Terry Odell's Blog, page 271

What's Cooking Wednesday - Avery Aames Apple Pie

Thanks so much for author Avery Aames for joining me in sharing recipes on What's Cooking Wednesday. She's giving away a copy of her newest release, Lost and Fondue, so be sure to leave a comment. Winner announced over the weekend. (I'd love more sharing, so if you have a recipe, let me know!)

Here's a little about Avery:

I have made pies since I was a little girl. Chocolate pudding pies, fruit pies, lemon meringue. I sold them around the neighborhood. My favorite is still apple pie (and peach pie…but for this blog…apple). I could eat pie for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In addition, I love cheese. What could be better than combining the two? I'm not just talking adding a slice of cheddar on the side, which is what my dad loved to do. I wanted to incorporate the cheese into the pie. Since I need to eat gluten-free (something I discovered over 12 years ago…that's another whole blog), I have had to adjust my eating habits. One of the easiest things to make, if you can find a good, gluten-free frozen pie shell, is apple pie. If you can't find that, there are plenty of mixes, including Bisquick and Bob's Red Mill and Pamela's, (all gluten-free, already boxed or bagged) that will help you make a single shell. Instead of adding a lattice pie pastry to the top of this pie, I shredded cheese. It turned out gorgeous. And scrumptious.
"Life is good; cheese makes it better." That's my quote and I'm sticking to it.


AVERY AAMES APPLE PIE WITH CHEESE CRUST

AVERY AAMES APPLE PIE WITH CHEESE CRUST

Ingredients:

7-8 Pippin apples, peeled and sliced thin
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup sweet rice flour (or regular rice flour)
Pinch of ginger
Pinch of nutmeg

1 tsp. cinnamon
1 lemon, juiced and seeds removed
1 gluten-free pie shell (Whole Foods* or other)
1 1/2 Tbsp. butter, diced
4 ounces Edam cheese, diced or grated

Directions:

Peel and slice apples. This will give you loosely 8 cups of apple slices (figure 1 cup per apple). Add sugars, rice flour, spices. Stir.
Squeeze the lemon juice over all and toss again.
Layer into the pie shell, making sure you get apples to the edges.
Dot with butter.
Sprinkle evenly with the diced/grated cheese.

Set in 450 degree oven on a tray that will catch any of the juice spilling over. Bake 35 minutes until cheese nicely browned.

Let sit 20 minutes before slicing.

May be served with another wedge of cheese or vanilla ice cream

Avery Aames writes the Agatha Award winning A CHEESE SHOP MYSTERY series. You can find her at http://www.averyaames.com, as well as http://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com and http://killercharacters.com  Her next release is Clobbered by Camembert, coming February 7, 2012.Remember - leave a comment for a chance to win LOST AND FONDUE.

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2011 Thanksgiving Project

Today my guest is Karen Cote, who reminds us that sometimes it's important to look beyond ourselves.

