Summer Special Offer ~ "Lush Ice Cream without a Machine"

I didn't make a big thing of this in my last post so I'd just like to mention it again.  As the weather was so good for a couple of days last week (and rumour has it the sun will be out next Friday - yippee!) I have reduced the price of my ebook "Lush Ice Cream without a Machine" to £1.98 which is about the same price as a carton of ice cream and much, much cheaper than an ice cream machine. You'd better see here and get a copy so you'll be ready next Friday!

This method makes rich creamy dairy ice cream quickly and easily, I promise you, and the reason I wrote the book is that it's so simple and foolproof that I felt it would be a shame not to pass it on. 

Here is easy peasy Clotted Cream Ice Cream, one of the first recipes in the book, as part of a twist on traditional Cornish Cream Tea. 

Incidentally and regardless of the above photo I hope everyone now realises that the Cornish have always been right - it is jam on first, topped with cream.  See here for the maths!  

Showing off a bit - sorry!

Look what I saw in Wadebridge.

I know for most people this is not very exciting but this is the first time I have seen my book in a real, live book shop and, not only that, in the window and, not only that, above Rick Stein!!!

Tomorrow I am giving a talk to a local craft group on getting published.  This is the first time I'll have done this too but presume that if I just chat along giving useful info I've picked up together with some jokes and anecdotes I should be OK and they have promised coffee and biscuits.

One of the things I am going to stress is how much work the publicity is, I feel I could sit here on my computer till the end of time pitching magazines, blogging, tweeting, commenting on Linkedin, posting on Facebook, emailing and so on and so forth. I don't mind at all, in fact I enjoy it but at the same time it is a) frustrating (magazines take ages to reply if at all) and b) there is so much to do I keep forgetting what I am doing.  Serves me right for being so old, I suppose.

And for visitors to Cornwall ... 

Now writing for CCN!

Things are hotting up for me ... I think, it's hard to tell!  I have received copies of my book and it is a strange and pleasant thing to hold a real bona fide book with my name on the cover.

The book can be ordered from Amazon at quite a good discount (at the moment the cover price is 12.99 but Amazon who always discount anyway have a special offer on it - £8.31) and for ease of ordering I have added a widget to my other website, Sudden Lunch!  It's in the sidebar and looks like this ..

Having the widget on my other blog does mean you have to click twice instead of once but it's still easier peasier than having to go to Amazon all by yourself!  I'd add a widget here too but Amazon only allows one site to be widgetted (new word!) per person and Sudden Lunch at the moment is getting over 20,000 hits a month which this one is not!  Early days! 

I am writing for CCN!

I like that headline!  CCN of course stands for Cornwall Community News and they have asked me to contribute a weekly-ish article and Cornish foodie stuff.  Myfirst, on lovely Cornish Gouda, can be seen here. 

CCN gave called me "the chef of leftovers" which title I'm pretty sure I shall adopt.

Reviews, Amazon and Goodreads

If by any chance you should read and enjoy my book (or indeed anybody's book) it is a real help if you then review it on Amazon, I am trying to remember to do this myself with writers I like.  Goodreads is another great place to not only rate or review books but also to find things you'd like to read - I have started an online shelf of books I am going to look out for. I have, incidentally, heard that Amazon have purchased Goodreads so they may now be one and the same thing!

Is this Pinteresting or Not?

What a lovely way to pass the time / useful tool / bloody nuisance Pinterest is!   

I joined about a year ago because it looked a good way to store visual notes of books I wanted to read, things I wanted to cook, good ideas for the home etc.  After a while I started a collection of photos of Cornwall where I lived years ago and have returned to in my dotage!

Click here to see more of lovely Cornwall!

Having submitted many photos from my foodie blog Sudden Lunch to all the food porn sites such as Tastespotting, Foodgawker, Dishfolio and Tasteologie with mixed reception I decided to start my own food porn board, so there!

... and here for more food pornography!

Missing the beautiful British Virgin Islands I started a board with many of my own photos of the islands plus lots other people had posted.  When I am feeling "homesick" I can really enjoy my misery by looking at what I am missing. 

Go here to make yourself miserable too!

When I wrote my ice cream book I took loads of pics, far too many to be used in the format it is now published in so I though it a good idea to devote a board to these photos in the hopes they would promote the book and give people who have bought it an idea of the end results.  Hence ...

... or here to be advertised to!

Did you know you can have up to three secret boards?  I am currently collecting pictures on it for my leftovers book due out in the spring.

What you you think?

I have no idea, as yet, if this is going to give good results forpromoting my writing but I think its well worth a try andI enjoy it  in any case.  Has anyone tried Pinterest to promote their book?  What do you think?  Any suggestions?

Funny Ha Ha and Heck!

Here

... and here.

If these are not to your liking I do have other boards!