AKICOLJ, and we are grateful for it...

[desperance]

Um, you know how you can get cakes these days, with book covers or other illustrations inkjetted onto the icing?

Obviously, whatever they use is edible; but does anybody know whether it's regular inkjet ink or something different, food-colouring inks developed specially?

I only ask because I have on my desk here a print-out of m'friend Daniel Fox's cover for his new book, Dragon in Chains, and both cats have spent some portion of the day trying to lick the ink off, and, y'know. I just wondered...

Oh, and while I'm on the subject, you could do worse than click that link and pre-order the book. If you like my writing, you're going to love Dan's...

Comments

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

We were just discussing these at lunch.

The inks are food-color based and they are done on rice paper. We got a cake with one on it for the Nebulas in 2005 with an Anne McCaffrey cover.

Not everyone does them. In Chicago, some Jewel stores (local name for Albertson's) have the technology. Call around to stores in your area to find one that can do it.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Picture cakes are a snare and delusion. The International Yuen Biao Sisterhood had one one year for the great man's birthday and none of us could bear to cut it...
Please tell Mr Fox that we have already pre-ordered.

[julesjones]

Here is a site I stumbled into a few weeks back...

http://www.cake-decorating-supply.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=15

[durham-rambler.livejournal.com]

The Durham branch of Tesco can do these in the in-store Bakery.

[frandowdsofa.livejournal.com]

Asda has done it for a long time, you just take in a photo or whatever, so long as there are No Bottoms or Front Bits.

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

When you celebrate x number of years since your first book was published, you need to have a large party and have cakes bearing the best cover art from all your works.

Of coure the cake under the picture should represent the nature of the work. So for example some would be densely textured, fruity concoctions which need to be eaten slowly to appreciate all the flavours.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

When m'first book came out, it coincided with a mate's cocktail party, where the instruction was "bring cocktails". So my friend and I designed a cocktail to suit the book. The brief was that it had to be quite long, strong, bloody and bitter-sweet.

The Samaritan:
To a wineglass, add a measure of gin; a measure of cassis; a splash of orange juice; a dash of orange bitters; and top up with dry martini.

It's actually really nice, and gave me this lovely notion that all my books should have cocktails. Sadly, The Refuge defeated me...

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. People often retreat into a bottle when depressed, so I would suggest something very strong that numbs the psyche as well as the body.

[samarcand.livejournal.com]

Maybe the cats just recognise quality when they see it and this is their only way of expressing it?