Thursday, August 8, 2013

Author Spotlight - - Jenny Colgan



The Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe Sugary Sweet Spotlight!


It is no wonder that the flirty and frothy food-themed novel, Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan is an international success: with relatable characters and scrumptious recipes at the start of each chapter, Meet Me at the Cupcake Café is pure delight to women’s fiction readers everywhere. This summer, Colgan is bringing her hilarious and heartfelt stories—with a dash of deliciousness—to the United States! To celebrate, Sourcebooks is giving away copies of Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe.  



Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan
July 2013




Baking is in Issy Randall’s blood. Growing up above her grandfather’s bakery taught Issy that a delicious pastry could make any day better. So when she’s laid off from her desk job—by the man she thought was her boyfriend, no less—Issy knows now is the time to start her own little café.

Armed with her grandfather’s tried and true recipes, as well as her own new dishes, Issy’s new dream job should be a piece-of-cake, right? But managing a café, delivering products on time and trying to have a new love life aren’t exactly going as Issy planned. And when her ex comes back into the picture, perhaps with his own motives, Issy’s search for the perfect pastry and a groundbreaking idea to save her café are much more than she bargained for… 






PJ here.  I'm a baked goods aficionado.  Love to bake them.  Love to eat them.  Love to read about them! From the time I was a little sprout, perched on a stool at my grandmother's side, I have been fascinated by the process of combining ordinary ingredients into extraordinary confections.  Cakes, pies, cookies, breads, muffins, cobblers...you name it, I'll do my best to bake it.  Much like Issy Randall in Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe, baking is in my blood.  

Is baking in your blood?  Like me, does a flour dusted kitchen and the smell of vanilla fill you with joy?  Or do you prefer your goodies fully baked and waiting for you at the local bakery?  Do you enjoy recipe romances as much as I do?  What's your favorite baked indulgence; that one item that just won't allow you to say no?  

One randomly chosen person leaving a comment will receive a copy of Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe.  (U.S. and Canadian addresses only - no P.O. Boxes)  Deadline for leaving comments will be Midnight (EST) August 10th.  









ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jenny Colgan was a fussy eater as a child and didn’t even begin to learn to cook until she was 21, when her then boyfriend tried to teach her a few basics purely out of exasperation. While she is now able to make a variety of good, wholesome food for her family, she still can’t make scones. A former columnist for The Guardian, Jenny contributes regularly to national BBC radio and is the bestselling author of more than eleven novels, including The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris (coming out in the US in early 2014). She is married with three children and lives in London and France. For more information, please visit http://www.jennycolgan.com/ and follow her on Twitter, @JennyColgan.






Check out the August Bonus Blog Stops for a chance to win a copy of this highly-anticipated and deliciously delightful new novel!

7/1         Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell
7/2         Celtic Lady’s Reviews
7/3         Books-N-Kisses
7/3         Chick Lit Central INTERVIEW
7/4         A Bookworm's World
7/5         Delighted Reader
Weekend           
7/8         Beth Fish Reads
7/9         Booking Mama
7/9         The Bookish Dame INTERVIEW
7/10       The Book Binge
7/11       Simply Ali
7/12       Debbie's Book Bag
Weekend           
7/15       The Bookish Babe
7/16       The Reading Café
7/17       Book Hounds
7/17       Cocktails and Books INTERVIEW
7/18       Peeking Between the Pages
7/18       Fresh Fiction GUEST BLOG
7/19       Jenny Loves to Read
Weekend           
7/22       Anna's Book Blog
7/23       Ramblings from This Chick
7/24       Books and Quilts
7/24       A Bookish Affair
7/25       Broken TeePee
7/26       Thoughts in Progress
Weekend           
7/29       Books and Needlepoint
7/30       The Reading Reviewer
7/31       Reading Between the Wines

BONUS GIVEAWAYS IN AUGUST!!!
8/1         Book of Secrets
8/2         Luxury Reading
Weekend           
8/5         Radiant Light
8/6         Ruby’s Reads
8/7         Caffeinated Book Review
8/8         The Romance Dish

8/9         My Book Addiction and More

37 comments:

  1. I loved this book! I prefer goodies waiting for me at the bakery. I just read an article in the Baltimore Sun that "cronuts" - a trademark name of a croissant-donut creation - is making its way down the East Coast. Local bakeries are scrambling to meet the demand ... and come up with a unique name. Hmmm ... I miss Hawaii's own malasadas (Philippine style fried donuts).

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    1. Hi Kim! Hope you're settling in without too much difficulty. I've seen television segments on the "cronut." It's intriguing.

      Glad to hear you enjoyed the book. I have it but haven't had the chance to read it yet. Looking forward to it!

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  2. I do love to bake. I think part of the fun is making something special for my family. I do enjoy romances where the characters cook or bake. The food adds something extra to the story.

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    1. Maureen, like you, my baking pleasure comes not just from the process but from sharing the end product. I do love to feed people. ;-)

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  3. I'm not a good baker, but I am definitely a good eater. ;-) My mom, on the other hand, is a wonderful baker. Her love of baking skipped me and went right to my brother. lol

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  4. Not a great baker but I like the smell in the kitchen when I bake! I take short cuts by buying premixed...

