Second languages

Taking a foreign language was a requisite when I went to high school. I grew up in a household where my mother frequently tossed out random German phrases she'd learned at home when she grew up, so I was always intrigued to communicate with someone “in code.” By that same token, DH gets unhappy when he hears people speaking another language for that same reason. His grandmother spoke to her friends in German, ostensibly so little ears wouldn't understand what she was saying.

I found I had a keen ear for language, which one of my foreign language teachers was eager to help me develop. I took four years of French, and in my senior year, decided to throw in some Spanish just for fun. My fourth-year French teacher was also a Spanish teacher, so she gave me a self-study to learn two years of Spanish in one (Thank you, Mrs. Ferguson). Here was the tricky part. I took a class trip to Mexico, but after four years of French, that came more naturally to me than the Spanish, so whenever I started to think in another language, out came the French. I DID learn the Spanish, as well, but after four years, we had to speak French in French class. After one year (compressed into two), the Spanish class hadn't evolved to that stage. As a result, I can read and to a certain degree speak in Spanish, but comprehending someone else speaking in Spanish? Ay Caramba!

I live in a fairly diverse area that caters to certain ethnicities. It isn't uncommon to go to the grocery store and hear people chattering in something other than English. My hair stylist speaks Spanish as her native tongue. I may have mentioned my trip to Spain? I'd like to be able to communicate more clearly, so I'm taking Spanish classes again. More accurately, a bi-lingual class. I was paired with a Spanish speaker who wants to learn English, and I'm very proud to say we were able to communicate somewhat, but I'm still missing vocabulary. The teacher is excellent, and she understands my goal, so she is working with me to help me. I'd also determined to watch telenovelas to see how much I could understand, something my hair stylist also recommended as a learning tool. Soap operas in Spanish - interesting, to say the least - and it is helping.

One of my favorite authors went on a crusade last year to learn Portuguese. She took to Twitter to find people to communicate with there, and it was interesting to see people interacting with her to help her on her journey. When I wrote my first book set in Italy, I endeavored to learn Italian. Funny story - when DH and I visited Italy, I tried to order gelato by the Trevi Fountain speaking Italian. The vendor wanted no part in my feeble attempts. He asked me - in English - impatiently - "What do you want?" I thought I did creditably well, but he apparently wanted no part of an uppity tourist trying to fit in. Or maybe he wanted to improve on his English (if I prefer to be charitable)? 

What language did you learn in high school? Are you intrigued by other languages or, like my DH, do you prefer to stick to your native tongue?

Stop and smell the roses - or orange blossoms

Horned Owl Hollow is with the editor! I'm in a wait and see pattern for what she might find that has yet to be addressed. This is often when I start thinking about what comes next. The original intent is to make this book a first in series. 

I'm not ready.

2022 was a long year with a lot of curve balls, so I'm just taking a minute to "be." 

I've taken some time to tackle the marketing that goes with releasing a book, like creating a trailer and promotional graphics. I'll need to snip excerpts to share. But the next major item on my agenda is a trip!

For the first time in four years, I'm getting on an airplane (wish me luck!) and traveling across the big, blue ocean. My niece is getting married in Spain! (Or at least going through the motions for the family - she already married her handsome husband.) DH and I have gone through the motions of taking several trips over the last couple of years, but never actually went through with booking them for a variety of reasons, not the least of which includes the problems the air traffic industry has had. We were determined to make this one happen and went ahead and booked our flights and an AirBNB. Woo hoo! But what are we going to do while we're there aside from the wedding? I mean, you don't fly across the ocean just for the weekend, generally. (Wait. I did that once - to the UK... but I digress) Fortunately, we have a niece who lives there who is ready to share ideas. So this is what we're thinking, along with the options other people are looking at.

Flamenco dancing anyone? What about a paella making class? And the local soccer team is scheduled to have a game while we're there. There are city tours, and a Haunted Seville tour (yes, I'll be taking that one, and if you read Horned Owl Hollow, you'll know why!). But what about other tours? We're close enough to the coast to do a day trip to Gibraltar (yes, we scheduled that one, too). They say you can see Africa from the top of the Rock, and some folks are going to hop on over to Morocco since it's just a little farther. For Amazing Race fans, you might have seen Malaga and Ronda. Those are also day trips from Seville. There's Cordoba and Granada. Bull fighting arenas and palaces and multi-cultural cathedrals and towers. Such exciting options! And did I mention the orange blossoms should be in bloom?

But most exciting will be the bride and groom. Brushing up on my Spanish...

What would you want to see if you were taking the trip with me?

My name is Karla, and I’m a cookie-holic

The struggle is real folks. 

I wasn’t going to make Christmas cookies this year, but its tradition, so when my family suggested it, how could I refuse? In truth, I did well when it came to not eating them all at once. 

Then there’s my dear husband who thinks he’s spoiling me when he buys the super pack of bakery cookies. I was even doing fairly well ignoring those, until I wasn’t. 

The other day I sat my husband down and told him he wasn’t doing me any favors when he spoiled me, because now I have to “dry out” again.

So here’s the thing. Three years ago when my son got married, I lost a lot of extra weight I’d been carrying, and the most amazing thing happened! My body said thank you. I went on a program that truly wasn’t sustainable, but it trained me to make better choices. Then, my sister died. My person. I was crushed, and I adopted the philosophy my father lived by: “Life is short. Eat the cookies” (paraphrasing). My dad lived to be 90, although he developed several health issues along the way. I don’t want to live to be 90, and my body is again reminding me that I can’t make meals out of cookies like I could when I was a teenager. (No, I don’t do that anymore.)

So this year, I’m going to work on making my body happy again. Life IS short, but if I plan to make the most of it, I need to eat foods that allow me to do so and that don’t hold me back. This is not a New Year’s resolution. It's knowing myself and making a choice.

What does that mean for my newsletter - Books & Cookies? I do believe I can still share recipes that I’ve either tried in the past or that look good for those of you who have more self-control. Not signed up? You can do that now by clicking Newsletter on the menu bar.

Sales to start off the new year

I'm busy getting HORNED OWL HOLLOW ready for the editor. The projected release date is February 21. In the meantime, you can catch up on some of my other books at discounted prices for a limited time.

Epitaph:  The McCormick Collection The compilation that includes four of the books in the Epitaph series is currently discounted for a limited time. 4 Books in 1 for $1.99!  Click here to get your copy

And in Audio Family Alchemy and Breaking the Mold are discounted for the first quarter of 2023.

Buy them at: