Rochelle Campbell's Blog: The NoteBook Blogairy, page 19

Schar’s Pizza Link to Greatness

I was starving for something tasty for dinner on Monday.  Had no clue what I wanted to eat and was rather listless about the whole thing.  I picked up food I couldn’t eat for the family and stared into the cupboards for something, an idea, a recipe, to pop into my little mind.

Right.  Nothing happened.

I went to the fridge, opened it and stared at the contents.  Nothing pinged.

Went back to the cupboard and my eyes slide over the Schar pizza crusts box.  I noticed that the expiry date was coming up and knew I should use it.  So, yeah I decided on gluten-free pizza.  This should have come earlier as a huge “Eureka!” moment but it didn’t.  I was neck deep in crossroads relating to other areas of my life.  Choosing and preparing food for myself was rather low on the list.

However, as I pulled out the crust the various items I had previously glanced over in the fridge now practically jumped out at me!

pasta sauce (doubling for pizza sauce)
grated parmesan cheese (for richness and add’l flavor)
sliced portabella mushrooms
fresh cilantro
fresh green/red pepper slices
Thin ‘n Trim Wildfire Buffalo Chicken sausage, diced
Monterey Jack Cheese

So this is how I built my Schar gluten free pizza.  As each layer was placed on the lovely round delicious smelling crust I became more and more excited!  When I was done this is what my unbaked pie looked like…

Isn’t it a beaut??  I put it in a hot oven (425 degrees) and baked it until the crust became crispy firm on the edges (approximately 19 minutes).  Then, the pie looked, as follows:

I’m the only gluten free one in my home so why was my pizza finished in less than 40 minutes??  Exactly!  This pizza came out scrumptious!!

So when you get into a what-to-eat? funk try a Schar pizza crust and the toppings I tried above.

Ta-ta for now!

~ NB

 

 

1st Month Round-Up of Fury From Hell Book Release

It’s just about 30 days since the release of my first full-length novel Fury From Hell.  And boy, has it been a blast!  The adrenaline rush is one that I almost cannot describe.  Imagine you’re chosen out of millions of people for an exclusive trip to the moon to see if there’s life there.  And to that a wrenching desire to stay home and be close to your family and friends.  Now, add on top of those emotions the fear of going out into the unknown topped off by the cherry of emotions — total mind-boggling curiosity about what you and the rest of the team will find.  This is in a nutshell how I’ve been feeling ALL month!

Sleep?  Yeah, something that I need to reacquaint myself with.

If you are a regular follower of this blog, you’ll see that we’ve had 8 blog tour stops and a number of really wonderful mentions by good Twitter friends such as:

@MisterSalesman

@HunterSJones101

@elysesalpeter

@Tammysdragonfly

@sharonotai

@MargieMiklas

@LitArtMagazine

@PhilipCatshill

@SiamFestivals

@OldCornerStore

@MelissaBessReed

@KNRwrites

@FleurdeB

There are so many other great new Twitter pals to say hello to such as: @JanetCBrennan, @ErikaFoxxBooks and @LeoRosanna but if I continue this post will just be dedicated to great tweeps!

However, that is precisely the point.  This past month has shown me that my Twitter pals are the wind beneath my book’s proverbial wings.  Without the support of those great folks in Twitterverse my book would not have stayed in the Top 100 of its category for 3 weeks!

I’ve learned that when you are working toward sharing your book with those out there in the big wide world you have to have many approaches.  It cannot just be online.  I also visited the Brooklyn Book Festival and began checking out my FaceBook pages and Google+ friends.  Book promotion is an all-encompassing activity!  LOL.  However, the outreach yielded two 5-star reviews on Amazon US and lots of positive tweets about Fury From Hell.  Can you believe my book also found its way onto a few lists on GoodReads?

Oh, in case you’ve never seen anything about my book Fury From Hell it is a paranormal cop thriller.  The long and short of it is we have a Detective, Jennifer Holden, who is a homicide cop with a checkered past.  She does her job with just enough effort to stay on the force because she needs her gun and her badge — the only thing this atheist cop believes in.  Holden’s first solo murder case forces her to engage fully in her job.  Holden is thrust into the thick of things and has to lead this investigation.

But there’s a problem…she unwittingly becomes possessed by a 700+ year old demon whose goal is to avenge the wrongful death of Holden’s victim.  Initially, the demon’s goal and Holden’s goal are the same.  But, the demon needs to feed on human flesh in order to stay on the Earth plane.  How is a Holden supposed to hide murders that she committed when she doesn’t even know she committed them?  This action-packed thriller will keep you going!

