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February 2023 Sale!

No Comments » Written on February 1st, 2023 by
Categories: Plugs
Ace of Corpses

If it’s February it must be time to put Ace of Corpses, Book One of the Freelance Courier series, on sale!

Beginning Sunday, February 12th and continuing through Saturday, February 18th, this ebook will be available for just 99¢ in the US and 99p in the UK (or FREE in KU) as part of an Amazon Countdown Deal.

Alas, as usual, Amazon only allows this kind of promotion in these two countries. Personally, I think it’s a huge snub to folks in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, but until I achieve complete world domination, there’s nothing I can do about It. But rest assured, it’s on my list!

Be aware that it’s my intention to release a total of nine books in this series (three sets of three story arcs). I’ve already written and published the first set, and I’m working on Book Four right now. Yes, putting this title on sale is a shameless attempt to get you hooked and trick you into buying the other books. There’s I’ve said it.

Here’s the blurb:

To appease an alien senate, a newbie courier accepts what should be an easy gig: retrieving a misplaced corpse from a mausoleum world.

But the deceased is a planetary king, he’s not really dead, and he doesn’t want to go home!

Angela “Gel” Colson is not your typical Human teenager. She’s left her adopted father and siblings behind, scrounged enough cash to purchase a derelict spaceship, and started her own courier business taking jobs no one else wants.

All that may be true, but it’s not the real story. Gel only appears to be Human. She’s actually a mutant variant from a race of teleporting aliens who have hidden in plain sight for millennia. They don’t believe she can keep their secret. If she doesn’t convince them otherwise, they’ll resolve the problem by putting her to death!

Can she run her company, stay out of trouble, and not reveal her powers to outsiders? Not if the “corpse” has anything to say about it.

January 2023 Sale!

No Comments » Written on January 15th, 2023 by
Categories: Plugs
Conroyverse

Way back in 2001, I wrote a short story about a stage hypnotist and his alien companion animal. It was only supposed to be a one-shot. Oops. Since then, I have returned to those same characters time and again, creating more stories, novellas, and novels, detailing their adventures and expanding their universe with a plethora of alien races.

You’d think that would have been enough, but no. Those books gave way to a spinoff, developing a minor character and giving her a series of her own. Enough already right? Nope. A year later, the first book of a second spinoff series appeared.

CONROYVERSE is a sampler, consisting of the first novels in each of these three series set in the same fictional universe. It also includes “Buffalo Dogs,” the short story that started it all. Here’s what you get:

BUFFALITO DESTINY (The Amazing Conroy)
Cleaning up Earth’s worst toxic waste site with omnivorous buffalitos seemed like a good plan, until ecoterrorists target the Amazing Conroy, stage-hypnotist-turned-CEO. Meanwhile, a tour bus of aliens is trying to convince him to embrace a mysterious purpose amidst ancient Mayan ruins.Now the fate of the Earth hangs on a single decision.Conroy will need all his hypnotic skills, the support of his best friend, and insight from his dead aunt, if he is to save himself, the buffalitos, and the planet. And just maybe, along the way, he’ll find his true destiny.

ACE OF CORPSES (Freelance Courier)
Angela “Gel” Colson is not your typical Human teenager. She’s left her adopted father and siblings behind, scrounged enough cash to purchase a derelict spaceship, and started her own courier business taking jobs no one else wants. All that may be true, but it’s not the real story. Gel only appears to be Human. She’s actually a mutant variant from a race of teleporting aliens who have hidden in plain sight for millennia. They don’t believe she can keep their secret. If she doesn’t convince them otherwise, they’ll resolve the problem by putting her to death!

SLICE OF ENTROPY (Pizza in Space)
Melody Wilder just needs to complete her dissertation and life will be perfect. Alas, that’s not going to happen. She hasn’t picked a topic yet, her undergraduate loans have been “un-forgiven” with a vengeance, the university is about to strip her of her stipend, her job, and her apartment, and a pirate-priest minotaur is systematically destroying all her hopes and dreams. Meanwhile, alien bear cub physicists are trying to extradite her best friend on charges of violating the laws of conservation of matter every time he makes a pizza! And things are just getting started.

For a limited time, from January 15th thru 21st, you can pick up the CONROYVERSE ebook for just 99¢ (or 99p in the UK) exclusively on Amazon (or FREE in KU).

In these times of global pandemics, weather disasters, and political stupidity, this is the kind of light, fun, escapist SF we all need!

