Scoop on Ice Cream Cones

After our Club Royale sandwiches at Jason's Deli today, darling hubby and I were enjoying our soft-serve vanilla ice cream cones. I said, "Wonder who invented the ice cream cone?"

Inquiring Minds Jump on the Internet

Between Professor Google and Ms. Wikipedia, as I fondly call these 2 websites I frequently visit, one can find out anything. Here's the scoop--pardon the pun--on the ice cream cone.

Image: "Soft Ice cream" by Acidburn24m. Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons.. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Definition of Ice Cream Cone

...dry, shaped pastry, usually made of a wafer similar in texture to a waffle, which enables ice cream to be held in the hand and eaten without a bowl or spoon.

Although some waver cones are conical shaped, the ones most of us grow up eating have a flat bottom and are actually called ice cream cups.

History of Edible Cones

The edible cone appeared in French cook books as early as 1825. Julien Archambault told how to roll a cone from a little waffle. In England, a printed reference to the edible cone was made in Mrs A. B. Marshall's Cookery Book, 1888, by Agnes B. Marshall. She called the edible cone a cornet: "cornets were made with almonds and baked in the oven, not pressed between irons."

In 1904 in the United States, Italo Marchioni from New York received a patent for a mold for making pastry cups to hold ice cream. He said he'd been selling ice cream in edible pastry holders since 1896.

Although Marchioni was credited with the invention of the cone, the rest of the story becomes convoluted. Marchioni ended up filing several lawsuits against cone manufacturers for patent infringement, but he lost because, as it turned out, his patent was not for a cone.

Ernest A. Hamwi introduced a similar creation at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Hamwi was selling a crisp, waffle-like pastry called zalabis in a booth next to an ice cream vendor.

Did They All Invent the Cone

Abe Doumar and the Doumar family also claimed credit or could claim it for inventing the edible cone. As the story goes, Abe Doumar, age 16, was selling paperweights and other things. One night, he bought a waffle from a vendor in Norfolk, Virginia, who originally was from Ghent in Belgium.

Doumar rolled up the waffle and placed a scoop of ice cream on top. He sold cones at the St. Louis Exposition also. His cones were a big hit so he designed a four-iron baking machine and commissioned a foundry to produce it for him.

Then at the Jamestown Exposition in 1907, he and his brothers sold almost 23,000 cones. After that, there was no stopping the edible cone.

Takeaway Truth

I think edible cones are best when filled with soft serve ice cream. Vanilla is best imho. Perfect on a 102 degree F. day.

New Release Day Celebration--Prizes

Hurray! Today is release day for Heat Lightning, my romantic suspense novella.

Prizes

Leave a comment with your email and be entered to win an audio book and a free copy of Heat Lightning. Several being given away.

Heat Lightning is now live and available for only 99cents at:

All Romance Ebooks * Amazon Kindle * iBooks * Kobo * Nook * Oyster * Page Foundry-Inktera * Scribd * Smashwords.

Takeaway Truth

The culmination of a lot of hard work is very satisfying. Happy reading!

10 Things I Love About Summer

I'm late with today's post, but that's one of the things I love about summer: no set time to do most things. Alas, that's probably why I run behind most of the summer. I take my own sweet time to do just about everything!

This post was inspired by the watermelon I was eating today. You see, I absolutely love watermelon. My dad used to raise these monster watermelons that weighed more than I did! I was thinking about all the things you get to do in summer that just aren't doable in winter. So here's my list--in no particular order or preference.

10 Things I LOVE About Summer

1. Watermelon.

Has there ever been a sweeter, juicier fruit? I think not. Watermelon can't be frozen or canned. It can only be enjoyed fresh so I buy one just about every week during the summer. I purchase the weekly melon from trucks parked by the roadside or in the supermarket. They're all good.

2. Dark sweet cherries.

Oh! So delicious but expensive so I don't buy as many as I would if they were the price of, say, apples.

3. Riding in my car with the top down.

I've always loved convertibles. This is the second I've owned. We're talking about selling it but... I really don't want to. No matter how bad my mood, I can get in my car, put the top down, turn the music up loud, and drive away my bad mood.

4. Sleeping late.

I probably don't need to say any more about that one. We live in a sleep-deprived culture so sleeping late is pure joy.

5. Watching all the re-runs of TV shows.
I don't watch much TV in the evening so this is my chance to catch up on what everyone else watched.

