Cookies for breakfast. Healthy cookies. No refined sugars. Vegan. Also gluten-free, if you use GF oats.
Even better: they taste delicious.
This is one of my favorite breakfast recipes. I customize it based on my mood and what I have on hand. I’ve made this with macadamia nut butter, cashew butter, and almond butter–and combinations thereof. I’ve used apple butter, pumpkin butter, and date butter. Equally awesome with all varieties. I love to use golden raisins, but you could throw anything in. If you don’t have pepitas? Do sunflower seeds or other chopped nuts, or omit.
These cookies are cushions of goodness… like old-fashioned peanut butter cookies, but denser and better. I whip up a batch and freeze 2/3 of it right away. It takes care of my breakfast for weeks.
I often have two cookies first thing in the morning before I exercise, and I might have one more if I’m hungry afterward. They give me the perfect amount of energy to start the day.
Did I mention they are also delicious?
Modified from a recipe on Sally’s Baking Addiction.
Library Journal just gave The Clockwork Dagger a starred review and declared it Debut of the Month.
“…The action is pretty much nonstop in this debut steampunk fantasy. The attraction between Octavia and Alonzo is sparked right away, but it’s hard for the former to know whom to trust as her talents have made her a pawn between two political powers. Although readers will enjoy the satisfying climax of this adventure, there is plenty to the plot for a sequel from promising novelist Cato.”
This follows up two solid reviews courtesy of RT Book Reviews and Publishers Weekly.
RT Book Reviews: Four stars! “…Steampunk fans should take note of this exciting new novel filled with airships, magic and political intrigue. Not only does Cato create an intriguing universe, but she also develops a one-of-a-kind, kickass heroine who is determined to forge her own path. Adventure, magic, unexpected romance and heart- breaking betrayal all combine for a thrilling tale.”
Publishers Weekly: Octavia is described as possessing “charming Victorian sensibilities, staunch determination, courage, and outspoken independence… Ample action and a delectably delayed romance propel the story toward a riveting finale, marking Cato as an author to watch.”
I’m having a Sally Field moment. They like my book, they really like it!
Read MoreRead More“It is strange and good that I never come to this book with reluctance–often with terror, but I have never since I started writing it wished I were not writing it–not even for a second.”
~John Steinbeck, Journal of a Novel
My editor sent me a seriously cool surprise this week… cover flats!
This is my first time seeing what the whole wrap-around cover is like. It doesn’t come across well in the pic, but the cover is in matte finish but the title is glossy so it has a really classy contrast. I already have Michael’s Crafts at work to make a custom frame for my precioooussss. I’ll post pics in a few weeks when it’s all done.
Lots of interviews and other posts elsewhere, too!
I’m at Reb Kreyling’s blog to discuss worldbuilding, revisions, even the music I listened to as I wrote my sequel.
I can also be found at Fanboy Comics. My good friend Jodi Scaife interviewed me about my path to publication, my influences, and the challenges of writing cross-genre.
The first Tuesday of the month is my anointed day at the Holy Taco Church. For August, I shared a recipe for Chili Spice Chocolate Brownies. These amped-up brownies use chocolates infused with chipotle and chili. It adds some pleasant heat, but not in a mouth-scorching way (trust me on this, I’m allergic to the hot stuff).
The Clockwork Dagger is included in a feature at Library Journal on A Multiplicity of Realms: SF/Fantasy Genre Spotlight.
I also have a guest post as part of Josh Vogt’s Write Strong series, all about authors who utilize fitness and good eating as part of their writerly routine. I talk about my summertime hikes in the desert near my house. ‘Cause I’m a little crazy like that.
Probably going crazier over the next few weeks, too.
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