Free Christmas Anthology for One and All!

Free Christmas Anthology for One and All!

It's Christmas! So this month Soph and I have a free holiday anthology for everyone.

We want to spread a little Christmas cheer and, hopefully, bring a smile to all faces.

If you're feeling down around this time, for whatever reason, hugs to you and we hope it gets better for you soon.

Light of Christmas

Our little anthology has two heartwarming tales, one from me and one from Sophie.

Light of the World - Natasha Duncan-Drake

Kit and Sam have been together now for six years and three years ago they renovated and moved into Sam's parent's old house in a small village. Sam wants to revive the family tradition of a huge Christmas party, so what's his reclusive vampire husband to do, but say yes and try and melt into the shadows.

Winter's Curse - Sophie Duncan

Pippin is worried about her father who is deathly ill. She knows him as Papa C, the rest of the world calls him Father Christmas. Something is very wrong and dark magic is involved. Their only hope is a strange, dangerous woman who frightens Pippin, but she will do anything to save her father.

Download Light of Christmas at Smashwords

Available FREE until Jan 6th 2020

And don't forget, if you would like a free short story every month, not just at Christmas, join our Wittegen Press Newsletter. No catches, no spam.

Christmas Wishes

💖Whether you celebrate Christmas as a Christian or enjoy it as a secular holiday where people are usually a little nicer and happier, I offer you this blessing💖:

May the love of the Holy Family,

The joy of the shepherds and angels,

And the peace of the Christ child,

be with you and those you love, this Christmas time.

Have a great holiday season - best wishes to one and all.

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Banner background Photo by Paul Schafer on Unsplash

The Joys of Cover Design Now We Have Sites Like Unsplash

The Joys of Cover Design Now We Have Sites Like Unsplash

Making eBook covers used to be a lot harder than it is these days. Why I hear you ask?

Because there were a lot less resources available.

There have always been places like Getty images and some royalty free images sites, but the images on them cost not insignificant amounts of money, especially when combining several images to create new ones.

These days we have fantastic sites like:

• Unsplash.com, 
• Pexels.com 
• and Pixabay.com 

where the most wonderful artists upload their work to be used totally for free. Technically we don't even have to give credit, but I think that's incredibly rude! For example, the image I am using in the background of my banner today is by DESIGNECOLOGIST on Unsplash.

Many of the photographers have donation options - a great way to pay back their hard work.

Now these images aren't always the highest quality and could be problematic for high def print work, but for web images like eBook covers, they are amazing.

Over the weekend I have been working on the covers for The Manor, the new series by Virginia Waytes, coming early next year to Wittegen Eros and the Sexy Stories podcast.

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Firstly, can I just say how sexist the photo industry tags seem to be! I typed in the word "sexy" and "erotic" on all 3 of the sites I mentioned above and all I got back were pictures of women. Now while I appreciate this because I needed some of those as well, I was looking for some sexy men too! To get suitable pictures of men the most productive search terms were "young man" "abs" and "muscles" and most of the images returned weren't close to what I was looking for.

Anyway, I did manage to eventually find all the images I was after.

You can check out the cover reveal for Episode 1 - Lamb in Wolf's Clothing over at Virginia's wordpress blog: Virginia Waytes - The Parlour - Sexy Stories. And yes, it's very different from the one that was on the Free Fiction Friday version of the book.  

BTW - for those wondering, yes, Virginia is my alter ego - a new pen name to focus specifically on the podcast and paranormal erotic romance eBooks and get away with being a little bit naughty 😘. Virginia has a shiny new newsletter for everything to do with the podcast and accompanying books, and we will be running a giveaway when we launch for all members.

Join now to be in with a chance of winning a $20 (or equiv) Amazon voucher and all 12 novelettes of The Manor as they come out.

Come join me as Virginia on: Twitter | Wordpress | Blogger | Podbean | Facebook

The 3rd Eye (2017) - A Film that Does Not Know How to End

The 3rd Eye (2017) - A Film that Does Not Know How to End

So Rob and I watched a film last night, a ghostly horror film to be exact. In the middle Rob uttered the words: "We're going to have to watch something else after this before going to bed so I can sleep."

The film was very scary - I mean Ju-On - The Grudge level scary.

I was watching it through my fingers.

And then ... it totally lost all scariness, ending with a fizzle.

Turns out we didn't need to watch anything else because the film did it for us.

