Providing comfort food and inspiration for the aspiring novelist, How
To Write a Novel in 20 Pies offers novelist and writing coach Amy
Wallen's insider secrets on living the writing life. Filled with
chapters about writing, revising, submitting to an agent, and book
promotion, this book combines Wallen's experienced writing advice with
the brilliant illustrations of Emil Wilson, including recipes for
literary success and the full recipes for 20 sweet and savory pies.
As a novelist, memoirist, and associate director of the New York State
Summer Writers Institute, Amy Wallen has a few things to say about the
writing world, many of them irreverent and snarky. From her perspective
as a teacher, mentor, and published author, her belief is that the way
to survive the hard knocks of writing a book and trying to get published
is to bust a gut working, laughing, and eating pie.
With chapters including "Oh Agent, Where Art Thou?", "Revising,
Rewriting, and Reimagining," and "The Joy of Rejection," Wallen balances
out the challenging stages of the writing process with both sweet and
savory goodness, featuring recipes for chocolate pecan pie, salmon and
portobello pie, and the recipe for the best cherry pie ever.
Throughout the book, Wallen demystifies the vagaries of the publishing
business, providing delicious recipes that will keep your belly full
even when you're staring at an empty page. Her writing advice is neatly
paired with the brilliant illustrations of Emil Wilson, who shares her
sharp wit, sardonic look at the demands of the writing life, and her mad
love of pie. Combined, the stories, lessons, images, and recipes will
provide encouragement and camaraderie for the novel-writing journey,
from putting pen to page, to finding an agent, to celebrating
publication--all with a piece of pie.
