After a very long time blogging, I'm sort of excited and sort of sad to say that the blog is going to go silent, at least for the near future. I find I'm not blogging as much as I used to, and not putting up fresh material. As is the way with technology, I'm spending more of my social media time budget on newer, shinier programs - like twitter and facebook and pinterest.
I'm also giving my website a facelift, and so if you visit www.donnaalward.com you'll be able to get up to speed with what's happening with me and what new releases are heading your way, as well as other announcements coming soon on my "News" page. You can also find my author page on Facebook, where I do a lot of reader interaction, share cover squee, and all matter of things. :-) On twitter I'm @DonnaAlward, and I'm also on Pinterest.
Thanks for hanging with me here on the blog over the years, and I do hope you'll connect with me via another medium.
Donna
Tuesday, January 01, 2013
Sunday, December 23, 2012
See you in 2013!
I'm off for the holidays and recharging in preparation of coming back with a vengeance in January. In the meantime, I leave you with this, and I'll see you all in the New Year. Merry Christmas!
Thursday, December 20, 2012
What's Under The Christmas Tree?
Right now there's a fun contest going on at the Harlequin Romance Author blog. We've posted pics of our various Christmas trees and on the 26th we'll be posting a winner to take home the grand prize! You can enter once each day, so why not pop on over! You can find us at www.harlequinromanceauthors.com .
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
Tonight I'm making my favourite stuffed mushrooms for a get-together we're hosting (as well as making a bunch of other stuff). Here's the recipe for the mushrooms, as they are delicious and super easy and best of all you do most of it ahead of time. Apologies for not having exact amounts, but you'll be able to make these in whatever quantity you like. I always have leftover sausage that I save for something else, like pasta sauce or spicy omelets.
SAUSAGE STUFFED MUSHROOMS
Large White Mushrooms
Italian sausage, mild or hot
Kraft Italian dressing (or any Italian vinaigrette)
Fresh parmesan
Remove the stems from the mushrooms, wipe them clean, and put them in a container. Marinate them in the dressing for at least one hour.
Fry sausage, drain, set aside.
Put foil on a cookie sheet. Place the mushroom caps on the sheet (discard dressing). Put a little sausage in each one, top with a little parmesan. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until bubbly.
There are 2 cautions with this recipe. 1) You won't be able to stop at just one and 2) They can be a little slippery. Use a fork. LOL!
SAUSAGE STUFFED MUSHROOMS
Large White Mushrooms
Italian sausage, mild or hot
Kraft Italian dressing (or any Italian vinaigrette)
Fresh parmesan
Remove the stems from the mushrooms, wipe them clean, and put them in a container. Marinate them in the dressing for at least one hour.
Fry sausage, drain, set aside.
Put foil on a cookie sheet. Place the mushroom caps on the sheet (discard dressing). Put a little sausage in each one, top with a little parmesan. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until bubbly.
There are 2 cautions with this recipe. 1) You won't be able to stop at just one and 2) They can be a little slippery. Use a fork. LOL!
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Homeland... The Newsroom...and good tv
Last night the dh and I watched the latest episode of Homeland. For those of you without super channels etc...let me give you a brief rundown. Homeland is about a soldier who was MIA for 8 years, a prisoner of a terrorist called Abu Nazir. He's rescued and brought home to a hero's welcome...but there are questions. It's not all black and white with this guy.
As the credits rolled after the epi, my husband commented on the strength of the writing. This is big because he NEVER does that. He might say it was a good episode, or how great an actor was, or wonder aloud what might happen next. He even likes The Newsroom which I think is BRILLIANTLY written and has not made that comment. But after last night...yeah. He said the writers really know what they're doing.
*jaw drop*
I LOVE how Brody is both hero and anti-hero. I just watched a clip from the season finale (a couple of weeks away) where Saul (Carrie's mentor) calls her the smartest and dumbest f* person he's ever met. These are messed up people. And the plot just keeps twisting and turning and twisting...Honestly, I know season 1 took home a boat load of Emmys but season 2 is way better than 1 ever was.
This most recent epi was one of a lot of turning points. I don't want to spoil it, but you KNOW it's going to be one of those...okay, let's give these people a really nice, normal moment before we blow things all to hell. Claire Danes as Carrie is beautifully damaged and she does an awesome job playing the part. And Damian Lewis...well hell, I've loved him since he walked on the screen as Dick Winters. He's madly talented - one moment smart, another sexy, and then he'll do this emotions on the knife edge kind of thing that's sort of uncomfortable.
Not to mention Mandy Patinkin and I find I'm really warming up to Rupert Friend.
I was talking to someone the other day about how The West Wing isn't quite as edgy as The Newsroom and that I think it's part of the "cable" thing happening. Shows like Homeland, The Newsroom, Sons of Anarchy, Breaking Bad... they're too edgy for network tv. There's more latitude with cable, and that's where the cutting edge shows are showing up. It's well worth the extra $16 a month to get those stations and On Demand. Because while I still watch a few regular network shows, I'm finding the strongest writing, the most intriguing characterization and thought provoking stories are happening on cable.
Any of you watch Homeland? Are you loving it as much as I am?
