Read and Cook with Robbie Cheadle – The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera and Filled Heart-Shaped Meringue Shells #bookreview #fiction #desserts
Posted: April 9, 2025 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Fiction, Read and Cook, Recipes, Review | Tags: Milan Kundera, Read and Cook, Robbie Cheadle, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Writing to be Read 59 Comments
The Unbearable Lightness of Being, by Milan Kundera
I knew when I started reading this book that it was unusual and had a big focus on extramarital affairs and womanizing, but I decided to try it anyway and see what all the fuss was about. The Unbearable Lightness of Being is set in Prague, Czechoslovakia during the Prague Spring of 1968 and the subsequent Soviet invasion. The story revolves around four central characters who are all facing their own problems and difficulties with relationships. Both of the men are womanizers and unable to remain faithful to a single woman, even one they profess to love. One of the women is also unable to settle down with a partner and has a string of affairs with men, married and otherwise.
Tomas is a successful surgeon at the beginning of the book. He fears commitment and this has already led to one failed marriage. He does not have anything to do with either his ex-wife or his son. When Tereza arrives on his doorstep, huge bag by her side, he is effectively bamboozled into taking her into his home. She fascinates him and he does have feelings of great attachment for her which lead to him marrying her. He fights these feelings and continues to have his countless affairs, in particular, he has an on-going sexual relationship with Sabina, a beautiful artist. Tereza loves Tomas very much and when the Russian Invasion begins, she goes with him to Zurich where she expects him to give up his infidelities. This does not happen, and he continues to see Sabina who has immigrated to Geneva. Tereza decides to leave Zurich and return to Prague. Tomas, despite his desire for freedom, follows Tereza, knowing he will not be able to leave Prague again. His attachment to Tereza is strong but it does not result in a happy ever after due to Tomas becoming involved in a political situation that destroys his career.
Throughout, Tomas and Tereza’s relationship, Sabina has another on-going affair with Franz, a married man who lives in Geneva. Sabina and Franz don’t understand each other at all and when Franz ultimately leaves his wife to live permanently with Sabina, she disappears, leaving him alone with no-one.
The central theme of this book is the philosophical concept of eternal return which assumes that everything in life repeats itself continuously into infinity. The author, however, uses the characters in his story to dismiss the theory of eternal return while maintaining the view that it is the only path to true happiness and as each individual’s life path is a straight line, lasting happiness is not achievable.
This was not an easy read for me, and I returned to it several times in order to finish it. The philosophy is very different from my personal beliefs and while it was a worthwhile read in the long run, it is not a book that everyone will enjoy
A few quotes from The Unbearable Lightness of Being
“Anyone whose goal is ‘something higher’ must expect someday to suffer vertigo. What is vertigo? Fear of falling? No, Vertigo is something other than fear of falling. It is the voice of the emptiness below us which tempts and lures us, it is the desire to fall, against which, terrified, we defend ourselves.”
“Making love with a woman and sleeping with a woman are two separate passions, not merely different but opposite. Love does not make itself felt in the desire for copulation (a desire that extends to an infinite number of women) but in the desire for shared sleep (a desire limited to one woman).”
“There is no means of testing which decision is better, because there is no basis for comparison. We live everything as it comes, without warning, like an actor going on cold. And what can life be worth if the first rehearsal for life is life itself? That is why life is always like a sketch. No, “sketch” is not quite a word, because a sketch is an outline of something, the groundwork for a picture, whereas the sketch that is our life is a sketch for nothing, an outline with no picture.”
Filled Heart-Shaped Meringue Shells (copyright Robbie Cheadle)
To go with this rather extraordinary book, I am sharing a dessert from my children’s book, Sir Chocolate and the Valentine Toffee Cupid.
Ingredients:
• 4 large egg whites at room temperature;
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar;
• Pinch of salt;
• 1 cup castor sugar;
• Pink food colouring (liquid); and
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
What you need:
• Electric hand mixer or stand mixer;
• Baking trays;
• Wax paper cut to fit the baking trays;
• A large heart shaped cookie cutter;
• Pencil;
• Large piping bag or a strong plastic bag with the end snipped off; and
• Large star piping tip.
Method:
• Preheat the oven to 120 degrees Celsius.
• Combine egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in the bowl of the mixer (it must not be greased and must be clean and dry).
• Whisk the egg mixture on a low speed until the mixture becomes foamy.
• Increase the speed to high and gradually add the castor sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Allow for 20 seconds of mixing in between new additions of sugar.
• When the mixture is thick and glossy i.e. the spoon can stand up in the bowl, stir through the vanilla essence and a few drops of pink food colouring.
Instructions:
• Using a pencil, draw six heart shapes on the non-wax side of a piece of wax paper that fits inside the baking tray.
• Fit the star piping tip into the piping bag.
• Spoon the meringue mixture into the piping bag.
• Squeezing the bag, draw a thick line of meringue around the heart shape. Repeat twice to form three meringue layers, one on top of the other to form the sides of the meringue shell.
• Using the piping bag, fill in the bottom of the heart with meringue mixture.
• Pipe another layer of meringue around the sides of the heart.
• Pipe a few meringue stars to use up the last of the meringue mixture in the piping bag.
• Place the meringues in the oven and bake for 3 hours.
• Switch off the oven, and open the door half way. Leave the meringues to cool overnight.
Filling for the Heart-Shaped Meringues
Ingredients:
• A handful of chopped strawberries;
• A handful of chopped raspberries;
• Whipped cream; and
• Melted chocolate.
Method:
• Whip the cream and spoon a quantity into each shell. Don’t overfill.
• Add a small quantity of chopped strawberries and chopped raspberries.
• Drizzle tempered dark chocolate over the filling.
Tip:
Only fill the meringues just before serving or they will go soggy.
Sir Chocolate and the Valentine Toffee Cupid is available from Amazon US here:
_________________________________________
Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.
_____________________________________________
This segment of “Read and Cook” with Robbie Cheadle is sponsored by The Women in the West Adventure Series and WordCrafter Press.
Historical Women’s Fiction
Get Your Copy Today!