Hello and thank you so much Terry for allowing this platform to announce a big heart…Coffee Time Romance. A sponsor for a very special project for those in need. Check out the details below and please…get involved. All that's needed is someone to step forward to nominate a family and give hope to someone who may need a helping hand in a time of need.
We need you to help us select a needy family this season.
Thanksgiving is a time for family gatherings and holiday meals - for sharing and spreading happiness. A time to be thankful for the people, experiences, and gifts we receive in our lives. Unfortunately, there are some people who have a tougher situation than we do. Regardless of the hardship in their lives, whether it's a family crisis, lost job or other unforeseen circumstances, they are unable to truly celebrate the holidays because of their financial situation.
In hopes of helping these families share in the holidays, last year, Silver Publishing donated two $500 Gift Certificates to grocery stores local to two needy winners. The recipients were nominated by family, friends and coworkers who witnessed, first-hand, the hardship these families experiences day-to-day. They nominated each family via a forum post. It was heartbreaking to pick only two families, but we chose and they were able to join others in the holiday experience.
We want to expand that further this year and try to help more families during these difficult times so we've joined forces with other publishers, review sites, authors, and others in order to spread the holiday message and allow others to truly enjoy the season which would otherwise be too difficult to do on their own.
This year, Silver Publishing is going to repeat the project and offer another $1000 in gifts to needy families. Additionally, we are going to add a percentage of royalties earned during a special sales week to be announced. Others joining in the sponsorship will contribute other gifts of their choosing – whether it's food, money, gift cards, or another gift, we are getting together in a joint effort to help more families during this special time.
If you'd like to help us, please nominate a family you feel needs a little help this Thanksgiving. Let us know 'why' you feel they should get a sponsorship. And don't forget to let us know how to contact YOU, the nominator. This way, if the family mentioned is selected, the sponsor can contact you for more info on how best to send them their holiday gift.
We are accepting nominations July 1, 2011- October 31, 2011.
To nominate a family, please follow the link to complete the entry form.
Click to enter
ONE MORE WAY TO GET INVOLVED…In addition to nominating a family there's another way you can help feed a family at Thanksgiving. All you have to do is go to the following site and tell us your favorite coffee beverage or tea, if you prefer. Your preference will be logged as a comment and for each comment $1 will go toward feeding a family at Thanksgiving. Thank you so much for your caring and participation. Here's the link to comment.
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More to Publishing than Writing

What I'm reading: New York to Dallas, by JD Robb
Writing, especially if you're going the indie route, requires a lot of non-writing stuff.


When I got the rights back to my Pine Hills Police novels, FINDING SARAH and HIDDEN FIRE, and I decided to consolidate the 4 short stories featuring Randy and Sarah into a single volume, FINDING FIRE. (Title suggested by Facebook friend, author Lev Raphael, when I asked for suggestions. I think he blended the two titles very nicely, don't you ?)

If you recall an earlier post, when rights revert, the covers aren't included, so I had to get new covers for FINDING SARAH and HIDDEN FIRE. Thanks to Jessica's efforts, and my sister-in-law's photography, there's a new cover for FINDING FIRE that fits right in with the other two books.


Then it's a matter of formatting. Each sales venue requires slight modifications, so you have to make sure you're linking the Barnes & Noble books to your Barnes & Noble page, not your Amazon page. Formatting the actual text for Amazon, B&N and Smashwords is simple, but All Romance eBooks requires that you do your own conversions for the various formats. I used Calibre, which isn't too complicated, but it's still time consuming to create 4 or 5 formats for 3 different books.
And there's the upload process. Each site has different fields to fill out, and some are more user-friendly than others. One site was fighting me all the way, refusing to recognize that I REALLY had filled out some required fields, so that one is being set aside for a day or two until my blood pressure returns to normal.

Add to that the updating of my website pages with the new covers and links, as well as my blog pages, and it's a labor-intensive project, especially if you're only a semi-techie and the program seems to insist that things be done a new way no matter how many times you've done it another way.

However, at long last, you can find FINDING SARAH, HIDDEN FIRE, and FINDING FIRE at Smashwords, Amazon and Barnes & Noble. All Romance eBooks is pending live at last.

And to celebrate, I'm offering 50% off FINDING SARAH and HIDDEN FIRE at Smashwords. Barnes & Noble and Amazon don't have discount programs, but Smashwords offers formats for the Nook (epub) and Kindle (mobi or html, and maybe pdf. I don't have a Kindle, so I'm not sure what they accept.)

Check the Deals and Steals tab for the coupon codes. FINDING FIRE at 99 cents is below the pricing minimum for a discount, so you can get that one direct from the Amazon store or Barnes & Noble. (Or, you can get them all from the Amazon store or Barnes & Noble—you'll just pay a tiny bit more. Regular price is a mere $2.99)

I'll be sure to let everyone know when the books are available at the other sites. And I hope you'll all take a few minutes to check them out.

