Sunday Sweets: Simply Stunning
Oct. 5th, 2025 01:00 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png)
I think it was Martha Stewart who once said, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."
Oh, whoops - actually that was Leonardo DaVinci.
Either way, I bet Leo and Martha would both give sincere fist-bumps of approval to the bakers of these simple yet stunning wedding cakes:

Submitted by Rachel G., found here, baker unknown.
Speaking of Martha, she's probably going to be hunting down the baker so she can feature this divine cake on the cover of her next magazine. That's a very Good Thing!

Sub'd by Danny C., made by Choux Designer Cakes & Pastries
Fully-blossomed roses, fondant "fabric" and seed-pearl piping all scream demurely whisper "simple sophistication!"

Sub'd by Lynne P., made by Sweet Perfection
Layers of flowers, polka dots, lace edging, quilt stitching, and paisley might sound like a whole lot of crazy on a single cake, but in monochrome, they make it a masterpiece.

This cake is so modern and chic, I somehow want to eat it, wear it and decorate my house with it at the same time!

Sub'd by K.I., made by Bee's Cake Design
Of course, simple does not = easy! Those painted flowers use a technique called "brush embroidery," for example, which obviously requires waaaay more effort than buying pre-made flowers, sticking them on a cake, and pretending you made them yourself. Which I would never do. Very often. Again.
Hey, not everyone is born with a flair for fondant flower-forming! But this next baker was:

Sub'd by Rebecca S. and made by her friend Jenny, amateur cake prodigy
And would you believe Jenny was only 14 years old when she made this? Fourteen!

I know, right?!

By Design Cakes
This explosion of roses set against such a basic backdrop is so striking. And the single petal drifted off to the side? Perfection.
Of course there are other options if you prefer your cakes flower-free. Like diamonds!

Sub'd by K.L., made by The Cake Company
I'm not sure if those are jewels or simply silver dragees (totally had Google that word, and was a little concerned about typing in "edible silver balls"), but either way that's some beautiful bling.

Made by the amazing Rylan T. of Art and Appetite
This four-tiered cake with cleverly chosen designs that symbolize true devotion (turtle doves), peace (olive branch), and perfection, light, and life (fleur de lis) may not quite qualify as simple - but stunning? You betcha!

By Lorinda Seto
Such an exacting design leaves zero room for imperfections, and I can't spot a single one! I love the alternating damask pattern, and how the color scheme manages to look playful and grown up at the same time. Just gorgeous.
That's all for today! Thanks for reading, and just so you know: "You're simply the best!"
Happy Sunday!
*****
P.S. You know how everyone is decorating with these cute wall bats for spooky season?

Well I found them on Amazon! They're re-usable PVC - so weatherproof - and cost less than $10 for a pack of 56. While you're there I highly recommend scrolling the customer image gallery, too, for cute decorating ideas like this.
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:

Destinies, February-March 1980 (Destinies, # 6) edited by Jim Baen
Oct. 5th, 2025 08:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)

Pacifist Dorsai, space forts, duelling reviews, a rant about that mean Mr. Einstein and more in this issue of Destinies.
Destinies, February-March 1980 (Destinies, # 6) edited by Jim Baen
Books Received, September 27 — October 3
Oct. 4th, 2025 09:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)

Twelve books new to me. Four fantasies, one horror, one non-fiction, and six (!) science fiction works, of which at least four are series instalments.
Books Received, September 27 — October 3
Which of these look interesting?
Children of Fallen Gods by Carissa Broadbent (December 2025)
3 (5.3%)
Enchanting the Fae Queen by Stephanie Burgis (January 2026)
8 (14.0%)
The Language of Liars by S. L. Huang (April 2026)
22 (38.6%)
We Burned So Bright by T. J. Klune (April 2026)
20 (35.1%)
We Could Be Anyone by Anna-Marie McLemore (May 2026)
7 (12.3%)
These Godly Lies by Rachelle Raeta (July 2026)
3 (5.3%)
The New Prometheans: Faith, Science, and the Supernatural
15 (26.3%)
Every Exquisite Thing by Laura Steven (July 2026)
4 (7.0%)
The Infinite State by Richard Swan (August 2026)
6 (10.5%)
Green City Wars by Adrian Tchaikovsky (June 2026)
24 (42.1%)
Moss’d in Space by Rebecca Thorne (July 2026)
19 (33.3%)
Platform Decay by Martha Wells (May 2026)
42 (73.7%)
Some other option (see comments)
0 (0.0%)
Cats!
39 (68.4%)
Dying of the light
Oct. 4th, 2025 07:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
And now it's just Marker...
Oct. 3rd, 2025 07:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)