Now before I begin, I have to say, this is not a bad film - it is well worth a watch, just be aware it starts with a bang and finished with a sigh.

The film was The 3rd Eye (2017) aka Mata Batin - it's Indonesian and currently on Netflix.

Cast:

Jessica Mila ... Alia
Denny Sumargo ... Davin
Citra Prima ... Bu Windu
Bianca Hello ... Abel

Writers:

Riheam Junianti ... (screenplay)
Rocky Soraya ... (story)
Fajar Umbara ... (screenplay)

Beware - this post is going to have a few spoilers, although I'm not talking in detail about the whole plot.

It started strong with a scary opening set in 2005.

Then it had a totally throw away scene setting section (say that fast three times ;)) set in 2017, using a character that was literally only there to tell us all about how the lead characters' parents died and why they have to move back to their childhood home. I mean I've heard of throw away characters before, but he was literally just exposition.

It was all telling and no showing, but I can forgive that, because then it got scary again, and the plot moved on well.

The story is all about two sisters, the youngest of whom, Abel, is aware of the supernatural realm - her 3rd eye is open. She is attacked in their childhood home and wears headphones all the time so she can't hear the scary noises associated with spirits.

Abel and Alia in 2005 - The 3rd Eye (2017) aka Mata Batin

Alia, her older sister, seems to be a little sensitive, but not like Abel, and Alia goes off to Bangkok to spread her wings, only returning to Jakarta when their parents are killed in a tragic car accident. (This was not a subtle plot). Along with her comes her boyfriend Davin.

To help her sister, Alia asks the local psychic, Bu Windu, to open her 3rd eye so she can see what Abel sees.

Bu Windu, Abel and Alia - The 3rd Eye (2017) aka Mata Batin

The scenes where Alia finally realises that all the talk of dead people and ghosts is real is amazingly done. It takes us on the journey that Alia is having and does it brilliantly, because it allows us to suspect, before it throws us right in the deep end. The haunting scenes in the girls' childhood home are also fantastic. They could not have been done better.

It is brilliantly scary.

However, then it goes on too long.

The film finishes twice.

We find out more and more about the haunting during the film, and it only gets scarier with each part we discover. The ghosts are so well done and the eyes - OMG the eyes! However, eventually the plot starts to resolve and because of the way the film is structured we lose some of the fear. This would be perfectly valid if this was the end of the movie, but it's not - it has a whole 25 minutes left to go!

That's what I mean by it ending twice. It even technically changes antagonist. However, the second antagonist is never really a threat, so they aren't frightening.

It goes from tension-tension-tension to tension-even-though-it's-not-quite-as-scary to OMG-there's-how-long-left?!

Now I do love the twist at the end, but it is handled in such a clunky manner. It's like the writer couldn't figure out how to put it all together in one climax, so we had to have two, with a complete tension breaker in the middle.

I have to admit, I haven't watched many Indonesian films (we're getting to them on Netflix, but we've only seen 2), maybe this is how they like their horror movies - really scary and then with a chance to wind down at the end. However, it was a complete tension killer for me.

Also I think the lead characters would have benefited from the odd Valium. When the characters have been told to control their fear because their fear makes the spirits stronger, them running and screaming all the time gets old. It's like they're not even trying!

Anyway - to summarise - well worth a watch, but the ending is a bit of a let down for fans of really scary horror.

Have you seen The 3rd Eye? What did you think? Is it indicative of the Indonesian style of horror movie, or just this particular writer/director? Do you totally disagree with my assessment (and no, I won't mind)?

Recipe: New Potato and Blue Cheese Tart with Broccoli Pastry #GlutenFree #Vegetarian

New Potato and Blue Cheese Tart with Broccoli Pasty

This is a new recipe I created based on the same premise as the Butternut and Goat's Cheese tart I posted the other week. It uses the same gluten free broccoli pastry, but I think this filling is even better. After all broccoli and blue cheese is a classic combination. 💖

Be warned, this is a very rich tart - not much is needed for a good meal, especially if adding a small salad on the side.

