Autumn, Pumpkin Scones, Tea, and Me By Connie Vines

Autumn in Southern California. While the swaying Palm Trees do not change color with the seasons, we do have oak, maple, and sycamore tree which are painting the horizon in vibrant colors.

It is also pumpkin and apples season.  Though I am a devoted coffee drinker, I do enjoy and savor an excellent cup of tea pared with a perfect scone.

California Classic Pumpkin Scones

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes 
Total Time: 45 minutes 
Yield: 8 scones

Description

Deliciously spiced classic pumpkin scones are flaky and soft with perfectly crumbly edges. Top with coarse sugar for extra crunch and maple icing for extra decadence!


Ingredients
2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 and 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice*
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, frozen
1/3 cup + 2 Tablespoons (105ml) heavy cream, divided
1 large egg
1/2 cup (115g) canned pumpkin puree, blotted*
1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
optional: coarse sugar for sprinkling on top before baking

Maple Glaze
2 Tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter
1/3 cup (80ml) pure maple syrup
1 cup (112g) sifted confectioners’ sugar
pinch salt, to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Adjust baking rack to the middle-low position. Line 1 or 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat(s). If making mini scones, I use 2 baking sheets. Set aside.

Make the scones: Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together in a large bowl. Grate the frozen butter (I use a box grater). Add the grated butter to the flour mixture and combine it with a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingers until the mixture comes together in pea-sized crumbs. Set aside.

Whisk 1/3 cup (75ml) heavy cream, the egg, blotted pumpkin (see note), brown sugar, and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Drizzle it over the flour mixture and then mix it all together until everything appears moistened.

With floured hands, work the dough into a ball as best you can and transfer onto a floured work surface. Press into a neat 8-inch disc and, with a very sharp knife, cut into 8 equal wedges. To make smaller scones, press dough into two 5-inch discs and cut each into 8 equal wedges.
Place scones at least 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet(s). Using a pastry brush, brush scones with remaining heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired. (Gives a nice crunch!)
Bake the larger scones for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. If you made 16 smaller scones, bake for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes as you prepare the icing.

Make the glaze:

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and maple syrup together, whisking occasionally. Once the butter has melted, remove from heat, and whisk in the sifted confectioners’ sugar. Taste and add a pinch of salt if desired. Drizzle over warm scones.
Scones are best enjoyed right away, though leftover scones keep well at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 2 extra days.

Notes

Pumpkin Pie Spice: Instead of prepared pumpkin pie spice, you can use 1/2 teaspoon each: ground allspice and ground ginger AND 1/4 teaspoon each: ground nutmeg and ground cloves.
Blotting Pumpkin: Using a paper towel or clean kitchen towel, lightly blot the pumpkin puree to remove some of the moisture before using in the recipe. The more moisture removed, the less moist and muffin-like the scones will taste. We want the scones to be flaky and crumbly, not super moist or muffin-like. I prefer to squeeze lots of moisture out so the scones taste textured and delicious. Do what you prefer!

My Tea Parings:

Assam Black Tea - Mokalbari Estate
English Breakfast Black Tea – Organic

Do you have a favorite Autumn recipe?

Or a favorite tea you sip while reading a novel from one of the BooksWeLove authors?
I enjoy sitting in my favorite reading chair is in my bedroom.  The chair is a soft gray color. I snuggle under my violet afghan with my slippered feet on the ottoman.  The Autumn light shimmers though my patio doors while I sip my tea from my Royal Albert china cup.

Happy October Everyone,

Connie  

To purchase my books:
https://www.overdrive.com/search?q=connie+vines
https://books2read.com/Brede

Writing About the Weather in Fiction by Connie Vines

Writing about the weather in your novel, and writing about it well, is critical for an atmospheric story.

It’s also a great shortcut…

A simple description of storm clouds gathering on the horizon, say, can foreshadow troubled times ahead in the plot, or act as a symbol for the character’s mood. And it can do it in a short space.

