Salmon of Knowledge Dinner

In our story, Hazel Moon, featured are a number of Celtic legends, one in particular is about the Salmon of Knowledge. Lori, Nigella Lawson in the kitchen that she is, and I, not bad with the pots and pans myself, were inspired to organize a dinner to honor that legend and our book by cooking some salmon squares over an open fire.

It took about 15 minutes for the fish and veggies to cook and we ended up with that "blackened" accent which turned out to be a taste plus!

Here's an introduction to our Salmon of Knowledge dinner celebration!

Before eating our feast, we read the scenes from our book that told about the Salmon of Knowledge legend. (find the copy below)

We took turns reading from a script of that copy.

After eating our Salmon of Knowledge dinner we continued the theme of the evening by putting together a Salmon of Knowledge puzzle...and...we actually completed the puzzle in about 20 minutes!


SALMON OF KNOWLEDGE SCRIPT

Salmon of Knowledge Legend

NARRATOR: WANTING TO BE AS authentic and knowledgeable as possible, Mrs. Casimir did her homework at the local library on all things to do with the festival. She found out, for example, that the Hazel Moon was the 9^th in the Celtic tree calendar. The Celtic legend goes on to tell a tall tale of nine Hazelnuts of Wisdom falling into a sacred pool and before being swallowed by a salmon, then, whoever ate the salmon would receive the gift of Infinite Wisdom. Looking for a way to share the Celtic story with the festival-goers, Mrs. Casimir cleverly cooked up some salmon patties, cut them into small squares, and offered them for a dollar as she told and retold the ancient tale to each customer.

MRS. CASIMIR: “I know I’ve been given a gift, but it’s not a gift I really wanted, and girls, you should know this too, when gifts are bestowed much good can come from them, but only if you share them. In my case, I only get a brief glimpse into the future, so I have to work on that if I’m going to both help others and make a name for myself as a top-tier fortune teller.”

NARRATOR: Mrs. Casimir paused to take a deep breath and shake her head as she recalled her past.

MRS. CASIMIER: “About getting back on top, I’ve been there, done that, not as a fortune teller, but as an entertainer, made the dinner theater circuit and a few times brought the house down with applause.”

NARRATOR: That remark triggered a distant, but cherished memory in November.

NOVEMBER: “Were…you playing…Mama Rose in Gypsy?”

MRS. CASIMIR: “Yes, girl, I was…way too young for the part at the time, but managed to pull it off. And, just how did you know…?”

NOVEMBER: “When you sang, ‘Everything is Coming Up Roses,’ you had tears running down both your cheeks…I’ll never forget it…you were performing in Rock Island.”

NARRATOR: The memory was bringing back all of the intense emotion November experienced originally.

MRS. CASIMIR: “Well…you’re right…that was 1971…going back a few years.”

NARRATOR: Just then, a brisk wind began circling around them and kept closing in as if they were inside a small tornado.

MRS. CASIMIR: “Why, you are Sarkis’ little girl, aren’t you?”

NARRATOR: November clenched her hands, nodded, but didn’t look up.

MRS. CASIMIR: “Why, I remember now, he called you Novi. I can still see your French pigtails and the yellow Smiley Face T-shirt you were wearing. Yes, you were there!”

NARRATOR: Mrs. Casimir raised her open hand in preparation for a slap-me-five and November reciprocated. November’s father had introduced her to the magical and mystical world of live performance art at a young age. When her household chores were done, he’d take her in search of musicians doing their thing in real time. Sometimes it would just be a soloist on the corner playing a harmonica, other times they’d form a chorus with strangers and sing songs. When working with November on harmony, he would be sure to tell her when the blend was just right. To any musician who would listen, he’d describe the magical parallel universe that could form when the just the right energy bound the performer to the audience and beyond.

MRS. CASIMIR: “Yeah, I remember one night him telling me all about that…he was so right…we shared dandelion wine…and he brought me a glorious bouquet of daisies!”

NARRATOR: Thinking back made Mrs. Casimir blush, her cheeks now as rosy as her tangerine hair.

MRS. CASIMIR: “November…listen now…your father was ahead of his time…a true Arborist of the Moon. Come on girls, try one of my knowledge-marinated Celtic salmon squares!”

NARRATOR: As November shook her head back and forth, grimacing a definite no, Mrs. Casimir turned her attention to working the crowd again, holding up her pan of salmon treats.

ANGELA: “Hey…you know I’m game!”

NARRATOR: Angela said, grabbing a patty and teasing it in front of her tongue.

NARRATOR: Enjoying the show Angela was putting on, a gang of head-bangers encircled her stand.

MRS. CASIMIR: “Boys, there’s plenty of Celtic Ritual Salmon for anyone seeking wisdom, and only a dollar!”

