Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Well, I guess this all started when I was 11, and worked as a custom spandex costumer. I started out in figure skating costumes, and moved on to include other sports in my repertoire in the following years.
When I was 18, I got hit by a drunk driver and ended up unable to work, as a result of my injuries. I decided that if I wasn’t going to be able to sew, I could sell my *knowledge* to pay the bills.
I wrote my first spandex sewing manual in 2000. I banged it out in WordPerfect, printed it out at home, and hand-drew sketches throughout. That master copy got photocopied and coil bound as orders came in – very rough looking, but people loved the information! A sequel soon followed.
About 10 years later, I had mostly healed up, was sewing again… and technology had come a long way. I combined those two books into a single new book – “Spandex Simplified: Sewing for Skaters” – and filled it with full colour photography. I’ve since released 5 more spandex manuals, covering synchro swimmers, fitness & bodybuilding athletes, gymnasts, recreational swimmers, and more.
While I was on hiatus from sewing, I took up culinary arts, working as a baker and cake artist. That led to my first cookbook, “The Spirited Baker” – a desserts book, all flavoured with liqueurs and spirits. “Evil Cake Overlord” soon followed, featuring all of the ‘ridiculously delicious’ recipes I’d come up with for my cake business.
Because Murphy’s Law rules my life, I soon found out that I was allergic to gluten – and closed my cake business. I found gluten-free foods to be terrible, despite what many recipe writers would say. I saw a huge issue with “all purpose” gluten free flours, knowing full well that none would work as a universal solution. I tinkered with various alternative flours, and in 2013 I crowd funded my first gluten-free cookbook, “Beyond Flour”.
The Kickstarter was wildly successful – almost double funded – and a year later, I released the book to rave reviews. People were so excited to have food that tasted and felt right again!
The sequel to Beyond Flour comes out in November, 2016!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called “Hedonistic Hops: The Hopheads’ Guide to Kitchen Badassery”.
It was inspired by my husband, who is just ridiculous about his love for hops – he’ll snack on them, right off the bine!
Over the past few years, I’ve played around with the use of hops in cooking, but there’s not really a ton out there on it… so I had to experiment, develop my own techniques, etc. It’s been a lot of fun, and really tasty – hops are a great way to add unique flavour and interest to food.
So, I ended up writing a whole book on cooking with hops – the first of its kind. It covers everything from buying the various forms of hops, to growing your own, to the organic chemistry involved in the flavours of hops, and how to extract them. There are recipes for hop shoots, leaves, and – mostly! – the flowers.
It’s a great book for anyone who likes to experiment with new flavours – you don’t even have to like beer, to benefit from the use of hops in cooking!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well, I’m not super aware of what the writing habits of others are like, so… I guess I’m not sure.
I do best on a steady supply of eurodance and energy drinks, though!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
This is going to sound weird, but the book that’s had the most influence on me was a children’s book, from when I was probably 4 or 5. It was called “The Value of Believing in Yourself: The Story of Louis Pasteur”. It was published in the 70s, and has since gone out of print. To me, th\he book was inspiring on many levels.
For one, it formed the basis for my early love of science, and experimentation. While I did end up very off track from my original life goal of a career in virology, I’ve never stopped enjoying experimentation. I think that comes out in my flavors list nicely, in some of the design techniques I’ve developed, as well as in my cook books. While none of that is ever going to get my name immortalized in any science textbook… that book was foundational to my lifelong love of learning.
On another level, I really do think that the book accomplished it’s main goal – I do think I learned “The value of believing in myself” from it. In the early days of microbiology, a lot of germ theory seemed VERY off the wall.. and a lot of people thought that Pasteur was kind of off his rocker. He had ideas that could be regarded as weird or crazy, and believed in himself enough to develop them, see them through. We now vaccines, a much better knowledge of immunology, and pasteurization, all of a result of his “crazy” ideas.
While my “crazy” ideas are never as history-impacting as his were, I do believe that the book had formative impact on my desire and ability to not only think outside the box, but to just go for it, and really see crazy ideas through to fruition. I think THAT has really gone a long way to making work – and life – fun!
What are you working on now?
Currently, I’m finishing work up on Beyond Flour 2. The recipes are all developed, the photos all taken, and it’s set to go to publication in a month!
So, now is all about writing recipe descriptions, etc. The light at the end of the tunnel!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve grown pretty fond of Kickstarter. Not only does it basically guarantee you sales before you even publish, it’s a great platform to get the word out. It’s a hugely popular site, with great searchability. The back end promotion set up is fantastic, too.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t be tied to the idea of getting traditionally published. It’s a new world, with all sorts of new technologies and opportunities available to authors.
I did a traditionally published cookbook, with a very reputable publisher… and I likely will not ever see a dime for it. It’s super discouraging to have your work out there, to have another company profiting from your work, while you end up empty handed. For almost the exact same amount of work, you can self publish and actually see an income from it.
With the companies and services out there, you can put out a book just as good -if not BETTER – than what you could, going the traditional route.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I can’t actually think of any really great advice I’ve been given – I know, that sounds terrible!
I think I tend to live my life inspired by eurodance music lyrics, more so than any actual intentional advice. 2 Unlimited and E-Type are particularly great, in that respect.
What are you reading now?
Protecting Canadian Democracy: The Senate You Never Knew, by Serge Joyal
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m currently planning for 3 more cookbooks, and then I think I’ll be moving on. I change careers every few years, and I’m sure there’s another change on the horizon.
If I decide to continue writing, I think I might explore fiction. Perhaps something dystopian.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
– A book on tropical (I’m assuming) flora and fauna, ideally with identification info, information on what is edible, etc
– A book on survival in such conditions. Maybe with chapters on shelter building, signals, fashioning weapons, etc.
– A book on primitive boat making.
Author Websites and Profiles
Marie Porter Website
Marie Porter Amazon Profile
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