April Lindner

After all the work and waiting, the first few boxes of Love, Lucy have arrived on my doorstep, wafting that new book smell. Meanwhile, in anticipation of the big Italian-themed launch party I'm throwing, I've been trying out recipes for cannoli bites, trying to achieve the perfect mix of ricotta, mascarpone, cinnamon, and amore .   I've been consulting with my fabulous friend Madame Fromage on the perfect cheeses to convey the mood of a picnic in the Boboli Gardens , perfecting my playlist of Italian music....  and counting up the numbers of likely party guests to make sure we've got enough antipasti to go around. An embarrassment of riches By the way, there's still time to RSVP if you'd like to join me for the festivities.  We'll be gathering on January 30 from 7-9 p.m. at Salem Oak Vineyards , 60 North Railroad Avenue, Pedricktown, NJ.  Contact me at alindner@sju.edu to say you'll be there!

Getting started is the hardest part--for me at least.   Midway through the summer, I turned in the latest draft of the book I've been struggling with for a few years now.  It may not be done yet, but while I wait for my editor to read it and let me know what she thinks, I have to do something--anything--else, just to keep from fretting.  Besides, I can't let my valuable summer writing time go to waste.  So I've started writing something new--a novel, I hope--and every day since I've struggled with some nagging questions:  Am I really ready to commit to this new project, to give the next few years to it?  Will anyone ever want to read it?  Can I make it work?  And why is it that I choose to spend my summer days in a chair, in a room, staring at a computer screen? Some days the writing goes well, and the day flies.  Other days, not so much.  I'm 64 pages in now, with just a few precious weeks left before I go back to teaching and bef...