Guest: Sarah M. Anderson

Hi everyone! As you can see we’ve got author Sarah M. Anderson visiting with us today! She just had her very first book come out, so congratulations and happy new release to her! You might also “know” her from the lovely charity drive for the Pine Ridge Reservation she started here – remember that? Um also, if you read her bio, it says “I got … a Master’s of Arts in English from The Ohio State University.” Which basically means she’s awesome. Because she’s a Buckeye. (And if she doesn’t love being a Buckeye and/or Buckeye football *she’s not welcome here anymore.)

So, my debut novel, A Man of His Word, came out last week. Chances are, you can find it just about anywhere you look (unless you’re looking in a town where my grandmother shops, because she keeps buying them en masse and then telling me she doesn’t know what she’ll do with all these extra books). I had two signings in two days, which felt like a lot.

My very first book is out! And people bought it! This meant I needed to have a party!

Except there’s a problem: I don’t ‘have’ parties. I’m not even a huge fan of going to parties, because parties usually mean pressure—pressure to be witty and charming and look good in my clothes while being witty and charming and not getting the spinach dip stuck in my teeth. Especially not that.

In other words, I usually freeze up any social gathering that’s anything other than casual.

But this was different! This is my debut! I had to have a party! Or else!

Oh, that ‘or else.’ A lot of people wanted to celebrate with me. I had mom friends come with their kids because my kid was at this party and I wanted other people there to entertain him. I had family come, some from over five hours away. Retired neighbors, one of my bosses, and don’t forget my 96 ¾ year old Gram. I had local friends come, and I had one of my oldest friends come—all the way from Texas. She brought me a quilt—that had my book cover on it! Isn’t that the most cool thing ever?

In other words, I had a fairly schizophrenic guest list. Which lead to an immediate problem: what do you feed this wide swath of humanity?

The answer? Dessert.  God blessed me with a husband who views baking as a form of relaxation, so he made cookies, brownies, and cupcakes. We had gift cards to TCBY, so we got an ice cream cake. And, because this was my party, I decided to go big (because the party was already in my home): I ordered a book cake. A cake that looked like my book.

Cake made by Cakes by Kimberly

Oh, yeah! You know how ‘they’ say everyone has a book inside of them? Even more true when you party with me!

Totally awesome. And even better? It was a tasty cake. I got a layer of strawberry cake between two layers of French vanilla. My son insisted he get to eat the part with the horse’s head on it. I tried not to think about how weird that could be. He’s never even seen The Godfather, after all.

Of course, I ordered a cake that would have fed a small village, so we’re going to be eating this cake for most of the rest of the winter. But that’s okay.

Each bite of publishing tastiness will be just as sweet.

I’m giving away one signed copy of A Man of His Word to a commenter who tells me what the neatest/weirdest/ugliest cake they ever ate was. I want all of your cake glory and heartbreak!

This post is brought to you as part of the A Man of His Word Blog Tour. U.S. residents only. For a complete tour schedule and rules, visit www.sarahmanderson.com. Comments on this blog will be entered to win a signed copy of A Man of His Word. All blog comments are added to the Jewelry Grand Prize list. Jewelry Grand Prize announced on January 1st, 2012 to one randomly drawn name on the list.

Attorney Rosebud Donnelly has a case to win. And she never lets anyone see her sweat. But her first meeting with Dan Armstrong doesn’t go according to script. No one warned her that the COO of the company she’s fighting would be so…manly. From his storm-colored eyes to his well-worn boots, Dan is an honest-to-goodness cowboy. But is he honest? Her yearning for the Texas tycoon goes against reason, against family loyalty, against everything she thought she believed in. And yet, in Dan’s strong arms, Rosebud feels she might be ready to risk everything for one more kiss….

Bio: Award-winning author Sarah M. Anderson may live east of the Mississippi River, but her heart lies out west on the Great Plains. With a lifelong love of horses and two history teachers for parents, it wasn’t long before her characters found themselves out in South Dakota among the Lakota Sioux. She loves to put people from two different worlds into new situations and to see how their backgrounds and cultures take them someplace they never thought they’d go.

When not helping out at school or walking her rescue dog, Sarah spends her days having conversations with imaginary cowboys and American Indians, all of which is surprisingly well-tolerated by her wonderful husband and son.

*I was just joking about the her not being welcome bit. Maybe. >.> (And yes, I know some of you are fans of other schools, even M*ch*g*n … and you’re welcome here too. Remember when I even [let] someone say “Go Bl*e” in the comments? But Sarah went to The Ohio State University. So that changes things.