Fried Lake Erie Perch- Yum!

My character of Mr. Wilder is dear to my heart because he is loosly based on my father. My dad was a man of little words. He worked full time at a demanding job to care for his family but his passion was fishing. From an early age, he took us girls fishing. I learned how to ice-fish on a cold Ohio pond to ride the waves on Lake Erie in search of Lake Perch. 

The Lake Erie Perch is a fresh water, or yellow perch and kin to the Walleye that can also be found in the Great Lakes. The perch has a mild taste and is a frequent staple of Friday Fish Fries around Amherst. But no one makes it as good as my dad.

I thought I'd share the recipe with you, since I write about this yummy treat in Forever Love. Syndie's father makes Lake Erie Perch for dinner one night when, Syn's ex-boyfriend, Thom, comes to visit.

Enjoy!

Fried Lake Erie Perch

Ingredients:

Approximately 15 Yellow Lake Perch filets (best when caught on Lake Erie)

2 cups Milk (to soak the perch in)

2 cups flour

Batter:

4 eggs

½ bottle or can of beer

½ cup of Milk

4 cups cracker meal (I like the McCormick/Golden Dipt)

Deep fryer with 6 cups oil or a deep frying pan with 6 cups oil

Directions:

Wash the perch in water, examining it for any scales that were missed. Then soak the perch in a bowl with the 2 cups milk over night. When you are ready to cook, remove the perch from the milk and put into a baggie filled with flour to coat the filets.

Mix two eggs and equal parts beer and milk in a deep dish. In a separate deep dish (a pie tin works well) pour the cracker meal.

Remove one filet from the flour mixture, place it into the egg/beer/milk mixture then coat in the cracker meal. Lay it on a sheet of wax paper until all filets have been double dipped through the mixtures. If one of the mixtures runs low, add more ingredients until you’ve coated all the filets. Throw out any of the remaining mixtures.

Once the filets have been coated, heat the oil up in the fryer or pan. Place one or two filets into the hot oil and let it cook only until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and enjoy!

Fairy Tales Are a Staple of Childhood... or Are They?

Fairy Tales are a staple of childhood.  We grow up hearing (and now watching Disney’s versions) of popular stories like The Little Mermaid, The Three Little Pigs, and Cinderella.  We dream of finding our own Prince Charming that can lift the curse.  But fairy tales have a variety of different perspectives.  As an elementary teacher, I use fairy tales to teach my students about point of view and perspectives. They also have different versions based on different cultures and nationalities.  Stories like The Rough-faced Girl and The Three Little Javelinas tell the tales of Cinderella and The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf from different cultures.

Perspectives can mean things more than just cultures.  It can share with the reader a different character’s point of view. If you haven’t read The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, you would be shocked to imagine the Big Bad Wolf as anything other than a greedy, hungry wolf.

In The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, the wolf is simply a misunderstood guy who was going from door to door in search of some sugar to bake his granny a cake.

Fairy Tales not only present a different point of view but can also change the characters into just about anything.  There are many Cinderella tales that change the characters from penguins to a boy to even dinosaurs.  By changing the characters, the author can introduce other concepts such as alliteration to conservation of nature. 

One of my favorite Cinderella tales is Bigfoot Cinderella, which tells the tale of Cinderella with bigfoot creatures as the main characters.  Instead of wanting to look more beautiful, Bigfoot Cinderella just wants to be smelly old self, which is exactly what wins her the prince in the end.

I enjoy playing with fairy tales and other known stories.  In college one of my fairy tale poems won an award and was recognized for its originality.  Today I like to take fairy tales to a new level.

My story Protecting His Wolfe is a twist on the fairy tale—The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf.  But in my story the Wolfe is a young naïve woman who finds herself in danger after over hearing a drug deal.  Betsie Wolfe is a strong woman who doesn’t like to rely on anyone other than herself but when she finds herself in danger, she turns to Jonah Pigg for help. Jonah is the oldest of the three Pigg brothers.  He is a police detective and first meets Betsie on the scene of a murder where she was the primary witness.  There are quite a few parts in the story where the characters tease each other about their names and that famous fairy tale.  But Protecting His Wolfe is just the beginning for these characters and this fairy tale.  I have two more books in the works highlighting Jonah’s brothers- Marcus and Luke as well as their own twisted fairy tales.  So stick around for that ride!

A Life Long Fascination With Cars

A Life Long Fascination with Cars

Alright, I admit it. I’m a gear-head.  I love the sleek long shape of the design and can’t get enough of the shine or colors.  It all sounds so titillating.  And for me it is!  I’m a car fanatic.  There is something exquisitely beautiful about a car that makes it more than just a tool to get from one place to another.

I grew up as one of five daughters to a very manly man.  My dad who worked in the steel plant on the floor where molten steel was poured and formed liked to hunt, ice fish, and build shed and playhouses for fun.  In many ways we were expected to do them to.  By the time I was  ten, I was  mowing the grass. Shh…don’t spoil it but we just liked to drive around on the tractor too!  We learned how to ice fish (burrrrr) and shoot (I wasn’t too bad hitting the cans, but never wanted to shoot an animal). We were all girls but had a unique side.

