You know what that means?
see more Lolcats and funny pictures
I know there are lots of bloggers taking breaks now, but I just want to wish everyone Merry Christmas.
I'll be back on Monday the 3rd of January.
Friday, 24 December 2010
Are You Hanging Up Your Stocking On The Wall?
It's Christmas Eve!
You know what that means?
see more Lolcats and funny pictures
I know there are lots of bloggers taking breaks now, but I just want to wish everyone Merry Christmas.
I'll be back on Monday the 3rd of January.
You know what that means?
see more Lolcats and funny pictures
I know there are lots of bloggers taking breaks now, but I just want to wish everyone Merry Christmas.
I'll be back on Monday the 3rd of January.
Wednesday, 22 December 2010
Christmas Is Like Writing. Writing Is Like Christmas
It's Wednesday. Yay!
There are only three days left until Christmas.
The whole preparation for Christmas is like writing. December arrives. You write down the gifts/food to buy. You plan your time for shopping. At the shops the next few hours are spent battling others for the last 'it' gift of the year. You trudge home with the bags and realise there are more things to get. The shopping battle resumes another day. You rest. Then comes the day when the shopping is done and the wrapping begins...
The day arrives. We celebrate. We eat. We relax. And do it all again next year.
In writing we do the same thing. We write down our idea. If you're a planner, you might spend some time outlining. You open the word document. You spend hours typing, battling with your characters. You agonise over word choices. You rest. The writing resumes the next day. And the next. The cycle is repeated until the first draft is complete. Then the editing begins...
The day arrives when we're finished. We celebrate. We eat. We relax. And do it all again on the next wip.
Just like Christmas.
I'm also blogging over on Operation Awesome today. Gonzo and Rizzo are heading over there now. Feel free to stop by.
(Image: Fanpop.com)
And a big thank you to everyone who stopped by to comment on the Be Jolly By Jolly blog fest on Monday. I loved seeing all the holiday decorations (and drooling over those yummy recipes). I'll be working my way through the comments later today.
There are only three days left until Christmas.
The whole preparation for Christmas is like writing. December arrives. You write down the gifts/food to buy. You plan your time for shopping. At the shops the next few hours are spent battling others for the last 'it' gift of the year. You trudge home with the bags and realise there are more things to get. The shopping battle resumes another day. You rest. Then comes the day when the shopping is done and the wrapping begins...
The day arrives. We celebrate. We eat. We relax. And do it all again next year.
In writing we do the same thing. We write down our idea. If you're a planner, you might spend some time outlining. You open the word document. You spend hours typing, battling with your characters. You agonise over word choices. You rest. The writing resumes the next day. And the next. The cycle is repeated until the first draft is complete. Then the editing begins...
The day arrives when we're finished. We celebrate. We eat. We relax. And do it all again on the next wip.
Just like Christmas.
I'm also blogging over on Operation Awesome today. Gonzo and Rizzo are heading over there now. Feel free to stop by.
And a big thank you to everyone who stopped by to comment on the Be Jolly By Jolly blog fest on Monday. I loved seeing all the holiday decorations (and drooling over those yummy recipes). I'll be working my way through the comments later today.
Monday, 20 December 2010
Blog Fest: Be Jolly By Golly
It's the week of Christmas. What better way to celebrate than with some festive blog fest fun. Organised by the awesome Jen and Melissa.
1.Blog Post to be posted on December 20th (whatever time you desire)
2.Show pictures of your decorations, holiday lights & Christmas tree!
3.Share your favorite treat (Recipe included, chance for others to steal the yumminess!)
4.Share your favorite drink (Recipe included, chance for others to steal the alcohol – or non)
Christmas tree!
5.Last but not least… visit others!!! Take part in their holiday cheer! (Linky list)
Two things let me know Christmas is almost here. The first is getting an advent calender. Chocolate for counting down days till Christmas = Best. Invention. Ever!
The second is the tree.
I like cake. You know I like cake. So one of my favourite treats is yule log.
It's cake and chocolate in one yummy package. That counts as a double win for me.
Ingredients:
Butter and greaseproof paper
6 eggs, separated
150g caster sugar
50g cocoa (choose a good cocoa such as Green & Black’s)
Zest of one large orange
125g dark chocolate
185g icing sugar, sifted
165g butter, at room temperature
Juice of one large orange
Preheat the oven to 180ºC and line a Swiss Roll tin (about A4 size) with greaseproof paper. Butter the paper and then sprinkle lightly with cocoa.
Put the egg whites into a food processor or large bowl and whisk to soft peaks. Add 50g (about 2tbsp) of the caster sugar and whisk again until the egg whites are quite stiff. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the orange zest and remaining sugar until they are light and the whisk leaves a trail. Sift over the cocoa and stir it in gently (the mixture will look a bit claggy but don’t worry, it comes together).
