Meth Monday: Cookin' in the UK!

Hello, Readers Mine! Well, just as soon as I put "Meth Monday" on hiatus, some cool stuff popped up that I figured I probably needed to share with you. First up, to all of our friends in the UK and Republic of Ireland (which are two separate entities, btw!), keep in mind that we have a great UK publisher in the form of Myrmidon Books, which means that Wanna Cook? The Complete, Unofficial Companion to Breaking Bad, is readily available throughout England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland!

In fact, a good friend and fellow Whedonian, Dr. Matthew Pateman, recently sent us this pic of our book on the shelves at Waterstone's Scarborough:

Wanna Cook? on the shalves at Waterstone's Scarborough! Thanks to @ProfPateman for the pic!

You can also pick up a copy of Wanna Cook? and while away a few hours in a lovely bookshop at O'Mahonys Booksellers in Limerick, as well as fine booksellers throughout the Isles. So get ready to stream all five seasons, pick up your copy of Wanna Cook? and go deep!

In other news, Bryan Cranston continues to prove he's not only an incredible actor, but one hell of a human being too, taking time out of his schedule to allow a very sick fan right here in our home state of North Carolina to cross something off of his "life list":



You can read the whole article and see some of Brad's conversation with Cranston right here.

Seriously, how can you not love a show that inspires so many feels?!!!?

Keep Cookin'!

Meth Monday: Myrtle Beach Days

Hello, Readers Mine! Yes, my "Meth Monday" streak is well and truly broken. *sigh* I blame higher ed, and my being on the other side of the desk for the first time - things have been crazy busy! Yet fear not, Wanna Cook? goes on!

The big news is that Wanna Cook?  is going into it's second printing! Which means that the first printing has pretty much sold out. This is great news because it means that we have not only made back our advance, but should actually get a check along with our first royalty statement! And that is all thanks to you guys. Thank you so much for continuing to make Wanna Cook? a success. Your posts, pics, reTweets, shares, and - most of all - purchases have made my longest-standing dream come true. Each and every one of you rocks like Dethklok!

If you haven't gotten your copy yet, Dale and I will be at Books-A-Million in the Myrtle Beach Mall this Saturday, 13 September, signing books and talking meth from 2 - 5 pm. Is there a better excuse to go the the beach this weekend? Do you really need a better excuse? It's the beach! And Breaking Bad! And us! What more can one ask for?

And now it's time for one more announcement: after today "Meth Monday" will become an occasional feature on Solomon Mao's, with posts only popping up as we schedule signings and events, something really cool and/or newsworthy about Breaking Bad comes across our screens, or other Wanna Cook? news crops up. This is to make way for a new, regular column here: "Tuesdays with Mollari," which will document the journey of our next book Dreams Given Form: The Unofficial Companion to the Babylon 5 Universe, coming from ECW Press in 2016.

Wanna Cook? and "Meth Monday" have been wonderful rides, and my love affair with Breaking Bad is anything but over. Yet, like all fans, I'm polyamorous, and my passion for Babylon 5 can no longer be denied! I hope you'll stick with Dale and I as we embark on our next project, and that if you are not already a B5 fan, you'll become one as you journey along with us. In any event, thank you again, and be well.

Keep Cookin'!

Meth Monday: Beach Signing & the Emmys

Hello! Readers Mine, and welcome to the Emmy Awards edition of "Meth Monday"!

That's right, beginning at 8 pm eastern, and going on until the stroke of 11 tonight, the 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards kick off, and Breaking Bad is once again, and - sadly - for the final time, a major contender. Nominated for 16 Emmys, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Writing for a Drama (Moira Walley-Beckett for "Ozymandias" and Vince Gilligan for "Felina"), Lead Actor (Bryan Cranston), Directing (Vince Gilligan for "Felina"), Supporting Actor (Aaron Paul), Supporting Actress (Anna Gunn), and Dale and I are especially excited for friend-of-the-book Michael Slovis' nomination for Outstanding Cinematography for "Granite State." The competition is tough, but for my money Breaking Bad is the show to beat - again. In fact, Cranston and Paul - along with Julia Louis-Dreyfus - have cooked up a little teaser for Emmy night complete with a raft of inside jokes:

In other, Wanna Cook? related news: Dale and I will be signing copies of the book at Books-A-Million in the Myrtle Beach Mall at Myrtle Beach, SC on Saturday, 13 September, starting at 2 pm! That's right, it's a beach-side book signing. Well, okay, not beach side, but beach-close. Like maybe eight blocks? That counts, right? Seriously, if you're down at the beach, or have merely been looking for an excuse to go to the beach, what could be better than attending a book signing about the greatest TV show in history? Plus, you know, free meth! This lady loves the stuff:

My mom, with "meth" at our book-launch.
She may well kill me for this but: WORTH IT!

So come on out and see us at the beach, and follow us on social media (to the top right on this blog, and look for #WannaCook everywhere) for all of the latest Breaking Bad news that crosses our screens. And if you can't make it to Books-A-Million for the signing, don't worry, you can pick up Wanna Cook? The Complete, Unofficial Companion to Breaking Bad at their website, and nice people in uniform will bring it right to your door! Also, don't forget to check in with my co-author, K. Dale Koontz, this week for her post-Emmys "Walter White Wednesday" post at Unfettered Brilliance.

Until next time -- Keep Cookin'!

