CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

Before I found out I had fructose malabsorption, I used to bake. I never used packet mixes, and I had reached the stage where I was starting to experiment with my own creations. Then I discovered I couldn’t have wheat flour without having undesirable consequences, and the learning curve had to start from scratch. I have moved up from sticking to the packet and now vary the mixes. Sometimes this can be disastrous, but last night’s effort wasn’t, so I have shared it below. I’m starting to look forward to recipes using the different flours I’m allowed to have. When I do, I’ll share the edible results with you, too. Ingredients: 1 x Basco Golden Butter Cake mix (from Basco Gluten Free Foods, usually found in the gluten-free section of Australian supermarkets and some health food outlets. Mine was in Woolworths, but I have seen it elsewhere.). To make up the butter cake, you will also need: ·          2 eggs ·    ...

I’ve been working on the last short story for Anthology2. It’s nearly done, but I was surprised there were over 5,000 words to add for it to reach the point of near completion. I had originally thought it would come in at around 4,000 words. Mind you, that was twelve years ago. It is still moving towards the ending I envisioned then, but there is more story to tell than I realised. I have learned a lot about portraying feelings and character portrayal than I knew back then, so time had to be taken to get the characters right. When I started this story, it was about a battle and an evacuation. What I didn’t realise then was that the battle and the evacuation were secondary to the family conflicts faced by the three main characters involved. This story is much better than it would have been had I finished it in 1999, but it’s time for it to stop haunting me. Current Projects: These are in the current priority order, which represents the order I tackle things in any given day. I u...