Forks, Knives, Spoons: An Interview with Leah DeCesare

By Lisa Tener

I met Leah DeCesare where I tend to meet many new bookish friends—at an author talk hosted by Robin Kall, host of Reading with Robin. This event, hosted in the historic Casino at Roger Williams Park, included an interview with novelist Jane Green and an absolutely delicious meal that came right out of Jane’s wonderful cookbook, Good Taste: Simple, Delicious Recipes for Family and Friends.

You could say Leah and I bonded over Jane’s Eggplant and Rosemary Slices. her Roasted Cauliflower and the piece de resistance, the Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle. Even more, we bonded over brainstorming promotion ideas for Leah’s upcoming book, Forks, Knives, and Spoons, which she filled me in on at the beginning of the meal.

Having only brainstormed marketing ideas for self-help, health and business books, as well as a handful of memoirs, in the past, the idea of marketing a novel was, well, novel. And playful. We came up with ideas for a quiz, tying the book to spring break and…well, I hope Leah took notes. I did not. However, I did determine to interview Leah when the book came out so I could share her observations with my readers—from the differences between writing fiction and nonfiction (she’s done both) to why she chose a hybrid publisher after self-publishing her first two parenting books (from the Naked Parenting series) to just how she is promoting Forks, Knives and Spoons. Read more…