Delilah: https://books2read.com/DelilahWiW1
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Marta: Coming in 2025
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Book Review: Stories from Juniper Flats
Posted: March 28, 2025 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Historical Fiction, Review, Western, Women's Fiction | Tags: A.T. Butler, Book Review, Historical Fiction, Short Stories, Stories from Juniper Flats, Women's Fiction, Writing to be Read 1 Comment
About Stories from Juniper Flats
1882, Juniper Falls, Wyoming Territory
In this first collection of short stories from historical western author A.T. Butler, love blooms and mysteries are solved. Strong men learn to be patient and cowed women lean into their strengths.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BYKF1LLB
My Review of Stories from Juniper Flats
I received a digital copy of Stories from Juniper Flats, by A.T. Butler through Freebooksie. All opinions stated here are my own.
Stories from Juniper Flats is a delightful collection of three short stories connected to A.T. Butler’s Juniper Falls historical women’s fiction collection. This half hour read is the perfect reader magnet, giving the reader just enough to get to know a little about the characters and make them want more.
- A man makes assumptions about Martha, the local spinster, and gets a surprise in “An Unwanted Visitor”.
- Silas decides to attend church after staying away for so long, and gets an extra blessing for his efforts in “Unexpected Blessing”.
- Edith shelters a desperate young woman fleeing from an abusive husband, who lands on the steps of her boarding house in “Desperate Hope”.
An easy, quick read that is highly entertaining. I give Stories from Juniper Flats four quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
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Book Review: Seventeen Days
Posted: March 21, 2025 Filed under: Audio Books, Audiobook Review, Book Review, Books, Mystery, Review, romance | Tags: Audiobook, Book Review, Catherine Hein Carter, Linda Griffin, Murder Mystery, mystery, romance, Seventeen Days, Writing to be Read 9 CommentsAbout Seventeen Days
Divorcee Jenna Scott moves to a quiet California fishing village during the first Gulf War to make a new life in a house inherited from her grandfather. Her next-door neighbor recommends widowed handyman Rick Alvarez to fix her leaky roof. Jenna is intimidated by his good looks and annoyed by his self-assurance, but disarmed by his affection for his young son. She is still hurting from her ex-husband’s betrayal and resists the attraction between them.
Rick has lived in the village for only three years and is still an outsider, friendly but not sharing his past with anyone. When an attractive vacationer is murdered, local gossip says he is the killer, and rumors spread about his wife’s death as well. Jenna is determined not to believe the gossip, but will she ever be able to trust Rick with her wounded heart?
My Review of Seventeen Days
I received an audiobook copy of Seventeen Days, by Linda Griffin, and narrated by Catherine Hein Carter, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.
I’ve reviewed several of Griffin’s audiobooks, but this is the second one narrated by Catherine Hein Carter, and I have to say that this narrator does a smashing job. Carter is my favorite of Griffin’s narrators, to be sure. You can read my other reviews of audiobooks by Linda Griffin here:
Seventeen Days is a sweet romance about a woman learning to trust after a hurtful divorce, and a widower with a young son trying to fit in to the small California fishing village, where a murder puts him in the spotlight as the prime suspect. Griffin does a smashing job of drawing the characters in a way that makes them feel familiar, making it easy to care about what happens to them.
Jenna is hurt and reluctant to place her trust in anyone after her relationship with her cheating ex-husband. But when she meets Rick, the local handyman, her feelings are torn. Rick’s relationship with his son, Aiden, endears her to him, although he strikes her as being a bit forward, and she finds herself wanting to give him her trust. But when there is a murder in the small town, suspicions are thrown onto the widower, who is still an outsider among them, and Jenna doesn’t know what to believe.
A romance mystery that will steal your heart. I give Seventeen Days five quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
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Treasuring Poetry – Meet poet and author, Freya Pickard, and my book reviews #poetry #bookreviews
Posted: March 19, 2025 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Collection, Interview, Poetry, Review | Tags: Book Review, Freya Pickard, Insides, Interview, My Mythology, Poetry, Robbie Cheadle, Treasuring Poetry, Writing to be Read 42 Comments
Today, I am delighted to feature poet and author, Freya Pickard, as my March Treasuring Poetry Guest. Freya is a great supporter of the WordPress poetry community and runs a bi-annual haiku challenge on her haiku blog which you can find here: https://purehaiku.wordpress.com/.
Welcome Freya.
What is your favourite style of poetry to read ie haiku, ballad, epic, freestyle, etc?
I’m not sure I have a favourite style of poetry. I enjoy both modern and traditional haiku, as well as tanka and other short form poetry due to their ability to create startling, vivid images and contrasts. But I also enjoy other poetical forms, including free verse. I usually look for poetry that captures my imagination, that allows me to connect the dots without the poet telling me how I should feel or think or believe. I enjoy any kind of poetry that allows my inner being to connect with ideas and concepts too. My favourite reads from the last couple years include Linda Imbler’s “Twelvemonth” and Willow Croft’s “Quantum Singularity”. I’m also a huge fan of Italian poet, Claudia Messelodi and love her collections “Blue Moon” and “Sky-Blue Wisteria”. I also love JRR Tolkien’s epic poems, especially those in The Lays of Beleriand.
What is your favourite poem in your favourite style to read?
A poem I return to again and again is The Lay of Leithian by JRR Tolkien. It tells of a tragic love story between a human man, Beren, and an immortal elf woman, Luthien. Their love is forbidden by Luthien’s father and the story covers many years of suffering for both protagonists. There are horrendous monsters and dark peril for both to overcome. Beren’s task is to obtain one of the elvish jewels, a Silmaril, and in doing so, he loses his life. If you’ve not read it, I won’t spoil it by telling you the ending, but it really is worth reading! (No, I’ve not seen The Rings of Power because I can’t stream images. Plus, I’ve seen trailers for it and the characters are not how I imagined them to look/act!)
I suppose this Lay satisfies my need for both poetry and stories. The narrative is also dark, which suits me fine, and contains both vampires and werewolves amongst the monsters who tread the shadows! The romance isn’t cloying and the ending is bittersweet, which, for me, is a true reflection of life. The Lay of Leithian is incredible long, so here are just a few excerpts which I love.
