Book release -The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society: A Novel by Darien Gee

Today is the book release of The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society: A Novel by author Darien Gee, who also writes under the name Mia King. Her first novel, Friendship Bread is a tasty fiction book full of Amish Friendship Bread recipes.

This is breaking news! For any author the release date has to be seen as giving birth day when your book is released into the public and from there it will truly have a chance to grow and be shared with many. So today is the birth day of  The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society by Darien Gee. Will you help it grow? Check out some fo the early reviews on Amazon. It is already ranked and off to a great start. 

(I'm in the back 3rd from the right and Darien is next to me, 4th from the right)

I know the author personally and have been behind the scenes helping her since before the actual release of Friendship Bread 4/5/11. I'm excited to say that little old me is mentioned in both her books (my few seconds of fame ;). I am also the Friendship Bread Kitchen Assistant where I help her with the tasty website, Friendship Bread Kitchen. Stop over and check out the over 250 recipes made and tested in the Friendship Bread Kitchen by Darien and I as well as from Kitchen Friends all over the world. A few of my favorites and I included the link to the first recipe which will take you to the Friendship Bread Kitchen. The other ones are there too, but I will be posting those recipes on my blog this week in celebration of the release of her new book.

 Chocolate Caramel Amish Friendship Bread Brownies

Recipe is in her first book, Friendship Bread. I took the photo.

 Oreos and Cream Amish Friendship Bread made into muffins

 Amish Friendship Bread Basic Cookie

Amish Friendship Bread Mocha Chip Scones

The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society (ALSS) book is set in Avalon population 4,243 and is a small river town in Illinois. The book is about a group of women who form deep friendships and sharing together, bringing in other women into their circle by way of scrapbooking. The leader and founder of ALSS, Bettie shares her passion of scrapbooking and wants everyone to preserve their precious memories. Through this group, the women share their past and work together to help one another move into their future by dealing and working through their life issues. 

Just like Friendship Bread, ALSS is chocked full of carefully developed characters which Gee shares with us in this town of Avalon. The book made me laugh, shout for joy, shed tears of sadness as well as tears of joy. Gee crafts the novel to draw the reader into Avalon and be a part of the town which is why I felt all those emotions reading the book. I truly felt the emotions of the characters. Now this, friends, is a perfect example of a book full of developed characters. 

If you order the book today, on its release day 1/29/13 you can get free goodies from the author! Check out the DEAL on Friendship Bread Kitchen website.  In case you are wondering, yes you can read this book if you haven't read the first book, Friendship Bread and if you aren't into scrapbooking ;) Did I mention the book has recipes? I love fiction books with recipes which Darien Gee and Mia King books always include.

I'll leave you with a few quotes on early reviews of the book.

“In a gathering of women there will always be compelling stories. Throw in a love of craft and these stories take on a whole new dynamic. There are shared secrets, support, encouragement, and love as the Avalon Ladies come to terms with the past and boldly step forward into the future.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber

“A three-hanky nod to It’s a Wonderful Life. Gee gets the unapologetically schmaltzy tone just right with the irresistible premise that we can love the impossible. A surefire book club hit.” Publisher’s Weekly

“Truly charming! You’ll want to read and then immediately share with your best friends (and then start a scrapbooking society of your own!). Darien Gee writes about friendship and family with depth, grace and heart.”—Sarah Jio, New York Times bestselling author of Blackberry Winter and The Violets of March