Book Review: Summer Melody by Toddie Downs

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Summer Melody by Toddie Downs

A Coming of Age Fiction Novel published by Amazon Digital Services LLC (06/29/16)

Summary:

Three generations of women’s stories interweave as each must find their own hidden strengths. Bonnie must come to terms with her aging mother’s secrets. Her niece, Meg, is set to marry her perfect match, but when adversity strikes will they become closer or will they be pushed apart? Bonnie’s daughter, Jane, is a 14 year old who is given responsibility of a neighbor’s autistic 5-year old, but will it be too much for her?

Keywords:

Autism, Relationships, Family, Love, Friendships, Teenagers, Responsibility, Secrets, Wedding, Uncertainty, Past, Dementia, Power, Family Ties, Forgiveness

My Review:

As soon as I understood what relationship each character had with one another, I was hooked. Each chapter is told from the POV of one of the main characters: Bonnie, Meg, or Jane. This book was all about the character relationships and character details. I was extremely fascinated to see the dynamics that played out with a character with dementia and a character with autism.

This is contemporary work at its most realistic. It isn’t necessarily a fictional book with a recognizable plot arc. It is a story that will delve into characters we might not necessarily see in fiction or portrayed in fiction as a normal part of the characters’ lives. This is their reality and it is so interesting to read about.

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services LLC on June 29th, 2016 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.25

Links for more information:

Toddie Down’s Website

Goodreads

Book Review: Curse of the Seven 70s by Sharon Anderson

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Curse of the Seven 70s by Sharon Anderson

A Romantic Comedy published by Ravensea (06/19/16)

Summary:

After inheriting a cottage from a long lost relative and being dumped by her fiancé, Cassandra moves into the presumably empty house with her woe is me attitude. Attacked by a pelican and agreeing to move her ex’s fifty plus boxes of research into her own place for storage, Cassandra decides to break into the 50-year old scotch she found. Then she discovers a skeleton behind a wall with a stake in it and removing the stake brings the hot, mildly geeky, ultra-romantic and protective vampire Varo to life.

Keywords:

Vampire, Vlad the Impaler, Contemporary, Love, Sex, Heartbreak, Hilarity, Inherited Estate, Ex-Boyfriend, Dracula, Revenge, Curse, Librarian, Spoof

My Review:

This book showcases perfectly the concept that if someone thinks they can get away with it, they’ll do it. The ex and his new girlfriend think they can push Cassandra around and take her time, space, and money so they use manipulations that have worked in the past to get what they want. And at first, it works. Cassandra still thinks Howard loves her and will dump his new silicone girlfriend and so accepts to store his research at her house and then moves many many boxes down to her own basement. And then she meets Varo and finds more than just research in Howard’s boxes.

Varo helps bring out Cassandra’s confidence by being uber hot and very much into her and her alone. This is where reality is suspended and the hilarious character actions and plot details become much more interesting and fantastical.

If you want a vampire book that is a spoof on the typical vampire book flaws, then this is your next read.

This novel was published by Ravensea on June 19th, 2016 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 3.75

Links for more information:

Sharon Anderson’s Website

Goodreads

Twitter

Book Review: Serenade by Heather McKenzie

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Serenade by Heather McKenzie

A YA Novel published by Clean Teen Publishing (04/17/17)

Summary:

Kaya lives a guarded life as the heiress to a medical company worth a fortune, but her father doesn’t ever want to relinquish control and will go to insane lengths to make sure his greed is satisfied.

Kaya wants to be normal, but when she’s constantly surrounded by her male bodyguards she doesn’t have a chance, until her father consents to let her run in a weekend long 125km foot race. All is well as she is fiercely protected until one by one her guards drop out of the race. Even her new Fiancé bodyguard must leave her to finish herself, but before she can make it to the end, she is kidnapped.

Keywords:

Foot Race, Ignorance, Bodyguard, Protection, Discovery, Past, Family Secrets, Corruption, Power, Money, Abduction, Fight, Motivation, Love, Friendship, Heiress

My Review:

Female heroine. Check. Adventure with high stakes. Check. Strong and powerful story with intrigue and secrets. Check.

I loved nearly everything about this story. As soon as I was fully engaged (at the mention of Death Race), I couldn’t put this one down. It had everything I hope for and love in a YA book.

Though I roll my eyes at instant love, the powerful bond of the love in this story swept me away and I believed it with every fiber of my imagination, just as Kaya does with every fiber of her soul. I’ve never read an instalove that I could believe in like that in Serenade.

The story was solid and the plot (when it got going) was so well developed and rolled out like a great action movie. Subplots kept me questioning every secret.