Meth Monday: It's Tuesday Bitch!

Yes, yes, I know, I had an actual streak of weekly "Meth Monday" posts going there, and then I took a few days at the beach and blew it. Oh well. Honestly, since I did spend much of last week at the beach, there's really not all that much to report anyway.

However, AMC's Breaking Bad Binge is officially underway every Sunday from 5 pm until 1am. Importantly, AMC is not merely re-broadcasting the episodes, but also putting out a lot of brand new extras to go along with them, including new interviews with the cast. Most recently, we heard from Aaron Paul about what his favorite Jesse moments were, and it's no surprise that they included this gem, which is one of my favorites:




So that's about it for this week. We hope to be announcing the date and location of our next book signing soon, but until then, you can fins Wanna Cook? at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and Powell's Books. And follow me on the social medias (upper right on this blog) for all of the Breaking Bad news that crosses my inbox.
Also be sure and look for Dale's and my latest "The Ten Percent" column over on Biff Bam Pop! It'll be going live Thursday morning, and you don't want to miss it. So until next week, Readers Mine,
Keep Cookin'!

Meth Monday: Slinging Books

Hello Readers Mine, and welcome to "Meth Monday" at Solomon Mao's!

Last week was pretty busy in terms of getting out there and talking about our book, Wanna Cook? The Complete, Unofficial Companion to Breaking Bad. ECW Press is an incredibly supportive publisher, but they're also a small press, and -- the size of our egos and ambitions notwithstanding -- we're not NY Times bestselling authors, so we knew from the get go that much of the burden of marketing Wanna Cook? through things like book signings, teh interwebs, etc, would rest on our shoulders. Hence the rack of social media buttons to the upper right on this blog.

Don't get me wrong, ECW helps out a lot. They print up posters, bookmarks, and business cards for us that are very slick and professional, their publicists Jenna Illies and Michelle Melski rock at getting the word out through review copies, media blasts about signings, etc, and they cover both traditional and online sources. But it is up to Dale and I to get out there and hustle for signings, con appearances, talks, podcasts, webcasts, etc, etc. I guess in biz-speak what we're doing is building a brand as we try and sell our book. It turns out that this process can be a lot of fun.

So last Wednesday we had the opportunity to talk Wanna Cook?, Breaking Bad, and the week in pop-culture with the crew of the CultureSMASH! Webcast, which turned out to be a total blast, and I think we made some new friends along the way. You can check it out on the CultureSMASH! site, or right here:

Stephen, Nicolas, Catherine, Mike, and the rest of the SMASH Cast made us feel incredibly welcome, and even did me the courtesy to laugh at a few of my snarky comments. It was tremendous fun, and they produce a hell of a pop-culture site, so bookmark 'em! Then on Thursday, our first regular pop-culture column premiered over on Biff Bam Pop! We call it "The Ten Percent" and I'll quote the set up for you:

“Ninety percent of everything is crud.” – Theodore Sturgeon

Hello, and welcome to the first installment of “The Ten Percent,” a regular column where every other week we’ll look at the corollary of Sturgeon’s Law: ten percent of everything is not crud. In terms of television and film, Sturgeon’s Law and its corollary have been operative even before Georges Méliès built his glass-walled studio in 1897, and continue to hold true today. For every film or television show that gets people talking years or even decades after its premiere, there are probably a thousand others that may have been seen once, and never thought of again. To be clear, we’re not talking high culture and low culture here. In fact, we think those categories are complete BS. What we are talking about are the works which last, be they drama or comedy, animation or live-action, documentary or wildest fiction. They last because they are high quality productions, even – dare we say it – works of art which demand more of their viewer than passive reception. They are the “Ten Percent.”

Where did we start? With Breaking Bad, of course! Check out the full article here, and look for us every other week at Biff Bam Pop! -- another pop-culture site that's well worth following! Finally, we spent a lovely few hours at Barnes & Noble in Winston-Salem, NC on Saturday meeting folks and signing copies of Wanna Cook? This was our most successful signing to date, and the management and staff at B&N were absolutely fantastic. So thanks to everyone there and everyone who came out for making our day a so much fun!

My co-author, K. Dale Koontz, in full regalia (including BrBa earrings!) at our table at Barnes & Noble in Winston-Salem 

So that was our week of getting out there and talking Breaking Bad and Wanna Cook? if you're in the Winston-Salem area, missed the signing, but still want an autographed copy, swing by Barnes & Noble -- we signed a few for the store before we left. And that's it for this week's "Meth Monday," Readers Mine/ Join me again next week, and be sure to catch Dale's 'Walter White Wednesday" posts over on Unfettered Brilliance, and follow us here, there, and everywhere for all the latest Breaking Bad and pop-culture news that comes across our screens. Until next time,

Keep Cookin'!

Meth Monday: Webcastin' 'Bout My Generation

Hello Readers Mine, and welcome to another "Meth Monday" at Solomon Mao's!

