Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Tea with Jane: Plum Cake

That's right. I did it! I ACTUALLY made Plum Cakes, and not to toot my own horn, but I think they were awesome! They turned out beautifully and were delicious! Though it's kind of funny to me that Plum cakes don't actually have any plums in them. But whatever! They did have currants and raisins soaked in Brandy and Sweet Red Wine (I got the cheap Barefoot kind) as well as almonds.
     The recipe called for one big spring pan with a removable base, but I didn't have one of those. So a family friend lent me four miniature spring pans, and I loved using it this way because it's much easier to give them away! You didn't think I was going to keep all four, did you?
      The baking prep was a little different. I had to butter the inside of the pans then cover the insides with parchment paper (that's key), and once the batter is in, you wrap the outside in two layers of tin foil. It said to tie it with a string, but I just scrunched it together and it worked just fine.
      Little bit of a note: for your cakes to be pretty and not have crusty edges, don't fill up the tin all the way. It bakes over and isn't as pretty. But that's just for aesthetic purposes.
      You can ice these, but I didn't. They were just as good without. With the spices used, I feel like this would be a great fall treat! Sooooo yummy! (And yes, I splurged and ate it)

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Tea with Jane: Rout Cakes

This week was by far the easiest week yet! I didn't have to use yeast--thank you, Self-rising flour! I don't really know how to explain Rout Cakes... They are kind of like last week's pastry in that they use currants. But they are much smaller and have much more flavor. I think they called them drop cookies.

However, the unique part of this dish is that it's flavored with Brandy, Rosewater, and Orange flower water. Now, I looked for Orange and rose water, but I'm not quite sure if they exist anymore. If they do, I was not able to find them, so if anyone knows of these antiquated ingredients, please let me know! But let me tell you, the brandy made quite the difference in flavor! It was super yummy. I added a little bit more than the instructed 1 tbls of brandy just because I didn't have the rosewater or Orange flower water. But I don't think it degraded it in anyway.

Apparently, the alcohol and the flower waters are very commonly used in British baking. This week, I'm going to try tackling Plum Cake, which I'm super stoked about, but also super nervous. So try your Rout Cakes! They're delicious!

Keep Baking,
     HER

Sunday, July 17, 2016

Book Festivals

    Over the past few years, I have become a book festival junkie! If I were not in school and could travel all the time without money being an obstacle, I would be going to ALL the book festivals. Unfortunately, I'm only able to make it to two in the fall season, but they're a couple of great festivals--The Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, TN and YALLFEST in Charleston, SC.
     If you're unfamiliar with these festivals, they are a little bit different. SFOB is a broad-reaching festival that covers everything from Kidlit to biographies. This three day festival is filled with panels and activities for kids. The street leading up to the capitol building is lined with book vendors and independent authors that culminates to Parnassus Book's HUGE book tent selling all the authors' books. I love this festival. It's well organized, has great street vendors for food (because a lunch break is necessary), and the authors are always wonderful.
    YALLFEST is a purely young adult/middle grade book festival. And I swear, it's like a rockstar convention. The first day, Friday, has what they call Yallcrawl, where they have different authors positioned in stores and restaurants around King Street, and they just sign books. The lines can become equivalent to amusement park lines. So if you really like that author, get there early! Saturday is a FULL day! You have jam packed panels, signings, giveaways, and so much more! The keynote and closing speakers are always awesome. But be sure to check their website because a few of the panels are ticketed or limited to the number of people they let in. This is something you plan in advance. Okay...this is something that I plan in advance. But I highly suggest it, or else you'll be all stressed out, and that's no fun.
    Book festivals aren't just fun events for readers (because believe me I fan girl. I was basically speechless when I met Richelle Mead--pretty sure I said something embarrassing, but I don't know...I might've blacked out a little bit). They're important networking events for aspiring/self/indie published authors. You can meet readers who may be interested in your work. Go up and talk to authors and make connections. If their agents are there, snag them for quick chat. This is your chance to advertise yourself freely. You don't need to pay hundreds of dollars for a booth that not that many people will visit. Just go up and talk to people. That's the important part.
     Plus, I can't tell you how cool it is to meet your favorite authors and have them sign your books. You get your pictures taken...it's literally so cool! But keep it together. Remember, authors are people too. We love meeting readers, but we also like personal space!

Here is a link to a definitive list of book festivals around the world. Check it out to find one near you!
https://www.everfest.com/book-festivals

Time for some more writing,
     HER 

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Book Review Time: The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

