Susan Wiggs


The Beekeeper's Ball

Coming June 2014

Available now for pre-order
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Dear Friends,

There’s something about sisters. If you have one, you know what I mean. If you don’t, I’ll bet you have a best friend who feels like a sister to you. Tess and Isabel have become two of my most cherished characters, in part because of the deep bond I share with my own sister, Lori. I thought you might enjoy these photos of us: the first from our childhood and the second from a trip we took to Bali late last year.

From our childhood

Bali



I’m also excited to share the dates of my book tour with you. Meeting you in person is one of the best parts of my job.

I recently visited Sonoma, where The Apple Orchard and The Beekeeper’s Ball are set. The salt air blowing through my hair, the perfect rows of grape vines nestled into the hills, the ancient forests...it truly is a magical place. Thanks to Copperfield’s Bookstore for setting up a fun booksigning event!

I went to lunch with one of my favorite people, Dorothy Allison.

Dorothy Allison

It was hard to leave, but thankfully I can visit anytime I close my eyes and think of what happens next in the Bella Vista series...speaking of which, I had better get back to writing!

I hope you are all enjoying the beginning of your summer with delicious food, dear friends, and, of course, a great book.

Join the discussion on my Facebook page here.

I’ll leave you with a recipe and a DIY. Enjoy!

Susan Wiggs

Recipe:

This honey cake is always a crowd pleaser, and it’s so simple that I usually have all of the ingredients in my kitchen. You can substitute Greek yogurt for the sour cream. You can also consider topping the cake with any fruit you have, like sliced pairs, fresh raspberries, or sliced grapefruit.

Easy Honey Cake:

1 3/4 cups self raising flour
¾ cup sugar
150 g butter, melted
3 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup honey
¾ cup sour cream

Combine flour and sugar in one bowl, and stir together the remaining ingredients separately. Add the flour and sugar mixture to the wet ingredients and pour into a greased cake pan. Cook for 30 minutes at 375 degrees, or until an inserted knife comes back clean. Drizzle with honey and a few curls of lemon peel to serve.

How-to:

Now that the weather is getting nicer, I’m starting to notice all of the little tweaks I need to make to my garden. I recently created some DIY stepping stones using beach pebbles, some cement, and a cake pan, of all things. Here are some quick instructions:

stepping stone
  1. Gather pretty objects for the surface of your stepping stone. Beach pebbles and beach glass are lovely, or you could use a hammer to break up some old plates that you no longer need. Get creative — this could be a chance to empty that box of buttons you’re saving!
  2. Trace the bottom of a non-stick cake pan and cut out a piece of wax or contact paper. Place it in the bottom of the pan and arrange the objects in a pattern on top of it. Make sure you place them upside-down so you can see their pretty surfaces when you turn the finished stepping stone over! Use Vaseline to line the edges of your cake pan so the stone will slip out easily when it’s done.
  3. Grab a bag of cement or concrete mix and prepare according to the instructions. Use wire cutters to cut a piece of chicken wire or mesh (it doesn’t have to be perfect — it will just be embedded in the stone to give it some extra stability).
  4. Spread about an inch of cement on top of the pattern you’ve arranged in your cake pan. Place the chicken wire on top of that, and spread an additional later of cement on top of that (each cement layer should be about an inch thick or so).
  5. Let that sit for about two days, then turn the pan over and remove your stepping stone! Use extra cement to fill in any holes that may have formed. Place in your garden and host a tea party where your friends will “ooh” and “aah” over your handiwork!




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