Another month down

It's kind of depressing actually. When I was a kid time dragged, and only the summer flew by. Now it seems every morning it's a new month. Or close to it.

Still, I'm pleased with this month's progress. And I KNOW I'll kick a$$ this month!

Amwriting

I don't know much about Twitter except what I hear from others or see online. But I know the #amwriting tag means just that. And that's what I'm doing...writing. Slowly. But I am.

My goal for this summer/fall is to finish 3 books. I have confidence!

Friday recipe

I've made this one before, it's time consuming but delicious and I highly recommend it. This doesn't look anything like my creations, but it's a great picture nonetheless.

Prep Time:      Cook Time:      Ready In:

15 Min              12 Min       1 Hr 27 Min

Ingredients

• 1 quart strawberries, sliced
• 1 pint fresh blueberries
• 1/4 cup white sugar
•  
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (7 ounce) container marshmallow creme
•  
• 2 1/3 cups baking mix (such as Bisquick ®)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 3 tablespoons melted butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8x8-inch square baking dish.
2. Mix strawberries and blueberries with 1/4 cup sugar in a bowl, and set aside. Mix the cream cheese with the marshmallow creme in a separate bowl until smooth, and set aside. In another bowl, mix the baking mix, milk, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and melted butter into a smooth batter. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden brown on top, 12 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan.
4. Spread the berry mixture and juice over the cooled shortcake, saving a few pretty berries aside for garnish. With a spatula, gently press down on the berries to allow the juices to soak into the cake. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the fruit, and garnish with the reserved berries. Chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before cutting in squares to serve.

Weekend plans

A three-day weekend. Never has a phrase sounded so wonderful! BBQ? Beach? Pool? Lounging around the house?

I'll be doing the BBQ, lounging around the house (or someone's house at least) with friends and family, and writing. Not going to let a bonus day pass me by!

However, Memorial Day is much more than me having a day off. Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service.

Thank a soldier or remember a loved one who fought in a war.But don't forget that they did it out of a sense of honor, not obligation.

What are you doing?

Hawaii Five-O

First let me say that I had mixed feelings about the show. Hawaii Five-O was a staple in my house growing up, and the theme song rocks. But remakes rarely turn out worth watching.

Yup, I was one of those who watched Alex O'Loughlin in Moonlight...but somehow, Scott Cann steals every single scene. There's something oddly attractive about him, plus it's the whole sarcastic attitude.

Now, the pair of them...together...yum!

Aside from all that, it's a surprisingly great show. And the finale was excellent! If you haven't watched it, jump on the band wagon and catch the reruns. They're worth it...after that first episode where if I hadn't known it was James Marsters in his itty-bitty role, I wouldn't have known based on the 3 minute air time he got.

Ohhh...James Marsters, Alex O'Loughlin, AND Scott Cann? I may swoon.

Relief

I'm really glad with the way this story is finally moving along. After so many stops and starts, RL interference, and everythign else that's been going on, I'm please that a full quarter of the book is done and done to my satisfication.

IE: Words on a page that make sense rather than fill the white space.

Catching up

Writing, writing, writing. And TV watching...what? I DVR'ed a bunch of episodes the last 6+ weeks and needed to catch up.

Friday Recipe: BBQ Veggies

To go with the BBQ theme of May and Memorial Day, how to do up your veggies to go with last week's oh-so-delicious ribs. There are many ways, and I admit to not trying this one (yet) but veggies are important to every cookout. Fresh, grilled, whatever.

Prep Time:     Cook Time:     Ready In:
20 Min             5 Min           1 Hr 25 Min

Ingredients

• 1 small eggplant, cut into 3/4 inch thick slices
• 2 small red bell peppers, seeded and cut into wide strips
• 3 zucchinis, sliced
• 6 fresh mushrooms, stems removed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

Directions

1. Place eggplant, red bell peppers, zucchinis and fresh mushrooms in a medium bowl.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, basil and garlic. Pour the mixture over the vegetables, cover and marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour.
3. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.
4. Place vegetables directly on the grill or on skewers. Cook on the prepared grill 2 to 3 minutes per side, brushing frequently with the marinade, or to desired doneness.

Why I write what I do

In the interest of not bringing readers down, but of staying true to the time period, I'll talk about my reasons for writing when I do.

Same-sex or three (or more) relationships happened. No matter what religious or country law said, they happened. People were careful about it, secretive in every aspect of their lives, but just because it was illegal and immoral doesn't mean it wasn't real.

Why do I enjoy writing m/f/f and m/m/f? Because everyone needs to find love and frankly my love isn't your love and all that...plus it's super sexy and ever so fun!

Today a same-sex affair wouldn't be looked at twice (in Western society that is, can't speak for other parts of the world). People may not like it for a variety of reasons but it is, quite literally, out in the open.

Threesomes...not so much. We're still a monogamous society no matter what we say. In that respect, my FBI lovers in Killer Valentine (and soon to be sequels) can't reveal their relationship to anyone because of the stigma attached. My sexy agents have to hide their love much like Sabine and Faith have to hide theirs from the Regency world.

The sad fact is that many people can't accpet. Pity.

Very real historical issues

Yesterday I posted how fun it is to break the established rules in Regency England. But sneaking around behind a chaperone's back and a same-sex or ménage relationship are totally different issues.

The first will get you married off. The second will get you killed.

Every 'traditional' Regency book you read has some sort of rule breaking going on. Why? Because it's fun, it happened, and it makes for damn good drama.

In Ann Herendeen's interview she talks about bi-and homosexuality in Regency England.

It was repressive and dangerous, from the late 17th century through the early 19th century. Sodomy was a capital offense; the church was in agreement with the laws; and most of society was either ignorant or antagonistic.


The only major change that occurred during this time was that there was an increase in arrests and prosecutions of men in the Regency [1811-1820], not because there were more gay people, but because society became more aware of the concept of same-sex activity.

My characters in both Wickedly Wanton and Seduction of a Proper Lady would have been hanged if caught. Well, first they would have been publicly humiliated, jailed (possible trial though it'd be a complete farce) then hanged. Their family and friends would also be caught in this public humiliation, and gossip like that wasn't going away.

What they're doing in finding both sexual gratification and lasting love is (according to Regency and Church Law) highly illegal and immoral. There were secret clubs for gay men, with secret codes and locations for just that reason-discovery meant scandal and death.

So while it's fun and sexy to write about threesomes, there is a very real underlying danger to what they're doing.