Category Archives: book tour tales

October 22, 2012 · 11:58 am

Book tour takes me to Tampa

…. now say that five times fast.

The paperback tour for The Kitchen Counter Cooking School, which, by the way,  has been equally exciting and exhausting, is coming to a close BUT not before a visit to Tampa and Inkwood Books.

On Thursday, Oct. 25, I’ll be at Inkwood celebrating with wine, small bites from the book and cooking demos starting at 7 p.m. As always, I’m happy to sign copies.

I have the kind folks at Inkwood to thank for my Indie Next List honor, so obviously their store and this event are important to me, and of course I’d love for you join us for good food and great company.

Also, if you’d like to see what I’ve been up to along the way, check out the recent press links under the “Books” tab on my site. Here’s a taste: Become a Fearless Home Cook

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October 9, 2012 · 11:00 am

Wine, dine and demos in San Diego

The paperback tour for The Kitchen Counter Cooking School takes me to San Diego in a little more than a week  for two interactive events, and I’d love for you to join m

On Oct. 16, I’ll give the keynote speech (followed by Q & A) at a fundraiser  dinner ($75-$95) for the American Institute of Wine and Food (AIWF). We’ll be housed in San Diego’s popular Table 926 restaurant. Dinner starts at 6 p.m., and you can make reservations by calling AIWF at (619) 297-0951.  Books will be available for purchase, and I’ll be more than happy to sign one for you.

If you can’t make it to the AIWF dinner, the Junior League of San Diego is hosting me next evening at 6 p.m. I’ll do interactive cooking demos and discuss the book, all while you enjoy  wine and light appetizers. Attendance is $10 ($27 if book is included). Again, if you buy a book, I’ll gladly sign it.

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October 4, 2012 · 11:20 am

Food Writing Boot Camp in Washington D.C. on October 9th

Anyone who has taken my food writing classes knows that I have great passion for teaching. So I’m excited that my D.C. stop for  The The Kitchen Counter Cooking School paperback tour includes one stop featuring a writing class.

On Oct. 9, I’ll  be at D.C.’s famous Politics & Prose bookstore from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. teaching a “Food Writing Boot camp” focused on some key fundamentals of food writing. We’ll touch on several areas, from narrative food writing, to recipes to writing exercises to help learn the keys to writing delicious detail. Students will leave armed with a portion of the thick work book that I use for my weekend-long Hungry for Words boot camps at Richard Hugo House in Seattle that includes more writing exercises, loads of writing examples from a dozen writers and a lengthy reading list. It’s $40 ($35 for Politics & Prose members) for the two-hour class. Since its food writing, we’ll also have small bites to nibble on. Unlike the photo, there will be no yelling. In fact, I’m kind of a low talker, so you may need to lean in to hear me. More info at Politics & Prose.

If you’re in D.C., you can also catch me on Let’s Talk Live (NewsChannel 8) around 11 a.m. that Tuesday morning. I’ll be doing an interview and a demo and recommend some long distance moving services if you’re moving here. Tune in to find out what I’ll be cooking up.

By the way, I’m planning a series of food writing classes in 2013 in various parts of the country and – drum roll – Paris! To get updates, just drop me a line.

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· 10:52 am

How about cocktails or lunch in San Francisco?

Looking for a place to mingle with food-minded folks in the San Francisco area? Well, have I got two fun, food-centered events for you.

I’ll be in San Fran Oct. 12-13 to promote the paperback launch of my second book, The Kitchen Cooking School.

My first stop is a cocktail party at the city’s fabulous food-focused bookstore, Omnivore Books on Food at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12. Totally free, totally fun. Come mingle and pick up a signed copy of my book.

The next event is a lovely luncheon at Rakestraw Books in Danville, Calif. on Saturday, Oct. 13. I’ll discuss the book and sign copies. Lunch starts at noon. It’s $10 per person. Don’t forget to RSVP through Rakestraw’s site.

Looking forward to seeing and/or meeting you!

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September 25, 2012 · 10:07 am

Paperback goes on sale today!

It’s official: the paperback of The Kitchen Counter Cooking School went on sale today. I’m pretty psyched about it being made available in paperback as this opens up the message of the book to a wider audience, plus more book clubs are likely to read it. I’ve had amazing feedback from the clubs that took the plunge and tackled it in hardcover. Rather than sit around and simply discuss plot or which characters they liked or didn’t like, I had reports of people exploring the host’s fridge or assembling various everyday kitchen items to sample. I was so inspired that I wrote a special Book Club Guide with all kinds of activities, in addition to the usual discussion questions and Q&A with the author. (If you didn’t know this already, the reason why so many authors sound remarkably articulate in the back-of-the-book Q&As is simple: they write it themselves. Seriously, look at the Book Club Guide. That’s me interviewing myself. Don’t I sound intelligent?)

