Summer = tree-candy. Every time I eat a piece of fresh, seasonal fruit, I'm a little stunned by how completely awesome it is, in non-Ninja Turtle senses of the word that I don't generally utilize. I like fruit best raw & straight, but acknowledge that nearly everything is more rad when a stick of butter is involved. And since I'm the unofficial dessert chef for my friends' movie days, the result of all of the above is that I make a lot of crumbles around this time of year. They're simple & quick to toss together while everyone, for example, perfects a St. Germain cocktail recipe or watches The Amazing Screw-On Head, they're adaptable to any tastes and whims, and they feel fresh and light for being such a comforty food, which makes them perfect on hot summer days.
My hero Deb posted a crumble recipe awhile back (hers was strawberry-rhubarb), and it's far superior to all other crumble recipes I've tried, yielding a perfectly tender, moist, crispy crumb that's just-sweet-enough. You can put any kind of fruits you please under it, but I've had particular success so far with rhubarb-mango and raspberry-blueberry-lime. For best results, use whatever is Nature's current equivalent of Hot-Fresh-Now in your area.
Tree-Candy Crumble
adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Yields 4 to 8 servings depending on deliciosity and whether you're serving boys.
INGREDIENTS
Topping
1 1/3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
Zest of one lemon (or lime, or 1/2 of an orange)
Pinch of salt (if you like salty baked goods)
3 tbsp. sugar
3 tbsp. brown sugar (or demerara sugar, or turbinado/Sugar in the Raw)
1 stick unsalted butter, melted (aka 1/4 lb. or 4 oz.)
Filling
Juice of 1 lemon (or lime, or 1/2 of an orange)
1/4 to 1/2 c. sugar (to taste & depending on sweetness of fruits... can always sprinkle a bit more on top of crumble if it comes out a bit sour)
3 to 4 tbps cornstarch
Pinch of salt
4 to 6 cups of fruit (depending on depth of baking dish)
[For rhubarb-mango I used 2+ cups of rhubarb, sliced lengthwise and then chopped into 1-inch pieces, and then 2 red mangoes cut into slightly smaller pieces, and 1/4 c. sugar. For raspberry-blueberry I used 1 quart of each berry and 1/3 c. sugar.]
METHOD
Get your oven heating up to 375.
In a deep-dish pie plate/crockery thingy/pan/what-have-you, add all your filling stuffs (fruit, citrus juice, sugar, salt, & cornstarch). Toss to combine -- I feel that hands are the best mixing implements throughout this recipe, unless like some bakers who shall not be named (IT WAS ME OKAY) you nicked your finger while zesting your citrus, in which case tossing cut fruit + citrus juice with your bare hands will hurt like a proverbial mother.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together your dry topping stuffs (flour, baking powder, optional salt, & citrus zest) and then add the sugars and melted butter. Mix (again, hands are the best tools here) until topping is holding together in clumps.
Sprinkle the topping in variable-sized clumps evenly over the fruit filling. Pop in the oven! Go watch half a movie! You'll be looking for the filling to be bubbling up through the crumb in places, and for the crumb to be golden and browning here & there -- 40 to 50 minutes, depending on exactly how much fruit you've got in there and how soft the fruit was to begin with.
Refrigerate any leftovers and dare yourself to not eat them for breakfast.
NOTES
The next time I use rhubarb, I'm going to try macerating it in the sugar for 30 minutes or so before mixing it with the rest of the filling stuffs to help even out the sweet/tart flavors in the final product -- I ended up with sharp pockets of tart on that one, which wasn't BAD but was a little startling.
Combinations I want to try include pear-rhubarb, apricot-cherry, plum-other plum, raspberry-peach, and, later in the year, apple-cranberry. Am also contemplating (maybe in single-serving ramekins?) spreading a layer of lemon curd between the fruit and topping for extra punch.
Poke me if you have any consultationary questions! Am always happy to help.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
in the words of a follower: t-wat?
Faithful readers! I stand before you (and/or sit, slouched over my laptop and the stack of pillows it's propped on in my bed) the victim of sinuous, relentless peer pressure:
I made an account on Twitter.
ALAS, ALACK. Make my dark seduction worthwhile -- be sure I have not succumbed for naught. Readers, follow me.
I made an account on Twitter.
ALAS, ALACK. Make my dark seduction worthwhile -- be sure I have not succumbed for naught. Readers, follow me.
Monday, June 29, 2009
a different form of awesomancy
So, usually I'm an Editor. I capitalize that because I have no editor telling me that it's silly and I shouldn't, and 'cause I'm trying to make a point here, Dickinson-style. When I was a kid, I read My Teacher Is an Alien and The Hobbit and I decided that wanted to be a writer. I wrote daily, continually, from second grade through a year or two out of college -- daily diary enteries, (bad) poems, (worse) stories & scripts, essays, blog enteries, and etc. I was in journalism through middle & high school, and then, when I realized that I hate journalism, I took 8 creative writing workshops in my 4 years at the University of Florida. All of which taught me that I enjoy editing far more than I enjoy writing.
