What's your favorite apple dish and do you go savory or sweet?

Cher Lectours, Dear Readers,

I am so glad you’re here. Thank you for being a part of my writing journey.

Since we last spoke NC has been hit with Hurricane Helene.

To say its a mess is a gross understatement.

Here’s where you can contribute or help with this situation.

This newsletter began with apples, and as this image illustrates above, apples have been around for a long time. There is so much to say about them!

Do you associate the fall with apples? And cooking/baking with apples? What’s your favorite apple dish and do you go savory or sweet?

Have you ever picked apples at an orchard near you? NC apples are well known - in these parts anyway. Thankfully, Hendersonville NC had their Apple Festival in early September, before Hurricane Helene hit.

You know you’ve got some level of maturity going on (uh, yes I am getting so very uh, mature, but not sure about getting wiser! how about you?) when you hear yourself say, “it used to be” over and over, especially to young people, i.e. your kids!

It used to be that we only had apples in the fall.

You heard that right.

It used to be that I started getting my mouth ready for apple dishes when the leaves started falling, and as grade school kids we preserved them forever and ever and ever by ironing them between two sheets of wax paper. Then our teacher would paste them up on the high windows and we could see them while we did our times table or did our hadnwriting practice.

Or waited for school to be over so we could go home to the next memory.

Because right smack dab up next is the memory of the first warm apple dumpling or dish of apple crisp with ice cream, of the season. When I spooned that sweet tart and buttery crispiness in my mouth I knew I had officially made it into fall. It was a special moment of knowing. But knowing what?

That when the teacher scotchtaped the carboard black cats, witches and pumpkins next to the fall leaves, it was about to get very exciting.

Halloween is the best season of the year!

If you live in the Triangle area in North Carolina, check out Perkins Orchard in Durham.

October is also Italian Heritage month! And so its also very exciting to share some of the impetus for my next novel. And I need some help with that! Once upon a time, a rather famous food stylist, Debbie DiSabatino, lived locally. I was fortunate enough and she was open enough to meet with me. Debbie was the Food Stylist for the film, Big Night. Anyone remember this film? In the next newsletter I am going into a deep ramble about the fascinating world of food styling, then and now. Write to me if you want one of the recipes from a food styling shoot that was out of this world.

Food styling is front and center in my next novel, but as far as titles go, I am stumbling around in the dark of a wonderful French auberge.

I need your help. Can you hear them too?

Hear what? The whispers. Are they coming from the tapestries on the wall? Or from the flames cracking in the fireplace? Or from the door that just blew open rushing some dried leaves inside?

Can I get your suggestions for the title of my next novel in The Elysian Legacy series?

Here’s a little blurb for the second novel, tentatively titled “The Mistress of Apples and Becasse” Novel.

Miel Nerra, a talented chef turned food stylist, is haunted by the rare Becasse bird and the secrets of a mystical tapestry. When her son, Chat, is drawn into a dangerous hunting ritual in the heart of France, Miel must confront the hidden truths of love, loss, and her own legacy. Guided by the ghost of Madame Bouquin, the Mistress of Apples as she embarks on a journey that intertwines ancient myths, culinary artistry, and the power of transformation.

Can Miel reclaim her identity and protect those she loves before time runs out?

Here are some tropes in the story that may help you (and me!) come to a decision.

Secret Society: The Secret Becasse Society, with its rituals and mysteries, is a classic trope that adds intrigue and a sense of hidden history.

Curse and Redemption: Miel’s journey to repay her debt to the Becasse and break the curse represents the classic trope of a cursed protagonist seeking redemption.

Time-Slip: The use of tapestries as portals to different times connects the present with the past, a common trope in historical fantasy that allows for rich, layered storytelling.

Haunted Setting: The Auberge as a haunted, mystical location with secrets hidden in its walls and tapestries is a classic trope that adds to the novel's eerie atmosphere.

Reluctant Hero: Miel’s initial reluctance to participate in the hunt or to fully embrace her connection with the Becasse mirrors the reluctant hero trope, where the protagonist is drawn into a conflict against their will.

Mythical Creatures: The Becasse, while a real bird, is imbued with mythological significance, almost becoming a mythical creature within the story.

Please send suggestions for the title of this novel thats driving me batty!

next time:

What is a Becasse? Back in 2014 my oldest son, Erick, and I traveled to La Belle Gasconne in Poudenas with the hopes of uncovering some of the mysteries of the legendary Becasse.

Thank you for being here. I love it when you reach out to say hi.

Oh, going back to an earlier theme here, YOU are what is, not what used to be!

Have a great few weeks!!