Cardeno C.'s Blog, page 94
April 27, 2015
I Tried it at Home - 3 Ingredient Ice Cream by Cardeno C.
Happy Monday! Today I share the results of my latest I Tried it at Home effort. This is where I follow the suggestions in a video and see if they work in real life. Today's video came from Jayden Brooks and it's coffee ice cream made with no machine and three ingredients: cream, sweetened condensed milk, and coffee.
Now, coffee is awesome because coffee but if I want coffee ice cream, I can get it at the store. What was more intriguing to me was making an ice cream I can't buy. I love tea, especially earl grey, and when I'm drinking earl grey, I often add milk to it so ... You see where I'm going, right? Earl grey flavor, milky flavor ... Earl grey ice cream!
Here's how this played out.
1. The first step was steeping the tea. In the video, instant coffee is made with a tiny bit of water so it's super strong. I can't really do that with tea because it doesn't disintegrate in the same way so I thought I'd do five teabags (usually enough for a huge pitcher) in a small jar and then use the tea I squeeze from the bags themselves because it's the most concentrated.
1.1 Tea
1.2 Jar
1.3 Tea in Jar
1.4 Water in Jar with Tea
2. The second step was gathering the other two ingredients. As you can see if you watched the video, it's metric. I did the conversions but the amount of cream he used was a tad more than the small cream container at the store. I decided I'd just use the one container because the difference isn't much.
3. Once the tea had steeped, I had my three ingredients ready: tea, cream, sweetened condensed milk
4. I put the cream and half a can of the milk into a bowl and then I squeezed out the five teabags into it.
5. I mixed that together and took a little taste - no discernible earl grey flavor. So, I slowly added more of the tea, eventually emptying the whole jar. It finally tasted like early grey. This is what it looked like post mixing.
6. I had leftover containers from store-bought ice cream so I poured the mixture into them.
7. I put the ice cream in the freezer for several hours, took it out, and this is what I had. It's hard to tell from the picture, but this is seriously hard ice cream. I left it on the counter for a good twenty minutes before I could scoop it.
8. Once scooped, it looked ice creamy. I was hopeful. I took a bite and was a little confused by the texture. On the one hand, it was creamy. But it was also sort of slushy in a way ice cream isn't. I think maybe this was due to the large amount of tea and maybe it wouldn't happen if you followed the video and did coffee. There was also an odd sort of after taste/texture to this, which I attribute to the condensed milk.
9. With all that said, it was still pretty darn yummy. You can see my after picture below - all gone! I would suggest trying this for yourself and seeing what you think. You can definitely change out the flavor, but if you go with something more watery like I did, prepare for a slush factor. I'm saying the slush means it's low fat to make myself feel better.
If you try this at home, let me know how it works for you. And please send over any other videos of ideas you want me to try. Have a super week.
CC
www.cardenoc.com
Now, coffee is awesome because coffee but if I want coffee ice cream, I can get it at the store. What was more intriguing to me was making an ice cream I can't buy. I love tea, especially earl grey, and when I'm drinking earl grey, I often add milk to it so ... You see where I'm going, right? Earl grey flavor, milky flavor ... Earl grey ice cream!
Here's how this played out.
1. The first step was steeping the tea. In the video, instant coffee is made with a tiny bit of water so it's super strong. I can't really do that with tea because it doesn't disintegrate in the same way so I thought I'd do five teabags (usually enough for a huge pitcher) in a small jar and then use the tea I squeeze from the bags themselves because it's the most concentrated.
1.1 Tea
1.2 Jar
1.3 Tea in Jar
1.4 Water in Jar with Tea
2. The second step was gathering the other two ingredients. As you can see if you watched the video, it's metric. I did the conversions but the amount of cream he used was a tad more than the small cream container at the store. I decided I'd just use the one container because the difference isn't much.
3. Once the tea had steeped, I had my three ingredients ready: tea, cream, sweetened condensed milk 
4. I put the cream and half a can of the milk into a bowl and then I squeezed out the five teabags into it.
5. I mixed that together and took a little taste - no discernible earl grey flavor. So, I slowly added more of the tea, eventually emptying the whole jar. It finally tasted like early grey. This is what it looked like post mixing. 
6. I had leftover containers from store-bought ice cream so I poured the mixture into them.
7. I put the ice cream in the freezer for several hours, took it out, and this is what I had. It's hard to tell from the picture, but this is seriously hard ice cream. I left it on the counter for a good twenty minutes before I could scoop it. 
8. Once scooped, it looked ice creamy. I was hopeful. I took a bite and was a little confused by the texture. On the one hand, it was creamy. But it was also sort of slushy in a way ice cream isn't. I think maybe this was due to the large amount of tea and maybe it wouldn't happen if you followed the video and did coffee. There was also an odd sort of after taste/texture to this, which I attribute to the condensed milk.
9. With all that said, it was still pretty darn yummy. You can see my after picture below - all gone! I would suggest trying this for yourself and seeing what you think. You can definitely change out the flavor, but if you go with something more watery like I did, prepare for a slush factor. I'm saying the slush means it's low fat to make myself feel better.
If you try this at home, let me know how it works for you. And please send over any other videos of ideas you want me to try. Have a super week.
