Ruth Miranda's Blog, page 4

The Edible Christmas - A fruit jam to gift a loved one, even if that happens to be you!

As usual, time has been short, here on my side, and blogging becomes less and less of a pleasure, and more a task I feel I need to complete, lest I end up abandoning this place. It's not the cooking, styling and shooting photos for the blog that has been set aside, or become a chore I end up forcing myself to continue, on the contrary. Just last weekend I was all stoked with a certain Christmas-y soda bread I baked, and couldn't wait to style a scene around it and take some photos. They're not even on a folder on my laptop, waiting for me to edit them, they're still in my camera. I haven't had the time to go thorugh them, and frankly, haven't had the will to. All I've been longing to do is write, write, write. Not blogposts, as you may have guessed.

But seeing it's Christmas, and I do love filling this space with posts during the month of December, I wasn't satisfied with not doing the same this year. Edible gifts are the best, as far as I'm concerned, seeing I love to eat, and whenever I find a few nibbles under my tree, I'm a happy camper. Some of my fave will include cheese and jams, and those are also some of the things I like gifting best. Seeing I don't yet make my own cheese, I normally cook up a batch of jamps or compotes and spread the love around, even if it's only to my very close ones. Not everyone likes to be offered food. But I think a jar of jam will always put a smile on faces, don't you?

Having frozen blueberries and black currants stashed away, I thought it would be a nice thing to turn these into a jam I could then indulge in come morning, over breakfast. It would also make for a lovely, festive gift, what with the scents and colours inside that jar. It's such a comfort feel, for me, starting my day with a slice of home baked bread spread with a sweet compote! It does help drive away the Winter blues, not that I'm having them yet. But it does sweeten the mouth, and while it lasted - which I have to say, wasn't a long time - I did indulge, and my day started all the better for it. A sweet treat once in a while is not going to harm, I'm all for balance, not restraints. 

For a batch of this jam, I used:375 gr black currants300 gr blueberries700 gr preserving sugar1 tbsp ground ginger1 1/2 tbsp cinammon1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Start by sticking a saucer in the deep freezer. Place the ingredients in a saucepan and stirr with a wooden spoon over a high heat, making sure you coat all the fruit with the sugar and the liquid. Turn the heat down to low, and keep stirring once and again, bringing it to a boil. Let it do so for 5 to 8 minutes (this will depend on the size of your pan, really) and start testing for setting point at about the 4 minute mark, taking the pan off the heat and dropping a scant teaspoon of the mixture into the frozen saucer. Leave this to cool and then poke it with a finger to check the consistency and see if it's ready. You'll know it's ready by the touch of it, must be supple but not runny. When you reach the setting point, take it off the heat and let it cool for 20 minutes, after which time you can safely decanter the jam into cleaned, pre sterilised jars. Serve it with some scones and you can thank me later, you know.

The Edible Christmas - Rules, Sarcasm and a spiced Fig and Caramelised Onion Chutney to sweeten your mouths

One of my strongest pet peeves is writing rules. Namely, blog posts dishing out writing rules that one must simply abide to, because if not, then well, you're not much of a writer, are you? Blog posts telling you constantly that you are only serious about your work if you do follow those sets of rules - and who the hell makes them, anyway? - or abide by the dogmas and laws expressed in those blog posts. I get annoyed at those posts. I get irritated. I get furious. But I always read them, because let's face it, I'm a masochist and love to put myself through all the emotional turmoil of feelings of inadequacy. Which is in fact, what I do feel, when I read those posts. Very rarely do I agree with them, so I always come away thinking I'm useless and will never amount to anything. That's when I don't come away wondering who on earth are those people, and why do they think they're so much better than others they can sit there and write all these judgemental posts about other writers' working methods, techniques, and talent?

I'm usually more aggravated by those posts shouting out at you right at the title about what something is - usually something concerning writing methods - and why you're doing it wrong. It could be anything from developing your characters to writing believable dialogue, to world building. They immediately state that you're doing it wrong. It doesn't matter who you are, or how you view the world and your work, you're doing it wrong. Because they know best. It makes me want to enter the screen of my laptop and smack them about for being rude. Which I don't, of course, but sometimes I really want to. Because I always feel like these people, who write these very (un)helpful blog posts, they don't really want other authors to succeed. No, they want to shed doubt in the minds of others who may actually be happy with what they produce - authors are very fragile beings, with huge brittle egos that need constant stroking or else they whither away - in order to weaken the competition. Because when you start doubting yourself, your work starts getting worse and worse and worse.

