{"id":2579,"date":"2021-07-08T23:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-08T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/?p=2579"},"modified":"2022-05-09T13:21:49","modified_gmt":"2022-05-09T03:51:49","slug":"july-2021-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/index.php\/2021\/07\/08\/july-2021-update\/","title":{"rendered":"July 2021 Update"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"2579\" class=\"elementor elementor-2579\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-section-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-92c9f2a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"92c9f2a\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-f0d84a5\" data-id=\"f0d84a5\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-995fb98 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"995fb98\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b><u>L. Starla's Kitchen Adventures<\/u><\/b><\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-193aaaf elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"193aaaf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-text-editor elementor-clearfix\">\n\t\t\t\t<p>Have you ever tried cooking with gelatine? What about gelatine that your partner is trying to work into a dish they&#8217;ve never cooked before? So yeah, that was a disaster.<\/p><p>My husband recently took it on himself to try making a variant of the brandy alexander pie recipe my mum handed down to me. He wanted to make something using this cherry chocolate port a colleague had given him so that he could take it in to share at work. Why did I suggest this recipe of all things? I was able to salvage it somewhat, but it took a bit of quick kitchen foo. The result tasted delicious, even though it was a bit lumpy.<\/p><p>Lessons learned:<\/p><ul><li>Gelatine is extremely time sensitive despite what the recipe says. Prepare everything else before you start to mix it with water.<\/li><li>Don&#8217;t assume you have enough caster sugar when shopping for ingredients.<\/li><li>\u00a0Don&#8217;t leave hubby unsupervised in the kitchen when he is trying out complex recipes with new techniques.<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7d08fa0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"7d08fa0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Cherry-Ripe-Pie-blog-image-1024x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-2596\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Cherry-Ripe-Pie-blog-image-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Cherry-Ripe-Pie-blog-image-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Cherry-Ripe-Pie-blog-image-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Cherry-Ripe-Pie-blog-image-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Cherry-Ripe-Pie-blog-image-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Cherry-Ripe-Pie-blog-image.jpg 1687w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7952992 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7952992\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-805d41c\" data-id=\"805d41c\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5968fcc elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"5968fcc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b><u>Goodreads Giveaway<\/u><\/b><\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-909cee0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"909cee0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/GR-Promo-1024x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-2580\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/GR-Promo-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/GR-Promo-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/GR-Promo-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/GR-Promo-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/GR-Promo-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/GR-Promo.jpg 1687w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bbad128 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"bbad128\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-text-editor elementor-clearfix\">\n\t\t\t\t<p>To celebrate the launch of\u00a0<strong><em>Crystal&#8217;s Crucible<\/em><\/strong>, I have 1 signed paperback and 4 eBook copies to give away, plus free eBook copies of the first 2 books in the series for all winners.<\/p><p>To enter:<\/p><ol><li>Add\u00a0<strong><em>Crystal&#8217;s Crucible<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0to your Goodreads &#8220;Want To Read&#8221; list;<\/li><li>Complete\u00a0the entry form (<span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">closes 20th August 2021).<\/span><\/li><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-fb5c3f5 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"fb5c3f5\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4bee1e8\" data-id=\"4bee1e8\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7e8984a elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"7e8984a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/55138291-crystal-s-crucible\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Add to Goodreads<\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-87941a6\" data-id=\"87941a6\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f0712c4 elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"f0712c4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/forms.gle\/JN5azWp76TytDYYi9\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Enter to Win<\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-627fc90 