Greetings Everyone,
Welcome to Issue #6 of my quarterly newsletter, posted to csmaccath.com and e-mailed to subscribers on Imbolc 2013.
Scheherazade's Facade
Scheherazade's Facade is now available in paperback and e-reader editions! Early reviews are in as well, and my story The Daemons of Tairdean Town has been favored with positive comments:
"Stories I found of special mention: “The Daemons of Tairdean Town”, by C.S. MacCath, which has both the most sympathetic portrayal of genuinely religious people I’ve ever seen in SF and the most telling subversion of religion." - Kellan Sparver
"Her Tangh-i-ness has a soft spot for ugly, crippled girls. First person makes it easy to slip inside the head of a clairsentient one for a bit especially one who hasn’t lost touch with her inner male. An ugly, crippled girl who guides the living and the dying equally from their known life to and from the great, interconnected Is-ness. Wait. And of the Daemons? Remember the less popular, less intimidating, non-computer technology definition of the word daemon, insert the word anima/animus instead and a reader makes Jung proud. Plus there is juicy daemon sex." - Her Tangh-i-Ness Presents
Forthcoming Poetry
I'm delighted to report that two of my poems will appear in a forthcoming issue of Astropoetica. "Sol Prayer: By the Oracle Duality Chang Shen / Song of the Star Cradle" first appeared in Mythic Delirium in 2006 and is set in the Petals of the Twenty Thousand Blossom universe. "The Cradle" is a brand-new piece about quantum physics, indecisiveness and ennui. Hooray for poems about space and physics!
Corrections
In my last newsletter, I mentioned my interview at Hal-Con with Geek Inked Magazine. However, I made an error in the name of the lovely woman who interviewed me, which is Ally Leja. In my haste to get the newsletter out, the part of my brain that was looking at her handle on the Geek Inked blog (princessleja) didn't communicate with the part of my brain that spoke with her in person, and I rolled a '1' on my INT modifier.
Vegan Recipe of the Quarter
I made my first-ever batch of biscotti at Yuletide, and wow was it ever yummy! Here's the recipe:
Vegan Cranberry Almond Biscotti
2 ¾ cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
5 Tbs. orange juice plus ½ cup
4 Tbs. cornstarch
1 cup sugar plus 2 Tbs.
2 Tbs. canola oil
1 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup sliced almonds
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in bowl.
2. Whisk together 5 Tbs. orange juice and cornstarch in bowl; set aside. Beat 1 cup sugar, remaining 1/2 cup orange juice, oil and extracts until fluffy. Beat in cornstarch mixture, then flour mixture. Fold in cranberries and almonds.
3. Shape into 2 logs on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake 35 minutes, or until light brown. Cool 15 minutes on baking sheet. Slice into 1/2-inch thick slices. Return slices to baking sheet, and bake 15 minutes more. Turn the cookies, then bake them a final 5-15 minutes, or until they're golden brown.
That's all for now. Thanks for reading, and I'll be back at Beltane with more news and nomz.
All the best,
C.S. MacCath