You don’t have to listen to me here’s some feedback from readers…

From the opening scene, it lived up to its title The Fury From Hell. I was captivated how the author had two seemingly different scenes going on simultaneously and then blended them into one scary Halloween night. – M. Le’Mont

Every twist and turn had me sitting on the edge of my seat! – Melissa Bess Reed

The jury’s still out on if I’ll do a booktrailer and an official blog tour blitz but I’ve learned a lot.  The most important thing I’ve gleaned is that you have to pay attention to what is germane to your book and its audience.  As in life, if you are true to yourself people will take notice and pay attention to your message.  Oh, how could I forget a major factor in a book’s success?  The cover!  The overwhelming feedback that I have received loud and clear is how much people love the cover of my book.  And who do I have to thank for that?  The great folks at Book Beaver in the UK!  Thanks Nik!

I would love to hear how your book marketing went, or is going!

Until the next time,

Ta-ta for now!

NB

 

Writerly Fun With Pinterest

The NoteBook Blogairy:

Diana’s post about how to use Pinterest in a writerly fashion is so much FUN! This post makes me want to run over there and create a niche board like — now! :-)

Without further ado, enjoy this great post by Diana Scott.

Ta-ta for now,

NB

Originally posted on Diana Scott:

Pin it!

As far as social media goes Pinterest is one of those places I like to hang out from time to time, and if you’re a visual writer like me, you’ll love it.

Think of Pinterest as a cork board that you can fill with images about your novel, book covers, characters and writerly motivation.

Even if you’re not really that visual you can still be inspired by what you’ll find on there. Now I know that Pinterest can be a time-killer but the key is to have a solid plan for the time you allocate to spend browsing.

5 Ways to Use Pinterest

Plan your novel – Create niche boards for specific writing projects, characters, settings, images of events, and descriptions.
Simulates imagination and creativity – Find ideas for characters and beautiful locations. What type of clothing would your characters wear? What does the room decor look like?…

View original 154 more words

Book Thoughts: September Ends (S. Hunter Jones)

This highly unusual non-traditional story spans several genres — romance, erotica, dramatic fiction, spirituality, contemporary women’s fiction, poetry, art and photographic literature — September Ends has it all.

When I read the initial pages, I was a t a loss.  Where could this story be headed?    We are introduced to Elizabeth “Liz” Snow as a teenager who was in a near-death car accident caused by a drunk driver.  In the accident her beloved brother, Charles, lost his life. We then meet the Cherokee, a seemingly mystical being that escorts Charles to the hereafter.  However, as you continue to read, the jarringly sad opening is the foundation for the remainder of the book.

To give you even a bird’s eye summary of the story would reveal too much and detract from the lovely surprises within these pages.  Suffice it to say, this is a modernized equivalent to a Victorian romance with all of the complexity and poetical language!  I will say be prepared for raunchy poetry that will leave a smile on your face.

4 1/2 Blogairy Notebooks

Book Thoughts: Promise You Won’t Tell? (John Locke)

This is going to be the shortest review I’ve ever penned…

Promise You Won’t Tell? is an exhilarating fun fast read with great believable dialog.  It is the perfect quick read to help you unwind from a hard day’s work.  And, the awesome over-the-top characters so help to make you laugh.

This book was published in 2012 can you believe it is still number 1 in its Amazon category??

4 Blogairy Notebooks

NYC Gluten Free Party – Loads of Fun!

As seems to be my practice, here is my report about the Gluten Free Party I went to last weekend — Saturday, September 20th.  It was a great event that introduced me to even more people, Celiac awareness and gluten free recipes!

To start at the beginning, we arrived at the Affinia Hotel on 7th Avenue in New York City and found a large ballroom filled with gluten free vendors including Erin Smith, a Celiac awareness spokesperson and champion (click here to read my previous post featuring Erin), Michelle from WhippedPastry Boutique, and Kyra Bussanich of Cupcake War fame.  Kyra was the first and only gluten free cupcake winner on this Food Network show.

Kyra was kind enough to take some time and speak with me about being gluten free and shared her Celiac journey.  She was diagnosed at 27 but prior to her diagnosis the straw that broke the camel’s back was when she was advised to remove her intestines to alleviate her pain, discomfort and illness.  Wisely, Kyra thought to try a less invasive method — food elimination — and discovered her gluten intolerance which lead to her diagnosis.  Today, she’s healthy and successfully running her gluten free bakery.  Oh, and a snagged a copy of her cookbook Sweet Cravings!  The cupcakes look sooo good!

L to R: Me, Kyra Bussanich, Arianna, Madison

I also saw GW Garcia Chips at this GF Party and the rep shared with me a great Columbian/Venezulian food to make called AREPA which is easy to make.  Here’s a great Arepa recipe from Pica Pica Arepa Kitchen featured on Guy Fieri’s Triple D.  The GW Garcia rep also told me about a restaurant that sells arepas called Caracas; there’s one in Williamsburg (Brooklyn) and one on the Lower Eastside in the City.

Of course, Schar was on site and had an awesome table for targeted for children at the event.  They had tables set up for coloring t-shirt giveaways and gluten free cookie decorations and tons of gluten free honey graham crackers for the taking.  This is where Arianna (my daughter) met Madison, a very cute 4 1/2 year old.  They played together for practically the whole time we were at the GF Party!

