While writing Theft By Chocolate, the last thing on my mind was what would happen if the work ever reached an audience. Doing readings, participating in panel presentations, attending book clubs, and speaking in public, in general, were not on my radar. I was just trying to finish a novel, page by page. What would come afterwards, would come - back to writing.

Then, miracle of miracles, the book was published. And miracle of miracles, I have been doing regular readings in libraries and some really unique  settings attracting people who seem  interested in hearing what I have to say about my story and process - miracle of miracles!

Although I have a typical writer’s temperament - I'm shy, I'm an observer, and having attention drawn to me makes me squirm - I do have some public speaking experience from a previous life. I'm not referring to all the Ukrainian concerts in which my parents forced me to participate as a kid. But many, many, many years ago when working in the Royal Ontario Museum’s Programs Department, my job required me to introduce speakers and instructors to crowds as large as 300 people. I was nervous each time I went on stage, even though I knew I would be off in a matter of minutes, and I was also aware that when you're introducing rock stars of the academic world or celebrity authors, like Kathy Reichs or Jean Auel, no one was paying attention to me.

But even the intimate events have been really satisfying. I did a reading at Toronto’s Wellington Street Art Gallery where we squeezed in just over a dozen people. I was able to speak to everyone in attendance and some lasting relationships were formed. 

I also attended a book club meeting in Toronto’s Beach(es) neighborhood where all eyes were directed at me from very close proximity.  And yum, what a spread we feasted on, thanks to Terry Comeau's homemade delights.

A reading at a branch of the Hamilton Public Library (Locke Street) was also most cozy, and the casual atmosphere encouraged people to ask lots of questions.  The participation of local chocolatier, Forrat's, made the afternoon all the more sweeter.

And very recently, I did an up-close-and-personal reading followed by a screening of a heist film, The Thomas Crown Affair (the original), in a private and exquisitely plush private screening room in the TIFF Lightbox Tower, thanks to film festing compatriot and cinephile friend, Andra Takacs.

Because my survivor job mostly keeps me bound to a computer and my communications with people are largely electronic, my experiences post-publication have impacted me with a profundity beyond anything I could have imagined. And it seems I am coming out of my shell, chocolate shell, that is!

At the end of November, I held my first reading of Theft By Chocolate, attracting an audience of 70 people with standing room only. And it was held in a bicycle shop in a semi-industrial area of Toronto. Huh? How did that happen?

As odd as it may seem, the unique setting could not have been more sublime. I had teamed up with ChocoSol Traders, a distinct chocolate-making cooperative to host the event. I knew I had connected with the right group upon first contact with ChocoSol founder, Michael Sacco, and ChocoSolista, Lauren Baker. The way they spoke about chocolate and the crafting of the delicacy was poetic and intriguing. Furthermore, their concerns about community, on micro and universal levels, combined with their conscious and progressive notions about relationships with farmers and their crops and ethical notions about agriculture and production all resonated with me.

So the idea of having the reading set in a spot somewhat off the beaten path for downtowners, in Toronto’s Junction neighbourhood, seemed oh-so right rather than oh-so risky. All I hoped was that there might be more people at my reading than at J.K. Rowling’s first reading – which according to Lifetime’s recent made-for-TV movie, Magic Beyond Words, was only about a dozen people.

And then something magical happened – RSVPs started rolling in faster than I was able to keep up with. I suddenly found myself suffering from “careful what you wish for” syndrome. Ironically, I was in the middle of doing Deepak Chopra’s  21-day meditation series on abundance, but holy smokes, I did not expect it to work that quickly!

Before I knew it, I was facing some dilemmas I could never have imagined. Would we have enough space for everyone who wanted to attend? Was it fair for me to ask ChocoSol Traders to keep their commitment to provide complimentary drinking chocolate and chocolate samplings to my ever-growing audience?

The ChocoSolistas were gracious beyond words, but some scrambling ensued nonetheless. Realizing that my voice might not project to such a large crowd, my friends rallied and provided not just a simple mic and amp, but a full-fledged PA system that could have amplified my voice in a sports arena. 