So the last episode of Breaking Bad aired about a year ago, the complete series in out on DVD, Blu-ray, and even streaming in 4K on Netflix, and yet the show is still in the news, and still winning awards, most recently Best Drama Series from the Critics Choice Television Awards and Program of the Year from the Television Critics Association for its final eight episodes. What's more, Breaking Bad is nominated for thirteen Emmy's this year, including Best Drama Series and Best Actor. Seriously, this is the show that keeps on giving (and getting!) Why? Because:

Fortunately for Dale and I, people still want to talk about the show, and people still want more of and about it, and many of those fine folks seem to enjoy getting it from Wanna Cook? The Complete, Unofficial Companion to Breaking Bad. Which is how we came to be guests on the Culture Smash Cast this Wednesday, August 6, at 8 pm. It seems that Catherine Holder got a hold of a copy of Wanna Cook? after the Culture Smash Cast Breaking Bad wrap-up and, judging from her review, really dug the book. This leads me to this week's Valuable Lesson Learned: social media is worth paying attention to. See, after I read Ms. Holder's review, I went out and found her Twitter handle, as well as that of CultureSmash, and Tweeted them a "thanks" along with a link to the review. Shortly thereafter, I got a message from CultureSmash editor Stephen Lackey asking us if we'd like to come on the Cast and talk about the book and Breaking Bad, to which we said "YEAH BITCH!" (Okay, so not really, but I'm sure Stephen took the "bitch" part as read.)

Nor is this the only time that a thank you Tweet sent out to a reviewer and site garnered us an opportunity. I did the same for Glenn Walker's review over at BiffBamPop.com, and the end result of that is that Dale and I will be writing a regular column for BiffBamPop premiering this Thursday, 07 August. We're calling it "The Ten Percent," after Theodore Sturgeon's Revelation that "90% of everything is crap." We will be focusing primarily on film and television, and every two weeks we'll pop up to take a look at something we consider a part of that magical 10% that isn't crap, and is therefore worth the time it takes to give it a closer look. Guess what show we'll be starting with?

Finally, You can also get a daily dose of Dale & Ensley on the latest episode of the Gobbledygeek Podcast where we join AJ and Paul to talk about Neil Gaiman's Sandman, the truth about polar bears, and big-beaked bastard birds.

So that's it for this week's Wanna Cook? doings, but we've got some more stuff in the works as we get closer to AMC's binge re-broadcast of Breaking Bad starting on 10 August, so keep an eye out here, and over on Unfettered Brilliance and look for us on social media (hint: click on the various symbols on the upper right of this page) for all the latest Breaking Bad news that comes across our screens.

Keep Cookin'!

Meth Monday: Talkin' Blue

Hello Readers Mine, and welcome to another "Meth Monday"!

As you know Dale and I were privileged to hold a book signing this past Saturday at Books-A-Million in Gastonia, and we had a blast. The folks at BAM were incredibly nice (and even gave us free beverages from Joe Muggs!) we met a lot of folks, and even sold some books. All in all a successful day. And we always learn something from a signing, or at least get things we already knew reinforced.

For instance, we will never again put the word "cook" into the title of a book. Yes, we agree that Wanna Cook? is a really cool title, and we're proud of coming up with it, but you would not believe the number of people who come up to us and wind up saying something like "Oh. I thought it was a cookbook." Of these it's generally an even split between those who are disappointed and those who are relieved. Another lesson learned on Saturday was how little attention we tend to pay when going about out day. We were set up just inside  and to the left of the only entrance to the store. Directly in front of the entrance was a display of best-sellers, new releases, and staff picks. To the right was a display of Harry Potter books and merchandise (including two really cool Hats of Sorting which provided some serious entertainment and cuteness as all these kids kept trying them on). So there was a lot of stuff right there as you walk in.

And about 60% of people just breezed right by all of it - and us. Seriously, I don't think they even saw any of it except as obstacles to maneuver around on their way to the cafe, or whatever section they were interested in. It was both weird and funny to watch. We generally said hello to anyone who made even glancing eye-contact, but again, that was only about 40% of the people who came through the door. And I began to realize that I tend to do the same thing. I love bookstores, and browsing, and it was really weird to spend several hours in a bookstore without browsing, but I too tend to make a b-line to whatever section of the store it is that I want to start looking around in: science fiction, graphic novels, bargains, whatever. Many days I am a part of that 60% who completely tune out all of the stuff that is right there when I walk into a bookstore - or any retail joint, for that matter. So now I think I'm going to try and slow down and see what I'm missing.

Here's a picture of Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman - just because!

So, some lessons learned and a fun day spent meeting new people and signing books. If you couldn't make it to the signing in Gastonia, but still want a signed copy, we left a few at the store, but you'd better hurry, we didn't leave all that many! Otherwise, you can come see us in Winston-Salem, NC at Barnes & Noble at 1925 Hampton Inn Court on Saturday, 9 August, starting at 3pm! We'll be signing copies of Wanna Cook?  as part of Barnes & Noble's "Get Pop Cultured" event, so it should be a blast. As always, you can count on more details as we get closer to the event date both here, on social media, and over on Dale's blog.

Coming up next week (Wednesday 6 August) though, look for us on CultureSmash.tv's weekly webcast where we'll be talking about Wanna Cook, the week in pop-culture, and various and sundry other things that might come up. It's a fun and snarky group of folks at CultureSmash, so it should be a blast. Dale and I will also be returning to Gobbledygeek Podcast  (probably available the first full week of August) in order to trade insults with Paul and AJ and to take part in Gobbledygeek's ongoing revisiting of Neil Gaiman's Sandman. This week, we'll be talking about Volume 5 "A Game of You."

So that's what we've got coming up for the moment, and we're always working on new ways to get out and about and talk Breaking Bad and Wanna Cook? So stay tuned here, on our various social media channels (see buttons to the upper right on this blog), and to Unfettered Brilliance  for all the latest news, reviews and doings. See you next time!

