Peripatetic Blogging and More
Another happy review from a major site!
Kirkus Reviews, Top Picks for Speculative Fiction Reads in September: “This steampunk fantasy includes all the right elements for a rip-roaring adventure.”
—
New publication! A poem – “To Walk Upon Clouds” at NewMyths.com.
Holy Taco Church post for September–a review of Gadzooks, an acclaimed restaurant in downtown Phoenix!
I’m also blogging, uh, everywhere.
Essay: “How OWW inspired Me to Write Steampunk” in the September Online Writing Workshop Newsletter.
Chat Log from Wednesday’s #sffrtcht can be found here.
Clockwork Cookie Blog Tour
– Pumpkin Snickerdoodles with Pam Wallace
– Shokupan Bread with Lee Hallison
– Buttery Beer Bread with Darusha Wehm
– Cheap Korean-Style Beef with Jodi Scaife
– Double Irish Cream Cookies with Erin Hartshorn
If I forgot something or someone, my apologies. The crazy OMG-BOOK-RELEASE stuff has definitely kicked in these past two days.
Read MoreCover Flats and Interviews and More
My editor sent me a seriously cool surprise this week… cover flats!
This is my first time seeing what the whole wrap-around cover is like. It doesn’t come across well in the pic, but the cover is in matte finish but the title is glossy so it has a really classy contrast. I already have Michael’s Crafts at work to make a custom frame for my precioooussss. I’ll post pics in a few weeks when it’s all done.
Lots of interviews and other posts elsewhere, too!
I’m at Reb Kreyling’s blog to discuss worldbuilding, revisions, even the music I listened to as I wrote my sequel.
I can also be found at Fanboy Comics. My good friend Jodi Scaife interviewed me about my path to publication, my influences, and the challenges of writing cross-genre.
The first Tuesday of the month is my anointed day at the Holy Taco Church. For August, I shared a recipe for Chili Spice Chocolate Brownies. These amped-up brownies use chocolates infused with chipotle and chili. It adds some pleasant heat, but not in a mouth-scorching way (trust me on this, I’m allergic to the hot stuff).
The Clockwork Dagger is included in a feature at Library Journal on A Multiplicity of Realms: SF/Fantasy Genre Spotlight.
I also have a guest post as part of Josh Vogt’s Write Strong series, all about authors who utilize fitness and good eating as part of their writerly routine. I talk about my summertime hikes in the desert near my house. ‘Cause I’m a little crazy like that.
Probably going crazier over the next few weeks, too.
Read MoreChurros 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.
Read MorePhoenix Comicon, in Retrospect
Wow. What a weekend.
From Thursday with the craziness of the Holy Taco Church and friends dining together in a former church now dubbed the Taco Guild, to Friday’s full day of convention, to Saturday with back-to-back panels and a grand finale of Drinks with Authors… whew! I’m still tired. My toenails are even sore after two days of steampunk boots.
I’m very happy I was able to share the days with my friend Rachel, who flew out from Texas to keep me sane, because I do crazy things like feed churros to the people but I don’t feed myself. We also glammed ourselves up for Saturday!
I made so many new friends. Maybe a few enemies. But we won’t speak of them.
Plus, I was even provided the divinity known as Churro Bacon Cupcakes. A holy chorus sang. For a few brief seconds, the world was at peace.
Then the cupcake was gone and the world went to crap again.
But that’s okay, because there’s always next year, and more awesome people, and more cupcakes.
Read MoreARCs! Holy Taco Church!
When an author gets copies of the book she has yearned to hold her entire life, it’s only right the book first be offered to the cat.
Porom the Cat, who would much rather nibble on my toes than pose for a photo op.
Then the book must be read to Big Blue, because that’s the kind of thing monsters demand.
Reading time for a Dragon Quest Slime.
The books were also loved, hugged, and named George.
I just have the four copies for now, and no, I haven’t decided what to do as far as contests or anything. These decisions are HARD, man.
In other news!
I’m a High Priestess of Churromancy in the Holy Taco Church. (I know, I know, you’re thinking, “Well, duh.”) But this is a Real Thing. It’s a whole bunch of awesome writers congregating to talk food and liquor and happy thoughts. To name drop, our Tacopope is Kevin Hearne and other members include Chuck Wendig, Jaye Wells, Diana Rowland, and Vicki Pettersen.
My first offering is up today: Churro Shortbread.
Yes, that’s a caduceus made of a churro and two tacos.
And because I’m hardcore, I created my own holy symbol.
Read More
