The hour has come. The day is here. The Crown stork is in flight, delivering The Baker’s Daughter to doorsteps, so keep watch, my friends.

In the meantime, I’d be delighted if you’d join me at 2 p.m. EST for the live video launch party on Goodreads and don’t miss the exclusive Goodreads giveaway (a signed book and authentic German goodies in a The Baker’s Daughter book tote). I’ll be there with my red party hat and The Baker’s Daughter, and my dear friend Jael McHenry (The Kitchen Daughter). Ask questions, say hello, or simply raise your cup (libations of all all sort, including teacups, are most welcome) to my 2nd novel’s book birthday. I look forward to hearing from you and pray that you fall head-over-heels for this story and its characters.

 Yours most truly, Sarah  

Featured on author Marilyn Brant’s blog Magical Musings with Kristina McMorris (Bridge of Scarlet Leaves) and Jael McHenry (The Kitchen Daughter) as part of “Novels to Delight the Taste Buds.”

Reba’s Granny’s White-Cherry Truffles

An Adams’ family tradition and first-prize winner at the Virginia State Fair. 

Ingredients:

12  1-oz. squares of semisweet chocolate

3  1-oz. squares of unsweetened chocolate

1  can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

1/4  teaspoon salt

2  tablespoons cherry liqueur

1/4  cup chopped hazelnuts

1/2  cup maraschino cherries, drained and chopped

2  6-oz. packages of premium white chocolate baking bars

2  teaspoons vegetable oil

Red sugar sprinkles

Heat chocolate, sweetened condensed milk, and salt in pot over medium heat, stirring until chocolate is just melted. Remove from heat. Add liqueur, chopped nuts, and candied cherries. Put a sheet of wax paper over the surface and refrigerate until cold or overnight.

Using a melon baller or a rounded teaspoon, scoop out heaping tablespoon from chilled chocolate mixture. Roll into smooth ball between hands. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Keep scooping and rolling until every bit is used up. 

Melt and stir together white chocolate with oil in a saucepan over low heat. Let stand a minute until cool to the touch. Using two forks, gently dip balls into white chocolate. Transfer to waxed paper to dry. Decorate with red sprinkles. Makes about three dozen truffles or more, depending on the size of your bonbons.

The Reading Roundup:

This time next week, The Baker’s Daughter will be OUT sitting on bookstore shelves across the nation and in Canada and shipped directly to pre-ordered readers’ doorsteps.

The magnitude of that sentence deserves its own paragraph. The time has finally come. The Crown stork is loading up copies of my book baby and set to fly. And I, anxious little author in my writing office on the seam of Texas and Mexico, am fixing to bust with joy and nerves. Because let’s be honest, this is terrifying. It’s the equivalent of sending out your child—not a birth announcement or photo but your actual child. Handing it off to friends and strangers alike and praying to God they love it as much as you do… because it is a part of me. This novel thing created within is now of substance, standing on its own two feet. As its maker, I’m proud, elated, and terrified for it. Like most parents, I want to stay close and protect it as it ventures out, but I can’t. One last hug then I let go and pray for it to discover all the greatness I hope for it.

All that being said, I’m glad I have you, friends, to help bolster me through this time and the next many months while I travel on the book tour. I know the novel is in the FINEST hands when I hear from you, and that is such a comfort!

Regarding our Thursday Tea Parties, I wondered if it might be all right if I occasionally post a Reading Roundup instead of a true Reading. The difference? A Reading Roundup will include links to blogs where The Baker’s Daughter is being featured or I’m writing a guest column/essay/post. As well, it’ll include links to news bits, giveaways, reviews, and so forth. So the RR will be more link-centric while my typical Readings focus on an actual book. I’ll still do Readings. I’ll have an abundance of airplane time in February and a bounty of to-be-read books stacked in my office. So I’ll continue to share what novel worlds I’m dipping into, but today is the inception of the Reading Roundup. Giddy-up!

1) Only a few days left to RSVP for The Baker’s Daughter Live Video Launch Party (January 24 at 2 p.m. EST) on Goodreads. Jael McHenry (The Kitchen Daughter) and I will be talking about our books and it’s sure to be a boot stompin’ good time. I mean, who doesn’t love to see people unscripted? They always end up saying outrageous things, right! (Gulp.) Okay, note to self, Do not say outrageous things, Sarah. In any case, I’ll love having all of you with me to celebrate my second book baby’s birthday. Can’t imagine any better company!