It’s easy to forget just how important a part of our everyday lives the weather is.

We think about it so much that we’re rarely conscious of thinking about it at all. But it affects everything.

·         Our mood.

·         Our health.

·         Sometimes even our survival.

Ignoring the weather in the stories we tell just isn’t an option.

In the real world, we chat about the weather even when there’s nothing much to say. Which is fine – small-talk helps to oil the cogs of society. But having two characters in a novel talk about unremarkable weather, or having the narrator describe a perfectly ordinary rain shower, say, can send the reader straight to sleep.

Another problem with writing about the weather is that it’s easy to resort to cliches.

·         The rain lashed down on the rooftops.

·         The heat rose off the tarmac in shimmering waves.

·         The wind made the tree branches dance.

Good descriptive writing should be fresh, original, memorable – even unexpected. But because we talk about the weather all the time (and read so much about it in fiction, too), finding unique and exciting ways to describe thunderstorms or blizzards or perfect summer days can be tough.

WHY WEATHER IS IMPORTANT IN A NOVEL

Here are four reasons why weather matters in fiction.

1. It’s Part of the Setting

Not only that, it’s a crucial part of the setting, particularly when the weather shifts from being ordinary to extreme.

Imagine two characters in a novel, a husband and a wife, driving along a deserted highway. They’re fighting about whose fault it is that they’re lost. Outside, it is…

·         Freezing. Everywhere is white with snow and it’s tough keeping the car on the road.

·         Scorching. It’s the hottest August day on record… and the air conditioning is on the blink.

·         Stormy up ahead. And they’re driving right into it!

·         Foggy. They can barely see the road in front of them.

Each of these conditions would give the scene a totally different feel. But even when the weather is not especially remarkable – a warm summer’s evening, a cold and bright morning in autumn – it still gives scenes very different moods and atmospheres.

But if you don’t mention the weather at all in your writing, not even briefly, an important element will be missing from the mental image in the reader’s mind.

2. It Affects Character

Just as the weather affects our mood in the real world, so it affects the mood of a character in a novel.

·         If a character is feeling blue, a cold and wet day will form the perfect backdrop.

·         If the sun comes out, it’s a sign that their spirits are rising.

The viewpoint character’s mood complements or contrast with the weather outside is just another small way to add dimension to your fiction.

3. It Affects Plot

Even the most ordinary weather can affect the plans of people in the real world and, also, characters in novels.

·         Rain can spoil a wedding.

·         Fog can disrupt travel plans.

·         Drought can play havoc with a prized garden.

Make the elements more extreme and you ramp up the stakes. Writing about extreme weather can be a primary source of conflict in a novel.

4. Weather Is Symbolic

I mentioned earlier that weather can affect a character’s mood. Taking this one step further, you can have it actually symbolize how a character is feeling inside.

Suppose a mother is worried that her young son is late back home. As she stands by the window waiting for him to return, she notices the wind picking up. At this point, she is merely concerned.

One hour later, though, the garden furniture is cartwheeling across the lawn… and by implication, the woman is really starting to panic. The writer doesn’t even need to describe her panic. The scene outside tells the readers everything they need to know about how the woman is feeling inside.

5. Don’t Ignore It

If you can, mention it in every scene. Even if the weather isn’t that important to a scene, still write about it, however briefly.

When Mary left for work the next morning, it was still raining.

It was colder than Frank had expected when he stepped out of the house.

The snow started right after lunch.

There are no fancy descriptions here – no adjectives, no metaphors.

·         It’s raining.

·         It’s cold.

·         It’s snowing.

The reader can then take their experience of rain, say, and use it to imagine a rainy scene.

6. Show, Don’t Tell

When Mary left for work the next morning, the sky was as dark as slate and the icy north wind was blowing the rain straight into her face.

The entire sky was white with snow.

The sound of a dog pawing at the back door waiting to be let inside.

Use the best details you can imagine. Engage all of the senses (how the weather sounds and smells and tastes).