Put a spoonful of egg white into the yolk mixture and stir it in gently. Then add the remaining white in three additions – fold very gently, so you don’t lose any air. Pour and spoon the mixture into the lined tin and, when the oven is heated, put in for 20 minutes.
Now rinse out the food processor bowl (or clean the whisking blades) and sift in the icing sugar. Add the butter and beat for a few minutes, until soft and creamed. Add the orange juice and whisk again.
Weigh the chocolate into an ovenproof bowl. When the roulade comes out of the oven, switch off the oven and put in the chocolate for a minute or two to melt. Turn the roulade onto a rolling board and peel off the parchment. Retrieve the melted chocolate and add it to the butter mixture, then pulse until well combined. Spread a thin layer of the icing onto the roulade and, while it’s still warm, roll it up to make a log shape.
Put the log, seam-side down, onto a serving plate. Leave it to cool for a few more minutes, then cut off one end and arrange it as a branch. Cover the log with icing, rippling with the end of a knife for a log effect. (From Cake Baker UK)
I'm not a huge drinker. Most of the time I stick to soft drinks, but one of the drinks I remember helping my granddad make for my relatives as a child was a Snowball.
Ingredients:
1 shot of Advocaat. Fill glass with sparkling Lemonade. Add a shot of Advocaat to the glass and top up with sparkling lemonade. Add a 1/4 shot of lime cordial and mix. Easy!
And Christmas at my house wouldn't be Christmas without the festive TV tradition... the annual Doctor Who Christmas Special!
What about you? Any traditions you share over the festive period?
1.Blog Post to be posted on December 20th (whatever time you desire)
2.Show pictures of your decorations, holiday lights & Christmas tree!
3.Share your favorite treat (Recipe included, chance for others to steal the yumminess!)
4.Share your favorite drink (Recipe included, chance for others to steal the alcohol – or non)
Christmas tree!
5.Last but not least… visit others!!! Take part in their holiday cheer! (Linky list)
Two things let me know Christmas is almost here. The first is getting an advent calender. Chocolate for counting down days till Christmas = Best. Invention. Ever!
The second is the tree.
I like cake. You know I like cake. So one of my favourite treats is yule log.
(Picture from indyweek.com )
It's cake and chocolate in one yummy package. That counts as a double win for me.
Ingredients:
Butter and greaseproof paper
6 eggs, separated
150g caster sugar
50g cocoa (choose a good cocoa such as Green & Black’s)
Zest of one large orange
125g dark chocolate
185g icing sugar, sifted
165g butter, at room temperature
Juice of one large orange
Preheat the oven to 180ºC and line a Swiss Roll tin (about A4 size) with greaseproof paper. Butter the paper and then sprinkle lightly with cocoa.
Put the egg whites into a food processor or large bowl and whisk to soft peaks. Add 50g (about 2tbsp) of the caster sugar and whisk again until the egg whites are quite stiff. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the orange zest and remaining sugar until they are light and the whisk leaves a trail. Sift over the cocoa and stir it in gently (the mixture will look a bit claggy but don’t worry, it comes together).
Put a spoonful of egg white into the yolk mixture and stir it in gently. Then add the remaining white in three additions – fold very gently, so you don’t lose any air. Pour and spoon the mixture into the lined tin and, when the oven is heated, put in for 20 minutes.
Now rinse out the food processor bowl (or clean the whisking blades) and sift in the icing sugar. Add the butter and beat for a few minutes, until soft and creamed. Add the orange juice and whisk again.
Weigh the chocolate into an ovenproof bowl. When the roulade comes out of the oven, switch off the oven and put in the chocolate for a minute or two to melt. Turn the roulade onto a rolling board and peel off the parchment. Retrieve the melted chocolate and add it to the butter mixture, then pulse until well combined. Spread a thin layer of the icing onto the roulade and, while it’s still warm, roll it up to make a log shape.
Put the log, seam-side down, onto a serving plate. Leave it to cool for a few more minutes, then cut off one end and arrange it as a branch. Cover the log with icing, rippling with the end of a knife for a log effect. (From Cake Baker UK)
I'm not a huge drinker. Most of the time I stick to soft drinks, but one of the drinks I remember helping my granddad make for my relatives as a child was a Snowball.
Ingredients:
1 shot of Advocaat. Fill glass with sparkling Lemonade. Add a shot of Advocaat to the glass and top up with sparkling lemonade. Add a 1/4 shot of lime cordial and mix. Easy!
And Christmas at my house wouldn't be Christmas without the festive TV tradition... the annual Doctor Who Christmas Special!
