Homecoming: Celebrating The Release of Flavors of Life in the Metro Detroit area

Hello again, and greetings from the great state of Michigan! As you may have seen from my social media or in my blogs about Chicago, West Michigan, East Lansing, and Ann Arbor, I’m in the States for multiple reasons, one of which is a Midwest book tour. I’m incredibly honored to share the inspirational stories from my book, Flavors of Life.

Monday, October 10
Shortly after landing in the United States, I held my first U.S. book event. A Detroit-based book club read my book and invited me to make an author appearance. I was honored to be a part of it. It was truly one of my favorite kinds of evenings: books and food! Combined with great company, it was a ton of fun. Plus, the book club organized a potluck. Everyone brought a dish to pass that corresponded to a particular chapter in the book. What a delicious idea! If you are part of a book club, you should try it. I even have a book club discussion guide to help direct the conversation.

Saturday, October 22
My cousin Jennifer, who is an avid reader, aspiring author, and librarian (among other traits), decided to host a party in honor of Flavors of Life. She wanted to invite her family and friends to her home, bringing them together around food and books. Two of our favorite things, right? On top of that, she turned it into a charitable event. What an awesome idea!

We spent the evening chatting and nibbling. Jennifer made a wide selection of food, which was delicious! I then took a few minutes to discuss my book and the stories it contains, as well as the writing process. I was selling books, too, and for every book sold, $4 was donated to a charity. We had four different people – Jen and myself included – donate $1 each, and then as people bought books, they were able to write down a charity or two of their choice and enter it into the raffle. At the end of the evening, Jen drew from the jar, and the money was donated to the Arbor Foundation. We ended up raising $44!

Sunday, November 6
After a whirlwind book tour – and all the different events I had (read my past blogs here) – I thought it would be fitting to end the trip with a bang! The book officially launched in Amsterdam on May 23rd, and while some people from the States were able to join, many were not. Therefore, I wanted to hold a celebration for my friends and family in Michigan and thank them for their support throughout the entire process.

I held an informal gathering at ROAK Brewing Co. in Royal Oak. Way more people showed up than we anticipated, and we pretty much took over the entire venue! Our waitress did an amazing job, and everyone had a wonderful time. We loved the ambiance. It wasn’t too loud, so we could still talk and chat, and the beer was tasty. Over the course of the evening, I had the amber ale and the white beer, but they had quite the variety.

From family members and childhood friends to sorority sisters and colleagues, among others, people from all phases of my life showed up to say hello and celebrate with me! It was wonderful to catch up and get hugs. The entire evening filled me with joy and happiness. I appreciate everyone coming out from near and far to support my book and me. What a wonderful way to wrap up this Midwest book tour!

I also wanted to send a special shout-out to my parents for hosting me while I’m in town!

In case you missed it, my book tour also took me to Chicago, West Michigan, East Lansing, and Ann Arbor, while my personal adventures led me to Pennsylvania. Be sure to check out those blogs. Stay tuned for my next blog post about Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece, Falling Waters. Where are you headed next? Let me know in the comments below!