The Jaffa Cake Debate

It can't have escaped your notice that many authors in the Wordy Wednesday interviews choose the delicious orange Jaffa Cake as their favourite biscuit.

Since the day the Jaffa cake was invented (by good friends Mr Jaffa and Mr Cake) there has been debate as to whether they are biscuits or cakes. If only Mr Jaffa's cousin Reginald Biscuit had gone into partnership with him as first planned this would never have happened!*

There was even a court case about the small round and biscuit sized snack, which determnined that, for tax purposes they were tiny flat cakes, not biscuits. Decided by the simple fact that a cake becomes hard when stale while a biscuit becomes soft. Test it for yourself, leave a jaffa cake uneaten for a few days out on a dish in the kitchen (no I have never managed this test either - the tax office must be very strong willed).

But can we trust what the tax office says? After all, they said that Egyptian mummies were 'dried fish' for tax purposes, so there can be some debate as to their veracity.

So I asked the general public via the medium of Twitter, as we all know they are an intelligent lot. There was of course much squabbling as they are also an argumentative lot. But the final outcome was...

So please answer and RT this poll in readiness
Is a jaffa cake a biscuit? Also do you like them? #jaffacake

— Tattooed Mummy (@tattooed_mummy) June 8, 2016

and therefore there will be no more acceptance of Jaffa Cakes as the favourite biscuit of authors. Thank you.

@tattooed_mummy It's a biscuit dammit. You can dunk it in tea.

— Marion Grace Woolley (@AuthorMGW) June 8, 2016

No! No more!

@M_Hoosenhole @tattooed_mummy in all honesty I would be the one eating them while everyone else argued about it anyway

— Ice Queen (@opalfruits78) June 9, 2016

Ok there we are, we can eat them, we cannot call them biscuits.

Pop over and like my Facebook Page to join in a conversation about Jaffa Cakes, or some news story that catches my eye. Or Follow my meandering chatter on Twitter.

*This bit may be a blatant lie

Extra info about the law and why the debate matters : Under UK law no value added tax (VAT) is placed on biscuits or cakes. But critical to the controversial issue of Jaffa Cakes’ name, when a biscuit is covered in chocolate it becomes subject to the standard VAT rate, currently 20%.

Photo credit Copyright: shootdiem / 123RF Stock Photo

Wordy Wednesday with Kate Coe

I love meeting (in a virtual sense) new authors each week. The questions I ask are mostly similar but I chop and change a bit to keep things interesting - if you think there is a burning issue that authors should be asked about - pop over to my Twitter or Facebook and let me know! I'm happy to add a question or two from my lovely blog readers.

This week I can introduce to you Kate Coe who, in her own words is "a writer, DIY’er, RPG’er and GM, bookworm, crafter and geek". She talks code as happily as she talks classical history, she knows how to tile a bathroom (makes note of this for future), and also makes excellent cookies (adds to previous notes). She lives in an old pub with an engineer and a Linux geek, and she doesn't know what she wants to be when she grows up. Kate still jumps in leaf piles.

So Kate tell us about your books:
My current genre is best described as “sparkpunk”; think magic and Renaissance technology! The basic starting point for it was “What if magic was just another job? How would that world cope with the advance of technology?” And then I get to combine Mages and flying machines, a love story and a war, electricity and fire magic...and after that it was just a case of following different characters as they bounce around the world. The GreenSky series has ten books, of which two are published - the third, High Flight and Flames, is due out this summer, and the rest are scheduled over the next two years. They’re novellas so nice and short, and they’ve been described as easy reads; I’m a character writer so I don’t tend to get bogged down in description - I make the readers do all the imagination work!

I also write fantasy, fiction, fanfiction, erotica and general madness...I’m working on an urban fiction and a sci-fi story, both of which are best described as “in progress”, along with the next section of the GreenSky series (a trilogy of novels). I also blog over at writingandcoe.co.uk - mostly about writing and gaming, but I also do book reviews and general stuff that crosses my mind.

