Category: Book Events and Tours

Gulliver’s Travels: A Lilliputian Feast

Posted April 4, 2019 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book Events and Tours / 0 Comments

 

 Hi, guys! I’m finally back from my hiatus! I loved having a few months off to take care of the new baby, but I’m definitely ready to get cooking again. Full steam ahead! ^.^

Some of you may remember that I’m trying out a new format this year. I love doing full menus of recipes, but I don’t think I’ll be able to invest that much time in the blog this year. This is because, in addition to the new baby, I’ve got a Super Secret Writing Project in the works! 🙂 I can’t give more details quite yet, so all I can say is that it’s gonna take up quite a bit of free time. Rather than shut down the blog for a year, I decided to reduce my schedule to 1 post per month and take reader requests for recipes (you can send me your request here). Today is our first installment!

Today’s recipe is inspired by Gulliver’s Travels…although, if I’m being honest, it’s more like 3 recipes. I guess after being away so long, I was a little overeager to get back in the kitchen. 😉 But I promise there’s a practical reason for tripling up on recipes today: this post is a tribute to the Lilliputians, the tiny civilization Gulliver meets during the early part of his journey. He’s a giant in their world, so a few bite-size dainties to him are a whole feast to them!

This 3-course feast starts with Caprese salad bites made from hollowed out cherry tomatoes, bits of fresh mozzarella, snips of fresh basil, and a touch of honey vinaigrette dressing (the dressing recipe is a variation of one from Iowa Girl Eats). Next comes a mini beef wellington recipe I found on the Food Network. Finally, we have 3-tier mini cakes with vanilla pound cake, chocolate buttercream, and fresh berries.

Whether you’re a minute Lilliputian or a giant from a far off land, you’re sure to find these dishes satisfying.

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Christmas News & Life Updates: Goodreads Awards and Jan. 2019 Blog Schedule

Posted December 22, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Blogging, Book Events and Tours, Holidays / 0 Comments

 

Christmas Tree With Baubles

 

Merry Almost Christmas, everybody! Today I’m putting the finishing touches on gifts and getting ready to hunker down for the last remaining weeks before we bring the Little Miss into the world. In the meantime, I’ve got some exciting life updates to share with you guys:
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THE GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS

As many of you may remember, my cookbook A Literary Tea Party was nominated in the 2018 Goodreads Choice Awards. The winners were announced at the beginning of the month, and I’m thrilled to say I placed 4th in my category! 😀 There was some tough competition—including cookbooks from Ina Garten, Bobby Flay, and Giada De Laurentiis—so getting 4th place was really exciting for me. I flailed about it on social media quite a bit, but this is the first chance I’ve had to announce it on the blog. Thank you SO much to everyone who voted! 🙂

Pssst! If you’re looking for a last minute Christmas gift, you can still get my book before Christmas if you order through Amazon!
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NEXT YEAR’S BLOG SCHEDULE

In my pregnancy announcement post, I mentioned plans to approach next year in 3 phases: hiatus, 2 posts per month, then back to full schedule by the end of the year. I recently had a big blog-related project come up that I need to start working on ASAP, so the plan has changed some. I can’t give full details about the project yet since it’s not officially official, but I should be able to shower you all with the awesome news by early spring. 🙂

As for 2019 blog plans, I’ll still be on postpartum hiatus for January-March. I scheduled some past posts to republish on Thursdays so it won’t be a total dead zone around here, but I don’t know how often I’ll reply to comments and such. After March, my plan is to do 1 post per month for the rest of the year. With 2 kids under 3 years at home, I’m gonna need the extra time for Operation Super Secret Project! 😉

There’s a silver lining, though: you guys get to pick what I make for the monthly posts! If there’s a food you’ve always wanted to see featured on the blog, shoot me an email through the Chat with the Chef page! It can be a specific literary recipe (like, say, the Queen’s tarts from Alice in Wonderland), or if you want to see a certain book featured but don’t care which food I pick, you can tell me about that too.

And you can start sending your requests now! I want to build up as many ideas as possible before March so I have the option to work ahead (and time to read the book, if it’s one I haven’t read). So if you’ve already got something in mind, send it my way! 😀

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That’s all from me for now!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everybody!

Goodreads Choice Awards and Cookbook Events: Latest Updates

Posted November 14, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Blogging, Book Events and Tours / 0 Comments

 

 

Hi, everybody! I’m back again with more updates regarding my cookbook, A Literary Tea Party!

