What a great idea! I’ve spent many years in the trenches of community building small downtowns. So my ask naturally follows what I write about the most, go out and find a locally owned and operated shop in the place where you live, and instead of shopping at a chain store, buy from that shop. Keep your local economy going!
My give is directed to all writers out there who are looking to find new readers. Make a flyer that offers a free chapter of one of your books, and post it on the local place where people post things. My favorite guerrilla marketing like this is to make it a lost and found style flyer. LOST? Looking for a good read about [fill in your log line] then FIND a free sample at [your social or web URL] [Name of Book].
As with all things you do, Leigh, I love this. Prior to this week, I was already working on expanding my podcast (My Simplified Life) and doing more author interviews. Now, I ask that more people subscribe to it, share it, rate it. My goal has always been to share the stories of the authors behind the books we fall in love with while also building empathy in hearing about the journeys of others.
My offer is if anyone is wanting to pitch themselves to be a podcast guest but isn’t sure where to start, to please reach out with questions. Yesterday I presented to a room filled with writers and 90% had never considered podcast interviews as a way to expand their author brand or promote their book.
What a generous offer, Michelle! I'll listen to your podcast and have just purchased your book. Thanks, Leigh, for starting this supportive and informative dialogue.
When I feel stymied, stuck, general malaise and nausea about my writing, my life, the world, I turn to list making. My mother was a great list maker and we forever joke about her “IB away” list item. Ironing board away! It’s funny, and sad because she was really struggling in her life then and the satisfaction of crossing one thing off was essential. Do you ever put things on your list that you’ve already done, just for the thrill of crossing it off? Here’s a list of things I list:
1. People to call
2. Things to cook
3. Where to donate money/volunteer
4. Books TBR
5. Places I dream of visiting
6. Dinner party guests
7. Writing goals/plans
8. Chores that are easy to do and scratch the itch of getting things done ✅ for example: IB away.
I love this, Leigh! Here’s what I’m asking for: I’m doing a 24 day advent calendar for my newsletter starting Dec 1 and would love ideas about what food or drink or tradition you think of IMMEDIATELY when you think “Holiday Season”. Here’s what I’d like to do: I’ll include your ideas in one of my posts with a link to you/your newsletter/website (if you’d like) Thanks, Leigh!
Me too! Btw, I tuned in to “Lite Fm” (Chicago’s Christmas Station 😂) when they flipped to All Christmas music and OF COURSE, Mariah’s was the first song! 🎶 🎄
What fun! On Christmas Eve I give each of my kids an ornament that reflects something about their year - a milestone, a trip, whatever. Then our tree is covered in memories🎄
Obviously for me, cookies! Also: my family's hilarious Christmas Eve smorgasbord, which includes everything from Indian and pigs in a blanket to a roast turkey and mashed potatotes.
During Covid, when our children had to come home from college, our family of four filmed a 5 minute remake of HOME ALONE, put it on YouTube, and put a QR code on our holiday card so friends could see it. We watch our version and the OG every year. The next year, we got the HOME ALONE Lego and now we build a big, complicated Lego together every year. This year: the Harry Potter castle.
I’m just seeing you asked for food or drinks and mine is so kitschy. My daughter and I love making homemade Chex mix. We use my mom’s recipe from the 1970s which includes cheddar and pretzel goldfish crackers.
My stepdaughter makes a version of this every year for the holidays too! I love it. No goldfish in hers. She makes it gluten free with Rice Chex, pretzels, and lots and lots of nuts.
Thank you for this offer. I recently wrote about December treats and why marzipan is the one I always crave the most.
“Not as thrilling as an arrabbiata, not as erotic as bitter chocolate, not as invigorating as a lemon sorbet on a summer afternoon, but known like your husband’s eyes and rich like gold is the taste of the marzipan fruits made by the dolceria of the Santa Caterina monastery in Palermo, Sicily.”
I find myself now looking forward every year to having panettone at Christmas time. It wasn't a tradition my family had growing up, but my husband learned to make it himself (after learning sourdough) about ten years ago. And since then he not only makes variations every year, we've started getting fancy ones from gourmet places, and then also the ones you see stacked up in boxes in the grocery store... which are surprisingly good! Now I just look forward to having a plethora of panettone at Christmas!
I love panettone! How great your husband makes homemade — of the gourmet fancy ones you’ve gotten, do you have a favorite, Cecilia? (And are they available to order?)
The cream of the crop are these ones by a guy named Roy. I heard him on a podcast, such an interesting life story. He was a professional basketball player whose career got derailed by injury and he ended up becoming a chef in training, and traveling Europe just seeking out the best chefs to work with, and he fell in love with panettone. So he has devoted his life to making panetonne his obsession. Google "Panettone From Roy" and it will come up with his website. They are really expensive because they are limited and he still makes them by hand. Other than that I just see what shows up in my local wine shops and cheese shops, they always get some from various places!
Oh, wow, I totally forgot that my father's aunt, who lived in California, used to mail us homemade fruit cake. She even grew the fruits. No one else in my family would eat it! More for me! After she passed, I started making the Eggless, Milkless Spice Cake from Joy of Cooking as a fruit cake by adding fruits! yum
Jolene, such a fun prospect from a generous idea by Leigh! I have a couple “make it your own” traditions to offer from my family’s history. There are now enough replies here that I couldn’t sift through them all, but I have a feeling few if any folks mentioned intentionally poor musical performance, and old-fashioned wassail (and yes, despite decades of exposure to it, I had to Google the correct spelling).
