Category: Baker’s Magic

Talking, Reading, Baking

Posted on by Diane Zahler

As always, I loved appearing at Books of Wonder, the fabulous children’s bookstore DSC01014 in Manhattan. It was great to meet my co-panelists, Aimee Carter, J.A. White, and Leila Sales, and hear them read from their wonderful new middle-grade books. I bDSC01013rought mini-Bouts buns, which disappeared quickly, and got to meet my publicist, the charming and slightly virus-ridden April Roberts, who brought swag for the audience. And I was so pleased to see some old friends. Dave and Martha, Shani and Michael, Judy, and Susan (and of course Phil and Ben) — thank you for coming out for the event!

A couple of days later, I went to the Mill Road School for mill road schooltheir annual author/illustrator tea. They provided a delicious lunch for an impressively large group of writers and artists (the Hudson Valley is teeming with us). Then I talked to three fifth-grade classes about how Baker’s Magic went from idea to bound book (I called the presentation Baking a Book, which involved taking a metaphor and stretching it just about as far as it could go, or possibly slightly farther). The students asked loads of questions, some of them really challenging to answer. Afterward, I got to hang out with the authors and illustrators in the library, eat brownies and cookies, and sign books for students. Exciting, exhausting — fun!

 

 

Baker’s Magic Update

Posted on by Diane Zahler

bowIt’s a busy week for Baker’s Magic! I’m taking it to the wonderful Books of Wonder on Sunday, March 13. I’ll be appearing with Aimee Carter, J.A. White, and Leila Sales from 1 to 3 p.m., and I may even get to meet my publicist on this side of the Atlantic. Come see us — there MIGHT be 100_8176Bouts Buns!

 

 

Then on Tuesday, I’m going to the Mill Road School to give a presentation on Baking a Book to fifth graders. Afterward, I’ll be signing books in the library. So exciting to talk about Baker’s Magic to everyone!

 

 

Box o’ Books

Posted on by Diane Zahler

They’re here!

 

DSC00860

 

For me, all the parts of the publication process are exciting (some parts are mixed with angst and/or despair, but exciting nevertheless) — the contract, the  editorial letter, the copyediting, the proofreading, the arrival of ARCs.  But nothing is more of a thrill than seeing bound books. They are real. They have a cover and chapter headings and a copyright notice. My words are on the pages.

 

They are something I created, and they’re going out into the world. What could be more exciting than that?

Kids Weigh In

Posted on by Diane Zahler

Because Baker’s Magic will be published in the UK at the same time as in the US, my lovely UK publicist has sent the book out to LoveReading4Kids, an organization that publishes reader reviews of books. And the kids have spoken! Here’s a link to the website with the reviews. And here are a few things the readers said:

Miyah Smith, age 10, for lovereading4kids.co.uk: ‘With a dash of humour and a good helping of excitement, Baker’s Magic has all the right ingredients for an amazing fairy tale.’

Alexander Bisland, age 10, for lovereading4kids.co.uk: ‘I really like this book and I especially like the recipe it gives you at the end. I recommend this book to 9+ adventurous readers. I give it 6/6 stars.’

Holly Wilkins, age 12, for lovereading4kids.co.uk: ‘Baking, trees and magic…If you like intriguing mysteries and a little bit of humour then you will love this book.’

Richie Upchurch, age 9, for lovereading4kids.co.uk: ‘This is a great adventure story. An orphan, Bee, is rescued by Master Bouts the baker, and they bake magical buns to save the town from an evil mage. There’s also a recipe and Bouts Buns are YUMMY!’

 

Turkish Delight

Posted on by Diane Zahler
DSC00362
Tulips on platter, Topkapi Palace, Istanbul

 

By now you might know that tulips play an important role in Baker’s Magic. Well, we visited the country of Turkey this month, and I noticed something strange and unexpected. There were tulips everywhere! Not growing, of course — it is December, after all. But there they were in the art — in mosaics, carpets, fabrics, and tiles.

 

Tulips and Turkey? But…why?

 

 

DSC00441
Tulips on wall tiles, Topkapi Palace, Istanbul
DSC00504
Tulips on carpet, Carpet Museum, Istanbul

It turns out that tulips come from Turkey. That’s right — we might think of them as Dutch, but they aren’t. Originally they grew wild in Asia Minor — what is now Turkey — and possibly in what is now Iran. Turkish people began cultivating tulips nearly a thousand years ago. In 1554 the Holy Roman Emperor’s ambassador to the Court of Sultan Suleiman in Constantinople (now Istanbul) first saw them. He expressed his amazement at the flowers’ beauty, and the Sultan sent some bulbs back to Europe. They came to the attention of Carolus Clusius, a botanist in Leiden, Holland. Fascinated, Clusius studied them and gave many bulbs to his friends. With that, the craze for tulips — known as Tulipmania — and their place in Dutch history began.

100_4965
Tulip fields, Keukenhoff Gardens, Netherlands

Reviews!

Posted on by Diane Zahler

The reviews for Baker’s Magic have begun to trickle in…and they are looking great! Even Kirkus has given the book a wholeheartedly positive review. Publishers Weekly liked it. And my first blog reviewer not only loved the book but made the Bouts Buns from the recipe in the back (and from the photos, they turned out perfectly)!

A few pull-out lines:

Zahler (Sleeping Beauty’s Daughters) has created a cozy fantasy adventure with tension, twists, and sweet treats. Bee and her companions are quick-thinking and determined heroes, and their journey to right wrongs should appeal to a broad range of readers. (PW)

While this joyful, creative adventure is filled with pirates, magic, missing trees, and a cuddly hedgehog, it is more than just a sweet ride. At its core, this is a story of bravery, resilience, and love. (Kirkus)

As they say here in London: HURRAH!

 

Just…Wow!

Posted on by Diane Zahler

So THIS happened: Marvelwoods announcement

 

 

 

I am pretty much in shock. And in heaven. And, most wonderfully, in London! It’s an embarrassment of riches.

 

You might wonder how I could have sold two books within a few months of each other. I don’t actually write that fast. And nothing in publishing happens that fast! I finished The Marvelwood Magicians before writing Baker’s Magic, but I decided to change the narrative point of view in The Marvelwoods, so I rewrote the whole thing. And because the editorial wheels spin at different paces, Baker’s Magic found a home first. I love both of these books, and I’m incredibly happy that each is with an editor who loves it as I do.

 

Now I’d better start writing that next book…happy writer

 

Off to the Land of the Hedgehog

Posted on by Diane Zahler

I’m going to London!Ben Ben Bus London

Not for a vacation — I’m going to live there for five months while my husband teaches in his university’s London program. We’ll be staying in an apartment near the center of the city. I am SO LUCKY!

Since Baker’s Magic will be published in the UK with Curious Fox Books at the same time it’s hedgehog_wall_calendarpublished in the US (February — mark your calendars), I have a British publicist, and I’ll be able to meet her. She has amazing ideas for publicizing the book (some of them include baked goods, I love her already!), and I’ll tell you how they work out.

My husband’s course is on World War I, so we’ll be taking trips to battlefields, trenches,  and war museums. But I plan to balance that grimness with pilgrimages to kidlit sites. There are so many great children’s books set in London! Here are some of my favorites (I mean favourites):

  • The Magician’s Nephewabearcalledpaddington
  • A  Bear Called Paddington
  • Peter Pan
  • Mary Poppins
  • A Little Princess
  • The Phoenix and the Carpet

What children’s books set in London do you love?

mary poppins