A week ago tonight, Malaprop’s Bookstore hosted a launch party for my new book, “Roots, Branches, and Spirits.” We had a fun time (including a trivia contest) and celebrated a new book in the world. On the same day–the release date–the book sold out at the publisher and that was a marvel. I am grateful to our hometown indie bookstore for doing all they’ve done for this book and for me. And for bookselling in general.
The day before the launch event I went to the closed store and signed all their special orders–150 of them. Ha! Thrilling. The rest of the week was interviews and podcasts and trying to get straight answers–because Mercury is retrograde, after all. There was Lunar New Year and the spectacular show trial that ended with a very guilty president cheerfully acquitted by his co-conspirators. He is guilty nonetheless.
I was the guest on Desperate Housewitches and Rootworkers Round the table podcasts, and on Saturday I taught a class at the WinterStar Symposium, in support of one of my favorite festivals, Starwood. The show trial concluded and I drank some red wine. I did a tarot reading on Sunday for a friend and long-time client.
Sunday was Valentine’s Day, today is Presidents Day and tomorrow is Fat Tuesday, which leads me to the reason for this blogpost.
I made a King Cake today, avec baby. I have never done such a thing (though I have often enjoyed eating this yeasted sweet bread) and feel like I’m appropriating someone else’s culture. But if the Plague Years have taught me nothing else, they have taught me to try new things while I have the time to do so.
It’s very good, by the way.
I’m not sure what this week will bring, though there are things on the calendar. I’m on a podcast tomorrow night and another on Saturday night. Mercury goes direct on Saturday and we are driving into the high country to see some sights. The publisher will have more of my books, I hear, by the end of the month, so there’s that, too.
That’s it, really. If you’d like to see the recipe for the King Cake, let me know. I’m processing through all of this and I suspect you are, too. I wrote a bestseller…I can’t quite get over that. And I made a King Cake. Huh.