The Perfect Song Blog

My quest:  to make great barbecued spare ribs.

Not just great, but outstanding. Fall-off-the-bone. Melt-in-your-mouth.

The first couple tries were failures with dry, tough meat that left jaws aching from all the chewing. But last Sunday, I knew I had it down. I put the baby-back rack in the oven at 300 degrees. I would do them for six hours, checking every two hours to make sure there was water on them to keep them moist and tender.

At 5:30 I asked Leigh if she’d made the barbecue sauce. She hadn’t. I said I would. I knew where the recipe was. I was in a rush because all the side dishes were done. I tossed in a quarter cup of ketchup, measured out the mustard, crushed the garlic clove and added a dash of worchestershire sauce.

The last ingredient was ¼ cup of strong coffee. I measured it out and poured it in. I brought it to a slow, simmering boil.

Leigh came out to the kitchen. “What’s wrong with that sauce?”

I shrugged. “Nothing that I know of. I followed the recipe.”

“It looks dark.”

“I followed the recipe.”

It was a beautiful day so we ate on the deck. I brought out the ribs and as I dished them out I was quietly ecstatic that they did, indeed, fall off the bone. I picked off a test piece. Ahh, melt-in-the-mouth it did.

“I don’t understand why the barbecue sauce looks so dark,” Leigh said again.

We spooned some out and put it on the done-to-perfection ribs.

“Ooh,” Leigh said quietly. What’s that funny taste?”

I took a bite. Something wasn’t right.

“Why’s it crunchy?” She asked.

As soon as she asked that, I had a suspicion of some wrong doing.

“Are these crunchy things coffee grounds?”

Bingo!

“Mmm, yeah. It said ¼ cup strong coffee.”

“It’s supposed to be coffee! Boiled coffee. Not coffee grounds.

I had to admit that her observation made perfect sense. I tried another bite. The most tender baby back ribs in the world still tasted wretched in a sauce made of coffee grounds.

She ran into the kitchen and in five minutes made a barbecue sauce that did justice to the ribs.

Okay. I got the ribs down.

Now I work on the sauce.

Life can be complicated sometimes.

I interviewed Martha Horton upon the publication of her book, Faun, a 21st century retelling of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic, The Marble Faun. Here’s part two.  You can find her book on amazon.com

You tell the story from the viewpoint of the three main characters which gives more dimensions and substance to the work.

I really wanted to get inside the characters’ heads, something I don’t think Hawthorne was particularly successful at doing. My first draft had only Kendall’s narrative and Hannah’s journal. Then I really wanted to know more about Lili’s motivations and her true feelings about Donatello, so I added her commentary. (And yes, once I established my characters they sort of wrote themselves.)

Were you influenced by Lawrence Durrell’s Alexandria Quartet?

I read it decades ago and was fascinated at the time; then I forgot about it. If it influenced me, it did so on a subconscious level. Of course, everything we read influences us in some way…

I have to ask if you’re a Hawthorne fan?

I’m neither a Hawthorne devotee nor a Hawthorne scholar. I did do a lot research on him (and presented a book review of The Marble Faun). I’ve read The Scarlet Letter and The House of Seven Gables and a few others, as well as sections of his Italian Notebooks. I’ve also read some biographies, including the newest, by Brenda Wineapple, a true Hawthorne scholar. No doubt Nathaniel was a singular character and great writer, but there any many authors I prefer to read.

What writers have influenced you?

I’m not sure I can name any specific influences, except Hawthorne. I tried to retain his magic, but because I was following the original Hawthorne so closely in laying out my scenes, I had to fight not to imitate his language and style. And I tried to convey the Italian experience and landscape without turning the book into a guide, as Hawthorne did unintentionally. Oh! There is another influence - Dick Francis, of all people. I tried to define my characters through their interaction with one another, something he does brilliantly. Also, Dick Francis always succeeds in making you like and care about his characters. If that doesn’t happen in the first chapters of a book, I don’t bother reading the rest of it.

What advice can you share with other writers hoping to publish?

God bless if you’re writing non-fiction and have a specific audience in mind; heaven help you if you’re doing fiction - particularly fiction like Faun, which doesn’t fit into a convenient marketing niche. Either way, just do it! Do your homework by reading the magazines for writers, talking with other writers, learning about the publishing business, seeing what’s being published in your field - there’s tons of advice out here, almost too much to sift through. Which brings us back to - just do it. You’ll make some mistakes, but they’re not fatal. Publishing your book with an online publisher will cost about as much as a root canal or two (and will be somewhat less painful) and you’ll have something to show for it when it’s over. You may well earn back your investment and even eke out a little profit.

My daughter in England read my book and loved it. Something she said made it all worthwhile: “Mom, fifty (!) years from now when you’re gone I can read this book and it will seem like you’re talking to me.”

In my last post I reviewed Martha Horton’s first novel The Faun. I’m always interested in the creative process so I interviewed Martha to get more insights into her intriguing novel. This is part 1.

