This is a lovely place to stay and relax in Cary, NC, especially if it’s your birthday and you’re on book tour at the nearby Quail Ridge Books and Music
Thanks to Pastry Chef Daniel Benjamin for a gorgeous birthday surprise.

Just landed and am in the town of Jefferson as a guest of Kathy Patrick and the Pulpwood Queens for Girlfriend Weekend. It seems big hair and tiaras are mandatory here…
This morning’s notes:
It’s fascinating to listen to other writers as they try to describe the solitary and difficult writing process. I was mesmerized [...]

I arrived in the mile high city feeling pretty low–the olive leaf and vitamin c (see photo below) did not want to cooperate with my book tour. But from the minute I arrived in Denver, met by Beth, my absolutely charming media escort (who assured me almost every author on tour gets sick) to [...]

These are the Italian words Frances Mayes wrote to me yesterday when I emailed that I was sick, sick, sick, and that this was just the beginning of my book tour. Pig Misery or Dirty Pig, either translation is good for the way I’m feeling. For those who think book touring is all [...]

It started yesterday with flowers…

at Southern Progress Corporation where I work as food editor for Cottage Living magazine. I could not have asked for a better launch party to start my tour, headed up by Jeanetta Keller and Jake Reiss of Alabama Booksmith and Grand Central Publishing. Thanks to everyone at SPC who [...]

Here are some behind-the-scenes shots I took from a photo shoot for the January/February issue of Cottage Living magazine. The photographer is Rick Lew, and the styling is by stylist extraordinaire, Heather Chadduck.
Rick and Heather

Gorgeous cheese plate–it was prop food but quickly became real food (just like the Champagne) as the shoot continued.