Dominique Eastwick

IN PROPER PROPORTION by HL Carpenter So there we were, with a packet of strawberries threatening to go soft and the need for a recipe to make good use of them. None of the sauce recipes we found called for as many berries as we had. And then we realized all the recipes could be reduced to proportions. In this case, the proportions were 1:1:2, meaning that as long as we used 1 part water, 1 part sugar, and 2 parts strawberries, we could adjust the quantities to achieve the result we wanted. Once the sauce was made and we were eating vanilla ice cream with strawberry sauce topping, we began to think of all the ways we use proportions in our writing. Here are two examples. Book covers The Golden Ratio or Golden Mean is a mathematical concept that creates a symmetrical, eye-pleasing composition. Yes, we know—math! EEK! Thanks to web-based calculators, you don't actually have to do the calculations. But understanding the idea that proper proportions are an importan...

Author Susan Lodge , is here with a delicious recipe that is easy and delicious. Take it away, Susan. The world moves faster now and we all have time crunches that take away from home cooking. But here is the perfect meal for when you are really pressed to feed the family.   Quick Pasta Bake 300gm (10oz) dried pasta Penne works well 1 large onion chopped 3 garlic cloves peeled and crushed 4 rashers of thick bacon cooked and chopped into bite size pieces 1-2 tbsp. of olive oil  125 ml (4 oz) water or wine  400gm (14 oz) tin of plum tomatoes. 1 tsp. dried mixed herbs  110 gm (4oz) of hard cheese grated or mozzarella sliced. Salt to taste Pepper to taste  Preheat oven to 180°C or 350°F.  Cook the pasta for the prescribed time on the packet. In a large pan gently fry the onions and garlic in the olive oil for a few minutes until soft and transparent. Add tomatoes, water/wine, bacon, and mixed herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Simme...

by Vala Kaye   “Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart” ― Eleanor Roosevelt  Not all the people you meet during your teen years will become your BFFs, but if you’re very fortunate, one or two might always be with you to share the ups and downs that happen to us as we go through life.  I have two “lifetime” friends. One I met in junior high and the other in high school. One is similar to me in temperament, while the other couldn’t be more different. We’ve shared school experiences; engagements, marriages and divorces; the birth of children; and the deaths of grandparents, parents and siblings.  Those are the big things, the huge emotional highs and lows that only time and the love and caring of true friends can help see you through. But we’ve also always been there for one another through the smaller things in life, everything from movie nights and mid-terms to concerts and cooking disasters....

My Favorite Book by Carol Browne I keep few books in my house. I prefer to pass them on to my friends. However, there is one special book I will never part with and that is my 1945 hardback edition of Precious Bane by Mary Webb. The book features an introduction by Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, written at 10 Downing Street in 1928, in which he says of the author, “Her sensibility is so acute and her power over words so sure and swift that one who reads some passage in Whitehall has almost the physical sense of being in Shropshire cornfields.” First published in 1924, Precious Bane tells the story of flawed heroine, Prudence Sarn, whose ‘hare-shotten lip’ means that as far as her neighbours are concerned she is cursed with ‘the devil’s mark’. It is only weaver Kester Woodseaves who can see beyond this disfigurement to the true beauty of Prue’s soul. Prue’s goodness and gentle nature are in sharp contrast to her brother Gideon’s ruthless striving for worldly success, and de...

By Cynthia Vespia  Domestic abuse runs rampant in today’s society. The statistics are staggering, and those are just the reported cases. I’ve not been a victim of physical abuse, but I grew up with it around me. As a child I didn’t know what to do about it. As a strong woman, I fight. There are many tactics of abuse that are just as horrible, if not worse, than the physical. A lot of emotional scars are left behind by abusive relationships. I knew someone who was so beaten down by their spouse that over the years it had become something of a “Stockholm Syndrome” scenario, where the victim is under so much strain that befriending or loving the captor becomes the only way to cope with the situation. This is something I touched on in my suspense novel Sins and Virtues . My female lead, Sam Mitchell, has been through years of abuse at the hands of her husband, so much so that it has changed her as a person. I paint her with a brush of a woman trying to piece ba...

