Tales from the Kitchen

Do you like cooking? I have to admit that for years I absolutely hated it. If I ever tried to follow a recipe it never came out looking anything like the appealing photo accompanying it.
When I first got married (too long ago to tell you just how long!) there were a few cookery books giving practical advice for family meals. They were geared to the woman who stayed at home (mostly) and involved a lot of elbow grease to prepare - at least as far as I was concerned. Nowadays, of course, you have your "meals in 30 minutes" recipes and loads of idea for unconventional ways to prepare food. And you have far more aids to cooking in the local supermarket.

My mother made her own almond icing and I still think it is the tastiest part of the Christmas cake. She had no weighing scales as far as I remember. I think she used a particular sized cup instead.  She had no electric whisk and spent ages beating the butter and sugar using a wooden spoon. We all had a turn and I remember how my arms ached after so much work. The Christmas cake was rich in raisins and currants and mixed peel. The Christmas pudding was equally rich and here she added Guinness and whiskey as well. The aroma filled the kitchen and stayed for days and was part and parcel of that feverish anticipation of the feast to come. We were all allowed to stir the Christmas pudding and to make a wish. I don't remember if my wishes ever came true, I think not.

All of these memories came back to me when I started writing my Christmas novel. Christmas was and still is my favourite time of year. It is family time, a time for sharing. So when I started writing Christmas Wishes (that's the provisional title or working title as writers call them) I conjured up all those feelings I had about coming home for the holidays. In my novel, everyone has a secret wish or a problem to be resolved. As so often happens, a character intruded on my story and changed the original plot somewhat. That is the fun of writing. Once you have started, the characters come alive and go their own way. I have finished the first draft and I have many revisions and edits ahead of me before I am finished. I always think story writing is like opening a door in your head and there is a completely different world with all these people whose tales need to be told and who contribute their own share to shaping your story. Writing is magic.