Another friend dusted off not one, but two, HD cameras to record the event – which actually came in very handy in the end. And a number of friends stepped in to help with meeting and greeting, book sales, and managing a raffle.

But the most unexpected turn of events came when I turned up at ChocoSol, a couple of hours before the reading, to discover ChocoSol had enlisted the help of the bicycle shop located on the ground floor of the building, Issie Cycling Services, to accommodate the burgeoning crowd. Okay, I thought, we can make this work. And we did. 

Bike shop owners Issie and Kathleen had scrubbed the shop clean and we settled on doing the readings among the throngs of bicycles, and the chocolate tastings and education component in ChocoSol’s loft space upstairs. 

As people arrived, they seemed a little confused (why wouldn’t they be, I was). But in the end, a rolicking and enlightening evening was had by all – some called it the “funkiest and most fascinating event they had attended in ages.”

I did three readings from various parts of Theft By Chocolate:  The Chocolate Burp; Terrorists in the Museum; and The Bug Room – all of which elicited waves of giggles, some white-knuckling, and some humbling applause. 

Following the first reading, the enigmatic Michael Sacco took over and mesmerized the crowd. He spoke of chocolate’s abundant healing properties and expounded on the food’s history, from its Mayan origins as nourishment of the gods and use as currency to its transformation by the Europeans whose production processes (most of which have stayed with us until today) unfortunately strip cacao of most of its antioxidants and remarkable qualities.

Without complaint, the crowd ascended a staircase to the ChocoSol loft where Michael discussed how the ChocoSolistas create their artisanal chocolate using methods reminiscent of Mayan practices. 

Everyone had an opportunity to taste cacao in its pure form, to sample a variety of flavored chocolate, including some infused with spicy peppers that led to beads of sweat forming on people’s foreheads, and to purchase some of ChocoSol’s scrumptious wares.

I somehow managed to pull people away from the chocolate and get them back downstairs for the final two shorter readings and for the raffle, a gift assortment of ChocoSol products, which was won by audience member, Kim Ireland. 

I then surprised everyone with an additional contest - anyone at the event who submits a review  to Attica Books (Eloise@atticabooks.com) by December 31 is eligible to win a mini Kobo eReader. Entrants who submit a review and who also post their review on an Internet site such as Amazon, Kobo, iTunes, or Goodreads, will have two chances to win the electronic reader. The draw will be a random one.

For a first-time published author, I could not have had a more unforgettable evening. After completing the first few pages of my first reading, I managed to chill out and truly enjoy sharing some of my favorite passages from Theft By Chocolate. In between readings, it was a delight catching up with old friends and long-time supporters and extremely gratifying meeting so many new people who ventured out on such a chilly, early winter evening.

To add to the feeling that someone had sprinkled fairy dust on me, I sold dozens of books both that evening and from orders received the following day from people who had either attended the reading or had heard about it from friends in attendance. As a result of the sales, I was able to raise some notable donations for some great causes. For every book purchased from me directly, $1 is being donated to American Forests, an organization that plants trees all over the globe ($1 = 1 tree); and $2 for every book sold is being donated to the eLibrary Project which is putting electronic readers into the hands of children in disadvantaged schools in South Africa.  

Word on the Street is Canada's largest public book and magazine festival. It's held in a few Canadian cities and I had the privilege of participating, for the first time as an author, in Toronto's event held on September 23.  The whole experience was beyond positive and I'm sure to be buzzing from it for some time.

The Friday before the festival, I was contacted by the WOTS's publicist. Seems I was one of three authors selected to be interviewed by CBC TV (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) for a national live spot interview. Needless to say, I was ecstatic and freaked out at the same time. I hadn't done a TV interview in about 15 years and had never done anything live. So there was a lot of OMGing going on in my head throughout the weekend. Meditation was required!

But  there was no need to be nervous. My biggest challenge, as it turned out, was the unseasonable Toronto weather (is there such a thing?). While setting up for the spot, we experienced sun, cloud, drizzle, sun, cloud...But the moment we went live it started to rain. I was off camera feeling me hair go flatter and flatter.

