A Girl Like You | The Stiletto Gang

Sometimes it pays to be lazy

September 26, 2013/in Uncategorized/by Maria Geraci

by Maria Geraci

Yesterday, I was sitting on the couch catching up on the shows on my DVD when I decided to get something out of the freezer. Okay, I’ll just get this out of the way and admit it was ice-cream. An ice-cream Snickers bar, to be exact.

So I got my ice-cream Snickers bar and put the box back in the freezer, when something horrific happened. I couldn’t shut the door back again. It was stuck. Like something was in the way. Only I couldn’t easily find what that something was.

Let me give you a little background on this fridge. It’s old. Like 20 years old. But it still runs perfectly and with 2 kids in college I’m not replacing my fridge anytime soon unless forced.

So with my rapidly melting Snickers bar in hand and the rest of Chicago Fire to catch up on, I was faced with a dilemma: Take the time to figure out what was causing the freezer door to stick, or enjoy my ice-cream and my show.

Anyone who knows me, knows I choose Option B. Yes, I have always preferred instant gratification.
Now, I will preface this to say that I didn’t have anything expensive in the freezer. No big cuts of meat or anything. As a matter of fact, probably the most valuable thing in the freezer at the time was the rest of those ice-cream Snickers bars.

So I enjoyed my ice-cream and my show and by the time I got back to the freezer some of the stuff in the bottom drawer had began to melt. I went to the garage and got the biggest trash bag I could find and began tossing stuff away, which mainly consisted of countless bags of tired looking frozen vegetables and other semi-frozen products of questionable origin. Once I had that bottom drawer cleared, a miracle happened. I was able to close my freezer drawer. Mystery solved!

But of course, I couldn’t stop there. I emptied out the rest of that freezer, scrubbed it down with soap, rinsed it out and now it shines like the top of the Chrysler building. I was on a roll. So I figured why stop there?

Next, it was the oven. Yes, it’s self-cleaning, but hey, someone has to push the button to start the process.

The microwave and stovetop came next.

Then my pantry.

My husband came home from work to find me in a flurry of kitchen activity. Not exactly the activity he would have preferred at that point (which would have been me cooking dinner) but hey, I now had a near spotless kitchen. With a freezer door that easily opens and shuts and lots of room for more stuff.

I’ll be honest. If I had chosen Option A, I would have quickly discovered I had too much stuff in the bottom drawer, rearranged a few frozen vegetable bags, been able to close my freezer door and gone back to my cozy couch and my tv. I’d also still have a messy kitchen.

The moral of my little story? Sometimes procrastination wins the day.

Being Tim Tebow

September 19, 2013/in Uncategorized/by Maria Geraci

by Maria Geraci

Okay, so first off, don’t run. This isn’t going to be a blog about football or Christianity. This is going to be a blog about inspiration. Something I seek desperately every day to get the thousands (seemingly) of things done I need to get done in my multiple jobs as author, small business owner (because let’s face it, every author today is their own business,) nurse, mother, wife, and all around everything-else-I’ve-promised-to-be-to-everyone-else.

Some days, my Catholic guilt really gets to me because on most days I think I really suck at doing it all. And it’s on some of those days that I sometimes just give up and think, “If I can’t do it all, then I might as well not do anything at all.”

Those are the days I throw in the towel and flop on the couch with a tub of ice-cream to catch up on episodes of Breaking Bad (OMG, that’s another blog entirely). But this sort of pity party only leads to more feelings of inadequacy with the only benefit being that I’m really glad I’m not in the business of cooking crystal meth.

But I digress.

So recently while in the aftermath of one of those pity parties, I opened up my computer to find that Tim Tebow had been cut from the New England Patriots. No big surprise there. The guy has been floundering in the NFL. I was never a college fan of Tebow’s. He was the quarterback for the Florida Gators and being that I’m a die-hard Florida State fan, he was naturally, an enemy to my state. But once Tebow graduated college and went pro I wished him nothing but luck. He seemed like a nice guy and in NFL football these days, nice guys are hard to find.

Soon after the announcement from the Patriots, dozens of sports reporters began speculating on Tebow’s future. Despite the fact that he was a Heisman Trophy winner and a star quarterback who led his team to a National Championship, he had “never been” NFL material. His style of football wasn’t for the NFL. He wasn’t good enough to be in the pros. Team after team tried him out, only to cut him in the end. But hey, the reporters said, Tebow is still a gold mine. He could make millions in other sports, like arena football, or NASCAR (yep, I actually read an article about that) or more likely as a motivational speaker. After all, his book was a national best seller. I still remember the lines of people standing outside Barnes & Noble waiting to get their copy.