I still write! Obviously, hi. I've got this blog, a couple personal & private ones, a notebook in my bedside stand and another that always lives in my purse. But I in no way consider myself a Writer. When I talk with friends about this, they make noises about how ohnono I'm quite good at writing, I could do it if I wanted, I should [implied: gather up my balls and] try more/harder. And hey, maybe I should... there's still a tiny monkey of hope inside me who wants to run around with leather jackets and sunglasses and crazy hair, being a literary rockstar. But, kids, writing is hard. It requires ideas and self-esteem and follow-through, all of which are weak points of mine and none of which are gonna be strengthened without a lifetime-worth of mental workouts.
So, as I said, usually I'm an Editor. It's all the skill of writing, and all the payoff of seeing good work hit print, without all those parts that I'm still working on. And I love editing. My really good days are the ones where I get to edit medical articles for seven hours and then take breaks and go home to edit fiction or scripts. But I sometimes I practice at being a writer -- here, in my notebooks and personal blogs, and, for the next two weeks, on Burrito Blade. Adam & I switched roles for six pages to see whether our dance would still work with me leading, and although it was odd working in someone else's universe, I'm fairly proud of the result.
If you'd like to read from the beginning you can start here, or if you'd prefer, you can read the following summary for the lackadaisical and then go straight to my first page as the writer: A couple of gods are battling for the fate of humanity in NYC using food-based magic, and have dragged a couple of humans into the havoc. And a building just collapsed on our protagonists.
I hope you like the result, too! Huge thanks to Renato for turning my rambling narrations into such pretty pictures. And oh hey, to Adam for being just as rad an editbuddy as he is a writebuddy. Lemme know what you think?
I still write! Obviously, hi. I've got this blog, a couple personal & private ones, a notebook in my bedside stand and another that always lives in my purse. But I in no way consider myself a Writer. When I talk with friends about this, they make noises about how ohnono I'm quite good at writing, I could do it if I wanted, I should [implied: gather up my balls and] try more/harder. And hey, maybe I should... there's still a tiny monkey of hope inside me who wants to run around with leather jackets and sunglasses and crazy hair, being a literary rockstar. But, kids, writing is hard. It requires ideas and self-esteem and follow-through, all of which are weak points of mine and none of which are gonna be strengthened without a lifetime-worth of mental workouts.
So, as I said, usually I'm an Editor. It's all the skill of writing, and all the payoff of seeing good work hit print, without all those parts that I'm still working on. And I love editing. My really good days are the ones where I get to edit medical articles for seven hours and then take breaks and go home to edit fiction or scripts. But I sometimes I practice at being a writer -- here, in my notebooks and personal blogs, and, for the next two weeks, on Burrito Blade. Adam & I switched roles for six pages to see whether our dance would still work with me leading, and although it was odd working in someone else's universe, I'm fairly proud of the result.
If you'd like to read from the beginning you can start here, or if you'd prefer, you can read the following summary for the lackadaisical and then go straight to my first page as the writer: A couple of gods are battling for the fate of humanity in NYC using food-based magic, and have dragged a couple of humans into the havoc. And a building just collapsed on our protagonists.
I hope you like the result, too! Huge thanks to Renato for turning my rambling narrations into such pretty pictures. And oh hey, to Adam for being just as rad an editbuddy as he is a writebuddy. Lemme know what you think?
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
one lovely blog award & awarding
Hello, neglected blog readers! I hope you've been doing well in the HOW AND WHY DID I GO A WHOLE MONTH WITHOUT UPDATING WHEN I HAD SO MANY CRUMBLES TO SHARE WITH YOU?
Ahem.
I have been busy a) being crazy and b) making tree-candy into more fattening forms of dessert. Probably more of the former overall, though I recommend doing more of the latter.
Upon myglorious long-awaited eagerly foretold quiet, slinking return to the Internets, I realized that the wonderful and almost irritatingly motivated Tina of Miss(ing) Shakespeare had given me an award (my very first!) in my absence! Thank you, Tina! See how shiny?!
Maybe I should disappear for weeks on end more often?
ANYway, I'm supposed to pass on the award to 15 other new-shiny bloggers! You may cleverly notice that 15 is more than 3, but I'm all out of maths for the day, so you can take my (lack of) ability to count up with me tomorrow.
A few of my Texas friends who are entirely too productive have started blogging their culinary adventures, which are so unfortunately all in Texas and not in my belly. They're over at 28-oz. Wine Glass, and they should figure out how to fax me foods.
My ladyfriend Juliana is a singer/songwriter, and sometimes she blogs about her musical adventures and creative process over at Write, Play, Repeat.
