Food & Writing

My friend & I cook together.  We make a lot of Indian dishes, which made me think about my novel & the use of food in it.  Of course, there’s the most obvious connection, that of the “Morning Glory Cafe”, which is a common meeting place for all of the characters.  But I also began to think about many of the other food in my book & was truly amazed at how often I used it.  There are several BBQ scenes for Fourth of July celebrations, which serve the traditional ideas & values of women nurturing men with food.  There is a scene where food is used to delight & seduce others, such as an African meal that is served alongside hashish & wine.  There’s another dinner where food is used to impress some while alienating another.  And there is still another meal that is used as a juxtaposition to religious ideas (touting the glories of Christianity in a vegetarian Thai restaurant, which would be consistent with Hinduism).  Food does so much more than quell our hunger & I am glad that I included so many references to it in my novel.

SutterInk: OUTLAW EMPIRES

SutterInk: OUTLAW EMPIRES

Looking forward to this!

Top 20 Books

On the heels of my last blog, My Top 20 Movies, I thought I'd do books. There are definitely not in any specific order. Here they are:

• Stoned Apocalypse- Marco Vassi
• The Rebels-Daniel Lyon
• Women-Charles Bukowski
• Ham on Rye-Charles Bukowski
• The Source-Isis Aquarius
• Summer of Love-Joel Selvin
• Life-Keith Richards
• Riding on the Edge-John Hall
• Just Kids-Patti Smith
• Matterhorn-Karl Marlantes
• Achilles in Vietnam-Jonathan Shay
• Light Years-James Salter
• A Dangerous Friend-Ward Just
• Skins-Adrian Louis
• Desperate Characters-Paula Fox
• This is Where I Leave You-Jonathan Tropper
• Tropic of Cancer-Henry Miller
• The Sheltering Sky-Paul Bowles
• Crossing to Safety-Wallace Stegner
• Elective Affinities-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Do you agree? What are some of your favorite books? Go to the movie post & list some of your personal faves!

My Top 20 Movies

Here's a fun post-do you agree?  Do you have any comments?  What are YOUR faves?  These cover a wide genre & are in no particular order, although the first 3 are accurate:

• The Deer Hunter
• Gimme Shelter
• Performance
• Don't Look Now
• Five Easy Pieces
• The Piano
• The Conversation
• Easy Rider
• Carnal Knowledge
• Deliverance
• Boogie Nights
• The Devil's Rejects
• Return of the Secaucus Seven
• Sunset Blvd
• The Godfather I & II
• Rosemary's Baby
• The Seventh Seal
• Valhalla Rising
• Wonderland
• Faces

Shameless Promotion

My book is about subjects, people, locations and a period in time that most others are interested in.  Yes, this blog is nothing more than a shameless promotion to get some more sales, but if I saw this book online or at a bookstore, I would jump all over it!  Head on over to Amazon where you can sample the story by clicking on the "Look Inside" icon.  Read the reviews!  The book is available as a Kindle download or a paperback.  If you like motorcycles, bikers, the 1960's & 1970's, sex, drugs and rock & roll, YOU WILL LOVE THIS BOOK!!
http://www.amazon.com/Red-White-Blues-L-Sage/dp/1432773453/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_1