Why Yes, I Will Have a Peach Strawberry Wine Slushie

I'll Have What She's Having

Happy summer, everybody! Hey, did you know that wine is a cocktail ingredient? It's true. You can mix that delicious vintage with other fabulous ingredients and sip it all afternoon long.

Here's the original recipe --but this is my variation. Just don't get super-cheap wine! Even in a cocktail, bad wine is still bad wine.

Peach-Strawberry Wine Slushie

3 cups fresh fruit: try peaches and strawberries, OR--watermelon, pineapple, raspberry...whatever's in season.

2 cups white wine (how about a vinho verde?), sparkling wine, or rosé 

1 cup ice

Puree all ingredients in a blender. If you're not going to drink it right away, store it in the freezer.

Pour into glasses and serve with fruit slices for garnish. Serves 4

Asked and Answered

Ask me a question and win the book of your choice! This month's winner is Susan from Purcellville, VA

Susan asks: The Constance Kopp series has piqued my interest in the history of Paterson, N.J. I know you've spent considerable time there while researching your books. What, in your opinion, are the must-see areas for a visitor interested in the history of the labor movement and of the town itself? I'm also interested in the poet William Carlos Williams, and I plan to visit Paterson Falls National Park. Are there any places of lodging you recommend?

Believe it or not, I have a driving tour of Paterson and Hackensack I have taken reporters on. I show them the cemetery where the Kopps are buried (Cedar Lawn in Paterson--Sheriff Heath is buried at the Hackensack Cemetery), the jail where Constance worked, the intersection where the accident with Kaufman happened (Carroll & Broadway in Paterson, although in the novel I moved it downtown), and the site of Henry Kaufman's factory (206 Putnam in Paterson--although it's no longer there, the building next door is an old abandoned silk dyeing factory and you know I peeked in the windows!)

Definitely stop at the Great Falls, and that puts you very near the Paterson Museum, which has some exhibits related to the silk industry. You could also check out Lambert Castle, which will have a role in future Kopp novels, and the American Labor Museum.

As for William Carlos Williams...his house is still there in Rutherford, at 9 Ridge Rd, but you can't go in--it's a private residence. Still, Rutherford is a charming little town and worth a stroll.

As for where to stay...you know, I just assumed there would be a fine old hotel in downtown Paterson, but there really isn't. I usually ended up at a chain motel along the freeway. There are some nice restaurants in Ridgewood, not far from the library where I did a lot of my research.

Here I am looking sad and weary after a day spent searching for Constance's grave. There are no individual markers, just this stone.

This Month's Contest

 Please go here to ask me a question and pick your prize. Even if you've entered before, please feel free to enter again and ask the same question or a different one. I love all of your questions and I hope to get to all of them eventually!

Litsy Has a Website Now

Hey, do you remember me talking about Litsy, the app that's sort of a cross between Instagram and Goodreads? Well, now it's a website, too, and they've added some cool new features to both the website and the app, like the ability to tag your library or bookstore. Oh, and you can import your Goodreads library, if you're into that sort of thing. Anyway, I love it (you can find me here) and I think you might, too.

I loved this documentary

What a surprise: I loved a documentary about a lady painter from 100 years ago who was locked in an insane asylum and totally forgotten until her niece began uncovering her story. Could it be more tailor-made for me? Okay, the film itself has a few flaws, but the story is incredible and the paintings are gorgeous. I watched it on Netflix, but it seems to be available for streaming everywhere. Read more about it.

Events in Portland, Wilmington, and....

Lots more dates are getting firmed up now, so stay tuned! And if you're part of a literary series, a library event, or some other bookish gathering, please feel free to reach out to publicity@amystewart.com to see about setting up an event.

Hillsboro, OR June 20: Author tea 
Wilmington, DE June 28: Wicked Plants cocktail party!
Mission Viejo, CA Sep 11: Literary Orange
Pittsburgh, PA Sept 19: Mt. Lebanon Public Library
St. Paul, MN: Sept 26: Bell Musuem (Wicked Plants)

Some of these are ticketed events. More tour dates are on my website. Please confirm details with the venue.

Giveaways!
All summer long! 

It's here, people! We are giving away copies of Kopp Sisters on the March all summer long on Goodreads! There will be a new giveaway every month, so please enter early and often! 

Psssst are you a bookseller, librarian, or book reviewer?
Maybe you want to request an e-galley of Kopp Sisters on the March through NetGalley.

What Are You Reading?

Anne Tyler has one story to tell, and she tells it over and over. It's a story about women who find themselves adrift, slightly out of step, disconnected from their families in ways that puzzle them but that they can't fix, until one day....

And that's this book. I loved it absolutely as much as I've loved every Anne Tyler novel. What else is there to say? Read it!

What are you reading? Tell me about it on Goodreads or Litsy.