Sunday Quote sends out productive Nanowrimo wishes
Read More“’Classic’ – a book which people praise and don’t read.”
~ Mark Twain
World Fantasy Schedule
I’m headed to World Fantasy Con in San Antonio next week! My panel schedule is light for once–that means I actually get to attend other panels and readings! Yay! I will also be doing the tourist thing with Novella the Sloth as my stalwart companion. I’ve been to San Antonio a few times before, but there is always more to see… and taste. I’m going to hunt me down some good BBQ.
I am already being asked,” Will you bring cookies?” The answer, of course, is YES! That said, I’m encouraging folks to get cookies at two particular places:
– I’m donating cookies to the Tiptree Award bake sale that takes place Friday 12:30-3pm in the hospitality suite. Buy my cookies, support a great cause!
– I’ll be at the Fairwood Press booth in the exhibit hall to sign Red Dust and Dancing Horses. You don’t have to buy a book to get a cookie, but the books will be right there, so I hope some people will be enticed to acquire new reading material.
Thursday Panel
02:00 PM to 03:00 PM (1 hour)
Where: WR – ExecSalon 2 (Ardath Mayhar)
Guns, Gears and Wheels: Making Plausible Historical Choices in an Industrializing World
Some fantasies focus on the natural magics inherent in the world; others on derived magics found or developed by human or nonhuman cultures. Writers have to balance the existence of magic with the development of technology over time. Tolkien envisioned human industry and technology as part of the evil. Roger Zelazny played magic against technology in his Changeling stories. Neal Stephenson directly examined the place of technology in a monastic society in Anathem. Our panelists will discuss what historical inventions would change in a world that includes magic. What are the continuing prospects for technology in historical fantasy and who is doing it right?
With Alan Smale (mod), moi, Stina Leicht, Tracy Caulfield
If you want to know where I am (and where my cookies are), follow me on Twitter and Facebook.
Read More
Bready or Not: Pumpkin Poppers
I first featured these Pumpkin Poppers on my LiveJournal four years ago. It’s time to revisit them, because these things are SO GOOD.
My husband’s co-workers like to snicker and call them “pumpkin balls.”
You could also call them “pumpkin donut holes.” That’s what they are, really. You can make them in a donut hole or a mini muffin pan–I use the latter.
This makes 24 of these tender balls of joy. Once they are baked, set up an assembly line with bowls of melted butter, and cinnamon and sugar. Slather those balls with butter, and roll’em in the sweet stuff!
Hey, I never claimed this was health food.
The end result is an orange puff that is light and fluffy, and pretty much melts in your mouth.
Make these to share, or they might prove dangerous.
Bready or Not: Pumpkin Poppers
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup milk almond milk works
Coating
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick or more as needed, melted
- 2/3 cup white sugar more as needed
- 2 Tablespoons cinnamon more as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Use nonstick spray on a mini muffin or donut hole pan.
- Combine the dry ingredients. In another bowl, mix together the oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin, and milk.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until just combined. Fill the pan cavities about 2/3 full; the dough will poof up a lot in the oven.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. In the meantime, melt the butter in a bowl. In a separate small bowl, combine the topping sugar and cinnamon.
- Remove poppers from oven. Give them a few minutes to cool, then start the assembly line. Use a spoon to roll them in the melted butter, then roll them in the cinnamon sugar. (Note: topping bowls may run low near the end, but it's easy to melt an extra tablespoon of butter or mix up some more sugar and cinnamon.)
- Store in a sealed container at room temperature. The cinnamon-sugar mix will absorb into the balls over time and make them darker, but they taste great for several days.
- OM NOM NOM!
CLOCKWORK DAGGER $1.99 ebook sale!
My first novel is on sale for a splendiferous price of $1.99! That’s right, you can grab an ebook of my Final Fantasy meets Agatha Christie steampunk fantasy for under two bucks. This includes Amazon, B&N, Kobo, iTunes, AND Google Play.
If you already have it, perhaps consider gifting it to a friend?
#SFWAPro
Read MoreWords of Wisdom on NaNoWriMo and Star Wars
Are you preparing to take part in NaNoWriMo in November? Striving for 50,000 words in a month is a major undertaking. At the Once and Future Podcast blog, I offer 4 tips to reduce stress during NaNo.
(I’m not taking part in NaNo this year; I wrote a rough draft for Roar of Sky in March and April this year, and I’ll be working on the edits for it this November. I will, however, be doing the Poem-A-Day Challenge.)
In other geeky news, a whole bunch of authors contributed posts to Unbound Worlds on what Star Wars personally means to them. As “Da Wars” was among my first words spoken as a baby, I have very deep thoughts on the subject.