2) While you’re over there RSVP-ing for the party, you might as well sign up for the giveaway too! There are five free, signed copies of The Baker’s Daughter plus special launch day book totes and goodies. These are only available to Goodreads readers to commemorate the release party. Don’t miss out on that.

3) Amazon has officially released two bonus features for The Baker’s Daughter, and I’m beating that cow jumping over the moon I’m so happy about them:

           a) Author Chris Bohjalian (Skeletons at the Feast, The Night Strangers) gave an exclusive Featured Author Review extoling The Baker’s Daughter.

          b) Author Lisa See (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Dreams of Joy) and I had a lovely Q&A .

4) Tuesday, January 17, was the kickoff of The Baker’s Daughter book tour! The divine Larramie had me over at The Divining Wand blog where she asked some very revealing questions.

5) Tomorrow, Friday, January 20, TBD visits author Marilyn Brant on her Magical Musings blog. Marilyn is the most genuinely sweet person you could ever hope to meet. We spent time together at the Mt. Hood Writers Retreat this past October and it was such a pleasure. So when she asked me if I might provide a recipe not included in the novel’s Epilogue, I happily obliged. Don’t miss that exclusive dish!

That’s the RR for the week!

The Tea:

I am nearly drowning (deliciously) in tea these days, attempting to stay warm and not catch any of the winter sore throats/colds/flus/viruses that seem to be going round. I’m sipping my signature: 1 orange pekoe + 1 Matcha green. Brewed together for a cup that provides both a jolt of caffeine, the black tea antioxidants, and all the green tea bennies. This is not a drink for the weak of heart, mind you, but it’s my staple. I happen to buy both the OP and the Matcha in bulk from Costco so… I never fear of running out.

Sarah’s Sipping Summary:

Being that today is the first Reading Roundup at our tea party, I could probably be drinking hot Rio Grande water (which technically, I probably am—purified, of course) and it would correlate. Happy Thursday Tea to you, and I’m so looking forward to our next party when The Baker’s Daughter will be in many of your hands!!

Cheers, my dears, Sarah

The Reading:

While the hubbub of the holidays made me neglectful of my blog and my Thursday Tea Parties, it did afford many plane hours, which corresponded to many reading hours. So I finally finished (yeah, I know, how long did it take me??) Vanessa Diffenbaugh’s The Language of Flowers and oh, was it deserving of every minute. A story with characters as complex and lovely as the flowers it detailed. I thoroughly enjoyed it, reading right through the Acknowledgements as my plane landed at the end of my journeys. I love it when the reading muses orchestrate such divine timing.

To start 2012, I’ve finally cracked the cover of the highly acclaimed novel by Téa Obreht, The Tiger’s Wife. My editor for The Baker’s Daughter and The Time It Snowed In Puerto Rico called it her “book I loved and lost.” On that recommendation alone I immediately put this on my reading stack. Then it became a National Book Award Finalist and one of the top bestsellers of 2011, and I felt like the only person on the planet who hadn’t read it. So first things first in 2012, I’m remedying my reading insufficiency.

This officially being the month that The Baker’s Daughter releases (huzzah!), I’m not entirely sure how swift my reading will be. I never-never-never rush reading excellent stories. It’s easy to breeze through books that are ho-hum but great books—I let my imagination simmer on every page. So you may be hearing about The Tiger’s Wife for some time. I hope that’s okay by all of you.

I should also mention that I’m reading Gwyneth Paltrow’s My Father’s Daughter daily in preparation of dinner. It was a gift from Santa. I’ve already read the entire cookbook (as is my way) once and am now going back in to give the recipes a go. I absolutely love Gwyneth’s philosophy on food and cooking, and all the personal stories about her father and family that accompany the recipes. I have yet to find someone who mirrors my own food choices and beliefs as closely as she does. For once, I can follow the recipes without the need of substitutions. Thank you, Gwyneth! If you are a meat-conscious, organic, fresh-is-best, chicken-n-seafood locavore health nut like me, you’ll treasure this cookbook too.

The Tea:

For Christmas, my younger brother gave me the most amazing gift—a box of tea goodies! Feel free to imagine how this lady squealed when she tore off the wrapping paper: a new one-cup teapot, fancy silver teaspoons, a selection of premium tea leaves and much more. So at this first tea party of the New Year, I’m drinking Steven Smith Teamaker’s Kandy Blend No. 23 and it is supa-delicioso! (Good pick, baby bro!) Here’s the description from the package:

Named after one of the most beautiful cities in Sri Lanka, Kandy brings together three unique Ceylon teas in one cu. We join full and flavory Dimbulla with highly aromatic and intense Uva and lightly scented high-grown Nuwara Eliya. A tea made for sipping with pleasure all day.

