An excerpt from my short story submission to Tuscany Press is featured on its blog. “Nova,” written last winter, was inspired by the death of my…
Leave a CommentRelevant Fiction for Body & Soul
Author: CAstfalk
Carolyn Astfalk is a wife, mother, and author of contemporary Catholic romances, including her latest, All in Good Time. She formerly worked as a communications director and now works just to keep her head above water. Find her books on Amazon and her other words scattered around the blogosphere and social media.
Stay With Me will be available in less than three months! In May, I wrote about the music that inspired the book, and in April, I blogged about the settings. Last month, I shared several of the recipes for the delicious treats mentioned in the book. Rebecca does a lot of baking, so there’s plenty more to share this month!
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Why small success? Because that’s the only kind I know! Even the big ones come in small steps. Here’s my paltry offering for the week.
- Baked, baked, and baked some more. I killed my hand mixer, and my oven is liable to rebel from extreme overuse. It started with chocolate chip cookies and snickerdoodles for the junior high youth ministry. I suspected their energy levels might be depleted after zip lining and rolling around in an OGO ball.
I moved on to blueberry muffins and gingerbread cake for an upcoming blog post featuring more recipes from Stay With Me. Next came banana bread (see #3). And finally, I baked six-dozen heart-shaped beauties for the cookie table at my niece’s wedding next week. What? You don’t know what a cookie table is? I dare you to Google “Pittsburgh wedding cookie tables,” look at the images, and not salivate.
Stay With Me by Carolyn Astfalk, available from Full Quiver Publishing on October 1, 2015, has been awarded the Seal of Approval by the Catholic…
Leave a Comment1/2 cup soft butter 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup mashed, ripe bananas…
2 CommentsIn my Catholic grade school, we played what was known simply as “The Religion Game.” Short explanation: it involved a person guessing a religious terms using clues provided by teammates. One of the vocabulary terms committed to memory was ejaculation.
Ejaculation: a short prayer meant to be memorized and repeated throughout the day
In those pre-pubescent days, before its utterance would elicit a round of giggles and snickers, this five-syllable word had the potential to propel a team into the winner’s circle. In the ensuing years, the use of these little prayers fell by the wayside.
3 Comments10 Minute Novelists Why I Write (June 24, 2015) “I emerged from that experience with a horrible first draft but a concrete means of transferring the…
Leave a Comment- Working hard for your family is honorable. My dad leased a Gulf gas station/service station for decades. He worked ten-hour days, six days a week for many years. Then tended to “book work” when he was home. He didn’t harbor any great any ambitions or wallow in his lot in life (although he always wanted to be a trolley conductor). It is simply what he did to provide for his wife and children.
Mom and Dad celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary in 2004. - Volunteer. Give your time freely in service to others. I never realized the extent to which my dad’s life was marked by service until the priest spoke about it at his funeral Mass. From his Navy service during World War II to being a parish usher, bingo volunteer, a lifelong member of the Rennerdale Volunteer Fire Department, and helping out at one of his favorite places – the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum – my dad happily served.
