MARY CRONK FARRELL AUTHOR
  • Home
  • About
  • Books
  • blog
  • Speaking
  • Contact
    • Contact Mary
    • Upcoming Events
    • News!

Eat, Drink & be Mary

10/29/2010

Comments

 
One way I enjoy the fruits of summer into the fall is to pick my green tomatoes and bring them inside to ripen. They still have much better flavor than a tomato you buy at the store.  My favorite way to eat them is Margarita Pizza. My autumn recipe uses pesto rather than fresh basil. 
Picture
Spread pesto to cover the whole wheat crust. Cover with shredded mozzarella cheese, place slices of tomato on top. 
Picture
I usually make two because I have a teenage son, and I love the leftovers reheated for lunch the next day.
Comments

Literature & History

10/27/2010

Comments

 
  I can’t wait to get my hands on the newly released second book in Y S Lee’s ­Agency series, The Body at the Tower. This time Mary Quinn investigates murder while disguised as a boy, a poor apprentice builder assigned to a building site on the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament. 

Lee, with her PhD in Victorian literature and culture, gives us a suspenseful and resonant glimpse of a fascinating moment in history. According to Kirkus Reviews“…the sights, smells and grim lives of London’s poor are richly detailed….”

Though Mary and the clandestine Agency operating out of Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls are unrealistic to the time period, they provide a terrific story against a backdrop of accurate and interesting history. I was hooked on Lee’s first book A Spy in the House, when Mary goes undercover during London’s Great Stink of 1858. A smelly situation that really happened. Says Lee,  

“It was a particularly warm year and the smell from the grossly polluted Thames became, quite suddenly, unbearable. People panicked. Those who could fled London for the country. And the Great Stink finally pushed the government into cleaning up the Thames and modernizing London’s sewer system.

We know the bare facts: toilets flushed right into the Thames, and Londoners pumped the water straight back out for cooking and bathing. People thought the smell made you sick – not germs. And future prime minister Benjamin Disraeli fled the House of Commons one day with a handkerchief over his nose, so evil was the stench.”

Ah! Those were the good ol’ days.
Picture
Lee plans to unveil the cover of yet a third Mary Quinn detective story soon. I’m hoping it won’t be the last.  And not just because I won this tee at the twitter book launch of #2. Thanks, Ying!

Comments

Dealing With Demons and other Dark Holes of the Writing Life

10/25/2010

Comments

 
This morning I woke up in a bad mood. Part of me rebelled against my morning routine of practicing yoga and meditation, rebelled against writing. Rebelled against even getting out of bed. But I had to drive my husband to the airport, so I got up.

Whenever the rebellious Mary pokes her head up, the judging Mary is never far behind. Before I am even concious of it, I condemn myself for not doing the things I should do, the things I want to do, the things that help make me my best self.

So, I sit in my favorite feeling bad for myself corner of the couch with my coffee and try to figure out what’s wrong. Here’s where I make the crucial choice. I sometimes continue down the path of questions like--What’s wrong with me? Why do I have such a hard time following through with things that are important to me?

This morning, the sadness and disappointment well up. I let them come. I don’t swallow the lump in my throat. I don’t ask questions of myself. I feel. I feel the weight in my shoulders, the pressure on my chest.

My agent submitted my book proposal ten days ago. I ignore the voice that says, “You expected an editor to just snap it up? You thought it was that good? Are you crazy, or stupid?

No, I’m not crazy. I’m not stupid. Yes. I thought it was that good. If I didn’t think it was that good, I wouldn not have spent the last three months of my life putting my heart, soul and time into researching and writing it.

I admit it. I’m disappointed. It hurts. The emotion washes through me.

Before I know it, I’m up from the couch. My bad mood is gone. The day stretches before me like a blank page. I don’t know what will be written, but it will be written well.



Comments
    Picture
    I'm fascinated to discover little-known history, stories of people and events that provide a new perspective on why and how things happened, new voices that haven't been heard, insight into how the past brought us here today, and how it might guide us to a better future.
    I also post here about my books and feature other authors and their books on compelling and important historical topics.
    Occasionally, I share what makes me happy, pictures of my garden, recipes I've made, events I've attended, people I've met. I'm always happy to hear from readers in the blog comments, by email or social media.

    Archives

    December 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    October 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    December 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    November 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010

    Categories

    All
    Books
    Coffee
    Courage
    Day To Day
    Dealing With Demons
    Eat Drink & Be Mary
    Food
    Gardening
    Getkidzlit
    Historical Fiction
    History
    History & Literature
    Literature
    Media Literacy
    Nonfiction

Privacy Policy
​

I write about women whose courage has shaped our history. My work shines a light in shadowy forgotten corners, amplifies marginalized voices  and empowers us all to work constructively for what we believe in.  Sign up for my weekly newsletter and join the conversation.

Click to set custom HTML
© COPYRIGHT 2021. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • About
  • Books
  • blog
  • Speaking
  • Contact
    • Contact Mary
    • Upcoming Events
    • News!