Author: Mitchel Maree

Easy Homemade Eggnog Recipe (Kid-friendly)

Short Summary: It’s nearly impossible to find Eggnog in Ireland (without costing a fortune), so I make my own. This easy homemade eggnog recipe is kid-friendly and tastes great. I’m posting this recipe for my fellow Americans abroad, and for those who want to try making their own.

Recipe first, followed by some words. Feel free to “Print Recipe Here” to download a printer-friendly copy without all the words and pictures. Enjoy 🙂

Homemade Eggnog Recipe: Print recipe

  • 6 egg yolks
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • Optional: a sprinkle of Mixed spice*
  • Optional: 2 Tbsp each of bourbon and rum

Directions:

  • In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with a whisk or electric mixer until they become lighter in color.

  • Add in the sugar ¼ cup at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk/Beat until fluffy. Set to the side.

  • In a saucepan, combine milk, cloves, and cinnamon. Slowly heat on medium until the mixture steams, but do not let it boil.

  • Remove the saucepan from heat. Add the hot milk mixture into the eggs, ½ cup at a time, whisking constantly. Once most of the mixture is added and mixed well, dump it all back into the saucepan.

  • Cook the eggnog on medium heat, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook until the mixture reaches 160F or until it thickens and coats the back of the wooden spoon. Do not let the mixture boil, or it will curdle.

  • Remove from heat.
  • Measure out the heavy cream, add in vanilla and nutmeg. Pour this into the egg nog and stir until well mixed.

  • Done, you can drink this hot or let it chill for a few hours. Make sure to shake well before drinking.

  • *If adding alcohol, wait until its chilled for about an hour, add the alcohol and then chill again.

Prep time: about 20 mins.
Chill time: at least an hour.
Yield: Makes 1 quart (serves 4-6 people)

Thoughts

Holidays in the States, for me, center around great food and drinks. However, living in a foreign country, all those tasty treats are no longer at my fingertips.

On the plus side, I’ve kicked up my baking and cooking game. Instead of boxes or mixes, almost everything I make is from scratch. Sounds complicated, right? I used to think so, but I actually enjoy the process. I know every ingredient in a recipe and most things I already have on hand.

The hardest part is finding the ingredients. Some things, such as Crisco vegetable fat, are difficult to find in Ireland; or simply aren’t available. There is also the struggle of different names; bicarbonate of soda, anyone? That’s the name for baking soda here.

I’m posting this homemade Eggnog recipe because I know many ex-pats in Europe miss having some around the holiday season. This is an American holiday classic, although, like candy corn, some people love it, and others hate it. I tried a few eggnog recipes and after making several tweaks, this is my go-to recipe. My kids enjoy this special treat, and I love adding it to my coffee. You can even make it more “adult” and add in bourbon, rum, or really any alcohol you choose.

Keep in mind, this will probably not taste as thick and creamy as the store-bought brands in the States, but it’s a great alternative to those craving an eggnog fix.

Enjoy, share, and comment on what you think of this recipe.

Shout-out to all my Supporters!

I ran a Kickstarter in order to promote my book and get a few pre-sales (you can read it about it here). The Kickstarter ended on Sept. 27th and thankfully we were fully funded. I can’t thank all my supporters and backers enough. It was the hardest, yet most rewarding thing I have done yet, next to actually getting this book published, of course. The overwhelming outpouring of support for this project, is what gave me that final push I needed toward making this dream a reality.

I can honestly say, you may never know how many people are out there silently cheering for you; I had no idea. I never expected so many people to jump up and back this book. I wanted to take a moment to really say from the bottom of my overwhelmed, grateful heart, Thank You to every single one of my Kickstarter supporters.

Corei Bean; Kari and Thomas Bosley; Adam Hitchcock; Brenda Kelso, Julian Kelso, and Izaak King II; Brad, Theresa, and Bryce Alford; Wendy and Bruce Peterson; David “Fish Fillet” Blackwell; Ryan, Shelly, Emily, and Grace La Vergne; Jim Terryberry; Team PhillFam; Michael and Vanessa Patrick; Sean Byrne; Sean Robbins; Kara VanWinkle; The Reesmans; Mikey Jensen; Jessica and Zach Peterson; Darcy Jayne; Eunice Hammerstrom; Brian and Lisa Peterson; Samantha Nixon; Lanette and Amber Allen; Justin and Marti Thomas; and all the other backers who wish to remain anonymous.

Along with my Kickstarter supports, I have had amazing response from my book release. It seems everyday I find messages from one or two friends saying they bought my book or received their book in the mail. I never thought so many people would go out of their way to buy this book. It has been surreal to be a part of this experience.