The first excerpt sets the scene for Luthien’s dancing beneath the moonlight:
There darkling stood a silent elm
And pale beneath its shadow-helm
There glimmered faint the umbels thick
Of hemlocks like a mist, and quick
The moths on pallid wings of white …
The second excerpt describes the vampire that haunts the tale:
A vampire shape with pinions vast
Screeching leaped from the ground and passed,
It’s dark blood dripping on the trees …
And the last excerpt describes one of the many fight scenes:
From shape to shape, from wolf to worm,
From monster to his own demon form,
Thu changes, but that desperate grip
He cannot shake, nor from it slip …
What is your favourite style of poetry to write?
I write from my heart, how I feel, what I see, what I experience, so more often than not I write free verse. Sometimes this outpouring of poetry is rhythmical such as in
Down through the dewy woods, damp and leafy
Wading rivers that rush and whirl
Lost in the mist, in the moors and marshes
Stumbles at last to a steep-sided cliff…
Sometimes it rhymes:
I dream of mermaids, magic and myth,
Of silvery fish tails, immortal gifts,
Flaming red hair and liquid green eyes,
Of laughter and singing old sea-songs.
Songs that whisper of seaweed, wind-rippled sands
That tell of the monsters who walk on land,
That speak of Ancients who dwell in the deeps,
Hinting at languages no man can speak.
I dream of dolphins so free in the sea
Of the whale and the seahorse,
Of what might have been…
But normally I find a rhythm of words that reflects my emotion:
this blurred moment
when
hydrogen combines with
oxygen –
too much water
I drown
swiftly rising
I gasp
draw air
to resurrect myself
wavering
on the edge
I feel life
flickering
doused in moisture
I reach for the wind
bursting full
I skim, I dance
across this strange
ocean called
death
I do use poetic forms to express myself and have experimented with many different short forms in the past. My favourite styles are haiku, tanka and elfje because they are short and focus my attention on one thing at a time. I love haiku, particularly traditional haiku because it tests my ability to say something in just 17 syllables!
eggshell thin fragile
touch me and I will shatter
empty, blank inside
What is your favourite of your own poems?
My favourite poem, so far in my life, is I, Vampire from my most recent poetry collection, Vampirical Verse. I, Vampire sums up how I feel post cancer and encapsulates the experience of near death, open surgery and chemotherapy too.
I understand emptiness
I feel no fear
no pain
no joy
no sorrow
I am hollowed out
what used to live within
has long since fled
yet still, I am not dead
unable to care
to be concerned
no heart beats within my breast
no hormones surge inside
I feel nothing –
un-dead yet un-alive
Please tell us about your poetry book trilogy, This Is Me. What is your main intention with this collection of poems?
This Is Me boxset/paperback contains the frost three published volumes of my poetry. Each volume has a different reason for being in the collection.
Volume 1 – Insides
These poems were written between July 2014 and October 2015 and covers my near death experience of bowel cancer, open surgery, chemotherapy and the start of my recovery. Most days I wrote something in my journal, even if it was just one sentence. I found it hardest to write during chemo due to the utter exhaustion I experienced for 6 months. At other times I was lucid enough to experiment with poetic forms and often, some of my prose sentences became poems when I looked back in my journals during recovery. My intention in this section was to help people understand what it is like to go through the above-mentioned experiences.
Volume 2 – My Mythology
The poems in this section were written between 1990 and 2015. My intention was to allow readers an insight into the sources of my creative inspiration. Again I use free verse as well as poetical forms to explore biblical imagery, Nordic influences and tales of vampires, zombies and werewolves! These poems show others what is important to me as a prose writer as well.
Volume 3 – This Is Me
This section is a compendium of real-life and fantastical imaginings and were written between 1990 and 2017. I explore how important certain things are to me; dancing, writing, the seasons, being single, being married, having cancer, and, of course, reading! This volume gives readers a different kind of insight into my everyday life and routine.
All three volumes together form a poetical auto-biography that I think is more dynamic than a prose re-telling of my life so far. This Is Me was designed so that the reader can dip in an out of it as they wish, or read great chunks at one time if they so desire.
Anyone who reads this book will understand me, the real me!
My reviews of Insides and My Mythology by Freya Pickard
Insides
I have read several memoires of journeys through the horrors of cancer and its treatment and they have been very compelling. Depicting this journey using the short and powerful lines of poems took the poet’s experiences to a higher level of emotional involvement for me. Each poem is vivid and visceral and sliced right through my heart. I related deeply to the poet’s reaction to medical confirmation of cancer which took me back to my mother’s diagnosis of cancer. I couldn’t take about it for two weeks because the shock was so great.
This book comprises of four parts and I am going to share a poem or verse from a poem from each section to illustrate the gut wrenching power of these poems.
Part One Colostomy
Stoma-ached
“my insides on my outside,
red blancmange in jellied form,
dark innards encrusting
pale, tired flesh,
interruption of natural order –
raspberry flavoured belly belches.”
Part Two Surgery
“cancer;
cancer;
barren fruit
inside my flesh,
pierced through,
cut free,
removed from
within”
Part Three Chemotherapy
“frustration of not being able to do what I
want to do; no energy to do anything
this long haul of weariness seems never-ending
endless waiting, patiently sitting in three different
waiting rooms – checking my swollen arm for clots …”
Part Four Recovery
“fogged
landscape
reveals
my future path;
life”
The poems in this book depicting cancer in all its stark reality have stayed with me. They brought back my own memories of countless waits in hospital for news – sometimes good, sometimes not so good. It feels like I’ve spend a huge portion of my life waiting for outcomes. It was psychologically uplifting to me that Freya’s treatment process, unbelievably hard as it was, had a successful outcome.
Purchase Insides from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M2UQAWJ
My Mythology
My Mythology delves into the poet’s interest in mythology and legends which is an important aspect of who she is as a person, poet, and writer. My mother is English and I was brought up on a diet of dragons, unicorns, Arthur and the knights of the round table, and other British myths and legends. My mother’s home town of Bungay has an array of ghosts and the church my mom attended as a girl is home to a famous story about the Black Shuck of Bungay. I knew all of these stories as a youngster and as I grew older, I expanded my interest into Greek and Norse mythology. As a result, I recognised many of the figures and creatures featured in this book.
