Naked and Hungry Goes to Pittsboro!

Posted on by Ashley Harris

A BIG thanks to all our attendees and to the Spa at Bell House in Pittsboro for hosting last evening’s reading. About 20 folks gathered to hear a short reading highlighting the character of Margaret Freeman, the highly stressed manager of McMullen Quality Pre-Owned Automobiles.

And boy, should Margaret have been there!

Not only did we enjoy tea, lemonade, and lemon-blackberry squares, Spa at Bell House gave chair massages to all attendees! Three lucky folks won 20-minute sauna retreats and we also gave away another crepe pan, which is as dear to H.T. as his nail gun.

We hope that everyone—from Type As to Type Zs—enjoyed the fellowship of friends in a relaxed, stress-free setting! And if you missed it, no worries, the spa has invited back for another event on October 21. And this time, we’re making crepes! So mark your calendar.

In the meantime, check out more photos in our August 19 album on the Naked and Hungry Facebook Page or check out Melissa’s blog for photographs taken by a true artist!

The Answer to Our Poll and More…Countdown to August 19 Event!

Posted on by Ashley Harris

A big thanks to all who answered our poll. And 100% of all respondents got it right! Just what is the source of Margaret’s stress? Herself! She doesn’t take time out to take care of her body, mind and spirit. So no wonder her stress meter is off the charts. Can you relate?

What treatment would be best for Margaret? Personally, I recommend the Spa at Bell House pedicure. It’s relaxing, pampering and presents a fun opportunity to try out a new color of polish. I also recommend the foot reflexology treatment, which helps restore balance and energy flow. But there’s also the facial, the body scrub, and last but not least, a variety of soothing massages. Take my word for it, Spa at Bell House offers a wealth of treatments that live up to their promise of Southern hospitality and exceptional care.

As for Margaret, unfortunately, her hometown doesn’t offer a wonderful retreat like Spa at Bell House. And you better believe there’s a lot  more trouble ahead for her in Naked and Hungry, including the hold-up of the car lot, the disappearance of her boss, and the threat that H.T.’s meddling mother will acquire the car lot and sell it.

Will Margaret toss in the towel or emerge a winner? For more of Margaret’s story, great conversation, and a special dessert of pastries and blackberry sauce, join us for Tea on the Front Porch on Friday, August 19 from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.–just one week away. I’ll read a short excerpt from the book, and you’ll have the opportunity to learn more about the perfect remedy for your Type A woes!

Calling all Type A’s!

Posted on by Ashley Harris

Are you a Type A person? Trying to do too much? If you’re like Margaret Freeman, the office manager of McMullen Quality Pre-Owned Automobiles and one of the main characters in Naked and Hungry, you may be on STRESS OVERLOAD!

To be fair, poor Margaret suffers from stress on all sides. For an example, read this exchange between Margaret and H.T.

“You’re late again,” said Margaret. “And why can’t you just once dress up for work?”

“What’s wrong with my T-shirt?” asked H.T. “Is it the saying you object to?”

“ ‘I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.’ C’mon H.T., some people might take that as an insult.”

“Not our customers. They want one just like it., ” says H.T. “Hey, where’s Julio?”

“Out back, where else? You know he’s been like a man possessed, working on that Chevy. We’ve got other vehicles we need to fix up, H.T. In fact, we’ve had at least two people stop to ask about that Bobcat, but you know as well as I do that its engine needs to be rebuilt.”

For fun, and in celebration of our upcoming reading at Spa at Bell House on August 19, take a moment to participate in our trivia contest and identify the  major stress factor in Margaret’s life.

Tune in next time for the answer, the recommended Spa Bell House treatment for Margaret, and more details. In the meantime, RSVP for the event and make plans to join us on Friday, August 19. We’ll be reading a section from the book, giving away a special prize, but most importantly, enjoying some great food and conversation in the company of friends. Now that’s the ultimate stress-buster!

Announcing New Facebook Page for Naked and Hungry!