Tomorrow my guest is Karen Cote, who's going to talk about a charity near and dear to her. And Wednesday, Avery Aames is my first guest sharing a recipe on What's Cooking Wednesday. See you then. I hope that by Thursday, my books will be available at all the sites. I hope to see a few more followers by then, too.
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And the Winner is ...

Thanks to everyone who commented on last Thursday's post. My random number generator has selected chrissymunder as the winner.


Chrissy, please email me at bookstore (at) terryodell (dot) com to arrange for your prize, a download of Finding Sarah.

Friday Field Trip - American Eagle Overlook

First, you can still have a chance to win a copy of FINDING SARAH -- just scroll to yesterday's post and leave a comment. Winner announced on Sunday. And I'm still looking for 500 followers on Google Connect and 250 'likes'.

In addition to high tea, our guests enjoy (make that REALLY enjoy) hiking. One of our excursions began at the American Eagle min overlook, near Victor, Coloardo.

Today it's mining stuff. I'll have vistas another time. (click to enlarge)












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Real Life and Writing (and a giveaway)

What I'm reading: A Creed in Stone Creek, by Linda Lael Miller
I'm still talking characters at Coffee Time Romance (link in the sidebar).

And don't forget my goal of 500 followers by the end of the year. And 250 likes. Giveaways when milestones are reached. I still can't count on the followers gadget to show up, but I'm optimistic things will stabilize.

We've had family visiting all week, so we've had a change in our routine. I was going to recycle a writing post I'd posted before, but thought I'd simply share one of our 'adventures.' On the other hand, it IS a writing post, because everything can be considered writing fodder. I can think of several writing connections here. What about you? Leave your ideas in the comments, and I'll given one commenter a download of Finding Sarah once it goes live. And now, join us for tea.

Hubster's sister is a tea aficionado, so we went to our local coffee house that advertises "high tea." In our rural area, any sort of approximation of elegance is rare, so we didn't know what to expect. We know the coffee house well—we have breakfast there almost every Sunday, but despite it's decor, which reminds me of my grandmother's house, it's more 'local grub'—breakfast burritos, biscuits and gravy type stuff. And the clientele is usually the "rugged" sort.



We arrived for our tea appointment and were escorted into their back room (the library) which they'd even cordoned off with a red ribbon. The table was set, and we were given a menu with choices of tea.


This is where sister-in-law came in very handy, because she knew what they all were and what they'd taste like. We each chose a different variety, which returned in our individual tea pots. (Sister-in-law and her husband in photo.)


And then we ate. And ate. We started with scones with strawberry preserves and Devonshire cream.


Then it was a salad and quiche...


After that, tea sandwiches.


And dessert – but I FORGOT TO TAKE THE PICTURE! So sorry. There was a decadent chocolate fudge cake, a raspberry Linzer petit four, and a butter cookie with a chocolate frosting. Use your imagination. It was yummy.

Remember - leave a comment and you'll be entered to win a copy of Finding Sarah!


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What's Cooking Wednesday - Glazed Bison Meat Loaf

We're having company this week, so I made a recipe that my daughter and her husband love. I'm not much of a beef eater, but this recipe called for bison (although you can use beef, or a combination of the two) and I thought it would be appropriately "Colorado" for our guests. This recipe was modified from a recipe from Chef Brian Lyman on the Celebrity Kitchen website.

Bison is less fatty than beef. The original recipe calls for half and half, but I used broth. It also called for butter for sauteing the vegetables, but I used olive oil. As always, do what works for you. You could bake this in regular loaf pans, but I liked doing them free form, because I could do two smaller loaves and they cooked faster. We'd been hiking all afternoon, and faster cooking seemed better!


(I forgot to take a picture of the plated meal, and one of these days I'm going to get some white plates, or something that makes the food look better in these shots. Trust me, it tastes really good!)



Glazed Bison Meat Loaf

Meat loaf:
3 T olive oil
¾ c. diced onion
¾ c. diced red bell pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 eggs
1 t. thyme
1 T. parsley, minced
1 t. seasoned salt
1 t. pepper
½ c. broth
¼ c. ketchup
2 lb. ground bison (or ground beef)
1 c. fresh bread crumbs

Glaze:
¾ c. chili sauce
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 T. balsamic vinegar

Place all ingredients into saucepan. Stir to combine. Cook 5 minutes. Keep warm.

