Nicola Marsh's Blog, page 79

Yummy Christmas treat

As promised, here's the recipe for White Christmas cups.

I've amended this recipe to suit and often try new versions every year.

Here's the current version:

(Makes 24)

400g white chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup thickened cream
200g dried paw paw, chopped
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 1/2 cups rice bubbles

1) Place 24 paper cases onto a tray.
2)Microwave chocolate & cream for 2-3 mins, stirring every minute or until smooth. Cool for 10 mins.
3) Add paw paw, marshmallows & rice bubbles to chocolate. Mix well. Spoon into paper cases. Refrigerate until set.

See, easy!
If I don't have the paw paw on hand, I substitute other dried fruits or glace cherries. And the original recipe had 1/2 cup of slivered, toasted almonds if you like nuts.

Happy cooking.

Christmas recipes

In the lead up to Christmas, loads of us head to the kitchen to whip up treats to share with our friends and family.

I like simple, speedy treats: rum balls, White Christmas cups, Butternut Snap tartlets. All no fuss.

Tomorrow, I promise to share my recipe for White Christmas cups but first, you need to do something for me.

What's your easiest, fastest, foolproof Christmas treat?

Cows, milk & little sausages

If you're as frantic as me in the lead up to Christmas, you'll appreciate this for a laugh.
(It was emailed to me by a very smart lady over 50.)

In case you missed it on 60 Minutes, this is what Andy Rooney thinks about women over 50:

As I grow in age, I value women over 50 most of all.
Here are just a few reasons why:

A woman over 50 will never wake you in the middle of the night and ask, 'What are you thinking?' She doesn't care what you think.

If a woman over 50 doesn't want to watch the game, she doesn't sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do, and it's usually more interesting.

Women over 50 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot you if they think they can get away with it.

Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it's like to be unappreciated.

Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 50.

Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 50 is far sexier than her younger counterpart.

Older women are forthright and honest... They'll tell you right off if you are a jerk, if you are acting like one. You don't ever have to wonder where you stand with her.

Yes, we praise women over 50 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed, hot woman over 50, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year old waitress.

Ladies, I apologize. For all those men who say, 'Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free? Here's an update for you. Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage.
Why? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage!

Andy Rooney is a really smart guy!

Writing a home run story

Yes, I'm directing you over to StoryFix yet again, this time for the first part in a 2 part series on How to Write a Home Run Story in 2011.

The first point in this article that leapt out at me was:

Perhaps, in 2011, you should do something different.

I love playing around with ideas, writing new things outside my usual genre.
Which gets me thinking...how will I shake things up in 2011?
How will you?

Weekend Book Club: Waiting for the postman

If there was one book you'd stand by the postbox for in the lead up to Christmas, which would it be?

For me, it's this one.

Being released on Dec 21st, I've placed my order with the Book Depository and will be eagerly scanning my mail box daily for its arrival.

If you haven't read Barbara O'Neal (Samuel) do yourself a favour.
After glomming her last year, she's my favourite author. Her prose is rich, lush and thoroughly gorgeous.

Here's the blurb for her latest:

An unforgettable novel that celebrates food, family, and the unbreakable bonds between mothers and daughters.
In a story as warm and embracing as a family kitchen, Barbara O'Neal explores the poignant, sometimes complex relationship between mothers and daughters—and the healing magic of homemade bread.

Professional baker Ramona Gallagher is a master of an art that has sustained her through the most turbulent times, including a baby at fifteen and an endless family feud. But now Ramona's bakery threatens to crumble around her. Literally. She's one water-heater disaster away from losing her grandmother's rambling Victorian and everything she's worked so hard to build.
When Ramona's soldier son-in-law is wounded in Afghanistan, her daughter, Sophia, races overseas to be at his side, leaving Ramona as the only suitable guardian for Sophia's thirteen-year-old stepdaughter, Katie. Heartbroken, Katie feels that she's being dumped again—this time on the doorstep of a woman out of practice with mothering.
Ramona relies upon a special set of tools—patience, persistence, and the reliability of a good recipe—when rebellious Katie arrives. And as she relives her own history of difficult choices, Ramona shares her love of baking with the troubled girl. Slowly, Katie begins to find self-acceptance and a place to call home. And when a man from her past returns to offer a second chance at love, Ramona discovers that even the best recipe tastes better when you add time, care, and a few secret ingredients of your own.

So 'fess up.
Which book will you stand by the mail box for this Christmas?

Roman

Yesterday you met Ava, the heroine in my new WIP 'The High Life.'

Now you get to officially meet Roman.


He's an extreme sports celebrity.
An adrenalin junkie.
A guy who lives in the moment.

Perfect for Ava, until she discovers his true identity.

Hoping for major sparks with these two!
And heat, plenty of heat...

Ava

Though I've taken a mini-breather from writing since finishing YA revisions last week, I'd already cast the characters in my next M&B Riva, The High Life.

Meet Ava.

She's a prime minister's daughter, fresh from divorce, looking for a little adventure.

I'm pretty sure my hero, Roman, fits the bill.

More on him tomorrow...(and yeah, any excuse to post more George Clooney pics!)

THE WRITE WHISPER: Steroids for writers

Yet another interesting article from Larry Brooks at StoryFix about how to give your story, every story, a major boost.
Putting your story on steroids.
Now, before you rush off and read it, let me say this.
I love 'how-to' stuff. Books and blog posts and journal articles on writing craft make me squee.I devour them.Then promptly forget them.
Yep, you read that right.
I love seeing how different people write, the different creative processes, but the thing is I've found what works best for me and I consistently do it.
A brief 2-3 page outline so I have a basic idea of the characters, a glimmer of a first scene in my head, then I sit down, start typing and off I go until the end.
No way could I plot a whole book using screenwriting tips (the one time I have, a complete mainstream I was buzzed about writing at the time, I haven't written. One fabulous chapter that made me cry and that's it. The idea languishes. Time factor, maybe? Or is it because I already know what happens?)
So I guess what I'm trying to say in my convoluted way is...with the posts I guide you to or stuff I find interesting is just that: interesting stuff to tweak your writing imagination but not gospel truth.
Find what works for you and stick to it.

The Readers' Crown contest

If you're a published author, you have to check out the Readers' Crown contest.

Loads of categories, including YA, and great exposure in all Borders stores if you win!

Delivering to your readers

Another fabulous writing craft post by StoryFix.

8 "Moments" You Absolutely Need to Deliver to Your Readers… And One That You Should Hope For.

Great post, so succinct.