Beth Cato's Blog, page 105
June 12, 2015
Going Big Time
I had a big ol’ pile of links the other day and today I return with even more. I mean, whoa. The attention this week. My mind is all…
Review of Clockwork Crown at NPR.org. …”Although Crown operates on a sprawling scale, it’s impeccably paced and compact, making for a potent conclusion to Cato’s rousing steampunk tale as well as a study in how less can be so much more.”
My post at John Scalzi’s Big Idea: Healers are heroes too, darnit.
Over at Bookish I have a list of five diverse steampunk books.
The Hook: The Clockwork Crown at Alex Shvartsman’s blog.
Wednesday morning I was interviewed by Professor Terry Lovell at KYCA out of Prescott. For a limited time, you can listen to that here. [Note: I was SO NERVOUS doing the interview but I made it through! I think I earned a piece of the Triforce for that.]
The wonderful David Nilsen at the Greenville, Ohio, Public Library invited me back to the Fourth & Sycamore blog with an interview and excerpt.
Wag the Fox interviewed me at Heavy Is the Steampunk That Wears the Crown: an interview with Beth Cato, author of “The Clockwork Crown.”
Romantic Tension in The Clockwork Crown at Coffee Time Romance.
June 10, 2015
Bready or Not: Tunnel of Fudge Cake (redux)
The Clockwork Crown is out! YAAAAAY! Now here’s the cake to celebrate. THE cake. The infamous Tunnel of Fudge Cake.
I originally posted this back in May 2012. I figured that for this splendiferous occasion, it deserved a repost. This is one of the most amazing cakes I have ever encountered. I mean, LOOK AT IT.
You just gained five pounds by looking at that picture. I’m sorry.
To quote my original post:
As you can see, it’s a bundt cake. It cooks up and creates its own middle layer of fudge inside. When the cake is fresh, it oozes out in an amazing way. After it has been in the fridge, honestly, it tastes even better. The middle solidifies so it’s like there are two layers of fudgy frosting, one on the inside and one on the outside. You also have this whole mingling of textures thing going on: cakey chocolate, fudgy chocolate, chocolate glaze, walnuts, chocolate, chocolate, chhhhhhocolate.
If you don’t like nuts or have allergies–sorry, this cake really does need them. I think they provide some scaffolding for the massive quantities of chocolate.
I can add some experience from making this a few times, too. The leftovers are easy to handle. Line a small pan with wax paper. Slice the cake however you want and place the pieces on the pan. Freeze them. Bag them. When you want to serve a slice, remove from freezer and zap it in the microwave until it’s as thawed or hot as you want.
Recipe is adapted from Relish Magazine, and originally in Bundt Cake Bliss by Susanna Short.
Bready or Not: Tunnel of Fudge Cake
Save
The ultimate cake for any chocoholic. The core is like fudge. It’s even better after a day in the fridge.
Cake:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups butter, room temperature
6 eggs, room temperature
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans
Glaze:
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
2 to 3 tablespoons milk or half and half
Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan. One option is to melt 1tablespoon butter, mix 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder into it, then brush the sides of the bundt pan. Or use nonstick spray or butter and sprinkle flour or cocoa powder into the pan.
In a small mixing bowl, combine flour and cocoa powder and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add confectioners' sugar and mix thoroughly. Stir in flour mixture by hand until well blended. Gently stir in nuts. Batter will be thick and rather mud-like. Spoon all of the batter into the prepared bundt pan.
Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until the top is set and the edges begin to pull away from sides of pan. Do NOT use the toothpick test. You don't want the center to solidify with this cake.
Cool cake upright in the pan on a wire rack for 1 1/2 hours to allow fudge to set. Invert onto a plate to cool thoroughly. Make sure the cake is completely cool before you add the glaze.
To prepare glaze, combine sifted confectioners' sugar and cocoa. Add 2 tablespoons milk. Mix thoroughly, and add more milk if needed to create a smooth but pourable glaze. Spoon glaze over top of cake, allowing some to run down sides.
This can be eaten fresh but is even better after being in the fridge overnight. The chocolate flavor deepens. It can also be frozen in slices and thawed/warmed in microwave.
OM NOM NOM and take an insulin injection.
June 9, 2015
Release Day! I am Everywhere!
YOU GUYS. The book is out and through the miracle of the internet I have duplicated myself to be on All the Web Sites to promote the release. Actually, all these links are proof of months of work but that’s all really boring to talk about. There is so much love out there because I’m totally ignoring the haters as much as I can. My feelings are so deep and complicated, I can only express myself in cat gifs.
Ahem. That done, here’s the full proof of my presence everywhere!
