Allison Pittman | Food for Thought

Here’s a bit of an insight to my writing: just about any time a character is eating, it’s because I was experiencing a bit of writer’s block right at that moment. Sometimes if I just get a character to make a sandwich, pour a cup of tea, peel a potato—I can make the rest of the scene happen. The challenge, though, in writing historical fiction, is to find the right food to bring to the table. Exactly when did tinned peaches become de rigeur? How can I know for absolute certainty that my heroine will be able to go to her cabinet and find a box of Cornflakes? To me, there’s no better way to establish the authenticity of a character’s home than to offer a peek inside the pantry. In ALL FOR A STORY, I loved those quiet moments when my bachelor Max opened a can of Campbell’s soup for a simple supper for one. In ON SHIFTING SAND, however, that simple can of soup takes on a whole new meaning at the hands of Nola Merrill.

One element of inspiration for ON SHIFTING SAND was the incredible challenge women faced to fulfill their traditional duties as caregivers. Think about it—a kitchen perpetually coated in dirt, no matter how hard you worked to keep it clean. Add to that the general lack of food. No crops, no money. Long before the days of Pinterest, women have measured themselves against the ideal of perfection, and the proof of that perfection is a clean house, and well-fed, happy children. So, after three books full of wildly single flappers, here I had a protagonist who was a wife and mother, in a time when it was incredibly difficult to be a wife and mother. The can of soup that fed my single bachelor now has to be watered down, stretched, and served to the children, while the mother sits by, hungry.

So, I had to give my starving Nola a treat. And that treat? Jell-O. It might seem a silly thing, to allow an oft-overlooked food product to have a place in a story, but Jell-O comes into Nola’s life when she is at her physical and emotional weakest point. It’s nurturing and spirit-lifting. At a time when women across the country were trying to rise above the ugliness of poverty and natural disaster, it gave her a simple and accessible sense of pride. Think about it—a sweet, cold, flavorful treat in the middle of so much ugliness. Bright color in an otherwise brown world.

My novel takes place shortly after the introduction of lime Jell-O, and just after the discontinuation of chocolate. (I can’t even imagine…) Take away lime Jell-O, and you take away an important part of my childhood: little Jell-O molds with carrot shavings and a dollop of Miracle Whip on top. Disgusting, yes, but always the hallmark of a “fancy” meal at my house. My mother-in-law made the amazing concoction of lime Jell-O, with cream cheese and pecans and miracle whip and pineapple; my sister-in-law and I would sit at the Thanksgiving table and eat every bite of it, long after the rest of the meal had been cleared away. Jell-O has a place on the pot-luck table, the holiday table, and the hospital tray. It’s an experience that will bring every one of my readers to a common moment with my character.

So, while Nola might make you cringe a little, while you might want to simultaneously chastise and pray for her, there’s a moment in the story where you’ll connect. You’ve had Jell-O. Refreshing, fruit-filled, whipped sweet and delicious. Chances are, you have box of it in your pantry. Maybe, like me, a box you bought ages ago and forgot about. It might even have a little dust on it. But, that’s OK. Dust it off, boil some water, and make your family—or yourself—a spring time treat. Be refreshed. Be fed. And, comment with your favorite combination to inspire us all!

Giveaway

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About ON SHIFTING SAND

Long before anyone would christen it “The Dust Bowl,” Nola Merrill senses the destruction. She’s been drying up bit by bit since the day her mother died, leaving her to be raised by a father who withholds his affection the way God keeps a grip on the Oklahoma rain. A hasty marriage to Russ, a young preacher, didn’t bring the escape she desired. Now, twelve years later with two children to raise, new seeds of dissatisfaction take root.

When Jim, a mysterious drifter and long-lost friend from her husband’s past, takes refuge in their home, Nola slowly springs to life under his attentions until a single, reckless encounter brings her to commit the ultimate betrayal of her marriage. For months Nola withers in the wake of the sin she so desperately tries to bury. Guilt and shame consume her physically and spiritually, until an opportunity arises that will bring the family far from the drought and dust of Oklahoma. Or so she thinks. As the storms follow, she is consumed with the burden of her sin and confesses all, hoping to find Russ’s love strong enough to stand the test.

About Allison Pittman

Award-winning author Allison Pittman left a seventeen-year teaching career in 2005 to follow the Lord's calling into the world of Christian fiction, and God continues to bless her step of faith. Her novels FOR TIME AND ETERNITY and FORSAKING ALL OTHERS were both finalists for the Christy Award for excellence in Christian fiction, and her novel STEALING HOME won the American Christian Fiction Writers' Carol Award.

She heads up a successful, thriving writers group in San Antonio, Texas, where she lives with her husband, Mike, their three sons, and the canine star of the family-Stella.