CC
www.cardenoc.com
April 25, 2015
ANZAC Day
Today in Australia is ANZAC Day. For those who are not familiar with the term, ANZAC stands for Australian & New Zealand Army Corps. It was the name taken by the Australian (and NZ) soldiers when they signed up for WWI.
So today is one of remembrance and thankfulness. It is a day of mourning those who we lost, but celebrating the bravery of those who fought. It is a day where, as a collective nation, we apologise for the wars in the past, and try to remember we never want to do that again.
ANZAC Day – the 25th of April – was chosen as it is the day the ANZACs landed at Gallipoli and suffered terrible losses. Although the name and the date come from WWI, it is a day we remember all people who fought in wars. And those who’ve helped in peacekeeping efforts.
Why am I writing about ANZAC day on Café Risque – I don’t know. It just seems that it is appropriate. No matter who you are, if you’re an Australian, you need to mark the day in some special way. Many Australians will be attending dawn services across the nation. Many participating or watching marches. No matter if we are young, old, educated, uneducated, Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, working, unemployed, male, female or both, I believe that we should all stop and remember the people who died. As a sign of respect to the human race.
The threat of terror has been heightened in our country for this day, after several ISIS terror plots have been uncovered over the past week. It makes me angry. No matter what religion you are, you should respect the past and history. To me, respect is a two-way street. How can you call for people to respect you, if you respect no one?
Now, before I get into a huge religious essay, and type 10,000 words that no one needs to read, I will leave you with a lovely recipe. During WWI, people in Australia cooked food for the soldiers and packaged it up for them. It needed to survive the long trip from Australia to Turkey. Two of the most famous recipes to come out of this – Bully Beef and Anzac Biscuits.
Bully Beef was tin corned beef – and reportedly terrible. Anzac Biscuits were baked until they were hard and so wouldn’t go mouldy. We’ve perfected the Anzac Biscuit recipe since then, and I will share it with you. (This is the recipe I use – other sites use the same ingredients, but in different measures. This recipe is the one that works for me, so I’ve put it in here.)
You need:½ cup of sugar
1 cup flaked oatmeal (I use quick cook oats)
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup plain flour
125g melted butter
1 teaspoon bi-carb soda
1 tablespoon golden syrup (if you don’t know what this is, use light treacle or honey if you’re desperate)
2 tablespoons boiling water
Method:Heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius (360F) and line a tray with baking paper. Combine all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Melt the butter while you boil the kettle. I then grab a coffee mug, place the soda and syrup in, add the boiling water, and stir like crazy. Add the melted butter to the dry ingredients, and then the soda/syrup/water mixture, and stir the whole thing until all the ingredients are wet.
The biscuits will spread a lot in the oven (they don’t puff up much), so place small amounts on the tray, leaving a lot of gap, and bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool and harden on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
The biscuits should be chewy, not hard. Enjoy!
So today is one of remembrance and thankfulness. It is a day of mourning those who we lost, but celebrating the bravery of those who fought. It is a day where, as a collective nation, we apologise for the wars in the past, and try to remember we never want to do that again.
ANZAC Day – the 25th of April – was chosen as it is the day the ANZACs landed at Gallipoli and suffered terrible losses. Although the name and the date come from WWI, it is a day we remember all people who fought in wars. And those who’ve helped in peacekeeping efforts.Why am I writing about ANZAC day on Café Risque – I don’t know. It just seems that it is appropriate. No matter who you are, if you’re an Australian, you need to mark the day in some special way. Many Australians will be attending dawn services across the nation. Many participating or watching marches. No matter if we are young, old, educated, uneducated, Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, working, unemployed, male, female or both, I believe that we should all stop and remember the people who died. As a sign of respect to the human race.
The threat of terror has been heightened in our country for this day, after several ISIS terror plots have been uncovered over the past week. It makes me angry. No matter what religion you are, you should respect the past and history. To me, respect is a two-way street. How can you call for people to respect you, if you respect no one?
Now, before I get into a huge religious essay, and type 10,000 words that no one needs to read, I will leave you with a lovely recipe. During WWI, people in Australia cooked food for the soldiers and packaged it up for them. It needed to survive the long trip from Australia to Turkey. Two of the most famous recipes to come out of this – Bully Beef and Anzac Biscuits.
Bully Beef was tin corned beef – and reportedly terrible. Anzac Biscuits were baked until they were hard and so wouldn’t go mouldy. We’ve perfected the Anzac Biscuit recipe since then, and I will share it with you. (This is the recipe I use – other sites use the same ingredients, but in different measures. This recipe is the one that works for me, so I’ve put it in here.)
You need:½ cup of sugar1 cup flaked oatmeal (I use quick cook oats)
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup plain flour
125g melted butter
1 teaspoon bi-carb soda
1 tablespoon golden syrup (if you don’t know what this is, use light treacle or honey if you’re desperate)
2 tablespoons boiling water
Method:Heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius (360F) and line a tray with baking paper. Combine all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Melt the butter while you boil the kettle. I then grab a coffee mug, place the soda and syrup in, add the boiling water, and stir like crazy. Add the melted butter to the dry ingredients, and then the soda/syrup/water mixture, and stir the whole thing until all the ingredients are wet.
The biscuits will spread a lot in the oven (they don’t puff up much), so place small amounts on the tray, leaving a lot of gap, and bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool and harden on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
The biscuits should be chewy, not hard. Enjoy!
