Beth Cato's Blog, page 78
November 6, 2016
Sunday Quote doesn’t change her clocks
“You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.”
~William Faulkner
November 4, 2016
New Stories and Poems for November
My focus has been on books this past while, but I still have shorter works coming out as well. Here’s the latest!
Novelocity
– 5 Big Reasons Literary Agents are Important Beyond the Book Deal
Stories
– “Moon Skin,” Swords & Steam Short Stories
– “A Recipe for Rain and Rainbows” (reprint), Mysterion: Rediscovering the Mysteries of the Christian Faith
Poetry
– “Witch and Stick,” New Myths issue 36
– “The Death of the Horse,” Remixt Magazine Volume 1 Issue 8
– “Morning During Migration Season” and “Horse and Girl,” Star*line 39.4
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November 3, 2016
Guest: Author Tina Connolly Talks About SERIOUSLY SHIFTED, a special comic, & book tour
I’m excited to welcome Tina Connolly today! She’s the author of a whole pile of awesome novels from Tor and Tor Teen, plus a short story collection from Fairwood Press (that I happened to blurb). Her latest is the second book in her funny and fun YA series about a teenage girl, witchcraft, and all sorts of mayhem. Tina is kicking off a book tour and has an especially nifty incentive for buying her book: a one-page comic!
One of the most fun things about the Seriously Wicked series has been getting to collaborate with other artists. The series overall is about a girl who’s stuck living with a seriously wicked witch. But she also has to keep up her grades and pass Algebra and deal with everyday 10th grade problems, as well!
In the first book, Seriously Wicked, Cam falls for a cute boy-band boy who plays guitar. He writes a song about her, “Lion Tamer”, which is written out in the book. So when Seriously Wicked was released, I thought it would be really fun to have this song available to hear. I got my good friend Spencer Ellsworth to record the song and you can hear his awesome work on Soundcloud—lion roars and all.
In book two, Seriously Shifted, I knew I wanted to include another artistic character in the series. Enter slightly geeky Henny Santiago-Smith, who writes an online comic called Henny’s Pathetic Love Life. Poor Henny gets caught up in witchy things when one of the new wicked witch characters decides to make Henny’s life an absolute disaster. Henny flees to the girls’ bathroom, where she encounters Cam secretly working a spell.
In the book, this scene is of course from Cam’s point of view. But I thought it would be great fun to see how this scene looked from Henny’s point of view, as if she were writing it up (as she keeps threatening to do) for one of her online comics.
I contacted another friend of mine—amazing cartoonist Becky Hawkins—about developing a piece that would illustrate this scene. Becky writes a delightful comic called French Toast Comix, and it has a really playful, fun style that I could see fitting the work of an (obviously super-talented!) teen.
Becky came up with a one-page comic for me that is just fantastic, and I decided to use it as a giveaway on my upcoming book tour stops for Seriously Shifted. So come see me at one of those and you can collect your very own comic page that goes along with the book!
Here’s a teaser of the comic for you:
Alternatively, if you don’t live near my tour stops, you can email me (I’m tinaconnolly on the gmail) with a picture of your proof of purchase of Seriously Shifted (take a selfie with the book or a pic of the receipt or whatever works for you!) and I’ll send you one of these darling comic pages in the mail. Offer good to December 15, 2016, or while supplies last. 
Here are the tour stops; read more details on my Appearances page on my website:
>Wordstock – Portland OR, Nov 5, 10am panel
>Powell’s Cedar Hills – Beaverton OR, Nov 7, 7pm
>University Bookstore – Seattle WA, Nov 14, 7pm
>Corvallis Library – Corvallis OR, Nov 15, 4pm
>Mysterious Galaxy – San Diego CA, Nov 16, 7:30pm
>Powell’s Cedar Hills – Beaverton OR, Nov 20, 4pm
>Another Read Through – Portland OR, Dec 3, 1:30pm
Many thanks to Beth for having me on the blog, and I’m delighted to see Seriously Shifted out in the wild at last!
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November 2, 2016
Bready or Not: Chocolate Chip Pecan Pumpkin Pudding Cookies
Every fall, I like to bake goodies using Jell-O’s Pumpkin Spice Pudding. Every fall, I’m frustrated when Walmart doesn’t carry it until later in October, and not for long.
