Grandma’s Breadmaker White Bread Recipe

I feel like sharing a recipe, so here’s one my maternal grandma came up with for bread in the breadmaker. You can either do the whole thing in the breadmaker or use the dough setting and then bake it yourself in pans or different shapes. Instructions for both. Also, not a long, involved story because no one cares about me romping with my school chums in the fens and the spinneys.

Grandma’s Breadmaker Recipe

 Ingredients

• 1 cup water plus 2 tbsp
• 2 tbsp butter
• 3 cups bread flour (trust me, it’s better than all purpose)
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp bread machine yeast

Instructions

1. Add ingredients to bread machine pan in the order printed. (Then put the machine pan in the breadmaker … I assume this is obvious, but … )
2. Set for a 1.5 lb loaf, medium or dark crust. I use setting 1 on my Black and Decker for white bread.
3. If you want to make other forms (rolls, smaller loaves etc), set it to dough stage. If not, let the breadmaker do all the work.
4. If you’re doing it to the dough state, remove dough at end of stage and knead. If the machine did two rises (check your manual), go to step 5. If the machine does only one rise, allow the dough to rise in a bowl for 1.5 hours before continuing to step 5.
5. Form dough into rolls, a braid, or set in pan(s). I have small bread pans and can make two small loaves. You do you.
6. Allow to rise for 1.5 to 2 hours in a warm area. Not on the “keep warm” burner like I did once, because it cooked the bottom of the dough. Live and learn.
7. Bake at 425 F for 15 minutes, then lower temperature to 375 F and continue to bake for 35 minutes.

I like to brush the loaf with melted butter when it’s just out of the oven. Butter crust = life.

Here’s a totally unprofessional photo of what you get (without the butter crust here, because I guess I was lazy).

You can switch up your bread type with different flour. Sometimes I do 2 cups of white bread flour and 1 cup of brown. Sometimes multigrain. This recipe works best with the white bread flour or a mix, it’s a bit denser with all brown or multigrain bread flour.

I’ve never tried to make this without a bread maker. Someone give it a whirl and let me know what happens.

Anyway, there you go. A no bullshit bread recipe just the way grandma likes it.

Reading Pandemic

I’m not a big reader of novels that involve killer illnesses, and that was before SARS, MERS and COVID-19 invaded our consciousness. No, me and my health anxiety were happy to avoid reading about any kind of illness because if I read about it, I’d think about it, and if I thought about it too much, I’d probably get it. Yeah, I know. Logic. But with bad anxiety, I was happy to pick up some serial killer book instead.

Even though I haven’t read a ton of pandemic novels, here’s a few I have read and actually enjoyed. Links lead you to Goodreads. If you’re self isolating, download the Libby app and connect with your library online. Oh, and wash your hands.

The Stand (Stephen King)
Pretty much the granddaddy of them all, King’s novel focuses on a man-made illness (Captain Trips … no, not a Jerry Garcia reference) that kills 99% of the human population. Two different groups of survivors begin to form with very different goals. Much of the book deals with the pandemic and the aftermath, how the survivors find each other and begin to try to rebuild society. I really enjoyed this book, but I was smart and didn’t read it during an actual global pandemic lol. I still haven’t seen the 1990s mini series (with Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald and Rob Lowe), but they’re currently filming a new version here … well, until that gets shut down due to COVID.

Pandemic (Daniel Kalla)
Kalla is an ER doc here in Vancouver, and I once got his book out of the library, started to read it and promptly got sick. Back to the library it went until a few years later when I wasn’t so superstitious lol. Pandemic starts in China with a zoonotic flu (sound familiar?) that someone begins spreading on purpose and it’s up to Dr. Noah Haldane and his colleagues to stop it. Noah Haldane also features in his second book Cold Plague. Guess what it’s about?

Outbreak (Robin Cook)
It’s been a long time since I’ve read this one, which was also made into a film.  Outbreak is the first in the Marissa Blumenthal books. She works for the CDC and a plague begins to sweep across the country – but it’s only affecting doctors and patients at low-cost clinics. This book isn’t as medically oriented as you might think and is more of a conspiracy novel than a plague novel.

Virals (Kathy Reichs and Brendan Reichs)
The most fun of the bunch, this YA series focuses on a group of friends that get infected by a type of parvovirus which gives them unique side effects. It’s a great series, and not as life or death panic inducing as some of the others on this list.I highly recommend this series, even if you’re not into YA books.

Girlfriend In A Coma (Douglas Coupland)
You’d think a book about a pregnant girl who falls into a coma and wakes up 18 years later wouldn’t involve a pandemic, but you’d be wrong! In this case, people just … fall asleep and die without warning. This book is more about the characters and their relationships with each other, with the last half against the backdrop of the apocalypse.

