Beth Cato's Blog, page 114

Still $1.99

The ebook sale for The Clockwork Dagger is ongoing through Christmas! It’s for $1.99 at:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Google Play

Kobo

iTunes

In other news this week, I have a new story published at Perihelion SF: “A Mother’s Touch,” a story of medical advancement, dragons, and death with dignity.

I’m also over at Rhonda Parrish’s blog with a very true cat Christmas tale.

If you’re looking for more recipes for this week, I might be able to help. Not only do I have a lot here on my site, but on Pinterest I have over 6,000 pins, many of those being recipes. That includes a board of my Bready or Not recipes, a collection on non-baked desserts, and a full repertoire of sweets that require glorious, glorious maple. Plenty of om-nom-noms to be had.

Sunday Quote extends Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas wishes

“First, find out what your hero wants, then just follow him!” ~Ray Bradbury

Bready or Not: Mint Chocolate Chip Bars

You want something chewy, minty, and luscious? Here’s your new favorite cookie bar.

I used mint chocolate chips from King Arthur Flour here but you can substitute any kind of mint chocolate chips you get from the grocery store. I do love the seasonal colors of these particular chocolate chips!

[The bars, right before baking.]

These bars are kind of amazing. They are EASY. They look like they are more work-intensive than they are. The results really impressed me because they are so chewy, even the side pieces. The mint flavor is definitely there but it doesn’t knock you upside the head; if you want it heavier, add an extra splash of extract. Another note: after a day, the mint flavor in the bars gets even stronger.

You’ll definitely want to chill this before you slice into bars. I store them in the fridge after that because I live in Arizona, but these might be okay at room temp for you folks who actually experience winter.

My husband loves mint chocolate. These bars have his full endorsement.

Modified from Recipe Girl.

PrintBready or Not: Mint Chocolate Chip Bars

Ingredients

Chocolate Layer:
2 cups chocolate chips, semi-sweet or milk or mixed
One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon peppermint extract

Cookie Dough:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups mint chocolate chips

Instructions

Prepare the mint chocolate filling first: Place semi-sweet and/or milk chocolate chips and condensed milk in a small saucepan. Heat on low, stirring often, until everything has melted and the mix has thickened. Remove it from the burner and pour in the peppermint extract and stir. Let the pot cool until it's about room temperature.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper (the combination aluminum foil/parchment paper works well here) and lightly butter or use nonstick spray. Have paper overhang the sides for easy lifting later.
Prepare the cookie dough: Place the butter and sugars in a large bowl. Mix until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix with the butter mixture. Add mint chocolate chips last.
Place about half the cookie dough in the prepared pan. It will be sticky, but drop it in dollops and smooth it to the edge as best you can. With a solid layer on the bottom, now dollop the cooled chocolate from the saucepan. Use an offset spatula to smooth it to the edges. Plop the rest of the cookie dough on top and don't worry if some chocolate shows through. The dough will ooze out and even as it bakes.
Bake until lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside to cool for a few hours, then place in fridge to completely set. Cut into bars. Store in sealed container in fridge or on counter.
OM NOM NOM!
3.0http://www.bethcato.com/bready-or-not-mint-chocolate-chip-bars/

Virtual Cookie Exchange Blog Hop: Chewy Cardamom Cookies

I saw a retweet on Twitter earlier this month about a cookie exchange blog hop. Despite my deadlines and stress, I couldn’t help but perk up in interest. COOKIES! BLOG HOP! This is so my sort of thing.

The Blog Hop originated with Linda Poitevin and I was tagged by Debra Vega, who shared a tasty looking recipe for Pumpkin Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I had a tough time deciding on what cookie recipe to share, but I decided on one of my old favorites: Chewy Cardamom Cookies.

This recipe makes chewy, spicy pillows. They are the perfect cookie leading right into Christmas. They smell divine, and the taste is just as amazing!

The rules of the blog hop ask participants to tag four authors in turn, but you won’t be smote for tagging more or less (… or will you?). In any case, I tag Dawn Bonanno and Pam Wallace! Their cookie posts are due in a week, 12/23.

PrintBonus Bready or Not: Chewy Cardamom Cookies

Ingredients

1/4 cup melted butter, unsalted
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cardamom
1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup molasses [could try substituting honey]
1 egg, room temperature
2 1/4 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cardamom

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, blend the butter and shortening until creamy. Add in the brown sugar, baking soda, cardamom, and cinnamon.
Add the molasses and egg, and once that's combined, slowly mix in the flour.
Using a teaspoon scoop or spoon, shape dough into small balls and roll in the cardamom and sugar.
Bake cookies for about 10 minutes or until edges are set and tops are slightly cracked. They will be pillowy--if too much so, flatten the next batch with a spatula or glass, if you wish.
Makes about 45 cookies, teaspoon-size.
OM NOM NOM.
3.0http://www.bethcato.com/virtual-cookie-exchange-blog-hop-chewy-cardamom-cookies/

 

 

An Interview with Adam J. Whitlatch, author of WAR OF THE WORLDS: GOLIATH

I first met Adam years ago when we were both just starting out on our journeys as writers. We shared an early issue of Crossed Genres and have stayed in touch ever since. He’s had a lot of exciting things happen in the past few years–like being named an associate editor at KHP Publishers, and writing the official novelization for the animated movie War of the Worlds: Goliath.

