So, out of all the questions I could possibly get, the only one I've really gotten more than once is, "Do you have recipes for Connor's food?" If you haven't read Chef's Delight, Connor is a chef, and his restaurant, Estelle's, uses a lot of chevre (goat cheese) in its recipes. That's where the love interest comes in, Jessie the goat farmer.
Anyway, this post is not about Chef's Delight, but about the cook book I'm thinking about putting together as a companion to the novel. Since so many people have asked about the recipes, I've decided to quit sending them to pinterest (which is where I got most of my ideas for menu items) but to send them to my upcoming book!
With summer coming fast and furious, I'm going to be spending more time with my kids, and less on my laptop. I'll be spending more time cooking food they will eat. I'll be spending less time actually creating stories and trying to make my kids productive members of the household. So, why not combine everything, and try to publish something as well?
Recipes from the book that I'm going to try at home:
Artichoke and chevre stuffed chicken breasts.
Fig/chevre pizza,
Goat's milk ice cream,
Chevre cream sauce (to go over steaks, pork and chicken, or as my daughter will probably eat it, over noodles),
Capresi salad, using chevre instead of mozarella,
Raviolis, stuffed with peaches and chevre,
And my personal favorite, wild cherry chevre tart.
Then there are Jessie's flavored cheeses,
Basil pesto chevre and
Chipolte chevre
The cookbook will also include recipes for making cheese the way Jessie makes it, with lemons instead of renit, and her famous whey smoothies.
I'm also going to suggest some wine pairings with the cheeses, although it'll be an affordable list, and not a list of fancy wines...
The more I think about the cookbook idea, the more fun I think it'll be. I'm trying to decide if I'm up for putting pictures with it, although I personally hate cookbooks without pictures, so I'll have to get over the stupid Smashwords metagrinder with the photo formatting...
I will also some more recipe ideas for the book. Do any of you guys have a favorite goat cheese dish that you love, and would like to see included?
Tell me what you think! I need feedback.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Book Review: Hearts of Ishira
I just finished reading Hearts of Ishira, a sci-fi romance of epic proportions. First of all, I have to give kudos to Bethany Aan for the sweetest dedication EVER to her husband. Made me wish she was my wife.
I'll admit, science fiction's not really my thing. I prefer the classics, Arthur C. Clarke, 2001 Space Odyssey type stuff. But there were enough other elements in Hearts of Ishira to make it a compelling read for me.
1. Sexy cat-men. Once I got used to the furry aspect of the men on this planet, it was pretty cool. Stroking their backs to emit a growly purr…Yummy.
2. Empaths. The female MC and one of the male MCs were empaths, able to read minds and feelings. Admit it, it's every girls' dream to have a mate who can read her mind.
3. Boy to girl ratio. With 3-4 men for every woman in this book, it made for some pretty steamy ménage scenes. Hip Hip Hooray!
4. Busted out social norms. This is the beauty of sci-fi, fantasy, and paranormal: you get to make the rules. Ms. Aan made some beautiful rules in this book. The species of men colonizing the planet that Ri's spaceship crash-landed on preferred the older, wiser, curvier women to the twenty-something sticks that accompanied her. The valued women and family above all else in their society, and they all worked together as a team. No politicking.
5. A great antagonist…
6. While reading this book, I did some serious reminiscing to back when I first discovered Jane M. Aul's Clan of the Cave Bear series. Back at home, Ri had been a weirdo for knitting, crotcheing, and spinning her own yarn. On the new planet, her textile crafts were an asset, and she and the men created tools for her to use in her creations.
7. The female lead was intrepid, spunky, and idealistic, without being naïve, which I liked a lot.
8. Lots and lots of great sex
9. Witty dialogue.
There was only one aspect of the book that I didn't like, and would be remiss if I didn't share it in the review. The POV shifts were jarring at times, sometimes switching within a paragraph. It seemed to get better as the novel went on or maybe my brain just got used to it. I can see the challenges in writing multiple POVs from empaths, "She could tell he sensed…" but it was distracting to me.
Overall though, this was an intense read. It was action packed, and had great pacing. If I didn't have kids and a husband constantly demanding food and attention, I would have definitely read it faster. I will keep these characters in my thoughts for a while.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Beyond the Iron Gate Giveaway
Drum Roll, Please...
I am please to take part in the epic giveaway of Beyond the Iron Gate, by Alicia Michaels.
Aint it pretty?
Here's a summary for you folks...