Do you have another job or are you a full time author?
I am a part-time librarian, and I also moonlight as a submissions reader, editor, copy-editor, proof-reader and web developer for Grimbold Books. I’d like to be an international spy but having your name on the front cover of a highly-publicised bit of paper is apparently not part of the 007-image :-(

Contrary to popular belief, librarians don’t spend all their time reading books (and we don’t say “shhhh!” either!) but I love the job as information literacy is a passion of mine - I love being able to help people understand how to find information and get the most out of whatever topic they’re exploring, and I actually enjoy shelving too! There’s something very satisfying about the mindlessness of putting books in the right place.

With regards my moonlighting job, I absolutely love it - for all that it’s really hard work! I love editing work and reading books, love seeing how things come together and change, and I love the chance to read other writers before they’re published. It’s a nice change to my author side, so I get the best of both worlds.

When did you start writing?
I’ve always made up stories! My Aunt tells me that when I was about seven, I asked her how many worlds she had in her head...she had to break the news to me that not everyone had other worlds they lived in! The GreenSky series came out of ideas I’ve been collecting since forever and a story I started writing when I was about 14, and I’ve just continued from there.

What 3 things are guaranteed to make you smile?
Jellybeans; getting my hands on a new book (either as a reader or a librarian); and writing a really good scene between my two favourite snarky characters.

Do you have any pets? If yes, what, and do they help or hinder the writing process?
We have two cats and a bearded dragon! One of the cats is usually kind enough to curl up next to me, but the other is a master of the “wriggle in and expand to have all the lap space”, in addition to not entirely getting the “please don’t tread on my keyboard!” thing. He is, however, very adorable and sounds like a broken two-stroke engine when he purrs, so he’s usually forgiven. The beardie is probably the easiest pet to write with, as she either just ~watches~ or will sit happily on my shoulder.

Who is your favourite author? Do they influence your writing or are they a total break from the sort of thing you write?
Diane Wynne Jones is my absolute favourite to read, but the person I most admire is China Mieville; I’d love to be able to write like him! I tend to read fantasy and sci-fi so my reading does mirror my writing, but I’m lucky in that I don’t get visibly influenced (I hope). I do also read crime, historical fiction and nonfiction, information discovery, occasional romance and erotica...so my reading tastes are fairly eclectic.

Which book(s) are you reading at the moment?
Oh dear...I have a list! I read silly fast, so if I’m trying I can go through 3-4 books a week. I’m currently neck-deep in submissions thanks to Grimbold Books’ slush pile, so most of my reading is the unofficial type. At the time of writing, I’m officially reading Bloodmage by Steve Aryan, The Magicians by Lev Grossman and I’ve just finished One Good Dragon Deserves Another by Rachel Aaron on my Kindle, but that list is subject to change almost daily.

Where do you do most of your writing?
Usually on a sofa with a laptop; the sofa occasionally changes (we have five to choose from in our house and I occasionally steal a friend’s or my aunt’s) but the laptop is a faithful Lenovo that has survived two years so far. I do also have a desk and a windowsill, which I use whenever the cats deign to vacate them.

Tell us about the character that you've written that you like the most - no spoilers!
Toru Idalin is my absolute favourite; he turns up in Green Sky and Sparks so that’s not a spoiler! He’s wilful, arrogant, self-centred, something of a mechanical genius, and so much fun to write. I also tend to have favourites from each book I’m writing; currently it’s Zack Rezian from Bright Spark (GreenSky book 10), who is a slimy weasel and fairly outclassed by his current environment, much as he’d like to think he isn’t...

What is your favourite biscuit?
Jaffa cake! (Does that count as a biscuit? You can dip it in tea, so I think it counts). Does anyone else eat the chocolate and then eat the orange bit and then eat the cake? (I'm going to have a whole post on authors and jaffa cakes, I can sense it)

Tea or Coffee?
Tea! I try to only have one or two cups of caffeine-tea a day, so I’ll have a lot of fruit tea. I do like coffee, but the caffeine tends to make me bounce off the walls...

