Eat, Drink and Be Married

Thanks to Logan's Run for hosting a lovely BC, and a packed house to boot!  We started off with a cheese and charcuterie platter, with some sort of figgy-quincy dip on the side that made it exceptionally lishy.  Next, steaming hot chicken pot pies in individual ramekins, accompanied by wild arugula salad with goat cheese and a citrus vinaigrette dressing, and finally, homemade red velvet cupcakes with Valentine's Day sprinkles.  Lish!!  Always love the seasonal desserts.

Such a treat!  For only the second?  third?  time in BC history, our book's author was in attendance!  Rebecca Bloom (we get to call her Becca!), author of Eat, Drink and Be Married, joined us to talk about how she wrote her book, got it published, and won't be embarrassed if her kids read it when they grow up.  As many books as we've read and discussed over the years, this was the first time that we've gotten this much insight into the actual writing and publishing process.  One might think an author has overcome her biggest obstacle once the denouement is conceived, the final chapter written, and the word "Fin" triumphantly typed out on the keyboard.  Alas, no.  There still needs to be someone who wants to read the darn thing and get behind the idea that other people will want to read it.  And as it turns out, finding that someone is pretty difficult in these latter days of the recession.  And so, Becca took it upon herself to self-publish her latest oeuvre, a tale of four best friends who reunite for a wedding, all kinds of drama ensuing.  Of course the first thing we all wanted to know was whether any of the four was Becca herself, and of the others, were they real people?  As it turns out, no character is an exact representation of any particular person Becca knows (or herself), but rather, each is a montage of various personality traits that are familiar to us all.  Which is why the second thing we did was to go around the room and each choose the character with whom we identified the most.  High-brow Hannah, who is a glaringly selfish Bridezilla, but ultimately has a stroke of self-realization on the eve of her wedding?  Nina, the work-out obsessed power player, who can't bear the thought of a baby adding an inch to her waistline or otherwise throwing a wrench in the works of her agro life?  Zoe, the edgy punkster who is the rock her friends lean on, but deep down somewhat self-loathing?  Or Kate, the weird cat-guitar lady?  (Actually, no one picked Kate, and El Jefe would normally take back that uncharitable description of her, except that it doesn't matter because no one picked her.)  It was a lot of fun to get to know these ladies--as well as Becca-- over the course of the book, and we very much look forward to Becca's next project!  (Maybe starting a book club, ha!)

Our next meeting is, ahem, Wednesday (did someone say, "Oh Snap!"?).  The Doctor is hosting, Red is on apps, and Ms. K. dessert.  In case the Highlander is reading this, open up your Kindle and download "The Art of Fielding," which is the book we have all read over the past month and will be discussing in two days.  Until Wednesday, read early and often!  Bring your picks for the List o' Death!  And good luck to the Saint!  We are very excited to have yet another little one in the BC family by April!  xoej