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Writer’s Kitchen: Food Bloggers Getting Book Deals

Books

It’s a pretty exciting week for food bloggers. In the past week two of my favorites have announced book deals! Last Thursday, Hannah Queen told her readers over at Honey & Jam that she is now working on writing and photographing a cookbook of cake recipes, tentatively called Farm to Cake (Spring 2015, Stewart, Tabori & Chang). Then today I read over at Not Without Salt that Ashley Rodriguez is living her dream of writing a cookbook of her own, this one a celebration of her marriage with menus and recipes inspired by her Dating My Husband series (to be published around Valentine’s Day 2015 by Running Press). How cool is that? There’s nothing new about food bloggers getting book deals–it’s been happening for a number of years now–but these two are some of the most deserving and I know their books are going to be gorgeous, well-written, and trustworthy.

One final note: One of the great things about food bloggers announcing book deals is that they often do it by sharing a celebratory recipe. Hannah does so with Carrot Cake with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting and Ashley shares the news with Ice Cream Cake with Chocolate Wafers, Hot Fudge, and Candied Cocoa Nibs. So check out their blogs, salivate over the delicious-looking photos, and drop them a note encouraging them in the process–after all, as all writers know, it’s a huge endeavor and the readers part of what helps keep authors going.

Cheers to you both, Hannah and Ashley!

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Destination Inspiration: Powell’s City of Books & World Cup Roasters

World Cup Roasters at Powell's

The one thing better than a cafe bustling with writers and book-lovers is such a cafe located inside the biggest bookstore you can imagine. Think that place only exists in your dreams? Think again–it’s World Cup Roasters located inside Powell’s City of Books in Portland.

Food and Beverages

First things first when you arrive at the cafe ready to write: Fuel up! Order a coffee or tea–any beverage that suits the mood. While you’re at it, don’t forget the food. You might as well come hungry and give one of the individual savory pies from Pacific Pie Company a try. Selections vary from bacon, egg, and cheese to chard, Gruyère, and egg.

Pacific Pie Company Pastry

Location and Atmosphere

Not far from our first-ever Destination Inspiration profile–Pearl Bakery–Powell’s City of Books is located in the Pearl District, amidst all sorts of stores from Anthropologie to kitchen supplies. With Powell’s labrynth of bookshelves, one could happily and willingly get lost for hours. Few things stimulate the brain of a book lover/writer quite like the smell of books, the feeling of the pages shuffling beneath your finger tips and the endless ideas and possibilities contained inside. Walking into Powell’s will surely have your head spinning and your mind bursting with creativity.

Powell's Bookshelves

Writeability and Purchased Presence

One look as you step inside and you’ll see that Powell’s is a sort of black hole for book lovers, and the cafe is no exception. With shelves of romance novels and paranormal young adult fiction on one side, large windows on two sides, and an entrance to the main part of the bookstore on the other, the cafe is obviously a haven for the many people who sit drinking coffee, reading books, and writing on their laptops in the spacious eating area. The question is whether you can grab the open spot before someone else claims it for the next few hours. Obviously, if you’re planning on sticking around at your seat for hours, please live up to the Nooks & Cranberries Code of Conduct and be courteous and place more orders; if it’s particularly busy, consider giving up your seat and taking a break to browse books for a while before returning.

Powell's Pillar

Price: $$

It’s a coffee shop, and prices reflect that. From coffees for a few dollars to individual savory pies from Pacific Pie Company for about $5, you can fuel up on caffeine and food and still have a budget for the books you’ll inevitably want to take home.

Parking

You’re in luck: Powell’s has a parking garage!

Powell's Banner

Writer’s Tip

Try a new challenge in this unique bookstore. Explore the section of a genre you are unfamiliar with. For example, if you gravitate toward fiction, check out the travel section. Pick out a book and read a few paragraphs or whatever it takes to get an idea of the voice. With that new tone in mind, try rewriting something of your own, gearing it toward that new genre. You might be surprised at the new spin this gives your work!

Find it:

World Cup Roasters Cafe / Powell’s City of Books

1005 W Burnside
Portland, OR 97209
Website

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Daily Writer’s Fix: April 1-5 (Travel Edition)

Water at Kauai Beach

How does vacation–or any type of travel for that matter–impact your writing life? Chances are, if you’re like me, that it can be a challenge to maintain any sort of routine. And to be honest sometimes it’s good to take a break from that routine–if you’re confident you’ll be able to to pick it back up upon returning home. Another challenge is how to balance your typical writing with the journaling or note-taking you may want to do to record memories and moments from the trip. With that in mind, let’s spend some time this week working on travel-writing skills. That way, when you travel next time you’ll have an easier time observing details, taking notice of seemingly small yet important moments, and ultimately letting the words flow on the page. And with that, here’s the exercise:

Every day this week, observe something in your neighborhood or life as though you were traveling and seeing or experiencing it from the eyes of a visitor. What are the sights and sounds of the place (maybe it’s your backyard or your neighborhood park) or the event (it could be a trip to the market or a playdate with your friends) that capture its essence? What do you need to put into words in order to bring you back to this time and place when you reread your writing in the future? Consider each of the five senses. Notice the who, what, where, when, and why. Observe the thoughts running through your head–those that are related, and the seemingly random ones that that are popping up. Jot notes as they come to you, and then when you return to your computer, write a few paragraphs about your experience.