According to the directions, this tea is to be steeped for a full 5 minutes, which produces a burnt orange color with a sweet, floral aroma. The taste echoes the floral/citrusy aroma but gives a hearty sip that reminds me slightly of the earthiness you get from Portobello mushrooms. It’s quite satisfying. While I’m not usually drawn to Ceylon teas, this No. 23 has converted me! I don’t fancy teas that are too floral or light. I like a bold brew. A tea with girth of spirit. The same is true of my fiction preferences.

Sarah’s Sipping Summary:

It’s the earthiness of this cup that makes it a nice accompaniment to my current reading. Téa’s novel begins with references to The Jungle Book, exotic animals and a grandfather. My senses mingle the smell of leafy trees, dark soil and hidden streams with men’s spicy aftershave and a tobacco pipe—mystery and magic alongside the familiar. Likewise, with each spicy sip, I’m reminded of the twinkle of Christmas lights and the laughter of my family over warm mugs.

 Cheers to a stupendous and blessed 2012 for us all!

~Sarah

Happy 2012, my dear friends!

I hope your holidays were fantabulous. Now that we’re all snuggling back into our daily routines, I’m looking forward to catching up at our upcoming Thursday Tea Party. It feels like forever since we shared a cuppa. However, I wanted to quickly post a couple of crucial announcements regarding The Baker’s Daughter.

It is January. As in, the January that The Baker’s Daughter releases! (My heart just jack-frogged in my chest.) I have a big, gold star marking January 24 on my calendar and can’t wait to share this novel with all of you! But you don’t have to wait the whole month to start reading. The Prelude and first three chapters are officially available online for you to download– free! Just pop over to my website, click on The Baker’s Daughter book page and go to the Book Group links to download the chapters. In addition, the Reading Group Guide is now online too. (Warning: The RGG includes some possible plot spoilers!) Book clubs and readers who’ve already pre-ordered copies, get your group discussion prepped and ready with questions and book club activity suggestions. All of that is currently available with more to come upon release! 

January 24 will be here in a blink. So pre-order your copies now and The Baker’s Daughter will be on your doorstep first thing. I am getting so darn excited! I hope you all join me on launch day to celebrate LIVE on Goodreads! Click here to RSVP. I promise to rein in my cartwheel parade as best I can that day… but forgive me if more than a few jazz hands pass over the Internet. 

Yours truly, Sarah

Twas the week before Christmas Eve and all through the land,

every creature is stirring with holiday plans.

The gifts are all stashed in my suitcase with care,

in the hopes that TSA won’t damage my wares.

Gilly is nestled all snug in his bed,

while visions of CET chews dance in his head.

And hubby in his ‘kerchief, and I in my velours,

have just settled down to some Saturday s’mores.

When out on the social network arose such a clatter,

I sprang to the keyboard to see what was the matter.

Away to the Facebook I flew like a flash,

pulled up my Tweetdeck and opened my last

blog by the light of my LCD Mac–

postings regarding my many tea snacks.

When, what to my wandering eyes should appear,

But news of The Baker’s Daughter to cheer!

I probably enjoyed myself FAR too much while writing that little ditty. All of this to say, Happy 1 Week until Christmas Eve! It just so happens that December 24 is the 1-month countdown to The Baker’s Daughter’s release too. So I’m here to announce that in the spirit of the holidays, I plan to give you all a gift on Christmas Eve:

Check The Baker’s Daughter page on my website on December 24, 2011 and you’ll find a “gift” from me to you. Here’s a hint— while the book won’t release for another four weeks, you’ll be able to taste what The Baker’s Daughter has waiting.

Since I’ll be in the middle of my own family traditions, I won’t make a fuss about it. No announcements or Twitter shout-outs; it’ll just be there on my website for you to discover and open at your leisure.

More goodies to report: I had the privilege of chatting about The Baker’s Daughter with the divine author Lisa See. Check that out here. The Q&A will be posted on Amazon (click on the blog’s sidebar cover image), Barnes & Noble, and other bookseller sites soon.

Lastly, The Baker’s Daughter officially has its own Facebook page now. I’ll be posting exclusive information, recipes, photos, events, giveaways, etc. there. Click on over and “Like” the page so you can see all of those and chat with other book clubs and folks reading the novel.

(Psst—a little mouse told me that there might be a giveaway at some special hour today for The Baker’s Daughter page “likers” so don’t miss out!)

