Smorgasbord Blogger Daily – Wednesday 24th February 2021 – #LakeDistrict Mike Biles, #AlooGobi Sowmya’s Spicy Corner, #Publishing Alison Williams

Just a small selection of the posts I have enjoyed in the last few days.. I hope you will head over to enjoy in full.. thanks Sally.

The first post is from Mike Biles of A Bit About Britain and brings back very happy memories of living and working in the Lake District back in the early 80s. Fabulous scenery and walks for every age and ability.

Helvellyn, England’s third mountain  

England, unlike Wales, is not a mountainous country. Indeed, it is fair to say that other countries, with the possible exception of Holland, have mountains that come in larger sizes than England’s. But England does have some fairly serious lumps of rock and Helvellyn is one of them. At 3,117 feet (950 metres), it is England’s and the Lake District’s third highest peak, relatively accessible, with interesting and varied scenery, exhilarating views, the added magnetism of the infamous Striding Edge…and is not to be trifled with.

Head over to discover more about this wonderful place to walk after lockdown and enjoy the lovely views: Helvellyn, England’s third mountain

We eat curry at least once a week and I usually make enough for two days. I was a child in Sri Lanka back in the 50s and Sunday lunch was always a party with everyone gathering  to enjoy our cook’s wonderful curries including all the additional trimmings to go with it. My parents continued that tradition wherever my father was posted  and as David learned to make great curries from the ships cook when at sea for four years in the early 70s  it is a tradition we have both enjoyed continuing.

Here is a wonderful recipe for Aloo Gobi a vegetarian curry, from Sowmya’s Spicy Corner, and there are some amazing recipes to enjoy.

Aloo Gobi – a vegetarian classic in the North Indian cuisine. This is a semidry gravy and is prepared by cooking the the potatoes and cauliflower along with onions, tomatoes and few spices. The addition of spices – turmeric powder, coriander powder, kashmiri chilli powder and garam masala brings out the best of aroma and flavour apart from the enchanting yellow colour it imparts to the dish. This delicious semidry gravy pairs well with all the Indian flatbreads, parathas, jeera rice or pulav rice.

Head over for the ingredients and step by step guide to preparing this delicious curry: Sowmya’s Spicy Corner Aloo Gobi Vegetable curry

The final post today is from editor Alison Williams with a handy list of questions to ask your small publisher before you sign anything on the dotted line.

Signing with a small publisher? Here’s what to look for 

Re-posting some previous posts that followers have told me they found most helpful. Today’s post was written after I had to re-edit, proofread and generally sort out a manuscript that had been published by a vanity press purporting to be a legitimate small press, who had charged the client in question thousands of pounds. In my subsequent ‘nosing about’, I discovered some authors that had been badly let done by small presses. That said, I do appreciate that there are lots of fabulous small presses out there that work incredibly hard for their authors.

I recently wrote a bit of a rant about the quality control of some small presses whose books I had read.

If you are thinking of signing with a small publisher, then do bear a few things in mind.

Do your homework – start off by Googling the publisher. You might find threads on writing sites that go into a great deal of detail about your chosen publisher. Read them – they can be incredibly enlightening.

Ask questions – if your publisher is honest and genuinely wants the best for you, they should accept that you have a right to want to know about them. After all, you are placing your book and all the blood, sweat and tears that went into writing it in their hands.

Head over to discover the key questions to ask before you sign with any publisher: Signing with a small publisher? Here’s what to look for. #WritingCommunity #WritingTips

 

Thanks for dropping in today and I hope you will head over to read these posts in full.. thanks Sally.