    Love eating cookies and brownies. :)

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    1. Nothing wrong with pre-mix, May! I bake a lot of things from scratch but I also use mixes for many things. When you're short on time, it's a great way to go! :)

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  5. I think this will be a great book to read. Love the cover.
    CABWNANA1@bellsouth.net

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  6. I'm not a great baker generally, but there are a few things, mostly family recipes, that I do well. Holiday baking particularly is an emotionally rich, memory laden experience.

    Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe has been on my book radar, but it's not yet on my TBR. It sounds as if I need to add it.

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    1. Holiday baking particularly is an emotionally rich, memory laden experience.

      So many of my holiday memories are tied to the kitchen and the people who have shared it with me.

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  7. I love the smell of vanilla and cinnamon and I have a few favorite delectable goodies that I bake for occasions. Wonderful giveaway.

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    1. One of my favorite flavor combos. Smells so good!

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  8. My favorite indulgence would be a Mille Feuille which I adore. A particular bakery that I frequent has the most exceptional brownies which I cannot duplicate so I buy them for friends there. When I bake it is uplifting and for a very special family get together, the scent of vanilla and chocolate are my faves.

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    1. I've missed having a good bakery nearby. I need to check out my new town and find out if they have one here.

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  9. I love the smell in my kitchen when I bake. I make cinnamon rolls that are delicious.

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    1. I only make cinnamon rolls a few times a year because they call to me and I can't say no! lol

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  10. I am not a good baker.. I am so grateful that there are some superb people that can do wonder things with flour and sugar and delectable ingredients to temp my taste buds.. I do bake a couple of things. I make good pumpkin loaf...
    I will have to make sure this book finds it's way to my tbr shelf...

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  11. I enjoy baking, but I don't have much time to bake. Chocolate walnut brownies are my favorite. I love books (romance and mystery) that have a food theme. Thanks for the great giveaway!
    bhometchko(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. Chocolate walnut brownies are one of my favorites too.

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  12. I love to bake! My Mom made the best pies ever and I learned from her. My kids enjoy it when we visit them and Mom hits the kitchen. A favorite of mine is cupcakes. I love to make and frost them with homemade buttercream frosting. There is nothing any better. It always makes me smile to read a book about cooking. It’s simply an added bonus!

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    1. Cupcakes are fun, aren't they? Love to make them. Love to eat them! :)

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  13. Did you send a copy to your ex-boyfriend who taught you the basics?

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  14. +I am so sorry I didn't trim my finger nails to learn how to make my gram's strudel that is my favorite and a good one is hard to find... Love bkery tho I bake a little but nothing spectacular. Sounds like a good book!

    Dona

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  15. I use baking as a stress buster.

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    1. Me too, Karen. When I was working full-time my staff always knew that a stressful day would result in home-baked goodies for them the following day!

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  16. Not much of a baker, but i'm a great taster!!!!

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  17. lol... I can't cook at all, so I appreciate affordable, good bakeries :) Thanks for sharing!!!

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  18. I'm not much of a baker, either, but the mr. is! This books sounds delicious!

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  19. I don't cook or bake much, but I love to eat! My favorite dessert is cheesecake. Can't say no to that one!

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  20. I love to bake. I would go to my grandparents' homes and bake with my grandmothers when I was young. I enjoyed baking and often did for my mom since as the oldest of 6, I usually helped fix meals. I prefer homemade treats to those from most bakeries. So often bakery goods look so good, but the taste is a disappointment. I started our children baking when they were young. Our son attended his first cooking classes when he was 4. My husband started baking bread when he was in high school. Our oldest daughter is an excellent baker and, prior to her promotion at work and 14+ hour days, made and decorated cakes for parties and weddings. She makes great cheesecakes, too. Our other daughter loves to bake. I bake whenever I can, but try not to do too much of it. We all love home made breads, rolls, pies, cookies, etc. but don't need the calories. If I make it we'll eat it. My favorite are pies. I usually make two fruit pies at a time. One will be for dessert and the other will be for breakfast for a few days. Favorites: strawberry rhubarb, pie, and mincemeat.

    This sounds like a good book. Recipes are always a great extra.

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  21. Ha! Me cooking. Whew. That's a good one.
    Nope. Not this girl. Though, you know, I don't mind other's coking for me *BigGrin*

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  22. I love to bake and cook and have both since I was a young girl. Everyone in my family had a sweet tooth, so there was always a need for desserts. Once I was married, I learned more recipes from my dear mother-in-law. But my husband would rather have more of the savory or hot food than dessert so I don't make as many as I used to. I cannot resist CINNAMON ROLLS. Those are my absolute favorite!!

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  23. I like to bake, but what I like even more is finding my teen boys baking brownies and delivering a plate of them to me when they're done. LOL

    Marcy Shuler
    bmndshuler(at)hotmail(dot)com

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