I think the first question most folks would have about this is, how does it fit into the War of the Worlds story that we know best from the 1950s movie? (I’m going to pretend the Tom Cruise version doesn’t exist.)

Thanks for having me, Beth!

This story actually ties in directly with the original H.G. Wells novel as opposed to any established film continuity. The Gene Barry film took place in the 1950s, but War of the Worlds: Goliath takes place in 1914, fifteen years after the failed invasion of the novel. In Wells’s novel, we see the Martians defeated by the germ, but it leaves us with a big question: “What next?”

Goliath is all about answering that question. We’re shown a world broken and rebuilt using recovered and reverse-engineered alien tech, and most of the world is content to adopt these “gifts” and go about their lives, sure that the germ will protect them from any future attempts. The veterans of the War of the Worlds, however, aren’t willing to sit idly by. They know the Martians plan to return, so they take advantage of the fifteen-year respite to prepare.

This is very much a period piece, as it’s set in 1914. Beyond the screenplay, what research was involved?

More than I’d bargained for, actually. I learned more about World War I while doing research for the book than I ever learned in school. For example, the film mentions the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand as a catalyst for the war, but that’s all. I wanted to show it, to give this significant international incident its proper context. So I read numerous accounts of the assassination and the events that led up to it.

I also read up on Theodore Roosevelt, Nikola Tesla, Lord Herbert Kitchener, and the Red Baron. For the final third of the book, I stared at maps of Manhattan Island until they burned into my retinas. I will never get lost in New York City again!

At one point, I actually found myself researching cigarette lighters at 3 AM, trying to find out what was available in 1914.

There was no shortage of material from Tripod Entertainment either. Joe Pearson (the director) and Leon Tan (producer) sent me page after page of concept art, character backgrounds, and blueprints. Those guys thought of everything. They planned those tripods you see on screen down to the very last rivet. Leon sent me a lot of material on the martial art silat and the proper use of a keris to make Shah’s combat scenes as authentic as possible. I couldn’t tell you how many silat videos I watched online. It was a bit overwhelming at times, but the production team was fantastic to work with.

I love the idea of steampunk technology evolving from an alien invasion. That sounds like it’d be great fun to write–was it? Did your experience in writing post-apocalyptic settings help?

It was a blast! I’d already dabbled with steampunk elements in my debut novel, The Weller, but Goliath took it so much further. I’ve always wanted to do a giant robot/mecha story, and this book gave me the opportunity. Halfway through the manuscript, Joe Pearson and I started discussing some of the comic stories set in the Goliath universe that were published in Heavy Metal, and we decided to incorporate some of those into the story to expand on things only hinted at onscreen. It gave me the opportunity to explore some of the dangers of the salvaged alien tech, things humanity simply wasn’t (and perhaps still isn’t) ready for.

My experience with The Weller prepared me for this story more than I ever realized going in. Writing about the broken ruins of Leeds and the urban decay of post-invasion Sarajevo came to me freely. The only big difference is that I got to show the destruction as it unfolded in most cases.

We both grew up with video games and anime, so how thrilling is it to have a gorgeous, manga-style cover like that?

Isn’t it beautiful? I have the full sized poster of the original artwork in a frame on my office wall. The cover was the easiest part of the whole process. Tripod sent KHP a folder full of artwork to choose from, and as soon as we saw that art, we knew it was a winner. It didn’t take long to come to a decision, and the guys at Tripod loved it, too.

How did this project come to you?

I asked.

Well, it goes a bit deeper than that. My wife, Jessica, is a huge fan of Peter Wingfield, who voices Eric Wells in the film, and she’s a member of his fan club. I’ve been a fan of Peter’s since his days on Highlander: The Series, and I’d read about War of the Worlds: Goliath in Heavy Metal for a couple years prior to the film’s release, but Jess kept a closer eye on the movie’s progress than I did. She met Joe and Leon through the fan club on Facebook and introduced me to them.

After I got to know them, the idea of a novelization popped into my head. I didn’t have the faintest idea of how to approach it, though, so I went to my co-worker Jerrod Balzer because he’s written two novelizations for independent films. He told me to “Just ask ‘em.” So I did.

I sent Joe and Leon an email with samples of my work and chewed my nails while I waited for a response. I was sure that I’d get a polite brush off being an unknown writer with only one published novel to my name, but Joe jumped at the idea. He sent me the screenplay, and I read it in about two hours. As soon as I read it, I knew there was no turning back.

What’s the target audience?

Fans of H.G. Wells, of course, but the book also appeals to military science fiction fans. It understandably has a significant following among steampunk fans already. Alternate history buffs will dig it. It covers such a wide spectrum of SF fandom.