I think writers are very hard on themselves, but harder even on others. They put so much pressure on themselves, and even more on others. For me, writing is an art. As such, there should be no rules, merely guidelines. Even when it comes to grammar and synthax, where rules abound, how many - now - famous authors have bent them down, broken them? Hell, some even won Literature Nobel prizes for it. So why this need to force rules onto everyone? Why the need for having every single author writing the same way, under the same guidelines, following the same 'trends' - for some aren't even rules or guidelines, they're fucking trends! Why do human beings have such a necessity to box everything up in tight, neat, safe little packages, and whenever something falls out of that box, that package, well you're doing it all wrong, aren't you? and because of that we won't play with you any longer. Meaning, your work sucks, you're not a proper writer because you don't follow our rules. I say to hell with all the rules. Let us live dangerously, and courageously take a chance on something different from the norm. Who knows, we may even end up giving it a standing ovation...

Like this fig chutney. When I cooked it, I think I must have broken a few rules. I read like a dozen recipes of fig jam and fig chutnye, before I gave up and marched myself off to the kitchen to do my own version. All I can say is, this was a huge success. And it disappeared in a heartbeat. Even if it didn't go by the rule...1 large onion, thinly slicedten medium to small frozen figs, chopped roughly1 garlic clove, crushed1 sliced chilli1 tsp dark brown sugar + 2 tsp dark brown sugarolive oilbalsamic vinegarworcesterhsire saucepinch of saltpinch of ground cumin and ground nutmegStart by gently frying the onion on the olive oil, until it starts getting translucid. Add the garlic and the chilli, let it stir fry a few seconds. Lower the heat and add 1 teaspoon sugar, let it sizzle and caramelize. Throw in a dash of balsamic vinegar, allow to cook until it's all syrupy. Now add the figs and stir. When the mix begins to simmer, add the rest of the sugar, the salt, and the worcesteshire sauce. Allow to come to a boil. Let it cook in a low heat, stirring frequently, until the figs are tender and the mixture has thickened. Check the seasonings, add more salt if needed, transfer to sterilysed jars and allow to cool before refrigerating or storing in a dry, cool pantry. You can eat this with roast meats, with mashed potatoes - yes, really, and it is sooo good! - spread on a slice of bread, or toast, with soft paste cheese, or hard cheese, it's really versatile. And makes for a lovely Christmas gift too, seeing 'tis the season, right?


*Book: The Forest - A Tale of Old Magic by Julia Blake

Hard work, pay offs and a roast squash soup to warm your soul

How can this be mid-November already?? This year is just flying by, isn't it? I mean, in about six weeks, 2018 will be over, and a new year beginning! How has this happened? It has been a whirlwind kind of year, alright, and I have worked my arse off to the point of exhaustion. Because, in real honesty, I did work quite a lot, this past year. I wrote six books this past year. Actually, when 2018 is over, I will have written, revised, edited, re-written and published twelve books in three years. Twelve. Books. This is no mean feat. It is a lot of work. So why do I always feel like I'm not doing enough? Why do I still feel that this is not adequate? On the one hand, having written this much in only three years, there's bound to be many who consider I'm rushing my work, not spending enough time working on it, not letting it stew long enough, not allowing for proper, correct edits and re-writes, simply rushing things so that I publish and publish and publish. That's why I decided not publish anymore, for the time being. And also because the books I've got out there need more marketing, I have to invest more in them, get them noticed out there. That means selling them, promote, advertise, show them off, bring attention to them. Not really adding more books to pack up my already overcrowded marketing strategies. Which is something I loathe. Writing does not exhaust me, on the contrary, it energises and revives me. What does tire me out is everything else about writing. Especially the part where you have to put yourself out there and try and reach people, get them to want to read your work, get them to want to support your efforts. That is the hard part.

On the other hand, I feel I'm not doing enough. I mean, three years and eight books that hardly sell are all I have to show for it? Who the hell am I kidding, the stuff I write is just NOT what readers are looking for or want to read. So why go on, why don't I change, why am I not "evolving" and writing in a manner that reaches audiences? Why am I not following the rules, and working harder, and accomplishing more? Why haven't I accomplished more? Because I am not doing enough. Because I stubbornly refuse to do what I should by now know is what I must do. Follow the rules. Change my writing style. Stop being myself. But I can't do that. And it becomes a vicious circle. If I don't do it, then I'm not doing enough, then I don't accomplish enough, then I don't have anything to show for. But that's actually bullshit! Because twelve books, no matter what different stages of readiness they might be in, is actually a lot for three years. I should cut myself some slack, pat myself on the back, say to myself 'Well done, old girl!' because it's true! I see a lot of other writers cheered and applauded for how hard they've worked on a single novel during a whole year, and I'm actually one of the first to stand up and applaud and think to myself 'Holy shit, that IS amazing, this person has written, revised, edited, re-written and published an entire novel in only a year!' So why the hell can't I do that to myself? In fact, why the hell can't other people do that to me too? Everyone and their mothers will condemn me for feeling this way, that yes, it is important to me to receive this kind of validation, the recognition from my peers that I have worked hard, that I have done well. But guess what? While these people are judging and condemning me for feeling this way, they feel the same. It's as natural as taking a breath. It's human nature.

