How and why I wrote a cookbook for kids
The How
When I tell people I wrote a cookbook, the first question I always get is "how do you do that?" My journey to publication is a little different than usual- typically authors come up with an idea for a cookbook, then have to find an agent to represent them, and then the agent helps them find a publisher. In my case, the publisher found the Nomster Chef website and approached me to write a book. So cool! Once I was on board, I had to work within a lightning fast 6-week time frame. That meant that I came up with the ideas for 36 recipes, tested them until they were delicious, wrote them up to be understandable to kids, and worked with an editor to revise them within 6 weeks. The party themes had been set in advance for me, but my challenge was to come up with a drink, dessert, and savory recipe for each theme, and there were strict limits on the number of ingredients a recipe could have so that the recipes were simple enough for kid chefs. I scoured the internet and cookbooks for inspiration, but made lots of changes so the recipes would be delicious and appropriate for kids. I cooked through each recipe multiple times, tweaking until they were sufficiently yummy. Eventually, the final manuscript went to the publisher where it went through several more rounds of revisions. A food photographer took all of the gorgeous photos, and a layout artist turned my Word Doc into an adorable book. Then voila! A cookbook!
The Why
I have a very short bucket list, and one of the things on it was "publish a book." So when I was approached to write a cookbook for kids, a topic I am so passionate about, it was an immediate yes! But then I had to take a moment to consider if I could pull it off, because I was a new mom to a 6-month old. I wasn't sure if I physically had the time and energy this project required. Thinking about the example I wanted to set for my daughter, I knew I wanted her to see mama challenging herself and achieving professional goals while also being a mom. I said yes, and this cookbook is dedicated to her and her dada. I hope one day she will think I'm super cool for writing it (that's what all kids think about their parents, right?).
And I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge my village: huge shoutout to my husband for rearranging his free time so I had enough time to work on the book, to my parents for being the best babysitters for a week when I was in between childcare, and for our daycare for giving me the time and space to work on the book!
Pssst... the book will still ship in time for Xmas
If you're looking for a last minute gift for a kid chef, we've got you covered! Thanks to the elves at Amazon, there's still time for it to arrive before Santa's sleigh. :)
Thank you <3
This book is a really big deal for me and it is literally only possible due to your support. If there wasn't Nomster Chef, there wouldn't be a book! So here's a great big thank you to all of you for helping make this dream a reality. Love you, mean it.
Yours in nomming,
Ashley, Nomster in Chief
Images from: Let’s Party! Kids Cookbook by Ashley Moulton, published by Rockridge Press. Copyright © 2019 by Callisto Media. All rights reserved, reprinted with permission.
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