Beth Cato's Blog, page 153
January 7, 2013
Recommended!
I feel like I've earned a shiny badge!
For the first time, one of my stories has made a recommended reading list for the Hugo and Nebula Awards! Tina Connolly recommends my story "Overlap." That one is a dark science fiction tale involving teleportation, a mattress, and pie.
I posted my list of eligible stories recently; in particular, I'm promoting "Red Dust and Dancing Horses" and "Overlap." If you can vote for either award and want a copy of my stories, drop me a line on Twitter, Facebook, or email (Beth.L.Cato at gmail dot com). They can also be downloaded on the SFWA forums or Codex Writers.
For the first time, one of my stories has made a recommended reading list for the Hugo and Nebula Awards! Tina Connolly recommends my story "Overlap." That one is a dark science fiction tale involving teleportation, a mattress, and pie.
I posted my list of eligible stories recently; in particular, I'm promoting "Red Dust and Dancing Horses" and "Overlap." If you can vote for either award and want a copy of my stories, drop me a line on Twitter, Facebook, or email (Beth.L.Cato at gmail dot com). They can also be downloaded on the SFWA forums or Codex Writers.
January 6, 2013
Sunday Quote is ready for her son to resume school tomorrow
"Learning to write by trial and error not only calls for patience on the writer’s part, it also taxes the patience of wives, landlords, and creditors." ~Thomas Sowell
January 4, 2013
First publication of the year!
Actually, there are several firsts here:
- My first publication of 2013.
- The first public issue of Waylines Magazine.
- The first time in a few years that one of my stories has had an illustration, and wow, what an illustration!
My story "An Echo in the Shell" is pretty dark, even as it delves into the delights of Match Game 75 and Charles Nelson Reilly. Deep down, it's about a mother and daughter struggling to stay afloat as the grandmother loses body and soul to a terrible curse. (There are strong parallels to Alzheimer's and dementia, so this may hit close to home for some.)
You can read it over at Waylines!
- My first publication of 2013.
- The first public issue of Waylines Magazine.
- The first time in a few years that one of my stories has had an illustration, and wow, what an illustration!
My story "An Echo in the Shell" is pretty dark, even as it delves into the delights of Match Game 75 and Charles Nelson Reilly. Deep down, it's about a mother and daughter struggling to stay afloat as the grandmother loses body and soul to a terrible curse. (There are strong parallels to Alzheimer's and dementia, so this may hit close to home for some.)
You can read it over at Waylines!
January 2, 2013
Bready or Not: Oreo-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
It's a new year, time for resolutions and diets.
Here on Bready or Not, I say: screw it. It's our next installment of Cookie Month. Two months, all cookies, all the time! All the awesomest, evilest, most tempting cookies possible. Because that's how I roll.
We're starting the year off with a cookie that is unhealthy in every possible way and yet indescribably delicious--and each cookie is also about the size of my fist. I present to you... Oreo-Stuffed Chocolate Chip cookies.
This crazy creation originated on Picky Palate and proceeded to take Pinterest and the food blogging world by storm. I don't typically follow trends (fashion? pffft) but this was a trend I definitely needed to follow. It's an OREO COOKIE in a COOKIE. I mean, come on!
You know you want it.
Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
created by Picky Palate
Ingredients:
2 sticks softened butter
3/4 Cup packed light brown sugar
1 Cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla
3 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
10 oz bag chocolate chips
1 bag Oreo Cookies (you'll have a row left over)
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer, cream butter and sugars until well combined. Add in eggs and vanilla.
2) In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined.
3) Using a tablespoon cookie scoop, take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo Cookie. Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo Cookie. Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo is enclosed with dough.
4) Place onto a parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet. Give them adequate room to spread; I fit eight on my stoneware sheet. Bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until cookies are baked to your liking. (Note that some people have needed to bake them as long as 20 minutes. Try the minimum time and see what your oven requires.)
Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
Makes about 2 dozen massive cookies.
OM NOM NOM.
Here on Bready or Not, I say: screw it. It's our next installment of Cookie Month. Two months, all cookies, all the time! All the awesomest, evilest, most tempting cookies possible. Because that's how I roll.
