Gluten Free Peach Cobbler

Summer's Fresh Peaches Make Yummy Desserts

Here's my take on Peach Cobbler that's Gluten Free.

For the biscuit topping: mix 1 cup of your favorite gf baking mix* (I use Pamelas) with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Cut in 1/4 cup of butter till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine 1/4 cup of milk and a slightly beaten egg. Add to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Set aside.
Peel and slice 6 medium peaches - approx. 4 cups and toss with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.

In a heavy saucepan combine 1 1/2 tablespoons of tapioca (or cornstarch if corn doesn't bother you), 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup of water. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened. Add the peaches and 1 tablespoon of butter. Cook until peaches are hot about 5 min.  Pour peach filling into an 8x8x2 inch pan. Immediately spoon on biscuit dough in six mounds. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-25 min. Serve warm with cream or ice cream. Makes six servings.
*If you can't get a GF baking mix. Use 1 cup of GF All Purpose flour plus 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Nancy's Gluten Free Peach Pie

Nancy's Gluten Free Peach Pie

Crust:

1 cup Gluten free flour or baking mix

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tbs sugar

10 tbs of butter

1 egg, beaten

1 tbs Cold water

1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Mix dry ingredients together. Cut in butter until it resembles pea size bits.  Add egg, Cold water and vinegar. Mix until it makes a ball - do not over mix. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Cut ball into 2 rolls and roll out to 9-10 inch circles. Place one circle in the bottom of a pie pan. Save second circle for the crust.

Filling:

3 15 oz cans of organic sliced peaches in fruit syrup (mine was in pear syrup.)

1/2 cup sugar

  2 tbs. tapioca granules (you can also substitue with gf flour)

  1/4 tsp nutmeg

  Dash of salt

  2 tbs. butter

  1 tbs lemon juice

Directions:

Drain peaches reserving 1/3 cup of juice. In saucepan mix sugar, tapioca, nutmeg and salt. Add 1/3 cup of juice and heat-stirring constantly-until thickened and boiling. Remove from heat- add butter and lemon juice. Stir. Stir in peaches. Pour peach filling into prepared pan. Cover with 2nd crust and flute edges. Make slits to release steam. Place on cookie sheet and bake in 400 degree F preheated oven for 45 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool. Can be served warm or cold.

Enjoy!

 
 

    Goodreads Book Giveaway
 

   

       
   

   

     

          All Fudged Up
     
     

          by Nancy CoCo
     

     

         
            Giveaway ends December 07, 2013.
         
         
            See the giveaway details
            at Goodreads.
         
     
   
   

      Enter to win

A Summer Solstice Supper and Summer Reading List

Welcome! My friends and I picked the Summer Solstice to offer you a sumptuous supper and a buffet of books to satisfy your reading hunger. A good meal and a great book—summer doesn’t get any better than this.   

Each author is sharing a favorite dish, and the menu is chock-full of mouthwatering delights.  Also, the menu contains the title of one of the author’s books and a web link.

Click on the link by the author’s name to find the directions for making the dish AND to learn more about the author and their book(s).

I invite you to visit each author, make a new friend or two, and celebrate the summer with us. Enjoy!!

Menu and book list:

Please check out the rest of the menu - Plus Author's books

Cocktails

Blackberry Gin and Tonic by J.K. O'Hanlon -Three Ingredient Cocktails ~ www.thirstyjane.com

Pomegranate Martini by Kathy L Wheeler - Quotable ~ http://kathylwheeler.com

Appetizer

Japanese Chicken Wings by Jan Morrill -The Red Kimono ~ www.TheRedKimono.com

Sweet & Sour Hawaiian Meatballs               by Vonnie Davis - Rain Is A Love Song ~ ttp://www.vintagevonnie.blogspot.com

Easy Stuffed Mushrooms by Alicia Dean - Liberty Awakened (Isle of Fangs, Book 1) ~http://aliciadean.com/alicias-blog/

Salad

7 Layer Salad by               AJ Nuest -  She's Got Dibs ~ http://ajbooks.blogspot.com/

Mandarin orange & spinach salad by Barbara Barrett - And He Cooks Too ~www.barbarabarrettbooks.com

Mango Black Bean Salad for 4 by Romney Nesbitt - Secrets from a Creativity Coach ~ www.romneynesbitt.net

Entrée

Pesto Chicken by Nancy Parra - Gluten for Punishment ~ www.nancyjparra.blogspot.com

Taquitos               by Calisa Rhose - Risk Factors ~ http://calisarhose.com/chit-chat/

