Ian Hall's Blog, page 3

"Walking Dead" cast get a copy of the Zombie Bible.

Norman Reedus, "Daryl Dixon" from the hit AMC Zombie series "Walking Dead", will soon get a 'care package' from a local Kansas City fan club.
The story goes....
We were selling our jewelry and books at KC Renfest yesterday, when a young lady bought a copy of the above "Zombie Bible (Living as a Zombie and Surviving to the End When a Vaccine is Delivered)" and wanted it dedicated "To Norman".
When I jokingly asked who "Norman" was, they promptly replied "Norman Reedus from the Walking Dead."
They're sending off a 'care package' and included will be a copy of our book.
We wish the 'package' well, and pray for fame, riches and recognition.
(Not much really....)
The Zombie Bible is available on all eBook formats, and on paperback on Amazon.

Vampire High School goes Paperback!

At last, we've managed to get Vampire High School into paperback format.
It took longer than it should have done, but books 2 and 3 will follow very shortly.
Our thanks go to Carolyn Pinard for editing, to Morgan Chilson for knocking my head against a wall and dislodging all the wayward passive voices, and to all our friends and family who have been so supportive, yawn, yawn, yawn.....
We are so proud of these books, we promise you'll enjoy the finished atricle.
Click the cover to go directly to Createspace to order, or wait a week for Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk to get them in stock.
Thanks guys.
Ian and Lachelle

Global Climate Catastrophe; Glaciers Retreat!

I have no idea why no one has noticed this fact, or if the Climate Scientists are in the bag for big oil.
Glaciers in North America have retreated to some ASTONISHING degree.
It's incontrovertible, it’s measureable, and it’s ON OUR DOORSTEP.
A series of Glaciers, that once covered the whole of the mid-west basin in North America, HAVE RETREATED.
They are not there anymore.
Their waters have been dumped into the basin caused by their millennium of movement, and FIVE NEW Lakes have been created.
(Takes a breath)

Now the above information is incendiary, but it shows beyond reasonable doubt that the world has been warming for the last 10,000 years.
Why should it stop?
Never! It’s not going to. It’s a trend; a 10,000 year trend.
The world’s coming to the boil!
(Takes another breath)

To make matters worse the five new lakes now account for 21% of the world’s fresh water, giving the North American continent an unlawful percentage of water, which will ultimately be the world’s new power source.
It is ridiculous to think that a continent, which uses 26% of the world’s oil, should have such a great monopoly on the world’s fresh water.
(Takes another breath, holds hands on hips and tries to get rid of the stitch in my side))

Okay, I’m all out of sarcasm for the moment. But on a serious note, a bunch of climate scientists have recorded a cooling pattern in the last five years.
Have you heard that? Nope, it doesn’t make for good newspaper copy; it doesn’t get Climate Scientists grants because it doesn’t threaten anyone. It’s not inflammatory, incendiary or radical, so therefore it’s not ‘news’.
Presidents blame drought/flood/storms on Global warming, even when they know it’s not the reason. It just helps/aids/advances their political agenda. We don’t need that kind of leadership anymore.
In the last few years, we’ve learned that politicians lie.
From the recent leaks in the Global Warming community, we now know that some scientists also tell lies.
Let’s stop knee-jerk philosophies that are mired in political tar pits and financial gains.
Let’s stop preaching to kids that our car’s emissions are killing polar bears, while the global polar bear population has doubled since the 1970’s.
I have to stop. I could go on forever.
I hope I made you think. I mean, as a people, we can’t be at war with ourselves, just for the sake of it.
Can we?

Zombie Bible Shows the Path to the Vaccine.

A Brand New collaboration hits the eBookshelves.
The premise? If the chances of being a zombie (after the apocalypse) are 99 out of 100, then why not write a 'Survival Guide' for the actual zombies.
If you have a far greater chance of being a zombie than a human, then why not plan for such an eventuality.
This is exactly what the 'Zombie Bible' does.
First, we set up a series of plans to deal with your oncoming zombie-hood.
Then we examine the processes necessary to survive to the end of the apocalypse when the helicopters deliver the vaccine.
If it were a roast beef dinner, the 'Zombie Bible' would be a huge cut of funny steak, covered in sarcastic gravy, but with a side order of common sense vegetables, and a good cold, straight-talking beer.
Only 99c (77p) in most eBook stores.
Click on the cover to go directly to Amazon.com.

Traditional Scottish Curried Lentil Soup; for Diabetics too!

A healthy choice, but no foo-foo, just a great recipe for traditional Scottish Curried Lentil Soup.
And this is a carbohydrate adjusted soup for diabetics (like me) but leaving out just carbs, not TASTE!

Ingredients; 1lb carrots, 1 lb Rutabaga (turnip/neeps), 1 cauliflower, 4oz RED lentils, 1 Onion, 4 chicken stock cubes (buy Pollo mexican, they're cheaper.... see, told you I was Scottish)
(For Tomato and Lentil soup, just add two tins chopped tomatoes at the start, and reduce water by 1 pint)

Method; Bring to boil 3 pints of water with the stock cubes. Chop Carrots, Rutabaga, WHOLE cauliflower and onion; add to the boiling stock, cover, and boil sharply for an hour. Turn down the heat, and add RED lentils, boil GENTLY for an hour, stirring frequently.