NARRATOR: Caught up in the joy of the moment, everyone began dancing as if circling a maypole on May Day—that is, everyone except November.

NARRATOR: Recalling those memories of her father was a depressing reminder that her childhood was gone. She felt like the muddy shoes she was staring down at—like her insides were just pulled out and put on display and for a time was paralyzed in the maudlin moment. Mrs. Casimir noticed that November was upset. She stepped back from the group of dancers and had to catch her breath before whispering.

MRS. CASIMIR: “Hey, my little Novi, I’ve got something for you.”

NARRATOR: She reached into her patchwork bag and pulled out a tiny gold velvet pouch.

MRS. CASIMIR: “This was given to me by a modern-day saint and I would like you to have it. Remember now, worrywart foreheads are forty-year-old wrinkled foreheads.”

NARRATOR: She then wrapped the pouch in wax paper, tied a yellow grosgrain silk ribbon around it, and placed it in November’s bag. Before saying goodbye, Mrs. Casimir passed on some festival lore that November wasn’t aware of.

MRS. CASIMIR: “Researching the legend of the Hazel Moon, I learned that on this night someone will be bestowed with magical powers, and that someone just might be you, my little Novi!”

NARRATOR: As the legend went, a good stout fellow named Finegas was the one who caught the Salmon of Knowledge, but then gave it to his apprentice to cook, who burnt his thumb when touching the hot, steamed fish, but by sucking his thumb the apprentice stole the coveted wisdom. So, on the Eve of the Hazel Moon knowledge, wisdom, and magic can come and go in unexpected ways. Just then, someone walked up to Mrs. Casimir demanding her full attention.

BYSTANDER: “Hey foxy fortune-teller lady, I’m desperate to have my fortune told…I have a new man in my life and I need to know if he’s going to become the center of my universe!”

MRS. CASIMIR: “Love to, honey…let’s see now, he is a bearded man, is he not?”

NARRATOR: With duty calling, Mrs. Casimir turned back to November and Angela.

MRS. CASIMIR: “Gotta get to work…bye girls, but remember to channel the Hazel Moon energy tonight, it will be all around you…just waiting for someone courageous enough to take a True Step.”

The Kenosha...

As many of you know, Lori and I have been working on the sequel to Hazel Moon, Hawthorn Moon set in the '90's Grunge Rock scene in Seattle, Washington. Our cover photographer, Larry Zamba, knowing we'd need a new cover shot for the new book got the idea to incorporate some special animation effects to our amazing friend and cover model, Stacey Martinez, wonderfully representing our character, November, as she jumped up and down on a trampoline!!

Larry Zamba has all the technical skills a top photographer needs to handle most any commercial requirement, but what he also has in spades is the heart and soul of an artist. Once bitten by the inspiration bug after seeing a picture with a special effect he wanted to develop for the cover, there was no stopping him.

First, the venue had to be right and did he ever find an incredible place for the shot. Hawthorn Moon is another time-travel piece set in the '90s, but this venue goes back to its heyday much farther in time, to the 1920s when the movie palace was king, when before television a theater like this could pack in 2,000 eager customers.

The Kenosha was such a movie palace, the motif that of a Spanish palace courtyard, the columns and a blue sky complete with twinkling stars, along with a mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ. Our host, Jeff Baas, also a novelist, The Mim Index, owns the glorious corpse of a building and has serious plans to refurbish it. As you might expect, The Kenosha found its way into Jeff's novel as a site for one of his scenes!

To begin the shoot, brave soul that I usually am, I was asked to get up on the trampoline to show our Miss Stacey the ropes, jumping up and down and falling backward several times. Next, it was her turn. After several test shots, the special effect was added, that of paint powder designed to create a puff cloud during one of Stacey's jumps to color the shot with a misty magical mysticism...just what the Hawthorn Moon cover would need!

After working out a few technical difficulties, Larry fired up some tunes to create the right high-test mood, Stacy began jumping, and during a series of mesmerizing minutes he snapped off a series of possible cover shots!! Below, Larry & Stacey taking a well-deserved bows!! Of course his work is just beginning as many hours of digital processing will be required to get the overall cover just right!

Larry...YOU'RE AMAZING!!!
Stacey...YOU WERE PERFECT AS NOVEMBER!!!

05-26-16 Post Shoot Comments from Larry...

"Setting everything up was a lot of messy work, preparation time, down time from my normal commercial adventures. This session took 30 hours of trial and error in total leading to a singular moment when I just pressed the shutter at the precise instant.  It’s a crap shoot...I never know if I can duplicate.  In post production it was another 6 hours in Photoshop. Of course, going forward to finish the cover, it’s easier but it’s still another 12 hours of skillful processing. Artistically, though, we achieved perfection, so I’m happy. It’s one of the finest photos I ever created! I was intrigued at putting in some accurate starlight into the most recent photo. It’s a subtle effect, but on March 21 when I created this photograph, both Saturn and Mars were visible to the naked eye, as was a close star Antares. I put them in their proper position where they would be seen in our area, to the right of the moon. I was actually looking at them through a telescope that night!"