What about you? Any traditions you share over the festive period?
Friday, 17 December 2010
Cakes, Interviews And Winners
Yay it's Friday.
First up is an Operation Awesome announcement:
You may have heard of Leah Clifford. Not only is Leah one of the awesome YA Rebels, but she is the author of the forthcoming A Touch Mortal.
Here's the Goodreads blurb:
Eden didn’t expect Az.
Not his saunter down the beach toward her. Not his unbelievable pick up line. Not the instant, undeniable connection. And not his wings.
Yeah.
So long happily-ever-after.
Now trapped between life and death, cursed to spread chaos with her every touch, Eden could be the key in the eternal struggle between heaven and hell. All because she gave her heart to one of the Fallen, an angel cast out of heaven.
She may lose everything she ever had. She may be betrayed by those she loves most. But Eden will not be a pawn in anyone else’s game. Her heart is her own.
And that’s only the beginning of the end
Leah is going to be a guest on Operation Awesome this Sunday (19th) in a fab Q&A session. So stop by and write you question for Leah in the comments. She'll be popping in through the day to answer them.
Now the Matched contest results.
A huge thank you to everyone who entered. I wish I'd more copies/money to make everybody a winner, but I hope to have more contests next year.
Enough stalling, time for the winners.
Regina and Falen (Sarah Ahiers).
Congratulations to you both. There should be an email from me (asking for you shipping address) waiting in your inbox.
Now for something sweet.
Knowing how much everyone loves a bit of cake (and judging by the requests for a photo, we all share that sweet tooth), I present the goddaughter's Mickey Mouse birthday cake:
I did nibble on a few of the cuttings after carving, but what's a girl to do when she put chocolate chips in the batter?
First up is an Operation Awesome announcement:
You may have heard of Leah Clifford. Not only is Leah one of the awesome YA Rebels, but she is the author of the forthcoming A Touch Mortal.
Here's the Goodreads blurb:
Eden didn’t expect Az.
Not his saunter down the beach toward her. Not his unbelievable pick up line. Not the instant, undeniable connection. And not his wings.
Yeah.
So long happily-ever-after.
Now trapped between life and death, cursed to spread chaos with her every touch, Eden could be the key in the eternal struggle between heaven and hell. All because she gave her heart to one of the Fallen, an angel cast out of heaven.
She may lose everything she ever had. She may be betrayed by those she loves most. But Eden will not be a pawn in anyone else’s game. Her heart is her own.
And that’s only the beginning of the end
Leah is going to be a guest on Operation Awesome this Sunday (19th) in a fab Q&A session. So stop by and write you question for Leah in the comments. She'll be popping in through the day to answer them.
Now the Matched contest results.
A huge thank you to everyone who entered. I wish I'd more copies/money to make everybody a winner, but I hope to have more contests next year.
Enough stalling, time for the winners.
Regina and Falen (Sarah Ahiers).
Congratulations to you both. There should be an email from me (asking for you shipping address) waiting in your inbox.
Now for something sweet.
Knowing how much everyone loves a bit of cake (and judging by the requests for a photo, we all share that sweet tooth), I present the goddaughter's Mickey Mouse birthday cake:
I did nibble on a few of the cuttings after carving, but what's a girl to do when she put chocolate chips in the batter?
Wednesday, 15 December 2010
A Few Things...
Today I'm waiting for the first stage of the goddaughter's Mickey Mouse cake to bake. The face is ready, but the ears are still in the oven. Then I shall construct his face with icing. Yes, my life is weird. :)
First. Today is the last day to enter my contest to win a UK paperback copy of Matched by Ally Condie. And, because it is almost Christmas (and I'm feeling festive), I have decided to give away 2 copies. Yep. Two. So add your name/email address to the Matched contest comments if you'd like to be in the draw.
Second. Apologies if I haven't visited your blog this week. With hecticness and my Internet connection being a bit of a pain. Fingers crossed that life has slowed/Internet is sorted now. I missed you all.
Third. I'm over on Operation Awesome today. Feel free to pop over and say hi.
So, how are you?
First. Today is the last day to enter my contest to win a UK paperback copy of Matched by Ally Condie. And, because it is almost Christmas (and I'm feeling festive), I have decided to give away 2 copies. Yep. Two. So add your name/email address to the Matched contest comments if you'd like to be in the draw.
Second. Apologies if I haven't visited your blog this week. With hecticness and my Internet connection being a bit of a pain. Fingers crossed that life has slowed/Internet is sorted now. I missed you all.
Third. I'm over on Operation Awesome today. Feel free to pop over and say hi.
So, how are you?
Monday, 13 December 2010
Sleep Brain!
