After my book manuscript was completed and sent to my publisher, and after I cut 100 manuscript pages, and turned the manuscript in again, I sat in a bit of book-limbo. I worked on other projects, I cooked, I traveled, and I twitched. I knew the work of editing, marketing, and designing my book was underway, but I couldn’t see, feel, or touch it. Until yesterday. The final book cover arrived from my editor and I must say I am thrilled. Following a bit of input from me and the press employees, and then with the creative inspiration of the artist, this is where we landed. Four seasonal illustrations will round out the cover and decorate the inside of the book. I’m confident the illustrations will spruce up the book’s interior. I’m not the first to say: writing a book is solitary, sometimes lonely, work.  But since I enjoy solitude I was in good company. The editing process, while harried, shapes the book and helps it evolve into something usable, readable, and in this case I hope cookable. (Is that a word?) The design process with the application of color, font styles, and page layout  brings the book to life. A warm, heartfelt thank you to Sara Turner at Cricket Press and my editor Anne Dean Watkins at The University Press of Kentucky for their hard work on this lovely cover. I’m proud to have you as my illustrator and publisher. I can’t wait to see the next round of illustrations.