Writers can often be their worst enemies. I’m not sure if it’s particularly true of writers or just a truth of all humans, but it seems writers can often shut doors of opportunity without trying. I’ve been contemplating this ever since I sat down to talk to an editor about several of his tactics for keeping down the slush pile. One of my favorite of his rules actually took me aback when I first heard it. He said that he had a rule that if a writer responded negatively or unprofessionally to one of his rejection emails they were permanently banned from ever being published.

Harsh? Possibly, but the genius of it is that writers need to constantly remember they are professionals. They’re presenting themselves as someone who should be payed for their work and that means they should act like it. Unfortunately writers that I’ve seen in social media seem to swing to some kind of extreme when it comes to “professionalism.”

If you didn’t already know I’m launching a magazine. It’s actually part of my MFA internship in publishing. As a result, I’ve put out a call for submissions, which has gotten a lot of great responses, but there’s been a couple negative ones, specifically about the $3 reading fee and the fact that we’re not paying authors.

Now, there’s a lot of sense in what the people who are being negative are saying and I’m not going to argue their logic or passions. I can understand them. The problem I have is with their chosen method of discussing those negative responses. Like the editor I discussed earlier I’ve already placed a couple people on the permanently banned list. Why? Because they were unprofessional. Their responses were reactionary rather than being thought provoking. If they had changed their tone the conversation may have been very different.

It’s difficult, because I know writers are creative people which means they’re prone to ego, passion, and hot-headedness. That said, all writers (myself included) need to work to not be *that* guy. Who knows what bridge you may be burning… especially when the business plan for my magazine is to eventually to pay writers.

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MERRY CHRISTMAS from Tabz, Myboyfriend (Machu) and Jack!

Since I sent out Christmas cards, but no letters this year I figured I’d make a paperless Christmas letter. This has been a pretty crazy year, I can’t really believe it’s almost the end of 2011. Here’s what’s been going on in the life of Tabz.

1. I graduated with my Masters from Wilkes University. I started the program back in January 2010 and it’s hard to believe this January will be my last trip out to Wilkes-Barre, PA. I was part of a low-residency Creative Writing Program and am finishing up work on an MFA (which is slightly different than the MA I already received). My thesis was a YA novel called “The Wrong House” and, thanks to my fantastic mentor, Nina Solomon, I got the thing done. Now I’m finishing up an actual thesis on vampires as heroes in modern culture and will be doing an internship for the next six months and graduate with my MFA (Lord willing) next June.

This is my bound thesis (and Igor, since he’s in the novel):

2. I wrote another book – Machu the Cat is Very Hungry. This is the follow up book to my first one “Jack the Kitten is Very Brave” and both can be found on Amazon.

3. I’ve spoken with five different schools about my books. It’s really awesome to go into an elementary school and talk about my kids books. The kids love the books and I hear stories about how they’ve been going around the house saying pirate-y things like “Argggh” and “Walk the plank” because of “Jack the Kitten is Very Brave.” I even have two large stacks of fan mail because of my school trips.

4. I went to Colorado and Utah. I visited my awesome friends Kim (Colorado) and Heidi (Utah) and had a blast (even though I got a horrible head cold). It’s the first time I’ve ever went in a hot water tub in the middle of the snow.

5. I moved. This part wasn’t super awesome, but the way God worked it out was awesome. Our landlord in San Pedro had been super nice to us since Dad and I have both been unemployed for a long time, but she needed the place back. So, after a couple months of searching, we finally found a great place in La Puente thanks to an old friend from our church that I grew up in. It really made life hectic though trying to write a novel, a thesis and move! Big huge thanks to Lisa, Liane, Dan and Terin who showed up along with several of Dad’s friends to help us move.