We're starting the year off with a cookie that is unhealthy in every possible way and yet indescribably delicious--and each cookie is also about the size of my fist. I present to you... Oreo-Stuffed Chocolate Chip cookies.
This crazy creation originated on Picky Palate and proceeded to take Pinterest and the food blogging world by storm. I don't typically follow trends (fashion? pffft) but this was a trend I definitely needed to follow. It's an OREO COOKIE in a COOKIE. I mean, come on!
You know you want it.
Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
created by Picky Palate
Ingredients:
2 sticks softened butter
3/4 Cup packed light brown sugar
1 Cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla
3 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
10 oz bag chocolate chips
1 bag Oreo Cookies (you'll have a row left over)
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer, cream butter and sugars until well combined. Add in eggs and vanilla.
2) In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined.
3) Using a tablespoon cookie scoop, take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo Cookie. Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo Cookie. Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo is enclosed with dough.
4) Place onto a parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet. Give them adequate room to spread; I fit eight on my stoneware sheet. Bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until cookies are baked to your liking. (Note that some people have needed to bake them as long as 20 minutes. Try the minimum time and see what your oven requires.)
Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
Makes about 2 dozen massive cookies.
OM NOM NOM.
December 31, 2012
Goals 2013
Hello, New Year.
This year will be an odd convergence for me. See, my birthday is on the 13th of January, and I've always regarded 13 as my lucky number--and favor odd numbers overall. 2013 looks auspicious, just from a number standpoint, and then there's the fact I turn 33 this year. Odd and odder! Yep, that describes me pretty well.
I know better than to believe in horoscopes and the like, but I can't help but hope this will be a lucky year.
Here are my goals for 2013. Let's see what comes of them.
1) Write new novel by June 1st.
2) Continue participation on Codex, using Weekend Warrior and other challenges to hone my writing; also use the site for critiques.
3) Continue to send out short submissions, always having at least ten stories and/or poems in circulation. Send to pro markets first.
4) Participate in Write 1 Sub 1's Light Ray option and write at least one new story and poem a month, and submit both within the month.
5) Aim for another essay publication in a major anthology like Chicken Soup by sending out a minimum of three non-fiction stories during the year.
7) Continue to participate in 50book challenge, Goodreads, and LibraryThing, reading at least 50 books during 2012 and posting reviews for all.
8) Maintain my professional website and promptly update with any publication news, and update my blog at least three times a week.
9) Attend Worldcon in San Antonio August 29th through September 2nd.
10) Don't give up. I've come a long way in the past year and there's plenty of mountain left to climb. If tired of climbing, use dynamite.
This year will be an odd convergence for me. See, my birthday is on the 13th of January, and I've always regarded 13 as my lucky number--and favor odd numbers overall. 2013 looks auspicious, just from a number standpoint, and then there's the fact I turn 33 this year. Odd and odder! Yep, that describes me pretty well.
I know better than to believe in horoscopes and the like, but I can't help but hope this will be a lucky year.
Here are my goals for 2013. Let's see what comes of them.
1) Write new novel by June 1st.
2) Continue participation on Codex, using Weekend Warrior and other challenges to hone my writing; also use the site for critiques.
3) Continue to send out short submissions, always having at least ten stories and/or poems in circulation. Send to pro markets first.
4) Participate in Write 1 Sub 1's Light Ray option and write at least one new story and poem a month, and submit both within the month.
5) Aim for another essay publication in a major anthology like Chicken Soup by sending out a minimum of three non-fiction stories during the year.
7) Continue to participate in 50book challenge, Goodreads, and LibraryThing, reading at least 50 books during 2012 and posting reviews for all.
8) Maintain my professional website and promptly update with any publication news, and update my blog at least three times a week.
9) Attend Worldcon in San Antonio August 29th through September 2nd.
10) Don't give up. I've come a long way in the past year and there's plenty of mountain left to climb. If tired of climbing, use dynamite.
