The Butcher's Boy by Michael Robb is my latest Indie read. And, as promised, I committed to write about the books of other indie authors that I read. So, here you go. I won't rate or recommend - that would seem somewhat pompous on my part. My taste might must be all in my mouth. But, I will tell a bit about it and let you decide for yourself.
DO NOT consider buying a large, dark, uninhabited home that has a homeless guy hanging around in it no matter what the dollar deal and decorating potential are. It's not worth it. But, if you insist that it would be the perfect place to live and raise a child, then understand why I will never visit.
Chances are good that the house has a violent history that the seller failed to mention and the chances are even better that your child will know before you do.
No matter how typical that set-up seems for a ghost story, there is something irresistibly enticing about an old house with a history and so, I intrepidly opened the book. Robb, not only writes a story that conjures up spirits, those spirits are as vividly painted as the the epic that made them ghosts in the first place. In red.
There is violence, there are characters killed, and there are twists that yank you from one side to the next when you aren't looking. And if I tell you that Lucifer changes the spelling of her name and saves the day, would that prospect creep you out? Just a bit? If not, you can find The Butcher's Boy here https://www.createspace.com/3547010 here. On Nook here http://search.barnesandnoble.com/books/product.aspx?EAN=9781452413655 and here for Kindle http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004FPYWKU $3.69 - Not bad for a scare.
As for me, I'm going to take some Aleve and RUN.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Valentine's Don't
I'm going to risk irritating a lot of women here. Tomorrow is Valentine' Day, the day set aside to show your spouse, partner, lover, crush just how much you really love them. It's a day that involves lots of red hearts, cards, candy, special dinners and chocolate treats (ok, not a bad thing). It is so entrenched in our society that even first graders know the importance of this day and spend time creating their own pink, purple and red mail boxes in anticipation of receiving handfuls of small printed "cards" with their classmates names on the back.
Valentine's Day? I'm not a fan.
I know, you already think I am party pooper, right? I despise going to the store and spending a ridiculous amount of money on a card that, in our house, will be thrown away by the end of the week. I don't need a card to remind Moondoggy that I love "Us" - if I haven't made that clear by now, we would be in marriage free fall. I sure as heck don't want him to go out and spend money on candy (I don't need it), we already dine out more than we should, and that $5 on a card would be better spent elsewhere. Moondoggy is off the hook in our house.
We will wish each other a Happy Valentine's Day in the morning. He will leave for work. I will get chicken out for dinner. That about does it. We don't need to set aside a special day to proclaim our love. At this point, that kind of holiday seems silly.
Now Mother's Day? That's a different story. And in case you are wondering, about 90 shopping days left.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Sometimes it Helps to be an English Major
One of the unexpected bonuses of writing a book is networking with other writers. Seriously, since my book came out, I have spent time on some interesting forums and have had the opportunity of meeting other authors as well as reading their books. The indie writer is a unique animal. The indie writer is not the “I want to write a book” vanity press author of old. The indie writer/author often chooses to go that route because of the long lead time to publication (2 years), the freedom and control to write from the soul and not to a pre-ordained audience, and because it allows the author to make that book available in different venues (online, ebooks, Kindle). It also requires that the author oversee his or her own marketing and therein lies the rub. So, as promised, from time to time, I am going to review books from other indie authors. I will not make recommendations however, that choice will be left up to you.
Larry Enright seems like a nice enough fellow. He is clean cut, has a good sense of humor, and, although I don’t know this for a fact, is probably a younger brother. I am basing that last observation on the main character from his book, “Four Years From Home” - the character is Tom Ryan.
A mystery unfolds over the holidays at the Ryan house when all but one of the Ryan kids return to celebrate. The youngest, Harry, the golden child, has been out of the house attending college out of state- never to return, as the family is informed by college officials that Harry has died in an unfortunate accident.
Oldest child, Tom, is sent to find out what really happened. Story enough in itself, except that Tom Ryan is one of the most self centered, egotistical bullies you could imagine. As the oldest child, Tom ruled his world with an iron fist and all those around him are but minions to complete his latest reign of terror, his own siblings obstacles to his supreme position in the family. In his delusional world, Tom is the king and everyone and everything is designed around him, about him and for him. The first clue into the depth of Tom’s ego is his ongoing conversation with himself. Constantly arranging and rearranging his rules to suit the moment, loses are acceptable as long as the end result is a gain for Tom. When Tom’s world enters Harry’s world, the collision of the mind in epic and unfolds into an act that only Harry could understand, and he’s not there to explain it.
So is Harry dead? Is Tom going to uncover what happened in the four years Harry has been gone?
