All right moms, be honest. Do you have days when you just can't wait until wine o'clock? Are you with me? I know it's not responsible to drink on the job, and parenting is a 24/7 job, but seriously, some days need to end with a little pick-me-up! Parenting can be tough in so many ways and new moms can benefit from regular doses of honest advice but maybe with a spoonful of liqueur to help it go down. Lyranda and Fiona are in the thick of new parenthood but they still have vague recall of what life was like pre-kids. Lyranda and Fiona founded the uber popular laugh out loud blog reasonsmommydrinks.com and corralled their spot-on collection of motherhood witticisms and cocktail recipes into the handy dandy Reasons Mommy Drinks book! A bonus feature is it won't take up too much room in an already crowded diaper bag. This book is a hilarious and honest take on parenting with tips and tricks to deal with playdates, mommy groups, baby milestones, single people, and helpful cocktails with their “how badly you need this drink” soother rating!
I had the fabulous opportunity to interview Lyranda and Fiona so put your little bundle of joy in that play thingy and check out their responses and the info below on a special Bookalicious Twitter Book Club chat with these funny ladies on October 16th!
Q & A With Reasons Mommy Drinks Authors
Q: When and why did you two decide to come together as a tag team and put together your hilarious mommy's little helper "Reasons Mommy Drinks"?
A: Well, with the success of our grade nine musical comedy show "Full House Builds a House," we knew that we had a special something as a creative force. When years later we found ourselves pregnant at the same time, we thought we could write a comedic blog with all our "massive amounts of free time" when on maternity leave. Ha ha ha ha — "free time" — we forget what that is.
Q: What is your reaction to the outpouring of recognition and "hells yeah" support from other moms? Do you have any stories to share from stalkers or haters?
A: We're blown away by the positive reaction to the blog. We guess a lot of new Moms out there had similar experiences with iPhones thrown in toilets, pumping in the supply closet at work and buying that bear riding a motorcycle onesie from the GAP. The best comment from one of our followers was "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" So far no haters, at least not to our faces, but we are being stalked by Spielberg who wants to turn the book into a mega-Blockbuster starring Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Gosling and North West. We're holding out for Judd Apatow.
Q: Moms put a lot of pressure on themselves and each other to do it all, have it all and suffer through pilates for washboard abs. I think this is a recipe for disaster with a side order of guilt. Discuss!
A: Hahahahahaha — washboard abs! Sorry, what was the question? Neither one of us has been to the gym in eight months. But as for the pressure, it is real, it sucks, and the worst pressure is the pressure we put on ourselves.
Q: I believe any frazzled, sleep deprived new mom looking for validation will find the humour, advice and cocktail recipes in "Reasons Mommy Drinks" to be useful and entertaining. Who else do you think should read this book?
A: The following people should buy this book: Dads, Grandparents, Childless friends seeking to understand their Mommy friends, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, people who have seen a baby, people who once were babies, dog lovers, cat people, and Judd Apatow.
Q: If a mom has a stocked bar and a selection of juice packs what cocktail combo would you recommend? This is for a friend, ahem.
A: You have a stocked bar?! When are we invited over? The only thing in our combined cupboards and fridges are: goldfish crackers, organic $12 goat milk, mustard, wilted kale and a note on the fridge that says "TO DO: BUY GROCERIES."
I've been there ladies and I can highly recommend the BROWN COW cocktail on page 125. Way back in the day when I was dealing with homemade baby food and sippy cups this cocktail was my standby. This no-nonsense recipe calls for 1 ounce coffee liquor and 4 ounces milk. Lyranda and Fiona recommend you "serve over ice in a trough." I'm getting my supplies together for their INSTA-GRAHAM SHOT which calls for chocolate syrup, graham cracker crumbs, 1 ounce marshmallow vodka, 1/2 ounce chocolate liqueur, and 1/2 ounce Irish cream. Their instructions say to "rim a shot glass with chocolate syrup and then graham craker crumbs. Combine the vodka, chocolate liqueur, and Irish cream in a shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into the shot glass. Note: Now that's a perfect shot." Get it? Insta-graham Shot? Instagram? LOL! I think Reasons Mommy Drinks would make the perfect baby shower gift, don't you? As a matter of fact I plan to send a copy to my sister-in-law who will soon be a first time mommy!
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Lyranda Martin Evans is an award-winning advertising copywriter who is currently a Creative Director at one of Toronto's top advertising agencies. She writes and performs sketch comedy, and her former life as a bartender informs the book's delicious drink recipes. Fiona Stevenson is an award-winning brand marketer who is frequently leveraged as an industry expert and corporate host. A former journalist, she is also a trained improviser, and sketch comedy writer and performer. They are the creators of the popular blog Reasons Mommy Drinks. They both live and work in Toronto.
You can read their hilarious blog posts on reasonsmommydrinks.com, follow @mommyreasons on Twitter, and like the Reasons Mommy Drinks Page on Facebook.
BOOKALICIOUS TWITTER BOOK CLUB
The #Bookalicious Twitter Book Club will be chatting with Lyranda and Fiona as @mommyreasons on Wednesday, October 16th from 9:00-10:00 PM ET. Twenty lucky Bookalicious Twitter Book Club members will receive Reasons Mommy Drinks and join the #ReasonsMommyDrinks chat with our special guests!