From my historical novel, “Tanayia—Whisper upon the Water

The wind began to blow, hot and restless.  It drowned out the sound of my fists pounding against the door.  It drowned out my cries for help.  I felt clammy, yet the heat of the day was trapped inside the attic.  The heat clawed at my like the talons of a vulture—cruel and without mercy.

Sweat poured down my body.  My legs were heavy with fatigue.  Allowed myself to rest upon the floor.  White spots danced before my eyes like moths.  My head pounded with a wild throbbing pain.

Sister Enid reminded me of Old Woman from my band.  She had appeared to be like everyone else.  She ate, she moved about, she spoke.  Only she wasn’t really like other people.  She was a woman in an empty body.  Old Woman’s sound had been taken from her. . .

Did my details draw you into the scene?  

Did you experience Tanayia's reality?  

Do you have a favorite 'weather scene' in a novel you've read?

Why is it a favorite?

Thank you for stopping by today at BWL Insider Blog.

I hope you enjoyed this month's post :-)

Happy Reading,

Connie 

BWL author site

https://books2read.com/Tanayia/purchase link

Exercising You Literary Muscles Through Free Writing by Connie Vines

Free writing—Improvisation, or raw writing – is a good way to loosen up, to renew or maintain a writing practice.  One writes without a particular plan.  Free writing encourages a pouring out of ideas or ways of expressing them that one may not have produced before.

If one theme keeps surfacing, in free writing that theme can be developed further.  Of course, to improve the craft, writers need to read and study the craft of writing by enrolling in workshops, writers’ groups, and receive input from other writers.

This can also be practiced in your plotting group, or critique group.  When I was a new writer I attending monthly workshops and met weekly with a critique group at a local coffee shop.  Often, we practice free writing and would look over each other’s work and give feedback.  I can’t say that these sessions resulted in finished pieces.  I did begin a short story that was later published and I began a number of projects that I was able to incorporate in later novels.

I still have several folders with my free writing papers.  When I pull out my folders and begin reading, more than a few surprised me with word play, sharp descriptions, or a twist and edge to some ideas. 

These are my rules for free writing:

Write whatever comes to mind without censoring, and keep the pen moving (pens let you write more quickly than pencils). One may use a keyboard; however, studies show that the pen to paper stimulates creatively in a different manner—which is true for me.

If prompts help, many books offer them, although I’ve found that when given too many choices I cannot settle on any. 

Often my free writing seems bland.  Then I remind myself that I had to get those works down in order to think and write my way to something more promising.

How to Improv Your Short Story

• Start with a black paper/ screen and start writing the first story idea you get, and then keep going. Don’t edit in your head; don’t block your creativity. Where will your story go if you let it develop naturally? Will you have a badminton racket in your story? A flying cat?  Or are you clinging to a run-away horse?

• “The key to great story, as with great improv, is to take the ideas that are there and build upon them rather than thinking the ideas won’t work.

• If you prefer to plot your story before you write, use the same approach to your plot outline. Allow your creativity to flourish and see where your story leads you. (Notice I said where your story leads you, not where you lead your story.)

Have fun!  Enjoy the ride.  This is how I work out my Fantasy novellas. 

“Here Today, Zombie Tomorrow” Sassy & Fun Fantasy

Chapter One

“You and Elvis have done a great job on this home,” Meredith said as her older sister led the way down stairs toward the kitchen where the tour began. “Sorry I couldn’t get over until now, but…well, I’ve been sort of. . .well, busy.” Slipping her Juicy Couture tortoise-shell framed sunglasses into a bright pink case, Meredith crammed them into her black Coach handbag.  She hoped her sister didn’t ask her to define busy.  Becoming a zombie, and dealing with the entire raised-from-the-dead issue over the past six months, was not a topic easily plunked into a casual conversation.

I hope you have enjoyed my blog post and the snippet from my novella :-).

Happy Reading & Writing,

Connie


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