When I first decided to publish this book, I laughed a bit thinking maybe I would sell 10 copies, if my mom bought 5 that is, lol. Much to my surprise I have sold a little over 100 copies! That’s more than I could have dreamed for a first release, self-published author. I have done all my own marketing and spent countless hours promoting on social media. I have spent so much time on research and learned a lot through this self-publishing process. I am grateful for every minute, but excited to get back to actual writing.

To say I am blown away doesn’t begin to describe how I feel. Honestly, when I started this journey back in July, I was embarrassed to admit I was writing a book. I’ve always been shy when it comes to admitting I write books, I’m not sure why, but lately I’ve been more forthcoming and honest about what I do all day. Everyone who has bought and liked the book, gives me the courage to come out of hiding and show the world what I am capable off. I have a lot of self-doubt, but I’m working on getting over that.

I need to take this moment to tell everyone who has supported this book in any way, from the Kickstarter to simply buying the book, Thank You. I may never sell thousands of books, but for me this has been an amazing success.

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Creating a Signature

One of my Kickstarter rewards is a signed copy of my book. I was so excited when I received my copies of the book, I could hardly wait to start signing and sending them out. As I sat down at my desk, the box of books next to me my pen at the ready, I opened the book and had a mini panic attack. How do I sign these? Should I say something or just put my signature? What page do I sign? What pen do I use? I’ve never signed with this pen name before! Ahhhh!

Overwhelmed doesn’t begin to describe this whole self-publishing process, and now I have one more thing to add to the list. I honestly thought signing a bunch of books would be the easy part. Side note: I have this thought a lot, thinking something will be easy and then it turns out to be overly complex. As with almost everything else in this process, I took to the internet. I have a few writing groups where I can ask my questions and gain clarity. After scouring these groups and researching the entirety of the internet (that’s what it felt like at least), I came up with a plan.

First of all, I use a pen name (read more here) which means I basically have a completely different persona. My actual signature is pretty horrific, and my handwriting can barely pass for chicken scratch. Now is my chance to right all those wrongs. I get to craft an entirely new, somewhat fancy, signature; I don’t foresee any massive fame where I’ll need to sign 10 million copies or anything, so I can afford to get creative.

I’ve noted several authors like to add a little quote or saying to their signature as well. Back to the internet I go to find some fun, simple quotes. Here are a few I like:

“Follow Your Dreams”

“Kindness Matters”

“Dream Big”

“Every Moment Matters”

“Carpe Diem”

“Believe in Yourself”

I decided to go with “Dream Big” for two reasons. One, I’m writing books for middle-grade kids and I think it’s a great inspirational quote. Two, this book is my dream come true and I have always had big dreams. One of my all-time favorite quotes is, “Dream with your eyes wide open,” but that is too long to write 50 times. Keep it short and sweet when book signing is in play.

Now that I have a quote, time to figure out what sort of signature I can create that will be relatively easy to duplicate over the course of my writing career. First, I simply grabbed some paper and signed my name. First off, I seem to have forgotten how to write in cursive. How do you do an “r” and an “a” for that matter; I haven’t used these letters since grade school. I really needed to brush up on this.

I took to Word to see what sort of fonts I could replicate or at least use as a jumping off point. Here are a few I liked:

 

I printed those fonts out and played around with my own various. I found I have to slow down and concentrate on each letter, otherwise I end up missing one or two letters or adding letters.  Here are all my practice signatures as well as practice writing some quotes:

 

The signature I liked the most turned out to be the most difficult “M” to write, as it wasn’t quite natural for me. However, after a few practice rounds it’s not too shabby. My handwriting is far from “pretty” and this signature would not fall under the “fancy” heading to most people, but you must work with what you have. Here is what my final signature looks like, and I’m sure it will improve over time.

At the moment, the signature is very clean, but I believe, given time, it will become as messy as my everyday signature.  After signing a few books, I’ve already messed up a few times by forgetting a letter, usually the “t” or changing the style mid-way through. I know it’s going to take time and practice to sign seamlessly. I’ll most likely have to relearn every time I release a book.

Now, the long task of signing my stack of books. One more thing to cross off my never-ending list of things to do for this book. I’m grateful for the opportunity and glad to share my experience. This has been overwhelming, to say the least, but watching a dream become a reality is an amazing thing.    

 

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My Writing Process

 

 

 

People are often curious about what an author’s writing process looks like. Every author has their own style and their own process for completing a novel. Below, I list out what my typical writing process looks like.  

