Table of Contents: From Breakfast With Anita Diamant to Dessert With James Patterson - a Generous Helping of Recipes, Writings and Insights From Today's Bestselling Authors (3 page)

Beth Kelly

SELECTED WORKS

Where the God of Love Hangs Out
(2010)

Away
(2007)

Normal
(2002)

A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You
(2000)

Love Invents Us
(1998)

Come to Me
(1993)

How My Characters Come to Life
Although the specifics change from book to book, it is always the case that there is a story I wish to tell and, even more, there are characters I have created who I wish to set loose in the world. These characters always contain parts of myself, and this gives me a chance to lead 100 other lives.

What I'm Working on Now
My new collection of stories is
Where the God of Love Hangs Out
. I have a novel, expected out in 2012, about two sisters in the 1930s.

Readers Frequently Ask
I think most readers have questions either about a plot detail that puzzled them or a choice I made that they want me to explain. Very often the questions are more personal. How did I choose an aspect of a character? Why did I let these bad things happen to a character they loved? I answer people both as personally and with as much detail as I can. Usually I can explain why I made the literary decision I did. I can't explain why it affected them the way it did.

Books That Have Influenced My Writing
I think writers are most influenced by people they read when they are young, when they are reading only for pleasure and fun, not instruction. The three books that most influenced me as a young reader were:

Charles Dickens's A
Tale of Two Cities

Louisa May Alcott's
Little Women

Willa Cather's
My Ántonia

These are all books with both great scope and great attention to the interior lives of characters who are whole and engaging and real.

These are three of my favorite recipes, none of which I ever make when I'm working hard. But for brunch to celebrate finishing a book, for bringing a new baby into the world, or for any other occasion of great satisfaction and relief, these are the best recipes I know.

Two of my favorite characters in
Where the God of Love Hangs Out
are William and Clare, middle-aged friends who become lovers. Clare is what I call a “secret cook,” one of those people who cooks for loved ones but who doesn't like to make a big “dinner party” deal out of it. I imagine that William makes a fire and coffee strong enough to peel the paint off your walls on a Sunday morning while Clare makes these eggs and this hash and this drink and they stay in their pajamas all day.

Makes 4–6 servings

1
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in large skillet. Whisk eggs, salt, and pepper in large bowl. Add eggs to buttered skillet and scramble over low heat, until almost set.

2
At the same time in a separate skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over low heat and sauté leek in butter for 5 minutes, until wilted. Toss into eggs. Add cream cheese and lox. Stir 1 more minute. Transfer to plates and sprinkle with dill.

Makes 2–4 servings

Note:
Allan Benton's Smoked Country Bacon from Madisonville, Tennessee, is as good as it gets. It has a hearty flavor and, if you can't find it, I recommend doubling the amount of regular bacon you'll use in the recipe.