Why is it people are so rash to judge anyone who dares show their vulnerability, and admit to their failings, their fears, their needs? Why are we so quick to point our fingers to anyone who isn't ashamed nor afraid of showing up NOT being all confident and enthusiastic about the work they produce? Why are we so in hurry to assume that because someone lacks confidence, they must be crap? Why do we so easily believe being a realist is akin to being negative? I'm a realist, no matter what, where it comes to ME, to my work, to how I am perceived - both personally and professionally. I am realist in that I know most readers - and especially most other writers - will not like my writing style, my stories, the way I build my characters, the way I weave my plots. This isn't being negative, it is simply stating a fact. It doesn't mean I think my work is crap - no matter how many people tell me it is - because I actually don't. I do think my writing is very good, and my books are really amazing and worth a read. But I am conscious enough to realise that my personal opinion of my work is the minority. Does this hurt? Of course it does, and if someone tells you it shouldn't and you're wrong in having these kind of feelings, they're wrong. But does this hurt me enough so that I will change the core of who I am, in order to please the majority. Sorry, no. And yes, I'll keep complaining about it, so you can all go right ahead and tell me I whine about shit and do nothing to change it. I will always vent my 'hurts'. And I will always write profusely. And start ackowledging how hard I actually work, and how much effort I put into it.

Like this soup. It may look simple, easy, effortless. But it has many, many layers. There's roast butternut squash, there's stock made from scratch, there's many vegetables and depth of flavour. It's not really hard work, but it's good work. And it is so good and tasty. Here's how you can do it too:1 small butternut squash1 medium size onion5 large-ish potatoes1 medium sized turnip1 medium sized courgette2 carrots1 litre of homemade stock - either chicken or vegetablesalt, pepper, nutmeg and cumin to tasteolive oilStart by cutting and dicing the squash, coating it in olive oil and seasoning with salt, pepper, nutmeg and cumin. Bake it in the oven at 190º for 45 minutes. On a pan, cook the vegetables in the stock - add water if you want more liquid, and check the seasoning when they're done. When the squash is roasted, scoop the flesh from the rind, add the flesh to the soup and blitz to a purée. Check seasoning and add more salt and pepper if it needs. Bring to a boil and serve with garlic and chives croutons, it makes a lovely meal by itself!

Coconut Cookies

I'm not a huge eater of cookies. I do like to indulge in one, once in a while, or two or three, but I don't tend to binge eat cookies, nor cake. I do scoff down all the cheese, if there's some, though. And savoury cookies too. But sweets, meh. I do like baking and I do love grabbing the odd cookie from the tin, but that's just it. One cookie is usually enough for me. Husband and kiddo, on the other hand, do love their handfuls of cookies. Hubby especially. If we have a jar full of these, he'll be at it constantly until I scold him. Because he knows he can't have too many sweets.

One thing we all love doing around here though, is actually thinking up odd cookie flavours. If you've been following this blog for a while, you know that already. We've had lemon cookies, vanilla cookies (also here and here), hot chocolate cookies, cookies with walnuts and barley, capuccino cookies, cookies filled with quince marmalade, gingerbread cookies, savoury cookies, orange cookies, cocoa cookies (and also these), mixed citrus cookies, butter cookies (my personal faves!), hazelnut cookies... we're always on the lookout for new combinations of flavours.

This time, we went for an untried flavour, coconut shreds. These were absolute more-ish, delicious, they ticked all the boxes where flavour is concerned. Halfway through the munhcing, you'll find coconut bits, and there's a buttery depth of taste to these cookies that will definetely get you diving into the cookie jar for more. They have become some of my favourite cookies, perfect with a chilled glass of milk or a cold brew capuccino, I do recommend you try it this way. I also do recomend you bake these next month, seeing Christmas is just around the corner, and these cookies - as all the others I have in this blog - really do keep well enough if inside an airtight container. Friends and family will definetely appreciate these as a thoughtful, delicious gift!

So if you happen to be in need of a bit of fuel to get you unstuck, try these cocoa cookies, they're the best! Here's how to:350 gr flour250 gr butter175 gr dark muscovado sugar150 gr dried coconut shreds or flakes1 egg1 tsp baking powder
Mix the baking powder and flour together, and add the coconut. Pour the dry mix onto a clean, cold surface and make a hole in the middle. Add the sugar, butter, and egg. Combine the ingredients into a dough. Knead everything together very softly, and wrap in cling film, refrigerating it for half an hour at least. After that time, bring the dough out and roll it quickly over a floured surface, cutting it into the shapes you want. Transfer the cut cookies into a baking tray lined with baking parchement and bake in the oven for about 12 minutes at 170º. Allow trhem to cool before storing in airtight containers. Enjoy!

Warm Autumnal Salad - because the weather won't settle...