That will be up to you to determine if you read Four Years From Home, by Larry Enright. It is available here: Paperback $12.95 http://www.amazon.com/Four-Years-Home-Larry-Enright/dp/1453867996/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297082562&sr=8-2-spell
Kindle Edition .99 http://www.amazon.com/Four-Years-from-Home-ebook/dp/B0045OURSW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1297082681&sr=8-1-spell
Nook Edition .99 http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Four-Years-from-Home/Larry-Enright/e/2940011822100/?itm=1&USRI=four+years+from+home
And really? For only .99 what have you got to lose?
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
All The Right Moves
You'll have to pardon me for the abrupt manner and delivery of this piece, but it just happened so it feels a little like breaking news.
Moondoggy, my lifelong love, just made a pass at me for which he believes the end result will be unfettered bliss.
We've all been there. You are sitting there minding your own business, when stud muffin walks in and gazes at you while you toil at whatever activity you are pursuing. He is mesmerized. He is enthralled as he watches you (and thinks you don't know he is watching) go about your life.
Gently, he approaches and lightly caresses your shoulders. He lifts the hair from your neck and whispers into your ear, "Do we have plans today?" The shivers run down your neck and you reply, "No. Why?" Then, he lifts you from your chair and carries you off to the bedroom, spontaneous, wild and passionate.
Uh, huh. Right. In whose world?
This is how it really went down:
It's morning and I have been sitting in the living room watching CNN and writing. I'm not dressed. I'm wearing blue jammy shorts with little red strawberries all over them, a black tank top and a big ol' sweatshirt because the house is freezing. I have just fixed myself a bowl of Kashi fibre cereal and am back in my comfy chair with an old quilt draped across my lap, a bowl of cereal perched on my chest, and my teeth yet unbrushed, hair uncombed and body unshowered. A lurid and fetching sight apparently.
Up comes Moondoggy from his man cave for this third cup of coffee and he wanders into the living room. "Do we have plans today?" he asks and I respond, "No, why."
"I think we should have sex."
I.
Think.
We.
Should.
Have.
Sex.
The funny thing is, he believes that should do it for me. Oh sure. I am feeling especially sexy as I eat my twigs and sticks. My perfume has long ago dissipated and been replaced with bad morning breath, bed head and 24 hours without a good body soaping. I feel like I just want to freakin sprint to the bedroom right this minute - Honey! Let's Go!
I have no idea what my facial reaction looked like as these thoughts were swirling in my brain, but I just realized Moondoggy has gone back down into his man cave. I guess the mood has passed.
Moondoggy, my lifelong love, just made a pass at me for which he believes the end result will be unfettered bliss.
We've all been there. You are sitting there minding your own business, when stud muffin walks in and gazes at you while you toil at whatever activity you are pursuing. He is mesmerized. He is enthralled as he watches you (and thinks you don't know he is watching) go about your life.
Gently, he approaches and lightly caresses your shoulders. He lifts the hair from your neck and whispers into your ear, "Do we have plans today?" The shivers run down your neck and you reply, "No. Why?" Then, he lifts you from your chair and carries you off to the bedroom, spontaneous, wild and passionate.
Uh, huh. Right. In whose world?
This is how it really went down:
It's morning and I have been sitting in the living room watching CNN and writing. I'm not dressed. I'm wearing blue jammy shorts with little red strawberries all over them, a black tank top and a big ol' sweatshirt because the house is freezing. I have just fixed myself a bowl of Kashi fibre cereal and am back in my comfy chair with an old quilt draped across my lap, a bowl of cereal perched on my chest, and my teeth yet unbrushed, hair uncombed and body unshowered. A lurid and fetching sight apparently.
Up comes Moondoggy from his man cave for this third cup of coffee and he wanders into the living room. "Do we have plans today?" he asks and I respond, "No, why."
"I think we should have sex."
I.
Think.
We.
Should.
Have.
Sex.
The funny thing is, he believes that should do it for me. Oh sure. I am feeling especially sexy as I eat my twigs and sticks. My perfume has long ago dissipated and been replaced with bad morning breath, bed head and 24 hours without a good body soaping. I feel like I just want to freakin sprint to the bedroom right this minute - Honey! Let's Go!
I have no idea what my facial reaction looked like as these thoughts were swirling in my brain, but I just realized Moondoggy has gone back down into his man cave. I guess the mood has passed.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Eat This Now - Or Don't!
I received a gift card from Barnes & Noble from a friend and without hesitation went right out and bought Rocco Di Spirito's "Now Eat This," a collection of comfort food recipes retooled with lower fat and caloric contents. Always looking for the magic potion that will equal good food without the naughty stuff, I was hoping I had found the holy grail of cookbooks.
