Terry Odell's Blog, page 262

What's Cooking Wednesday – Applesauce Drop Cookies

Thanks to Roy & Alicia for yesterday's entertaining blog. I don't think Hubster and I would make a good writing team, although he's very good about beta reading for me.

It's a double recipe Wednesday. If you didn't get over to Chicklets in the Kitchen , there's a recipe for Blonde Brownies that I shared as part of my guest blog post on Monday.



This recipe came from a box of C&H brown sugar. I used to make it in a 13x9 pan as bar cookies (much easier than doing the cookie sheets and scooping dough) but I wasn't sure how it would work up here, so I went with the drop cookies.





Applesauce Drop Cookies

Ingredients:

1 c raisins

1 c applesauce

1 c brown sugar, firmly packed

½ c shortening

1 egg

2 c flour (I used 1 c AP, 1 c whole wheat)

½ t salt

1 t soda

1 t cinnamon

½ t nutmeg

¼ t cloves

1 c chopped nuts (I used walnuts)



Directions:

Oven at 375

Mix raisins and applesauce; set aside. In mixing bowl, combine sugar, shortening, and egg; beat until fluffy. Mix flour with salt, soda & spices; add and mix well. Stir in nuts. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls (I use a small ice-cream type scoop) about 2 inches apart on greased or parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Makes about 4 dozen cookies, which keep well due to the pectin in the applesauce.





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Mars and Venus Writing Together

Today I welcome Alicia and Roy Street to Terry's Place. Alicia and Roy collaborate writing rom-com mysteries as well as romantic comedy. In 2009 they won a Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense.



And while Alicia and Roy are here at Terry's Place, I'm at Sarah Butland's blog. Hope you'll visit me there.



Do men and women approach work differently? Some studies say men approach work as they would a competitive sport and their sense of competency (i.e. ego) is always an issue. Then again, today's women aren't exactly pushovers. It's a jungle out there and the female lioness is a formidable hunter. So then just how do the two sexes work things out when moving in for the kill on a project that entails loads of creative energy and specific decision making scene-by-scene and word-by-word?

When people find out we are a husband wife team writing together they often cringe, saying, "I could NEVER write a book with my spouse. We'd be divorced before we got to the second draft."

So, here's a short quiz to see if you could write a book with your significant other. Are you ready?

You have a deadline, and the two of you have been working for hours in your home office. You encounter the following situations . . .




1. You've motored through all the snacks in the house and there's only one piece of chocolate left. You say:

a. Go ahead, sweetie. Enjoy.



b. What say we split it?



c. Yo! That's got my name on it. Touch it and I'll break your fingers.



2. You've been focused on the same difficult scene for so long, Partner A keeps drifting into idle chatter about diverse subjects. You say:

a. You have such a fascinating array of knowledge. It's one reason I love being around you.



b. Interesting info, honey. How about we save it for break.



c. Back on task, Bonzo. Like I give a rat's buttocks about your new electronic golf ball retriever.



3. For obvious reasons, writers run the risk of becoming sedentary creatures. So when it's time to work out, you say:

a. Gee, I love training side by side with you. Couples who sweat together, stick together.



b. Guess we better hit the gym.



c. Tennis time, Fatty. Twenty bucks says I can whip your sorry butt.



4. The section you've been working on all week has to be totally revised. You say:

a. Not a problem. We can do it, thanks to our being able to work so efficiently in a state of complete and unspoiled harmonious unity.



b. So we goofed. We'll hit it out of the park next time at bat.



c. Don't look at me, Slobbo. That dumbass part was your bogus idea.



No need to tabulate your score since everybody knows there are no answers.

But we'll be wrestling with some more gender related topics regularly on our blog at http://aliciastreet-roystreet.com/ 

For more about Alicia and Roy, check out Aphrodisiac, their wacky, gritty, award winning rom-com mystery about a paranormal perfume, and Kiss Me, Dancer , the first book in our Dance 'n' Luv series.



