Veronica Forand's Blog, page 6

Romance Readers Weekly: Happy Saint Patrick’s Day

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day- we’re making things a bit Irish. I’ve added the soda bread recipe that tends to work for me. Not too sweet. Not too dry. If you’ve come over from Susan Scott Shelley’s blog, welcome!

 

 

My Mother’s Irish Soda Bread

Prep time: 15 minutes or 20 if you have to rummage through the house looking for ingrediants
Cook time: 40 minutes (keep an eye on it though- if it’s brown at 35-add some aluminum foil to keep the bread from drying out on the sides as the inside bakes.) If it burns- you did it wrong.
Yield: Makes one loaf (or four small loaves- but if you make 4 small loaves, take them out after about 30 minutes)

Ingredients

4 to 4 1/2 cups white flour
1 Tbsp white sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt (never overestimate the salt- it can end up pretty nasty if you do)
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 Tbsp butter (unsalted)
1 cup raisins
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 3/4 cups buttermilk (seriously- don’t skimp on the buttermilk)

Method

1 Preheat oven to 425°. Whisk together 4 cups of flour, the sugar, salt, and baking soda into a bowl.

2 Using your fingers, smush the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles pellets, then add in the raisins.

3 Push your thumb into the center of the mixture to create a well. Add beaten egg and buttermilk to well and mix until the mixture becomes difficult to stir. Dust hands with a little flour, then knead dough just long enough to form a rough ball.

As soon as the ball is made- STOP.

Do not get all Chef Boyardee and over knead the loaf. Add flour if the dough is too sticky.

4 Place dough to a large, lightly greased cast-iron skillet (for best results) or a baking sheet (for not best results). Score the top of dough about an inch and a half deep in an “X” shape. If you’re creative, make a shamrock. Transfer to oven and bake until the bread is a golden color and bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Check for doneness also by inserting a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, it’s done.

5 Remove pan or sheet from oven, let bread sit in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool the rest of the way. Serve bread warm, at room temperature, with butter smeared and melted across the bread.

 

GOOD LUCK!

Head over to Collette Cameron’s blog to see how she celebrates.

Romance Writers Weekly: Writer’s Space

This week’s topic was chosen by S. C. Mitchell – Describe your perfect writing retreat.

If you came from the amazing Sarah Hegger’s site, welcome!

 

 

Today is the release day for my romantic thriller “Untrue Colors.” The hideaway in my house is where I wrote most of “Untrue Colors.”

 

In a nutshell, I took over the sunroom in our house, and I refuse to give it back. Large windows on three sides provide perfect views of huge trees, squirrels, deer, and a few neighbors.

I started writing with a snack table and a large leather chair. It worked for a while. McDreamy, my husband, however changed everything by buying a small desk on wheels. I could keep a printed manuscript, a laptop, and a cup of coffee on it.

There was only one drawback to my setting, poor posture. Agonizing.

The solution? A lime green ball chair. I can sit on that for hours and not feel the muscle strain in my back I did when in the way too soft leather chair.

Sometimes, I head to the kitchen and stand at the island to finish some tasks. I’m also closer to the coffee. I love the retreat. I’ve trained myself over the years to focus on work in the office, soI tend to be more productive here than anywhere else. My slice of Heaven on Earth.

Betty Bolte is the next stop on this trip around the web. If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll catch sight of one of her many pets. Dogs, cats, horses.

Romance Writer’s Weekly: Flash Fiction

Welcome back to Romance Writer’s Weekly. It’s been awhile since we’ve done a Flash Fiction so J.J. Devine insists we do it again. We need to write a scene of 500 words that contains the words, happiness, egg, and purple.

If you came from J.J. Devine’s site, welcome.

An Off Night.

Shana had one stop to make before she could return to her personal oasis, a two-bedroom beach house on the edge of the Atlantic. She pulled into the convenience store to grab dinner. Fruit Loops. Despite the blister on her right heel, she moved aisle to aisle with a stride that screamed attitude and confidence.

The middle-aged cashier, putting her steaming cup of coffee down, glanced her only customer up and down as though she wasn’t worthy of being in the store. Shana didn’t blame the woman. She’d dressed in her uniform of ripped jeans, a black hoodie, and black combat boots to create that exact reaction in people. And if they hated her outfit, they’d probably object to the purple streaks in her hair as well.

