Beth Cato's Blog, page 130
April 3, 2014
Why You Cannot Accept Everything in a Critique
When I first started out as a writer, I wanted to use everything I was told in a critique. The other writer obviously had a better perspective than me. They could see things I didn't.
Yes and no.
You cannot please everyone. If you try, your story won't be yours anymore. It's vital to listen to and respect feedback, but ultimately, the writer has to make a judgment call.
In my case, I could have deleted the very character and species that ended up selling my book. I talk about that over at J. Kathleen Cheney's blog today as part of her new series Something Strange Happened on the Way to the NYT Bestsellers List. (Oh man, if strangeness will enable me to hit the NYT list, I have this thing nailed.)
Please drop by to find out about Leaf and the gremlins in The Clockwork Dagger!
Yes and no.
You cannot please everyone. If you try, your story won't be yours anymore. It's vital to listen to and respect feedback, but ultimately, the writer has to make a judgment call.
In my case, I could have deleted the very character and species that ended up selling my book. I talk about that over at J. Kathleen Cheney's blog today as part of her new series Something Strange Happened on the Way to the NYT Bestsellers List. (Oh man, if strangeness will enable me to hit the NYT list, I have this thing nailed.)
Please drop by to find out about Leaf and the gremlins in The Clockwork Dagger!
April 2, 2014
Bready or Not: Cadbury Egg Brownies
Confession: I used to be a total Cadbury Egg junkie. As a kid, they were one of my very very favorite seasonal candies--up there with Brach's Mellowcreme Pumpkins at Halloween.
When I delved into my Easter basket, these were what I wanted most of all. I always traded with my brother--Reese's Peanut Butter eggs for Cadbury Eggs. I ate them in particular ways, too. The goal was to eat them without getting any of the egg ooze on my fingers. I'd try to eat the chocolate shell part way down and then suck out the center.
For a number of years, I would buy Cadbury eggs and keep them in the fridge for months.
Then came adulthood and the awareness that this stuff wasn't so good for me. About ten years ago, I found that the eggs made my teeth hurt horribly. So I stopped eating them.
I came across this recipe last year, though, and knew I had to make them. The joy of baking this stuff is that I can have a tiny sample and then foist the rest on my husband to take to his work.
These really do taste like Cadbury eggs, but better. Why? Because they have the sweetness of that gooey center but it's reduced greatly by that brownie layer. It balances more. Mind you, it's still not the slightest bit healthy, but it's more like getting slapped by the sugar rather than knocked up-side the head with a 2x4.
Cadbury Egg Brownies
modified from Love and Oil
For Brownies:
2/3 cup flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Cream Filling:
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
For Glaze:
4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
Directions:
Brownie stage
1) Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Line the bottom and sides of a 8-by-8-inch pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper, making sure to overlap the sides to create handles. Cover with nonstick spray.
2) Sift together flour, cocoa, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
3) Melt chocolate and butter together in a double boiler or in slow increments in microwave. Stir until smooth. Whisk in sugars and stir until dissolved and mixture has cooled slightly, then add eggs and vanilla extract until just combined.
4) Fold together the chocolate and flour mixes until just incorporated. Pour into prepared pan.
5) Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
Cream filling stage
6) Beat together corn syrup, butter, vanilla, and salt on medium-high speed until smooth. Add powdered sugar, a little bit at a time, mixing until creamy.
7) Dump 3/4 of the cream mixture on top of cooled brownies and spread into an even layer. Add a drop of yellow food coloring to remaining cream mixture and stir until evenly colored. Drop dollops of yellow cream on top of white layer, and then swirl gently with a spatula. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until set.
Glaze stage
8) Slowly melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler or microwave bowl. Stir until smooth. Pour over cream filling, carefully spreading into a thin, even layer.
9) Let set in fridge about 15-20 minutes and then use the foil/paper to lift the entire block out of the pan. Using a large sharp knife, cut into 2-inch squares. Keep in sealed container in fridge; brownies are best are a day, and will keep upward of a week.
OM NOM NOM.
When I delved into my Easter basket, these were what I wanted most of all. I always traded with my brother--Reese's Peanut Butter eggs for Cadbury Eggs. I ate them in particular ways, too. The goal was to eat them without getting any of the egg ooze on my fingers. I'd try to eat the chocolate shell part way down and then suck out the center.
For a number of years, I would buy Cadbury eggs and keep them in the fridge for months.