My “Firm” Chicon8 (Worldcon 80) Schedule

No Comments » Written on August 12th, 2022 by
Categories: Plugs
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Worldcon 80

The fine folks at Chicon8 have released a “for,” schedule and I have permission to share it with you. Things may change, but here’s the current plan. I’m still hoping to get a Reading, and that someone will come forward to set up the fan favorite Strolling with the Stars and that I’ll get to participate.

You may notice that all of my programming is over and done with by mid-afternoon. This is deliberate and I’m very grateful to the convention for accommodating my restrictive schedule. In theory, I should have more than enough spoons to do all these things (plus grab a restorative nap prior to going off to dinner).

Thursday, September 1st
2:30 pm | Randolph 1 | Relaxing Reads.
When the world is filled with stress, do you want low-stress, low-stakes novels? Our panelists discuss their favorite relaxing reads, and dig into what elements make something “cozy”. We’ll talk about how SFF stories that don’t revolve around action and saving the world can still be compelling reads, and invite our audience to share their favorites.
With Steven D. BREWER (m), Jeanne DeVore, Rachel Gutin, and Rachel Neumeier.

Friday, September 2nd
11:30 am | Crystal Foyer | Table Talk.
Small group discussion with me (I suspect advance sign-up is a requirement). Come by and we will talk about all the (Lawrence) things!

Saturday, September 3rd
2:30 m | Grand Hall I | Future Food.
Plant-based meat, golden rice, insect snacks, Soylent. We all need to eat, and that makes food an enormous market for innovation. Our panel considers which foods might become staples and which may become luxuries in the future.
With George Jreije (m), Elektra Hammond, P H Lee, Sara A Mueller, and Karl Schroeder

Sunday, September 4th
2:30 pm | Michigan 3 | The Art of Working With Illustrators and Cover Artists.
You’ve managed the writing, editing, and now just need your visual creative components. Does a cover artist also lay out the cover text, spine, and back cover design? Do you approach the same artist for all your visual needs, from covers to interior illustrations to logos? What are standard payment expectations and lead times for projects? Can’t you just do the art yourself, or with pictures you found online? Artists and publishers answer all these questions and more.
I’ll be moderating, and panelists include Stephanie hans, Esther Jones, Alex Shvartsman, and Alyssa Winans.

Monday, September 5th
10:00 am | Autographing | Signing.
I’ve written a bunch of books in the last couple of years. This is your chance to bring them so I can sign ’em. Plus, everyone who comes to the table gets a copy of my genuine Science Fiction Trading Card. Such a deal

It’s likely that some of the above will be in flux, and/or I’ll have supplementary information to share, but here’s where it all stands as this moment. If anything does change I’ll post an update.

April 2022 (what to expect)

No Comments » Written on April 4th, 2022 by
Categories: Plugs

I’m writing this on April 2nd (aka, Doctoral Day) but as I’m waiting on a couple links, I don’t expect to actually post this for several days. But lots of cool things (as relates to me and my writing) are happening this month and it seemed like a good plan to set up this page with all the relevant information in one place, so here we are.

KICKSTARTER

Beginning on April 11th, I’ll begin crowdfunding a new collection, Transcendent Boston and other stories. It’s a very modest Kickstarter with a base funding goal of only $1000 (though if you want to push me to just under $42 million I suppose I’d be okay with it. There’s a variety of support levels and some nice stretch goals too. I especially like stretch goals because every supporter wins without having to spend any more money.

Many of the stories earmarked for the collection have previously appeared in specialty or share-world anthologies, and as such are now out of print. So the idea here is to take advantage of one of the perks of indie publishing and save these tales from oblivion.

Anyway, please check it out. That link leads to a place holder to tell you about the campaign and will allow you to ask to be notified when it goes live. One way or another, the book will come out in June. A successful campaign ensures there’ll be a trade paperback as well.

STORY BUNDLE

Next up, beginning on April 13th and running for three weeks, I’ll be included in the “Celestial Sagas” Story Bundle, which is a fancy way of saying Space Opera. My novel Slice of Entropy (book one of the Pizza in Space series) will be part of an assortment of books which you can pick up for one low price, and you get to set that price! Here’s the link for that.

NEW BOOK!

But the big event for me this month is the release on April 26th of Soul Bottles, Book One of the Demon Codex series that I wrote with Brian Thorne. Long time readers will recognize my protagonist, a professor of demonic languages, from the short story “Fries With That” (available in my collection Sweet Potato Pie and other stories.

