Beth Cato's Blog, page 48

Bready or Not Original: Soft Muesli Breakfast Cookies

Let’s continue a healthy theme for another week with Soft Muesli Breakfast Cookies!

Think of these like plump little oatmeal cookies. The texture is cakey and thick, and will otherwise vary depending on the muesli you use.

I tested out this recipe using Seven Sundays Vanilla Cherry Coconut Muesli, which was FANTASTIC in these cookies.

The customization options for this recipe are really endless. Get a new muesli and get baking! Muesli is often on sale at this time of year. Take advantage of that.

These cookies are slightly tacky because of the applesauce, so be sure to keep waxed paper or parchment between the cookies in their sealed container or they’ll stick together.

The cookies will keep well for up to a week, too. In fact, take them on the go. Enshroud some in plastic for a kid’s (or your own) snack or lunch.

The recipe makes about 55 cookies if you use a teaspoon scoop, so you’ll have plenty of cookies to enjoy!

 

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Bready or Not Original: Soft Muesli Breakfast Cookies





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These soft-baked plump breakfast cookies are full of wholesome goodness. This recipe is easy to customize with different muesli mixes. Using a teaspoon scoop, recipe makes about 55 cookies.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup applesauce (individual serving cup size)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vanilla or plain Greek yogurt
2 Tablespoons vegetable or coconut oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (one 11 ounce package) muesli

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In a big mixing bowl, beat together the applesauce, brown sugar, yogurt, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla with a mixer until well combined. Add flour mixture, followed by the muesli.

Drop cookie dough by teaspoon scoops onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Allow cookies to cool on pan for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in a sealed container between parchment or waxed paper layers; the applesauce will make the cookies slightly tacky if they touch each other. They'll keep for up to a week at room temperature.

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New Story at Beneath Ceaseless Skies PLUS a Book Giveaway Tomorrow

Beneath Ceaseless Skies just published a new story of mine called “The Blighted Godling of Company Town H.” It’s about manufactured gods, bureaucratic magic, and nuclear waste. It can be read online for free–and you can download or play the story narrated by the wonderful Tina Connolly!

That’s not all! Beneath Ceaseless Skies is also hosting a giveaway of my story collection Red Dust and Dancing Horses. To quote the details:

This giveaway will take place Wednesday Jan. 9 on the BCS Twitter feed @BCSmagazine. It will run from 2 PM EST until 5 PM EST.

To enter, all you need to do is tweet what your favorite fairy story from BCS is.

If you haven’t read any stories at BCS, this is a great time to start! My previous story there qualifies, and the contest page lists a number of their other fairy tale stories. Good luck–and happy reading!

#SFWAPro

Breath of Earth $1.99 Ebook Sale!

For a limited time only, snag the ebook of Breath of Earth for a mere $1.99! This book has only been on sale once before, in May-June 2017, and I doubt it’ll go on sale again this year. Get it while you can, then go on to read the next two books in the completed Blood of Earth trilogy. No wait required!

Amazon
Barnes & Noble Nook
Kobo
iTunes
Google Play

About Breath of Earth:

After the earth’s power under her city is suddenly left unprotected, a young geomancer must rely on her unique magic to survive in this fresh fantasy novel from the author of the acclaimed The Clockwork Dagger.

In an alternate 1906, the United States and Japan have forged a powerful confederation— the Unified Pacific—in an attempt to dominate the world. Their first target is a vulnerable China. In San Francisco, headstrong secretary Ingrid Carmichael is assisting a group of powerful geomancer wardens who have no idea of the depth of her own talent—or that she is the only woman to possess such skills.

When assassins kill the wardens, Ingrid and her mentor are protected by her incredible magic. But the pair is far from safe. Without its full force of guardian geomancers, the city is on the brink of a cataclysmic earthquake that will expose the earth’s power to masterminds determined to control the energy for their own dark ends. The danger escalates when Chinese refugees, preparing to fight the encroaching American and Japanese forces, fracture the uneasy alliance between the Pacific allies, transforming San Francisco into a veritable powder keg. And the slightest tremor will set it off. . . .

Forced on the run, Ingrid makes some shocking discoveries about herself. Her already considerable magic has grown even more fearsome . . . and she may be the fulcrum on which the balance of world power rests.

#SFWAPro

Bready or Not: Baked Goat Cheese Salad Rounds [Gluten Free]

Let’s start off the new year with a deliciously cheesy recipe to make a salad extra special: Baked Goat Cheese Salad Rounds!