The poet has written beautiful and lyrical word pictures and stories incorporating elements from various myths and legends, all of which are vivid and a delight to read. The poems are divided into ten sections: Roots, Imaginate, Oceansong, Legend, The Lizard, Fringes of Fear, Blank Mirror, Spectral Visions, Time & Space, and Deity.
I am going to share extracts from a few poems that particularly captivated me under the specific section heading.
Roots
“I am the lifting of your heart
I am a candle in the dark.
I am the cry of a new-born child
I am a cub in the bitter wild.”
from ‘Hope’
Oceansong
“The sun was dying through the mist
And in the waves that kissed the beach
Bright blue and purple, grey and green,
Tails flickered with a rainbow sheen.”
from ‘Shifting Wave of Green’
Legend
“metalled
horn spirals up
gleams between dark, liquid
eyes contrasting with his pale coat
that shines
with starlight, moonlight – luminous’
from ‘Silvered Constellation’
Deity
‘Air is
Breath of my sould,
That which will last beyond
My body’s destruction, living
Always.’
from Substance
This is a book for the dreamers of this world. Those of us that revel in the possibility of a bit of magic and wonder around the next corner. A superb book of gorgeous poems.
You can purchase My Mythology from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NGQQ3DJ
About Freya Pickard
Pushcart Prize nominee, Freya Pickard is the quirky, unusual author of The Kaerling series, an epic fantasy set in the strange and wonderful world of Nirunen.
A cancer survivor, she writes mainly dark fantasy tales and creates expressive poetry in order to rest the prose side of her brain. Her aim in life is to enchant, entertain and engage with readers through her writing.
She finds her inspiration in the ocean, the moors, beautifully written books and vinyl music (particularly heavy metal and rock). Her most recent relaxation techniques to get her through lockdown include hatha yoga and painting landscapes and monsters in watercolour.
Find out more about Freya and her books at https://dragonscaleclippings.wordpress.com
Freya blogs at:
https://purehaiku.wordpress.com
https://dragonscaleclippings.wordpress.com
Her spoken word poetry and prose can be found at https://studio.youtube.com/playlist/PL9e82GWvh7Sxzb3LcN4iuHJjtZ0CVw3eB/videos
About Robbie Cheadle
South African author and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated sixteen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, and written and illustrated three poetry books. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.
Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/
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Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.
__________________________
This segment of “Treasuring Poetry” is sponsored by WordCrafter Press and the Poetry Treasures series.
Get Your Copy Today!
Poetry Treasures: https://books2read.com/PoetryTreasures
Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships: https://books2read.com/PT2-Relationships
Poetry Treasures 3: Passions: https://books2read.com/u/b5qnBR
Poetry Treasures 4:In Touch With Nature: https://books2read.com/PT4-Nature
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Book Review: Draakensky
Posted: March 14, 2025 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Dark fiction, Ghost Stories, Gothic, Horror, Review | Tags: Book Review, Draakensky, Gothic Horror, Paula Cappa, Writing to be Read 4 CommentsAbout Draakensky
**Readers’ Choice Book Awards Finalist
Jon R. Meyers at The Horror Zine writes “Draakensky is a powerful, timeless piece of dark fiction . . . beautifully haunting. A book that is unique and stands out loudly from the rest. Highly recommended.”
A murder. A wind sorcerer. A dark spirit. In the shrouded realm of Draakensky Windmill Estate—where magic dictates destiny—reality and the supernatural blur.
THE MURDER: Heida Mead is found dead in the thrashing Mianus River in Bedford, New York.
THE WIND SORCERER: Jaa Morland is the reclusive spinster of Draakensky estate, a commanding wind-witch and deeply attuned to ghosts—and, she knows the meaning of owl sorcery.
THE DARK SPIRIT: A ghost hurls whispers into the fabric of Draakensky, stirring up secrets of river magic and untold horrors.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Draakensky-Supernatural-Tale-Magick-Romance-ebook/dp/B0DCKBVQTV
My Review of Draakensky
I received a digital copy of Draakensky, by Paula Cappa in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.
This story has ghosts and witches and everything a gothic fantasy story needs, but the thing that captivated me the most about Draakensky is the owl imagery and lore. Cappa does an excellent job of weaving owl symbolism into the story, adding meaning and driving the story forward.
When Heida Mead is murdered under mysterious circumstances, Charlotte Knight is commissioned to complete the illustrations on the book of Rilke’s poetry that she had been working on under the direction of Heida’s sister, Jaa Moorland. She accepts and comes to the Draakensky windmill, in Bedford Village, New York, in hopes of launching a new path in her career, away from the hustle and bustle of Chicago and a cheating boyfriend.
But Jaa is difficult to deal with, at times seeming deranged and unreasonable, with Charlotte’s career hanging in the balance. With nothing left to go back to, Charlotte is determined to stick it out, even as strange events begin to occur which could be downright dangerous. Voices in the cottage, a foreboding groundskeeper, a strange white wolf, menacing owl attacks, and speculations about the murder around every corner. There is magick in the wind, and in the river, and in the very soil of Draakensky, and it controls the animals and the elements, even from beyond the grave.
An outstanding gothic horror mystery. I give Draakensky five quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
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Chatting with the Pros: Multi-Genre Author, Tom Benson
Posted: March 8, 2025 Filed under: Chatting with the Pros, Crime, Interview, Review, Suspense | Tags: A Taste of Honey, Chatting with the Pros, Crime Fiction, Tom Benson, Writing to be Read 6 Comments
I met Tom Benson through an author’s group on Facebook, and he has since become a frequent visitor here, on Writing to be Read. Come to find out, Tom has been at this writing thing for over a decade, and has several books out there in at least three different genres.
About Tom Benson
In 1969 at the age of 17, Tom left his native Glasgow to join the British Army. Tom’s military career spanned from 1969 to 1992. He followed this with a career in Retail Management, in which he was employed from 1992 to 2012.
Tom has been writing since 2007.
He has published novels, anthologies of short stories, a five-part novel, a variety of erotica books, and a series of genre-based poetry.
Tom is presently working on more novels.
My Interview with Tom Benson
Kaye: Your Light at the End series is categorized in the metaphysical science fiction sub-genre category. I’d never heard of that particular sub-genre. Can you talk a little about what attributes define metaphysical science fiction?