The bell rang on the door and another customer stepped inside. The teenager’s worn leather jacket and the snarl on his lip were channeling James Dean, a blond James Dean. She would have ignored him if he hadn’t started casing the place. Her chest tightened, but she continued with her screw the world attitude. The kid eyed the cashier and then her, his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

Damn it. She needed a few hours of television and maybe some Grand Theft Auto before catching up on her sleep. She glanced down at the box of fruity happiness she might not be able to buy and frowned.

Before she could get into a better position, the kid pulled out a gun. “All the cash,” he screamed at the cashier.

He pointed the gun toward Shana. “On the floor.”

She lifted her arms up and puckered her lips as though she was the girlfriend of a gang leader and guns in her face were a normal occurrence. She remained standing. The cashier was sobbing and moving too slow.

“Hurry up.” The boy’s words came out cocky with a haze of hesitation. Tension tightened his features, he hopped a bit on his feet, his body preparing to run.

Would he shoot? Shana didn’t want to die, she didn’t want the cashier to die, and damn, she didn’t want the kid to die. His finger was on the trigger. Every decision counted.

She pushed the cashier to ground and grabbed the hot coffee. She flung it into the face of the kid and screamed to the cashier to duck. Coffee sprayed across the kid’s face. He hollered in pain. A bullet rang out and shattered into the egg case. Crap.

It only took a few seconds to have her own gun in her hand, pointed at the suspect. “Police. Put your weapon down.”

The kid, his face red and dripping, pointed his gun at Shana. His hand shook, maybe pain, maybe rage. For a solid fifteen seconds, they stared each other down. Her heart punched into her ribs. She held still, determined to do the right thing. Sirens sounded in the distance.

One shot. One decision. Blood everywhere.

 

Hope you liked it! Check out the story Carolyn Spear came up with. It’ll be worth it.

Romance Writer’s Weekly : Vacations

Did you come from Mikki Cober’s blog? Welcome.

This week’s question is from A.S. Fenichel – It’s cold in most places. What’s you’re favorite vacation spot? This can be someplace you’ve been or someplace you dream of going.

I spent a week once on Castaway Island in Fiji. The place is only accessible by boat and was so small, it didn’t have a dock large enough for us to disembark without going onto a smaller boat which brought us up onto the beach.

Our room was a hut on the beach and had a beautifully carved ceiling that almost rivaled the view of the palm trees.

My husband and I took a boat out every morning to SCUBA dive in the nearby reefs and found them to be in pristine shape. They won’t let you dive with gloves on your hands so you work real hard to not touch the coral, some of which has sharp stinging needles.

The beautiful dinners on the beach  were magical and the best part of the place was I never wore shoes once when I stepped off the boat.  The island will be written into a book someday, although my words will never equal the real beauty of the place.

Where in the world would the Leslie Hachtel go?

Romance Writer’s Weekly

This week’s topic for the Romance Writers’ Weekly is courtesy of Miska Jenkins. What would you say your writing strengths and weaknesses are? Eg: dialogue, description, etc.

If you came from Brenda Margriet’s blog, welcome!

It took me years to learn the craft enough to write a story worth publishing. Over those years, some things came to me quicker than others. My characters can sling sarcastic comments at each other with ease. I’m sure it has nothing to do with me being a wise ass.

My favorite thing about writing is plotting. I love puzzles and I love to keep readers guessing where the story will go until the very end. If my readers can predict what happens next, I’ve failed.

On the other hand, I struggle with description.

Since what a character wears is never as important to me as what he or she does or feels, details tend to disappear in a wave of action and dialogue. The same holds true for landscapes and materials used to decorate a kitchen. I try to find a balance with this, because although words are often inadequate, they are all we’ve got to try to place the specific image in a reader’s mind.

Head on over to Gemma Brocato and see what she has to say!

Romance Writer’s Weekly: First Lines

 

Welcome back to Romance Writers’ Weekly Blog Hop. This week, we’re looking at Great Beginnings – A great opening line draws the reader in, makes them want to know more and compels them to read further.