Also, my friend Shemika is hilarious and I never see her anymore, which we should really work on changing, but she blogs her (mis)adventures in dating & etc. over at Just Shemika.
But, yes, deserving of awards, the lot of you! If I could give you all actual roses in actual teacups -- erm, I'm not sure I would because there's probably a lot of other gifts I'd think of first, but I'm sure it'd be very nice? You all have One Lovely Blog.
Ahem.
I have been busy a) being crazy and b) making tree-candy into more fattening forms of dessert. Probably more of the former overall, though I recommend doing more of the latter.
Upon my
Maybe I should disappear for weeks on end more often?
ANYway, I'm supposed to pass on the award to 15 other new-shiny bloggers! You may cleverly notice that 15 is more than 3, but I'm all out of maths for the day, so you can take my (lack of) ability to count up with me tomorrow.
A few of my Texas friends who are entirely too productive have started blogging their culinary adventures, which are so unfortunately all in Texas and not in my belly. They're over at 28-oz. Wine Glass, and they should figure out how to fax me foods.
My ladyfriend Juliana is a singer/songwriter, and sometimes she blogs about her musical adventures and creative process over at Write, Play, Repeat.
Also, my friend Shemika is hilarious and I never see her anymore, which we should really work on changing, but she blogs her (mis)adventures in dating & etc. over at Just Shemika.
But, yes, deserving of awards, the lot of you! If I could give you all actual roses in actual teacups -- erm, I'm not sure I would because there's probably a lot of other gifts I'd think of first, but I'm sure it'd be very nice? You all have One Lovely Blog.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
recipe: best fudgy brownies yet
My Quest for the Ultimate Brownie Recipe will be a lifelong sort of thing, I suspect. I suppose it only makes sense that in a recipe so simple (really, you could make them in a single bowl with just butter, flour, sugar, chocolate, and eggs), small changes make such a huge difference. I subscribe to the School of Brownies dictating that a Good brownie is rich, dense, and a bit chewy -- something between fudgy and cakey. I've tried a few different recipes lately (I've been going through a breakup, okay?) and here's my favorite so far. They could be a bit chewier. I'm working on it.
Let me know if you try this recipe with any variations! Edible chemistry is fun.
Oops We Ate The Whole Pan Brownies
Adapted from Joy of Baking, which loves to teach me things
INGREDIENTS
1 stick butter
4 oz. tasty chocolate (I used part of a 70% cacoa bar and some bittersweet chips)
1 c. sugar (I used 3/4 c. white and 1/4 c. lightly packed dark brown sugar)
3 tbsp Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract (or 1/2 of a vanilla bean's scrapings)
Pinch salt (up to 1/2 tsp if you like salty + chocolate)
3/4 c. flour (I used 1/2 c. all-purpose and 1/4 c. fine-ground almond meal)
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs (I used 2 whole + 1 yolk)
METHOD
Set up a ghettofab double-boiler for yourself: Put a couple inches of water in a pot, and then place a second pot or a skillet on top of the first so that it's not touching the water (the top pot should ideally be just a tad too big to fit inside the bottom pot, but not so big that it eclipses the rim of the bottom pot, savvy?). On a low-to-medium heat setting, this will be a safe way to show melty love to your delicate chocolate.
Cut/break your butter and chocolate into chunks and add them to the skillet. You just want them to melt, not simmer. Stir occasionally.
While they're melting, measure your flour (or flours, or flour/nut meal combination) and baking powder out into a largish bowl and whisk them to get everything incorporated evenly.
Now's also a good time to preheat your oven to 350 and butter & flour a 9x9 pan (mine's shiny nonstick metal, which cooks things faster than nonshiny metal, silicone, and glass pans. You could also use an 8x8 if that's what you've got).
Once the butter & chocolate have melted into a delicious, calorically terrifying goop, you can take your ghetto-boiler off the heat. The residual heat should be plenty for mixing the rest of the ingredients… so add the cocoa powder, sugar(s), vanilla, and salt to the skillet, and stir to incorporate. (At no point during this recipe should you attempt to beat/whip/whisk the wet ingredients! Beating incorporates air, which leads to a cakier brownie. Stir firmly but don't crazy go nuts.)
Crack your eggs into a small bowl and stir to break up the yolks. (Egg whites will make your brownies chewier/cakier, and yolks will make them richer/fudgier. You should crack 3 eggs for this recipe, but use whatever white/yolk ratio you're comfortable experimenting with.) Take a tablespoon or so of the melty chocolate mix and stir it into the eggs to temper them, then stir the eggs into the chocolate mix until everything's completely incorporated.