Tom: In simple terms, it’s a branch of philosophy that deals with life beyond what we know or see (usually, but not exclusively, the supernatural). This broad label includes existence, space, cause and effect, and more. Although there would be nothing supernatural in my story, because of the change of circumstances I intended for my characters, I felt the sub-genre was a good fit.
Kaye: The Light at The End series might also be categorized as post-apocalyptic science fiction. Right? Why don’t you tell us a little about that series?
Tom: Apart from short stories, I’d never written in this genre, until I was inspired when visiting Cruachan Power Station. Cruachan is a functional hydroelectric installation operating from within a mountain in Scotland. My story sees a coachload of tourists taking shelter from the start of a nuclear war inside a railway tunnel within a mountain. They’re compelled to investigate the tunnel when the entrance collapses behind them. Without giving spoilers, as they learn about their new environment, they also learn to depend on each other for survival. The group begins a new life inside the mountain. I intended it to be one book, but it grew as I developed the story, and it’s become a popular trilogy with a spinoff, Sylvia.
Kaye: Ten Days in Panama is classified on Amazon as both thriller and romance genres. I think it is brilliant that you combined the two genres and then used both in your keyword selections to broaden your reading audience instead of focusing on one, to the exclusion of the other as many authors choose to do. Of course, the story came first, and you just capitalized on what you had. Tell us a little about this story, and how you ended up combining these two genres?
Tom: I opened with a British investigative reporter keen to follow up on a big story, and he needed the help of an expert in marine biology. He chose a female scientist in Panama, and they arranged to meet there. I wanted the thrust of the story to be a thriller, whereby the reporter’s life was under threat, but I saw the opportunity for a ‘will they, won’t they?’ scenario between the two main characters. I’m a Scotsman who lives in England, and I’ve never been to Panama. However, my friend Carmen Lopez, (a fellow author) lives in Panama, and she is a microbiologist. She was incredibly useful in helping me with various aspects of research. Carmen was also a wonderful sounding board as I developed the relationship between the main characters.
Kaye: You also write military stories and poetry. Would I be correct in assuming these come from your own personal experience serving in the military?
Tom: Yes, some of my military poetry is based on personal experience, and some is fiction. My military short stories, too, include factual tales, but others are fictional. The series, A Life of Choice, is my military memoir detailing my 23-year career in the British Army. The digital edition is a series of five eBooks.
Kaye: Many of your protagonists are female. Why have you chosen females to take the lead in your stories?
Tom: In the 1960s, as a young teen, I was a fan of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. Apart from the TV series, at around that time, I began to read everything I could about clandestine operations and international espionage. When The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. screened for one season, I was fascinated to see April Dancer (Stefanie Powers) demonstrating that a woman could be as capable as a man in the covert role. I bought all the ‘U.N.C.L.E.’ books, and the idea of a modern heroine remained a favourite in my mind. It should be remembered that many of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) operatives during WWII were courageous young women. In the late 90s, I saw The Long Kiss Goodnight (starring Geena Davis), which remains one of my favourite films. There are now many films and series in which the lead is a woman, whether an assassin, a vigilante, a resistance fighter or working with law enforcement. I believe it’s important to remember that it’s not only men who can demonstrate courage or participate in clandestine missions.
Kaye: What do you do to get into the female perspective for your characters?
Tom: I found it difficult at first, but I practised with short stories and acquired plenty of feedback from female readers. As I do with all of my stories, I build a character profile so that by the time the character hits the page, I know their full description, likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, wardrobe (including disguises), favourite weapons, vehicles and, importantly, their past and how they became who they are. I give a female lead all the characteristics I admire in a woman and reinforce that with a no-nonsense attitude and a suitable background. I strive not to let a female character become a sex object, although occasionally, it helps with certain situations in which she might gain the upper hand.
Kaye: The A Taste of Honey series is your most recent. It’s a crime thriller, but it’s more about vigilante justice. Would you like to tell us about that series?
My aim with the first book was twofold: to create a hard-hitting vigilante thriller using a female lead and to set it in the US for various reasons. The premise is that ‘Honey’ is an NYPD detective who is awoken by a call from her sister’s cellphone, but it isn’t her sister’s voice she hears. The detective drives across the country to Greensburg, Indiana. In the basement of the family home, she finds a scene of abuse and torture. She also finds clues as to who was responsible. Honey crosses the line and sets out on a mission of vengeance, which takes her to different states. The sequel, Another Taste of Honey, sees the ex-detective fly to Europe to search for two men who evaded her in the US. While in Europe, several others make the mistake of tangling with Honey—a woman on a mission.
Kaye: What is the best piece of writing advice you were ever given?
Tom: In my early efforts writing short stories, a fellow author told me feedback wasn’t always positive, so I ought to ‘get used to taking the knocks’. I learned to differentiate between criticism for the sake of it and constructive criticism. When mentoring a novice writer, I expand on the advice I was given. I suggest to any new scribe that ‘Acting on genuine feedback can have a positive effect on your writing.’ An important piece of advice is given in Stephen King’s excellent book, On Writing: ‘If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time to write.’
Kaye: As a multi-genre author, what do you find is most difficult about marketing your books?
The short answer—justifying the cost of advertising. The long answer—I quickly learned that getting a foothold in the market was difficult, with only one or two titles published. I paid for my first author’s website, my early covers, and advertising. Making money has never been my incentive when writing, but I had a major rethink when considering how much I paid out with little return. I recognised that my main marketing tool didn’t have to cost me anything but time and effort. After the first couple of years, with more titles published, I concentrated on strengthening my brand—which I believe is an author’s main marketing tool. I created a new website, practised and designed new book covers, and stopped paying for publicity. Since then, my only advertising has been on social media; it’s free, and with many more books published in different genres, I’m only dependent on reviews and recommendations. I created laminated bookmarks myself, which I include when sending a paperback edition to a charity. I have also paid for business cards to be made so they can be left in restaurants, cafes, and campsites here in the UK or in Europe when I visit.
Kaye: Where can readers learn more about you and your books?
Tom: I was a poet and regular blogger in my early creative writing days, and though my poetry and blogging have eased off, I maintain a writing blog at www.tombensoncreative.com. I also have an author website I created myself at www.tombensonauthor.com
Thank you, Kaye, for the opportunity to reach a wider audience regarding my writing, and I hope your readers enjoy this article.
