Judith Hudson's Blog, page 8
November 7, 2016
Posting Reviews & My Review of The Matchmaker of Minnow Bay
November 3, 2016
Best Christmas Fruitcake Ever
November 1, 2016
Santa’s Dark Secret
October 25, 2016
Gearing up for the Home for Christmas Facebook Launch party
October 17, 2016
One Year – Four Books. Don’t try this at home.
I am thrilled to announce that I have finished the third full length book in my Fortune Bay Series,
Home for Christmas, coming out November 1st (on Amazon, kobo, nook and iTunes.)
I told a good friend today that I was finished the fourth book – and my one year plan to publish four novels would be on track and
she said,”I think four books in one year is very prolific.”
I said, “I did not write the four books in one year!”
That took eight years, that’s from 0 to 300,000 printed words. (Now I write much faster than one book in two years, it was the first one that took much, much longer as I learned the craft.)
But I have to wonder, what did people think I was doing for those 8 years if my good friends don’t realize I was writing (and learning to write) these books? LOL
I was always quite bold about telling people that I was writing a novel because that’s what I was doing and I thought that telling people was a good way to keep myself accountable.
It worked for me, but it obviously did not sink in for some of them, because that is not the first person who totally didn’t understand.
Looking back in my notes today as I finish the editing on book four, I see it was October 19, 2015 that I announced on my (now defunct) old blog my plan to publish the 4 books, so I’m pleased to be on target for my one year plan. (I originally planned to publish Home for Christmas Mid-October but a few months ago decided to change it to November 1, but close enough.)
Anyway I’m just here to say – I did it!
In another post I might ruminate on what I learned in the process, but tonight, just join me in celebrating with a 
glass of wine.
Thanks for stopping by.
Cheers,
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September 28, 2016
Maddie’s black and white photographs.
I don’t even have the Christmas book out and I’m already writing two more in my head. Cripes!
My blog has been quiet lately as I work non-stop on polishing HOME FOR CHRISTMAS. [Launch date November 1 – Yeah!]
This will complete the first series trilogy, how I originally conceived the Fortune Bay series, a book for each of the three friends, Maddie, Frankie and Louise.
Of course I’ve written another one for Colleen already (Lake of Dreams, the prequel novella), and I can see this is not the end! But don’t expect the next book to hit the stores in another two months – the time between the launches of the first four – because they were a backlog, already written when I started this journey a year ago, and I’m slowing down to real-writing- time now for the next one. (To give readers a chance to catch up – Ha Ha!)
A cottage I re-imagined as “The cabin”.
I’d love to hear from you! Before I put my metaphorical pen to paper and start the next cycle.
Meanwhile, here are some of my old black and white photographs that inspired the series. I used to live in a town called Honeymoon Bay, and that’s the real geographical location on which I’ve based the story. I have a hard-won fine art degree, slogged out one course at a time when my kids were small, and at one point I spent a lot of time taking and developing black and white photographs in my basement darkroom.
Maddie’s photo of Augusta that she framed and hung in the cabin.
I still have all my darkroom equipment and someday might set it all up again, but the experience of developing my own fueled an appreciation of the art form that I still have today, that magic Maddie feels in the darkroom as the images emerge under the red light. (It’s something she shares with Jake in a steamy darkroom scene, one of my favorites in the book!)
There’s something graphic about Black and white that grabs me. The key is in the contrast of tones that establish the composition of the picture, something that applies to all the graphic arts. And in the old ones, it’s the nostalgic tone.
A sunlit trail through the forest at Fortune Bay.
I dug these photographs out for my garden party launch of Summer of Fortune, and I wanted to share them with everyone who couldn’t be there. 
September 22, 2016
Sweet and Spicy Romance – Free!
I’ve made the poster BIG here so you can read all the titles. Some of
you have done sweepstakes before – that’s how we met! – so I thought I’d pass this one along to you too.Here’s how it works:
Just click here to go to http://AuthorsXP.com/Giveaway to enter. Contest closes September 25.
(1) Win Up To 40 Romance Novels!
(2) Grand Prize Kindle “Gift Baskets” of ALL eBooks (sweet or spicy!)!
+ Winners of Individual eBooks (randomly selected titles)!
You’ll see that my book Summer of Fortune is in the “Sweet” side. “Sweet” is a romance industry term for the amount of graphic sex in the story, not the tone of the story. (I don’t think of my stories as particularly sweet otherwise.)
So enter for a chance to win, then receive info on more books and contests from the authors involved. It’s that easy.
Good Luck!
Judy
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August 31, 2016
From Mint to Mojito
Today we’re harvesting mint.
August 25, 2016
When your Zucchini get out of hand.
Zucchini Bread, or
“what to do when your garden becomes the Little Shop of Horrors.”
The other day, my mother tried a piece of my Zucchini Bread.
“What is that flavor?” she said. “Mine has never been this nice.”
“Cloves,” I told her.