Keep Cookin'!

Meth Monday: Book Signing this Saturday (26 July)!

Hello, Readers Mine! This one is going to be short and sweet, but it counts!

The big news this week is that I and my co-author, K. Dale Koontz, will be signing copies of our book, Wanna Cook? The Complete, Unofficial Companion to Breaking Bad at Books-A-Million in Gastonia, North Carolina, from 2 -5 pm this Saturday, July 26! We'll even be giving away samples of the Blue! (First one's free anyway, after that, you have to buy the book!) So tell your friends, tell your family, tell your co-workers - hell, tell your enemies, we'll take their money too - and help us make this signing a smash success!

BAM Gastonia is at 3710 E. Franklin Blvd, and for more information feel free to call them at 704-824-0221.

We'll see you Saturday, and, until then, contemplate the idea of Bryan Cranston bringing his Tony Award-winning role as LBJ to the small screen. I shit you not!

Bryan Cranston as LBJ in All the Way coming soon to the small screen via Stephen Spielberg and HBO!

Keep Cookin'!

Meth Monday: Breaking Bad Fest

Hello, Readers Mine! Well, it's Monday again and it appears I have managed to put together a two-week posting streak so, you know, good for me!

Just as a reminder, Dale and I will be signing copies of Wanna Cook? The Complete, Unofficial Companion to Breaking Bad at Books-A-Million in Gastonia, NC on Saturday 26 July, beginning at 2 pm. So if you're in the area, come and see us, and make a day of it: have lunch or dinner at Portifinos or Sakura, come see us and grab a copy of Wanna Cook? to prepare for AMC's Breaking Bad Binge starting next month, and then catch a flick at the coincidentally named AMC theaters right next door. It's a great way to spend a Saturday!

Now that my pitch is over, in other BrBa News, a group of die-hard fans in Albuquerque, NM decided to hold a Breaking Bad Convention and see if anyone would come. They started on Kickstarter and raised enough money to get things rolling and now Breaking Bad Fest is a real thing hppening on 8 November 2014 from 4-8 pm at the Albuquerque Convention Center. For more information and tickets, check out their site and keep up with the latest from the con organizers by following them on Twitter or Facebook .

Finally, Wanna Cook? keeps getting gratifyingly great reviews like this one from SF Book Review, or the one from Culture Smash!. We may be doing a bit more with the folks from Culture Smash int he coming weeks, so stay tuned here and over on Dale's blog Unfettered Brilliance for more details as they come.

That's pretty much it for this week, so I'll leave you with a picture that is in the book in black and white, but is most definitely cooler in color, and which was given to us (squeee!!) by Michael Slovis, Breaking Bad's cinematographer:

Michael Slovis checks the light levels on the set of "Peekaboo" (2.06). Photo courtesy of Michael Slovis.

Keep cookin'!

Meth Monday: Book Signings!

Hello, Readers Mine! It seems like I start off every one of these blog posts off with an apology for not writing regularly, and a promise to do better in the future - promises which I never seem to keep. Since doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results is one of the primary definitions of insanity, I think I'll just skip all of that this time. I may up my involvement here in the near future, but I can't guarantee it. However, I am annoyingly present in all sorts of social media and micro-blogging sties, so if you click on one of those nifty symbols to the right of the page here, and follow me on the network of your choice, then you'll get more than enough of my worldview.

So then, catching up:

Dale and I spent a week in Sacramento, CA at the always exhaustingly incredible and inspiring biennial Slayage Conference on the Whedonverses, about which you can read more here. After the conference, we were lucky enough to be able to hold a signing at Beers Books, a truly awesome independent bookseller in downtown Sacramento. We saw plenty of old friends and made a few new ones, and sold some books to boot. Interestingly enough, the TSA didn't even blink when we carried a pound of "the Blue" in our carryons.

Dale (right) and I at our signing table at Beers Books in Sacramento, CA. Photo courtesy of Michael Starr.

Look! Our book is on the shelf
at Books-A-Million!!!
Photo courtesy of Laney McDonald.

Shortly before we headed out to the West Coast, on a family shopping trip I discovered copies of our book on the shelves of Books-A-Million in Gastonia, NC. Besides always being a kick to see your book on the shelves of a bookstore, the manager, who happened to be shelving books nearby, was really excited to meet me, and even more so about having a books signing at his store. So HEADS UP GASTONIA!! We'll be in town and signing books at Books-A-Million on Saturday 26 July, starting at 5pm! This is excellent timing, as AMC will be kicking off their binge-broadcast of all five seasons of Breaking Bad on 10 August, so this is the perfect time to prepare for your re-watch or first time viewing of this incredible series with your very own copy of Wanna Cook? The Complete, Unofficial Companion to Breaking Bad, and how cool would it be to really do it up right with a signed copy? So, if you can, come out and see us on the 26th!

Otherwise, you can find Wanna Cook? at all the usual places like Amazon, Powell's, and Barnes & Noble, as well as at Got Books? in Shelby, NC. So really, you have no excuse not to get a copy!

Until next time - Keep Cookin'!

Meth Monday: A Quick Cook

Hello, Readers Mine! We're just in from a deliciously long weekend out of town that included naps, room service breakfast, lunches and parties with friends, and remembering why we got married in the first place. We haven't been back home long, and the holiday isn't officially over, so this week's "Meth Monday" is gonna be a short one.

