Guest Post

Guest Chick: Christilisa Gilmore

We are so delighted to welcome the author of From the Kitchen of Christilisa, a Substack focused on fabulous food, books, and recipes. Christilisa is also currently working on a culinary mystery!

Did Lent help me hit my writing goals?

I would like to say absolutely but you know I don’t even remember them at this point. Good thing GOD knows my heart and my focus.

That’s not to say I can’t focus, just as most writers like to joke, toxic productivity is my best friend.

That’s why I consider myself a WIP, as is my first novel, an amateur sleuth culinary mystery based in Alabama.

My main character, Andi Raye, is who I want as my main character is energy-successful, knows what she wants, and goes after it without a second thought. However, I give background character number three energy. Not even good enough for number one background. That’s rough for ya girl.

I suppose it’s rough for all of us when it comes to writing. We set goals and deadlines, we meet them several times, then, all hell breaks loose. We’re staying up late guzzling chai like it’s water–by we, I mean me. I do my best work when the thought of going back to a 9-5 dangles in front of me. I have toxic tendencies but not that toxic.

I can say, setting my Lenten goals has helped me write almost every day for my Substack, From the Kitchen of Christilisa. I share food-based stories, books (fiction and nonfiction-culinary mysteries, anyone?), and cookbooks, with the occasional recipe.

I do hope to focus on finishing my fiction stories. There is a level of fear there unlike writing From the Kitchen. Maybe because there is no guarantee my stories will ever be published or is it that I think I’m not good enough?

I’m 15k words in on the rough draft of my Andi Raye Mystery. It doesn’t make sense to give up.

I suppose Lent did not help me hit my writing goals, as much as I thought. But, there are still 9 months left in the year. Who says I have to stop now?

Christilisa is a food, recipe, and book writer based in New Orleans, La. She focuses on reaching home cooks with easy-to-recreate recipes adapted from cookbooks, fiction books, or developed by her.

She is a former Director of Sales for an interactive dining restaurant, sous chef for Langlois, a culinary entertainment company, and member of the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals). She also reviews cookbooks, fiction (mostly mysteries), and non-fiction books on From the Kitchen of Christilisa. She is also working on her first fiction novel, an amateur sleuth mystery series based in Alabama.

17 thoughts on “Guest Chick: Christilisa Gilmore”

  1. Keep going! 15K words is an amazing start. Who knows where the writing adventure will take you. That trip into the unknown is the fun part. Cheers!

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  3. Christilisa, you can do this! And I’m excited you live in NOLA. I’m a Tulane alum and our daughter went to Loyno. I wrote a series set in Cajun Country and write one set in New Orleans. If you need a recipe taste taster, I’ll be there in October, wink, wink!

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  4. Welcome, Christilisa (what a pretty name!). We’re so happy to have you visit Chicks today. You are clearly a woman of many talents, so there’s no doubt you’ll excel in your new author life. 15K–that’s great! You’re ahead of me on my WIP. Great to meet you, welcome to the wonderful world of mystery, and keep going! You’re in for a wild ride, lol.

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  6. Christilissa, figuring out who your protagonist is can take time. But keep writing. Her voice will become clear and before you know it, she’ll be waking you up at night and bossing you around. Good luck, and thanks for visiting with the Chicks today!

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  8. Hi Christilisa! I’m so glad you visited us here today! As everyone else said, 15k is nothing to sneeze at. Often a writer needs to write all the way to the end before their characters and story solidify. Best of luck on your journey!

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