This was Tim Tebow’s response to being cut by the Patriots. “I will remain in relentless pursuit of continuing my lifelong dream of being an NFL quarterback.” He also included some really nice stuff about the New England organization, thanking them for the opportunity they’d given him, etc…

I have to say at first, I shook my head. “Why doesn’t he just give up?” “Why doesn’t he take the countless other opportunities that are flying his way?”

Because those aren’t Tim Tebow’s dream. He stated his dream clearly. And frankly, I have to admire the guy. There is something so powerful about seeing someone struggle to achieve something that maybe they never will, but continuing on nonetheless. I really hope Tebow doesn’t succumb to the pressure to give up. I hope he knows he’s inspiring a lot of people out there.

My new mantra? “I will remain in relentless pursuit of continuing my lifelong dream of being a full-time writer.”

There. I said it.

Thanks, Tim Tebow. Thank you for the inspiration.

Time to get off the couch and back to the computer.

My Celebrity Crush

August 29, 2013/in Uncategorized/by Maria Geraci

by Maria Geraci

Go ahead and admit it.

You have a celebrity crush.

Not a crush as in, that guy is cute (I have those too! Mine would be Jesse Spencer from Chicago Fire). But if you’re like most people you have some sort of fascination for someone in the limelight. Someone say, like, Princess Kate.

Yep. I’m a sucker for Kate and William. And now, add little George to the mix. I can’t go by the checkout line at the grocery and NOT buy a magazine that has their picture on it.

I was never a big Princess Di fan. Nor am I an anglophile. I do admit to staying up years ago to watch Diana’s wedding to Prince Charles, but I think half the nation did that and I was young and in college and it was kind of the thing to do. But any fascination I might have had with Diana slowly ebbed as it became apparent that her life was anything to be admired.

Not so with Kate. She seems to have it all. A somewhat handsome (if slightly toothy) husband who seems genuinely devoted to her, a loving family (normal parents and sister), a career, a good relationship with the mother-in-law, and a sensible head on her shoulders Plus, she has great hair. What’s not to love about her?

Please, Kate. Stay normal. The world needs more celebrity role models like you.

My favorite recipe

July 26, 2012/in Uncategorized/by Maria Geraci

by Maria Geraci

As I write this post, I have a confession to make. I’m all blogged out. That’s because in less than 2 weeks my new release A Girl Like You comes out and I’m going on a huge blog tour, which means I’ve been writing blog posts galore. So in the interest of keeping it fresh, I decided to share my most favorite recipe with Stiletto Gang readers.

Now, lest you think you are getting cheated here, let me tell you whenever I make my Asian Salad I get stampeded for the recipe. Seriously. It’s the best. And now it’s yours to try. Plus, it’s easy!

ASIAN SALAD

1-2 heads of Nappa Cabbage, finely chopped. Combine with 1 bunch of green onions, also finely chopped. Place in a large container. Cover and refrigerate.

Melt 1/2 stick butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Take 2 packages of Ramen noodles (any flavor). While package is still sealed take a rolling pin and smash
the ramen noodles, crushing them into bite sized pieces. Discard
seasoning packet and add smashed ramen noodles into the frying pan. Add 1 bag slivered almonds, plus one small jar of sesame seeds.
Saute noodles, almonds and seeds until lightly browned (about 15
minutes). Let cool, then place in a sealed container and refrigerate.

Dressing: 1 cup canola oil, 1/2 cup plain rice vinegar, 1/4 cup soy sauce plus 1/4 cup sugar. Mix well and refrigerate.

Let the cabbage mixture, noodle mixture and dressing all cool for at
least 2-4 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, add the noodle
mixture into the cabbage and toss with dressing (I usually only use
about 1/2- 3/4 of the dressing) and serve immediately.

Writing the Fly Lady Way

July 19, 2012/in Uncategorized/by Maria Geraci

by Maria Geraci

I have a confession to make. I’m probably one of the most naturally disorganized people you’ll ever meet. Oh, I can fake it pretty well, but beneath my iPhone’s carefully filled calendar is a field of chaos so large I can barely wrap my arms around it.

This is something I’ve always known about myself, but it’s really struck home lately. You see, I’m in the process of filling out various Q&As for my upcoming blog tour to promote my August 7 release of A Girl Like You. One of the most common questions has to do with my writing process/routine. I shudder at the real answers to most of these questions.

Q: What is your writing routine like?