Then came adulthood and the awareness that this stuff wasn't so good for me. About ten years ago, I found that the eggs made my teeth hurt horribly. So I stopped eating them.
I came across this recipe last year, though, and knew I had to make them. The joy of baking this stuff is that I can have a tiny sample and then foist the rest on my husband to take to his work.
These really do taste like Cadbury eggs, but better. Why? Because they have the sweetness of that gooey center but it's reduced greatly by that brownie layer. It balances more. Mind you, it's still not the slightest bit healthy, but it's more like getting slapped by the sugar rather than knocked up-side the head with a 2x4.
Cadbury Egg Brownies
modified from Love and Oil
For Brownies:
2/3 cup flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Cream Filling:
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
For Glaze:
4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
Directions:
Brownie stage
1) Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Line the bottom and sides of a 8-by-8-inch pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper, making sure to overlap the sides to create handles. Cover with nonstick spray.
2) Sift together flour, cocoa, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
3) Melt chocolate and butter together in a double boiler or in slow increments in microwave. Stir until smooth. Whisk in sugars and stir until dissolved and mixture has cooled slightly, then add eggs and vanilla extract until just combined.
4) Fold together the chocolate and flour mixes until just incorporated. Pour into prepared pan.
5) Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
Cream filling stage
6) Beat together corn syrup, butter, vanilla, and salt on medium-high speed until smooth. Add powdered sugar, a little bit at a time, mixing until creamy.
7) Dump 3/4 of the cream mixture on top of cooled brownies and spread into an even layer. Add a drop of yellow food coloring to remaining cream mixture and stir until evenly colored. Drop dollops of yellow cream on top of white layer, and then swirl gently with a spatula. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until set.
Glaze stage
8) Slowly melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler or microwave bowl. Stir until smooth. Pour over cream filling, carefully spreading into a thin, even layer.
9) Let set in fridge about 15-20 minutes and then use the foil/paper to lift the entire block out of the pan. Using a large sharp knife, cut into 2-inch squares. Keep in sealed container in fridge; brownies are best are a day, and will keep upward of a week.
OM NOM NOM.
April 1, 2014
Poem-A-Day
April tried to sneak up on me like a ninja, but the floor creaked and gave it away. April means it's time for the Poem-A-Day challenge! The Poetic Asides Blog will be posting a prompt each day. A couple days during PAD there will be prompts I really hate, and when that happens I get a prompt elsewhere (Poetic Asides posts prompts each Wednesday, so I scroll back and look at those). I don't do the formal chapbook challenge. For me, it's just about writing a poem each day for a month. These PAD events in April and November are when I produce the majority of my poetry for the year.
I did a blog post last year at the Penumbra eBlog with some tips on doing the challenge. Check it out!
Best of luck to my fellow poets! Let's get out there and make some verse.
I did a blog post last year at the Penumbra eBlog with some tips on doing the challenge. Check it out!
Best of luck to my fellow poets! Let's get out there and make some verse.
March 30, 2014
Sunday Quote's Critter is turning 9 today. Egad.
"Books establish their own pace. This I have found out." ~John Steinbeck, Journal of a Novel
March 28, 2014
THE CLOCKWORK DAGGER excerpt on Tor.com
If you write science fiction or fantasy, getting your work onto Tor.com is considered a crowning achievement.
I'd like to declare a WIN.
You can now read the full first chapter of The Clockwork Dagger on Tor.com!
(Everything is better with a cat gif.)
I'd like to declare a WIN.
You can now read the full first chapter of The Clockwork Dagger on Tor.com!
(Everything is better with a cat gif.)
March 27, 2014
Niteblade Magazine Fundraiser
Niteblade Magazine is holding its annual fundraiser! It wraps up on the 31st. You can support a great magazine (one of the first to publish my stories) and buy critiques and other goodies at the same time.
You can read the full March issue online for free now, and it includes my poem "Bird Girl."
The fundraiser at Indiegogo is over here!
You can read the full March issue online for free now, and it includes my poem "Bird Girl."
The fundraiser at Indiegogo is over here!
March 26, 2014
Bready or Not: Red Lobster-style Cheddar Bay Biscuits
One day my husband said, "You know what you haven't made in a long time? Those Red Lobster cheddar biscuits."
FACT: my husband loved going to Red Lobster just because of their biscuits.
FACT: he could probably eat an entire meal of them.
FACT: it's really expensive to go to Red Lobster primarily for biscuits.
