Fun Stuff to Do Archives - Page 25 of 25

1000 Words = 1 Image: Rah and the Sea #hot

Kayelle Allen 03/24/2012 Character Insights

Izzorah Loves the Ocean.

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I love this photo. I created ears for him, and that was about all I had to do to make this picture of my feline humanoid Izzorah work.

In an upcoming book, Izzorah (Rah) and his lover marry and go on their honeymoon. In one scene, Luc comes up behind him at the seaside and stands quietly, taking in the beauty of his younger lover as he enjoys the splash of warm water and the cooling waves.

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever,” Keats said. That certainly fits here. Golden, tan, fit, in love with life. Who could not adore a man like that? Luc is certainly smitten.

Kayelle Allen is an award-winning, multi-published author. Her heroes and heroines include badass immortals, warriors who purr, and agents who find the unfindable–or hide it forever. She is known for unstoppable heroes, uncompromising love, and unforgettable passion.

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Saint Patrick’s Day Yumminess – Pistachio Cookies!

Kayelle Allen 03/17/2012 Kayelle Allen

Shamrock

A quick and easy low sugar recipe for cookies you can use any day of the year, but they’re great for Saint Patrick’s Day.

Pistachio Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/3 cups baking mix

1 (3 oz.) package instant pistachio pudding mix

1 egg

1 Tbsp sugar

Preparations

Grease cookie sheet.

Preheat oven (350 F)

To Make

Stir the butter into the pudding mix, and add the baking mix a bit at a time.

Beat the egg slightly, and add.

Stir in the sugar.

Roll out on a lightly floured surface. A shamrock-shaped cookie cutter is great for this holiday, if you have one.

Bake 9 minutes, or until lightly golden.

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Cream Cheese Frosting

5 oz pkg cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese

1 T vanilla

1 T honey

Mix ingredients. If desired, add 1-2 drops green food coloring. Spread on cooled cookies.

Kayelle Allen is an award-winning, multi-published author. Her heroes and heroines include badass immortals, warriors who purr, and agents who find the unfindable–or hide it forever. She is known for unstoppable heroes, uncompromising love, and unforgettable passion.

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It’s the Weekend and I…

Kayelle Allen 03/03/2012 Life and Family 2 Comments

Relaxing on the Weekend.

Finish this sentence. It’s the weekend, and I… Depending on what weekend and what’s going on in my life, it could be anything from “have a class to attend” to “will be in class.”

Weekends are my busiest times. My Yahoo groups are jumping Saturdays and Sundays. On Romance Lives Forever, it’s promo weekend, so I’m approving messages and/or reading them. My moderator, Jean Paquin, takes care of most moderating duties for me (and God bless her abundantly for it). But I do check the group frequently and respond when I see messages in queue.

Marketing for Romance Writers gets a lot of attention as well. Many authors have day jobs and therefore are busy online on the weekends. They drop into MFRW for a quick piece of advice, or they read a message that asks for help and they take a minute to respond. It’s a wonderful group, and the volunteer staff is terrific. I love each of them for their caring attitudes and service.

This weekend, I’m updating my website and working on a book trailer. Next weekend I have a class to attend. I’m learning how to create and play a role-playing game. This is research for a book series. The game I play is called Imagine, and I’m fortunate that the player group I hang out with meets in the basement of the Imagine creator’s house. Talk about a unique learning opportunity! And of course, I’ll be writing.

What do you do on the weekends?

Kayelle Allen is an award-winning, multi-published author. Her heroes and heroines include badass immortals, warriors who purr, and agents who find the unfindable–or hide it forever. She is known for unstoppable heroes, uncompromising love, and unforgettable passion.

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Flashing the Fiction

Kayelle Allen 03/01/2012 Humorous Stories 2 Comments

Good Writing.

Flash fiction is a short piece, often less than 500 words. I have three flashes from a challenge I did with fellow authors that I’m sharing today, each under 100 words. I hope you enjoy them. Each is a complete scene or story.

– – –

Waiting

Just a little more … don?t stop. Don?t stop! Need this so bad. Need this. Please – don?t – stop.

A little bit more. Come on, come on, that?s it. Let it go. Give it up. So close. Almost there. He blew out the breath he?d been holding and took another one, hands shaking.

Been waiting for this – been wanting it, so, so damn bad. He licked his lips.

I should?ve started so much earlier, taken more time, gotten all of it ready. Oh! Yes. Yes…. here it comes!

The last little bit of ketchup landed on his fries.

– – –

Helping

She spread her thighs wider and slid down a little. ?There. Can you get it in now??

?No. Not yet.? He hooched over to the right, grunting a bit as he pushed harder. ?Hold still.?

?Hurry up, baby.?

?I?m trying!? He shifted his shoulders, angled one foot against the ground for better leverage. ?It?s almost within the hole. Just a little…?

?Do it harder! I can?t keep this up.?

?Hold on, baby. Hold on.? He wiped sweat from his brow. The heat rose. Fingertips slick with lubricant, he rubbed the opening. With a click, the car?s axle slid into place.

– – –

Red

So much for avoiding a hard-on and embarrassing myself. She?s wearing red. Again.