  • The final round of the Goodreads Choice Awards started yesterday…and I’m thrilled to say I MADE IT!!! 😀 😀 😀 Many thanks to those of you who have voted so far, and thanks again for your continued support. Since this is the final round, voting is open a little longer this time: until Nov. 26th. Goodreads will announce the winners on Dec. 4th. You can cast your vote for my book, A LITERARY TEA PARTY, in the Food & Cookbooks category here. Here’s hoping for a win, but no matter what happens, I’m just excited to have made it this far! 🙂
  • I also have an update on the book signing scheduled for this weekend. Prairie Fox Books in Ottawa, IL, the store that planned to host the event, unfortunately had to cancel due to store renovations being behind schedule. Normally I’d just reschedule for a bit later, but with my baby due January 3rd, that wasn’t really an option for me. I’m really bummed, guys! 🙁 I was SO looking forward to meeting lots of you at the event and bringing treats to share…but don’t worry, all is not lost! My late spring/early summer cooking demo at the same location is set to proceed on schedule. Yay for silver linings!

 

See you all back here tomorrow for our next recipe!
Let’s keep our fingers crossed for a Goodreads win! 😉

 

The Goodreads Choice Awards: Voting Continues!

Posted November 7, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Blogging, Book Events and Tours / 1 Comment

 

 

Hi, everybody! I took the Little Mister with me to vote in the midterms yesterday, and I gotta say he was a total champ (the free baggies of candy they were giving out to “future voters” helped too 😉 ). But now I’m ready for some FUN voting. Luckily for me, the second round of the Goodreads Choice Awards has officially begun! And my book, A LITERARY TEA PARTY, is in the semifinals! ???

Many thanks to those who voted in the opening round, and thanks again for your continued support. Voting for this round is open until November 11th. You can cast your vote here. Ten books will be eliminated in this round, so competition is fierce!

 

Here’s hoping we make it to the finals!

 

Cookbook Updates: Prairie Fox Bookstore Event and Goodreads Choice Awards

Posted October 31, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book Events and Tours / 5 Comments

 

 

Hi, everybody! Happy Halloween! Our November menu starts tomorrow, but before that kicks off, I have two pieces of exciting news to share about my cookbook, A Literary Tea Party:

  • First off, just a reminder that I’ll be in Ottawa, IL on November 17th at Prairie Fox Books for a book signing. There will be fun giveaways, and I’m bringing treats from the cookbook to share! I’ll also be there again in late spring/early summer to do a cooking demo for the grand opening of their new cafe. No exact date set for the second event yet, but I’ll let you know when it’s decided.
  • Second, my cookbook has been nominated for the 2018 Goodreads Choice Awards!! 😀 😀 😀 Every year, Goodreads.com picks 15 newly published books in 20 different categories and has 3 rounds of voting to determine the winner in each category. If you would like to vote for my book, you can access the Food & Cookbooks category by clicking here (you’ll need to create a Goodreads account in order to vote, if you don’t already have one). I truly appreciate your support. Seeing my book alongside those of Bobby Flay and Giada de Laurentiis is mindblowing. To be honest, it doesn’t feel real! I’ll know by Nov. 6th if I qualify for the next round of voting. Fingers crossed! ?

 

See you all back here tomorrow for our first Nov. recipe!
Thanks again for your support!

 

Giveaway Deadline and Some Changes to the Tuesday Post Schedule

Posted June 19, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Blogging, Book Events and Tours / 6 Comments

 

 

Today is the last day to submit entries to my cookbook giveaway! The official end time is 11:59 pm Central Time. Be sure to get your entries in ASAP for a chance to win a signed copy of my new cookbook, A Literary Tea Party, and a Tea with Tolkien mug!

 

I LOVE the mugs. One is green and says “Tea with Tolkien” and the other is blue and says “Lattes with Lewis”! 😀

 

As many of you have heard from my posts here on the blog and on social media, I’ve been working hard to get the word out about my book. However, there’s a lot of other new exciting things going on as well! First off, we’re moving! We’re currently in the process of packing and house hunting—with the hope that we’ll be tucked away in our new home before the end of the summer. We’re very excited about this new change for our family and can’t wait to find a new place.

We also have ANOTHER new and exciting thing in the works! The timing isn’t quite right to reveal the details yet, but I’m hoping to spill the beans some time in July. 😉

All that being said, I’m having trouble keeping up with my normal post schedule. And I’ve been just AWFUL at keeping up with blog comments. I’ve tried to work ahead as much as possible, but the fast pace in conjunction with my hectic schedule has created confusion and mix ups (some of you may remember two weeks ago when my Vulcan Spice tea post published a week early…before my Star Trek menu even started! Eek!!!). I was already considering parring down my Tuesday posts, but the Vulcan Spice mix up made it clear that I REALLY needed to.

