Links of the Week
I’m still wandering about the internet, though not in the frantic style I was a few weeks ago (thank goodness!). I’ve actually been working on FICTION again. It feels good! These past few days, I tore apart a story I wrote back in August, one I mentally worked on for months because the subject matter intimidated me. That makes me feel even more accomplished now that it’s coming together.
I wrote another new story at the end of September, too. That one is being critiqued right now. I hope to start work on those edits soon. I love this later stage of revisions… once I figure out what I’m doing.
New poetry publications:
– “Grandfather and Granddaughter (Age 5),” Devilfish Review
– “Nisei” and “Seeds” (reprinted), Mythic Delirium Anthology; available in all formats
Socializing in happily geeky ways:
– SF Signal: Words We Learned From Genre Fiction
FOOOOOOOD:
– Over at the Holy Taco Church, I amp up the pumpkin spice goodness with Pumpkin Cheesecake Sopapillas, which use fast ingredients from the store.
Guest blogging about the book:
– “Romance in the Clockwork Dagger” at Reading Between the Wines
Really nice mentions of the book:
– Tor.com: Sleeps With Monsters: Books, Redux by Liz Bourke with a lovely mini review
Bready or Not: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread (2 Loaves)
I declare this recipe to be just about perfect. Oh yeah, it tastes good, too.
I love recipes that use up a full can of pumpkin. It makes things tidy. No worries about measuring it or stashing a bag in the freezer. Even more, this recipe makes TWO loaves of bread. Serve one, save the rest for later! Or serve them both. These things are easy to eat. They might go fast.
Why, you ask? The bread ends up tender and delicious. Kept chilled in the fridge, it doesn’t get horribly tacky as some pumpkin baked goods do.
I made this using shortening instead of oil, chopped pecans for the nuts, and Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips, but the recipe has a good bit of flexibility. You could even do one loaf plain, the other loaded!
As for me, I looooooove Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips. They are big and luscious, plus I love supporting a California company.
I found this recipe in my King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion Cookbook but it is also shown on their website as Easy Pumpkin Bread. Take a look at that star rating! I’m not the only one to fall in love with this recipe.
Bready or Not: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread (2 Loaves)
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegetable oil or 2/3 cup shortening
- 2 2/3 cups white sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 15 ounce pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 2/3 cup water
- 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans optional
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips could also substitute chopped candied ginger, golden raisins, cranberries, etc
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9x5 loaf pans.
- In a large bowl, beat together the oil/shortening, sugar, eggs, pumpkin, and water.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and vanilla, stirring to combine. Mix in the chips and nuts, or whatever add-ins you choose.
- Spoon batter into the prepared pans.
- Bake the bread for 60 to 80 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a rack. When it's completely cool, use a knife to loosen the loaves and plop them out. Wrap bread in plastic wrap and store it overnight before serving.
OM NOM NOM!
Sunday Quote welcomes pumpkin spice season
Read More“I think that science fiction, even the corniest of it, even the most outlandish of it, now matter how badly it’s written, has a distinctly therapeutic value because all of it has as its primary postulate that the world does change. I cannot overemphasize the importance of that idea.” ~Robert Heinlein, 1941
A Clockwork Dagger and Crown Playlist
I’ve been asked about what music I listen to when I write, or what songs I associate with The Clockwork Dagger. I figure it’s only right to answer those questions with the actual songs.
When it comes to my healer characters like Octavia Leander, there’s one song that sums them up: “Hands” by Jewel.
My brain is a weird place (I can picture my husband laughing at this and saying, “That’s an understatement”). I can listen to music when I do rough drafts but not when I edit. When I wrote The Clockwork Crown in January, I relied heavily on a Pandora channel that mixed up songs related to Mumford and Sons, Bruce Hornsby, and Foo Fighters. This in turn introduced me to some great songs by Wailin’ Jennies and Avicii.
The Foo Fighters connection came about, oddly enough, because of the Phoenix Coyotes. We’re season ticket holders. Through the first part of the hockey season last year, they started every game with a great pumped-up video that spliced in team footage with the Foo Fighter’s song “The Pretender.” I was starting work on Crown then and this song really connected with me as Octavia’s mantra. It evokes her growing maturity and rage as she fights against soldiers and terrorists in her pursuit, as well as her own self as her powers grow in frightening ways.
I can’t ignore the inspiration for the Lady’s Tree, either: the Super Nintendo game Secret of Mana. The music from it stands out so well 20 years later. Here’s a gorgeous version of the title screen music as performed by my dear friend, Lauren the Flute.
Read More
