the SIMMER blog

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!

ate, wrote, retreated

So I recently spent three days in Ashevile, North Carolina, and I came back STUFFED. Ahhh, what incredible food. And I should have expected it -- I was there with the Eat Write Retreat folks, and knowing how very very full I was after their event last May, I should've known we'd be indulging in the same way for this event too.

Oh, how we indulged.

This was a butternut squash "cannelloni" stuffed with goat cheese, part of an extensive chef's tasting we enjoyed at Biltmore Estate as our very first event. We then took a quick tour through the Tiffany exhibit on the grounds, and headed back to the Bistro for dinner. So we started out with overindulgence, and continued straight on through the weekend in the same way.

Next morning, we met up at Early Girl Eatery for breakfast and a discussion of good photography principles -- but don't judge the workshop based on my results here. I was experimenting with my brand-new iPhone camera. Point and click with very little nuance, here.

But man, those were some seriously good pancakes.

I also got to meet individually with each blogger in attendance -- I'd evaluated their blogs in advance and given them each a printout of what I considered the strengths and weaknesses of their writing, as well as a writing assignment for the weekend. They were all receptive and interested in stretching their skills. What a great group.

Then, we actually went to see some things that weren't food! Yet.

 

the kitchen daughter paperback cover!

Ooh, I do love a big reveal... and here's one for today!

We have an official cover for the upcoming paperback edition of The Kitchen Daughter:

Very different from the hardcover, clearly -- it's a much warmer feeling, and the image is obviously more literal. I love the intriguing ambiguity of the hardcover image, but I also love that this cover draws on a story within the story. So I'll be just as excited to see this one on the shelves as I was the last one.

(And of course that fabulous quote on the cover doesn't hurt either! There will be more quotes and blurbs in the first few pages of the book itself, and a Reading Group Guide in the back.)

happy nanowrimo!

Yes, November is National Novel Writing Month!

I'm not participating officially this year -- I'm deep into the editing process on my current project, and NaNoWriMo involves starting a fresh draft from scratch -- but I'm definitely cheering on some old friends and first-time participants.

If you've never heard of NaNoWriMo, here's the site link to bring you up to speed.

Happy writing!

back and gone again!

Had a wonderful, wonderful time in East Tennessee (Knoxville, Sweetwater, Kingston & Ten Mile) on my Kitchen Daughter trip -- and now I'm off again! This time to a writers' retreat all the way on the West Coast. The timing works out nicely, since I got to focus for a few days on being outgoing, promotional, and all about The Kitchen Daughter... and now I get to focus for a few days on being reflective, creative, and all about working on the next book.

So, no more posts this week, but I'll be back next week to check in and tell you some very exciting news about a particular magazine I love that just happened to publish something of mine in their most recent issue. Stay tuned!

trip to tennessee!

I've been traveling about once a month for events related to The Kitchen Daughter, and lo and behold, it's almost time for another trip. I'll be in Eastern Tennessee -- specifically, the Knoxville area -- for several days next weekend. Events include bookstore and library readings as well as a tasting tea and a tasting luncheon, and proceeds from the ticketed events will go to the Autism Society of America East Tennessee chapter.

Click here for the dates, times, and locations. See you there!

talking about setbacks on writer unboxed

My post for the month is up today at Writer Unboxed, advising writers on what to do in the face of inevitable setbacks. In general I advocate being positive, but what do you do when that's not enough? You take action, of course.

Click here to read Strike Back Against Setbacks.

writing matters this friday!

If you're in Northern New Jersey, you can come see me this Friday (September 23) at Watchung Booksellers in Montclair -- I'll be on a panel with three other writers talking about the solitary writer's life, and how we find ways to connect and get beyond our isolation. We'll chat, discuss, sign books, the works.

7pm this Friday. The more the merrier!

Details here on the Watchung Booksellers site.