This stuff is like a secret weapon if you love autumn flavors. Pudding mix of any kind creates extra softness and a lovely texture whether you’re making cookies or bundt cake; this version adds delicate pumpkin and spice flavors, plus a lovely shade of orange.
This cookie dough doesn’t need to be chilled. Just whip it together and bake. The resulting cookies are plump, soft, and downright pretty to behold. Oh yeah–another advantage of using pudding mix is that the cookies stay soft and fresh for upward of a week.
Other Bready or Not recipes featuring both pumpkin flavor and pudding mix:
– Pumpkin Pudding Snickerdoodle Cookies (pumpkin spice mix)
– Pumpkin and Pudding Mix Pound Cake (vanilla pudding mix)
Modified from Boys Ahoy.
Bready or Not: Chocolate Chip Pecan Pumpkin Pudding Cookies
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These chewy cookies are perfect for autumn or all year round. Jell-O Pumpkin Spice Pudding Mix is a seasonal favorite at Walmart; you can also find it on Amazon for an inflated price. This pudding mix adds a delicate pumpkin spice flavor to these cookies, along with a seasonally-appropriate orange tint. Store the cookies in a sealed container and they’ll keep for up to a week.
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup white sugar
1 (3.4oz) package Jell-O Instant Pumpkin Spice Pudding
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup milk or semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
Combine flour and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and both sugars. Beat in pudding mix until blended, followed by the eggs and vanilla extract.
Add the flour mixture. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips until just combined.
Using a cookie dough scooper, place dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 -10 minutes. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before moving to a cooking rack. Store in air-tight container. Makes two dozen.
OM NOM NOM!
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October 31, 2016
New Cato Log Out Tomorrow
I’ve been remiss in updating my blog because BOOK EDITS. ALL MONTH. The good news: as of this morning, a shiny new version of Call of Fire has been sent along to my editor. Huzzah! Now to catch up on a dozen other things before I dive headfirst into my next project.
First up: a new edition of the Cato Log will be deployed to email inboxes worldwide tomorrow. Sign up now so you can get an advance Bready or Not recipe for Maple Pecan Pie Bars, plus all of October’s recipes in one spot! Oh yeah, and book news, too.
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Happy Halloween to all… and perhaps more importantly, Happy Clearance Candy Day tomorrow!
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October 30, 2016
Sunday Quotes thinks Christie is appropriate on Halloween Eve
“There is always, of course, that terrible three weeks, or a month which you have to get through when you are trying to get started on a book. There is no agony like it. You sit in a room, biting pencils, looking at a typewriter, walking about, or casting yourself down on a sofa, feeling you want to cry your head off….You forget every time what you felt before when it comes again: such misery and despair, such inability to do anything that will be in the least creative. And yet it seems that this particular phase of misery has got to be lived through.”
~Agatha Christie, Autobiography (1977)
October 26, 2016
Bready or Not: Quick Cookie Butter Pumpkin Fudge
Is frosting your favorite part of cake? Well, do I have a fudge recipe for you!
This easy microwave fudge tastes like pumpkin spice frosting. It’s that rich. That delicious. This makes a big batch, so cut the pieces small and share with a crowd!
The original version of this recipe used peanut butter. Well, you know me. Why go with cliché peanut butter when you can use creamy COOKIE BUTTER? Use Biscoff, Speculoose, or any of the new off-brand versions–heck, my local Sprouts even has their own cookie butter now!
In baked recipes, cookie butter makes cooked goodies taste like cookie dough. Here, that effect is much more mild. It adds a lovely color and helps the pumpkin and spices to shine through.
Make this for a potluck or family gathering, and share the joy of cookie butter and pumpkin spice!
Modified from Peanut Butter Pumpkin Fudge at Crazy for Crust.
Bready or Not: Quick Cookie Butter Pumpkin Fudge
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This easy microwave fudge tastes like pumpkin spice frosting! The recipe makes a lot of fudge, and note that it softens very fast at room temperature. Keep it chilled!
