Gardens of Santa Fe debuts at Garcia Street Books

I'm working on my talk for April 3 and the official launch of Gardens of Santa Fe. I'm lucky to have Don Strel as my partner in this beautiful book. I really don't need to say much---his beautiful photos do the the talking.

But, since people have already been asking, I'll mention a bit about how the book came to be and talk about some of our adventures and the wonderful people we met along the way. The cover photo, for instance, is from the garden of artist Joan Gibbons and her exuberant husband, Gib. Joan could make a plastic plant come to life---she's blessed with an intuitive knowledge of what grows best where. Hers was the only garden Don and I visited where we say hydrangeas thriving. (the blue flowers in the photo.) That plant really isn't intended for Santa Fe's high, dry climate, but Joan helps it along.

After the event at Santa Fe's Garcia Street Books (next to Downtown Subscription coffee house), Don and I will do benefits for Santa Fe Botanical Garden and the Santa Fe Garden Club. We're also scheduling a couple of signings in Albuquerque.

Meanwhile, my daffodils are blooming and, at least for today, no more snow in the forecast.

Getting ready to launch

Photographer Don Strel and I met earlier this week with the good folks at Santa Fe Botanical Garden and with representatives from the Santa Fe Garden Club. We're doing benefits for both these groups to help launch our new book, "Gardens of Santa Fe." Lovely events coming up...I'll write more on that later or take look at my calendar for information. The offfical book launch will be at Santa Fe's locally owned Garcia Street Books at 2 p.m. on April 3. Don and I will talk about some of the adventures we had working on this wonderful project, and some of the great people we met on the way.

Meanwhile, this week we head up to Gunnison, Colorado to talk to the AAUW about "Tony Hillerman's Landscape: On the Road with Chee and Leaphorn" and to show some of Don's beautiful photographs.

Spent the day working on the website....longing for quiet time to get back to writing. It will happen soon, I know!

2010 is off to a great start!

So far, 2010 is off to a great start. National Geographic included Santa Fe Flavors: Best Restaurants and Recipes in its list of recommended reading about Santa Fe. I'm thrilled! And New Mexico Magazine has a beautiful excerpt from the Zuni chapter of Tony Hillerman's Landscape in the Februay, 2010 issue. Check it out! (It's not in the on-line version, just the print edition, but they promo us on the cover.)

Gardens of Santa Fe is due for release on April 1, 2010.
Click here for a preview. Don Strel's photos really shine! We're launching the book with benefits for Santa Fe Botanic Gardens and the Santa Fe Garden Club, a thank you for all their help with the project. Please email me if you'd like an invitation.

Other recent developments:.....Santa Fe Flavors: Best Restaurants and Recipes received the New Mexico Book Award as the best cookbook of 2009 at the annual awards banquet on Nov. 21, 2009. Our book tour continues with visits to several places in Colorado, a presentation in Park City, Utah, and appearances in Mesilla, N.M. and Tucson, Az. And we just learned that Tony Hillerman's Landscape received a first place award from New Mexico Press Women.

New Mexico Magazine calls Tony Hillerman's Landscape: On the Road with Chee and Leaphorn, a multilayered odyssey through Indian Country."

The Santa Fe Reporter gives Tony Hillerman and Anne's book a cover story!

ABQ ARTS awards Hillerman's Landscape top rating!

"There's plenty of inside info (like how "A Thief of Time" was Hillerman's own favorite of his Chee-Leaphorn mysteries) and gorgeous photography including a lush shot of the San Juan River (which is one of the settings for "A Thief of Time,") placid sheep at the Two Grey Hills Trading Post, and a panorama of San Francisco Peaks written about in "Listening Woman." (Anne Hillerman and Don Strel, Charmaine Coimbra photo)

Tony Hillerman's Landscape: On the Road with Chee and Leaphorn

Anne and photographer Don Strel are now organizing their book tour!. Don has created an beautiful hour--long slide show using images from the book, other photos from their three years on the road, Hillerman family photos and Anne's script. The narrative talks about the forces that shaped Tony Hillerman into the writer he became, themes in his books, and the places that inspired him and framed his stories. If you'd like us to do a benefit for your non-profit organization, please email us.

Take a look at our Calendar of Events for our signing schedule. Hope to see you there!

Anne and Don previewed their presentation on the book to New Mexico Press Women. Take a look!

Visit Anne's site at HarperCollins and our website for the book

Here's a story from the Arizona Republic about Tony Hillerman's influence.

Santa Fe Flavors: Best Restaurants and Recipes

Yipee! Santa Fe Flavors won the 2009 New Mexico Book Award for best cookbook of 2009. This little book is garnering great publicity. Anne was interviewed on Martha Stewart Radio and has had feature stories in Local Flavor and The Santa Fean magazines. She's also been interviewed about the book by Cowboys & Indians, Write on Four Corners radio,Albuquerque The Magazine and New Mexico Magazine for articles in their summer issues. She was honored to be selected as one of six New Mexico authors to do a book signing for the opening of the new New Mexico History Musuem book shop. She was one of about 60 authors selected from more than a hundred applicants to participate again this year in the New Mexico Women Authors Book Festival, presented on Museum Hill in Santa Fe in September and at the Antiquarian Book Show at El Museo Cultural in Santa Fe on Oct. 3, 2009.

Please check back with us or email if you would like more information.

Anne was the featured author in the July 2009 issue of New Mexico Magazine. To read the story, click here

Santa Fe Flavors (and Anne!) got a great write up in the Santa Fean Magazine. Here it is.