Terry Odell's Blog, page 104

Happy Chanukah 2017

Tonight, sundown marks the first night of Chanukah. Here’s some fun.

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Zarf is a Noun; Google is a Verb

Zarf is a Noun; Google is a Verb

As I mentioned, I’m taking a semi-break from blogging and rerunning older posts. Today’s post is one I wrote for The Blood Red Pencil blog in August of 2012.

Lately, thanks (or curses) to one of my kids, I’ve taken up playing Words With Friends. People think that because I write books, I must have a massive vocabulary. Not so. I write contemporary commercial fiction, which is what I read. I like characters to sound like the people I hear every day, and I don’t...

Holiday Reading Habits

I’m over at Booklover’s Bench today, talking about holiday reading habits. Do yours change? Do you read more, less, or different types of books? Hop over to the site and there’s a link for a free download of my romance short stories. Perfect when you’re pressed for time or need a lift.

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What’s Cooking Wednesday – Rugelach Cookies

Rugelach are cookies my family has made for the holidays since my kids were little. We assembly-lined the process. I’d roll out the dough, one child would spread the melted butter, another sprinkle the filling. I’d roll the assembled cookies into the crescent shapes, and the kids would arrange them on the baking sheet.

Ingredients:
Pastry:
2 sticks butter
8 oz. cream cheese
t salt
2 c flour

Instructions:
In a large bowl of electric mixer, cream butter & cream cheese until
completely blended...

Best Practices in e-Publishing Revisited

Best Practices in e-Publishing in 2012

Everyone is busier than usual during the holiday season, and I’m no exception. In fact, since my holiday starts December 12th, I’m probably further behind than a lot of you.

To that end, and because I know I have a lot of followers here who haven’t been with me from the very start, I’m taking it “easy” and looking through my older blog posts. Today’s offering was first posted in May of 2012, after I attended the Pike’s Peak Writers Conference.

One of th...

Info Dumps, Back Story, Maid-Butler and AYKB Pitfalls

Info Dumps, Back Story, Maid-Butler and AYKB Pitfalls

On Monday, I talked about the “false engines” of starting books too soon. Today, I’m dealing with info dumps and handling back story.

In my WIP, the 8th Blackthorne novel, my protagonists are new to readers. The hero, Marv “Fish” Frisch, has been mentioned in a previous book, but he was more of a walk-on, so other than his name and the fact that he works for Blackthorne, readers won’t know anything about him. He was part of the opening ga...

What’s Cooking Wednesday – Asian Style Green Bean Salad

Asian Style Green Bean Salad

We had some new faces at our Thanksgiving table this year, and everyone brought food. I wanted to have a green bean dish, but not the “traditional” casserole. I found this recipe and thought I’d give it a try, as it could be made ahead and then served at room temperature as a salad side dish.

Ingredients:

2 pkg. frozen whole baby green beans, or 2 lb fresh haricots verts.
1 T vegetable oil
1 T finely minced or grated fresh ginger
2 T honey
1 t soy sauce
1 t sesam...

Where Does Your Book Start? Avoid the False Engine

Where Does Your Book Start?

Once again I find myself staring at a screen, blank except for two words at the top of the page: “Chapter One.”

Once again, I write a few paragraphs, delete them, write some more, move things around, and eventually have a scene written. I run it through a mental checklist.

Have I introduced my protagonist?

Have I avoided putting too many other characters into the scene?

Are there hints as to what this story is about? Not everything belongs in the first scene, but...

A Very Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

Take time today to give thanks for all you have.

And here’s a family tradition shared by many others

 

And here’s an interesting article – Arlo Guthrie’s thoughts on the 50 year anniversary tour of Alice’s Restaurant.

 

Save

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What’s Cooking Wednesday – Turkey Cooking Technique

For most, Thanksgiving means turkey. Years ago (but not as many years ago as in this picture!), when my brother owned a restaurant, he shared his turkey cooking technique, which we’ve used ever since.

My brother started cooking early on

The turkey cooks much faster than “normal” which is helpful in a one-oven household. It’s not a recipe, just a technique, so you can use your favorite way of seasoning/prepping the bird.

Preheat oven to 450 (425 if your bird is under 12 pounds).

Prepare the tu...