6. Sitting on my park bench in my front yard in the late afternoon.
My bench is under this giant live oak. I pour a glass of ice tea (that's what we Southerners call the drink that the rest of the country calls ICED tea or a glass of wine and sit on the bench. This is my chance to visit with my neighbors. Our little gated community has only 100 houses so many people walk in the afternoon.

7. Reading.
I seem to get more reading done. Maybe it's because of all that housework and laundry I'm ignoring. Once upon a time I had a hammock. There was nothing more wonderful than lying in the hammock and reading the afternoon away. I no longer have 2 properly spaced trees so I sit on my bench instead.

8. The smell of hay being cut and baled.
I drove to our country house with the top down last week. They were cutting and baling hay in the fields I drove past. The sun turned the light brown of the hayfield to gold. The smell of the fresh-cut hay wafting on the breeze was incredible.

9. Listening to the laughter of little kids playing.
When I see kids at the park or the pool, it makes me remember when our kids were small. I can't help but smile at the memories and at all the kids loving the same things our kids loved: swings, slides, monkey bars, and  just playing with their little friends.

10. Crape myrtles and all the other blooming trees in the South.
I love anything that blooms, and in the summer there's a bounty of blooms from flowers, shrubs, and trees. Crepes of every color--white, every shade of pink, deep read, and lavender and purple--there's a color for every taste. Then there are magnolias, bottlebrush, vitex, althea, hibiscus, and oleander just to name a few.

Takeaway Truth

What are your favorite things about summer?

Happy Amazon Prime Day: List of Freebies & Bargains

Welcome to Amazon Prime Day! Celebrate Amazon's 20th anniversary by grabbing some of the best deals since Black Friday! This post is full of links to these bargains so scroll through the whole post.

If you're not already a Prime, you can join now and take advantage of their special Prime Members ONLY deals today. That's right, if you're a Prime Member, you get special discounts.

Example, Prime Member Exclusive - Up to 40% Off Food & Beverages. I know some busy 2 career households who order all their non-perishables from Amazon. With free shipping, it's often same price or cheaper than at your local grocery store plus you save the time and energy going to the store after work or on weekends.

School will be starting in a month. Shop Amazon - Back to School. Teachers can get classroom supplies at a discount too: Shop Amazon Classroom and School Supplies

Need office supplies? Amazon has you covered: Shop Amazon Office Products Deals - Supplies & Electronics.

Just click here to become an Amazon Prime Member. You get 30 days free and can cancel any time with no obligation other than what you might buy! Happy Amazon Prime Day July 15 - Exclusive Deals for Prime Members - Start Free 30-Day Trial.

Let's get started! I'm listing some fabulous bargains you can get today, and I've broken them down into 5 Categories: Electronics * Home * Style * Fun * Books.

Just click the link and grab the bargain before they're sold out like those 32" flat screen TVs they were selling earlier for $75.00!!!

Electronics

Give the kids their own tablet at a fraction of the cost of an iPad. Amazon Prime Day - Fire HD 7 Kids Edition Tablet - Just $129, Regularly $189.

Get your own tablet--what a deal! You can read ebooks, play games, send email, browse the web, connect it to your TV to stream movies from Amazon Prime or Netflix, music from Amazon Prime or Pandora, and any other app you like and a lot of other things too. (I have this Kindle Fire and use it for all those things.) Amazon Prime Day - Fire HD 7 - Just $79, Regularly $139.

Want a dedicated ereader at a low price? Even though I have a Kindle Fire, I first had a Kindle ereader, and I still use it every day. Lightweight and holding a charge that lasts for days, I carry it in my purse all the time. It's great to carry a library of hundreds of books in a device that weighs a few ounces. Amazon Prime Day - Kindle - Just $49.

Or get the Kindle Paperwhite with the built in light so you can easily read in the dark. Shop Amazon - ALL-New Kindle Paperwhite - $119.00.

Got some old cell phones or other gadgets lying around since you upgraded? Trade them in. Shop Amazon - Find the Value of Your Gadgets.

Home

Got some home improvement projects to do? (My darling hubby finally tackled organizing the garage and a few other honey-do things. Shop Amazon Home Improvement - 20% Off Leviton Products .

There are even bargains today in furniture. Yep, you can buy furniture from Amazon! Shop Amazon - Best Sellers in Furniture.

