Random Lit... The Work of Obsession the Writer

 

 

About Obsession

 

Growing up on the west side of Chicago, Obsession began writing at the age of 7. Winning countless awards in her youth, it was plain to see that she was indeed gifted. Upon graduation from a young Chicago author's program, she published two poetry books by the age of 17. Obsession is currently working on her third novel and fourth poetry! She now resides on the north side of Chicago, where she teaches transitional kindergarten.

 

Find Her Here:

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1.      If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor or which author would you mentor?

 I don't have an author in mind that I would mentor, but I do have a poet. He goes by the pen name Poetrii Love and he's extremely talented and witty, he just doesn't have the self-confidence to go with it. Once he believes in himself and tightens up his wordplay...he is going to be a major force in the poetic world.

2.      What book are you reading now?

 

I just read Susan Halter's "License to date" which is book #6 in her 7 book series better date than never.

 

3.      Out of all of the stories you’ve written so far, what would be your favorite and why?

 

Climatic Successions was my favorite book to write. It was straight off the dome... I freestyled it along with the sequel. Climatic is my first... my baby. I went through hell and high water to complete and publish that book, I cherish that one the most.

 

4.      Tell us something funny about yourself that not a lot of people know about?

 

I like to eat all of the folded potato chips in the bag first; I freak out when I start eating the other chips and find a folded one that I miss. God it seems like my life is over! Lol

 

5.      Are any of the stories you’ve written based on real life experiences or basically just from imagination?

 

All of my stories are 50% my life & 50% my imagination; every single one of my main characters have a piece me within them.

 

Prostitute's Anonymous

 

A self-employed young hooker working the streets of Chicago, Lydia adapts to the grimy life of prostitution easily and has no intention of walking away from the profession. That is, until one of her high paying johns Max confesses that he's madly in love with her and can offer her things that she's only dreamed of; like FREE unconditional love. When she falls victim to her lifestyle but refuses to give it up, Max takes matters into his own hands and blackmails her into choosing to turn her life around instead choosing to turn tricks.

In this romantic comedy, author Obsession delivers a humorous story of a young girls quest to discover if loving herself and somebody else is worth retiring her hooker heels.

 

Before I Lay Me Down to Sleep

 

If you were given only six months to a year to live, what would be your final good deed?
Filled with love, humor and heart stopping suspense, you will find Gail Washington; a therapist turned matchmaker diagnosed with a monstrous disease. She arranges a sensual mixer in hopes that four individuals, who are also her clients, make a love connection. Nathaniel, a head strong seductive pediatric surgeon, has never met a woman that could handle him mentally or physically; that's why Gail’s feisty secretary Zaya is perfect for him. Raven is the top male tennis player in the world. He quickly learns that with championships comes a lot of money and a lot of women; both of which he’s always had control over until he meets Morgan, a free spirited hairstylist that is drop dead gorgeous and emotionally elusive.

Will Gail live to see her last wish granted? Will they surrender their hearts and fall passionately in love with one another? Or will Gail’s final act of kindness accompany her to the grave?"

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Catch 22: Love's Paradox

 

If you thought that you knew Brooklyn, Ethan, Aaron, Derricka, Thailand and Adriana… well think again. In this highly anticipated sequel to Climatic Successions, you will discover that love not only changes but exposes individuals for who they truly are. Greed… temptation… insecurities… lies and unresolved issues have created a maze that if the wrong path is chosen, it can lead to catastrophic consequences. Will they find treasures within trials and tribulations? Or will their love fail and all they've worked and wished for be in vain?

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Climatic Successions

6 degrees of separation...

Satisfyingly explicit, this bona-fide narrative is plagued with humor, sex, romance, violence, devastating family secrets and more. Inspirational in its own right, this urban tale will invite readers into the lives of six individuals, who learn from one another that with love, faith, and forgiveness...peace found within will outweigh all the pain that was ever endured.

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For all the poetry lovers, Obsession has two poetry books published, Verse by Verse and Memory Box: A Replay of the Mind.

Random Eats... Salted Caramel Ding Dong Cake

 

This recipe is sooooooooooo long, but it's soooooooooo worth it when you taste the finished product!

 

For the Cake

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cups cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup hot coffee

1/2 cup canola oil

2 large eggs

2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and line 2, 8-inch baking pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the dry ingredients & mix.
3. Add in the buttermilk, hot coffee, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until well combined 1-2 mins.
4. Divide batter among cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted comes out almost clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let cake cool in pans about 10 minutes then remove from pans and cool on a cooling rack until completely cooled. I froze mine at this point, overnight.

SALTED CARAMEL RECIPES-
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 2/3 cups heavy cream
2 Tbsp salted butter
3/4 tsp coarse sea salt
Method to make the caramel sauce:
1. Spread the sugar in an even layer in a large metal pot, at least 6 quarts. Set over a moderate heat and cook without stirring, until the sugar near the edge just starts to liquefy.
2. Use a wooden spoon and begin stirring, encouraging the melted sugar around the edges toward the center, delicately stirring up any sugar melting on the bottom as well. The sugar will start to look pebbly as it cooks, but keep going until it is melted completely and an amber color. If you think it is cooking too fast, lower the heat and keep stirring. Be patient.
3. Continue to cook until the sugar turns deep brown. Once brown, take it off of the heat!!!!
4. Time to add the cream but here is my trick….only add a DROP at a time and stir, stir, stir. This will eliminate the seizing of your caramel and you will love me for this trick. Keep adding a drop at a time and stirring until all of the cream is mixed in. Be patient…you have a lot of cream so this will take a few minutes. Once smooth, add butter and salt. Let cool. Will store in fridge up to one month. HA! As if it will last that long…ever!!!! TOO delicious!!

