Natasha Duncan-Drake's Blog, page 44

The Joy of Reading a Book #ThinkyThursdays 23

Hello, and welcome to my blog for Thinky Thurday. You know when we've been so wrapped up in doing things that we forget how much we enjoy something else? I've had one of those mornings, so I thought I would share.

The Joy of Reading a Book
I am going to be honest, I have been very bad this morning. If you saw my post yesterday, you know I am about to launch properly into the world of Wattpad. So this morning I was using some of my social media time to poke around.

I made a mistake...

I clicked on...

Cover Reveal: Dead Before Dawn (The Vampire Curse) #WriterlyWednesdays 39

Greetings and welcome to Writerly Wednesday 39. Thank you so much for dropping by. Today I am excited to reveal the new cover for my latest vampire novel: "Dead Before Dawn: The Vampire Curse".

This one is going to be serialised, for free, on Wattpad very soon. I'm editing like a mad thing at the moment.

Click here to visit my account on Wattpad
Drop me a comment with your username and I will make sure to follow you.

For those who don't know, Wattpad is a free website with lots of wonderful...

The Olympics and Dedication #ThinkyThursdays 22

Well our screens and feeds have been dominated by one thing over the past two weeks: the Olympics, and I have been amazed by some of the performances. Hence I thought it a good topic for Thinky Thursdays. Welcome to my blog.

The Olympics and Dedication
It is quite amazing the level of performance we see in the Olympics. Athletes jump higher, run faster, tumble better, swing better, swim better, aim better, hit things better, leap off things better and throw better than anyone else in the world....

Flash Fiction: Mirror Mirror on the Wall - #vampire #horror #WriterlyWednesdays 38

Welcome to my blog. Today I have a little flash fiction for you Writerly Wednesdays 38. I've been playing with points of view and since I have been banging on about vampires recently I decided to combine the two. I do hope you enjoy it, many thanks for visiting. This is a horror tale not suitable for the very young.

Mirror Mirror on the Wallby Natasha Duncan-DrakeIt has been a very long day and you've just cleaned your teeth ready to fall into bed. Nothing is going to get between you and the w...

When Does a Trope Becoming a Cliche? #ThinkyThursdays 21

So apparently I was talking in my sleep last night. I only remember dreaming about trying to cook vegetarian food for some friends - not overly exciting. However, I have been doing a lot of plotting lately (not to take over the world, well unless it's by book sales :)) and the Olympic gymnastics was rather exciting to watch just before going to sleep - so that could have been it :). Anyway, learning this got me thinking ...

When Does a Trope Becoming a Cliche?

trope - noun - a significant or re...

Recipe: Avocado Pesto Tagliatelle with Italian Style Chicken (or Roasted Veg) #TipsTuesdays 39

I'm betting you can tell we eat a lot of chicken in our house, because this week I have another recipe that involves chicken. However, this is a very easy one to make vegetarian and even vegan, because all you do is replace the chicken with roasted vegetables (or tofu or Quorn if you like). This recipe makes a lovely creamy pesto without all the cheese and oil used in a normal pesto and with all the goodness of avocado.

Avocado Pesto Tagliatelle with Italian Style Chicken (...

The Dangers of Virtual Rabbit Holes #ThinkyThursdays 20

Well this topic was easy to come up with because I just fell prey to a virtual rabbit hole - the internet is a dangerous place ;).

The Dangers of Virtual Rabbit Holes
We've all done it, haven't we. Clicked on that one link that has then led to another, and another, and another, until we look up two hours later and wonder why our eyes feel like they've been sandblasted.

For me this time I was looking for some traditional ghost stories to help inspire some short stories of my own. Unfortunately I...

How to Write a Great Vampire #WriterlyWednesdays 37

Two weeks ago I spoke about the much maligned genre of the vampire novel for Thinky Thursdays and today I wanted to continue the thought into how to create a great vampire.

How to Write a Great VampireThere are many vampires out there in fiction who seem to simply be clones of one another. Now this isn't necessarily a bad thing, when you find lots of characters of a similar ilk, it is often because that's what people like to watch and read. However, for a great vampire as with any other great...

Recipe: Pulled Chicken with Avocado Salsa - #TipsTuesdays 38

Welcome back to my blog and Tips Tuesdays, where I am continuing sharing some of the staple recipes I use during the week. I try to use recipes that are as healthy as possible. This is pulled chicken, which is a healthier version of pulled pork, but just as tasty.

Pulled Chicken with Avocado Salsa
This can easily be made gluten free, just check the highlighted* ingredients.

Serves 4 - but is very good reheated the next day

Ingredients6-8 skinless chicken thighs (you can use bone in or not as you...

The Wonders of the Ghostbusters Franchise PT 1 #FanFridays 21

The Wonders of the Ghostbusters Franchise Pt1N.B. This post is full of spoilers for the original movie, but it's been out for over 30 years, so I hope you don't mind.

I have, along with many others, been a fan of Ghostbusters for a long time. I did not see it in the cinema because in 1984 I was pre-teen and it would have scared the pants off me :). I saw it when it hit TV, but I have no idea when that was. I just know I loved it.

Nothing the franchise has brought to the big or small screen has...