Posts made in June, 2014

Sunday Quote says Happy Canada Day and Independence Day week

Posted by on Jun 29, 2014 in Blog, Quote | Comments Off on Sunday Quote says Happy Canada Day and Independence Day week

“Exercise the writing muscle every day, even if it is only a letter, notes, a title list, a character sketch, a journal entry. Writers are like dancers, like athletes. Without that exercise, the muscles seize up.”

~Jane Yolen

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A Mention to Mention

Posted by on Jun 27, 2014 in Blog, public speaking | Comments Off on A Mention to Mention

Clockwork DaggerWith my book coming out soon, I can’t help but be paranoid about people talking about me. But this isn’t junior high–I want them to talk about me. Book sales are all about generating buzz. However, Google Alerts haven’t worked in years.

Lo and behold, I was keenly interested in an SFWA blog on Finding Replacements for Google Alerts by Caren Gussoff. She listed two replacement options, and I decided to give one a try: Mention.

I’ve been using Mention for a week now and I am very pleased. Every day it’s sending me links–a few are old, but most are new. I’ve found out about a number of book blogs spreading the word about two upcoming anthologies I’m in, FAE and A is for Apocalypse, and there’ve also been some positive mentions of The Clockwork Dagger on Absolute Write, Twitter, and major fan sites.

If you want to monitor key words online, you might want to give Mention a try.

[Now I’m curious if Mention will alert Caren Gussoff that I mentioned her name. I hope so. I want to tell her thanks!]

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Bready or Not: Oreo Fudge

Posted by on Jun 25, 2014 in Blog, Bready or Not, fudge, no-bake dessert, oreo | 5 comments

‘Tis the season. The season when I am keenly aware that air conditioning is the greatest invention in the last century.

This also means I’ll be pulling out a lot of non-bake sweet recipes, because 1) the oven makes the house hot, 2) I have a gazillion other things to do than stand in the kitchen for an hour, 3) fudge is awesome.

Some purists say this isn’t kind of fudge isn’t fudge because it’s not made on a stovetop, with a candy thermometer, with the proper animal sacrifices. I say they’re rather silly. All fudge is good and worthy.

This recipe is so easy to throw together. It’s great for potlucks because it makes a ton of fudge. It also keeps well in the fridge.

This is a good time to point out a similar recipe I posted a few years ago–Oreo Bars, featuring three ingredients. Oreos. Marshmallows. Butter. It’s like Rice Krispie Treats, but uses Oreos. Also non-bake, and makes a smaller amount.

Just in case, you know, you’re wanting to make something without chocolate and, uh, healthier.

Tweaked from Shugary Sweets.

Bready or Not: Oreo Fudge

Easy no-fuss fudge that uses Oreos!
Course: Dessert
Keyword: fudge, no bake, oreo, quick fudge
Author: Beth Cato

Ingredients

  • 3 cups white chocolate chips
  • 20 Oreo cookies crushed/chopped/maimed
  • 7 oz marshmallow fluff jar
  • 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Prepare a 9x13 pan by lining it with foil and applying nonstick spray.
  • Either in microwave or on stovetop, carefully melt chocolate with canned milk and marshmallow cream. If microwaving, do it in short bursts because it can burn fast. Stir often.
  • When the mix is smooth, add the vanilla extract. Fold in the Oreos.
  • Refrigerate 3 hours until firm. Cut into bite size pieces. Keep stored in fridge.

OM NOM NOM.

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    Sunday Quote has opened a lot of people

    Posted by on Jun 22, 2014 in Blog, Quote | Comments Off on Sunday Quote has opened a lot of people

    “There is even a touch of decent reluctance about privacy but writers and detectives cannot permit the luxury of privacy. In this book I have opened lots of people and some of them are going to be a little bit angry.”

    ~John Steinbeck, Journal of a Novel

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    Cool Stuff! Plus a note regarding my recipes.

    Posted by on Jun 21, 2014 in anthology:poem, Blog, Bready or Not, clockwork dagger | Comments Off on Cool Stuff! Plus a note regarding my recipes.

    John Scalzi’s Whatever Blog is such a major site among writers, so I was thrilled to see that my book is in his stack of new acquisitions this week! I was gobsmacked. Thanks again to Erica Wagner for the heads-up!

    My poem “Mad Scientist’s Lament” will be in issue 2 of Lakeside Circus. It’s scheduled for July 2nd.

    If you’re having trouble finding a recipe on Bready or Not, it’s because the recipes are now split between two sites. All the old recipes are still over at LiveJournal and the new ones show up there as well.

    To find all the recipes in one place, take a look at my Pinterest board. My trick for searching there: scroll all the way to the bottom to force all the images to load, then do a search by keyword. Or just skim the pretty pictures and drool. I do that, too.

    I’m sorry that they aren’t all in one convenient spot on BethCato.com! I don’t know if I’ll ever have the time or opportunity to port them all over. To my amazement, I’ve put almost 150 recipes online. That boggles my mind.

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