Terry Odell's Blog, page 121
February 22, 2017
Extending Birthdays
Who says a birthday has to be celebrated ON one’s birthday. As long as I don’t have to declare another year for every day I extend the celebration, I’m on board.
When Hubster saw this event at a local brewery taking place the day before my birthday, I had no issues jumping the gun a bit. I’m acquainted with wine pairings, but beer pairings? That’s a new one. Since the event takes place tonight, I can’t tell you anything more about it now (but you can be sure there will be pictures at a later...
February 21, 2017
What’s Cooking Wednesday – Chocolate Birthday Cake
This recipe has been in the Odell family for years, and often makes an appearance on birthdays. I’ve run it before, but since there’s a birthday in the family this week (not saying whose), I thought it was worth repeating.
Grandma Lena’s Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cups sugar
cup cocoa
cup hot water
2 tsp baking soda
tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup margarine or butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 13×9...
February 20, 2017
Character Interviews – Maggie Toussaint’s Lindsey McKay
Thanks for letting me interview you, Lindsey. A few introductory questions:
Your name: Lindsey McKay
The book you’re in: Really, Truly Dead
Your author’s name: Maggie Toussaint
Your role: amateur sleuth
And on with the interview:
What was your favorite part of being a character in this book?
I beat Sheriff Ike Harper at his own game. He believed my father killed the judge, but boy was he wrong. He got all mad when the entire family rallied around Dad, but hey, what’d he expect? The McKay fa...
February 19, 2017
Only Trouble is Interesting
In my first online critique group, when I was writing my first original novel (Finding Sarah), the group leader offered her feedback: “Don’t let anything else bad happen to Sarah. I like her.”
However, at a writing workshop, the speaker told the audience, quoting Janet Burroway, “Only trouble is interesting.” After listening to his talk, I left that online critique group.
Donald Maass speaks of putting tension on every page, in every paragraph. The reader needs to get involved, to wonder what...
February 16, 2017
Friday Field Trip – Market at Cozumel
I mentioned going to a local market in one of my earlier cruising for research posts. I thought I’d share some of the pictures I took.
Have a great weekend everyone!
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February 15, 2017
Friday Field Trip – Market at Cozumel
I mentioned going to a local market in one of my earlier cruising for research posts. I thought I’d share some of the pictures I took.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Writing Research – Watch the Pepper
My recent posts about my Caribbean cruise have been related to research. The tricky part about doing research is deciding how much of it belongs on the page.
Our guides spent our bus riding time telling us about the history and culture of the places we visited. Had I been taking copious notes, I could probably have written pages—chapters, even—about what I’d learned. But as I mentioned in my posts, it’s more about letting your readers feel like they’re in your setting than it is giving them a...
February 14, 2017
What’s Cooking Wednesday – Sauteed Scallops with Kale
Hubster found this recipe in the Fresh and Fast cookbook our daughter gave him. The original called for chard, but he substituted kale, which was easier to find. Spinach would work, too. This one’s definitely a keeper, and the sauce would be good with fish or chicken as well.
Sautéed Scallops with Kale
Ingredients:
3 T olive oil
1 small bunch kale, stems removed, leaves chopped
Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
lb. sea scallops
All-purpose flour for dredging
1 small sha...
February 13, 2017
Character Interviews J.J. DiBenedetto’s Cassie Worthington
Thanks for allowing me to interview you, Cassie. First, some background questions:
Your name: Cassie Worthington
The book you’re in: Her Brother’s Keeper
Your author’s name: J.J. DiBenedetto
Your role: Sidekick/voice of reason
What was your favorite part of being a character in this book?
Well, I didn’t die (despite the author’s best efforts to get me killed), so there’s that. And I did (finally!) get married. Maybe I’ll go with the wedding instead of the not dying.
Do you have any input into...
February 12, 2017
Cruising for Research 4 – Cozumel
Our third shore day was Cozumel. Because we docked, getting off the boat was a much smoother process and we met our guide for the day. The only glitch in the plan was minor—the ship stays on “ship time” regardless of the time at the destination, so we’d lost an hour. However, there was still plenty of time for everything Jason and the travel agent had arranged.
Our guide was originally from Germany, but was fluent in both English and Spanish (as well as German). More importantly to the group,...