Take advantage of the big sale on used-refurbished and open-box items. You can rest assured that all are checked by Amazon before shipping. Shop Amazon Warehouse Deals - Deep Discounts on Open-box and Used Kitchen Gadgets.

Guys, they're also offering deep discounts for open-box and used tools: Shop Amazon Warehouse Deals - Deep Discounts on Open-box and Used Tools & Home Improvement.

Let's not forget Fido or Fluffy. Discounts on pet supplies offered today also: Shop Amazon Pet Supplies - New in Subscribe & Save: Wellness Natural Pet Food.

Style

How about a nice watch for the man in your life? Hey, guys, drop a hint to your ladies and click here for great bargains: Shop Amazon Fashion - Men's Watches.

Want to see what Amazon has selected as their top deals? Here's the link: Shop Amazon Gold Box - New Deals. Everyday

Great bargains on athletic shoes: Shop Amazon Fashion - Men's Athletic Shoes.

Summer classic fashion for women--comfortable, stylish, cool clothes to keep you cool: Shop Amazon Fashion - Women's Clothing.

Fun

Got a vacation planned? Check out the luggage and travel gear deals. Shop Amazon Fashion - Up to 40% Off Tumi.

How about DVDs--movies and TV shows? Shop and save today: Shop Amazon DVDs - Save Up to 55% on Thousands of Movies & TV Shows.

Shop for kids' birthday and Christmas presents now and get discounts: Shop Amazon - Editor's Picks for Best Toys and Games in July.

Got a slew of video games? Trade them in for new ones! Shop Amazon - Find the Value of Your Video Games.

Hey, parents and grandparents. Do your kids and grandkids live so far away that you don't know what they have or don't have? Shop the Most Wished For list. Shop Amazon - Most Wished For Items.

Not sure what to give? Send a gift card. Amazon makes it super easy. You can send a gift card by email or snail mail. Shop Amazon Gift Cards. Any Occasion. No Expiration.

Books

Rather than list a few free books, I'm giving you a link to the Today's Top 100 Free Kindle Books.

I have 14 books available. Most are $3.99, but I offer these at only 99cents: LuvU4Ever (A Romance Short Story) (A Moment in Time Romance Book 1) and my next release, Heat Lightning: Romantic Suspense Novella (Outlaw Ridge, Texas Book 1). At $2.99, is April Fool Bride: (A Romance Novella) (All Brides Are Beautiful Book 1).

Takeaway Truth

If you don't have time to check out all the other deals offered throughout the day, then click this link to see what's being offered each hour. Shop Amazon - Hot New Releases - Updated Every Hour.

Readers Returning Books

Don't you love readers who use Amazon like a library: buying a book, reading it then requesting a refund when they're finished with it?

(Note: Prize offered today. See below for details.)

Authors Know

You can always spot the people who do this. I notice this on my royalty reports when a return shows up on the first book in the alphabetical listing of my books. I don't attach any significance to that unless I see a return is posted on the second book in the list a couple of days later.

That's when I start checking. Sure enough, a couple of days later, a return shows up on the third book. I'm pretty sure a return will show up on the other books, a couple of days apart from each other.

Last week, I spotted the third return. So I started checking every morning. Yep. This lovely reader is working his/her way through my book list. I have 14 books available.

The Good News/The Bad News

How nice that he/she loves my books.

How tacky that he/she wants to read them for free. After all, this is how I support myself.

Who will be the next author deprived of the means to make a living as this reader finishes my 14 books and moves on?

Do You Buy DVD, Watch & Return for Refund?

I'm not opposed to someone requesting a refund for valid reasons--you read the book already, you hit the buy button by mistake, the book was totally not as described--but to read and ask for a refund after reading the book in its entirety is just not kosher.

Do you buy a DVD, watch it, and then take it to the store for a refund? Do you buy a newspaper or magazine, read it, and ask for a refund? Do you buy a cell phone app, use it for a while, and ask for your money back? I think not.

Discussion Question: Prize Offered

Readers, what do you think of this practice? I really want to know. When so many books cost about the price of a newspaper or less, what do you think?

Writers, what do you think of this practice? Have you been burned by this? (Feel free to post the title of your latest release along with a buy link.)

Leave your comments through Wednesday. I'll pick a winner using Random Name Picker in a couple of days to receive a free audio book.

