Kitchen Shenanigans

By Ciel - About Me - E-mail this page - Add to My Favorites - Add to Blog List - See other blogs in Cooking, Food & Wine

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Grain vs Chaff

I am reading books by Indie authors these days, sorting out the best I can find to recommend for those readers who like a good read but are skeptical of self-published books. That skepticism is not entirely misplaced when anyone can publish anything with virtually no quality control in the... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, November 3, 2014

The wind is rising...

Even with windows and door closed tight, I hear it racing through the trees, rattling the leaves along the ground... I think how cozy it is to hear the wind rushing around outside, when I am warm in my bed, inside. I think of how the chill and bluster insidiously creeps into all the gaps at neck and... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

An opportunity!

I have just been helping Arizona Lowe, the woman behind TODAY'S VISIONS, with a write-up, halloween-themed, to invite participation in the site. And here is Charlie, doing the voice-over for the Halloween promotion:... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, October 25, 2014

the art of naming

My latest post for Today's Visions, Hot Reads. I wrote this because of all the books I read for review, not one warranted a rating over 3/5. This was the reason that at least one of them failed. http://hotreads.todaysvisions.com/2014/10/24/the-naming-of-names/ Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, October 13, 2014

to -ly or not to -ly

Adverbs... most of us recognize them as those descriptive terms that end in -ly, and while that is not strictly speaking, accurate, it's right enough for this discussion. An editor recently 'corrected' all my -lyless adverbs in my story, HEAT. It is a tale set in a fantasy setting much like the real... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, October 6, 2014

Independent Publishing

As I have been reading "Indie books" the past little while, for Today's Visions Hot Reads, it has been frustratingly hard to find ones that I can actually review. The policy is to provide up-beat, positive reviews, and so many indies simply don't warrant it. The first problem is that most of them... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, October 2, 2014

I got to do a fun thing today...!

Recently I began writing indie book reviews for a site called Today's Visions. Check out my first review... http://hotreads.todaysvisions.com/2014/10/02/tom-ugly-a-boy-who-belong-a-nobody/ Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, September 29, 2014

On Friday, I will be 63.

What should I do about it? It has been suggested that I give away 10 years, but I can't think of anyone who understands the value of those 10 years, who would want them. Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, September 8, 2014

Time travel by nose

CCT wrote about Arthur's sensitivity to some smells, and that reminded me of some of my own. And one thing leads to another... CCT loves the smell of new chicks, and I find the scent of a horse's skin a wonderful heady thing! I once had a little leather pouch filled with lavender buds that I wore... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, September 1, 2014

How to make an editor smile

There are so many things in print and narrated that make an editor cringe--flagrant, ignorant and constant mis-use of "I" vs "me," for instance, and of commas placed both where they should and should not be. Typos can sometimes get a chuckle. But my favorites are the bits someone put into words that... Sign in to see full entry.

Headlines (What is this?)