Ideas:

My ideas come from everywhere. It may start with something I read or watch, and wonder would happen if they made a different choice. It could start with a simple idea such as writing a story about Christmas or about fairies. My current work in progress all started with a Fairy Door; I wanted the Watson children to go through a fairy door. I crafted my story around that idea.

Whatever the idea may be, it is normally a short thought or sentence that I build a story around. “What if the elves tried to ruin Christmas?” or “What if the kids turned into fairies?”

 

Outline:

I don’t do outlines. I tried it once and ended up changing the entire book halfway through, making the original outline a waste of time. I consider my first draft the outline of the book.

 

First Draft:

I start with my premise and idea and I write. I write books straight through, beginning to end. I let the book unfold as I’m writing. I know who my main character(s) will be, and I keep a running list as new characters are created. These characters tend to reveal themselves as the story progresses. For the most part, I’m never exactly positive where the story is going to go or even how its going to end.

I love this process because I can honestly say I have no idea where the story will end up. I am often surprised at some of the twists and turns my stories end up taking. Its as if I’m on my own journey and I, mostly, enjoy it. I wrote a rough draft of a suspense/murder mystery book many years ago; at the time of writing it I had no idea who the murderer would be. The reveal came to me near the climax of the book and I knew who it had to be and why.

There are times when a story isn’t quite coming together for me. I may not like where its headed, I may be stuck on a certain part, or I just can’t get into a certain character’s head. I try to power though and just keep writing, but sometimes I must put a pin in it. If I really get stuck, I walk away from the book for a while. Sometimes, I put the book away for a long time and work on something completely different.

I really struggled with my current book about the fairy door. The story wasn’t flowing the way I wanted it to, and while I had written some good stuff I was stuck at where to go next. I had to shelf it and move to other things. Then, out of nowhere I had an idea that turned the book around. I can’t go into much detail or I’ll give too much away right, but I’ll revisit this later.

The main goal of the first draft is to write and keep writing until the story is done. This will be my incredibly detailed outline and from here I have something solid to work with.

 

Second Draft:

Once the first draft is done, I let it sit. Sometimes as little as one week, and sometimes as much as one month. Then, I rewrite the entire thing. I use the first draft as my guide, copying the parts I like and reworking the rest. I start this in a brand-new document as if I’m writing for the first time.

After this draft, the story is usually much better and with more detail. Everything flows together well and the parts I may have skimmed through, just to get it written, are fixed. At this point, I’m happy with the story and, if for any reason, I feel the story needs work I do this entire process again until I’m satisfied.

 

First Edit:

Now, this is when things start to get interesting. The first edit is me reading through the draft and make changes. I correct spelling and grammar errors and make sure the story flows well. During this phase, I like to hide in my office with the door closed because I have to read out loud to hear how it sounds. Once I make changes and I’m happy with the story; it’s time to send it out.

 

Outside Editing:

Next, I send my story to two of my faithful critics. They read through the story, point out plot holes, suggest word upgrades, help with sentence structure, and give their overall opinions. Of course, they check for spelling and grammar as well. I have two people I use, family/friends so it doesn’t cost me anything but a few hits to the pride.

 

Second Edit:

Once I have my two manuscripts with edits back, I go through them. I put on my thick skin and read through the suggestions. This is the hardest part for me. This is where the constructive criticism takes place and I have to take it all with a grain of salt. After the initial zing, I can see how changing parts of the story only make it better. With each edit and each book I write, I know my writing improves.

 

I read through all the edits, most of which I accept, but there are a few suggestions I don’t use. I know how I want the story to go and I know my characters well; some suggestions don’t mesh well with either of those things. However, I take all suggestions to heart and think them through. Normally, I find some sentences or paragraphs that need to be reworked based on edits, which I will highlight and take notes for the next edit.

 

Third Edit:

After making suggested edits, I go back and read through the book again. At this point, I work on the areas I highlighted and aim to tighten up the story.

At this point, I am also looking at chapter length, meaning word count. I am currently writing lower middle grade chapter books and they like consistency. They want to know each chapter will be roughly the same length. I have found ten pages per chapter is a good goal; this is ten pages in the completed book not in the Word document. For me, this is roughly 1050 words per chapter give or take: no less than 1020 and no more than 1080.

Getting these numbers to work can be, well, work. Not to mention I’m also looking at my final word count, which for my particular genre is around 10K total words. It can be a chore to get these numbers where I want them to be. It often means a lot of chopping huge chunks of the book. If a sentence or paragraph doesn’t move the story forward, then it must go.

 

2nd Outside Edit:

Once I’m satisfied with the story, it’s time for a professional copy edit. This is where I pay someone to read my book, make changes, correct spelling and grammar, check for inconsistencies, and help make sure the story really works.

