New Charming and Enlightening Honey Book Hits Mainstream America

My first encounter with honey was when I was five years old.

By Cal Orey, The Writing Gourmet

As a child, in my dreams I lived in a cottage with my father, a dedicated beekeeper, and my mom, who did all cooking, canning, and baking with honey. In our garden I'd watch my father experiment with hives and establish an apiary on 10 acres. He shipped Italian queen bees across the United States and around the world. But my home was normal, because in reality I grew up in a middle-class suburb of south San Jose, California, a place once touted for its nectar sources--a honey bee's dreamworld.
My first encounter with honey was when I was five years old. In kindergarten I remember drawing a giant honey bee on a wildflower. (It didn't hold a beeswax candle to beekeeper Prince Cesi's microscopic drawing of the insect.) After art time, Mrs. Berry dished out graham crackers (sweetened with honey and developed by Sylvester Graham in 1829), milk cartons, and Mr. Bee-Good notes (little square papers with special kudos to three good students once a week). When I wasn't one of the chosen few, my mind wandered; What would life be like as a bee? My imagination soared with images of me morphing into an insect and flying from flower to flower to fill up on sweet nectar.
That was decades ago, and today I can look back at my life experiences and see how the honey bee and honey played a role in my real world. I wasn't raised by a beekeeper and his wife, nor as a kid did I put on bee veil and visit bees. But I got a taste of honey and its healing powers  through the years of growing up and traveling like a wayward bee... The best part is, I have discovered the healing magic of honey, and a world I've called Honeyland that I want to share with you.
[Excerpt from The Healing Powers of Honey (Kensington Publishing Corp.)]

Bee Culture Magazine Unveils New Book: The Healing Powers of Honey

"This is a good book to
 give someone who doesn't want to know all about bees and beekeeping--but just honey."
--Kim Flottum
By Cal Orey, The Writing Gourmet

I was pleasantly surprised today when I received a copy of Bee Culture: The Magazine Of American Beekeeping. On page 12, my new book The Healing Powers of Honey (published by Kensington Publishing Corp.) is scrutinized like a honey bee found on an orange blossom. And the review penned by editor Kim Flottum--is sweet and enlightening like being in a field with gentle honey bees.

He gets it. Flottum writes, "It does cover a bit of beekeeping history, and mentions some well known authors in our field. But, it does cover a lot of topics, none of them in enough depth to become boring, or dull. It is a good starting place for someone very interested in knowing more about honey, sources, flavors, colors and what's good to eat with each kind." And that's not all...

"Each chapter leads off with a bit of her history," the editor continues on, "as she roamed the U.S. and Canada in her youth, looking for adventure [like a wild honey bee gone AWOL], and good food...actually, any food sometimes, and she always has a dog with her."

The fact is, Flottum  (a fellow busy author) dishes out praise to my workerbee's work: "...The healing chapters cover honey and cinnamon, teas, home remedies, creams and lotions from beeswax, beauty aids, and lists and charts and graphs and more lists and more lists of things to use honey, things to use honey for, things honey can cure, and more."

Whew! I'm exhausted just reading what the magazine editor caught and that I captured and infused in 302 pages.  Good job, Kim Flottum. Thank you for including The Healing Powers of Honey in the "Good Reading" column of your October issue. I'm buzzed!

News Flash! Groundbreaking Honey (Bee) Book Has Landed on Earth!

THE HEALING POWERS OF HONEY:
A COMPLETE GUIDE TO NATURE'S REMARKABLE NECTAR!
BY CAL OREY (KENSINGTON BOOKS)

Today, September 27--the day of the New Moon--the new honey book The Healing Powers of Honey has been published and is available at all bookstores. On the back of the cover you will read: Drawing on the latest honey buzz and interviews with medical doctors, beekeepers, and researchers, this charming and enlightening book (sweetened with stories about honey bees and humans) reveals 30 healing honey varieties paired with cinnamon and teas, tells you haw to incorporate honey into Mediterranean-style, heart-healthy recipes such as Honey Custard French Toast and Filo Pear and Honey Tarts.
The author's dedication is heartfelt and original: This book is dedicated to the honey bees--especially the persevering workers and queens--whom I feel are my kindred spirits. I feel a strong and moving bond to this small but remarkable hardworking creature with big efforts--nature's greatest gift.  And that's not all...
This landmark book has been featured by a buzz-worthy Youtube, NewsMax, will be reviewed in the October issue of Bee Culture Magazine, and graces the homepage in an interview on Red Room: Where the Writers Are.  And this is the new beginning of the workerbee author's work spreading the news of the groundbreaking honey (bee) book.

It's Almost Here! The New Bee-Healthy Book for Autumn

The Healing Powers of Honey: A Complete Guide to Nature's Remarkable Nectar
By Cal Orey (The Writing Gourmet)

Tomorrow is the first day of Fall. Next week is the time when my book The Healing Powers of Honey (Kensington Books, September 27, 2011) will be released. The popular NewsMax featured a story about my new book. It's sweetened with bee-healthy health data, home cures, decadent recipes--and tales about honey bees and humans. Finally, I get to share my very intimate on the road experiences with my dog(s), which is similar to wayward honey bees in search of a new home.

Truly it's perfect timing. After all, September is National Honey Month. It is the season when beekeepers are busy harvesting honey bees' gift to mankind. And it's a time when I try to snag some R&R at Lake Tahoe, a nirvana in autumn, in between nesting...

Like a queen bee, I'm busy in my hive. So much work to do before winter. Is the fireplace clean? Will the firewood man answer the phone? Do I stack wood against the fence or garage? Will snowfall be unbearable or doable? The double pane window covers--where are they? My pantry is still stuffed with honeys--all kinds--what do I bake?