There was also a table for labeling your gluten free utensils, pans, and take-out containers.  If your household is only gluten free the labeling is not as critical.  However, if you are in a mixed household — like I am — labeling your pans, utensils and plastic containers as gluten free is a stupendous idea.  I picked up the round silicon tags that I will be placing on the brand new pans I’m going to purchase!  The tags are dishwasher safe too!  The company is called Gluten Free Labels: Label it.  Tag it.  Flag it.  The company is owned by Kelly LeDonni who was diagnosed with Celiac in 2008.

I have to give a major shout-out to Michelle of Whipped Pastry Boutique in Brooklyn, NY.  Michelle’s desserts and breads were moist, delicious, melt in your mouth good!!!  The chocolate s’mores were unbelievably soft and decadent.  I could not believe her baked goods were gluten free and, in many cases, dairy free.  She is even going to have a line of cake mixes for the retail market soon so be on the watch out for them!  If you need a customized cake for a birthday, or other occasion just give them a call and she will work with you on design and ship it out to you so your baked goods arrive fresh and tasty!  (Yeah, she ships!!!)  Here’s Michelle with my daughter — oh, and see the chocolate s’mores below their picture.  Again, the s’mores are to die for!

Fury From Hell Blog Tour Stop #8: K.C. Sprayberry – Out of Control Characters

Hiya!

We close out the official launch season for Fury From Hell with K.C. Sprayberry’s great press release-style article posted on Friday, 9/26 about this paranormal thriller.  (But we will always let you know about other great FFH posts around the ‘web!)

Please click here to read K.C.’s awesome Out of Control Characters article!

 

Fury From Hell

 

K.C. is a YA author with a brand new book out called, The Call Chronicles I: The Griswold Gang which debuted on September 2nd, 2014.

Please take a moment and check out both of our new releases — you’ll be glad you did!

 

 

Ta-ta for now,

NB

Book Thoughts: Iniko by Alicia L. McCalla

Ms. McCalla’s Iniko, a novella, intrigued me with its promise of a tragic love story set in West Africa and featured West African deities.  Diverse stories always intrigue me.  Octavia E. Butler’s ground-breaking Patternist series and the Xenogenesis trilogy are sci-fi alternate history/reality stories featuring characters of African descent.  I guess, I was expecting something along those lines when I picked up Iniko.

While the story’s main character, Iniko, is a complex character that is full of potential for a full ripe story to emerge from and through I did not get the sense of connection I expected and wanted.  I found the story to be exposition-heavy (telling) and rather light on the dialog.  It took me a while to read this short book only because I wanted to love it and I do love the story, the plot and the potential conflict in the interaction of the characters.

The basic plot is that Iniko is the daughter of two deities but it is unknown to her.  Her powers were hidden from her and she thought she was ‘normal’.  She finds a man she loves and they marry but Iniko’s father-in-law ruins it all and turns Iniko’s husband against her.

All the while, in the background, there are two distinct forces vying for domination of the universe.  Iniko’s true mother, the goddess Mawu and the other opposite evil force is Guhruhi.  The evil force has taken over Iniko’s husband and has pitted husband and wife against one another with their child, Zawadi (which means gift in Swahili) in between the very estranged couple as the helpless pawn.

This is a strong plot line with lots of room for development, excitement, action and suspense.  I am seriously looking forward to reading Book 1 of the Soul Eaters series to see how Ms. McCalla develops the story, the characters and how she will more deeply incorporate the African pantheon of deities that are intertwined in the plot and the final outcome of this story.

4 Blogiary Notebooks

Book Thoughts: Book of Life (Deborah Harkness)

 

 

There’s not much else I can say about this third book of Deborah Harness’ All Souls Trilogy, Book of Life which has not been said in previous reviews already.

The writing is superb.  The characters are well-developed and complex.  The plot?  Highly original and intriguing.  The male POV character, Matthew Roydon, dreamy romantic, loyal and dangerously fierce — as any leading male should be.  That happy ending we all look for is sort of there (with lots of drama that escalates drastically towards the end).  I mean, this story has it all!  Love, sex (light!), drama, mystery, suspense, paranormal activity (the Bishop House is even more unruly) and lots of surprises — some good, others not so much.

If you are a fan of this series you will be engaged from page 1 all the way through to the end.

5 Blogairy Notebooks

 

Fury From Hell: Blog Tour Stop #7 Belinda Y. Hughes, The Writing Life Broken Down

Another one of my new blogger friends is Belinda Y. Hughes.  She is the author of Confessions of a Red Hot Veggie Lover: Lacto Ovo Vegetarian Recipes available on Amazon.

Belinda was generous enough to host me and my book Fury From Hell on her blog and nudged me into talking about my writing process.  Please find Belinda’s great interview here.

 

And, you can read about Belinda’s upcoming fiction book here in a very unusual way; we interviewed Belinda’s main character!