Books two and three will follow over the next two months, and it’s only fair to warn you you that Brian and I are working on several more books. Right now, Amazon has Book One available for preorder, but feel free to lock it in now while you’re thinking about it.

My Tentative Worldcon 79 Schedule

No Comments » Written on November 20th, 2021 by
Categories: News
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Worldcon 76

I’m not willing to get on an airplane yet, but I can do a multi-hour car ride, and so I’ll be attending DisCon III, the 79th World Science Fiction Convention, which runs from December 15th thru 19th. This year’s WorldCon has been plagued with many problems, not least of which included being moved six months, having to scramble for a new hotel, and losing their chair and many of their staff. Between all these problems and the small matter of a global pandemic, actual attendance will be greatly reduced, but like so many conventions they are planning to also include an online track of programming, and I’ll be a part of both. Here’s where you can find me:

Thursday, December 16th
11:30 am | Autographs 1 | Signing.
Come by and I will sign all the things!

2:30 pm | (online) Congressional Room | Language in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror.
From The Languages of Pao to Embassytown, authors from all eras have explored the limits of humankind’s greatest invention: language. In this panel, linguists and language experts discuss what works and what doesn’t, and how to walk the line between science and science fiction with respect to language.
With K.A. Doore (mod), Jenn Lyons, Hanne Paine, Nikhil Singh, and Eli K.P. William.

Friday, December 17th
11:30 am | Suite 325 Main Room | Kaffeeklatsch.
Fun small group discussion with me. I believe you have to sign-up in advance. Several other author friends are supplying lots of freebies so there will be gift bags for all participants!

2:30 pm | (online) Kress) | Xenolinguistics.
What makes a language alien, or at least non-human? This may involve grammatical systems not found (so far) in natural human languages, or even modes of communication distinct from spoken, signed, or written language. Will aliens have different understandings of the context in which a communication takes place?
I’ll be moderating and my co-panelists will be Yasser Bahjatt, Jana Bianchi, Ruthanna Emrys, Brenda Kalt. and Juliette Wade.

4:00 pm | SFWA Table | Bonus Signing.
If you missed my “official” signing time earlier in the day (or the line was just too long), I’ll be hanging out at the SFWA table doing an auxiliary bonus signing. Come by and receive a free, autographed, Science Fiction Trading Card!

Saturday, December 18th
9:00 am | Lobby? | Stroll with the Stars.
I am thrilled to report that I will once again be participating in this grand Worldcon tradition. Come start your day with me and other SF luminaries (heh, did you know I was a luminary?) for a leisurely, forty-five minutes as we strut our stuff.

It’s possible that some of the above will be in flux, and/or I’ll have supplementary information to share, but here’s where it all stands as this moment. If anything does change I’ll post an update.

How Many “Books?” (as of October 2021)

No Comments » Written on October 18th, 2021 by
Categories: News
Tags: , , ,

The other day someone asked me how many books I’d written and I didn’t have a quick answer. Why? Well, “books” is a funny term, and it’s gotten funnier as publishing trends have changed. For purposes of this list, I’m not counting any of the books that I edited of other authors’ fiction, just things that I wrote or co-authored and that were published as a standalone product. This includes titles that run much shorter than a typical novel, such as chapbooks and novellas, and at the other end of spectrum things like omnibus editions that may bundle multiple novels into a single package. Likewise, I’m also including collections in this count. Further muddying comes about when a book is initially released by one publisher, goes out of print, and is brought back later by a different publisher, with or without alterations to the second version.

Here then is my list of books as of October 2021. The parenthetical ratios show the number still in print vs. the total number in each grouping.


CHAPBOOKS
(2/5):
2003-01-01 – Buffalogic, Inc. – SRM Publisher
2006-01-01 – Buffalogenesis – SRM Publisher
2008-01-01 – Buffalogistics – SRM Publisher
2018-10-01 – Creature Academy – Paper Golem LLC
2020-03-09 – Excerpts of Jorl ben Tral – Paper Golem LLC
Chapbooks

COLLECTIONS (5/8):
2005-11-08 – Aliens and AIs – Eggplant Literary Productions
2010-08-23 – Sweet Potato Pie and Other Surrealities – Hadley Rille Books
2012-11-12 – Buffalito Buffet – Hadley Rille Books
2018-12-12 – Sweet Potato Pie – Paper Golem LLC
2019-07-21 – Buffalito Bundle – Paper Golem LLC
2020-07-02 – The Rule of Three – Paper Golem LLC
2020-10-12 – Openings without Closure – Paper Golem LLC
2020-12-10 – Eating Authors – Paper Golem LLC
Collections

