Wherein I share a ToC with Neil Gaiman
I LIVE.
I survived World Fantasy Con and had an absolute blast. I managed to complete a Poem-A-Day and make slow progress on my Clockwork Crown copyedits even during the con, which made me feel like a real writer. Fun fact: real writers are also sleep-deprived.
[Me working on copyedits on the flight to DC.]
One of the nifty things about being at a convention is that you get told about good news. I knew I had a reprint story that had been requested for inclusion in Twelfth Planet Press’s Year’s Best YA Speculative Fiction 2013, but the full Table of Contents was announced the day I was mostly offline as I flew cross-country.
So I was pretty gobsmacked to find out I’m sharing the book with Neil Gaiman. And my story follows his. Gulp.
The full ToC:
Selkie Stories Are For Losers – Sofia Samatar
By Bone-Light – Juliet Marillier
The Myriad Dangers – Lavie Tidhar
Carpet – Nnedi Okorafor
I Gave You My Love by the Light of the Moon – Sarah Rees Brennan
57 Reasons for the Slate Quarry Suicides – Sam J. Miller
The Minotaur Girls – Tansy Rayner Roberts
Not With You, But With You – Miri Kim
Ghost Town – Malinda Lo
December – Neil Gaiman
An Echo in the Shell – Beth Cato
Dan’s Dreams – Eliza Victoria
As Large As Alone – Alena McNamara
Random Play All and the League of Awesome – Shane Halbach
Mah Song – Joanne Anderton
What We Ourselves Are Not – Leah Cypess
The City of Chrysanthemum – Ken Liu
Megumi’s Quest – Joyce Chng
Persimmon, Teeth, and Boys – Steve Berman
Flight – Angela Slatter
We Have Always Lived on Mars – Cecil Castellucci
—
The book should be out in just a few weeks! Pretty darn good note to end the year on, I think.
Read MoreSunday Quote needs to wrap up her holiday shopping
Read More“You must see with eyes unclouded by hate. See the good in that which is evil, and the evil in that which is good. Pledge yourself to neither side, but vow instead to preserve the balance that exists between the two.” ~Hayao Miyazaki
Bready or Not: Pumpkin and Pudding Mix Pound Cake
I’m picky about my pound cakes. I like them moist. They should be soft, cushy, and spongy. Dry pound cakes? Bleh!
This pumpkin bundt cake is everything a pound cake should be. It’s tender and delicious without being sweet. The secret to the softness here is an entire box of pudding mix poured into the batter. Just as with cookie recipes, that pudding mix makes everything tender and chewy.
A slice of this cake doesn’t need anything to accompany it. You could serve this for a breakfast, brunch, or dessert. It keeps covered in the fridge for at least four days. I can’t vouch beyond that. It was all eaten.
Modified from Pumpkin Pound Cake at Sing for Your Supper.
Bready or Not: Pumpkin and Pudding Mix Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 cup canola oil
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 5.1 oz package instant vanilla pudding mix
- 15 oz pumpkin puree
- Confectioners’ sugar for dusting the top
Instructions
- Grease a bundt cake very well. Preheat the oven at 350-degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine the two sugars and oil until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, cloves and pudding mix.
- Add the dry mix to the wet batter, alternately with pumpkin, until everything is well combined. Pour into the bundt pan--it will be very thick. Use a spatula to even it out across the top.
- Bake for 60-65 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool for fifteen minutes and then invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Will keep very well stored covered in the fridge. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.
OM NOM NOM!
Sunday Quote is in a colder place
Read More“You have to be ready to take a fair amount of criticism and rejection. For most writers, you can work for years, and then even if you sell it it’s like you threw it down a well.” ~George R. R. Martin (from August 2014 interview along with Robin Hobb)
Bready or Not: Pumpkin Pucks
I don’t follow a paleo diet, but I do follow delicious food. In this case, delicious AND healthy.
These pumpkin pucks are rather like mini pumpkin pie custards with a slight nutty taste. That nutty taste is stronger if you follow the original paleo version of the recipe and use almond flour, which was my preference, though making them with whole wheat and all-purpose flour works well.
I also used different nut butters. Almond butter tastes the strongest–in a very good way–though cashew butter was fantastic, too. Once, I only had 3/4 cup of pumpkin, so I made up for the difference with applesauce. I found no major difference in taste or texture.
This isn’t one of those dishes I make for my husband to take to work. These are mine. Two of them make for a yummy, nutritious breakfast. Pucks also be an awesome snack, and with their size they are very kid-friendly. They keep very well in the fridge for at least a week.
Modified from Paleo Parents.
Bready or Not: Pumpkin Pucks
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree applesauce can be substituted in full or part
- 1 cup almond or other nut butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1/3 cup almond flour or wheat or all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips optional, or chopped nuts or dried fruit
Instructions
- Prepare a muffin pan with dropping in cup liners, then spray the insides with nonstick spray. Preheat oven at 350-degrees.
- If your almond butter is very stiff, zap it in the microwave for 15 seconds or so to soften it. Mix pumpkin puree and the almond butter together.
- Add honey and syrup and beat in eggs one at a time. Follow with each of the dry ingredients until it's just combined.
- Fill the muffin cups to 3/4 full; a tablespoon scoop makes this easy, as it's almost exactly 2 tablespoons to fill the cups. Top with mini chocolate chips or chopped nuts, if desired.
- Bake at 350-degrees for about 20 minutes. They will not rise much. The tops of some may start to crack. Let them cool for a while and then keep stored in fridge. They'll keep upward of a week, if they last that long!
OM NOM NOM!