For the next several months, I’m putting all my regular Tuesday posts on hold (Top Ten Tuesday linkups, reading kits, and tea premieres). I can’t give an exact end time, but it will go at least until the start of October. However, there WILL be lots of new book updates, so I’ll share those on Tuesdays as they occur. Of course, my recipe posts will continue to publish every Thursday as usual.

 

I’ll see you all on Thursday for my next Star Trek recipe.
It’s a fun one, and I’m happy to say the Little Mister and I are both huge fans of it! 🙂

 

Book Release Awesomeness: Guest Posts, Interviews, & Events for My New Book! Plus, How to Schedule an Event Near You! :D

Posted June 12, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book Events and Tours / 11 Comments

 

 

My brand new cookbook, A Literary Tea Party, came out last Tuesday!!! * cue wild flailing and dancing *

I’ve been doing lots of book promotions and event planning the past few weeks, so this is the first time I’ve had a chance to talk about it on the blog. There’s LOTS to tell you! Here’s what’s been going on:

  • Sara LeTourneau Guest Post. Sara was kind enough to write the intro for my cookbook AND invite me to write a guest post for her blog the week it came out! Since the cookbook focuses on tea party recipes, I decided to write a post with tea party planning tips. Swing by Sara’s blog and check it out!
  • Paperfury Cake Recipe for A Thousand Perfect Notes. Paperfury’s debut novel came out just two days after my cookbook, so we teamed up to write a post for her blog! Everyone knows she has a passion for cake, and she couldn’t resist sneaking one into the pages of her book: chocolate almond date cake. I developed a recipe for it, and she shared it on her blog, along with info about both our books. Many thanks, Cait! 🙂
  • Podcast Interview with DIY MFA. I am honored to have been a guest on Gabriela’s podcast for the DIY MFA writer’s site, where she interviews authors about their books and writing lives. It’s so fun and informative–I’ve been a huge fan for ages! Since my interview hasn’t come out yet, I don’t have a direct link to it, but I’ll share one as soon as it’s available. Keep an eye out!
  • My First Author Event! This past weekend, we held an author meet ‘n greet and book signing at the Streator Public Library in Illinois. It was my very first author event, so I was super excited! It was great to be able to do it in my home town, at the library I grew up using. I literally went around grabbing books and telling my husband, “This is the first copy of the The Hobbit I ever read! This was where I first read Phantom of the Opera!” Many thanks to the library for hosting and to everyone who attended. It was so great to see you all! 🙂

 

Me at the Streator Library!

 

Want Me to Visit Your Local Library, Bookstore, or School? Let’s Make It Happen!

I’ve had some people contact me about scheduling an author event in their town, which is SO flattering! I’ve got several potential appearances in the works, and I wanted to let you all know what to do if you want to schedule one too:

  • First, contact the location you’d like me to visit and let them know you’re interested in having me come by. Some locations don’t do author events, so it’s always good to check. Plus, libraries and bookstores are always more interested in inviting authors if their patrons specifically request them.
  • If they’re interested in hosting an event, send me an email here!
  • I’ll send them our press release, and my publicist and I can start talking with them about scheduling! 😀
  • NOTE: Since I live in the Midwest, visiting locations in this region shouldn’t be a problem. For anything further away, I’ll have to get the ok from my publisher, since they’ll be covering transportation and accommodation. However, if I’m not able to visit your town, we’ve got lots of other options available! We can schedule a radio or podcast interview, or you can let me know of nearby book festivals that my publisher might already plan on attending. We’ll do everything we can to make it work!

 

Thank you all for your continued support of my blog and book. I couldn’t do this without you guys! 😀

 

#LiteraryTeaPartyTime Giveaway: Share Pics of My Recipes for a Chance to Win a Copy of My Cookbook!

Posted May 1, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book Events and Tours / 5 Comments

 

 

Wanna hear something crazy? My cookbook is coming out next month! It’s been a long, wonderful, crazy road, and soon my beautiful book baby with the blue scalloped cover will make its debut. It’s scary to send it out into the world, but it’s also wildly exhilarating. I’m an AUTHOR…that’s so…I just…what even? For someone who writes for a living, I can’t seem to string together a sentence that adequately expresses how I feel. All I can say is that it’s some kind of bottomless joy and I NEED to share it!