Moondoggy and I are both picky eaters. I am not a huge fan of red meat. I know what you are thinking, but it's true. I have never ordered a steak or roast or anything of the like in a restaurant in my entire life. I seriously have never considered it. Moondoggy does not like nor will he ever eat anything that contains a pea, a green bean, a mushroom or an onion. His onion detector is enviable. He can look at a pizza and spot the accidental onion, take a sip of soup and tell when there is even an onion flake present. Moondoggy presents a challenge when I am cooking because I respect his ick factor, but it makes cooking challenging at times as I promised him a long time ago I would never attempt to sneak an onion, mushroom or green legume in his food. I am, after all, a woman of my word. With the "no, no's" firmly tattooed onto my brain, I took the daring step of attempting one of the recipes in my new book.
Chicken Alfredo a la Rocco Dispirito-
When I am are going for comfort, creamy and rich, I figured I'd start with an alfredo. And while I am not going to lay out the recipes here, I will share some of the surprise secrets here that I believe make the dishes really good - or really bad.
The first ingredient listed is. . . . .Onion garlic puree. Yep onion. What to do, what to do. . .I decided to forge ahead and make what we, here in our house, call Safety Chicken ( a chicken breast cooked in the oven in case the dish is inedible) and follow the recipe as written. The onion garlic puree consists of a sweet vidalia onion chopped into pieces and placed into a microwave safe bowl along with 6 cloves of garlic, a 1/4 cup water and salt and pepper to taste. Cover them with platic wrap, microwave for 10 minutes, then blend or food process until is makes a thick smooth puree (about a cup.)
And THAT is the base for the Alfredo sauce. Onion.
So, the chicken is pounded thin, dredged through wholewheat flour, egg whites and panko bread crumbs. Cook it in a skillet with a dash of olive oil until tender and crisp. Whole wheat pasta cooked in boiling water until done and THE SAUCE: The Onion garlic puree, some milk, nutmeg and grated parmegiano reggiano cheese cooked until the cheese is melted. Coat the pasta, place chicken on top and then finish with the sauce. The aroma is sublime.
And then I did the worst thing I could possibly do. I fed it to Moondoggy. I did so without warning him that the dreaded onion was laced throughout entire dish. Thank God I had a piece of safety chicken in the oven. I held my breath and he took a bite. . .and then another. . .and then another. Finally, he said, "This is good. You can make this again," and I exhaled. It was good - it was really good. And here is the best part. . .
Serves 4 with each serving containing:
320 calories (Yes that's for the chicken, the sauce AND the pasta)
5.5g of fat.
I'm not kidding. Moondoggy gave it 5 stars until a few days later when I caved due to the weight of guilt that was sitting directly on my shoulders. I tearfully admitted there were onions involved and he took it to 4 (on principal, he said) and I have now lost all credibility with him. But, on the bright side, he is willing to try any other recipe that calls for the Onion garlic puree, but swears he won't like it.
Moondoggy and I are both picky eaters. I am not a huge fan of red meat. I know what you are thinking, but it's true. I have never ordered a steak or roast or anything of the like in a restaurant in my entire life. I seriously have never considered it. Moondoggy does not like nor will he ever eat anything that contains a pea, a green bean, a mushroom or an onion. His onion detector is enviable. He can look at a pizza and spot the accidental onion, take a sip of soup and tell when there is even an onion flake present. Moondoggy presents a challenge when I am cooking because I respect his ick factor, but it makes cooking challenging at times as I promised him a long time ago I would never attempt to sneak an onion, mushroom or green legume in his food. I am, after all, a woman of my word. With the "no, no's" firmly tattooed onto my brain, I took the daring step of attempting one of the recipes in my new book.
Chicken Alfredo a la Rocco Dispirito-
When I am are going for comfort, creamy and rich, I figured I'd start with an alfredo. And while I am not going to lay out the recipes here, I will share some of the surprise secrets here that I believe make the dishes really good - or really bad.
The first ingredient listed is. . . . .Onion garlic puree. Yep onion. What to do, what to do. . .I decided to forge ahead and make what we, here in our house, call Safety Chicken ( a chicken breast cooked in the oven in case the dish is inedible) and follow the recipe as written. The onion garlic puree consists of a sweet vidalia onion chopped into pieces and placed into a microwave safe bowl along with 6 cloves of garlic, a 1/4 cup water and salt and pepper to taste. Cover them with platic wrap, microwave for 10 minutes, then blend or food process until is makes a thick smooth puree (about a cup.)
And THAT is the base for the Alfredo sauce. Onion.