Gravity (Tess Gerritsen)
Astronaut Emma Watson (yes, really, this was pre-Harry Potter) is aboard the ISS when a virus begins to wreak havoc on the crew. As it turns deadly, Emma’s husband is trying to work with NASA to get them home, but the unknown virus is a threat to earth, so they are stranded in space with time running out.

If you are reading this and thinking “Yeah, I think I’ll pass on pandemic books” then check out:

I Am Maru (Mugumogu) If you like cats
Me Talk Pretty One Day (David Sedaris) If you like funny
Hyperbole and a Half (Allie Brosh) If you really love laughing and fun cartoons

Also check out washing your hands.

Goodreads Reading Challenge Update 02

I’m ten books ahead of schedule as of today. Woo! I am positive it’s due to the Shakespeare 2020 Project.

Here’s what I’ve read since the last update:

Fiction

The Taming of the Shrew (William Shakespeare)
I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I thought I would – I know a lot of people love it. It was a quick read, fun, and a nice break from the War of the Roses.

Titus Andronicus (William Shakespeare)
I didn’t know anything about this one going in. I learned part way through it’s considered one of the most violent and bloody Shakespeare plays … and I really liked it. I was all in for the revenge and backstabbing. It just never stopped. So far, along with Twelfth Night, this has been one of my favourites.

Romeo and Juliet (William Shakespeare)
In school, I read three Shakespeare plays – Julius Caesar, Hamlet and MacBeth. Grade 9 was our first intro to Shakespeare, and I remember hoping I’d get the class doing Romeo and Juliet instead of Julius Caesar (nope!). I ended up reading Romeo and Juliet a few years later because we had an old paperback from my mom’s school days, and I remember thinking “meh”. I actually enjoyed it so much more now. I’m not sure what changed for me, but I felt like the Nurse stood out so much more, and there was a lot more political overtones. I really liked it second time around.

Yours In The Bond (Rashid Darden)
This was a re-read for me. Darden writes books focusing on black gay relationships and experiences, so you figure a white Canadian woman wouldn’t feel very connected to the material. (Spoiler alert: You’d be wrong). This book is related to his Potomac University series as some characters appear from that series, and the fraternity the characters are in is the same one featured in Lazarus, Covenant and Epiphany. The relationship between Eustace and JJ dominates the story, but there’s also a lot of story regarding Beta Chi Phi and who came after Adrian. The complicated Eustace/JJ story really resonated, and there are lines in there that will make anyone in a difficult relationship go “OMG, yes!”

The Coffin Dancer (Jeffery Deaver)
I am loving this series. Now, I know in both the movie and TV series Lincoln Rhyme is portrayed as black, while he isn’t in the books. Somehow my brain has decided he’s Morgan Freeman. My brain has also cast Riann Steele as Amelia Sachs. And … Sammy Davis, Jr. as Fred Dellray. I KNOW. I can’t explain my brain. Anyway, this book follows the team as they go after a hired assassin. The book really got me – I was surprised the whole way through. I also love that Deaver makes you feel different ways about the same character. I hated Percey so much. Hatred. But by the end of the book, I felt like I understood her, and I definitely changed my perspective. It reminded me of how I started out hating Lt. Cruz on Third Watch and the writers managed to turn that on its head and make me feel bad for her lol. I can’t wait to get to more books in this series. I’m really enjoying a lead character like Rhyme who is not about physical things. It’s really refreshing.

Richard III (William Shakespeare)
I know this is considered one of his best, and I did enjoy it. But I think I’m getting overwhelmed with Shakespeare at this point. I feel like I’m rushing to finish so I can get to a book I really want to read. I think that’s the danger of trying to read all of Shakespeare in a year. The play itself is full of intrigue – Richard is so manipulative and cunning it’s enjoyable to read, and seeing his demise is not as welcome as you’d think by the end.

Non Fiction

The Last Gang In Town (Aaron Chapman)
Chapman’s book looks into the exploits of the Clark Park Gang, which was a loosely organized gang of friends that frequented Vancouver’s Clark Park. Their exploits were so disruptive there was a police squad created and assigned to deal with them. The book is a great look at 1970s Vancouver.

Time (Rashid Darden)
I was lucky to get an advanced copy of this anthology. It contains personal essays, short fiction, some scenes from plays and poetry all by author Rashid Darden. First, the poetry made me really miss poetry. I used to write and read a lot of it, and somewhere along the line I lost my passion for it. This really got me motivated to dig out my own work, as Darden’s words really hit home. My favourite essays were Saditty, a reflection on Darden’s school days (a memoir-genre that I realized I live for lol), and an essay that talked about the development and change that his Potomac University series went through as it started as a play and morphed into a 3 book series. There’s a lot of great personal reflection and the sharing of letters and heartfelt emotion. The book will be released to the general public on May 15th, so I encourage everyone to pre-order.