In the film of your life who would play you? (why)
I’ve been told I look like Liv Tyler (flattering but likely untrue) so I’d probably opt for Zooey Deschanel, partly because I think there’s a very slight resemblance and partly just because I like her as an actress/singer/general weird person!

If you could genetically cross an animal and a vegetable, what would you pick and why? I like the idea of a tiger and a pear, if it took too long stalking you it would be all soft and squishy by the time it attacked.
I think manatees are sort-of marshmallow anyway, but that doesn’t really count as a vegetable… (I live with a vegetarian so I know this stuff!). I think a snake crossed with a cucumber would be hilarious. They’d have to lurk in the shade so they didn’t go squishy, and a green and knobbly snake would be awesome! They’d probably be more chilled out, too. The snakes I’ve met tend to be a bit needy.

You can get your very own copy of Kate's books via Amazon
Green Sky and Sparks is at http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/190984571X (paperback) and http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ZCQFWUA (Kindle)
Grey Stone and Steel is at http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1909845906 (paperback) and http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B018ANVCLO (Kindle)

Kate blogs at www.writingandcoe.co.uk, and can be found on twitter at @writingandcoe.
Big thanks to Kate and for you all for reading, keep thinking about books, words, biscuits and animal vegetables..until next week...

Wordy Wednesday's interview with Kate Hamer, author of The Girl in the Red Coat

I'm a bit excited today, this Wordy Wednesday is an author I contacted via twitter after seeing her book almost literally everywhere. Certainly in every book shop I went into for some weeks, and on social media where people were just raving about how good it was. Yes it's time to meet Kate Hamer, author of The Girl in the Red Coat.





Kate grew up in Pembrokeshire and after studying Art worked in television for over ten years, mainly on documentaries. She completed an MA in creative writing in Aberystwyth university and joined the Curtis Brown Creative programme. Her debut novel THE GIRL IN THE RED COAT was published by Faber & Faber in February 2015 and has sold in over ten other territories. Kate also won the Rhys Davies short story prize in 2011 and the story One Summer was broadcast on Radio 4. She has also had work published in short story anthologies such as ‘A Fiction Map of Wales’ and Seren’s ‘New Welsh Short Stories.’ She lives in Cardiff with her husband. THE GIRL IN THE RED COAT has been shortlisted for the John Creasy (new Blood) Dagger award and the Costa First Novel Prize. ‘The Girl in the Red Coat’ is being published in the US in February 2016 by Melville House.

I was quite excited to find out more about Kate and her writing, as always I looked into some of the practicalities of day to day writing, important topics like food and drink, and which genetic mutants are desirable...

When did you start writing? And why?
I started writing as a child – poems, little stories. Sometimes I’d make my own books and staple them together with illustrations. I guess that urge has never stopped. Why is a harder question. Maybe it’s an attempt to make sense of the world by turning it into a story, I’m not sure.

What 3 things (not including paper, computer, pens) would you like to facilitate a good days writing?
Strong coffee. A head that’s not full of worries. An inspirational novel. The latter I find the most important. I often will start the day reading a bit of something I think is brilliant. Even if you feel you’ll never come near it, it gives you something to aim for.

Are any people in your book based on people you know? And if so have you (would you) tell them?
They tend to be an amalgam of people I know, films I’ve seen and myself. There’s always an extra ingredient though and once they form properly they become completely themselves. It’s this ‘added extra’ that’s the magic piece of the puzzle which turns them into individuals. Where that comes from I haven’t a clue!

Do you write to a schedule, eg every day or three times a week, set times, etc or do you write as and when the mood strikes.
I write every day except Sundays and I aim for around 9 am until mid-afternoon to capture that golden morning energy. If it’s really not working I don’t keep on banging my head against a manuscript. I’ll go and cook something or go for a walk. Chances are I’ll be running back to the computer because the ideas have freed up again.