So, the chicken is pounded thin, dredged through wholewheat flour, egg whites and panko bread crumbs. Cook it in a skillet with a dash of olive oil until tender and crisp. Whole wheat pasta cooked in boiling water until done and THE SAUCE: The Onion garlic puree, some milk, nutmeg and grated parmegiano reggiano cheese cooked until the cheese is melted. Coat the pasta, place chicken on top and then finish with the sauce. The aroma is sublime.
And then I did the worst thing I could possibly do. I fed it to Moondoggy. I did so without warning him that the dreaded onion was laced throughout entire dish. Thank God I had a piece of safety chicken in the oven. I held my breath and he took a bite. . .and then another. . .and then another. Finally, he said, "This is good. You can make this again," and I exhaled. It was good - it was really good. And here is the best part. . .
Serves 4 with each serving containing:
320 calories (Yes that's for the chicken, the sauce AND the pasta)
5.5g of fat.
I'm not kidding. Moondoggy gave it 5 stars until a few days later when I caved due to the weight of guilt that was sitting directly on my shoulders. I tearfully admitted there were onions involved and he took it to 4 (on principal, he said) and I have now lost all credibility with him. But, on the bright side, he is willing to try any other recipe that calls for the Onion garlic puree, but swears he won't like it.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Kindle Love
I've decided that this is the year I need to take an intrepid step in the blogging world. Usually, my blog contains an essay or short piece - almost always drawn from real life - and almost always the honest truth (I love the word "almost" because it is a magnificent qualifier allowing me to fudge a bit.) Sometimes, I even delve into some serious prose, when I am so moved, but I am mostly, well, looking for a laugh. I am a laugh slut. But, two things have occurred that seem to be begging to be blogged upon.
The first is my (as in I own it) new cookbook. "Eat This Now" by Rocco DiSpirito is a collection of comfort food recipes retooled to be healthier, lower in fat and in calories. I was intrigued when I watched him create his rendition of Macaroni and Cheese with a tenth of the fat and calories and still deem it edible. So, I bought the book. I have tried several recipes and can say with the exception of one, they have been pretty good. So, I am thinking of taking one day a week - say Tuesdays, and writing about one of the recipes and what we thought. Moondoggy is a harsh food critic and brings forth an honest view that runs from Bleccch to his stellar "This is good" rating. Tell me what you think.
The next thought comes from my beloved Kindle reader. I am proud to say that I was a first adopter of the Kindle the day that Jeff Bezos introduced them on Oprah a few years back. I had to have it. It ticked all of my boxes: Instant gratification because I could buy a book on a whim, one small machine that housed hundreds of books, cute with little push buttons. Sold!
And I have coveted my Kindle ever since. So, when my book came out last August, while I was pushing sales all over the place, I was secretly prepping it for Kindle use and it came out in September. It's a no-brainer really, buy the paperback for $14 or the Kindle version for $2.99? I know what I would choose. I have spent a lot of time marketing for Kindle and have had a pretty good run so far and in that time, I have discovered some really talented indie writers, who also have some pretty good books out there. I am going to take a day and write about whatever book I am reading on my Kindle. In most cases the books are all less than $4.99 and in many cases they are $2.99 and 99 cents on Kindle but also available at Amazon in paperback. These writers deserve some shout outs and you might find some books you really enjoy for not a large investment. Just sayin.
Weigh in, please?
The first is my (as in I own it) new cookbook. "Eat This Now" by Rocco DiSpirito is a collection of comfort food recipes retooled to be healthier, lower in fat and in calories. I was intrigued when I watched him create his rendition of Macaroni and Cheese with a tenth of the fat and calories and still deem it edible. So, I bought the book. I have tried several recipes and can say with the exception of one, they have been pretty good. So, I am thinking of taking one day a week - say Tuesdays, and writing about one of the recipes and what we thought. Moondoggy is a harsh food critic and brings forth an honest view that runs from Bleccch to his stellar "This is good" rating. Tell me what you think.
The next thought comes from my beloved Kindle reader. I am proud to say that I was a first adopter of the Kindle the day that Jeff Bezos introduced them on Oprah a few years back. I had to have it. It ticked all of my boxes: Instant gratification because I could buy a book on a whim, one small machine that housed hundreds of books, cute with little push buttons. Sold!