My editor and I first started discussing giveaways as we finished tweaking the final draft of the book. To be honest, some aspects of the promotion process seem kinda terrifying…like going out into the world IN PERSON and talking to REAL PEOPLE about my book to their FACES. Excuse me while I melt in terror at the thought #IntrovertLife. However, giveaways make me super excited. I love participating in them, so hosting one of my own is a special treat. What’s not to love? Someone gets my book for FREE, and I can’t wait to see all the entries, no matter how difficult choosing between them will be.

So let’s get started! 😀

ENTRY GUIDELINES

  • HOW TO ENTER: 
    • I’ve selected 3 recipes from my cookbook and shared links to the instructions below. Make 1 of these recipes and share a photo of it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Google+ with the hashtag #LiteraryTeaPartyTime.
    • The post must include the hashtag, the name of the recipe, and a link to this giveaway post. I’ll run a search of the hashtag on each platform regularly, but you can also tag me in your post to be sure I see it right away. I’m on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ (but not Instagram).
    • Each person is allowed to submit 1 entry per recipe for a total of 3 possible entries per person.
    • The giveaway is open to all countries.
  • PHOTOS WILL BE JUDGED ON THE FOLLOWING:
    • Accuracy of the Recipe. The recipe must be made correctly.
    • Quality of the Photograph. You don’t need fancy equipment, but the photograph does need to be in focus, have adequate lighting, and prominently feature the food from the recipe.
    • Creativity. Flex that left brain! Your photo could be a closeup on a fun plate, a painstakingly staged food arrangement, an action shot of you chowing down, etc. Don’t be afraid to have fun!
  • ENTRY DEADLINE: June 5th, 2018 (the day my book comes out!) EDIT: We’ve extended the deadline for 2 weeks to allow early reviewers a chance to participate. The new deadline is now June 19th! 🙂

 

ENTRY RECIPES

Beorn’s Honey Nut Banana Bread from The Hobbit

Cracked China Deviled Eggs from The Wizard of Oz

Queen of Hearts’ Painted Rose Cupcakes from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

 

PRIZES

Every good tea deserves a beautiful cup to serve it in, right? That’s why in addition to a free copy of A Literary Tea Party, we’re also offering two custom mugs as prizes, compliments of Kaitlyn from the blog and Etsy store Tea with Tolkien. One mug is green and says “Tea with Tolkien,” and the other is blue and says “Lattes with Lewis.” I absolutely love them and am sorely tempted to keep them for myself. They’re sturdy and beautiful with rich colors, and something about them just says FILL ME WITH A HOT BEVERAGE RIGHT NOW PLEASE! 🙂

1st PRIZE: A free SIGNED (!!!) copy of A Literary Tea Party and a mug from the Tea with Tolkien store

2nd PRIZE: A mug from the Tea with Tolkien store and a “Hobbit at Heart” Sticker

 

Here we go, folks! Ready…Set…#LiteraryTeaPartyTime! 🙂

I Interviewed Cait from Paper Fury about her Debut Novel: A Thousand Perfect Notes!

Posted November 28, 2017 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book Events and Tours / 3 Comments

 

https://i0.wp.com/images.pexels.com/photos/112989/pexels-photo-112989.jpeg?resize=699%2C465&ssl=1

 

Hey, folks! 🙂 I’m sure many of you are familiar with Cait, the brilliant mind behind Paper Fury. Her passionate book reviews, tongue-in-cheek writing advice, and love of cake have graced the blogosphere for 6 years and earned her the adoration of readers worldwide.

I’ve been following her blog ever since I started my own 4 years ago, and I instantly loved its energetic tone and distinctive voice. So when she recently announced that her debut novel, A Thousand Perfect Notes, will be published in June 2018, I was thrilled and had so many questions! I was sure many of my readers would feel the same, so I asked Cait for an interview…and she said YES! 😀 😀 😀

Cait has revealed a few details about the book on her blog, but much of the story is still a closely guarded secret (even the cover art). A little more will be revealed closer to the print date, but right now we know that A Thousand Perfect Notes is the story of Beck, whose mother forces him to play piano for hours and hours every day, meeting any hint of rebellion with abuse. Beck longs to compose his own music but lives in fear of his mother, until he meets a girl named August who opens his eyes to new possibilities.

Of course, even that tiny taste of the story is powerful, but Cait has expressed her desire to avoid revealing too much too soon.

That in mind, I chose seven questions related to Cait’s writing process and inspiration for ATPN, along with upcoming projects—enough to satisfy our curiosity for now, while still getting a few delicious details about what we’ll have in store when we crack open A Thousand Perfect Notes for the first time.

So here we go!

 

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