Life as a writer is never easy. This is especially true when you have been doing a heavy editing/writing session and you can't switch off. I get those nights every once in a while. I'll show you...
I've been tapping away on my edits, but now I need to sleep. My eyes are drooping. I turn off my laptop, put away my hard copy streaked with red pen, and settle down for the night:
I've been tapping away on my edits, but now I need to sleep. My eyes are drooping. I turn off my laptop, put away my hard copy streaked with red pen, and settle down for the night:
I'm in my PJ's. I'm warm under the covers. I've got in a comfy position. I'm all set for the sleep train to take me to dreamland, but my MC's have other ideas -- they want to chat. Add that scene in that I left mid-point to start back on tomorrow. They. Just. Won't. Shut. Up. So I can guarantee I'm be like this an hour later:
I figure the best thing to do in this situation is to give in for a bit. I'll write the idea/dialogue/scene in my notebook. I also may pop on Twitter, get a drink, watch some mind-numbing TV. That should do it, right?
My brain does this:
My brain thinks it's still party time. It keeps going with ideas and non-thoughts (these are my no specific topic thoughts) that keep me awake.
I do drop off in the end but, as is always the case, I never know when this is. :)
So does anyone else get this while in the middle of revisions/writing?
*pictures from Hyperbole and a Half
Friday, 10 December 2010
Edits And Awesome
Yay it's Friday.
To celebrate the closeness of the weekend, I have some little links to spread around the blogosphere.
1. Today is Mystery Agent reveal day over on Operation Awesome. I feel like a secret Santa today (but a girl version... with prettier shoes). As well as the name of the winner of a full MS submission, we also have some other exciting news for the entrants. So feel free to hop over and check it out.
Couldn't enter this time? Not your genre? Don't despair. We are hard at work lining up some more awesome agents for next year.
2. Sticking with the awesome vibe, Katrina is holding a New Year's Revision blog party. Want to join in the fun? Pop over and add your blog to the Mr. Linky.
2. Beth Revis is holding the epic of epic contests to celebrate her debut novel, Across The Universe. I'm talking bookmarks, ARC's, watches... it is serious epicness.
3. The wonderful, soon to be published, Jessica Bell is spreading her editing awesome across the blogosphere. Is your MS is ready to send to agent? Want some professional editing before you send it? Jessica has two packages to offer you:
Copyediting, basic: 0.015 USD (or 0.013 Euro) per words in your manuscript. This includes:
•Grammar
•Spelling
•Capitalization
•Punctuation
•Usage
•Flagging repeated words and/or phrases
•Some formatting
Copyediting, heavy: 0.02 USD (or 0.018 Euro) per words in your manuscript. In addition to above, this includes:
•Wordiness, awkwardness
•Redundancy
•Transitions
•Paragraphing
•Word, phrase, and sentence flow
•Consistency of names, setting, character traits, plot points
P.S. If you'd like to enter for the chance to win a UK paperback of Matched by Ally Condie, my contest is still open until the 15th of December.
Happy Friday everyone.
To celebrate the closeness of the weekend, I have some little links to spread around the blogosphere.
1. Today is Mystery Agent reveal day over on Operation Awesome. I feel like a secret Santa today (but a girl version... with prettier shoes). As well as the name of the winner of a full MS submission, we also have some other exciting news for the entrants. So feel free to hop over and check it out.
Couldn't enter this time? Not your genre? Don't despair. We are hard at work lining up some more awesome agents for next year.
2. Sticking with the awesome vibe, Katrina is holding a New Year's Revision blog party. Want to join in the fun? Pop over and add your blog to the Mr. Linky.
2. Beth Revis is holding the epic of epic contests to celebrate her debut novel, Across The Universe. I'm talking bookmarks, ARC's, watches... it is serious epicness.
3. The wonderful, soon to be published, Jessica Bell is spreading her editing awesome across the blogosphere. Is your MS is ready to send to agent? Want some professional editing before you send it? Jessica has two packages to offer you:
Copyediting, basic: 0.015 USD (or 0.013 Euro) per words in your manuscript. This includes:
•Grammar
•Spelling
•Capitalization
•Punctuation
•Usage
•Flagging repeated words and/or phrases
•Some formatting
Copyediting, heavy: 0.02 USD (or 0.018 Euro) per words in your manuscript. In addition to above, this includes:
•Wordiness, awkwardness
•Redundancy
•Transitions
•Paragraphing
•Word, phrase, and sentence flow
•Consistency of names, setting, character traits, plot points
P.S. If you'd like to enter for the chance to win a UK paperback of Matched by Ally Condie, my contest is still open until the 15th of December.
Happy Friday everyone.
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