But this time, my A last name got me top billing at the upcoming SWAN Day event. I’m not even going to pretend that I earned the top space because just consider the top-notch talent I will be sharing the stage with: screenwriters, authors, playwrights, artists….

If you are in the Dayton area, consider stopping by:

Auditorium in the Dayton Metro Library Main Branch at 215 E. Third St

March 31st, 2012 at 3 pm

to celebrate Dayton’s first SWAN  (Support Women Artists Now) Day.

This showcase is free and includes short films, poetry, plays, readings from novels, visual artists and more.

Lost in Translation

I’ll be reading a short story titled Baggage Claim which features several passages in Malaysian. You’ll be shocked to learn I do not speak Malaysian and I’m sure I’ll butcher the phrases. Hopefully no one fluent in Malaysian will be in attendance to correct me.

There is a good chance I have mistranslated the phrase “Did we miss our plane?” into “Did we miss the Hamster party?” You never know.

You can learn more about Dayton’s SWAN Day here.

1.) You are given a topic, a character, genre and short time to write an appropriate short story. I thrive under pressure and with ready-made assignments.

2.) You get feedback on your story–win or lose–from both peers and the judges. Feedback is priceless.

3.) If you beat out the other 625 authors and win first prize, you win $1,500.

The contest runs in three segments. The first round (where I just placed) allowed us one week to construct a 2,500 word story using the three prompts. My assignment was to write a historical fiction piece about a riot and a philander. The week of writing fell in the middle of an emergency trip to Michigan so I was pleased to just finish. But after researching an obscure riot in Singapore in 1950, I fell in love with Nadra’s story. My piece, titled “Baggage Claim”, became one of my favorites and will even be performed at this month’s SWAN Day presentation.

The next round starts tonight at midnight and requires 1,500 words in three days about a new topic, character and genre. I’m praying for any genre other than political satire!

This contest’s biggest advantage is the timed incentive to write, even out of your comfort zone. And the feedback–both peer and professional–is a big bonus.

What writing contests do you enjoy and why?

Rum and Coke Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, in squares
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup Coco-cola
• 1/2 cup light or dark rum
• 2 cups cake flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. rum extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add paper liners to large and/or small cupcake tins.

In a large saucepan, melt chocolate, butter, and rum in a bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add Coca-cola. Add mixture to a large bowl and add flour, sugar and a pinch of salt. Mix well.

Stir in buttermilk, baking soda eggs and extract and beat till smooth.

Pour into prepared tins.

Bake for 25-30 minutes for large cupcakes and 15-20 minutes for mini cupcakes. Let cool then poke holes in the top with a skewer. Brush a 1/4 cup of rum over the tops before frosting with Rum Frosting.

Rum Frosting

1 cup butter, softened

1 tsp. rum extract

3 c. confectioners’ sugar

1/4 cup light or dark rum

3-4 Tb. of cream (for consistency)

Beat all ingredients together, adding cream to create the proper spreading consistency. Frost cooled cupcakes with a star tip. Cut a lime into small wedges and cut a Marschino cherry in half. Thread a piece of lime and cherry on a colored plastic skewer and add to cupcake.

Kahula and Cream Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, in squares
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup Kahula
• 1/2 cup milk or cream
• 2 cups cake flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. rum extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add paper liners to large and/or small cupcake tins.

In a large saucepan, melt chocolate, butter, and Kahula in a bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add milk/cream. Add mixture to a large bowl and add flour, sugar and a pinch of salt. Mix well.

Stir in buttermilk, baking soda eggs and extract and beat till smooth.

Pour into prepared tins.

Bake for 25-30 minutes for large cupcakes and 15-20 minutes for mini cupcakes. Let cool then poke holes in the top with a skewer. Brush a 1/4 cup of Kahula and vodka mixture over the tops before frosting with Kahula Frosting.

Kahula Frosting

1 cup butter, softened

1 tsp. rum extract

3 c. confectioners’ sugar

1/4 cup Kahula

3-4 Tb. of cream (for consistency)

Beat all ingredients together, adding cream to create the proper spreading consistency. Frost cooled cupcakes and add a single chocolate covered espresso or coffee bean. Sprinkle with cocoa powder.

Jell-O Shot Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup warm Jell-O (any flavor) and vodka, mixed
• 1/4 cup colored sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add paper liners to large and/or small cupcake tins.