In Wanna Cook? news, we learned late last week that Wanna Cook? The Complete, Unofficial Companion to Breaking Bad is being translated into Portuguese for publication in Brazil! I'll link to the publisher's site and hopefully a pic of the Brazilian cover as soon as I can. So that means that Wanna Cook? has been published in 3 continents in 3 different languages - and that, friends and neighbors, is pretty frellin' cool!

As for the rest of this Memorial Day post, enjoy this lovely little parody where Taylor Swift meets Walt and Jesse (thanks to @_ath3na for sending this our way!):

Until next week - Keep Cookin'!

Meth Monday: International Edition, Partie Deux

Hello, Reader's Mine! Sorry for the gap last week, but the weekend leading up to last Monday was full of me loping across a stage under a giant Quonset hut while wearing funky sleeves in order to receive an empty degree-holder as a symbolic representation of my MA. Here's proof:

There are the authors of Wanna Cook? as you probably never expected to see us. Suffice it to say that while it was a fun weekend, it was also an exhausting one, and Monday was all about recovery and starting to get my bearings now that I am living in only one place for the first time in four and a half years. So "Meth Monday" just kinda slipped through the cracks. Sorry about that.

In any event, while I might be laying down on the job Breaking Bad was not, winning Best International Series at the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Awards, beating out House of Cards and The Returned for the honor. This is a pretty big deal as BrBa has a rocky history when it comes to being available in the UK. At one point, UK viewers were almost a year behind as various broadcast and streaming rights were worked out between AMC, Sony, and Netflix. Still, the show was just as popular there as it was here.

Which brings me to the other international news about Wanna Cook?our official, UK publication date came and went last week on 13 May, and we celebrated with our UK publisher, Myrmidon Books, and you can also find our cousins across the pond at @WannaCookUK, where they're busily selling copies to all our Anglo-Saxon-Celto-Nordic friends! In fact, Wanna Cook? was featured as the book of the day at O'Mahony's Booksellers in Limerick, Ireland (they do just sort of write themselves, don't they?)

Of course, you don't have to live in the Splendid Isles to get your own copy. You can toddle over to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Powell's, or your favorite independent bookseller and get your copy today! Who knows? Dale and I might be coming to a town near you in the next several months, so you could get your copy signed! Stay tuned here, and over on Unfettered Brilliance for updates on that! That's it for this week, Readers Mine - see you next week, and

Keep Cookin'!

Meth Monday: International Edition

Hello, Readers Mine! Well it's been a hell of a week at Solomon Mao's (or at least in the pocket of space-time where the author of Solomon Mao's lives). I wrapped up graduate school completely last Wednesday, making me a Master of the Arts (History) at long last, and spent the weekend just past celebrating my wedding anniversary, saying some good-byes, and moving everything from the apartment back home. That's right, after four years of marriage and one co-authored book, Dale and I will actually be living together on a full-time basis at last! Who knows? This might result in more books!

But you don't come here for updates on my personal life, so onward to our shared obsessions: Breaking Bad and Wanna Cook!

So Vince Gilligan had an interesting encounter down under at the Sydney Writers' festival this weekend, where he got to meet some of the people who helped make Australia the number one nation for illegal downloading of Breaking Bad episodes in the world. Gilligan apparently proved that Southern-by-way-of-LA charm is just as effective on Southerners-by-way-of-the-Tropic-of-Capricorn as it is on any other group of folks, and responded with his trademark mix of modesty and gratitude. (It's also worth noting that Gilligan made a nice pile from Breaking Bad - and deservedly so - so he can literally afford to be gracious!) Check out the full story in The Guardian. 

In Wanna Cook? news, I got a peek at the German cover of our book! Working with ECW, the German publisher Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf was translating Wanna Cook? as we were writing it, and the result will be available to the public on 1 June 2014 (according to Amazon.de). So, pretty cool in-and-of itself, right?

It gets better: It seems that fair use copyright law in Germany is a bit broader than in the US, Canada, and the UK, so our book got a new title, and a new cover. Check this out -

Wanna Cook? in German, by Guffey und Koontz!!!!

That. Is. AWESOME!!!!!!! We get a couple of author's copies, and I can't wait to see em! What do you guys think?

For those of you who read German, you can pre-order your copy today (but watch out for shipping and VAT!) For those of you who, like me, can basically only manage ja, nein, bitte, and volksgemeinschaft however, you can get your copy in English right now! And for those of you who not only speak and read English, but live in the Splendid Islands themselves, you can get a copy from Amazon.co.uk! So go, buy our book, enjoy it, and let us know what you think by writing review or two!

So that's it for this week, Readers Mine. Until next time - Keep Cookin'!

Meth Monday: Wanna Cook? is Launched!

Hello, Readers Mine! Sorry to be posting later than usual today, but things kinda got away from me.

So this past Saturday we held the official book launch for Wanna Cook? at Fireside Books in my hometown of Shelby, North Carolina, and it. Was. A. Blast! We saw so many fans, friends, and family who came out to buy a copy of Wanna Cook? nosh on some of the incredible food from Ni Fen Bistro, Blue Sky cupcakes and coffee from Lily Bean's Micro-Roasted Coffee, sip some quality vino from Dragonfly Wine Market, and to talk Breaking Bad. We signed book after book while chatting about everything from Werner Heisenberg to hydrofluoric acid versus lye to chiral molecules to Jesse as moral center. Seriously, we sold a LOT of books, and we deeply appreciate the support we received from our community, so thanks to everyone who came out.

