Book Launch Dance Party!

On Wednesday, October 7th, I had the honor of being asked to speak at a local library about my writing journey. Afterward, I had the further delight of getting to go out with friends for margaritas! What a wonderful group!!
(pictured left to right: me, Janice, Ann, Anne, Heather, Karen, Sarah, Lisa, Erica and Joyce)


But the fun for the week was just getting started. Yesterday, October 10th, was my first big book signing! It's been in the works for months, so it was exciting to finally have a chance to launch the book officially...and to do it with a bona fide 1980s soundtrack! I brought my old boombox and a bunch of "The Best of the '80s" CDs to Borders, where we were greeted by the lovely Pamela Kramer (pictured below). We let the music play, munched on cookies and chitchatted. I got to sign lots of books and talk for a couple of hours with friends old and new. Below are just a few of the many photos we took!
(pictured: Ruth Kaufman, me-->seated, Jen Stevenson, June Sproat, Erica O'Rourke and Borders bookseller Pamela Kramer)


My high-school friend Erika surprised me by driving down from Wisconsin for a visit!! (left)

I had the chance to see Simone Elkeles and Kelly Farmer, too, who are writing friends from my very first weeks in RWA. I met them both 7 years ago... (right)

My friend Pam from my teaching days popped by to see me as well! (left)

And here are writing friends Eliza Evans, Karen Dale Harris and Simone Elkeles. Fabulous smiles! (right)

Finally, the photo below includes many amazing members of the Chicago-North RWA who took time out of their weekend to celebrate with me. Thanks to Erica, Heather, June, Simone, Karen, Pamala, Ruth and Jen!


Whew! I feel a bit like a bride post-wedding... It's hard to believe an event I'd planned for and waited to arrive for so long has finally come and gone. Thank you to everyone who stopped by and to all who sent me congratulations cards and emails. You helped to make these past couple of weeks very, very exciting. :-)

Books, Bonbons and Bestseller Lists

Last night, I had the pleasure of visiting the Grayslake Public Library and doing a little program on my journey toward publication for the patrons. It was SUCH a nice evening, largely due to the wonderful friends who showed up to support me, the library staff's incredible sense of organization and the tremendous spread of treats brought in by both the librarians AND my friends! OMG the chocolate!! Plus, it was really wonderful to have a chance to meet some new readers and aspiring writers. Here's wishing all of them the best as they work toward this dream... Quite a wild adventure it can be!

Today, the online magazine Single Minded Women featured an excerpt from According to Jane on their "Books and Bonbons" page! It was delightful to come across that online :).

Finally, I've been getting emails from friends about this all week and have been obsessively keeping an eye on it myself...but the Kindle version of According to Jane has been popping up on some Amazon lists lately. It's shown up with different rankings between #2 and #97 just today, depending on the category, but the fact that it's been in the Top 100 at all has been pretty exciting! So fascinating to watch it slide around...

It's updated hourly, so I don't expect it'll stay in this position indefinitely (although I wouldn't complain!), but at this moment, my debut novel is at #2 on the contemporary/romance list, far lower on the regular bestseller list (I just can't catch that Dan Brown!) and in a whole bunch of slots in between. To all of those readers out there who've bought the book this week in ANY format, THANK YOU!!

Hope you all have a great rest of the week and a relaxing Columbus Day Weekend :).

A Trip to Stephanie's (Written Word!)

This week, I have the pleasure of being a guest on Stephanie's Written Word, where I wrote a post about my experiences taking a class on Jane Austen...in England...with my husband... Note the picture of us playing croquet on the university lawn. (Yes, I was a dozen years younger then--sigh--and thinner, too. :-) This is the "nice" photo, by the way. We were behaving ourselves and attempting to look very proper. I also have another one--locked deep in our family photo album--of me holding the croquet mallet, the bottom of it poised only inches from striking the top of my dear hubby's head--LOL!