6. Lisa and Tabz get lost in LA.. a lot. One of my podcast friends moved out here in January and we’ve been having a blast doing things together in LA. We’ve been to “Pirates Dinner Adventure Theater,” a movie screening, a taping of a pilot directed by Neil Patrick Harris, “The Thrilling Adventure Hour” (an audio drama theater experience) with folks like Nathan Fillion and Joshua Malina, the movies (Pirates/Thor the same day even), the beach, a long Buffy filming locations tour with Laura (from Canada), Dan and Terin, Universal Studios City Walk (with Liane, Paige, and it was Dan/Terin’s first date), The Hammer Improv show with Felicia Day, Jeff Lewis and Sandeep Park, a little theater in Torrence to see a really funny murder/mystery play, a Doctor Who convention, a Castle convention — whew, it’s been a busy year.

7. I turned 30. And, yes, I’m still awesome.

8. I joined The Daniel Plan with our church and lost 30lbs. And still working on losing more. That’s the rents and I with Austin from “The Biggest Loser.”

9. I’m working as a TA for Ashford University. It’s a part-time, online job where I grade a lot of papers, but I’m really enjoying it. I still don’t have a full-time job and money gets super tight, but God has been good and keeping my head mostly above water. With the help of some of my friends I made it through a super rough time earlier this year. Thank you to everyone who helped pay our rent.

10. I’ve been knitting a whole bunch. It’s been fun to pick up knitting (I started last January). For graduation gifts I knitted everyone in my class a scarf. I tried to match their personalities and tastes, I think I did pretty well. Since we don’t have a lot of money this Christmas it’s been a super hand-made Christmas!

11. I got to go to New York City! I crossed off one of the things on my bucket list (go to every major city in the US). I went to New York before attending class this June at Wilkes because two of my classmates had their plays read by professional actors in NYC. My awesome friend Cristina let me stay with her and we took the bus up to New York for the day. It was a blast. Now to try and mark off my other travel bucket list items (go to every state and go to England and visit Emma).

So it’s been a crazy year and I’m hoping 2012 brings many more awesome things and a full-time job. This going 2 years without a full-time pay check is for the birds. Know that I love you all and hope you have a fanTABZulous Christmas.

Love,

Tabz

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I have a confession to make. I’m one of those people now. You know… the granola crunchers, health food nuts, food Nazis, whatever you like to call it. I am one.

Not that I ever thought I’d be one. I too for awhile rallied in free choice and free will and free heart attacks. Like the legions of smokers in the generation previous I thought (reasonably to myself) that I should have the choice to do what I wanted (only instead of smoking it was what I eat and how could eating “healthy” food really help me). I thought people were wrong for judging fat people (like myself) and I cursed the image conscious society that pushed it’s size 0 shape on the world.

I hadn’t made the connection between my beliefs about food were similar to the beliefs I hated smokers for having. I fully believe if my paternal grandparents had stopped smoking they’d be alive long enough to see me grow up. Part of me will always be hurt they chose cigarettes over their health. Yet, it took me nearly 30 years to understand that I was doing the same thing to my body — only with food.

So now I’m one of those people who eat veggie burgers and don’t order fries. The person who shops at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. The person who wants to scream out her window as she passes McDonalds – don’t do it! It’s not worth it! Why? Because I’ve realized that eating what I wanted, when I wanted was selfish and I was killing myself. I was tired, sluggish, morbidly overweight and making choices like some five year old — and throwing a fit when I couldn’t have my way. In short? I, like the smokers, was addicted.

What’ I’ve Learned

I learned that sugar, fat and salt can have the same effects on the brain as a drug. You can have addictions to the high levels. Unfortunately most processed food (food you get in the freezer section, in a box, anything with a list of ingredients that you can’t pronounce) has high levels of sugar, fat and salt. I learned that some people are getting four days worth of salt in one meal out.

I learned that eating organic wasn’t some kind of trick to get you to spend more money – that it was a choice you should make because those chemicals bind with fat cells and make them harder to get rid of…. I learned that like a car if you put bad fuel sources in, you’ll eventually ruin your car or your body.