Special thanks go to all the uptown business who got on board to help make the launch such a success: besides the fine folks mentioned above there were Pleasant City Wood Fired Grill, Newt's Pub Burgers, and Joe's Place Shelby who all ran specials centered on Breaking Bad and Wanna Cook. And a big thanks goes out to Holly's Flowers for our lovely lily-of-the-valley bouquet. Thanks so very, very much to you all, and please, if you're in Shelby, drop by some or all of these businesses uptown - I promise you'll have a great time! I'm including a snapshot from the launch below, but you can see more photos from the launch in our public Wanna Cook? album on Facebook.

Dale and I with Dawn Delk at the launch on Saturday,
and yes that's a bit of the Blue and some lily-of-the-valley decorating the table!

So the book is officially launched out into the world. Fireside still has a few signed copies left in stock, and you can find us on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Powell's Books, and wherever kick-ass books are sold! Stay tuned here and on our Facebook and Twitter feeds for information on upcoming signings in the Southeast and across the US and for your daily dose of Breaking Bad news and events. Also, if you like Wanna Cook? why not give it a review on the site you purchased it from, or on Goodreads. We'd appreciate it.

Until next time, keep cookin'!

Meth Monday: 5 Days Until the Launch of Wanna Cook!

Well, okay, so Wanna Cook? is already technically launched, in that you can go to your local independent or chain bookseller or your favorite online retailer and order a copy of your very own right now if you want to (and you know you want to), but our big book-launch party isn't until Saturday. So come one and come all to Fireside Books in uptown Shelby, NC at 5 pm this Saturday, buy Wanna Cook?  and get it signed by your loving authors while you enjoy some wine from Dragonfly Wine Market, and some nibblies from Ni Fen Bistro. The head on out into Shelby and enjoy Breaking Bad themed specials like the Heisenburger with Jesse's (blue nacho) Chips at Newt's Pub Burgers, or the Lydia Special of Blue Magic cupcakes and hot tea (add Stevia at your own risk!) at Lily Bean's Micro-Roasted Coffee, or bring your signed copy of Wanna Cook? with you to Pleasant City Wood Fired Grille to get 10% off of your order or to Joe's Place for a free house dessert with your dinner, or keep enjoying the fabulous food at Ni Fen by getting a free order of pot-stickers with your dinner when you show off your signed copy!

Not to mention every other thing that's going on in uptown Shelby that day, like the Broad River European Classic Car Show, Arts on the Square, the Foothills Merry Go Round Festival, and the Foothills Farmers; Market to name just a few! So come out for a big day in Shelby, and top off your play day with an autographed copy of Wanna Cook! We start signing books at 5 pm, and we can't wait to see you!

Wanna Cook? on the shelves at Books-A-Million in Akron, Ohio! Thanks to @UnpluggedCrazy for the pic!

As you can see, Wanna Cook? is showing up all over the place. Seen it on the shelves of your bookstore? Tweet the pic to @KDaleKoontz and/or @EnsleyFGuffey with the hashtag #WannaCook, and we promise to reTweet and repost! Be sure to include the store's location too!

So that's it for this week's (admittedly somewhat rushed) edition of Meth Monday, be sure to check out "Walter White Wednesday" over at Unfettered Brilliance this week, and, until next time,

Keep cookin' Readers Mine!

Meth Monday: Wanna Cook? is Available! (Yeah, Bitch!)

That's right, Readers Mine, Wanna Cook? The Complete, Unofficial Companion to Breaking Bad is officially available!!!!! We're not quite sure what happened. At first, all of the online booksellers had the release date as 1 May, and then Amazon started shipping orders, but everyone else was listing Wanna Cook? as not being available until 13 May, then it showed up on the shelves of Powell's City of Books (see pic below), and as of just a few moments ago when I checked right before I started to type this post, it's now available everywhere - at least online. So, you know, go get you a copy or three!

Seriously, though, if you've already bought a copy THANK YOU! You rock, and we will offer up burnt offerings before your alter. If you liked it, you could earn an even higher level of awesomeness if you'd take a few moments and review Wanna Cook? on Goodreads, or the online site for the retailer from whom you purchased your copy.

If you HAVEN'T bought your copy yet, and you live near Shelby, North Carolina, why not wait and get your copy on Saturday, 26 April at Fireside Books in downtown Shelby? (Call 704-487-8477 or drop by Fireside to reserve your copy today!!!) Because we're having a book launch, bitch!  We're starting at 5 pm and we're gonna party like we're at Jesse's house in Season 4! Well, okay, so we're actually not going to party quite that hard, but there will be some food, some wine and other refreshments, and Dale and I will be there signing books and all sorts of local businesses will be running special deals to mark the occasion. So here's the big scoop: show up at the following uptown Shelby retailers  with a signed copy of Wanna Cook? on 26 April ONLY, and you'll get:

Ni Fen Bistro: one free order of pot-stickers with your meal. (Ni Fen will also be supplying the hors d'oeuvres at the book launch!)
Pleasant City Wood Fired Grille: 10% off your dinner order.
Joe's Place: one free house dessert with your meal.
Fuzzy Peach: To Be Deteremined
Lily Bean's Micro-Roasted Coffee: TBD
Newt's Pub Burgers: TBD
Dragonfly Wine Market: TBD (Dragonfly will also be supplying the wine at the book launch!)

