Moreau's Daughter in Beneath Ceaseless Skies

I'm really pleased to announce officially that my short story, "Moreau's Daughter" has been bought by Beneath Ceaseless Skies.  I don't have a projected publication date yet, although we've been talking about a fall release date.

Editor Scott H. Andrews has been a real pleasure to work with. I felt the story was about 90% ready when I sent it to him, but I was having trouble seeing that last 10% of polish to really make it "pop." Scott's remarks were insightful, precise and very much in tune with my own vision for the story. I'm really happy with the draft we ended up with.

Cheers!

slightly spicy homemade ketchup

We don't eat a lot of ketchup in our house. About the only thing I like it on is fried potatoes or pork chops; however on those two things ketchup is mandatory, so I was pretty bummed last night when, after frying up a batch of chops, I opened the fridge to discover we had none.

Luckily I had a couple cans of tomato paste, and luckily I have made homemade ketchup a couple of times before. I have a recipe I've been tweaking, and this batch didn't come out half bad.

This is much less sweet than most store brands; the dominant flavor is tomato with a touch of sour from the vinegar, followed swiftly by salt and spice. It was great on the pork chops; I suspect it will be best with meats, but I may fry up a batch of skillet potatoes just to be sure.

6 oz. can of tomato paste
2 tsp sugar (feel free to substitute honey or sweetener)
1 tsp Italian dressing mix (I used Penzey's)
about 1/2 tsp seasoning salt or to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/8 tsp allspice
pinch or 2 of cayenne pepper


1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup water

Combine tomato paste and spices. In a separate measuring cup, combine vinegar and water, and add to tomato paste mix in increments until desired consistency is reached. For best flavor, let sit for an hour or overnight in fridge. Apple juice can be used in place of water butI think that makes it too sweet.

this is beginning to look like work

I am in a very strange, to-me-unprecedented writing place.

Right now I have three contracted pieces in the editing phase--a novel, a short story, and a nonfiction piece that actually requires sources, for Pete's sake.

And yesterday I got a questionnaire from the editorial assistant at my publishing house, wanting to know everything about my publishing, professional, and personal histories down to the bellybutton lint.

Last night I had a minor anxiety dream in which I opened a newspaper and found a tabloid-like article about a speeding ticket and joyride I had taken with a couple of juvenile delinquents ten years ago (an entirely made-up dream incident, by the way--although the haircut I had in the dream-photographs was real enough, and criminal enough, for embarrassment).

Now I have to go look up credible sources on the history of fan conventions.

Really. It's too weird.