How to spend more time writing and less time on boring stuff (plus some easy #recipes and handy #writingtips)

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Helena Fairfax

November 6, 2015

How to spend more time writing and less time on boring stuff (plus some easy #recipes and handy #writingtips)

Last year I was part of a cookbook called Bake, Love, Write, a collection of recipes sent in by over eighty authors around the world, and collated and edited by author Lois Winston. Lois donated a proportion of the profits to food banks, and so it was a particularly proud time for us when the cookbook became an Amazon bestseller.

This year I’m really excited to announce that we’ve launched another cookbook. We’d Rather Be Writing is a collection of quick and easy dinner recipes and time-saving household hints, plus a section on writing tips – perfect for the writer who is running out of time on a deadline or struggling to get their word count down. In fact, the book is also perfect for anyone at all who’d rather be doing something else than spending time in the kitchen. I actually love cooking, but like most people there are days when I just want to make something quick and delicious, and this cookbook is a godsend.

Once again, a percentage of the profit from the sale of this new cookbook will be donated to charity. The charity this year is No Kid Hungry.

If you’re doing NaNoWriMo at the moment, this book is ideal for you. And if you know a busy writer, the cookbook would make a great Christmas gift. I already have my copies ready to wrap. (Pretend you haven’t read this, writer friends, and prepare to look surprised!)

Yesterday I went around the fish market in Leeds. (My nearest big city. I love its covered market.) There’s a wonderful array of fish in the market, and so I’m always looking for new fish recipes to try. This book has a fab selection of dishes that I can’t wait to cook. Author Margaret S.Hamilton’s Garides Tourkolimano (Greek shrimp) recipe is first up on my list to try!

helena fairfax, recipes, cookbook — *Fish market (Image courtesy of Pixabay)*

If you’d like a copy of We’d Rather Be Writing, it’s available in print and as an e-book. Here are some of the purchase links:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon CA

iTunes

Kobo

Google Play

B&N Nook

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Do you enjoy cooking, or would you always prefer to spend your itme writing if you had the choice? Do you have a useful writing tip, or a time-saving household tip?

If you have any comments at all, I’d love to hear from you!

6 responses to “How to spend more time writing and less time on boring stuff (plus some easy #recipes and handy #writingtips)”

marsharwest

November 6, 2015

Hey, Helena. For some reason, I no longer get emails about your blogs. When I check on manage, it shows that I get them. Probably has something to do with the change in my PR firm and some email issues. I no longer get all the hundreds of spam emails, for which I’m profoundly grateful and which has really provided a time savings, but some people who followed my blog no longer get the emails, I don’t get emails about people I’ve followed, and worst my old blogs got lost. :(
I’m so impressed with your two cookbooks, Helena, and that a portion of the sales goes to fight hunger is wonderful.
I seldom cook at all, anymore. The stores with all the fresh prepared foods make it so easy to swing by and pick up something for supper. This year, I won’t even be making the dressing and cranberries as we’ll be spending the holiday out of town with one of my daughter’s families and her in-laws. I thought when I retired, I’d cook more, but…oh well. Always enjoy your posts. I’ll mkae a point to just put your name in whatever that top line is called. LOL I’ll share. Oh, I think I did on FB already. But I’ll get Twitter now. :)

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1. Helena Fairfax
  
  November 6, 2015
  
  Hi Marsha, thanks so much for sharing. I really appreciate all your support – thank you!
  I wonder if the emails about my blog posts have been sent to your spam box? If you have a PR company looking after your mail, perhaps they’re trying to protect you from too many blog posts. It must be a great time-saver to have someone look after all of this for you. I don’t get too much spam, but I do find myself getting sucked in to a lot of stuff on the internet, and wasting precious writing time. Perhaps “How to avoid the internet time-suck” should be the title of our next collection :)
  There are a lot of really delicious and tasty ready meals here, too. Marks and Spencers do a great range.
  How nice to spend Thanksgiving with your extended family. I remember your post last year, and the fact that you eat marshmallows in a savoury dish. I still haven’t tried that one, but I’m very curious.
  Thanks for dropping in, and for your comment. Have a great weekend!
  
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J.Q. Rose

November 7, 2015

I snapped up this.cookbook. Sounds like something I need! Trying to add fish in our diet. I hope I can find something there for me. My DH likes fish shrimp scallops but I need to develop a taste for.it. Thanks for helping to feed the children from the proceeds of the book. Best wishes.

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1. Helena Fairfax
  
  November 8, 2015
  
  Thanks so much for buying a copy, JQ. I really love fish. I expect in Florida there are all sorts of varieties I’ve never even tried. Our local shrimps are tiny – perhaps because the sea here is so cold. Large shrimps are imported here, generally, and so they’re very expensive. I’d love to visit a fish market in Florida or the Caribbean.
  If you try any of the fish recipes and find one you like, please let me know. Thanks for your great comment!
  
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  1. J.Q. Rose
    
    November 8, 2015
    
    We do have lots of fish around here in FL. We eat at a bar on the Gulf of Mexico where they prepare fish caught right outside their door–well maybe a little farther out than that! My DH loves the boiled shrimp. Nice sized, so fresh and tasty to him. j’m not a fan. Whatever is in season is what they serve e.g. scallops, stone crab claws, blue crabs, etc.
    
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  2. Helena Fairfax
    
    November 8, 2015
    
    That sounds a wonderful place to eat! I’ve never had either of those types of crab. Again, our crabs are quite small (although very tasty if done well). Such an adventure to try different dishes!
    
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Helena Fairfax

Freelance editor, author, tea drinker, Yorkshire lass