Pour the chocolate mix into your flour mix and stir to incorporate. Batter will be thick and very sticky. Spread evenly into your prepared pan and bake for ~15 minutes if you've used a 9x9 (I'd guess at giving an 8x8 pan 20-25 minutes). Supposedly, a wooden toothpick/skewer inserted near the center of the pan will come out with a few bits stuck to it but not covered in goop when the brownies are done, but I never have any on hand so I couldn't tell you for sure. Other ways to tell that the brownies are done: The top is crackly and separating from the dough below it, the edges are just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan (definitely take the pan out when this happens), and/or they smell too good to leave in anymore. They'll continue cooking from residual heat a good while after they're out of the oven, so I'd error on the side of underbaked, personally. But I'm not particularly scared of/squicked by undercooked baked goods.
You should set the pan on a rack/towel/other room temp, heat-safe surface and let the brownies cool completely before cutting and eating them -- I know, I know, it's asking a lot. But the texture will improve and the flavor will intensify as they settle.
Any questions? Ask! I can't bake for all of you, so I want to help you bake for yourselves.
Let me know if you try this recipe with any variations! Edible chemistry is fun.
Oops We Ate The Whole Pan Brownies
Adapted from Joy of Baking, which loves to teach me things
INGREDIENTS
1 stick butter
4 oz. tasty chocolate (I used part of a 70% cacoa bar and some bittersweet chips)
1 c. sugar (I used 3/4 c. white and 1/4 c. lightly packed dark brown sugar)
3 tbsp Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract (or 1/2 of a vanilla bean's scrapings)
Pinch salt (up to 1/2 tsp if you like salty + chocolate)
3/4 c. flour (I used 1/2 c. all-purpose and 1/4 c. fine-ground almond meal)
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs (I used 2 whole + 1 yolk)
METHOD
Set up a ghettofab double-boiler for yourself: Put a couple inches of water in a pot, and then place a second pot or a skillet on top of the first so that it's not touching the water (the top pot should ideally be just a tad too big to fit inside the bottom pot, but not so big that it eclipses the rim of the bottom pot, savvy?). On a low-to-medium heat setting, this will be a safe way to show melty love to your delicate chocolate.
Cut/break your butter and chocolate into chunks and add them to the skillet. You just want them to melt, not simmer. Stir occasionally.
While they're melting, measure your flour (or flours, or flour/nut meal combination) and baking powder out into a largish bowl and whisk them to get everything incorporated evenly.
Now's also a good time to preheat your oven to 350 and butter & flour a 9x9 pan (mine's shiny nonstick metal, which cooks things faster than nonshiny metal, silicone, and glass pans. You could also use an 8x8 if that's what you've got).
Once the butter & chocolate have melted into a delicious, calorically terrifying goop, you can take your ghetto-boiler off the heat. The residual heat should be plenty for mixing the rest of the ingredients… so add the cocoa powder, sugar(s), vanilla, and salt to the skillet, and stir to incorporate. (At no point during this recipe should you attempt to beat/whip/whisk the wet ingredients! Beating incorporates air, which leads to a cakier brownie. Stir firmly but don't crazy go nuts.)
Crack your eggs into a small bowl and stir to break up the yolks. (Egg whites will make your brownies chewier/cakier, and yolks will make them richer/fudgier. You should crack 3 eggs for this recipe, but use whatever white/yolk ratio you're comfortable experimenting with.) Take a tablespoon or so of the melty chocolate mix and stir it into the eggs to temper them, then stir the eggs into the chocolate mix until everything's completely incorporated.
Pour the chocolate mix into your flour mix and stir to incorporate. Batter will be thick and very sticky. Spread evenly into your prepared pan and bake for ~15 minutes if you've used a 9x9 (I'd guess at giving an 8x8 pan 20-25 minutes). Supposedly, a wooden toothpick/skewer inserted near the center of the pan will come out with a few bits stuck to it but not covered in goop when the brownies are done, but I never have any on hand so I couldn't tell you for sure. Other ways to tell that the brownies are done: The top is crackly and separating from the dough below it, the edges are just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan (definitely take the pan out when this happens), and/or they smell too good to leave in anymore. They'll continue cooking from residual heat a good while after they're out of the oven, so I'd error on the side of underbaked, personally. But I'm not particularly scared of/squicked by undercooked baked goods.
You should set the pan on a rack/towel/other room temp, heat-safe surface and let the brownies cool completely before cutting and eating them -- I know, I know, it's asking a lot. But the texture will improve and the flavor will intensify as they settle.
Any questions? Ask! I can't bake for all of you, so I want to help you bake for yourselves.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
antialliteration tuesday: movie night
My friends & I are always talking about starting up an OMG Have You Seen This?? movie night for screening things that are important that maybe not everyone has seen. These aren't necessarily your favorite movies, but they probably changed the way you think about film, or storytelling, or Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Tori Spelling (House of Yes, anybody?).
Here's my current list. I'm NOT linking any of these to websites 'cause, well, a) I'm lazy tonight, and b) the statute of spoiler limitations is WAY up on most of these, so lots of web pages feel comfy tossing tidbits out that I'd rather you discover for yourself. I have faith in you to figure out how to use Google/Wiki/IMDB all by your lonesome if you must.
