1.What inspired you to write this book? Despite the avalanche of nutritional and cooking information in the media, people are struggling to put nutritious Real Food on the table.
2. What exactly is it about — and who is it written for? Re-Engineering the Kitchen: a simple method to put Real Food on the table faster, cheaper and easier is the practical how-to guide for anyone who wants to eat less ultra-processed food and more unprocessed Real Food, while saving time and money doing it.
3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book? I hope that reading Re-Engineering the Kitchen changes how the reader thinks about the way they plan, purchase and prepare food – and then make their own process more efficient and in line with their personal goals.
4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? A central theme is applying rigorous process improvement principles to the process of feeding ourselves; it is a quantitative engineering approach made simple. The title (Re-Engineering the Kitchen: a simple method to put Real Food on your table faster, cheaper and easier) is designed to convey the central theme in a direct and no non-sense manner. The cover design by Simon Thompson represents the title and process aspect well.
5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!? I would advise fellow writers to carefully consider their goals in writing and publishing a book. There are many possible reasons to write a non-fiction book. You may want to memorialize your personal journey primarily for family or for your business, or that may appeal to a wider audience. Perhaps you are writing the book based on your professional expertise to support your career. Maybe you just have a message that you feel compelled to share with the world. Or, perhaps, you are writing the first book in what you hope will become a series of commercially successful books. Keeping your goals in mind will guide the innumerable decisions you make along the way. Also, be prepared to pay for certain professional services like developmental editing, copy editing, cover design, illustrations and layout. If you are bothering to write and publish a book, you do not want to be embarrassed with the result.
6. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? Absolutely! The confluence of my background in engineering, interest in nutrition and experience as an overwhelmed working mom led to me look at the process of how we put food on the table from a process improvement perspective.
7. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to? My writing style tends to be linear and direct when I am presenting technical or logical information. I have included many anecdotes and side stories to help illustrate concepts and maintain a personal connection with the reader. I cannot claim to be similar to another author, but I have been inspired by innumerable non-fiction authors including Susan Allport (The Queen of Fats), Robert H. Lustig (Metabolical), Michael Polan (In Defense of Food).
8. How do you feel your book compares to others in your genre? Re-Engineering the Kitchen does not fall neatly into a single genre, so comparisons are problematic. It includes nutrition and cooking information but is not a diet book nor a cookbook – the point is improving the overall food process. On the positive side, this is a new and novel approach that has not been presented elsewhere. The negative is that it does not fit nicely in the established finely tuned genre-driven publishing and marketing environment.
9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book? The biggest challenge for me was simply keeping my focus on getting it done. Life is always providing us with large and small distractions that demand our immediate attention. Another challenge for me was my tendency to keep going deeper – reading one more book, looking into a few more studies, fleshing out one more essential concept. As they say, there comes a point in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and go to production!
10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? Re-Engineering the Kitchen gives you tools to spend less time, money and effort on better food. It can literally improve the quality of your life.
About The Author: Alin (Alina) writes nonfiction based on her life experiences and
expertise including business, engineering, science, and food. She earned a BS
in Chemical Engineering from Michigan State University and is a licensed
Professional Engineer. She earned an MBA (Finance and Business Economics) from
Wayne State University and a Certificate in Nutrition and Healthy Living from
Cornell. After a 30-year corporate career in the energy industry, Alina now
focuses on food and the related processes that we employ in our everyday lives.
She created the Re-Engineering the KitchenTM program to provide
practical methods to improve one’s nutrition by translating vague goals into
actionable plans. Alina lives in Minnesota with her husband, Harvey, and their
amazing Golden Retriever, Smoky. She enjoys every adventure with her children
and grandchildren and loves to visit friends in Florida or wherever they may
be. For more info, please see: www.reengineeringthekitchen.com
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