What’s the worst question anyone has ever asked you ever? And did you answer?
Actually I feel nearly all the questions I’ve been asked at events are interesting and come from a real curiosity about writing, this particular novel and books in general. Sometimes questions and comments really surprise me and I like that. I can’t think of anything terrible I’ve been asked except stuff that gives the plot away too much.

Kate Hamer

What are you favourite biscuits?
Arghhh, I’ve got a gluten allergy so my favourites have had to fall by the wayside. It would’ve been a Jaffa cake though (I know, I know, but I always thought of it as a biscuit – it’s the shape). I adored them and could easily get through half a packet in a sitting. (only half a packet? and what if I told you there were gluten free ones...)



Tea or coffee?
Coffee. Coffee. Coffee. And strong at that. Otherwise it’s not worth bothering with.(excellent choice, though when thirsty I like tea, I agree coffee is superior)

Where do you do most of your writing?
At my desk at home which was kindly given to me. If I’m having a ‘stuck’ day I might take it somewhere else – a café or the library. Quite a few of the scenes of ‘The Girl in the Red Coat’ were written in Cardiff Central Library.

What book are you reading at the moment?
I’m just about to start ‘The Forgetting Time’ by Sharon Guskin which looks great and I’m just on the last few pages of ‘The Power of Now’ by Eckhart Toile.

Do you use social media (facebook, twitter, instagram etc) to engage with your audience, do you think it helps sales and do you find it fun or a chore?
I started using Twitter just before I was published and amazed myself by taking to it like a duck to water. It’s funny, passionate, and the brevity of it is perfect. I use the #amwriting hashtag a lot and find Twitter is full of readers and writers. Often when I meet people at events it’ll be ‘hello, I know you from Twitter!’ I have a Facebook author page too because I know a lot of people prefer to use Facebook but that’s more infrequent. I’ve no idea if it helps sales or not but it’s great to engage with readers because that’s ultimately who I’m writing for!

If you could genetically cross an animal with a fruit or vegetable what would you choose and why?
What about a snamato? No idea what a snake and tomato would look like but I’ve just fallen in love with the word! (cute, red and shiny I assume, with a green forked tongue, it would leave that tomato smell on your hands...)

Do you celebrate Easter with chocolate? Plain, white or dark?
Always a Lindt Easter bunny. Always bite the ears off first. (slightly cruel, but lovely smooth chocolate, I hope you'll be enjoying some this weekend) 
 

Kate's cat, the observant among you may spot he's not 'real'

Thank you so much for taking part Kate, it's been great to have a little look behind the scenes.

And thank you for popping by dear blog reader, if you've enjoyed reading but need to comment, come over to chat on twitter or facebook.

You can grab a copy of The Girl in The Red Coat from all good book shops or online at Amazon etc. 

No Spread, no chill, simple, quick, biscuit recipe

This is an American recipe so maybe I should say cookie, but to me a cookie is a slightly soft affair, thick and full of chocolate chips. These biscuits are as crisp and delicious as their French "twice baked" namesake but much easier to make. They don't spread out, so your cute cutters will work like a charm with them, great for making with the children and perfect for the children to decorate.

I have Anglicized and tweaked the recipe a bit but the American version can be found here. I have made these several times now and the flexibility with the flavouring, along with the ability to keep a shape, has swiftly made them my 'go to' recipe.

You will need:
420g self raising flour (you can substitute a little of the flour with cocoa powder for a chocolate biscuit)
200g sugar
220g butter, cut into chunks
1 egg
A few drops of vanilla essence

 Cream together the sugar and butter, add the egg and vanilla and mix. Gradually add the flour and stir in until combined. You can add chocolate chips at this stage, a handful or two to add some fun to your biscuits.

The dough will be crumbly, and you will need to knead it together with your hands and then scoop it out of the bowl for rolling out, treat it gently or your biscuits will be tough.

Roll the biscuit dough on a floured surface to about half a cm thick, and cut into shapes. (I do this in several goes as there is a lot of dough! You could also chill some of the dough to use the next day)

Place on parchment or silicone lined baking sheets and bake at 180C for 10-12 minutes until slightly browned. Let sit a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.