Linda's Summer Shrimp Boil by Linda Joyce - Bayou Born ~ http://lindajoycecontemplates.wordpress.com/

Oven Fried peach chicken              Juli D. Revezzo - The Artist's Inheritance ~ http://julidrevezzo.com/blog/

Betty’s Nutty Pork Chops by Betty Bolte - Hometown Heroines ~ www.bettybolte.com/blog.htm

Dessert

Kolaches by Gina Hooten Popp - The Storm After ~ https://www.facebook.com/ginahootenpoppauthor

Chocolate-Cherry-Coconut Cupcakes by Luna Zega - Tokyo Tease ~ http://lunazega.com/cupcakes.html

Fruit Compote by Brenda Sparks - A Midsummer Night's Demon ~http://www.brenda-sparks.com/blog.html

After Dinner Drinks

After Dinner Iced Coffee by Sandra Sookoo - Winging It ~ http://sandrasookoo.wordpress.com/

Pesto Chicken Recipe Directions (For ingredients go to http://lindajoycecontemplates.wordpress.com/ )

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking dish.
2. Spread about 2 tablespoons of pesto per chicken breast over the top of each breast, and wrap each breast in prosciutto slices to cover the entire breast. Place the wrapped chicken breasts into the prepared baking dish.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the chicken is no longer pink, the juices run clear, and the prosciutto is lightly crisped, about 25 minutes.

Gluten free tuna mushroom lasagna

Created this recipe for a yummy comfort food dinner.

1 package of gluten free lasagna noodles (I prefer brown rice but others like corn noodles. Either will work.)
1 8 oz package of fresh mushrooms - washed and sliced
1/4 cup onion - chopped fine
1/4 cup celery - chopped fine
1/4 cup roasted peppers for color
2 tablespoons butter (margarine if lactose intolerant)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 cup of milk (almond milk or soy milk will work as well)
1 can of gluten free condensed mushroom soup - I use Health Valley or Pacific
2 cans of flaky white tuna - I use the water based pouch.
2 cups of ricotta cheese
1 egg
11/2 cup parmesan cheese (or lactose free substitute)
Gound pepper to taste

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cook and drain noodles per the package. In 2 qt saucepan melt butter, cook onion and celery and mushrooms until tender. Stir in cornstarch to make a rue. Add milk, peppers and soup. Cook until bubbly.
In a bowl mix ricotta cheese and egg and 1/2 c parmesan cheese.
Spray 9x13 pan -layer noodles, tuna, 1/2 sauce, 1/2 c parmesan cheese. Repeat. Top with parmesan cheese and if desired crushed potato chips.

Bake for 30 minutes. Pull out of oven and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Enjoy with steamed veggie of your choice. (adds color to the meal.)

Enjoy! Can be frozen for later.

Candy Weds - brought to you by Betty Crocker

Source: bettycrocker.com via Nancy on Pinterest

Gluten-free Monday

Caramel Maple Pears

gluten-free recipe of the week  - this one is from Betty Crocker and one of many on my "Gluten-free Yum!" Pinterest board.

Ingredients:

6

yellow- or red-skinned pears, cored from bottom leaving stems attached

1

cup caramel ice cream topping

1/3

cup real maple syrup

Grated lemon peel

• 1Spray 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place pears upright in cooker. (If all pears do not fit in bottom of cooker, place remaining pears suspended between 2 others in cooker.)
• 2In small bowl, mix ice cream topping and syrup; pour over pears.
• 3Cover; cook on High heat setting 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes.
• 4Remove pears from cooker; place upright on serving plate or in individual dessert dishes. Spoon about 1/4 cup topping mixture over each pear; sprinkle with lemon peel.

Writer's Tip #1

This year I will debut two new series with a third series to debut in 2014.
What does this mean? It means I have to write 4 books in 2013.

Which leads me to Writer's Tip Number One:

DO NOT PANIC

Writer's block is a form of panic. Procrastination is a form of panic. Some people use panic to motivate them. Not me. I like to avoid panic.

Let's break it down. If you write a page a day you can write a book in a year. The secret is sometimes that one page turns into 2 or 3 or 4 because you get going and don't want to stop

In order to write four books this year I need only write 5 pages a day - every day. So as often as you've heard this - it is totally true. Sit your bum in a chair and write your one page a day every day. It becomes habit  - like brushing your teeth and taking a shower.

No, this does not mean revise a page a day - but move the story forward one page a day.