 

NEXT, MAKE THE CHOCOLATE CARAMEL GANACHE. JUST MELT 10 OUNCES GHIRARDELLI DARK CHIPS IN THE MICROWAVE AND STIR IN YOUR 8 OUNCES OF COLD CARAMEL. WHISK UNTIL SMOOTH. SET ASIDE TO THICKEN (SPEED THIS IN FRIDGE OR REHEAT IF TOO THICK)

 

VANILLA BEAN WHIPPED CREAM FILLING:

2 tablespoons cold water

1 1/4 teaspoons unflavoured gelatin

1 1/2 cups chilled heavy cream

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1. Add the cold water to a small bowl, then sprinkle the gelatin over it. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes, until it has set.
2. In a small skillet, add about 1/2-inch of water, and heat over medium-high heat. Place the small bowl with the gelatin directly inside the skillet. Stir the gelatin until it is melted, about 2 minutes. Remove the bowl from the skillet.
3. In the mixer, use whisk attachment and beat the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla bean seeds. Beat on high to soft peaks. Add in the melted gelatin mixture and continue to beat until stiff peaks have formed.
Assembly
4. Take the first cake layer and place it on a cake plate. Spread a layer of ganache over the cake. Top with vanilla bean whipped cream. Repeat in between each layer you use. Chill cake.
5. Make ganache to pour on top:
6. Heat 1 c. heavy cream and pour over 8 ounces dark chips. Whisk smooth and pour over cake!
7. Decorate with chocolate dipped Twinkies, chocolate dipped marshmallows or anything else you like!

CHILL FIRM BEFORE CUTTING!!!!!
NOW, WHO WANTS TO LICK THE WHISK?

Random Eye Candy... My Muse

A few weeks ago (maybe longer, I'm the worst with timeframes and memory in general) a fellow writer shared her muse with us. I was QUITE JEALOUS because she had claimed him, but I figured oh-what-the-heck, I guess I'll just have to find my own; however, this was after much sulking and fuming.  Here's the link for "her" muse and his delicious photo

 Aja the Writer

Now there's no question about it, Mr. Elba could undoubtedly spark a flame of creativity in just about anyone (unless you're blind, deaf, and just plain old crazy...or male), but he's taken, so I can't claim him and I'm sure Aja's not willing to share :-(

 

 

So, I say all of that to say, thanks to Aja, I finally found my muse!

Now, you may be wondering why there are two pictures instead of one since I didn't say muses (I'm wondering if I'm using that word correctly or if I just made it up, but I refuse to stop and check because I'm so distracted by my muse) well, to answer the question, I saw the two and decided I had to have them both. I had to blend them into one (there's no law against that, is ther?). Either way, based off of these two chocolate chunks (chips would be defaming their characters), here's my description...ENJOY!!

 

I stared at him again and found myself in that moment where you couldn’t really describe how a person looked because handsome wouldn’t do them justice. He was tall, well over six feet. His skin was smooth and dark, chocolate at its finest; a tattoo peeked out from behind the collar of his shirt. I was sure that beneath the long-sleeved shirt he wore, he would be covered in them. Muscles…oh-em-gee muscles; not the kind that made you wonder if they were too big or you’d be grossed out by veins popping out everywhere, but a perfect physique, Geek god worthy. His lips…sweet Jesus, those lips. They looked pillow soft, outlined by a perfect goatee and mustache. His hair was cut low on the sides and in the back; the top was low as well, but just long enough to hint at a curly mane if he decided to grow it out. Thick, unruly eyebrows and eyelashes framed jet black eyes.



Random Eats... Colored Deviled Eggs

10 large	hard boiled eggs
3 dash(es)	food coloring
1 c	cold water
1 tsp	vinegar for each color you are using
1/2 c	mayonnaise or miracle whip or half of each

Directions

1

 If you are trying to do the pastel shown in the picture you don't want to leave them in the dye for very long. Because the egg is very porous, they will take the dye very quickly!!! Give them a quick dunk in the water and very quickly pull them out to see if it is the color you want. Don't let them soak for long!!!!!

2

 Remove the shells from the hard boiled eggs and slice each egg in half

3

 Remove the yolks from the egg halves and place in a bowl. Set the yolks aside.

4

 Get enough glasses or mugs for the number of colors you want to use. Fill the mugs or glasses 2/3 of the way full with cold water.

5

 Add 3 drops of desired food coloring along with 1 tsp vinegar to each mug or cup.

6

 Place egg whites in the mugs and allow to sit in the food coloring until desired color is reached. I could fit 3 egg whites in each of my mugs at a tim

7

 Remove whites from dye and drain on a plate lined with a couple of paper towels.

8

 Take the reserved yolks and mash them with a fork. Then mix in the 1/2 cup mayonnaise with the mashed yolk.

9

 Pipe or spoon the yolk mix into the colored egg whites.