Reflection, Resiliance, Looking Ahead
October's Miscellaneous Musings
Hi friends, Amy Peele, here!
Fall is my favorite time of the year. I love the array of beautiful colors, crisp air, taffy apples, and cozy fires.
Sweater weather has arrived!
These past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity over here.
One major highlight was that my husband and I took a cruise down the Danube River in Europe. It was a magical trip that took us to cities such as Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, and Prague, to name a few.
I highly recommend the experience.
This trip had me reflecting on the deeper meaning of perspective and resilience.
All of the countries we visited had been occupied by the Nazis during World War II. Once that was over, these same places had then been taken over by Russia only a couple years later. As you may recall from history class, the Iron Wall eventually came down, and each country was then able to start redefining itself after its cities had been reduced to rubble.
I can’t tell you how inspiring it was to see how resilient the people were and how beautiful the cities had once again become.
Speaking of beautiful cities, I also recently had the great pleasure of spending a long weekend in my favorite city, Chicago!
My visit was multifaceted - I spent some time with friends, and some time taking my upcoming novel, Last Bite, on a photo shoot around the city to a few of the settings named in the book, which meant enjoying breakfast at Lou Mitchell’s, stopping by beautiful City Hall, and watching a Cubs playoff game at Murphy’s Bleachers, right across the street from Wrigley Field.
Then I had the pleasure of attending my dear friend Mindy’s 70th birthday party, which was held at another Chicago landmark featured in my book, the legendary Rago Brothers Funeral Home.
When I first started doing research for this book years ago, I knew I wanted the opening scene to take place at Rago Brothers, so I reached out to owner Louis Rago, and he graciously agreed to show me around and answer my questions, and he did it more than once.
When Mindy decided to have her birthday party here, it felt like a sign - I knew I needed to make the trip.
We had a ball!
Mindy & I are the original co-authors of the cookbook I’ve told you about, Scratch? My Ass!, and every party guest was gifted one of the newly revised copies. There were even some dishes prepared from that cookbook at the party!
It was so fun to see so many familiar faces from when Mindy and I worked together many moons ago, plus I was able to give an Advanced Reader Copy of Last Bite to Louis Rago, himself!
And on that note, I’m also so excited to share that Last Bite, is now officially available for pre-order! 🎉
This story has my whole heart—it’s part foodie fun, part Cubs baseball love letter, and part second-chance-at-life adventure. Angie and her crew kept me laughing the whole way through, and I think they’ll keep you smiling, too.
Here’s a little secret:
Pre-orders are one of the very best ways to support an author. They help create early buzz and ensure the book is waiting on your doorstep the very day it releases, which in this case is February 24, 2026. ⚾🍝
Thank you, truly, for cheering me on and helping me bring Last Bite into the world. I can’t wait to share this story with you. 💙
I hope this season is bringing you some of nature’s finest work wherever you live.
Take care and be well,
Amy
p.s. So far, early reviewers on Net Galley think Last Bite is:
“…an engaging and entertaining mystery that felt fresh, fun, and memorable”
“… an incredibly comical and cozy read!”
“…a witty, uplifting story…”
“…the heartfelt story you are looking for.”
How about that?! And we’re just getting started!
What a fabulous trip! When I have the chance, I'll share some thoughts about our bike trip through the Czech Republic. So excited to read your new book. Congrats!