This recipe is super easy. There are only four ingredients! The work is minimal as it goes in stages.

The end result is a delicious, fancy cheese to add to your salads over the coming weeks. I do large salads with lots of cheese, so I use two rounds. For a small salad–or if you want less cheese (goat cheese IS strong)–do one round.

The nice thing about this is that the recipe has everything portioned and ready in the freezer. In the time it takes to assemble the salad, the cheese rounds are baked and ready for eating.

This is true whether you’re cooking for one, or for a group over for brunch.

I made this recipe using the goat cheese available at Costco, where it is sold in a pack of two 10.5-ounce logs. A glance at Bready or Not of a month ago will show where the other log went–into Swirled Goat Cheese Brownies.

Adapted from a recipe featured in Best of America’s Test Kitchen 2010.

 

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Bready or Not: Baked Goat Cheese Salad Rounds [Gluten Free]





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This simple and healthy recipe produces gluten-free, pecan-coated goat cheese rounds that are kept frozen until meal time. This is a great recipe for a person eating solo, or to bake up as an elegant cheese to accompany salads for a crowd.

1 cup pecans
10.5 ounces goat cheese, softened
1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
2 large eggs, room temperature

In a food processor, pulse pecans until finely chopped. Transfer the pecans to another bowl. Add the cheese and herbs to the processor and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Chill cheese in fridge in a covered bowl until firm, at least an hour.

Set up a work station. Beat the two eggs in a small bowl. Place next to the bowl of pecan pieces. Lastly, line a small cookie sheet or plate with waxed paper.

Use tablespoon scoop to doll out about 12 equal dollops of goat cheese onto the waxed paper. Smooth out a ball of cheese between palms, then dip into the egg, allowing excess to run off, then press and roll the ball to coat with pecan. Set back on waxed paper. Repeat with other balls. Use palm or the bottom of a glass to compress the cheese into flat rounds. Place in freezer for several hours, at minimum.

Once they are set, transfer the rounds to a sealed container for the freezer with waxed paper between the layers. IMPORTANT: They will go straight from the freezer to the oven. Don't thaw, or they'll lose their shape when baking!

When ready to bake, preheat oven or toaster oven at 475-degrees. Place foil on cookie sheet. Remove from freezer however many cheese rounds desired to cook; two rounds per large salad works well. Spray foil and cheese lightly with cooking spray.

Bake until the nuts are golden brown and cheese is warmed through, 7 to 10 minutes. Let cool several minutes. Set on a salad of greens tossed with a vinaigrette.

Frozen cheese rounds will keep well up to a month.

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Bready or Not: White Chocolate Spiced Blondies

Let’s end 2018 on a sweet note with these White Chocolate Spiced Blondies!

These things are fantastic. Their spiciness is mild and refreshing. These would be great for a between Christmas-and-New-Year party, or any time of year.

I’m a firm believer that good food shouldn’t be confined to just one season. If you like it, eat it when you want.

 

This recipe is fairly fast to mix up. Chopping up the crystallized ginger is the most tedious thing; rather than use a knife, I like to use kitchen shears. The blades can still get goopy after a few pieces, but I have more control over the cuts.

Since I’ve been asked before, you can often find crystallized ginger in the spice area at the grocery store–look in the glass jarred section. Also, if you have a natural food store like Sprouts, check their bins.

I love to keep candied ginger around for recipes like this. If I can catch a good sale around the holidays, I stock up!

If you want to stock up on these blondies, do note that they freeze well. Pack some in the freezer for later enjoyment!

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Bready or Not: White Chocolate Spiced Blondies





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These blondies are refreshingly spicy. The sweetness of the white chocolate goes so very well with the little kick of the crystallized ginger mixed throughout. These are great for the holidays and year-round!

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter (two sticks), room temperature
1 3/4 cups brown sugar, packed
3 eggs, room temperature
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
6 ounces (about half a bag) white chocolate chips
1 Tablespoon chopped crystallized ginger

Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 13x9 inch baking pan with aluminum foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.

In a medium bowl, stir together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, cardamom, cinnamon, ground ginger, and salt.

In a big mixing bowl, beat the butter until its smooth. Add the brown sugar and mix, pausing to scrape the sides of the bowl, until the two are fluffy in texture. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.