How can you panic over one page? Write one page - and see what happens

Cheers, Nancy

The Next Big Thing Hop

Welcome to The Next Big Thing Blog Hop!

What is a blog hop? It’s a virtual event that helps readers discover new authors. The first author tags five others whose work he or she admires, who each tag five more, who each tag five more, and so on. These memes float around the internet every few years, and this particular event has been so big, covering so many genres and amazing authors, that I'm thrilled to participate.

Before I get to the questions, I’d like to thank Sparkle Abby, a fabulous (pair of) author, who tagged me for this. Their Pampered Pets Mysteries are great reads and super fun. check them out at: http://www.sparkleabbey.com/blog/

 

The way this hop works, I (and the authors I’ve chosen) will each answer (on our respective blogs) the same 10 (predetermined) questions ranging from our current works in progress to our writing processes and beyond.  We hope you’ll enjoy learning about our work. Please feel free to comment and ask questions.

Okay, ready?  Here is our Next Big Thing!  My Baker's Treat Series debut book, Gluten For Punishment, comes out May 7th, 2013. This year will be a busy year for me since I have sold two more series! So Look for book sin the Spring and the Fall of 2013 and more in 2014.

1: What is the working title of your book(s)?

 "Gluten For Punishment", May 7th, 2013. 

"All Fudged UP", a Candy Coated Mystery, Fall of 2013

"Her Hand In Murder," a Perfect Proposal Mystery, 2014

2: Where did the ideas come from for the book?

I've been gluten free for five years and taught myself how to bake that way. When I was posting my baked goods on Facebook, mystery author, Joelle Charbonneau, Skating Mystery Series and Glee Club Mystery series suggested I write a mystery featuring my glutenfree recipes. I did and it was a hit! I expanded on my love of cooking by writing a fudgeshop mystery and that took off. Recently I was able to co-create and write a Perfect Proposal series based on a Chicago event planner who plans the perfect marriage proposals. (Something my romance readers should enjoy.)

4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I would choose Amy Adams to play Toni Holmes in the Baker's Treat Series and Emma Stone to play Allie McMurphy in the Candy Coated series. Zooey Deschanel would make a great Pepper Pomeroy in the Perfect Proposal Series.

5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Toni Holmes is a crime solving gluten free baker in a wheat filled world.
Allie McMurphy is a candy maker with a sweet bichon-poo who uncovers murder on Mackinac Island.
Pepper Pomeroy plans individual, grand marriage proposals that tend to end in murder.

6: Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency?

Baker's Treat Mystery series is a Berkley Prime Crime series.
Candy Coated Mystery series is a Kensington Killer Cozy series.
Perfect Proposal Mystery Series is a Berkley Prime Crime series.

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

You all know I write fast. So first drafts are usually six weeks - it's the rewrites where the fun begins.

8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

"A mouthwatering debut with a plucky protagonist. Clever, original, and appealing with gluten-free recipes to die for."~ Carolyn Hart 

9: Who or what inspired you to write this book? -covered in Question number 2... ;)

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Check out excerpts and more at www.nancyjparra.com.

Next week I'll post five more authors to check out!!

Coming soon - gluten-free recipe Mondays!

I'm back with great new stuff!

Hi All,

It's been a long while since I've posted and so much has happened!

I've sold three mystery series!

I've updated my website!

I'm writing.

Coming soon: Gluten Free Mondays -featuring a recipe from my Gluten Free Yum! Pinterest Board.

Candy Wednesdays - featuring easy homemade candy recipes - (all the taste with less work)

Writing Saturdays - for guest writers, writing tips, FAQ's and more.

Cheers!!

Ted's Birthday

Happy Birthday, Dad! Thank you for your help this year by reviewing books on my blog. I apologize for not getting these out sooner.
In honor of Dad's birthday I'd like to post the reviews he sent me in November.