Again, this is where I put my ego on the shelf and prepare myself for the “red ink” return. This constructive criticism can be a bit tougher because I am paying someone to be bluntly honest. I remind myself this is all to make the story better.

 

Final edits:

Once I receive the manuscript back from the editor, it’s time to get serious. I review all the suggestions and make the necessary changes. Then, I read through the book as many times as it takes until I’m satisfied with the finished product.

 

From here, I move on to preparing the book for publication, which I will discuss in an upcoming blog series on Self-publishing. This is my basic writing process from idea to final draft.

 

 

Creating the Story (Mystery of the Cursed Elves)

Readers are often interested in where a story idea comes from. For me, inspiration comes, most often, from normal everyday life. The Mystery of the Curse Elves came from a simple premise.

It all started when out shopping in November (2018). The kids and I came across some red and black elves at our local discount store. I’ve never been huge on the whole moving an elf around in December; however, having a few “naughty/bad” elves piqued my interest.  So, for a season, the black and grey elves tormented our red elves, much to the children’s delight. I didn’t do this everyday because random attacks are much more fun and spontaneous. Here are some fun examples:

 

 

One day while walking to the park, the kids and I started talking about what would happen if the “real” elves went bad and started doing pranks in the North Pole. Those conversations are what led to the spark of an idea.

I have never written a book geared toward children. I’ve always dabbled in the world of adult mystery, suspense, and some romance; never thinking I would write for kids. Now that I have kids, I thought it would be fun to write a few books just for them. In a crazy twist of fate, we were asked to temporarily leave the country while our residence card was sorted out. (You can read all about that here). We packed our bags and traveled to Spain for what we were calling “Winter Exile”. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Spain is warm in the winter so we spent a lot of time outside playing at parks or on the beach. I got this crazy idea that I would write this elf story the kids and I had talked about.

 

(Here is me writing, sort of)

 

Why not? I had lots of time on my hands. I could write a chapter while the kids played and read it to them at night. Everyone wins. At the end of each night, I asked the kids what should happen next and through all the ideas; I ended up with a really long book. (spoiler: I cut out about half the book in the final edit).

Upon our return to Ireland, I spent the next year ignoring that book. In December 2019, we went back to Spain for the holidays and I was inspired to revisit the book. Once back home, I made it my New Year’s resolution to finish this book.  I now had all the kids in school for a couple hours a day. It was time to stop making excuses and start writing. Finally, I finish writing the book.

Then, Corona (COVID-19) came to town, we all got locked down, and I became a schoolteacher. No more free writing days for me. However, about two months into lock-down, when the long hours of pulling one’s hairs out began, my husband decided we were going to publish this book. He gave me the time I needed, taking the kids to the park or on long walks, while I pounded away at the keyboard.

By July, I finally finished the manuscript and send it to my editors. What an accomplishment. I was so high up on my horse; what a great feeling. Of course, then came the prospect of publishing the book, to which we decided to self-publish. I crashed off that horse real fast. Self-publishing is no picnic, in fact, I’m going to do an entire blog series dedicated to self-publishing.

For now, I am proud to say after a few years of working toward this goal I have officially, almost, published a book. It will be released on October 15th and I couldn’t be happier about it. Now, I need to go move some elves around (its never too early).

Trying a Kickstarter Campaign

I’m a writer, and I love to write. I am not good at marketing, and I am certainly not good at selling myself or my work. It’s not that I don’t like my writing, I just lack the confidence that other people will find my stories as enjoyable as I do.

Breaking out of my comfort zone and the nice, warm, cocoon of my introverted world, I have decided to make a Kickstarter Campaign. My sole purpose for the Kickstarter is to gain a following and generate interest in my upcoming book. This is my first attempt at publishing and, although selling a load of books and making the NYT bestselling list would be amazing, I just want people to read and enjoy my books.

I really didn’t think the Kickstarter would do much for me. Again, it’s not that I have low self-esteem, but I am a realist. There are millions of books out there, what makes me think I’m worth someone’s time? Now that might sound like a “poor me” statement, but in all honesty, that is just me being realistic.

Truthfully, there is a certain amount of self-doubt that comes with writing. Am I good enough? Is this crap? Do my beta readers feel obligated to tell me its good, or is it actually good? These are questions I ask myself, and only myself. I’m not seeking validation, but I try to be realistic.

I’m not very good at asking for help, and I’m not a fan of the limelight, so this Kickstarter campaign is huge for me. This whole process has been an enormous step out of my comfort zone, but if I can get readers and followers who enjoy my books, then it is well worth it.