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Cooking With Characters

What I'm reading: Too Close to Home, by Lynette Easton

Today, I'm over at "Chicklets in the Kitchen" talking about characters and cooking. I hope you'll pop over and leave a comment, even if it's just to say hello. (There's a recipe!) And why not send some of your friends over. (In case this post goes up before hers does, PLEASE make a note to go back later.)



Normally, I try to blog even on days when I'm a guest elsewhere, but sometimes, you just need a day off to deal with all the other aspects of writing, which right now include workshop proposals and "lessons" for my February workshop on Point of View at Savvy Authors.



And take a peek at this new site for mystery books for the Kindle. Don't you just LOVE the banner? Kudos to daughter Jessica for putting it together at very short notice. One quick question. When you visit a blog or website, do you click on images? Just curious to see whether people are aware that the banner is a clickable link.



Tomorrow, I'll have the writing duo of Alicia and Roy Street talking about how a marriage can survive being writing partners. And while they're here, I'm going to be a guest at Sarah Butland's blog, so plan to leave yourself a little extra time for your blog hopping!



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And the Winners Are ...

Thanks so much to everyone who entered my giveaway contest. I forgot to count as I crammed the books into the box, but I think there are at least 15 that will be on their way to 

Kathy Crouch!

Congratulations, Kathy, and I hope you'll find some books in there that you'll enjoy.



(I still have some books on my shelf that didn't fit, so there might be another contest. And there's an exclusive contest in my newsletter, so if you haven't read yours yet, be sure to check it out.)







And, the ARC of ROOTED IN DANGER goes to Newsletter subscriber (and frequent blog visitor) ...





Karen C!

Congratulations, Karen, and I hope you'll enjoy your advance look at Fozzie's story.



Again, Thanks to all!

Friday Field Trip - Grand Canyon

Remember - today's the last day to enter my Big Giveaway. Details here.



Today's trip to the Grand Canyon comes via frequent blog visitor and commenter, Karen C. She proves that you don't need bright sunny days to take pictures. There's a totally different mood on a cloudy day. Thanks so much, Karen, for sharing!












































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Twitter: Who Do You Follow? Why?

What I'm reading: The Bargain Bride, by Marbara Metzger (bike) Saving Fish From Drowning, by Amy Tan (book club)

Promo alert – there are only a few days left to get Deadly Secrets for your Kindle or Nook (or apps thereof) for 99 cents.Also, my contest for a USPS Flat Rate Box of Books ends Jan 6th. Details here



Although I never thought I'd be a Twitter person (Tweeter?) I've found the platform to be a fun place to visit. Working in relative isolation, it's like the office break room, where you can exchange quick bits of information, pictures, and other updates. Do people care what you eat for breakfast? Probably not. But they might care about your weather (I've got one follower from Florida who's extremely jealous of the climate up here. Others are glad they don't live where I do.) People ask and answer questions. Also, quite frankly, it's a way for me to know what my kids are up to!



After the holiday weekend, I noticed I had a rather large (for me, anyway) number of new followers. I thought I'd share what makes me follow someone, or follow them back.



First, unless it's clearly a spammer, I'll never block someone who wants to follow me. There's no limit (as far as I know) as to how many followers I can have, so why kick them out? I also don't "unfollow" people who don't follow me back. To me, it's not a game of reciprocity. If someone finds my Tweets interesting, why not let them have access to them? If they unfollow me because I don't automatically follow them back, that's their right, and if that's the way they're using Twitter, that's fine. I think it's a kind of snobbery, but that's just my opinion, and they're free to have their own.



Here's how it works for me. I get an email that says Jane Doe is now following me on Twitter, and there's a link to her profile. I'll click over to that and look at:






What she's Tweeting. If it's nothing but promo for herself, I'm not going to follow. While social networking can be a useful marketing tool, to me, seeing only promo posts is tantamount to watching only the commercials on television rather than the programs.