Tampopo -- A Japanese film about food culture containing several threaded subplots. The main one is about a woman who decides that she wants to open a ramen restaurant, but to be successful must learn the craft from a wise wanderingsamurai ramen expert. Bizarre and hilarious.
Perfect Blue -- An animated Japanese film about retaining your identity in the commercial music/acting industry, the weird role of pop idols in culture, and dangerous fan obsession. If you ever hear me singing in Japanese, you can blame this movie. Disturbing and Lynchian.
Requiem for a Dream -- A visually stunning and highly overdramatic film about desires and addictions. I think the script is silly, but everyone in it acts their asses off, and the Kronos Quartet's musical score sets the mood perfectly. Strung-out and depressing.
You Shoot, I Shoot -- A Hong Kong parody of action flicks about the unlikely team-up of a filmmaker and a hitman. Cartoony and possibly the most enjoyable if you've seen a good blend of American, Chinese, and Japanese pop cinema.
The Last Dragon -- A blacksploitation/Bruce Lee mashup containing all the 80s you can handle, sho'nuff. Silly and more silly.
Videodrome -- A Cronenberg flick about the worst case scenario of mass media influencing society. And about how James Woods is the best ever. Think The Ringmeets seduces Snow Crash in an S&M club for conspiracy theorists. Unsettling and Freudian.
Jacob's Ladder -- This is my Horror 101 pick. It visually influenced a lot of my favorite modern horror media, and while it's a little kitschy, it has some fabulously creepy moments. And Tim Robbins when he's all young and extra-gangly. Hitchcockian and retro-70s-tacular.
Arsenic & Old Lace -- A macabre screwball comedy adapted by Frank Capra from a stage play during WWII. Full of all my favorite things, including Cary Grant, Peter Lorre, Vaseline on the lens, snap-quick dialogue, triple-takes, and 40s pop political jokes that you maybe need to be from Manhattan and the 1920s to fully appreciate. Hammy and romping.
What are some of your favorite movies to subject your friends to? Link me to your blog if you decide you wanna discuss this on your own turf.
Here's my current list. I'm NOT linking any of these to websites 'cause, well, a) I'm lazy tonight, and b) the statute of spoiler limitations is WAY up on most of these, so lots of web pages feel comfy tossing tidbits out that I'd rather you discover for yourself. I have faith in you to figure out how to use Google/Wiki/IMDB all by your lonesome if you must.
Tampopo -- A Japanese film about food culture containing several threaded subplots. The main one is about a woman who decides that she wants to open a ramen restaurant, but to be successful must learn the craft from a wise wandering
Perfect Blue -- An animated Japanese film about retaining your identity in the commercial music/acting industry, the weird role of pop idols in culture, and dangerous fan obsession. If you ever hear me singing in Japanese, you can blame this movie. Disturbing and Lynchian.
Requiem for a Dream -- A visually stunning and highly overdramatic film about desires and addictions. I think the script is silly, but everyone in it acts their asses off, and the Kronos Quartet's musical score sets the mood perfectly. Strung-out and depressing.
You Shoot, I Shoot -- A Hong Kong parody of action flicks about the unlikely team-up of a filmmaker and a hitman. Cartoony and possibly the most enjoyable if you've seen a good blend of American, Chinese, and Japanese pop cinema.
The Last Dragon -- A blacksploitation/Bruce Lee mashup containing all the 80s you can handle, sho'nuff. Silly and more silly.
Videodrome -- A Cronenberg flick about the worst case scenario of mass media influencing society. And about how James Woods is the best ever. Think The Ring
Jacob's Ladder -- This is my Horror 101 pick. It visually influenced a lot of my favorite modern horror media, and while it's a little kitschy, it has some fabulously creepy moments. And Tim Robbins when he's all young and extra-gangly. Hitchcockian and retro-70s-tacular.
Arsenic & Old Lace -- A macabre screwball comedy adapted by Frank Capra from a stage play during WWII. Full of all my favorite things, including Cary Grant, Peter Lorre, Vaseline on the lens, snap-quick dialogue, triple-takes, and 40s pop political jokes that you maybe need to be from Manhattan and the 1920s to fully appreciate. Hammy and romping.
What are some of your favorite movies to subject your friends to? Link me to your blog if you decide you wanna discuss this on your own turf.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Stays Crunchy in Milk
I've been waiting for weeks to get the go-ahead to announce this... Stays Crunchy in Milk has a pub date! Stays Crunchy in Milk is a novel that I edited for Adam P. Knave, aka That Dude Who's Writing That Webcomic About The Burrito-Powered Swords Which I Am Editing And Also Writing For A Little. And the pub date is August 19, 2009! Guys, that's in 97 days.
