Well, tomorrow I will be heading out on The Star Ledger's famed Munchmobile to sample Chinese food in the Garden State. It is the popular summertime feature's sweet sixteen and I am looking forward to the unique experience.
However, I am not the foodie in the family. That honor belongs to my husband who would love to have my seat on the big dog. For those of you not familiar with the Munchmobile, it is a van with a large hot dog attached to the top which travels around New Jersey in search of the tastiest foods. Over the years, it has become a summertime staple for many folks.
I'm not a big eater so I am a little nervous about sampling a lot of foods, but while I won't win any Chinese food eating contests, I will try my best especially since my children hate Chinese food and I never get to eat it.
My interest is primarily one as a writer as well as a fan. Not only do I really enjoy the column, but as a mystery author I love the potential plot lines which is how I got a seat on the Munchmobile in the first place, beating out quite a few applicants.
As I set off for my Chinese food extravaganza tomorrow, I will have my notebook in hand, ready to jot down notes on my experience and hopefully find the time to chat with the Munchmobile's brainchild, Peter Genovese who is also the author of 12 books.
Friday, July 19, 2013
Sunday, July 14, 2013
A Look Back
It has been a little over a year since I made the decision to pursue writing as a full time venture. Well, as full time as I can with the kids, but even with everything else on my plate I have tried to give my writing career a strong push.
My first step was starting this blog at the suggestion of a romance author from the one place I want to visit- Ireland. Derick Hudson has written two extremely funny, off-beat novels and self-published them. He uses his blog as well as other social media sites to help publicize his work.
I took his advice and here I am. My fiction career may not be growing by leaps and bounds, but my freelance one is taking baby steps forward. Thankfully, I have an understanding spouse.
My first paying job as a freelancer was with Rant Political where I wrote news and opinion pieces. While my rant needed some work, I really enjoyed writing news pieces and was more than a little sad after the website shut down after four months.
My next gig was covering the New Jersey Devils for Rant Sports. Now, if I could pick my dream job, it would be as a travel writer, but being a sports writer is a close second.
These two positions as well as some other small writing jobs along the way have helped to give me some experience and confidence as a writer.
Last week, I started my new position at http://www.hubsm.com/ where I get to write mostly hockey features which I love to do.
It would be awesome to say I am a former player, but the truth is I took skating lessons a few years ago just to be able to keep up with my boys on the ice.
I have grown up around sports and with two hockey playing sons and a husband who plays as well, I have developed a fondness for the sport and am very excited about my new position.
My new editor worked in the newspaper field for sometime before moving on to a second career so it was really great to hear from him that I had the chops as a writer.
Now, I know that I still have a long way to go, but I am committed to staying on the writing path. It is finally time to clean out all of my old teaching stuff from the basement and turn the page.
I also have not given up on my fiction career. Secrets, Lies and Trash just went out to another publisher last week. Here's to hoping it eventually finds a home!
My first step was starting this blog at the suggestion of a romance author from the one place I want to visit- Ireland. Derick Hudson has written two extremely funny, off-beat novels and self-published them. He uses his blog as well as other social media sites to help publicize his work.
I took his advice and here I am. My fiction career may not be growing by leaps and bounds, but my freelance one is taking baby steps forward. Thankfully, I have an understanding spouse.
My first paying job as a freelancer was with Rant Political where I wrote news and opinion pieces. While my rant needed some work, I really enjoyed writing news pieces and was more than a little sad after the website shut down after four months.
My next gig was covering the New Jersey Devils for Rant Sports. Now, if I could pick my dream job, it would be as a travel writer, but being a sports writer is a close second.
These two positions as well as some other small writing jobs along the way have helped to give me some experience and confidence as a writer.
Last week, I started my new position at http://www.hubsm.com/ where I get to write mostly hockey features which I love to do.
It would be awesome to say I am a former player, but the truth is I took skating lessons a few years ago just to be able to keep up with my boys on the ice.
I have grown up around sports and with two hockey playing sons and a husband who plays as well, I have developed a fondness for the sport and am very excited about my new position.