When my dad got me my first used car, I wasn’t allowed to drive it until I learned how to check the oil. It took me two days to figure out how to open the hood because I was too proud to ask for help, but I did it and  learned so much more. My first car was a pretty rusted out 1978 Firebird.  It was silver and had the screaming chicken (eagle) on the hood.  It was my pride and joy. At least until I had to share it with my next youngest sister and she wrecked it.  But that car was the car that launched my gear-head.  I had to learn how to drive a three-speed stick shift and, don’t tell my parents, got many of my speeding tickets because I just couldn’t go slow in that car!  Most of my friends were people who understood my love of cars and endured those Autoramma shows or had other showcase cars like ’63 Corevettes and’57 Chevy’s. Sometimes when it’s late at night I still cry that I didn’t get the  ’79 Camaro convertible in the divorce.

Cars tend to find themselves in my stories as well. In Beach Desires, the main character Stacey Wilder is a gear-head. She notices the beautiful ’68 dark read Camaro convertible before she notices the cute girl getting out of the car. In Protecting His Wolfe, Betsie is not a gear-head but a girl looking for a sensible car with good gas mileage.  However underneath that sensible girl lurks a gear-head who notices the sporty black car that the murderer was driving as well as Detective Jonah Pigg’s and his brother’s cars.  She just can’t help herself.  And most gear-heads can’t!  Summer is all about hot cars and sizzling nights. I hope you come along on my next story to see just what car shows up.  Varrrrrrooommmm!!

What's your favorite car? What car would you have if you could afford anyone? Why??

What Makes You Follow a TV Show?

Each year, the networks show off their new shows hoping that they will entice viewers to set aside time each week for their stories. We know that when a show becomes popular, it helps the networks earn more money for ads. But popularity can also catapult that new actor to stardom or spin off merchandising. Just think about True Blood. You can buy the True Blood drinks and who'd heard of Alexander Skarsgard before the show became popular?

Then there are the shows that are fan favorites but never seem to get the recognition it deserves and is taken off the air. It has a strong following but not the popularity that changes a show from interesting to a must-see TV night.

But if it was as easy to create a popular show that caused readers to fall in love with, every show would be a success. So what is the formula? What makes a show worth your time? Does the story have to have hot looking characters? Or is the gripping storyline more important?

Maybe it is a story that you can laugh at or shows the world in a "realistic" way. Do you identify with the characters? Do you long to be a part of their family? Or is it the fact that they are crazier than your family?

We'd love to hear from you. What shows do you have to watch? What makes a show a must-see? 

Open Mike Saturday- Book Trailers Are They Worth It?

Book Trailers- Are They Worth It?

Sitting in the movie theater, small snippets of upcoming movies scroll across the screen tempting you to come back and see another movie. These movie trailers hit You Tube and are shared among fans who can’t wait to see their upcoming favorite series or hot hunk in his new starring role. We know that movie trailers are great promotions and draw many people into seeing 

Book Trailers:
More and more authors are using the idea of movie trailers for their books. These book trailers are becoming more widespread as authors are trying to find new ways to promote their books and bring in more sales. But do they work?

Most authors that I’ve spoken with as well as research has shown that book trailers DO NOT increase book sales although a book trailer does add some additional pizzazz to your website and make a wonderful addition to your book’s promotions. They are not what drives people to buy your book.

The discussion most people have is about the quality of the book trailers and how they are used. Just like a poorly made cover, a poorly made book trailer can actually turn off a potential reader. They feel that if the trailer is shoddy, then the book or the writing must be. On the site Book Blogs (here), they had an ongoing discussion on the value of book trailers which I found very interesting. Specific points were addressed about the use of book trailers for promotion. Another site ezine articles (here) gives you some ideas about promotions for your book trailer which is very helpful.

My Own Experiences:
I myself use book trailers on my website as a value added feature to my book. When I design a page on the website about my book, I include the blurb, cover and excerpt in addition to a book trailer. I feel that it gives another glimpse at my story through my eyes. With book trailers, you decide on the way your characters appear and the main points you want to highlight about the book. The trailers haven’t increased my sales but provide readers with a bonus feature like a music playlist. I’m not skillful with the movie programs yet so I’ve contracted with two people to create the book trailers for me. They each have a unique style to their trailers that fit my stories. The cost of book trailers ranges from about $20-$100 or even higher depending on the quality of the product. 

The Future of Book Trailers:
The future of book trailers is wide open. While many people aren’t seeing them as useful for sales, they may become a big part of promotion. Authors can use them at book signings to entice readers to “see” their books. Book trailers may even be included with the purchase of an e-book as added value like the extra features on your favorite DVD’s. Who knows…we may even see book trailers on our local movie screens showcasing the latest book by some of our favorite authors. Only time will tell.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on book trailers. I’ve posted a couple of mine for you to see. Have they worked for you? What do you like about a book trailer? What ways will you use them? What do you see for the future?