It's the first full novel I've edited that is actually being published by an actual publisher that isn't a vanity press and which has the potential to be Read By People and Garner Cred and Possibly Earn Itself A Few Bucks, and I'm really proud of it. I've gone through the novel 3+ times now with Adam – two runs for editing, and one for proofreading. And I still enjoy reading it. It's... it's like The Wizard of Oz for vaguely jaded 20- to 30-somethings who've watched too many Saturday morning cartoons. It's about friendship and self-discovery and love and failure and hope and how completely ridiculous 98% of the stuff we loved in the 1980s was, including but not limited to cartoon cereal mascots and My Little Ponies.
And dear god hope I haven't missed any ridiculously obvious typos. Or that if I have, that at least they're funny and not just gibberish. (I think my reigning favorite from Stays Crunchy is still "mutated pastel" instead of the intended "muted pastel". If we've left anything that unintentionally funny in the book, the first person to e-mail me about it wins a t-shirt.)
In addition to having a pub date, Stays Crunchy in Milk has a gorgeous cover and 6 interior art plates by BB artist Renato Pastor, a shiny limited-run hardcover edition, and is open for pre-orders, the purchase of which will enter you to win fabulous prizes. From the mouth of Knave:
So, I think you should pre-order a copy if it sounds like something you'll enjoy! The trade paperback is priced at $16.95 here in the States (it'll be $18.95US in Canada and $21.95US in the UK), and the hardcover (a signed & numbered edition of just 34 copies [the book is being released on Adam's 34th birthday, and holy shit best birthday present ever]) is priced at $49.95US for people anywhere.
I'm really just giddy about this whole thing. I hope that some of you will read it and love it as much as I do.
It's the first full novel I've edited that is actually being published by an actual publisher that isn't a vanity press and which has the potential to be Read By People and Garner Cred and Possibly Earn Itself A Few Bucks, and I'm really proud of it. I've gone through the novel 3+ times now with Adam – two runs for editing, and one for proofreading. And I still enjoy reading it. It's... it's like The Wizard of Oz for vaguely jaded 20- to 30-somethings who've watched too many Saturday morning cartoons. It's about friendship and self-discovery and love and failure and hope and how completely ridiculous 98% of the stuff we loved in the 1980s was, including but not limited to cartoon cereal mascots and My Little Ponies.
And dear god hope I haven't missed any ridiculously obvious typos. Or that if I have, that at least they're funny and not just gibberish. (I think my reigning favorite from Stays Crunchy is still "mutated pastel" instead of the intended "muted pastel". If we've left anything that unintentionally funny in the book, the first person to e-mail me about it wins a t-shirt.)
In addition to having a pub date, Stays Crunchy in Milk has a gorgeous cover and 6 interior art plates by BB artist Renato Pastor, a shiny limited-run hardcover edition, and is open for pre-orders, the purchase of which will enter you to win fabulous prizes. From the mouth of Knave:
"ALL PREORDERS will be entered in the contest. That’s all you have to do, preorder the book. And what could you get?
FIRST PRIZE: A special, one-of-a-kind print (full color) by Renato Pastor depicting YOU with the main characters of the novel. Printed on archival paper and framed for you.
SECOND PRIZE: A special, one-of-a-kind print (black and white) by Renato Pastor depicting YOU with the main characters of the novel. Printed on good archival paper.
THIRD PRIZE: Tuckerization of YOU into Volume Two of Legend of the Burrito Blade, likeness and first name. And I don’t mean just a one-off. I mean a top tier secondary character who is important to the plot.
ALL PREORDERS will also have their copies signed. They will also come with a separate art print by Renato Pastor. How nifty is that? Buy a book and get it signed and also get free art!"
So, I think you should pre-order a copy if it sounds like something you'll enjoy! The trade paperback is priced at $16.95 here in the States (it'll be $18.95US in Canada and $21.95US in the UK), and the hardcover (a signed & numbered edition of just 34 copies [the book is being released on Adam's 34th birthday, and holy shit best birthday present ever]) is priced at $49.95US for people anywhere.
I'm really just giddy about this whole thing. I hope that some of you will read it and love it as much as I do.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Girl Talk Thursday: 50 Magical Dollars
I'm kind of all about the retail therapy. I'm also incredibly thrifty most of the time, so it's a very conflicting form of therapy. Usually when I'm buying something shiny to distract/reward myself, I wind up buying things like discounted socks from Sock Dreams, which ships free to US addresses, or a silly bar of chocolate from Whole Foods, or some kind of fancy craft beer, or a few weird-looking comics, or one of the t-shirts that I've been coveting.