April 22, 2015
Ask Andrew - The Elephant in the Room - Reviews
Dear Andrew
I read a lot of books, and try to give honest reviews. Sometimes I'm really disappointed in a book and then I just don't review it at all. How do authors - and I know not all would react the same - want readers to handle comments when the negative feeling about a book outweighs the positive? Do you want to hear things like how I feel that the story doesn't really flow, or that the characters felt flat and maybe even the typos were distracting? I don't want to say anything in a mean way - and the worst writer still has more writing ability than I'll ever have - but is it helpful to say anything critical when the book is already done and it's too late to make changes? Is it better to leave a lukewarm review than no review at all?
Susan
Dear Susan
I feel a little like I'm answering this question on behalf of all my author friends, so I want to give a really good answer. I've thought about this question a number of times during my career and to answer your questions honestly - it depends. Okay, let me explain. First thing I'd like to say is that not every book is for everyone, so there will be people who love a work and those who don't care for it. If you love a book, please tell others. If a story isn't to your taste, but it was still well written and professionally produced, then, as a reader as well, I generally set the book aside and go on to another. No harm, no foul.
However if a book is bad, poor characterization, poor editing with lots of typos, a story line that's convoluted and uninteresting, then in my opinion, as an author, I would much rather get a personal email than anything else. In this case, if you have real solid opinions about what's wrong with the book, opening a direct dialog with the author is the easiest way to get your point across and it may generate a discussion that will help the author improve their work. As a reader you will also get the chance to have input into the creative process.
Good reviews help the author sell the book. Sometimes a bad review will have the same effect. However I would like to stress that good or bad, once something is out on the internet, its hard to take it back. It can sometimes take on a life of its own and have consequences beyond what you intended. I know I went on a little, but in summary, I love good reviews and sometimes bad ones are like a stab in the heart. I have one other word of advice. I think Disney said it best in Bambi -- if you can't say something good, don't say nothing at all-- At least in public. There have been books I haven't enjoyed and books I've loved. The ones I've loved I've told others about, the others I simply kept quiet and moved on.
Susan - I really hope I answered your question. There will be many opinions by many people and this is mine.
Ask Andrew is your chance to ask questions of a gay romance author. The questions can be about the writing process in general, writing sex scenes, gay men, sex, characters in romance, characters having sex... okay you probably get the picture. I promise to answer your questions as frankly and with as much humor as I possibly can.
So if you have a question, please send it to andrewgreybooks@comcast.net. This is different from my usual email so your questions don't get lost. I will answer one question a week.
Please remember this is meant to be all in fun. (I was going to say good, clean fun, but who wants that.) So send me your questions and let's see what mischief we can get into.
Visit Andrew on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrewgreybooks and you can join Andrew's fan group All The Way With Andrew Grey.
Follow him on Twitter: @andrewgreybooks
Visit Andrew's web site: www,andrewgreybooks.com
I read a lot of books, and try to give honest reviews. Sometimes I'm really disappointed in a book and then I just don't review it at all. How do authors - and I know not all would react the same - want readers to handle comments when the negative feeling about a book outweighs the positive? Do you want to hear things like how I feel that the story doesn't really flow, or that the characters felt flat and maybe even the typos were distracting? I don't want to say anything in a mean way - and the worst writer still has more writing ability than I'll ever have - but is it helpful to say anything critical when the book is already done and it's too late to make changes? Is it better to leave a lukewarm review than no review at all?
Susan
Dear Susan
I feel a little like I'm answering this question on behalf of all my author friends, so I want to give a really good answer. I've thought about this question a number of times during my career and to answer your questions honestly - it depends. Okay, let me explain. First thing I'd like to say is that not every book is for everyone, so there will be people who love a work and those who don't care for it. If you love a book, please tell others. If a story isn't to your taste, but it was still well written and professionally produced, then, as a reader as well, I generally set the book aside and go on to another. No harm, no foul.
However if a book is bad, poor characterization, poor editing with lots of typos, a story line that's convoluted and uninteresting, then in my opinion, as an author, I would much rather get a personal email than anything else. In this case, if you have real solid opinions about what's wrong with the book, opening a direct dialog with the author is the easiest way to get your point across and it may generate a discussion that will help the author improve their work. As a reader you will also get the chance to have input into the creative process.
Good reviews help the author sell the book. Sometimes a bad review will have the same effect. However I would like to stress that good or bad, once something is out on the internet, its hard to take it back. It can sometimes take on a life of its own and have consequences beyond what you intended. I know I went on a little, but in summary, I love good reviews and sometimes bad ones are like a stab in the heart. I have one other word of advice. I think Disney said it best in Bambi -- if you can't say something good, don't say nothing at all-- At least in public. There have been books I haven't enjoyed and books I've loved. The ones I've loved I've told others about, the others I simply kept quiet and moved on.
Susan - I really hope I answered your question. There will be many opinions by many people and this is mine.
Ask Andrew is your chance to ask questions of a gay romance author. The questions can be about the writing process in general, writing sex scenes, gay men, sex, characters in romance, characters having sex... okay you probably get the picture. I promise to answer your questions as frankly and with as much humor as I possibly can.So if you have a question, please send it to andrewgreybooks@comcast.net. This is different from my usual email so your questions don't get lost. I will answer one question a week.
Please remember this is meant to be all in fun. (I was going to say good, clean fun, but who wants that.) So send me your questions and let's see what mischief we can get into.
