Terry Odell's Blog, page 237
February 27, 2013
Those Pesky Homophones
Don’t forget to enter to win a Box of Books!
In my recent seminar on Indie Publishing, one of my lectures stressed the importance of professional editing. Spellcheck is NOT editing! I’ve been reading books, both Indie and traditionally published, where I’ve seen some “misses” that pull me out of the story. I’m not talking about typos here, except in the sense that someone typed the wrong word. I’m not big on labels as long as the end result gives you the right usage. I probably learned all the...
February 26, 2013
What’s Cooking Wednesday — Celtic Calm
Don’t forget to enter to win a Box of Books!
We’ve had some snow recently. Not unexpected at this time of year, but it’s the first “real” winter weather we’ve had since moving up here. I thought I’d share a nice warming drink for those cold winter nights. This recipe via my daughter via “The Scotch Doc”.
McCoy’s Celtic Calm
Ingredients:
2 ounces of Scotch single malt (Other scotches will do — in an emergency.)
Juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon Vermont maple syrup (Honey will do.)
6 ounces of hot wate...
February 25, 2013
The Forensic Buffer Zone
Today I’m pleased to welcome Elizabeth (Beth) Murray, PhD, to Terry’s Place. I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Murray speak at the Writers Police Academy, and she introduced me to NamUS, the database for matching missing persons to recovered remains. I used that information in my book, Deadly Bones, and was delighted that Dr. Murray agreed to be my guest. She’s telling us what a REAL forensics scientist does, and the tolls it takes. She’s agreed to answer questions, so feel free to ask away.
T...
February 24, 2013
The Power of Internal Monologue
First, I hope you got a chance to see my new Box of Books Giveaway in yesterday’s post. It’s a simple “click to enter” contest, but you can get an extra chance to win if you’ve liked my
Facebook author page
(and if you haven’t, you can still like it to get the extra entry).Second, I hope you’ll check out the 12 Steps to Intimacy workshop I’m giving starting March 4th at Savvy Authors.
One of my crit partners is starting a new book, and i...
February 23, 2013
Want a Box of Books?
Today’s my birthday, and I’m giving you a chance to win a box of books, selected from my overflowing bookshelf. As promised, when my Facebook Author Page hit 1000 “Likes” I’m holding another contest. It’s very simple to enter — just click the ‘enter’ option. There’s a second entry option as well. If you’ve liked my author page, you can enter a second time. If you haven’t, you can still get that second entry by liking the page via the entry form. Rafflecopter “knows” these things.
Contest runs...
February 21, 2013
Friday Field Trip — “Morocco”
Hubster and I drove most-of-the-way down the mountain to Manitou Springs where we enjoyed a six course Moroccan dinner. Come share the fun.
No chairs. You sit on cushions on the floor
Before the meal, the server pours warm water over your hands
A basket full of Khobz: honey wheat bread
Sharba: vegetable soup. You’ll notice there’s no silverware. Part of the fun
Next course — Shlada: hummus and tabbouleh.
Bastella: chicken in phyllo topped with powdered sugar.
Entrees are served in the traditional ta...
February 20, 2013
Finding That Perfect Cover
I’m talking about the process my cover artist and I went through (he did the work; I just offered opinions) to create the cover for Saving Scott. You can see the process at The Blood-Red Pencil today.
February 19, 2013
What’s Cooking Wednesday — Pear Cake
Florida friend and another Booklover’s Bench author, Nancy J. Cohen is sharing her recipe for Pear Cake this week.Thanks for contributing to What’s Cooking Wednesday!
PEAR CAKE 
Ingredients:
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
¼ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large cans sliced pears in light syrup, drained
1‑1/4 cups all‑purpose flour
½ cup sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground coriander
¾ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
1 large egg
1/3 cup buttermilk
¼ tsp sa...
February 18, 2013
When Bald Is Beautiful!
Today I welcome Karla Darcy to Terry’s Place. Karla writes sweet Traditional Regency romances. She self-publishes on Kindle, Nook, Kobo and iTunes. She’s also a fellow member of the Booklover’s Bench. (There’s a giveaway, so keep reading!)
I’ve been writing about heroes for years and have spent many hours studying my characters to make sure they have the correct background to give them heroic tendencies. I understood what made a hero.
In the last several months I’ve been reminded what a real h...
February 17, 2013
Fixing That Blank Page
As many readers of this blog might recall, I recently had some serious computer issues. The biggest lesson I learned was that when it comes to computerese, what means something to a consumer isn’t the same thing it means to a computer tech person. However, for the most part, things are back to normal. I’m working on my lectures for my 12 Steps to Intimacy Workshop at Savvy Authors, which starts March 4th, and am back to the WIP. (If you want to regi...