Does she tweet at all? I've seen some who I call "collectors"—they just want followers, although they never have anything to say.



And, then there's the person who follows you, but when you check her profile, she has to approve you before you can see it. That's an automatic 'no, thanks.' She asked me, not the other way around, so why is she hiding?



There are those of "celebrity status" who have thousands of followers but only follow a handful back. Again, that's their prerogative, but it's easy enough to create a list for that handful of people so they don't get lost in the stream. And I'm not talking true celebrities, (I've never followed one) but just those popular enough to attract thousands of followers.



Normally, I'll start with a 'generic' follow if it's someone I don't "know" well enough. Once I see their tweets, especially if they mention me, I will move them to a list. Oh, and if I follow someone and immediately get a "thanks for the follow now go buy my book" message, I'll delete them as well. My take on Twitter is that marketing should be more about name recognition and having people interested in YOU rather than hitting them over the head with promo. My guesstimate is that my posts are about 25% marketing and 75% chatter.





My management system is TweetDeck. I can create lists, and although I might have almost 2000 followers, I'm really only aware of what a few hundred are saying—and even then, I don't catch all their tweets. I have my Family list, my Writer's list, my Foodies list. I have another list called "extras" which includes people I'm interested in, but don't necessarily fit into a category. I've got a list of fellow authors I try to support, so I can see their tweets and retweet if I think it's appropriate.



I've even created a list of people I follow who inundate the tweetstream when they're active. By moving them to a separate list, I can still see what they're saying, but they don't usurp the tweets of those I want to hear from. And, just like with the regular Twitter site, I can see who's talking about me. If I'm mentioned in a tweet by someone I don't know, I'll pop over to their profile, and use the criteria I've mentioned above to decide if I want to follow. Your mileage may vary.



Want to follow me? There's a link on the sidebar, or find me at @authorterryo

And I'd love to hear what you like or don't like about Twitter, if you use it, and how.



Another Field Trip tomorrow. Blog visitor Karen C shared some pictures of the Grand Canyon. Don't miss them.



Illustration by Kate Greenway 



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What's Cooking Wednesday - Irish Whiskey Cake

Today's recipe comes all the way from Northern Ireland, via my daughter, Jessica.



Irish Whiskey Cake



6 T each: Irish whiskey, milk

1 c raisins

½ c packed dark brown sugar

½ stick (1/4 c) butter

¼ c vegetable oil

2 eggs, beaten

1 t baking soda

½ t baking powder



¼ t each: salt, cinnamon, mace, nutmeg

1 ½ c flour

¾ c chopped pecans



Whiskey Syrup

⅓ c water

¼ c sugar

6 – 8 T Irish whiskey



Directions:






1. Heat oven to 350F. For the cake, heat whiskey and milk in a medium saucepan to boil. Remover from heat; stir in raisins, brown sugar, butter and oil until butter melts. Transfer to large bowl; cool until warm.



2. Stir in eggs, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, mace and nutmeg. Stir in flour and pecans just until moistened. Spoon batter into greased 9x5 inch loaf pan. Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes. Poke holes in top of cake with a fork.



3. Meanwhile, for syrup, combine water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook, stirring until sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in whiskey. Pour the syrup over the cake while the cake is still warm; let stand until cool. Wrap well in plastic wrap. Cake tastes best if allowed to mellow a day or more.



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One Writer's Resolutions

Remember: My  newsletter goes out tomorrow. If you're not subscribed, take a minute to do so at my website (and don't forget to click through on the confirmation email)



Today I welcome Susan Paturzo as my first guest of 2012. Susan has accumulated houses during the economic downturn and to support her unfortunate real estate addiction turns to work as a software developer. When she manages to escape from a cubicle, Susan writes mysteries and has won awards for her short fiction. She also blogs about life – or the lack thereof – in corporate America. In today's blog she shares with us her writing resolutions for 2012.