"Well, another month has come and gone, almost another year as well. So something a little different this month. I'm sure most of you know of and have probably seen "The Bucket List". Well, as I was getting ready to retire, I bought a book called "1,000 Places to see in Your Life". I read through it and marked all of the ones I've already seen. Of the 1,000 I had seen an amazing 78 of them. Doing a little math, I calculated that at the current rate (78 in 69 years) I was going to have to hurry up or live another 800+ years. I have concluded neither would I live that long nor would I see all 1000! I've even slowed down, only adding two in the last three years.
The other day, I received a booklet that had a list of 15 celebrates (actors, news reporters, politicians, etc.) and each had selected six books that they'd read that they considered the best books ever written. That made 110 ---some listed 7 books. Oh boy, I thought, let me see how many of these I have read. I check them off. There were 43 that I had read. I won't list them all, but on the list were Winston Churchill's War Memories, Homer's Illiad and Odyssey, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, War and Peace, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Moby Dick, House of Seven Gables, The Poems of Elizabeth Barret Browning, The Poems of Emily Dickenson, The Poems of Robert Frost, The Plays of William Shakespeare, The Grapes of Wrath, Gone with the Wind, Quo Vadis, The Short Stories of Edgar Allen Poe-------you get the idea.
Missing were some that to me should have been obvious: The Bible ( Maybe none of them have read the whole thing), Don Quixote, Doctor Zhavago, 10 Days That Shook the World, Fathers and Sons, none of modern American Fiction ( Stephen King, Louis Lamour,again a list too long to write in a blog.)
I'll be reading some from their list in the near future....How about you? What books have you read that you would put on the list of greatest books ever written?
Make a New Year's resolution to read at least 1 book a month. Try to read a wide variety, it will help you grow as a person. Happy Holidays, Ted

December

Well, where the heck have I been? Did I take December off? I didn't mean to, and yet it appears I did. Dad has sent two great reviews and I haven't even posted them. What?! Why?
I am seriously off my game the last few months. Even with help, I can't seem to keep up. Have you ever had a time like that?

I think the thing to do is what the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy says, "Do Not Panic."

These things happen. Wait- not to me they don't... um, yes, yes, they do. They happen to everyone. "The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men..."

But, but we're all supposed to have goals and work toward them unfailingly and accomplish stuff and stuff...

Oh, my dear, dear perfectionists, take a look around. How many of God's creatures work and scurry every day to accomplish goals? They are no less a rabbit or deer or dog or hawk or even an eagle if they stop and take a nap in the sun, or if they are unsuccessful in their hunt for the day. It doesn't mean there won't be something better on another day.

Take the time to stop and enjoy the lights of the season, the love of family and friends. In a few short days it will be 2012. We can worry over blogs and books and such then. In fact we'll make a plan for it. In the meantime, I promise to post Dad's fun reviews.

Happy Holidays~ be safe and tell me what your favorite thing about this time of year is... Cheers~

Last Day of November

I love penguins and used to enjoy watching Chilly Willy cartoons. I thought it appropriate to bring in Chilly on the first Day of December. For those of you doing NaNoWriMo, how many pages did you get done? Or is it what was your word count? The real question is what are you going to do with the story you wrote in November. Are you going to edit it? Are you going to send it out somewhere? Is it sold? Or will you simply be brave enough to let someone else read those words you slaved over? No? That's okay~ Contrary to popular belief, I believe that everyone has their own journey to make when writing. When and if you're ready you will edit, you will let others read it. You will edit again and you will send it out. That doesn't have to be today or tomorrow or in the next year. No words are wasted. Writing is a craft best practiced every day. Life is too short to fit your pace into someone else's life- whether that is writing fast or writing slow. It's a journey not a competition.

As for Chilly Willy, look how happy he is simply to be warm. My goal for December is to find what makes me that happy and to live it. My wish for you is that you do the same.

Books to give for Christmas or Not!

When doing your Christmas shopping- remember a book is a wonderful gift to give.

Here are a few fun things my Dad (Ted) has to say about buying books as gifts for Christmas:

Books to give for Christmas or NOT!

For those of you who read my book reviews here on Nancy's Blog, you already know I read...A LOT ! I also buy books...A LOT.....When we moved, I donated about 150 to the local library for their book sale, sold ( gave away) another 200 in an auction to not have to move them 900 miles from Kansas to Michigan. When we moved to Kansas, I donated 40+ books on Russian History ( my other passion ) to Butler County Community College in El Dorado.
Last week, I got a real prize........a catalogue from a book wholesaler..........imagine 75 pages of books--20 per page average---at bargain prices---better than any book club!!!
Wow, I was in hog heaven!!!
I began to go through it and I checked some books that I was interested in and began a list or two. Books I'd like and (with apologies to their authors) books that probably should not have been published!
I call this list: BOOKS NOT TO GIVE FOR CHRISTMAS
The CIA Lockpicking Manual - Listed under Self-Help books
What to do When the S--t Hits the Fan- Another Self-Help
Get Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-defeating Behavior - Self-Help
Lies The Government Told You: Myth, Power and Deception in American History-Listed under Politics
Don't Vote-It Just Encourages the B------S - Politics
Napoleon's Hemorrhoids - History
Bedlam: London and Its Mad - History
Myths,Lies, and Downright Stupidity:Get Out the Shovel--Why everything You Know Is Wrong - American History
Idiot American: How Stupidity Became a Virtue in the Land of the Free - American History
How Do You Light a Fart? And 150 Other Essential Things Every Guy Should Know About Science. -Science--where else
As I reviewed the selections I had listed and then shortened it, because by now you must have got the idea, I realized, I could have just as easily called this:

"BOOKS TO BUY FOR CHRISTMAS!!" Support you starving author...............Have a great holiday.