Every Christmas up until her passing in 2022, my grandmother would bring the extended family together again for a gift exchange, a meal, and fun times. A micro tradition within that macro tradition was the serving of wassail, fresh hot and cidery. Memories of entering the home to steam, cinnamon, nutmeg, apple in the air. I certainly enjoyed it, even from a young age, though I was one of the few who did. Sometimes no one else had any, and sometimes everyone partook for the holiday spirit, only to remind themselves why they should've skipped it as usual like in the year before. If there was one more invariable act to share here: my mother, my aunt, and my grandmother would sequester themselves at some point in the event to sit down at the piano in the living room and attempt to perform Christmas-themed classics. They were a fine family of singers, but their sight-reading was specious, and their piano playing even moreso. They were aware of this, of course. The attempt at “music” was a running joke. The perennial challenge was how close they could get the damned pieces right. One daughter would play the low notes, the other the high notes, clinking along clunkily while their mother failed to get the lyrics out through laughter. Each off note sent shudders through the rest of us who sat as a captive audience just a few feet away. My dad often chimed in with a mock dog’s howl to add to the jest; the veritable tomato thrown toward the troupe on stage. After mercifully ending the puckish ordeal, they’d turn around to a standing ovation, pulp on their smiling faces. Gosh, I miss those times.
Sorry for the long-winded response. It was spurred by a great prompt!
This is such a great story, your Dad howling and the bows at the end and the cidery, hot wassail sounds good to me! Thank you for taking the time to share this, your micro-essay really captures this moment with your family! :)
Persimmon cookies! Most people don't know what to do with that beautiful orange jeweled fruit, but we have a recipe that has been handed down for generations. When my children were little they took a batter stained recipe card and a fresh batch of warm cookies to class when asked to bring in a family heirloom. Other kids were delighted! They are taste like fall and everyone loves them. LMK if you'd like the recipe and where to send it.
I would LOVE the recipe, Becky! Can you dm me on Notes? I love the image of your children this delicious “heirloom” to school for everyone to enjoy. ❤️
Jolene! The thread is so long here, so hope this is not a repeat. NY at Christmastime. Radio City and the Rockettes and the tree at Rockefeller Center.
My grandmother used to take me to that show every year. I used to go home and kick my legs up over my head, usually triggering some kind of disaster or fight with a sibling when I clipped one in the shins by accident. We'd also go to see the skaters at Rockefeller Center and every year she would walk through FAO Schwartz with me to "look."
There's a tradition here in Ireland (& maybe elsewhere?) to put a candle in each window on Christmas Eve. As a child, I was told that if Mary & Joseph were out looking for somewhere to have baby Jesus, they would see the candle and know that our house was a safe, welcoming one. I'm not religious anymore, but I do love that tradition and the message it conveys.
I love this, Clare, I went to Catholic school here in the US and remember a version of the story of leaving candles 🕯️ in the window being told by the nuns. Btw, my grandfather was from Liscannor in Clare and love visiting Ireland.
Thanks, Jolene! If you end up using my idea in your Substack, I'd love it if you could include my name with a link to the editorial services on my website: https://marisarussello.com/editorial-services/
Hi, Marisa, of course, happy to! My plan is to (over the 24 days I’ll be posting) mention & link to everyone who was kind enough to take the time to post here with their idea. Stay tuned! 🛷 ❄️ 😊
This is so fun, Jolene! I made these chocolate crinkle cookies with my granny every Christmas since I was 2. She passed last year, so this will be my second Christmas making them with my niece in her honor. Aside from their emotional meaning for me, they are absolutely delicious!
Katie this is so poignant, sorry for the loss of your grandmother last year, lovely that you continue the tradition (since you were 2! So sweet!) I’m definitely going to try these, thank you so much!
Technically not a Christmas thing but still very much a holidays thing – latkes! I grew up with both Christmas and Hanukkah and latkes are still one of my favorite holiday dishes! Here’s a recipe. Eat with sour cream!
So delicious, Rebecca, my mother was Swedish and German and made potato pancakes all the time at the holidays, thank you for reminding me and for the recipe!
Speculaas and chocolate figures for St Nicholas day on December 6th or meatballs with cherry sauce and ice cream yule log at Christmas🙂. First two are in my book ☺️.
Not sure Jolene, I saw your first comment so replied to that one 🤷♀️. I also found the book on the archive.org library so I could take a look at the ratios that speculaas recipe uses. Interestingly, this one uses far less butter than the one I’ve got, less sugar and bit of egg and water instead.
Sarah, I have a Belgian cookbook by Juliette Elkin that has a speculaas recipe, should they be made with a St. Nicolas cookie cutter or is it traditional to use a cookie stamp? Thanks!
Ooh, you mentioned a book I hadn’t come across yet, yay! I thought I’d found all the cookbooks in English about Belgian cuisine by now but this was new. It looks like it’s out of print so I guess that’s why it never showed up anywhere.
A cookie stamp works similar enough, I’d say. Rolling out the dough and cutting out the cookies would change the texture because that gives you a smooth surface rather than the rougher surface you get from the board. I did see these shops selling something similar to the speculaas molds
Thank you so much, Sarah! Will definitely be writing about St Nicholas Day on December, 6, I spelled the author’s name wrong it’s “Elkon” the book is from 1958 and was given to me by a friend who inherited it. :)
Two things: 1) for years our very large "blended" family would gather at my mother's house, usually with many add-ons and waifs in tow. She thought nothing of feeding 30 or 40 people in those days - anywhere they could find a place to sit. Every time and every year a person walked in the door she would take a Polaroid snapshot of them and it would go up on the wall. I think she did it so she'd have something to remember everyone by but it ended up being a ritual of welcome and inclusion.