The best part of this book, however, was Kaya (and maybe the powerful storytelling/writing style). Kaya comes from a rich and entitled background, but she is not a spoiled princess. Yes she hurts. Yes she complains. Yes she gets emotionally overwhelmed. And of course she makes wrong choices! She’s only a teenager after all. But she is resilient and thoughtful and never gives in. She is logical and emotional and I can’t wait for more of her!

The writing style and powerful way the author can showcase emotions makes me eager to read anything McKenzie will write next- fiction, nonfiction, picture books, or anything.

I received an ARC of this novel.

This novel was published by Clean Teen Publishing on April 17th, 2017 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 5.00

Links for more information:

Heather McKenzie’s Website

Twitter

Goodreads

All About the Donuts: Local Donut Shop Review – General Porpoise Doughnuts in Seattle

by in Foodie Fridays, For the Love of Donuts, Local Eats, Rachel Barnard and tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

General Porpoise Doughnuts

Seattle, WA

My Live Video Review on Youtube is HERE

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1020 E. UNION ST., SEATTLE WA 98122

206 – 900 – 8770

gpdoughnuts.com

 

Review criteria:

Most popular donut at the shop: “Vanilla”
Signature shop donut:NA
Most popular US donut: glazed (not available)
2nd most popular US donut: Boston Creme (not available)
Donut Hole: Not Available

 

What I tried:

Vanilla, Chocolate Marshmallow, Lemon, Apple Quince Jam

$3.85/each or $18.41 for 4 including tax

 

What to expect:

This small donut shop is very much like Seattle: hip and young. If you’re looking for one type of donut, then this is your place. They only make the cream filled sugar topped donuts that are very fresh and most are very delicious. I thought some the cream fillings weren’t that great, but the donut itself was very good. They also didn’t put that much cream into the donuts.

 

My favorite:

The vanilla! It tasted like vanilla mousse, light and creamy.

Book Review: Influence (Influence Series) (Volume 1) by David R Bernstein

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Influence (Influence Series) (Volume 1) by David R Bernstein

A YA Sci-Fi Novel published by Amazon Digital Services LLC (08/15/16)

Summary:

In this dystopian American society, Kaylin stands out, even amongst others with similar powers. Her ability, to influence others, is highly sought after by warring factions. She’s been on the run with her best friend for years, but will her powers of empathy change all that?

Keywords:

Self-reliance, self-esteem, friendship, betrayal, trust, unique, abilities, powers, influence, thought power, thought control, mind control

My Review:

Where only teenagers have the ability to “push” others’ consciousness to do something or feel something, this society is set up much like other young adult dystopian novels. There’s the female main character who doesn’t know the reaches of her own power. There are the factions that want to use her for their own evil plans. Where Influence is different is with its well-developed characters and satisfyingly detailed world building.

I knew exactly how a “Push” worked and was shown many possibilities for how and why one would be used. I knew Kaylin and her best friend Amanda almost as well as they knew each other and loved how empathetic Kaylin was!

Where the story lost me a bit was with the plot details and the romantic element. The sweet romance between kaylin and Farren was stereotypical for a dystopian teen read, but I enjoyed that even though this romance was based on mutual first attraction (duh!) that the romance grew slowly and steadily throughout the book and didn’t end with too much of the romance taking over the plot! The romance and action were well balanced.

Some elements of the plot seemed a bit convenient and somewhat unexplained, but the book moved at a nice fast pace and kept me interested in the characters, their world, and their ultimate goal the entire time. The plot twist at the end was a bit rough and though all the elements to tie it in were there, they were a bit too loose for my liking.

I loved the tease at the end and appreciated that this book contained both a full and satisfying ending while making the reader want to read more and find out what happens to Kaylin next!

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services LLC on August 15th, 2016 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.0

Links for more information:

David Bernstein’s Website and Blog

Goodreads

Author Goals and Accomplishments from 2016 and Future Goals for 2017

by in For the Love of Donuts, Local Authors, Local Events, Miscellaneous Mondays, Rachel Barnard and tagged , ,

Goals list of 2014

Goals list of 2015

 

Goals list of 2016:

  1. At One’s Beast available in King County Libraries
    1. I didn’t submit this book to the library becuase I decided to revise and republish version 2!
  2. Donuts in an Empty Field (For the Love of Donuts Book 1) published
    1. Yes!!! Check it out HERE
  3. Start my retirement fund
    1. Yes! I started an IRA and put money in it!
  4. Create a food/board game
    1. No, totally forgot about this one….
  5. Watch a roller derby
    1. Yess!! I even got to dress up, see it here
  6. Finish Flora’s Last Chance for Magic and submit to publishers
    1. Yes and no. I finished writing, editing, proofing, and getting a cover, but I’ve only submitted the book to one agent
  7. Re-revise My Dad the Prepper and send it out to new publishers
    1. Yes! I revised this book and sent it out to new publishers and I’ve already received several rejections (I’m up to 11 so far on this project)
  8. Make a box set case for upcoming series For the Love of Donuts using this website
    1. Forgot about this one too because I only have one book so far in the series!
  9. Publish the anthology “Stories from Seattle” with all proceeds to go to my favorite goat rescue PSGR
    1. Tabled this because nobody knew about submissions, but I did submit to a Hot MC biker chick anthology 😉
  10. Finish my brother’s recipe book so he can publish it
    1. Tabled this one as he lost interest in completing this project
  11. Publish Cafe Connections (Aster & Tilde book 1) on 10/31/16
    1. HA ha ha. I have so far to go on editing for this! I want Aster & Tilde books 1 and 2 (editing and rewrites) to be my project for Nano 2017
  12. Get professional author photos
    1. Nope. I have enough amateur photos for now…
  13. Learn a special dance or solo
    1. Sigh. Tabled. But I did choose the perfect song to learn once I get around to it!
  14. Bask in a sea of donuts
    1. No. Tabled this one as well because I haven’t sourced these donuts yet.

2017 Goals!!! Writing and Beyond:

Writing:

  • Publish Seize the Donut (for the Love of Donuts Book 2) on National Donut Day – June 2nd, 2017
  • Edit my short stories – Celebrity Dreamscapes, Smart Fraud, The Man Who Never Slept
  • Send out my short stories for publication!
  • Version 2 of At One’s Beast (edit, revise, re-release)
  • Find an agent for Flora’s Last Chance for Magic
  • Find a publisher or artist for my children’s picture book
  • Write and art for children’s picture book about pole dance
  • Write a children’s picture book about dad catch phrases or dad puns
  • Revise Aster & Tilde
  • Write Aster & Tilde book 2 and plan out the series
  • Review 1 Indie book a week
  • Go to Emerald City Writer’s Conference again
  • Start editing Dollars to Donuts (for the Love of Donuts book 3)
  • Publish Nichole’s Book of Awesome Things (for the Love of Donuts accompaniment 2) for release with Seize the Donut
  • Create a coloring book of donuts (for the Love of Donuts accompaniment 3) for release in the winter
  • Create an audio book of my poetry book
  • YouTube video 1x/month
  • Get 500 Instagram followers
  • Reach 250 Facebook likes on author page
  • Reach 250 Facebook friends
  • Reach 250 Twitter followers
  • Get to 2000 newsletter subscribers

Physical:

  • Mile in 10 minutes
  • 50 push-ups in one go
  • Inversions other side solid
  • Shoulder mount
  • Level up inversions at Divine
  • Dance performance
  • 200 pole classes lifetime
  • 10 pull ups

 

 

Rachel’s Recipes throughout the year! Pie, Jello Shots, Lemon Souffle and more!

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Bread recipe from Zojirushi – made in a bread machine

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Wheat Bread – Zojirushi

Ingredients for BB-PAC model:
1-7/8 cups water (450mL)
4-3/4 cups whole wheat flour (570g)
4 Tbsp. sugar (46g)
1 Tbsp. molasses (20g)
2 Tbsp. dry milk (8g)
2 tsp. salt (11.2g)
4 Tbsp. vital wheat gluten (32g)
2 Tbsp. butter (28g)
2 tsp. active dry yeast (5.6g)

Blueberry muffin

I used THIS recipe and modified it so: half the amount of sugar, half wheat and half white flour, and none of the crumble on top. So good!

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Apple pie

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Pie Crust from Martha Stewart – Recipe HERE

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

DIRECTIONS

  1. To make the dough for the pie crust, mix 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon each salt and sugar in a medium-size bowl. Cut 2 sticks chilled unsalted butter into pieces. With a pastry blender, cut in butter, working until mixture resembles coarse meal.
  2. Add 4 tablespoons ice water; work with hands until dough comes together. If dough is still crumbly, add more ice water a tablespoon at a time (up to 4 more tablespoons). Do not overwork.
  3. Divide dough in half, and flatten halves into disks. Wrap disks separately in plastic; refrigerate at least 1 hour.
  4. To form the pie shell, roll the dough on a floured surface into a 14-inch round. Wrap around rolling pin and carefully unroll over a 9-inch pie plate.
  5. Fit gently into bottom and side of plate. Use kitchen shears to trim dough to a 1-inch overhang; fold under, and seal to form a rim.
  6. Crimp rim with fingertips and knuckle. Repeat with remaining dough; wrap each with plastic, stack, and freeze.