Oven: 350

Saute onions, pepper and garlic in olive oil. Let cool.
In a small bowl, combine eggs, thyme, parsley, salts, pepper, broth and ketchup. Mix well.

Put meat in a large bowl; mix until well blended, then add the bread crumbs. Mix until combined.

Shape into two loaves on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake about 30-45 minutes, until internal temperature is 140 degrees. Pour about 1/3 of the glaze over each loaf (save the rest for adding later or pouring over the mashed potatoes that go so well with meat loaf!). Bake until internal temperature is 165. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Yummy with mashed potatoes and green beans.

As always, play with seasonings to taste.

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Destination: Bookstore

Today my guest at Terry's Place is BD Tharp. She's a self-proclaimed book-a-holic who knows what makes a bookstore a "destination". She admits her favorite place to write or read is in the local bookstore, with a large latte close at hand.

And it's also my day at The Blood-Red Pencil, where I'm talking about some confusing words.


Everywhere I go I have to visit the local bookstore(s). Recently we were in Taos, so I stopped by the "Moby Dickens" bookshop in the Taos Plaza. It's a great little shop with floor to ceiling shelves filled with bright colored books. Most of the shelves are painted white, so the spines really pop, and the books that are faced forward catch your attention. There are nooks and crannies to explore or settle into for a quick perusal of the book jacket blurb or first page or two.
Like most bookstores they also have other items, decorative pens, stationary, artistic cards, stuffed animals, eclectic bookmarks, maps and other interesting paraphernalia. Have you ever noticed the smells--of paper, leather and the inevitable dust that collects no matter how many times you wipe the surfaces clean? It's a comfortable aroma that permeates all bookstores.
With the explosion of electronic books we've lost some nice stores (e.g. Borders Books). And not just the large chains or discounters, either, we've lost a lot of small independent bookstores, too. Personally, I love a bargain. Give me a coupon and I'm ready to use it. But there are special stores that become a "destination", a place for readers and writers to go and hang out.Give me a latte, a good book (or computer), a comfortable chair and I'll be content for hours. But only after I've scanned all the shelves to find stories I have to experience, or gifts that are quirky and perfect for someone close. I love to write in bookstores. The atmosphere is perfect for the creative muse. We're in the presence of the classics, new breakout authors and others of our kind. Those of us dreamers who imagine we will someday be part of the ambience and culture of great bookstores everywhere.
One of my favorite bookstores in Wichita, "Watermark Books & Café" is constantly growing with the times. They've expanded to include e-Books and always support the local authors and writer's groups. Nearly every week they host authors, with varying degrees of notoriety, who discuss their stories with readers and sign books. The owner of store does book reviews on National Public Radio, the staff does reviews on their website, and there is a special room where the walls are covered with author autographs. The café serves wonderful soups, sandwiches, and the sweets to die for. And like many a great bookstore, they have programs for children and book clubs for adults.
On of the best qualities of a "destination bookstore" are the clerks. They say hello and go out of their way to help, or leave you on your own, if you prefer. You are welcome to just come and spend some time. And, if you come in often enough they will learn your name, what you like to read, and make recommendations they intuitively know you'll enjoy. They know their stock as well as their clientele.
Does your local bookstore also have live music on the weekends? Do they host writer's workshops? Do they participate in literacy drives? To me the "destination bookstore" does many of these things and some do all of them. Take advantage of what your local bookstore(s) have to offer, to you and to your families. You just never know who you might meet or what novel idea will start to germinate.
A lifetime resident of the Midwest, B.D. Tharp's award winning women's fiction novel, Feisty Family Values, is available in bookstores, Barnesandnoble.com, Amazon.com, in hardback and e-Book (Kindle & Nook). Check out her blog, book reviews, and excerpt at http://bdtharp.com.

