Terry Odell's Blog, page 228

Friday Field Trip — the Badlands

Jason just got back from his annual photo tour of Badlands National Park in South Dakota. He says, the rock formations are amazing to see, but to really appreciate it you need to be there either before sunrise or just after sunset. He led a private photo safari for eight photographers and managed to get some really amazing light each day. The mornings were too early and the evenings were too late, but everyone had a fantastic time.

More About Pacing

As promised, the second part of my article on pacing should be over at The Blood-Red Pencil today.

In addition, this afternoon (3 PM Eastern time), I’m going to be doing something “different.” I’m being interviewed, live, on Twitter. I hope some of you will stop by. You can ask questions–anything you want. It could be fun. I’ve never done anything like this, so I hope you’ll keep me from feeling all alone in Twitterland. The hashtag for the interview is #WritersKaboodle

You can see more about h...

What’s Cooking Wednesday — Chocolate Bar Pie

Here’s another super quick and easy from Book Club member, Kathy Perry.

Easy Chocolate Bar Pie

Ingredients:

6 chocolate bars with almonds (1.45 oz. each)

1 container (8 oz.) frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 T. vanilla

1 prepared graham cracker crust (8–9″)

shaved chocolate for garnish

Instructions:

In microwave oven, melt chocolate bars, stir until smooth. Quickly fold into the whipped topping. Stir in vanilla. Spoon into pie crust. Garnish with shaved chocolate, if desired. Chill until ready to serve...

In the Interview Room — Irene Bennet Brown

Today I welcome award-winning author Irene Bennett Brown to Terry’s Place. Best known for her YA and adult historical novels, Irene has found new delight in writing cozy mysteries.

Plotter or Pantser?

I’m a definite plotter. Once I have an idea I’m excited about, I create character sketches, write a paragraph summary, do research, and then write a 10 to 15 page synopsis which I mark into chapters. This helps me create a first draft, then polished pages, in the same way house plans work for a ho...

Pacing — Tortoise, Hare, or Both?

What I’m reading: Run Wild, by Shelly Thacker (Nook)
Tomorrow is the last day to enter the Booklover’s Bench contest. I don’t think I need to say anything more.

Life moves at its own pace. A minute is sixty seconds long; an hour sixty minutes long. However, we’ve all experienced situations where time flies, or where it seems to drag on interminably. During the recent fires in Colorado, it’s almost as if life stops while you wait for breaking news. People who have been in accidents or high-stres...

Friday Field Trip — Hiking in Colorado

First– as the fires continue to burn in Colorado, I hope you’ll keep the thousands of people affected in your thoughts. If you want to help, the Red Cross is always on the scene during disasters. Locally, there’s the Pikes Peak Community Foundation’s Emergency Relief fund.
I met Kevin J. Anderson, today’s guest, at the SuperStars Writing Conference. He lives in an evacuation zone, so I hope you’ll keep him in your thoughts as well. He’s a best-selling author who enjoys hiking, so I thought it...

Soundtracks? Theme Songs? Help an Author Out.

I’m going to be at ThrillerFest next month, and I’ve been assigned to a panel called, “Is There a Soundtrack For Your Book?” For me, the short answer is no but the question reminded me of a post I did on writing to music a number of years (and books) ago. I’m revisiting it here. At the end of this post, I have a Big Question for you. Two questions, actually, and I’m hoping you’ll help me out.

Every writer has “ideal” writing conditions. Some like crowded, busy venues, others sequester themselv...

What’s Cooking Wednesday — Southwest Stuffed Peppers

Hubster’s been playing in the kitchen again. Here’s his take on a stuffed bell pepper recipe. (He said if he makes it again, he’d add some jalapenos or poblanos to the mixture)

Southwest Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

1 c. long grain white rice

1 T olive oil

6 scallions, thinly sliced (separate white and green)

½ lb ground meat (we used turkey)

1 c. frozen corn

1 4 oz. can chopped green chiles

1 t. ground cumin

4 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, grated

S&P

4 large bell peppers (any color)

½ c. plain Greek yogurt

sa...

In the Interview Room — Violetta Rand

Today I welcome Violetta Rand to the Interview Room. Welcome!

Setting: real, totally made up, or based on a real place?

The main setting for Blind Allegiance is Trondelag, Norway, a western coastal region that very much resembles, Alaska. Icy fjords, glaciers, mountains, and forest—hauntingly beautiful. It screams Vikings.

You can invite anyone, alive or dead, to dinner…

Who would you invite and why?

Jesus of Nazareth – whether you embrace him as the savior or a great prophet, his philosophies hav...

Coroners — A Workshop Recap

Last month, our RWA chapter’s speaker was Chris Herndon, a retired deputy coroner. A lot of her talk was about cases she’d worked on, including graphic pictures, which doesn’t really lend itself to a pleasant blog post, but she did provide a lot of interesting facts.

First—if you’re writing crime fiction make sure you know whether the state you’re writing about uses Medical Examiners or Coroners. They’re not the same. Coroners are elected. Historically, coroners were tax collectors in England,...