So, do you know any strange book titles? Feel free to share. Happy Thanksgiving!!

Gluten-free Thursday- pie

Like many other people, I've been forced to be gluten-free for medical reasons. One of my hobbies is baking and it's tough to bake gluten-free. Many friends have asked for some recipes. I hope to have at least one GF recipe a month posted here. (No worries, I use mixes so you don't have to weigh your own flours, etc.)

Today is
Gluten-free Sour Cream, Chocolate Chip, Pecan Pie.

Crust:

I use Gluten Free Pantry perfect pie crust mix. I find it at Walmart, Whole Foods, and Jewel/Osco.

You can follow the recipe on the back and freeze three of the four crusts. Or do the following:

Use 1 cup all purpose flour of your choice. (I used 1 cup of the mix above.)

1/8 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar

mix. Cut in 5 tbsp butter and 5 tbps shortening (I use all butter) until pea size.

Then add 1 beaten egg, 1 tbsp COLD water, 1 and 1/2 tsp cider vinegar.

Mix until makes a ball-do not over mix. refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roll out to two 8" pie crusts or one deep dish crust.

Filling:

4 eggs
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp GF vanilla
dash of salt

Beat with whisk until well combined.

Add 2 cups chopped pecans and 1 cup chocolate chips.

Pour into pie crust - careful not to overfill.

Bake in 350 degree over for 40-45 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.

Enjoy!

Busy, busy, busy

This writer's life has been busy and it's not even the holidays yet. The question becomes how do you find the time to keep writing even when you are so busy your to-do lists have to-do lists?

The answer is simple. One word at a time. One sentence at a time. A bad first draft is better than the most magnificent story never written. There are people who will argue that you are wasting time and energy writing a bad first draft. I say balderdash! Writing is a craft that must be practiced every day. That does not mean you "must" write twenty pages a day to be a writer. Or even a single page a day. What it means is that you sit down, open a file and write a few words. If you are too busy to warm up the computer- keep a notebook with you and write a sentence before bed, or in the car line waiting to pick your kids up from school, or while waiting in line at the grocery store. If you have a smart phone write a sentence or two instead of that tweet telling everyone what you had for lunch.

If you are still having trouble finding the time or the energy to write-and you are not on deadline- then perhaps giving yourself permission to take a break and wait is a good idea. Even the best writers need vacations...or a good night's sleep.

Take care of yourselves my friends and most importantly take a moment to breathe in and out. Nothing is so important that you should ruin your health over it. Cheers~

November Book Review by Ted

Well, it's that time again. Another review is due. I must be slipping, but I've read a few good books in a row lately! If I say " The Silent Girl" does that ring a bell for you? How about "Ice Cold" or "The Sinner" ? Or what if I say "Tess Gerritsen"? Doesn't mean anything to you? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Didn't mean anything to me either. "The Chicago Tribune" says she makes Edgar Allan Poe and H. P. Lovecraft "seem like goody-two-shoes." Still never heard of her? What if I say " Rizzoli & Isles" ? Ring a bell?

Yes, Tess is the creator of the pair who TNT turned into a summer hit in 2010, returned this summer and are now scheduled to begin a " new season " in a couple weeks.

This month's book is called "The Silent Girl" and is placed in Boston's Chinatown and involves Detective Jane Rizzoli and M.E. Maura Isles. True to the transfer from book to movie, theatre or TV, the characters are a little different, but the "the name is the same".

The story begins with a tour in China town.

The tour goes down an alley and finds a neatly severed female hand on the ground in the middle of the alley. Throw in a dead detective who, though retired, had been investigating a 19 year old case of missing young girls, a group of people who receive letters on the anniversary of a massacre in a chinese restaurant and...oh, I forgot Ninjas and the legendary Monkey King!