First of all, today I have an Ask me Anything on reddit/Fantasy! Drop by and ask me questions. There’s also still an open topic on Goodreads where you can pose questions for the Sword and Laser broadcast.
My friend Lauren the Flute recorded a gorgeous rendition of “Pure Land” from the Secret of Mana soundtrack in honor of my book’s release!
Guest blogs:
My Favorite Bit in The Clockwork Crown: Gremlins at Mary Robinette Kowal’s site
Special Needs in Strange Worlds: Beth Cato (THE CLOCKWORK CROWN) on Sensory Overload
Seven Reasons to Read (and Write) Steampunk by Beth Cato at Bent Over Books
Picture association with Clockword Crown author Beth Cato at Sara Dobie Bauer’s Blog
My Superpower: BAKING at Skiffy and Fanty
The Most Wonderful, Agonizing Secret: Waiting to Announce a Book Deal at David Walton’s Blog
Interviews:
At Kings River Life. Also includes a review and a giveaway for Clockwork Crown!
With the Qwillery
SF Signal interview!
Wheeeee! Book! Buy it! Pretty please?
The Clockwork Crown is Out!
Today’s the day! The Clockwork Crown is out! This is the second book in the Clockwork Dagger Duology.
What’s it about? Where can you buy it? Well…
Narrowly surviving assassination and capture, Octavia Leander, a powerful magical healer, is on the run with handsome Alonzo Garrett, the Clockwork Dagger who forfeited his career with the Queen’s secret society of spies and killers—and possibly his life—to save her. Now, they are on a dangerous quest to find safety and answers: Why is Octavia so powerful? Why does she seem to be undergoing a transformation unlike any witnessed for hundreds of years?
The truth may rest with the source of her mysterious healing power—the Lady’s Tree. But the tree lies somewhere in a rough, inhospitable territory known as the Waste. Eons ago, this land was made barren and uninhabitable by an evil spell, until a few hardy souls dared to return over the last century. For years, the Waste has waged a bloody battle against the royal court to win its independence—and they need Octavia’s powers to succeed.
Joined by unlikely allies, including a menagerie of gremlin companions, she must evade killers and Clockwork Daggers on a dangerous journey through a world on the brink of deadly civil war.
Amazon Barnes & Noble Powell’s Books-A-Million Poisoned Pen Changing Hands Mysterious Galaxy
June 7, 2015
Sunday Quote releases CROWN in 2 days
“Being a writer is like having homework every night for the rest of your life.”
~Lawrence Kasdan
June 5, 2015
The Almost-There Link Round-Up
Clockwork Crown. NEXT TUESDAY. *happy flailing* Here’s the latest news on that and other writing stuff!
– Kirkus Reviews has Clockwork Crown on their Can’t-Miss list for June.
– My entire collection of #TwitterFiction is in easy-to-read Storify form!
– Want to read something fun? I wrote up a cross-over of Clockwork Dagger and Little Red Riding Hood for Dark Faerie Tales!
– There’s an interview with me in in Big Thrill Magazine.
– Josh Vogt interviewed me! Find out the sordid truth about gremlin pee!
– I shared Beer Pizza Dough at the Holy Taco Church.
June 4, 2015
Ask Me Stuff!
Clockwork Crown is out on Tuesday and I intend to be everywhere and Do All the Things. To that end, there are two opportunities next week where you can ask me questions.
I’ll be in reddit/Fantasy next Tuesday for an AMA (Ask Me Anything). A thread will start early in the morning and folks add questions throughout the day. In the afternoon and evening, I’ll hop on and answer things.
On Wednesday, I’ll take part in the Sword and Laser video show/podcast. They have started a topic on Goodreads where you can also pose questions for me. No need to wait–you can post your scintillating queries for me now.
Please participate! Have fun with it. Ask about my writing process or recipes or cats or cosplay or books. Whatever. I’m game.
June 3, 2015
Bready or Not: Twinkie Cake
The Clockwork Crown is out next week, and that means this is CAKE MONTH on Bready or Not! We start that off with a glorious layer cake that tastes like a fresh version of a Twinkie.
Seriously, that’s what this is. A totally fresh, melt-in-your-mouth version of a Twinkie.
I wanted to make this from scratch because I believe in making my life extra difficult. I found this awesome yellow cake recipe at Mel’s Kitchen. I used the dry ingredients to form my base of the Twinkie Cake.
The good news is that you can make this using a store-bought mix–heck, you could even do it gluten-free!
The marshmallow frosting here is amazing. It’s not overly sweet but it does pack a sugar wallop. Eat a few slices of this and you might have trouble sleeping tonight.