NOVELLAS (8/12):
2012-08-03 – Barry’s Tale – Hadley Rille Books
2013-08-29 – Trial of the Century – Hadley Rille Books
2014-11-06 – Calendrical Regression – Noble Fusion Press
2017-11-09 – Barry’s Deal – Noble Fusion Press
2018-06-30 – Invasion (w/ Jonathan Brazee) – Semper Fi Press
2018-08-01 – Scorched Earth (w/ Jonathan Brazee) – Semper Fi Press
2018-09-05 – Bitter Harvest (w/ Jonathan Brazee) – Semper Fi Press
2019-07-31 – Calendrical Regression – Paper Golem LLC
2019-08-10 – Barry’s Tale – Paper Golem LLC
2019-08-28 – Barry’s Deal – Paper Golem LLC
2019-10-23 – Trial of the Century – Paper Golem LLC
2020-09-17 – Soup of the Moment – Paper Golem LLC
Novellas

NOVELS (12/14):
2009-06-01 – Buffalito Destiny – Hadley Rille Books
2011-05-11 – Buffalito Contingency – Hadley Rille Books
2015-12-29 – Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard – Tor Books
2018-08-14 – Moons of Barsk – Tor Books
2019-09-25 – Buffalito Destiny – Paper Golem LLC
2019-11-24 – Buffalito Contingency – Paper Golem LLC
2020-01-06 – Fight or Flight (w/ Brian Thorne) – Paper Golem LLC
2020-02-13 – Alien Thrill Seeker (w/ Brian Thorne) – Paper Golem LLC
2020-04-09 – Anger Management (w/ Brian Thorne) – Paper Golem LLC
2020-07-28 – Ace of Corpses – Paper Golem LLC
2021-01-05 – Ace of Saints – Paper Golem LLC
2021-02-04 – Slice of Entropy – Paper Golem LLC
2021-03-31 – Pirates of Marz – Paper Golem LLC
2021-06-15 – Ace of Thralls – Paper Golem LLC
Novels

OMNIBUSES (6/6):
2018-10-07 – Seeds of War Trilogy – Semper Fi Press
2020-05-07 – Command Performance – Paper Golem LLC
2020-06-04 – Adrenaline Rush – Paper Golem LLC
2020-08-22 – Galactic Capers of the Amazing Conroy – Paper Golem LLC
2021-08-31 – Ace of Agency – Paper Golem LLC
2021-10-03 – Conroyverse – Paper Golem LLC
Omnibuses

KEY:
SRM Publisher is Steve Miller (aka co-author of the Liaden Universe) who generously introduced me to publishing chapbooks.
Eggplant Literary Productions is Raechel Henderson, a pioneer in SF digital publishing.
Hadley Rille Books is Eric T. Reynolds, a publisher of anthologies to whom I had sold numerous short stories, until one day we said “hey, we both want to publish novels,” and then we did just that.
Noble Fusion Press is Barbara Hill, workshop organizer extraordinaire.
Semper Fi Press is Col. Jonathan Brazee (ret.), who introduced me to the glory of the Indie life.
Paper Golem LLC was originally my small press, but I shut that down a couple years back and nowadays it is my personal imprint.

So, depending on how you count things, I’ve published some forty-five “books,” of which thirty-three still exist out in the world. Many more are planned (some are already written and just await publication).

Eating Authors: Karen Heuler

No Comments » Written on August 9th, 2021 by
Categories: Plugs
Karen Heuler

All good things come to an end, and I very much believe the ten years of EATING AUTHORS has been a very good thing. And it’s not exactly ending. I reserve the right to post the occasional author meal when inspiration hits, but yes, the weekly Monday morning posts end with this installment.

For those of you following me on Twitter, I’ll continue to post the Throw Back Thursday links to episodes three years in the past. I suppose that will continue for… three years. And of course all 500+ episodes are available on the master list which has a link on the my website.

The intention behind this series has been to give readers a glimpse at the writers behind the books. Ten years ago I imagined that authors might reveal something personal, even profound, when asked to talk about a meal that lingered in their memory. I still think that’s the case and I’m gobsmacked that so many people were willing to share those memories. If you’ve enjoyed them, my one request would be that you share the love by posting a review (or two). Authors appreciate that kind of thing.