Please note that even the places listed above as "TBD" are definitely on board for the evening, they just haven't decided what kinds of deals to give you. We're also hoping to add some more folks to this list, so stay tuned here, and to our Facebook and Twitter pages, and Dale's "Walter White Wednesday" posts for updates. (If you own a business in uptown Shelby, and would like to be part of our launch, just contact me.) In addition, Shelby's annual Arts on the Square festival will be going on all day on the 26th so you'll have a chance to see the work of some of the incredible area artists and craftspeople before the launch. So come on out, say hello, buy a book from a local, independent bookseller, and have some fabulous food afterwards. We promise you it'll be an A-1 Night!

Check it out: Wanna Cook  on the shelf at Powell's Books!!! Thanks to @witnessaria for the pic and the heads up!

Okay, if you don't live around Shelby, you can still get your hands on a copy. Go on over to IndieBound.org to find an independent bookseller near you who's carrying Wanna Cook, or, if you'd rather, you can order your copy online from - well, pretty much everywhere:

Amazon USA
Amazon Canada
Amazon UK
Amazon Germany (in translation)
Powell's Books
Barnes & Noble
Books-A-Million
Wal-Mart (yeah, that's right: Wal-Mart, bitch!)

So, really, there's no excuse for not grabbing a copy somewhere. Like Saul's advertising, we're everywhere!

See you on April 26th at Fireside! Until then, keep cookin'!

Meth Monday: Get Yer Copies of Wanna Cook? NOW!

Hello, Readers Mine! I'm a bit pressed for time this morning, so this will likely be on the short and sweet side of things.

First off, our official book launch for Wanna Cook? The Complete, Unofficial Companion to Breaking Bad will take place on Saturday, 26 April starting at 5 pm at Fireside Books and Gifts in downtown Shelby, North Carolina!! Dale and I will be signing books, and there will be some snacks, some wine, and we're working on getting some great deals in place at downtown restaurants and businesses - show up with a signed copy of Wanna Cook? and get 10% off your order! More details will be forthcoming as we nail things down. Just keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter feeds (those links are for Dale's - you can get to mine via the "buttons" on the upper right of this page), as well as right here at Solomon Mao's and over on Unfettered Brilliance. Give Linda and the fine folks at Fireside a call, or drop by to order your copy for the launch and they'll be there waiting for you on the 26th!

Look! Here's a picture of me actually holding a copy of Wanna Cook?:

It's real! It's in my hand! This actually happened!

One last piece of news before I have to run. If you can't make it to the launch, but still want to get your copy of Wanna Cook? early, head on over to our listing on Amazon. For whatever reason (and see, even authors are - somewhat frighteningly - left out of the loop as to what goes on with their books sometimes) Amazon is selling copies right now! For all I know this may be an error, so head on over and take advantage!

That's it for this week, Readers Mine! Until next time, keep cookin'!

Meth Monday: 4 Weeks Out

Hello again, Readers Mine! That's right, we're just four weeks and two days away from the official publication date of Wanna Cook? The Complete, Unofficial Companion to Breaking Bad, and the big news this week is that our author copies of Wanna Cook? are winding their way to us from the Frozen North even as I write this! I have to admit, I'm looking forward to opening a package in  the next week or two to find a box full of books with my name listed on the covers as one of the authors. This is my first time at this particular rodeo, and I have to admit I'm getting excited at the thought of actually holding a copy of the book I helped to write in my greedy little hands. Pictures will undoubtedly feature here shortly thereafter. That also means that it will be contest time shortly thereafter as we give away a few signed copies. We're still figuring out just how to organize that, so keep an eye out for more information. Also, be sure to check out my co-author's "Walter White Wednesday" post this week for details on our official book launch, which will be taking place at Fireside Books in downtown Shelby, NC!

Last week, I briefly caught you up on what Bryan Cranston has been up to since his Walter White days, and his portrayal of LBJ in All the Way continues to bring him kudos, not least from Stephen Colbert:

The Colbert Report
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Colbert Report on Facebook

You gotta admit, the guy gives good interview. On the fan-art front, check out these incredible patent blueprint-style prints from Oliver Gal Artist Company:

Nifty, huh? Even months after the series came to its end, fans continue to produce some incredible art, mash-ups, and even books about Breaking Bad. (see what I did there?).

So that's about it fro this week, and remember, you can get your copy of Wanna Cook? on or at least very near May 1 by pre-ordering it today! Seriously, it's available in the US from every large bookseller either online or from stores, and the same should hold true in the UK and Germany (yes, there's a German translation being published simultaneously, because that's how we roll, and because the French didn't pony up any cash for the privilege - and we don;t cook for free, bitch.) If you're in the US and would rather spend your hard earned dollars at your local, independent bookseller, then head on over to our page at IndieBound.org, enter your zip code, and find an independent bookstore near you who'll be happy to order you a copy!

Until next week, keep cookin'!

