Booksignings and Other Mind-Boggling Things
This has been one weird, crazy week. Things have started to calm down, which is good. I’ve been working on a lot of promo guest blogs and interviews over the past while, and it’s nice to return to some short stories.
I did have one big surprise this weekend. Last week I had a guest post over on Bookish. Well, through some shares on Twitter, I found this post was also published on USA Today. Like, whoa.
Another piece of good news: I survived my first booksigning! Mind you, I’ve signed lots of books before, but always at home and most of them for family and friends back in California. Never in front of a crowd, for strangers, in a store.
Changing Hands had a whole table set up with stacks of my books. I had to do the Vanna White thing.
I ended up with a fabulous number of people there–fifteen or so. Pretty awesome for a debut author like me! In speaking with people afterward, some found me through the Arizona Republic article, my guest blog at Chuck Wendig’s Terrible Minds, by simply stopping to hear me speak in the store, plus several are good friends and friends of friends.
I spoke about the dream of becoming an author, then took questions, and capped things off with an excerpt.
It was so strange to see a full line of people waiting to have their book signed. I’ve stood in lines like that sooooooo many times; this time it was for me!
When everything was done, we cleaned up and I was heading out of the store. A man stopped me to compliment me on my steampunk outfit, and a minute later he returned with his wife. I ended up walking with them back to my table, where I signed a book for them! BEHOLD THE POWER OF THE CORSET.
Changing Hands had a big poster of my book cover up at the front of the store. I asked what they were going to do with it, and they happily handed it over to me. This is destined for a wall somewhere in my house.
I want to extend heartfelt thanks to everyone at Changing Hands Tempe for being so kind and welcoming. There’s no getting away from the cliche, because it’s the truth: this was a dream come true.
Read MoreSunday Quote wonders if she’ll feel this way
“It turns out that the perfect state of mind to edit your novel is two years after it’s published, ten minutes before you go onstage at a literary festival.” ~Zadie Smith
Signing tonight!
My first ever booksigning will take place tonight at 7pm at the Tempe location of Changing Hands. I’ll talk! Read! Likely with a stupid grin the whole time!
Oh yeah, and FOOD. Have you drooled over my Bready or Not recipes? Tonight you can stuff your face. The offerings (subject to substitution if quality control issues arise):
– MAPLE FUDGE BITES. Because I had to serve something maple.
– A whole new recipe for Candy-Stuffed Cookie Cups. Imagine chocolate chip cookie dough, with a Rolo or mini Milky Way stuffed inside, baked in a mini muffin pan. I’ll do a special feature with the recipe soon. I want to see how people like them tonight.
– Also, for the gluten-free folks, I’m doing a batch of brownies using Cup 4 Cup Brownie Mix, which looks like it has great taste reviews from Amazon, though I bought mine at Sprouts.
If you’re in the Phoenix area, do come by. Say hi. Just remember I’m at the TEMPE location. If you go to the Changing Hands in Phoenix, they are doing a signing with a dude who makes all kinds of food in a waffle maker. It looks downright awesome. So yeah, if you to the wrong store I’ll be sad, but you get to find out how to make dinner in a waffle press so you don’t really lose.
Read MoreI am HERE
There are interviews with me in the two big Phoenix newspapers. I’m still gobsmacked about this.
– Buckeye author Beth Cato at Changing Hands Sept. 19
– Beth Cato on The Clockwork Dagger, Her Debut Steampunk/Fantasy Novel
Plus, I continue to visit fantastic blogs in the far reaches of the internet!
– Chuck Wendig’s Terrible Minds, where I discuss novel writing and depression in ACME Anvils and the Long Unicorn Ride to Publication.
– Literary Escapism, where I talk about the book’s Supporting Cast.
– Heroes and Heartbreakers with a list of Seven Steamy Steampunk Couples!
– No More Grumpy Bookseller with a guest post on Colorful Secondary Worlds.
The Big Blog Tour continues! Win a book and a parasol!
- The Schedule
- 9/8 – YA Bibliophile, post
- 9/9 – Irish Banana, promo post
- 9/10 – Mundie Moms, excerpt
- 9/11- Reads All The Books, review
- 9/12 – YA Sisterhood, guest post
-
- 9/15 – My, My Shelf & I, excerpt
- 9/16 – Curling Up With A Good Book, guest post
- 9/17 – Fictitious Delicious, Q&A
- 9/18 – Page Turners Blog
- 9/19 – Fangirlish, promo post
-
- 9/22 – Novel Novice, guest post
- 9/23 – Reading Teen, promo post
- 9/24 – Chapter by Chapter, author interview
- 9/25 – Jenuine Cupcakes, promo post
- 9/26 – Good Choice Reading, excerpt
Bready or Not: Cinnamon Bundt Cake
Am I still alive? Did I survive The Clockwork Dagger’s launch into the world?
I don’t know. In the interest of my sanity (hahahaha) I am scheduling this far in advance. I suspect I will be 1) exhausted, 2) exhilarated, and 3) terrified, with a potpourri of other emotions mixed in.
I mean, MY BOOK IS OUT. How crazy is that? I’ve only wanted to publish a book of my own since I was, oh, four. Thirty years later, here I am.
Pardon me while I go to hug my book again. It’s real.
… ahem. Well, it’s Wednesday, and it’s Cake Month, so I suspect you want to see that Cinnamon Bundt Cake mentioned in the title, right? (I can shut up about the book for a little while. Honest.)
This is a gorgeous cake that’ll slap you upside the head with cinnamon goodness.
The recipe doesn’t produce a large bundt cake, but it’ll still feed a crowd. This is one of those cakes that’s awesome for breakfast, coffee breaks, dessert, or whatever other occasion you want to stuff a slice of cake in your face.
Now, you have a few options for the liquid in the recipe. The original version used Cinnabon creamer; instead, I used heavy cream and greatly increased the cinnamon. Therefore, toggle the cinnamon to your tastes. I love using flavored creamers in recipes like this, so I imagine the Cinnabon-branded one or any other would be delicious here, too.
I guess I should make this again to test that theory out. Oh, darn.
Also, let’s talk about the glaze. Please.
Okay, I really don’t have much to say about the glaze. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.
Modified from Cinnabon Bundt Cake at Shari Blogs.
Bready or Not: Cinnamon Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the Batter:
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 cup heavy cream OR cinnamon-flavored creamer
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon [reduce if using flavored creamer]
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
For the Streusel:
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
For the Glaze:
- 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
- 4-6 Tablespoons heavy cream or cinnamon-flavored creamer
- 1-3 teaspoons cinnamon to preference
Instructions
To make the bundt:
- Preheat oven to 325-degrees. Thoroughly coat a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar, oil, cream/creamer, and eggs.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: the baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and flour.
- Gradually add the flour mix into the wet batter until just combined.
- In another small bowl, mix up the brown sugar and cinnamon for the streusel.
- Pour half of the batter into the greased bundt pan. As evenly as possible, sprinkle the streusel all the way around the batter later. Top it off with the rest of the batter.
- Bake the bundt cake for 45-50 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test. Let it cool for 15 minutes and then carefully tip the cake onto a plate. Transfer it to a wire rack to completely cool.
To make the glaze:
- Once the cake is cool, mix up the glaze until it's at just a pourable consistency. Add the cinnamon to suit your tastes; sample it and check.
- Dribble glaze all over the cake.
Store the cake covered in the fridge.
OM NOM NOM.