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Reversion of Rights - You Can Fix Things

What I'm reading: Part of the Bargain by Linda Lael Miller
After a long wait, I finally got a reversion of rights date for FINDING SARAH and HIDDEN FIRE. As of Wednesday, they will be mine. It should be noted that when you get the rights to a book back, all you "own" is what's between the covers, not the covers. So, I hired a cover artist and this is the new look. I'm trying to call attention to the fact that these two books are connected, so we went for a similar look in both. My sister-in-law provided the main cover image for FINDING SARAH and my son, whom many of you have met here, provided the image for HIDDEN FIRE.


Why did I ask for my rights back? Bottom line: the books weren't doing anything for me (or the publisher, I would assume). About 18 months ago, one of my publishers "remaindered" my first Blackthorne, Inc. book, WHEN DANGER CALLS. The rights reverted to me, and I thought I'd give indie publishing a try. E-books were nothing new to me; my other publishers had been e-book first publishers.

So, I tackled the learning curve for putting books on Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and a few other sites. I discovered that although I wasn't raking in the bucks, I was making some sales.

When Ellora's Cave said they were closing down their Cerridwen Press line, and were moving those books into the EC umbrella under the "Blush" imprint, I decided to take the rights back to WHAT'S IN A NAME? but to leave FINDING SARAH and HIDDEN FIRE there, to see if sales would be better under Blush. Meanwhile, I re-published WHAT'S IN A NAME? myself, along with a few short stories.

After giving Blush about 6 months and seeing no change in sales, I requested the rights back to my two remaining books. It took another 6 months, but things are finally coming together.

While I waited, I took a long, hard look at FINDING SARAH and decided it needed some work. That was my very first published book, and I knew it had flaws. I gave the book to my crit group, and I think we've created a much improved version. There were days when I'd look at a scene and say, "Did I really write this?" But then I'd hear from readers who loved the book, or I'd look at my web page where I could see the awards the book had won, and would remind myself that I'm my worst critic, and the book didn't really suck. However, given that I've grown as a writer, I took advantage of being able to fix, update and add some scenes I hadn't included in the first.

HIDDEN FIRE was actually the fourth book I wrote, and I found it needed a lot less fixing—more proof that I've honed my craft over time.

I also decided to bundle all the Pine Hills short stories into one short volume and put that up for sale as well. We're still working on the cover for that one. The toughest part of this one is coming up with a title. If you've followed my Facebook postings, you'll know I put out a plea for help with a title last week. As of now, the offer still stands – if you suggest a title that works for me (and we've had some very 'off the wall' suggestions from people just having a good time), I'll give you a download of the finished product.

For now, it's a matter of making sure the "old" books have been removed from the various e-stores. Once that happens, I'll be starting the upload process of the newer versions. You can be sure you'll read about it here.

Tomorrow, my guest is B.D. Sharp, who's going to talk about bookstores.
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and don't forget, my goal is 500 followers by the end of the year, and 250 "likes". There will be prizes when I get to each milestone. Sometimes the Google Friend Connect follow gadget takes a long time to load. Don't know why, but if you're trying to follow the blog, I appreciate your patience.

Quick Followup

What I've discovered after changing the "comments" settings:

1. Virtually no spam in my spam filter. Perhaps the embedded format thwarts these bots.

2. Some difficulty in leaving comments for those with IE. If you're using IE, I found that clicking the 'preview' before trying to submit a comment sometimes shook things loose. And I did have to sign in to Google again. Perhaps that also helped clear the pipes.

3. The Followers via Google Connect Gadget seems to have a mind of its own. I'm sure this is because I put out a plea for more followers.

*** New: According to Blogger, there's some sort of filter and cookie issue (I don't speak that language) which is keeping some IE users from commenting. I've tried the last option, and we'll see what happens. If you use IE and are willing to give things a try, I'd appreciate it. Still don't have an answer on the followers gadget thingie.

If you want to comment but can't, my email is in the contact tab.

Have a great weekend!