Bonus Bready or Not: Dried Apple Pie Feature at Unbound Worlds
Just in time for this week’s holidays (Independence Day! And heck, Canada Day, too!) I’m sharing a special recipe over at Unbound Worlds. I combined a bunch of 19th-century recipes to create my own recipe for Dried Apple Pie. A century ago, that was the handiest way to make apple pie all year-round no matter where you lived. This is how my character Ingrid Carmichael learned to make apple pie from her mother.
It’s actually a pretty simple recipe, too–all you have to do is re-hydrate the apples in some apple cider or juice! You’re spared the pain of peeling the apples, too. Check out the recipe and post at Unbound Worlds.
#SFWAPro
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Bready or Not: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola
Homemade Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola is delicious and oh-so-much cheaper than buying the pre-made stuff from the store.
My son is autistic and has a very limited diet. With the help of feeding therapy, we have gradually introduced him to new foods and new combinations of textures. He has eaten yogurt for years, and it turned out he really liked the addition of granola on top.
Me being me, I saw the prices of granola at the store and decided I’d start making it myself. My son loves peanut butter and chocolate, so I knew that it’d be a great combo for him.
When I didn’t see an existing recipe that I liked, I decided to make my own. This is the result.
This granola is quick to mix together and quick to bake, too. Just be careful to NOT overbake. It’s easy to do, since it’s hard to tell how crisp the granola will get after you remove it from the oven.
If you eat gluten-free, use GF oats and check your other ingredients!
Bready or Not Original: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 275-degrees. Line a large, rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil and rub with butter or apply nonstick spray.
- Place the oats in a large bowl. In a small bowl, microwave the peanut butter and honey for 30 seconds; the peanut butter should be starting to melt. Stir them together, then add vanilla extract.
- Pour the peanut butter mix over the oats; stir until the oats are completely coated. Spread the granola on the foil-lined sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Stir. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, then set out to cool. Note that it will continue to crisp up as it cools, so don't overbake!
- Once the granola is cool, mix in the chocolate chips. Store in a sealed container.
- OM NOM NOM!
BREATH OF EARTH Sale + Trade Reviews for CALL OF FIRE
Call of Fire releases in less than two months, and so far three trade reviews have come in, all of them good. Like, really, really, good. Starred reviews from both Library Journal and Publishers Weekly, and an enthusiastic review from Kirkus, too. I can’t even express how relieved I am by this reception!
This is a good time to point out that Call of Fire is available for preorder everywhere, and the first book in the series, Breath of Earth, is still on sale for $1.99.
Meanwhile, I’m trying to get book 3, Roar of Sky, in decent shape to send to my editor next month. My brain. It is breaking.
#SFWApro
Read More5 Tips for Writers Writing Book Reviews
Book reviews are vital to authors, but when you’re an author yourself, writing reviews of other books can be tricky. If you’re snarky and cruel, wielding one-star reviews like shurikens, you run a real risk of isolating yourself within the author community and with publishers.
That doesn’t mean that you lie and say you like a book that you loathe. It does, however, mean you act with tact and regard the author and their work with respect. This is not easy if you feel rather vehemently about a certain book.
My own background here: I review everything I read, and I’m in the top 1% of reviewers on Goodreads with over 1100 titles listed.
– Don’t be afraid to remove or hide old reviews. Let’s say that your publishing career has evolved and you’re now publishing books in a genre that you have reviewed rather harshly in the past. Consider this: you will meet these authors at conventions or be on panels together or they might even be asked to blurb your book. Set those old reviews to be private or remove them, and you’ll be removing some potential awkwardness, too.
– Another approach: some authors keep a separate account for book reviews so they can do so anonymously and honestly.
– Be careful about marking a friend’s book as being “currently read.” If you end up not liking it, and they know you are reading it… yeah. I like to wait until I am deeply into a book before I list the status online.
– Don’t be afraid to mark a book as Did Not Finish (DNF). If you’re like me, you have gobs of books waiting in the to-read pile. Life is short; don’t waste it on an unpleasant book! This is also a tactful way to avoid the dilemma of writing a review for a book that just plain didn’t work for you.
Along those same lines, you should not feel like you must finish a book sent from the publisher on places like NetGalley. Mind you, it took me a few years to get the nerve to do this because I felt obligated to finish the provided books. No more. I will go through NetGalley, mark the book as done, and send a note saying something like, “This isn’t a review. I found the book was not to my taste, but I’m very grateful you gave me the opportunity to read it.”
– The most important advice of all: Write every review as if the author will read it. They very well might. I think of it as like writing a story critique: I note the positive, and gently and constructively make observations about the negative.
If you finish a book but have mostly unkind things to say (especially if it’s in your genre), act with care. In such situations, I will type up the review on Goodreads/LibraryThing but keep it set as “private” so I can access it later for my own records. I may or may not leave a star rating.
Always keep in mind the Golden Rule: Treat other authors as you would like to be treated. Most books are not inherently awful. We each possess different tastes; respect that.
Reposted from Novelocity.
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Sunday Quote has a new book out in August
Read More“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”
~ Marcus Tullius Cicero