My new editor worked in the newspaper field for sometime before moving on to a second career so it was really great to hear from him that I had the chops as a writer.
Now, I know that I still have a long way to go, but I am committed to staying on the writing path. It is finally time to clean out all of my old teaching stuff from the basement and turn the page.
I also have not given up on my fiction career. Secrets, Lies and Trash just went out to another publisher last week. Here's to hoping it eventually finds a home!
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Take a Walk Off the Beaten Path
The Inn offers comfortable, clean rooms that also includes suites at affordable prices. However, that is not all! On the grounds of the inn sits outdoor and indoor pools, a hot tub, tennis and basketball courts, a miniature golf course, petting zoo, playground, as well as a walking path around a picturesque duck pond. They also offer a complimentary bus tour of the surrounding Amish farmland.
A short walk into town will take you to quaint shops offering hand-made crafts and quilts along with a nearby farmer's market and bakery that will satisfy any sweet tooth. Children will enjoy a horse a buggy ride to see the sights. Bird-In-Hand is centrally located so that within a few minutes drive, you can find Dutch Wonderland which is a family-friendly amusement park.
Avid shoppers will delight in all the Rockvale and Tanger Outlets have to offer. Railroaders will find paradise in nearby Strasburg where you can take a ride on an actual steam train. Thomas the Tank Engine comes to town a couple of times a year to pull coaches filled with little ones. The National Train Museum and the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania are must stops for any train enthusiast. Antique shops and Amish word-working and furniture stores are in abundance too!
When the day is done, you can kick back and enjoy a wonderful meal at the Bird-In-Hand Restaurant which is located on the property of the Inn. The fare is farm fresh delicious comfort food that your grandmother used to make at great prices! Check out http://www.bird-in-hand.com/ to plan your next vacation! Our family loves it and yours will too!
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Life is Full of Surprises
"Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get"
That is one of the most famous lines, uttered by Tom Hanks in the Oscar winning movie, Forrest Gump. An awesome movie and a great line mostly because it is the truth.
One of the things with making your living with your words is the unpredictability of it. Teaching was very organized and orderly with each day blending into the next. Students need structure and don't do well when every day is a roller coaster ride.
Writing on the other hand is definitely an adventure with a lot of ups and downs. I love my free lance jobs and continue to try and snag some more in between my blogging and trying to find a home for my latest novel.
I've been noticing that my posts on the new website http://theslowway.com/ has been generating a little more traffic for my blog which is very exciting since it is just past a year since I started it.
Last week, I got a comment on my post about the ghosts of Cape May, asking me if I wanted to have my blog featured on http://www.dwellable.com/. Dwellable is a travel site which helps people find the right place to stay. It also features blogs about many of the potential vacation spots. Since I would love to find my niche as a travel writer, I was really thrilled to get this unexpected opportunity to get some exposure for my blog as well as my other works.
While I am still waiting and working on my big break, I appreciate the nice little accomplishments that have come along.
Some days you get the yucky piece of chocolate with the gross filling you hate or you get the creamy caramel one you love. The fun is in the picking! While putting yourself and your work out there is a scary thing, the rewards do outweigh the fear factor.
That is one of the most famous lines, uttered by Tom Hanks in the Oscar winning movie, Forrest Gump. An awesome movie and a great line mostly because it is the truth.
One of the things with making your living with your words is the unpredictability of it. Teaching was very organized and orderly with each day blending into the next. Students need structure and don't do well when every day is a roller coaster ride.
Writing on the other hand is definitely an adventure with a lot of ups and downs. I love my free lance jobs and continue to try and snag some more in between my blogging and trying to find a home for my latest novel.
I've been noticing that my posts on the new website http://theslowway.com/ has been generating a little more traffic for my blog which is very exciting since it is just past a year since I started it.
Last week, I got a comment on my post about the ghosts of Cape May, asking me if I wanted to have my blog featured on http://www.dwellable.com/. Dwellable is a travel site which helps people find the right place to stay. It also features blogs about many of the potential vacation spots. Since I would love to find my niche as a travel writer, I was really thrilled to get this unexpected opportunity to get some exposure for my blog as well as my other works.