When cool decorate with icing, sweets or sprinkles. Ready made tubes of coloured icing are great for children to use! No mixing mess and small tubes are handy for little hands.

Other options include adding dried fruit to make a sort of Shrewsbury biscuit, some dessicated coconut works too, or adding spices and ginger for a tasty bite. Experiment, have fun with flavours!

Wordy Wednesday with Sam Coleman

Wordy Wednesday swings around again and today I introduce you to Sam Coleman (aka DustandLove on twitter) , Author of Sometimes You have to Bite the Dog.


I asked Sam for an introduction as I know little about him apart from the 140 character snide comments we share on Twitter. So Sam told me:

I started writing again when my daughter was born. I used blogging as a diary to offset those nameless monsters that come with parenting. I wasn’t trying to impart advice. I wanted to connect with people because I had genuine problems. I needed help. Receiving genuine heartfelt advice from an often nameless stranger is powerful. People reaching out. Writing it out helps. And positive feedback is a great inspiration to keep writing. I became more involved with the parenting community on Twitter, weakly promoting my wares. I owe nearly everything to Charlie Plunkett who not only gave me confidence in my writing but gave me honesty and kindness too.

My blog posts were compiled and published as a book. All written over my daughter’s first year. It’s a difficult read. I wanted to portray that parenting is very hard work. I wanted to provide something that might aid the flailing neurotic parent. Some short passage that someone else can identify with. The recognition of your pain through my own.

Sometimes you have to Bite the Dog was published in November 2013. It’s not for everybody but I’m very proud of it.

I'm happy to be part of the supportive parenting community on Twitter (I hope Sam thinks that too!) so I was happy to interview him and share his book here.


When did you start writing?
I had a poem about Batman published in some newspaper when I was 13. I’d written before but only bouts of terrible poetry. Music was my conduit into writing. I would write out song lyrics. The Cure. Joy Division. Henry Rollins. I remember lyrics more than passages from books. I also find reading quite hard as I have a short attention span. Overall I’ve read more comic books than conventional novels. ~~ I think we've all written terrible teen poetry - I know I have - I even put one on this blog...let's move on

What 3 things (not including paper, computer, pens) would you like to facilitate a good days writing?
Being close to nature. Space. Music.

Do you write to a schedule, eg every day or three times a week, set times, etc or do you write as and when the mood strikes?
I don’t really do schedules. My life is fairly chaotic at the moment. I’ve tried to control some of it but it never seems to stick. It works for me. I try to work to deadlines which I set myself or ask others to set them for me. Anyone who has worked with me knows that I am very flaky and leave everything to the last minute but it’s always to the very best of my ability.

I write best through the night. I love watching the world come alive as the sun comes up. I’m too old for that. And I barely write these days. ~~ ah but you wrote this, maybe your other books are still lurking...

What are your favourite biscuits?
Those Foxes cream bad boys. I could drink a cup of tea by dipping an entire pack.

Tea or Coffee?
Tea.

Where do you do most of your writing?
At home at the kitchen table. Directly in the middle of the house.

Is writing your main source of income, I read lots of articles saying writers make no money, and my readers asked this question a lot! Can you survive on book writing alone? if not, what else do you do?
No. I have been paid for the occasional article. My problem is that I am terrible at marketing myself. I know how I could do it but I’m reluctant. It wouldn’t be me. All the people I’ve interviewed on my site has been out of pure love. I don’t expect anything except honesty from the people I talk to and write about. If I’m selling anything I’m selling a person I find to be something special. Some sparkly human. I’m far more comfortable blowing someone else’s trumpet. For all my hoo haa on Twitter I’m rather shy and awkward. ~~ I think a lot of us use social media to show a side we are afraid to let go out in public.

I’ve worked in recruitment for most of my career but I’ve done all sorts really. I fell out of love with recruitment last year for various weird, nasty reasons. We took the girl out of school full time so we could save some cash. I’ve been very lucky to spend so much time with her.