2) My mom's chocolate mousse which is actually a recipe for Charlotte Russe. Velvety, dark, not-too-sweet, and never heavy. To this day, it remains the dish we all wait for at the end of the meal.
Elizabeth, I love all of this, does your mom still have all the Polaroids? And that cake sounds WOW 🤩 “A ritual of welcome and inclusion” how beautiful!
I think she has some but the thing with Polaroids, of course, is that they fade. That makes them even more poignant now when some of those faces, one dear one in particular, is no longer with us.
I love this! I'm going to share two book recommendations. They're books that inspired me and made me think deeply about past experience, goals and the way environment shapes us. One is a novel by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio called Catalina. It's a beautiful and quick read. The other is called What My Bones Know. It's a memoir about intergenerational trauma by journalist Stephanie Foo. I devoured them both!
What an enlightened initiative, Leigh, to create this open forum for creative exchange. Having witnessed countless times how invaluable fresh perspectives can be in the editorial process, I'm delighted to offer my services as a beta reader. Am passionate for nonfiction and memoir, and I would welcome the opportunity to provide constructive feedback to emerging voices. Do reach me at glenloveland@outlook.com. This spirit of creative community is precisely what nurtures literary excellence.
Oh Glen, may I take you up on this? I have the opening chapter of a local history/slight memoir (I just invented the term "slight memoir.") I'd love to get a pair of eyes on it. It's 12-13 pages?
Thanks Glen! This is a generous offer (Merci!) and I will be send you my opening 10 pages of a travel memoir when I get off this blasted train headed to Montreal. 😊
For those who are looking for literary agents, I'm happy to help provide feedback on query letters (for free), as long as the book is adult and not fantasy. I have a lot of experience querying and my debut has been picked up by S&S. Especially keen to support marginalized authors.
Hi! In this excellent spirit, I'm offering a free decision-making session. If you're stuck and trying to make a big decision--writing career decisions welcome!--I'll get you unstuck. I'm a professional, I swear (decisioncoach.com), and I can help. email me: nell@decisioncoach.com.
I’m looking for book recs for place-based nonfiction. Like Crapalacchia, Five Finger Discount, etc. (Books that have a bit less memoir than those two are ideal!) sort of like “biography of a place” if that makes any sense.
My offer is for folks trying to get their books into indie bookstores: I will provide a bookstore owner’s perspective on your pitch materials. Email me at hello at thelostbookshop.com 😊
I was going to text you this morning to tell you how much I loved Molly by Blake Butler (which I bought when I was up there). I hope someone else chimes in with biography of a place recs!
If you're interested in the West of Ireland, I'd recommend Doireann Ní Ghríofa's 'A Ghost in the Throat' Heads up that there's a strong theme of motherhood/domestic life though, in case that's not your jam.
Another biography of a place, but ultimately more memoir, is: The Slow Road North: How I Found Peace in an Improbable Country by Rosie Schaap (Mariner Books, 2024). It's about Glenarm, a quiet, seaside village in County Antrim. You get to know its history, its vibe, and the people living there.
I could recommend: Water, Wood, and Wild Things: Learning Craft and Cultivation in a Japanese Mountain Town by Hannah Kirshner (Penguin Books, 2022). Kirshner, an artist from Brooklyn, fell in love with the mountain town Yamanaka and stayed there long enough to learn about tea ceremonies, lacquerware, onsen bathing, rice production, wood carving, saké serving, and more. It's a gorgeous collection of essays on one place.
This is such a lovely idea, Leigh! If you're trying to write a first draft of your novel in one month for nanowrimo, I shared this guide on Instagram based on how I did so with my new novel: https://www.instagram.com/kirthanaramisetti/p/DBwNrVuxQFL/?img_index=1 It's never easy to write a novel, but right now can feel all but impossible. So if you have any questions on writing a first draft, or writing a novel in general, feel free to message me!
As for an "ask," if you read a book this year that you absolutely adored, please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads. It can make a huge difference, especially for debut authors.
I am not in a rut but would love to get closer to my annual reading goal and so I am looking for some short books or graphic novels. I found Claire Keegan (loved). Thank you for any ideas you might have!
Elizabeth, you’re a gem and you just gained a new subscriber. I added each and every one of your recommendations to my reading list. That fact had me curious about your publication and what you do and now it all makes sense :)
Two graphic novels I read recently and loved: Acting Class by Nick Drnaso, and Monica by Daniel Clowes (though I will read pretty much anything by him). Both a bit dark, though in different ways, so fair warning!
I'd love to get some more subscribers for my newsletter Postcards From Komiksoj, a biweekly review of graphic novels old and new. https://buttondown.com/komiksoj
And if anyone's interested in appearing on my podcast to talk about movies set in the book world — https://framedandbound.libsyn.com/site — please let a fella know!
Adaptation! I think about Meryl Streep and Nicholas Cage (x2!) in that movie at least once a week. I also think it’s cool how Susan Orlean OK’d Charlie Kaufman’s bizarre adaptation even though it strays from her memoir. Brilliant film, writing, acting, and… adaptation!
We've got an Adaptation episode going up this week — but if there's something else you'd like to talk about, I'm up for it! Email me at toby.carroll at gmail.com.
Either one works! If you have a film you'd like to talk about that hasn't been covered on the podcast yet, that's fair game — and I have some that I'd like to cover eventually, too. Email me at toby.carroll at gmail.com.
