Love Be the Loudest: A Q&A with Singer-Songwriter Ginny Owens

So! Last September, before we moved out to Memphis, my good friend Rachel Lulich organized a concert at her church in Lake Oswego, and flew the award-winning singer-songwriter Ginny Owens out to perform.

If you ever have the opportunity to see Ginny live - do. She does a fantastic set, engagingly sharing the songs she's written over her 18-year-long career. I recognized songs I'd heard and enjoyed in college, songs that had a different resonance for me now.

We chatted after the show, and I had the chance to invite her to come and share here about her work, her process, and her latest album. I've interviewed lots of book-writers, so it was really fun to hear from someone with a different creative and professional pursuit!

Hillary Manton Lodge: Thanks so much for stopping by for the interview! Let’s start with your newest album, Love Be the Loudest. It’s your eleventh album, and it's got a decidedly more pop-sound to it than your previous releases. What inspired that shift?

Happy Anniversary, Us - Part VII

Leaving the wedding, 7/7/07

Seven years and seven days ago, I married my best friend.

Every previous year for our anniversary, I've written my annual essay about love and marriage. This year, however, we mixed it up - Danny and I took a vacation.

It's been an eventful year, to say the least. And after that year, it became very clear that we needed a break. Danny was tired, and I'd reached a level of anxious twitchiness that wasn't doing anybody any good.

So we booked a B&B, made ferry reservations, and planned our vacation to Victoria, B.C. This was a big deal - we haven't taken a real vacation, one that lasted for longer than two days, with a location not chosen by work, for four years.

It was time.

Happy Anniversary, Us - Part VI

Six years ago today, I married my best friend.

What’s amazed me, over the years, is exactly how much change and transition we’ve been able to fit in over those years, whether it’s my beginnings in publishing, Danny’s graduate school, our travels to Memphis and Richland, and now a move to Portland very near on the horizon.

A lot of change, but in some ways we’ve become good at it. When we were engaged, we drove eleven hours to California for Danny’s cousin’s wedding (our own wedding was some two months off). And I remember how we drove down, stayed for a short while and returned – another eleven hours, of course, and returned still wanting to be near each other. I remember thinking at the time that it was a good sign.

The ability to often spend long periods of time together has served us well over the years, during the seasons when we've been unmoored from family, from a church, from friends, from outside activities. While we always celebrate a return to social life, in the times between we still enjoy each other's company.

As our hopes to begin a family have been deferred, we've had more time together than, I think, either of us anticipated. By now, we know each other really well, and yet Danny still surprises me in the very best of ways.

This next year will be yet another year of changes - at least two moves, the search for a new church, and settling into a new social circle. We'll figure out which grocery store we like the best, and decide the best place to walk the dog. We'll find new haunts and favorite date spots.

At the heart of all of it, though, I feel so very blessed that I enjoy the person I'll be doing those things with. If I see a movie, Danny's the one I want to see it with. If I read a particularly interesting book - something like Where'd You Go Bernadette - he's the one I want to discuss it with. Long walks are nicer if he's along for the stroll. I love exploring new places together.

So here's to another year of adventures, of home-hunting, of change.

Another year of us.

Happy Anniversary, Us - Part V

Five years ago today, I married my best friend.

WHERE THE HECK DID THE TIME GO???

Chocolate Meringue Crinkles

Updated 12/6/22

I first made and shared these ten years ago - Ten! Whole! Years! Ago! I made them for the middle school youth girls at the church we attended at the time, back in Washington, but in the intervening years this is a recipe I've come back to regularly, because -

1.) The cookies are flourless, making them great for sharing with loved ones with gluten/grain allergies and sensitivities. 

2.) In the last decade, it's much easier to get chocolate made without dairy, making these gluten *and* dairy free, and as a cookie that is frankly hard to beat.

3.) These are frankly just plain delicious. Many allergy-friendly baked goods are sad and grainy facsimiles of the real deal, but these are just plain good. Frankly, I like these better than the chocolate crinkle cookies I grew up with, because they never seemed as chocolate-y as I wanted. 

But these? These are a chocolate punch in the face. In a good way, lol.

4.) Most of the ingredients are pantry staples! They freeze like a dream! Literally no downside here!