I needed her to wear one more red dress to haunt my memories. This one was sleeveless, baring perfectly formed arms, strong and feminine. Strapless too, revealing skin the color of mahogany cream.

A man doesn?t stand a chance with her in that dress. Long, slinky, shiny, scarlet. Oh, God. It looks– wet.

Her mouth was the same red, her lips plump, like she?d just been kissed. Like she?d run her tongue across them. Like she was wanting him.

Is she wet anywhere else?

Damn, damn, damn.

– – –

So… how do you like my flashes? =^_^=

Kayelle Allen is an award-winning, multi-published author. Her heroes and heroines include badass immortals, warriors who purr, and agents who find the unfindable–or hide it forever. She is known for unstoppable heroes, uncompromising love, and unforgettable passion.

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Today’s The Day – A Flash Writing Challenge

Kayelle Allen 02/20/2012 Humorous Stories 2 Comments

I’m a Writer.

This is from a flash witing challenge and is reprinted in full on this blog.

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Every day, I get up and I look in the mirror, and I say, “My name is Chris, and I’m a writer. Today’s the day, baby! I’m gonna be famous.” As you can see, I don’t just talk to myself; I lie to myself.

Yeah, well today, I quit. Writing, not lying.

Here’s why. The last line of my editor’s letter said, “Make it more heartwarming, and it’ll sell.”

Heartwarming? I’ll give him heartwarming! How many hours did I sit here, at his suggestion no less, staring at the screen, trying to come up with ways to increase action? Okay, so now you’ve got your slam-bam action. There’s a crisis on every page. And he wants “heartwarming.”

I’m an action writer. Heartburn is more like it.

My hero’s a player, smart, in great shape, face and body like one of those models from New York. He can do anything. Problem is, he’s all mouth. You know the type. Knows everything, and makes sure you hear about it. Here’s one of his lines. “I’m so much more intelligent than most of my friends that they don’t seem to like me. Apparently, they have ego problems.”

How do you make a guy like that heartwarming?

He’s a spy. Carries an arsenal in his pants, in more ways than one. Kills for a living. Crude and rude. Think Dirty Harry meets James Bond. What does this editor want, Dirty Harry meets Love Story? Cute little warm fuzzies all over the place? My poor hero would puke.

I can see it now: “Love means never having to say I’m Bond. James Bond.”

My friends would laugh themselves silly. Hmmm. Wait a second. What if I made it a comedy? I could do comedy. Dirty Harry meets Love Story… I could call it “Dirty Love Story.” Yeah… I kind of like that. Maybe the hero’s got a thing for love stories. Reads women’s erotica on the sly, to find out what women really want in bed. Yeah! That could work. That’s heartwarming, isn’t it?

I gotta go find a pen. Today’s the day, baby! I’m gonna be famous.

Kayelle Allen is an award-winning, multi-published author. Her heroes and heroines include badass immortals, warriors who purr, and agents who find the unfindable–or hide it forever. She is known for unstoppable heroes, uncompromising love, and unforgettable passion.

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Mardi Gras Bread Pudding with Sweet Butter Topping

Kayelle Allen 02/16/2012 Kayelle Allen 5 Comments

Bread Pudding.

Would you like an easy recipe for your Mardi Gras party or dinner menu? How about a simple bread pudding even the kids will enjoy? This one is an old favorite, and it’s served with a sweet butter topping and cinnamon sugar. Good down home cooking.

Clean up is easy too. You’ll need one large bowl, one small one, a baking pan, measuring cups (you can mix the cinnamon sugar topping in one), measuring spoons, and a whisk.

Bread Pudding with Sweet Butter Topping

Bread Pudding

1 loaf whole grain bread, broken into small pieces

2 12 oz. cans evaporated milk

1 cup water

6 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp. nutmeg

5 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place broken bread pieces in a large bowl.

Combine milk, water, eggs, sugar, nutmeg, and vanilla, and blend well.

Pour over the bread, add the softened butter, and toss to coat. If dry, add 2-3 teaspoonsful additional water, one at a time, until bread is well moistened. Mixture should be wet, but not soggy.

Spoon mixture into a greased 13×9 inch baking dish.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until set.

Serve with Sweet Butter Topping.

Sweet Butter Topping

6 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

? cup sugar

1 cup whipping cream

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Melt butter in small saucepan. Whisk in flour and cook 3-4 minutes. Stir in sugar and whipping cream. Cook 2-3 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Serve warm over bread pudding. Add Cinnamon Sugar Sprinkle for garnish and taste.

Cinnamon Sugar Sprinkle

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup sugar

Combine ingredients in a small measuring cup, and sprinkle atop warm bread pudding.

This makes an easy dessert that’s filling and tastes wonderful. All the flavors of home, and very little work. I like the smell of bread pudding when it’s baking. It reminds me of childhood and happy times. What recipes do you make that bring back fond memories?

Kayelle Allen is an award-winning, multi-published author. Her heroes and heroines include badass immortals, warriors who purr, and agents who find the unfindable–or hide it forever. She is known for unstoppable heroes, uncompromising love, and unforgettable passion.

Read more →