How long did it take you to write The Faun?

About six months, while on unemployment and not doing the 9 to 5 thing. It was fun, quick, easy.

Where did idea come from?

I first read Hawthorne’s The Marble Faun when returning to the US after several years in Italy.  I was fascinated with the premise and the characters - and frustrated by the loose ends, the 19th century syntax, the ending.  (Readers in Hawthorne’s day also were frustrated - the book became a “hit” primarily as an early guide book to Rome).

How long did you live in Italy?

I was there 1962 - 1965.  I edited  a tourist magazine in Rome, then edited a journal of international affairs at Johns Hopkins School of international Studies in Bologna, and finally worked as a correspondent for McGraw-Hill World News in Milan. I returned to the States because I was expecting my second bambino and my Italian husband had been drafted into the Italian Air Force, which at that time basically paid enough for one good dinner per week.

You were married to actor Steve Reeves’s double.

My husband was “discovered” on the beach (somewhat like Donatello in the park).

He doubled Steve Reeves in the “Hercules” series and also was one of about 30 stuntmen who attended a special school where they learned gladiatorial combat (net and trident, etc.) He was in a number of the “myth and muscle” movies like “Barabus,” “Ben Hur” and “Cleopatra” as well as some pirate films. But he couldn’t handle dialogue.

From the book, it sounds like you really loved the Italian culture.

Yes, I love the usual things visitors enjoy - the history, scenery, food, wine, art,  architecture, opera, the vitality of the Italians.  Living there is different, because you come up against some of the less appealing aspects - provincialism, cynicism, official RED TAPE that is appalling. Of course, I was there in the Sixties - almost half a century ago!

On a recent visit, I found Rome much more tourist-friendly than before, much cleaner, and somehow “homogenized,” as is much of Europe.  But as you walk the streets of the city there is still the same sense of coexisting with antiquity, and the atmosphere of “golden gloom” that is so compelling. I feel strangely at home in Rome.

What are some of the differences between the Italian and US cultures?

These are fewer and less striking than they once were.  Anywhere in the world, not so many years ago, when you asked a US citizen “Where are you from?” the answer was almost always ”America” or “The United States.”  Ask an Italian, and the answer would be “Roma” or “Siena” or “Sicilia.”  There was not a strong national identity - Italians identified more closely with their football (soccer) teams.  I think, particularly in the Southern half of the Italy, one stills finds a greater appreciation for simply living life well as opposed to “making it.”  Expectations may not include the big house and fancy car but they do include good food and good friends and close family and time to enjoy them. Also important is the “bella figura” -  good appearance.  You may live in a closet but when you go out, you take pains to be well groomed and well dressed. No butt cracks, no hair curlers.

The government there is much more socially progressive, i.e. universal health care and long vacations and “the 13th month” Christmas bonus, etc. It’s also incredibly corrupt at all levels (I’m not sure that’s so different from the US, but here we at least make a pretense of abiding by the law). And because Italy is not a world power, the Italians are not so obsessed with the military.

Note: More in Part 2 next week.  You can find Martha Horton’s novel, The Faun, at www.amazon.com

I’ve never done a book review here, but longtime friend Martha Horton recently published her first novel. She sent it to me and I just need to share it with you. In the next post, I’ll include an interview I did with her about the book. Martha’s a fascinating woman. Faun’s an intriguing book.

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Love, intrigue, murder and . . . Rome!

Martha Horton’s novel, Faun revolves around four characters: Nathan Kendall, a freelance writer; Dr. Hannah Ingram, a composer; Lilli Castelli, an art dealer with a gilded past and a shady present; and Donatello, a wine maker, who might be descended from the mythical creature. (Check the ears!)

The novel is loosely based on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Marble Faun. It’s clear from the beginning that the author knows Rome as only a one-time resident can. (In fact she wrote for tourist magazines in Rome in the 1960s). Her descriptions of the cobblestone streets, the corner cafes, the ancient buildings, are beautiful word pictures that bring the city to life. I found myself re-reading passages, feeling as though I were in the city, sitting, walking, eating and sharing a glass of wine the main characters.

I was intrigued by the book’s construction. The story is told through Kendall’s narrative, Hannah’s journal and Lilli’s notes from the future, creating three different perspectives of the same events, and enough tension and suspense to push the reader to the next chapter.

While love develops between Hannah and Kendall, a relationship forms between the innocent “faun” Donatello and the worldly Lilli who is being threatened by a sinister character from her past. It leads to murder, a fall from grace and a slow healing.

Horton’s knowledge of the language, music, literature, myth and history make every page dance. She weaves the information into the narrative in a subtle, pleasurable way that adds dimensions to the book.

Beyond the adventure and intrigue, Faun is a sensuous work—food, wine, the arts, love for others and love of life.

I read a lot of novels.

This one I savored.

It’s available on Amazon.com