Fudgy Chocolate Meringue Crinkles

You will need:

 1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (about 9 ounces), divided (I had mini chips and some leftover baking chocolate squares - technically, this is one of those recipes where if you have high-quality chocolate, you should use it, but if you don't, don't let it stop you)
3 large egg whites, room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided, plus more for rolling
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt

1.) Pull the eggs out of the fridge so they can achieve room-temp status.

2.) Preheat oven to 400°. Line two baking sheets (or one big one and one small one, which worked fine for me) with parchment paper.

3.) Melt 1 cup of the chocolate in a glass bowl/measuring cup in the microwave, heating it in 30-60 second bursts and stirring in between until smooth.

4.) Mix the cocoa powder, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, cornstarch and salt in a separate bowl. Give it a stir.

4.) Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly add 1 cup powdered sugar until the mixture is well-beaten and glossy. Switch from the whisk attachment to the paddle, if using a stand mixer.

5.) With the mixer running, add the dry ingredients to the sugary egg whites, followed by the melted chocolate and remaining 1/2 cup chocolate.

6.) Depending on where you live and the temperature of your home and the position of Mercury, the cookie dough will either be. 1.) stiff or 2.) runny like brownie batter. If it's the latter, just chill the batter in the fridge for 20 or so minutes - it'll firm right up.

7.) Place about 1/2 c. or so powdered sugar into a small bowl. With a tablespoon measure, scoop dough, roll it in your hands, and roll it in the powdered sugar. If the mixture starts getting too soft, chill the bowl in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes. Place rolled balls on cookie sheet; give them a teeny smoosh onto the sheet, just so they don't roll all over the place when you move the sheet.

8.) Bake for 8-12 minutes, until the cookies have puffed and crackled and set just enough to not make a mess. (Note: here in Colorado, outside Boulder, about 9 minutes was right.)

Makes about 18.

What you should know about these cookies -

They are genuinely amazing. Tasting one of these cookies is like falling in love.

If you make them up, tell me what you think!

A Little Romance: The Mechanics of a Love Story

I've been asked to appear as an expert, of sorts, for middle school writers.  The subject? Romance.

Yeah, I know.  I struggle with smooshy, mushy romance.  But they asked for romance, so romance they shall have.  I spent some time thinking on the subject of Romance Theory (which seemed to dovetail with the blog on The Vow, come to think of it).

Good romance is the most character-driven of all genres, so if you're going to do romance (or a believable romance subplot/thread), you've got to know your characters and be able to communicate their essence on the page.

I mean, *really* know your characters.  Because the reader has to believe both characters as people, be invested in both of them, and believe that those people could/would be into each other. Obviously, there will be obstacles - that's what drives the turning of pages.  The reader has to:

a.) want the two characters to get together

and

b.) not be certain it's actually going to happen.

If one of those is missing, you've got a problem. If the reader doesn't want them to get together, she (we'll just assume the gender here) will hate you in the end when they do.  And if you make it too easy, there's not enough plot.  The love story can't be a foregone conclusion.  There have to be roadblocks, there have to be difficulties. For your characters - your hero and heroine - to be motivated enough to persist through those roadblocks, they have to be more than likable. They have to be desirable.

(Sorry. The italics just kind of happened there.)  If you skip out on desirability, your reader will sit/read/watch and yell at the character (the one who's romancing the undesirable) to RUN, RUN FAST, RUN FAR, IT'S NOT WORTH IT!

Think of The Bachelor, for this one.  Sure, the girl the guy likes most may be pretty, but if she's also evil, no one will want them to actually fall in love.

Conversely, it can also be a problem (for some plotlines) if your characters are too desirable.  The Vow is a good example -  they were both too pretty and desirable for us to believe they weren't even remotely attracted to each other. If one or both of your characters are very pretty (either inside or out), there had better be some good obstacles!

As far as I can tell, there are three core types of romance -

1.) The "will she/won't she" romance - will the heroine fall in love with him? Will she??  Stories that fall into this category include Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Anne of Green Gables,

2.) The "will he/won't he" romance - will he fall in love with her? Austen examples include Persuasion  and Sense and Sensibility. YA examples include Anna and the French Kiss and The Princess Diaries.

3.) The "can they be together" romance (a variation on this is how long will they be together - especially applicable in Nicholas Sparks books).  The Princess Bride is a good example.

