A Most Happy Day Indeed

It is almost 2 years to the day that I had my appointment in New York with my now publisher Sterling. What an exciting and a tad nervous day that was. Then began the whole creative process of bringing an idea into something tangible that you hold in your hands began. It has been such a joy. Mostly. I am not going to fib and not say I didn’t have a few sleepless nights. But doing something you have not done before can at times be nerve wracking. But also exhilarating at the same time. You feel alive. The book is a piece of me. My heart & soul went into each of those pages. The biggest compliments I have received from folks who have read it is that it is so me. I really don’t want that to sound egotistical. I just really wanted the book to be real. The word authentic gets bantered around all too often these days, but that is what I wanted from these pages. That photo of the chicken for the roasted chicken recipe, we had that for dinner that night after I photographed it. That table setting, we actually had friends over for dinner and that is how it was set. I so very much wanted it all to be real. For I think all of us can live a beautiful life. I wanted it to inspire. We can all do this. My life is no more special than anyone else’s. I just wanted to share a glimpse into our world so readers could see that they can do something similar with their own spin added to bring them huge happiness. The book was always meant to be a gift. A gift to the reader. A gift to give to friends. A gift to inspire. I so hope I hit the mark.

Now the day begins. Oh what a fun first book signing day it will be, finishing off with the launch party tonight. I snapped this photo below right as I left last night. Green balloons scattered about the shop signaling the festivities ahead. Truly, thank you all again. I really can’t say it enough.