Early Autumn - if I can even call it that, I mean, Portuguese weather has become the craziest thing ever! - always has me craving cold days, blustering winds, grey skies and heavy rains as I stick to the comfort of a cosy home and indulge in certain staples of comfort food. But early Autumn in my country does not necessarily mean the weather will beg for a sweater, or a warm throw in which to wrap myself in, or even a hearty stew on a bowl that pours heat into my belly and my hands as I gobble it down.

Despite some wind and rain, early morning grey skies and late evening cold, the daily temps around here are still pretty much mild and balmy, Spring like, begging for a long sleeved blouse and an oxford shoe instead of sandals, perhaps, but not very demanding of a coat or a scarf. And surely not quite appropriate for those thick, nourishing, packed up stews I love to indulge in, or the long cooking in the oven roasts I tend to turn to in colder months. But it also doesn't make for fresh, cold salads, either. So in order to satisfy my cravings and my needs, I had to settle for a warm Autumnal salad. It's something I do eat a lot, especially when I have leftovers from a previous roast!

I didn't have leftover roast veggies for this one, but I had steam cooked some peas and decided to add them to a few more goodies and jostle up a treat that me and amy son would get to delight in, for lunch. Seeing it was only the two of us, I could make it as vegetarian as I wanted. I raided the pantry and fridge to see what I could find and although some of the ingredients I was really eager to use were missing from my cupboards - I wanted to do this with spelt grains, but seeing I had not cooked any, they didn't go on this particular version! Another time, maybe.

I did have potatoes, and butternut squash, I had ripe tomatoes and baby onions, fresh garlic and an array of spices and herbs that were just about perfect to make this a fully satisfying and filling dish. It's the kind of salad where you throw what you have around the house, roast it all up and the add greens. I can imagine how delightful this must be with some kale, and beetroots as well. Or some courgette too, even lettuce would not go amiss here. Try some roast nuts for crunch, or seeds. Perhaps a bit of watercress, or arugulla, substitute the peas for corn, or some beans! Anything goes, really, when it comes to warm salad. And you can add grains to it, if you like quinoa or millet I'm sure they'd be perfect here.

It's absolutely up to you, what you add to the salad, but for this one I used:two medium potatoes, peeled and dicedtwo medium tomatoesone very small butternut squashfour cloves of garlicfour small onionsherbes de provence, pepper, salt, turmeric, paprika and olive oil for seasoningone cup of pre-cooked peasToss the veggies with the seasoning and mix well. Scatter them on an oven tray and bake at 200º for about half an hour or until they're golden and beautiful. Allow to cool for about ten to fifteen minutes. Toss in the peas and rectify the seasoning. Serve with chopped fresh mint leaves scattered over it, for cool, or a handful of nuts and seeds, pan roasted and spiced.

Raw cocoa and pecan nut cookies - because who doesn't love chocolate?

I'm a huge cacao fan, I won't lie. It's one of the things that sets my mouth watering just by thinking of it, let alone indulge in anything chocolate. It's not something I can say comforts me, something I go back to because it soothes me when I'm weary, or calms me when I'm worried. It's just something that plays around with my tastebuds in ways not many things manage to do - certain wines will be guilty of this too.

I am also a huge fan of nuts. Be it walnuts, hazelnuts, pecan nuts, cashew nuts, whatever you name it I'm in. I love them all, I think. I usually keep a pack of them in my pantry so I can nibble when I get peckish and it's not yet dinner time. A small handful will set me for a few more hours, and I can appease my growling stomach with them.

So when my husband decided to pair raw cocoa powder and pecan nuts in a dough that would later become a full jar of cookies... I knew we had a winner there. A winner that I was gonna gobble down and not let anyone else touch. Or so I wished. Truth is, we all ate the cookies, and we all went nuts at them. These are without doubt the best cookies in the world.

The adition of a tiny spoon of instant coffee powder makes all the difference, I think. It adds such depth to the chocolate flavour, making the cookies so intense and rich, and the pecan nuts seem to open up the aromas even more, so when you open the jar you keep them in, the house is unfused by this dark, deep, mindblowing chocolate scent. You serioulsy cannot have just the one, you'll be diving in for more. And they make the perfect gift, be it for Christmas (what? It's not even Halloween and we're talking Christmas already?) or any other special occasion you might wish to spoil your loved ones. They will love you all the more...

So without further delay, here you go, you can thank me later!350 gr flour200 gr chopped pecan nuts250 gr cold butter175 gr dark muscovado sugar50 ml milk1 egg150 gr raw cocoa powder1 coffee spoon of instant coffee powder1 tsp baking pwderMix the baking powder, flour, cocoa and coffee together. Pour over a clean, cold surface and make a circular hole in the middle. Add the sugar, butter, milk and egg. Combine the ingredients into a dough. Add the walnuts and knead very softly, to bring it all together. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for half an hour. After that time, bring the dough out and roll it over a floured surface. Cut into the shapes you prefer. Transfer the cut cookies into a baking tray lined with baking parchement and bake in the oven for about 12 minutes at 170º. Allow to rest before diving into a bite, unless you're ok with burning your tongue!