Those are the core types.  Many stories are a combination of the two. Stranger than Fiction is a "will she/won't she" with a twist of "can they be together" - Maggie Gyllenhaal's character has to decide if Harold Crick, the tax man's flours are charming enough, but even after they all for each other, there's this niggling reality that Harold Crick is going to die.

You've Got Mail is a "will she/won't she/can they be together" mashup - they fall in love online first, but have to reconcile their real lives and true selves with their online personas before they can be together.

Something to consider with love-triangle plotlines - it's still a will she/won't she with a twist of  which one should he/she choose (most successful triangles involve a woman choosing between two men).  It can be kind of  a cop out. The question is "A or B?" rather than "Do I love A with my whole heart? Or should I ditch A and B because this situation is disturbing?"  My take is the same in fiction as it is in real life -  if you really can't choose, the answer should be neither - because you don't love one enough to give up the other.

(This is why I'm neither Team Edward or Team Jacob, but rather Team Go Find a Strong, Reliable, and Loving Human Man With Less Baggage. And don't tell me humans are boring within the framework of Sci-Fi/Fantasy. Because: Aragorn. End of conversation.)

My personal preference is for a combo of the core types - it gives the characters two kinds of drama.  While you're figuring this out, though, you've got to make sure you're maintaining both believability and likability.  It also works best for stories where the romance is a subplot. Your main plot throws your characters just as many curveballs as their love lives.

So - there's my short masterclass on plotting romance. What do you think?

Brief Update: Found this rather awesome article about female stereotypes in chick flicks - you know, the women you see onscreen but NEVER meet in real life. Worth the read.

Happy Anniversary, Us - Part IV

Four years ago today, I married my best friend.

When I wrote my second novel, Simply Sara, one of the themes that developed was the idea of home, and how home isn't necessarily a place.

What I've discovered in this past year is exactly how true that is.  Since our last anniversary, we've lived in Eugene, Portland, Memphis, and Richland.  At some point in the future (and goodness knows when) we'll move again, this time across town into our freshly-built house.

We've lived with family, we've lived far from family. But no matter where we are, my home is wherever Danny is.  As much as I miss my family, my friends, and the trappings of familiarity, I need Danny more.  No matter how unsettled our living situation is, as long as I'm with him, I can manage.

The thing is, no matter where we are, Danny's feet are still ticklish.  He still consumes large quantities of ice cream and Hot Tamales.  He still complains when his hair gets too long and it flops in his face.  He still opens my car door.  He still reaches for my hand when we walk together. He's still taller than me, even if I'm in five-inch heels. His smile still lights up his face (I know it's a cliché, but it's true). His hug is still the one that truly makes things better.  We still get each other.  Our "us-ness" remains the same, even if our location has shifted.

He's my home, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Happy Anniversary, Us - Part III

Three years ago today, I married my best friend.

You'd think tickling his feet has gotten old by now, but it hasn't.

This year has been a wild ride. Danny worked overtime hours while completing a master's degree. I published and promoted one book while writing 92,000 of the most difficult words I've ever written.

Danny celebrated with me when my first book arrived, and a few days later, when a whole box of books followed. He made me laugh at the cover of the Large Print Edition, came to every book signing and event, helped set up and take down the books, poster, postcards, and punch bowl full of chocolates.

He was very, very angry when he read my worst book review. He beamed over my Publishers Weekly and Booklist reviews.

I got to go to Vermont with Danny and watch as he gained the respect of his classmates and professors during his masters residency. I pinned his masters hood in place, and saw him shake the dean's hand as he received his diploma.

I like the quiet moments best, though. Tea on Saturday mornings. Walks we take, hand in hand. Sitting on the couch, reading books with the windows open.

I like the funny bits that have become our own - the way grass makes us laugh, the way Danny eats cheese, the way I giggle over the phrase some say.

I like how Danny brings adventure into my life in ways I never thought would happen.

It hasn't been an easy year, but it's been a good one. I can't imagine what the next will hold.

Happy Anniversary, Us - Part II

Two years ago today, I married my best friend.

I loved being married for a year. I've loved being married for two years even more.