    Pie filling from Grandma Ople – Recipe HERE

  • 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 8 Granny Smith apples – peeled, cored and sliced

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.
  2. Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.
  3. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.

Note – I used half the amount of sugar, half the amount of butter and substituted apple juice for the water when I made my second pie for a *healthier* version

Zucchini Tots

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INGREDIENTS:

  • cooking spray
  • 1 packed cup grated zucchini
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 medium onion, minced
  • 1/4 cup grated reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt and black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
  2. Grate the zucchini into a clean dish towel until you have 1 packed cup.  Wring all of the excess water out of the zucchini, there will be a lot of water. In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Spoon 1 tablespoon of mixture in your hands and roll into small ovals. Place on the cookie sheet and bake for 16 to 18 minutes, turning halfway though cooking until golden. Makes 16.

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Yield: 3 servings, Serving Size: 5 tots

Lemon souffle

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LEMON SOUFFLÉS
Serves 8
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

You’ll Need
– 8 large lemons
– 3 eggs, separated
– ½ cup sugar, divided
– 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
– Confectioners’ sugar

How To

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsuis). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
  2. Slice the stem ends from the lemons so they can sit level. Cut off the tip end of each lemon, parallel with the bottom and roughly ⅓ of the way down. Reserve the tops.
  3. Hold each lemon firmly and use a serrated knife to cut out the pulp. Use a melon baller to scoop out the flesh into a sieve placed over a bowl. Squeeze the juice from the pulp and reserve for later. Place the hollowed-out lemons on the sheet pan.
  4. In a heat-proof bowl, combine the egg yolks, ¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup reserved lemon juice, and flour. Whisk until pale yellow. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water and continue to whisk for about 8 minutes, until very thick. Remove from the heat and beat with an electric mixer for about 10 minutes, until cooled, while scraping down the sides. Transfer to a clean bowl and set aside.
  5. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the egg whites with the remaining ¼ cup sugar. Beat with the electric mixer on low speed until frothy. Slowly increase the mixer speed until the meringue is shiny and hold soft peaks, about 2 to 3 minutes.
  6. Whisk about ⅓ of the meringue into the yolk mixture, then fold in the remaining meringue gently. Fill the lemon shells to just below the rim.
  7. Bake for approximately 14 to 17 minutes, until the tops are golden and have risen about 1 inch above the shell.
  8. Serve immediately, garnished with confectioners’ sugar and the reserved lemon tops.

 

Salad in a jar

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Burger cupcakes

burger

Recipe can be found HERE

Butterbeer jello shots, recipe can be found HERE

Ingredients

1 cup creme soda

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

1/3 cup vanilla vodka

2/3 cup butterscotch schnapps

Colored large crystal sugar, for garnish, if desired

Directions

  • Pour soda in a medium saucepan and sprinkle with gelatin. Allow to soak for a minute or two.
  • Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until the gelatin is dissolved (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat.
  • Stir in the vodka and schnapps.
  • Pour into little jello containers or pan

Recipes I still want to try!

Pumpkin pie overnight oats with chia

http://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/2016/08/pumpkin-pie-overnight-oats/

 

Gnocchi with mushrooms, basil and parm

http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/toasted-gnocchi-with-mushrooms-basil-and-parmesan/

 

Tiramisu mille-crepes

https://www.buzzfeed.com/marietelling/these-tiramisu-mille-crepes-will-up-your-dessert-g-258n3?bffbtasty&ref=bffbtasty&utm_term=.sfL0Kwzqn#.elP8XmbVz

 

Plum cake

http://www.dinnerwasdelicious.com/plum-cake/

 

Zzuchnni parmeasn

https://www.alexandracooks.com/2016/08/05/zucchini-parmesan/

 

No bake nutella cheesecake

http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/no-bake-nutella-cheesecake-recipe/

 

Creamy brussel sprout cheese dip

http://minimalistbaker.com/creamy-brussels-sprout-shallot-dip/

 

Passion fruit flan

http://www.buzzfeed.com/robertbroadfoot/heres-how-to-make-delicious-passion-fruit-flan-at-home#.uij812D99

 

http://www.chinasichuanfood.com/homemade-red-bean-buns/

 

Coconut crème puffs

http://www.buzzfeed.com/scottloitsch/your-easter-set-up-just-got-better-with-these-coconut-cream#.baB9eEaJJ