A long time ago, I shared a recipe for Cheddar Bay Biscuits that are made with Bisquick. Problem is (well, problem for my husband), over the past few years since I've been eating healthier, I no longer keep Bisquick around. Therefore, I hadn't made the biscuits in ages.
Fortunately, I already had a new recipe on Pinterest, and from one of my favorite food bloggers. Brown Eyed Baker's version is very straight-forward, and--in my very discriminating husband's opinion--better than the old Bisquick version. In particular, it keeps better. They reheat like a dream if they're wrapped up in aluminum foil in the toaster oven or oven, and they can also be frozen.
FACT: these are awesome. Make them.
Red Lobster-style Cheddar Bay Biscuits
modified from Brown Eyed Baker
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup shredded) (always feel free to add more cheese!)
1 cup buttermilk, cold (I do homemade)
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and cooled 5 minutes
Topping:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 475-degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat; set aside.
2) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, garlic powder and cayenne. Stir in the cheddar cheese; set aside.
3) In a medium bowl, stir together the buttermilk and melted butter until the butter forms small clumps.
4) Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and mix gently until dough forms and no dry ingredients remain. Use a greased 1/3-cup measuring cup to scoop out portions of dough. Place on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little more than an inch between biscuits. [Note: You can also use a 1/4 cup and get about 12 biscuits.]
6) Bake until the biscuits are golden brown, about 12 minutes. While the biscuits are in the oven, stir together the 3 tablespoons melted butter, garlic powder and parsley.
7) Remove the biscuits from the oven and immediately brush with the topping mixture. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Leftovers can be stored in airtight container in fridge for days, or can be frozen.
OM NOM NOM.
FACT: my husband loved going to Red Lobster just because of their biscuits.
FACT: he could probably eat an entire meal of them.
FACT: it's really expensive to go to Red Lobster primarily for biscuits.
A long time ago, I shared a recipe for Cheddar Bay Biscuits that are made with Bisquick. Problem is (well, problem for my husband), over the past few years since I've been eating healthier, I no longer keep Bisquick around. Therefore, I hadn't made the biscuits in ages.
Fortunately, I already had a new recipe on Pinterest, and from one of my favorite food bloggers. Brown Eyed Baker's version is very straight-forward, and--in my very discriminating husband's opinion--better than the old Bisquick version. In particular, it keeps better. They reheat like a dream if they're wrapped up in aluminum foil in the toaster oven or oven, and they can also be frozen.
FACT: these are awesome. Make them.
Red Lobster-style Cheddar Bay Biscuits
modified from Brown Eyed Baker
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup shredded) (always feel free to add more cheese!)
1 cup buttermilk, cold (I do homemade)
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and cooled 5 minutes
Topping:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 475-degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat; set aside.
2) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, garlic powder and cayenne. Stir in the cheddar cheese; set aside.
3) In a medium bowl, stir together the buttermilk and melted butter until the butter forms small clumps.
4) Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and mix gently until dough forms and no dry ingredients remain. Use a greased 1/3-cup measuring cup to scoop out portions of dough. Place on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little more than an inch between biscuits. [Note: You can also use a 1/4 cup and get about 12 biscuits.]
6) Bake until the biscuits are golden brown, about 12 minutes. While the biscuits are in the oven, stir together the 3 tablespoons melted butter, garlic powder and parsley.
7) Remove the biscuits from the oven and immediately brush with the topping mixture. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Leftovers can be stored in airtight container in fridge for days, or can be frozen.
OM NOM NOM.
March 25, 2014
Covers! At the major book store sites!
My cover is now on the paperback version of The Clockwork Dagger at Amazon! The whole back cover copy is there, too, if you want to know what the book is about. As you preorder. *ahem* (Hey, and it's on Amazon UK! Amazon Canada!)
Barnes & Noble is also showing the prettiness of Octavia and Alonzo... and with a slightly lower price than Amazon right now.
Barnes & Noble is also showing the prettiness of Octavia and Alonzo... and with a slightly lower price than Amazon right now.
March 24, 2014
"Measures and Countermeasures" at Daily Science Fiction
Over at Daily Science Fiction you'll find my flash fic "Measures and Countermeasures." It's about eating disorders in the future and how technology can help or hinder their treatment.
March 23, 2014
Sunday Quotes wishes she could take back many of her crits on OWW for this reason
"...God save me from amateurs. They don't know what they are reading but it is much more serious than that. They immediately start rewriting." ~John Steinbeck, Journal of a Novel
