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The Crepe Makers' Bond

Tiffany Tuell

(Updated: Thursday, May 05, 2011, 12:50 PM)

The combination of literature with a little cooking and a dash of recipes are Julie Crabtree's recipe for success in her newest novel "The Crepe Makers' Bond." The Ahwahnee-raised writer and 2008 Milkweed Prize for Children's Literature winner will be at Willow Bridge Books at 2 p.m. Saturday debuting her second book of a trilogy.

After graduating from Yosemite High School in 1988, Crabtree pursued an English degree at University of California, Davis.

"I loved it from the start but never thought it was a viable career," she said.

After college graduation, Crabtree intended to go to law school but decided to go to paralegal school first so she could work while attending law school. While working at legal firms, which she did until 2000, she had a change of heart. "I really woke up to the fact that I didn't want to spend my life in that environment," she said.

She began writing articles and submitting to a variety of magazines. Two years later her persistence paid off and she began to be published in a variety of magazines including "The San Francisco Chronicle Magazine," "Green Prints," "MotherVerse Magazine," "Highlights for Children," and the "American Library Association's Knowledge Quest" magazine.

She also wrote a book and tried selling it for 18 months but all she received for her efforts was a bin full of rejection letters.

"It was so depressing," she said. "I went into it thinking that the quality of writing would speak for itself but it takes a lot more of the marketing and business side of it to be successful. I finally thought I'd quit and stay home with my kids (two daughters) and just write for fun, and licked my wounds for a while."

However Crabtree had the writing bug and could not let it go. Six months later she began a new book, finished it in six months and, finally seeing her dream of being published come true, sold it in 2008.

She went on tour with her first book, "Discovering Pig Magic," and won the 2008 Milkweed Prize for Children's Literature. The book follows three young girls transition from childhood to adulthood, the problems they encounter and the friendship that holds them together.

The novel is for readers ages 10 to 14. Crabtree said she was drawn to that age genre not only because her daughters are in that age bracket but because as a child she was an avid reader as are both her children. Crabtree says it is a pivotal age for children to find out who they are as they make the transition from childhood.

Crabtree's newest book, "The Crepe Makers' Bond," is a sequel to "Discovering Pig Magic." The books, that are part of a trilogy, are written as a first person narration from each one of the three girls. She said the book illustrates the difference between how people see you versus how you see yourself.

"The characters just pop into my head," Crabtree said. "I just sit down and feel like I'm an observer and am just writing it down -- how they would act and talk."

Crabtree's book incorporates cooking into literature but this was not a conscious decision, she said. "For me, cooking and writing was a natural thing to put together."

After writing, she said, cooking is her favorite thing to do, and something she regularly does with her daughters.

"I thought that would be a nice theme to introduce to kids," she said. "I think it's something that's lost. People really don't eat dinner together anymore and making dinner together is really a bonding time."

Crabtree has already completed the third book in the trilogy. She is also polishing up a book written for adults.

Parents Caroline and Curt Campbell couldn't be more proud of their daughter's accomplishments.

"I'm not surprised at her (Crabtree) success but am very, very proud of her character more than anything because she has such a strong one," Carolyn said. "She's been persistent and focused and pursued what she believed in and I've always believed in her. We are proud of her as a person and an author. I love reading her writing and find that she's extremely creative and very insightful with her characters and even though I'm not a young adult reader, I am a reader and love her use of words and how she gets into the characters."

After Crabtree's Willow Bridge debut, Crabtree will go on tour with Alliance for Reading, a literary outreach group, and the Midwest Food Alliance which works to connect children with food and farming through literature.

Crabtree, who now lives in Crescent City, also plans to spend time at her alma mater, YHS, Friday. She will speak to students about writing careers and how they can be a viable career, she said.

Saturday's event at Willow Bridge will host a free raffle for a free copy of "The Crepe Makers' Bond." There will also be snacks and crafts. Pak & Page will hand out gift bags to everyone at Crabtree's appearance.