While I am still waiting and working on my big break, I appreciate the nice little accomplishments that have come along.
Some days you get the yucky piece of chocolate with the gross filling you hate or you get the creamy caramel one you love. The fun is in the picking! While putting yourself and your work out there is a scary thing, the rewards do outweigh the fear factor.
Friday, May 24, 2013
The Life of a Writer
I am finding the life of a freelance writer is full of peaks and valleys which I suppose can be said of any job. However, unlike my last career in education, it is full of way more uncertainties. Since I am new to the world of freelance, I am definitely open to different writing opportunities. When you enjoy writing, you can write confidently on just about any subject. The trick is finding the avenues.
Recently, I landed what I thought was going to turn out to be a weekly thing for me and I was even more thrilled that I was going to be able to write something besides sports. Now, don't get me wrong. I do enjoy writing hockey pieces, but the chance to put together some travel features was right up my alley. If I get reincarnated, I want to come back as a travel writer. And the bonus here was I was actually getting paid for each piece.
Unfortunately, payment for the rest of my gigs involves how much revenue my posts get or the number of reader votes and this doesn't even include the freebies I write. For once, I was looking at a fairly steady weekly job.
Until the dreaded e-mail arrived. My new post ideas were great, but they were on hold until some issues could be worked out for the new website. Sure, it's not completely ominous, just close. I suppose the issues could be worked out quickly and I will be able to write my European castle piece and then some, but I won't hold my breath.
I will keep plugging and applying for new jobs because that is the life of a writer or a fisherman. I haven't decided because sometimes you hook you, but most of the time you don't.
Recently, I landed what I thought was going to turn out to be a weekly thing for me and I was even more thrilled that I was going to be able to write something besides sports. Now, don't get me wrong. I do enjoy writing hockey pieces, but the chance to put together some travel features was right up my alley. If I get reincarnated, I want to come back as a travel writer. And the bonus here was I was actually getting paid for each piece.
Unfortunately, payment for the rest of my gigs involves how much revenue my posts get or the number of reader votes and this doesn't even include the freebies I write. For once, I was looking at a fairly steady weekly job.
Until the dreaded e-mail arrived. My new post ideas were great, but they were on hold until some issues could be worked out for the new website. Sure, it's not completely ominous, just close. I suppose the issues could be worked out quickly and I will be able to write my European castle piece and then some, but I won't hold my breath.
I will keep plugging and applying for new jobs because that is the life of a writer or a fisherman. I haven't decided because sometimes you hook you, but most of the time you don't.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Egg Roll Please
Well,I didn't get picked for the Down the Shore trip on the Munchmobile, but I did get my second choice which was Chinese food. As I said, I am completely excited about this one because my children hate to try anything different and the only thing they will touch from a Chinese menu is the fortune cookies. Yet, only two of them will eat them. The middle one just ponders the fortunes and tries to ascertain if they are true or not.
My trip is scheduled for July 20th and I am looking forward to it, but still don't know how I am going to manage to eat food in so many different places. It will be a challenge. The hubby loves the show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. I'm just amused at how much that guy can eat.
Not something I really want to aspire to, so I will probably just do the girl thing and taste a little bit of this and a little bit of that. My mother used to say that is how you don't gain weight. You just pick and don't eat a whole plate. Don't know about that, but I do know that if I eat a full meal in every place we visit, I will need a really big barf bag.
Peter Genovese the mastermind, driver and writer behind the Jersey icon has graciously agreed to be interviewed by yours truly for a freelance piece I was hoping to sell to New Jersey Monthly. Genovese is a wonderfully funny writer for the Star Ledger and is also the author of over ten books. He is a foodie with a real knack with words.
I'm almost looking forward to the interview more than the trip, but sadly NJ Monthly didn't bite. They declined my query since Genovese is already a household name in much of the Garden State and because the magazine competes with Inside New Jersey which is connected to the Ledger. Really, but okay. Since rejection is often my middle name, I will keep looking for a taker.
I have decided to set my sights on a food magazine with a broader appeal to hopefully get the Munchmobile a little more notice out of state.