In a middle bowl, cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and extract and mix thoroughly. Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk and vodka mixture. Stir in colored sprinkles.

Pour into prepared tins.

Bake for 25-30 minutes for large cupcakes and 15-20 minutes for mini cupcakes. Let cool then poke wide holes in the top with a skewer. Pour a full 1 cup of Jell-O and vodka mixture in the holes. Once the juice has settled, frost with Cream Cheese  Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 cup butter, softened

1 8 oz. bar of cream cheese, softened

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 c. confectioners’ sugar

3-4 Tb. of cream (for consistency)

Beat all ingredients together, adding cream to create the proper spreading consistency. Frost cooled cupcakes and add a single vodka-soaked or plain gummy bear. Sprinkle with multi-colored sugars.

Strawberry Daiquiri Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. strawberry extract
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup pureed strawberries
• 1-1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 strawberry daiquiri mix and light rum, mixed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add paper liners to large and/or small cupcake tins.

In a middle bowl, cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and extract and mix thoroughly. Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk and daiquiri mixture.

Pour into prepared tins.

Bake for 25-30 minutes for large cupcakes and 15-20 minutes for mini cupcakes. Let cool then poke holes in the top with a skewer. “Drench” the top of the cupcakes with a 1/4 cup of daiquiri and rum mixture before frosting with Daiquiri  Frosting.

Daiquiri Frosting

1 cup butter, softened

1 tsp. strawberry extract

3 c. confectioners’ sugar

1/4 c. strawberry daiquiri mix and light rum mixture

1-2 Tb. of cream (for consistency)

Beat all ingredients together, adding cream to create the proper spreading consistency. Frost cooled cupcakes using a star tip.

Add granulated pink sugar and an umbrella.

Fuzzy Navel Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. lemon or orange extract
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 orange juice and Peach Schanpps, mixed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add paper liners to large and/or small cupcake tins.

In a middle bowl, cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk and Schnapps mixture.

Pour into prepared tins.

Bake for 25-30 minutes for large cupcakes and 15-20 minutes for mini cupcakes. Let cool. Poke holes in the top of the cooled cupcakes with skewer and brush on Peach Schnapps. A 1/4 cup of Schnapps will “drench” the whole batch. Then frost with Fuzzy Navel Frosting.

Fuzzy Navel Frosting

1 cup butter, softened

1 tsp. lemon or orange extract

3 c. confectioners’ sugar

1/4 c. orange juice and Peach Schnapps mixture

1-2 Tb. of cream (for consistency)

Beat all ingredients together, adding cream to create the proper spreading consistency. Frost cooled cupcakes using a wide tip.

Add decorative pick and granulated colored sugars.

Whenever I get the chance, I take whatever writing class the lovely Katrina Kittle is offering here in Dayton, Ohio. This winter she offered a Writing Jumpstart class which was equal part inspirational and instructional. My class met on Wednesdays while another class met on Tuesdays.

The first meeting was one day after my monthly book club. And I always bake cupcakes for my BookLink girls. So I brought the leftovers to Katrina’s class.

The next week, the Tuesday night class brought brownies so Katrina wouldn’t favor our class over theirs.

And the war was on…

For the month of January and February, we each brought decadent treats to our respective classes, attempting to bribe Katrina into declaring our class her favorite. Being the sweet-toothed deviant she is, Katrina pitted us against each other via Facebook and the Cupcake Wars accelerated. (Of course, none of us are complaining as we all got to eat cupcakes, cookies, brownies and treats for two months.)

But my class ended two weeks before the Tuesday night class. So I had one last campaign to win the Cupcake Wars. It didn’t take long to marry the idea of booze with cupcakes–two favorites of many writers.

I slaved to create and bake five batches of drunken cupcake. I succeeded in creating five amazing recipes:

• Fuzzy Navel Cupcakes
• Kahula and Cream Cupcakes
• Strawberry Daiquiri Cupcakes
• Jell-O Shot Cupcakes
• Rum and Coke Cupcakes

I’ll be adding the recipes here along with photos. Because I knew we’d want to taste test each cupcake, I made several mini cupcakes and only a handful of the larger sized cupcakes. Just adjust your baking time for the different sizes.