Meth Monday: Back in the Lab Again

So, it's been a while. To say that the past almost three months have been busy would be something of an enormous understatement, to the point where something had to go, and, unfortunately, that something was this blog. Until now. With several plates less to spin (more on the nature of those past plates in another post), I can turn by attention back here as we count down the five weeks and four days until 01 May 2014 and the official release of Wanna Cook? The Complete, Unofficial Companion to Breaking Bad! ARCs (Advanced Reading Copies) have gone out, we've got a pile of promotional materials, and we and ECW's publicists are working on a variety of launches, signings, and giveaways in the coming weeks and months.

Neither Dale nor I have actually seen a physical copy of the book yet (and we're jonesing pretty hard about that!) but we've got the PDF proofs, and it looks amazing. The graphic design, layout, photographs, and style are just phenomenal, and well, you know, the writing is pretty damn good too! This is really happening, Readers Mine, and it's gonna be great! In fact, we've already been blurbed by the one and only Dr. David Lavery, Father of Whedon Studies, one of the creators of the academic discipline of television studies, and an all round good guy to boot. Over at The Laverytory, David was kind enough to write:

"To call Ensley Guffey and Dale Koontz’s Bad-to-the-bone guide Wanna Cook? a page turner is certainly true but somehow media inappropriate. For obsessed fans (and is there any other kind?) of this all-time-great, every carefully crafted word will bring back to cerebral life the characters, dialogue, hats, “bitches,” mise-en-scene, locations, violence of the rise and fall of Walter White. As such, I propose that this book, another terrific contribution by ECW Press to television studies, should be deemed “binge reading.” As pure as a batch of Heisenberg’s Blue Sky, Guffey and Koontz’s critical chemistry has given us the most addictive companion to this TV masterwork we will ever get."

Which is incredibly kind, as well as entirely true (like I'm gonna argue with David?!?) If you'd like a sneak peak at the rough front and back covers, check this out. There will be a few things added, like David's blurb, but that's what'll be hitting stands come May 1!

In the meantime, and as a way of wrapping up this post, let's check in on what Bryan Cranston is doing now that he's no longer in the meth business. First off, for those of you lucky enough to be in or make it to New York, in the name of God you have to go see All the Way at the Neil Simon Theater between Broadway and 8th. Cranston is playing President Lyndon Johnson and getting rave reviews! Check out my favorite pic of him in the role:

Bryan Cranston as LBJ in Robert Schenkkan's All the Way.

For those of you like me, who can't make it to NYC (*sigh*), we can still get our dose of Cranston in the potentially amazing reboot of Godzilla coming out in May:

I know, right!!!?!!??

So that should hold you for a week, Reader's Mine. See you next Monday for another installment, and don't forget to keep checking out Walter White Wednesday over on the blog of my indefatigable co-author, K. Dale Koontz.

Until next time, keep cookin'.

Meth Monday

Hello, Readers Mine! Yeah, yeah, I'm a lousy blogger. I've accepted this fact, urge you to rely on Dale for your regular blogging needs over on Unfettered Brilliance. Me, I'll do my best to post here regularly, but - hey - you can count on me keeping up with all sorts of posts on the social media you see to the right, so there's that. So let me catch up a bit here. The big news is that the complete manuscript for Wanna Cook? The Complete, Unofficial Companion to Breaking Bad  is finished, line- and copy-edited, and we are currently working through the last part of the publication process, the reading of the proof. Let me tell you, the book looks fabulous! The good folks at ECW Press have done an outstanding job in designing and laying out all of our words, and I can't wait to hold a copy in my greedy little hands, and for you to be able to get one into yours!

Twinkie Me, Bitch! by Brendan Tobin, one of my absolute favorite pieces of fan-art inspired by Breaking Bad, combining as it does Walt, Jesse, and the Hostess comic book ads from the 1970s and '80s.

So here's the deal for the new year: Wanna Cook? will be released on 1 May 2014 (which, by happy coincidence, is also the co-authors' wedding anniversary!). Meanwhile, you can pre-order your copies from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, or Powell's Books (the latter of which's brick-and-mortar location in Portland, OR happens to be Bryan Cranston's favorite place to go and lose a day with a book), and in an unexpected development, you can even pre-order it from Wal-Mart!! And of course, your local independent bookseller will be able to get it for you as well. We'll start doing some promotional stuff as we get closer to May, including, hopefully, some ARCs (Advance Reader Copies) give-aways on Goodreads as well as through our blogs and social media accounts, about which I will most definitely keep you informed. Believe it or not, we actually have two publicists, one for traditional media, and another for new media! (Yes, that's right, we actually have "People" now. Weird, right?) And we're gonna have a full-on book-launch. The details haven't been completely nailed down yet, but I can tell you that it will take place in our hometown of Shelby, NC, and involve as many local businesses as we can rope in. I can also promise that a good time will be had by all. Again, we'll get the word out in plenty of time and as soon as we get things lined up.

So now we are at the very end of this project, and it hasn't quite sunk in yet that we've written a book. For me this is the realization of a dream that I've had since I was eight years-old, and that's the kind of thing that just takes a while to feel real, I guess. Let's also not forget that I wrote this with my wife, and discovered that among all the other insanely wonderful things about being in a relationship with this woman is that we write together remarkably well, and have complementary "voices." I'm not sure how many people ever truly find a full-fledged partner to build a life with, but I suspect, sadly, that not everyone does. To find that I am one of the truly lucky ones is... breathtaking. And humbling as all hell.

So that's it for this go-round. If I keep writing, I'll get all mushy - and who wants that. So, Readers Mine, thank to you for all of your support, patience, and excitement. Until next time, be well.