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We have some amazing cinnamon rolls and chocolate chip cookies here in our office this morning (thanks, Ashley and Annie!), and I have indulged. I had little willpower to avoid temptations like this before I was pregnant, and now I have none. “The baby wants one!” is something I find myself saying a lot lately. In my defense, I am counteracting my indulgences with plenty of healthy foods, water, exercise, and prenatal vitamins.It really is hard not to use the “eating for two” excuse to succumb to all my cravings, especially when temptations seem to smack me across the taste buds when I least expect them. Like last week when I was just innocently reviewing Debra Ullrick’s new Heartsong The Bride Wore Coveralls, and wham the mention of a funnel cake made me want to beeline for the nearest fairgrounds. Good thing my town’s homecoming starts on Wednesday so that I can humor this hankering. :)
Other Heartsongs in the works that have contributed to my cravings include Pamela Griffin’s Sweet, Sugared Love, Lisa Harris’s A Matter of Trust, Wanda Brunstetter’s Betsy’s Return, Debby Mayne’s If the Dress Fits, and Jeri Odell’s Always Yesterday. I’m sure there are more. Just know that if you mentioned a specific food anywhere in your story, it probably made me want to eat it!
I have been heard around the office to say, “Heartsong authors needs to stop writing about food while I’m pregnant!” But I’m just kidding. What’s a good story without some good food? I think readers especially enjoy when authors include a recipe for a dish mentioned in the book. I know Wanda Brunstetter, Birdie Etchison, and Kathleen Y’Barbo have done this in Heartsongs. There are probably others who have, too. What about you? What’s a family favorite recipe that has found its way into one of your stories? Feel free to send me a sample :)
Per request, here's a picture of me and my baby belly these days!
This was taken Wednesday at the shower my church friends had for me.
Only 8 weeks to go!
10 comments:
Oh, I'm sorry I contributed to your cravings. :-) My husband teases me that I always mention food in my stories.
For my upcoming HP Mystery, Recipe for Murder, I had to make up my own recipe for my heroine, Pricilla Crumb, who is famous for her Lemon Crumb Cake.
I ended up practicing on my family, who never seemed to mind, and came up with a recipe we all enjoyed for the back of the book.
Okay, so now I'm craving sweets!
Seriously, JoAnne, go read Petticoat Ranch, the deer gutting scene will probably cure you of all of your cravings. :)\And let's see...Amy was smoking fish in Golden Days, that will probably not make you hungry, although with pregnancy, you're always on the edge.
I remember a french fry craving once that just fits EXACTLY with your comic.
Loved the pictures. So, is it a girl? I saw lots of pink!!!!
Yep, it's a girl! At least the nurse practitioner who did our ultrasound promised us it is. She better be right or our poor little boy will have to go naked or wear lots of pink! :)
JoAnne, pregnancy looks very good on you! I think I speak for all of us when I say we're excitedly waiting for your baby's appearance, too!
I love recipes in books! In an early Barbour novella, I invented a prairie fruitcake which was great fun to create ("Christmas Cake"). In "Angel's Roost" (Heartsong), I made up a recipe for truffles.
They're all heavy on chocolate. I figure any recipe is made much much much much much better by massive amounts of chocolate.
[When I was pregnant, my food of choice was orange popsicles. Bizarre!]
Your baby belly? Where's your belly? Where's your baby? You look so slim! And very pretty! I think we're all waiting eagerly to see a pic of your new little one when she arrives.
I shouldn't even tell you about the BIGGEST baby shower I've ever gone to, maybe fifty or sixty people, a mountain of pink presents for the 'guaranteed' baby girl. It was all confirmed.
Well, when the baby BOY arrived, mama spend long hours returning and exchanging. I asked her if it about killed her and she said, "It was great. I just got to shop and shop and shop."
I thought, "Oh, yeah, I forgot. You're young." LOL
It's a very sweet baby boy. My great-great nephew. Yes, I am THAT OLD!
Oh, my craving was watermelon. In April. In the boonies. In 1994. Our grocery store didn't stock things that were out of season! My mother-in-law was terrified Caitlin would have a huge birthmark somewhere that looked like a watermelon. (Don't ask!)
So picture this, finally, early summer, I go to this outdoor farm market/Amish thing near us, park about a mile away, walk to the market, and what do they have? WATERMELONS! The huge, old-fashioned ones. Do I think about how far away I parked? Of course not. So there I was, lugging that monster back to my car...I thought I was going to die. Of course, it never entered my mind to leave the thing behind--I finally had my watermelon! I think it was bigger than my baby-belly, too. But not bigger than my grin, I imagine!
Whew! That was the best watermelon I ever had! LOL
...So have you discovered the wonder of your toes yet? I swear, I could pick a bowling ball up with my toes back then, if it meant I didn't have to bend over!
I used to work part-time at a mother's day out in a church. I was pregnant with my third child after having two boys. My co-workers were totally convinced I'd have a girl(this was in the days before Ultrasounds) and gave me an girly baby shower. Well...needless to say my near-nine pound son didn't appreciate all those pink outfits, but it was fun returning them for boy things.
I ended up with four sons, but last year I finally got a girl--a sweet, cuddly granddaughter.
As for foods in books, JoAnne, there's a delicious recipe in Kiss The (Cook) Bride for my aunt Mildred's ice box cake. Mmmmmm. I would always ask her for a bowl of that "pink stuff" whenever I went to her house, and incorporated that into my novella, A Recipe for Romance.
Looks like you're having fun. Lisa makes me hungry with her mysteries. Pricilla is quite the cook.
So far I've mentioned fried green tomatoes in one book, and chocolate gravy--yes, there is such a thing and it's heavenly over biscuits in the morning. Yum. It's afternoon here and my mouth is watering. The cool thing about chocolate gravy is that it turns into pudding if you let it sit. :)
Congrats on having a girl, JoAnne! I have 2 daughters--both adults now. They're wonderful!
As for the food, savor every bite. I believe it's something the Lord intended for us to enjoy--especially chocolate.
I craved Popsicles and watermelon when I was pregnant.
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