Slowly add in the flour mixture until just combined, then sprinkle in the white chocolate and candied ginger pieces. Spread the batter in the prepared pan.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Cool to room temperature. Use the foil to lift the contents onto a cutting board to slice.

Store blondies in a sealed container between parchment or waxed paper layers. Blondies can be frozen for later enjoyment.

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Bready or Not Original: Swirled Goat Cheese Brownies

Swirled Goat Cheese Brownies. These things are sweet, savory, rich, and absolutely perfect for holiday fixin’s.

These are brownies that taste fancy, because they are. Goat cheese ain’t cheap, people, though I acquired mine for a good price at Costco.

Costco’s chevre comes in two logs of 10 1/2 ounces. I bought it for use in a recipe that’ll be coming up in a few weeks (goat cheese rounds for a salad, YUM) but then had to figure out what to do with the other log.

The answer, of course: DESSERT! I ended up melding several recipes to suit my Costco-sized cheese, and ta-da! This recipe is the result.

I’ve made brownies like this using cream cheese before. This version takes that up several notches. Chevre is a strong, somewhat gamey cheese. The end result is a brownie that is rich and sweet with a distinct savory note.

Treat yourself with these amazing brownies this holiday season–and be sure to check out last week’s Holiday Cherry Brownies, too!

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Bready or Not Original: Swirled Goat Cheese Brownies





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Goat cheese makes these swirled brownies taste delicious and fancy! This recipe is made to accommodate the size of goat cheese available at Costco. Serve these up at a holiday gathering and folks are sure to rave.

Goat Cheese Swirl
10.5 ounces goat cheese, room temperature
2 Tablespoons confectioners' sugar
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, room temperature
Brownie Base
2/3 cup Dutch process cocoa powder, sifted
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet or milk chocolate chips
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Line an 8×8 or 9x9-inch square pan with aluminum foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.

Mix goat cheese swirl ingredients. Set aside.

Make the brownie base by whisking together the cocoa, sugars, salt, flour, and chips in a big mixing bowl. Add the eggs, oil, and water and vanilla extract until everything is just combined.

Spoon half the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Dollop the cheese mixture atop it, then add the remaining brownie batter into the open spots. Use a knife to swirl the two layers together while still keeping them a bit distinct.

Bake the brownies for 35 to 45 minutes, depending on the pan size. Use the toothpick test to check for doneness. The center should be set with the consistency still moist and fudgy. Cool to room temperature, then place in fridge to chill an hour or two prior to cutting.

Use foil to lift brownies onto cutting board for easy slicing. Store in a sealed container in fridge, with parchment or waxed paper between the layers.

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#Giftmas2018: Donate to the Edmonton Food Bank & Read Holiday Stories!

Happy Giftmas! This year I continue the tradition of participating in Rhonda Parrish’s Giftmas Fundraiser for the Edmonton Food Bank. As before, there’s a Rafflecopter below where you can enter for a chance to win some wonderful gifts for yourself (scroll down to find that!). For the first time ever, I’m giving away a Tuckerization within my WIP novel. What’s a Tuckerization? It means someone supplies me a name–their own or their own character’s–and it’s in the book. You could die in fiction! Or have a brief appearance in one scene! Maybe a few lines! I don’t know. I’ll need to see the name first and judge how best to fit it in. As author, I AM the grand arbiter of these kinds of things.

So, why donate to this particular cause? Honestly, one thing I love about this particular fundraiser is that I can donate anonymously, so I’m not nagged for donations via email or snail mail throughout the year! However, the money is also put to good use:

Each dollar raised equals three meals 
Canadian donors can receive a tax receipt for their donation
All donations are in Canadian dollars, so American donors can get amazing value for their donation.

Here’s my story for Giftmas, my flash fic “Rootless,” originally published at Every Day Fiction. Read through then enter the giveaway!

Rootless

Day 1

I am ancient yet not immortal, and I wonder if this is how my death begins.

I have lived in these mountains seasons beyond measure. I have bonded myself with dozens of trees and mourned their mortality as I moved on. However, this is the first time my home-tree has been severed at the base, its roots abandoned. The humans seem pleased with their efforts as they carry us down the mountain.

As a dryad, I can end my link with this pine. There are many other trees that would suffice for me, and yet… I cannot leave, even if it means my death. I have loved this home-tree like no other. It’s still young, scarcely beyond a sapling, but knows such joy as its roots sink deeper and its branches stretch toward the sun.