Part of me wonders if Danny and I will be able to read each other's minds by next year. We know each other so well, can read expressions and body language and tonality so well that telepathy can't be far behind.

But on the other hand, we still manage to surprise each other. At least, Danny still surprises me. He'll goof off to make me laugh and I'll think, where did that come from? Followed by, I hope he'll do that again...

I was at a gathering a few months ago, and found myself asked (rather inappropriately) if the honeymoon was over. I honestly didn't know what to say for a few moments. Clearly, we had returned from our post-wedding vacation, not taking the year-long break advised in the old testament (if only we herded sheep with our families, that might have worked).

So if it wasn't a logistical question, it had to be emotional. Do I still love my husband like crazy? Of course. Am I aware of his faults? Better yet, is he deeply aware of mine? Certainly. Of course. And we're still nuts about each other.

I think Hollywood and fiction writers (bless them all) would have us believe that love and romance is found in meet-cutes and grand gestures. What the film Up got so right was that the little moments, even the boring moments, are the ones that matter, the ones we remember.

The walks. The lazy mornings. Sitting on the couch just reading. Dancing in the living room and sorting laundry (not at the same time) - those moments make up a marriage.

I have loved teaching Sunday School with Danny, watching him play cars and tea party with our class. I've loved celebrating and struggling through the process of publishing together. I love the look on his face when I bring him a fizzy drink from the grocery store, and the way he still opens my car door. I love how pleased he is with himself when he successfully flips a pan full of hashbrowns with a flick of the wrist. I love how we read books together. I love that I got him hooked on oatmeal cookies.

I love that we're married to each other. It's nice.

I love you, sensibly

I'm starting to think that I kind of suck at writing romance. This is a problem, because most editors in my genre want a romance storyline.

And I'm fine with that. I understand. Romance sells. I'll get them together in the end. It's just the drama I have trouble with.

Good romance, written, is all about drama. The thing is, though, is that the mark of a good realistic romance is the lack of drama. I mean, when you ask couples how they met, there's not a lot of "well, my dad was a mafia boss - you know how that goes" or "I almost moved to Saint Tropez, but then Fred ran on onto the tarmac and stood in front of the plane to stop me. That's how I knew." And rarer still, "There was this snafu with my inheritance, I had to marry someone within two days, thanks goodness I met Bob! The only problem was, he had an insane wife in the attic at the time..."

Here's what I've experienced with the two books I've worked on in the past, one completed, one nearly complete. I'm great when the two characters are not supposed to be together. Really great. Nice drama, superb tension (tension being the lifeblood of story).

But by the time I've cleared the obstacles (about two-thirds through the book) for these two to really, truly fall in love, what then? They fall in love. Big whoop.

I'm going to solve this, truly. And I have no concerns (no concerns, especially if my agent or editor is reading this) about my ability to craft a lovely little romance. But it's tricky, you know? This is a book about the Amish. Now, if I could only have some Canadian mobsters with a vampire or two while someone (the guy) gets hit by a car on the way to the Empire State Building, things would be a lot easier.

Happy Anniversary, Us

A year ago today, I married my best friend.

A whole year has gone by - we've experienced the joy of moving in together, adjusting to a life routine, being introduced as "The Lodges." For Halloween, Danny was a contractor; I was a fairy (children's book to follow). We negotiated hiding places for Christmas presents and picking the right Valentine's Day card (for the first time EVER, I had a date on Valentine's). We've read through The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, Howl's Moving Castle and The Belgariad.

We figured out what to do when the Mormons knocked on the door (it's happened twice now). That it's okay to rent an action flick and a chick flick and watch both together.

I love this man I married, for a lot of different reasons.

1. He can fix anything, from cars to microwaves to children's bubble toys.

2. He makes a terrific paper airplane.

3. He can flip omelets and hashbrowns like a short order cook.

4. He wants to know and understand everything about the world around him.
5. His feet are ticklish.

6. He lets me eat his ice cream and drink his drinks.

7. He watched Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, and the Emperor's New Groove with me.

8. He reads everything I write and talks about it with me.

9. He plays guitar and sings from his heart.

10. Most importantly, he loves me when I really don't deserve it.

There are quite a lot of other reaons, and I'm fairly sure this blog doesn't alot me the memory to write them all.

We've had a wonderful year, and I can't wait for the next.