Table of Contents: From Breakfast With Anita Diamant to Dessert With James Patterson - a Generous Helping of Recipes, Writings and Insights From Today's Bestselling Authors (37 page)

Linda Carrion

SELECTED WOEKS

The Good Thief
(2008)

Animal Crackers
(2004)

Inspiration
I'm inspired by history. I grew up in Salem, Massachusetts, the town famous for the witch trials and as the birthplace of Nathaniel Hawthorne, so stepping into a different time period is quite natural for me. Most of the houses in my neighborhood were built in the 1700s and 1800s, and it was not unusual to have a back staircase, fireplaces in nearly every room, low ceilings, or small, latched pantry doors. Whenever my family worked outside in our small garden, we were constantly digging up things from the past — fragments of blue and white china plates, broken clay pipes, or crushed shells that used to line the path to a neighboring carriage house. Once, my grandmother found a Spanish reale, a gold coin, from the 1700s. This unearthing of tangible history, and being conscious every day of the people who have lived in places before you, is something common in Europe and other parts of the world. In America, however, it is more unusual. In any event, it made a lasting impression on me, and has certainly wound its way throughout my novel,
The Good Thief
.

The Magic of Wishing Stones
Whenever I visit a book club to talk about my novel,
The Good Thief
, I bring a wishing stone as a gift to the readers. A wishing stone is a rock, usually found near water, with an unbroken white line circling it completely. It is good for making one wish come true. I would collect them when I was a child. Later, I was reintroduced to them at an important time in my life. At the beginning of
The Good Thief
, Ren, a young orphan living in New England, comes into possession of one. He makes a wish, and this wish reverberates throughout the rest of the book, as do the stones themselves.

In my novel, I tried to capture a spirit of old-fashioned storytelling, where a hero with a true heart could win out in the end. Book clubs have told me this is one of the reasons they enjoyed
The Good Thief
— it reminded them of why they became readers, too. Just as I passed my wishing stones on to them, they have been passing
The Good Thief
on to their friends and families. A few have sent me letters, or even mailed me wishing stones in return. I have these stones lined up on my desk, and they remind me every day that the best part of writing a book is also the best part of reading one: sharing it with another person.

Readers Frequently Ask
Most people ask me what my writing process is like. I try to follow my intuition, sitting quietly and letting things come. It's a bit like using a divining rod. Often I don't realize what I'm doing until after the words are on the page. Later, I go back and try to make sense of it. The editing process is where most of the work is done, but I discovered long ago that I need to be open and trust my subconscious. When I was a little girl, I went net-casting on a fishing boat. The men threw a net overboard, dragged it a hundred yards, then pulled up what they caught into a big tank onboard. They tossed things over that they didn't want, and kept the fish they did. I remember that the water seemed so clear and empty, but when the fishermen pulled the net on board it was full of the strangest things I'd ever seen; bizarre creatures from the bottom of the sea. Novels seem to be like this: casting a net through a writer's mind and pulling the unexpected into the light.

Influences on My Writing
Three books that have greatly influenced my writing are
Great Expectations
by Charles Dickens,
Treasure Island
by Robert Louis Stevenson, and
Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Brontë. My mother was a librarian, and she had me reading these classics at an early age. I always wanted to write a book similar to the stories that made me fall in love with reading as a little girl. My novel,
The Good Thief
, is an homage to these great works.

Makes 1 (9-inch) pie; 8 servings

Several pies appear in my novel
The Good Thief
, which is set in New England in the 1800s. One pie comes at the beginning of the book, when Ren, a young orphan boy with a missing hand, is dreaming of the mother who will adopt him. He imagines a perfect dinner, and a pie cooling on the windowsill as she waits for him to arrive home. But this fantasy is smashed when a conman named Benjamin Nab arrives at the orphanage and claims Ren as his long lost brother. Benjamin takes Ren on an adventure across New England, thieving and scamming people along the way, and it isn't until they reach the factory town of North Umbrage that Ren meets a potential mother figure. On the outside, Mrs. Sands does not seem very sweet as she is loud and gruff and shouts all the time. But she soon wins the boy over with her warm heart and delicious cooking. There is a celebratory picnic at the end of the novel when they have formed an adopted family, and Mrs. Sands serves apple pie with cream.

I grew up in New England, and there is nothing like a crisp fall apple. I love to go apple picking, but I always feel torn once I have my bag of apples: do I make an apple pie or an apple crumble? A few years ago this recipe appeared in
The Boston Globe
, and I realized that I could have both. The author of the recipe is Jennifer Verrill Faddoul, who runs Verrill Farm with her parents, in Concord, Massachusetts. My family made her Apple Crumble Pie for Thanksgiving, and it was an enormous hit. Now, we make it every year.

Note:
The secret to a good apple pie and/or crumble is to use many different kinds of apples. I usually take one from every pile at the grocery store or the farmer's market. I also add some freshly squeezed lemon juice to the apples and toss them in it before adding them to the pie. Lemon juice adds a bit of brightness and a nice tangy flavor that gives the pie that little something special.

