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Dahlia DeWinters - Author

Quirky Heroines, Happy Endings

Old Characters Made New

nile / Pixabay

Sometimes it’s okay to look back. I’m doing an author’s challenge on Instagram, and day 12 asked me about my protagonist. Now, I’m currently working on three stories, editing and updating them for publication. Not such bad work, especially since I’ve been living with these characters for a while. I do best with writing when I’m the most familiar with my characters, at least for a few months. I guess I’ll never be that writer who can pump out a new book every month, and I’m okay with that. I’m working with characters I’ve “known” since 2011-2012

For those of you who have read Second Chance Christmas, know that Naomi and Zach had a story before their Christmas story. Yep. They were the very first story that I submitted for publication. Unfortunately, it was rejected. I then wrote Kitty Wishes, and I never went back to the story. However, I ran upon it on my vast Google Drive, dusted it off, and decided to try to publish it. I mean, why not? It was over 90 pages of Naomi/Zach that I didn’t want to go to waste.

The story shows how bubbly and rather scatterbrained Naomi is, and I think that lends a fun aspect to their relationship. Plus it was fun to write and I’m having fun revisiting it.

Because I’ve been revising this story so intensely, I started to think a little more about Naomi, what makes her tick and how she and

Zach got together. So, as I said,as part of this author’s challenge, I created a mood board that represent what Naomi is all about. Check it out:

I always thought of Naomi as a poor little rich girl. Her parents gave her everything she wanted except attention. She went to the best schools, but never got a direction in which she wanted to go. She suffers from depression, and if you’ve read Second Chance Christmas, you know what that resulted in. If you haven’t read the story, it will be made clear in the new book.

I really enjoy working with Naomi. She’s young, kinda gullible, but always ready to look on the bright side of things. She’s sweet, empathetic, and always willing to help out. On the other hand, she is prone to depression and while she might wish for a companion, she doesn’t want to burden anyone with her problems. I’m sure there is a little of Naomi in all of us at on time or another.

I look forward to putting out the new and revised story sometime next month.


Filed Under: Blogging, Tuesdays Tagged: author, dahlia dewinters, geek girl, multicultural romance, writer, writing

Blogtoberfest – My Bloody Vampire Sangria

Hello again!  So glad to see y’all along with me for the ride Halloween blogging, or, as I call it……BLOGTOBERFEST……..

Today’s recipe is not a mocktail, but a straight up liquor fest.  It was a choice between this and chocolate martinis.  I chose this because it looks like fruit punch.  (What, me drinking?  Nah, this is fruit punch.)  And I love sangria.

You can find the basic recipe here, but I added my own twist.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 (750 ml bottle of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Rioja reds, Zinfandel, Shiraz)
  • 1 Lemon cut into wedges
  • 1 Orange cut into wedges
  • Strawberry or Kiwi slices
  • 3 Tbsp sugar
  • 2 shots brandy
  • 1 shot gin
  • 2 cups ginger ale or club soda

Preparation:

Pour wine in the pitcher and squeeze the juice wedges from the lemon and orange into the wine. Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if possible) and add sugar and brandy. Chill overnight. Add ginger ale or club soda just before serving.

If you’d like to serve right away, use chilled red wine and serve over lots of ice.

 


Filed Under: Blogtoberfest, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged: blerd, blogtoberfest, colors in darkness, dahlia dewinters, female geek bloggers, geek girl, halloween, halloween drinks, Halloween fun, halloween recipe, sangria, vampires

Blogtoberfest – Recipes – Cinnamon Sugar Spider Webs

Picture courtesy of FoodNetwork

Total Time: 40 min

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 30 min
Yield: about 30 webs

Ingredients

  • Vegetable oil, for frying
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup, plus 1/4 cup for brushing
  • 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • Jelly spiders, orange or black nonpareils, for garnish, optional

Directions

Pour enough oil in a large skillet so it’s about 1 inch deep. Heat oil over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers between 280 to 300 degree F.

Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center; add the milk, egg, and 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Whisk the dry and wet ingredients together until smooth.

Transfer batter into a large size pastry bag with a # 3 or 4 open tip. Carefully squeeze batter in a circular pattern and then back and forth into the oil, to make a free form spider web-like design, about 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Cook until bottoms are golden, about 2 minutes. Using tongs or slotted spoon, turn fritters over and cook until golden on other side, about 1 minute more. Transfer the fritters to paper towels to drain briefly. Brush lightly with maple syrup and dust with confectioners’ sugar. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm or at room temperature alone or with the garnishes.

Copyright 2008 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved

*You may use a zip bag instead of a pastry bag. Snip a corner to the appropriate size and you’re good.

Courtesy of the Food Network


Filed Under: Blogtoberfest, Recipes Tagged: black geek girls, black girl nerd, black girl nerds, blerd, dahlia dewinters, fall harvest, geek girl, halloween, halloween recipe, recipe

5 Ways of Self-Care for Writers

As an author, sitting is an unfortunate by-product of the profession.  When I first began my writing career, I confess that I spent too much time at my desk, desperately typing, revising and editing, so much so that I ended up in the emergency room with a pinched nerve in my back. I’ve had three children and I have never experienced something so painful in my life. Even now, as I write about it, I cringe at the memory!

Needless to say, after recovering from that ordeal, I made definite changes to my writing routine.  By doing so, it has not only improved me physically, but also kicked up my mental processes, making writing that much easier. My muse is so much happier and she shows it by letting the ideas flow!

There are five things that I worked into my writing routine that helped me improve the way I work.

Please take these tips and mold them to your needs.  Good health is important.

As authors, we begin behind the eight-ball because we sit for such a large portion of our day.