I’m Down (Mishna Wolff)
Wolff grew up in a predominantly black area of Seattle with her white father who was all about being down with black folks in his neighbourhood. Little Mishna didn’t quite fit in, and this memoir is a great look at fitting in and standing out. From her local neighbourhood to the posh mostly-white private school culture shock she experiences, along with her complex relationship with her dad, his girlfriends, her mother and young sister, I’m Down deals with Mishna’s childhood with humour and reflection.

So I got a lot of reading done. But damn am I getting burnt out on Shakespeare. Luckily up next is Julius Caesar, which I’m very familiar with, so I may skim more than read lol.

Challenge Total – 19 (10 ahead of schedule)

Currently Reading:

Grimm: The Icy Touch (John Shirley)(

 

 

Goodreads Reading Challenge Update 01

So last time I posted I’d read two fiction books (Nemesis by Brendan Reichs and Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night) and one non fiction (F-16 Fighting Falcon Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom).

Here’s where I’m at now (with links to Canadian Amazon and Project Gutenberg).

Fiction

Genesis and Chrysalis (Brendan Reichs)
These two books are the continuation of Nemesis. Genesis was interesting because of how Nemesis ended. (Spoilers!) The characters are now in this almost virtual reality. I think it was my favourite of the books. Chrysalis spun everything in an entirely new direction. Part of me wasn’t so thrilled because it wasn’t anything I’d imagined. I don’t know what I expected, to be honest. Overall the series was really good and gave me a lot to think about. (They also have really evocative covers)

Henry VI Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 (William Shakespeare)

This series was a lot more difficult (and also seemed the most disjointed of the Shakespeare I’ve read so far). It’s part of the series on the War of the Roses. I wasn’t familiar at all with this era of history, so it was all new to me. Honestly, it was only okay. I have read many other Shakespeare plays I prefer over this. I’m linking to the Complete Works of William Shakespeare, as the individual book files for this series are in a really old English version with some formatting issues.

The Bone Collector (Jeffery Deaver)

Kind of hard to believe I’d never read this series, as the material is up my alley. I decided to read this because I was interested in watching the new TV series “Lincoln Rhyme: The Hunt For The Bone Collector”. I really enjoyed this book. Deaver’s use of forensics has aged really well (which shocked me), and the knowledge of obscure New York was fascinating. I also really enjoyed Lincoln himself and the case. I watched the Denzel/Angelina movie after I finished the book and it annoyed me to no end that they changed so much from the book.

The Comedy of Errors (William Shakespeare)

Back to his comedies (and rhyming!) which I enjoy. This one was definitely a slapstick – try explaining to me how two sets of twins separated by a disaster each get named the exact same thing …). I enjoyed this for the mistaken identity, but as a story it felt thin for reading. I think it’d be much more enjoyable on stage.

Challenge Total – 10 (5 ahead of schedule)

Currently reading:

The Last Gang In Town (Aaron Chapman)
The Coffin Dancer (Jeffery Deaver)

Goodreads Reading Challenge 2020

Every year I do the Reading Challenge at Goodreads, an Amazon-owned website dedicated to tracking your books and reading. I challenge myself to read 52 books a year – one per week. Here’s my recent year stats (which are worse than I thought!):

2019 – 61/52
2018 – 60/52
2017 – 67/70
2016 – 66/65
2015 – 24/30
2014 – 31/50
2013 – 36/50

I joined Goodreads in 2012, so I couldn’t join the challenge that year (it’s open at the beginning of the year). A few years in there I made a goal, surpassed it, and upped the goal as I went (which is why I failed in 2017 … originally it was 50 books,I upped it then didn’t do more reading and failed lol).

The last two years I’ve also challenged myself to read at least 25 books fiction and 25 books non-fiction. I read both regularly, but I wanted to make sure I was splitting my reading for pleasure and for learning (although I also get a lot of pleasure out of learning reading).

So far this year I’ve just completed my 3rd book (1st non fic) and I’m two books ahead of schedule.

I’m also doing the Shakespeare 2020 Project this year, which is a challenge to read all of Shakespeare’s works this year. There’s a very active Facebook group as well. So far we’ve completed Twelfth Night, and I’m on I Henry VI right now (and enjoying it, despite my limited knowledge of that era of history).

I figured I’ll keep track of what I read here as well in case anyone’s curious (my reader Goodreads is private and separate from my author one). The links are to Canadian Amazon, because I’m Canadian (no affiliate links), and to Project Gutenberg for Shakespeare.