A: Oh, I like to get up in the morning, drink a cup of coffee, then get in 2 solid hours of good writing time before I start the day.

REAL A: I get up in the morning, drink a cup of coffee and immediately start looking at my email, which then takes me to a plethora of other sites that seem sparkly and distracting and before I realize it, 2 hours have gone by!

Okay, sometimes I really do write for those 2 hours in the morning, but most times, not. My writing routine is all over the place. Sometimes I write for a couple of hours straight, but most times my writing is done in fifteen minute intervals because I have the attention span of a flea. But that doesn’t mean my writing routine is wrong. It just means that it’s the way I think and the way I create a story.

I guess I’m the Fly Lady of writing. Never heard of Fly Lady? Fly Lady is a fantastic site that stresses decluttering, destressing and organizing your life in Baby Steps. Awhile back it occurred to me that Fly Lady’s cleaning tips could also be applied to writing. Fifteen minutes here, Fifteen minutes there, and eventually, you have a manuscript. Believe me, it works!

Giveaway!

April 19, 2012/in Uncategorized/by Maria Geraci

by Maria Geraci

Oops. Today was my day to blog and I’m woefully late. I will blame it on my day job (or in my case, my night job) and say, mea culpa!.

Since my last post, I’ve been busy. I have a new website. You can see it right here. And I’ve put up an excerpt for my new novel coming out in August, which you can read here.

I’m also doing a big giveaway that ends tonight at midnight. So if you’re interested in winning this fabulous Lilly Pulitzer insulated beach bag full of books and a Season 1 DVD of Downton Abbey, please stop by my blog and leave a comment by midnight tonight.

NOTE: The Authors in Bloom Giveaway is over, but my own personal giveaway (photo above) is still open till midnight tonight (4/19).

Best of Luck!

Punctuation saves books

January 26, 2012/in Uncategorized/by Maria Geraci

by Maria Geraci

I have to admit to getting a tickle out of this. I ripped it off a friend’s Facebook status and discovered that there is an entire Facebook page devoted to the love of punctuation and all things wordly. Yep, it’s right here.

All of which is extremely appropriate for my current state of mind because I just handed in the reviewed copy edits for my latest novel, A Girl Like You, which comes out this August. All I can say is: Thank you, professional copy editors of the world. Without you, I might indeed be “eating grandma!”

For those of you who might not be writers, let me explain what I’m talking about. After you hand in your *polished* manuscript to your editor, she/he asks for revisions or rewrites. Once you and your editor agree on the completed manuscript, it then goes to the next stage: the professional copy editor. This is the God/Goddess who goes through your 90,000 plus word manuscript with a fine tooth comb to correct typos, misspells, grammar and punctuation. You (the writer) then review the copy-edited manuscript and make any last minute changes/corrections, etc…

When I wrote my first novel for Berkley (just four short years ago), the copy-edited manuscript came to me via UPS in paper form and copy-edits were done in long hand. Thank God we’re more civilized now and the copy-edits come back via the air waves in the form of Word and the copy-edits in Track Changes.

Just for giggles, here are just a few of the snafus on A Girl Like You. In my defense, I will say that when I’m writing I’m concentrating on content. Plus, I know there is this terrific copy-editor that is watching my back…

Original::
Torie is not a classic beauty, but she gets hit on more than Kimberly and I combined.
Copy-Edited:
Torie is not a classic beauty, but she gets hit on more than Kimberly and me combined.

This is the first of my books written in first-person, present tense. Boy, do I now know the difference in using “I” and “me.”

Original:
Luckily, it is at this moment that the crowd begins to hoop and holler,
Copy-Edited:
Luckily, it is at this moment that the crowd begins to hoot and holler,

Um, I guess crowds don’t hoop, do they?

Original:
“So then I ask her if she’ll take a breathalyzer test…“
Copy-Edited:
“So then I ask her if she’ll take a Breathalyzer test…“

And last but not least, here’s one that was particularly embarrassing considering I’m referencing one of my personal favorite movies:

Original:
I like to imagine myself as the Rosalind Russell to his Cary Grant (think My Girl Friday)
Copy Edited:
I like to imagine myself as the Rosalind Russell to his Cary Grant (think His Girl Friday),

So, while in my case punctuation probably does not save lives, it definitely saves books.

Thank you, copy editors of the world!

Tag Archive for: A Girl Like You

Sometimes it pays to be lazy

Being Tim Tebow

My Celebrity Crush

My favorite recipe

Writing the Fly Lady Way

Giveaway!

Punctuation saves books

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