First of all, thank you for the opportunity to be the first guest of the year at Terry's Place! I don't ordinarily put much stock in New Year's resolutions, but when it comes to writing I need all the help I can get. Herewith, one writer's goals for the coming year:



I will put writing first instead of waiting until the email is read, the bills are paid, the laundry is done, the dog is walked, the web is surfed, and all the other myriad "necessary" tasks I reflexively put ahead of my creative life.



I will look rejection in the face and laugh. Or, at least not whimper. I have, as I write this, "only" been rejected by three agents. That's nothing, a grain of sand, a proverbial drop in the bucket. When I've hit three hundred I can complain.

I will complain less. A wise friend once pointed out that the word complain shares the same root as the word comply. As long as you're complaining about something you're not ready to make a change. Here's to more change and less complying in 2012.




I will not fear rough drafts. I personally love revising. I can re-work the same paragraph 150 times – in fact, it's hard for me to stop. But the blank page? Putting something where once there was nothing? That's when my inner critic gets vicious, inventive, and shuts me down completely.



I will prove that self discipline is not an oxymoron. According to Wikipedia, self discipline is the ability "to motivate oneself in spite of a negative emotional state." See? I had to look it up. But this year I will experience it first-hand.

I will find out what the hell a platform is. In this context, I know it's not a wooden structure to stand on but I swear, if I hear that word one more time – oh, wait. That's complaining.

I will stop procrastinating. I will no longer list procrastination under hobbies along with sleep and self loathing. Time is a limited resource. I will do my best to act accordingly.

Organize, don't agonize. Words first spoken by a professor of mine at the University of Colorado. I recently put them in the mouth of my fictional homicide detective, and I think they're worth reiterating.



I will tell my stories. As often seems the case this time of year, I've heard of several deaths, some that hit close to home. I resolve to tell the stories in me that I was put on this earth to tell, without worrying about whether it's any good, or marketable, or fashionable, or hip, or trendy, or what someone else thinks.

Happy New Writing Year everyone!

KILLING STREAK is Susan's first mystery in a series featuring Denver Homicide Detective Jack Fariel. To find out more, including sample chapters and a link to Susan's corporate blog, please visit www.susanpaturzo.com



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Generic or Name Brands?

What I'm reading: Because of You, by Jessica Scott (Nook)

If you haven't read my weekend post, please take a minute to check it out, because there's giveaway information you don't want to miss. My Newsletter will go out on Wednesday, and while you can still get an extra entry if you sign up after that date, you won't get the newsletter until the next issue comes out in April.

Today is one of those strange days. It's January 2nd, which is usually a "normal" day. But because New Year's Day fell on a Sunday, it's a holiday. But yesterday was the "real" New Year's Day. I'm confused! There's something just not "right" about not having the Rose Parade on television, not to mention the Bowl Games. But the NFL has commandeered Sundays—or so we think. But before that, back in 1890, the Tournament of Roses organizers established the precedent that it would never be held on a Sunday. Why? Because they were afraid it might scare the horses tied up outside the church. (I'm not making this up, honest. I'm not that clever. See for yourself.)



So, I'm feeling that there are probably a lot of you out there who aren't into your normal Monday routines, either. I thank you for stopping by.



While watching so many football games (or just having them on in the background—I'm not a faithful "watcher"), the repeated commercials quickly grated. While I grasp the concept that there's no way these manufacturers could create enough commercials so they're all different, hearing the same ones over and over had me hitting the mute button. The same thing happened in a couple of books I read recently.



Which brings me to "product placement" in our novels. Most of my publishers don't like using brand names. One makes its authors list every trademarked product and the page it's on so their legal department can make sure they're not going to get sued. Another goes so far as to list every single one in a "disclaimer" at the front of the book. The temptation exists to make up or avoid brand names. However, you still have to look them up in the trademark database, because a made-up name could actually be real!


