Mory jogged back into the room, sliding through the doorway and past Rochelle on the hardwood floor in her hand-knit striped socks. “I almost forgot,” she cried, thrusting her hand toward me.
She was holding a chocolate bar. A dark-chocolate bar with pistachios and dried cranberries, to be exact. From the ever-delectable, soul-fueling Chocolate Arts, to be even more exact.
“Oh my God,” I whispered reverently, gently prying it from Mory’s grasp. “Where have you been, my beauty?” I was practically cooing.
“In my bag,” Mory said. “I picked it up for you this morning. I have another one.” She looked at Rochelle. “In case things get really bad.”
The oracle stifled a chuckle.
The misfits were totally laughing at me. But, as I carefully slipped the paper wrapper off the bar and lifted the clear sticker sealing the flap, I didn’t care one bit.
Then the full implication of Mory’s words actually sunk in. “Wait!” I cried. “You were holding out on me?”
Mory laughed — apparently unaware that I was not freaking joking.
Update: I’m now running a wait list for the swag boxes. Email me the info I requested below to be added to the list. First come, first served, if I have any extra boxes.
Since I didn’t manage to make it to any signings or conferences in 2018, I floated an idea about a week ago in the Facebook reader fan group about a ‘Dowser 9 swag box’ and a number of readers expressed interest. I checked in with Chocolate Arts about getting a bulk order of the chocolate bars, and they also said yes. Yay!
Obviously I don’t have a picture of the actual box yet, but each box would include:
an autographed paperback of Gemstones, Elves, and Other Insidious Magic (Dowser 9)
the actual chocolate bar mentioned in the book – a cranberry and candied pistachio bar from Chocolate Arts
nine Dowser recipe postcards
four Cake in a Cup stickers
Three butterfly temporary tattoos
Not pictured: autographed paperback and ninth recipe card
Cavets:
Shipping: Unfortunately I’ve discovered, after weighing a ‘mocked’ up box (since I don’t have all the items yet) that the shipping (remember I’m on the West Coast of Canada) is more expensive than I originally thought, so I decided to limit the ‘swag’ so I could lower the estimated price by five dollars. The shipping is NOT trackable.
Timing/Delivery: I need to get the chocolate bar count into Chocolate Arts on November 9, 2018, so I’ll only take orders until November 8. But the earliest I’ll be able to get my hands on paperbacks will be early December. Which means the likelihood of you receiving the box before the holiday season is slim. I’ll try my best and some Canadian or USA address might get the box before the 25th. But there is absolutely no way the international boxes will make it in time. In fact, the last time I mailed a giveaway to New Zealand it took FOUR months for it to show up.
No substitutions or additions. I’ve set the shipping rate as low as I can, and therefore need all the boxes to weigh the same. Also packing different packages for different readers would be crazy time consuming. Every minute I’m working on the swag boxes I’m not writing.
Chocolate bars: for countries that are currently experiencing or going into their hot season – or for international countries in general – I cannot guarantee the quality of the chocolate. There is a reason why most companies don’t ship chocolate internationally, and of course I’m no exception. Readers in Australia and New Zealand might want to wait for the next opportunity to get an autographed book.
Questions asked and answered:
Is PayPal the only way to pay? Yes. That is the only way I have to send international invoices and accept payments. But you can pay through PayPal with a credit card without having an account.
When do the invoices need to be paid by? November 8, 2018. So I can place the order with Chocolate Arts. It doesn’t really make sense for me to order way more than I actually need for the swag boxes. But again, I will run a wait list in case I have any extra boxes.
Is the chocolate dairy free? The bar is marked VEGAN on the front and says, “created in a facility that handles peanuts, tree nuts, and eggs” on the back.
To order:
Email me at info@madebymeghan.ca with your mailing address, email address, and phone number (for customs). Please don’t send me abbreviations (I’m from Canada, I don’t know all the abbreviations for all the States, etc 🙂 ). I will send you an invoice via PayPal.
Price: $30 plus shipping
Shipping:
Canada/USA: $17
United Kingdom (including England, France, Germany): $21
Australia and New Zealand: $22
OTHER INTERNATIONAL: please email for a quote.
ORDERS CLOSE ON NOVEMBER 8, 2018 at 8pm PST. I will start a waitlist but I cannot guarantee I will be able to fulfil orders submitted after November 8 – items need to be ordered and getting them shipped to me also takes time.
I’m currently writing the first draft of I See You (Oracle 2). Life has been crazy – we are moving. Yes, again – but I’m still managing to eke out about 2000 words every day.
Writing – as opposed to brainstorming, which I live and breath – needs fuel and focus. Not enough fuel, and I lose focus quickly. So I try to enforce mini breaks when I feel weary or distracted. I could push through, and I do so when time is crunchy. But it’s better if I don’t. An unfueled MCD is not a pretty sight. Such days usually devolve into ranting, then weeping. Generally over things that do not require yelling or tears.
This is my break today. Only two chocolates remain from my second to last forage at Chocolate Arts. They look at little worn – perhaps they’ve been bashed about in the stash drawer – and I can’t remember what kind they are, but I know I’m going to love every nibble.
ETA: The Chocolate Arts website has helpfully reminded me that I indulged in a Framboise (rectangle) – single origin, intense dark chocolate with fruit and acidic overtones – while writing this blog post. And will luxuriate in a Cleopatra – caramel ganache, surrounding a caramel cream with a roasted organic hazelnut in a dark chocolate shell – right after I hit publish.