I learned that having protein in the morning makes you more alert and less hungry during the day.

I learned that drinking water can actually keep you awake.

What does one of those people look like?
So now I’m an evangelist of eating healthy, organic, raw food (not uncooked, just unprocessed). I’ve seen the “miracles” it can do. People have gone from a medicine cabinet full of medicines to hardly any prescriptions at all. I’ve lost 30lbs and am intent on losing more. And, if you’re reading this, I want you to understand the power food has in your body and I would love for you to be healthy with me and eat good food. It’s not a fun choice, your inner toddler is going to scream for you to eat whatever you want, but believe me when I say becoming one of “those” people is the best thing you could ever do.

How to get started
Check out my other blogs in this series, but the number one thing to do is commit to a new way of life. Commit to a lifestyle. You’re going to have to change your eating habits — like a smoker you’re going to have to quit stuff you like… sometimes it’s super easy, other things will be hard, but be healthy. I don’t want you dying and having someone you love partially hurt because you didn’t make the right choice.

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* Okay, lets start off with the fact that I know this isn’t really a curry, there’s no curry in the whole dish. It’s more an idea of the pansy-down-white-person version of curry with healthy ingredients.

Apologies for the picture, it’s from my phone!

1/4 of a large yellow onion (chopped fine)
1tbsp Coconut oil
1 can of coconut milk
1/4 cup of Thai Satay Sauce (actually almost any Eastern flavored sauce will do, experiment)
1 can of chick peas (garbanzo beans)
1c brown rice
1c peas (I’ve also used chopped broccoli, chopped asparagus, any green veg might work too)
1c edamame (optional)
1c chopped, cooked chicken (I’ve also used turkey, ground turkey, ground beef)

In the bottom of a largeish pot, add and melt your coconut oil and toss in your onion. Saute until the onion is soft. Then add the can of coconut milk and another can’s worth of water. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium. Cook for 45minutes (or until the rice is soft).

Hope you enjoy and if you make it, tell me what you think!

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The Doctor: Oh, big, big mistake. Really huge. Didn’t anyone ever tell you? There’s one thing you never put in a trap. If you’re smart, if you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there is one thing you never, ever put in a trap.
Angel Bob: And what would that be, sir?
The Doctor: [aiming gun upwards] Me.

There’s so many great quotes from Doctor Who that I had a hard time picking. I really love River’s comments about the Doctor, the Mad Man with a box line, step inside this police box and arrest myself, rude and not ginger, Fire and ice and rage line, Thick thickety thickface, it goes ding when there’s stuff, or any moment Captain Jack flirted. Ultimately I have to pick this moment from Series 5, mostly because it was the moment that gave me chills when I watched the season 5 teaser trailer. It perfectly sums up the energy of the Doctor, this madman with a box who will stop at nothing to save the day. So great.

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Here’s the master list!

Day 01 – Your Favorite Quote
Day 02 – Your Favorite Classic Series Episode
Day 03 – Your Favorite New Series Episode
Day 04 – Your Favorite Doctor
Day 05 – Your Favorite Companion
Day 06 – Whatever Tickles Your Fancy
Day 07 – Your Favorite Piece of Music
Day 08 – A Who-Related Photo That Makes You Happy
Day 09 – A Who-Related Photo That Makes You Angry/Sad
Day 10 – A Who-Related Photo That You Took
Day 11 – Your Favorite Season (Classic or New)
Day 12 – Whatever Tickles Your Fancy
Day 13 – Your Favorite Villain
Day 14 – The Villain Who Scared You the Most
Day 15 – Favorite Who-Related Tumblr
Day 16 – Your Favorite Who-Related FanFic
Day 17 – A Piece of Who-Related FanArt
Day 18 – Whatever Tickles Your Fancy
Day 19 – The Scene That Made You Cry the Most
Day 20 – The Character Who Is Most Like You
Day 21 – Your Doctor Who OTP
Day 22 – A Who-Related Fan-Site
Day 23 – A Who-Related YouTube Video
Day 24 – Whatever Tickles Your Fancy
Day 25 – Favorite Who Actor
Day 26 – Favorite Who Actress
Day 27 – An Episode You Wish Hadn’t Been Made
Day 28 – An Episode Idea You Created Yourself
Day 29 – Who You Think Should Be the Next Doctor
Day 30 – Whatever Tickles Your Fancy