Posted on by Ashley Harris

All, I followed the very wise advice of my fellow writer, Rick Bylina, and recently created a Facebook page for Naked and Hungry. Please help us spread the word by “liking it” and let’s get to 50 fans by the end of the weekend! Stay tuned for trivia, contests and much more fun.

By the way, today Rick debuted his his new mystery novel, One Promise Too Many, on Smashwords. Read about it and order it here. From the description, the book offers plenty of suspense and knowing Rick, you can count on healthy doses of wit, humor, and style. I can’t wait to dive in!

Have a nice weekend! Stay cool by staying inside and enjoying a great book.

Where’s Bermadean? Naked and Hungry Goes to Elodie Farms–Postponed

Posted on by Ashley Harris

All, we’ve reluctantly decided to postpone our August 6 reading at Elodie Farms, given the extreme heat. We’ll reschedule later; in the meantime, please enjoy this brief excerpt from Naked and Hungry, Chapter 8:

“Lordy be,” said H.T.’s mother Myrtle, sticking her fingers through the bars of the cell. At her side stood her African pygmy goat. “Bermadean, say hello to your brother.”

The two-foot goat nudged her way forward, bleating softly. She had long black and gray fur that edged her hindquarters like a petticoat and pink ribbons on her ears. Ever since Myrtle had won Bermadean at a 4-H show three years ago, the two were a regular sight around town. They delivered casseroles and crumbles to the sick, the lonely, and what seemed to H.T. to be an endless supply of obscure relatives. As youngsters, H.T. and his brother Delbert had been forced to accompany Myrtle on these high-cholesterol ministries, which H.T. suspected were not always welcomed by those unfortunate souls who happened to be at home.

Wondering what the real Bermadean looks like? Join us on August 6 to find out! Elodie Farms Owner Dave Artigues will give a tour of the Triangle’s premier goat and and dairy farm. From Lulu the chihuahua to a full herd of miniature goats, you’ll meet a wide variety of “characters” who could easily make themselves at home in Naked and Hungry. The kids (adults and youngsters alike) will then try to locate the real “Bermadean!”

We’ll then go inside the beautiful farmhouse for strawberry lemonade, special treats, and a short reading of Naked and Hungry. And course, there’ll be picture-taking and a drawing for a special prize: a gift certificate to Whole Foods, in support of sustainable agriculture. As some of you know, my main character, H.T. McMullen, has recently retreated to a simple life and now grows his own vegetables, which he douses with harvested rainwater. In his case, of course, life doesn’t turn out to be that easy, as our reluctant discovers that he unintentionally built his one-room cabin on the site of a hazardous waste dump. What happens next? You’ll have to read the book! 🙂

Wanna go? RSVP on Facebook. Hope to see you there!

Naked and Hungry Goes to Coffee & Crepes!

Posted on by Ashley Harris

Had a great time at Coffee & Crepes last night, courtesy of Terri and Andres Pastrana, the owners of a divine creperie in Cary.

They and their staff cheerfully served up H.T.’s recipe for blackberry crepes to a “Naked and Hungry” crowd of nearly 40 who gathered for a reading. The weather was a gift, low humidity with a delicate breeze. Later, a full moon sailed in, no lie, as round and golden as a crepe!

More photos to come later…courtesy of Melissa, but a special thanks to Lauralee for this wonderful arrangement in advance. A book and a crepe, what could be better?  Also, thank you Sarah Beth and son, who kindly oversaw all the little details, including the crepe pan giveaway. Congratulations to Diane of Cary!

Finally, thanks to all who attended and gave up a precious evening at home to spend time with me.  I know it’s selfish, but I wish it could have gone on forever. Thankfully, there’s more fun to come!

Coming soon, details on the next “Naked and Hungry” event at Elodie Farms on August 6. Help us find the real Bermadean! Warning: this event is for the “kids!”

Celebrate the Independence of Being You

Posted on by Ashley Harris

Happy Fourth of July! To celebrate the holiday, I’ll share a few lessons from a delightful new book that I’m reading titled Exactly Right: The Conversation Your Heart Has Been Waiting For.

