Final Edits

The final details are being worked out between us and Melody Lacina, an editor at Wilstad & Taylor, the firm hired by the Press to copy-edit and design our book. We are VERY glad they are perfectionists, but sometimes it seems like we will never be done. We have both decided that when the last "t" is crossed and the last "i" is dotted, we will take our husbands (in our respective cities) out for a nice meal to celebrate - with someone else doing the cooking and the cleanup. Take a look at the pile of manuscripts we have created in the last year, going back and forth with revision after revision.

Gran Torino

Have you seen the movie, “Gran Torino” yet? It is about an angry, lonely old guy (Clint Eastwood) and his Hmong neighbors. It’s a beautiful movie, on many levels. We have decided that we need to thank Clint Eastwood with the very first copy of our book; because his movie has at least part-way solved a marketing dilemma for us. Many people used to have a blank look on their faces when we explained that our book is about Hmong cooking and culture. Now everyone who has seen the movie, knows at least a little bit, about the Hmong. So, ua tsaug (thank you) Mr. Eastwood, and all of the people who created the story and brought it to life! We hope that you ate lots of great Hmong food while filming the picture.