The Munchmobile's first trip of the season is this week and it will be a little more fun following along this year knowing that I will be one of the munchers.
My trip is scheduled for July 20th and I am looking forward to it, but still don't know how I am going to manage to eat food in so many different places. It will be a challenge. The hubby loves the show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. I'm just amused at how much that guy can eat.
Not something I really want to aspire to, so I will probably just do the girl thing and taste a little bit of this and a little bit of that. My mother used to say that is how you don't gain weight. You just pick and don't eat a whole plate. Don't know about that, but I do know that if I eat a full meal in every place we visit, I will need a really big barf bag.
Peter Genovese the mastermind, driver and writer behind the Jersey icon has graciously agreed to be interviewed by yours truly for a freelance piece I was hoping to sell to New Jersey Monthly. Genovese is a wonderfully funny writer for the Star Ledger and is also the author of over ten books. He is a foodie with a real knack with words.
I'm almost looking forward to the interview more than the trip, but sadly NJ Monthly didn't bite. They declined my query since Genovese is already a household name in much of the Garden State and because the magazine competes with Inside New Jersey which is connected to the Ledger. Really, but okay. Since rejection is often my middle name, I will keep looking for a taker.
I have decided to set my sights on a food magazine with a broader appeal to hopefully get the Munchmobile a little more notice out of state.
The Munchmobile's first trip of the season is this week and it will be a little more fun following along this year knowing that I will be one of the munchers.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Let Them Eat Cake!
Sadly, I had to pass on choosing the cake trip as my top preference on this summer's Munchmobile. My children have a busier schedule than I do and I just couldn't stick the hubby with all of the duties on a June Saturday. Therefore, my top four choices had to wait until the bulk of the spring sports were done.
Cake would have been right up my alley. I admit to having a weakness for the sweet stuff which is one of the reasons I run. However, after some deliberation and soul searching, I came up with my top four.
The second Down the Shore run to experience some of the tastiest places the Jersey Shore has to offer was of course my top pick. I am a Jersey girl born and bred and my heart and soul are tied to the shore. It was heartbreaking to see one of my favorite boardwalks devastated by Hurricane Sandy. Most of the Spring Lake boardwalk was reduced to ruins, but it along with the shore will be back.
I'm hoping for the shore trip because residents have to lend a hand to get businesses back on track.
My next pick went for the trip to find the best Chinese food. My kids won't eat it and they won't be coming, so that was a no-brainer.
Went with the healthy food quest next. I'd be a vegetarian if the hubby wasn't such a meat lover!
The final choice was a tough one. I kind of wanted to go with the everything weird, wild and wonderful run, but the hubby reminded me I'm not exactly the most adventurous eater on the block. Had to admit he was right, so settled on the bacon run.
Not the biggest fan of it, but put it on for the hubby who is the true foodie in the family and would love to take my seat on the Munchmobile.
Sorry, honey, but I will bring you something back!
Cake would have been right up my alley. I admit to having a weakness for the sweet stuff which is one of the reasons I run. However, after some deliberation and soul searching, I came up with my top four.
The second Down the Shore run to experience some of the tastiest places the Jersey Shore has to offer was of course my top pick. I am a Jersey girl born and bred and my heart and soul are tied to the shore. It was heartbreaking to see one of my favorite boardwalks devastated by Hurricane Sandy. Most of the Spring Lake boardwalk was reduced to ruins, but it along with the shore will be back.
I'm hoping for the shore trip because residents have to lend a hand to get businesses back on track.
My next pick went for the trip to find the best Chinese food. My kids won't eat it and they won't be coming, so that was a no-brainer.
Went with the healthy food quest next. I'd be a vegetarian if the hubby wasn't such a meat lover!
The final choice was a tough one. I kind of wanted to go with the everything weird, wild and wonderful run, but the hubby reminded me I'm not exactly the most adventurous eater on the block. Had to admit he was right, so settled on the bacon run.
Not the biggest fan of it, but put it on for the hubby who is the true foodie in the family and would love to take my seat on the Munchmobile.
Sorry, honey, but I will bring you something back!
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