First week of school and a take on Fantasy - with cake, because cake makes everything better

This past week marked the start of my son's school year. To say we are both beyond knackered, is an undertsatement. Coming from a three month vacation - that's Portugal, for you - no one was ready for this. No one even knew what to expect, seeing we only got hands on the kiddo's school schedule a day before classes started. There was no time to prepare. And the wake up call is a VERY early one. Until we get into the scheme of things, we will all be a little bit cranky and tired, but it's ok. All it matters is he's very excited and enthused with his classes and the new school, and he's eager to learn and work and do his best. What more can I ask? Let's hope he keeps this up all through the school year.

The fact he has such an early start has been an unexpected stroke of luck for me. I swear to you, never have my mornings been so productive before. I've been able to pack so much work into the morning, before I break up for lunch and to pick him up at school, I can hardly believe. From exercise, to social media, to writing, I've managed all. In fact, I have managed to write down circa 11,000 words in three days. Now, that's a record for me. I am usually verbose in my writing, and I tend to pack betweem 1,500 - 2,500 words per morning, on very good days I may come near 4,000 words. That is, if I am doing it all in one sitting. If I am writing without interruptions or breaks - at least if those aren't long enough to break my focus, my concentration. When I'm in the zone, I'm really in the zone, you know?

And this kind of hours have served to get me so in the zone. Of course, it also helps that I'm currently starting a new novel. After having wrapped up my Arthurian trilogy and put it away for later revising, I immersed myself completely into this new venture. I had already started world buliding and character creating for this one, I had the plot in mind too, inspired as I was by what were two of the most marking albums I've ever listened to. Being a fan of Iron Maiden and Helloween, I have always had my imagination triggered by their work. And exactly thirty years ago, both bands released two albums that have haunted my imagination ever since. I have always wanted to write a fantasy novel based on those albums, inspired by them. So now I'm doing just that. After all, fantasy was always my first love, when I was six, seven and first started reading, it was fantasy that had me spending hours with a book. Until I met Monsieur Poirot and Mr. Holmes, that is. But soon I went back to Fantasy and an uncanny love for dragons as well, which I have since outgrown.


I have written Fantasy before, make no mistakes. Although, for many years vampires and witches have been the thing that haunts my dreams, I did play around with Fantasy too. As I did with SciFi. Don't intend to go back to that one, though. But after ten novels where vampires and witches run rampant, I found my mind turning in a different direction, and going back to old dreams and inspirations, so I allowed myself to go for it. Years ago, I was writing Fantasy novel in Portuguese - of which I spoke often in this same blog - which I ended up dropping after writing two books and a half on what was to be a series of four novels. I intend to go back to it, one day, perhaps even sooner than I think. But right now, I need to get this one out of my system, as I did with my Arthurian tale. I need to give these characters a chance to have their say and come to life.


Writing Fantasy is not easy. But it's also not as hard as many people make it sound like, out there in writing guru land. When I started jotting down the basics of this story, I ended up with practically all the cliches and tropes there can be for Fantasy writing - as said by plenty of those oh so clever authors whose sole function in life seems to be dissing other writers and their work or completely destroying the confidence of begginers. I had a CHOSEN ONE (this is the biggest no-no, from what I've seen), who wields a... SWORD (of all things, go figure! We are advised to use other weapons, as everyone and their mother wields a sword, but guess what? Yeah, I'm their mother. So my characters wield swords when I want them to.) and has a... NORDIC INSPIRED NAME (another no-no, from what I gathered, because Fantasy has far too many heroes and worlds that are nordic inspired and no one wants to read that anymore. Happens I ONLY want to read that, so call me whatever names you need to, even racist, as I saw in one particular blog, for not writing Fantasy inspired by other cultures.) My new WIP being the ultimate trope, I figured I needed to add all the cliches as well.


There's the broody character, the unhinged one, the brave, corageous female, the underdog who turns out to be so much more than what he's given credit for, the girl who is not what you think, the grey morality, the natural born killer, the saviour, the destroyer, you name it. It's a cliche fest! By the time I ended reading blogs on what to do and not do if you're writing Fantasy, I already knew I had a flop in my hands. I already knew I shouldn't even waste my time writing this book, let alone THINK of even publishing it. I knew, but did I care? Nyet. Still writing it. Still believing there's so much more to it than just what at first sight looks like tropes and cliches. The same goes for my previous works, especially where it comes to the Blood Trilogy. Yes, they're vampires and witches and immortals, but there is just SO MUCH MORE to those characters. There's humanity in them, and what they find themselves faced with, deep inside their minds and hearts, are struggles somany of us have to deal with daily. I like to believe there's depth to those characters, and there will be depth to these new guys too. Despite the trope-ish plot, and the at first sight cliche of it all.