Yes, Larry, we all agree!!!

MORE COVER SHOT PICS & VIDS:

 

BookCon

Yesterday Lori and I headed to Chicago for our first professional conference as published authors--BookCon...held at McCormick Place. We were flying high as writers having just scheduled to more book signings, one at The Bottle Shop in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and one at The Furniture Store in Racine, our home town!

 

We both made it to the Amtrak station on time despite a blustery day more like January than May 14. 

For anyone planning a trip to Chicago, and if you don't like to drive, the Hiawatha line or the Metra system are definitely the way to roll. Only an hour after boarding, we were slowing into Union Station in the heart of Chicago.

A 10-minute cab ride to McCormick Place and we were soon joining the throngs of fans, writers, and publishers filling the massive exhibition hall. Every so often a rising round of cheers would erupt from the crowd when a famous author would appear. You'd think someone had just hit a home run to win the World Series, but no, these popular authors, like Divergent's Veronica Roth, were rock stars to the faithful. Above, Lori finds the Harry Potter Muggle Wall!

If you can't make it out, she writes..."Harry Potter means Magic is Everywhere!" She signed our names and...that of Lady Luna!

Getting a marketing tip, we run into someone who offers to show us how construct a Star Wars origami creation. We begin folding and folding and tucking and soon we have an origami Star Wars light saber! It turned out to be the proud author himself, Chris Alexander, who told us of his 12-year passion project that is now the best selling origami book out there! We've got a ways to go, but we're clocked in at around 9 years so far with our love child, our book, Hazel Moon.

So, can you tell my sister Lori and I apart? It's not easy... Which one of us do you think has their face in the Beauty and the Clockwork Beast poster?

All the big publisher top guns were present, Simon and Shuster, Scholastic, Penguin, Random House, Hachette and  so many others. The money they spend creating bestsellers can be astounding, but you can't get to them without a literary agent, and they're nearly impossible to land.

After walking the aisles and collecting a number of free samples, meeting and talking to reps and authors, we went to the panel discussion/presentation by three successful YA (Young Adult) authors who spoke on the subject of adding diversity to YA manuscripts.

Of course, we couldn't help but imagine that we were part of the convention, there as popular authors, so we went through a rehearsal for the day when we would be interviewed by the BookCon crew videotaping some of the interesting people and events taking place!

And, our final run through taken at the Muggle Wall!!!

After the convention we found a lounge, and while enjoying a well-deserved flute of bubbling Prosecco, we had a productive discussion outlining the plot and characters for our sequel to Hazel Moon, Hawthorn Moon, scheduled to come out sometime in 2018! With that, another cab ride back to Union Station, we boarded the rumbling Hiawatha, settled into some quiet reading, and later dozing off, but during the ride home feeling pretty damned (forgive my profanity Father Martin) proud of ourselves!!

Lisa & Lori at it Again...

Lori here, this time Singing the Praises of my multi-talented sister and coauthor, Lisa. As many of you know, Lisa is a premier designer at Peabody Interiors and has recently been recognized for the excellence of her work in the room pictured above!

Having worked on our novel, Hazel Moon, with her I can see her gift for color and texture and visual patterns in the tapestry of beauty and form exhibited in this award-winning room showcased in M Magazine!

Above find Lisa and her Peabody Design Team!

Here's the rest of the story:

Everyday Glamour

Emerald room evokes an enchanting feel

BY STEPHANIE S. BEECHER  |  PHOTOGRAPHY BY DOUG EDMUNDS

When Pamela Coleman and her husband moved into their 20th-century Classic Georgian Fox Point home, the living room wasn’t exactly inviting. With red walls, inadequate seating and insufficient lighting, it had all the stuffy feelings of an antiquated parlor. Far from reflective of Coleman’s warm personality, the room went virtually unused for years.

“It had beautiful bones, but it was outdated,” adds Coleman. “It was in need of love.”
Coleman turned to Peabody’s Interiors in Brown Deer to bring the living room back to life. Interior designer Lisa Minneti says she immediately saw the room’s potential.

“It had a black marble fireplace and great windows that looked out to the patio and to the lake, so we wanted to incorporate something that would look good with outdoors too,” Minneti explains. “We wanted it to be a glamorous place where she could entertain.”
Still, Coleman was unsure of what look she was going for.

“I didn’t want anything contemporary that wouldn’t fit the style and era — I wanted traditional with a modern flair,” Coleman says.

