Publishers Weekly reviews CLOCKWORK DAGGER! Eep!
This is the week of amazing press. Publishers Weekly, a major book review and trade publication, came out with their review of The Clockwork Dagger. It’s glowing. They don’t say a single bad thing. Octavia is described as possessing “charming Victorian sensibilities, staunch determination, courage, and outspoken independence.” To quote the final line:
“Ample action and a delectably delayed romance propel the story toward a riveting finale, marking Cato as an author to watch.”
An Analysis of Clockwork Dagger’s First Scene
I was surprised and delighted to see The Clockwork Dagger featured on Tor.com today. This time, Michael R. Underwood analyzed the first scene of my book to show how and why it successfully hooked him.
As a reader, I love these sorts of insights into books I’ve already read. I usually find myself nodding as I come to some new understanding about the novel. Now, to have this kind of analysis done to my own book? I kinda geeked out. It’s just so cool.
You can still read the full first chapter over on Tor as well! Maybe it’ll hook you, if it hasn’t already.
Sunday Quote notes that it’s the Dalai Lama’s birthday
Read More“If you stuff yourself full of poems, essays, plays, stories, novels, films, comic strips, magazines, music, you automatically explode every morning like Old Faithful. I have never had a dry spell in my life, mainly because I feed myself well, to the point of bursting. I wake early and hear my morning voices leaping around in my head like jumping beans. I get out of bed to trap them before they escape.”
~Ray Bradbury
Bready or Not: Crock Pot Pesto Ranch Chicken Thighs
I present to you one of my very favorite chicken crock pot recipes, one I previously shared at Novelocity.
Seriously, I’ve been making this about once a month for a few months now. My husband even requests it. This is impressive since he 1) does not like ranch dressing 2) does not eat pesto.
There’s something about the combination in this recipe, though, that is just plain savory and delicious.
This is my go-to meal when I’m on a writing deadline. It mixes up in five minutes and cooks itself over the afternoon, and produces chicken to feed us–quite happily–for days.
Modified from Picky Palate.
Bready or Not: Crock Pot Pesto Ranch Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs 2-3 pounds, thawed or mostly thawed
- 6-8 ounce pesto jar
- 1 packet ranch dressing dry seasoning mix or 3 Tb ranch dressing mix
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Place chicken thighs, pesto, ranch dressing (dry from the packet) and broth into crock pot. Stir gently to coat chicken and combine everything.
- Place lid on top. Cooking tip: It tends to cook in half the time you set on the crock pot, i.e., a 6-hour high setting means the chicken should be done in about 3 hours, depending on how many thighs are in there and how thawed they were to start. Leave thighs whole or chopped. (If you chop, add them into the pot again on warm for 15 minutes so they can soak up more flavor! It's also a great way to make sure they are cooked through--just chop the meat and cook on high a while more.)
These thighs are great with veggies, or in a salad, or cold out of the fridge. They also freeze wonderfully.
OM NOM NOM.
Churros and Gorgons
Links to mischief elsewhere!
At the Holy Taco Church, I posted my recipe for stuffed churro nuggets. They are fast, delicious, and a total make-ahead-for-a-party snacky dessert.
Meanwhile, I had a new story published at Every Day Fiction. “Bad Snake Day” features your typical gorgon-next-door with a misbehaving head of snakes and a blind date mere hours away.
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