the SIMMER blog

the kitchen daughter now in paperback!

Yep, today's the day! The Kitchen Daughter is now available in paperback. So you can get it for a holiday gift in hardcover, paperback, or e-book, as you choose!

Like the hardcover, the paperback is available at Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, at Amazon, and through many independent bookstores, as well as a new addition -- Target! So if you happen to be Christmas shopping this week... keep your eye out for this lovely cover!

(Does it ever hurt to have the word "OPRAH" on the cover? I think not. Yay!)

t minus one!

Sorry it's been quiet around here lately -- ironically, it's because there's too much happening! Tomorrow is a big day here, with The Kitchen Daughter coming out in paperback and my e-short story Croquembouche also launching. And having just moved Chez Simmer to a new home, I can now turn my attention back to all matters delicious.

First things first. I made some cookies.

Russian Teacakes are one of the must-do McHenry Christmas cookies every year. They're a wonderful nutty shortbread, rolled in powdered sugar while they're still warm to form a sweet, sweet coating. If you've seen Mexican Wedding Cakes, they're very similar, but because the Betty Crocker Cooky Book calls them Russian Teacakes, that's what we call them around here.

And they're delicious. Messy to eat, but delicious.

(If somewhat imperfectly captured by my iPhone camera. Hey, everything's in boxes. It's a small miracle I could even find the baking sheets!)

Books Are Great Gifts

Fun activity for a good cause taking place tonight on Twitter -- LitChat is hosting the Books Are Great Gifts auction as a literacy fundraiser. So you can bid on great books, and then give them as gifts. (Or, of course, you can also keep them for yourself!)

A signed hardcover of The Kitchen Daughter is among the prizes, and bidding starts at 8pm tonight. If you're not on Twitter but you're interested in bidding, there are instructions on the LitChat website on how to make that happen.

Happy holidays! And books really are great gifts, aren't they? I've got some on my own wishlist and picked out for friends and family. (Shh, don't tell them...)

Check out the auction catalog and website here.

 

me, around the web

Hello, blog readers! It's a pretty hectic December here -- more on that soon -- but I wanted to point you to a couple of pieces of writing that are new on the web this week:

40 weeks of a new life, part thoughtful reflection and part big announcement, over on Intrepid Media;

and Out in the E-World, talking about the importance of e-books and the new e-short story I've got coming out later this month, on Writer Unboxed.

Hope you enjoy these pieces, and see you back here soon!