Cookbook Update: My Book Is FINISHED!

Hey, everybody! I FINALLY got a chance to write another cookbook post!! 😀 I’ve been sharing quick social media updates when I can, but they’re just no substitute for sitting down and sharing ALL the fun new things going on in cookbook land. I would’ve done so sooner, but after I submitted my final manuscript to my editor in October, I had to submerse myself in my blog for awhile. I needed to plan my first three 2018 menus, and all three wound up including intense recipes (namely, two gingerbread houses and a roast goose). Then came planning and cooking for my son’s first birthday party, which was fun but didn’t leave a lot of free time for cookbook posts. Now things have settled down, and I’m ready to share all the juicy details about what’s been going on since I submitted my manuscript!

My editor and I spent the last several months tweaking everything from minor wording to the cover design. We made one big change and added some new material, and we’ve got some promotional events in the works. I’ve included the details below, so let’s dive in!

 

 

Cookbook News

• A new cover! As much as I loved the original red cover with the photographed background, the sales department gave some solid reasons for moving in another direction. Namely, the photograph looked a little busy, which made it hard to interpret at a quick glance. The title was also a little cramped. After bouncing around some ideas with the editing and sales departments, we decided to go with tea time graphics in the background and a more soothing color scheme. Below is the final version, which I love. I think the style of this cover is a better fit for the overall tone of the book. I love the antique-y look of the background and the colors the designer chose for it. The title on this version is easier to read, and can we all just take a moment to appreciate that beautiful blue scallop? The more I look at it, the more I find to like about it, but I’ll stop here before this whole post becomes about the new cover. *happy sigh*
• New Material: Blurbs and Tea Party Themes! As you can see from the new cover, we’ve got blurbs from reviewers!!! The cover features a blurb from the lovely Diana Ault of Fiction-Food Cafe. We also added a section with tea party theme ideas and a page of cooking tips and tricks. I had SO much fun coming up with the tea party themes, especially the menu suggestions! 🙂
• Promotions in the works! Here’s just some of the stuff we’ve got planned:
  • Library and bookstore appearances, dates and locations TBD
  • DIY MFA podcast interview June 2018
  • Tea party planning tips guest post for the Sara LeTourneau blog (She wrote the introduction for my book!)
  • Recipe guest post for the PaperFury blog (Her book and mine are being released just a couple days apart, so this will be a co-promotion post. It will include a recipe based on food from her book, but it will also include info about my book as well.)

I’ll try to post another update with details on event dates/times once we have them finalized.
Don’t forget to pre-order your copy of the book! 😀