Guest Post by B. Snow

So, yeah, I procrastinate. (See my blog for proof) Back in July, Rhys very graciously offered a guest blog spot to promote the Project Fierce Chicago anthology, which came out on July 16. And now it’s WEEKS LATER and I’m only now getting around to taking her up on her offer….

The anthology came about because Piper Vaughn said, “Hey, there’s this great organization in Chicago called Project Fierce that helps LGBTQ youth! What do you think about an anthology where all the proceeds would go to them?” And we all said, “Hell, yeah!” Less Than Three Press took up the cause, donating their time and expertise as well to publish 20 stories about young people trying to find home.

Here’s an excerpt from my story, “Hearth and Home”, a complete rip-off of Cinderella:

Hearth and Home by B. Snow

By the time winter blew into town from the lake, Natasha’s hair had grown down to her shoulders. Even dressed in Hannah’s husband’s old clothes, she got appreciative glances from men who came through the marketplace. “You need to flirt a bit, missy,” Hannah muttered after Natasha sent away a blushing young man with a bundle of herbs and a firm handshake.

“I don’t think so,” Natasha told her.

“How do you ever expect to get a husband? Men aren’t perceptive. You have to hit them over the head to let them know you like them.”

Natasha sighed. She knew she’d have to talk about it sometime; she just hoped that Hannah needed her enough to not send her away. “I don’t like men,” she said. “I like women.”

Martin whipped his head around to stare at her, but Hannah just raised her eyebrows. “Women? Well, that’s different.”

Natasha could barely believe what she’d heard. “It doesn’t bother you?”

Hannah shrugged. “An’ ye harm none, do what ye will. At least I won’t have to worry about you getting knocked up.”

Here’s the buy link for the anthology

And here’s a link for Project Fierce Chicago (the organization) if you want to find out more about them and/or donate directly to them: http://projectfiercechicago.org/

When I asked Rhys what to include in the blog post, she said that recipes are always good. “Hearth and Home” mentions soup several times, so I thought about a soup recipe (because who doesn’t like soup??!?), but it’s summer here in GA….then I remembered that I usually make gazpacho in the summer because the spousal unit doesn’t like hot food in hot weather.

The recipe I use for gazpacho is based on the one from a cookbook that is either no longer for sale or I just can’t find it on the company’s website. The recipe they have at the website is different from this one, and I’m hoping to avoid copyright issues by changing the recipe slightly.

I make a half-recipe because a full recipe doesn’t fit into the Cuisinart. Even the half recipe sometimes sloshes out the top. So here’s how I make gazpacho. Continue reading “A Fierce Project, Gazpacho and B. Snow” →