I’m working on a piece about how female authors are portrayed in movies (biopics usually) for a Swedish newspaper at the moment - would love to talk more about it!
I’d like encouragement. I let a few submission deadlines pass me by. Two recent rejections that a certain editor combined into one letter, I know, didn’t help.
I’d offer to be a beta reader. Feedback that would encourage and affirm your direction.
Every book that I've helped publish (I'm an agent) has received at least one rejection - even those that sold in major auctions or became bestsellers. Take whatever is useful from the feedback and KEEP GOING!
Hi Mackenzie! Mind if I reach out to you about the process of becoming an agent? Really looking to switch my life up a bit and have always been interested in that line of work.
Elizabeth, I encourage you to continue! It is so hard to keep going in writing, in general, and especially in the face of rejection. I am tenderhearted about submissions, too.
Keep going. Keep writing. Your stories matter, to you, to us, your eventual readers.
I'll throw my hat in the ring! I'm an artist and writer/cartoonist, looking to both increase my book reviews and get more pet portraits under my belt. In exchange for buying and reviewing my creativity-non-guide, Skip to the Fun Parts: Cartoons and Complaints About the Creative Process, I'll draw your pet for FREE! You can see some of my animal drawings here (mostly cats, like I said, but trying to branch out more). https://www.danajerimaier.com/pets
What a great idea! I’ve spent many years in the trenches of community building small downtowns. So my ask naturally follows what I write about the most, go out and find a locally owned and operated shop in the place where you live, and instead of shopping at a chain store, buy from that shop. Keep your local economy going!
My give is directed to all writers out there who are looking to find new readers. Make a flyer that offers a free chapter of one of your books, and post it on the local place where people post things. My favorite guerrilla marketing like this is to make it a lost and found style flyer. LOST? Looking for a good read about [fill in your log line] then FIND a free sample at [your social or web URL] [Name of Book].
I love that guerrilla marketing tactic and it reminds me of my interview with the owner of the Lost Bookshop: https://leighstein.substack.com/p/when-life-gives-you-lemons-sell-books?utm_source=publication-search
What a great interview! Thanks for sharing it again.
Thanks you for this reminder!
I’ve been a long-time customer of a small local bookstore—and last month I was hired there!! Love shopping small and local!! 😁📖
I love the "Lost" flyer idea!
I love this idea. I'm going to use it to find some more readers for my newsletter. Thanks!
Love it!!
BRILLIANT
You can also go to bookshop.org and support local bookstores that way too.
As with all things you do, Leigh, I love this. Prior to this week, I was already working on expanding my podcast (My Simplified Life) and doing more author interviews. Now, I ask that more people subscribe to it, share it, rate it. My goal has always been to share the stories of the authors behind the books we fall in love with while also building empathy in hearing about the journeys of others.
My offer is if anyone is wanting to pitch themselves to be a podcast guest but isn’t sure where to start, to please reach out with questions. Yesterday I presented to a room filled with writers and 90% had never considered podcast interviews as a way to expand their author brand or promote their book.
I'm also going to plug Michelle's book because I use it as a resource all the time when I'm pitching my own clients to podcasts!
https://www.amazon.com/How-Get-Podcasts-Cultivate-Strengthen/dp/1265543623
Thank you so much, Leigh!
Michelle, your podcast is inspiring and you are simply fabulous and generous too.
Thank you, Becky! I'm so looking forward to sharing your story on my show!
What a generous offer, Michelle! I'll listen to your podcast and have just purchased your book. Thanks, Leigh, for starting this supportive and informative dialogue.
Thank you SO much! I really appreciate it!
Thank you for this reminder! And I’ll check out your book
When I feel stymied, stuck, general malaise and nausea about my writing, my life, the world, I turn to list making. My mother was a great list maker and we forever joke about her “IB away” list item. Ironing board away! It’s funny, and sad because she was really struggling in her life then and the satisfaction of crossing one thing off was essential. Do you ever put things on your list that you’ve already done, just for the thrill of crossing it off? Here’s a list of things I list:
1. People to call
2. Things to cook
3. Where to donate money/volunteer
4. Books TBR
5. Places I dream of visiting
6. Dinner party guests
7. Writing goals/plans
8. Chores that are easy to do and scratch the itch of getting things done ✅ for example: IB away.
8. New coffee situation
9. Submit, submit, submit
10. Get outside!
Thanks for this, Leigh. You are a bright light.
I love this! I ALWAYS put things on my list that I've already done!
I love this, Leigh! Here’s what I’m asking for: I’m doing a 24 day advent calendar for my newsletter starting Dec 1 and would love ideas about what food or drink or tradition you think of IMMEDIATELY when you think “Holiday Season”. Here’s what I’d like to do: I’ll include your ideas in one of my posts with a link to you/your newsletter/website (if you’d like) Thanks, Leigh!
I love listening to “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey and I’m not ashamed
Me too! Btw, I tuned in to “Lite Fm” (Chicago’s Christmas Station 😂) when they flipped to All Christmas music and OF COURSE, Mariah’s was the first song! 🎶 🎄
What fun! On Christmas Eve I give each of my kids an ornament that reflects something about their year - a milestone, a trip, whatever. Then our tree is covered in memories🎄
This is so lovely, Annabel, “A tree covered in memories” ☺️🎄 would love to include and link to you. Thank you so much!
Oh thank you!
Obviously for me, cookies! Also: my family's hilarious Christmas Eve smorgasbord, which includes everything from Indian and pigs in a blanket to a roast turkey and mashed potatotes.