I don't remember a time in my life when I didn't have a pet. And so it's only natural that I include animals in most of my books. In my latest release, Brianna, the heroine needed a special pet. You see Brianna is psychometric--she gets information about someone or something by touching an object. It was because of this ability that a cat decided to adopt her. (Anyone who's had a cat knows the feline adopts the human and not the other way around.) But this isn't an ordinary cat. Portent is the physical manifestation of the   Egyptian goddess, Sekhmet. So who is Sekhmet and why did I pick her? She is usually depicted as a lioness, but more than that she is said to have created the desert with her breath. Brianna traveled to the desert to be cured of her Consumption (aka Tuberculosis). Naturally, Sekhmet took credit for Brianna's recovery. After all, healing is one of the goddess's powers. But before you think either one is a ...

Jason Bourne helped make me the writer I am today. I know it’s probably an odd statement to make, but hear me out. From my 1 st and only Disney movie as a child, The Rescuers, to my favorite TV show as a middle schooler, The A-Team, I was always intrigued by the good guys winning and the villains getting what they deserved. I grew up on suspense, and, unlike many romance writers, I didn’t start reading romance until I was in college. The stories I read then were good, but I often felt like they were missing something. Shortly after college, I decided to try writing my 1st romantic suspense, and I focused on writing the type of story I thought I had to write, one with a heavy dose of romance. Of course, at times I had a blast, but I also felt caged into a specific type of story. For a while, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to complete a romantic suspense because I spent so much more time on the suspense angle and that’s where I was comfortable. Truthfully, I struggled with whethe...

We’d like to thank our gracious host for having us over today. We’re happy to share with you a little bit about our blossoming company and you’ll get to know more about the team that makes the machine that is Rebel Ink Press run smoothly. Rebel was born in August 2010, the brain child of five friends that envisioned a portal into the publishing world where writers were treated like people rather than a number.   A place where they could grow and learn and hone their skills, flourish, all while having an open line of communication with said publisher without fear of never getting an answer or being told not to worry. A couple of us were previously published and understood that worrying is a natural part of the publishing cycle on the part of the writer and isn’t to be taken lightly. After all, these works are writer's children, being sent into an often times critical world, and worrying is just a natural part of that. What did we know? Well, the short answer is we learned ...

Sometimes life throws curveballs. I’m sure you’ve heard that phrase many times. I guess that’s the mood I’m in at the moment. I’m sitting here, getting ready to write my next big bestseller but no words come to mind. My brain is blank. My muse is on strike and my creativity feels stifled. Every writer goes through such stage. Is it writer’s block? Your muse being difficult? Overwhelmed by life in general? It could be all of these things. I thought maybe I could just sit and watch some TV or get some other work done like answer emails and do some promotional work, but what if no ideas come to mind? Wait, what if I never write another word because my well has dried up? Stop thinking so negative! I’m determined to get through this. I’m a writer. An author. I tell stories. I inhale coffee and tickle my muse when the time calls for it…like now. But is she still not cooperating? Are you still feeling lost? Get out of your funk! Seriously, just start writing crap. Every story starts a...

 I am delighted today to welcome one of my favorite people Margie Church to my blog. Margies books are amazing if you haven't have the chance to check them out I suggest now is a great time to do so. Margie the floor or Blog as it were is all yours... Type A Meets the Redneck Nopeming Shores was the first book I've ever co-authored. One of my author friends asked how I managed to do it with my Type A personality. I'll tell you. Around the holidays last year, Andrew and I exchanged some emails about the story arc. Since I normally write erotic romances, scorching hot wouldn't fly because he's a primary grade school teacher. In fact, the book couldn't have graphic sex or language in it and still carry his name. I wanted to overcome this obstacle and allow Andrew the opportunity to take credit for his work. I went back to thinking about the plot and retooling my writing style to suit his needs. I solicited a laundry list of g-rated swear words and phrases I ...