You are Rizzoli and chasing a killer down an alley in the dark--suddenly the killer disappears and reappears silently behind you, knocks you down....a gun is pointed at your head...but then there is a whisper of wind and a thump, followed by a louder thump. You reach out and touch a pool of warm liquid, getting up, you feel a body and a head but they're not attached!
"What you must do," said Monkey, "is lure the monster from his hiding place, but be certain it is a fight you can survive." from "The Monkey King : Journey to the West." by Wu Cheng'en c. 1500-1582.
Oh, yes, my apologies to friends in Boston, but there is also the Boston gang boss and his flunkies. What other elements do you need to blend together for a novel you won't be able to put down? How well do you sleep at night after reading good, scary mysteries? Good luck if you dream about what you read...This would even make Alfred Hitchcock proud.
I'm off to find more copies of her other 13 books.

~Ted

Nov. 1 NANO

Hi, my writer friends, are you fast and furiously at work on your nanowrimo project? It's November once again and writers ban together to encourage each other to attempt to write a book in a month. As for me I've been thinking through some serious thoughts about my on-line marketing. I fear I have gone terribly wrong somewhere. I went to Klout.com - a website that rates your on-line influence. Riiight- four years of blogging, facebook, twitter, linkedin and google-plus have gotten a score of 25 out of 100-

Wait! What?!
How is that possible I spend nearly 3 hours a day on internet talking and joining in, etc. to make matters worse, it listed all my dear friends - some who just started last year with this crazy marketing thing- as all having larger Klout scores than me. It's a little embarrassing really as I've taken several classes on internet marketing, read countless tomes, kept up on my marketing network to learn the latest and greatest trends. In fact that is part of what I get paid to do at work.

So what am I doing wrong? Well, number one I only today joined Klout. Hmmm- did you know your Klout score goes up as you chat more and link more on Klout? Sounds like a scam to me- and yet there are actual people who check Klout scores to determine your viability as an author. What?! Yes, I read that today in a writing association newsletter, which is why I went to find out my Klout score.

Now, let's talk working smart- working smart is not not writing my novel because I'm scrambling to add people to my Klout page. Smart is sighing at yet another way for people to judge me without ever reading my book. Smart is ending this blog and getting to writing my latest mystery. So forgive my low Klout score and check out one of my books. Then you can tell me which you'd rather I spent my time on. Cheers~

October Book Review by Ted

Well, I missed my deadline this month. First time I think...I did do one the day it was due........plenty of excuses, but editors don't accept them do they??

This month is a different book. Name one of your favorite TV actors, find an unexpected book written by him, and then read it to see what it is. Now let's dissect this; one of my favorite actors: ICE-T of " Law & Order SVU". I was surprised to find it is his 4th book. Book titled " Kings of Vice", we have a master of Hip-Hop, a good actor with a co-writer ( Mal Radcliff ), and we have a master story-teller. It is a novel that has a good plot- after 20 years in prison, a former gang leader is out for revenge against his former lieutenant who tried to kill him and took over the gang when he went to prison. While in prison, he was befriended by an older man who taught him patience, strategy ( SP?), he comes back to avenge his wounding and reclaim his gang empire.
Add beautiful women, a scheming Parole officer, old friends, more firearms, car chases, flying bullets------I will be surprised if this is not made into a movie. It fits into today's genre of gangster and shoot-em-up movies.
Read it and enjoy with this caution: The use of Black- Street Language is very heavy! If this were written by a non-Black, it might be offensive to some. If you do not find this offensive, you can find it a well-written story. Honestly I hope to see another book in the near future by this writing pair.

As before, I want you to notice this is another case of a co-writer, ghost-writer, or whatever name is being used these days. It is an opportunity for writers to make a living while gaining a reputation as a writer. More surprises next month.......Ted

Movie review

I haven't done a movie review in a long time, so here goes. I went to see the "Guy Flick," Real Steel with Hugh Jackman and Evangeline Lilly. Both actors are gorgeous to watch on screen. I went into this movie thinking "oh, man, Rocky meets Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots." but surprisingly the movie hits all the right emotional cues. It suckered me in even though I knew, I knew, how the story went. I mean it's a tired plot line, right? Um, I had such a good time I wanted to stand up and cheer. I wanted to cry. I want to go see it again. It's the classic story about a down-on-his-luck boxer who has a lot to learn and has to make amends along the way to find his true potential. The story has heart and I have to say I'm not a fan of boxing, but I really enjoyed the robots smashing each other in the ring. Maybe there really is an audience for the sport of robot boxing. I think I'd go see a match or two.

My advice- go see this movie. If you have boys- take them to see it. It's a lot of fun.

If you've seen it, I'd love to hear what you think. Cheers~