December 30, 2012
Sunday Quote looks to ol' Winston for New Year's inspiration
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It's the courage to continue that counts." ~Winston Churchill
December 29, 2012
Icing on the cake of 2012
If you write flash fiction, the Micro Award is kinda a big deal. The winner's list each year is a who's-who of the format. I have sent in nominations of my own work the past two years or so; it's one of those necessary self-promotion things that always feels rather lame.
Therefore, it's really nice when things are decidedly less lame.
L. Lambert Lawson over at Kazka Press has nominated my story, "A Unicorn for Christmas," for the Micro Award. This story is out of the brand new anthology At Year's End: Holiday SFF Stories.
Winners won't be announced for about another two months, but I'm just tickled that an editor liked my work enough to nominate it. It's like I already won.
Therefore, it's really nice when things are decidedly less lame.
L. Lambert Lawson over at Kazka Press has nominated my story, "A Unicorn for Christmas," for the Micro Award. This story is out of the brand new anthology At Year's End: Holiday SFF Stories.
Winners won't be announced for about another two months, but I'm just tickled that an editor liked my work enough to nominate it. It's like I already won.
December 28, 2012
2012 Goals in Review
This year has been busy, full of success and rejection. I became a full member in SFWA, which had been a goal of mine since I was about 14. I also met my agent in person, attended a writers' conference and a workshop, and found myself featured in a local newspaper (and, thankfully, the photographs of me on the toilet were not published).
I will post my 2013 goals on Monday, but let's see how 2012's goals matched reality.
1) Finish critique-based revisions on The Clockwork Dagger by the Ides of March. Yes. Did those revisions and many more.
2) Continue participation on Codex, using Weekend Warrior and other challenges to hone my writing; also use the site for critiques. I love me some Codex. Seriously, if you get a pro sale or attend a major workshop, go join this group. The camaraderie and information are awesome.
3) Continue to send out short submissions, always having at least ten stories and/or poems in circulation. I've well-exceeded this, especially with poetry as part of the equation. There was a point at the beginning of December when I had 30 poetry submissions out. Yeesh. I tend to keep 8-12 stories out at all times.
4) Participate in Write 1 Sub 1's Light Ray option and write at least one new story and poem a month, and submit both within the month. Another writing group I highly recommend. W1S1 has provided a necessary push for me to write short stories, even in the midst of novel revisions. The one poem a month goal has also brought me several publications, so I'm not completely relying on April and November PAD.
5) Aim for another pro (SFWA-listed) publication in 2012; this means submitting to top tier markets first. I made a number of pro sales this year, including Flash Fiction Online. There are still a number of magazines I really want to crack...
6) Aim for another essay publication in a major anthology like Chicken Soup by sending out a minimum of three non-fiction stories during the year. I published stories in two Chicken Soup books this year, and still have several stories I'm hoping to hear back about.
7) Continue to participate in 50book challenge and LibraryThing, reading at least 50 books during 2012 and posting reviews for all. Well-exceeded this one. I managed to surpass 100 books for the year.
8) Write at least one new novel. My one big FAIL for the year. Didn't even start a new book. But the important thing is that I wrote, period. I have a lot of short stories and poetry as proof of that.
9) Maintain my professional website and promptly update with any publication news. Yes.
10) Maintain my blog with at least three updates per week. I've stayed pretty consistent, I think.
11) Don't give up. I've come a long way in the past year and there's plenty of mountain left to climb. If tired of climbing, use dynamite. I won't lie. I've had some rough spots this year. But hey, I'm still here. I'm still writing. I'm still submitting, even to places that reject 99.9% of submissions. Onward to 2013!
I will post my 2013 goals on Monday, but let's see how 2012's goals matched reality.
1) Finish critique-based revisions on The Clockwork Dagger by the Ides of March. Yes. Did those revisions and many more.
2) Continue participation on Codex, using Weekend Warrior and other challenges to hone my writing; also use the site for critiques. I love me some Codex. Seriously, if you get a pro sale or attend a major workshop, go join this group. The camaraderie and information are awesome.