Having decided to write Fantasy, I also found myself in the mood to READ more Fantasy. This has proven to be a bit of a problem. I love supernatural and paranormal Fantasy, I love urban Fantasy, and tend to read a lot of these. It's very easy to come across free books on Amazon on these genres that at first sight don't totally suck - or maybe I'm a lot more lenient when it comes to these subgenres? But when you need Epic or High Fantasy... well, that poses as a problem. It's not that there aren't tons. But they all sound like takes on GoT - which I've read and thouroughly disliked - or Christopher Paolini inspired - and I am rather sick of dragons, so I'm trying to avoid these. I'm in the mood for something I can't even name, but every book I come across, has left me a bit like... wishing it was more. So far, in my perusal of indie Epic Fantasy authors, only Sarina Langer has left me satisfied. Which doesn't mean I have given up, I haven't, and by reading a few books that do not stand up to my expectations I have realised a few things already about what audiences want - which I can'tv give them, sorry - and what I want to write. It's all an exercise and a learning curve, in the end.


But reading so many blog posts telling you what you're doing wrong in how you write, showing you how you need to handle your story, teaching you how to properly work in your book - because you're just too damn dumb to have a mind of your own - and schooling you on how to create your characters, I tend to come out with nothing new learnt, but a lot of self doubts. My usual ones revolve around the idea that most of the writing advice I see out there does not work for me. I'm not smarter than you nor anyone else, but I am old enough by now to know what I like (to read) and what my writing style is. And it is not what 95% of these blogs say is the correct - and only - way to write a book that will succeed. Seeing that my previous books are very far from being successes, I have to give in and admit, my writing - though quite satisfactory for me - is not what the masses want. And I will NEVER write in that way, it's just not in me. So I'm preparing for yet another 'failure', or at least another series I will end up stowing away in a folder on an external disk and forget about the whole thing. But in the end, I need to write this story as much as I need to eat cake when I get the cravings. So I'm gonna bake a cake and write this damn book.


This is a mad take on the eternal upside down pineapple cake. It's a bit of a tropical cake, inspired by my love of piña coladas. Pineapple, coconut, a dash of rum if you're in the mood, and a basic sponge recipe to bring it together. Look, it's the easiest cake in the world, I grant you, but so satisfying.  A bit of a cliche cake, a trope, but one that will hit all the spots. Much like I hope my book will. Here's the how to:

150 gr flour150 gr butter150 gr dark brown sugar3 eggs2 tsp baking powder1 tsp vanilla rum extract1 cup coconut flakes1 cup chopped pineapple1/3 cup dark brown sugarStart by turning on the oven at 180º. Line a tin with parchement paper, brush soft butter into the sides and bottom. Cover with the 1/3 cup brown sugar and place the pineapple evenly over it. Set aside. Cream the butter with the sugar until pale. Add the flour with the baking soda, in between the eggs - one at a time - making sure you mix it all together before the next batch is added. Add the vanilla and half the coconut flakes, and fold. Pour the batter over the pineapple and sugar bed and bake for about 45m in the oven. Use a skewer to check it's ready, allow to rest five minutes before you unmould it. Turn the cake upside down as you unmould and scatter the rest of the coconut flakes over the pineapple and sugar blend. Allow to cool thouroughly before serving. Now, cut yourself a slice and grab a good book, enjoy a few hours respite by immersing yourself into a really good book



* All Sarina Langer's novels can be found on Amazon. This is not a sponsored post.

A book release, a wedding anniversary and lemon squares - why I was MIA last week

Well, that was a long radio silence, over here, wasn't it? I had planned on posting a new recipe last Friday, but alas!, the best laid plans always seem to slip out of my mind, especially when one is rather busy with an impeding book launch and what not... or a wedding anniversary, on the following day. It's a fact, it completely slipped my mind I wanted to post these cookies last week, because this past Saturday I finally published the final novella on the Blood Trilogy. Which means the darn thing is complete, and out there in the world, for readers to grab and enjoy. It's already landed a few (great) reviews, which has made me very excited, as I do think this trilogy is a bit different from the usual books in its genre. It's quite dark, and at points is a bit obsessive - I had one reader comment that there were repetitve parts on SCARS, which made me happy because I was actually going for it, to impart the sense of obsession, when your thoughts go over and over the exact same think and you can't think of nothing else. Alas, I excelled in the repetition but failed to get the readers to realise it was meant to convey how opressive and obsessive that character's thoughts were...

So the book was released Saturday the eight - and it will be a looooong time before I put another book out there, so you have time to catch up on my already published novels, all eight of them - and then our wedding anniversary on the ninth, and with all the preparations for both festivities, the blog post simply slipped my mind. It slipped my mind until yesterday, when I got down to shoot a warm vegan salad and suddenly had this flash light up in my mind reminding me I had not posted on the blog as I intended to! There was nothing to be done, except sit down and write this post, with absolutely no regrets and no guilty feelings. After all, stressing about a hobby is no good, and takes away the joy from said hobby. The post is here, that's all it matters, right?