First off, let me say that writers are probably the most prolific collectors of self-help books around. Ask my friends! Perhaps I should be ashamed but I have boxes and boxes. Why? I think it’s because of the demands of the profession; you feel as if you must be a perfect person if you are a writer.

The reason I’m loving this little book is not just because it’s co-authored by my friend, Kevin Courington.  It’s because it gives you the freedom to “Erase” those fears and judgments that keep you from achieving your dreams. By letting go of the negativity, you open yourself up to the “magic and miracles” all around you. What a lovely thought!

An example of this idea at work is evidenced in my recent attempt to plot out my second novel, tentatively titled “Born Again, Dead Again,” which is also set in Yatesville and features my reluctant hero, H.T. I’ve been feeling a little stressed recently because my plot line  wasn’t progressing as quickly I had hoped. In fact, last night I struggled to fall asleep and actually woke up at 2 a.m. That’s when I took the authors’ advice and decided to give up control, at least for now, and just enjoy the process of writing. And the most amazing thing happened — I felt liberated. And I’m now enjoying the experimentation that comes with not resolving every single loose end!

I’m already on page 31 but the book is very thought-provoking and deserves a careful read. I’ll share more as I go along, but I’ll close with one of my favorite quotes from the book. Not surprisingly, it’s also penned by my favorite writers, Mark Twain. It reinforces one of book’s central premises, that we are the major obstacles to our own success. “I’ve been through some terrible things in my life,” says Twain, “some of which actually happened.”

Happy Fourth! Let yourself BE yourself.

Five Reasons to Love Crepes!

Posted on by Ashley Harris

We’ve been thrilled with the level of response to the reading and the blackberry “crepe-a-looza” on July 14 at Coffee and Crepes in Cary. Can’t wait to see all of you and share my love of crepes. You might be wondering…if you don’t already…just why should you love crepes?

  1. They’re low in gluten and relatively healthy. (Until you fill them with Nutella, that is.)
  2. Pat Conroy does! His cookbook features a recipe for chocolate crepes filled with peanut butter. Might there be a literary connection?
  3. They’re easy to make…even easier than pancakes.
  4. They’re also cheap. About 8 cents each. Compare that to a ticket to Paris.
  5. They can be filled with blackberry sauce, which the main character of Naked and Hungry simply adores.  And who doesn’t love fresh blackberries? Now that could be the subject of another post.

Hope to see you on the 14th. For more information, check out the event on Facebook.

 

 

Naked and Hungry is Coming to Cary on July 14

Posted on by Ashley Harris

Mark your calendars for July 14! Just when you thought summer couldn’t get any better, we’re serving up blackberry crepes and even more Naked and Hungry. Join us for a special reading that highlights H.T.’s fascination with French cuisine. Merci Beaucoup to our host, Coffee & Crepes, the Triangle’s ONLY full-service creperie.  

Goats, Dogs, Ducks, Chickens and More!

Posted on by Ashley Harris

Today my friend and photographer extraordinaire Melissa Kotacka and I made a special trip to Rougement to visit Elodie Farms. It’s even more beautiful in person; in fact, it’s reminiscent of Marie Antoinette’s Petit Hameau in France. But unlike that fabled retreat, Elodie Farms is an authentic dairy, where owner Dave Artigues milks his goats by hand twice each day.

Gus, a brown lab and Lulu, a loquacious Chihuahua mix, greeted us first. As we wound our way to the dairy, we encountered roosters and ducks. The “kids” (teenagers, really) were the first of the goats to peek out. Curious, playful and friendly, they clambered to the gate for a first-hand view. A protective doe circled, not so sure. We soon made the acquaintance of Dave himself, who years ago decided to trade his clinical psychiatry work for dairy farming and hasn’t looked back since. His journey sounds a little like that H.T., the reluctant hero of Naked and Hungry.

So where was Bermadean, the fictional goat in Naked and Hungry? You decide! If you want to know for sure, join us on August 6, for a tour of the farm and a special reading of the book in celebration of sustainable agriculture in North Carolina.

For more, check out Melissa’s beautiful photo-essay on our trip.