We had a great visit. There's nothing like a shared reading of Pride & Prejudice or Persuasion, followed by a rousing group discussion over trifle, to bond two English lit geeks. But the best part was that we've also had years of laughs and a treasure box of memories thanks to that trip. Writing about it was a pleasant stroll back in time to where one of my favorite Austen adventures took place.

I'll be giving away 3 signed copies of According to Jane to commenters on that post so, if you're interested, please feel free to stop by. Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Goin' on a Book Hunt...

Today, the lovely and talented Therese Walsh, author of the soon-to-be-released novel The Last Will of Moira Leahy (can't wait to have her visit here on 10/13!) is interviewing me on Writer Unboxed. Please stop by--not only to read the Q&A but to take a look at the wealth of helpful posts geared toward writers. It's an outstanding site.

Also around the blogsophere, Margay Leah Justice has a very nice review up on Moonlight, Lace & Mayhem (yay!), and I'm continuing my Girlfriends Cyber Circuit tour with visits to the blogs of writing pals Melissa Senate, Maggie Marr, Melissa Clark, Roberta Isleib and Joanne Rendell!!

Finally, I've been anxiously awaiting the day I'd get to take pictures like these: On Pamela Cayne's blog, she's posted photos of Jane in the American Southwest (squee!), and just this morning, Maria Geraci emailed me this photo of Jane in Florida!

Here in the Chicagoland suburbs, I've come across Jane as well and, thanks to the FABULOUS staff at the Borders in Gurnee, IL and to a group of awesome, intelligent and very good looking friends (they told me I had to say that, but it also happens to be true :-), I had a lot of fun at my first in-store book sighting/stock signing!!

On the left is Borders sales manager, Kathy, who not only arranged to get extra copies of the books in for me, but she's putting together a special "local author" endcap display, too. (Thank you!) On the right are Marie and Joe, who were both so funny and helpful in the store Tuesday night when we all gathered there.




Below, I'm holding my debut novel in front of its spot on the "new paperbacks" shelf!

The last two photos are of the very first group of visitors who stopped by to pick up books--a few old friends and a couple of new ones: Candice, Autumn (who works at Borders!), Christina, Annette and Josh. On the top is their "happy-reader" pose. Just below it is their "action" shot--LOL!

And, in honor of it being "educator appreciation week," they were also serving cupfuls of this strawberry-cheesecake-like thing, which my son declared, "Delicious!" I couldn't snag the exact recipe for the dessert, but it was something like this.

Hope you all have a wonderful and relaxing weekend, and THANK YOU ALL for helping to make this week such a celebration!

RELEASE DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Release Day for ACCORDING TO JANE is finally here! (Yes, I'm having an O.M.G. moment. ;)

I'm celebrating by attempting to be everywhere in the Blogosphere at once. In a "Where's Waldo?" kind of way, you'll find me bopping all over the place today...and tomorrow...and Thursday. And well into October, too. Here are some links to get you started. (And I'll probably update these throughout the day, if only so I can help myself remember all the tour stops...)

First, I'm the 007 Bond Sister on call today at "Nobody Writes It Better" with a post up about perseverance. It's mostly not about me but about someone I dearly love... And there's a 2 book + 2 VIA™ packet giveaway in progress there, too, so if you have a chance to stop by, please do!

I'm also visiting my lovely friend Eliza at Eliza Writes, who's hosting a giveaway, too; I have an interview up with Margay Leah Justice at Pop Syndicate's Book Addict (and she did a delightful review, as well); and I'm again the subject of the hilarious Pamela Cayne in Day 7 of her "Marilyn Brant Week"!

And thanks to the thoughtful reviews of both Lainey and Robin, I've made a new online friend! Edie from Magical Musings kindly gave me a shout out today on her blog. My darling friend Pamala added her good wishes, too. And the always wonderful Bunco Babe, Maria Geraci, mentioned my debut on her blog also. You ladies ROCK!!