In my mind, using brand names serves a purpose. They're quickly identifiable by the reader. If I refer to a "cream-filled chocolate wafer cookie" or a "doughnut shaped toasted oat cereal", you're probably going to stop, re-read, regroup, and then convert those descriptions to Oreos and Cheerios. One editor I spoke with said she'd never let "Walmart" through. She'd change it to "mega discount store". For the above reasons, I'm glad she didn't edit my manuscript for Danger in Deer Ridge. Walmart, in addition to being the only "large discount store" where the book is set, has that immediate image.



Cars are another one. I use brand names because they also say something about the character. A snazzy red sports car doesn't say the same thing to me as 'Vette or Porsche.



In When Danger Calls, my hero came into a bar and ordered "Jack". I skirted the issue and never referred to it as "Jack Daniels", but when the heroine wanted to upgrade his drink, I did refer to Knob Creek. And I asked the company if it was okay. They thought it was cool that I wanted to use their drink in the book.



In Where Danger Hides, I set a scene at Denny's. Not because it was important that it actually take place at a Denny's, but because that one word would create the right atmosphere for most American readers. Again, I spoke to Denny's legal department and got them to send permission to the publisher. They thought it was cool, too.



One caveat. If you're using something real, Don't Have Bad Stuff Happen. You don't want to have someone get food poisoning at Denny's, or have your character get drunk on Knob Creek and kill someone in a traffic accident. And definitely watch the dead bodies in real public places.



Oh – and why I started this post to begin with. I did get bugged by constant references to brand names in a couple of books I read recently. Both were cell phones. One author's character always referred to her Blackberry, and the other to her iPhone. I have a cell phone. It happens to be a Motorola Droid 3, but if I think about it in any context, it's my cell phone. Is there something special about iPhones and Blackberrys (or is it Blackberries?) that makes their owners think of them by brand name? How do you think of your cell phone? Or your car?



Tomorrow, my first guest of 2012 is Susan Paturzo, who's talking about her writing goals for the year.

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Happy New Year and Contest Recap

Farewell, 2011. Welcome 2012.



A few updates for the end of the year.



First, thanks to all my followers, friends, readers, "likers" and commenters. I write this blog as much for you as I do for myself. And a special thank you to those who have bought and read my books, with even more thanks to those who have taken the time to tweet, rate, or review them somewhere in cyberspace.



My newsletter is just about ready to send, and thanks again for all the feedback. There's still time to sign up so you won't miss the first issue of 2012. And I'm having an exclusive giveaway for those getting my newsletter, so if you haven't signed up, be sure to take a minute to do it now.





And my ongoing book giveaway contest … although I didn't hit all my goals, I'm still giving away books. But if you want some, you have to enter.



A recap:



I'm cleaning out overflow on my bookshelves. Some new, some gently read. Some autographed. Maybe even a 'collector's item' from my box out of print books. I'll stuff as many as will fit in flat rate priority mail box.



There are five ways to enter, and you get one entry for each:



1. Follow the blog on Google Friend Connect (sidebar)

2. "Like" the blog (sidebar)

3. Sign up for my newsletter at my website

(remember it's a 2 step process; you have to click through the confirmation email)

4. Share a recipe for my What's Cooking Wednesday

5. Share photos for my Friday Field Trips.



Send your entry to contest @ terryodell. com (remove spaces) Put "Big Giveaway" in the subject line. 1 email is enough, just tell me what categories you're entering, and I'll add your name to the list as many times as needed.



Contest entry deadline: Friday, January 6, 2012. 



And don't forget the Backlist eBooks 99 cent sale. It ends Jan 8th, so don't miss your chance to pick up some great bargains from some great authors. Deadly Secrets is my sale book, but you can find others here .



Also, if there's anything you'd like to see more (or less) of on this blog, you can let me know at terry @ terryodell. com (again, remove spaces)



Have a safe, healthy, productive and Happy New Year! See you in 2012.





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