Recipe can be found HERE
All About the Donuts: Donuts in an Empty Field (For the Love of Donuts Book 1) Publication Day June 3rd!
It’s time for a little excerpt from the book!
My thoughts linger on Dad, but I push them away.
I grab four soufflé sample cups and expertly fill them with our more seasonal flavors: candy cane, eggnog, pumpkin spice, and cinnamon roll. I swoop up to Nichole at her table and present the four with a flourish.
“I noticed you went right for vanilla, for a wild child that is highly unusual,” I say to her.
She drops her spoon back into her cup with a clunk. I pick up the first sample cup.
“Candy cane aka peppermint. A familiar flavor disguised as a seasonal favorite. It goes by many names throughout the year: mint, Girl Scout cookie something or other, etc., but ultimately it is recognized during the holiday season in its home as candy cane.” I hold out the miniature serving and whip it back and forth under her nose, as if scents are wafting up from the yogurt. She inhales deeply and scrunches up her nose. “Come on, Nichole, you can’t go through life as a Plain Jane vanilla. You have to branch out.”
“I branch out with everything that I do, can’t you leave my ice cream and frozen yogurt blandness alone. I LIKE vanilla,” she counters.
“Ok, well you can’t deny this next one.” I set down the candy cane and pick up the eggnog. “THIS is a classic and undeniably a favorite. For three out of twelve months it makes its debut and everyone is clamoring for it.”
“Ugh, not the pumpkin spice!” Nichole interjects.
“No! You Starbucks peon. Anyways, that’s the next one. No interrupting. I’m working on my sales pitch here.”
Nichole tips her head toward the door as its familiar tinkle brings me back to reality. Working a real job is not as much fun as I thought it would be. It’s just full of interruptions and cranky people.
Letting go of anger is life’s greatest challenge.
Vanessa Smith hasn’t been the same since her father’s death. A hero until the end, he died saving a restaurant owner’s wife and son from a burning building. Nessa has always blamed the boy, Ben, for her loss, and her thoughts are consumed with ways to make him as miserable as she is.
Nichole Adams knows Nessa can never heal until she learns to let go of her hatred, but bringing back her best friend is proving more difficult than she could’ve imagined. In a last ditch effort to break Nessa’s obsession, Nichole hopes signing up for the local food challenge is just the thing to bust her out of her shell.
A single choice defines the road ahead for Nessa. Doing the right thing isn’t easy, but living with the consequences of doing nothing might be worse.
Wildlife Wednesdays: After the Rain
Book Review: Backyard Dragons (Spirit Knights Book 2) by Lee French
Backyard Dragons (Spirit Knights Book 2) by Lee French
A Fantasy Novel published by Clockwork Dragon (03/11/16)
Summary:
“Everything about her was different from every other Knight. She had a different build, a different weapon, a different sprite, and different challenges.” (Kindle Locations 2034-2035).
Claire is a Spirit Knight and even though she still isn’t accepted by everyone in the male-dominated group, she wants to show them that she is really a Knight. After she gets a dragon as her sprite and has won a weapon from the Heart of the castle, Claire is ready to begin training. But, before she can truly prepare, things start to go wrong. There are mysterious things going on and Claire and Justin must figure out what’s going on before it’s too late.
Keywords:
Spirit Knight, Fantasy, POV Change, Fighting, Responsibility, Unsafe, Strange Things, Horse, Trust, Hope, Death, Problems, Taking Charge, Discovery, Personal Sprite, Dragon, Friendship, Family
My Review:
I found the pacing good, the tension good and storytelling solid, but there were a few characteristics of this book I didn’t like. Justin felt almost like a villain when he was supposed to be supportive of Claire. There were a few scenes where his thoughts about his family were less than positive and that made me uncomfortable. I thought he was supposed to be the hero passing the torch to the new girl? I believe that there are outside forces that influence how he perceives the things he loves, but I wish he had remained the underdog hero instead of the villain’s assistant. Justin is your average knight, but even so, he was easily manipulated and seemed to get caught in the simplest of traps that Claire was able to figure out immediately! How can one be a Spirit Knight, when one is so easily undone! This did let Claire be the hero and this is her story. I did like that there were average knights like Justin and that he tries to be valiant, that he tries hard all the time.
I liked most everything about Claire. The scenes between her and the Heart of the castle were awesome! I loved how in every situation she found herself in, she didn’t give up, even if she had no real weapon. She wasn’t afraid to use her fists!
Dragons. Super cool. I liked how the dragon actually had his own backstory and personality.
I found the twist of the main plot to be obvious. The clues were so good that I guessed what was going to happen quickly. All new information led directly to this obvious ending, which was still satisfying even though I knew it was coming. It was the logical ending.
This novel was published by Clockwork Dragon on March 11th, 2016 and is available on Amazon here.
