Okay, it’s time to tell you all the source of my stress/anxiety/excitement.
I’m writing a book! Specifically, I’m writing The Food Lovers’ Guide to Austin. Can you believe it?!
A friend told me of an editor who was looking for Austin food writers for a project. I contacted the editor to see what kind of project it was, and she answered by saying that she had been reading my blog, and thought I’d be the perfect person to write this book! So within, oh, two weeks or so, I was up to my eyeballs in research and planning and contracts and outlines and such.
I’m so excited about it! It fits my writing style and personality perfectly… this is not a critical review of Austin restaurants, it’s a positive look at some of the best eateries, specialty markets, cooking classes, and food festivals that Austin has to offer. I hate writing negative things (so much so that I have chosen not to blog about lots of bad or mediocre restaurants in town, rather than to blog about them in a negative light). I would much rather sing the praises of the places, chefs, bartenders, and food that I love, and now I get to do that in my very own book!
I’m so excited about putting together a cheat sheet of great food and drink in Austin. I can’t tell you how many times a week I get asked for restaurant recommendations from friends and coworkers, and it’s nice to know that someday soon, I’ll have a book to refer them to. 🙂 I love that people from all over the country (world?) might use this book when they come to visit Austin, and that my recommendations might lead them to visit my restaurant/chef/bartender friends and the amazing food establishments they’ve created. I love that maybe someone will search for “food in Austin” on Amazon.com, and maybe my book will pop up, and maybe they’ll buy it, then decide that Austin is in fact a food heaven, and that they should come for a visit. I love that I get to represent my amazing city and it’s fabulous food culture with this book.
My deadline is very, very soon… I have only a few months to pull all of this together, so I’m a tad bit stressed out. These days, I might get up at 5:30 to write before work, then work all day, then come home and do a bit of research, then go out to a restaurant, then come home and try to write or organize… and by then it’s time to go to bed and repeat the process. I’m tired and a little scared and frustrated, but the excitement outweighs all of that.
So! This is why you’ve seen so many restaurant posts lately. And why you’ll probably see lots more to come. And probably no home-cooking/recipes until maybe November.
I’m always looking for suggestions on restaurants and markets I might have missed… so if you have a place in mind that you adore, please, send the info my way!
Anyway, internets, thanks for your support. Have a great weekend!
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