What are the basic components of a good story?
Many authors and writers have different ideas on this. I make reference to Vogler’s The Character’s Journey and Morgan Hawke’s Cheater’s Guide to Erotic Romance Novellas.
Depending on if you’re writing a one or two main character story, that will decide how long and what kind of components you’ll have. Read the rest of this entry »
This cheese recipe came to me from my gramps and verified by a Romuva member. I grew up with a cheese that wasn’t like anything else I had tried since. It was soft, pale, but my gramps would make it and flavour it in many ways. Finally, after searching his cookbooks and getting the information about Lithuanian suris, I’ve finally gotten a good recipe for this cheese. (I’m so excited!)
Ingredients:
1/2 gallon milk
2 Tbsp lime juice or white vinegar
Assorted seasonings– cumin seeds, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, dill, etc.
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Heat the 1/2 gallon of milk to a boil, then remove it immediately from the heat. Stir in the lime juice. Keep stirring for 2-3 minutes until curds form and separate from the yellowish whey. If they don’t separate, use another Tbsp of juice or vinegar and keep stirring. Once they separate, let sit for 10-15 minutes.
Then pour into a colander lined with cheesecloth, letting the liquid go down the drain. At this point, I normally bring all four corners together, twisting it slightly, to help wring more liquid from the cheese. I let the balled mixture hang in the cheesecloth another few minutes or until the dripping stops.
At this point, you can add in various seasonings, then mold your cheese into a container, or a specialized mold that you’ve bought, etc. Once you’ve put it in a mold, you’ll want to place a heavy object on it, to not only disperse remaining liquid, but to also help it to conform to the mold.
One thing to note- this cheese doesn’t melt much, which makes it good to make cheese sticks, and other goodies where you want the cheese to remain fairly intact.
Gods, this week has been intense. I’m on vacation- the first time since mom died in January. I miss her, but I also remember her lessons well. A month or so ago, I got an email about an old friend. It took a while, but we’re back in touch again. The funny thing is– this friend can tell stuff about my past that No One else knows. LMAO
Two years ago, Eric came back in my life. Now Leslie. We keep this up, we’re going to end up with a huge collection of our old friends getting together for vacation or something. But this…this is a blessing I needed.
What a great moment for me. Leslie– I’ve so missed you. Now if you even think of getting me to sing again– we’re gonna talk. LMAO
My favourite holidays are Samhain and Beltane. I make no bones about it. But the holiday that I find myself always looking at and smiling is Lughnasadh. Why? Because it’s a cultivation holiday. We’re not enjoying the first fruits and vegetables of the season, but we’re in the height of plenty. We;’re enjoying the warm weather, gearing up for school time that’s coming, and thinking ahead to the fall season. Because of that, it’s one of those holidays that can be easily forgotten. Read the rest of this entry »
I’m on vacation this week. More importantly, I’m working on my writing. That’s important to me and something that’s been lacking for a while. This is day 3 of my vacation and the first day I spent just hanging out and doing fun things while packing to take myself to the male’s house. Yes, I’m spending my week with my male. It’s good for me, and for him. (Though he might deny it. LMAO) Read the rest of this entry »
This is a story that I’ve sat on for years. I’m not great at romantic comedy, but this story every so often pops up and bites my ass. *grins* That said…one day, I’ll be able to use this story idea and we’ll see what happens. Read the rest of this entry »
Today’s flash is themed on Changeling Press’s Bar and Grill theme– Sex anywhere and everywhere. The idea of sex in such an adventurous manner has been playing at my mind all day while at the day job. But more importantly, it made me think about what is one person’s adventure is another person’s idea of boring. So, finally, after some thought, I think I have a decent sequence put together. It’s….definitely different. Read the rest of this entry »
Yuppers, I did, I did! I’ve uploaded it onto Youtube. http://youtube.com/watch?v=h7aKeJxCeZM It’s for my books, Shades of Fyre, the easiest book to put together something. I’m hoping the next time I’ve got downtime that I can do one for Treaty of Desire or one of my other books at Loose Id. It was fun to do!
Intimacy– whether it be a touch, sexual intercourse, or just two people in an open speaking relationship– it’s a necessity for human survival. Living without physical or emotional intimacy leads to many bad things. Want proof? Look towards the studies shown from the Touch Institute based in Miami, Florida for more information. People who are not given human intimacy from birth wither away and die. But how does this translate into deeper intimacy as adults? Read the rest of this entry »
Fiction writing is an expression of our wants, needs and a reflection of society – past, present, future. Many people say they have great story ideas, they just don’t have the time to write them. Most failed fiction writers fall into this category. But you want to be different – not only do you want to write – you want to be published. For this article, I talked with some of my author friends and editors for their suggestions as well. Luckily, Nikita Gordyn offered some suggestions and wrote them down for me, instead of having me remember them. LOL Read the rest of this entry »