CBC's interest was primarily in the concept of going direct to eBook and the reasons for making that choice (doing so is not nearly as common in Canada as it is in the US and abroad). 

My three-minute interview with CBC correspondent Zulekha Nathoo flew by, but I managed to mention Theft By Chocolate, squeeze in the 'log line', and talk about the reasons for publishing electronically. And wouldn't you know it, as soon as the interview ended, so did the rain. 

Check out the interview on YouTube. You can thank the rain for the background sound (sorry). Due to copyright issues, the original CBC interview is not available (sorry).  But you can come and watch it at my house. :)

Next on the agenda was rounding up  as many authors as possible to make donations to the eLibrary Project. I left donation forms with various authors and author representatives attending the festival.  

And then I took a few quiet moments to prep for my upcoming presentation.

I had been invited by Humber College to speak at the Scribendi.com Word Shop Marquee Tent on the subject of going "Straight to E-Book." I was paired with a Canadian digital publisher who was caught in Toronto traffic. But just as I finished speaking, miraculously, my other panel member turned up. Whew!

The tent was packed to capacity and people were jammed around the perimeter. But during the session it started to pour in buckets, the temperature dropped about 10 degrees, and my teeth began to chatter.  Hope no one noticed.

But considering I hadn't spoken in public for about 15 years, I think I did reasonably well. I was relieved, however, to sit back for most of the Q&A as the majority of questions, from hopeful authors, were directed to the publisher.

I had a brief chance after the talk to catch up with my mentor, author Kim Moritsugu, and with the Director of the Humber School of Writers. Fun times!

One could not have scripted it better as the rain cleared up just as everyone was departing the tent and I managed to stay dry while trekking to the other side of the festival grounds for my book signing.

One suggestion I would make, however, to any first-time author participating in a book signing of this sort - avoid being sandwiched at the table between media celebrity and award-winning authors. 

I mean, seriously, I was wedged among renowned Toront0-based environmental writer Adria Vasil, Charles Taylor Prize winner Andrew Westoll, and CBC media darling Jian Ghomeshi, all of whom had off-the-register lineups.

But I held my smiling face high with pride. Between my supporters and people who had been at my "Straight to E-Book" talk, my sales were most respectable. Even a few of the tent organizers (University of Toronto) remarked how well I had done for a first-time author.
 
Overall, I can’t say enough positive things about the way I was handled by Humber College, the Word on the Street organizers, CBC, and the University of Toronto. 

In conclusion, I want to give a big shout out to everyone who helped make this day such a success: Attica Books, my publishers (angels on Earth); Beth Barany and Carissa Weintraub, my publicists (thanks for all the advice); Kim Moritsugu and Antenas Sileika at the Humber School for Writers (without whom I would not have had an opportunity to participate in the festival); Nicola Dufficy at Word on the Street (who bent over backwards to accommodate me); the CBC (for selecting me for an interview; Aleks Wrobel at the University of Toronto (for coordinating the book signing); and most especially to Jo Anne Tudor, my videographer, book carrier, and great friend, and to Andy Kulchyckyj, my photographer, brother, and biggest supporter. 

And thanks to all my other friends who came out to support me, especially on a day with such unsettled and unfriendly weather. For a writer, getting a book published is like making it into the Olympics. So it was such an honor and privilege to share my first "appearance" with you all. Let's do it again next year!

I'm not really sure why this recipe is called "classic" as it is very much an updated and healthier version. 

The original recipe calls for margarine, but the body processes butter (organic, please) quicker and more effectively.

3/4 cup sucanat (cane sugar)
1/3 cup butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 - 1 1/2 cups chocolate or carob chips
1/3 cup oil
3 tbsp water
2 cups unbleached flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Stir together sucanat, butter, oil, water and vanilla.
3. In another bowl stir flours, baking soda and salt.
4. Add this mixture and the chips to the butter mixture. Mix until thoroughly mixed together.
5. Make spoon size balls and flatten them with a fork.
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
7. Try not to eat all in one sitting.