Guest post and giveaway with Jenny Nelson, author of Georgia's Kitchen

Yesterday, the day I’ve been awaiting for months arrived: My debut novel, Georgia’s Kitchen, was published! After years of writing, revising, pitching, and polishing, Georgia’s Kitchen is now on sale at bookstores everywhere. I’m still pinching myself (and obsessively checking Amazon and B&N, of course)!

Release day started out like any other – with my dog, Clarabelle, leaping up on my belly and licking me until I threw back the covers and roused myself out of bed. After waffles with my daughters, followed by a few rounds of ring around the rosie (“we all fall down” became “Mama’s book is out!” – much better, in my opinion), my husband and I dropped the girls at camp then made our way to New York for my book launch party. Funnily enough, though I’d planned to spend the day “bookstore stalking” (which is exactly what it sounds like), I didn’t go to even one store. Instead, I treated myself to a mani/pedi (nails gotta look good when signing books!) and a Wildberry yogurt (to make up for the all the eating and drinking I knew I’d be doing later), before meeting up with my mom, who flew in from Canada, and my sis, who arrived from L.A. By the time we finished getting ready, we had to hightail it down to Kenmare, the fabulous and stylish restaurant – think funky Santorini lounge, complete with disco ball and giant mosaic snake on the ceiling – hosting my party.

Now, I’m not big on the spotlight, and throwing parties for myself is not something I normally do. However, if I were to, I’d want them all to be like this one: Great friends, family from everywhere, delicious food and wine (thank you, Joe Bastianich, for donating your amazing wines!) and a happy, upbeat vibe. I felt so lucky to be surrounded by people who knew just how hard and how long I’ve worked on Georgia’s Kitchen, and who wanted nothing more than to celebrate that effort. We topped off the evening with a fantastic dinner at Bar Pitti, an authentic Tuscan restaurant we’ve been enjoying for over ten years, and the perfect place to raise one last glass to Georgia. On the cab ride home, I got my final and favorite treat: my daughters singing the “congratulations” song (hint: it sounds a lot like Happy Birthday) on a message. I’ll keep it forever.

Jenny's website

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And now for the giveaway:
Thanks to Simon & Schuster, I have one copy of Georgia's Kitchen to give away. Leave a comment telling me you'd like to read this book - ends August 26. Must be a follower, US addresses only. Please check back to see if you've won.