My philosophy is pretty simple – any day nobody’s trying to kill me to kill me is a good day in my book. – Darkfever,  Karen Marie Moning

This is the first line of the fever series. The series sucked me in and wouldn’t let me go and the irony of the line is that the character you are introduced had never been exposed to mayhem and murder until later in the book. She starts out as a Southern belle shopaholic bartender who’s lives with her parents and doesn’t swear.  I love irony.

 

 

The first lines of my novel “Untrue Colors” have irony as well, but I can’t give away the story as to why!

Alex grieved as she looked toward the Louvre for possibly the last time. She had no choice but to leave Paris and the sublime treasures forming its artistic soul. Overhearing Luc’s plan to celebrate their four-month anniversary by murdering her set off her own plan of running as far away from him as possible.

Alex in Paris

“Untrue Colors” is arriving into the world on March 9th.  I can’t wait to share it.

I hope you came from Collette Cameron’s blog, http://blueroseromance.com. If not- go back!!!

Jump on over to Kim Handysides’ blog, http://kimhandysides.com, to see her favorite blog.

Romance Writers Weekly: Writing Habits

 

Do you like to read romance novels? Wouldn’t you like to know more about your favorite authors? Well you came to the right place! Join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all….. About our writing of course! Every week we’ll answer questions and after you’ve enjoyed the blog on this site we’ll direct you to another. So come back often for a thrilling ride! Tell your friends and feel free to ask us questions in the comment box. 

The incredibly talented and prolific Collette Cameron would like to know – What quirky habits (superstitions, must haves, etc.) do you have while writing?

Writing is hard. It’s dedication. It’s time away from family, friends, and activities like hiking and baking. And yet, everyday, I sit myself in my chair and begin again.

There are several ways I’ve made writing easier. I always have coffee with me to keep me awake, and if I’m being whiny, I pour it in a mug decorated with one of my own covers. “See,” I tell myself. “I did write a book and it did sell on the open market.” This isn’t always enough, so then I bring out the heavy hitters. The authors who are so damn inspiring that I tend to hang back when we’re all in the same room, so I can observe the awesomeness without actually annoying anyone. I’ve even been know to stop after an hour or two of writing and curl up on my couch to read. Time wasted? No.

Goals and deadlines, however, motivate me better than anything else. I set a goal for myself and I will climb small mountains to achieve it. My brain has not figured out that my self-imposed deadlines are fictional. Therefore, I have been know to pull an all-nighter to finish a book that isn’t due to anyone but me. It certainly keeps me moving and has made the process easier.

I need the kick in the ass, because I never set out to write a book. I set out to be a writer.

Hopefully, you just came from paranormal and contemporary romance author Carolyn Spear. If so, continue the hop over to the amazing  Leslie Hachtel 

 

Romance Weekly: A day in the life

 

My life is fairly boring and predictable, but Xio Axelrod has decided that the world wants to know what we romance writers do day after day. If I had Xio’s amazing life both as a writer and a singer, I’d write about it too!

If you’ve come from Andrea Mansue’s day in the life, welcome. If not, go check her out.

 

What my perfect day would start like- but this is reality. Darn.

A Day in The Life of Me

 

The alarm wakes me again. I hit it. It goes off five minutes later. I hit it again. It goes off again. I want to throw it against the wall, but it’s also my phone and I need that.

Damn, it’s 6:30 and I’m a half hour late waking frick and frack for school. They have alarm clocks, but although they’re able to hack into my computer and change all the keys around to screw with my typing, they can’t figure out how to set up their clocks.

I try sweet-talking them out of bed, then I yell, then I pour a glass of cold water over their heads. It’s loud, but effective.

We’re late, so breakfast is eaten on the fly and I nuke a cup of coffee made yesterday to carry me the hour round trip from home to their school.

Home. Alone. Finally. I need company, so I check up with my friends on Facebook and annoy them until they stop responding to me. Only then can I start writing. I write a paragraph, laugh at my own joke, and then check to see if someone said something funny on Facebook. Coffee break. A full carafe is made to keep me energized. I check Facebook as I wait for it to brew.

