Little Thoughts About Books and Stuff

My thesis has been submitted! I have a good solid start on my short story collection of intertwined stories. Here's what my professor had to say about my work: Hi Amelia, thanks for your hard work this term. I'm really impressed with the way this is coming together. You've really built a world here--and as unf amiliar as it is, it comes alive to me. I'm so impressed with the way you're able to create life out of the long-gone past, people who seem modern and real even if their moment was decades ago. I feel that you've really imagined your way into the characters' lives in these stories, and your imagination and largeness of heart come through. I'm thrilled! He's also given me some great advice for editing once I finish the first draft of the collection!

A friend tagged me in one of those chain posts on FB. The rules: Go to page 7 of your current work-in-progress. Go to Line 7 on that page. Post the next 7 lines as they are. Tag 7 people to do the same. I'm currently working on my thesis story From Around the Table: “What was all that noise out there?” Zio was sitting in the living room reading the newspaper. “A group of kids was roller skating by, they called out a hello.” Mary smiled as she moved past the room. * * * The following Saturday, Mary was sitting outside for her afternoon break when the roller skating group came by again. Carl was leading the pack down the street. This time Mary heard them before they called out and she was waiting for them.

So the layout for my Thesis Project (I'm not ready to call it my novel in progress or short story collection in progress yet) includes three elements: From the Table:  These sections are like author's notes. They are the stories from real life that kind of tell the background of the fictional short story that will follow. The Short Story: These stories are based on real stories told throughout my childhood.  They are linked together to tell the story of my maternal grandparents. I have set it up so each decade from the time my grandparents met to when my grandfather passed away is shown in two stories.  Recipe: Since we're Italian we have a lot of stories linked with food...or food linked to stories. Some of the stories I'm telling involve food or at least have a strong connection to some kind of food/drink from my life. Here is a sample of my format. From the Table – Why I Still Live at Home Traditionally, in Italian households a child lived at home until such a time a...

Around the Table is a collection of fictionalized short stories based on the lives of my grandparents, Carl and Mary. The  'From the Table' sections are the stories I grew up hearing around the kitchen table. The titles with years after them are the fictionalized stories based on the ones I grew up hearing.  Some stories (well most stories) are connected with food and include a recipe. From the Table – Genealogy Courtship (1931) From the Table – Sauce vs. Gravy Sunday Gravy (1937) Recipe – Grandma’s Gravy From the Table - Head of the Family The Draft Board (1941) From the Table – Green Acres From The ‘Burg to the Farm (1945) Recipe – Tomato Sandwiches From the Table - Now vs. Then Close Call (1950s) From the Table – Break of Dawn Day at the Beach (1950s) Recipe – Italian 'Picnic' From the Table - Letters Back to Italy (1960s) From the Table - JFK A Family Gathering (1963) Recipe – Pasta Ceci From the Table - My Grandmother Untitled Story (1976) From the Table - We Risk...