Cookbook Confessions

I come to you today feeling highly caffeinated and also highly ambitious. I would like to credit the time of year, but it could just be the coffee... So considering my grand mood and all of this energy that needs to be extended now that I've gone to Starbucks, I thought I would take some time to share with you a project I've decided to work on over the next few weeks.

If you've been a reader since the blog started (in 2011) you may recall that I've written two e-books full of vegan recipes. The first, Summertime Sippers, was published in May 2012. The second, Vegan Glass Jar Goodies, was released in December 2012. As soon as the new year began, I started hashing out ideas for my next cookbook. I intended to publish another summery book of recipes with dishes perfect for cookouts and barbecues, but the damn ice cream chapter continued to battle me until summer was already half over. And despite the other fantastic recipes I've accumulated for that book, I thought it best to save the manuscript for summer of 2014 so I have more time to best the stubborn ice cream maker.

I think, perhaps subconsiously, my brain decided to not work on any other cookbooks after that bit of a failure because I hadn't been plotting anything else for the year. Which is odd because I have always set myself on publishing two e-books per year until I come up with another plan for my blog. Needless to say, the first day of October came and my brain went "whaaat!?"

So here I am, the first weekend of October approaching, and I'm without a manuscript fit for the end of the year. What IS a girl to do?? How about spend the rest of the month developing holiday recipes for an e-book to go online November 1st? Sure, that sounds great!

To be honest, this is usually how I write my cookbooks. I start with an idea, develop about 3 or 4 recipes as soon as I do, then wait until a month before my self-imposed deadline to figure out the rest. Procrastination! Whee!! And now that everyone knows my dirty little secret, I figure I can share the recipe development process with you as I go. You'll be able to follow along via Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. It'll be fun! And if you like what you see and have a vegan blog of your own, I would like to hear from you. I would like to share some free copies with other bloggers in exchange for blog posts so please be sure to get in touch if you're interested.

Stay tuned for the fun! Before Chris and I go to see Gravity tonight I'll be setting up a studio space in our apartment for photos and then I'll be in the kitchen tomorrow making a few batches of cookies. I'm literally SO EXCITED. October through January is my favorite time of the year and I am going to do everything in my power to enjoy EVERY MINUTE of it!