In the year 1845, before the mystical land of Fallada was separated from the realm of men forever, the two worlds coexisted in harmony. Man could mingle freely in the world of the Elves and Faeries at will and peace reigned.
In the hills of Shropshire, England, just miles from the gate separating the village of Ludlow from the world of mystical creatures, farmer’s daughter Zara Wells longs for answers. It is not only the golden hair that trail feet behind her, or the strange hue of her violet eyes that separates her from the other girls her village. There is something inside of her, something touched by magic that longs to know more about what lies on the other side of the gate.
In Fallada, darkness has begun to spread. As the youngest and most beautiful girls of her village begin to disappear, Zara comes closer to discovering the true circumstances surrounding her birth. Little does she know, that the closer she comes to the answers she so desperately desires, the closer she will come to being ensnared in the dark queen’s web of growing treachery.
If I can figure out this code madness, you can enter to win this super cool prize pack, which includes:
$25 Amazon Gift Card
Tote Bag
Rubber bracelets (2)
Handmade beaded necklace and earrings set
Keychain
Autographed postcard and bookmark
Magnets
Series trading cards
a Rafflecopter giveaway
About the author:
Ever since she first read books like Chronicles of Narnia or Goosebumps, Alicia has been a lover of mind-bending fiction. Wherever imagination takes her, she is more than happy to call that place her home. The mother of two and wife to an Army sergeant loves chocolate, coffee, and of course good books. When not writing, you can usually find her with her nose in a book, shopping for shoes and fabulous jewelry, or spending time with her loving family.
Alicia can be found on the web at any of the following links:
www.fantasybyalicia.com
www.facebook.com/fantasybyalicia
www.goodreads.com/alicia_michaels
Follow her at Twitter: @fantasybyalicia
Thursday, April 25, 2013
My Process
I'm extremely focused on my writing goals. As I stated in my first post, I'm doing the Indie Author thing because I want to make money. I'm tired of living on peanuts, and I share the American dream of providing for my family doing something that I love. I have a business plan, and part of that plan includes publishing something every three months, to stay on top of some sort of algorithm the epublishers have working. I don't even know what an algorithm is, but I'm trying to work with it. So, yesterday, I tore apart a calendar that we got from the Chinese buffet here in town, and wrote my writing goals on it.
On the calendar, I have noted publishing dates, and based on those dates, when I need to get my manuscript to my editor, Catherine. I have blocked out weeks for revision, weeks for promotion, and weeks for beta on each WIP. I felt a supreme feeling of accomplishment, just putting all of this on a visual format for me to look at every time I walk down the hallway to my bedroom.
It's actually not that hard for me, because I don't have a job to report in to every morning, so as soon as I drop the kids off at school, I can get busy and stay busy until it's time to pick them up. That gives me six hours of almost uninterrupted writing time, five days a week. I'm lucky in that regard. I know a lot of indie authors have full time jobs they report to, and don't get a chance to actually write until after all the kids are in bed. If that were me, I'd still be journaling.
At any given time, I have at least three works in progress. I always start with an outline. I'll outline a story, then work on a rough draft for an outline I've already got, then work on revisions for a rough draft I've already got, then go back and work on something else that I've already got. I focus on one WIP for anywhere from a week to a month, before moving on to a different one. Example...
I revised my rough draft for Falling for Heaven, and sent it out to beta readers. While it was out of my hands, I wrote the rough draft for Hot Mess. I already had an outline for it, so I followed the outline, only varying slightly from my original story. Hot Mess involved research on my part, so it took a little longer than most. I worked on that rough draft for almost a month. Once I had the rough draft, I put it aside and worked on another rough draft, Heaven's sequel, since my betas hadn't finished with Heaven yet. The next rough draft didn't involve as much research, so it only took a couple of weeks to finish. Then, I put it aside.
Going back to Heaven, I put in some of the suggested revisions from my beta readers (about a week) and sent it off to my editor. Then I worked on revisions for Hot Mess, since it had been almost a month since I'd looked at it last.
Now, I've finished round one of revisions for Hot Mess (they took a lot longer than revisions for Heaven, because I had skipped a bunch of scenes when writing the rough draft), and outlined my Christmas novella. I'm taking a few days off to recharge the brain, then round two of Hot Mess will happen. Once it's sent off to the beta readers, I will scratch out a rough draft of the Christmas novella, and start working on revisions to the sequel to Heaven.