As the credits rolled after the epi, my husband commented on the strength of the writing. This is big because he NEVER does that. He might say it was a good episode, or how great an actor was, or wonder aloud what might happen next. He even likes The Newsroom which I think is BRILLIANTLY written and has not made that comment. But after last night...yeah. He said the writers really know what they're doing.
*jaw drop*
I LOVE how Brody is both hero and anti-hero. I just watched a clip from the season finale (a couple of weeks away) where Saul (Carrie's mentor) calls her the smartest and dumbest f* person he's ever met. These are messed up people. And the plot just keeps twisting and turning and twisting...Honestly, I know season 1 took home a boat load of Emmys but season 2 is way better than 1 ever was.
This most recent epi was one of a lot of turning points. I don't want to spoil it, but you KNOW it's going to be one of those...okay, let's give these people a really nice, normal moment before we blow things all to hell. Claire Danes as Carrie is beautifully damaged and she does an awesome job playing the part. And Damian Lewis...well hell, I've loved him since he walked on the screen as Dick Winters. He's madly talented - one moment smart, another sexy, and then he'll do this emotions on the knife edge kind of thing that's sort of uncomfortable.
Not to mention Mandy Patinkin and I find I'm really warming up to Rupert Friend.
I was talking to someone the other day about how The West Wing isn't quite as edgy as The Newsroom and that I think it's part of the "cable" thing happening. Shows like Homeland, The Newsroom, Sons of Anarchy, Breaking Bad... they're too edgy for network tv. There's more latitude with cable, and that's where the cutting edge shows are showing up. It's well worth the extra $16 a month to get those stations and On Demand. Because while I still watch a few regular network shows, I'm finding the strongest writing, the most intriguing characterization and thought provoking stories are happening on cable.
Any of you watch Homeland? Are you loving it as much as I am?
Friday, December 07, 2012
Weekend viewing...
For your weekend viewing pleasure, I got my latest cover yesterday! Isn't it GORGEOUS? This book will be out in March. They did a really good job on it!
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
Believing in a Story
The past few weeks I've been working on revising THE HOUSE ON HIDEAWAY HILL. This is the big, single title-length story that was passed on a few weeks ago. There were a few snippets of feedback in the letter to my agent that I paid attention to. So I've been making some changes before we start sending it out again.
Here's a funny thing about rejection. It's a bit of a balancing act, a pro and con list that you have to weigh and decide your next step. On one hand, if the book has been rejected, it's entirely possible that it was rejected because it was substandard and not ready for publication. You have to decide if you believe in the story enough to try again, somewhere else. You have to remind yourself that you need to look at it objectively. That is a very hard thing to do. Because despite the many messages you get from a rejection letter, the one that shouts the loudest is the one that says It's Not Good Enough.
As writers we're genetically programmed to listen to those voices, I think. The Crows of Doubt come cawing the moment they smell disappointment in the air.
But here's something I realized about believing in a story: it's not about thinking that your story is fine. It's about realizing that it might not be perfect but you believe in it enough to work at fixing it, make it better.
I feel that way about Hideaway Hill. Even as I was revising the front end, and trying to ignore the whispers of doubt in my ear, I knew that I believed in this book and that I'm not ready for the journey to be over. Then I hit the last 100 pages and I KNEW it was the right thing. I found myself blinking away tears several times. And when I read the words THE END, I gave a big, happy sigh - totally spontaneously. I believe in this book. I believe in this story and the series and I believe I can do this.
There have been books I've put aside after rejection. There are ones in my R file that I've looked at, wondering if they were worth revising now that I'm further along in my development as a writer. They're not. I don't believe in those stories. I would be far better off writing something new.
But this one? Yeah. I'm still excited about it.
So...it might take a while, and I don't know where the road will lead, but the story isn't over for this one yet. And you can bet I'll keep you posted.
Here's a funny thing about rejection. It's a bit of a balancing act, a pro and con list that you have to weigh and decide your next step. On one hand, if the book has been rejected, it's entirely possible that it was rejected because it was substandard and not ready for publication. You have to decide if you believe in the story enough to try again, somewhere else. You have to remind yourself that you need to look at it objectively. That is a very hard thing to do. Because despite the many messages you get from a rejection letter, the one that shouts the loudest is the one that says It's Not Good Enough.
As writers we're genetically programmed to listen to those voices, I think. The Crows of Doubt come cawing the moment they smell disappointment in the air.
But here's something I realized about believing in a story: it's not about thinking that your story is fine. It's about realizing that it might not be perfect but you believe in it enough to work at fixing it, make it better.
I feel that way about Hideaway Hill. Even as I was revising the front end, and trying to ignore the whispers of doubt in my ear, I knew that I believed in this book and that I'm not ready for the journey to be over. Then I hit the last 100 pages and I KNEW it was the right thing. I found myself blinking away tears several times. And when I read the words THE END, I gave a big, happy sigh - totally spontaneously. I believe in this book. I believe in this story and the series and I believe I can do this.
There have been books I've put aside after rejection. There are ones in my R file that I've looked at, wondering if they were worth revising now that I'm further along in my development as a writer. They're not. I don't believe in those stories. I would be far better off writing something new.
But this one? Yeah. I'm still excited about it.
So...it might take a while, and I don't know where the road will lead, but the story isn't over for this one yet. And you can bet I'll keep you posted.
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