1 To make the crust:
In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, salt, and butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water and pulse again until dough just begins to come together, but doesn't form a ball.

2
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board, and knead gently until it comes together. Flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

3 To make the crumb topping:
In a food processor, pulse the flour, granulated and brown sugars, and butter until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Do not overwork the mixture. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate.

4 To make the filling:
In a large mixing bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice, if desired. Add the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Toss well and set aside.

5
Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove dough from refrigerator. On a lightly floured board, roll the dough into a 12-inch round. Carefully transfer dough to 9″ pie pan, and gently press it into the bottom. Fold the rim of pastry under itself around the edges. Crimp the border.

6
Mound the apple filling in the pastry. With your fingers, spread the topping evenly over the apples.

7
Bake the pie for 1 hour or until the fruit is bubbling around the edges.

Timothy Stephenson

SELECTED WOEKS

The Shoemaker's Wife
(2012)

Ciao, Valentine
(2011)

Brava, Valentine
(2010)

Very Valentine
(2009)

Rococo
(2005)

Big Cherry Holler
(2001)

Big Stone Gap
(2000)

Inspiration
Everything! There is nothing more inspiring than walking down a street in New York City.

Readers Should Know
I love my work. The process is so rich. I'm alone in a room, trying to create something wonderful.

Readers Frequently Ask
The big question is “where do your ideas come from?” It's so funny — I don't think of that part of the creative process as a challenge, rather, my energy goes into how I can serve these characters in an imagined world.

Influences on My Writing
I return to
Walden
by Henry David Thoreau time and time again. There is wisdom in every sentence. The essence of the message is to live simply, survive by the labor of your own hands, and be responsible to yourself and to your world.

Charlotte Brontë's title character in
Jane Eyre
is my favorite character in all of literature because she does the right thing and follows her inner compass. Here's Jane, a poor orphan who has no connections, and she lives her life by a decent moral code, even when she has every right to be bitter and awful because she has been mistreated.

The great playwright/screenwriter Ben Hecht wrote
Charlie: The Improbable Life and Times of Charles MacArthur
, the biography of his best friend and fellow writer. It's written with wit, love, and a clear eye for the truth. A must read.

Makes 6–8 servings

During the Christmas dinner scene in my novel
Rococo
, Bartolomeo's Aunt Edith barely makes it though the front door before she demands a serving of these crab delights!

Credit for these savory snacks belongs to my sister, Pia, the ultimate party hostess. Through the years she collects, invents, and reinvents recipes to please the crowds. We can't make enough crabbies when we have a party. They are delish. Enjoy!

1
Use a fork to mash together the butter, mozzarella, and pimento cheese spread in a large bowl. Add the mayonnaise, garlic, and crabmeat. Mix well.

2
Toast the English muffin halves, if desired. Spread mixture on the muffin halves, and sprinkle with paprika. Salt to taste. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top. Place the muffins on a cookie sheet and broil until tops are golden, approximately 1 minute. Cut each crabbie into quarters, and serve.

Makes 1 cup

Note:
Pimento cheese is a staple in the South, and is commonly served on crackers or crudités, or as a sandwich spread. You can double the recipe if you want some leftovers.

1
Cut the Cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses into large chunks. Place the cheese chunks, garlic, and pimentos into the bowl of a food processor, and pulse long enough to roughly chop. (Do not purée.)

2
Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and stir in the mayonnaise. Cover and chill. Remove from refrigerator 20–30 minutes before using.

Makes 7 dozen (1-inch) candies

My “Cousin Dee” wasn't kidding when she sacrificed more than an afternoon in the kitchen to whip up these goodies! Dee Emmerson, an Alabama girl I met at the Milbank Boarding House for women in 1983, almost got evicted from her apartment when she poured the excess hot paraffin down her kitchen sink and clogged her building's plumbing. Ah well, a small price to pay for the best candy you'll ever taste. This treat has been a favorite of everyone I know, including the characters of my novel
Big Cherry Holler
. When the children of Big Stone Gap compete on the
Kiddie Kollege
there is no sweeter treat to ease their loss than a bite of a peanut butter ball!

Here goes, and don't think there won't soon be a bed for peanut butter ball-aholics at Betty Ford. You can't eat just one.

Note:
Paraffin wax, also called Baker's Wax or Cooking Wax, is commonly used to seal canning jars, make fruits and vegetables shiny and appealing, and give candy a glossy finish as well as keep it from melting at room temperature. It IS edible, and can be purchased in the canning section of grocery stores. (Gulf Wax is a popular brand.) Paraffin is flammable when overheated, so heat it gently in the top of a double-boiler, only to the point where it is melted. Do not melt it in a saucepan over an open flame.

Choose a natural peanut butter with a generous layer of oil on top, as the oil will moisten the crumb mixture. If you find your crumb mixture is slightly dry, roll the balls very gently between your palms to prevent crumbling.

You can substitute 12 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, chopped, for the semi-sweet morsels.