Fiction

Nemesis (Brendan Reichs)
Min Wilder is killed every two years on her birthday and wakes up hours later like nothing happened. In the midst of turmoil regarding a meteor that could hit earth, she has to figure out why she’s being killed, and the answer is life changing.

Twelfth Night ( William Shakespeare)
One of his comedic plays featuring twins, mistaken identity and too many people falling in love too quickly. I enjoyed this, although it took awhile to get my Shakespeare sea-legs with the language.

Non-Fiction

F-16 Fighting Falcon Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom (Steve Davies & Douglas C. Dildy)
I have an obsession with the F-16, so I read everything I can get my hands on about this fighter jet. This goes over details about the different F-16 units that served during Operation Iraqi Freedom, detailing their missions, jets and other info.

Currently reading:

I Henry VI (William Shakespeare)
Genesis (Brendan Reichs)

 

Anywhere But Here and The Long Way Home Are Done (Sort of)

So the first two books of the Brookline series are done! By done I mean written and edited. They still need to be formatted for print and ebook and released, but I’m fairly sure I want to finish the entire series before I release anything.

Up next … writing and editing the third book, which is their freshman year of college. Formerly titled Brookline University: Freshman Year, the book is now called . . . yeah, I got nothing. I’m hoping a title will strike me as I write.

Books 3, 4, 5 and 6 each cover a year of the characters in college. There is a lot of work ahead because this book lays the ground work for everything else in their college experience. In particular I’m getting very real with sorority elements, especially the not-so-great ones.

 

The future of the Brookline University series

I began writing the Brookline University series in 1998, completed the four books in 2005, and began publishing the series in 2008. The series roots go back much further – I created Joy Morrison in 1989 and gave her a twin in 1990.

The first time I mentioned Joy in my story diary she was 28. In a later entry I said she looked like Heather Graham circa License to Drive (based off the pic on the left here).

Since completing the four book series I’ve also written and published two prequels (the Streetwise series) and written a sequel that hasn’t been published (and was a big reason for what I’m now doing with the series). The prequels, which were re-written before publication this year, have a very different tone and vibe from the main series – one that I prefer.

When I first wrote the series, I was only a few years out of high school – the same age as the characters – and a lot of plots I wrote reflected my age. As time marched on, I wanted to change things, but as anyone who’s ever written knows, when you change one thing, it affects another and another … and pretty soon you have a major re-write on your hands.

Libby had an early-on middle name change, became Joy’s twin, and they both got younger.

I have wanted to rewrite the series for a number of years, but being in the middle of publishing it, it seemed like a bad idea. After the release of the prequels and when writing the sequel I realized I really wanted the main series to be just as good and match the tone of the other books. I resented having to include certain things in the prequels just because they were established in the main series, and it really got me focused on a rewrite.

So in 2019, I’ll be rewriting the entire Brookline series, including the Streetwise prequels. Because of this, the books are now out-of-print and no longer available.

I’m not sure how much will change – I’ve considered a name change for the school they go to, for one – but there are some changes I know I’m making that will affect every book. I foresee the biggest changes in the main series, not so much the prequels.

I know exactly what happens to all of the characters in the series now (I didn’t when I wrote it … I actually had no plan for where the series would go after their college years … and sometimes not even during the series itself). I really want to be able to write sequels, and I also have a spinoff series in the works, but none of that can happen without some changes to the main series.

I promise when the books are re-released, members of my newsletter list will be able to get them all at a steep discount.

If you’ve read any of the Brookline University books, here’s your chance to send me some feedback. Anything you hated? Things you’d change? Did I get some things horribly wrong (I know I did), and are there things you definitely don’t want me to change? Characters you loved? Want to see more or less of? Plots you thought were dumb? Plots you appreciated?

Either comment here or click on the Contact button above to shoot me an email. Your comments will really help me with rewrites, and everyone who comments will get a thank you in the book (so please indicate what name you’d like me to use in the thank yous).

Thanks so much and I can’t wait to bring you these books in 2019 (if I can edit that fast … send me some speed vibes too!)

New Book – Self Publishing For Canadians

I know, I said publishing four books this year practically killed me, but here I am with a fifth. Self Publishing for Canadians grew out of a huge blog post here. There was so much information to share on self publishing, especially in regards to Canadian-specific information.

The ebook is available on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and all major online outlets. The great news? It’s only 99 cents! (You can also get a paperback for $6.99 USD)

If you’re a Canadian that’s always wanted to self publish, this book is a great guide to get you started. It was an Amazon Canada Bestseller in Authorship in December 2018 and November 2019.

Protected: Self Publishing For Canadians – The Editing List

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Protected: Self Publishing For Canadians – Book Recommendations

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