05 Oct

Bear with Me: Book Brag #2 and an Amuse Bouche

Jena Henry Blog, Charli Reads & Reviews 3 0

The Golden Age of Charli: BMI

After procrastinating for forty years, I published the first book in the Charli series in September, 2015. While the first book was in the editing process, I started writing the second book in the series, The Golden Age of Charli: BMI. In the second book, Charli and Pud have grown closer and grown more accustomed to retirement. And they have also “grown”, period. They realize that their love of fine and fun dining has affected their weight and also their overall health. So, just like they grew together in the first book, Charli and Pud must figure out ways to work together to improve their health. I wanted this second book to be fun and positive, while also telling a story with some challenges and surprises, and of course, laughs!

As I planned my series, I had decided to add a surprise at the end of each book, that I was calling the Amuse Bouche. An amuse bouche is a small, complimentary appetizer offered at some restaurants. These are served both to prepare the guest for the meal and to offer a glimpse into the chef’s approach to the art of cuisine. The term is French and literally means “mouth amuser“. I chose to present my amuse bouche at the end of each book, one last tasty bite, to sum up my approach to the art of life.

Here’s how I set it all up. At the beginning of The Golden Age of Charli-BMI, I mentioned that Charli had picked a theme song:

If you want to know what I am like, listen to “Eye Level,” a 1972 song by the Simon Park Orchestra. The bouncy, upbeat, and quirky tune serves as the theme song for my life.

You will see that book two’s amuse bouche contains a little pun. Bon Appetit:

More Sweets!

Amuse Bouche

I patiently panned the river of the Internet in search of fascinating nuggets. In one treasure I read, a young woman exhorted mothers to “just say yes”. Mom should stop saying no reflexively and should seek to be positive and agreeable. I could relate to “just say yes” on several levels.

As a child, I remember whispering to my mother, “I wish I could have one day without doing something wrong, without getting in trouble.”

She responded as she looked up from her soap opera, “Then be good all day, Charlotte.”

And I really did try after that. I set a goal to get through a whole day without punishment. I doubt if I ever succeeded.

As a mom, I handed out negative reprimands on a daily basis, like a cop at a speed trap. After I read the article online, I remembered an incident. One afternoon on the Fourth of July, when we were with my folks at Chautauqua on Lake Erie, I clearly told both boys not to play with their bag of poppers. I worried that the startling bangs would bother the neighbors. The boys promptly set them all off, which set me off, and resulted in a major punishment- I didn’t let the boys go to the holiday parade.

But when I think about it all now, I have to ask myself, why didn’t I just say, “Yes, have fun with your noisemakers, but lets find a better place to use them.

Let’s live life at “aye level.”