Visit Andrew on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrewgreybooks and you can join Andrew's fan group All The Way With Andrew Grey.
Follow him on Twitter: @andrewgreybooks
Visit Andrew's web site: www,andrewgreybooks.com
April 21, 2015
in which we do naughty things to that old rhyme Monday's child is...
<sean> good evening
<julia> hey there
<julia> how goes?
<sean> it goes
<sean> you guys?
<julia> LOL
<julia> Is it Monday?
<sean> yeah, somehow
<BA> All damn day
<julia> It must be Monday if Sean is so blah
<BA> heeee
<julia> reminds me of that old rhyme
<julia> Monday's child is fair of face
<julia> I wonder if we could re-write that with sex acts...
<sean> heeee
<BA> I'm a Saturday child
<sean> I'm sure we could
<BA> Monday's fuck is slow and tired
<sean> Tuesday's fuck is two for one
<julia> it has to rhyme sean
<julia> ;)
<sean> oh well, then i'm fucked
<sean> ;)
<BA> So, Monday's fuck is slow and fun
<julia> heee
<BA> Tuesday's fuck is two for one
<julia> Wednesday gives a hump for all
<BA> Thursday's fuck is muscly and tall
<julia> Friday ends the week with a bang
<sean> Saturday's fuck is hugely hang
<sean> ;)
<BA> BWAH!
<BA> And the fuck that comes on the Sabbath day
<BA> Is hot and sweaty, kinky and gay.
<sean> wooo
<BA> Ta. Da.
<julia> Oh, I like it
<julia> poetry
<julia> we're so talented
<sean> heeeee
<BA> we're deeply fucked up
<julia> Sean is just hangry
<BA> Heeee!
<julia> it is Monday after all
<sean> cackles
<julia> God knows I'm just glad to not be at the hospital
<BA> you and me both
<julia> stares at BA
<BA> fuck off
<sean> lol
<sean> no more hospitals
<julia> nope
<julia> no mas
<BA> I sure hope not
<BA> that was less than fun
<sean> yeah
<julia> and everyone kept asking me and BA if we were going to adopt
<BA> I KNOW!
<julia> dude, we're old
<sean> cackles
<sean> at the hospital?
<julia> we have basset hounds
<julia> nods
<sean> LOL
<julia> as soon as we said we were married
<BA> nods
<BA> everyone
<julia> they all asked
<sean> that is awesome
<BA> they conversation went like this:
<BA> "You're too young to be here."
<BA> Yes, I am
<BA> "Who is this? A friend?"
<BA> My wife.
<BA> "Oh, how cute. Are you going to adopt?"
<sean> cackles
<BA> Uh... No. We have dogs.
<julia> Two
<BA> 130 pounds of dogs
<julia> that's like having 4 two year olds
<BA> Oh!
<BA> So, last night
<BA> Sadie the dipshit
<BA> is outside freaking out
<julia> oh God
<julia> like a maniac
<julia> barking
<BA> like serious losing her shit
<julia> whining
<julia> pawing at the back gate
<BA> we look -- nothing
<BA> no cat
<BA> no coyote
<BA> no axe weilding maniac
<BA> no alien
<BA> zip
<BA> we go to bed
<sean> oh an alien would have been fun
<BA> Sonny gets up twice
<julia> heee
<BA> Sadie gets up again
<julia> Sadie gets up at 4
<julia> won't let me sleep
<BA> We're reconsidering the don't kill the dogs plan
<sean> heeeee
<BA> the sun comes up
<BA> J goes outside
<BA> and I hear hysterical cackling
<BA> there's a HUGE tumbleweed
<julia> stuck in the gate
<BA> which has tumbled, as tumbleweeds are wont to do
<sean> lol
<BA> THE BASSET EATING TUMBLEWEED
<BA> NEXT TO THEIR YARD
<julia> AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHh
<julia> must
<julia> defend
<julia> moms
<BA> nods
<BA> or at least go outside and bark at the motherfucking thing in the middle of the night
<sean> heeeee
<BA> until violence is threatened
<BA> those tumbleweeds are intense, man
<BA> ;-)
<sean> heee
<BA> okay
<BA> it is time for me to invent food
<BA> involving quinoa and arugula
<sean> I had buffalo burgers
<julia> yum
<julia> and yum
<sean> nods
<julia> I will cheer on from the sidelines
<sean> and roasted caulliflower
<sean> which I have just discovered is made of awesome
<BA> yes!
<BA> it's nummy
<BA> I love it
* BA smooches
<BA> off to invent all the food
<BA> love you!
<sean> night hon
<julia> night
If you have a topic you’d like us to chat about (or any other favorite things you'd like us to share), please let us know. We’re totally up for that.
You can find us on Twitter at @seanmichael09, @juliatalbot and @batortuga.
Sean’s website is http://www.seanmichaelwrites.com
Julia’s is http://www.juliatalbot.com
BA’s is http://www.batortuga.com
Facebook:
Sean -- https://www.facebook.com/SeanMichaelWrites
Julia -- https://www.facebook.com/juliatalbotauthor
BA -- https://www.facebook.com/batortuga
Sean
smut fixes everything
<julia> hey there
<julia> how goes?
<sean> it goes
<sean> you guys?
<julia> LOL
<julia> Is it Monday?