Love it, Elizabeth! I always think of your cookie Marathon at this time of year! xx
During Covid, when our children had to come home from college, our family of four filmed a 5 minute remake of HOME ALONE, put it on YouTube, and put a QR code on our holiday card so friends could see it. We watch our version and the OG every year. The next year, we got the HOME ALONE Lego and now we build a big, complicated Lego together every year. This year: the Harry Potter castle.
I’m just seeing you asked for food or drinks and mine is so kitschy. My daughter and I love making homemade Chex mix. We use my mom’s recipe from the 1970s which includes cheddar and pretzel goldfish crackers.
I love kitschy when it’s delicious! So: it’s goldfish crackers, pretzels 🥨 and what else?
Mix together in a 13 x 9 deep pan:
2 cups rice Chex
2 cups corn Chex
1 cup wheat Chex
1 cup cheddar goldfish crackers
1 cup pretzel goldfish crackers
1 cup peanuts - mom always used the salted Planter’s Dry Roasted Peanuts. This is the only time I buy them :)
Melt 1 stick of butter in a small saucepan. Add:
2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
¼ tsp garlic salt
1 ¼ tsp of Season All (seasoned salt)
Pour the butter mixture on the Chex and stir
Bake at 275 for 40-50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
Cool on paper towels.
Enjoy!
My stepdaughter makes a version of this every year for the holidays too! I love it. No goldfish in hers. She makes it gluten free with Rice Chex, pretzels, and lots and lots of nuts.
Thank you so much for taking the time, Kara, I’m gonna make this! ❤️
Kara, this is too fabulous!! What an absolutely inspired thing to do during Covid, and now it’s part of your tradition, love it!
Decorating the Christmas tree while watching Die Hard - the way my Dad and I used to before he died. It feels like communion.
That’s really poignant, Mackenzie.
Thank you for this offer. I recently wrote about December treats and why marzipan is the one I always crave the most.
“Not as thrilling as an arrabbiata, not as erotic as bitter chocolate, not as invigorating as a lemon sorbet on a summer afternoon, but known like your husband’s eyes and rich like gold is the taste of the marzipan fruits made by the dolceria of the Santa Caterina monastery in Palermo, Sicily.”
https://clairepolders.substack.com/p/23-why-sicilian-marzipan-tastes-bittersweet
Thank you so much for this, Claire, I’m jumping over to read the link now!
I find myself now looking forward every year to having panettone at Christmas time. It wasn't a tradition my family had growing up, but my husband learned to make it himself (after learning sourdough) about ten years ago. And since then he not only makes variations every year, we've started getting fancy ones from gourmet places, and then also the ones you see stacked up in boxes in the grocery store... which are surprisingly good! Now I just look forward to having a plethora of panettone at Christmas!
I love panettone! How great your husband makes homemade — of the gourmet fancy ones you’ve gotten, do you have a favorite, Cecilia? (And are they available to order?)
The cream of the crop are these ones by a guy named Roy. I heard him on a podcast, such an interesting life story. He was a professional basketball player whose career got derailed by injury and he ended up becoming a chef in training, and traveling Europe just seeking out the best chefs to work with, and he fell in love with panettone. So he has devoted his life to making panetonne his obsession. Google "Panettone From Roy" and it will come up with his website. They are really expensive because they are limited and he still makes them by hand. Other than that I just see what shows up in my local wine shops and cheese shops, they always get some from various places!
Thank you so much, Cecilia, googling now!
Oh, wow, I totally forgot that my father's aunt, who lived in California, used to mail us homemade fruit cake. She even grew the fruits. No one else in my family would eat it! More for me! After she passed, I started making the Eggless, Milkless Spice Cake from Joy of Cooking as a fruit cake by adding fruits! yum
Oh, I never thought about doing that. Now I want to try it because I've been sometimes candying my own fruits...! (Well, my own store-bought fruits.)
Jolene, such a fun prospect from a generous idea by Leigh! I have a couple “make it your own” traditions to offer from my family’s history. There are now enough replies here that I couldn’t sift through them all, but I have a feeling few if any folks mentioned intentionally poor musical performance, and old-fashioned wassail (and yes, despite decades of exposure to it, I had to Google the correct spelling).
Every Christmas up until her passing in 2022, my grandmother would bring the extended family together again for a gift exchange, a meal, and fun times. A micro tradition within that macro tradition was the serving of wassail, fresh hot and cidery. Memories of entering the home to steam, cinnamon, nutmeg, apple in the air. I certainly enjoyed it, even from a young age, though I was one of the few who did. Sometimes no one else had any, and sometimes everyone partook for the holiday spirit, only to remind themselves why they should've skipped it as usual like in the year before. If there was one more invariable act to share here: my mother, my aunt, and my grandmother would sequester themselves at some point in the event to sit down at the piano in the living room and attempt to perform Christmas-themed classics. They were a fine family of singers, but their sight-reading was specious, and their piano playing even moreso. They were aware of this, of course. The attempt at “music” was a running joke. The perennial challenge was how close they could get the damned pieces right. One daughter would play the low notes, the other the high notes, clinking along clunkily while their mother failed to get the lyrics out through laughter. Each off note sent shudders through the rest of us who sat as a captive audience just a few feet away. My dad often chimed in with a mock dog’s howl to add to the jest; the veritable tomato thrown toward the troupe on stage. After mercifully ending the puckish ordeal, they’d turn around to a standing ovation, pulp on their smiling faces. Gosh, I miss those times.
Sorry for the long-winded response. It was spurred by a great prompt!
