought-provoking book. James generously agreed to answer some questions about his writing routine, finding an agent, and his path to publication.

EC:  What inspired you to write about the perils of consumption?

James:  When I take a second to look back, I see that Shiny Objects has really been a life-long work in progress. I grew up in a family that recycled and where my brothers and I were expected to earn money for the things we wanted. Outside of the basics of food, shelter, underwear and socks, we worked to pay for everything else. I worked cutting grass and trees, and doing odd jobs for an older gentleman by the time I was eleven years old. I also worked 80 hour weeks at the end of each summer when the corn came in for processing. It was at these and many other similar jobs that I learned the true value of money. Along the way I may have complained about not having what others had, but it was a lesson that has stayed with me to this day.

After college, I worked as a stock broker and found that a life spent solely in the pursuit of money was not for me. A later stint in the consumer loan division of Norwest Banks opened my eyes to the devastating impact poor money management could have on individuals and their families.

For the past 15 years I have studied the psychology of consumer behavior including the topics of materialism, compulsive buying, and credit card abuse. I have always been fascinated with what many might call the dark side of consumer behavior.

EC:  When you were drafting the book, did you have a regular writing routine?

James:  I did. As a college professor my work week is very structured. I usually teach on Tuesdays and Thursdays and keep those two days entirely devoted to teaching, preparing for the next class, grading, and meeting with students. With a few exceptions Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays were devoted to research and writing. Shiny Objects is very much a popular press book but the research that went into it was vast. For each chapter I probably spent more time doing the research than I did the writing itself. My choice of topic (materialism and happiness), however, played to my strengths given that I have been conducting research in the areas of compulsive buying, credit card abuse and materialism for the past 15 years. After fleshing out an outline for the entire book, I wrote three chapters for my proposal whose purpose was to attract an agent to represent me.

For a typical chapter I would gather all of the relevant research together both from my files of articles and after a careful library and online search for relevant information. I would then read the articles (1-2 weeks) and then write a detailed outline of the chapter. I would then sit down and put pen to paper. Yes, I still write all my papers (including Shiny Objects) by longhand. And publicly in this place, I want to apologize to Barbara Wiedman for my terrible handwriting. She typed everything I gave her with unerring accuracy and a great spirit. She was truly the wind beneath my wings. The entire book writing process from start to finish took about four years.

EC:  Can you tell us a little bit about your path to finding a literary agent?

James:  Like many new writers I started the process of landing representation by purchasing a copy of Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, and Literary Agents. I then looked for agents who represented books in my genre which included self-help as well as social commentary, etc. I wrote many letters to agents that seemed to be a good match with my book but sent more e-mails to those agents that accepted e-mail solicitations. I thought I had a compelling subject and powerful query letter and was ready to set the world on fire with my new offering.

The road to an agent, of course, was strewn with rejection letters, and a handful of charlatans who said they could help get my proposal ready but it would take at least $7,500.00 to do so. I ignored these requests and others to attend writing seminars, etc. Persistence is the key. I had a number of potential agents request my proposal but for one reason or another passed on it. Finally I was blessed to cross paths with Mollie Glick of Foundry Media & Literary. Mollie is an agent who doesn’t mind working to develop a proposal before sending it around to publishers. I cut my publishing teeth with Mollie and we eventually landed a contract with Harper One – a West Coast unit of Harper Collins publishing. Roger Freet is my editor and he has been very helpful (and supportive) in helping me put together a book that would strike a chord with the reading public.

EC:  What has been the most personally gratifying aspect of having this book published?

James:  There’s a saying in academia that goes, “The only good dissertation is a finished dissertation.” I think that applies to trade publications as well. I am extremely happy to have completed the process. From starting my writing alone in my office during the quiet summer months nearly four years ago, to finding an agent, securing a publisher, and then surviving the editing process has been a good experience but at times an exhausting process. One that I could not have completed without the support of my wife and children, parents, siblings, my agent, my editor, and the cadre of others at Harper Collins who have helped in bringing this book to market. I wrote this book because I am passionate about the subject matter and want to be a positive force in the world. Please visit the Shiny Objects blog to find out how this book can change your life.

EC:  Do you have another project in the works?

James:  I am always working on several projects at any given time. Currently, I am looking at the role self-esteem plays in our behavior as consumers. When how we feel about ourselves is contingent upon the approval of others, as is often the case with materialism, our self-esteem is fragile and open to damage. A healthy self-esteem is a key ingredient to living a happy life. In the end we all want to have lived lives of meaning and feel that our short time here on earth mattered. Removing the stumbling block of material possessions from our path can help us achieve such worthy pursuits.

EC:  Thanks, James, and best wishes for your continued success.