The wind continues to howl, and the snow continues to fall, and spring (and cycling season) seems an eternity away. I exaggerate, of course.
My winter project is all but complete. I have 9 hours of audiobook recorded, and have about 3 hours of audio to master, and my story, Age of Magic, will be ready for uploading and sharing.
I am pleased to have got this far with this project, have taken my time to learn skills and software, and I think I will probably produce another audiobook this year for release before Christmas.
It is exciting to be at this threshold. Age of Magic has been generally well received by readers (it is a bit much for some, which may be the case with all of my writing), and I hope that listeners generally enjoy it too.
I have also written the sequel to The Mistress, titled Terra. This new story is very different from its prequel, and I had a lot of fun writing it. Where The Mistress is a dark, tech-noir, and sometimes claustrophobic, Terra is set in an expansive world, with a larger cast, and I have fully engaged my pulpist instincts to write something that feels closer to a Le Carré spy thriller than futuristic sci-fi. I have sent a rough draft of Terra to my reader, and I will see what they have to say.
I have also been busy over the winter, perfecting my hot sauce recipe. I am growing my own Scotch Bonnet peppers and should hopefully have a batch in the spring, but until then, I am buying Nigerian Ata Rodo peppers (which might be the same as a Scotch Bonnet?).
Here’s the recipe, which makes about 2 litres of sauce. The added fruit works well with the salt and vinegar, neutralising each other, and revealing the flavour of the peppers.
The method is quite simple. Put everything in a blender and blend. Store in the fridge. Goes very well with all meats and spices up sauces, stews, and curries.
1 kg red / orange scotch bonnet peppers
1 large can of pineapple (or ripe, juicy fresh)
30 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons Madras curry powder (regular curry powder also works)
15 culantro leaves
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 cup of apple cider vinegar (or whatever vinegar you want)
That’s it for winter! Spring’s army marches forward, with the Ice King retreating to his frozen lair until next he gains the upper hand. Hopefully, my next update will feature more cycling and less mithering about the weather.
Have fun!
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