You got Peanut Butter in my Universe!

Though I do realise that most of my readers are not Canadian, the very fact that you’ve read some (or hopefully all) of my novels, makes you an honourary Canuck. So, being July 1st, Happy Canada Day! And in keeping with the holiday wishes, I would like to wish my US readers a Happy Independence Day, coming very soon, as you are no doubt aware. Cake for everyone!

As you can see from the newsletter you are currently reading, I took a short break from editing to get this month’s edition of the Insider into your inbox. But that’s not all I’ve been up to. By popular demand, I have created a reading order infographic for you to get the most out of my series. Here’s the link: https://katieberry.ca/the-order-of-the-berryverse-explained/ Or you can click on the infographic thumbnail.

As a longtime Katie Berry reader, you will know I am a foodie thanks to my avid descriptions of the meals my characters enjoy over the course of a novel. You will be happy to know that Claw Resurrection, coming late summer, carries on this fine tradition. 

With that in mind and in a quest to find something relatively healthy to treat myself with after a hard day of novel crafting, I have created a two-ingredient peanut butter fudge that I thoroughly enjoy (far too often since it’s so easy to make). 

If you suffer anaphylaxis, you’ll be happy to know I have made the fudge with sunflower seed butter just as successfully. Cashew butter or almond butter would also work. For the sweetening, anything with sugar works, from corn syrup to maple syrup or agave syrup. But personally, and presumably because of the little Pooh Bear inside me, I enjoy using honey. I mix it with Kraft light peanut butter, yes, the kind with the little bears on the front of the jar. As you can see, I don’t call myself Katie BEARy without good reason.

Anyway, long story short, mix your slightly runny peanut butter (or tasty substitute) and honey together at a two-to-one ratio (2 PB to 1 honey). If your PB is too solid, give it twenty seconds in the microwave, and the same goes for the honey–you want it easy to mix. You will know when it’s ready when it thickens and you can hardly stir it anymore. That usually takes about thirty seconds or less. Before you start stirring the two together, you could add chocolate chips or whatever you want to it (but not too much, this will affect things). Refrigerate for thirty minutes, then enjoy! In the photo, I have used pumpkin seeds, but pistachios, cashews or diced peanuts are delicious, too. For those of you into food science, peanut butter is an emulsion, and the oil of the peanuts gets trapped in the honey’s sugar syrup, disrupting the emulsion, and the result is a thick and lovely fudge-like consistency.

Nibbler, my ever-curious little puff of fluff, has been up to his usual playful shenanigans. Here’s a picture of him chilling on his perch, surveying his kingdom. Every morning, he hangs out there waiting for me to make my coffee, so I can then guide his little orange worm on the teaser rod about the living room for him to pounce on.

Some of the flicks I’ve enjoyed over the last month which I thought I would share with you. They’re all a lot of fun and highly recommend them:

Godzilla Minus One – Loved it! Amazing effects for a movie purported to cost 10-15 million dollars. These people need to do the effects in CLAW: The Movie!

Sting– Not related to Gordon Sumner, this arachnid-centric movie creeped me out most excellently. Can’t wait to see Infested soon. I hope my spiders in Emergence shine like this, and give people the willies, if Emergence gets picked up like CLAW did, that is.

Humane– Amazing Canadian film. Such dark humour and great acting! David Cronenberg’s daughter Caitlin directed it, and it’s lovely to see the horror running deep in this family. Can’t wait to see her next movie. Maybe she’ll remake The Fly for her dad.

The Fog– John Carpenter’s fantastic, moody and suspenseful classic. Part of my inspiration for CLAW’s crystalline ice fog stems from this movie’s titular menace.

The Winner Takes it All

Well, that’s it for this month, and yes, that is an ABBA song. The lucky recipient of this month’s audiobook is: phyllguzman@XXXXXX.com. And the winner of the autographed Katie Berry paperback of their choice is: ed_churchill@XXXXXX.com. Congratulations to both prizewinners and huge thanks to everyone for being a Katie Berry Books Insider! 

Though I realise I didn’t have much to say about CLAW Resurrection except in passing this month, in the next Insider, I will have a big update on it, along with more interesting and entertaining tidbits. Until then, stay in the shade, enjoy some peanut butter fudge, and plan which Katie Berry novel you’re going to read next.

Good health and great reads to you all,

-Katie Berry