Since I’m on deadline for my third book already, I’m doing a more limited book tour for the paperback than usual. I may be adding some events in New York in November, too. Authors complain about the grueling nature of book tour, but I like going out and meeting booksellers, readers, the curious and even the folks who stroll into an event hoping for free food. (I always have food and/or drink at my events, should this sway you one way or another.)

Paperback tour dates for The Kitchen Counter Cooking School:

For more details, visit the Events page. I hope to see you in person. If not, I’ll be doing a live chat in October. Stay tuned.

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August 30, 2012 · 11:18 am

In Seattle? Come to a knife sharpening party for the paperback launch Sept. 25th or 26th

Normally, I try to avoid inviting dull party guests. But we’re having a party and your knives are invited, especially the dull ones.

The paperback of The Kitchen Counter Cooking School goes on sale Tuesday, September 25th. To mark this extraordinary occasion, I’ll be doing two events in greater Seattle. The first will be at the fabulous culinary book store, The Book Larder, on the day it goes on sale. It’s going to be a super fun event, with stations set up around the store for comparative tastings of everyday cooking staples, a sampling of recipes and some lovely wine. But, there’s more! Also on hand will be my pal Bill Magee, who will be bringing his mobile knife sharpening operation, Cutlery on Wheels. You’ll get a chance to try out a variety of knife styles and brands – and, if you bring your knives, he’ll be able to either sharpen on site or arrange to drop them off at your home or work. Everyone will get some fun swag, plus we’ll have some prizes, including a $20 gift certificate for knife sharpening. Cost is $20 and includes a signed copy of the paperback.

Can’t make that one? Fear not. The fun shifts to Third Place Books in Bothell on Wednesday, Sept. 26th. We’ll do the comparative tastings, I’ll talk about the project and Bill will be on hand with his truck for sharpening there, too. That event is free. RSVP ahead of time for a special gift.

Cutlery on Wheels charges about five or six bucks a knife; make sure you protect the blade for travel for reasons that should be obvious.

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August 22, 2012 · 12:23 pm

Paperback Tour Dates Announced!

The paperback version of The Kitchen Counter Cooking School hits the shelves on September 25th. Here’s the new cover, with the same content, only cheaper! Actually, there’s more content as the paperback has a cool Book Club and Reader’s Guide with suggestions to do crazy things such as raid the hostess’s fridge.

To promote this momentous milestone, I’ll be on tour in October and November throughout the United States. The book launch party will be at The Book Larder in Fremont. After Seattle, I’ll head to Atlanta (Oct. 7th), Washington, D.C. (Oct. 9th), Miami (Oct. 11th), Portland (Oct. 1-4th),Tampa Bay area (Oct. 23-26th), Austin, Texas (Nov. 8th or 9th) and Houston (Nov. 10th and 11th).

Most of the events will include tastings of everyday kitchen staples, such as salts, tuna fish, olive oil and there will be at least one giveaway of swag at each stop, plus each person who buys a book will get a little thank you gift from me. You can see the curren list of events here. 

Also, the private in-home cooking lessons/book parties are back by popular demand! We have opportunities in six areas for a one-of-a-kind experience. I’ll show up, host a private cooking lesson in your kitchen (or whatever room can hold your guests) and help you organize a comparative tastings of everyday kitchen staples (such as salt, olive oil, chicken stock, etc.) You invite your friends, book club members, neighbors and so on to buy some books. (That’s the point of the tour, after all.) As the host or hostess, you’ll get some pretty great swag plus signed first edition copies of both books and your fabulous shindig promoted across the social media universe. If you’ve got a blog or a book yourself, I’ll help you cross-promote it.

The locations and dates for 2012: greater Seattle (Sept. 28th or 29th), Atlanta (Oct. 7th), Washington, D.C. (Oct. 9th), Miami (Oct. 11th), Portland (Oct. 1-4th),Tampa Bay area (Oct. 23-26th), Austin, Texas (Nov. 8th or 9th) and Houston(Nov. 10th or 11th). Drop an email if you’re interested, or if you’ve got an idea of another event, media coverage or whatever.