This is such a great story, your Dad howling and the bows at the end and the cidery, hot wassail sounds good to me! Thank you for taking the time to share this, your micro-essay really captures this moment with your family! :)
Persimmon cookies! Most people don't know what to do with that beautiful orange jeweled fruit, but we have a recipe that has been handed down for generations. When my children were little they took a batter stained recipe card and a fresh batch of warm cookies to class when asked to bring in a family heirloom. Other kids were delighted! They are taste like fall and everyone loves them. LMK if you'd like the recipe and where to send it.
I would LOVE the recipe, Becky! Can you dm me on Notes? I love the image of your children this delicious “heirloom” to school for everyone to enjoy. ❤️
Jolene! The thread is so long here, so hope this is not a repeat. NY at Christmastime. Radio City and the Rockettes and the tree at Rockefeller Center.
My grandmother used to take me to that show every year. I used to go home and kick my legs up over my head, usually triggering some kind of disaster or fight with a sibling when I clipped one in the shins by accident. We'd also go to see the skaters at Rockefeller Center and every year she would walk through FAO Schwartz with me to "look."
I just saw this! 🦵 😂
All of this, Melanie! The Christmas show, the tree 🌲 the fabulous Rockettes, such a wow! 🤩
There's a tradition here in Ireland (& maybe elsewhere?) to put a candle in each window on Christmas Eve. As a child, I was told that if Mary & Joseph were out looking for somewhere to have baby Jesus, they would see the candle and know that our house was a safe, welcoming one. I'm not religious anymore, but I do love that tradition and the message it conveys.
I love this, Clare, I went to Catholic school here in the US and remember a version of the story of leaving candles 🕯️ in the window being told by the nuns. Btw, my grandfather was from Liscannor in Clare and love visiting Ireland.
Look forward to seeing your series when it launches Jolene! And maybe even to having a Guinness in Dublin one day 😉
Would love that, Clare, The Palace Bar is my favorite pub in the world! 🍻
It’s a great spot!
See you in Dublin! 😉
I think of sledding down a hill in the snow and then running inside to warm up with a cup of hot chocolate.
Sleds 🛷 snow ❄️ and hot cocoa, love!
Thanks, Jolene! If you end up using my idea in your Substack, I'd love it if you could include my name with a link to the editorial services on my website: https://marisarussello.com/editorial-services/
Hi, Marisa, of course, happy to! My plan is to (over the 24 days I’ll be posting) mention & link to everyone who was kind enough to take the time to post here with their idea. Stay tuned! 🛷 ❄️ 😊
This is so fun, Jolene! I made these chocolate crinkle cookies with my granny every Christmas since I was 2. She passed last year, so this will be my second Christmas making them with my niece in her honor. Aside from their emotional meaning for me, they are absolutely delicious!
https://natashaskitchen.com/chocolate-crinkle-cookies/
Katie this is so poignant, sorry for the loss of your grandmother last year, lovely that you continue the tradition (since you were 2! So sweet!) I’m definitely going to try these, thank you so much!
<3
Technically not a Christmas thing but still very much a holidays thing – latkes! I grew up with both Christmas and Hanukkah and latkes are still one of my favorite holiday dishes! Here’s a recipe. Eat with sour cream!
https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/12/potato-pancakes-latkes/
So delicious, Rebecca, my mother was Swedish and German and made potato pancakes all the time at the holidays, thank you for reminding me and for the recipe!
Speculaas and chocolate figures for St Nicholas day on December 6th or meatballs with cherry sauce and ice cream yule log at Christmas🙂. First two are in my book ☺️.
I think my comment got cut, is a cookie stamp the preferred method ?
Not sure Jolene, I saw your first comment so replied to that one 🤷♀️. I also found the book on the archive.org library so I could take a look at the ratios that speculaas recipe uses. Interestingly, this one uses far less butter than the one I’ve got, less sugar and bit of egg and water instead.
Just ordered your book!
Thank you Jolene! Enjoy!
So interesting about the ratios!
Sarah, I have a Belgian cookbook by Juliette Elkin that has a speculaas recipe, should they be made with a St. Nicolas cookie cutter or is it traditional to use a cookie stamp? Thanks!
Ooh, you mentioned a book I hadn’t come across yet, yay! I thought I’d found all the cookbooks in English about Belgian cuisine by now but this was new. It looks like it’s out of print so I guess that’s why it never showed up anywhere.
The traditional way would be using a wooden mold like this one https://www.baktotaal.com/speculaas-board-sint-19x8cm, you press the dough into the mold and it gives you that relief image on the cookie.
A cookie stamp works similar enough, I’d say. Rolling out the dough and cutting out the cookies would change the texture because that gives you a smooth surface rather than the rougher surface you get from the board. I did see these shops selling something similar to the speculaas molds
Thank you so much, Sarah! Will definitely be writing about St Nicholas Day on December, 6, I spelled the author’s name wrong it’s “Elkon” the book is from 1958 and was given to me by a friend who inherited it. :)
Yay! That's the name I found it under too. If anyone coming across this comment thread's interested, you can find the book here as well https://archive.org/details/belgiancookbook0000hame/page/208/mode/2up?view=theater . I noticed I forgot to add the links to the places that sell the molds! https://www.houseonthehill.net/speculaas and https://www.cookiemold.com/CookieMoldsforGINGERBREADfigures.html .
Thank you, Sarah!
Thank you, Sarah, for this reminder for Dec.6!
