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Heather Webber’s Midnight at the Blackbird Café is filled with magical realism, a heartwarming romance, and really good pie. We know once you get your hands on this scrumptious read you’re going to want some of these desserts for yourself. Luckily for you, Webber has happily decided to share her recipes with the world so you can enjoy your own pie while you read. Check out her recipe for apple pie below!
Midnight at the Blackbird Café will be available on July 16.
Like all of us, Midnight at the Blackbird Café author Heather Webber loves a good book. To celebrate her captivating blend of magical realism, heartwarming romance, and small-town Southern charm, Heather chatted with us about one of her unconventional favorite books: The family cookbook.
By Heather Webber
It sits in a kitchen cabinet, tucked out of sight, patiently waiting for its next adventure. Its binding has seen better days, some pages are stained, and a lemon-yellow twist tie from a long-forgotten loaf of bread has been employed as a bookmark for the better part of two decades.
It’s my favorite cookbook; part teacher, part advisor, part inspiration, part therapist, part magic.
It came into my life nearly thirty years ago as wedding present, and it’s born witness to great successes and great failures. Love and loss. Celebrations and sorrows.
It’s watched my children grow, marking one birthday to the next with its recipe for Boston cream pie. It’s joined us for many Sunday morning breakfasts with recipes for fluffy pancakes and cinnamon scones. It’s seen a call for take-out when an attempt at quiche went spectacularly wrong.
It’s taught me life lessons along with measurement equivalents. Patience. Forgiveness. Persistence.
It’s advised me on how to make a pie crust. To learn from my mistakes. To have faith, especially when I’m concerned my pie dough won’t hold together when I roll it out.
It’s inspired me to try new foods and flavors. To find joy in the unknown. To turn to nature and my roots when in doubt.
It reminds me that no one recipe fits all. To be flexible. Instructions can be adapted. Omit an ingredient here, add one there.
It’s counseled me when a recipe has gone disastrously wrong, offering perspective—don’t sweat the small mistakes, like the time my pastry cream included a side of scrambled eggs. Try, try again.
There’s magic inside it. How else to explain a combination of butter, sugar, flour, eggs, salt, baking powder, vanilla, and milk turning into a delightful cake?
There are many recipes and life lessons to explore within its stained pages, but hidden between the lines on every page is a treasured recipe for living life. My favorite cookbook sits in the cabinet, tucked out of sight, patiently waiting for our next adventure.
Start reading Heather Webber’s Midnight at the Blackbird Café , a captivating blend of magical realism, heartwarming romance, and small-town Southern charm, with a free digital preview of the first 50 pages. Midnight at the Blackbird Café will be officially available on July 7.
About Midnight at the Blackbird Café:
Heather Webber’s Midnight at the Blackbird Café is a captivating blend of magical realism, heartwarming romance, and small-town Southern charm.
Nestled in the mountain shadows of Alabama lies the little town of Wicklow. It is here that Anna Kate has returned to bury her beloved Granny Zee, owner of the Blackbird Café.
It was supposed to be a quick trip to close the café and settle her grandmother’s estate, but despite her best intentions to avoid forming ties or even getting to know her father’s side of the family, Anna Kate finds herself inexplicably drawn to the quirky Southern town her mother ran away from so many years ago, and the mysterious blackbird pie everybody can’t stop talking about.
As the truth about her past slowly becomes clear, Anna Kate will need to decide if this lone blackbird will finally be able to take her broken wings and fly.
The initial inspiration for Midnight at the Blackbird Café came to Heather Webber the Beatles’ song “Blackbird.” The first time she heard it, she played it over and over again, unable to stop thinking about the words and the story behind them.
That spark eventually led to Midnight at the Blackbird Café, but it took a while to get there.
So how did she keep the momentum going after the first surge of excitement wore off, and the day-to-day task of writing set in? With more music, of course! And you can get into the momentum too with this Spotify playlist curated by Heather herself.
We recommend listening with a steaming mug of tea, a delicious slice of pie, and of course, a copy of Midnight at the Blackbird Café open in front of you.