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"627fc90\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-58c6a0c\" data-id=\"58c6a0c\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a2c656a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a2c656a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b><u>Beta Reading Opportunity<\/u><\/b><\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ac810f1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"ac810f1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"188\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Kindle-Cover-Book-2.5-Website-Teaser-188x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-1191\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Kindle-Cover-Book-2.5-Website-Teaser-188x300.jpg 188w, https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Kindle-Cover-Book-2.5-Website-Teaser-640x1024.jpg 640w, https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Kindle-Cover-Book-2.5-Website-Teaser-768x1228.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Kindle-Cover-Book-2.5-Website-Teaser-960x1536.jpg 960w, https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Kindle-Cover-Book-2.5-Website-Teaser-1281x2048.jpg 1281w, https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Kindle-Cover-Book-2.5-Website-Teaser-600x960.jpg 600w, https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Kindle-Cover-Book-2.5-Website-Teaser.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 188px) 100vw, 188px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a9db1d2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a9db1d2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-text-editor elementor-clearfix\">\n\t\t\t\t<p>I am currently recruiting beta readers for <i>Winter&#8217;s Thrall (Winter&#8217;s Magic #2.5)<\/i>. This continues the<i> Winter&#8217;s Magic <\/i>series, and advanced copies of the first two instalments will be provided to beta readers who have not yet read them. In addition to early access to this book, Beta readers will gain my eternal gratitude and their name in print.<\/p><p><b><u>About the Book<\/u><\/b><\/p><p>(Spoiler alert! This blurb reveals some <i>Winter&#8217;s Maiden 2<\/i> content)<\/p><p><strong><em>There are dark places in the world where the lines between lesser evils become too murky to distinguish.<\/em><\/strong><\/p><p>Brendan Winters, enchanter mage, playboy, and consummate maker of poor life choices, has outdone himself once again.<\/p><p>In a moment of weakness, Brendan struck a deal that turned his life upside down. The filth he first witnessed in Bridey\u2019s den of sin was just the tip of the iceberg. As her new favourite, Brendan is thrust into a world of debauchery where he learns there is no limit to his mistress\u2019 depravity. So, when the opportunity to undermine her authority presents itself, he jumps in headfirst.<\/p><p>Sent to investigate a Cult of dark mages with their roots in Ancient Egypt, Brendan embarks on a collision course with organised crime, a God, and his own magical doppelganger. Yet, none of this cloak and daggers business blindsides him more than the companion he finds in the very house of his captor.<\/p><p>What lengths will Brendan go to for a chance to reclaim his freedom?<\/p><p><strong>Note:<\/strong> This book directly follows the events of <em>Winter\u2019s Maiden 2<\/em>, so it is advisable to read that before starting this story.<\/p><p><strong>**Trigger Warning**<\/strong> <em>Winter\u2019s Thrall<\/em> is a dark paranormal romance with strong sexual content that blurs the lines of consent. It also includes graphic m\/m, BDSM, and incest scenes.<\/p><p><strong><u>What I am looking for from my beta readers<\/u><\/strong><br \/>As a Beta, I need you to read my manuscript with a critical eye and provide feedback on as many of the following as possible (and at least answer the first question):<\/p><ul><li>Did you like the book overall? If not, why?<\/li><li>What star rating would you give the story (out of 5)?<\/li><li>Did I give you a good sense of the setting?<\/li><li>What parts did you dislike, and why?<\/li><li>Are there any plot holes or plausibility issues?<\/li><li>Do my characters (primary and secondary) feel real? Which of them need more work?<\/li><li>Grammar and punctuation (if this is a strong suit of yours, no biggie if not).<\/li><li>Highlighting typos and filler words if you notice any.<\/li><\/ul><div>If you are interested, please join my Beta Team and nominate <i>Winter&#8217;s Thrall<\/i> as one of the books you want to beta read when completing the signup form.<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-25f3eb5 elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"25f3eb5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/b6c6daa61491\/7zlkgqevg9\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Join L. Starla's Beta Team<\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>L. Starla&#8217;s Kitchen Adventures Have you ever tried cooking with gelatine? What about gelatine that your partner is trying to work into a dish they&#8217;ve never cooked before? So yeah, &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/index.php\/2021\/07\/08\/july-2021-update\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">July 2021 Update<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2585,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21,11,59,79],"tags":[48,43,22],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2579"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2602,"href":"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579\/revisions\/2602"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starlaarts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}