Two things: 1) for years our very large "blended" family would gather at my mother's house, usually with many add-ons and waifs in tow. She thought nothing of feeding 30 or 40 people in those days - anywhere they could find a place to sit. Every time and every year a person walked in the door she would take a Polaroid snapshot of them and it would go up on the wall. I think she did it so she'd have something to remember everyone by but it ended up being a ritual of welcome and inclusion.
2) My mom's chocolate mousse which is actually a recipe for Charlotte Russe. Velvety, dark, not-too-sweet, and never heavy. To this day, it remains the dish we all wait for at the end of the meal.
Elizabeth, I love all of this, does your mom still have all the Polaroids? And that cake sounds WOW 🤩 “A ritual of welcome and inclusion” how beautiful!
I think she has some but the thing with Polaroids, of course, is that they fade. That makes them even more poignant now when some of those faces, one dear one in particular, is no longer with us.
That is so very poignant, Elizabeth. ❤️
I love this! I'm going to share two book recommendations. They're books that inspired me and made me think deeply about past experience, goals and the way environment shapes us. One is a novel by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio called Catalina. It's a beautiful and quick read. The other is called What My Bones Know. It's a memoir about intergenerational trauma by journalist Stephanie Foo. I devoured them both!
As an "Ask" I'd love for readers to check out this post I just published as I'm trying to grow my own Substack. It's about lessons I've learned since leaving my day job exactly a year ago today: https://aplaceinbothworlds.substack.com/p/lessons-from-quitting-my-day-job?r=3325k
Thank you for book recommendation!! I know about this memoir from before but forgot about it.
It’s sooooo good! Glad I could remind you of it.
What an enlightened initiative, Leigh, to create this open forum for creative exchange. Having witnessed countless times how invaluable fresh perspectives can be in the editorial process, I'm delighted to offer my services as a beta reader. Am passionate for nonfiction and memoir, and I would welcome the opportunity to provide constructive feedback to emerging voices. Do reach me at glenloveland@outlook.com. This spirit of creative community is precisely what nurtures literary excellence.
Oh Glen, may I take you up on this? I have the opening chapter of a local history/slight memoir (I just invented the term "slight memoir.") I'd love to get a pair of eyes on it. It's 12-13 pages?
Wow, what an offer! I'll be reaching out, Glen.
Thanks Glen! This is a generous offer (Merci!) and I will be send you my opening 10 pages of a travel memoir when I get off this blasted train headed to Montreal. 😊
For those who are looking for literary agents, I'm happy to help provide feedback on query letters (for free), as long as the book is adult and not fantasy. I have a lot of experience querying and my debut has been picked up by S&S. Especially keen to support marginalized authors.
Hi! In this excellent spirit, I'm offering a free decision-making session. If you're stuck and trying to make a big decision--writing career decisions welcome!--I'll get you unstuck. I'm a professional, I swear (decisioncoach.com), and I can help. email me: nell@decisioncoach.com.
Just sent an email your way :)
What a fantastic idea Leigh!
I’m looking for book recs for place-based nonfiction. Like Crapalacchia, Five Finger Discount, etc. (Books that have a bit less memoir than those two are ideal!) sort of like “biography of a place” if that makes any sense.
My offer is for folks trying to get their books into indie bookstores: I will provide a bookstore owner’s perspective on your pitch materials. Email me at hello at thelostbookshop.com 😊
I was going to text you this morning to tell you how much I loved Molly by Blake Butler (which I bought when I was up there). I hope someone else chimes in with biography of a place recs!
Nice!
If you're interested in the West of Ireland, I'd recommend Doireann Ní Ghríofa's 'A Ghost in the Throat' Heads up that there's a strong theme of motherhood/domestic life though, in case that's not your jam.
I'm planning on using Paradise Bronx by Ian Frazier as a comp title when I query my WIP.
Ooh thank you!
Another biography of a place, but ultimately more memoir, is: The Slow Road North: How I Found Peace in an Improbable Country by Rosie Schaap (Mariner Books, 2024). It's about Glenarm, a quiet, seaside village in County Antrim. You get to know its history, its vibe, and the people living there.
I could recommend: Water, Wood, and Wild Things: Learning Craft and Cultivation in a Japanese Mountain Town by Hannah Kirshner (Penguin Books, 2022). Kirshner, an artist from Brooklyn, fell in love with the mountain town Yamanaka and stayed there long enough to learn about tea ceremonies, lacquerware, onsen bathing, rice production, wood carving, saké serving, and more. It's a gorgeous collection of essays on one place.
"Last Call at Coogan's" by Jon Michaud is a biography of a bar and the community around it.
What a kind offer -- I'm not ready for review on my project yet but I have some recommendations.
Homing: Instincts of a Rust Belt Feminist by Sherrie Flick
The Eighth Moon: A Memoir of Belonging and Rebellion by Jennifer Kabat
But you probably already know about Jen's book & even did an event! I love it, and loved interviewing her for Electric Lit.
Oooh. Interesting. Have you looked at WILD GAME, THE YELLOW HOUSE OUT EAST? Might be more memoir-y than you want.
ANOTHER APPALACHIA could work too.
This is such a lovely idea, Leigh! If you're trying to write a first draft of your novel in one month for nanowrimo, I shared this guide on Instagram based on how I did so with my new novel: https://www.instagram.com/kirthanaramisetti/p/DBwNrVuxQFL/?img_index=1 It's never easy to write a novel, but right now can feel all but impossible. So if you have any questions on writing a first draft, or writing a novel in general, feel free to message me!
As for an "ask," if you read a book this year that you absolutely adored, please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads. It can make a huge difference, especially for debut authors.
Happy to provide a book rec to anyone in reading rut. Let me know what you're after and I'll see what I can come up with.