While thumbing through a magazine at a salon one day, she found her inspiration in an article about jewel tones. Her eye was immediately drawn to a photo of emerald velvet. Later, she punched in “emerald rooms” online and found photos on home design blogs and began to craft a vision for the room. Minneti was thrilled to build the room around the hue.

“I screamed then I called her when I found it,” Minneti says upon discovering the Italian velvet fabric sample. “It was the most beautiful green I had ever seen.”

Using the emerald swatch as the room’s launching pad, Minneti and Coleman worked to devise a unique color palette for the space, settling on charcoal gray walls and a lavish gold-painted ceiling. A black-and-white graphic floor rug added to the room’s luxe personality.

“Dramatic but simple,” Minneti says. “This room has been all about the details.”
Because of the room’s narrow design, Minneti says seating was a challenge — but it soon became a highlight of the renovation. Drawing on Coleman’s love of luxurious hotel lobbies, the two designed a beautiful, custom-made 7-foot settee. “That piece of furniture is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” Coleman says. “It’s comfortable, seats a lot of people, and is very versatile.”

Admittedly, the settee was a splurge, and the room continues to be a combination of custom touches and spendthrift finds. For example, throughout the yearlong renovation, Coleman purchased much of her growing Blanc de Chine and vintage satin glass collections on eBay. She also chose to reupholster her furniture, repaint her cocktail tables, and refinish the area’s original wood floors.

Coleman says her mixed approach was taken from the book “Living a Beautiful Life,” which encourages its readers to “turn a daily routine into a lifetime of beauty, serenity and efficiency.” She’d read it as a newlywed.

“The book changed the way I looked at pieces I’ve bought over the years,” says Coleman. “I have children, a dog. My family is living in this place.”

The end result is an enchanting, eclectic, yet functional living space Coleman’s whole family can enjoy.

“It’s a welcoming, inviting space — I think it’s a room people like to spend time in,” Coleman says. “It is glamorous, but it’s cozy. It’s everyday glamour.”

*************************************

On May 21, Lori, as Lady Luna, sang and conducted a Celtic marriage ceremony at a Celtic-themed wedding!

Now, Lisa here...Singing the Praises of my multi-talented sister and coauthor, Lori, who was one of the stars on display at a recent Doo Wop Daddy concert at Serb Hall in Milwaukee over the weekend!

Lori was featured as an MC and singer and along with David E. Kirby, who sang several songs as an Elvis Tribute Artist, and without a doubt, both stole the show for sure!

And this pic below, Lori as Apollonia in honor of the passing of Prince.

https://www.facebook.com/lisaandloriminneti 

Coauthor Lori the Actress at it Again...

Well, my multi-talented coauthor, my twin sister, Lori, was at it again last night lighting up the stage at the Memories Dinner Theater in Port Washington with gusto delivering her special brand of acting during a review performance of Buying the Moose, a relationship comedy by playwright Michael Wilmont. (Lori's on the right below)

I know she's my sister, but seriously Lori has a remarkable talent that makes each word she speaks on stage a dramatic delight for the audience, complete with physical gestures and facial inflections bringing the lines of the play to life! Also a wonderful singer, it's as if she delivers the words with the same panache as she would the lyrics of a song...with exceptional emotional impact.

The play, Buying the Moose, was written and staged especially for the Memories Dinner Theater. Here's a summary from the Memories website:


This hilarious, tennis-match-like play brings to life the truth that wives often wonder why men do what they do, while their husbands wonder how to get away with doing what they did!

Upon arriving home from a business trip, Betty discovers her husband, Rob, awkwardly "canoodling" an inflatable doll, which is donning one of Betty's dresses. After Betty assumes the worst, and Rob's attempt at an explanation only exasperates the situation, Rob ends up "out in the cold". In dealing with the aftermath of his blunder, Rob resorts to bending the ear of, and sharing a case of beer with, his brother, Greg. Meanwhile, Betty, and Cheryl (Greg's wife) ponder Betty's shocking discovery while sharing a tub of ice cream and a glass or two...or three...of wine.

Eventually, Greg and Cheryl are pulled into the chaos and the stakes get even higher as beer, wine, accidental voice mails, a mixed up mess of "he said/she saids" and exposed secrets, tangle the proverbial web, to create a fast-paced and hilarious rumpus! As one husband's well-intentioned blunder, spins out of control, the audience is kept bouncing back and forth between the men sitting on Rob's front porch and the women on Cheryl's, resulting in a side-splitting, fast-paced and thoroughly enjoyable theatrical experience! (Please Note: Contains mild sexual references)

For tickets or more information on other shows contact the Memories Dinner Theater!

More pics from the Review Performance of Buying the Moose courtesy of Marc Dulberger!!