I write another paragraph and realize I’m hosting a Facebook party in a half hour. I hate those, so I spend the next twenty minutes freaking out and convincing myself that I won’t be the only one commenting on my posts. The party flies by with my stomach in knots. I hang on Facebook a few more minutes in case someone wanted to win my book. No one does, so I go back to writing the next book.

I’m starving. I need food. I drink a nutritional shake. It has everything I need and tastes like chocolate. I jump on Facebook and mention that to my fitness group. Then I’m starving again. Liquid diets don’t work for me, so I raid the pantry and end up with a large bowl of chips and salsa. And more coffee.

I often head outside about noon. I’m training for a sprint triathlon, but more important I try to keep myself in shape so I can return to working in a search and rescue unit. I had to take a few years off because of my kids, but as they grow up, I’m closer to having the time to return.

Scout. He’s the first dog I’ve owned that is completely not suited to search and rescue. He’s more of a sleep on the porch kind of canine.

I return, shower, drink coffee, and  remember to add a load of laundry to the washer. I write more and then fall asleep for twenty minutes. More coffee and a visit on Facebook will wake me up. I reread yesterdays work and do some rewrites and finally get into the flow of things.

The kids call. I’m late to pick them up. Can’t they see this is the most crucial part of the scene? Nope. They have no clue what I do except stare at a computer screen. Doesn’t matter, I’m not breaking in the middle. They need to wait in the library. Finish their homework. I’ll be there. Soon.

Dinner is pizza to go, mac and cheese, or leftovers from the weekend. And coffee. I review a publishing contract I promised a friend I’d look at while I poke at the kids books, trying to shove knowledge into them.

Sunset at Veronica Forand’s pretend beach house

At nine o’clock, I’m brain dead, the kids are brain dead, and my husband arrives home from work. Last thing I do before shutting the kids’ bedroom doors is to tell them to set their alarm clocks. They assure me they will.

Are you tied to Facebook or Twitter? I try to keep it reasonable, but technology leaves it with me all day, everywhere.

Head over to J.J, Devine’s blog and find out what she does during the day. Don’t believe any of it. I think she’s a double agent for Belgium and actually travels the world stopping terrorists by day.

New Release: Snowy Days, Steamy Nights Anthology

My novella “Snowed” was released today as part of the “Snowy Days, Steam Nights” anthology. I hope you enjoy it!

Lorena Rubio’s life is turned upside down when she’s kidnapped by Andrés “Con” Conesa, right hand man for the drug lord who murdered her sister. Con, who is deep undercover for the FBI, must keep her at a cabin in the snowy Sierra Nevada Mountains until the rumor that she’s provided specifics about his drug cartel to the police is confirmed or denied. Their attraction ignites in the middle of this frozen hideaway, but Lorena is unwilling to offer her heart to a criminal. When the cartel boss arrives and wants Lorena put on ice for snitching, Con must decide whether or not to blow his cover for the woman he craves beyond reason.

 

Romance Weekly: Holiday Stories

This week, Romance Weekly is delving into the holiday season again. His week, we’re looking at holiday stories, thanks to Carrie Elks.

If you’re hopping along, you most likely came from Katie O’Connor’s site. Welcome!  http://katieoh.blogspot.com


The Gift of the Magi, by O. Henry is my favorite Christmas story. The story, published in 1905, follows a young married couple, looking to buy the other a meaningful Christmas present.

James and Della Dillingham live in a modest apartment and struggle to make ends meet. Their two most prized “possessions” include her beautiful long hair and his shiny gold watch, an heirloom owned by his father and grandfather.

Della cuts her hair and sells it to buy a platinum pocket watch fob chain for James. James sells the watch to afford expensive combs for her beautiful hair.

Although both are shocked at the loss of the precious possessions, they realize their love for each other is priceless.

I often try to build a “Gift of the Magi” scenario into my stories. Susan Scott Shelley and I wrote it into the “Flirting on Ice” book. The heroine Heather is willing to leave her family and the work she loves to help Zac keep his position on the hockey team her father owns. Zac, on the other hand, is willing to move from the team he is captain of to help Heather stay with her family and continue her life without being harassed by the press and zealous fans. Any person willing to give up that which most precious to them for someone they love is a keeper!

Continue on to Elizabeth Janette’s blog  http://elizabeth-janette.blogspot.com. She has a story to tell…