72oz Steak Challenge

Warning this post is not vegetarian friendly! :-)

I'm lucky enough to live near an excellent Steakhouse - The Littleport Steakhouse. I go there every few weeks with some people from work. They do an amazing mixed grill of exotic meats.

They also do a 72oz steak challenge. You have an hour to eat it and if you do you get it for free, if not it's £50.

I've been meaning to give it  atry for a while now and last not, along with one of my collegues we gave it a try.

First let me say that a 72oz steak is a lot of meat! Here's what it looks like to start with:


 



That is a big old steak :-) The knives you get are pretty cool as well, something Rambo would be proud to wield.

I had mine medium, Igor had his blue (probably not a wise choice for this challenge!). I started off well and polished half of it away quite quickly. Unfortunately it didn't go well from that point. I hit the meat sweats and the meat wall - I ate some more, but not a lot.

Frustrating I wasn't full, but I just couldn't chew any more meat. Here's what remained:

In total I managed some 42oz of meat. It was fun, but I think I'll stick to the mixed grill next time :-)

A shout out for the ladies that served us and if you're in the area and love well cooked and presented meat then check it out.

Book Impressions - Diary of a Parallel Man by Mahershalalhashbaz

This book is one of those most wondrous of things, a gift of a book that I probably would never have read that turns out to be amazing. And this is an incredible book.

The story takes the form of a diary written by Mahershalalhashbaz (or Baz for short). He is born in a world where the fall of man never happened, Adam and Eve passed God's test and as such they and their decendents were blessed with eternal life and live in Eden, a paradise that stretches across the Earth. God is also known to them in person, he is not a matter of faith, but of reality.

Already I was hooked on the idea, what would such a world be like? But Baz discovers a way to cross into our world and that is what concerns the story. It is wonderfully written, the culture shock for Baz is immense. His simple observations strike to the core of some of the absurd and terrible aspects to our lives.

He meets Kirsty, a young woman who helps him. She is a staunch atheist and he of course is a believer, he has met God in person.

It's a great story from start to finish. My only mild complaint was the ending felt a little abrupt, but that didn't mar my enjoyment.

I highly recommend this book. Read it now :-)

Imagine a world where God is a proven reality. Adam and Eve have passed the test of obedience and have been granted everlasting life for themselves and their offspring.

What if a man born in that world suddenly found himself in ours?

This is the story of Mahershallalhashbaz, told in his own words.
It is the story of a massive clash of cultures, of ethics, of truths; the story of a man who deals only in absolutes having to live in a world where nothing is certain, where people struggle with conflicting beliefs, and live only to die.

Surviving on Manchester’s streets, he relies on the one person to have shown him kindness in this bewildering reality, a young woman named Kirsty.
She is a staunch atheist – he knows that God exists for sure. But as their friendship grows, both of them begin to see life from fresh perspectives.

As he searches for a way to return to his own dimension, he wonders why his God and Father remains ever silent as the innocent suffer and the world’s populace staggers from one disaster to the next.

Why has the Father abandoned them? Is it really as simple as Obey or Die?

David Elham tackles the last taboo head on in this thought provoking, heart wrenching story of spiritual betrayal and human love.
Buy now from Amazon (US) | Buy now from Amazon (UK)

To Market (New Elite: Dangerous Drabble)

The latest Elite: Dangerous newsletter has been posted and features a drabble from Dave Hughes (the author of the upcoming Elite: Dabgerous paper RPG). You can read the newsletter here.

To Market by Dave Hughes

"The manifest says they're food." The creatures just sat there looking at Carlo, their dirty, leathery hides covered in dirt and grime from the cargo bay floor. "They escaped from the cage," Reet said.

Carlo glanced at the soil-covered cage, then back to the escapees with an expression of revulsion, "They're hideous."

"They're really popular in the Core," Reet explained, "We make good profit on 'em."

"But they're filthy. They're covered in their own waste, for Randomia's sake. People eat them?"