I don't do book reviews very often, mainly because there are so many book reviewers out there who all do a wonderful job and cover an amazing scope of books that my reviews aren't really necessary. But I just have to talk about this one trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.
Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.
Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.
I am two books into the trilogy (devoured the almost 500 page book in a few days), and I absolutely cannot wait until I can get to the bookstore and pick up the final installment. This trilogy just blows my mind! It's pre-modern, russian-inspired, high fantasy with monsters and magic and love and adventure and mythology. Just...wow! The characters are so clear, but trust in this book is faulty. Who are friends, and who are enemies? In a war torn world, who can tell? I just cannot recommend this trilogy highly enough. If you need an escape, dive head first into Leigh Bardugo's world. 
The first time I saw Leigh Bardugo was at the 2015 Yallfest in Charleston, and she was so impressive--very charismatic and funny. I honestly think her banter with Brandon Reichs made the whole night. And just meeting her made me want to pick up her book. Because someone that awesome is going to write good books, correct? 
So I read the first one over my spring break (in Charleston again haha), and I read it in two days. TWO DAYS. The night that I finished, I was on twitter and saw that some internet troll was attacking her jewish heritage, which is just infuriating. But she handled it like a queen, and when I tweeted at her about her book, she was so kind and tweeted back. I'm always going to remember that. Taking the time to acknowledge fans and readers--that's something worth spending time on. After I finish the Grisha Trilogy, I'm heading straight for her next series Six of Crows. 

Saturday, July 9, 2016

My Magical Reading List

Need to add a little bit of magic into your life, whether that be light or dark? Check out this enchanting book list!!


The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo


A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray


Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare 


Beautiful Creatures Series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stool


The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis 


Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern


Evermore by Alyson Noel 


Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs


Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling


The Night World Trilogy by L.J. Smith


The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater


Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink


Yes, I do have some favorites in here. You can probably assume a couple of them. But I also haven't read all the magical books out there! What are your favorites??? 

Let me know, 
      HER

Thursday, July 7, 2016

Tea with Jane: Butter Buns

'Ello lovelies! This week's delicious treat from the wonderful mind of Jane Austen is Butter Buns, a rather plain roll mixed with currants and can be seasoned with either nutmeg and allspice, caraway seeds, or natural rosewater.
Again, this was a hefty process. I've officially learned what rubbing butter into flour means. You chop up the butter into pieces and literally rub the pieces into the flour until you've reached the texture of breadcrumbs. I'm kind of proud of myself for adding to my baking vocabulary. 
So anyways, you need to leave the dough moist, add just a little bit of flour so that you're able to knead it. I think I added too much. Oh well. Learning from mistakes. Then you make a well and pour in warmed milk mixed with egg yolks and fold it together. 
You let it rise for an hour (so I went to the gym haha), then form the dough into twelve buns and flatten them. They rise for another 45 minutes before they bake for 15 minutes. So seriously, it's the prep, not the actual baking. 

But CURRANTS! Let's talk about that...I honestly had no idea what these little fruits were. Neither did anyone at the grocery store haha. Thank you kroger for actually having them. Currants are like a form of raisin. They are dried, black, seedless grapes originally from Greece. They look just like raisins. And they're just mixed into the dough. 

So this result was this bun. Not my favorite recipe thus far. I think that falls to the Sally Lunns still. But they still turned out well, and have a pretty good flavor! Definitely worth a try! 


Ready for next time? 
    HER

Sunday, July 3, 2016

The Definitive Emotions of Publishing a Book

Over the past couple weeks, I have been going through basically every emotion possible. And I'm not kidding. I'm kind of already an emotional person, and this whole publishing a book business is just making it worse :). So I'm here to prepare you/ enlighten you on how this whole emotional book roller coaster works!

1. STRESS - that is literally the number one emotion that stays constantly in your heart and mind throughout this entire process. You have stress of getting a publisher to accept it, stress of editing, stress of re-editing, stress of it not getting done as fast as you want it, stress of something going wrong, stress of final copy edits, stress of waiting for it to be printed, stress of marketing, stress of fearing people won't like your work. Stress. Stress, stress, stress

2. JOY - You're finally getting a book published! Exult! Be merry! Do a little jig. Now it's over, time to get to work.

3. Determination - You are determined to get those edits in, and by golly they are going to be perfect, even if it means staying up all night for a week. You're going to get it done.

4. RELIEF - Those edits are in! You can relax, chill, take a step away. Read a book, watch a movie. Just don't even think about it.

5. DISTRESS - Yeah, those edits weren't perfect. You've got some more work to do. So hop like a bunny and get moving.

7. HAPPINESS - You're done! It's going to the copy editor, so now you can relax again. Take a BIG breath, drink a cup of coffee, pet your dogs/cats.

8. UTTER MISERY - Guess what. They found a GIANT plot hole during copy edits. Ha. Hahaha. Time to get back to work. But always remember--this is fun work. We love what we do. So is it really misery at all?

9. DISBELIEF - You're copy edits are done. You have a beautiful cover. You're looking at your final typeset, reading it through for errors. This is real. It's not just an idea in your head anymore. It's a book, and it's about to be a real, solid thing in just a few months

10. OVERWHELMING HAPPINESS - Tears. Crying. Lots of crying. You're holding your book proof in your hand. This overwhelming happiness is mixed with disbelief. Because this is your book. This paper is not from your printer. You're holding a 3-D version of your full cover. As in. This is what it'll look like, only with your book in it. And this is the face you make:
So that's where I am right now. OVERWHELMING HAPPINESS. Now I get to stress about the release and reviews and what people will think about it and if it will sell! 
but for right now, I'm just going to focus on the happy tears and the joy and the excitement and all the good stuff! 

Ascension. 8*27*16

With tears in my eyes, 
      HER