Please hear me exclaim as I blog out of sight,

Happy holidays to all and to all a merry night!

Yours truly, Sarah

The Reading:

Honestly, I haven’t been reading much fiction these days—too buried in holiday To Do’s, emails, and preparations for The Baker’s Daughter’s release next month. Yeah, I know, that sentence made me stop too. Next month, can you believe it? The release date (1/24/12) is coming fast and furious with Christmas and a whole New Year between now and then. Does anybody else feel like November thru January runs at supersonic speed? I imagine time (a year) in the shape of Freytag’s Pyramid. That totally speaks to my personal nerd factor and on that note some might argue I really ought to get my head out of the books. Nonetheless, that’s how I see it: rising action, rising action, rising action, then we hit the year’s climax followed by a quick cut through the November/December denouement to a January 1 conclusion. Done.

So I’m attempting to take a moment, once a day, to stop—no, really STOP everything I’m doing and just breathe, remind myself what day it is, what time, look out the window and actually see the sky. It helps me feel like time isn’t vanishing.

That all being said, the book that is sitting on my nightstand currently is The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. It came highly recommended and though I’ve only read the first page, I already get the sense that it’s my perfect kind of story.

The Tea:

This week it snowed in El Paso. Yes, flurries in the desert! The Franklin Mountains are peaked white making the great Southwest look more like Germany than Tex-Mexico. Inspired by the Christmas vista, I pulled out my Twinings Christmas Tea. It’s infused with cinnamon and cloves and makes me feel like I’m sitting in Santa’s workshop whenever I brew a cuppa.

Sarah’s Sipping Summary:

The novel’s nod to the Victorian use of flowers makes me think of Dickens and old-fashioned Christmas parties with folks sipping hot mulled cider and tea under strings of garlands and mistletoe bouquets. Not surprisingly, mistletoe symbolizes affection and the flower dictionary says it conveyed the floral message of: come hither, I want to smooch you. That’s my paraphrase. As well, cinnamon meant “my fortune is yours.” Intriguing. So if you were sipping cinnamon-infused tea under the mistletoe, you’d basically be saying, “Come kiss me and my fortune is yours.”

I think it’s quite appropriate that I’m drinking this brew with Diffenbaugh’s book by my side—even if I’m not actively reading, the sentiments are there.

Cheers, Sarah

P.S. Remember to visit Beth Fish Reads and Anastasia at their Thursday Teas.

The Season of Light has arrived. I’ve just finished decking our halls: garlands are strung; ornaments hung; Nutcrackers stand tall at their posts; sleigh by the front door; jingle bells and lights at every corner; and I’ve just discovered a new candle scent obsession: “Winter” by Bath and Body Works. So already I’m in a festive mood.

In addition to the Christmas flair, yesterday was the annual Virginia versus Virginia Tech Thanksgiving football game. If you don’t hail from the state of Virginia, you may not be aware of the weighty rivalry between our schools. This happens to be amplified in my home. My youngest brother and I are VT alumni. My husband is a Hoo. I won’t perseverate on the straight-up spanking the Hokies gave the Hoos in their own house yesterday. The scoreboard was harsh enough. Ahem. No waving flags or pompoms in my husband’s face. We try to be civil. I may have gone to Va Tech for undergrad, but I do adore my Virginia men (obviously–I married one). Truthfully, I would’ve given anything to have been home in Charlottesville for the game. It doesn’t really matter who wins or loses. It’s the tradition of the game that I respect and love.

So, needless to say, I am in a Fa La-La La-La spirit and thrilled to congratulate my four winners of the The Baker’s Daughter ARC Goodreads Giveaway. First off, let me thank everyone who entered to win. In 30 days, almost 3,000 readers signed up for the four available copies. That blows my mind! I’m so grateful and humbled that so many readers are excited about The Baker’s Daughter. Only two months before all of your pre-ordered copies arrive on your doorstep and the bookshelves are ripe for the taking!

Now, my wonderful winners are… drumroll please…

Ryan Betesta of Winatoba, Canada
Cate Forster of Victoria, Australia
Jacqueline Maranville of Maryland
Lindsey Rowe of Virginia

Congratulations to these fine folk! Two readers from places I’ve called home (Maryland and Virginia) and two international. I am thrilled! Your advance reader copies will be on their way to your doorsteps promptly, my friends. I hope you enjoy reading two months ahead of release! 

