The Divining Wand

Since we’re about to celebrate America’s birthday, why not raise a toast with one of the country’s most famous author’s drink?

Katie Workman did the research and writing in The Drink Hemingway Made Famous published on June 24, 2009, in The Daily Beast and here’s the beginning of her article:

“Exactly a century ago, an obscure Cuban cocktail named the daiquiri emigrated to America. While Papa loved the Havana version, Nigella Lawson and others remix the classic for a new generation of summer drinkers.

“Ernest Hemingway, it seems universally agreed, would have likely done a shot of Scope if that’s all that was available. But when visiting a dark bar off Havana’s Parque Central called El Floridita, he stumbled upon a drink called the daiquiri and forever changed the way that summer tastes.

“Just try to say the word “daiquiri” and frown. Try it. Can’t do it, right? It’s simply not possible to be cranky when you are talking about making or drinking a daiquiri. A daiquiri is like a little vacation in a glass, and sometimes a little vacation in a glass with a teeny tiny beach umbrella.”

Continue to read and you’ll learn a brief history of daiquiri, along with three different recipes for the classic summer drink, including: Daiquiri Floridita which was Hemingway’s favorite; Daiquiri by Sharon Tyler Herbst; and Watermelon Daiquiri by Nigella Lawson.

Even if you’ll be enjoying a stay-at-home weekend, take that “little vacation in a glass”…and silently thank Hemingway.

Happy Birthday America!

The debut celebration of Real Life & Liars continues for Kristina Riggle as she’s learned that LIARS has been chosen as a “Breakout” novel featured in Target stores starting in August!

And how would you like to hear Kristina on the (Internet) radio and possibly talk to her live? She’s scheduled to be interviewed tomorrow, Thursday June 18th, on “Romance Radio” powered by BlogTalk Radio. For further information, including how to call in, please check here.

Katie Alender, yet another member from the Deb Class 2009, proudly and gratefully announces two exciting milestones for her YA novel, Bad Girls Don’t Die. The book has gone into a seond printing and it’s also had the first foreign rights sale to Spanish-language publisher Versatil. For those who may be unfamiliar with Katie’s novel, please read Presenting Debutante Katie Alender and Bad Girls Don’t Die

As we know, debuts are only the beginning of a writer’s career and Founder Deb Mia King (best-selling author of Good Things and Sweet Life) reminds us that her third novel, Table Manners — the sequel to Good Things — will be released on Tuesday, August 4, 2009. There’s additional good news in the fact that Table Manners is a featured alternate of the Doubleday, Literary Guild, Rhapsody and Book of the Month book clubs. If you belong to any of those clubs and choose Table Manners as your selection, you’ll actually read it as a hardcover!

That’s all for today…just keeping you posted.

If you’re reading this now, well…what an early bird! The official launch of The Divining Wand (Discovering authors beyond their pages) will take place at 12:05 am Monday June 15th when the post, “Presenting Debutante Kristina Riggle and Real Life & Liars” is published. Until then, please look around. There are many empty pages just waiting to be filled. Ah, the anticipation!