It took awhile for me to realize this would work for me. And because it works for me, doesn't mean it would work for others, but it's the system that I've found. And I like systems. Everywhere I go, I've got my laptop or a notebook with me (or three) and I'm writing random notes about whatever WIP is inside my head at that moment. It could be the one I'm outlining, revising, or rough drafting. My notebooks are completely scattered and random. I also use the "sticky note" app on my iPhone for a lot of notes.
It's a constant rotating cycle of working on one MS or another. I would go nuts if I actually worked on one MS for three months straight. My brain is too scattered for that. And I'm trying to get ahead of the game for this summer, when the kids are home. If I stay on schedule, I'll have published six stories this year. And that ain't too shabby...
On the calendar, I have noted publishing dates, and based on those dates, when I need to get my manuscript to my editor, Catherine. I have blocked out weeks for revision, weeks for promotion, and weeks for beta on each WIP. I felt a supreme feeling of accomplishment, just putting all of this on a visual format for me to look at every time I walk down the hallway to my bedroom.
It's actually not that hard for me, because I don't have a job to report in to every morning, so as soon as I drop the kids off at school, I can get busy and stay busy until it's time to pick them up. That gives me six hours of almost uninterrupted writing time, five days a week. I'm lucky in that regard. I know a lot of indie authors have full time jobs they report to, and don't get a chance to actually write until after all the kids are in bed. If that were me, I'd still be journaling.
At any given time, I have at least three works in progress. I always start with an outline. I'll outline a story, then work on a rough draft for an outline I've already got, then work on revisions for a rough draft I've already got, then go back and work on something else that I've already got. I focus on one WIP for anywhere from a week to a month, before moving on to a different one. Example...
I revised my rough draft for Falling for Heaven, and sent it out to beta readers. While it was out of my hands, I wrote the rough draft for Hot Mess. I already had an outline for it, so I followed the outline, only varying slightly from my original story. Hot Mess involved research on my part, so it took a little longer than most. I worked on that rough draft for almost a month. Once I had the rough draft, I put it aside and worked on another rough draft, Heaven's sequel, since my betas hadn't finished with Heaven yet. The next rough draft didn't involve as much research, so it only took a couple of weeks to finish. Then, I put it aside.
Going back to Heaven, I put in some of the suggested revisions from my beta readers (about a week) and sent it off to my editor. Then I worked on revisions for Hot Mess, since it had been almost a month since I'd looked at it last.
Now, I've finished round one of revisions for Hot Mess (they took a lot longer than revisions for Heaven, because I had skipped a bunch of scenes when writing the rough draft), and outlined my Christmas novella. I'm taking a few days off to recharge the brain, then round two of Hot Mess will happen. Once it's sent off to the beta readers, I will scratch out a rough draft of the Christmas novella, and start working on revisions to the sequel to Heaven.
It took awhile for me to realize this would work for me. And because it works for me, doesn't mean it would work for others, but it's the system that I've found. And I like systems. Everywhere I go, I've got my laptop or a notebook with me (or three) and I'm writing random notes about whatever WIP is inside my head at that moment. It could be the one I'm outlining, revising, or rough drafting. My notebooks are completely scattered and random. I also use the "sticky note" app on my iPhone for a lot of notes.
It's a constant rotating cycle of working on one MS or another. I would go nuts if I actually worked on one MS for three months straight. My brain is too scattered for that. And I'm trying to get ahead of the game for this summer, when the kids are home. If I stay on schedule, I'll have published six stories this year. And that ain't too shabby...
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Post Publishing
Now that I have kids of my own, Christmas isn't really that big of a deal to me. It's more of a holiday full of preparations for others to enjoy: cooking, cleaning, trips to Christmas tree farms. But I still remember the feelings of anticipation of Santa, coming through the keyhole (we didn't have a chimney), and bringing his huge sack of goodies. I never really knew if he'd gotten my letters or not. He rarely brought me what I'd asked for, although I usually enjoyed what I got.
The year I asked for a Barbie mansion of some sorts, he brought me a microscope. At first, I was sorely disappointed. But my mom showed me what spit looked like through the eyepiece, and I was hooked. For weeks afterward, I was scraping up bath tub scum, tearing leaves off plants, and scraping people's teeth to see what kinds of organisms I could find...
Publishing my own work is akin to getting Santa's visits. Trying to build up an awareness through social media and submitting advanced copies to reviewers can be time-consuming and daunting at the least, mentally and emotionally draining at the most. Actually holding onto a completed story for two weeks before publishing it, to stay on my timeline? Ugh...I'm not sure I'll ever do that again. Patience is not one of my big things.