TL;DR Star Rating: 4.00
Links for more information:
Book Event at Third Place Books with Tiffany Belcher 03/12/16
What an exciting author event this past Saturday! I’ve read Tiffany Belcher’s first book, Sara Supernatural, and loved it and now the second in the series is available. I observed the event to get good ideas for my own Third Place Books event in June.
Here’s what I learned: The Den seats about 26. They have a projector and screen available. They have a nice podium and sound system. People can’t see this area from the door, so a big sign and arrow would be handy.
Here are some neat pics I took from the event. I loved seeing Tiffany Belcher again and she had quite the lovely, entertaining, and useful presentation.
Throwback to when I first met Tiffany and bought her first book at St. James Espresso in Kirkland… 04/15/2015
All About the Donuts: Local Donut Shop Review – Daddy’s Donuts
Daddy’s Donuts
Kenmore, WA
7018 Bothell Way NE, Kenmore, WA 98028
(206) 496-3670
Website: http://www.daddysdonuts.net/
Review criteria:
Most popular donut at the shop: Straw-bella
Signature shop donut: Caramel apple
Most popular US donut: glazed (not available)
2nd most popular US donut: Boston crème (not available)
Donut Hole: Only mini-donuts are made/sold
What I tried:
Daddy’s Original, Original with cinnamon sugar, Original with powdered sugar, Straw-Bella, Coco-Loco, Caramel Apple, Funky Monkey, Robot Roberta, Happy Camper, 12th Man, Tayo Tornado, Confetti Eddie, Al Capone
I’ve also tried their mocha, hot chocolate and steamed flavored milk (hazelnut)
What to expect:
Daddy’s specializes in mini-donuts that are all based on the cake donut. They are fresh and made to order. Each order takes a couple of minutes to put together. They make their own cream and use fresh fruit (organic or local when possible). You will not find most of the “typical” donuts in this shop.
Perks:
If you like cake donuts, these are the best in the area that you’ll find. They are perfectly bite sized and come out fresh and warm, ready to eat. The cream, for the varieties with cream on top, is handmade and won’t instantly melt from the warm donuts. The fruit is fresh as well. The owner combines his love of robots and donuts in this store and the place is covered in both! It’s a wonderfully fun shop for kids.
Don’t Worry:
The shop is tiny, fitting around ten people at a time. There is a bathroom on location. Parking is limited to around 8 spots. It’s right off the highway, so make sure to keep your eyes out for the little single story shop and get into the turn lane/bus only lane in time to make the sharp right. (there is no left because they are on one side of a divided highway). If you’re getting groceries at Safeway, a sandwich at Subway, hitting up the ATM at Bank of America or making a quick stop at the UPS, be sure to walk over and snag some mini donuts, you’ll be glad that you did.
My favorite:
The owner is such a sweet person. He is enthusiastic and inviting and will remember who you are! He wants the customer to be happy as much as he wants his shop to succeed. My favorite combo at his shop is the straw-bella.
All About the Donuts: Donuts in an Empty Field (For the Love of Donuts Book 1) Publication Day June 3rd!
You don’t have to wait until June 3rd to experience donuts and challenges. You can get your copy of Vanessa’s Book of Awesome Things by Rachel Barnard right now!
This little accompaniment book to Donuts in an Empty Field (For the Love of Donuts Book 1) has a lot of super cool (awesome) things in it.
This book has: The Food Challenge, Tips to Help You Win a Food Challenge, 10 Challenges at 10, Facts About Corgis, 20 Challenges at 20, The Secret of Tree Beach, Fat Boy Run, 30 Challenges at 30, Your Local Hangout, 40 Challenges at 40, Reasons to Bask in a Sea of Puppies, 50 Challenges at 50, Kale is Not a Curse Word, Doughnuts Recipe, Object Scavenger Hunt, Photo Scavenger Hunt, To Do with Donuts, Yes or No?, Top Ten Worst Donut Flavors, Top Ten Donuts You Have to Try, For the Love of Donuts Books, Donuts in an Empty Field Chapter One, About the Author
From Vanessa’s Book of Awesome Things – 20 Challenges at 20:
How many have you done?
| 1 | Gallop on a horse | Yes |
| 2 | Fast for a day | Yes |
| 3 | Donate blood | Yes |
| 4 | Swim with dolphins | Not yet |
| 5 | Ride a Segway | Yes |
| 6 | Ride in a limo | Not yet |
| 7 | Stay awake for 48 hours straight | Not Sure |
| 8 | Participate in a headphone dance party | Yes |
| 9 | Spend 3 hours in a Walmart | Yes |
| 10 | Go night swimming | Yes |
| 11 | Wrestle a friend in the sand | Yes |
| 12 | Attempt a world challenge | Not officially |
| 13 | Make up your own lyrics to a popular song | Yes |
| 14 | Participate in a zombie walk | Yes |
| 15 | Hide a geocache | Yes |
| 16 | Learn a magic trick | Yes |
| 17 | Take your parents on a date and pay for everything | Yes |
| 18 | Dress up and go out on any day but Halloween | Yes |
| 19 | Write a positive note and leave it in a library book | Not yet |
| 20 | Dumpster dive | Yes |
Donuts in an Empty Field (For the Love of Donuts Book 1)
Letting go of anger is life’s greatest challenge.
