Nimbus Publishing

Thursday

Aug192010

Animal Talk and Meet Nala

Thursday, August 19, 2010 at 11:16AM

Check out Nimbus' very first book trailer. The star of the video is Nala, our office dog. Nala comes to work here everyday with our Production Assistant, Jennifer Embree.

Animal Talk: Remarkable Connections Between Animals and the People who Love Them will be launched at the Hope for Wildlife Annual Open House, August 29th, 12:00-4:00. Come out for a day of face painting, horseback riding, BBQ, live and silent auctions, fortune telling and more and pick up a signed copy of Animal Talk for the animal lover in your life.

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1 Comment |

Monday

Jul262010

Taste Nova Scotia's South Shore (and win)

Monday, July 26, 2010 at 12:06PM

As you are stay-cationing around the province this summer, you'll want to know, as I always do, where's the best place to eat? South Shore Tastes is a restaurant guide (it features only the best), a cookbook (each restaurant has contributed a recipe), and a souvenir (with stunning photographs of the dishes and the region by Scott Munn). You really can't go wrong. So here's a little taste of Taste: a recipe from White Point Beach Resort's restaurant. And if you can't cook, don't worry, you can still taste it for yourself at White Point Beach Resort, maybe even on us (scroll down to see the contest).

South Shore Tastes is the fourth book in the Tastes cookbook series which also includes, Cape Breton Tastes, Annapolis Valley Tastes, Tastes of Prince Edward Island.

photo by Scott Munn

Maple Curry Chicken Ravioli
From White Point Beach Resort

The Nova Scotia maple syrup lends a gentle undertone of sweetness to the mild curry flavour in this dish.

Makes 2 servings.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
(about two medium-sized breasts)*, cut into 1-inch cubes
2/3 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup cream cheese
2 tablespoons mild curry paste
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups 35% whipping cream (heavy cream)
1 teaspoon Montreal steak spice
1/4 cup Nova Scotia maple syrup
16 pieces cooked ravioli (any vegetable-stuffed ravioli will do)

Warm 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is no longer pink, about 20 minutes. Set aside.

Heat the remaining vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the cream cheese and curry paste, stirring until smooth. Stir in the chicken stock, whipping cream, steak spice, and maple syrup. Simmer, uncovered, 3 to 5 minutes to reduce the liquid slightly.

Add the ravioli and cooked chicken pieces to the sauce, and simmer until heated through, about 6 to 8 minutes.

To serve, place 8 ravioli pieces in each of two large pasta bowls and spoon the desired amount of sauce overtop. Accompany with garlic toast or naan.

*The chicken in this dish can be any combination of cooked white or dark meat—this is an excellent way to use up leftover chicken!

...

Leave a comment to be entered to win Dinner for Two in the Seawatch Diningroom at White Point Beach Resort (value up to $75.00).

Entrants must leave their email address to win. Email addresses won't be displayed publicly. Contest closes midnight August 3rd, 2010.

Update on Wednesday, August 4, 2010 at 8:58AM by

Nimbus

This contest is now closed. Congratulations to our winner Wendy Pike for her comment:

Maple, curry, chicken ravioli....I can just taste this....ummmm....soo-o-o-o- good, and especially eating it at White Point while smelling the aroma of that huge wood fire that they keep burning there...spectacular.

Nimbus |

53 Comments |

Contest,

Cooking,

Food and Wine

Thursday

Jul152010

Evolution of a Cover: Her Mother's Daughter

Thursday, July 15, 2010 at 11:51AM

The cover design process for Lesley Crewe's fifth book, Her Mother's Daughter, took longer than most. Fiction covers tend to be more difficult to design than non-fiction because you're trying to sum up the plot and feeling of the book, attract the right audience in just a glance, not give too much away, place it in a category and please a whole lot of people all within a 6x9 space.

These are just a few of the versions that were considered and discussed in house. There was a lot of discussion and input from marketing (that's me), sales, editorial, and the author before reaching the final cover (#5). But before we get to the final, here's a little insight into the evolution of this cover.

#1 This was the cover printed on the Advance Reading Copy. The photograph itself seemed to fit perfectly with the book and the whole thing was a literal translation of a moment in the story but it didn't seem right. That the photo was black and white and had the old-style edge, didn't fit with the setting of the book. It wasn't contemporary enough.

#2 The designer took us to the windswept Cape Breton beach where the book is set and we loved that but weren't sure about the image. Some people didn't like the colours and it focused a bit too much on the little girl where the book is about mothers and daughters.

#3 This adorable image reminded the author of her own daughter when she was little so it was, of course, one of her favourites. The colours and feel were right but this one focused solely on the little girl as well. It was decided that while it was a sweet photograph, it was not meant for this book.

#4 This one fit with the feel and setting of the book but it just wasn't punchy enough. The colours were too subdued for our liking and it looked a bit sleepier than we wanted. We liked that the image included both a mother and daughter.

#5 The final! This cover had it all, the mother and daughter interacting, the beach, a beautiful photograph that evokes the feel of the book and light, airy colours. We hope you like it too!

...

So, what do you think? Do you like the final? Would you have picked a different cover? We'd love to hear from you! Leave a comment on this post and be entered to win a Lesley Crewe book of your choice. (Relative Happiness, Shoot Me, Ava Comes Home or Hit & Mrs)

Draw closed. Thanks for entering and congratulations to the winner, Cathy.

Become a fan of Lesley Crewe on facebook and enter an exclusive contest to win an advance copy of Her Mother's Daughter! (Draw closed)

If you liked this, check out the Evolution of a Cover post for Country Roads: Memoirs of Rural Canada.

Nimbus |

9 Comments |

Covers

Wednesday

Jun232010

The City Speaks in Drums

Wednesday, June 23, 2010 at 8:49PM

On Thursday, June 17, a crowd of people filled the Halifax North Memorial Library to celebrate the launch of The City Speaks in Drums by Halifax Poet Laureate Shauntay Grant and illustrator Susan Tooke.

As she did with their first project, Up Home, Susan used real people from the community as models for the characters in the book and many of them were at the launch.

Susan Tooke poses with Africa Jones who appears in the book.

Shauntay Grant poses with Adina Fraser who, at four years old, modeled for the first book, Up Home.

Andew Abraham poses with his image from the book.

Richard 'Spoons' Rudnicki, Susan's husband and an illustrator himself, points to his appearance in the book.

For more pictures from the launch, check out Nimbus on Flickr or Facebook.

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Prince Edward Island

Thursday, May 20, 2010 at 10:39AM

New in stores this week is a stunning new collection of Prince Edward Island photographs by Wayne Barrett and Anne MacKay. No need to say more with pictures like this:

The sun sculpts long shadows through the sand dunes at Brackley Beach.

In the diminishing daylight, two young foxes play on the grass at the Borden-Carleton Marine/Rail Historical Park near the Confederation Bridge.

Blossoming crabapple trees frame this view from Harbourside overlooking the Charlottetown Marina and Yacht Club.

Prince Edward Island is in stores now. Hardcover, $24.95

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