When I settled down, got married, had a son, and then opened Village Cooks, I thought my life would be quiet and peaceful. A life filled with cookbooks and cooking and everyday family life. After all, if I turn to the left out my driveway there’s a farm down the road, and if I turn to the right and go down a mile there’s a nature preserve. And only an hour from New York City, where I worked as a cookbook editor until I moved here with my husband Andy, who is a newspaper reporter.
But deep down I knew that life away from New York would never be absolutely calm. Especially since my father was once the President of the United States. That’s right, POTUS himself. Bill Billings, remember him? Charming, handsome, witty and brilliant? With the elegant wife, Elaine? The one whose daughter (my sister) was killed in an assassination attempt on him?
And who knew he’d end up calling in the Secret Service to protect me when someone tried to kill me. About a week after I found the body of a woman on my property, down by the stream in back. And of course this all happened while I was getting ready for the big annual event at Village Cooks: Cookbooktoberfest. Which takes place in, you guessed it, October. I choose a cookbook (this year it is Holiday Delights by Elizabeth Crisp), and the author comes to Village Cooks to participate in a taste testing contest and book signing. My loyal customers compete to see who can make the best version of the recipes in the chosen cookbook. They look forward to it every year, and I don’t want to let them down.
So today I am trying to put aside all of the fear and concentrate on getting ready for Cookbooktoberfest. It’s a little hard to do because I know that the police, a private security company, and the Secret Service are all trying to find the killer and keep my family and me safe. Sally Harvey, the woman who works at Village Cooks with me, has been a blessing. With a Secret Service agent undercover in the store keeping an eye on things while we ate a quick lunch in the back office, she rounded up last year’s Cookbooktoberfest to-do list so that we could update it. We got to work.
Get commitment from author. Check. Well, sort of. Royal Jefferson, Elizabeth Crisp’s publicist, has strongly hinted that they might cancel her appearance if things don’t calm down around here. I guess that means no more attempts on anyone’s life.
Send out postcards announcing the event. Check. Addressed, stamped and mailed, fingers crossed.
Plates, cups and plastic ware, check, we have plenty. Books ordered from the publisher and received, check. Sign made and put in shop window, check.
Facebook announcement posted: check.
To do: buy 5 gallons of cider.
To do: order sunflowers from Sebastian Blooms. I don’t know why I always order sunflowers, but we’ve been having this event for seven years now, and I’ve always had sunflowers on the author table, looking cheerful and, well, sunny.
To do: move cookware items and cookbooks for sale off three display tables, arrange the tables into a T, and lay blue toile tablecloths on the tables. Thank God we already had the tablecloths dry cleaned and they are hanging in bags ready to go.
To do: set up side table with sunflowers and stacks of books for Elizabeth Crisp to sign.
To do: brush Mrs. Beeton, our store cat, so that she looks her most fetching for the big day. That’s Sally’s job.
A relatively easy to-do list for two people to accomplish during the course of an afternoon. Unless someone fires a shot through the store window again.
You can read more about Bonnie in Cinnamon Girl, the first book in the new “Village Cooks” mystery series, published by Annabel Publishing. Books are available at retail and online booksellers.
Book Release Party and Book Signing will take place at 3pm, Sunday, October 27, 2013 at Sweet Spot Bake Shoppe (winner of Food Network’s Cupcake Wars), 57 Main Street (party room in adjacent courtyard), Chester, NJ 07930. Light refreshments will be served; including banana nut bread made from a recipe included in the book, famed horror actor Vincent Price’s A Treasury of Great Recipes. Prize drawing gift basket will include a copy of Price’s cookbook and supplies needed to make the recipe.
Valerie is giving away one (1) copy of CINNAMON GIRL. Leave a comment to be included in the giveaway. Contest ends October 28; US entries only.
Meet the Author
A life-long cookbook lover, Valerie Horowitz has always worked with books. She has sold out-of-print and rare books, 
was manager of a bookstore in New York’s Greenwich Village and has held various marketing and editorial positions at trade, professional and scholarly publishers. She lives in a house built in the 1750s with her husband, son, and cat in the bucolic northwestern New Jersey farm and horse country where Cinnamon Girl, the first in a series of Village Cooks mysteries, takes place. You can find her online at her Facebook author page.
I never heard of this book. Looks like a fun read.
I would love to win a copy. Thank you for offering to give one away 🙂
Another really good sounding book to put on my must read list. Thanks for the opportunity to win one.
I love cooking mysteries and this one sounds delicious. Can’t wait to read it
Sounds like a fun read – nice cover! Thanks.
I love cooking cozies…Dee
Sounds like an interesting book.
I have not heard about this book , but it sure does sound really good.
Surely sounds like a fun and interesting book and anything to do with food is a book that I HAVE to read. Love cozies especially those about anything food or beverage. What a great background Valerie has and writing just seems to be the next step. Good luck with your writing Valerie.
Cynthia
You had me at cinnamon and I love the book cover, it immediately jumped out as one I want to read. Thanks for the chance to win.
what a fun cover!!!!
thank you for the giveaway!!
Looking forward to the book launch party! Looks like a great Christmas gift for my mom!! 🙂
I love cookbook stories. I collect them as much for the recipes as the mystery. I just have a feeling that Valerie is going to sell a ton of books and that the series will just take off.
Dru, put my name in the hat please.
This sounds like a delightful new series and having a bit of a fetish for cookbooks it sounds like a winner.
This is an intriguing plot line and I would love to read this book. Count me in!
Sounds like my type of book.
Awesome . Thanks for great giveway. Love the concept of this book.
Haven’t heard of this series before. I like that she has “to do lists” and that this a cooking mystery. Thank you for the cahnce to win it.
What a delightful post. I always enjoy meeting the characters this way. The book sounds like a good read.
Although I love cooking mysteries, you had me at sunflowers. How nice of you give away a book.
My fav cozy mysteries are always the ones the revolve around cookbooks and cooking ! Thanks for the giveaway !
Sounds like a fun read. Always great to discover new cozy authors.
A new series to start – and about cookbooks – sounds yummy. I think this sounds like one I would really enjoy, would love to win the book.
This sounds like a fun series!
Lover of books and culinary fare, and a collector of cookbooks, I am excited to read “Cinnamon Girl”!
Wish I could be there at the book release party. Good to catch the start of a new series. Count me in for the drawing. Thanks. judydee22002@yahoo dot com
This book has a lot going for it with cooking and recipes, a former president and first lady and the Secret Service. Great title and cover design!
I love to get in on the beginning of a new series—and this does sound like it could be a fun read.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
Intriguing premise and an enticing cover! I was unable to find a ebook version ( iBook, Nook, Kindle). Will ebook versions be available soon? I have to say it: the cover is precious! 🙂
This would be great to win!
This sounds intriguing
ok i’m hooked have a kettle on to boil and a mug all
set/;]
This sounds great! Thanks for the chance to win.
I love the name and the cover, and it sounds like a series I’d like to read.
kaye.killgore@comcast.net
I love to start at the beginning of a new series. Sounds like a good read. Wish I lived in NJ for the book signing!
I love cookbooks too!
Thanks Valerie for giving us a brief introduction to Bonnie.
contest is closed.