Takeaway Truth

Between the pirates posting my books on servers all over the world and offering them free and the readers who love to read and ask for refunds, I'm often surprised I make any money at all.
 I fear the time when artists of every persuasion will simply give up producing books, music, photography, graphic art, etc. because they can't make a living doing it.

5 Free Ways to Promote

Once upon a time, regardless of the product to sell, everyone viewed the Internet as an easy and free way to get rich without trying. All you had to do was announce your product on your website, blog, and social media, and the sales would come rolling in.

I don't know if that was ever true, but if it were, it's no longer true. Now, everybody and his brother, including their cats and dogs, have websites, blogs, and social media accounts. Multiple millions of voices scream from the Internet, "Look at me. Look at me."

What Can You Do?

What's a mere non-millionaire entrepreneur to do? As an author with shallow pockets, I've come up with a short list of effective things I can do to draw attention to what I offer. These are strategies that pay off in the long-term--and not just in increased sales but in increased life satisfaction.

1. Brand yourself and your product. Cost? $0.00. You brand yourself by knowing what separates you from the thousands of other authors. What kind of book do you write that others do not? What can readers expect when they buy your book? Use every website open to you to present that brand and reinforce it.

2. Be yourself and show your authentic self to readers and industry professionals. Cost? $0.00. Never try to be someone you're not. It's surprising how many authors put on airs and pretend to live a lifestyle different from reality. Of course, if you're a mean nasty person, it probably is better to temper that because you do want people to like you.

3. Be professional at all times. Cost? $0.00. If you say you're going to do something, do it. If readers email you, make every effort to answer them. If readers or other writers do things that tick you off, keep it to yourself or share with your circle of friends who would never blab about you. You don't want to be featured on an Internet segment of "Authors Behaving Badly."

4. Be kind. Always. Cost? $0.00. A lot of people think being kind and considerate means being a wimp. It doesn't. Often, it takes a really strong person to show kindness to others especially in the face of rudeness. You just never know what someone else is going through in life. Maybe they take it all out on you because you're convenient. Maybe if you give kindness, you'll get it back when you need it most. In life, karma is often a tit for tat event.

5. If you can't say something good, say nothing at all. Cost? $0.00. This is tied to all of the above. It really is better to keep your snarky remarks about others to yourself. I don't know about you, but I get tired of the constant snark and complaints I read all over the Internet. All of that is negative energy in action. If you pay too much attention to it, you run the risk of being infected by negativity. Who needs that?

Takeaway Truth

These are all simple things to do, but they're not easy. They require you to focus on the positive. Create positive energy in your life by the way you live, and that positivity will spread to all areas of your life.

Thursday3Some: A Hero for Jessica by Pamela S. Thibodeaux

The Thursday3Some Spotlight is shining on award-winning author, Pamela S. Thibodeaux.

Pam is the Co-Founder and a lifetime member of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Multi-published in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, Pam's writing has been tagged as, “Inspirational with an Edge!” ™ and reviewed as “steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message.”

Find Pamela S. Thibodeaux Online

Website * Blog * Facebook * Twitter

About A Hero for Jessica

Anthony Paul Seville is known as the ‘most eligible bachelor’ in New Orleans, possibly even the entire state of Louisiana, but finds himself alone—completely and explicitly alone. Jessica Aucoin is a writer on her way to fame and fortune, but is haunted by a man from her past. Will the “champion” lawyer and the author of romantic suspense find love written in their future?

When did you write A Hero for Jessica?

I first penned this for an anthology for another company. However, when their guidelines changed, I submitted it to The Wild Rose Press. It was published in 2008 and remains a Pelican Book Group/White Rose Publishing title.

What was the spark that gave you the story idea?

A young law student employed by the company where I worked named Paul was the inspiration for the hero in this story. As a writer who began penning traditional romance but changed to inspirational/Christian romance, I wondered at the legalities of someone getting out of a contract. Those thoughts led to my heroine, Jessica Aucoin.

Why do readers buy A Hero for Jessica?

A hint of suspense weaved itself into A Hero for Jessica, so those who enjoy a funny, romantic but suspenseful read enjoy this story.

Add A Hero for Jessica to Your Personal Library

Pelican Book Group * Amazon Kindle

Takeaway Truth

Looking for a good book for the weekend? Try this one!