My tree is hurt and confused. I offer what balm I can through my magic.

Night has fallen. The humans tie the tree to a vehicle. We move, gliding like birds over the ground. Ever-bright lights loom ahead but grant us no warmth. A harsh wind scatters my tree’s needles like seeds as the trunk weeps amber.

Day 2

My tree’s base is nestled into a basin of water–strange water, bland, compared to our rooted home. My tree is appeased, excited. Its innocence both delights and frustrates me.

The sun has been stolen from us. Walls surround us at all sides. I can scarcely sense the earth. Ancient as I am, my wells of magic run deep, but not deep enough to extend the tree’s life beyond a few weeks.

Day 3

My tree, oblivious to our dire circumstances, only knows something has happened to its roots and hopes to resume growth soon.

There are other plants in the house. I can faintly taste their earth and chlorophyll. Without wind to help, it takes me hours to siphon their life essence and weave it into my home-tree.

The humans speak loudly from the next room.

“How can all five poinsettias be dead? I bought them this morning!”

“I don’t know what happened. An hour ago they were fine!”

“Where’s the receipt? I’ll take them back. I better get a refund.”

Day 4

The humans cover my tree’s branches with strange objects of all colors and weights. This includes strange lights that emit little warmth and no nutrition. My tree tastes electricity across its drying branches, and for the first time knows fear.

If fire comes, I can bolster my tree’s resistance for a time, but I cannot force away flames.

Day 10

My tree continues to despair, but now its grief focuses on me.

The tree was beautiful from the time it emerged from earth: straight of trunk, symmetrical, perfectly tapered. My magic made it all the more glorious.

Now, the tree wonders if it was chosen for this death because of me–that I made it too irresistible, its green incomparably vivid. It’s afraid. It regrets accepting my bond at all.

I confess its reaction wounds me even deeper than the loss of root and earth because I fear it may be true. I may have brought this upon the tree I love so very much.

Day 12

Colorful objects nest beneath my tree’s lower branches. The humans radiate excitement.

My tree no longer speaks with me. It resists our bond as much as it can.

As humans come and go from the house, I sometimes taste the outdoors. There are other trees and plants not far away, though I can’t connect long enough to draw on their essence.

I could still abandon my home-tree and drift to a new tree nearby, though it repulses me to think of existing surrounded by humans, their stench. The transition would be easy and I would live. And yet… I hesitate, even as my tree sulks and resists my devotion.

Day 13

Humans fill the house and open the objects at the base of the tree. Music shudders through the branches stronger than birdsong ever did. My tree would dance, if there was wind to play partner, but knows joy even in stillness. I absorb the emotion and grieve what will become of us.

Sound grows louder, sharper. The humans disperse, happiness evaporated. The smell of smoke is sudden and strong.

“The kitchen’s on fire! Get out! Call 911!”

My tree is calm as our bond opens again. It tells me to go. It knows it is drying out and the fire will be fast, and that I should live on and bless another tree.

The doors are open. Brisk winter air blows in and carries the heady essence of life. This is it. This is the opportunity I have awaited.

My tree’s enhanced majesty made it vulnerable; now I will make it all the more majestic, but stronger. Mightier.

I fling out my power, sinking magical tendrils into every nearby plant, and I yank. More people enter, and with them, water flows in a magnificent fountain. Smoke increases as the fire dies with a hiss; I call forth the water as I once lured in rain.

I reach into my ancient self. I take everything, I offer everything.

Life pours into my tree. I shove the energy downward, upward. I tell it to grow. To live. To take on such height and girth that it will never again be rendered rootless.

New roots shove through metal, through gray as dense as caliche, and find blessed dirt. They sink deeper, deeper. Branches snap through the walls and ceiling and discover the sun. Life burbles through my tree. I am overjoyed, even as I dwindle, spent.

My magic is no more. I am almost no more, a mere wisp of dryad, but our bond roars like a river in spring thaw. My tree cradles my spirit within its broad trunk. I am content. I am home.

originally published at Every Day Fiction

 

Click here to donate to the Edmonton Food Bank for Giftmas 2018

 

Yesterday’s Giftmas with Laura VanArendonk Baugh | Tomorrow’s Giftmas with Jennifer Lee Rossman

 

You don’t need to donate to Giftmas to enter the Rafflecopter, but we sure encourage it–and it gets you another entry in the giveaway!