<sean> yeah, somehow
<BA> All damn day
<julia> It must be Monday if Sean is so blah
<BA> heeee
<julia> reminds me of that old rhyme
<julia> Monday's child is fair of face
<julia> I wonder if we could re-write that with sex acts...
<sean> heeee
<BA> I'm a Saturday child
<sean> I'm sure we could
<BA> Monday's fuck is slow and tired
<sean> Tuesday's fuck is two for one
<julia> it has to rhyme sean
<julia> ;)
<sean> oh well, then i'm fucked
<sean> ;)
<BA> So, Monday's fuck is slow and fun
<julia> heee
<BA> Tuesday's fuck is two for one
<julia> Wednesday gives a hump for all
<BA> Thursday's fuck is muscly and tall
<julia> Friday ends the week with a bang
<sean> Saturday's fuck is hugely hang
<sean> ;)
<BA> BWAH!
<BA> And the fuck that comes on the Sabbath day
<BA> Is hot and sweaty, kinky and gay.
<sean> wooo
<BA> Ta. Da.
<julia> Oh, I like it
<julia> poetry
<julia> we're so talented
<sean> heeeee
<BA> we're deeply fucked up
<julia> Sean is just hangry
<BA> Heeee!
<julia> it is Monday after all
<sean> cackles
<julia> God knows I'm just glad to not be at the hospital
<BA> you and me both
<julia> stares at BA
<BA> fuck off
<sean> lol
<sean> no more hospitals
<julia> nope
<julia> no mas
<BA> I sure hope not
<BA> that was less than fun
<sean> yeah
<julia> and everyone kept asking me and BA if we were going to adopt
<BA> I KNOW!
<julia> dude, we're old
<sean> cackles
<sean> at the hospital?
<julia> we have basset hounds
<julia> nods
<sean> LOL
<julia> as soon as we said we were married
<BA> nods
<BA> everyone
<julia> they all asked
<sean> that is awesome
<BA> they conversation went like this:
<BA> "You're too young to be here."
<BA> Yes, I am
<BA> "Who is this? A friend?"
<BA> My wife.
<BA> "Oh, how cute. Are you going to adopt?"
<sean> cackles
<BA> Uh... No. We have dogs.
<julia> Two
<BA> 130 pounds of dogs
<julia> that's like having 4 two year olds
<BA> Oh!
<BA> So, last night
<BA> Sadie the dipshit
<BA> is outside freaking out
<julia> oh God
<julia> like a maniac
<julia> barking
<BA> like serious losing her shit
<julia> whining
<julia> pawing at the back gate
<BA> we look -- nothing
<BA> no cat
<BA> no coyote
<BA> no axe weilding maniac
<BA> no alien
<BA> zip
<BA> we go to bed
<sean> oh an alien would have been fun
<BA> Sonny gets up twice
<julia> heee
<BA> Sadie gets up again
<julia> Sadie gets up at 4
<julia> won't let me sleep
<BA> We're reconsidering the don't kill the dogs plan
<sean> heeeee
<BA> the sun comes up
<BA> J goes outside
<BA> and I hear hysterical cackling
<BA> there's a HUGE tumbleweed
<julia> stuck in the gate
<BA> which has tumbled, as tumbleweeds are wont to do
<sean> lol
<BA> THE BASSET EATING TUMBLEWEED
<BA> NEXT TO THEIR YARD
<julia> AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHh
<julia> must
<julia> defend
<julia> moms
<BA> nods
<BA> or at least go outside and bark at the motherfucking thing in the middle of the night
<sean> heeeee
<BA> until violence is threatened
<BA> those tumbleweeds are intense, man
<BA> ;-)
<sean> heee
<BA> okay
<BA> it is time for me to invent food
<BA> involving quinoa and arugula
<sean> I had buffalo burgers
<julia> yum
<julia> and yum
<sean> nods
<julia> I will cheer on from the sidelines
<sean> and roasted caulliflower
<sean> which I have just discovered is made of awesome
<BA> yes!
<BA> it's nummy
<BA> I love it
* BA smooches
<BA> off to invent all the food
<BA> love you!
<sean> night hon
<julia> night
If you have a topic you’d like us to chat about (or any other favorite things you'd like us to share), please let us know. We’re totally up for that.
You can find us on Twitter at @seanmichael09, @juliatalbot and @batortuga.
Sean’s website is http://www.seanmichaelwrites.com
Julia’s is http://www.juliatalbot.com
BA’s is http://www.batortuga.com
Facebook:
Sean -- https://www.facebook.com/SeanMichaelWrites
Julia -- https://www.facebook.com/juliatalbotauthor
BA -- https://www.facebook.com/batortuga
Sean
smut fixes everything
April 18, 2015
Happy one year anniversary Loving Jay!
Yes – that is correct. One whole year! And WOW – what a year it has been for Liam and Jay. Can you believe that people started opening their books/kindles/computers/iPads and started reading, just 365 days ago?
I was going to miss my train…
And that’s how it all started for me. I can’t believe it’s just been a year. The amount of personal growth I have had to go through, the good reviews and the bad, the accolades and the awards…
Wow. Are you sure it’s just been 365 days?
Oh, my Gawd!
I feel like I’ve been doing this for years.
Since then I have been touched to the core by the kindness extended to me from readers, reviewers, other authors and publishing staff.
