Beyond Dead by Jordaina Sydney Robinson
Bridget Sway #1

Dead less than twenty-four hours, with a job that doesn’t pay, a fashion disaster for a uniform and more afterlife rules than she can shake a stick at, Bridget Sway thinks it’s as bad as it can get. And then she finds a dead ghost stuffed in her locker.

Since the police are desperate to arrest her for murder, Bridget’s new best friend convinces her the only way to save herself from an eternity in prison is to solve the murder themselves.

With a handsome parole officer watching her every move, an outlaw ghost befriending her and two persistent mediums demanding her attention, solving the murder is not quite as easy as it sounds. And when “murder” turns into “murders” Bridget needs to solve the case…before she becomes the next dead body stuffed in her locker.

Hi everyone. I’m Jordaina and Brooke was kind enough to let me write a guest post for her blog today. I’m a writer and I write a series about a ghost who solves ghost murders. Cool, right? If you think so then enter your details below so you’ll be in with a chance to win Beyond Dead which is the first book in the series. If not then keep scrolling down anyway because I have an amazing All-in-one sponge cake recipe to share with you.

Okay, now, to be super clear, this recipe is absolutely not related to my book in any way, shape or form. Bridget, my heroine, doesn’t bake so I won’t be sharing recipes in the book because that would just be a bit weird since, well, she doesn’t bake. It’d be like reading Harry Potter and finding tips on car maintenance. Not that I’m likening myself to J K Rowling…although we are both British. I just wanted to make that clear first because when you try this recipe and are blown away by it (because you will be blown away by it) I don’t want you to buy the book or enter the competition thinking there’ll be more super awesome recipes in it. There aren’t.

So why am I sharing something that has nothing to do with my book? Well, I figure, if you like paranormal cosy mysteries you’ll probably enter the competition anyway but if the paranormal doesn’t do it for you then I still wanted you to walk away with something great. And when I was thinking about what I could share I thought about my hobbies: knitting, running and baking – not necessarily in that order. More like I run because I bake and then eat what I’ve baked whilst I knit and watch TV.

I thought about sharing a knitting pattern with you but that’s hardly engaging and usually I ad-lib my knitting anyway. Mostly it comes out okay. Sometimes it doesn’t and we use it to bulk out the cat’s bed. I also thought about sharing tips on how to be a better runner but I’m not really a great runner (I imagine I look like Rachel from Friends when in fact I probably run like Phoebe – y’know the episode I mean, right?). But then, I think running is quite a specific hobby and I call it a “hobby” to make it sound casual but I know people who get crazy about it. And I mean crazy. I just think it’s quite nice to run around the countryside in peace. And then go home and eat some cake.

This is a recipe from my mum’s old Delia Smith cookbook. I’ve used it so many times in a variety of ovens and it’s never failed me. I can reel it off from memory but since I’m posting it on here I’ve double checked it.

4oz self raising flour (sifted)
4oz caster sugar
4oz soft margarine
2 large eggs
A couple of drops of vanilla extract (not essential so if you don’t like vanilla just leave it out)
1 teaspoon of baking soda

That’s it. You whisk it all together, scrape it into a greased cake tin and put it into a preheated over at 325 F/170 C for 25-30 minutes.

It’s so simple. This will make one layer so you can double the quantities and divide the mixture between two tins (7in or 8in but use two the same size – obviously) or you can place it all in the same tin and then slice the cake in half when it’s cooked and cooled to add the filling. My mum always puts it in one tin and slices the cake but I can never manage to get the top and bottom halves even (and I usually break the top half when I’m lifting it off!) so I do it in two tins.

My preferred filling is fresh cream and Nutella because I don’t like jam (there was a silly incident with a nurse school teacher and a jam cracker) but really you can use whatever you like. I’ve made both a three and four layer cake with this recipe and honestly, I’ve never found one that gives such repeatable results.

Right, if you’ve made it this far down my guest blog then I appreciate your attention and I hope you’ll try the recipe. If you do try it I’d love to see photos!

About the Author

Jordaina Sydney Robinson grew up and, despite many adventures further afield, still lives in the North West of England. For fun she buys notebooks, gets walked by her husky puppy and sings really loudly and really badly while driving her trusty old Seat, Roger. If you want to find out just how bad her singing is then you can visit her official website at www.JordainaSydneyRobinson.com and ask her.

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Would you like to win an ebook copy of Beyond Dead by Jordaina Sydney Robinson? Well, you’re in luck! The author is generously offering an ebook copy to one lucky Brooke Blogs reader. For your chance to win, enter using the giveaway widget below.

This giveaway is open worldwide to those individuals 18 and older who are legally allowed to enter giveaways/contests. Void where prohibited. Giveaway ends at 11:59PM EST on 9/20/16 and winner will be randomly selected from all eligible entries. Mandatory entries must be completed in order to win. Winner will be notified by email & will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected. Brooke Blogs is not responsible for prize fulfillment. Complete rules/regulations in the giveaway widget.

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