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bready or Not: Holiday Cherry Brownies

Those big jewel-like candied cherries aren’t just meant for fruitcake. Bake them into some Holiday Cherry Brownies!

As with my recent Fruitcake Cookies, this recipe is handy if you want to make a festive treat in December–or put those clearance tubs of fruitcake fixins to good use in the new year.

Plus, these are darn good brownies with a thin, crisp top and a chewy interior. The cherries add lovely flavor and juiciness, which is even better alongside the crunch of walnuts.

Oh yeah, and these brownies are PRETTY. That counts for something.

I modified the original recipe to melt the chocolate and butter the quick and lazy way with the help of my microwave, because my stove is old and cheap and that method would probably triple my prep time. But you can certainly use the stove, too. Whatever works best for you.

Mind you, I am a purist about butter on the stovetop for things like browned butter (SO GOOD) but here alongside the chocolate, I don’t think there would be a discernible difference.

Modified from Taste of Home Best Loved Cookies & Bars magazine.

 

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Bready or Not: Holiday Cherry Brownies





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These chewy, classic brownies are loaded with the candied cherries usually used in fruitcake, adding fantastic sweetness and undeniable holiday flare.

1/2 cup (I stick) unsalted butter
4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups white sugar
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) halved red and/or green candied cherries
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 13x9 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and sugar in careful, 30 seconds bursts. Once everything is smooth, set aside to cool a bit. (This step could also be done at a low temperature on the stove.)

In a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the chocolate mixture. Follow that up with the eggs and vanilla until everything is smooth. Fold in the cherries and walnuts.

Pour batter into the pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the center passes the toothpick test.

Completely cool. Use foil to lift brownies on cutting board to slice up. Store in a sealed container.

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Bready or Not: Classic Icebox Cookies

These Classic Icebox Cookies are the kind of cookie I think about when holiday cookies come to mind.

That’s because these are the kind of cookies I remember eating at Christmas when I was a kid–at preschool, at school, at home, everywhere. When my mom baked them, I had the all-important duty of Sugar Sprinkler.

When I was just starting to bake, but still really nervous about it, I’d buy sugar cookie dough tubes at the store. At least I had the sugar-sprinkling down pat.

This recipe makes cookies that are a total nostalgia trip. They look and taste like a childhood holiday.

The only difficult thing about this recipe is stirring everything together. Get your biggest bowl, the one a large cat can completely fit in. Even then, stirring everything together might get messy.

If you have kids or grandkids around, this is the perfect recipe for them to help out and build some memories of their own. Carry the nostalgia forward.

Modified from All Recipes Magazine December/January 2018.

 

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Bready or Not: Classic Icebox Cookies





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These are basic, classic, delicious cookies, packed with nostalgia and topped with colorful sugar. The hardest thing about the recipe is mixing the sheer amount of ingredients in the bowl. Do note that the dough requires chill time prior to baking.

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
dash of salt
1 egg
4 1/2 to 5 cups flour
decorating sugar

Beat butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the sugar, cream of tartar, and salt. Gradually mix in as much flour as possible, then stir by hand to get to at least 4 1/2 cups. Dough should be stiff.

Divide dough into thirds and shape into logs about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Enshroud in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven at 375 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice dough rolls into 1/4-inch slices, reshaping with hands as necessary, and place them on cookie sheet with plenty of space to spread. Add decorating sugar on top.

Bake until the cookie edges are turning golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.

Depending on how cookies are cut, makes anywhere from 60 to 90 cookies.

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Guest Author Jennifer Lee Rossman Visits with an Excerpt of Jack Jetstark’s Intergalactic Freak Show

I’m happy to welcome Jennifer Lee Rossman as a guest today! Jennifer’s book Jack Jetstark’s Intergalactic Freakshow is out from World Weaver Press today, and it sound awesome! The title alone is enticing, but read on and grab a copy of your own today.

 

Back cover summary: Jack Jetstark travels the universe to seek out the descendants of superpowered freaks created long ago by VesCorp scientists. The vibrations encoded in a particular song transform the members of Jack’s crew into a firebreather and an angel, a wildman and telepathic conjoined triplets, so they hide the truth of who they really are with the theatrics of a carnival.

The song plays every night through the receptor Jack carries with them, but when one night it has a different ending and their temporary powers become permanent, Jack believes the change is a signal from the woman who sent him on this quest in the first place. He and his freaks must navigate a universe at war to protect the love of his life.