I started out on this crazy pathway in January 2013. I had this dream-in-the-sky idea about maybe, if I worked hard enough, I would be able to one day write a book. My idea was to practice and learn about creative writing, and that I would give it two years. I wanted to have a manuscript within two years on my computer that was at the point where people would probably pay money to read it.
Some twenty-seven months later, I’m sitting here with twenty-one started stories in my draft folder, and at least twelve scribbled down in my little notepad. But what makes me the proudest, is that I can look up from my computer and see my books. They’re sitting up there on a shelf, and just below them are the framed covers of my books. And yes – snuggled between The Blinding Light and The Shearing Gun is Loving Jay.
So thank you everyone who has played a small part on my fantastic journey in the last 12 months. I could never top it (not unless Hugh Jackman knocks on my door demanding the rights to the movie based on my book), so I will have to dream less for the next 12 months. How to contact Renae:Email: renaekaye@iinet.net.auWebsite: www.renaekaye.weebly.comFB: www.facebook.com/renae.kaye.9Twitter: @renaekkaye Instagram: renaekayeauthor
April 15, 2015
Ask Andrew - Back to a Favorite Topic
Dear Andrew
My name is Stacey, I'm a huge fan of your writing. I am working on becoming a sex educator and I love learning every aspect I can. But my question is for personal reasons, you've probably already answered this but here goes: After anal sex, is it pretty normal to have cramps and discomfort. It's like my internal organs have to rearrange themselves every time. I'm a lucky girl and my husband is blessed, so he rearranges things vaginally also, but we've tried many positions anally and I love it, just didn't know if the bodies reactions after are normal. Sorry if that's TMI, I'm used to talking bluntly about sex. For some reason there is very little research and facts about anal sex. I used to work in an adult toy shop and I sold many anal plugs, but there wasn't much training on the subject. Stacey Dear Stacey To answer your question I'm going to dive into my personal experience. In the heat of the moment during the height of passion, its everything goes, but afterwards that when we all have to deal with the aftermath. And I can tell you that after anal sex I get some of the same reactions you describe. I think once the daze of passion is gone, the body tries to return to normal and expel what it thinks doesn't belong. Hence the cramps and discomfort. This is, of course, part of the not so nice portion of sex that we as romance novelists gloss over. Also there's something else. In order for Anal sex to be successful, the sphincter must be loosened up and during penetration, stretched. However once sex is over the sphincter needs to return to its normal position and depending on his much stretching has been done, (you lucky girl) that can take some time and produce some interesting sensations. So you asked my opinion and I'm going to say that what you feel seems perfectly normal to me. Over time if anal sex is part of your regular sex life, I suspect that those sensations you describe will lessen, but they may never go away. Great question Stacey and I hope my answer helped you.
Ask Andrew is your chance to ask questions of a gay romance author. The questions can be about the writing process in general, writing sex scenes, gay men, sex, characters in romance, characters having sex... okay you probably get the picture. I promise to answer your questions as frankly and with as much humor as I possibly can.
So if you have a question, please send it to andrewgreybooks@comcast.net. This is different from my usual email so your questions don't get lost. I will answer one question a week.
Please remember this is meant to be all in fun. (I was going to say good, clean fun, but who wants that.) So send me your questions and let's see what mischief we can get into.
Visit Andrew on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrewgreybooks and you can join Andrew's fan group All The Way With Andrew Grey.
Follow him on Twitter: @andrewgreybooks
Visit Andrew's web site: www,andrewgreybooks.com
My name is Stacey, I'm a huge fan of your writing. I am working on becoming a sex educator and I love learning every aspect I can. But my question is for personal reasons, you've probably already answered this but here goes: After anal sex, is it pretty normal to have cramps and discomfort. It's like my internal organs have to rearrange themselves every time. I'm a lucky girl and my husband is blessed, so he rearranges things vaginally also, but we've tried many positions anally and I love it, just didn't know if the bodies reactions after are normal. Sorry if that's TMI, I'm used to talking bluntly about sex. For some reason there is very little research and facts about anal sex. I used to work in an adult toy shop and I sold many anal plugs, but there wasn't much training on the subject. Stacey Dear Stacey To answer your question I'm going to dive into my personal experience. In the heat of the moment during the height of passion, its everything goes, but afterwards that when we all have to deal with the aftermath. And I can tell you that after anal sex I get some of the same reactions you describe. I think once the daze of passion is gone, the body tries to return to normal and expel what it thinks doesn't belong. Hence the cramps and discomfort. This is, of course, part of the not so nice portion of sex that we as romance novelists gloss over. Also there's something else. In order for Anal sex to be successful, the sphincter must be loosened up and during penetration, stretched. However once sex is over the sphincter needs to return to its normal position and depending on his much stretching has been done, (you lucky girl) that can take some time and produce some interesting sensations. So you asked my opinion and I'm going to say that what you feel seems perfectly normal to me. Over time if anal sex is part of your regular sex life, I suspect that those sensations you describe will lessen, but they may never go away. Great question Stacey and I hope my answer helped you.
Ask Andrew is your chance to ask questions of a gay romance author. The questions can be about the writing process in general, writing sex scenes, gay men, sex, characters in romance, characters having sex... okay you probably get the picture. I promise to answer your questions as frankly and with as much humor as I possibly can.So if you have a question, please send it to andrewgreybooks@comcast.net. This is different from my usual email so your questions don't get lost. I will answer one question a week.
