Barbara DeMarco-Barrett: Recent Episodes
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Photo credit: Krista Stucco
Mama Celeste’s Spaghetti Sauce
My mom raised me on this meatless sauce and our son grew up on it, too.
Use organic everything if you can.
2 15 ounce cans of tomato sauce
2 small cans of tomato paste
3 large garlic cloves or 4 small
2 T olive oil
1 T dried oregano or more, if you love it
1 T dried basil or more, if you love it
2 T agave syrup (you can use sugar or honey or nothing)
1 tsp sea salt
2 large bay leaves
When I use a crock pot, I do it like this: sauté the garlic cloves in olive oil and add to the crock pot. Add the tomato sauce and paste, the spices, agave, salt, bay leaves, plus a tomato sauce can full of water. Stir well and cover. Set on low for 8 hours.
If you’re cooking it on the stove, a heavy pot is best—cast iron if you have it. Sauté the garlic in the olive oil, add the rest, plus the can of water, stir well and bring to a boil. Then cover and turn on low, stirring frequently—every half hour at least. Cook for at least two hours on low. Like chili, the longer the better, but you can get away with two hours on the stove.
Options:
Have fun with the recipe. If the sauce is too thick, add a little water. If it’s too sweet, cut back on the sweetener. Not sweet enough, add more sweetener.
Aunt Teresa would add a carrot or two, pureed, for health.
If you like vegetables in your spaghetti sauce, go for it.
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Sunday, February 26, 3 p.m. PT on Zoom
The event begins at 3:00 p.m. PT with a Readers’ Forum presented by Pat Broeske on “When Dreamland Goes Dark: Los Angeles and Noir”
4:00 p.m. Jordan Harper in conversation with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett on ZoomJordan Harper is the Edgar-Award winning author of She Rides Shotgun and Love and Other Wounds. Born and educated in Missouri, he now lives in Los Angeles, where he works as a writer and producer for television.
Barbara DeMarco-Barrett is the editor of, and contributor to, Palm Springs Noir (Akashic). Her stories and essays are in Coolest American Stories 2022, Orange County Noir USA Noir: Best of the Akashic Noir Series, Rock and a Hard Place, Dark City Crime Mystery Magazine, andInlandia. Her articles appear in the Authors Guild Bulletin, Los Angeles Times, Poets and Writers, and The Writer magazine. She taught at the UC-Irvine Extension, where she received a Distinguished Instructors award, and is professor of creative writing at Saddleback College’s Emeritus Institute and lecturer at Chapman University. Her first book, Pen on Fire: A Busy Woman’s Guide to Igniting the Writer Within, was a Los Angeles Times bestseller. For the last 24 years she has hosted the podcast, Writers on Writing. For 23 of those years, the show broadcast on KUCI-FM
For more information and to register, please visit https://sistersincrimeoc.com/
The post Jordan Harper, at a co-sponsored event by the Pen on Fire Speaker Series & Sisters in Crime appeared first on Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.
Please join me for this February 25 event at the Donald Dungan Library located at 1855 Park Ave. in Costa Mesa. The conversation starts at 3pm.
The post Love: The Stories We Tell | A Conversation with Lisa Cupolo and Barbara DeMarco-Barrett appeared first on Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.
This coming Sunday, Nov. 20, at 3 p.m., Sisters in Crime Orange County will host authors Erica Ferencik and Aaron Philip Clark. The event is on Zoom and is free, but you need to register. Visit Sisters in Crime Orange … Continue reading →
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Paul Bradley Carr, author of the new novel 1414 Degrees, and I talk about his new novel, writing in multiple POVs, the crossover from nonfiction to fiction, opening a bookstore, and so much more. Download audio. (Recorded in October 2022) … Continue reading →
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Novelist Liska Jacobs, author of The Pink Hotel (FSG) talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about influences, first drafts, bloglines, synopses, and the art, craft, and business of writing. Liska Jacobs is also author of Catalina and The Worst Kind of … Continue reading →
The post Novelist Liska Jacobs, The Pink Hotel, on Writers on Writing appeared first on Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.