About the A Taste of Honey Series
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DQ9GSW4S?binding=kindle_edition&ref_=ast_author_bsi
My Review of the A Taste of Honey Series
I received digital copies of A Taste of Honey and Another Taste of Honey, by Tom Benson, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.
This series features a strong female protagonist, which is always a plus for me, and Benson does a nice job of making her believable, giving her an appropriate backstory as a police operative gone rouge, and plenty of friends to help her along the way. Honey Woods is on the hunt for the men who tortured and killed her younger sister in her previous life as Police Detective Kimberly Forest. She is an expert marksman, a master of disguises and seasoned law operative, and she still takes time for a morning run each day to stay in shape for the seemingly impossible tasks which lie ahead.
When Kimberly finds her sister’s tortured body in a basement dungeon, she vows to stop at nothing to get justice for what they’ve done to her sister and other young girls like her. She leaves her old life behind, acquiring a new identity as Honey, and everything begins to fall conveniently into place.
Her search for justice leads her to a ring of men, pillars of the community, who have been kidnapping, abusing and murdering young girls for a very long time, as well as other deserving recipients of her unique style of justice in A Taste of Honey. In Another Taste of Honey, our heroine travels to Europe in pursuit of the remaining two members of the ring still needing to be held accountable. When you’re on the receiving end of Honey’s justice, it may not be so sweet.
I strongly suggest reading these books in sequence, as I suspect I’d have a more difficult time relating with the character had I not already known her motivations. If the reader doesn’t understand this character, they might mistake her for a villain as she humiliates and emaciates her opponents.
This series provides an entertaining read that keeps readers guessing as to what devious, but fitting treatment Honey will serve to her next target. I give the A Taste of Honey series four quills.
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Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.
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This segment of “Chatting with the Pros” with Kaye Lynne Booth is sponsored by The Women in the West Adventure Series and WordCrafter Press.
Historical Women’s Fiction
Get Your Copy Today!
Delilah: https://books2read.com/DelilahWiW1
Sarah: https://books2read.com/Sarah-Women-in-the-West
Marta: Coming in 2025
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Rave Review for “The Rock Star & The Outlaw”
Posted: February 26, 2025 Filed under: Book Release, Books, Review, romance, Science Fiction, Time travel, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Book Review, Kaye Lynne Booth, Lindsey Martin-Bowen, The Rock Star & the Outlaw 1 Comment
Three cheers for The Rock Star & The Outlaw! Check it out.
Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/RockStarOutlaw
Review by Lindsey Martin-Bowen
BOOK REVIEW: The Rock Star & The Outlaw by Kaye Lynne Booth
At first glance, the title The Rock Star & The Outlaw intrigued me. Archetypes spur my interest, and here were two of them. Add to those archetypes, other genres: romance, adventure-thriller, time-travel adventure, and an author hooks me—a tough audience (veteran college/university literature and writing instructor/professional writer and editor).
Within this novel, author Kaye Lynne Booth created an offbeat love story that never lapses into sentimentality or becomes “precious.” Instead, it hooks the reader with precise external descriptions and character’s thoughts, actions, and crisp dialogue—beginning with the initial interplay between the two main characters, “Amaryllis,” a 2025 rock star who encounters “LeRoy,” a cowboy outlaw tossed into the twentieth century from 1887 after he watches a horse for a time-traveler Nick, who lands his time machine into the Old West. (Fortunately for LeRoy, Nick had set the controls to return a user to 2025.) After landing there, shortly afterwards, Cowboy LeRoy met Amaryllis performing at a club—while she attempted to avoid a group of thugs seeking “vengeance most foul” for the death of their leader, Amaryllis’s former paramour, Claude, whom the rock star killed in self-defense.
Although unbeknownst of LeRoy’s arrival and background, Amaryllis was ready for him. Using apt external and internal descriptions of Amaryllis, Booth prepares the reader for her initial encounter with LeRoy.
“She’d donned one of her sexiest dresses—the short black sequinned one with the
low-cut back and oval slits that ran up each side, covering the blue and purple areas on her torso
with foundation, so they wouldn’t be noticeable. This dress never failed to turn heads, and tonight,
that was just what she was after . . . There was no question she’d be sharing her bed tonight.”
After she surveyed the room again, she spotted LeRoy, “the guy she’d locked eyes with up on stage standing at the end of the bar, tall and lanky in his denims. His leather vest was cut to display his muscular biceps through the chambray fabric of his shirt. This guy looked like he just walked out of the pages of a western novel. He wore a red bandana around his neck, a black felt cowboy hat . . .dusty cowboy boots . . . and … ooooh … a gunbelt on his hip, complete with six-shooter. A real live cowboy, right here in the middle of Las Vegas. My, my.”
Obviously, Amaryllis didn’t realize how apt her perception was of a “real live cowboy,” because he perplexes her when he lights her cigarette with a stick match. “I guess you’re just an old-fashioned kind of guy,” she said . . . “I like that.”
Yet LeRoy’s reply, “I guess you might say that . . . Some of this new-fangled stuff is kind of overwhelming to me,” perplexed her. She wondered if he was “genuinely naīve or if he was putting on a convincing act.” Nevertheless, she found him “refreshing and different,” perhaps “even a challenge to get into bed.”
After awhile, when the two of them escaped from the backstage entrance to avoid Claude’s gang-mates, she became frustrated with what she considered LeRoy’s personna, especially after he looked “puzzled” when she asked him to point out his car.
“Look, drop the country bumpkin act,” she retorted and was shocked to discover he’d arrived at the club on his horse.
Meanwhile, when she maneuvered her Corvette like an Indiana-500 driver, applying techniques she’d learned from a former boyfriend, who was a professional race-car driver, LeRoy was impressed.
And thus, the romance took off. Together they loved the speed, the adventure of escaping the gang pursuing her. This ensues for awhile, albeit mainly by horseback. And they fortunately are still riding horses when they hit the setting on the time machine to send them to 1887.
So do they settle in 1887, away from Claude’s gang? Or do they gallop into more misadventures there? Well, dear Readers, I urge to read the novel to discover what happens.
Nevertheless, I offer one hint: At the story’s end, I screamed, “Sequel! Kaye Lynne must write a sequel.”
