Wolves, Graveyards, and the Name Lupescu

For those who don't know, Lupescu comes from the Latin lupus, meaning wolf; and so it means of the wolf in Romanian--mothertongue of my husband's ancestors. Yes, Romania, land of werewolves, vampires, and Magda Lupescu; I married into quite a history and legacy.

*devilish grin*

Our ancestry being what it is, our family is fascinated with wolves. Truth be told, I loved wolves before I met and married my husband, and our oldest daughter has been drawn to wolves and other furry animals since birth, but those are stories for another day.

Interesting that Neil Gaiman's 2009 Newbery Medal winner, The Graveyard Book, features a character names Miss Lupescu. I won't give anything away, but let's say that she lives up to her ancestry and etymology.

I like to think that someday, when I have a few published books under my belt, my path will cross with Neil's (whom I admire), and I will share with him my amusement at having one of my names appear in one of his books. Perhaps I'll return the favor and plop a Gaiman into one of my stories. Hmmmm...I think I shall.

And speaking of wolves and children's books, a writer-friend has written a lovely children's book about wolves. Scotti Cohn, another Illinois native, has written One Wolf Howls available at Sylvandell Publishing: http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com/Wolf.php

This from Scotti's website:

Spend a year with Scotti Cohn in the world of wolves in One Wolf Howls. This adventurous children's book uses the months of the year and the numbers 1 through 12 to introduce children to the behavior of wolves in natural settings. The lively illustrations of Susan Detwiler complement the rhyming text and bring each month to life. From January to December, howl, frolic, and dance -- while learning important lessons page-by-page!

Support an emerging writer and a small press, while getting a fantastic book to share with the wee ones (or wolf-lovers) in your life. It is a beautifully written and illustrated book, and I hope that it is well-read and well-loved. I know it shall be in our home.

Speculative Coffee and the Allusive Alchemy of the Neil Gaiman Latte

Speculative Coffee: Coffee that exists on the threshold between this world and the liminal realms; coffee that encourages speculation, invokes the Muses, and inspires travelers. The art of crafting speculative coffee is a form of literary coffea alchemy, requiring an extensive knowledge of certain Books of Magic and requiring tools of the barista-alchemist. When successful, the ever-elusive speculative coffee is allusive ambrosia.

I've been a fan of Neil Gaiman's since the Sandman days and have followed his career and books with interest, reading his blog and gleaning quite a bit from his method of maintaining contact with his audience in a way that's wide-reaching and personal.

Recently there has been a great deal of Internet and Twitter talk about coffees named after Neil Gaiman. It seems to have sprung from a bookshop in Indonesia, and the idea took off from there. The Guardian did a story on the Reading Lights bookshop in West Java:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2009/jan/20/writers-food-novelists-analogy?commentpage=1

Then Needcoffee.com did an article on Neil Gaiman: Man, Myth, Legend, Coffee Drink:
http://www.needcoffee.com/2009/01/23/neil-gaiman-coffee/

This was accompanied by two other coffeeshops that jumped on the Create-a-Neil-Gaimain-Coffee bandwagon:
Strange Brew in Greenwood, Indiana has a Neil Gaiman Latte (and a colorful description of the process of creating the drink on Joan of Dark's blog):
http://joanofdarkknits.blogspot.com/2009/01/neil-gaiman-needs-coffee.html

ZubZub in Boonville, Northern California, has their version of the Neil Gaiman Latte: espresso, bitter almond, dark chocolate, black cherry.
http://www.zubzubicecream.com/

There is also a list of growing suggestions on Twitter from Neil's fans. The campaign to find the quintessential Neil Gaiman coffee (or beverage, since Neil himself prefers tea), is a testament to his writing and ever-growing fan base, but it's also grassroots, internet publicity at its finest. What better way to spread the word about Neil and his writing than to bring a coffee named after Neil to your favorite local coffee shop. It's brilliant and fun. Where else will the Neil Gaiman coffees appear? How many different cities and countries?

Perhaps next will be Gaiman character-inspired beverages: Coraline macchiato with black sugar button; hot Nobody chocolate with marshmallow skull; an iced Odd Mocha, served with an eye-shaped biscuit; Death Chai made with Gunflower and Rosehips teas. It's poetry in coffee.

Keep an eye out for a Neil Gaiman coffee coming to a café near you, and thanks to The Graveyard Book, perhaps there will be a Lupescu Latte?

~Valya Dudycz Lupescu

Moments of Azure Hue

We began our visit home to Chicago by flying into subzero temps and snow on the ground, and we returned to snow on the ground in Frankfurt during a particularly icy cold European winter. It seems there's no escaping the cold this year.

My oldest daughter brought a nasty German virus to Chicago that swept though the family (including my parents) and devoured a large chunk of our time. We spent the holidays at home, in self-prescribed quarantine. After a week and half, the family was on the mend, and we started squeezing in visits.

The trips home are always too short, but this one felt even more so than usual. Still, I was grateful for the time, for the coffee and laughter, the pizza and hugs, the time spent in the company of loved ones—blood-related and chosen family. Those moments are always a gift.

Throughout my visit I found myself wanting to write, but at night I went to sleep early (for me) and exhausted (from jetlag), so I haven't really written in weeks. Instead I have notes and images in my moleskine for the book I hope to finish up this month.

I hope that you all had lovely holidays, be they Christmas, Hanukkah, Solstice, Kwanzaa, New Year's Eve, or whatever it is you celebrate. I hope that you and your loved ones are warm and healthy, safe and happy.