Crème brûlée is not a dish I grew up with, nor was it readily available in English Canada. Though over the years Tim Hortons and Starbucks have offered themed drinks and goodies based on this dessert.
This dish features a chilled creamy base with a caramelised top. While easy to make, it requires refrigeration prior to serving. Finally, a reason to go out and get a culinary torch!
Even Things That Go Bump in the Night Need a Place to Unwind
I have completed my ninth review of the Grand. This review showed no decrease in corrections when compared to revision eight. The Cheshire Cats Grin had the most substantial drop of 62%, while the Van Helsing Paradox increased by 63%. Overall, there were 207 corrections and gives us an average of 17 changes per chapter.
About 20% of the chapters saw a drop in changes during this cycle. This revision cycle is unique in that there was no drop in corrections, although changes varied greatly from chapter to chapter.
Here is a summary of the cycle:
Overall was no drop in modifications when compared to revision eight;
These revision took far less time than previous revisions and for the same reasons:
It takes far less time to run through the material;
There are far fewer errors to find with an average of 424 words between corrections. This improves on the 371 words per change seen in revision eight; and
Changes implemented are minor in scope.
I expect to keep pushing through these revisions until the total amount of corrections drop well below 25 for the manuscript. Since there was no change from the previous revision, I expect there are 2-3 revisions left.
Even Things That Go Bump in the Night Need a Place to Unwind
I have completed my eighth review of the Grand. This review marked a 27% drop in corrections when compared to revision seven. Into the Fire had the most substantial drop of 71%, while changes to The Cheshire Cats Grin increased by 333%. Overall, there were 207 corrections and gives us an average of 17 changes per chapter.
About 20% of the chapters saw a drop in changes during this cycle. The Cheshire Cats Grin saw the greatest increase, in stark contrast to the last revision where it saw the greatest decrease.
Here is a summary of the cycle:
Overall a 27% drop in modifications when compared to revision seven;
207 modifications for the entire work. The first time revisions are under three digits;
17 modifications per chapter;
Into the Fire had the most substantial drop at 71%; and
Like last couple of revisions, this revision took far less time than previous revisions and for the same reasons:
It takes far less time to run through the material;
There are far fewer errors to find with an average of 371 words between corrections. This improves on the 307 words per change seen in revision seven; and
Changes implemented are minor in scope.
I expect to keep pushing through these revisions until the total amount of corrections drop well below 25 for the manuscript. If these trends hold, I expect there are 2-3 revisions left.
Where Broken Fate set the board and ultimately led to the fall of Death Fate. Avenging Fate brings us forward into a world thrown into chaos. Jennifer Derrick explores how manipulation, betrayal and love can have global consequences.
The author branches out from the affairs of gods and the humans who toil on Earth. These new elements really make her world shine! Jennifer Derrick breathes life into a plethora of new characters, some with backgrounds shrouded in mystery. She also brings forth creatures of myth who both managed to surprise me and kept me wanting more.
Avenging Fate ended at a good point for this continuing tale. The various threads were tied up nicely, but it left things open for another sequel (or more). Alas, I will have to wait until the next book is released to find out more.
It has been roughly a year since the Portrait was released as an eBook. One of my side projects was to push this novel through CreateSpace in order to create print variant.
With the help of Nutty Nuchtchas I was able to get the cover sorted out. The cover image was tweaked using a higher quality source and a skilled hand was involved for its final inception. It is always a good idea to let a professional handle the finishing touches.
There are certain elements of life that few of us think about. Many avoid dwelling on death and few question how we ended up where we are. Was it blind luck? Skill? Ruthlessness? Or was it pre-ordained by a greater power?
Broken Fate by Jennifer Derrick tackled both elements by living through a moment in the life of one of the Fates. The author Jennifer Derrick seems to have a knack for dragging Greek mythology thousands of years ahead into the now. She breathed life into these ancient gods and goddesses and left me emotionally invested in their outcomes.
All of the elements are there, political intrigue, alliances, life, and death. The latter is central to our main characters existence and the reader gets to see what happens when rules are bent or broken.
I found it hard to put this book down, taking any opportunity I had to advance a few pages. Alas, the much of the story remains to be told. So I ordered Avenging Fate to see how just how this tale unfolds!
I am not certain if this recipe has anything to do with what is served in Tuscany. However, this dish combines Italian sausage, potatoes, mushrooms, peas and pasta sauce to create a ready-to-serve meal in less than an hour.
This recipe can be heavily varied based on the type of pasta sauce used. I typically opt for a four-cheese or spinach pasta sauce, both of which are crowd pleasers!
Even Things That Go Bump in the Night Need a Place to Unwind
I have completed my seventh review of the Grand. This review marked a 34% drop in corrections compared to revision five. The Cheshire Cats Grin had the most substantial drop of 73%, while Siamese Dreams doubled in changes. Overall there were 283 corrections and gives us an average of 17 changes per chapter.
For the most part this cycle saw a drop for all chapters, except for Siamese Dreams. As expected, this breaks the trend established in revision six.
Here is a summary of the cycle:
Overall a 34% drop in modifications when compared to revision six;
283 modifications for the entire work. The first time revisions are under three digits;
Like revision six, this revision has taken far less time than previous revisions and for the same reasons:
It takes far less time to run through the material;
There are far fewer errors to find with an average of 304 words between corrections. This improves on the 172 words per change seen in revision six; and
Changes implemented are minor in scope.
I expect to keep pushing through these revisions until the total amount of corrections drop well below 25 for the manuscript. If these trends hold, I expect there are at 3-4 revisions left.
I just finished off a book by Stephanie Wood titled the After Effects. Since I enjoyed reading its predecessor Aegean Sun: Room 101, the temptation was too great to see what happened to some of the characters!
Where Aegean Sun: Room 101 had a certain voyeuristic quality. So far that the reader could only view to the events occurring in one room; this sequel breaks out of the mould and does an excellent job of breaking from its predecessor’s shadow.
This sequel aims to close the loop on stories which had occurred previously. It was wonderful to see what effects their time abroad had on these characters. Some relationships grew closer, some were created, and others were blown apart.
While there are some stories from Aegean Sun: Room 101 that had no closure such as Jill and Mike’s scare with cancer. Or what happened to Laura and Suzi after their trip, the stories Stephanie Wood choose to pursue were well worth the read!
Overall this novel is a light quick read, which left me glad that I could consume it one go!
Stephanie sums it up from the start. These individually crafted stories are echoes from the past, memories of events that took place in a fairly regular and nondescript room.
It was a light read, which I thoroughly enjoyed! I could easily dedicate scraps of time to it without getting lost. Nonetheless I had no desire to put the story down unless life insisted on it.
I felt a connection to the characters, simply by reading about their thoughts and emotions. There were also several scenes which were eerily familiar, bur that only made it more enticing.
This in turn, this left me wondering what happened to them after they left. So I am very tempted to pick up the sequel and find out!