"Apparently," Reet shrugged.

"Crazy," Carlos said, shaking his head. "What are they called?"

Reet glanced at her manifest, "Pigs."

You can visit Dave at his site: http://daftworks.co.uk/

Guest Author Interview - SKN Hammerstone

We've reached the midpoint of the week and to celebrate let's say hello to SKN Hammerstone and find out about her writing:

Please introduce yourself, who are you and what do you do?
My name is SKN Hammerstone and I am a YA gothic horror/ paranormal author.

What first inspired you to start writing?
I can’t think of any specific event or reason I started writing. I have been doing it for as long as I can remember. I guess it was because I wanted to create another world with other people in it. I wanted to make something that people would read and use to spur their own imagination.

And what attracted you to the darker side of storytelling?
I have always liked standing on the line between the light and the dark. The dark gives a sense of danger and adventure that draws people in. Some authors like to make people fall in love or laugh. I find a certain thrill in scaring people with the darkness in my work. I am driven by how far into the dark I can push people before they run.

If you could work with any author, who would it be and why?
I would love to work with Edgar Allan Poe. Yes; he is dead. But of every author I have come across, he is my favorite. He is the original dark author and I think all authors that write like I do draw some inspiration from him.

Where do your ideas come from?
Music usually works for me. I can be listening to a completely random song on the radio (usually gothic or hard rock.) and it will plant an idea in my head. It might be for the next chapter in a book I am writing or it may be for a completely new book.

What do you enjoy most about writing?
I enjoy the way that I can make and do anything in my writing. Nothing can stop me from saying something is real or isn’t real. I can do what I want without consequence.

And the least?
I can’t stand marketing. This is probably a lot of authors’ least favorite thing to do. Some days you just wish the book would promote itself.

What are you working on at the moment?
Right now I am working on the final editing of a sequel to my first book.

Tell us about your latest work and how we can find out more.
The book I am working on now is called The Deceived and it is the second in its series, the first being The Rift. It is very demonic and twisted and very strange. The first chapter of it is actually available on my blog for people to read.http://sknhammerstonebooks.webs.com/ It will hopefully be ready for publication by the summer.

Buy now from Amazon (US) | Buy now from Amazon (UK)

Thanks to SKN for sharing her thoughts us (it's always nice to meet a fellow Poe fan!), on Friday Timothy Niedermann takes his turn in the hot seat.

Gypsy Spirits Tour - Guest Post - Does Literature Affect A Writer?

Welcome to Marianne Spitzer's blog tour for her new book 'Gypsy Spirits'. You can find out more about book below, but first she has written a guest post about how literature affects her as a writer. You can also enter a free giveaway to win a copy of 'Gypsy Spirits'.

 

DOES LITERATURE AFFECT A WRITER                  

By Marianne Spitzer

I have enjoyed writing for as long as I can remember. Reading was a bit more difficult. I attended Catholic school for first grade through eighth. Try as I might, I don’t remember a library in my grade school. Each class room had books for reading, but they all had a religious theme. How did I find and fall in love with mysteries and horror?

The start came in the form of a neighborhood boy whose mother believed reading was important and purchased several Hardy Boys books for him. I read them and was hooked. Toward the end of that school year, I turned twelve. It was a wondrous number. I could get my own library card at the local public library. After several days of driving my mom to distraction, she took me to get my card. We were going to the public library, a building I had never seen.

I was amazed at the size of the two story, stone building. It was half the size of my entire school. The entrance was at ground level, but the children’s library was half a flight of stairs down. I could see the adult library half a flight above. I never imagined there were so many books in the world much less our town. My mom and I filled out the necessary paperwork and in minutes I was holding my very own library card. A small, lightweight cardboard, orange card with a small metal square in the corner, and it was mine—all mine.

I asked the librarian where the Hardy Boy books were and she inquired about why I wanted to read them. I began to explain my love of the books, the mysteries, detectives, and solving crimes. She leaned over and whispered, “There are girl detectives, too.” My glee must have been apparent because she led me by the hand to one of the greatest sights I had ever seen. In front of me I saw a bookcase with two rows of Nancy Drew books. I was delighted.

