xoxo.
What, you may be asking, gives me the authority to write a blog such as this? Nothing. I’m just a girl from New Jersey with a bunch of passions who loves writing and living and wants to share that love for life with the world. But I’ll tell you a little about me, just in case you were curious.
I studied Baking and Pastry at the The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institute of Philadelphia. My confectionery creations have been featured in print in the book 1,000 Ideas for Decorating Cupcakes, Cakes, and Cookies by Sandra Salamony and Gina M. Brown, and numerous times online in the popular blog Cupcakes Take the Cake.
I have a Bachelor’s degree in both English and Art History from Rutgers University. I’ve contributed posts to the popular fashion blog, What the Frock?, and the inspirational site, Tiny Buddha, and some of my photography can be seen on the tourism site for the city of Framlingham, England (that’s my photo across the top!).
I’ve run 6 half marathons, and won my age group in two 5Ks. I plan to run a full marathon for the first time this year.
I wrote and self-published a cook book also titled “Small Indulgences,” which features recipes, ideas, stories, and photos from the blog to inspire and delight. The book is available for purchase in printed form here, and in e-form for download on Apple’s iBookstore, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.
I’ve been singing since I was about 3 years old, and used to perform in the backyard on the swing set for the the neighbors. And by “perform” I mean sing as loudly as possible so the neighbors had no choice but to listen. These days I perform on stage with the Cabin Dogs and with SezHu, and I recorded an album as 1/2 of a duo called Morgen-Reed.
I love eating cheese. My favorite is Vlaskaas. And Parmigiano Reggiano. And Aged Havarti. And Aged Cheddar with Irish Whiskey. And Gjetost. And Barrel-Aged Feta. See?
I practice yoga at Yogawood. I should go more than I do. I’m working on that.
I have a cat named Gandalf the Gray, who’s been my partner in crime since 2003.
I’m married to Steve. He’s my soul mate.
And that’s about it.
PS: I like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain.
Questions? Comments? Just feel like chatting? Email me at smallindulgencesbakery (at) gmail (dot) com.
Small Indulgences 
Dear Janine,
I have been enjoying your site and am interested in your experience with working with BookBaby. I have been thinking about self publishing myself, but am a little nervous about working with a company unlless I have some first-hand comments about how they are to work with. For instance, what was the process you used to select them, how did they handle working with you to get the book they way you wanted it, what were their fees for your book, etc.? Any help you can give me would be most appreciated.
Best Regards,
William Speir
Author of the “Knights of the Saltier” Series
hi William!
i’m a little biased, as the company i work for is a sister company to Book Baby (kinda like Banana Republic and the Gap), however even the part that was out of their control – the delivery to the digital distribution partners (apple, amazon, barnes and noble) was very speedy and went off without a hitch! Also, the process itself was all very smooth, and they followed my initital instructions pretty much exactly, so when i viewed a proof, there were no changes needed, and i was able to approve it as is! I definitely recommend them to anyone. I checked out your website – where did you have your books printed? are they self-published? just curious. they look great – good luck with them!!
Jeanine
Hi there,
Saw that you’re attending the Seattle BlogHer Food conference! It’s my first time going, and I’m really looking forward to it. Great blog, by the way!
hey there! thanks! it’s my first time going to, so I don’t know what to expect, but I’m really excited! hopefully, I’ll see you there! 🙂
Sounds like fun! Can’t wait to read more from you 🙂 x
thank you! i checked out your blog as well – great stuff! I’d love to visit Sydney some day!! 😀
Hey Jeanine,
I ordered your cookbook mainly because I’m thinking of publishing my own book (memoir, not recipes) through Bookbaby and I wanted to check out the quality. But I adore Small Indulgences and can’t wait to give it to my daughter who is the pastry chef in our family.
Thanks,
Judith Gille
PS was your experience with BB a good one? The book sure looks professional and attractively designed!
Hi Judith!
thanks for your order – glad you like the book!! Book Baby was great – they definitely created an extremely professional design, which I absolutely loved – they did an amazing job matching my “vision” and were great to work with! I definitely recommend them. 🙂
Hi
Could you tell me if your book “Small indulgences” is the “pocket book size”(4 1/4 x 6 7/8) produced by Bookbaby. (bookbaby gave me your URL as a place where i could buy a book that Bookbaby had produced in this “Pocketbook”size.)
thanks
Austin
Hi Austin! I did have my book produced by Book Baby, however it’s not a “pocket book” – it’s the “cook book” size advertised on their website. hope this helps! if you have any questions, let me know! i will say that I had a great experience with them overall! 🙂
Janine, I want to buy your book. I’m planning to publish a book with photos in it on bookbaby also, but I need to know first if you used the 80 lb glossy stock. Because that’s what I want to use and I need to see how it looks. Thanks, please let me know????
Hi Laurie!
I had a really great experience with Book Baby, but unfortunately, I don’t remember exactly what stock the book was printed on, and i no longer have the receipt – I’m sorry! All I can say is that I was very pleased with the product, and the book turned out even better than I had imagined! I hope this helps!!
How quickly can you send me a Small Indulgences printed book?
Hi Ben! I could have one sent out as early as tomorrow (saturday the 7th) if payment were to be made today, and it usually takes about 5 or so days to arrive, depending on where you are located. Thanks for your inquiry!
Do you have a book in stock that could be sent out via FedEx … or do you have to print a copy first? Thanks, Ben
I have them in stock, and I could have it sent out via UPS next day air on Monday, however this would add to the cost of the shipping depending on where you are located. The charges on the paypal page are for ground shipping only.
Thanks!
Could I send a check … including the fee for overnight shipping … directly to you? Thanks, Ben
sure, but i would not be able to send out the book until i received the payment in full. thanks!
At this point it’s too late in my production cycle to make this work. I guess I should have sent a quick mockup to Book Baby last week to test their process. It’s unfortunate that you’ve become part of their samples department. Unlike Disc Makers, Book Baby has done nothing online to instill confidence in their print quality or their fulfillment process. (No testimonials, no examples, no success stories). When I asked for a sample of Book Baby’s work, they referred me to you and one other author (of a novel). I’ve been working with MagCloud for a number of years and have purchased other authors’ books directly off their website which I’ve received via FedEx, and I’ve also received specific samples directly from the company. MagCloud doesn’t offer the 9×7 format, but they do offer 8×8. Instead of putting you in the middle of these transactions with Book Baby, I think they should buy a large quantity of samples from you so that they’d have some on hand to send to their customers overnight. Otherwise, you should be getting a commission on all the business they get through your Book Baby Samples Program!
Thanks for your help.
– Ben
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