Wave the White Flag

Before leaving for work on my last Wednesday class, I posted photos of the boozy cupcakes on my Facebook page. I barely had time to grab the cupcakes and run to class after work. When I arrived, everyone ooohed and aaaahed over the presentation and started eating. All of the sudden, I noticed a few dear friends at the door, waving tiny white flags.

Some representatives from the Tuesday night class–including my awesome friends Erin Gross and Rick Flynn–came all the way across town to concede the Cupcake Wars. They waved little white flags and named me the Cupcake Queen. I was flattered, humbled and laughing at their unique approach to a good-natured war. Only writers could take such a little prompt and create such fun drama.

So I’ll put a win in my column for my baking skills. But I give all credit to my “rivals” for creating a story from air.

“Our next available operator will be with you shortly. Your wait time is less than four minutes.”

I love the automated messages that tell me how long I have to wait. I don’t even mind if they say I have to wait ten minutes. At least I know.
No one likes to wait without a prescribed time limit. Yet, again and again, we find ourselves learning the same lesson from a new facet.

Writing is made up of waiting sessions

As a writer, I should be well-practiced at waiting. Just one book features dozens of waiting sessions:

• Waiting for the plot to set up like Jell-o, no longer sloshing over the sides but sitting firmly in its place.
• Waiting for your word count to accumulate past 500 words, 5,000 words, 50,000 words.
• Waiting to reread your work, knowing it is both far better and far worse than you remember.
• Waiting for the perfect revelation to spackle that plot hole or properly motive your flim-flam antagonist.
• Waiting for your beta readers to let you know what they thought.
• Waiting to gulp down the bitter syrup of truth and apply the plentiful changes your partners suggested.
• Waiting to hear from the agent—hoping for the best but resolved to gain useful knowledge either way.
• Waiting to find out if this book is the “one” or if you need to start back at square one.

Waiting is a symptom of life

But some waits are harder than others. Some waits cement you to the minute, refusing let time tick by in its proper clippity-clop manner. It screeches and drags like an anchor scrapping across gravel. These waits seem longer, harder, crueler.

• Waiting to see your baby’s fingers and toes in real life and hear that blessed scream, indicating that everything will be okay.
  Waiting to hear that your loved one has finally left this world, shrugging off the worldly pain like a wool coat.
  Waiting to hear if you got the job out of state.
  Waiting to see if your house sells or if you should investigate bankruptcy paperwork instead.
  Waiting to hear if the biopsy is clear.

There is a lesson in each wait. And it is seldom the same lesson each time. I like to delude myself into thinking that if I puzzle out the lesson fast enough, the wait will end—the cheesy treat at the end of the maze.  But the wait can’t be shortcut, condensed, boiled down or quartered. It takes up the space it was allotted and we either move around it, carrying on with the rest of our non-waiting lives or we sit down and stare at the wait.

Either way we wait…
And wait…
And wait…

What are you waiting on?

When I attended the Midwest Writer’s Workshop in July of 2011 at Ball State, I hit the jackpot. I already brought my fabulous local critique partner, Jeanne Estridge, with me. We made networking one of our top goals, along with our agent pitches and full roster of classes. Within a few hours of the first day, we had assembled a nice size group of quirky friends to go out for drinks.

(Twitter was instrumental in finding other tech-savvy writers in a crowded conference. Check out #mww11 for our witty running commentary of the conference.)

As we proceeded through the weekend, we added a few other oddball friends and a few fell away. In the end, we pushed two tables together for the ending banquet and immediately created a private Facebook group of about 12 of us called the Cool Kids Table.

A free-writing exercise Jeanne wrote spurred the name and we all agreed we felt lucky to have found so many simpatico writers in a mass of strangers. Our personalities and writing styles were varied, as were our locations. One writes steam punk, another surreal short stories. One won a poetry contest while most of us got manuscript requests.

Since leaving the conference, we have all logged onto our Facebook group, for critique swaps, writing advice and pep talks. We console each other when the agent passes on the manuscript and light a fire under the butt of the stragglers. But mainly, we keep writing.

I look forward to sitting at the Cool Kid’s Table as long as they’ll have me. And if you ever attend the Midwest Writer’s Workshop, you should see us there. We’ll be the ones getting rowdy and practicing our autographs.

I’m a big fan of private groups on Facebook and belong to quite a few. Do you use Facebook groups for anything interesting?