For the Broccoli "Pastry"

• 600g/21oz broccoli florets - this is about 2 large heads of broccoli
• 90g/0.9 cup ground almonds (1 cup would be fine ;))
• 25g/0.25 cup grated parmesan type cheese - I used the pre-grated Italian hard cheese from Morrisons because it tastes the same and is vegetarian. Proper Parmesan cheese uses animal rennet and it therefore not vegetarian.
• 3 large eggs
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Filling

• 800g/28oz new potatoes - sliced - this is just over 2 cans, but you can use fresh ones if you prefer
• 2 tbsp oil - whichever is your fav, I used olive
• salt and black pepper
• 9 large eggs 
• 300g/ 1 1/5 cup ricotta (for me this is one packet and 1/5 - so you can always use another cream cheese for the last 1/5th cup if you happen to have some - I used Philadelphia to make up the weight)
• grating of fresh nutmeg
• 150g/5.3oz blue cheese I used a softer creamy one, but Stilton would be good too and you can add more if you like your cheese flavour stronger, this just happens to be 1 packet for me.

Instructions

1. Make sure the broccoli florets are not too large before blitzing them in a food processor until very fine. Place in a large bowl. We need to blitz in small batches or we'll get lumps - I did it in 4.
2. Add the ground almonds, parmesan substitute (or real Parmesan is you are not vegetarian) and 3 eggs and mix well - seasoning to personal preference with salt and black pepper.
3. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
4. Line 2 23cm/9in, 3 cm high pie tins with baking paper - the first I made the mistake of only lining the bottom - but make sure to line the sides too or it's really hard to get out, this time I used round pan liners which worked perfectly.
5. Press half the broccoli dough into each pie tin, across the bottom and up the sides. Try to make sure it isn't too thick, but also be on the look out for holes! I used a firm spatula to do this and it worked really well.
6. If your new potatoes are fresh, cook them until just tender. If they are canned, drain them. Then chop them into slices or cubes, whichever is your preference.
7. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper and scatter the potatoes over it.
8. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of oil and season with salt and pepper.
9. Put the tart shells and potatoes in the oven and cook until the tart shells are going golden brown and the potatoes have picked up a little colour. This took me 35min, but the original recipe said 20min. If the edges of the tart start to go too dark before the bottom cooks - cover with foil.
10. Put the ricotta and the 9 eggs in a medium bowl with salt and pepper (and any other seasoning you fancy) and whisk until smooth. A hand mixer is by far the easiest, but a balloon whisk will work with some elbow grease.
11. Take the tart shells and potatoes from the oven and divide the potatoes between the two shells.
12. Pour the ricotta and egg mixture into each tart.
13. Grate over some fresh nutmeg.
14. Break up the blue cheese and scatter over the top of each tart. 
15. Put the tarts back in the oven and cook for 25-30 mins until the egg mixture is set and colouring at the edges.
16. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for a few minutes, before using the baking paper lining to help pull the tarts free from their cases.
17. If the very edges of the tart dough have gone too dark (it does catch quite easily) trim them off.
18. Serve in generous slices, but not too generous unless people are very, very hungry.

We had this for dinner last night and it was delicious and we now have plenty in the fridge for a second meal too 😋. 

Tips and Trick to Help the NaNoWriMo Process

Tips and Trick to Help the NaNoWriMo Process

So we're on day 4 of NaNoWriMo and we've already had a weekend to contend with. How's it going? Are the words flowing, or is it being a pain? I've won NaNo six times now and some years were so much harder than others!

For some, starting a novel is the hardest part. The idea is there in our heads, but trying to form it into something that makes sense on paper is difficult. And of course there is the really big question, where do we start in the first place.

There is a lot of theory on where a writer should start a novel, and I'm not going into all that, all I am here to say is:

Don't worry where you started, just keep going!

One of the key things to remember with NaNo is it doesn't matter how much terrible material we add to our novel, it's all about getting the words down. We can edit later, but we can't edit what doesn't exist. Sometimes the getting there is actually the important part, and it's definitely true with NaNo.

We are not aiming for a perfectly finished novel at the end of November, we are aiming for something that can be crafted into our perfect novel.

How to Get to the End and Win NaNo

Now I've mentioned some of these before, but I think they are worth reiterating, these are my tips for winning NaNoWriMo:

• Write more when possible - If we have time to write a little extra one day, do it. Sometimes it can be a struggle just to get to the daily total, but if it's not and it's a great writing day, exploit it. Getting ahead will boost our confidence and helps our motivation.🌠
• Be mindful of burn out - That being said, we should be careful not to burn ourselves out. If we write too hard and too fast we may find we run out of steam part way through the month.💨
• Try not to stress - On the other end of the spectrum, if we miss a day, we should try not to let it make us anxious and worried. That is usually counter productive. If you're like me, having a deadline is great motivation, but worrying about it constantly is a total creative wipeout. We need to find the balance where we can give ourselves a little slack.😔
• Make up any deficit quickly - A counter point to this is, try not to get too far behind. We all need the odd day or two off, but we should try and make up the word count we have missed as soon as possible. It may take a couple of days of adding on some more words to the daily tally, but we should try to do it asap. This is because, no matter how we tell ourselves not to worry, we probably will.⌨️
• Be generous with ourselves - We should reward ourselves when we hit a target. A cup of tea, a snack, a bubble bath - depending on the achievement. Positive reinforcement is a great way to keep up the motivation.🍪
• Break it down - sometimes the daily word target can seem utterly huge even though we know we've done it before. It can really help if we break down the total number into smaller sections. 100 words is nothing, and 200 isn't much more, so if the words are being a royal pain, set each smaller target and break up the process. It's amazing how fast the target can be reached.⚒️
• Get support - if we're feeling isolated and demotivated, talking to other people can really help. Find some buddies on the NaNo site, join in the NaNo groups, tell all your friends and get them to cheer you on. It can all be so useful.🤗

And there you have it, my tips for not going bonkers when trying to hit the 50K target. And remember, we write because we enjoy it (really we do😜) - have fun! 😊

Best of luck to all writers having a go this year, whether it is your first time or your tenth. I hope your words flow and your plot evolves.

Anyone else have words of wisdom to add?

NaNoWriMo - Who's taking up the challenge this year?

NaNoWriMo

Who's taking up the challenge this year?

November has come round again, which can mean only one thing: NaNoWriMo.

Who's doing it this year?

I have a project I want to finish, so I am completely in this year. It's not a novel, but a series of novellas that I want to get done and dusted, which I figure counts too as long as I get to the 50K. In my case I actually want to get to more like 70K, but we shall see - as long as I get to 50K I will be happy.

I have my spreadsheets ready and my keyboard primed. Spent this morning doing everything else I needed to get done so that this afternoon I can just get writing.

NaNoWriMo.org has had a nice looking revamp since I was there last. The only thing I found a little odd, was that updating the word count does not seem as prominent as it used to be. It seems to be only a little plus in the header bar. Took me a while to find it, but that could just be pure incompetence on my part 😂.

However, I really like the profile and header image stuff we can now have. 💖

Good luck to everyone who is leaping in - may your words flow and your count increase!

Forgot to add - this is me https://nanowrimo.org/participants/tashaddrake if you would like to be buddies.

Free Book - Trick or Treat Blog Hop #trickortreatreads

Free Book - Trick or Treat Blog Hop

Greetings and welcome to my blog on the spookiest of spooky days. It is a tradition of Sophie and I that we always produce a free eBook  at Halloween. Usually it is for AllHallowsRead, but they don't seem to have updated their website this year, so just think of this as a trick or treat that is better for your teeth.🎃

This year I have signed up with some other lovely authors to bring you free books!

The Trick or Treat Book Blog Hop is alive!

Once you have sampled the macabre tales Soph and I have come up with, don't forget to scroll down and check out all the other wonderful authors in the hop.

Beyond Death - Tales of the Macabre

Sophie Duncan & Natasha Duncan-Drake

Two tales that look past death into the terror beyond.

The Cup Runneth Over by Natasha Duncan-Drake

You have been tempted into places unknown and there are things lurking in the shadows.

The Promise by Sophie Duncan

When a person makes a commitment, they should stick to it. Carol is determined to stick to hers no matter how scary it may become.

Get it from Smashwords, totally free.

The book will only be free until Thursday 7th Nov - so get in there quickly.

Trick or Treat Book Blog Hop

Other Free Books You Might Like

Mina's Children - The Legacy of Dracula

Natasha Duncan-Drake

~~5th place winner Final Round & 2nd place winner, Round 2 - Open Novella Contest 2018~~

Mina Harker (née Murry) was changed by Dracula's attentions, and so were her descendants. Reggie comes from this line of vampire hunters, nature's definitive balance to the darkness. Her whole life has been building up to this one mission in Romania, to face the evil that started everything for her family. Unfortunately there are others with their eyes on Dracula too, and Reggie has run right into them. She must make them allies or remove them from the game before she can face the ultimate foe.

