Annalisa Crawford is one of those rare people you stumble across accidentally, only to become really, REALLY good friends with them. Not only is she the author of two spectacular works of published fiction, she's also enormous amounts of fun, and a pleasure to know! Before I hand you over to Annalisa, I just want to say, "That Sadie Thing" is genuinely one of the best short story collections I've ever read. You're missing out if you haven't read it yet!
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Thank you, Kyra, for having me back on your blog again. I love it here, it's so cozy.
Today, I'm going to talk about food, because every time I meet up with Kyra we eat gorgeous food!
I wrote about Omelette on my own blog a couple of years ago, but only sixteen people saw the post, and no one commented... Yes, my blog has come a very long way since those early days (note to anyone with a new blog: you will get more visitors, you just have to be patient!)
Two thoughts appeared in my head at the same time to create this story
3 egg omelette, made with just eggs (no milk!), and a teaspoon of basil.
On top of this, add slices of tomato and spinach leaves
On top of that, add half a tin of baked beans, with added sweetcorn, mushrooms and spring onion
On top of that, add grated carrot and cheese.
I like putting myself into my stories - either a snippet of conversation, a thought, a situation - and in this story, close to the end the waitress talks about looking up at the sky, seeing all the stars and feeling very small. That comes directly from my childhood. When I was little my bed was under a flat roof window, so I fell asleep staring at the stars, and the more I looked, the more I saw. Looking at the stars is pretty mind-blowing when you're four!
About Annalisa
I live in Cornwall, with a good supply of beaches and moorland right on my doorstep. I live with my husband, two boys, a dog and a cat. Despite my location. I neither surf nor sail, and have never had any inclination to try. I much prefer walking along the beach and listening to the waves crashing over rocks. For this reason, I really love the beach in the winter!
Buy That Sadie Thing here (this link should take you direct to your local Amazon)
Follow Annalisa here, or Like her here
Read her blog here
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| The original draft. |
Today, I'm going to talk about food, because every time I meet up with Kyra we eat gorgeous food!
I wrote about Omelette on my own blog a couple of years ago, but only sixteen people saw the post, and no one commented... Yes, my blog has come a very long way since those early days (note to anyone with a new blog: you will get more visitors, you just have to be patient!)
Two thoughts appeared in my head at the same time to create this story
- I like eating omelette
- I wonder if I could write a story with dialogue alone
Then I thought... "Ooh, maybe I could write about omelette"... so I did.
Once I had the setting of a cafe (where omelettes are sold - can you see my genius?!) the characters came to life. I didn't have a clue why a woman would turn up day after day until she told me she was visiting a friend in the hospital nearby. The rest of the story flowed from there.
I couldn't hold onto my 'no description' rule for long though - I realised I needed some. But I tried as hard as I could to let the story seep out via the conversation between the customer and the waitress. As the reader, you have to fill in some of the gaps because there's only so much you tell a stranger, isn't there?
In my original post on my blog, I gave the recipe of my perfect omelette meal, so here it is again, you know... in case you're hungry:
Once I had the setting of a cafe (where omelettes are sold - can you see my genius?!) the characters came to life. I didn't have a clue why a woman would turn up day after day until she told me she was visiting a friend in the hospital nearby. The rest of the story flowed from there.
I couldn't hold onto my 'no description' rule for long though - I realised I needed some. But I tried as hard as I could to let the story seep out via the conversation between the customer and the waitress. As the reader, you have to fill in some of the gaps because there's only so much you tell a stranger, isn't there?
In my original post on my blog, I gave the recipe of my perfect omelette meal, so here it is again, you know... in case you're hungry:
3 egg omelette, made with just eggs (no milk!), and a teaspoon of basil.
On top of this, add slices of tomato and spinach leaves
On top of that, add half a tin of baked beans, with added sweetcorn, mushrooms and spring onion
On top of that, add grated carrot and cheese.
I like putting myself into my stories - either a snippet of conversation, a thought, a situation - and in this story, close to the end the waitress talks about looking up at the sky, seeing all the stars and feeling very small. That comes directly from my childhood. When I was little my bed was under a flat roof window, so I fell asleep staring at the stars, and the more I looked, the more I saw. Looking at the stars is pretty mind-blowing when you're four!
About AnnalisaI live in Cornwall, with a good supply of beaches and moorland right on my doorstep. I live with my husband, two boys, a dog and a cat. Despite my location. I neither surf nor sail, and have never had any inclination to try. I much prefer walking along the beach and listening to the waves crashing over rocks. For this reason, I really love the beach in the winter!
