Lost Art of Mixing (9781101609187) (23 page)

Acknowledgments

A
book is born of many mothers, female and male, and raised by even more. This one would not have existed without some serendipitous encounters and the help of many supportive people.

It was Laura Esquivel who told me about celebrating fifty-second birthdays in Mexico, which got me thinking about the power of ritual and the need to occasionally toss a few plates. Melissa Gayle West, over a hot cup of coffee, taught me the whys and hows of celebration and remembrance. Don Busch served as my resident expert in all things tax-related, while Rylan Bauermeister graciously shared his enthusiasm for numbers and rock climbing. Nancy Carroll related the story of Dorothy and Phyllis, a variation of which made its way into Maridel's character, a blue notebook of my own. Nina Meierding took me to Silver Falls, while the experience of attempting to move some furniture by myself taught me that you really can roll a love seat.

Words need ears to hear them and eyes to read them, long before they can ever be considered a book. Jennie Shortridge and Randy Sue Coburn have been along for the entire ride, reading every sentence, caring about each character. A bow of gratitude as well to my steadfast readers Genevieve Gagne-Hawes, Nina and Bill Meierding, Deedee Rechtin, Caitlin and Gloria Bauermeister, Neil Flagg, Sally Debono, Lisa Cooke, and my wonderful husband, Ben Bauermeister, who not only reads but graciously deals with fictional people taking over his life and kitchen on a regular basis.

There were the places of refuge, too, offered by the patron saints of writing. This book took some remarkable turns during two stays at Hedgebrook on Whidbey Island. And a special thank-you to Richard and Becca Niday at the Majestic Mountain Retreat in Rhododendron, Oregon, who have been so generous with their cabin; and to Jan Huston, who let me hide away in her guest cottage and listen to the frogs.

Then there are those who guide the words from me to you, my brilliant agent, Amy Berkower, and editors, Rachel Kahan, Sara Minnich, and Ivan Held; Katie McKee and Kate Stark, who know how to make a book feel like a party; the terrific sales force at Putnam and Berkley; and last but never least, the booksellers who do the hard and thoughtful work of knowing what you like and getting the books in your hands. May we always celebrate the community that is reading.

Also by Erica Bauermeister

FICTION

The School of Essential Ingredients

Joy for Beginners

NONFICTION

500 Great Books by Women: A Reader's Guide

with Jesse Larsen and Holly Smith

Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2–14

with Holly Smith