It’s been a little over a month now since that late afternoon when I went to Mocha’s field and discovered…she could barely walk. That moment when it became The Time I Knew Was Coming Far Too Soon.
I’ve finally stopped thinking about dividing the apple slices for horse grain. Noticed how slowly both grain and supplements are getting used, now that I’m down to one horse, especially one who just gets the bare minimum of grain to make his supplement palatable because he’s such an easy keeper (for those who are curious, it’s ¼ lbs grain, ½ lbs supplement. He still does well on that and on hay).
I’ll still glance off at that field on the way back from the ranch, somewhat of a habit from the summer when it was Mocha in that field and I wanted to check on her (and noticed that she knew when Her Truck drove by the field. Of course she knew. She knew the sound of my car when I pulled up at Gregg’s place, and would often be standing in the middle of her stall, where she could see me coming through the door. Sometimes she whinnied at me, but she was always, always looking for me).
Haven’t catalogued her ribbons yet, though that day is approaching.
And…it’s moving on with the Boi. A week ago he had the honor of carrying Miss Rodeo Oregon 2025, Mary Makenna Olney, as part of her Miss Rodeo America 50 Horse Challenge, where they have to ride 50 different horses within a set time period. Despite not having anyone besides me on his back since I bought him in August, 2023, he did well by her. I had a brief regret that Mocha never had this opportunity, but oh well. Marker’s path is different from Mocha’s.
I finally tossed the brushes I have been using on both horses. Surprise, surprise, they wear out faster when using them on two horses. I got a marvelous tail tamer brush and had a brief regret that I hadn’t discovered this one for Mocha’s lush mane and tail. But it was one of those moments when I’m aware things are moving on. That said, I’m holding onto one Mocha brush from Gregg’s day, because it still has a tooth mark from one of his dogs who I was fond of—the Bernese-Great Swiss Mountain Dog cross Cowboy. Two memories to cherish when I see that brush. Right now I have two braids, that brush, a custom bar shoe, a chunk of tooth, and several bits that were Mocha’s and Mocha’s only to remember her by.
But. New brushes, not worn out. I also finally found the right snaffle bit for Marker, a three-piece smooth ring snaffle with a dogbone center and a copper roller. He likes playing with the roller, just like he does with the curb bit. I put it on the old snaffle headstall I got over twenty years ago for Mocha, along with the seven-foot latigo leather reins, and the cavasson from Mocha’s early training. It seems to work for him.
Moving on. Our work this summer has made his canter smoother and more consistent. It’s a lovely rocking-horse type of canter that is easy to sit. Now we’re working on all three types of canter lead changes—simple (walk or trot before asking for the change of lead), interrupted (whoa, then pick up the new lead), and flying (change the lead at the canter). He’s starting to get them.
One thing I really appreciate about the training options this time around (as compared to Mocha at the same age) is that we aren’t locked into an arena. Both going down the road or riding in the hayfield allows for simple, straight-line work, just to build up muscle and provide a mental break from arena work. I’m not sure if that is why it seems easier to teach him things or if it’s tied to conformation and mental differences between the two horses. Or a combination of both. Nonetheless, he really settles into covering a lot of ground at the fox trot, which he seems to like doing.
There are some things I haven’t touched on much in our training, but may do this fall now that I have the snaffle. He’s solid in round pen and lunging work, though when I deviate from a pattern he expects he gets worried (well, we’re doing more of that variation stuff so he adapts). The injury to my shoulder earlier this summer means I’m not working on ground driving. Maybe that will be a winter thing. It’s possible.
He also needs a lot more work with ground poles in box and L backing/sidepassing. Again, probably best done in the snaffle, not the curb. It’s the kind of detail work that is best laid down in a non-leverage bit with some horses, and I think he’s one of them. But oh, he is really getting decent at gates. Not crowding my knee into them, either.
I’ve found that lunging or round penning him before I tighten the cinch eliminates a lot of the tension he’s had around saddling. And getting him to settle into the snaffle means I tie the reins loosely to the saddle while he works, then adding the cavasson after he’s had a few minutes to mouth the bit and settle into it.
So we’re settling into fall. For some reason his fall coat seems to be heavier than in past years—maybe due to the supplement he’s getting. He seems to be more relaxed, and…shows signs of becoming a fully mature horse. Oh, he’s still playful and mouthy, but there’s just that filling in of the front end, and a certain calmness that comes with maturity.
And, perhaps, knowing that he is now the Only Horse.
I miss the old mare, but…he’s doing a decent job of filling her horseshoes, in his own way.
Short stories in Anthropic piracy settlement
Oct. 3rd, 2025 06:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
I have over sixty published short stories, many of which have been collected in anthologies. Fortunately I keep very good records. I have been able to identify 56 published anthologies that contain at least one story of mine. Of these 48 have ISBNs, and of those 14 have copyright registration numbers and are included in the Anthropic settlement database.
My understanding is that if I file claims on these anthologies I may eventually receive a share of the settlement on those titles. Assuming the settlement goes through as I understand it and that my claims are accepted, I may eventually receive roughly a hundred bucks for each story (assuming the settlement per title is about $3000, minus 25% for the lawyers, minus 50% of the remainder for the publisher, divided by the number of authors which I'm assuming for the sake of argument is about ten).
This is in addition to the claims I'm going to file on my two novels Arabella of Mars and Arabella the Traitor of Mars, which may eventually pay off about $3000 * 0.75 * 0.50 = $1125 each. (I think the publisher's 50% in this case will go to Open Road, the current publisher, rather than Tor, the original publisher, but there are still a lot of open questions here.)
Arabella and the Battle of Venus, the middle book of the Arabella trilogy, does NOT appear in the Anthropic settlement database, and I believe this is because Macmillan failed to register the copyright for that volume. However, according to Locus, Macmillan has issued a statement that "If your work was excluded from the settlement for this reason, we will make you whole by paying you what you otherwise would have been paid under the settlement." I've already sent an email to Macmillan inquiring as to next steps.
Book Tour Starting Next Week
Oct. 3rd, 2025 05:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
There's more info at that link, but here's a brief list of the tour stops and dates:
- Mon. Oct. 6 at 7:30pm: Brookline Booksmith with Holly Black, offsite at Arts at the Armory (Brookline, MA)
- Tues. Oct. 7 at 7pm: Politics & Prose (Union Market location) moderated by Leigha McReynolds (Washington DC)
- Wed. Oct. 8 at 7pm: The Strand, with Meg Elison (NYC, NY)
- Fri. Oct. 10 at 6pm: Let’s Play Books, with Chuck Wendig, offsite at Muhlenberg College (Allentown, PA)
- Tues. Oct. 14 at 7pm, Third Place Books (Seattle, WA)
- Wed. Oct. 15 at 7pm, Iron Dog Books, with Nalo Hopkinson offsite at Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island (Vancouver, BC, Canada)
- Thurs. Oct. 16 at 7pm, Powell's (Cedar Hill location) with Jenn Reese (Beaverton, OR)
- Mon. Oct. 20 at 7pm: Bookpeople, with Ehigbor Okosun (Austin, TX)
- Tue. Oct. 21 at 6:30pm: Murder by the Book (Houston, TX)
- Thurs. Oct. 23 at 6pm: Nowhere Bookshop (San Antonio, TX)
- Saturday Nov. 8-9 Texas Book Festival, Austin TX
- Sat. Nov. 15 at 2pm: Hyperbole Bookstore, offsite at Ringer Library (College Station, TX)
Happy October, Motherfucker.
Oct. 3rd, 2025 08:39 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png)
Roses still blooming
Oct. 3rd, 2025 10:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Twice Makes Nice
Oct. 3rd, 2025 01:00 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png)
Remember, bakers, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

