Episode 206: A Literary Tea Party — Interview with Alison Walsh

by Gabriela Pereira
published in Podcast

Hey there word nerds!

Today I am delighted to have author Alison Walsh on the show!

And OMG word nerds I am so excited because we’re going to be talking about Alison’s new cookbook: A Literary Tea Party!

I first learned about Alison’s book last summer, from my friend and awesome DIY MFA contributor Sara Letourneau. Right away I knew I had to get Alison to come on the show.

Anyone who knows me at all knows that I’m obsessed with tea. I drink probably around 3 pots of tea per day, not to mention the gallons of iced tea I consume in the summertime. So when I learned that there would soon be a book of literary-themed teatime recipes I just about died and went to heaven (and I say this as someone who absolutely cannot cook).

Alison actually started out as a food blogger at Alison’s Wonderland Recipes, a blog dedicated to making recipes inspired by classic literature. She has since been featured on Real Life at Home and MuggleNet, and her cookbook, A Literary Tea Party, is now available.

Listen in as Alison and I geek out about books and tea, and dive into the craft behind creating a cookbook that not only gives you tasty treats to try but draws you into a story.

In this episode Alison and I discuss:

  • Extrapolating recipes from literature.
  • How to craft a narrative arc in a cookbook.
  • Building a book around your audience.
  • What goes into a nonfiction cookbook proposal.
  • An inside look at crafting a food blog that stands out.

Plus, Alison’s #1 tip for writers.

About Alison Walsh

Alison is a food blogger at Alison’s Wonderland Recipes, a blog dedicated to making recipes inspired by classic literature. She has been a guest writer for Real Life at Home, and her recipes have appeared on MuggleNet. She has recently completed work on a cookbook of literary tea time recipes, which is now available from Skyhorse Publishing. Her pastimes include pursuing the perfect cup of tea and telling her baby boy how big he’s getting.

To connect with Alison check out her website at wonderlandrecipes.com.

A Literary Tea Party: Blends and Treats for Alice, Bilbo, Dorothy, Jo, and Book Lovers Everywhere

Tea and books: the perfect pairing. There’s nothing quite like sitting down to a good book on a lovely afternoon with a steaming cup of tea beside you, as you fall down the rabbit hole into the imaginative worlds of Alice in Wonderland, The Hobbit, and Sherlock Holmes.

So fire up your literary fancies and nibble your way through delicate sweets and savories with A Literary Tea Party, which brings food from classic books to life with a teatime twist. Featuring fifty-five perfectly portioned recipes for an afternoon getaway, including custom homemade tea blends and beverages, you will have everything you need to plan an elaborate tea party. Cook up and enjoy:

  • Turkish Delight while sipping on the White Witch’s Hot Chocolate from The Chronicles of Narnia
  • Drink Me Tea with the Queen of Hearts’s Painted Rose Cupcakes from Alice in Wonderland
  • Eeyore’s “Hipy Bthuthday” Cake with Hundred Acre Hot Chocolate from Winnie the Pooh
  • Hannah’s Sweet Potato Bacon Pastries and Jo’s Gingerbread from Little Women
  • Tom Sawyer’s Whitewashed Jelly Doughnuts from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
  • And more!

Accompanied with photographs and book quotes, these recipes, inspired by the great works of literature, will complement any good book for teatime reading and eating.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

(Right-click to download.)

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Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

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