To enter the draw for a copy of the book you must be a Bookalicious member to participate. Sign up here, leave a comment below with your @handle and RT the @BookaliciousCA #ReasonsMommyDrinks contest tweets on Friday, September 13th until 11:59 pm ET to be eligible. Make sure you follow @mommyreasons on Twitter and keep track of the #ReasonsMommyDrinks hashtag activity before, during and after the chat. I hope to tweet you then!
BOOKALICIOUS BOOK GRAB GIVEAWAY
Bookalicious is giving away 2 copies of Reasons Mommy Drinks courtesy of Random House of Canada! To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment in the "Click Here To Spill It" bubble below. You have until October 18th, 2013 to enter. You must be a YMC member, and please be sure you've registered your email address in our commenting system so we can contact you if you win.
Yummy Rules and Regulations: You must be a YummyMummyClub.ca member to win. Click here to sign up. It's free and filled with perks. One comment per member. Entries accepted until October 18th, 2013. Contest open to Canadian residents (excluding Quebec). Winners will be picked using www.random.org. See full contest rules.
To read about more great books, visit RandomHouseCanada.ca, RetreatByRandomHouse.ca, and CraveByRandomHouse.ca. Social media fans can follow the bookish tweets with @RandomHouseCA on Twitter and find bookworm fun with Random House of Canada on Facebook.
For more details on upcoming Bookalicious news, reviews, and interviews sign up for the Bookalicious Newsletter!
Relish reading,
Lyranda and Fiona photo credit: Gustavo Gonzalez
This is proudly sponsored by our friends at Random House.
www.randomhouse.ca
It was the year 1977. On a steamy August night, 12-year-old Emanuel Jaques goes missing from the notorious Yonge Street strip in downtown Toronto. His family immigrated to Canada from the Azores to start a new life in the Portuguese community. Emanuel was shining shoes with his brother and friend when he was lured away on the promise of extra cash to move camera equipment. He was never seen alive again. Emanuel's body was discovered four days later on the roof of a tavern. This crime was coined as the "Shoeshine Boy" murder and sets the backdrop for Kicking The Sky by Anthony De Sa.
In the aftermath of the brutal rape and murder of Emanuel, a fictitious trio of 12-year-old boys decipher their way through the rumours and ruins of a new adult world turned upside down by a wakeup call to their city's harsh reality. Despite the dangers and warnings from parents, Antonio is determined to be seen as an adult. He ventures into the city along with his friends Manny and Ricky. The three boys embark on an adventure that tests their loyalty to each other and their community.
Kicking The Sky is a vividly intense coming-of-age story for the trio of boys and the city at large. De Sa crafts a tale that transports the reader back to a pivotal moment when "Toronto The Good" suddenly found itself covered by a blanket of disquiet. The brutal crime served as a cautionary tale for the community and a catalyst for the city's clean up of Yonge Street's seedy sex scene. Kicking The Sky is a brilliantly insightful and evocative tale of tragedy, truth, and triumph.
View the Kicking The Sky book trailer by Eric Novak of Modern Media Perspectives to see more about this stunning story!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anthony De Sa grew up in Toronto's Portuguese community. His short fiction has been published in several North American literary magazines. His first novel Barnacle Love was a finalist for the 2008 Scotiabank Giller Prize and the 2009 Toronto Book Award. Anthony graduated from University of Toronto and did his post-graduate work at Queen’s University. He attended The Humber School for Writers and Ryerson University. He teaches creative writing and is currently a teacher-librarian at Michael Power/St. Joseph High School. Anthony lives in Toronto with his wife and three sons.
You can read more about Anthony and his novels by visiting his website anthonydesa.com. You can become a fan of Anthony De Sa and find Kicking The Sky on GoodReads. You can connect with Anthony on Twitter by following his handle @antiole.
BOOKALICIOUS BOOK GRAB GIVEAWAY
Bookalicious is giving away 5 copies of Anthony De Sa's novel Kicking The Sky courtesy of Random House of Canada! To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment in the "Click Here To Spill It" bubble below. You have until September 27th, 2013 to enter. You must be a YMC member, and please be sure you've registered your email address in our commenting system so we can contact you if you win.
Yummy Rules and Regs: You must be a YummyMummyClub.ca member to win. Click here to sign up. It's free and filled with perks. One comment per member. Entries accepted until September 27th, 2013. Contest open to Canadian residents (excluding Quebec). Winners will be picked using www.random.org. See full contest rules.
FACEBOOK BOOKALICIOUS PAGE GIVEAWAY
Check out the bonus KICKING THE SKY giveaway on the Facebook Bookalicious Page for more ways to win!
To read about more great books visit RandomHouseCanada.ca, RetreatByRandomHouse.ca, and CraveByRandomHouse.ca. Social media fans can follow the bookish tweets with @RandomHouseCA on Twitter and find bookworm fun with Random House of Canada on Facebook.
For more details on upcoming Bookalicious news, reviews, and interviews sign up for the Bookalicious Newsletter!
Relish reading,
This is proudly sponsored by our friends at Random House.
www.randomhouse.ca
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