Only being able to borrow three books at a time and having to convince mom to drive me to the library every few days, it took most of the summer to read all the copies they had. Then I resorted to writing my own mysteries and the writer in me was born.

A few years passed and I was old enough to enter the sacred adult library and its vast treasury of books. It was there I discovered classics such as Dracula and Frankenstein. I also had a love affair with Sherlock Holmes thanks to the brilliant writing of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Ready for a step into darkness brought me to the horror section. I discovered Poe and H.P. Lovecraft among others. It was Lovecraft and Poe who also taught me what it’s like to get through a day without any sleep after reading their work before bedtime, and not being able to sleep.

Each one of these books and authors helped bring me to where I am today, a mystery, supernatural, horror writer. There were many other books and authors along the way. I also read other genres and many classics. Every book and genre a person reads makes them a better writer. While it is important to write, it is also important to keep reading.

Today, I still love mystery and horror, but those Nancy Drew books hold a special place in my heart. I purchased every available book for my daughter when she was a pre-teen. She still has them stored safely away. I recently purchased a copy of the 80th anniversary edition of the first book in the series. I have it displayed for all to see. After all, The Secret of the Old Clock was my first step into this author world I love.        

 

Spirits? Madness? Which haunts Daniel? His teenage bride, Annamarie, must answer the question while she deals with her husband’s controlling behavior and abnormal fear of spirits he believes exist in the surrounding woods near their home. During an argument, her anger erupts and she yells a few odd words at her husband, Daniel, which she explains is her Gypsy curse. A bad day at work convinces him the curse is real, but after the brutal death of his best friend, his belief in the curse and his terror of the spirits escalates. Annamarie begins to have foreshadowing dreams of a young Gypsy girl who resembles her in every way. As the dreams become more vivid and frequent, Annamarie begins to fear her utterance of a Gypsy curse may have brought spirits into their lives. When they both have the same dream, she believes Daniel’s fears may be real. They feel they may be close to answers when a human killer enters their lives. With two battles to wage they must stand strong together. Frightening events spiral out of control and Annamarie must fight for her husband’s safety, his sanity, and her own.

Buy now from Amazon (US) | Buy now from Amazon (UK)

Praise for Gypsy Spirits

“…the characters immediately grabbed my attention. People were dying and mysterious things were occurring. This kindled my curiosity. As I got deeper into the book, the plot became more and more twisted. Then the story wouldn't let go of me. I'm normally pretty good at figuring out how stories are going to end, but this time I wasn't. I congratulate the author for having me completely fooled as to how the book was going to end. Not many can do that, so I look forward to reading more from this author.” – Lisa on Amazon

“Highly recommend this book. Excellent story mixing love, family matters, mystery and spirits. The end will really surprise you as it did me.” – Carolyn on Amazon

About Marianne Spitzer

I was born in Milwaukee, and lived there until I was eighteen. Then I spent eight years in Washington state and California before returning to Wisconsin. I love eerie places and books. I began with a love of Nancy Drew books and as I grew I found H.P Lovecraft, Agatha Christie, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle among others. When I am not writing, I am reading or watching sunsets. I have been writing short stories since I was in grade school. Most were in the form of essays relating real life events. Many were purely imaginary trips to magical places and times. I enjoy making up stories about people I meet or see on the street. I can see a story in a picture, especially if the picture is eerie. My imagination runs wild and free. I have self-published a book of essays and a book of children's stories for my granddaughter, Brittney. Gypsy Spirits is my debut novel and the first in the series of three "spirit" books. I have self-published the second "spirit" book, Annamarie and Magdalena. I also self-published a supernatural mystery, THE LETTER. I plan to have the sequel to THE LETTER out this year and the third "spirit" book available winter 2013/14. From there I am sure my muse will guide me into another story plot.

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