In general I'm much more willing to spend on comfort foods/drinks than stuff 'cause I'm kinda a packrat and already have a lot of stuff, and also 'cause the chemicals in, say, chocolate or whisky have a more direct effect on my brain than the chemicals in t-shirts. (I HOPE.) But if I had a magic $50, unless I was having such a bad day that receiving magic monies couldn't dissuade me from wanting heaps of chocolate and whisky, I might go splurge on:
This bikini top. (I'd have to shell out nonmagical money for the bottom & shipping, obviously. And actually I really want this one, but sizes is all sold out, boo.) Have never owned a bikini! You heard me. I generally enjoy being not mostly naked in public, but might begin to make exceptions if a) oceans were involved, and b) my boobs had the support they deserve. And, okay, c) I maybe put down the brownies and did a bunch of crunches first.
The Study in Emerald pendant at the bottom of this page. Neil Gaiman + eldritch horror + Black Phoenix = ultimate geek attack. And I have very few pieces of jewelry that make people go "WTF DUDE." I'd like to add to my wtf collection.
This laptop skin, for the Dell Mini 12 I just ordered yesterday. (First laptop ever! Portable Intarwebs! So excited!) I am vaguely aware that I may be outing myself as a 20-something indie chick cliché, but guys, octopi and cake are two of my favorite things. And they could both live on my laptop! Netbook. Whatever the kids on the street are calling them in these, our modern times.
I feel compelled to tell you that my birthday is coming up on May 29th.
I wrote this entry for Mommy Melee's Girl Talk Thursday! Come join the conversation:
In general I'm much more willing to spend on comfort foods/drinks than stuff 'cause I'm kinda a packrat and already have a lot of stuff, and also 'cause the chemicals in, say, chocolate or whisky have a more direct effect on my brain than the chemicals in t-shirts. (I HOPE.) But if I had a magic $50, unless I was having such a bad day that receiving magic monies couldn't dissuade me from wanting heaps of chocolate and whisky, I might go splurge on:
This bikini top. (I'd have to shell out nonmagical money for the bottom & shipping, obviously. And actually I really want this one, but sizes is all sold out, boo.) Have never owned a bikini! You heard me. I generally enjoy being not mostly naked in public, but might begin to make exceptions if a) oceans were involved, and b) my boobs had the support they deserve. And, okay, c) I maybe put down the brownies and did a bunch of crunches first.
The Study in Emerald pendant at the bottom of this page. Neil Gaiman + eldritch horror + Black Phoenix = ultimate geek attack. And I have very few pieces of jewelry that make people go "WTF DUDE." I'd like to add to my wtf collection.
This laptop skin, for the Dell Mini 12 I just ordered yesterday. (First laptop ever! Portable Intarwebs! So excited!) I am vaguely aware that I may be outing myself as a 20-something indie chick cliché, but guys, octopi and cake are two of my favorite things. And they could both live on my laptop! Netbook. Whatever the kids on the street are calling them in these, our modern times.
I feel compelled to tell you that my birthday is coming up on May 29th.
I wrote this entry for Mommy Melee's Girl Talk Thursday! Come join the conversation:
Friday, April 10, 2009
Girl Talk Thursday Friday: Community
The Internet really weirds me out sometimes. And, I mean, I've been active in various online communities since the turn of the millennium -- first on forums & bulletin boards for X-Philes, anime fans, and webcomics like PvP, and then for years on Livejournal, and then occasionally and half-assedly on MySpace and Facebook, and now here. And "here" is a strange concept, but I think that the bloglands are the best of all iterations of Internet community so far -- just like in meatspace, everyone has a façade to maintain and a responsibility to build real, intelligent content up all around it, all through it. We bloggers are entertainers, educators, reporters, and exhibitionists of the human condition. I have, at times, felt more connected to people who I'd only ever read about than those who were within shouting distance.
If you've been online for any amount of time, I'm sure you've felt that too. To follow someone's blog is to live their life vicariously and in real time. And if the writer has enough talent with words and experience, enough wit and humor, it is so, so easy to celebrate their victories and mourn their losses as though they were your own.
A blogger named Heather Sophr lost her little girl on Tuesday. Maddie had been born prematurely and been in and out of the hospital several times, but was basically a happy and healthy 17-month-old. Heather's posts from last week demonstrate that no one suspected anything was wrong -- she wrote about ice cream, about raising funds for her upcoming March of Dimes walk, and about Maddie having a bit of a cold that she'd need, as always, to go see a doctor about. A friend of Heather's made the post Tuesday morning: Maddie's cold had created complications, and she had passed away.
The response has been huge. In less than 48 hours, Heather's March of Dimes fundraiser has jumped (leapt, flown, rocketed like a puppy with roller skates and a jet pack) from a bit over $2,000 to a bit over $20,000.
People have been putting up online memorials, making pledges to walk in their local March of Dimes events, and making plans to attend Maddie's funeral in L.A. Most of these people were not family members or friends or even particularly dedicated fans -- Heather's blog readership was strong but modest. She wasn't a superstar, but she had nudged something in people, just enough that those people had maybe told their friends or mothers about this little girl they'd read about -- this slight, sorta awkward baby girl, with smiles and solemnity as intense as only a child can manage, with the biggest, bluest eyes -- that when she died, hundreds upon hundreds of people heard, and remembered, and wanted to do something.