Read it on Wattpad

The Beginning - Blood and Curses

Vampires: The New Age Prequel 1

Natasha Duncan-Drake

Nate hunts vampires and he's good at it. However, when he comes across Lexie while stalking his latest quarry, he finds out life can be a whole lot more complicated than even he knew. Lexie is a white witch with a dark secret. When one of the vampires Nate is tracking turns out to be an initiate of the worst kind of blood magic, that secret might just save his life.

Read it on Wattpad

Chip Off the Old Block?

Dawn of the Anti-Christ ... Maybe

Natasha Duncan-Drake

The Anti-Christ is coming!

His name is Owen.

Well technically it's Beherit, but that's so last millennium. Aspiring to world domination is just around the corner and his simple life of school is coming to an end ... which is kind of the problem. His best friend David, the local vicar's son, will no longer be there and that makes Owen feel things he doesn't understand. What else is a boy to do, but ask his dad what it all means, even if that dad has horns and his eye on the corruption of humankind?

Get is for free from 

Smashwords or Amazon


And don't forget - if you would like a free short story every month from Sophie or me, join our Wittegen Press Newsletter for Free Fiction Friday.
SIGN UP HERE
And we'll give you 2 more Free eBooks just for joining us.

Butternut and Goat's Cheese Tart with Broccoli "Pastry" - #GlutenFree #Vegetarian

Butternut and Goat's Cheese Tart with Broccoli "Pastry"

#GlutenFree #Vegetarian

This is based off a Donna Hay recipe from the Saturday Times which I believe comes from her book Week Light, which I am definitely adding to my Christmas list :).

First thing I have to say is this pastry is amazing and would work with other tarts too and I fully intend to try it with others. I am dying to have a go at using it with a quiche Loraine.

This recipe makes 2 tarts - but it keeps well in the fridge and has nothing in it which means re-heating would be an issue. I suspect it will freeze well too, but haven't tried that.

One warning - this took me over an hour and a half to make. I am quite slow in the kitchen what with having to sit down all the time, so you might be faster, but I started at 4ish and finished at past 5:30. Totally worth it though, and 1 tart would easily feed 3-4 people giving a whole second meal as well.

For the Broccoli "Pastry"

• 600g/21oz broccoli florets - this is about 2 large heads of broccoli
• 90g/0.9 cup ground almonds (1 cup would be fine ;))
• 25g/0.25 cup grated parmesan type cheese - I used the pre-grated Italian hard cheese from Morrisons because it tastes the same and is vegetarian. Proper Parmesan cheese uses animal rennet and it therefore not vegetarian.
• 3 large eggs
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Filling

• 800g/28oz butternut squash - cubed - this is one largish squash
• 2 tbsp oil - whichever is your fav, I used olive
• salt and black pepper
• 8 large eggs - this is 2 eggs more than the original recipe because my pie tins are bigger
• 250g/ 1 cup ricotta
• 16-20 sage leaves or other seasoning of choice - I liked the sage, but I think I will go with my Italian herb grinder as well next time for more zing.
• 150g/5.3oz goats cheese (for me this was a whole packet which was about the size of 1.25 US sticks of butter) - I used a creamy Welsh goats cheese, which worked really well, but a more acidic one would probably work even better if you like the taste.

Instructions

1. Make sure the broccoli florets are not too large before blitzing them in a food processor until very fine. Place in a large bowl. We need to blitz in small batches or we'll get lumps - I did it in 4.
2. Add the ground almonds, parmesan substitute (or real Parmesan is you are not vegetarian) and eggs and mix well - seasoning to personal preference with salt and black pepper.
3. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
4. Line 2 23cm/9in, 3 cm high pie tins with baking paper - I made the mistake of only lining the bottom - but make sure to line the sides too or it's really hard to get out.
5. Press half the broccoli dough into each pie tin, across the bottom and up the sides. I used a firm spatula to do this and it worked really well.
6. Peel, de-seed and cube the butternut squash (the original recipe called for pumpkin, which I imagine would work really well too - but butternut was easier for me to deal with and available all year round).
7. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper and scatter the squash over it.
8. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of oil and season with salt and pepper.
9. Put the tart shells and squash in the oven and cook until the tart shells are going golden brown and the squash is tender. This took me 35min, but the original recipe said 20min. If the edges of the tart start to go too dark before the bottom cooks - cover with foil.
10. Put the ricotta and the 8 eggs in a medium bowl with salt and pepper (and any other seasoning you fancy - I am def going with some Italian herbs next time) and whisk until smooth. A hand mixer is by far the easiest, but a balloon whisk will work with some elbow grease.
11. Take the tart shells and squash from the oven and divide the squash between the two shells.
12. Put the sage leaves in a bowl and drizzle with the remaining oil, tossing to ensure coverage.
13. Pour the ricotta and egg mixture into each tart.
14. Break up the goats cheese and scatter over the top of each tart.
15. Do the same with the oiled sage leaves.
16. Put the tarts back in the oven and cook for 25-30 mins until the egg mixture is set and colouring at the edges.
17. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for a few minutes, before using the baking paper lining to help pull the tarts free from their cases.
18. If the very edges of the tart dough have gone too dark (it does catch quite easily) trim them off.
19. Serve in generous slices - would probably work well with a French dressed salad to give a little acid contrast.

