Happy Fall! ... Sort of.

I say sort of because here in the perma-sunny valley of Arizona, the thermometer is still bypassing the 100 degree mark on a daily basis. In other words, we’re all pretending it’s fall so we can celebrate like the rest of you, donning your flannel, sipping your ciders and pumpkin lattes, slipping into your boots, and cozying up next to your fireplaces. I’m not bitter.

At this point I’d just like to bake with my windows open and feel a cool draft sweep through my kitchen. It’s coming though! Next week, the temperature is supposed to drop into the 90s! Ha…

Speaking of baking, I promised to share my pizzas with you from last month.

Here’s the dough recipe I use: https://bellyfull.net/quick-and-easy-pizza-dough/ 

The only change that I make on occasion is the addition of about half a cup of sourdough discard, but if you don’t have a sourdough starter maintaining a residence in your fridge like I do, the recipe is fantastic as is.

I also recently purchased a pizza-making upgrade (though I bought it primarily with the intent of learning how to open bake sourdough bread). The pizza steel! Check it out, if you’re a foodie nerd like me. This is the one I purchased: https://bakingsteel.com 

It makes for a fabulously crispy, yet soft, crust.

In other news, I can say with no small amount of self-satisfaction, that editing is progressing swimmingly. I never really had a true appreciation for the editorial process that all of my favorite books went through before they made it into my anxiously-awaiting hands. It’s hard. Letting someone else into a story that you have worked so hard on and are so proud of, and watching somewhat helplessly as they go through it with red pen, is a rather humbling experience. It’s so necessary and I am so grateful for my editor, but man am I being challenged! All good things, though. I’m doing my best to whip this chunky baby into shape (she’s a bit hefty at over 181,000 words, and needs to slim down a tad), so that it’s ready for you. I am growing as a writer though this process, and being faced with my own shortcomings (apparently I have zero idea how to properly use a comma), which is something that actually thrills me. I have so many ideas for future stories buzzing around in my brain, and going back through Cloaking Fate is ratcheting up my creativity. I can’t wait to share!

One last thing I’ll mention before I close: if you haven’t already, go and pick up a copy of The House at Watch Hill by Karen Marie Moning.

I’ll admit that I haven’t been reading much lately; I’ve been throwing all of my focus into my own projects. However, I couldn’t pass up a new book by KMM. She wrote the Fever series, which is one of my favorites, and one that helped to cultivate my love of fantasy. The House at Watch Hill is a new backdrop, a new set of colorful characters, and tantalizing relationships. Magic, untapped power, a totally relatable and wonderfully flawed female lead, a house with irresistible secrets, and spice? Say no more. I devoured this in a matter of days. It left me wanting more. Not in a falling short sort of way, but in the sense that I only really got a fraction of the full story. This first book sets the stage, and I cannot wait to see what happens in the sequel!

If you do decide to pick it up, shoot me a reply and let me know what you think! Specifically, who you think Zo is going to end up falling for. Devlin, Kellan, Alisdair, or someone yet unnamed? I know who I think it is. 😉