4 cups white chocolate chips
1/2 cup Creamy Biscoff or Speculoos or other brand cookie butter
3/4 cup pumpkin puree (not organic)
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
turbinado sugar, optional
Line an 8x8-inch pan with foil and coat it with cooking spray. Measure out all of your ingredients and have them at hand.
Place white chocolate chips and cookie butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Heat on 50% power for 45 seconds--and stay close, because white chocolate can burn fast in the microwave. Stir well, then continue heating on 50% power in 25 second increments, stirring between each bout, until melted and smooth.
(Yes, you could also do this in a saucepan over medium-low heat on the stovetop, but that wouldn't be quite as quick!)
Once the chocolate and cookie butter are blended with no lumps, immediately stir in the pumpkin puree, spice, and vanilla extract. Combine it as fast as you can. Pour the fudge batter into the prepared pan. If desired, sprinkle turbinado sugar and some more pumpkin spice over the top.
Place in fridge to set for several hours before cutting and serving--this makes a lot! Keep stored in a sealed container in fridge, with blocks of fudge between layers of wax paper or parchment. The fudge softens fast at room temperature.
OM NOM NOM!
October 23, 2016
Sunday Quote does not dance
“This book has become a misery to me because of my inadequacy.”
~John Steinbeck
October 20, 2016
Now Online: “Souls of Horses” from Clockwork Phoenix 5
So, I have this story that I love to bits. It was rejected just about everywhere and it finally found a home in the Clockwork Phoenix 5 anthology to much critical (very validating) aplomb. This story is now online for everyone to read: “The Souls of Horses,” about the love of horses and the horrors of racism and slavery, all against the backdrop of the American Civil War.
Read the full story here, and also check out the other four stories from Clockwork Phoenix 5 that are now online. The whole anthology features work well worth considering for 2016 Hugo and Nebula nominations.
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October 19, 2016
Bready or Not: Pumpkin Cheesecake Sopapillas
These Pumpkin Cheesecake Sopapillas are super-easy to make. You use crescent dough roll for the top and bottom! This comes together in minutes.
You get to work some churromancy here as well. Once you have your pumpkin bars assembled, you pour melted butter over everything. You create LAKES OF BUTTER. Then to make it healthier, you top that with more cinnamon and sugar.
As it cools, the butter is absorbed, and that cinnamon-sugar forms an amazing crust on top.
The dish is fast to assemble, but it does need a few hours to cool down on the counter and then chill in the fridge. After, that, though…! All you need to do to serve this up is zap a piece in the microwave. Top that with some pecans and honey, and you have your own seasonally-appropriate sopapilla.
Eat it for breakfast. Snack. Dessert. Whatever. There’s pumpkin in this and it’s October. This could be dinner, if you so desire. Embrace the season! Get out the stretchy pants!
Modified from Willowbird Baking. Originally shared on the Holy Taco Church.
Bready or Not: Pumpkin Cheesecake Sopapillas
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These sopapillas come together fast thanks to the shortcut use of crescent roll dough for the pastry layers. After letting these chill to set, they taste best warmed in the microwave. Add some pecans and honey, and you have autumnal bliss on your plate. Modified from Willowbird Baking and originally shared on the Holy Taco Church.
Bars
2 cans crescent rolls, any brand
2 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1 16-ounce can of pumpkin puree (not organic)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
Topping:
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Highly Advised Extras:
honey
toasted pecans
Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with foil and apply nonstick spray. Unroll one can of crescent roll dough--keeping it as a single piece--and lay it in the dish. Pressing it out to cover the bottom and pinch seams together.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. Spread the pumpkin mixture over the crescent roll dough in the pan.
Stretch out plastic wrap on a large cutting board. Use this surface to lay out the other can of crescent roll dough. Stretch it out and pinch together the seams. That done, use the board to flip the dough on top of the pumpkin layer.
Next is the topping. In a small bowl, stir together the 1/2 cup sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Pour the melted butter over the crescent dough top layer. Sprinkle the sugar mix all over the top.
Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let the bars cool completely at room temperature before placing them in the fridge to set for a few hours or overnight.
Cut the sopapillas into bars. They are best served warm, after a 20-30 second zap in the microwave, and topped with some pecans and drizzled honey.
OM NOM NOM!