Let me know if you like the colour coding. I find my eye can skip steps and miss things sometimes in recipes, so I highlighted the equipment and ingredients as they are used.

Midnight Feast by Natasha Duncan-Drake #GhostStory #LuckOfTheDraw

Midnight Feast

Natasha Duncan-Drake

Luck of the Draw #1

A/N: This is the first in my new Luck of the Draw series. It's called that because it is inspired by a set of storytelling dice a friend gave me for Christmas a little while back. Six dice, six different elements to include in a story. Great for moments of writer's block to get the creative juices flowing. Since it's October, a ghost story came to mind for this one. Enjoy!
If you're a writer and need a little nudge to get the creative juices flowing or just fancy having a go, feel free play along with the prompts. Drop me a comment to let me know what you came up with 😊.

Word count: 676

~*~

Prompts: Hat | Clock | Meal | Moon and Stars | Rain cloud | Phone

~*~

Bea glanced at the clock and groaned. It was past midnight. 

Throwing her wet hat onto the table she plodded towards the fridge. She knew she would regret it as soon as she went to bed, but she was starving. She needed food. No doubt she would have the weirdest dreams.

Everything had gone wrong from the moment she'd crawled out of bed that morning. No hot water for her shower thanks to her dick of a soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend Keith. She'd been late for work because of a broken-down bus on the railway crossing. Lunch had turned out to be a five-minute affair where she had almost choked on her sandwich. Then she'd had to stay after hours to be in on a phone call with the US which had turned out to be completely pointless and nothing to do with her. And her train home had been cancelled twice due to staff shortages thanks to all the disruption from the morning.

The universe hadn't been done with her then either. When she'd climbed onto the train there hadn't been a cloud in the sky with twinkling stars and a bright moon. When she'd climbed off it had been throwing it down like Noah's flood.

She was soaked, she was fed up, and she was downright hangry.

No doubt Keith was already tucked up in bed snoring, the arsehole. They were stuck with the lease for another month and, until then, she had to live in the same house as the cheating bastard. She wouldn't have minded if he'd just told her. It had been more than obvious that their relationship was headed in the wrong direction for a couple of months, but no, he had had to go and cheat with her ex-best friend.

Well, she could be petty too and banged her way around the kitchen as she prepared to make a croque monsieur.

She had bread, cheese, ham and a jar of bechamel all ready to go. It was just the comfort food she needed. With the frying pan in one hand she headed for the stove to get everything started, mouth watering at just the thought. There was a noise behind her.

"Don't think I'm making you one, dickhead," she said, turning.

But it wasn't Keith in the doorway, it was a strange woman whose eyes were completely fixed on the frying pan.

"Who the ..?" Bea started to ask, stepping towards the stranger.

The woman let out the most blood curdling scream and the frying pan slipped from Bea's suddenly clumsy fingers. The crash resounded around the kitchen.

"Mel, what is it?" came a man's voice from the other room, equally as unfamiliar as the woman.

Bea had a sudden moment of wondering if she could had walked into the wrong house. But, of course, that was ridiculous, her key had fitted in the lock, everything about the kitchen was familiar. The strange woman was clearly hysterical.

A man appeared behind her in the doorway.

"Mel?" he asked.

The woman gestured around the room, eyes never once looking directly at Bea.

"It happened again," the woman said. "The frying pan … it … it was floating."

"I don't know who the hell you are," Bea said, picking up the knife from the kitchen table, "but you're clearly nuts. Now get out of my house."

The woman screamed again, and the man dragged her out of the room.

"That's it," Bea heard him say, "we're leaving. The agent never said anything about a ghost."

