I cooked a dish of manicotti tonight. It wouldn’t make a good picture. It’s delicious but really buried under so much cheese. So… yeah. Pretty much I could show you a block of cheese and we’d call it a day.
So instead, I’ll show you why I bought a couch.
Neko OWNS the couch. It is hers. Just so you know. Right now, in this photo, she’s staring at an interloper.
This is a pillow I use to support my back while I type. As you can see, not a fuck was given after it was taken away from me. Yoshi… yeah, my accidental cat.
Where ever these men are…whomever they eventually loved…I hope they lived a life full of joy and wonder. It is what everyone deserves. And in this moment when they stole a kiss behind a curtain of a photobooth, they were able to have a whisper of happiness. May they have had many more.
Tonight’s dinner is a Spicy Oyster Sauce Pork over Fried Rice.
I made a pork roast with a kosher salt, garlic and pepper rub. Chopping the leftover roast into long, thick strips, I tossed them into a very hot pan to sear them. Added oyster sauce and garlic chili sauce. Left on high heat to brown up.
The fried rice is my typical fried rice. Leftover cold rice, mixed with shoyu (soy sauce) while in the rice cooker pot. Once the shoyu has been distributed, toss into a flat frying pan and let it sit. Don’t stir. You want the rice to crackle. Whip three eggs with a little bit of water and once the rice’s been cooking for a bit (I usually let it go for about five minutes or so), pour the eggs over it. And let it sit.
Now, at this point, I have some frozen peas in a sieve. Run hot water over them to warm them up. Toss the rice and eggs. It should have a nice brown crackle on the rice. Add the peas. At this point, salt and pepper to taste. If you wanted, you can pretty much add anything at the turning the rice and egg stage. Shrimp, cooked mushrooms, bean sprouts. I added sesame seeds to this one. You can also add curry, pineapple and shrimp at this point. Add honey roasted peanuts to that and have Thai Shrimp Pineapple fried rice.
Listen to me ramble for 12 minutes! Learn bad Korean! Listen to my dog bark in the background. Hear what I sound like without enough coffee and the lingering effects of GayRomLit!
I try to answer some questions about Korean words. Mostly I ramble. You will not be tested on this later and by no means are you required to use these pronunciations. Hell, if you’re pronouncing Jae as Ralph, it’s all good. *grins*
The bane and happy of any writer is a review. Seriously, getting a two- or one-star review* guts me. Even more so if it comes from a reader who liked the first book or someone who picked up the books because someone said “Hey you need to read these”. Honestly, I have to temper this with the knowledge that not everyone liked everything. And it’s a bitch because really, deep down inside… I want everyone to like every single word I’ve ever used.
I’m not going to say written because in truth… the words are there. It’s just a matter of which ones to use.
So back to reviews and the gutting. It’s a natural thing. Deep down inside, past all of the bravado or introverted behaviour, writers have egos. God knows, I have a huge ego. I want to be the best. Be the most solid. Be on top. It’s a sickness and what drives me. I agonize over every word and see if something feels right. So to have someone say it sucks… feels…bad.
Bunneh**
But not so bad that I should stop. I do have a story to tell. Or five.
Postive reviews are as much of a pain in the ass as negative ones. There’s a pressure that builds up inside of me. Can I meet expectations? Will I deliver? Can I keep someone entertained? Reviews are by and large, a win-lose situation. You can learn a lot about what people like and dislike. Therein lies the trouble… what to glean from a review?
Bottom line, glean very little. Make notes of valid points. The big ones for my books:
Korean Names
I know the Korean tends to be hard to follow. I have to balance that out for non-Asian readers. I won’t homogenize the names because well, they’re Korean. And well, Cole’s gotta write them down too. Can’t say I’ll use them less. Not in this series. But I can say I do try to make it clear. Hopefully, I’ll keep everything straight. *crosses fingers*
More Sex
That’s what I didn’t expect. I usually have the boys do the nasty when it feels right for them to do so. I think I’ll continue with that. I don’t think C&J are in a position to do it like bunnehs all over the place. Trust me, as much as I hate writing sex scenes because I want to keep them fresh and…well…smexy… I’d like the boys to do it more often.
Lots of Guns and Cole Getting Shot At
Guns are easy to use. Also, Los Angeles does have a lot of gun violence. I shoot at Cole a lot because well, it’s fun. Also, I’m writing fiction. He’s gonna get shot at more than anyone else. It would be boring if he were a normal guy sitting around watching football…however that would leave more time for Jae to crawl into his lap. Also, knives hurt more and you’ve gotta get in close. Trust me on that one.
So…. How is Dirty Laundry doing? Honestly, at this point, I don’t know. I’m halfway in…the point where I really hate the story. It’s always that way. I hit a mark and I hate everything about where I’m going. We’ll see how I feel in a couple of chapters. Or maybe even six chapters.
So if there’s anything you’d like to see more of or less of, let me know. Can’t say I’ll write to it but I’m always interested in opinions. *grins* Sometimes, I even have one of my own. Actually I have them a lot. Mostly about people not using enough garlic when they cook.
* This is not a call to go tromp on people who leave two- or one- star reviews. Because really, I’ve been there. I’ve read books in a series that just didn’t do it for me. And I so understand. I do. I do thank them for the time they’ve spent reading my books. That’s very sweet of them to do so.
** There’s no reason for the bunneh to be here. I just wanted one.
I wanted something more like comfort food today. We ate rich at ABQ and Los Angeles so my guts are all… hey! want something nice and warm. Like Home Food! Damn It! Rice or Noodles!
My stomach has some definite opinions.
So today, lunch is miso ramen with a shrimp broth base, roasted pork, egg omelette and peas. With shoyu. ‘Cause you know… one needs shoyu.
I’m adding a picture of the wonderful Heather and me. God I look like I have no neck. Honestly, I do. I was all puffy-cheeks and body this weekend. Needed more water. *coffs* and less alcohol. Seriously, it was a drink all night kind of weekend. *grins*
Heather is in pink. I’m the half-asleep one in black.
Since my beloved sister-in-Coffee-Lust/h is Amish…I am posting these here. Husbands is a brilliant comedy written and starring Brad Bell, a lovely man and a fantastic actor. His fellow writer comes from Buffy fame, the witty and adorable Jane Espenson. Seth Hemeon plays Cheek’s out and sorta proud husband, a professional baseball player. Check out the episodes of season two and play name that guest star and where you know them from. Also, visit the youtube channel for Husbands and see the Behind the Scenes and watch season one. You can watch season 2 without watching season 1 first. I did.
Rhys Ford 