Links to Start September
First of all, two reminders: I’m doing a booksigning at the Phoenix Metro Center Barnes & Noble on Saturday September 12th from 1-3pm. I’m also traveling to Houston on September 26th to team up with Chuck Wendig and Richard Kadrey for a signing! This is at Murder by the Book at 4:30pm. I bet there will be shenanigans.
When you were a kid, did you ever have issues with the floor turning to lava when the vacuum was turned on? I have a poem at Zetetic about this common childhood plight: “The Reason I Limp.”
Rhonda Parrish interviewed me about my story in B is for Broken.
Over at A Dribble of Ink, I’m listed in great company as A Foodie Fantasy Author.
I’m also listed as a Not-So-Invisible Ninja at Charles Stross’s Antipope site–because some daft guys still insist that there are no women writers in science fiction and fantasy. I don’t know how to explain their blindness, either. But then, I’m also mystified by people who can stay awake during baseball games.
My story from last year, “The Cartography of Shattered Trees,” is still getting attention along with other stories in the FAE anthology. Jorie Loves a Story has incredibly kind things to say.
Read MoreSunday Quote pets the bunnies
Read More“Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.” ~John Steinbeck
Bready or Not: Cookies and Cream Chocolate Pie
Here’s a no-bake, super-easy pudding pie that perfect for summer.
You can go hardcore with this and make your Oreo crust from scratch. Me? I’ve done that before, but honestly, I prefer the store version for both taste and ease of use.
The chocolate flavor here is great because it’s neither weak nor strong. If you want to amp it up, heck, that’s easy to do with more chocolate topping. When I made this for my folks, my brother thought it was even better with dulce de leche added to individual slices. It made it taste kinda like a Twix with that caramel-chocolate thing going.
I used mini Oreos for everything in this recipe. They chop up easily to throw in and I can often get them on sale for about a buck. Plus, my son loves eating the leftovers!
This is the perfect pie for a potluck or to stash in the fridge to slice up and cool off on a hot summer day.
Modified from Inside Bru Crew Life.
Bready or Not: Cookies and Cream Chocolate Pie
Ingredients
- 1 Oreo pie shell store bought or homemade
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened; half a box
- 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
- 3 cups Cool Whip divided
- 2/3 cup Oreo cookie chunks
- 3.9 ounce instant chocolate fudge pudding mix
- 1 cup chocolate milk
- 10 - 15 mini Oreo cookies
- hot fudge squirt bottle or dulce de leche topping, optional
Instructions
- Set out the Oreo crumb pie shell so it is ready to be filled.
- Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together and fold in about 1/2 cup of Cool Whip. Stir in the Oreo chunks. Spread everything in the bottom of the crust.
- Using the same bowl or a new one, whisk together the pudding mix and chocolate milk. Fold in 1 cup of Cool Whip. Spread this as your second layer.
- Top off the pie with the remaining Cool Whip. Add mini Oreos around the edge or even crumble some for the top, if you wish. If you have squirt bottles of chocolate or dulce de leche, add some swirls or cross-hatching to the top.
- Chill pie at least two hours before serving. Keep refrigerated thereafter.
- OM NOM NOM!
New Story at DSF
I have a new and very personal story up at Daily Science Fiction: “The Quest You Have Chosen Defies Your Fate.” This story delves into depression, bullying, and finding the strength to move beyond.
I think of it as emotionally autobiographical. I experienced deep depression starting in junior high became more debilitating when I entered high school. It’s a war that is never truly over, though my recent years have been fairly stable due to my supportive family, my writing regimen, and daily exercise.
If the story resonates for you, if you think it might encourage someone else in the thick of depression, please share it.
Read MoreSunday Quote is glad to be home
Read More“This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until its done. It’s that easy, and that hard.”
~Neil Gaiman
