Natasha Duncan-Drake's Blog, page 30
February 20, 2018
Yay! Mina's Children is through to the shortlist for the Open Novella Contest
Mina's Children is in the Shortlist
Please excuse me while I crow just a little bit :) I found out this morning that Mina's Children: The Legacy of Dracula is a finalist in Wattpad's Open Novella Contest.
In case anyone is unfamiliar with the platform, Wattpad is a free fiction site where anyone can post stories, and it is a great place to spot new talent and find new readers. It has a dedicated reading ap for most devices, as well as a website, and has millions of users.
After coming second in...
February 15, 2018
Recipe - Easy Butter Chicken without the butter :)
Easy Butter Chicken without the Butter
This is based on this BBC recipe, but I altered the ingredients because when I made it as is, I found it way too astringent. Altering the spices and adding coconut cream balanced it for me, although I have only eaten butter chicken not out of a packet once or twice, so I have no idea how it measures up to normal butter chicken.
As ever with recipes I post that are based on chicken, if you are vegetarian anything similar like Quorn or tofu would probably ta...
February 14, 2018
Happy Valentine's - Motivation by Natasha Duncan-Drake #paranormal #humor
Happy Valentine's day to one and all. In honour of all the hearts and lovey-dovey stuff, today I have a little humorous tale of paranormal romance.
And don't forget to click the link at the bottom because Soph has created a much longer tale of ghostly romance in honour of the day. It's so long it wouldn't fit in a post, so it's a free download from Smashwords :).
Motivationby Natasha Duncan-Drake
"Don't tell me you're torturing him again."
Dee looked over at the wolf sitting with his head on the...
February 8, 2018
Best Mates by Natasha Duncan-Drake #werewolves #magic
It's my 21st wedding anniversary today and I am in a romantic, fluffy mood, so I decided to share it. This is some flash fiction I threw together today. It has magic and werewolves and romance, and I hope you enjoy it.
It has not been beta'd by anyone but me, so I apologise if I missed any mistakes.
Best Matesby Natasha Duncan-Drake
Pytar slammed the door behind him and turned the key in the lock for good measure. Only then did he look at Lunis. Not unexpectedly, his best friend was raising both...
February 6, 2018
Recipe - Chicken, Chilli & Peanut Butter, Potato Topped Pie #GlutenFree
Chicken, Chilli & Peanut Butter, Potato Topped PieThis recipe serves 3 hungry people, or 4 normally, but the great thing about it is, reheating it the next day, it tastes even better, so it's fine for 2 people as well. If you don't like eating the same thing twice in a row for dinner, it would make a good lunch if you have a microwave at work.
It takes a little time to prepare, but is well worth it. Because it has a potato top not pastry, it is gluten free—an added bonus.
This recipe is bas...
February 2, 2018
Love Speaks by Natasha Duncan-Drake #vampire #freefictionfriday
Free Fiction FridayLove Speaks by Natasha Duncan-Drake
This year is already flying by, isn't it? We come to February, the month of love. As ever, on the first Friday of the month is it time for a free short story for all the subscribers to our Wittegen Press newsletter.If you are already subscribed, look out for this month's email which has the password in it.If you're not a subscriber, don't worry, you haven't missed it. The story is up all month and the password to access the post is in the...
February 1, 2018
Mina's Children: The Legacy of Dracula #FreeRead
Good morning all, sorry for being AFK - I've had an awful cold and it took me out for a few days, then I had to scramble to finish and edit Mina's Children: The Legacy of Dracula before the deadline, which was yesterday.
For those who didn't see my last post, Mina's Children is a free read, and an entry into Wattpad's Open Novella Contest, which ended yesterday (31st Jan). Wattpad put out lots of prompts, one of which we had to use to inspire a novella. There were three rounds:
Round 1 - w...
January 17, 2018
Which eBook Shall We Convert to Paperback Next? #WriterlyWednesday
Which eBook Shall We Convert to Paperback Next?At Wittegen Press, we are in the process of converting all eBooks that are suitable so they are available in paperback format as well. We've already done The Chronicles of Charlie Waterman, and Dead Before Dawn: The Vampire Curse, and The Burning Web, but we haven't yet decided which order to convert the rest of our titles.
Cat's Call
Cat's Creation
Cat's Confidence
The Burning Web
Dead Before Dawn
We would greatly appreciate it if you would help us de...
January 16, 2018
Recipe: Honey Sesame Chicken with Sesame Broccoli and Rice
Honey Sesame Chicken with Sesame Broccoli and RiceIt's the new year, so it's time to try new recipes. I started last night with this one. The base recipe comes from Two Peas and Their Pod, but it's done with a pressure cooker, so this is how I made it without one. I've also added UK measurements as well as US and reduced the original recipe which was to feed six.
N.B. This recipe can be gluten free if you use Tamari (Japanese soy sauce) rather than regular soy sauce, which usually contains glu...
January 10, 2018
The Problem of Endings #WriterlyWednesdays
The Problem of Endings
So we've slogged through creating the characters, the world, the plot and only one thing is left: the ending. I can hear the dramatic music in my head.
Now, I don't know about you, but the ending can make or break a story for me. A bad ending can strip away all the pleasure I've felt during the book/film/tv show and destroy it for me. This makes writing them somewhat stressful.
Endings are hard!
Hands up who has had something ruined by a terrible ending (and I don't mean ju...
