#AmWriting, #Cooking, and Escape Rooms

On By Teri PolenIn Monday Share

I’ve mentioned how I write out of sequence then put the chapters in order and fill in the holes. For the past month, I’ve been focused on getting the first several chapters to my beta reader. On Saturday, I looked at the other files I haven’t touched in months and did a double take. I’ve written a lot more than I thought! Considering I feel like I’ve been working on this sequel to Subject A36 since the dawn of time, I felt like doing a Snoopy dance. I don’t know how much I’ll keep or change until I dig into the files, but at least I’ve made more progress than I thought. Yay me!

Saturday night cooking continues. Hubby makes fantastic steak, whether on the grill or using a grill pan. I’m a chef’s worst nightmare – I prefer mine closer to the well side of medium well. After experimenting with different techniques, hubby perfected my steak a few years ago, and I honestly prefer his to most I’ve had in restaurants. Steak was the main course for Saturday’s dinner, and he wanted a mushroom sauce to go with his filet. I tried a new recipe with mushrooms, garlic, olive oil, and gorgonzola, but it wasn’t a flavorful as he’d hoped (I still can’t taste much of anything). Maybe we’ll try to tweak the recipe if we give it another chance.

I’m a fan of escape rooms and have done several with my family. They can either make you feel like your IQ is genius level or you’re the dumbest person alive. My oldest son and his girlfriend shift into beast mode before entering an escape room, and I haven’t seen anything stump them yet. With her in Canada and him in KY, they haven’t been able to see each other much over the past year (stupid pandemic!), but they found an escape room company online. I had no idea it was possible to do them virtually, but they gave it a try. If you’re into game nights with family or friends from a distance, maybe you’d want to give it a try HERE.

Stay safe and healthy and have a great week!

44 thoughts on “#AmWriting, #Cooking, and Escape Rooms”

  1. Congratulations on you WIP progress. That’s great!

    I had no idea they did online escape rooms. That sounds like fun. I just saw the movie Escape Room this weekend. It was pretty much what I expected it to be, but it got my wheels turning.

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  3. I had no idea escape rooms were available online. I’ve never participated in one, but would love to give it a try someday.

    Congratulations on discovering all those extra words. Definitely cause for a Snoopy dance! 🙂

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  6. YAY for writing progress that’s good enough to bring on a Snoopy dance!

    That’s cool that you can do the panic room thing online too. A lot of places are making online ways to do things when they can with all the lockdowns and social distancing and such stoppingpeople coming in person, but I wouldn’t have thought something like that had done it too.

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  7. Pink but not bloody. I love steak but I can’t stomach anything approaching rare/medium rare. I’ve never liked mushrooms though and they are the perfect accompaniment to steak. Sounds like a delish dinner!
    Online escape rooms sound fun. I tried to set up one for my brood during parents weekend at UNC but big school means things fill up fast and I just wasn’t quick enough. I’ll look into the one you used 🙂

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    1. Same. Rare/medium rare makes my skin crawl, but hubby and sons prefer medium – I just try not to look at it, lol.

      We have tons of fun with escape rooms, though some are much better than others. Hope you get a chance to try one, Tessa!

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    1. Now I’m wondering if I sleep wrote and just didn’t remember it, Darlene, lol. But still an awesome surprise.

      You’re right about getting steak just right – especially with the way I like mine, but hubby gets it right every time.

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    1. Thanks, Robbie! Hope work eases up and you can get some more writing done.

      We hate she’s so far away, but they’re both looking for new jobs in the US and Canada, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed. They’ve been together since freshman year in college.

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  11. You and The Producer share the joy of well-done meat. We don’t eat beef, but it is still challenging to get something done to our mutual satisfaction. (I admit I sometimes cheat by popping her portion in the microwave for a few seconds.)I haven’t tried an escape room yet but would like to someday. Discovering you have written more than you thought is like finding a twenty-dollar bill in an old pair of shorts. Great feeling.

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    1. She has good taste, John, lol! Before hubby perfected cooking mine, I was known to put it in the microwave (he was very insulted). A good analogy about the extra chapters – or like finding chocolate in the pantry I’d forgotten about.

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  12. I think an escape room would be a lot like a maze- and scare the heck out of me! lol
    I’ve discovered cooking steaks in a 450 oven works really well. It seals in the juices and chars the outside, just how I like it 🙂
    I’m almost finished A36, so hearing that the sequel is coming along well makes my day!

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    1. You should try them, Jacquie – nothing to be scared about! I have a friend who was reluctant to try them – she really thought they locked you in – but she was ready to schedule another session after the first time.

      I haven’t tried them in the oven, but if it gets a char I’d be willing to give it a shot (that’s what I like best).

      You must have been reading my mind – I finished Virtually Gone a couple weeks ago and have the review scheduled on my blog 3/25, lol.

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  13. Congratulations on the progress of writing, Teri. You Saturday steak sounds delicious. Our streak night is Sundays. Hubby does the barbeque. He likes his medium well and I like mine medium. I have to be on guard so he doesn’t overcook mine. We’re not into online game but it sounds exciting.

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  14. I love mushroom sauce or even just sauteed mushrooms on my steak. Sounds like a great meal. I’ve never heard of virtual escape rooms, but what fun. I’ve done it once with my kids. Thank goodness they were there or I would have never gotten out. 🙂

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    1. I wasn’t a mushroom fan initially, but I’m now a fan. Hubby and my youngest son love mushrooms with their steak. When it comes to the escape rooms, hubby says he just holds the flashlight when we’re with our oldest son and his girlfriend, lol. They move pretty fast.

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  16. I am so glad to see another author that can write out of order. While I mostly write in sequence, I have been known to write ahead.

    I had no idea about online escape rooms. Sounds like fun. Hoping your taste returns to normal soon.

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    1. You may be the only other author I know who also writes that way, Joan. The way my brain works, I get these scenes in my head and I need to write them while they’re fresh. I don’t know exactly how my characters have gotten to this point, but that’s when I go back and fill in.

      I plan on scheduling one of these online escape rooms just to give it a try. Should be interesting.

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  18. Writing, cooking, and escape rooms—what a great combo! Exciting news about your sequel. The Colony Series sounds cool! My husband is also the official chef of the household, especially when it comes to the meat. I’m also psyched about the escape rooms and the murder mystery dinner that Sue recommended. They don’t seem as intensive as a traditional video game.

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    1. Thanks, Christa! When it comes to anything grilled, whether outside or with the grill pan, hubby is always the chef. I have no talent for either, lol. I’m on the way now to check out Sue’s recommendation. It would be something fun and different to do this weekend. Thanks for visiting and have a great week!

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    1. That’s a good question, Matt. I didn’t ask my son about that. The in-person ones can get really stressful when you’re so close to escaping and see that clock counting down. We’ve escaped with only six seconds left!

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