I’m happy to announce the new release of Will Write for Food: The Complete Guide to Writing Cookbooks, Blogs, Reviews, Memoir, and More, in its 2nd edition, by Dianne Jacob. At the end of this post, I’m giving away one copy for free!

For those of you already familiar with the previous edition – I know many of you already own it and will wonder why you should upgrade – you’ll appreciate this much expanded volume, which includes a HUGE chapter on blogging and social networking as they pertain to food writing. She’s also beefed up the other sections, interviewed countless new sources, and added updated information on the ever-changing world of food writing as it exists in this new-fangled Internet age. The new book is not only bigger, but far more relevant to today’s new media.

Says Dianne of the recent additions to Will Write for Food:

I interviewed the most successful food bloggers, writing a 17,000-word chapter on food blogging (about 70 pages double spaced) that will answer your questions, inspire you, and provide resources and insider information … In addition to the new chapter on blogging, the new edition of Will Write for Food incorporates tips on using social media as a freelancer and a blogger; updated info on book publishing, whether traditional or self-publishing; and updated info on the newer, more competitive freelancing market.

If you like the book, I recommend you also check out Dianne’s blog on food writing. She’s not only an excellent writer, but a wonderfully thorough teacher and consultant. I also interviewed her on Wasabimon not long ago about her cooking and blogging life.

To celebrate the new release of her book (and the fact that I’m quoted a few times – check the index and acknowledgements. *blush*), I’m giving away a free copy to one lucky reader. If you’re lucky, I’ll even ask her to sign it before I send it your way.

Here are the rules to enter the giveaway:

1 – For one entry in the contest, you can join the Wasabimon mailing list by clicking this link, entering your email address, and then clicking the confirmation link that you’ll receive via email. Sorry, only confirmed subscribers will be entered to win.

2 – For another entry (or if you’re already on the list) you can post the following to Twitter, exactly as it appears here so that I can keep track of who’s posting where:

Interested in food writing? Win a copy of @diannej’s Will Write for Food at @wasabimon: http://bit.ly/bJchb4 via @sstiavetti

Then leave me a comment on this post to let me know that you’ve joined the mailing list and/or posted the tweet. Also, let me know how you’re interested in food writing… just because I want to know more about you.

Be sure to enter by Tuesday, August 3rd, at noon PST. I’ll draw a winner at random that day.

Congratulations to Shankari of Sacramento Spice for winning the Happy Goat goat milk caramels giveaway. Enjoy!

There were over 100 entries in the “I Heart Macarons” book giveaway, but I could only pick one lucky winner. I entered all of the names into a spreadsheet, mixed them up and assigned each entry a number. Then we pulled numbers from a hat to decide who won.

I’d like to congratulate Lara of Good Cook Doris! I’ll be contacting you shortly to get your mailing information. I hope you enjoy the book.

Good news! I’ve picked a winner at random from everyone who entered the Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day giveaway. From all the entries, the person whose name came up was Darla Chafin, who wrote in:

“Wow!  How exciting… a whole section on GF!  We always had fresh homemade bread BEFORE we went gluten free.  GF has made such a difference we don’t cheat, but some new recipes sounds so great!  Thank you!  I’ll be watching for this book… and thank you for letting us know it has a GF section.”

Congratulations Darla, and happy new year!

Everyone else, if you’ve got an interest in making bread at home, then you should order your own copy of Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

So many people loved my Star Wars food photography post that I decided to upload a few more photos. Turns out it’s a lot of fun playing with toys as a grown up.

And, this post also marks the beginning of a contest! Come up with captions for the series below and then leave them in a comment. Whoever comes up with the best storyline will win a free copy of The Clone Wars on DVD, compliment of yours truly. Contest ends Monday, September 21st.

Be sure to include your freaking email address so that I can actually get a hold of you if you win!

If you saw my review of Mix Shake Stir, you know I’m giving away three copies of the book, compliments of Little Brown and Hachette Book Group.

If you want a copy of this beautiful book, all you have to do is subscribe to the Wasabimon mailing list. I promise not to spam you or sell your email addresses. In fact, the only emails you’ll get are notifications of new posts!

To join, either click the link in the left-hand sidebar that says “Subscribe by email” or just click here to add yourself to the list. Then leaving a comment here letting me know you joined.

Note: subscribing is a two-part process. Once you enter your email address, you’ll get a confirmation email in your mailbox. In order to complete the subscription process and enter the drawing, you need to follow the directions in the confirmation email and click the link it contains.

If you’re already on the mailing list and want to enter the contest, just leave comments on three posts somewhere on this blog and then comment here saying where you wrote something.

I’ll announce three winners on Monday, August 10th. Good luck!