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November 2, 2011 · 3:03 pm

Few Good Food Links: Unprocessed October, Healthy Thanksgiving, Reviews

I offered a guest post (a recipe for baked chicken nuggets) for Andrew Wilder’s Eating Rules “October Unprocessed,” a challenge to completely avoid processed food for a month. (Disclosure: I did fairly well, but did resort to sandwiches made with processed bread and a few granola bars while on book tour…) His effort resulted in 31 days of great tips and tactics for freeing yourself form the generalized tyranny of convenience foods.

In a similar vein over at What Would Cathy Eat?, Cathy Elton has laid down another challenge: a Heatlhy Thanksgiving. Several of my family members have cut down our meat consumption (more on that in another post), so this year Mike and I  decided it’s time for a vegetarian Thanksgiving.

Yes, you read that right. No deboned whole turkey, no heavily buttered white potato gratins. See, I’ve got this thing. I love my husband. He has some not-nice family history with heart disesase and didn’t score so great on a modern medical-style peek at his arteries, so we both agreed recently to cut back our meat and dairy consumption. But his first question was, “Well, when I don’t eat meat, what can I eat?” As it turns out, plenty.

I think that’s why I like Cathy’s site. After a heart condition led her doctor to recommend a bland diet - to which she responded, if memory serves, “No fucking way” – she overhauled her diet and proves that eating well doesn’t mean giving up great food or flavor.

It has always struck me as odd that we celebrate one of the most Puritan of holidays with one of the deadly sins (gluttony). Last year, I gained 10 pounds between mid-November and January 1st. I’m height-challenged at 5’3”, so while that gain might make some people’s jeans tight, it made it impossible to wear most of my clothes. I’ve decided this year, I don’t want to go there.

So, who’s with me? I’m not saying you have to give up the bird, but perhaps don’t wrap it in bacon, avoid the boxed stuffing, try to cut some of the calories out of that pumpkin pie and up your offering of vegetables. (See all of Cathy’s tips.) I’m going to post recipes as I find them, so if you know of some great options (including your own), let me know. I’ll even be hosting an online chat the week of Thanksgiving to answer questions and share what I’ve decided to make. If you’re on Twitter, follow the hashtag #healthythanks

Other links:

  • In an embarssment of riches in terms of great coverage, here are a few of the best written reviews of the The Kitchen Counter Cooking School: The Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Wall Street Journal and Associated Press (it appeared all over, but here it is on the Today show site). Thanks for the kind and well thought-out words. I’m compiling a list of all the reviews in the next couple of weeks — when I get a chance to catch my breath.
  • Chow Bella: I think that the folks behind the food section at New Times in Phoenix is on to something. They developed an online book club that paired with local bookstore Changing Hands to offer a discount on their selection. I’m deeply honored they selected my book as their first, especially since it prompted my publisher, Viking/Penguin to hastily add another tour date to send me there (as I write this, tomorrow). But it reminds me that even in an age-old industry as newspapers and bookstores, there’s always a new way to do what both mean to do: engage people and bring them together. It’s also made me think, maybe more authors should start online book clubs? I have so many books that I read that I think deserve an audience, plus I love books (especially books about food) and I adore talking about them. Stay tuned.

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October 21, 2011 · 6:40 pm

Where I’m going and where I’ve been

Yes, that's a horse

So I’m two weeks into the book tour for The Kitchen Counter Cooking School. I’m sitting at the hotel in Austin, Texas, gearing up for The Texas BookFest.

 I don’t have children, but I think that giving birth to a book is how you might feel if you had labor planned. I handed off this book nearly a year ago. It was coming out and once it did, there was no way to put it back in. I’m glad to report that it feels like this has been a relatively easy birth. Lots of great reviews, starting with one in People magazine right before our big event in New York at the Institute of Culinary Education. That was a fun night as author Pam Anderson (of “The Perfect Recipe” series and the upcoming Cook Without a Book: Meatless Meals) and Lauren Shockey, author of Four Kitchens and food writer over at the Village Voice. From there, Mike and I winged it down to Atlanta where we led an enthusiastic group through tastings of salt and Parmsean cheese right in the Barnes & Noble bookstore. Then, it was back to Seattle for our launch event at Elliott Bay Books not far from our house.

Lauren, me, Pam at ICE

That first week was exhausting and exhilirating. The second, a little tougher. Bookstore events are feast-and-famine affairs. One night, nearly 70 people in Seattle. At the next few events in California, only a handful turned out to each. That’s OK, it happens. Mike stayed home that week. On my own, I nearly missed a flight, I couldn’t sleep and by the time I got to Portland to hook up with him at the weekend, I was over the whole thing. But then, we had a great event at Quailhurst Winery in Sherwood, Oregon, and it reminded me how fun it can be on book tour. The winery itself is quite the posh affair, and they set up the chairs in an immaculate horse stable with laminated wood walls and old-fashioned gas-style lights. The turnout was great, people wandered in with bottles of wine and we had a great time. It also marks the first time I’ve had a horse attend one of my readings. The next night at Powell’s in Beaverton turned out to be a terrific event, too.

