Comfort Foods & Potluck
ELECTRONIC PRESS RELEASE MATERIALS
SAMPLE FAQ FOR AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Author Name: Margretta “Grannie Gretta” Schleich
Title: “Comfort Foods and Potluck: Grannie Gretta’s Collection of Salads Soups, Stews, and Covered Dishes”
Author Website: http://www.granniegretta.com
Publisher: Trafford Publishing
Publisher Website: http://www.trafford.com
FAQ's
Q: Please tell me a bit about the book?
The book contains more than a collection of recipes. It has hints, tips, and stories of interest to the novice cook and the experienced.
Q: What was the inspiration for the book? Why did you write it?
Food has been a source of comfort and nurturing for myself and is a tangible way of giving love to others.
In the 1950’s, when I got my first cookbook, “Betty Crocker’s Picture Cookbook”, I began reading and collecting recipes and the “how-to” hints. As my children began to cook, I realized it was easier to put the techniques in writing. It allowed them the freedom to create. Later, I began to replicate the foods of others.
By the 1980’s, my husband and I realized that we needed to preserve the tastes of our childhoods. I asked family and friends for recipes and expanded the collection.
The first self-published book was so well received, I challenged myself to create a professional product.
Q: Who would you say the book is written for (i.e. who will benefit from reading it and why)?
- Because the instructions and techniques for preparing family tested foods are clear and easily followed, the novice cook will become confident and successful.
- The experienced cook will learn the reasons for some of the techniques and will find the collection thorough and handy.
- Readers of cookbooks will enjoy the stories and comments.
All will profit from the Glossary and the Ingredient Index.
How often have you had a recipe that calls for 2 Tablespoons capers and you are left with the rest of the jar. The index in the back of the book will offer other suggestions.
Q: What challenges did you encounter while writing the book?
- The size of my collection of recipes would create an unwieldy volume. Too heavy and large to pick up. Dividing the recipes into five volumes was the solution. “Comfort Foods and Potluck” is the first volume. “Sweet Stuff: Grannie Gretta’s Collection of Cakes, Cookies, Pies, Desserts, Candy, Nuts and Such” will follow.
- Another issue was where would the hints and tips fit best so the material didn’t become repetitious?
- The original publishing company went out of business and money was short.
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Q: What did you learn that surprised even you about the subject matter or about yourself while writing the book?
The expansion of Print on Demand Publishing made it possible to afford the cost of enough books to allow it to be offered for sale. It was no longer a little family hobby, of interest to only immediate family members. The Internet and authors I know supplied enough information to allow me to continue.
Until I began to plan the format of the book, I didn’t realize how much I had learned about food and its preparation in the last fifty years. The encouragement of family and friends far exceeded my dreams.
I did not realize my commitment to accomplishing a project was so great.
Q: Which word best describes the experience of writing the book – enjoyable, cathartic, gratifying, educational, frustrating, challenging – and why?
Gratifying: because I was be able to leave the foods and traditions of my family for generations to come.
Q: When did you know that you wanted to become a writer?
After I retired as a Child Protective Services Social Worker and Supervisor, I began typing the family stories my husband wrote. A “I can do that” attitude formed and the cookbook evolved.
Q: What books have influenced your writing?
As a pre-teen, I read the “Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook” from cover-to-cover, absorbing the table settings, manners and techniques required to cook and serve. As I began collecting recipes, I scoured “The Kitchen Klatter” magazine my mother received monthly for twenty-five years. The “Fannie Farmer Boston Cooking School Cookbook” and the “Joy of Cooking” were my resources.
Q: How did your childhood influence your writing?
I was given encouragement to tackle projects and if I tried to do my best, I was successful even in failure.
Q: Who is your favorite author?
The safe answer is Betty Crocker. The General Mills cookbooks have taught me a lot.
Q: Why do you write?
For the pleasure of passing on traditions and knowledge. The greatest reward would be the success of the cook who follows my guidance and receives the praise of their family and guests.
Q: What do you do for fun?
I am an avid reader of mysteries.
Q: What's next?
Four more volumes are needed to complete the collection. The next book will be “Sweet Stuff: Grannie Gretta’s Collection of Cakes, Cookies, Desserts, Pies, and Candy”
Q: Have you considered how your life may change if the book makes it big?
I am too busy to see into the future, but if this does well, I believe I will have the confidence to try a novel.
The following material is also available in hard copy, if requested.
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