Varied reactions to this cake: “It’s… a Twinkie. That you made?” “Wow.” “You are trying to murder me with diabetes.” “Good grief.” “Don’t tell my doctor I’m eating this.”
One funny note, too. This was at room temperature for a few hours at a party. When it was down to about a quarter of the cake, the top layer kept sliding off. The frosting layers didn’t budge and the yellow cake didn’t even crumble. I kept going over to slide it back into place again because I’m OCD like that.
Finally, I told my husband we had to finish the cake because it didn’t look right.
The things I do.
Yellow cake mix modified from Mel’s Kitchen and Twinkie Cake modified from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen.
Bready or Not: Twinkie Cake
Save
Tastes like a fresh, fluffy version of a Twinkie! Can be made from-scratch or with store-bought yellow cake mix.
Homemade dry cake mix:
(Or disregard this section and use a boxed yellow cake mix)
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Add to cake mix:
5.1 oz box instant vanilla pudding (the large box)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup water
1 stick salted butter, melted and cooled slightly
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
Filling/Frosting:
1 stick salted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
7 oz jar marshmallow creme
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
rainbow sprinkles, if desired
Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Butter or add nonstick spray to 8 or 9 inch round cake pans, then cut out parchment rounds to place inside each pan, then butter or spray again.
Combine the dry ingredients of the cake mix (this can be done a day or two ahead of time) or open up a box of yellow cake mix.
In a large bowl, combine the eggs and butter. Slowly add the cake mix (homemade or store bought), pudding mix, vanilla extract, and water. Beat on medium for a minute or so, until it's smooth and thick.
Spread batter in the prepared pans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until top is spongy to the touch and/or it passes the toothpick test.
Cool cakes in pans for a few minutes, then gently run a plastic knife around the edge. Turn cakes out onto wire racks, remove the parchment, and let them completely cool.
For frosting/filling:
In a mixer, beat together the butter and vanilla extract. Add the jarred marshmallow crème and beat until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar and then pour in the heavy cream. Put the mixer on high and beat for a minute or two, until the frosting is light, smooth, and fluffy.
To assemble the cake, dab some frosting on the cake plate and set the bottom cake layer on top. The frosting dabs will act like glue. Note that this cake doesn't have frosting on the sides. Place about half the marshmallow frosting on the cake layer and even it out. Place the second cake layer on top. Dollop on the rest of the frosting and swirl it to be all pretty. Add sprinkles on top. Store in fridge.
OM NOM NOM!
May 31, 2015
Sunday Quote is at Phoenix Comicon
“As for “Write what you know,” I was regularly told this as a beginner. I think it’s a very good rule and have always obeyed it. I write about imaginary countries, alien societies on other planets, dragons, wizards, the Napa Valley in 22002. I know these things. I know them better than anybody else possibly could, so it’s my duty to testify about them.”
~ Ursula Le Guin
May 29, 2015
B is for Broken
You might remember that last year I was part of the A is for Apocalypse anthology. The Alphabet series continues with B is for Broken, out this week!
Broken people, broken promises, broken dreams and broken objects are just some of the ways these 26 fantastic stories interpret the theme of ‘Broken’. From science fiction to fantasy, horror to superheroes the stories within these pages cover a vast swath of the genres under the speculative fiction umbrella.
Featuring original fiction by:
~ Brittany Warman ~ Milo James Fowler ~ C.S. MacCath ~ Sara Cleto ~ Samantha Kymmell-Harvey ~ Megan Arkenberg ~ Gary B. Phillips ~ Alexandra Seidel ~ Jonathan C. Parrish ~ Simon Kewin ~ Beth Cato ~ Cory Cone ~ Cindy James ~ Alexis A. Hunter ~ Michael M. Jones ~ Steve Bornstein ~ BD Wilson ~ Michael Kellar ~ Damien Angelica Walters ~ Marge Simon ~ Michael Fosburg ~ Suzanne van Rooyen ~ L.S. Johnson ~ Pete Aldin ~ Gabrielle Harbowy ~ Lilah Wild ~ KV Taylor ~
Excerpt from K is for…
by Beth Cato
The man on the rock looks up at us. His face so sad, emotion sharp, like a slap to the face. Tommy grunted like it hit him, too.
“Tommy Smith. George Blackworth.” He says my name and I feel it in my bones, like my mother, God rest her, yelling out the back door.
“Who’re you?” I ask.
“Who am I?” He stares at his hands. “A king without a queen, proof that the undying are not immortal.”
You can buy the book in most electronic formats and in paper:
Kobo
Smashwords
Amazon (paperback and kindle)
Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf on Goodreads.