All of which leads us, as you knew it surely must, to this week’s guest. Karen Heuler wrote her first book at the tender age of eleven and insists the manuscript is lost to us. Since then she’s bounced around between a wide range of jobs (more than a few in the publishing arena), wrote both short stories and novels, won an O. Henry award and numerous finalist kudos for such things as the Shirley Jackson award and Bellwether Prize. I think it’s fair to say that being a writer is her best destiny.

Next year the good folks at Angry Robot will be publishing her latest novel, The Splendid City. The equally fine (but less angry and robotic) folks at Wildside Press recently re-released her story collection, The Inner City.

LMS: Welcome, Karen. Please tell me about your most memorable meal.

KH: I went to the Galapagos and the Amazon thirty years ago, having made a few reservations here and there at the small tourist lodges— no electricity, some with no running water, etc.— after going on a very modest boat (8 passengers) through the Galapagos. My plane to Ecuador landed on the day that the U.S. state department warned all American travelers to avoid Ecuador because of terrorists. For my first night in Ecuador, I had a reservation at a small hotel which sent a bus to meet the plane. I was the only passenger on the bus.

The Inner City

I’m a vegetarian, so I had brought packages of powdered beans with me and hoped for the best. Pickings were slim, and I soon ran out of beans. On the boat, I was able to bargain my serving of fish for someone else’s rice or vegetables.

The Galapagos were wonderful—whether it was swimming with seals, watching the sea lions splash, penguins popping up unexpectedly, or walking down the trails past the blue-footed boobies. It was spectacularly weird. There were all sorts of surprises, even without the animal life. The boat’s toilet flushed by using a hand pump, and I overpumped once and it exploded. But we motored on.

The other passengers and I would point at things surfacing in the water and shout out the name of the wrong animal. Sharks for penguins, cormorants for seals.

After the Galapagos, I made my way (bus, car, canoe) to a tourist lodge in Ecuador’s Oriente, which had only three other tourists. It was great, because I had a guide all to myself and we canoed the river and visited small villages with raised huts. He told me about the giant snakes that lived in the river bends and could rise up and grab us.

Glorious Plague

There are mestizo villages along the river (one street running down to the water) with a few essential shops (plastic buckets; rice). Nothing for me. I traveled from a lodge in Ecuador to a lodge in Peru.

It was bargain time again, trading where I could in order to get enough to eat.

Somewhere along the trip I saw a tourist munching a bag of corn nuts. The image lingered and I began to lust after those corn nuts. From then on, whenever I ended up near one of those little shops, I would search fruitlessly for them.

I was hungry a lot of the time and those corn nuts represented some American salty goodness, a satisfaction that was out of my reach. They became an obsession for weeks afterwards as I scrambled to find enough to eat. There were fewer and fewer tourists to try to exchange foods with.

Finally, I left Peru on a boat going down the Amazon. It didn’t have many passengers, but it had the biggest spider I’ve ever seen (I’d seen a lot of large spiders by then), and we ended up in Manaus, Brazil. A really large city! With restaurants! I found one that had — of all things — cream of mushroom soup on the menu, and it was Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup. I ordered it, and then I ordered it again. It was the most delicious meal I’ve ever had. Something to eat, something familiar, and while of course I knew it wasn’t local or exotic, it was delicious and out of place, as I was. I’ve never forgotten it. Every spoonful was superb. I’ve had great vegetarian meals before and after, but nothing that so magnificent or reassuring.

When Things Get Dark

There was a lot I hated about Manaus, which was poor and disheartening. I met some young travelers who were going to stay at a hut with a local family across the river. The hut had a hole in one section of the floor for a toilet, and when I looked down, I could see a few fat frogs. I instantly remembered reading about such a thing in, I think a Peter Matthiessen book — frogs staking out the toilet to eat the flies that were drawn there.

That hut also had the second biggest spider I’ve ever seen. Three spiders, in fact, lined up on the wall like family portraits.

I went back to Manaus. And then I found a store that sold corn nuts!
I’ve never really liked corn nuts, and I didn’t then, either, but I ate them all. I’ve never had them again, I’ve never longed for them again, but every once in a while, I heat up a can of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup, and I think how good, how very good it is.

Thanks, Karen. I really wish I could think of something pithy and inspiring to say about Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom, or perhaps a remark about the global reach of American purveyors of soup, or even a tie-in to my novella Soup of the Moment. But I can’t. All I can think of are Grace Drayton’s Campbell Soup kids and the slogan mmmmm mmmmm good.