Sneaking Away

Darling hubby is hard at work on his garage organization project so I'm going to sneak away for a few days.

I've got several book outlines I'd like to finish in the quiet of our country home along with several other arduous projects that require my attention.

Don't think I've forgotten you.

I've lined up some posts for your entertainment and education.

Pamela S. Thibodeaux will be on SlingWords for the Thursday3Some.

Friday, I have some promotion tips for you.

Saturday, I have reviews of Sons of Liberty and Texas Rising.

Takeaway Truth

I may also drink a little wine and sit on the back porch, staring at the wildflowers. See you on Monday.

Resize Images for Social Media

The Internet Marketing Ninjas have done it again! Their Social Image Resizer Tool is an image tool that is sheer genius. It will help you create the right image size for various social media.

Are you like me? Driven crazy by all the different size requirements of various websites? Right now, off the top of your head, can you tell me the banner size needed for Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube? How about a Twitter icon image size?

You'll love Social Image Resizer Tool. It has the sizes for the most common social media elements. You just upload your image, select the image function, i.e. Facebook post, and the app automatically throws guidelines that size around the image. Just drag the guide or crop the image. No registration required.

Takeaway Truth

There are several image resizer apps. Try this one to see if it works easily for you.

3 Ways to Get Back on Track

Sometimes it's hard to get back on track--back to the day-in/day-out grind of making forward progress with a manuscript. Writers often have this problem when they take several days off in a row.

If you're a writer who is stuck when that way, here are 3 ways to get unstuck and back to daily achievement.

1. Make a list of as many things as you can think of that might happen in the current chapter that has you stuck. Same with writing dialogue or action. Jot down various bits of dialogue or actions that could take place. Mix it up and try different approaches.

2. Just sit at the keyboard and make your problem a question you ask aloud and let your fingers fly. For example, why does Jennifer go into the creepy basement when she's scared of the place? By asking the question aloud and letting your fingers fly without regard to typos, rethinking, etc. That helps you turn off the internal editor.

3. Cluster a word as a way to chase down ideas and thoughts without being hampered by the technical aspects of "correct" writing. It's great for figuring out which way to go when you haven't a clue. I like this technique. Just write a word in a circle in the center of a blank piece of paper. Then draw lines from it like spokes on a wheel and write down whatever pops into your head. After a bit, you'll see a pattern develop. This will lead you in a specific direction of thought. When you sense this direction, write a paragraph or a page about it.

Takeaway Truth

The most important thing is to do something today--even if you'd rather doze by the pool, play with the kids, or just read a book. Taking action begets more action.

Independence Day

On this July 4, I still believe in Land of the Free, Home of the Brave.

Takeaway Truth

Happy Independence Day.

Slang Comes and Goes

As you may have noticed, I've had a lot going on in my life in 2015. Life finally settled into a more placid routine, and I went a week without an emergency.

That's when I realized how very tired I was. You know? It's like doing a lot of physical work and not realizing how tired you are until you sit down.

Break Needed

I took the past couple of weeks off and played domestic goddess. I did some decorating and re-decorating, organizing and clutter eradication, watched a lot of TV, and generally took a break. I told my brother that I was playing hooky. We laughed together.

I started wondering if anyone in today's world knew what the slang phrase "play hooky" meant. I haven't heard anyone say it in a long time so I checked online. As I suspected, Urban Dictionary verified that it's no longer a phrase in common parlance.

Slang Comes and Goes

What a shame. Play hooky sounds playful and a bit mischievous. What a perfect phrase to describe goofing off from work.

Play hooky is defined as "to be absent from school without an excuse." It's an Americanism first recorded, allegedly, around 1848. Bartlett's Dictionary of Americanisms quotes a passage from the novel Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain: "He moped to school gloomy and sad, and took his flogging, along with Joe Harper, for playing hookey the day before."

Whether you spell it hooky or hookey, the fun little word has gone the way of the dodo bird I guess. How many other perfectly good words have vanished from usage?

The one that comes to mind is something I still hear even though it's archaic, bordering on obsolete except for audiophiles.

"You sound like a broken record."

What a perfect way to describe someone who keeps saying the same thing over and over. Unfortunately, if you said it to a typical teen, you'd probably get a blank stare and a "Huh?" in response.

Takeaway Truth

What's your favorite outdated phrase?