Joy Smith's Blog


Me with my one and only, Gil

Loves of My Life


Jaqueline(10) with Meara & Joe

The Anderson Family: Nick(4), Julia(6),Kara(2), Jake(9) with Marianne and Rich

ABOUT ME


The Loves of My Life
See side panel for missing family. Our 3 children have blessed us with 7 grandchildren. What's an empty nest?
 

My Writing Life


My first writing project, Recipes from the Heart, a family cookbook for my to-be-married children, led me to collect and write down my original recipes as I cooked. I began to tinker with more creative dishes. My husband, Gil, whines about being a guinea pig once in awhile, but he's never eaten better!My background as a home economist has given me the knowledge to put food combinations together that work, and the wherewithal to manage meal planning.

My latest recipes have found a home in The Empty Nest Cookbook, which I wrote to help other parents going through this emotional “menopause” to look at the bright side: not what they’ve lost, but what they’ve gained (and I don’t mean weight). Click on the cover picture in this site for details.

Nautical Writing
Over the past 30 years, my husband, Gil, and I have harbor hopped our way throughout east coast waters, enjoyed annual charter vacations in exotic ports, and completed several offshore passages.A desire to share my hard-won boating solutions and cruising adventures compelled me to begin writing. My experiences have resulted in a multitude of articles, as well as two information-packed books.

Women's Fiction
Switching to a new genre was harder than I thought it would be, but I think I've got the hang of it. Gil's been telling everyone (even our dentist) that I now write about lusting thighs. I like to think my novels are more complex than that. I'm enjoying weaving intiguing plots around romance and creating realistic characters who speak to me as I write. Who knew that writing could be so much fun!


Selected Works

Books
The Empty Nest Cookbook
A feel-good cookbook for parents whose children have moved out of the home.
Kitchen Afloat
A galley management guide, as well as a provisioning bible.
The Perfect First Mate
A guide to recreational boating for men or women.
Nautical Articles
Who Wants to Cook?
Make-ahead No-fuss Meals for Offshore Crew
Sunny Days Ahead!
Safe sunning
Intercoastal Waterway
A 3-part article on traveling the ICW to Florida and back. Includes navigation info.
On Writing
The Critical Five
Fiction writing for dummies
The Book You Haven’t Written
Tips on getting started on that novel



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