That's me signing her copy of my first book

A lot of authors dread book tour. Not me, at least not yet. Sure, I’m over TSA and airports, for instance. It takes planning to eat vaguely healthy; I’ve taken to carrying a little Built lunchbag with snacks. But it’s great to meet booksellers and readers face to face. It’s kind of like hooking up with old friends and meeting new ones. Plus, I’m interested in what people think about it, the same way new parents seem eager to get feedback on their handiwork. I’ve heard stories from coast to coast about people’s lack of confidence in the kitchen, or conversely, that people who felt confident cooking who have decided to help friends or family members learn a few skills. A couple of people have hugged me and cried; one woman showed me a photo of her first-ever roast chicken on her mobile phone. That’s worth dealing with the 3-1-1 rule on liquids and packing some hummus in Tupperware, right?

I’ll be in Austin this weekend, first as part of LitCrawl on Saturday night and then in a one-on-one chat at 11 a.m. Sunday morning with the wonderful food writer MM Pack. Next stops below. If you’re around, come out and see me! If you know people who live in places where I’m going, give them a heads up!

BAY AREA
Wednesday, Oct. 26th: Books Inc., Palo Alto
Thursday, Oct. 27th: Book Passage, Ferry Building, San Francisco

COLORADO/SOUTHWEST
Tuesday, Nov. 1st: Boulder Bookstore
Wednesday, Nov. 2nd: Tattered Cover, Denver
Thursday, Nov. 3rd: Changing Hands Bookstore, Phoenix

MIDWEST
Sunday, Nov. 6th: Chicagogourmets author dinner, Bistro Voltaire (almost sold out)
Wednesday, Nov. 9th: Next Chapter, Milwaukee

LOS ANGELES
Thursday: Nov. 10th: Diesel Books, Brentwood, Calif.
Friday-Sunday, Nov. 11-13th: Intl Food Bloggers Conference (speaker)

EAST & SOUTH
Wednesday, Nov. 16th: Kitchen Xhibition, Northeastern University, Boston 
         (free cooking demo, open to the public)
Saturday, Dec. 3rd: Malaprops, Asheville, N.C.
Thursday, Dec. 8th: Garden District Bookstore, New Orleans

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October 14, 2011 · 2:38 pm

Hanging out with Jacques

Sometimes, you just have those pinch-me-is-this-really-happening experiences. Such a moment happened on the first official day of the book tour just before I went to speak at one of my favorite bookstores, R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison, Conn. As it happens, culinary icon Jacques Pepin lives nearby, and for a project on behalf of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, he invited us to the studio kitchen behind his house to film him talking about his friendship with — wait for it – Julia Child.

I had met Jacques a couple of times in passing at IACP conferences, but there we were at his kitchen talking about my personal hero and petting his cute little dog. I gave him a copy of The Kitchen Counter Cooking School and by chance, it opened up on Chapter 2, titled “What Would Julia Do?” We talked about the project and teaching, and he said, “Well, yes, that’s what she would do. She always thought of herself as a teacher. She wanted people to cook and to appreciate food. She believed in it.”

Jacques has a new book out later this month, Essential Pepin: More Than 700 All-Time Favorites from My Life in Food.  He had an advance copy, and we started to talk about author-type stuff and Mike mentioned Author Central on Amazon.com. So then, Jacques invited us into his actual house. To meet his lovely wife. To see what they were making for dinner. Mike even did some troubleshooting on his Mac! In the end, I think Jacques may have been more impressed with Mike than me. When Jacques mentioned he was going out to Seattle to do an event with Nathan Myrvold, he asked Mike if he knew him. To which Mike answered, “Well, sure. I did the first webchat that Microsoft ever did with Nathan.” Then Jacques asked Mike a bunch of technical questions.

Just as we left, Jacques asked where we planned to have dinner after the book event and we told him Bar Bouchee, an adorable French bistro near our bed and breakfast. Unsurprisingly, Jacques knows the owner. When we arrived, the manager brought over two flutes of champagne — from Jacques Pepin. Sigh.

Just then, Mike pinched me. But then, he does that from time to time anyway.

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