Terry Odell's Blog, page 239

What’s Cooking Wednesday — Lemon Tart

My pastry-chef brother shared this recipe with me. If you haven’t been following my blog and Facebook page, then you might not know I had a total computer crash. The hard drive is fine, but the computer tech can’t find the data–and if he does, it’s going to be in a raw state, which means (I think) I’ll get a lot of files but won’t know what they are unless I look at each one. Yes, I have some backups, but not everything. At any rate, you know what they say — “When Life Hands You A Lemon…” So,...

You Said WHAT?

Today I welcome Mona Karel to Terry’s Place. Mona’s going to take us on a stroll down memory lane, in more ways than one.

Hi Terry, thanks so much for the invite. I worked for a dog trainer in Georgia who liked to sing along to the radio, even if he didn’t quite understand the lyrics. He wondered why a song with the refrain “They eat hogs in Alabama” was so popular. Maybe because it was “Sweet Home Alabama?” There’s actually a name for this sort of confusion: ‘mondegren.’ Seems like a fancy wo...

What Do You Mean?

What I’m reading: Contest entry #4 of 5; Notorious Nineteen, by Janet Evanovich
Beginning today, I’ll be at the CoffeeTime Romance Forum with a series of posts about Indie Publishing. I hope you’ll stop by with questions or feedback about your own experiences. (Note: the seminar was originally scheduled to run from the 4th through the 8th, but I’m extending it through the 18th.)
Also—I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve joined a group of writers, and we’re going to be opening a new website: Bookl...

Friday Field Trip — Death Valley

Jason’s back from a couple of photo shoots, and I’m delighted that he’s willing to share. Today we’re going to Death Valley.

Death Valley National Park is located on the California/Nevada border. Here you’ll be able to visit the lowest elevation in North America and 8th lowest in the world at –282 feet below sea level. In addition to the low valley, the mountains of the Panamint Range rise up to over 11,000 feet, making for a dramatic elevation change. These images were taken along several loc...

Authorial Voice at The Blood-Red Pencil

[image error]I’m continuing my posts about voice at The Blood-Red Pencil. Last time it was character voice. This time, it’s the authorial voice. Hope you’ll stop over and join the discussion.

And the Box of Books Winner Is…

Thanks to all who liked my new Facebook Author Page and entered my Box Of Books Contest. Rafflecopter’s random number generator selected a winner. I’m thrilled that a box of books will be heading out to frequent blog visitor, Karen Cherubino!

And I’ll be having another contest–I still have plenty of books–as soon as my “Likes” on my Facebook Author Page hit the 1000 mark. It’s over 900 now, so it shouldn’t be long.

Again, congratulations to Karen.

What’s Cooking Wednesday — Flourless Chocolate Cake

Did you know that Monday was National Chocolate Cake Day? I didn’t. Being caught by surprise, I didn’t have time to bake one (although Hubster felt it was our duty to celebrate, so he bought a cake on his way home from Yoga). Here’s a belated recipe.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

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Photo from Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

5 large eggs, separated

2/3 c sugar

1/2 c unsalted butter, softened

4 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted, cooled

1 T unsweetened cocoa powder

1 T dark rum

1 T coffee liqueur

Unsweet...

Inspiration from the Unexpected

Today I welcome Beth Barany to Terry’s Place. Beth Barany is a novelist, writing coach, and speaker. She’s sharing a post about France, and how it inspires her writing. There’s a giveaway, so be sure to keep reading. If you haven’t seen the pictures she shared on Friday, pop over and see her inspiration.

[image error] Last fall I traveled to France on my way to a writing conference in Italy. I missed my connecting flight and had to spend the night in a small town outside of Paris called Beauvais. I’d never...

Flying Body Parts?

What I’m reading: Contest entry #3 of 5
(Last chance to enter my box of books giveaway — link in the sidebar)

I recently read a blog with a firm stance on how to deal with body parts. I don’t entirely agree. I don’t have trouble with figures of speech, and if I’m reading that a character ‘flew down the block to John’s house’ I don’t see her mid-air. If someone writes “a lump of ice settled in her belly” I’m not seeing actual ice.

[image error]How do you react when you read things like this?

Their eyes met fro...

The Winners Are…

Thanks to everyone who took the time to comment on Michelle Monkou’s post. Her winners are Beverly and Keisha M.

They’ve been notified to contact Michelle to claim their prizes. Congratulations, and again, thanks to all for visiting the blog.