Please remember this is meant to be all in fun. (I was going to say good, clean fun, but who wants that.) So send me your questions and let's see what mischief we can get into.
Visit Andrew on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrewgreybooks and you can join Andrew's fan group All The Way With Andrew Grey.
Follow him on Twitter: @andrewgreybooks
Visit Andrew's web site: www,andrewgreybooks.com
April 14, 2015
The ABCs of Gay Porn
<julia> Waves madly <BA> The ABC's of gay smut <sean> well, A has to be for Ass <sean> B for Balls <sean> and C for Cock <BA> D is for dick <sean> isn't it interesting how the top three are abc? <sean> E is for Erection <julia> F is for fuck <sean> absofuckinglutely it is <BA> G is for Guiche piercing <julia> H is for Hard on <julia> I is for Ice? <sean> oh that works -- could be fun, too ;) <BA> LOL <BA> J is for Jacking off <sean> K is for Kissing <sean> L is for Licking (or lips) <BA> M is for Masturbation <julia> N is for Naked <sean> N is for Nipple Play <julia> or that <BA> O is for ORGASMS <sean> both work <sean> WOOO <sean> P is for Penis <BA> Q is for Queer <sean> R is for Rimming <julia> S is for Spanking <sean> S is for SEX <BA> T is for Tit play! <BA> (I had s is for smooching -- y'all are pervs) <sean> U is for Urethral Sound <sean> we are BA <julia> lol <sean> absolutely and unequivocally <julia> v is for vagina and vulva and all the girl things <julia> since girls deserve love too <sean> yes <BA> oh, that's good <BA> all I could think of was veneral disease <sean> W is for Wickedness <julia> heee <julia> ew <julia> X is for XXX porn <sean> Y is for Yes, master <BA> Y is for... yellow fever? <BA> Oh, that's better <julia> over here singing the alphabet song <julia> I get to the end and forget the order <sean> heeee <sean> nods <julia> I was an English major <BA> Z is for... <BA> Zoodles? <BA> Zebras? <julia> not the zed word <BA> Zippers? <BA> Oh! <julia> yes! <BA> Zippers <julia> yay <sean> nods <julia> go us <BA> Z is for zippers! * BA curtseys. Ta. Da. <BA> The ABCs of gay smut (with V for the girls) <julia> All I could think of was zombies <julia> hugs and waves <julia> night! <sean> ciao <BA> *smooches*
If you have a topic you’d like us to chat about (or any other favorite things you'd like us to share), please let us know. We’re totally up for that. You can find us on Twitter at @seanmichael09, @juliatalbot and @batortuga. Sean’s website is http://www.seanmichaelwrites.comJulia’s is http://www.juliatalbot.comBA’s is http://www.batortuga.com Facebook:Sean -- https://www.facebook.com/SeanMichaelWritesJulia -- https://www.facebook.com/juliatalbotauthorBA -- https://www.facebook.com/batortuga
Seansmut fixes everything
If you have a topic you’d like us to chat about (or any other favorite things you'd like us to share), please let us know. We’re totally up for that. You can find us on Twitter at @seanmichael09, @juliatalbot and @batortuga. Sean’s website is http://www.seanmichaelwrites.comJulia’s is http://www.juliatalbot.comBA’s is http://www.batortuga.com Facebook:Sean -- https://www.facebook.com/SeanMichaelWritesJulia -- https://www.facebook.com/juliatalbotauthorBA -- https://www.facebook.com/batortuga
Seansmut fixes everything
April 13, 2015
Audio Update by Cardeno C.
Happy Monday. Quick post today to tell you what's going on in my audio world.
The 2nd editions of the Home books (with the bonus scenes) are in the process of being recorded as audio books. Mark Moonshine is narrating them. We're starting with He Completes Me and Walk With Me.The amazing Greg Tremblay recording Johnnie. His work is outstanding and he's a wonderful guy to boot so I love working with him. We hope to have the audio book ready sometime this summer.And last but not least, a second edition of Perfect Imperfections (with bonus scene and new cover) will be released in early May and I'm working with an amazing narrator to get an audio book ready for that shortly after the release.
Lots of exciting audio news here! I'll keep you updated as the books get finished. Have a great week.
CC
www.cardenoc.com
The 2nd editions of the Home books (with the bonus scenes) are in the process of being recorded as audio books. Mark Moonshine is narrating them. We're starting with He Completes Me and Walk With Me.The amazing Greg Tremblay recording Johnnie. His work is outstanding and he's a wonderful guy to boot so I love working with him. We hope to have the audio book ready sometime this summer.And last but not least, a second edition of Perfect Imperfections (with bonus scene and new cover) will be released in early May and I'm working with an amazing narrator to get an audio book ready for that shortly after the release.
Lots of exciting audio news here! I'll keep you updated as the books get finished. Have a great week.
