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Friday, July 19, 2013

Alicia Bien: Wine, Wonderful Wine



"You're going to write about wine?" Mr. Wonderful said setting his espresso cup on the breakfast table.
"Yep," I said stirring my green tea.
"For every day in April?"
"Yep."
"Have you lost your mind?"
"Yep!"

Mr. Wonderful is my biggest fan, which he should be since, well, he is my husband. In fact when we got married, his vowed to love, honor and support all my crazy plans. And in return I promised to love, honor and keep things interesting. After several years of marriage, we're both batting a thousand.

But perhaps I was biting off too much with this A-Z Blogging Challenge? Twenty-six days was a lot of writing, blogging and all around suffering. But then I reconsidered: I'd been a wine drinker since college; I was a member of a wine group and; I'd been writing about wine for some time, which meant I had plenty of stories to tell about wine, wineries and winos. The wino bit I knew from personal experience. Lots of personal experience. But the question remained: could I write about wine for 26 days in April? I had to find out.

"A" was a great place to start. Wine had plenty of "A" words like Aroma, Acidic and Alcohol Induced-Fun-Times-Rock-On! I did not, however, use any of these words instead opting for "A is for Drinking Alone" because if you wanted to learn about wine you have to be okay drinking wine alone in moderation. I know I am.

Would the other letters be as easy to write about? I had to find out.

I wrote my way through the alphabet without struggling for subject matter because I'd chosen a great theme. Wine encompasses worlds of material such as: flavor, taste, smell, geography, weather, farming, history, language, culture, international-geopolitical-fashion-giraffes. Well, maybe not that, but a whole lot nonetheless.

Of course some letters were more challenging that others. Could I write posts for "Q" or "U" or the dreaded "X"? I had to find out.

I tackled these posts and thanks to the pressure of needing to have the posts done--that glorious pressure!--I was able to write these and all the other posts for the Challenge. 

Part of the A-Z Blogging Challenge was to visit other blogs. Could I work, write and read others' blogs? I had to find out.

I started with my own name and worked my way down the list and it was a treat to discover new blogs. Clicking on a new blog was like opening a gift on Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa. You didn't know what would be there except it would be a surprise. I relished reading these other blogs. I wished I could have read all 1,900,126 of them. But next year is another Challenge and opportunity to do so.

Having completed the Challenge I now had 26 wine stories as well as many others from various outlets I'd written for, therefore I decided to collect my favorite wine pieces into a comical book about one woman's wine journey from discovery to appreciation.

"You're publishing a book?" Mr. Wonderful said sipping his espresso.
"Yep," I said stirring my green tea.
"A book about wine?"
"Yep."
"You certainly keep things interesting."
"Yep!"


About the Author:
Alicia Bien is a wine drinker and comedy writer. She lives in Los Angeles with her spouse, "Mr. Wonderful", in their fixer-upper house, which they are fixing upping. She blogs at New House Girl. Her book EVOLUTION OF A WINE DRINKER will be released July 31, 2013.

Thanks for being with us today, Alicia.  Good luck with the release of your book!
~Tina

21 comments:

liz young said...

This is the first A-Z Summary I have read all through, so I shall now check out your blog - missed it the first tie roooound

Billy Blue Eyes said...

Your one of the blogs I'm glad I found but I never realised about the wine. Must have a read.

Suzy, The Grey Brunette said...

I really enjoyed reading this post Alicia... it made me chuckle :)
I'd love to read more about your A to Z journey, so I'm popping on over to check out your blog. Good luck with the book!
Suzy Turner, YA Author

JoJo said...

that's awesome! :D Have you seen the lighthouse shaped bottles from Truro Vineyards on Cape Cod? How about those wines from Washington State?

Unknown said...

Hi Lizy,
Thanks for reading! The A-Z was so fabulous because there were so many people participating, which also meant it was frustrating because there were only 24 hours in a day to read all the blogs! Enjoy your day!
--Alicia

Unknown said...

Hi Bill!
Thanks for reading! I'm glad to have found your blog, too! Long Live Blogging!
--Alicia

Unknown said...

Hi Suzy!
Thanks for reading! Although that chuckling you did at my comedy writing? That is not allowed. Ever. No ma'am! :-) Thanks for your well wishes about my wine book. As I'm sure you know, every book is a journey and this one of mine has been a fun ride. Have a great day!
--Alicia

Unknown said...

Hi Jojo!
Thanks for reading! Thanks too for sharing this information about Truro Vineyards. I did not know about their lighthouse-shaped bottles! In my book I do write about Washington Wines because I too am a fan! Have a wine weekend!
--Alicia

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Awesome so many Challenge participants produce books from their efforts! Yours is very unique, Alicia. Good luck.

kedynes said...

So proud of you! We must celebrate by popping open a bottle!

Unknown said...

Hi Alex!
Thanks for reading and for your positive words! You ran a GREAT Challenge and I'm so happy and thankful to you and the other master minions who made it happen! THANK YOU, again!
--Alicia

Unknown said...

Hi Kathy!
Thanks for reading and your comment! There is no one I'd rather pop open a bottle with than you! And I know we'll do it! Enjoy the weekend!
--Alicia

Lily said...

Congrats!! So excited for you!

Unknown said...

Thanks, Lily!
Thanks for reading and for wishes! It was fun to write!
--Alicia

Sheena-kay Graham said...

Your husband deserves another nickname. Mr. Listener, he definitely follows your train of thought. It's great that you write what you know and enjoy.

Unknown said...

Hi Sheena-kay!
Thanks for reading and your clever nomenclature input! Yes, he listens, which MAKES him wonderful. Enjoy your day!
--Alicia

Anonymous said...

Great post, made excellent reading.

Yvonne.

Unknown said...

Hi Yvonne!
Thanks for reading and I loved your comment! Hope you enjoy the weekend!
--Alicia

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Alicia .. didn't find you during the A-Z .. but now have - it'll be fun visiting you ..

I found an X for a grape vine for my A-Z postings this year .. and I had a Z .. slightly tenuous perhaps, but the Y wasn't ..

Love this write up though - and well done on putting together a book - good luck with its release on a couple of weeks or less!

Cheers to you both - Tina is a great co-host for the A-Z challenge .. Hilary

What's a Girl To Do? Advocating For Women's Health. said...

I'm a huge fan of your A-Z wine blog, I can't wait for the book...!!!

Sandy said...

When I first started reading, I thought this was your catch up post for the summary after we did the a-z. I like wine, not sure I agree you have to drink it alone to learn about it. Your book sounds interesting. Lots of luck.

Rounding from Flat Stanley's (who's been quiet of late) to invite everyone to join me in Memory Monday
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