But does the ruler of VesCorp really need protecting?

Excerpt:

 

Not a lot of money in the traveling carnival business anymore. Enough to make a living, but not like it used to be, back when fleets of enormous ships traveled the skies, bringing roller coasters and virtual reality machines to the residents of the universe. Sometimes it felt like we were the only ones out there, with our meager rides and food stalls offering unhealthy fried things on sticks; nothing special that couldn’t be found at any summer funfair on any planet, moon, or decently sized asteroid.

But people wanted to see the unusual, to be scared out of their wits by the alien creatures from the far-off places they could only dream of visiting. Therein lay the appeal of the sideshow, without which our profit margins would wither to nothing and the Rubeno and I would be stuck delivering cargo again. She was built for that kind of work. Me, not so much.

I much preferred life as a space carny. If nothing else, it was a more enjoyable way to make a buck, and far less lonely. In a world that shunned and ridiculed, our little piece of space was a welcoming reprieve. It was a home, it was a family.

Merulo warmed up dinner in an old food heater, setting chipped plates on the table while he attempted the impossible task of wrangling his unruly mop of black hair. The triplets eased their pained minds by chatting among themselves and watching game shows on a screen made mostly of static. And Lily sat in front of a lighted mirror, removing the heavy mascara that made her eyes pop while undoubtedly planning our route to the next planet in her brain that never slowed down.

She noticed me watching and arched a thin eyebrow. “What?”

“It’s just nice,” I said. “All of this. It isn’t like the world out there. It’s real.”

A small voice spoke from behind me. “It’s fake.” I turned to see the girl, the one with the bits of hay in her red braid, standing in the doorway. Shock and disillusionment cast shadows over her freckled face, the horrors of the show paling in comparison to this glimpse backstage.

“How did you get in here?” I demanded, not expecting any trouble but sure that I had locked up the carnival entrance as well as the stairwell leading to our living quarters.

“Is any of it real?”

I looked back at my crew, this time through her eyes; disturbing sights to say the least. A wildman in a robe and eyeglasses, a jovial grin on his chubby face. Conjoined triplets separated and sitting on opposite sides of the room, the sickly pallor having been wiped from their dark skin. An angel in jeans and a crocheted shawl, her beak transformed into a nose and her bare shoulders showing no sign of ever bearing wings.

Even I’d changed since the show, from the fiery barker who spouted words with ease to a broody slacker in a vest who’d couldn’t turn a phrase to save his life.

Not hard to understand her surprise. The only thing worse than seeing terrible, man-eating monsters was seeing them without their disguises, seeing that; deep down, they were only human, same as anyone else. I liked to keep that particular fact a secret, as people tended to pay much more to see anatomical anomalies than they did to see ordinary people, but I didn’t see a way out of this. She looked too smart to fall for anything I could pull out of thin air.

“Is it all fake?” she asked, stepping into the room.

I put my arm out to stop her. “I asked you first; how did you get in here?” I tried not to sound too upset, but the thought of someone trespassing on my ship, my secure ship where my people expected to be safe, infuriated me. If a mere girl could get on board without triggering the alarms, why not a crew of galactic pirates?

The girl retreated, her gaze flicking from one person to the next before landing on me. “I’m sorry. It’s just… it’s what I do.” She fiddled with her hands and tugged down the sleeves of her red and black jacket.

“What does that mean?” Lily asked, coming to my side and taking over the interrogation while the others watched with caution.

“It’ll be easier if I just show you.” The girl closed and locked the door behind her, then knelt to peer at the electronic lock. She placed her palm over the device and the lock clicked open a moment later. She pushed open the door and turned to us, the faintest hint of a smile on her lips.

“That’s impossible,” Theon said as he came to inspect the lock, sounding almost insulted at the breach in security. “I installed it myself. It only opens with our keycards.” He gave the girl a sideways glance, his dark, deep-set eyes narrowed. “They’re electronic.”

She shrugged, offering a wide grin that showed too many teeth. “So am I.”

Buy the book in paperback or ebook!

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

World Weaver Press

Jennifer Lee Rossman is an autistic and physically disabled sci-fi writer and editor. Her work has been featured in several anthologies, and she co-edited Love & Bubbles, a queer anthology of underwater romance. She blogs at jenniferleerossman.blogspot.com and tweets @JenLRossman