CC
www.cardenoc.com
April 11, 2015
Ken and Barbie
My childhood Derek dollI’m still on holidays, and having a great time. **wink** But something has been going around in my head for the last couple of days. Something mentioned to me by a friend on Facebook. She was talking about how “gay” Ken was in the 80’s and 90’s.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/8-ken-dolls-from-the-90s-that-did-not-give-any-fucks#.vivQn0QY5
I had a look at this article and man, I giggled to myself. The cock ring had me bursting out in laughter. And that Sun Sensation Ken…
It got me thinking about my own experience with Barbie and Ken. I grew up in the 80’s and so Barbie was waaay in. I didn’t have a lot of toys. I remember pleading for My Little Ponies… yet the only one I ever owned was given to me as a birthday present. My idea of heaven was visiting a neighbour’s house and playing with her ponies. She had what seemed to be hundreds, but was probably, in reality around thirty of them. Plus all the stables and accessories.
My childhood Ken dollI owned one Barbie and two Ken dolls. Considering the ratio of Barbie-dolls to Ken-dolls available in the shops in the 80’s, having two Ken dolls and one Barbie was highly unusual. One wasn’t strictly “Ken” – his name was Derek and he was part of “Barbie and the Rockers.” The other one was Day/Night Ken – all in a business suit. I remember he had “accessories” – there was a briefcase and a square of cardboard printed to look like a newspaper. My Barbie was Crystal Barbie – kind of like Cinderella I guess.
My childhood BarbieSo my “playing house” example was a Glamour Queen, a Rock Star and an Office Businessman – all living together. Wow. Now that explains a lot of things. That explains why my characters are so “opposites attract” type of guys. And, it probably explains why I write MM. Probably Ken supported the trio with his high-paying white-collar job, and when Barbie left each night to go to her ball, unemployed lounge singer Derek and tired, I-just-need-a-blow-job Ken got it on.
So now that I have ruined my idyllic memories of innocently playing dolls as a child, I might get back to my holiday…
How to contact Renae:Email: renaekaye@iinet.net.auWebsite: www.renaekaye.weebly.comFB: www.facebook.com/renae.kaye.9Twitter: @renaekkaye
Instagram: renaekayeauthor
April 8, 2015
Ask Andrew - Some Audio Loving
Dear Andrew
In one of your post on FB your said you were “working on audiobooks”. What does that imply. Do you prepare a special version of the text? Do you work with the speaker? Madeleine Dear Madeleine When I quit the evil day job, Dreamspinner Press offered me a part time position as their audiobook coordinator. That means that I collect auditions from narrators, work with the authors to select a narrator, and then work with the narrators to turn the completed text into an audiobook. I also have a team on wonderful audiobook reviewers who listen to each audiobook form beginning to end to make sure that there are no errors in the narration. They are amazing! I don't choose the titles that will be produced, but I do put them up for audition and shepherd each title through the production process. I really love what I'm doing. I can't tell you how gratifying it is to start something and see it through to completion. Then to have listeners purchase it and say how much they enjoy it. Some of my titles have been turned into audiobooks and I can tell you whether its my title or not, there's a sense of pride and pleasure that I get every time I get a message or note from a listener about how the narrator helped bring the story to life for them. If you haven't yet, I hope you'll give an audiobook a try.
Ask Andrew is your chance to ask questions of a gay romance author. The questions can be about the writing process in general, writing sex scenes, gay men, sex, characters in romance, characters having sex... okay you probably get the picture. I promise to answer your questions as frankly and with as much humor as I possibly can.
So if you have a question, please send it to andrewgreybooks@comcast.net. This is different from my usual email so your questions don't get lost. I will answer one question a week.
Please remember this is meant to be all in fun. (I was going to say good, clean fun, but who wants that.) So send me your questions and let's see what mischief we can get into.
Visit Andrew on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrewgreybooks and you can join Andrew's fan group All The Way With Andrew Grey.
Follow him on Twitter: @andrewgreybooks
Visit Andrew's web site: www,andrewgreybooks.com
In one of your post on FB your said you were “working on audiobooks”. What does that imply. Do you prepare a special version of the text? Do you work with the speaker? Madeleine Dear Madeleine When I quit the evil day job, Dreamspinner Press offered me a part time position as their audiobook coordinator. That means that I collect auditions from narrators, work with the authors to select a narrator, and then work with the narrators to turn the completed text into an audiobook. I also have a team on wonderful audiobook reviewers who listen to each audiobook form beginning to end to make sure that there are no errors in the narration. They are amazing! I don't choose the titles that will be produced, but I do put them up for audition and shepherd each title through the production process. I really love what I'm doing. I can't tell you how gratifying it is to start something and see it through to completion. Then to have listeners purchase it and say how much they enjoy it. Some of my titles have been turned into audiobooks and I can tell you whether its my title or not, there's a sense of pride and pleasure that I get every time I get a message or note from a listener about how the narrator helped bring the story to life for them. If you haven't yet, I hope you'll give an audiobook a try.
Ask Andrew is your chance to ask questions of a gay romance author. The questions can be about the writing process in general, writing sex scenes, gay men, sex, characters in romance, characters having sex... okay you probably get the picture. I promise to answer your questions as frankly and with as much humor as I possibly can.So if you have a question, please send it to andrewgreybooks@comcast.net. This is different from my usual email so your questions don't get lost. I will answer one question a week.
Please remember this is meant to be all in fun. (I was going to say good, clean fun, but who wants that.) So send me your questions and let's see what mischief we can get into.
Visit Andrew on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrewgreybooks and you can join Andrew's fan group All The Way With Andrew Grey.
Follow him on Twitter: @andrewgreybooks
Visit Andrew's web site: www,andrewgreybooks.com