Bea's mind flashed with the memory of trying desperately to get air and there being none. Of people trying to help her, banging her on the back, looping their arms around her middle and pulling, but she shook it away. It was just a silly nightmare. The front door slammed, and she bent down to pick up the frying pan. She'd figure out who the hell the couple had been later, but right then she was hungrier than she'd ever been. It felt like she hadn't eaten in years.

The End

Thank you for reading, I very much hope you enjoyed the story. Comments are love 😊💖

P.S. If you are on Wattpad and would prefer to read there - this is available at this link - as will all further stories in the series.

What are your favourite genres? Enquiring minds ... #WriterlyWednesday

What are your favourite genres? 

Enquiring minds want to know.

So I was thinking, as you do, and it started me wondering about genres. I am a very picky reader, and even within my favourite genres I sometimes find it hard to find books I really love, but there are definitely those I gravitate towards. Although it's really hard to pick my favourite genre.

So, of course, I decided to ask you all the really hard question :D. 😂

If your answer isn't there, let me know in comments and if you have a particular sub-genre, let me know that too.

(https://media.giphy.com/media/WoWm8YzFQJg5i/giphy.gif)

For me, I think I'd have to say, paranormal is my favourite genre to read and write, although with one of my favourite books being Salem's Lot by Stephen King it's possible to argue that it could be horror or vampire too. 😜

What is your favourite fiction genre to read?

Epic Fantasy

Contemporary Fantasy

Science Fiction

Romance

Western

Mystery

Thriller

Dystopia

Paranormal

Horror

Vampire (yes they get their own!)

Created with PollMaker

(https://media.giphy.com/media/XIqCQx02E1U9W/giphy.gif)

What is your favourite genre to write?

Epic Fantasy

Contemporary Fantasy

Science Fiction

Romance

Western

Mystery

Thriller

Dystopia

Paranormal

Horror

Vampire

Quiz Maker Online

Happy Beginning of the Halloween Season - Free Fiction Friday!

Happy Beginning of the Halloween Season - Free Fiction Friday!

🎃It's October and that means ghosts and goblins and long legged beasties!🎃

Okay, so we may be getting a little bit ahead of ourselves, but it's Free Fiction Friday and we wanted to get everyone in the mood for the end of the month. This month's free short story is a ghostly one. Scroll down to check out the details.

For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, Free Fiction Friday happens once a month, every month where Soph and I give our Wittegen Press Newsletter subscribers a free short story on the first Friday. These stories range from ghost to vampires with fantasy and even the odd bit of science fiction thrown in.

Join the Wittegen Press Newsletter

Our Newsletter is usually very low traffic with one or two messages a month. We only ever send something out when we have something important to tell our subscribers, like new releases, competitions, freebies and, of course, Free Fiction Friday. No spam, and we're with Mailchimp, so your details are securely stored and won't be shared with anyone else.

For new members the link to this month's short story are included in the final welcome email when you sign up.

This Month's Free Story

The Storm by Natasha Duncan-Drake

Genre: ghost story
Description:
A lonely figure stands on the battlements of a castle watching an approaching storm, remembering loss. Can love reach beyond death?

Join our Newsletter to download it for free.

If you have any questions about Free Fiction Friday, the Newsletter or the story, do drop me a comment. I love to chat.

How to Format an eBook - 2019 Edition

How to Format an eBook - 2019 Edition

Technology is always changing and things have progressed since I last wrote a blog post on how to format eBooks. I have just written myself a new checklist for creating eBooks in what I consider to be the most efficient way, so I thought I'd share. Now don't take this as me saying, this is the only way to do it, but this is how I do it, and it works for me. No doubt by the time I hit publish the tech will have changed again!

(https://media.giphy.com/media/CTX0ivSQbI78A/giphy.gif)

Software required:

• MS Word 2010 or above
• Kindle Create plugin for MS Words  from KDP (this is not Kindle Create stand alone, which is used for formatting and produces a KDP proprietary format and is a pain to use).
• Calibre
• ePub reader (I used BlueFire Reader)

Steps to Create an eBook:

The Kindle Version:

I start with this one because the Kindle Create Add-in makes life so much easier.

