Posts made in February, 2016

Sunday Quote Grinds On

Posted by on Feb 28, 2016 in Blog, Quote | Comments Off on Sunday Quote Grinds On

“Writing is like the life of a glacier; one eternal grind.”
~ John Muir

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Bready or Not: Chewy Chocolate-Stuffed Cookie Bars

Posted by on Feb 24, 2016 in Blog, blondies, Bready or Not, chocolate, cookies | Comments Off on Bready or Not: Chewy Chocolate-Stuffed Cookie Bars

Do you like chocolate chip cookies, the kind that are soft, dense, and cakey? Do you like chocolate? Oh boy. Do I have the recipe for you.

Bready or Not: Chewy Choc Stuffed Cookie Bars

These babies are rich, indulgent, and made to pad thighs. Did I mention they are tasty? Yeah. These are chewy in the best kind of way.

Bready or Not: Chewy Chocolate Stuffed Cookie Bars

I prefer using milk chocolate chips, but you can tailor these to your taste buds. Go semi-sweet or dark. Mix them all up. Be crazy.

Bready or Not: Chewy Chocolate Stuffed Cookie Bars

The filling in these bars is rather like a ganache, so it will soften a lot if it’s at room temperature or warmer. I found they kept in the fridge really well in a sealed container.

Bready or Not: Chewy Chocolate Stuffed Cookie Bars

They keep well in your belly, too.

Modified from Recipe Girl.

Bready or Not: Chewy Chocolate-Stuffed Cookie Bars

Simple to make. Divine to eat. These are diehard chocolate chip bars--rich, lush, and chewy. Store sealed in the fridge for days... if they last that long!
Course: Dessert, Snack
Keyword: bars, chocolate
Author: Beth Cato

Ingredients

CHOCOLATE FILLING:

  • 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips
  • 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

COOKIES:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, room temperature
  • 1 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup oats quick-cooking or old-fashioned rolled
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips

Instructions

For the chocolate filling:

  • Place the chocolate chips and condensed milk in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 40-50 seconds, watching it the whole time--condensed milk can turn to lava if you're not careful! Stir well, and heat again if necessary; the chocolate chips should blend in. Once that happens, add the vanilla extract and stir in. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

For the cookie bars:

  • Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Line a 9x13-inch pan with foil, overlapping the sides to make it easy to lift out later. Spray foil with nonstick spray or rub with butter.
  • Place the butter and both sugars in a large bowl. Beat until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla.
  • In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to the butter mixture until everything is well incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  • Place about half the cookie dough in dollops in the ready pan. Gently smooth it out to cover the bottom. Pour the cooled chocolate over the dough. Top that with the remaining dough in dollops; don't worry about covering the whole surface.
  • Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is just golden brown. Cool completely. Use the foil to lift it out of the pan to cut. Store in a sealed container in the fridge, as the middle will soften at room temperature.
  • OM NOM NOM!

Bready or Not: Chewy Chocolate Stuffed Cookie Bars

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What a Nebula Nomination Is

Posted by on Feb 22, 2016 in awards, Blog, clockwork dagger shorts | Comments Off on What a Nebula Nomination Is

I originally posted this on Facebook, and it had such a good reaction that I decided to post it on my blog as well, as I know some family members subscribe to my blog feed. The TL;DR version: Wings of Sorrow and Bone is a Nebula nominee in the novella category. This is a HUGE deal.

A full list of this year’s nominees can be found here.

 

I was asked what a Nebula nomination really *is*. It’s comparable to an Oscar nomination, I suppose.

Within science fiction and fantasy fiction, the Nebulas (voted on by members of SFWA, a professional writers’ organization) and the Hugos (voted on by supporters and attendees of the annual WorldCon) are THE biggest awards, followed by others like the Locus Award, World Fantasy Award, etc.

Being a Nebula nominee is a huge deal. It’s the kind of thing that gets mentioned on book covers and in reviews (it can also lead to book deals and reviews). It’s high validation from my peers. Go look at Wikipedia at the works that have won these awards–I bet you’ll recognize names and titles!

 

Wings of Sorrow and Bone novella

#SFWAPro

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Sunday Quote tries to do her part

Posted by on Feb 21, 2016 in Blog, Quote | Comments Off on Sunday Quote tries to do her part

“It’s not about adding diversity for the sake of diversity, it’s about subtracting homogeneity for the sake of realism.”
~ @MaryRobinette

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Nebula Award Nominee! Life Goal = Achieved

Posted by on Feb 20, 2016 in awards, Blog, clockwork dagger shorts, goals | Comments Off on Nebula Award Nominee! Life Goal = Achieved

Wings of Sorrow and Bone is a Nebula finalist. I’m gobsmacked. I’m thrilled. I’m terrified.

You see, being a finalist like this has been a life goal of mine since I was a teenager. I even mentioned this on my old blog back in July 2012, during that difficult period after my first book didn’t sell and Clockwork Dagger was almost ready to go on submission to editors:

Within five years, I’d like to have a story or novel make the shortlist for a Hugo or Nebula. I’d also like to have a poem up for the Rhysling Award.

This week I confirmed that, for the second consecutive year, I have a poem nominated for the Rhysling.

Then this. The big one. The Nebula nomination. I actually made my goal a year before my deadline. How funny is that?! I guess the next goal should be to actually win a Hugo or Nebula at some point.

Wings of Sorrow and Bone is available at all online retailers for just 99-cents. Check it out–it seems people actually like it!?

Wings of Sorrow and Bone novella

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Google Play | iTunes

#SFWAPro

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