Vanessa Smith hasn’t been the same since her father’s death. A hero until the end, he died saving a restaurant owner’s wife and son from a burning building. Nessa has always blamed the boy, Ben, for her loss, and her thoughts are consumed with ways to make him as miserable as she is.
Nichole Adams knows Nessa can never heal until she learns to let go of her hatred, but bringing back her best friend is proving more difficult than she could’ve imagined. In a last ditch effort to break Nessa’s obsession, Nichole hopes signing up for the local food challenge is just the thing to bust her out of her shell.
A single choice defines the road ahead for Nessa. Doing the right thing isn’t easy, but living with the consequences of doing nothing might be worse.
Book Review: Master of Machines (The Antigone’s Wrath Series Book 2) by Starla Huchton
Master of Machines (The Antigone’s Wrath Series Book 2) by Starla Huchton
A Steampunk-Adventure Novel published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. (02/16/16)
Summary:
“Regrets are the realm of humanity, capitaine, not of machines.” (Kindle Location 3331).
The crew of the Antigone’s Wrath is almost all new, all with deep seated hate for the Brotherhood. All who are left are the Captain Rachel Sterling, Danton the Master at Arms, and one other sailor. To pick up this story, Rachel will need to get help from Silas Jensen again. It isn’t for her that she needs Silas, or is it?
Keywords:
Ship, Magic, Ship, Female Captain, Strength, Fighting, Ring, Gear Head, Lover, Danger, Killing, Technology, Secret Sect, Steampunk, Manipulation, Race, Romance
My Review:
Captain Rachel Sterling was as strong as ever in this second book, but she doesn’t always know herself. I love the way she was commanding as a leader, a true pirate, and able to use every resource available to her to get what she wanted (even wearing a corset!).
This is a steampunk story that doesn’t throw difficult language in your face or too much in the way technically/scientifically. This is a steampunk story for everybody. It truly has a story because the Antigone’s Wrath must race time to get what they want and there are plenty of obstacles in the way!
I appreciated how Huchton acknowledges the shortcomings of the culture while still staying true to the world that we’re familiar with and showing an ideal female role model and how we would like our world to be even if it is not. For example, Captain Sterling says, “The world is filled with misogyny. I find it’s more useful to appreciate and reward kindness than acknowledge and battle every insult.” (Kindle Locations 898-899).
This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. on February 16th, 2016 and is available on Amazon here.
TL;DR Star Rating: 4.50
Links for more information:
Foodie Fridays: The Best Avocado Smoothie in Town
Jing Jing Asian Market‘s Happy Melon Bakery Avocado Smoothie!
All About the Donuts: Donuts in an Empty Field (For the Love of Donuts Book 1) Publication Day June 3rd!
Don’t forget about the donuts… Because it’s all about the donuts!
I’m putting together a fantastic month of fun filled donut-themed parties in June. Why June? Because, Dear Reader, June 3rd this year is National Donut Day. My upcoming release is not all about donuts, but it does feature donuts and food and challenges. Don’t miss Donuts in an Empty Field (For the Love of Donuts Book 1) coming June 3rd, 2016.
Here’s a summary of the book for you:
Letting go of anger is life’s greatest challenge.
Vanessa Smith hasn’t been the same since her father’s death. A hero until the end, he died saving a restaurant owner’s wife and son from a burning building. Nessa has always blamed the boy, Ben, for her loss, and her thoughts are consumed with ways to make him as miserable as she is.
Nichole Adams knows Nessa can never heal until she learns to let go of her hatred, but bringing back her best friend is proving more difficult than she could’ve imagined. In a last ditch effort to break Nessa’s obsession, Nichole hopes signing up for the local food challenge is just the thing to bust her out of her shell.
A single choice defines the road ahead for Nessa. Doing the right thing isn’t easy, but living with the consequences of doing nothing might be worse.
Here’s some facts about the book, in case you aren’t yet convinced:
1. Vanessa owns a corgi
2. Vanessa’s dad tries to beat the world record for most powdered donuts eaten in 3 minutes
3. Vanessa and Nichole live in Sarasota, FL
4. There’s a list of challenges the girls must complete
5. There is a local food challenge the girls try to beat
Rachel Author Barnard 