Novelist Celeste Ng, author of Our Missing Hearts and I discuss her latest novel (NYT review, 10/2/22). They talk about world building, developing characters, reading for writers, and much more. Celeste Ng is the author of three novels, Everything I … Continue reading →
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Novelist Antoine Wilson, author of Mouth to Mouth, and I discuss setting, plotting, creating characters, ironic endings, and more. About Mouth to Mouth, one of Barack Obama’s favorite books of 2022, Kirkus said, “A deliciously nasty morality play in the … Continue reading →
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Isaac Fitzgerald, author of the new memoir, Dirtbag, Massachusetts: A Confessional, and I talk about the art, craft, and business of writing his memoir. Isaac is the New York Times bestselling author of Dirtbag, Massachusetts. He appears frequently on The Today Show and is also … Continue reading →
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Jacinda Townsend, author of the novel Mother Country (Graywolf), and I discuss her new book and the setting of Morocco, alternating POVs, slavery, writing with the senses, and more. During her Fulbright year, on a layover in Morocco, Jacinda … Continue reading →
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Off and on I post to OneTypedPage.com and that’s what the following is from. A friend there asked about writing contests and I offered my thoughts. What are your thoughts about contests?
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Billy Weiner, my first friend at Goddard College.
The post R.I.P. Billy Weiner appeared first on Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.
Sunday, August 28, 3 p.m. PT LIVE at Book Carnival, Orange, CA. Mystery novelist and foreign correspondent Jeffrey Fleishman will be in conversation with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett. They’ll focus on his latest novel, Good Night, Forever, and also discuss the art, craft, … Continue reading →
The post Jeffrey Fleishman at a co-sponsored event by the Pen on Fire Speaker Series & Sisters in Crime appeared first on Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.
Susan Straight, author of the novel, Mecca, which Michael Connelly called “a masterpiece,” and I talked about her new novel and how it came to be. Susan Straight was born in Riverside, CA, and still lives there with her family. She’s … Continue reading →
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Memoirist Tad Friend, author of In the Early Times, and I discuss getting to the truth in memoir, what to do when you’re asked to record your own audio book (and don’t want to), revision, backstory vs. front story, and … Continue reading →
The post Memoirist Tad Friend appeared first on Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.
Julie Clark, author of The Lies I Tell, and I talk about how she found her way to the domestic thriller genre, why she finds female con artists fascinating, her revision process, how she finds time to teach full-time and … Continue reading →
The post Julie Clark on Writers on Writing appeared first on Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.
Erica Ferencik, author of Girl in Ice, and I talk about her new novel, creatures that can freeze and thaw out alive, why she’s a plotter, writing the book she wished existed, and more. Erica Ferencik is an award-winning novelist … Continue reading →
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Steve Almond, author of All the Secrets of the World (Zando, 2022) joins me to discuss his new novel and why he wanted to write a social novel, how it took him five tries to get it right, and much … Continue reading →
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Sunday, August 28, 3 p.m. PT LIVE at Book Carnival, Orange, CA. Along with Sisters in Crime Orange County, the Pen on Fire Speakers Series and Salon co-hosts the first free LIVE author event since January 2020. Yikes! Here are … Continue reading →
The post Novelist Jeffrey Fleishman appeared first on Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.
Jeffrey Fleishman, author of the brand new novel, Good Night, Forever (Blackstone), and I talk about setting your book where you live, side characters, crime fiction and social issues, and so much more. Download audio. Jeff Fleishman is foreign and … Continue reading →
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Gary Phillips, author of One-Shot Harry, is my guest. Gary has been a community activist, labor organizer and has published various novels, comics, short stories as well as editing several anthologies including Orange County Noir (which is how we met; I have … Continue reading →
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Kim Dower, West Hollywood poet laureate, instructor at UCLA Extension and Antioch LA, and book publicist, and I discuss her latest volume, I Wore This Dress for You, Mom (Red Hen Press). They talk about inspiration, on not getting an MFA, … Continue reading →
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T. Jefferson Parker, author of the new novel, A Thousand Steps (Forge) and I talk about the book he’s wanted to write for years, finding his voice, rituals, and more. This interview was originally recorded as a Sisters in Crime Zoom … Continue reading →
The post T. Jefferson Parker on Writers on Writing appeared first on Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.
Novelist Francine Prose and I talk about her novel, The Vixen. They also talk about writing about writers, writing during Covid, using McCarthyism as an allegory for Trumpism, and more. Download audio. (Recorded in February 2022) Music and sound design … Continue reading →
The post Francine Prose on Writers on Writing appeared first on Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.
Charlotte McConaghy, author of the novels, Migrations and Once There Were Wolves, and I talk about wolves’ role in bringing the forests back to life, writing in the close first person, and defying categories. Download audio (Recorded on Feb. 17, 2022) … Continue reading →
The post Charlotte McConaghy, Once There Were Wolves appeared first on Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.
