ROOTLESS BLOG TOUR AND GIVEAWAY OF ROOTLESS

Today I'm excited to be a part of the ROOTLESS blog tour. Because of Hurricane Sandy, you'll see that we had to switch the guest post today. I'm sure you'll all understand.

ROOTLESS is a dystopian novel by debut author Chris Howard about a world where there are no trees. Doesn't it sound fascinating?

So here's Chris.

A ROOTLESS RECIPE

Today we'd scheduled a Q&A with Phil Falco, the talented designer at Scholastic who created the awesome cover art for ROOTLESS. However, because of Superstorm Sandy, we weren't able to get the Q&A finished in time… so it'll be posted later on, and I'm sure you'll join me in wishing Phil and everyone else who's trying to bounce back from the storm a speedy recovery. Not wanting to leave a blogger hanging, I decided the ROOTLESS BLOG TOUR could use one more exclusive!!

We've talked about inspirations, science, music, characters, writing, editing, audiobook narrating… but what about food? Yep, in Banyan's world the only thing that can grow is the genetically engineered corn owned by GenTech Corporation. This means people eat corn for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Banyan survives on the microwave popcorn that GenTech calls Superfood. But the Soljahs up north in Waterfall City prefer to eat cornmeal porridge. This is a nod to a very special song - do you know it?! Anyway, cornmeal porridge is a delicious dish, and while the Soljahs wouldn't be able to make this version (they lack crucial ingredients), it's my favorite recipe "of which I'll share with you" (to quote the song!)

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow cornmeal
4 cups water
1/2 tbsp salt
1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
(nutmeg - optional)

Process:
In a saucepan, bring the water and salt to boil. In a bowl, combine the cornmeal and coconut milk into a smooth paste. Turn the heat to medium and stir the paste into the boiling water. Continue stirring for 2-3 minutes. Then cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and lowering the heat if the porridge begins to stick. Stir in the vanilla, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes more. Ladle into bowls and serve.

A friend of mine passed on this recipe, having got it from the cook at the Whispering Bamboo Hotel in Jamaica. It's a gluten-free and vegan dish, and I hope you enjoy it!

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ABOUT THE BOOK

17-year-old Banyan is a tree builder. Using salvaged scrap metal, he creates forests for rich patrons who seek a reprieve from the desolate landscape. Although Banyan's never seen a real tree--they were destroyed more than a century ago--his missing father used to tell him stories about the Old World.

Everything changes when Banyan meets a mysterious woman with a strange tattoo, a map to the last living trees on earth, and he sets off across a wasteland from which few return. Those who make it past the pirates and poachers can't escape the locusts . . . the locusts that now feed on human flesh.

But Banyan isn't the only one looking for the trees, and he's running out of time. Unsure of whom to trust, he's forced to make an alliance with Alpha, an alluring, dangerous pirate with an agenda of her own. As they race towards a promised land that might only be a myth, Banyan makes shocking discoveries about his family, his past, and how far people will go to bring back the trees.

ABOUT CHRIS

Before he wrote stories, Chris Howard wrote songs, studied natural resources management, and led wilderness adventure trips for teenagers. He currently lives in Denver, CO, and ROOTLESS is his first novel. Join him at http://www.chrishowardbooks.com/

LINKS:

http://www.chrishowardbooks.com/

http://www.facebook.com/ChrisHowardBooks

https://twitter.com/chrish0ward

http://chrishowardbooks.tumblr.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/author/ChrisHoward

Chris is offering an awesome package of goodies for one lucky winner. Here's a picture of what you can win:

 

To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment by midnight on November 247th. I’ll announce the winner on November 26th. Please let me know what color t-shirt you want and the size in the comments. If your e-mail is not on Blogger, please list it in your comment. 

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. International entries are welcome.

To follow the rest of the tour and get more chances to win ROOTLESS swag, check outhttp://yabookscentral.com/blog/rootless-blog-tour 

 

Have a great weekend! Hope to see you on Monday when I'm interviewing debut author J.A. Souders and giving away a copy of RENEGADE.