Back to my Santa comparison...Yeah, so now that it's out there...I'm not sure what I'll get in return. Not that I need something back, I just would like to know that people are actually reading them, and enjoying my work. Advanced reviews were generally positive, though for completely dichotomous reasons. I found it funny that some reviewers liked the steaminess, others liked the tameness. To my knowledge, they read the same story.
I am obsessively checking my sales on Amazon, just about every hour. Against my will, almost...I'll pass my computer, and my butt sits in the chair and my hands are on the mouse, clicking away before I realize what I'm doing. I have to laugh at myself, and know that in a couple of days I'll get over it and stop obsessing over the numbers.
Yesterday, I got a message from an old college buddy of mine, asking who in the hell Anne Conley was. I told him it was my pen name, for the romances I've been publishing. Turns out, this guitar building metal head is a fan of erotica. He downloaded Neighborly Complications last night, and regaled me with comments like, "Chapter Five: Wowza!" It was fun.
I'm hoping though, that like visits from Santa, I will receive an unexpected surprise with Falling for Heaven. Either an amazing review, or a spike in sales of my other books, or an email from an actual fan and not just somebody I know. It would be cool to know that a complete stranger was led to my stories and felt something from reading them. Even if it is just horny. Not that I don't appreciate the support of people I know, even if I only know them from this digital world. Without those people, I probably wouldn't have even kept writing.
So Santa can come. Bring me something unexpected. In the meantime, I'll keep obsessively checking my sales numbers, and looking for reviews. Hopefully, I'll eventually get back to work.
Good things planned for this week. I'm hoping to finish Hearts of Ishira, by Bethany Aan today, so I can post a review of it tomorrow. It's a good one. Then Friday, this blog is taking part in a massive giveaway that looks pretty danged exciting. I'm totally going to enter it, if I can...
The year I asked for a Barbie mansion of some sorts, he brought me a microscope. At first, I was sorely disappointed. But my mom showed me what spit looked like through the eyepiece, and I was hooked. For weeks afterward, I was scraping up bath tub scum, tearing leaves off plants, and scraping people's teeth to see what kinds of organisms I could find...
Publishing my own work is akin to getting Santa's visits. Trying to build up an awareness through social media and submitting advanced copies to reviewers can be time-consuming and daunting at the least, mentally and emotionally draining at the most. Actually holding onto a completed story for two weeks before publishing it, to stay on my timeline? Ugh...I'm not sure I'll ever do that again. Patience is not one of my big things.
Back to my Santa comparison...Yeah, so now that it's out there...I'm not sure what I'll get in return. Not that I need something back, I just would like to know that people are actually reading them, and enjoying my work. Advanced reviews were generally positive, though for completely dichotomous reasons. I found it funny that some reviewers liked the steaminess, others liked the tameness. To my knowledge, they read the same story.
I am obsessively checking my sales on Amazon, just about every hour. Against my will, almost...I'll pass my computer, and my butt sits in the chair and my hands are on the mouse, clicking away before I realize what I'm doing. I have to laugh at myself, and know that in a couple of days I'll get over it and stop obsessing over the numbers.
Yesterday, I got a message from an old college buddy of mine, asking who in the hell Anne Conley was. I told him it was my pen name, for the romances I've been publishing. Turns out, this guitar building metal head is a fan of erotica. He downloaded Neighborly Complications last night, and regaled me with comments like, "Chapter Five: Wowza!" It was fun.
I'm hoping though, that like visits from Santa, I will receive an unexpected surprise with Falling for Heaven. Either an amazing review, or a spike in sales of my other books, or an email from an actual fan and not just somebody I know. It would be cool to know that a complete stranger was led to my stories and felt something from reading them. Even if it is just horny. Not that I don't appreciate the support of people I know, even if I only know them from this digital world. Without those people, I probably wouldn't have even kept writing.
So Santa can come. Bring me something unexpected. In the meantime, I'll keep obsessively checking my sales numbers, and looking for reviews. Hopefully, I'll eventually get back to work.
Good things planned for this week. I'm hoping to finish Hearts of Ishira, by Bethany Aan today, so I can post a review of it tomorrow. It's a good one. Then Friday, this blog is taking part in a massive giveaway that looks pretty danged exciting. I'm totally going to enter it, if I can...
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