“I don’t like cloves,” she said. “But I love that.”
I have to admit it was particularly good batch. I usually grind whole cloves and if you are not diligent with the mortar and pestle, the flavour of the chunks of clove can over power the loaf.
This time I hadn’t been able to find whole cloves at the store, so I used ground and found it was better for this bread.
Also, I wrung out the grated zucchini just the right amount and the moisture level was perfect. Last time I was showing someone how to wring out the excess moisture in a tea towel, was over zealous and the bread was a touch dry. But do wring it out to prevent a soggy loaf.
Nobody likes a soggy loaf!
It’s a great way to use that excess zucchini at this time of year, or get a nice size one at the farmer’s market and knock yourself out!
In The Good Neighbor, (yes! out this week!) Stephanie goes out to her garden and finds:
The stump end of a mammoth zucchini peeked out at her from under a leaf. Not good. Zucchini were the jesters of the garden, growing to ridiculous, bulbous proportions when your back was turned…
Hefting a giant zucchini in one hand, she measured its weight, reminded of a childhood summer day spent grating the big ones for zucchini bread, the smell of cloves and cinnamon filling the air. She put the offender under one arm, the basket over the other, and started down the shoreline path to the cabin.
Cloves and spice, Aunt Augusta’s trademark. Stephanie must have the same recipe I have.
Enjoy!
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Zucchini Nut Loaf
Sweet and moist with the (subtle) flavour of cloves and cinnamon, this is the perfect sweet bread to have in the freezer to whip out for unexpected company. Or when you just need some comfort food yourself.
CuisineSweet Treats
Servings
2loafs
Cook Time
1hour
Servings
2loafs
Cook Time
1hour
Ingredients
4cups
grated zucchini
2cups
granulated sugar
1 cup
oilolive oil works fine
2tsps
vanilla
Dry Ingredients
3cups
all purpose flour
2tsps
cinnamon
1tsp
ground cloves
1 1/2tsp
baking powder
1tsp
baking soda
1tsp
salt
1cup
chopped walnuts
Instructions
Grate the zucchini. Lay in a towel and wring out some of the water. water will run out. Don't squeeze until totally dry or the bread will be dry.
In a large bowl mix the sugar, oil and vanilla with a large spoon. Beat in the eggs and stir in the zucchini.
Combine dry ingredients in another bowl. Add to zucchini mixture and stir.
Spoon batter into 2 greased loaf pans, or five tiny ones so you can give some away.
Bake at 350° F for 1 hour - until toothpick comes out clean.
Turn out of pans onto wire rack and cool right side up.
Wrap airtight when cool and keep in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or freezes well.
August 24, 2016
An Abundance of Figs
I’m continuing my week of recipes to celebrate the launch of The Good Neighbor, Book Two in the
Fortune Bay Series, with this post on what to do with an abundance of figs.
I realize not everyone has figs in their backyard, but I have a huge tree, and quelle coincidence!, so does Stephanie, the matriarch of the series, who has her own romance in this book. A romance that begins in the a cool green oasis of the fig arbor on a hot summer day, the perfect place for a simmering scene of sexual tension (how’s that for alliteration?).
Sunlight penetrated the translucent leaves creating a cool and ethereal bower.
“The figs are in!” Stephanie’s triumphant voice emerged from inside the tree. A stepladder with two feet perched on a rung halfway up, leaned against the arbor. Long, firm legs rose from there, ending where Stephanie’s baggy green shorts disappeared into the dense leafy branches.
“Help me,” she said, her hand appearing beneath the canopy of leaves, cupping a succulent green fruit.
You get the picture.
Way #1 to use Figs – Fig Leather
Last year, I was away for fig season and my wonderful friends picked for me. I came home to a freezer full of figs. I did make my famous Figand Ginger Jam (recipe to follow) but the rest of the figs couldn’t be dried whole in the usual way, so I put 7 figs (I only have one leather sheet for my drier) and the juice of half a lemon in my Ninja blender – I love my Ninja blender -it up and poured it on the drier sheet. Two minutes work and it makes really delicious tangy fig leather. I have yet to find anyone who doesn’t love it.
Way #2 to use Figs – Judy’s Famous Fig & Ginger JamThis recipe uses lemon and ginger to add zing. For those who don’t like ginger (seriously?) you can leave out the candied ginger and add instead 1 cinnamon stick, 2 cloves and 1/2 tsp ginger. Or a quarter cup Grand Marnier. I’ve had good luck with Fireball Whiskey too! You get the picture. Anything goes.
But this Fig & Ginger is amazing on toast or with chicken or pork, or by the teaspoonful right out of the jar!
Click here for Fig & Ginger recipe.
You can buy The Good Neighbor in eBook or paperback on Amazon, kobo, and nook.
And don’t forget, for this last, beautiful week of summer, Lake of Dreams is free in eBook form on online retailers until the end of August. See the sidebar. No excuses!
Happy eating, and good reading,
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