Anyone for Crumb Cake?

eating crumb cake.jpgI’m occasionally invited to local bookclubs when they’re discussing one of my books, and I always go if I can fit it into my schedule. I love meeting new readers and it’s fun hearing what they think about a book I’ve written. Every once in a while, though, a visit to a book club comes with a big bonus. One such visit occurred a few weeks ago, when I met with a bookclub at the home of a woman named Karen.

Karen had read my book, The Bay at Midnight, which is set in Bay Head Shores at the New Jersey Shore. Karen grew up as I did, spending summers “down the shore,” and she still has a strong attachment to the area. When I arrived for the bookclub, she’d decorated with sea glass and other beachy items, but told me the one thing she’d really wanted to have for me she’d been unable to get: crumb cake from Mueller’s Bakery in Bay Head. I’d mentioned Mueller’s in The Bay at Midnight, so Karen knew I was a fan. During my childhood summers, my family would stop at Mueller’s after church each Sunday for rolls and their famous crumb cake (which they ship, by the way). Mueller’s was closed for the season when Karen contacted them, but she wasn’t deterred! She and her husband, Bill, were in Bay Head last weekend, and this evening she stopped by my house with a box of crumb cake. What a treat! It’s so yummy and brings back wonderful memories of childhood summers. I have the most amazing fans. Thank you, Karen!

9 Comments

  1. Margo on February 26, 2009 at 3:01 pm

    Looks and sounds delectable Diane! I’m a huge pastry, cake, cookie and anything sweet lover but can you believe I’ve never had crumb cake?…
    I went to Mueller’s website & they look so much like a bakery we always walked to when vacationing in Clear Lake. I think that’s why I loved THE BAY AT MIDNIGHT so much…it brought back so many childhood memories.
    Your last blog talked about cd’s…did anyone mention the soundtrack to DANCES WITH WOLVES?…I love the music from that movie.

  2. Margo on February 26, 2009 at 3:07 pm

    P.S….Diane, you look great!…looks to me like you’ve lost more than 18 pounds!

  3. Gina on February 26, 2009 at 10:45 pm

    You are one cutie patootie Diane!

  4. Diane Chamberlain on February 26, 2009 at 11:35 pm

    C’mon, you two, you’re making me blush.
    Margo, the crumb cake is rapidly replacing any weight I lost. Also, Dances with Wolves is on my iPod. That is incredible music!

  5. Margo on February 27, 2009 at 11:17 am

    Diane, you really look incredible!…(-O:

  6. Margo on February 27, 2009 at 11:20 am

    I’m off today as our company has ‘Cabin Fever Day’ where they pay all of us to have a day to ourselves and do whatever we want, so I’m blogging from home. I’m going to Starbuck’s, then a local bakery before my other fun things and I’m going to look for crumb cake.

  7. Diane Chamberlain on February 27, 2009 at 11:42 am

    Margo, I do have to warn you that not all crumb cake is created equal. As a matter of fact, I completely gave up on it years ago because nothing matched my memory of Mueller’s. . . until Karen brought the cake over the other day. That yummy crumb cake is a rare example of my memory of something being absolutely spot-on.

  8. Denise on February 27, 2009 at 1:03 pm

    The crumb cake I’ve eaten in the past was sort of dry so it was never a favorite. I am guessing that Mueller’s makes much better crumb cake if you love it so much.
    Diane, you do look fabulous!

  9. Michelle Richmond on February 28, 2009 at 12:53 pm

    How sweet of Karen to find your beloved crumb cake! It also says a lot about your relationship with your readers that Karen knew your home address and felt comfortable stopping by. I recently had a reader mix up a book-appropriate espresso martini (delicious!) for her book club meeting for No One You Know. And a bookstore owner made a wonderful seafood lunch for the store’s book club discussion of The Year of Fog.
    Hi Denise–I wanted to give you a shout-out, because I believe you’re the same Denise I emailed with about Project Jason some months ago.

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