Terry Odell's Blog, page 139
June 8, 2016
What’s Cooking Wednesday – Tangy Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Spring weather is often late in showing up in Colorado, so crock pot recipes are still part of our routine. Here’s one Hubster found for his night to cook.
Tangy Slow Cooker Pork Roast
Ingredients:
1 large onion, sliced
2 pounds boneless pork loin roast (Hubster used a bone-in pork shoulder. Add some extra cooking time if you do. He also added carrots and mushrooms.)
1 c hot water
c white sugar
3 T red wine vinegar
2 T soy sauce
1 T ketchup
t black pepper
t salt
t garlic powder
dash hot...
June 7, 2016
In the Interview Room – Carolyn Wilkins
Today I welcome Carolyn Marie Wilkins to Terry’s Place. Carolyn is the author of the Bertie Bigelow mystery series.
What’s your biggest distraction when you should be writing?
I am also a professional musician and a professor at Berklee College of Music. When I’m at my desk trying to write, I am sometimes seduced by the desire to practice the piano or write a song. I am also developing my skills as an intuitive counselor and Reiki energy healer.
Setting: real, totally made up, or based on a r...
June 6, 2016
Tips for Getting Back to Writing
I spent a week out of town recently, which meant I wasn’t working on the current manuscript. When I get home, it always seems to take me two days for every one I was gone to catch up. However, even though I built my vacation into my writing schedule, it’s not easy for me to sit down at the computer and pick up where I left off. Here are some things that have worked for me.
If you are going to worry about cleaning house, paying bills, going through email, tak...
June 3, 2016
Friday Field Trip – Colorado Cattle Co.
We spent a week at the Colorado Cattle Company Guest Ranch, where I was doing research for my Triple-D Ranch series.
The ranch house
The bunk house
Our room
What did we do? Click for more.
Some of the ranch horses coming into the paddock.
Farrier at work
Dillon, my horse for the week
Holding the herd
If you want to know more about our days at the ranch, my journal entries are here.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
June 2, 2016
Hands-On Research
I’ve talked about doing research to make sure you get the facts right. You can Google, find experts to talk to, but hands-on is always better. To that end, I booked a week at the Colorado Cattle Company Guest Ranch, where, according to the ranch’s slogan, the guests are the cowboys. Seemed like the perfect place for researching my Triple-D Ranch series.
They weren’t kidding with their slogan. On our first day, we were already out working cattle.
There’s nothing like being able to hear the sou...
June 1, 2016
What’s Cooking Wednesday – Apple and Onion Chutney
At our recent visit to the Colorado Cattle Company Guest Ranch, one night’s dinner was grilled pork chops with this yummy chutney. Jacob Asmussen, one of the cooks, was kind enough to share the recipe.
Apple & Onion Chutney
Ingredients:
c butter
4 green apples cored & sliced inch thick (peeling is optional)
3 onions (not red, because they’ll discolor the chutney) cut into inch slices
4 cloves garlic
c dried cranberries
S&P to taste
t allspice
2 T honey
c white wine
Instructions:
Me...
May 31, 2016
In The Interview Room – Barbara Myers
Today I welcome Barbara Meyers to Terry’s Place. When not writing fiction, Dr. Seuss-like poetry for adults or song lyrics, Barbara disguises herself behind a green apron and trades Caramel Frappacinos for story ideas.
Giveaway Alert. One commenter will receive a download of Fantasy Man.
What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever done in the name of research?
It may only be strange to me, but I’ve been trying to research porn actresses and porn films without actually watching any porn. I have bee...
May 30, 2016
May 27, 2016
Friday Field Trip – Heidelberg, Germany
While I’m at the ranch, good friend Elaine Baskin has pictures to share from a recent trip to Germany. Thanks, Elaine.
The Heidelberg castle, which overlooks the city, is amazing in grand size, Renaissance architecture and setting. 
The castle was partially destroyed in a 17th century war and also by natural fires.
One multi-story section of the battlements with walls 5 meters thick was blown out when the powder magazine exploded and rests in the now dry moat, almost intact.
View of Heid...
May 26, 2016
Let There Be Light
I’m on a cattle ranch all this week, so I’m rerunning some posts. This one is from January, 2013, so perhaps it’s new to some of you.
Light is important when we’re writing—and I’m not talking about having enough light to work by. I’m talking about how much we can describe in our scenes. One of my critique partners questioned a scene I’d written:
She stepped inside and closed the door behind them. Placing her forefinger over her lips, she shook her head before he could speak. She unbuttoned th...