Meanwhile, I am getting booked on national and international radio shows to dish out the words about honey--nature's sweet nectar. On September 30, I'll be up before the crack of dawn and talking on the Tom Roten Radio Show. October 1, it will be time spent with Dr. Will Clower. The other night on Tuesday, I made a cameo appearance on Coast to Coast AM with George Noory (quake chat) and while my honey book and honey bees are important, October is the month for earthquakes in my Golden State. But I'll still be promoting my book during shine or shake.

While I'll still be in worker bee mode, I'll still be able to pamper myself as I savor the changes I see, feel, taste, hear, and touch. There is a crispness in air at night. Autumn produce should be out and I wish I had drones to go out and fetch it for me. No matter. I will do it and this weekend in between fall cleaning I'll be baking honey breads to cakes. 'Tis the season to enjoy buzzing about like busy beekeepers and honey bees.

'Tis the Month for Honey Bees: Un-Bee-lievable Man's Best Friend

Did you know?...September is National Honey Month?  It's a busy time for beekeepers. The beloved honey bee--nature's workhorse--is giving its gift to mankind.  As the author of the new book The Healing Powers of Honey: A Complete Guide to Nature's Remarkable Nectar! (Kensington Books, September 27, 2011), I discovered honey's amazing bee-healthy powers.

Drawing on the latest honey buzz and interviews with medical doctors, beekeepers, and researchers, I sweetened this book with my intimate  John Steinbeck "Travels with Charley"-type on the road stories (like a wayward honey bee type of gal) and other charming and enlightening tales about honey bees and humans.

I also included 30 healing honey varieties and discussed the power of cinnamon and teas--honey's companions. Mediterranean-style, heart-healthy recipes such as Maranated Mackerel, Honey Berries with Lime Pound Cake, Honey Oatmeal Cookies, and Italian Honey Croissants (the photo above is my own adaption) are just a few of dozens of dishes, with compliments to spa chefs, honey organizations, and brand name to small and big honey companies.

Not to forget, I reveal more than 50 home cures that combat digestive woes to skin woes. And I enjoyed Cleopatra's milk-and-honey beauty treatments and eco-friendly beeswax household uses--all made with the amazing honey bee's gifts!

A Major Quake Is Coming to the West Coast--But When?

 Yesterday a newsworthy 6.7 (downgraded to a 6.4) quake  hit Vancouver, British Columbia and rumbled through Seattle, Washington and was felt down to San Francisco. On August 24, I--the quake sensitive and intuitive--was a guest on two radio shows: Coast to Coast and The Mancow Show. The hosts George Noory and the Mancow asked me what's next (it was after the CO 5.3 and VA 5.8). I answered: The West Coast.

Well, this is a start but I'm strongly sensing that this is just the beginning. I, like many folks, believe in the Trigger Effect and this strong shaker could certainly produce more quakes in the region (it is a place with a history of quake swarms) or move its way down to Offshore OR/CA (especially Petrolia, Eureka or even Crescent City); SF Bay Area (East/South Bay or offshore by Santa Cruz or Daly City like the Great AK 1964 quake or October 17, 1989, 7.1). And let's not forget SoCal: San Fernando Valley (we did get a widely felt 4.2 after my cameo radio appearances) or San Bernardino. And yes, even the sierra, my home, could give us a 7.0 (it has before and could do it again).

The bottom line: Yes, the Golden State is overdue for a major earthquake. The question remains: What day will it happen? I don't believe anyone knows that but Californians know that we're living in "Shaky Country" and we're next in line. On the upside: If you have seismically sensitive companion animals, you may get a head's up. Or, if you're a quake sensitive you can tune into your cues. Either way, be prepared.

A significant quake is coming to the West Coast and more than likely it will happen September or October--but definitely before 2012. But it's like the Wheel of Fortune to the exact day and time when it's coming.

One more thing. I did shuffle the Tarot Cards. The outcome: Two Of Pentacles: Change (came up twice) and The Tower.

Tis the Month for a Honeyfest--The Healing Powers of Honey Is Coming!

September is National Honey Month--the month for people to celebrate honey...And I've been as busy as a honey bee that I forgot that fact. At the end of the month my new book will be released. That's right, The Healing Powers of Honey (Kensington Books, Sept. 27, 2011) is almost here. It will come alive in autumn (when I was born). Fall is my favorite season and the time for honey harvests in many parts of the world. And on September 23 I'll be enjoying some R&R in the sierra--a place where fall comes alive with its vibrant tree color changes.

Meanwhile, I've been lost in a new Healing Powers book, which next week will be en route to New York. Ah, then it's time for this queen bee (in her past life) to savor off season at Lake Tahoe. It's a time when I can feel the nights dropping down to the 30s; see locals stocking up on firewood; enjoy the lower food prices and seasonal fall produce; bake fruit breads, muffins, and scones;  take long walks with the Brittany duo; cuddle up with Zen cat (doesn't he look like a feline version of a Siberian Husky?); make a cozy fire, and anticipate the first snow flurry.

So, here I sit fine-tuning the new superfood book that'll be published in August 2012--before the Mayan forecasted end of days. No worries. Harold Camping's end of the world prediction fizzled (I predicted that it would do just that as will his extension on October 21). But, but, but--there will be Earth changes, for sure. For now, I'll rejoice next week and the weeks to come because my hard work on The Healing Powers of Honey book will be in the hands of humans. Oh, oh, oh...the honey bee book is in the fall line-up (scroll down the page on Kensington Books).

One more thing. Summer does have its perks and I will  miss the sunshine, swimming outdoors, wearing sleeveless tops, and getting golden...And the breakfasts--get this--Blueberry Pancakes on a late summer morning. with coffee-and no fluffy snow to shovel. Ah, I'm missing the season and it's not even over yet.