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But why? What is the “magic” that makes such things possible? Is it Wilkes-Barre, PA? Heck no. No offense to the good people of Wilkes-Barre, but if I never have to see snow again in my life it’ll be too soon. Several members of my cohort and I nearly froze to death trying to find the Creative Writing office our first day. It’s not the town.

Is it the program? Honestly, no. As wonderful as my professors and mentors are, I was (and still) l am burned out with “school.” I have to talk myself into sitting in classes all day, every day we’re there.

Then, as I was watching Supernatural, it hit me. The reason I love going to Wilkes is the same reason I love being a fangirl and going to conventions. Do I love the massive amounts of crowds? No. Do I like the ticket prices? No. Do I love sleeping crammed into a room full of a bunch of other people? No. The reason I go to conventions and try to hang out with fans as much as possible is because that’s where I feel less insane.

I’ve felt slightly freakish since jr. high summer camp when I was having a conversation with some of the “cool” kids and I included in my response a $20 word. I can’t remember the word, I know I picked it up from reading Sherlock Holmes, but the kid just balked at me when I said it. I remember feeling so out of place in that moment. It was the same feeling I got when I talked with my older cousins. I knew I didn’t fit, but I didn’t understand why. You just feel… different.

Then, flash-forward, to the day I met my bestfriend in college, Andrew, and Mark and Allan. They were interested in making movies, outside of our normal college homework. They made me feel less freakish. I fell in love with my geek side and knew, beyond a doubt, that I wasn’t as different as people made it out to be.

If you stop and think about it, being a writer and being a geek aren’t too far off. You isolate yourself, on purpose. You sit and you type (or hand-write) stories. You work hard in the dark (not the literal dark, mom, if you’re reading this I’m not killing my eyesight). It’s not until months, maybe years later that someone will read and maybe appreciate your work (odds are they’ll never fully grasp how long and how hard you worked to bring it to life). You obsess over little details, things no one else would notice. You long for acceptance. Tell me I’m not crazy. I’m not crazy for spending hard-earned money on a new piece of tech that will make my writing better. Convince me that I’m not insane for switching careers to become a full-time writer or a teacher. These are two of the most-sought-after jobs in the country.

Then you hit that convention or you go to Wilkes’ residency and you realize, with a sigh of relief, you’re not crazy. There’s a roomful of people who are being crazy with you. So, in June when I’m at residency I’m going to try and remember that these times are precious and few. Not every day is ComicCon or WriterCon. You’ve got to hold on to the time you have there while you’re still sane. And carry out with you the idea that you’re not as crazy as when you came in.

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While I don’t have kids of my own yet, I have found it shocking how many people want to rush to blame their kids for why they don’t eat healthy food. “My kids are so picky!” Or… “They’ll never eat that!”

It boggles my mind because what you’re choosing instead is to let your kids eat unhealthy foods that could drastically reduce their chances of having a healthy body and brain and shorten their lifespan.

Even if your kids ARE picky, there’s good news — Kids, just like adults, can change. I’ve worked with kids long enough to know that they are smarter than adults give them credit for and they’re capable of making great choices.

How? I’m so glad you asked.

First off, stop blaming your kids for not liking healthy foods. No one, at first, likes healthy foods if they’ve lived on a normal American diet of high-sugar, high-salt, high-fat, addictive foods. But, if we change our habits we can literally change our lives.