I took these pictures while we were away on holidays, at the family's Summer house, because I really wanted to play around with very different settings and props, and a completely different light. The photos didn't come out exactly as I had anticipated them, I realised straight away I'm so used to the lighting conditions at my home, I have a very hard time getting around different light settings, but it's not like I don't like the results. I do, it's very different from my usual fare, but change is good, and playing around with different things is even better, gets you out of your comfort zone and the slumps we most times find ourselves in. Plus, I got to shoot with my childhood china set. I was soooo crazy about this set, when I was a kid. I only got to use it when I stayed over at my grandparents, and the fact is, I loved staying at my grandparents, so the set has all these sensorial memories attached to it, from what was such a good time in my life. Nowadays, I let my son use it occasionally, but am always afraid he might break it, as the sentimental value attached to it is beyond words.

But enough with the light - it was nearly dusk! - and the buttery, yellow colours it doused on everything, enough with the memories, enough with the books and the work and the sales and reviews, enough even with the anniversaries and all the chit chat. Because what matters here are these cookies. These lemon squares are the cat's whiskers, you have to believe me. They are just SO lemony, and tart, but at the same time, so sweet and more-ish, you can't just have only one. You'll find yourself going back for more, and then back again, especially if your're like me and lemon is your go to flavour. Plus, they're so buttery and soft in the middle, yet crisp on the edges. I can't praise these cookies enough, really, but you'll have to bake them yourself and see if I'm not right. Just don't blame me if you eat the whole jar in one sitting: it's not my recipe, it's my husband's. Shame on him, I say...

So here's how you can bake them:250 gr cold butter350 gr flour175 gr muscovado sugarjuice of half a lemonzest of a lemon1 egg1 tsp baking powderStir the baking powder and flour together, then add the lemon zest. Pour this mix onto a clean, cold surface and make a hole in the middle. Add the sugar, butter, lemon juice and egg. Combine the ingredients into a dough. Knead everything together very softly, and wrap in cling film, refrigerating it for half an hour, at least. After said time, bring the dough out, and roll it quickly over a floured surface, cutting it into the shapes you want - we went for squares because they look so cute like this! Transfer the cookies into a baking tray, lined with baking parchement, and bake in the oven for about 12 minutes at 170º. Once they've cooled enough, you can keep them in air tight containers and they actually last for quite some time. And can we talk about those tiny clumps of sugar that failed to get properly mixed into the dough? After the cookies are baked, biting into one of those is like a rush of caramel exploding in your mouth!

Back to the grind - cupcakes and tea and a few good reads.

September's here, we're back home, the hols are over and done, but not quite put behind our back. I still wish I was back there, at my little paradise, but would it remain as paradisiac in my head, if I actually lived there all year long? Or would I have to find another place to call haven, respite from daily life, from the routine and humdrum of normality? Perhaps it would become something else, and what I get to do there for three weeks would lose its magic. Maybe I wouldn't be as productive as I am when I'm there, nor as carefree, nor as rested and relaxed. So maybe it's a good thing I only get to go there once in a while, and it's magic remains untouched, and I am at my most free there because it's not my usual place.

Truth is I wrote like a mad woman, while on vacation. If July was a month to forget, writing wise, August was a blast. My WIP was at a standstill, I couldn't bring myself to move forward, to feel the story, the characters, hung up as I still was with everything to do with the Blood Trilogy. But as soon as I got to my Summer place, it all changed. I found myself waking up at daybreak, having my breakfast, and settling down to writing sessions of over 2000, 3000 words. It was the most amazing feeling, I would plunge myself into the story and forget about the world, I'd literally be inside the book, in another world. The words flew out of my fingertips like mad, my brain ran ahead of me, I couldn't keep up with all that wanted to be written.

There was one particular writing session where nearly 6000 got written. I was in a frenzy, that day. The typos I later had to sort were so many and so weird it had me laughing out loud for a while. I broke a sweat, like I was exercising in the gym. That's how good it was. Suddenly, something that had less than 10000 words written, turned into a monster. I came back with about 120000 penned into it, and the story developing at a good pace, moving along, the characters coming back to life. I was feeling them, getting excited about them all over again, and have thus remained. But I always end up doing some of my best and most productive work while I'm there. It's a place that infuses me with new energy, and so much inspiration. No wonder I never want to leave.

Since we returned, I haven't written much. There were days when I didn't write at all. But it's ok, because I had to do one final re-read on my upcoming release, "MARIANNE", the final novella on the Blood Trilogy (available for pre-order here), then I had to tackle uploading it onto KDP for ebook edition and also paperback - always a hassle!! - I had to sort out some graphics for social media prepare the book release for the eight of September. This takes time, time that pulls me away from writing. It's only natural, and necessary. I also wanted to edit some photos and work on a blog post, sort out my instagram feed, and then there were all the chores needed to face, after coming back from holidays. More time away from my writing. But in the midst of all this, I did manage to pen down some more words, it's progressing, this Arthurian extravaganza of mine. Funny how, the moment I decided I was going to write this one for my eyes only, I had major break throughs.

