Cold

This week in the Cold, we're not only talking about how our food experiences affect our lives, but how they make their way into the stories we create (or merely enjoy). Just for fun, I'm leaving you with a very ethnic Eastern European recipe that my people love. It may seem weird and little outside of your comfort zone, but that's the point, so give it a shot. And don't forget to let me know what you think.

ROASTED BEEF TONGUE WITH ANCHOVY BUTTER

1 fresh beef tongue, boiled and skinned (simmer tongue in salted water for 3 to 4 hours)

1/4 pound butter

6 anchovies, mashed

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1 cup beef stock

1 cup bread crumbs

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Cream half the butter with mashed anchovies and spread over cooked tongue. In a large pot, brown onion in the remaining butter, add meat and brown that a little, too. Pour in 1/2 cup beef stock. Roast in oven for about 1 hour or until tongue is good and brown on both sides. Sprinkle with lemon juice and bread crumbs. Add remaining stock and bake until bread crumbs are golden brown. Serves 6.

My stories full of action, but dammit, my characters always stop to have a meal when they can:

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://victoriadougherty.wordpress.com/2017/12/22/nothing-says-i-like-you-more-than-a-home-cooked-meal/

This week in The Cold, we are diving into our most primal selves. I think it is nearly impossible to overestimate the role of ritual and faith in how we see the world - in the stories we consume, we tell ourselves, and we tell others. This is as true of the atheist as it is the believer, because it is the way human beings have made sense of the world since the dawn of time. We see it in every fiction genre, every archetype, and it's fascinating to contemplate.

Victoria's stories (and yes, all of them are in some way grounded in faith - even the darkest ones, the most sensual ones: Amazon.com: Victoria Dougherty: books, biography, latest update

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://victoriadougherty.wordpress.com/2014/04/22/faith-and-the-nine-year-old-skeptic/

Doesn't it seem like almost everyone knows someone who they believe was or is a spy?

The Hungarian by Victoria Dougherty is on sale in trade paperback:

Victoria's Amazon page:

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://victoriadougherty.wordpress.com/2023/03/24/the-mysterious-mr-x/

This week in the Cold, we talk about how externals - a new environment, the music we listen to - influence the story-making process. In my own experience, moving to a rural part of the country, after having been a city-dweller all my life, and discovering country music, has had a deep and profound impact in how I tell a story and create a character.

The Hungarian by Victoria Dougherty (Cold War thriller): Amazon.com: The Hungarian: 9781734223460: Dougherty, Victoria: Books

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://victoriadougherty.wordpress.com/2016/11/11/how-country-music-made-me-a-better-writer/

This week in the Cold, I tell a great vacation romance story and we ponder how deeply well told, important stories impact our lives. How they help us make sense of our emotions, organize our thoughts, and inspire the stories we write and create, or merely fantasize about.

Savage Island: A BREATH Novel: Amazon.com: Savage Island: A Breath Novel eBook : Dougherty, Victoria: Kindle Store

Victoria's Amazon page: Amazon.com: Victoria Dougherty: books, biography, latest update

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://victoriadougherty.wordpress.com/2016/12/06/beaches-sunsets-and-butt-sniffing-the-best-vacation-romance-ever/

This week in the Cold, we go demonic and talk about all manner of community lore, but especially about the real events that inspired the classic novel and 1973 film, "The Exorcist." This is a deep dive into how non-fiction becomes lore, which turns into fiction that spreads like wildfire! 

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://victoriadougherty.wordpress.com/2023/02/24/go-to-st-louis/

And speaking of fiction, here's some of mine: Amazon.com: Victoria Dougherty: books, biography, latest update

This week in the Cold, we're tearing our eyes away from our lovers and giving some much-needed attention to the other love story in our lives - the one we experience with our communities.

Check out Victoria's Amazon page: Amazon.com: Victoria Dougherty: books, biography, latest update

Victoria website: Welcome to Victoria Dougherty Books

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://victoriadougherty.wordpress.com/2023/02/10/community-the-other-kind-of-love-story/

This week in the Cold, we talk about the structural similarities between popular fictional love stories and our own real-life love stories. According to readers, how a pair of lovers meet and come to be together is critical to their enjoyment of a story and features prominently in their continued interest in what happens to those characters. According to the most extensive research on long term relationships like marriage, how we fall in love - the story of us - is probably the most important factor determining whether or not that relationship will last. Powerful stuff you don't want to miss.

All of my novels are big on love stories, even if they're not romances, per se. Here's where you can get them: Amazon.com: Victoria Dougherty: books, biography, latest update

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://victoriadougherty.wordpress.com/2016/02/02/love-stories/

This week in the Cold, we're talking about the art and purpose of conversation.  Not just any conversation, but the kind that allows for nuance, true insights, a real connection. As a fiction writer, my greatest tool is observation. To be able to capture the essence of a character and do it generously is what makes for a good story, as far as I'm concerned. Something that feels light on the page and sticks with you. Having conversations with people - even when they are very different from me and hold opposing views - is what enables that.

That's why I also want to offer you what I think is a long, meandering, complex and wonderful conversation. It's between me and my friend, Ricardo Lopes, aka The Dissenter, and happened on his podcast of the same name.

As promised on this week's Cold, here's the YouTube link: #730 Victoria Dougherty: Science and Literature, Character Development, Realism, and Free Speech - YouTube

The Dissenter with Ricardo Lopes is also available on Spotify and all the usual suspects. 

And here's a link to my Amazon page: Amazon.com: Victoria Dougherty: books, biography, latest update

 This episode is also available as a blog post: https://victoriadougherty.wordpress.com/2023/01/27/say-anything-heres-a-conversation-you-dont-want-to-miss/

This week in the Cold, we talk about the thrill inherent in doing our absolute best. How the pursuit of excellence is a noble exercise; especially when we’re able to separate the pursuit from the actual outcome. 

www.victoriadoughertybooks.com

BREATH series: Breath (3 book series) Kindle Edition (amazon.com)

The Cold War Chronicles: The Cold War Chronicles (2 book series) Kindle Edition (amazon.com)

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://victoriadougherty.wordpress.com/2023/01/13/time-resolve-and-the-pursuit-of-excellence/