Posts by Beth

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

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Cover reveal: “Final Flight: A Clockwork Dagger Story”

Posted by on Feb 19, 2016 in Blog, clockwork dagger shorts | Comments Off on Cover reveal: “Final Flight: A Clockwork Dagger Story”

My final (for now) Clockwork Dagger story has a cover! This is out on April 26th and is already up for preorder for just 99-cents!

Oh yeah, it also includes the first chapter of my new novel Breath of Earth. *squee*

Final Flight

Another breathtaking short story from the author of The Clockwork Dagger and The Clockwork Crown, set in the same world…

Captain Hue hoped he was rid of his troubles once Octavia Leander and Alonzo Garrett disembarked from his airship Argus. But he was quickly proved wrong when his ship was commandeered by Caskentian soldiers. He is ordered on a covert and deadly mission by the smarmy Julius Corrado, an elite Clockwork Dagger.

Now Captain Hue must start a mutiny to regain control of his airship, which means putting his entire crew at risk—including his teenage son Sheridan. As the weather worsens and time runs out, it’ll take incredible bravery to bring the Argus down….perhaps for good.


 

 

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Bready or Not: Apple Cinnamon Cake

Posted by on Feb 17, 2016 in apples, Blog, Bready or Not, breakfast, cake | Comments Off on Bready or Not: Apple Cinnamon Cake

I mention every so often that apple pie is probably the favorite thing of both my dad and my husband. This apple cake now rates right up there, too.

Apple Cinnamon Cake

This cake is easy to put together. The most time-consuming thing is peeling and chopping the apples. The cake bakes up dense, soft, and full of cinnamon and apple flavor.

Apple Cinnamon Cake

One of the great things about this recipe is that it’s easy to parcel out leftovers–if you have any. Cut the cake into pieces, freeze each separately, wrap in waxed paper, and place in freezer bags or plastic containers. Thaw pieces in fridge, and eat them cold or warm up in the microwave or oven (the latter being the family preference).

Apple Cinnamon Cake

This apple cake is great whenever. Serve it for breakfast, snack, or dessert. It’ll make your belly happy any time of day.

Apple Cinnamon Cake

Modified from Apple Squares at Julia’s Album.

 

Bready or Not: Apple Cinnamon Cake

These dense, luscious apple cake squares are perfect for breakfast, brunch, snack or dessert! Use firm baking apples like Granny Smith. Leftovers can be frozen in pieces, and once thawed, can be eaten straight from the fridge or heated in the microwave or oven.
Course: Dessert, Snack
Keyword: apple, cake, sour cream
Author: Beth Cato

Ingredients

  • 3 medium apples peeled, cored, & chopped into small chunks
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon heaping
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
  • 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs room temperature

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Line a 9×9 square pan with foil and apply butter or nonstick spray.
  • In a medium bowl, toss peeled and chopped apples with cinnamon and brown sugar.
  • In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  • In a larger mixing bowl, whisk together the white sugar, vegetable oil, sour cream/yogurt, and vanilla extract until it's smooth. Add the eggs.
  • Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until everything is just mixed.
  • Pour half the batter into the ready pan. Sprinkle half the apples evenly over the top. Pour the remaining batter, smooth it out, then add the remaining apples.
  • Bake for about an hour. It will pass the toothpick test when done. Cool completely and store covered in the fridge.
  • OM NOM NOM!

 

Apple Cinnamon Cake

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Sunday Quote loves writing… usually

Posted by on Feb 14, 2016 in Blog, Quote | Comments Off on Sunday Quote loves writing… usually

“In a very real way, one writes a story to find out what happens in it. Before it is written it sits in the mind like a piece of overheard gossip or a bit of intriguing tattle. The story process is like taking up such a piece of gossip, hunting down the people actually involved, questioning them, finding out what really occurred, and visiting pertinent locations. As with gossip, you can’t be too surprised if important things turn up that were left out of the first-heard version entirely; or if points initially made much of turn out to have been distorted, or simply not to have happened at all.”
~Samuel R. Delany, The Jewel-Hinged Jaw: Notes on the Language of Science Fiction

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VNSA 2016

Posted by on Feb 12, 2016 in Blog, others books, whimsy | Comments Off on VNSA 2016

If you’re in the Phoenix, Arizona, area, make note that this weekend is the fantastic, glorious, squee-inducing VNSA Book Sale! This is one of the biggest used book sales in the whole country and it takes up an entire exhibition hall of the State Fairgrounds. See this pic I took last year?

VNSA

That picture was taken on Sunday, which is the LEAST CROWDED of the two days. Saturday is crazy because people line up hours before it opens, the fire marshal regulates how many people can enter the building, and it is really an overwhelming number of books and people. I like Sunday because it’s easier to browse AND all of the normal books are 50% off. This year Sunday happens to be Valentine’s Day. I told my husband that the VNSA sale is what I want. That’s how I roll.

If you go, be sure to take a rolling cart, tote bag, or some way to carry books. Don’t trust your arms alone to safely your treasures.

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