In the meantime, I'll be indulging in the memory of these yummy cupcakes, planning to bake a new batch soon. I made these for my mother's birthday - which was in June, but seeing she was at Coventry at the time, we only celebrated in July when she came back - and they were just so good, Not overly sweet, but very fruity, and tiny in size so I don't feel too guilty. Here's the recipe:150 gr flour2 tsp baking powder150 gr butter150 gr sugar - I always use less, 115 gr or 120 gr3 eggs1 cup frozen cassis1 tsp vanilla seed paste or vanilla extractTurn the oven at 180º and line your cupcake tins. Cream the butter and the sugar until fluffy and pale. Add the flour with the baking powder in batches, along with the eggs - one egg, one third of flour - and mix well between each batch. Finally, fold in the cassis, and pour the mix into the tins. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in a ventilated oven, or until they're golden and the skewer comes out clean. Let them cool before you serve, they go very well with a scoop of vanilla icecream or a dollop of cream on the side... sit down to a cupcake, a cup of tea and a good read, that's your break sorted out for you.

A cherry mocktail before I leave

Super fast and super speedy, today. We're leaving on vacation in two days' time, and I still need to pack and do a number of little, pesky house chores before we go. But seeing Mercury is finally retrograde, all my creativity, my inspiration, my eagerness to write, has returned in full mode on. So I've been writing a lot, and with gusto, that kind of writing where I don't really think of what I'm putting down, I just go along with the flow and while away the hours without even noticing. Yesterday, I got to the end of the day with nearly 3000 written in one sitting without realising I'd written that much. Of course much of those words will be culled out later on, but this is pretty much my normal. Less than this, less than 2000 words, means I'm going through a major writing slump. 

The heatwave kind of helped, too. I couldn't sleep properly, so just lay in bed, mind working full time telling me the story, what was to take place, how it was to take place. Suddenly, spots I was getting sidetracked were clear again, and scenes I didn't know how to tackle were so easy to envision. I can honestly say I made more progress on this book during the first days of August then I did all through July. Which was an awful month, by the way. Everything had to be dragged out of me, I just didn't want to do anything, couldn't be bothered, didn't even care. Even when looking at sales reports - the fact I made any sale at all is always a surprise for me - and seeing the numbers coming, left me empty, unresponsive. The four and five star reviews meant nothing, and did not push me to keep going, to better my work, to even work. Usually for writers, reviews are like water when you're thirsty, especially very good reviews. I didn't feel them, last month.

All I felt was morose, uninspired, depressed. Nothing pleased me, nothing made me want to keep going at this writing business I chose for a living. I wasn't being inspired by good reviews, nor able to learn from the less good. I just didn't want to do it anymore, my brain was tired and numb and in need of a break, I thought. Turns out there were five planets retrograde and none was Mercury - this was a joke, people, although now I think of it, was it? My pleasure in writing was gone. My eagerness in sharing my writing was gone. My belief in my work, which tends to be hidden away far beyond the surface, was non-existing. It normally is, but despite it, I always feel the buzz to write, I'm always in need of a good writing session, of sitting down, fingers to keyboard, so I can tell a story, no matter what story. July had me silent and with no stories to tell. Well, this isn't actually very accurate, though.

There was a story being born in my head, during the month of July, like I've said before, and I did some work on it, stuff I don't usually do in my writing process. I'm what some people call a pantser, not a plotter, but the truth is I plot the general idea for my stories inside my head. I construct the basic storyline, create the characters, the setting, the premisse. I just don't write it down with much detail, perhaps a sketch here and there on a word document, but nothing more. I jot down ideas along the way, during the writing process, but as I write, only those major ones tend to stick to the end, and even those suffer a few changes - if story needs it. But this time, I found myself writing down charatcer sheets, answsering character questionnaires, drawing maps, building a world and a universe. It felt right, for this story, the one I plan to write when I finish my WIP. Which seems to be closer than I thought, and I can't say I'm sad about it. I'm eager to have this final book with a complete first draft, so I can start improving on it. But I'll take it slow.

And in the meantime, I'll indulge in a mocktail I did for my kiddo, with very ripe cherries and fresh mint, something not too sweet but good enough to drench the thirst and relax on a hot day:five to six very ripe cherries, de-stoneda drizzle of honey or a very small spoon of dark muscovado sugara handful of fresh mint leaves1 small bottle of sparkling water, very coldiceIn a thick bottomed glass, crush the cherries with the mint, the sugar or honey and a bit of ice. Allow to infuse for a few minutes, then add the sparkling water and more crushed ice. Enjoy. Isn't this like the easiest thing to do?