Buy That Sadie Thing here (this link should take you direct to your local Amazon)
Follow Annalisa here, or Like her here
Read her blog here
OMGosh,
ReplyDeleteAnnalisa rocks on many levels (and currently she tops my list of Happy People:)
(Have you noticed the "Happy Five" post is leaping and bounding around - so awesome :)
However, baked beans in an omelet :(
I don't think so, but I am soooo curious I am going to follow the recipe.
I'll let you know (and my family is already moaning... "oh no, not baked beans!")
Cheers Kyra for having Annalisa back :)
The Happy meme has taken on a life of it's own so I always feel the need to mention Rebecca Bradley the instigator of the whole thing :-)
DeleteThe beans go on top of the omelette, not in it - I'm not sure in it would work too well!
That's sweet you looking at the stars as a child Annalisa. Haven't got around to reading Sadie Thing yet. Sorry. But I enjoyed this post and your omelette fixation. I too am an omelette fan. Thanks for having her over Kyra.
ReplyDeleteI only learnt how to make a good omelette a couple of years ago - previously I'd been so impatient, it ended up as scrambled egg!!
DeleteGreat post, Annalisa. I love the idea of telling a story mostly through dialogue. Damn, you've made me hungry, shame we have no eggs. :(
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting, Kyra! <3
Thanks Clare. I have a weird way of approaching stories, life and everything :-) Hope you found some eggs!
DeleteThank you for your sweet intro Kyra! Stumbling into you was a high point of 2012!
ReplyDeleteA story with only dialogue? That's difficult to do!
ReplyDeleteAnd I can see the two of you getting into all sorts of trouble.
Trouble? Us? Nooooooo ;-)
DeleteTrouble? Of course not, well, not much :-)
DeleteThis story sounds great! I'm so excited to read these, I just haven't had time yet. Boo. :( But it will get read this summer. :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it. Summer is made for reading :-)
DeleteI'm sitting here eating cereal, but now I really want eggs! Thanks for the recipe. :)
ReplyDeleteAs a bad cook, eggs AND cereal are my staple!
DeleteOmelette is one of my favourite stories in the collection!
ReplyDeleteAnd now I'm thinking of the scrumptious eggs Benedict they serve in a quaint coffee shop not far from where I live...
Writer In Transit
Thanks Michelle :-) That coffee shop sounds like it needs a visit!
DeleteYou definitely need to pay that coffee shop a visit!
DeleteYou and Annalisa are blessed to be so close! You're both such wonderful ladies.
ReplyDeleteLoved the story with the omelettes...such a perfect story about friendship!
It really is so cool to have Kyra so close, especially when all you US writers seem to know each other!
DeleteI agree with Kyra - this is one of the best collections of short stories I've ever read. I loved 'Omelette' - even though I can't eat eggs!
ReplyDeleteOh Linda, thank you so much! I'm blushing here :-)
DeleteLinda, that's so kind of you to say that :-)
DeleteI've never thought of having baked beans in an omelette before but now I have to try this recipe!
ReplyDeleteYou guys both rock. :)
ON not IN... I have no idea what would happen if you put them inside the omelette... Unless American omelettes are completely different to English ones, of course!
DeleteWith the omelette, not in it! I can't imagine the mess if it was inside!
DeleteThat's funny you based a story off an omelette. (I miss omelettes.) I'm a vegetarian and yet I've never made any of my characters one.
ReplyDeleteI realised the same thing with chocolate the other day - love it, but have never written about it.
DeleteMmm, I imagine there's a few things you miss... I won't dwell on it!
DeleteI will have to try that omelette recipe. It sounds yummy. How brilliant of you to have created a whole story after getting an idea about an omelette. Most of my ideas are not nearly as good. Great post.
ReplyDeleteGood idea, weird idea... it's all the same :-)
DeleteI guess I have a strange way of looking at the world :-)
DeleteOmelette was one of my favourite stories too, very powerful. I quite fancy the baked beans idea, might have to try that!
ReplyDeleteThank you Suzanne. I shed a tear when I wrote it.
DeleteThanks Suzanne. Sometimes you never have any idea where a story will take you.
Deletelove this post! great job Annalisa. And I think most authors do put a little of themselves in their work--sometimes they may not even be aware of it!
ReplyDeleteNutschell
www.thewritingnut.com
Now I'm wondering what people would think about me if they read everything I've ever written... Hmm...
DeleteI love Annalisa! She rocks. Great post. Thanks for this, Kyra. :D
ReplyDeleteThanks Morgan :-)
DeleteI loved the dialogue in that story. I'm not a huge egg fan, but I adore well written dialogue! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Christine :-)
Delete