And guess what? Today, I discovered she did, and it will be available in May. Check out both this incredible novel and its sequel on Facebook’s Global Writers and Poets, artists or on Kaye Lynne Booth’s Writing to be Read at https://www.facebook.com/groups/writingtoberead/
I’ll bet fifty cents you’ll be glad you did.
—Lindsey Martin-Bowen, author
Poetry collections include Where Water Meets the Rock,
CROSSING KANSAS with Jim Morrison,
CASHING CHECKS with Jim Morrison;
Fiction: Cicada Grove, Hamburger Haven, and
Rapture Redux
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Book Review: “Dying Time”
Posted: February 21, 2025 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Fiction, Review, Speculative Fiction, Supernatural, weird western 2 CommentsAbout Dying Time
How many Agents of Death does it take to save the world?
If it’s Ginny Sutton, just one.
After barely surviving her confrontation with the Sinful Six, Ginny spends the winter hiding out, adjusting to her new job as an Agent, and honing the powerful gifts bestowed by the station.
Spring brings her to Dodge City where she finds her new boss Death waiting with an urgent assignment spurred by a foretelling of his brother War. The Vampire Council has an agenda for world domination that includes turning Ginny into one of their kind to harness her Agent powers for their evil plans. Worse yet, they’re targeting other beings of power and magic for the same purpose: to turn them and use their gifts to create a vicious army of super vampires. Ginny must become the hunter before ending up as prey, or the entire world will descend into darkness.
The vampire threat is personal, but bigger than one woman’s life. Ginny’s only hope is to abandon working alone and recruit a team—steadfast friends both old and new, along with her trusty mount Horse—to defeat the Council before their dark forces are unleashed upon humanity. It will take luck, skill, and determination to win the day, but as Ginny learned long before becoming an Agent:
HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY.
From the author of Blood Follows Blood comes the second book in this supernatural western series where legends walk among us, and the line between hunter and prey is never clear.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Dying-Time-Legend-Ginny-Sutton-ebook/dp/B0DVSM2VKJ
My Review of Dying Time
I requested a digital copy of Dying Time, by Julie Jones in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.
Dying Time is book 2 of The Legend of Ginny Sutton series, by author Julie Jones. Last year, I enjoyed the first book in this series so much that I had to ask to review the second as soon as I learned she was writing it. You can see my review of the first book and interview with the author in this segment of “Chatting with New Blood”. Ms. Jones did not disappoint.
In book 1, Ginny Sutton was called upon to be an agent of Death. In Dying Time, Death calls upon her once again, this time to rid the west of a vampire army which threatens to destroy all humanity and other creatures, both natural and supernatural, in their path. Bestowed with supernatural powers of her own, Ginny is commissioned to enlist some of her friends, which were introduced in the first book and are just as likable in this tale. Poker Alice, her Native American friend, Maggie, and Sheriff Ed Hayes join forces with Ginny to rid the west of a terrible evil which could mean the end of humanity.
You never know what will happen next in this world where supernatural beings walk the American western frontier, but Ginny Sutton is ready to face whatever life, or Death, throws her way. I give Dying Time five quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
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Book Review: Truth Games
Posted: February 14, 2025 Filed under: Books, Review, Suspense, Thriller, Writing to be Read | Tags: Book Review, Caroline England, Kaye Lynne Booth, psychological thrilers, Truth Games, Writing to be Read 3 CommentsAbout Truth Games
She tries hard to be the perfect mother, the perfect partner, the perfect daughter – but Ellie never seems to get it right.
When an old friend from university re-enters her life, dark memories from Ellie’s past begin to resurface.
As Ellie starts to unravel some shocking and sinister realities, she realises that she must choose between keeping the family she loves – and facing the truth.
From the Top Ten ebook bestselling author, this twisty psychological thriller will have you hooked from the first page to the last jaw-dropping twist.
My Review of Truth Games
I purchased a digital copy of Truth Games, by Caroline England from Freebooksie. All opinions stated here are my own.
Everyone has secrets, some buried deeper than others. As Ellie Hastings searches for the truths of a past she can’t remember, she uncovers many truths which she’s been hiding from herself. Told from a singular point of view, this introspective tale of deceptions, uncovers the lies and ommisions of those she loves and cares about. Obsessed with learning the truth, Ellie reveals all their secrets, as well as her own, each more devastating than the last.
At first, with all the dreams mixed in with snippets of memories, I thought perhaps Ellie was just a bit paranoid in feeling that the people around her were all lying about various things. But as the story unfolds it becomes evident that she may not be crazy, as her suspicions prove to be true, one by one.
A psychological thriller that keeps readers guessing. I give Truth Games three quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
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Read and Cook with Robbie Cheadle – Ghost Train by Natalie Anna Jacobsen and a Japanese cooking class #Japan #bookreview
Posted: February 12, 2025 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Fiction, Read and Cook, Recipes, Review, Supernatural | Tags: Book Reviews, Read and Cook, Recipes, Robbie Cheadle, Writing to be Read 59 CommentsGhost Train by Natalie Anna Jacobsen
What Amazon says
“A haunting and immersive read.” – Eva Wong Nava, author of The House of Little Sisters. “With lyrical prose that evokes the mystique of 19th-century Kyoto, this meticulously researched narrative weaves together historical authenticity with the ethereal allure of ‘yokai’ folklore.” – Jake Adelstein, journalist and author of Tokyo Vice and The Last Yakuza
Set in 1877 Kyoto during the early years of the Meiji “Restoration” Era, Ghost Train tells the story of Maru Hosokawa, a samurai daughter who is thrust into a life opposite how she grew up. Her father has surrendered his sword with other samurai, assimilating into a role as a civilian merchant. As his work takes him further and further from home, she is left to find work of her own to help rebuild the family wealth — and protect herself, “just in case,” her father says. But during the summer festivals, ghosts begin appearing before Maru. Unsure of where to turn or who to trust, Maru fends for herself, facing an abusive employer, unreliable friends, and insecurity at home. In the search for answers, a kitsune offers to help in exchange for Maru’s aid in confronting a demon rampaging Kyoto at night. As summer passes on, more ghosts appear, plagues sweep through the city, and a stench of blood in the streets, and rumors of a samurai rebellion obscure reality, driving Maru to make a choice against all instincts, to save herself, her father — and Kyoto. Inspired by true historical events and based on myths of yokai, this story began taking shape first in 2010. With guidance by historians both in Japan and the US, subject matter experts in geisha, kimono, and samurai life, and countless beta readers and supporters, Natalie Jacobsen has carefully crafted this historical fantasy to reflect 19th century life during the tumultuous, society-altering leadership of Emperor Meiji… just with a few more ghosts.