I hear news reports sometimes that make the Internet sound like some kind of cesspool, some den of sin, some dimly lit and dangerous place. And I suppose some parts of the Internet are like that -- some parts of any human community are. But other parts -- more parts than you'll ever have time to explore -- are bright, beautiful, and populated by people who only want to learn, to laugh, and to help where they can. And it does weird me out, this world of hour-long trends, sudden celebrities, and mass followings of niche interests. It's a weird sort of community, and more like magic than anything else I've seen.
If you've been online for any amount of time, I'm sure you've felt that too. To follow someone's blog is to live their life vicariously and in real time. And if the writer has enough talent with words and experience, enough wit and humor, it is so, so easy to celebrate their victories and mourn their losses as though they were your own.
A blogger named Heather Sophr lost her little girl on Tuesday. Maddie had been born prematurely and been in and out of the hospital several times, but was basically a happy and healthy 17-month-old. Heather's posts from last week demonstrate that no one suspected anything was wrong -- she wrote about ice cream, about raising funds for her upcoming March of Dimes walk, and about Maddie having a bit of a cold that she'd need, as always, to go see a doctor about. A friend of Heather's made the post Tuesday morning: Maddie's cold had created complications, and she had passed away.
The response has been huge. In less than 48 hours, Heather's March of Dimes fundraiser has jumped (leapt, flown, rocketed like a puppy with roller skates and a jet pack) from a bit over $2,000 to a bit over $20,000.
People have been putting up online memorials, making pledges to walk in their local March of Dimes events, and making plans to attend Maddie's funeral in L.A. Most of these people were not family members or friends or even particularly dedicated fans -- Heather's blog readership was strong but modest. She wasn't a superstar, but she had nudged something in people, just enough that those people had maybe told their friends or mothers about this little girl they'd read about -- this slight, sorta awkward baby girl, with smiles and solemnity as intense as only a child can manage, with the biggest, bluest eyes -- that when she died, hundreds upon hundreds of people heard, and remembered, and wanted to do something.I hear news reports sometimes that make the Internet sound like some kind of cesspool, some den of sin, some dimly lit and dangerous place. And I suppose some parts of the Internet are like that -- some parts of any human community are. But other parts -- more parts than you'll ever have time to explore -- are bright, beautiful, and populated by people who only want to learn, to laugh, and to help where they can. And it does weird me out, this world of hour-long trends, sudden celebrities, and mass followings of niche interests. It's a weird sort of community, and more like magic than anything else I've seen.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
females read press releases and they're pissed
Pehaps you do not read the blog Girls Read Comics And They're Pissed. It's about the unintentional hilarity to be found regarding women in comic books and comics-related media, and it's generally one of my favorite Intarweb things, and I've missed it bunches over the past few months while its writer, Karen Healey, has been busy doing 3-dimensional things. And okay, if feminist-geared dorkitude isn't your thang, that's chill, but dudes seriously this press release from Marvel about their upcoming merch line for women females is the most unintentionally most-funny thing I've read since the Twilight series. And Karen's post about it is, as always, rad. I've got two things to add:
A) I edit for a medical journal, and it's actually a common style point for med journals to never use the words "female" or "male" to refer to human beings, unless it's part of a multiword descriptor that would be awkward with less dehumanizing words like "women" and "men". 'Cause it's the 21st century and we're trying to encourage the medical industry to think of patients as people, not charts or numbers. I mean. I guess I'm glad that Marvel used "females" and not like "ALL TEH LADIEZ" or something, but. Perhaps the marketing dude is Ferengi and merely using the language that comes naturally to him?
B) The phrase "female product"? Makes me think that Marvel is gonna be selling like tampons with Spider-Man on them:
"SUPER Heroes, SUPER Absorbancy!"
"Fight LEAKS And ODOR Like You Have A Tragic Origin Story In Which They Killed Your Parents!"
"Scott Summers: Best For Heavy Flow Days!"?
A) I edit for a medical journal, and it's actually a common style point for med journals to never use the words "female" or "male" to refer to human beings, unless it's part of a multiword descriptor that would be awkward with less dehumanizing words like "women" and "men". 'Cause it's the 21st century and we're trying to encourage the medical industry to think of patients as people, not charts or numbers. I mean. I guess I'm glad that Marvel used "females" and not like "ALL TEH LADIEZ" or something, but. Perhaps the marketing dude is Ferengi and merely using the language that comes naturally to him?
B) The phrase "female product"? Makes me think that Marvel is gonna be selling like tampons with Spider-Man on them:
"SUPER Heroes, SUPER Absorbancy!"
"Fight LEAKS And ODOR Like You Have A Tragic Origin Story In Which They Killed Your Parents!"
"Scott Summers: Best For Heavy Flow Days!"?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