And I have coveted my Kindle ever since. So, when my book came out last August, while I was pushing sales all over the place, I was secretly prepping it for Kindle use and it came out in September. It's a no-brainer really, buy the paperback for $14 or the Kindle version for $2.99? I know what I would choose. I have spent a lot of time marketing for Kindle and have had a pretty good run so far and in that time, I have discovered some really talented indie writers, who also have some pretty good books out there. I am going to take a day and write about whatever book I am reading on my Kindle. In most cases the books are all less than $4.99 and in many cases they are $2.99 and 99 cents on Kindle but also available at Amazon in paperback. These writers deserve some shout outs and you might find some books you really enjoy for not a large investment. Just sayin.
Weigh in, please?
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Laughter All Around
Normally, on any given day, I make myself the butt of a good joke or funny story, that's just how it always seems to come out. However, it would be unfair of me to steal all of that dubious thunder, without acknowledging the natural comic talent all around me.
Over the years, I have had opportunity to witness some of the funniest schtuff tumble out of the mouth of the people around me. Just last week, I had the opportunity to drive my Younger Son and a female friend of his to the train station (they were headed to Chicago.) Female friend was sitting in the back seat chattering away about, oh everything, including some of the things she has done while away at school. And amidst the parties and classes and roommate issues came this gem:
Female Friend - Oh My Lord! You would not believe how irritating people can be. How Rude they can be - especially theater people. I was sitting at the "Glee" (as in the show) auditions waiting for my turn and without provocation, the guy next to me starts to sing this song - REALLY loud. And then, all of these other people spontaneously join in and they're all singing like they are already on the show. One person would start a song and then everyone would join in. I actually had to go out into the hall to have a conversation on my cell phone. Where did they think they were?
I looked at Youngest Son. He smiled and said, "yeah, she really just said that."
My friend, Erstwhile Earthmother Kim and her spouse, the Great Dane are known for "their" song. Whenever we are all together, the Great Dane will somehow get "Love Shack" to be played by whatever band, Dj or Jukebox is around. The last time, the band mentioned that they also loved the B-52's (the song's artists) and Erstwhile Earthmother Kim looked at me and said, "Is that the name of the band? I always thought that was the song number on the jukebox!"
My Older Son has a friend who is the King of mashed up unintentional one liners. I have come to call these pearls Cameronisms. I'll just leave you with a few and let them sink in.
"I found a new allergy drug. It really knocks you up."
"I want to study a broad. Who wouldn't?"
After a discussion about males finding their feminine side:
"Yeah, I like to touch my manhood"
In a college class at the chalkboard describing a business problem, he wrote:
. . .and that would leave 79 younits in stock.
Upon getting a part in "Seven Brides for Severn Brother's"-
"They cast me as a "suitor" in the play! I can't wait to take those girl's measurements!"
(umm. . .a suitor is NOT a tailor, or a seamstress!)
When you are surrounded by that kind of comic genius, you really can't go wrong.
Over the years, I have had opportunity to witness some of the funniest schtuff tumble out of the mouth of the people around me. Just last week, I had the opportunity to drive my Younger Son and a female friend of his to the train station (they were headed to Chicago.) Female friend was sitting in the back seat chattering away about, oh everything, including some of the things she has done while away at school. And amidst the parties and classes and roommate issues came this gem:
Female Friend - Oh My Lord! You would not believe how irritating people can be. How Rude they can be - especially theater people. I was sitting at the "Glee" (as in the show) auditions waiting for my turn and without provocation, the guy next to me starts to sing this song - REALLY loud. And then, all of these other people spontaneously join in and they're all singing like they are already on the show. One person would start a song and then everyone would join in. I actually had to go out into the hall to have a conversation on my cell phone. Where did they think they were?
I looked at Youngest Son. He smiled and said, "yeah, she really just said that."
My friend, Erstwhile Earthmother Kim and her spouse, the Great Dane are known for "their" song. Whenever we are all together, the Great Dane will somehow get "Love Shack" to be played by whatever band, Dj or Jukebox is around. The last time, the band mentioned that they also loved the B-52's (the song's artists) and Erstwhile Earthmother Kim looked at me and said, "Is that the name of the band? I always thought that was the song number on the jukebox!"
My Older Son has a friend who is the King of mashed up unintentional one liners. I have come to call these pearls Cameronisms. I'll just leave you with a few and let them sink in.
"I found a new allergy drug. It really knocks you up."
"I want to study a broad. Who wouldn't?"
After a discussion about males finding their feminine side:
"Yeah, I like to touch my manhood"
In a college class at the chalkboard describing a business problem, he wrote:
. . .and that would leave 79 younits in stock.
Upon getting a part in "Seven Brides for Severn Brother's"-
"They cast me as a "suitor" in the play! I can't wait to take those girl's measurements!"
(umm. . .a suitor is NOT a tailor, or a seamstress!)
When you are surrounded by that kind of comic genius, you really can't go wrong.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)