My review
Having recently visited Tokyo, Japan, and being exposed for the first time to the concepts of Japanese Yokai and other supernatural beings, this book immediately caught my attention. During my short time in Japan, I also learned a little bit about the coming of the Black Ships to Japan in 1853, which marked the beginning of the end for the Tokugawa shogunate, and the last Shogun. This book, set in Kyoto in 1877 during the Meiji Restoration Era, addresses both of these fascinating aspects of Japanese history and culture.
The story revolves around a young girl, Maru, the daughter of a former-samurai, and her journey to understanding and acceptance of the end of the reign of the samurai and transitioning of her city (and country) into a new era of progress under the ‘young’ emperor.
Maru’s father has gone away, theoretically on ‘business’ and left her in the care of the geiko of an okiya – a traditional geisha house, in the role of shikomi, a junior position to the geiko and maiko of the house. Maru clearly dislikes her new role and is struggling to make the adjustment from the daughter of a former-samurai to her new life having to survive as a woman in a misogynistic, male dominated society where women were either wives, geiko/meiko (entertainer of men) or oiran (prostitute). The fate of women, in the new society under the Emperor, was worst than before and many girls had no option but to resort to prostitution in order to survive. Maru clings to the thin hope that her father will soon come for her and her life will return to how it was in the past.
Maru is traumatised by scenes of death and destruction from the past during the period of the demise of the samurai and daimyo, and has blocked out memories relating to her father and his decisions in order to adapt to her new situation. She is also surrounded by anxiety in the general population as people, especially women, struggled to integrate their superstitions and beliefs of the past with a new society including technology like trains. Maru hears stories about yokai and disappearing girls, and is conflicted about strange metallic smells caused by rain on the new electrical wires and which are reminiscent of blood. Many people believe the train and electrical wires are killing girls and feeding on their blood as well as causing general illness. All of this anguish and mental strain ultimately manifests as visions by Maru of various yokai and also kitsune, foxes that possess paranormal abilities that increase as they get older and wiser. Maru meets a kitsune which has the ability to shapeshift into various forms but which is ‘damaged’ by the new technology and needs her help to survive.
Maru must walk her path alongside her kitsune manifestation to find acceptance of her father’s decisions, her own rejection by her former friends and acceptance of her new life and progress in general.
This is an exciting tale with an abundance of amazing historical information and Japanese folklore woven throughout. There are exciting scenes of conflict and a grand finale which, the way I understood this story, are effectively all part of Maru’s spiritual and mental healing, in other words, in her imagination.
This is a clever and well research story, the history is fascinating, and the folklore mesmerising. It is a complex tale that requires attention throughout and the understanding of Maru’s mental state and internal conflicts for the story to pull together effectively.
An excellent book for people who are interested in Japanese history and folklore. It helps to have some knowledge and understanding of this era of transition and cultural shock in order to best appreciate the historical nuances and information presented.
I wrote this review as a member of Rosie Amber’s book review team. You can find out more about Rosie’s reviews and review team here: https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/.
Purchase Ghost Train from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Train-Natalie-Jacobsen-ebook/dp/B0DHSXH8FM
Cooking Sun Tokyo
During my recent trip to Japan, TC and I attended a 10-course Japanese cooking class. It was great fun and the food was delicious.
The basis of Japanese cooking is dashi stock made with water and 1 – 2 kombu strips (dried kelp seaweed). The cold method for making good dashi stock is simple. Put water into a bottle with the kombu and let it steep overnight.
The dashi is used in all the recipes of which I am sharing two here.
Dashimaki Tamago (rolled egg)
Ingredients: 1 egg, 1 TBsp dashi, 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
Method:
In a small bowl, whisk the egg, dashi and light soy sauce.
Heat the prepared Japanese rectangular egg pan after drizzling the pan with a little cooking oil. When its hot, pour half the egg mixture into the pan ensuring the egg covers the full surface. Once the egg is starting to set, use cooking chopsticks to roll the egg to the far end of the pan. Pour the rest of the egg mixture into the pan. Allow it to go under the rolled egg by lifting the roll using the cooking chopsticks. Once the fresh egg mixture sets, roll it up over the previous rolled egg to make a bigger role. Remove from the pan and place on a bamboo mat. Shape the egg roll into a rectangular shape with patterns.
Grilled stuffed lotus roots with chicken
Ingredients: 30 gram portion of lotus root, 30 grams of minced chicken, finally diced Japanese leek, finally diced carrot, a little fresh ginger, 1 tsp sake, sprinkle of salt, 1/2 tsp potato starch, 1 TBsp dashi
Method:
- Dice Japanese leek and carrot and mix into chicken mince. Add the grated ginger, sake, salt and potato starch.
- Powder one side of the lotus root with additional potato starch. Stuff the meat mixture into the lotus root holes and layer the rest of the meat on top of the lotus root.
- Heat the frying pan and place the lotus root into the pan, meat side down. Cook for approximately 3 minutes. Turn the lotus root over, pour on the dashi and steam in the pan with the lid on for about 5 minutes until cooked.
About Robbie Cheadle
South African author and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated seventeen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, and written and illustrated three poetry books. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.
Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/
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Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.
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This post is sponsored by the My Backyard Friends Kid’s Book Series and WordCrafter Press.
The My Backyard Friends kid’s book series is inspired by the birds and animals that visit the author Kaye Lynne Booth’s mountain home. Beautiful illustrations by children’s author, poet, and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, bring the unique voices of the animal characters to life.
Get Your Copy Now.
Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend (Ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/MBF-HeatherHummingbird
Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans (Ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/MBF-TimothyTurtle
Charlie Chickadee Gets a New Home (Ages 6-8): https://books2read.com/MBF-CharlieChickadee