Artwork for my upcoming book

In just a few hours after posting the link to my Kickstarter, I had supporters and was almost 50% funded by the end of the day. Friends and family, mostly via Facebook, were supporting me and sharing the link with others. I can’t even begin to explain how emotional that was for me. Overwhelming, heartwarming, ego-boosting, and literally bringing me to tears. I honestly thought I would only have a couple backers, thanks Mom 😊, but I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people who chose to believe in me. The response was astonishing. It’s hard for this writer to put it into words.

For years, I’ve been plugging away at different stories whenever I have a free moment. I’ve been writing in one way or another since I was in the second grade, that’s when I wrote my first one-page story about deers (that’s how I spelled it). I never thought anyone really cared one way or the other about my writing, thinking it was merely a silly hobby I often talked about. This Kickstarter really showed that people do care and that they are willing to stand behind me and support my endeavor without ever having read my work. That’s huge and so appreciated.

I think, despite the Kickstarter outcome, I will have accomplished at least two things. 1) I’ve gained interest in my writing and in my upcoming book. 2) I’ve gain self-confidence that people out there believe in my writing, and they are eager to read my books. Those two things make me feel accomplished.

I hope we can reach our goal, but if not, I’ve learned something. There are those out there who will support me, somewhat blindly, and believe in me no matter what. At the end of the day, I can really be proud of myself for that.

You can check out my Kickstarter Campaign here: Kickstarter

(all artwork created by our illustrator Ola )

Should I Use a Pen Name?

 

One of the top questions budding authors want to know is if they should use a pen name or their actual name. What are the main reasons for using a pen name?

A brief history lesson: Back in the day, or many moons ago, or whatever phrase you like to use when referencing a time long ago, women weren’t “allowed” to write for profit. Therefore, women, being the intelligent humans they are, wrote under male names and made millions. Well, maybe not millions but at least they were able to get their work published and read.

Fast forward to today, and pen names are not as necessary as they once were. So, why do people choose a pen name at all?

1) Common Names

My given name is Michelle (Peterson) Miller. A very common name. We’ve all done a Google search on ourselves…haven’t we? My name brings up pages and pages and still more pages of sites.

New authors face an uphill battle from day one, attempting to get their books in front of readers. If readers can’t find you, how will they know what a fantastic product you have for them?

I knew I wanted to be easy to find, and therefore, a new name was essential.

2) Hard to Pronounce Names

I think my name is pretty simple, Michelle. Still, I can’t tell you how many times I get called ‘Melissa’ or ‘Miranda’ or some other girl name that starts with ‘M.’ I can only imagine life with a more complex name.

Again, new authors face a difficult challenge. We work hard to get our books in front of readers. In turn, we hope our readers not only enjoy our books but recommend them to their friends and family. If your name is too hard to pronounce, those recommendations can get lost in translation, so to speak. “Oh, I read this great book. What was that author’s name? It was something different, Rosalusamontogin, or something like that.”

It’s something to think about when writing your first book. If people can’t remember your name, they may not recommend you or look to find more information about you.

3) Sexism and Racism

I hate to go here, but unfortunately, sexism and racism run deep in the book world. I am part of many author and reader groups; and shudder at some of the things people say. “I never read female crime writers; they don’t know that world.” “Men can never write romance correctly.” “I won’t buy a book by an (ethnic group) author; they aren’t writing for me.”

Writing is a very male-dominated business, believe it or not. There is a reason J.K. Rowlings used initials instead of her first name (hint: it made her gender-neutral). She then chooses a male pen name (Richard Gilbreath) when she moved to suspense/thriller books. Several other famous authors have done the same (Looking at you Nora Roberts/ J.D. Robb). You can read about J.K. Rowlings pen name here.

In Romance, the roles are flipped. Many men will choose a female name to gain recognition in this area. I went the J.K. Rowlings route and chose Mitchel.

4) Writing in different genres

Some writers love to bounce from genre to genre. I get it; if you have a story to tell, don’t let the boundaries of genre stop you. Keep in mind, if you create a following in Romance and then jump to Horror, you may lose part of your audience.  Likewise, if you get your start writing children’s books and switch to romance, there may be a few angry parents.

5) Anonymity

Perhaps you are writing more as a hobby. You want to test the waters, see if you can finish a book, try to publish on your own, and you just aren’t ready to share this part of your world with anyone. Some people simply want to keep their private lives separate from their public author persona. It can be fun to play an author role and hang that hat at the end of a busy day.

Conclusion:

There are many reasons why someone may want to use a pen name. The question remains, Should I use a pen name? The only person who can answer that question is you. At the end of the day, it’s up to you.