That's the soup ready..... for wimps!
(Or traditionalists; The soup is actually ready to eat at this point, and totally traditional Scottish fare.)
And for diabetics, the cauliflower tastes just like the potatoes that "should" have been added, but the carbs have been almost totally wiped out.
(Yes, I know that lentils, carrots and rutabaga have carbs, but not much.)

Now for the 'special' ingredients;

You can add....... 2 tablespoons curry powder..... for Curried Lentil Soup.
You can add....... 5 tablespoons curry powder..... for REALLY Curried Lentil Soup
You can add....... a huge dollop of A1 sauce, Worcester sauce, (or any other stuff you might think appeals).
Parmesan cheese is good, ginger spice, turmeric, saffron, absinthe, ground mammoth tusks, rhino horn; whatever warms the cockles of your heart.

And whatever you do, DON'T listen to the idiots that think you can make this with any old lentils.... I'm a Manchester United Supporter.... THEY HAVE TO BE RED LENTILS!!!
(Please trust me on this... I don't have shares in the "Red Lentil Co."; crappy green/brown lentils taste like dirt when they're cooked.)
For more recipes, look at the last post, or hit the "Soup Yourself Thinner" book, on the carousel on the right.

Carbohydrate Intolerance; How Diabetics can cope.

Carbohydrate Intolerance is one of the new buzzphrases that seems to catch the ear.
"What's it all about?" I hear you say, right on cue.
Basically, a person suffering from Carbohydrate Intolerance can't process carbs efficiently. Not that a 'normal' person would notice, of course, there's no symptoms, you don't turn green overnight or anything.
Some diabetics notice though.
Some of us have the double whammy; Diabetes AND Carbohydrate Intolerance.
If you have both these conditions, even a small amount of carbs can knock the blood sugar of a diabetic over the 200 mark for as long as 18 hours, thus rendering their whole day a catastrophe.
Your blood numbers stay high, despite your seemingly great efforts.
I found out the hard way; I tracked my carb intake, and set out to make carb-free soups; that soon outlined the problem. My blood numbers fell almost overnight.
So, I didn't waste any time; after three months of great sugar numbers, I'm telling you all the secret.
Inside the book, there's my personal story, then the soup method explained in depth, then a bunch of delicious soup recipes. (And a couple of stews and chili's too)
Click on the book cover to go straight to Amazon.

Scottish Vampire; Braveheart with Fangs!

The Scottish Vampire; is there room in this already littered genre for such a story?I, personally, think there is.Scottish mythology is filled with fairies, water sprites and banshees, perhaps this is the vampire myth coming to rest on the heather-covered hills.The Irish Banshee is transfered to Scottish culture as the Baobhan Sith; the Ba'van-shee.According to legend, once a year, the Ba'van-shee rises from her grave. In the form of a beautiful woman, clad in a green flowing dress, the creature roams the woods and forests by night to feed on young men.Sometimes acting alone, they also combine into hunting parties, seducing men into drink and dancing, ultimately drinking their blood.Sure sounds like a vampire legend to me!Anyway, I'm currently 40,000 words into the project, and wondered what the cover would look like.I'm not sure that Mel Gibson would donate his picture, but he does look good with fangs!

Wedding Tiaras and Circlets

Yup; making bridal crowns is actually what I do for a living.
Just thought I'd take a breather from the selfless plugging of books and all things Scottish to give you a glimpse into my "day-job".
I make bridal and renaissance crowns and circlets.
All are made from scratch, made to order, and are customisable into any shape, style or color you can imagine.
You'll find them at www.perncirclets.etsy.com
AND, if that wasn't enough, we're having a 20% off sale on our artfire shop;
www.thyme2dream.artfire.com
Come on into the shop, take a browse around, and even get a bit of bling to take away!

More Balls (Bollocks) than Braveheart!

"More Balls than Braveheart?" I hear you say. But it's true.
"Bollocks!" I hear you say, having seen the newest Newcastle Brown commercial.
(Bollocks is actually a double edged compliment; it can mean good and bad stuff)
So, back to the blog.....
Mel Gibson (The Braveheart part) only took on the meagre English Army.
(And the French were beating them... they were almost relegated to Army Division two!)
Anyway...
Calach (Calgacus), the leader of the Northern Celts (Scottish) fought the might of the Roman Empire...
And won!
A true story, steeped in intrigue, shrouded in mist, covered in blood, and smelling of bulls*#t.
Ok, it's "my" interpretation of what I think could have been the true story.
(But well researched, just the same)
The true story of Scotland's first hero.
Let's face it; something made the Romans build Hadrian's wall; and it wasn't the need to keep the sheep out!
Caledonii. Birth of a Celtic Nation; available on eBooks wherever they're sold.
Parts 1-4 now available.
Part 5 being written as soon as I finish this blog.
Yours
Ian Hall

RE-VAMP the Vampire!

We decided that we'd re-vamp (get it? RE-VAMP) the whole set of covers for the 'New Blood' thing. This is the first; we hope you like them.A bit more drippy blood, and what vampire doesn't like fresh drippy blood?Check us out wherever you buy your eBooks.Apple, Nook, Kindle, Kobo, Sony.Slake your world-wide blood thirst!