The film is PG-13, but the novelization incorporates some more mature elements. I try not to target specific age groups with my writing because I read pretty mature material in my early teens, but I read a lot of books aimed at younger readers today. My fourteen-year-old son read Goliath twice in one sitting.

Where can the book be purchased?

The book is currently available on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Apple iBooks devices in over fifty countries. Links to each edition can be found here.

I’m working with Tripod to put together a paperback edition. No set release date for that yet. Stay tuned.

 

More about Adam: Adam J. Whitlatch is the author of The Weller and War of the Worlds: Goliath as well as dozens of short stories and poems spanning the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

A fantasy enthusiast from a young age, his interest in science fiction was first sparked at the age of ten when his father played the infamous 1938 Orson Welles War of the Worlds radio broadcast for him on Halloween. It’s a tradition Adam carries on to this day.

Adam lives on a small farm in southeastern Iowa with his wife and their three sons.

Sunday Quote says yay for winter

“[I]t matters not how you write, you will find some editor somewhere, sometime, so unwary or so desperate for copy as to buy the worst old dog you, or I, or anybody else, can throw at him.” ~Robert Heinlein

Tidings of Steampunk and Joy

Print magazines have shown me some love this month, and I swear my mom didn’t even bribe anyone.

There’s a review of The Clockwork Dagger in the December issue of Locus. It’s… an awesome review, too. To quote:

“Beth Cato handles this heady mix with a fine sense of language, emotion and event, making the whole thing flow more like a force of nature than the work of a first novelist.”

I’m also included in an article in the December issue of RT Book Reviews, where Tessa Dare describes the panel we shared at MPIBA in Denver. The focus was on attracting millennial readers. My approach… well, you guys know by now.

I have a poem in the latest issue of NewMyths.com! Here’s where you can read “How a Modern Green Man Grows.”

If you’re a writer in need of motivation/inspiration, you might want to ask Santa for a copy of Blood on the Floors: How Writers Survive Rejection. It includes a nonfiction story of mine called “Believing in Unicorns.”

I’m interviewed over at Authorlink.

The final news–and by no means the least important–is that the ebook sale for The Clockwork Dagger is still ongoing. It’s now $1.99 on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, Kobo, and iTunes!

Bready or Not: Cake Batter White Chocolate Fudge (Microwave)

Last week was all about fast and easy gingerbread cookie dough fudge. This Wednesday I introduce you to a microwave fudge that uses cake mix.

Eating this is like licking the paddle after mixing up cake mix batter. If you prefer savory over sweet, this recipe isn’t for you. This is for the people who love fudge and frosting and all things sweet.

I didn’t limit myself to sprinkles in this. I had some Christmas candies, the type for topping cupcakes and such, that had been sealed away for a year. It had been a great post-holiday clearance buy. I wanted the containers GONE, so I pretty much dumped the contents into this fudge. That’s why you see little light bulb shaped candies in there.

This is obviously a great Christmas recipe, but it’s an easy one to customize year round depending on the colors you mix in. Make fudge to support your favorite sport team, or pink and red for Valentine’s Day, or pastels for spring. Cake mix goes on sale all year round, too, making this a pretty cheap recipe to throw together.

Whatever you add in, I’m sure it will be pretty. And delicious. So very, very delicious.

Modified from Sally’s Baking Addiction.

PrintBready or Not: Cake Batter White Chocolate Fudge (Microwave)

Ingredients

2 cups + 2 Tbsp white or yellow cake mix (any brand), sifted
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, cut into chunks (or use unsalted and add a pinch of salt)
1/4 cup milk (almond milk works)
2/3 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles/non pareils/jimmies

Instructions

Line an 8×8 baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside. Measure the white chocolate chips and the sprinkles in separate dishes so they are ready to add quickly.
Mix sifted cake mix and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Add milk and butter, without stirring, and microwave for 2 minutes.
Promptly mix ingredients until the butter is fully melted and incorporated. The batter will be very thick. Fold in white chocolate. Add the sprinkles last and stir gently so they don't leak too much color.
Scoop into prepared baking pan. Level it across the top. Chill the fudge in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before cutting into small blocks.
Fudge will keep upwards of a week in the fridge, if it lasts that long.
OM NOM NOM
3.0http://www.bethcato.com/bready-or-not-cake-batter-white-chocolate-fudge-microwave/

ebook sale!

Here’s something incredibly cool. The Clockwork Dagger is on sale in ebook format! You can find it for $1.99 on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and iTunes. This is a limited time offer.

This not only means it’s a great chance to buy a copy for yourself, but you can also easily gift an ebook. I know on Amazon, you just need the recipient’s email, and you can even set the delivery date… like Christmas morning. That’s pretty darn cool.

I’m really excited about this, especially since I’m working on my final revision pass on The Clockwork Crown. It’s the most amazing thing, seeing people buy Dagger and hoping-hoping-hoping they will love it and get Crown, too.

Sunday Quote thinks of sailors long gone

“Different kinds of stories need to be told in different kinds of words strung together in different ways.” ~Rosemary Sutcliff