Paige Shelton: Talks about Of Books and Bagpipes and microwave diets!

JENN: One of the best things about being a writer is the friendships you make along the way. Paige Shelton and I met years ago at some writing function or another when she resided in Utah and I was in Arizona, and it was pretty clear we were kindred spirits from the start. Thankfully, she's recently moved to AZ and now we're lunch buddies, which is great because being a writer can be a very solitary occupation. Paige brings a lot of light and laughter to my life and I am ever grateful, and here she is to share some of that Paige magic with you:

Paige Shelton

PAIGE: I’m supposed to be talking about my upcoming book, OF BOOKS AND BAGPIPES, the second book in my Scottish Bookshop Mystery Series. Oh, I loved writing this book – literally, every second I spent working on this book was a joy. It was a rare experience, but I’ll take it. Here’s the thing though – I wrote it a long time ago. Since I turned it in, I’ve turned in two other books, and edited one. I know it’s no surprise that that’s how the publishing world works.

I journal my writing projects – word count, research, challenges, etc. When I began this article for Jungle Red, I looked back over my journal (and my notes, frankly, so I could remember the story) and I found two things on the same day. August 10, 2016, here are my entries:

Entry one - Time to put OBAB away. All the way done. LOVED (yep, all caps) writing this book.
Entry two – Begin diet.

Turns out, I did both of those things. OF BOOKS AND BAGPIPES has lingered in my thoughts as a good-feeling, positive experience. And, I began a diet, which hasn’t been the least bit fun, but it’s been positive. So, far, I’ve lost 51 ½ pounds. I have 21 to go.  No – no applause or congratulations, please. I gained the weight too.

I have no advice, but people have started asking what I’ve done to lose the weight. So, here’s a brief summary, right here where I’m supposed to be talking about my book, the one called OF BOOKS AND BAGPIPES. Anyway.

Well, first of all, I didn’t consult a doctor. In fact, at the thirty-pound mark, I had to go to my doctor for a sinus infection. I got on the scale and the nurse noted my weight on my chart without any gasps or whoops of glee. The doctor came in and I had to point out the weight loss to him. He said, “Oh, that’s good.” I said, “No, that’s great. I expect balloons next time.” He laughed. I tried not to laugh because balloons wouldn’t suck.

On about August 1, I told my husband Charlie that I really wanted to try a diet and he’d have to cook for himself until I was done. I knew I couldn’t be in the kitchen much. I knew I would have to microwave things and stay out of that room as much as possible. I knew I couldn’t buy potato

chips, because potato chips are my most favorite food-thing of all time. Charlie didn’t even hesitate but said he’d do whatever I needed in the way of support. I didn’t expect anything different, but cooking has been my marriage role –  I gave myself the job. I enjoy cooking. I enjoy our family meals together. I think giving it up was harder for me than for him. In fact, he’s lost weight too. He didn’t really need to, but he did and he’s pleased.

The microwave thing. Yeah, we purchased new appliances, and the reason I wanted to start on August 10 was because our new appliances were to be delivered on August 8. Happily, on about August 5, we took our old appliances to Goodwill. However, the delivery for our new ones got moved another week. I panicked. I wrote the start date in my journal, for goodness’ sake, I HAD to start my diet on the 10^th.  We went to Goodwill and bought back our old microwave for $20.00. Deal! We donated it again when we got our new stuff a week later.

I’ve always been an exerciser. I love biking, so I just continued doing that, but the way I’ve lost weight is simply by cutting down on calories. I found a calorie count that I could eat and still lose weight, and I stick to it most days. My favorite diet foods are Tootsie Pops and mini pancake/sausage things I found in the freezer section. I don’t cook much. I microwave. Low calorie frozen dinners with the desserts are yummy. I eat fast food – I just keep it under a certain calorie count. The only food I try to stay away from is potato chips because they are the best things ever created. However, I have had some at restaurants and they haven’t ruined the diet. I do feel hungry (first two weeks were I’m-gonna-die starvation hungry; now, mostly manageable hungry), but since I eat whatever I want (under the calorie count) I don’t feel deprived. It’s worked well for me. In case anyone wants to point out the unhealthiness of eating all these processed foods – I’m fully aware of all that stuff, and for now I just don’t care.

I also know the hard part is ahead of me. The weight loss has slowed, which is normal, and these last twenty are going to be a battle. But nothing like the battle of keeping the weight off. I’m shooting for the weight I was when I first thought I was fat, not the weight I was when I was skinny and miserable.

As I’ve watched the number on the scale go down, I’ve hit milestones like the weight I was when I was nine months pregnant almost twenty-three years ago, when I blew out my knee, and when my son was a baby and we went to New York City for Christmas. As of today, I’m three pounds above what I was when I came home from having Tyler, and thirteen pounds away from when I got pregnant. So, no, no congrats or kudos, however, I would take good vibes that I can keep doing what I’m doing.

Here’s the thing, if you want to lose weight (only if YOU want to), you have to find what works for you. This has worked for me. You should probably also talk to your doctor, even if only so she can get the balloons ready.

Oh yeah, though my books have absolutely nothing to do with what I’ve talked about here today, please check out OF BOOKS AND BAGPIPES, publishing April 4. It’s a mystery set in Scotland. The main character is from Kansas and moved across the sea to take a job in a bookshop in Edinburgh. Little did she suspect that investigating murders would become a big part of her new life. Thank you. 

Thanks to Jenn McKinlay and all the fabulous Jungle Red writers and readers for letting me stop by today. It’s a true honor. 

JENN: Thanks so much for visiting us, Paige! And here's some balloons to celebrate you and your new book because, as you say, balloons wouldn't suck! LOL!

JENN: I loved the first book in this series and am really looking forward to this one. Here's a description for anyone else who loves all things Scottish -- you know, books, bagpipes, and men in kilts!

Delaney Nichols has settled so comfortably into her new life in Edinburgh that she truly feels it’s become more home than her once beloved Kansas. Her job at the Cracked Spine, a bookshop that specializes in rare manuscripts as well as other sundry valuable historical objects, is everything she had dreamed, with her new boss, Edwin MacAlister, entrusting her more and more with bigger jobs. Her latest task includes a trip to Castle Doune, a castle not far out of Edinburgh, to retrieve a hard-to-find edition of an old Scottish comic, an “Oor Wullie,” in a cloak and dagger transaction that Edwin has orchestrated.

While taking in the sights of the distant Highlands from the castle’s ramparts, Delaney is startled when she spots a sandal-clad foot at the other end of the roof. Unfortunately, the foot’s owner is very much dead and, based on the William Wallace costume he’s wearing, perfectly matches the description of the man who was supposed to bring the Oor Wullie. As Delaney rushes to call off some approaching tourists and find the police, she comes across the Oor Wullie, its pages torn and fluttering around a side wall of the castle. Instinct tells her to take the pages and hide them under her jacket. It’s not until she returns to the Cracked Spine that she realizes just how complicated this story is and endeavors to untangle the tricky plot of why someone wanted this man dead, all before getting herself booked for murder.


Well, Reds, what do you think about diets or making radical changes to your lifestyle like not cooking to accommodate your goals? Balloon worthy?