NB: links to authors and books here are included as part of an Amazon Affiliate account. If you follow any of them and ultimately make a purchase Amazon rewards me with a few pennies of every dollar.

#SFWApro

Eating Authors: Sanam Asif

No Comments » Written on August 2nd, 2021 by
Categories: Plugs
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Sanam Asif

I’m a creature of habit. I don’t like change. Which explains why once I settle into a routine I’m all about inertia and am unlikely to budge. A couple instances to illustrate this: I’m coming up on a 1500 day streak of daily language study on Duolingo. Need another example? Well there’s the small matter of ten years of this weekly blog, serving up the memories of meals of more than 500 authors.

I awoke this morning with the realization that breaking my inertia would be a good thing. A welcome thing. That the reason for doing something should be because I choose to do it, not because I’ve surrendered to the habit of it. So I’ll keep my Duolingo streak through 1500 days, and after I’ll still keep using the app to study languages, but if I miss a day, if my streak ends, that’s fine. Indeed, I might even get more pleasure out of it as a result.

And the same here with EATING AUTHORS. I’ll probably stop the weekly posting soon — I have a few other authors’ meals “in the can” and it would be unfair not to run them. But before the end of August, Mondays will come and go without the need for a post here. I may continue to do such posts, but going forward they won’t be regular or as frequent. We’ll see. Likewise, I’ll curtail the supplemental email that goes out to the folks who have subscribed to my newsletter. They’ll still get the monthly updates, but not the weekly Monday morning reminder and link to each current episode.

And we’re all going to be okay with that. Trust me.

But while I’m still here, let me do some good. This week’s guest is Sanam Asif, a Pakistani author who came to my attention when she reported how she’d gotten screwed over by a local publishing house. Sanam is an indie author trying to eke out a career in a country that apparently has little or no resources or support for indie authors. Fortunately, the community of indie authors is global, and quickly responded to her plight, with a couple of high profile members stepping up to offer to pay the printing costs that she incurred when the publishing house bailed on her. In that same spirit I reached out and asked her if I could do my part to boost her signal by featuring her here and help spread the word of her work.

And hey, maybe this being the week that I announce that I’m stepping away from this blog will make it a landmark of sorts that draws even more folks to check out her books. Bonus!

When she’s not writing fantasy romance, Sanam works from home as an Upwork freelancer, and also finds time to practice her entrepreneurial skills with an online natural skincare business. She’s married with two kids and a cat. She also introduced me to the word paracosm, which you’d think I’d know since I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember.

LMS: Welcome, Sanam. Please tell me about your most memorable meal.

SA: I am one of those people who enjoy their food. So, you can say I am a bit of a Foodie. Never in my life was I able to go on a diet because of my sheer love of food.

When I was pregnant with my first child, I had high blood pressure and hyperemesis gravidarum, which is a fancy word for extreme nausea. So I was basically waiting for the baby to be born so I could enjoy a decent meal and keep it down.

Just Like Fire

Before I tell you about the most memorable meal of my life, let me give you a little intro about my Dad. He was the kind of man who wasn’t comfortable showing his affection. He was always strict with my siblings and me. But the day I gave birth to my daughter, something changed in him.

In Pakistan, it is customary for a woman to live at her parent’s home for a few days after giving birth. So when I came home from the hospital, my sisters were at work, and it was only me, my newborn daughter, and my parents. It has been ten years, but I still remember as if it were yesterday. My Dad asked what I wanted to eat, and I told him I want something spicy.

Crown of Fire

The man, who would never step into the kitchen, rushed to the market and got all the ingredients to make Haleem, a traditional Pakistani dish that includes wheat, barley, meat, and lentils. Then, following a recipe on Youtube, he prepared the meal, and all the while, I just stared in awe at him cooking. Since my mother had dementia and couldn’t cook, I knew he wanted me to feel loved and cared for.

Later, I helped him set the table, and it was just us three, me, my Mom, and Dad. The Haleem my Dad made for me that day is the most memorable meal of my life.

My parents are in heaven now, and no matter how many fancy meals I try, this one tops them all.

Thanks, Sanam. There’s surely no shortage of changes in parents when their children become parents, almost as if entering a new stage in your life signals a new stage in theirs (I’m thinking butterfly metamorphosis here). Then too, I have no kids, so maybe I’m just imagining this. But I don’t think so.

Next Monday: Another author and another meal!

NB: links to authors and books here are included as part of an Amazon Affiliate account. If you follow any of them and ultimately make a purchase Amazon rewards me with a few pennies of every dollar.

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