When a book editor for the best-selling “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series contacted a Fairhope writer early this year, Theresa Lacey didn’t hesitate.

She sat down, wrote a three-page story within a few days, and sent it off.

Knowing what an editor is looking for and turning stories around quickly have served her well in a career that has produced several hundred magazine and newspaper articles, half a dozen books and that local mega-selling author, W.E.B. Griffin, told her has made her a real writer: now that “you’re into your second million words.”

Her latest story appears in the newly-released Chicken Soup for the Soul Kids in the Kitchen: Tasty Recipes and Fun Activities for Budding Chefs.

“I bet no one has written a story about how to roast the perfect marshmallow,” Lacey told her mother after being invited to submit a story for the new book. “I immediately thought of that story. My dad passed away not long ago, and mom and I had been talking about memories, asking each other, ‘Do you remember when … ?’”

The story is set at a campground in the Texas desert in the early 1960s.

“I remember sitting on a log, bundled up in an old Army blanket, watching my Dad as he added logs to the fire, expertly blending mesquite with pine logs, the fragrance and the sparks floating up into the dark sky, joining the stars shining against the blackness of the night,” the original draft of Lacey’s story reads. “Still in my swimsuit, after being adequately warmed by the campfire I was about to turn and go change into my pajamas when my Dad said, ‘Hold on. There’s something I want to show you.’”

Her father showed her the technique for putting a marshmallow on the end of a stick, holding it near the fire, letting it catch flame, blowing it out, and then waiting until it cooled enough to eat but while still toasty.

She wrote that it was not the sweetness of that first marshmallow that made the memory so fresh after more than 40 years.

“It was the feeling of security, of having protection in the shape of my parents nearby, of a feeling of living totally in the moment, no worries popping up in my young head, that made that night so memorable,” she wrote.

She also found a moral in the story through the process of writing about the experience.

“If we are careful with our lives, without becoming too immersed in things that don’t really count in the long run, we turn out perfect — still sweet on the inside, seasoned but not burned by the fire of life,” she wrote.

The story is one of several she has written for “Chicken Soup” books.

Her own book-writing career began in the 1990s while working at a museum in Tennessee. She struck up a friendship and received some important encouragement from neighbor and famous writer, Alex Haley, whose book of African-American experience, Roots, became a popular television special in the late 1970s.

He told her that she was a good writer and to never give up. She took that advice to heart.

“I had been reading Native American stories and saw that they were all written by British or Chinese or writers from places like that,” said Lacey, who is part Cherokee and Comanche. “Then I did what you’re told to never ever do and called the publisher cold.’”

She asked whether his company had ever considered having someone of Native American descent write their own stories. That led to her first book, Blackfeet, in 1995 and Pawnee a year later.

Now, Lacey gives the same kind of advice to struggling writers that people like Griffin and Haley gave to her.

“Perseverance is the key,” she said. “And listen when editors tell you something. Then learn from it. Everything is a stepping stone. Too many people give up.”

These days, Lacey teaches English at Robertsdale High School.

“She is an asset to our faculty,” RHS principal Theresa Bryant said. “As a successful writer, she brings a unique perspective to her English classes.”

Lacey, 52, is also married and has two children of her own in school.

Despite a busy life, she continues to write — alot.

Her Web site lists dozens of books and stories she has written for which she is seeking publishers. And that’s just a small sample, she said.

“A lot of people say they would write if they only had the time. No one has time to write. You have to make time.” 

Submitted

Chef Antonio shares his favorite family recipes in Chicken Soup for the Soul Kids in the Kitchen. He reveals the secret ingredient in Grandpa Joe’s Jelly Cookies, inspires budding chefs with Spaghetti Pie and entices the kid in every adult with Homemade Marshmallows. 

This unique Chicken Soup for the Soul cookbook is filled with mouth-watering recipes that will have even the youngest family member clamoring to help. 

Packed inside are kid-friendly recipes, safety and cleanup tips, food-related activities, and charming stories of lessons learned while cooking with loved ones. Delight in other families’ accounts of great time spent together in the kitchen, and enjoy the secret family recipes they’ve shared. 

The colorful design, fun games, mouthwatering photos, implement step-by-step instructions, and kid-tested, kid-prepared recipes will inspire you and your children to create your own family traditions.

The Ultimate Mac-n-Cheese

Ingredients:

2 pounds macaroni shells

cheddar cheese sauce (8 ounces)

4 ounces shredded cheddar

4 ounces shredded provolone

4 ounces shredded mozzarella

1 cup butter

2 cups milk

1 cup half ‘n half

1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

8 ounces shredded cheddar

Tools:

Saucepot

Colander

Measuring Cup

9-by-13-inch Baking Pan

Kitchen Spoon

Directions: 

Boil macaroni until cooked. Drain pasta; add back to saucepot and add all ingredients (except breadcrumbs and remaining 8 ounces shredded cheddar) on low flame. Stir until blended. Pour macaroni and cheese in 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over macaroni and cheese to completely cover. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top and bake in oven at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes. Take out of oven; let set for 10 minutes and serve. Ooey, Gooey, Cheesy, Yum, Yum!

Health Tip: Substitute all cheese for part-skim and use whole-wheat pasta instead of white.

Serves 4 to 6.