Without further ado, here they are:

  1. Drink plenty of water.  It’s easy to slurp down coffee and soda and juice while sitting at the computer.  The sugar and caffeine give us a quick rush of energy and keep us focused on the task at hand.  However, overloading on such drinks can cause a late day crash, jitters,  and dehydration.  I have acquired a cute little water bottle and fill it with ice water with a touch of lemon juice.  Mind you, I do not skip my morning coffee, and will go for a refill if the urge strikes me.  Bu if I am going to have the coffee, I’ll make a conscious effort to finish the water bottle by noon, then go back for a refill on that too. Sipping water also keeps me from snacking too much.  The addition of the lemon gives the boring water a spiffy taste and has the  small benefit of Vitamin C.
  2. Take a Break – Try not to become so focused on your writing that you don’t get up from the computer because you don’t want to “break the spell”.  Create a break schedule.  Set a timer for fifty, thirty or twenty minutes, then working on your writing and ONLY your writing.  No checking social media or paring down your inbox.    When the timer goes off, get up.  Walk around, check the mail,  do yoga stretches – anything but sit.  This gives your body a break from sitting in a fixed position and gets the blood flowing to your brain.  Don’t skip the break, as tempting as it may be to do so.
  3. Exercise – Yes, you’ve heard it many times before.  Your brain feeds on the oxygen-rich blood circulated by the heart. Before I sit down at the keyboard with my fragrant cup of coffee, I complete a brisk 15-20 minute walk that gets my blood pumping and my brain receptive for the muse.  During these walks, I am often able to work out any issues that I might be having in my story.  Getting away from the keyboard and out into the fresh air helps immensely.I also enjoy yoga.  It’s calm, low-impact and I don’t have to get too dressed up for it!  When the weather is poor or I simply don’t feel like going outside, ten to  fifteen minutes of yoga poses can serve the same purpose.
  4. Get Enough Sleep – Most of us wouldn’t stay up half the night and try to function at the job on four or five hours of sleep, would we?  If you write full time like me, your writing is your job. Treat it like one.  Get enough rest the night before.  A full night’s sleep increases your mental sharpness, emotional balance, and creativity.  Sitting in front of your computer screen bleary-eyed and fuzzy-headed can only lead to frustration and writer’s block.  It’s all about putting yourself in the most optimum frame of mind possible.
  5. Pay attention to Posture – Nothing will fatigue you more than terrible posture.  We’ve all done it: shoulders hunched, wrists smashed against the laptop and feet in odd positions.  There’s no problem in doing it, the problem is staying that way.  Check your posture: are your shoulders back, feet flat on the floor and your wrists relaxed?  Hunching over can put a great strain on the neck, as well as the shoulders and forearms.  My weakness is that I lean to the right side, putting too much pressure on my right arm.  About fifteen minutes of that and I have to shake it back awake!  Stay cognizant of how you sit.

 

So there you have it, my magical formula for staying alert and healthy while pounding out the word count.  While I don’t always do every single thing on this list, I strive to ensure that I’m in the best mind frame possible when I sit down at the computer.  It’s not easy sticking to this routine, and I have been guilty of hunching over the computer for an hour straight. However, as long as that remains an anomaly and not a regular practice, I’m looking forward to many happy, healthy years as an author with a happy, healthy, giving muse and no more ER visits!

1Love

Dahlia


Filed Under: Wednesday, Wellness Wednesday, Writer Wednesday Tagged: author, black geek girls, black girl nerds, dahlia dewinters, geek girl, wellness wednesday, wisdom wednesday, writer, writing

Blogtoberfest – Horror Movie Review – Friend Request

Title:  Friend Request

Synopsis:  A popular college student graciously accepts a social outcast’s online friend request, but soon finds herself fighting a demonic presence that wants to make her lonely by killing her closest friends.

Genre:  Horror

Opinion:

Let’s face it, most of us live online these days, especially those under 30.  Between online dating and online classes, people find themselves either at the computer or on their cell phones.  People are judged by the number of friends they have on social media or the number of likes they have on a post.  Some people pay good money to acquire followers and/or garner even more interest in their online musings.

Okay, you might be saying, it’s a movie review, Dahlia, get to the damn point.  All right then.  I say all that to say is when we see a post with no likes or a person with a low number of “friends” or “followers”, we assume that means low popularity.  And of course, someone with low popularity online is to be pitied and “felt sorry for”

And now we come to the crux of this movie.  A popular college student receives a friend request from a girl who doesn’t have any friends.  Feeling sorry for her, she “friends” her.  The relationship then degenerated into a sort of stalker/stalkee symbiosis, with the popular college student trying to get away from the cloying, smothering of her new “friend”.

::::::::SPOILER ALERT:::::::::::::::SPOILER ALERT::::::::::::::::SPOILER ALERT:::::::::::::::

After cutting off the friendship, the girl commits suicide and posts the video on the popular girl’s social media page.  This leads to her losing online friends and then DUN DUN DUN, she begins losing friends in real life….TO MURDER MOST FOUL.

Anyhoo, the rest of the movie invovles her tracking down and trying to eliminate the girl’s ghost, who is apparently causing all the trouble.  Will she succeed?  You’ll have to watch the movie to find out.

All in all, it wasn’t the best horror movie I’ve seen, but I thought the premise was interesting.  It is well-acted and well-shot with some disturbing imagery, but I must say the movie does contain an almost paint by the numbers list of horror cliches, including jump scares with stinger chords.  Despite these flaws, it’s moderately intriguing and is a good movie to have on in the background.

Grade:  B-

 


Filed Under: Blogtoberfest, Horror Movie Reviews, Movies--Books--Music--Television Tagged: black geek girls, blogtoberfest, dahlia dewinters, friend request, geek girl, halloween, Halloween fun, horror movie, horror movie review, horror movies, movie geek, movie review, movies, movies that scare

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