3) Continue to send out short submissions, always having at least ten stories and/or poems in circulation. I've well-exceeded this, especially with poetry as part of the equation. There was a point at the beginning of December when I had 30 poetry submissions out. Yeesh. I tend to keep 8-12 stories out at all times.
4) Participate in Write 1 Sub 1's Light Ray option and write at least one new story and poem a month, and submit both within the month. Another writing group I highly recommend. W1S1 has provided a necessary push for me to write short stories, even in the midst of novel revisions. The one poem a month goal has also brought me several publications, so I'm not completely relying on April and November PAD.
5) Aim for another pro (SFWA-listed) publication in 2012; this means submitting to top tier markets first. I made a number of pro sales this year, including Flash Fiction Online. There are still a number of magazines I really want to crack...
6) Aim for another essay publication in a major anthology like Chicken Soup by sending out a minimum of three non-fiction stories during the year. I published stories in two Chicken Soup books this year, and still have several stories I'm hoping to hear back about.
7) Continue to participate in 50book challenge and LibraryThing, reading at least 50 books during 2012 and posting reviews for all. Well-exceeded this one. I managed to surpass 100 books for the year.
8) Write at least one new novel. My one big FAIL for the year. Didn't even start a new book. But the important thing is that I wrote, period. I have a lot of short stories and poetry as proof of that.
9) Maintain my professional website and promptly update with any publication news. Yes.
10) Maintain my blog with at least three updates per week. I've stayed pretty consistent, I think.
11) Don't give up. I've come a long way in the past year and there's plenty of mountain left to climb. If tired of climbing, use dynamite. I won't lie. I've had some rough spots this year. But hey, I'm still here. I'm still writing. I'm still submitting, even to places that reject 99.9% of submissions. Onward to 2013!
December 26, 2012
Bready or Not: Peppermint Sugar Cookies
'Tis the season for sales! Now is the time to dash down to your nearest grocery store and stockpile candy for the new year. Go pick up candy cane boxes for 15-cents!
And if you're like me, you don't just want to EAT the candy. No, you want to throw it into cookies.
The basis of this is one of my favorite sugar cookie recipes. It creates sugar cookies that are durable, but with a sandy texture so that when you bite in, they just kinda melt in your mouth. Since candy cane bits also melt in your mouth, the elements work pretty well together, I think.
Peppermint Sugar Cookies
modified from Melt-Your-Mouth Sugar Cookies in the Better Home and Gardens New Cook Book
10-12 candy canes, coarsely chopped or crushed
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1) Place unwrapped candy canes in a gallon-size freezer. Using a rolling pin or other weaponized device, crush the candy canes into small chunks. Set aside. Preheat oven at 300-degrees.
2) In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and shortening until smooth. Add sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla until everything is combined. Add the flour. Once your dough is mixed, add in candy cane pieces.
3) Using a tablespoon or scoop, form 1-inch balls. Space them apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until sides or set, but don't let the edges brown. Cool on cookie sheet for five to ten minutes, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.
OM NOM NOM.
And if you're like me, you don't just want to EAT the candy. No, you want to throw it into cookies.
The basis of this is one of my favorite sugar cookie recipes. It creates sugar cookies that are durable, but with a sandy texture so that when you bite in, they just kinda melt in your mouth. Since candy cane bits also melt in your mouth, the elements work pretty well together, I think.
Peppermint Sugar Cookies
modified from Melt-Your-Mouth Sugar Cookies in the Better Home and Gardens New Cook Book
10-12 candy canes, coarsely chopped or crushed
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1) Place unwrapped candy canes in a gallon-size freezer. Using a rolling pin or other weaponized device, crush the candy canes into small chunks. Set aside. Preheat oven at 300-degrees.
2) In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and shortening until smooth. Add sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla until everything is combined. Add the flour. Once your dough is mixed, add in candy cane pieces.
3) Using a tablespoon or scoop, form 1-inch balls. Space them apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until sides or set, but don't let the edges brown. Cool on cookie sheet for five to ten minutes, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.
OM NOM NOM.
December 23, 2012
Sunday Quote has a kid ready to explode from Christmas excitement
“Children see magic because they look for it.” ~ Christopher Moore