This show was especially fun for me because I got to talk with Mark Wish, editor of Coolest American Stories 2022, an anthology that includes my story, “Blue Martini,” along with stories I loved by two other writers in the book, … Continue reading →
The post COOLEST AMERICAN STORIES 2022 w/Mark Wish, Mary Taugher, & David Ebenbach appeared first on Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.
Benjamin Percy, author of The Unfamiliar Garden, and I talk about his new book and the writing life. Download audio. (Recorded on January 28, 2022) Music and sound editing by Travis Barrett
The post Benjamin Percy on Writers on Writing appeared first on Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.
Sara Gran, author of The Book of the Most Precious Substance (Dreamland Books) and I talk about her new erotic thriller, revising, the book within the book and why she chose to start a publishing company to publish the novel … Continue reading →
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If you missed our panel, “Appreciation vs. Appropriation: Writing about race, nationality, and gender,” with Gary Phillips, Shannon Luders-Manuel, and Yasmin Angoe, moderated by Barbara DeMarco-Barrett, it’s now available on our YouTube Channel. Right here.
The post Appreciation vs. Appropriation: Writing about race, nationality, and gender appeared first on Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.
T. Jefferson Parker, author of A Thousand Steps (Forge), released on Jan. 11, 2022, talks with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about his new novel, why he wanted to write a novel based in 1968, point of view and tense, merging fact with … Continue reading →
The post T. Jefferson Parker, A Thousand Steps appeared first on Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.
Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Good Son, and I discuss her new novel. Included in their talk is coming up with the midpoint, the 10 or 11 big events in a novel, and balancing narrative with scene. Download audio. (Recorded … Continue reading →
The post Jacquelyn Mitchard on Writers on Writing appeared first on Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.
I’ve been thinking about Barbara Seranella, a wonderful mystery writer who passed away in 2007. I met her when we were both members of the Orange County Fictionaires. I wanted to hear her voice again and wanted to share this interview with our listeners. She wrote a great mystery series with Munch Mancini, an auto mechanic/amateur sleuth.
Download audio.
(Broadcast date: Jan. 12, 2006) The post Barbara Seranella on Writers on Writing (from 2006) appeared first on Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.
Elizabeth Strout, author of the new novel, Oh, William!, joins me to discuss voice, character, point of view, and so much more.
Download audio.
(Recorded on Oct 19, 2021)
Music and sound design by Travis Barrett. The post Novelist Elizabeth Strout on Writers on Writing appeared first on Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.
This is a show I recorded in 2001 with the late poet Diane DiPrima when her memoir, Recollections of My Life as a Woman, was published. City Lights just released Spring and Autumn Annals, which made me remember this interview with Diane. Perhaps you heard it when it was broadcast (and podcast) 20 years ago, not long after Writers on Writing began.
Download audio.
(Broadcast date: June 2001) The post Diane DiPrima on Writers on Writing appeared first on Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.
Megan Abbott, author of the new novel, The Turnout, and I talk about plot, structure, and writing dark fiction.
Download audio.
(Broadcast date: Sept. 22, 2021)
Musical intro/outro/interludes by Travis Barrett. The post Megan Abbott on Writers on Writing appeared first on Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.
S.A. Cosby, author of Razorblade Tears and Blacktop Wasteland, and I talk about his new book, writing noir, and…spoilers, but they come 15 minutes before the end of the interview and are carefully announced. You’ll have time to get away if you don’t want to hear them.
Download audio.
(Broadcast date: Sept. 8, 2021)
Music (intro, outro, intersticial pieces…) by Travis Barrett
The post S.A. Cosby, Razorblade Tears, on Writers on Writing appeared first on Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.
Alex Espinoza, Rob Roberge, and I talk with literary maestro Corey Roskin about writing noir fiction and our stories in the new anthology, Palm Springs Noir (Akashic).
Download audio.
(Recorded via Zoom on August 5, 2021)
Music by Travis Barrett. The post On writing noir fiction with Alex Espinoza, Rob Roberge, Corey Roskin, and me appeared first on Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.
Tod Goldberg, author of The Low Desert, a new collection of short fiction, and I talk about the art, craft, and business of writing short stories.
Download audio.
(Recorded in April, 2021. Broadcast on August 11, 2021)
Music by Travis Barrett.
The post Tod Goldberg on Writers on Writing, KUCI-FM appeared first on Barbara DeMarco-Barrett.