Terry Odell's Blog, page 99

WCW – Red Raisin Sauce for Poultry

Red Raisin Sauce for poultry

Passover begins Friday, and I’ll be making a family favorite, Cornish game hens with red raisin sauce. Actually, it’s the sauce that’s the favorite, so that’s the recipe I’m sharing today. You baste the hens (or you could use a chicken, or any poultry) during the last 15 minutes of cooking, and then serve the sauce alongside.

Ingredients:
1 10 oz jar red currant jelly
c raisins
c butter
2 t lemon juice
t allspice

Instructions:
Put everything into a saucepan. He...

Left Coast Crime Recap 1 – Law Enforcement

Behind the Scenes with Real Law Enforcement Pros

As I mentioned last week, Left Coast Crime is more of a reader-based conference than a writer-based conference, but I did try to seek out panels that would touch on craft or information I could use to improve my books.

The first panel I chose was on law enforcement, where the panelists were all involved in some aspect of the business including police officers, FBI, and corrections officers, one of whom worked in the section of the prison where...

A Look at Reader-Based Conferences

I’m at Left Coast Crime and will be recapping my experiences in another blog post, but I thought I’d take a look at a reader-based conference, and how it’s different from a writer-based conference.

At a writer’s conference, it’s about advancing a writing career. There are workshops or panels where published authors, editors, or agents share tips for moving forward in the industry. You don’t have to be a published author to attend—these conferences are great places for networking with other au...

WCW – Lemon Butter Scallops

Hubster found this recipe for lemon butter scallops in a grocery store flyer.

Lemon Butter Scallops

Ingredients
1 lb large scallops
S&P
1 T vegetable oil
2 T butter
1 garlic clove, minced
c lemon juice
2 T minced parsley leaves

Instructions:
Pat scallops dry with paper towels. Season with S&P.

Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat to almost smoking.

Cook scallops about 2-4 minutes on first side until browned. Turn and cook about 2 minutes on the second side. The inside should be ba...

Tips for Attending Writers’ Conferences

I’ll be heading out to the Left Coast Crime writers’ conference in Reno this week, and thought I’d rerun some tips for attending writers’ conferences. And if you’re going to be there, be sure to stop and say hi. I’ll be on two panels – Romance on Thursday and Research on Friday. I’ll have some copies of Seeing Red, my Silver Falchion Award-Winning short story collection to give away.

Conferences are great ways to refuel. Writing is a solitary occupation, and sometimes we need to get out and a...

See Your Name in My Book

One constant challenge for me is to come up with character names. Here’s your chance to have a character named after you, or someone of your choosing, in my next book.

The post appeared first on Terry Odell.

St. Patrick’s Day Traditions

I’m over at Booklover’s Bench today where I’m sharing my daughter’s description of what Saint Patrick’s Day is like in Northern Ireland, where she lives. It’s not quite the same as it is here, starting with no corned beef and cabbage.

(However, I found a corned beef recipe designed for my new Instant Pot, and I’m going with the American tradition this year.)

Please drop by!

The post St. Patrick’s Day Traditions appeared first on Terry Odell.

WCW – It’s “Pi” Day

Since it’s pie day, here’s a repeat of a quick and easy recipe for a chocolate bar pie, provided by one of my book club members, 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 p...

Writing Out of Order – Never Say Never

Writing out of order is something I’ve never been able to do. I don’t outline or plot, although there’s an overall plan for the book. But I don’t like to skip around, because things can change, and then my continuity gets tangled. I tried it once, and vowed “never again.”

However, there’s that old saying … Never Say Never.

A brief digression: In structuring a story, bad stuff has to happen. In romance, for the hero and heroine, it’s referred to as the “Black Moment.” That point where it seems...

A Book Release – the Good, Bad, and the Ugly

A Book Release – the Good, Bad, and the Ugly

Last time I talked about the results of setting Deadly Secrets’ price to free as First in Series, and then advertising it in conjunction with a new book release, Deadly Engagement. I’d had excellent results when I did this with When Danger Calls when I released Identity Crisis.

This time? Not so much.

There are too many variables to be able to say, “I should have done this instead of that.” Because something works one time doesn’t mean it’s going t...