C.E. Murphy's Blog, page 23

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...

taxi drivers & electric cars

My taxi driver today had just bought a new electric car and was so pleased with himself that it improved my entire day.

It was a 45K car, but he got a 15K grant, so that brought it down to 30K. Then he got a 12.5K trade-in on his old car, which was obviously quite decent, but only had 4 years left on its 9 year run as a vehicle acceptable as a taxi (I didn’t know there was a limit, but there is), so he got a 45K car for 17.5K AND electric vehicles have a 12, not 9, year limit as a taxi, so he’s ...

Release Day: Death of an Irish Mummy

Hey, today really IS launch day!

Book 3 in my Dublin Driver cozy mystery series, DEATH OF AN IRISH MUMMY, is out today!

If you’re just here for the links, it’s available now on: Amazon (affiliate link) || Apple || Barnes & Noble || Kobo

Squiring a self-proclaimed heiress around Dublin has got limo driver Megan Malone’s Irish up—until she finds the woman dead . . .

American-born Cherise Williams believes herself to be heir to an old Irish earldom, and she’s come to Dublin to claim her her...

heat? in the house? i do not understand

So it turns out that the heat’s never worked properly in this house since we moved in.

Here’s the thing: the heating in Ireland is such shit that this never occurred to us as a possibility. We’ve been trained to think sleeping in gloves is just a thing you have to do sometimes.

The radiators were gurgling horribly & Ted tried bleeding them (again: this happened a few weeks ago & we eventually turned the boiler off & back on again & the heat came back, but THIS time) the whole system shut down & ...

Launch Day: Practical Boots

I am lying. Today is not launch day. Today is the day I remember to post about launch day. :]

But: launch day! New novella! PRACTICAL BOOTS, a story of the Torn, is now available!

These boots are made for walking…

The disappointing daughter of a Lord of the Torn, Cat Sharp was dumped in the shapeless Waste to prove herself or die. Seven years later, she’s honed the Artificer magic that saved her in the Waste, and her courier business is booming: after all, no one else can step from ...