Finally, because Starbucks VIA™ and I are both launching something we love throughout the U.S. and Canada today, I made the coffee cake I was threatening you all with yesterday--LOL! In truth, this turned out to be my absolute favorite of my VIA™ recipes so far. Even more than the chocolate stuff, and you know how I love chocolate. (Although I have this chocolate-cake/chocolate-pudding idea I still haven't tried...give me time.)

"VIA™ Streusel *COFFEE* Cake"
1 package cinnamon quick bread mix (I used Betty Crocker Cinnamon Streusel and LOVED it--it included both a batter packet and a streusel packet in the box)
2 eggs
2/3 cup water
1/2 packet of VIA™ (I chose the Colombia)
2 Tbsp. cinnamon applesauce (which I used in place of vegetable oil)
a handful of chopped pecans (or walnuts...or nothing)
cooking spray
For the glaze:
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. milk
1/2 packet of VIA™ (the rest of the packet from above)
Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray bottom of a 9x5-inch loaf pan. In a bowl, combine quick bread mix (batter), applesauce, eggs and water. Mix until blended. Pour half of the batter into the pan. Sprinkle half the streusel packet on top. Sprinkle the 1/2 packet of VIA™ on top of that. Add half of your handful of pecans. Then pour the remaining batter over the top of this. Spread carefully. Sprinkle with remaining streusel and press gently. Top with rest of pecans and bake for approximately 40 minutes. (If you use a different brand of quick bread mix, check the cooking times suggested on the box.)
Let the cake cool completely before making the glaze. When you're ready, mix the powdered sugar, the 1/2 packet of VIA™ and the milk together, stirring until the mixture is smooth and thin enough to drizzle over the cake. After that, have a piece with me!

ETA: The GCC tour continues to with stops at the blogs of Judy Larsen, Wendy Nelson Tokunaga, Karin Gillespie, Megan Crane and Brenda Janowitz (contest there!). And my agent, the wonderful Nephele Tempest, has a post up about my release of Jane and Shannon Butcher's new one!!

A Debut Author's Guide to Getting Her Recommended Daily Dose of Caffeine

Okay. Let me explain something. My debut novel, According to Jane, is coming out TOMORROW! Yes, within 24 hours it'll be on the shelves (fingers crossed!) in every major bookstore in the country. To say that I'm going into my book launch as a well-rested and relaxed citizen of the greater Chicago area would be a more blatant act of fiction than the stuff I've been writing. Truly, I don't think I've gotten a good night's sleep since sometime in June--and I credit that one restful night to the cold medicine I was taking at the time.

However, I have tools. And, as incredible good fortune would have it, I received an extra-large supply of them because I was asked to be a Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew "Beta Tester" a few weeks ago. One thing the company asked us to do was to try to come up with recipes that used the new instant coffee. Well, c'mon! I love recipes. On my own, back in the summer, I came up with my favorite VIA™ beverage variation and asked blog visitors to do the same--just for fun! The other day, I made my fave brew again:

"Marilyn's Mocha"
1 packet of the Colombia VIA™ coffee
1/2 packet of hot cocoa mix (like Swiss Miss or Nestlé)
4 oz. water
4 oz. skim milk
Pour the water and the milk into a mug, microwave for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, add the coffee and the cocoa mix. Stir well. Top with a couple swirls of whipped cream, if desired. For me, that's always desired, and I added a few cinnamon sprinkles, too! (**pictured below with pancakes**)

But a writer can't live on coffee drinks alone--although I'm proof that, really, she can try. So, I decided to round out my breakfast with coffee-chocolate-chip pancakes. Because I'm always pressed for time in the morning, I used a quick mix (all I needed to do was add water to prepare the batter--it was fast!) and a handful of chocolate chips...plus my Colombia VIA™, of course. Here was the result:

"Choco-VIA™-Chip Pancakes"
1 package pancake mix (I used Hungry Jacks Easy Packs Complete Buttermilk Pancake and Waffle Mix)
2/3 cup water, heated
1 VIA™ packet
1/2 cup chocolate chips
A few swirls of whipped cream
2-3 tsp. butter (Hungry Jacks recommends Crisco, but I didn't have that in the house)
Add coffee to the heated water and let it cool. Empty it into a bowl containing the pancake mix and stir until the large lumps disappear. Add in the chocolate chips and mix gently. Heat lightly buttered skillet (medium-high) and pour about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Cook about one minute on each side or until done. On a plate, place the pancakes and top them with whipped cream and a few extra chocolate chips. Dig in!!

But, THEN, I decided I needed to get more creative. On one of the sites I visited, someone had used the VIA™ in a chicken recipe. Hmm, I thought. That's really interesting. I hadn't yet considered "caffeine + protein," but I liked the out-of-the-box aspect to it. What would happen if I tried "VIA™ + tofu"? Think about it... Tofu tends to take on the flavoring of whatever is added to it. Combine a coffee packet with some soy sauce, a dash of maple syrup, some brown sugar, perhaps, and we'd end up with a coffee-maple glaze, wouldn't we? Stir-fry some firm tofu, then sauté a handful of portobello mushrooms. Add a little glaze to both. Put the tofu and mushrooms over rice or noodles with the VIA™-soy-maple sauce on top and...voilà! A healthy and ever-so-slightly caffeinated vegetarian meal! Later in the day, I tried that, too:

"Tofu-Mushroom VIA™ Stir-Fry"
1 19-oz. package firm tofu, cut into small cubes
1 package of your favorite noodles (I used extra-wide egg noodles)
1 8-oz. package Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 cup water, heated
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 VIA™ packet (I used the Italian Roast this time)
Sauté the tofu cubes in the olive oil until lightly golden, add in the sliced portobello mushrooms and stir-fry them together until tender. Cook the noodles in a separate saucepan. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir the VIA™ into the heated water until it's dissolved. Then add in the soy sauce, the maple syrup and the brown sugar until you have a smooth glaze. Dip a sautéed tofu cube into the glaze and taste it. If it's too thick for you, add a bit more water. Too sweet, adjust with a little more soy sauce, perhaps. Not sweet enough...well, another spoonful of maple syrup or brown sugar should do it. Pour the glaze over the tofu-mushroom mixture and stir until evenly coated. Serve warm over egg noodles. Enjoy!

Anyway, it was fun to experiment, and I couldn't help but think I should make some celebratory treat for tomorrow morning...like, oh, Coffee Cake. Hee, hee! Get it? COFFEE Cake... Well, yeah, okay, I know, I know. Obvious joke. I mentioned I haven't been getting much sleep, right? I'm tempted to do it, though, and invite you all to have a piece with me :-).

BTW, if you happen to be surfing the Internet in search of fabulous places to visit, Lainey Bancroft's wonderful review of my book had me sighing in delight. And Laurel Ann's lovely review at Austenprose today made my heart sing. And then Robin Bielman astounded me with her generous giveaway, as well as her tremendously kind heart. And in the GCC, the talented Carolyn Jewel is hosting me today, too, and there's a giveaway involved with that as well, so please stop by!

Exhaustion aside, as far as having wonderful people in my corner as I approach The Big Day...I've been feeling really, really fortunate. Thank you all so much.

Kate Duffy

I have another post--a long one--that I've been working on. One that was intended to go up this morning, but I haven't been able to finish it yet because I heard some very sad news today. Kate Duffy, beloved longtime editor at Kensington, has passed away, due to complications with the cancer she was battling.

I don't know many details and, to me, they aren't the significant part of the story anyway... But here's what is: Kate was an incredible force in the publishing industry--one of the first editors I ever met, back in 2003. She was knowledgeable, funny and really skilled at her work. And she'll be missed tremendously by all who knew her.

Sigh.