C.E. Murphy's Blog, page 20

not bougie after all :)

I turned out to be not bougie after all, because a couple hours after I booked the laundry service, the landlord came by with a new dryer (on a Saturday evening!) and we could do our own laundry, so I cancelled the service. :)

I am, however, looking at the living room floor, which was last vacuumed about eight days ago and has collected visible amounts of dog hair, and am booking a cleaner. Even if all they ever deal with is vacuuming and the bathroom, that will be enough. Possibly that’ll free ...

the most bougie thing i have ever done

Our dryer died last weekend, and the landlord is working on getting a new one, but in the meantime, the laundry is piling up, so I have found a local laundry service that will COLLECT EVERYTHING, take it away, wash, dry, and fold it, then BRING IT BACK TO US.

I said over on twitter that if this goes well, I may never do laundry again. That’s probably not true, but the fact that I can just have somebody COLLECT IT…. I mean, I found them because I was looking for a laundromat near me, and the Goog...

New Book: A VERY MEOWY CHRISTMAS

My latest paranormal romance novella, A VERY MEOWY CHRISTMAS, is now available!

I cannot tell you how much fun I have writing these lil’ novellas. They’re short, they’re sweet, they’re funny, and everybody gets to live happily ever after, which we certainly need in these times. I genuinely hope you like it as much as I liked writing it. :)

Being cool as a cat is harder than it looks when unexpected love strikes!

Single dad and bobcat shifter Mason has moved to Virtue to raise his toddler in the ...

i gotta marie kondo my life

S P E C I F I C A L L Y i need to marie kondo all the stuff that’s lying around that’s actually already been marie kondo’d and just needs to be TAKEN SOMEWHERE ELSE. We don’t have a car, which makes some of it difficult, but there are also things too large to be put in a car (like a 3 seater sofa), so it’s less relevant on that front.

I am just so tired of Stuff. I do not know how to winnow down the STUFF. I mean, I do, but like most things in life, it’s much easier to know HOW to do a thing th...

as the world falls down

All right, well, as we wait to see whether Twitter, like, collapses into a singularity or something, I’m at least updating my website, and maybe I’ll learn how to blog again. Probably not, but who knows, it could happen.

I…have no idea what to write. I can still write books, but not, apparently, a blog post of more than 280 characters.

I’ve recently finished writing my fiftieth book. I’ve even more recently finished my tenth novella (although of the 50 books, 3 are short story collections that ...

Apple Butter Recipes, Redux

Miz Kit’s Apple Butter Recipe
~10 pounds unprocessed/~4lbs prepared (peeled, cored, sliced) apples
1.5 cups apple juice/sweet cider
1 tsp salt

Peel, core and slice the apples. Put prepared apples and apple juice into a large pot, cover, and boil until the apples are soft (about 30 minutes), stirring occasionally. Puree the mix in a blender/food processor/whatever until smooth. Turn into a deep, flat enamel-lined pan & put into a pre-heated oven at 325°F (150°C, 130°C fan assisted) and roast, sti...

New Release: GLADIATOR TIGER

GLADIATOR TIGER, the last of my Gladiator Shifters paranormal romance series, is out now! It’s available at Amazon for Kindle and in print! (affiliate link)

I’m pretty chuffed about finishing this series. I’m happy with how it turned out, and also I haven’t finished a series in approximately One Million Years, so it’s emotionally cathartic. :D

Their love can stand the test of time…

When archaeologist Elissa Grant is asked to curate a new exhibition on ancient Rome, she can’t say no—but the last...

Kitsnacks: Catie’s Vegan Fudge & Marshmallow Cream recipes

Okay, what follows are my recipes for vegan chocolate fudge, which requires homemade marshmallow fluff made with aquafaba, which is the fancy name for chickpea water.

Do not ask me why chickpea water froths up into a great meringue. This is beyond my knowledge. It works, though.

If you’re looking for something that’s just dairy-free but you’re not allergic to eggs, you can use regular marshmallow cream and save yourself a step, but this recipe goes Full Vegan.

Catie’s Vegan Marshmallow Cream
1/2...

Kitsnacks: Catie’s Basic Fudge Recipe

FUDGE:
3 c sugar
2/3 c evaporated milk
3/4 c butter or margarine
1/2 tsp salt
12oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 c marshmallow creme (or 1 small jar marshmallow creme)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c walnuts if desired

NOTES: for persons in Ireland or UK who wish to make this, the sugar must must be caster sugar; granulated makes grainy fudge. Boo, hiss. Also, semi-sweet chocolate is called plain chocolate with about a 54-60% chocolate content here, so you’d be using 12oz/2 cups of chopped plain chocolate in...

Release Day: A CHRISTMAS LIKE NO OTTER

HOORAY my next Zoe Chant story, A CHRISTMAS LIKE NO OTTER, has just gone live! Return to the small town of Virtue for an otterly adorable story of holiday cheer and a guaranteed happily ever otter! ( laughing-husky.gif )

Special thanks to Rachel G, Sharon C, Ellen M, & Bruce R, who came through with copyedit/proofreads on this thing like O V E R N I G H T because there was a sudden crunch to get it out!

For those who are unaware, Zoe Chant is a multi-author pen name, and I write ONLY the Virtu...