Perhaps I should rephrase that.
Um...
Oh! How about this:
If at first you don't succeed, do something different the second time.

Going in circles, we are.
See, generally you're going to want to erase your first attempt, and then try to improve things the second time.

Hey, way to put the "DUN DUN DUNNN" in redundant!
Don't worry, though; with a little practice and repetition, you too can tell people to go pee themselves.

Er...yeah!
Go, go, go!
Thanks to Cat W., Laurie M., Christina A., & Terry L.
Thanks to Cat W., Laurie M., Christina A., & Terry L.
*****
P.S. In case this post wasn't painful enough:

Exceptionally Bad Dad Jokes
There are a lot of "dad joke" books out there, but this one has awesome ratings AND the word "spiffing" on the cover, so it's a clear winner.
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:

An Unlikely Coven (Green Witch Cycle, volume 1) By AM Kvita
Oct. 3rd, 2025 09:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)

Forgotten again by her family, Joan Greenwood discovers that this time her witch-kin had a legitimate excuse: a potentially existential threat to Greenwood power and privilege.
An Unlikely Coven (Green Witch Cycle, volume 1) by AM Kvita
Plains of Megiddo
Oct. 3rd, 2025 07:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Queen Demon Playlist
Oct. 2nd, 2025 08:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Seven Devils - Florence + Machine
Burning - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Bando - ANNA with MadMan and Gemitaiz
Bringing Murder to the Land - Anton Newcombe and Dot Allison
Bulletproof vs. Release Me - The Outfit
I Owe You Nothing - Seinabo Sey
W.I.T.C.H. - Devon Cole
Egun (theme from Manhunt) - Danielle Ponder
Warm - SG Lewis
Disease - Lady Gaga
Which Witch (Demo) - Florence + Machine
you should see me in a crown - Billie Eilish
Bakunawa - Rudy Ibarra, with June Millington, Han Han, and Ouida.
(no subject)
Oct. 2nd, 2025 05:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Exercised futility
Oct. 2nd, 2025 12:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Snowbird watch begins
Oct. 2nd, 2025 11:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)