If you are one of the lovely readers who entered and didn’t win, stay tuned. The word from Crown is that there are more Goodreads giveaways in store so keep checking Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, and this blog for the announcement. 

I hope you all had a phenomenal Thanksgiving with your family and friends. Now, as Santa has officially made his Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade  appearance, the holidays are in full swing and I send you warmest season’s greetings from my Southwest pepper paradise! 

Sarah

The Reading:

I’ve just ordered my next batch of books to get me through Thanksgiving. While I wait for those to arrive, I’m reading a sweet cookbook given to me by my friend Kristina McMorris. It’s an absolute treasure: a collection of her grandma’s family recipes aptly titled, Grandma Jean’s Rainy Day Recipes. As is my practice of reading cookbooks like novels, I’m flipping through this today and feel as if I’ve been welcomed into Grandma Jean’s kitchen and Kristina’s childhood.

Page one, the characters are introduced: “Recipes compiled by Irma Jean McPherren. Edited by Kristina Yoshida McMorris.” Right there, I feel the story beginning. The leading character is Irma Jean McPherren. The narrator is her loving granddaughter Kristina.

Page three: A gorgeous black and white photo of the Cordell family in Iowa on May 28, 1938. In case you didn’t know, I treasure old photographs. One instant plucked from time and my imagination starts spinning the story. In this image, Jean stands young and center and appears to be the only one directly meeting the camera’s gaze. 

Page four: The history of Grandma Jean followed by over 400 of the culinary creations that graced her table. I’m particularly fond of dishes with names like Shipwrecked Casserole (p. 8), Beula’s Brown Bread (p. 78), Tea Doughnuts (p. 98), Miss Daisy’s Pimiento Cheese (p. 126), Pride O’Pumpkin Cake (p. 149), Cherry Cha Cha (p.178), and Cooky Candies (p.215), to name a few.

So with Thanksgiving a week away, I’m flipping through Grandma Jean’s collection looking for some yummy inspiration–tried and true by generations of practice and all of Grandma Jean’s children and grandchildren who savored the mouthfuls.

The Tea:

I’m drinking Trader Joe’s Duchess Grey Tea, which I purchased while visiting Kristina in Portland, Oregon. It is a black tea infused with orange, lemon and bergamot. The sales pitch on the side of the box say, “… a delicate fragrant variation of Earl Grey Tea. Try a warm cup on a bright morning.” I can completely imagine drinking this on a sunny fall, winter, spring or summer day. It’s incredibly aromatic and absolutely scrumptious. The orange and lemon add a surprising and tasty twist to the usual Earl Grey. I’m a big fan of this Duchess brew. 

Sarah’s Sipping Summary:

Since I purchased this with my friend by my side, I think it’s a nice memory correlation to my reading fodder. If it weren’t for Kristina, I wouldn’t have the cookbook or the tea. So thank you, my dear!

Cheers, Sarah

P.S. Remember to visit Beth Fish Reads and Anastasia at their Thursday Teas.

Hi friends, here are a couple opportunities I didn’t want you to miss on Goodreads:

1) Only ONE WEEK left to sign up to win an advance reader copy of The Baker’s Daughter. The lovely Goodreads folk will draw the lucky four winners in seven days, so don’t wait! Click here and you could have your advance copy (usually only available to select book reviewers and authors) of The Baker’s Daughter long before the release date (January 24, 2012). St. Nicholas could be knocking on your door before we’ve even opened the first chocolate on our advent calendars!

2) The invitation and RSVP link for our live book launch party is up on Goodreads! I’m over-the-moon that I get to celebrate the release of my second book baby with all of you—live!—and to share it with the release of my friend Jael McHenry‘s The Kitchen Daughter in paperback. You do NOT want to miss this fiesta and I don’t want to miss chatting with you. So go on over to the event page, RSVP, and mark your calendar to join me and Jael for a live soiree at 2 p.m. ET, Tuesday, January 24, 2012. All of the information is also available on my website.

If you aren’t one of the four Goodreads contest winners, you can still go to any of your favorite online booksellers and pre-order a copy. A list of ordering links are provided on the above “Buy The Book” tab as well as on my website. 

The whispers from Crown are that there may be a couple more surprise Goodreads giveaways of final The Baker’s Daughter copies in the coming weeks. If you follow me on Goodreads, Twitter or Facebook, you’ll be sure to hear about them as soon as the contests open!

Happy 1-week until gobble-gobble day! I’m already planning my menu. It’s a Thanksgiving for two plus one lovely pup this year, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to test out some new traditions.

Yours truly, Sarah