1. Involve them in the process. Kids of all ages love responsibility. Explain to them why your family is eating healthier and ask them to start thinking of ways they can help the family be healthy. Take them shoping and have them pick out a veggie for your next meal. Have them help you cook (even little ones can dump things into bowls or rip apart salad ingredients). No matter what our age if we don’t “own” part of the decision we won’t be invested in it.

2. Get rid of the junk. Hopefully, if you’re already on the Daniel Plan, you’ve done this. Get rid of the ice cream, cookies, sweets, processed foods, white sugar, white flour, white rice, fats and unhealthy oils. All of it. Even the stuff you thought was healthy (like ketchup, fruit juices, etc). If it’s not in your house or in your bag, you won’t be tempted to eat it! If your kid is addicted to McDonalds why not stock up on a bunch of small $1 toys (easy to find at the 99 Cent Store or Wal-mart) and pack those in a lunch bag and take it with you?

3. Replace the junk with healthy, kid-friendly foods. Fruit kebabs, chicken breast strips (grilled tastes great), organic milk (or almond milk which has more good for you vitamins than regular milk), greek yogurt, etc. Check out this great blog Super Healthy Kids for more ideas!

4. Get rid of the food pusher lines (parent version). How many times growing up did you hear “better clear your plate or no desert!” I think kids start out with great eating habits and we train them out of them. If your kid doesn’t finish his/her meal, save it for later when they’re hungry again.

5. Use every opportunity to teach good habits. Dr. Amen plays a game with his daughter where he’ll ask her a question ending with the phrase “is this good for my brain or bad for my brain.” While the repetition of such a game may seem dull to you it’s actually how kids learn and build learning into their brain (similar to why they can watch the same movie 200 times without tiring of it).

Talk about healthy eating all the time as you learn new things. Talk about it at a restaurant and explain why you’re getting brown rice instead of white rice ( also, remember that kids learn more from what you do than what you say).

The Bible actually talks about this kind of methodology when it says in Deuteronomy 6:7, “Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night” (The Message).

What About Those Picky Eaters?

1. Have your kids try the healthy food, but respect your picky eater’s taste pallet. Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, and bok choy) actually taste bitter to most kids. Experiment with veggies and have them try new ones until they find some they like. Also, remember as they come off their high-fat, high-sugar diet that most Americans have, their taste buds may change so try veggies later on in the healthy eating process.

2. If you can grow some fresh veggies or herbs with your kid. There’s nothing like growing your own food that makes you then want to eat it! Plant a pot or a small garden and work it together!

3. Engage their interests. Is your picky-eater into sports or music? Explain how better, healthier food will help them perform better. Find a way that good food can help them with their dreams or ambitions.

4. Make it fun. Traci Paige Johnson (co-creator of “Blues Clues” had a couple great ideas in the April/May 2011 issue of Kiwi (which is a great magazine for parents about eating organic and healthy). One of them is to have a die at the table and everyone (mom and dad included) have to roll the die. The number on the die is how many bites of the new food you have to try. Even if it’s just one bite, congrats you did it! Your picky eater ate a bite of something new. Bring the die out next time and try the new food again later.

Got any more ideas parents? I’d love to hear them!

Ideas from Other Parents
“I also use whole grain pasta, bread, brown rice, ect. Noah doesn’t know any differently so he eats it.”
“Keep them away from trying sweets as long as possible.” – Kelly

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May 5th is Cinco de Mayo and I wanted to be able to share some healthy, Daniel Plan friendly recipes for those who want to have great food, but better for you. So my dad (Dr. Matthew Lee Smith) and I got in the kitchen last Sunday and made up some good food. Special thanks to Jamie Oliver, Tana Amen, and the Daniel Plan for the inspiration to cook good, healthy food at home.

First up, my dad, Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, shows you how to make a healthier version of a traditional Mexican tortilla:

Recipe

Brown Rice Flour Tortillas
(Note: this makes about 2-3 dozen tortillas so half the recipe or even drop it down to 1/3 to get enough for one meal for a family of four).

