Life takes odd twists and turns.  You never know what’s in store for you, and you never know how one thing can lead to another.  That’s the case with my cookbook.  It all happened like a God wink.  I was competing at the 2013 World Food Championships and during the throes of my competition, a couple of folks from Cedar Fort Publishing approached my sous chef, asked her if I was interested in writing a cookbook, and with just a few quick breaths, because we were deep in timed competition, she said give me your cards and I’ll pass them on to Ally. Nearly six months later, I just happened to find these cards in my sunglasses case~~so I thought, what the heck, I’ll contact them and see if they remember me.  Well, the rest is history because they loved my pitch for a cookbook, my ideas about food and my culinary spin of Bohemian Bold.  Now, keep in mind, I didn’t go to the WFC to find a cookbook deal, I went to compete! You never know what can happen when you put yourself out there!

I have a huge respect for cookbook authors. Before launching onto this path, the only project even remotely similar that I’d experienced was writing my doctoral dissertation~~that was an 18 month ordeal of research, writing, testing, data analysis, feedback and re re re re writing depending upon the whims of my esteemed doctoral committee and their mood(s) when I sent them updates on chapters via pony express mail. And, keep in mind, this endeavor was back in the late 1970s way before there was a computer, email and electronics. The only electronics I had was an IBM Selectric typewriter, and it had an ‘auto correct’ backspace on it, so I didn’t have to use correction tape!

Today it’s all different, and while there’s much more ease with WORD, computers, auto-correct, spell check, Google docs, and research, the magnitude of the job remains the same! This cookbook manuscript must be completed within 6 months from signing my contract~~that means my drop dead deadline is 30 September 2014! It’s kinda overwhelming when you receive all the guidelines for creating your manuscript~~I guess every publisher has their own set of rules, and Cedar Fort sent me a big detailed document on how it should be done~~just filtering through that was like preparing for a huge exam! Then there have been other guidelines for the marketing, publicity, book tour and more.

Another thing about doing this cookbook that I knew immediately was~~I can’t do it alone. I have to have help, and seein’ how I’m not a John Grisham and didn’t receive an ‘advance’ that means realizing the money investment I’d have to make with hiring others to assist~~starting with the manuscript development. I needed a marketing/pr person who would work on the publicity requirements given us (things we must make plans to do once the cookbook is launched), then I needed a savvy experienced reader/editor (someone who’d worked in publishing) who would be a ‘Nurse Ratchet’, pulling together even minute detail down to the ‘tsp.’ and the ‘Tbl.’ and someone who would catch in a recipe mistakes like when I’d write 8 chicken backs rather than 8 chicken thighs~~yes, these two people are part of the team, and they don’t work for free~~there’s no way I pay them what they’re worth~~they believe in what we’re doing and are on the magic carpet because of the dream!

So rather than bore you with details, let me just say that my primary work has been to create new innovative recipes, over one hundred to date and that means~~everything from the creative process of coming up with an idea, buying the ingredients, researching the culinary area it would be in to the next steps of making the recipe, food styling/photographing/editing, writing up the recipe, tying in a back story and a a food branching tip, and, yes, washing the dishes, sweeping the kitchen, un-jamming the garbage disposal, having taste testers try the food and deciding if the recipe is good enough to make the cut~~that’s been most of my work for the past 3-4 months. Add into that ‘ally cookbook world’ other things that are needed~~a new website for the cookbook, a professionally produced book trailer, a professionally created video book teaser, a couple of professional photo shoots of me for use in the book, and more, and you might appreciate the magnitude of this project.

All of these cookbook-related ‘plates’ have been spinning while doing other things that define my life~~family, friends, reunions, travel, my work with Dole, the Ally’s Kitchen brand/website/social media, yoga, oh always yoga~~what I’m saying, and please none of this is belly aching or whining, is that this cookbook adventure has opened up entirely new challenges to me, and it’s showing me that when you’re exhilarated and passionate about something, it doesn’t matter what your age or stage of life~~your electric gusto kicks in, your juju gets revving, and you do what it takes to make the dream a true reality because you believe in the good it will bring to others!

I unequivocally know that when I and our team, which will grow as time rolls on with getting near the launch date, hold in our pesky littl’ hands those first cookbooks that come off the press, there’s going to be huge tears that well up in our eyes~~it’s like birthing a baby~~beautiful, perfect, a work of art that’s going to bring so much pleasure, love, and joy to others. I hope you feel that when you get your copy of the cookbook~~please know that it’s not mere words when I say my heart, mind, spirit and soul are woven throughout every photo you will look at and every recipe, and story you will read. It’s because of you that this entire magic carpet ride began! ~~peace & nameste~~ xoxo ally

Read more here: http://apassportforadventurouspalates.com/