1. Make sure the manuscript is ready for publishing and has been thoroughly edited.
2. Install the Kindle Create Add-in.
3. Go to the Kindle tab in Word and click the Get Started button.
4. Choose the theme for the book.
5. Save the book file (I usually put -KINDLE on the end of my file names so I can always tell them apart). N.B. Make sure to save regularly through the formatting process to avoid losing anything.
6. Click Insert Template Page from the ribbon and choose Book Title Page - from now on when inserting a page type, they all come from the Insert Template Page
7. Insert Copyright Page
8. Search and replace Book Title with the book's title.
9. Search and replace Author Name with the author's name.
10. Edit or delete the Book Subtitle as required.
11. On the copyright page edit the Cover Designer, website, ISBN and edition information.
12. Insert Dedication page if required and edit.
13. Insert Table of Contents page.
14. Insert Other Page (font/back matter) if you wish to have an acknowledgements section or any other front matter.
15. If you book has parts insert Part Title Page.
16. Insert Chapter Title Page
17. Copy the chapters from your manuscript and paste them into a text only editor like Notepad or PSPad to get rid of any formatting.
18. Paste chapters into Kindle Create doc and make sure everything is formatted as the "Normal" style.
19. At the beginning of each chapter insert a Chapter Title Page.
20. For each chapter do the following:
21. 1. Copy the chapter title and paste it into the Chapter Title position on the Chapter Title Page
    2. If you have no chapter subtitle and no chapter quote, delete the quote and reformat the subtitle placeholder to be 8pt. Then delete the text, but leave the paragraph marker. This is to prevent the eBook preview from crashing because there is a bug. There has to be something between the chapter title and the first paragraph.
       or
    3. Copy the chapter subtitle and paste into the correct place, or delete the chapter subtitle placeholder.
    4. Copy the chapter quote and paste into the correct place or delete the chapter quote.
    5. Change the drop cap letter to be the first letter of your first paragraph for the chapter.
    6. Copy the first paragraph, apart from the first letter (not including the paragraph marker) and paste into the first paragraph of the chapter.
    7. Delete everything between the first paragraph and the second paragraph.
22. Optional - change some of the first line of the first paragraph to be all caps. If you are only doing a Kindle book the "all caps" formatting option will work, if you want to convert to ePub later, typing it in in capital letters is more compatible.
23. Insert back matter using Other Page (font/back matter) for each that you wish to appear in the table of contents.
24. If you wish to have back matter that is not in the table of contents, add in a section break to create a new page, add in your content and then create your own header style based on other back matter pages, so it will look the same, but not be gathered for the table of contents.
25. Save!
26. Check the book using the Kindle Preview from the ribbon.

This docx file should now be ready to upload to KDP. Always check in the previewer once the file is uploaded, but I have never had a problem with the conversion.

Convert to ePub:

For those who need ePub files, it is very easy to convert from the KINDLE to something that looks good in an ePub viewer and passes ePub checks. You will need your cover file ready to create this version, even though it is best to upload it separately on Google Play.

1. Re-save the file with a new name. I just add -EPUB to the end.
2. Change the ISBN and any of the rest of the copyright page that is not correct for the edition.
3. Delete all the drop cap letters from the beginnings of chapters by clicking on their containing box and deleting the whole thing. (They often screw up so it's not worth the risk).
4. Replace the missing letters with normal ones at the beginning of the paragraph.
5. Load the docx into Calibre.
6. Edit the meta data to have the correct title, author, cover and description.
7. Click convert to ePub - make sure to check the "maintain aspect ratio of cover" on the ePub OUT tab.
8. Save the ePub to disk.
9. Check the ePub in an ePub reader and with an ePub checker.

Smashwords:

I always create a Smashwords version from plain text because I like their "meatgrinder" conversions, but you can upload the ePub straight to their site with some limitations. You also need to make sure you follow their conventions and have Smashwords Edition on the copyright page as well as an ISBN just for them, if you are using your own. I only create the ePub for Google Play or if I need to put it up for download like in Free Fiction Friday.

For Smashwords, their Smashwords Style Guide has everything you need to know - and yes "The Nuclear Method" does work best.

I have a MS Word template that I've set up with all the front matter, back matter and styles I use for Smashwords and then copy and paste the content in from text only.

Summary

And there you have it, all the steps I take to create my eBooks for upload. I find it the most efficient to start with the Kindle book because of Kindle Create and I work from there. Smashwords is a matter of starting from text again, but with a Word template, it's much quicker than doing it from scratch. If you've used the captials on the first line and typed the capitals rather than using the font format in the Kindle version, that also comes across for the Smashwords version.

The next step after this is, of course, the paperback, but that's a post for another day.

I very much hope this is helpful to some people. Let me know if you have other tips and tricks.