6c Brown Rice Flour
1tsp Course Sea Salt
1c Coconut Oil
3 1/4 Cups of Hot Water

Add the flour and salt. Put the coconut oil in the microwave for 30 seconds until loose. Add coconut oil and mix ingredients. After they’re well mixed add in hot water and mix again until all ingredients are well mixed. Let it rest for 15 minutes in the bowl.

Our dough was a bit sticky so we added more flour after it rested. Make a small dough ball and roll out into a circular shape.

Heat a cast iron skillet (or teflon frying pan) until it’s super hot. Keep the heat on medium. Then drop your tortilla into the skillet until you see it change color through out. Then flip over. It takes 30-60 seconds on each side.

(Photo: chicken fajitas with home-made guacamole & the mango/cucumber salsa from the recipe below)

Here’s a video of me explaining how to make fajitas at home!

Chicken Fajitas
Feeds about 6 people. For an individual keep to 1 Bell Pepper and half the rest of the ingredients. Of course, it’s always nice to have leftovers!

Protein (I used free-range, organic chicken thighs, one thigh per serving). You can also substitute turkey, shrimp, organic, grass-fed beef.
4 Bell Peppers (I used one of each color: green, yellow, orange and red).
1 small Red Onion
1 large Yellow Onion
1 Lime
1 Yellow Squash
1 Italian Squash
1 large Green Chilie
2 cloves of Garlic
1tsp grated Ginger Root
1/2 small Purple Cabbage
4tbs Olive Oil
1tsp Paprika (or more depending on your taste)
Pepper to taste
2tsp Coconut Oil (if using a regular frying pan)

De-seed the chilies and the bell peppers. Chop up all your veggies or add everything to a food processor, this is especially nice if you want a bowl of fajitas over beans and rice and don’t need those long, thin, strips. Add to a bowl. Add garlic, grate in some fresh ginger root, squeeze the lime over, add the paprika and a good lug of olive oil or grapeseed oil. Mix everything and let it set for 5 minutes at least (this is a good time to make your salsa if you are going to).

Heat up your grill or frying pan and drop in some coconut oil if you’re using a frying pan.

If using grill: Turn your veggies and chicken a couple times until the chicken doesn’t look pink anymore. The thinner your slices of meat the faster they will cook. It’s okay if your veggies are a bit crunchy that’s a great part of this meal, crunch, flavors and everything mixing together.

If using a frying pan: Move your veggies and meat around a lot, make sure the chicken especially is getting cooked all the way through. You may have to do half of this each time so you can keep an eye on everything.

Serve immediately! You can even serve right out of the pan, just make sure to get a couple hot pads or thick wooden cutting board to go under your very hot pan before setting it on the table.

Salsa – Red
Salsa are super easy to make, and a great substitute for ketchup which is loaded with sugar and salt. Salsa can also kick up a bland meal. So if you’ve been tired of plain old chicken, drop a spoonful of salsa on top and spice up your tastebuds! For both of these salsas I used our tiny chopper, which we bought for less than $10 at Walmart. If you have a food processor that works too!

1 large Green Chile
3 medium Tomatoes (I also threw in some roasted tomatoes, but not necessary)
1/2 large Yellow Onion
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Yellow Chile
1 Dried Red Chile
Juice from 1 Lime
2 Cloves of Garlic
Dash of Pepper

Add all ingredients into a food chopper or food processor and chop until it’s a salsa consistency.

Salsa – Mango & Cucumber
Learned this recipe from Jamie Oliver, I’m not a big fan of tomatoes so this is a tasty alternative.

2 Mangos
2 Cucumbers (I used Persian, but any kind will work)
2 Green Onions
2 Cloves of Garlic
1 large Green Chile
Juice from 2 Limes
Handful of fresh Mint

Add everything except the top green part of the green onions to a food processor or chopper and chop until fine. Thinly slice the stalks of the green onion and mix into the final salsa.

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