(I am writing a new fiction piece at the moment. It’s quite good so far. See?! TERRIBLE MARKETING.) ~~ you see I knew you had other stories in there! I shall badger you on twitter about it.

What book are you reading at the moment?
Charles Bukowski on Writing.

Do you use social media (facebook, twitter, instagram etc) to engage with your audience, do you think it helps sales and do you find it fun or a chore?
I use Twitter. I just haven’t got the concentration span or the time to handle all the other communication. I’ve made genuine friendships on Twitter. It’s always fun and if it ever becomes a chore I turn it off. I've been challenged several times, taken to court and various other dramas but it's always fun.~~ I won't even ask - I've seen how weird twitter can get.


I’ll do my damnedest to promote something/someone I admire but I don’t market my content properly. Whatever that is. I also carry a lingering fear of the world suddenly falling to its knees and all of the lives we’ve created online becoming suddenly meaningless.

Do you own an e-reader? and do you prefer to read digital or paper copy?
I have an ipad but I don’t read books on it. If someone sends me a manuscript I’ll read it digitally but that’s about it. I mostly read comic books so I’ll always buy a paper copy. Can’t beat it.

If you could genetically cross an animal with a fruit or vegetable what would you choose and why? I'm currently thinking pineapple hedgehog mainly for the 70s cheese on sticks feel…
Good question. I’m thinking way too hard about it. Either bat/kiwi fruit or pig/potato. ~~ You should think hard about it - it's an important question.

If reading and writing were banned, what would you do instead?
Learn to play loads of musical instruments.

What's the most cringe inspiring embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you (or a 'friend')
Teenage romance on holiday. I was 11. With a terrible stutter. Crushingly shy. But this girl was something. So I paced outside her apartment for over an hour, working up courage and practising what I would say. Over and over.

Eventually I rang her door. She answered in fits of giggles. From her window she’d been watching me pacing outside, panting the same words repeatedly like some sun savaged lunatic. I melted into the concrete, completely forgetting my precious dialogue. She shut the door in my face, laughing even harder as I tried to spit a sound out.

I discovered alcohol that night. And how angry I could make my parents. Hooya.  ~~ and there is a story beginning, I feel like an English teacher but I want to tell you to write a fiction piece around that starting point...

Sometimes you have to Bite the Dog - A new father's experiences of the first year of raising a child. A year of tears, laughter, life and beauty. A collection of thoughts and advice from the perspective of a new father. From the birth to the first birthday these insights are a reflection of the changing role of the father in modern society and all that comes with it.
Available on Amazon for Kindle or paperback - and all 5 star reviews!

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Found: a fab recipe for no spread cookies

Amongst all the laughter at terrible recipes that can be found on line (see this post) , I stumbled across a rather fabulous recipe for sugar cookies at bakeat350.co.uk I was after a "no spread" cookie recipe as often when I try to make cookies (UK translation - biscuits) they lose their shapes and spread all over the place!

DD and I tried this recipe this afternoon, we divided the mixture and made some plain and some with chocolate chips, some plain chocolate and some colour chocolate beans! W experimented with thickness of the cookies too, making some thinner and crispy and some fatter and softer. Both types were nice!

DD was keen to try the new cookie cutter that Father Christmas had given her and the cookies turned out really well! It's a recipe I will be printing out and sticking in my recipe book.

Nice Apron there DD

Some plain

some choc chip

some coloured chocolate beans!

UK Recipe Translation
375g unbleached, plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
200g sugar
225g butter, cold & cut into chunks
1 egg
Optional
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pure almond extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 180c, gas mark 4

Mix the flour and baking powder. Cream the sugar and butter. Add the egg and vanilla and almond extracts (if required) mix. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat until combined.

The dough is crumbly, knead it together with your hands until it's in one lump for rolling.

Roll on a floured surface to about 1/4" to 3/8" thick, and use you cutters to cut it into shapes, knead left over bits back into a ball and re-roll until it's all used up, places the biscuit shapes on baking trays (use parchment to prevent sticking) and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let sit a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack. Decorate as required.