Monday, August 01, 2011
Before I start my topic, I have to give a shout out to Cindy Woolard. She reads our blog faithfully and I got to meet her at my daughter-in-law's company picnic on Saturday. I was standing around waiting for the plant tour to begin, when this lovely lady came up to me and asked, "Are you Colleen Coble?" I said I was and she told me I was her very favorite author. She started reading my books after hearing me on the radio (WBCL) and talking to her just made my day! :)
See this picture? This is where it all REALLY started. You think I'm talking about our friendship but I'm really talking about my coffee addiction. I recently took one of my very early books and took it apart, then reconstructed it into a very different romantic suspense story instead of the simple sweet romance it had been. As I was working on it, I realized it was written in my pre-coffee days. Yes, they really did exist! Lucy hated coffee just the way I did back in the day.
You're not half as shocked as I am when I realized there had even BEEN a pre-coffee time. I'd forgotten. Truly. Here is how it all began. See that sweet face on the left? After getting to know her via email, I roomed with her at Glorietta Christian Writers Conference. Her addiction was so great that she rented a car only so she could go to Santa Fe after a mocha. I informed her that I despised coffee. (Oh the horror!) She assured me I would like an iced blended mocha. She insisted I take sip of hers. I liked it so well she bought me one of my own and the rest is history.
A mocha is a introductory drug. It sucks you in with its sweet taste. It's like a milk shake. Then you get to where you like that taste of coffee that you can just barely taste under the sugar and whipped cream. Before you know it, you're asking for the barista to cut back on the amount of chocolate so you can taste the coffee. The next thing you realize, you're actually drinking coffee. It's a slow, insidious slide into sin. LOL
So in honor of our friendship and how it all began, we're going to change things up a little on the blog. The first week of every month, we're going to talk about the writing process.
The first thing that is necessary is coffee. No, Diann, not instant coffee. The real thing. When I'm planning a new book, I first decide where I want to set it. Yes, that's right. I don't even think about a character yet. Just the setting. I've found that picking the setting is the base of everything for me. The people who live in the U.P. are different than the people who live in California. I'm writing a new series set in the Outer Banks right now. Lots of watermen out there. I like just saying that word. Waterman. :) My hero is in the Coast Guard. My heroine is an architectural historian. Lots of old buildings out east. Researching the setting usually leads me to my plot too.
So my first piece of advice is to think about a place you know and love. Or would like to learn more about--then go do that. Research the history. Read newspaper archives to see what kinds of problems are going on there. See how a character you could care about could fit in. What did you come up with?
Labels: coffee, how to start a novel
Colleen Coble
posted at
4:54 PM
Comments (24)
Monday, October 05, 2009
WHAT IS STARBUCKS THINKING?
I'm a coffee nut. And it's all Kristin's fault. We met for the first time when we roomed together at Glorietta Writer's Conference. My parents had always drunk coffee but I was not impressed. Kristin insisted on renting a car so she could have her iced mocha. I'd never been in a dedicated espresso shop. I inhaled that aroma and reeled with delight. K ordered her iced mocha and she got me one too. One sip and I was a goner. Coffee became an EXPERIENCE. And that is what Starbucks has built its business on. The experience we get when we walk into a cafe. The friendly barista. The aromas of the different blends. The myriad choices. Sitting at the table and chatting with friends or family. The experience is delightful.
I went shopping with Donna on Saturday. Of course we had to stop at Starbuck's for our afternoon treat. The first thing the cashier wanted was to offer me a chance to taste test the new instant Via. "Don't get me started," I said. "What is Starbuck's thinking? I can get instant at home. I come to the cafe for the experience. I like to hear the whir of the foaming milk, the sound of the espresso crema forming on the shots, the aroma of ground beans." People in line nodded as I talked to him. And I didn't taste it. What was the point? I don't want instant coffee. Not ever. My coffee loving soul just shudders at the thought! Coffee was never made to be instant. I want the full value of the antioxidants. I want the fresh stuff. No short cuts. No substitutes.
I walked out with a smile on my face and my iced Americano lightened with half and half in my hand. And it made me consider my books and my readers. I don't ever want to shortchange my readers. I want them to get the real thing. A book I've worked on, loved and produced with no shortcuts. One full of caffeine. :-) The real McCoy. No imitation. One that comes from my heart and is what I really love writing.
How about you? Do you have a pet peeve that you see your favorite company doing? Or something you are doing that you will vow to do to the best of your ability?
Labels: coffee, espresso, Starbuck's Via
Colleen Coble
posted at
9:39 PM
Comments (23)
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
COFFEE VINDICATION
I've had it with people saying coffee is bad for you. They do it with no utter proof either. If something contains caffeine, it must be bad for you, right? Wrong. Several new studies have just come out that prove coffee is actually GOOD for you. Yay! I can have my coffee with no sense of guilt. Click
here to see the article on WebMD.
So in honor of this great news, I'm going to tell you how I get the perfect cup of coffee. Number one thing is buy good coffee beans and grind them yourself. HUGE, HUGE difference in the coffee experience. I'm particularly fond of Echo Espresso coffee in Phoenix. I have it shipped here and it's just fabulous. I particularly like their World Blend but all of them are fabulous. I found their coffee through my baby girl, Kara, who lives out there. Happy birthday, Baby Girl!
The grinder I like is a Capresso and I did a lot of research before I bought it. It's quiet and can also grind coffee fine enough for my Rancilio Silvia espresso maker. I put two scoops of beans in for a big mug of coffee. For two mugs, I use three scoops. The next thing is the coffee maker. No, a Bunn is NOT the best coffee maker. You need something that will extract the full flavor of the bean and a Cuisinart CANNOT be beat! It makes the best coffee out there. I've tried them all too. You can find it at Lowe's for around $60. The basic one will do just as good a job as the shinier one and it's even cheaper than the stainless one, I think. I use the natural coffee filters that are brown. The bleach in the white ones isn't good for you OR the taste of your coffee. The final step for me is the creamer. I'm particularly fond of International Flavors Hazelnut but there's a flavor for you. They have tons.
I pour my coffee into a big, thick mug then grab my MacBook to catch up on email while I enjoy the perfect cup of coffee. Ahhh!
What's your morning ritual?
Labels: capresso grinder, coffee, cuisinart coffee maker, echo espresso, international flavors
Colleen Coble
posted at
6:12 AM
Comments (20)
Before I start my topic, I have to give a shout out to Cindy Woolard. She reads our blog faithfully and I got to meet her at my daughter-in-law's company picnic on Saturday. I was standing around waiting for the plant tour to begin, when this lovely lady came up to me and asked, "Are you Colleen Coble?" I said I was and she told me I was her very favorite author. She started reading my books after hearing me on the radio (WBCL) and talking to her just made my day! :)
Delicious