Hi! Would love any lighthearted, food-related books you’ve got, Elizabeth!
Not Elizabeth, but might I recommend Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O’Nan?
😃
I adore that novella!
A few ideas:
- Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant (a little heavier than the rest)
-Deadly Inside Scoop
- Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers (This feels PERFECT for what you're after)
-Against The Currant
- The Telling Room (a book about the world's best cheese)
-So We Meet Again by Suzanne Park (another near perfect pick)
-Marrying the Ketchups (might be heavier than you want)
- The Golden Spoon (GBBO mystery)
Thank you, Elizabeth!
Have you read Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin? A fav of mine!
Yes! It’s a favorite, thanks! (And more home cooking:)
Ooh! Either of Kim Fay’s books: Love & Saffron or Kate & Frida.
Thank you!
You’re so welcome!
I am not in a rut but would love to get closer to my annual reading goal and so I am looking for some short books or graphic novels. I found Claire Keegan (loved). Thank you for any ideas you might have!
I'd recommend Sally Rooney's Mr Salary. It's less than 100 pages long, and has stayed with me long after I finished it!
Let's see. These are all 250ish pages or less:
- My Sister the Serial Killer
- What Happened to Ruthie Ramirez
- How Not To Drown in a Glass of Water
-Several People are Typing (this is super fast because it's written in slack messages)
- Now Is Not the Time to Panic
- SoundsLike Titanic (mightbe a little longer but one of my all time faves)
Graphic Novels
- Sheets
- The Secret of Super Human Strength
Elizabeth, you’re a gem and you just gained a new subscriber. I added each and every one of your recommendations to my reading list. That fact had me curious about your publication and what you do and now it all makes sense :)
Wow!! Amazing, thank you, I can’t wait to dive in!
Easy Beauty by Chloe Cooper Jones is excellent, as is Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer -- coming out 11/19!
Two graphic novels I read recently and loved: Acting Class by Nick Drnaso, and Monica by Daniel Clowes (though I will read pretty much anything by him). Both a bit dark, though in different ways, so fair warning!
thank you! dark is good sometimes. Placed a hold at my library!
Oh, and I forgot to mention In by Will McPhail! Sad, but definitely more of a pick-me-up.
You're the best, Leigh! So much love in these comments.
I'd love any new followers for my TikTok where I share about books I've worked on (I'm an agent): https://www.tiktok.com/@m.c.bw
And I'd be happy to answer 5 burning questions about publishing!
Love this, Leigh.
🗯️ Ask: Subscribe to my Substack for a weekly newsletter with three recs on what to read/watch/eat/bake/etc.
✨ Offer: Would love to guest host writers with their three recs!
Hi there! My newsletter read.write.eat. Does this every week! Love to collaborate!
Hey Natalie, awesome! Would you want to do a swap post? ☺️
I'd love to get some more subscribers for my newsletter Postcards From Komiksoj, a biweekly review of graphic novels old and new. https://buttondown.com/komiksoj
And if anyone's interested in appearing on my podcast to talk about movies set in the book world — https://framedandbound.libsyn.com/site — please let a fella know!
movies set in book world is such a great concept!
I’d love to chat about one of my fave movies.
Adaptation! I think about Meryl Streep and Nicholas Cage (x2!) in that movie at least once a week. I also think it’s cool how Susan Orlean OK’d Charlie Kaufman’s bizarre adaptation even though it strays from her memoir. Brilliant film, writing, acting, and… adaptation!
We've got an Adaptation episode going up this week — but if there's something else you'd like to talk about, I'm up for it! Email me at toby.carroll at gmail.com.
Ooooh I’ll def listen and reach out with another idea. Lovely to meet you, Tobias!
Subscribed!
I would love to come on this! Should I send you a movie idea or do you have movies you're looking for a guest for?
Either one works! If you have a film you'd like to talk about that hasn't been covered on the podcast yet, that's fair game — and I have some that I'd like to cover eventually, too. Email me at toby.carroll at gmail.com.
I’m working on a piece about how female authors are portrayed in movies (biopics usually) for a Swedish newspaper at the moment - would love to talk more about it!
Oh, fantastic! Email me at toby.carroll at gmail.com.
I’d like encouragement. I let a few submission deadlines pass me by. Two recent rejections that a certain editor combined into one letter, I know, didn’t help.
I’d offer to be a beta reader. Feedback that would encourage and affirm your direction.
Keep going! Find an upcoming submission deadline that feels motivating
Every book that I've helped publish (I'm an agent) has received at least one rejection - even those that sold in major auctions or became bestsellers. Take whatever is useful from the feedback and KEEP GOING!
Hi Mackenzie! Mind if I reach out to you about the process of becoming an agent? Really looking to switch my life up a bit and have always been interested in that line of work.
Sure! mbw@skagency.com
Elizabeth, I encourage you to continue! It is so hard to keep going in writing, in general, and especially in the face of rejection. I am tenderhearted about submissions, too.
Keep going. Keep writing. Your stories matter, to you, to us, your eventual readers.
I'll throw my hat in the ring! I'm an artist and writer/cartoonist, looking to both increase my book reviews and get more pet portraits under my belt. In exchange for buying and reviewing my creativity-non-guide, Skip to the Fun Parts: Cartoons and Complaints About the Creative Process, I'll draw your pet for FREE! You can see some of my animal drawings here (mostly cats, like I said, but trying to branch out more). https://www.danajerimaier.com/pets
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Skip-to-the-Fun-Parts/Dana-Jeri-Maier/9781524871611