Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

In early February, I began an experiment. I enrolled in a digital marketing course, and our assignment was to run a social media campaign for a fake business. I was assigned the best fake business in the world, It’s Criminal! Book & Wine Bar. 

Over the last twelve weeks, I’ve written blogs about everything from presidential wines to what I’m reading this week. I’ve introduced promotions happening at the Bar, shared two :30 commercials and 3-minute podcasts, and ran a contest. 

I struggled early on when Facebook flagged my blog as “unsafe,” which made it difficult to post convenient links for readers. To very loosely paraphrase Joseph Conrad, I had a voice, and a blog that wants to be read cannot be silenced. Through a few weeks of trial and error, I figured out a way around it. 

I love to write, and I hope you enjoyed reading my blog as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you for reading and supporting me in this amazing learning experience!

Proudly Introducing...

Image courtesy of Flickr.

We are proud to announce we are testing a new app! Click here to check it out. 

We invite your feedback on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages. Tell us what you think!

Bacon and Eggs. Laverne & Shirley.

Salt and pepper. Hall & Oates. Peanut butter and jelly. Batman and Robin. Macaroni and cheese. Sonny and Cher.

What do they all have in common? As the old song goes, “You can’t have one without the other.”

Ever since we arranged a special surprise, pairs have been on our mind. What surprise, you ask? We’re thrilled to announce our first ever wine-paired dinner! We’ve partnered with the beautiful new River Prairie Event Center to host a five-course gourmet wine-paired dinner. During this sumptuous meal, you’ll enjoy an appetizer, soup, salad, entrée, and dessert, all paired with a wine specifically chosen to bring out the flavors in each dish. Best of all, we’ve invited noted Twin Cities food and wine critic Mary Beth Parker to introduce each course.

This fantastic dinner is scheduled for Thursday, May 17, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $80 per person, or $150 per pair, and only 100 tickets will be sold. Visit our website or stop by the Bar to pick up your tickets today!

To learn more about wines that go well with different dishes, click here to listen to our latest podcast, “What Wine Should I Serve With…”

Chips and salsa. Burgers and fries. Milk and cookies. Wine and cheese!

What Wine Should I Serve With...

Our staff is often asked for their recommendations of what wine would go best with a specific dish. Grab a glass of wine, sit back, and click here to listen to our latest podcast to find out!

We love talking about wine (and books), and we'd love for you to join the conversation. You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

And the Winner is....

Congratulations to Kristi Thompson, winner of the drawing for 2 tickets to ECCT's Purses with Purpose fundraiser! 

There's still time to get your tickets for this fun night of shopping and drinks, but you must act today (Friday, April 13). Log on to www.ecct.org or call 715-839-8877. Great event, even better cause! Maybe you'll be the winning bidder of this Michael Kors inspired purse!

The Fine Print - This content ended on April 10, 2018. The winner is Kristi Thompson. She has been notified and has claimed the prize according to the promotion rules provided here.

Have you done your taxes yet?

Still trying to figure out if you can claim that deduction?

Don’t know the difference between a qualified dividend and a short-term capital gain?

So when exactly is the deadline anyway? April 15? April 17?

Ugh.

We all could use a little relief from taxes, and your friends at It's Criminal! are here to help with our Tax Relief Promotion. From April 10-17, we’ll pay the sales tax on your in-store purchase.

So, stop by and pick up that really great bottle of wine you’ve been dying to try. Or get that thriller that caught your eye. You’ve paid your taxes to Uncle Sam. Now it’s our turn to pay the taxes for you. 

But hurry! This promotion ends April 17!

We'll Pay the Tax Promotion

Still trying to figure out if you can claim that deduction? From April 10-17, we’ll pay the tax on your in-store purchase. Come see us at 2311 North Los Robles Avenue in Eau Claire. Hurry! Promotion ends April 17, 2018.
It's Criminal! Book & Wine Bar. A tax-free experience, so good, it's criminal!

Purses...with Purpose?

Here at It’s Criminal! Book & Wine Bar, we love the arts! Music, art, theatre – we love it all. That’s why we’re thrilled to be a sponsor of the Eau Claire Children’s Theatre’s 9^th annual Purses with Purpose fundraiser. This is a fun, ladies-night out event with delicious food, specialty drinks, and a silent auction filled with…you guessed it…purses! Join us on Thursday, April 19, at 5:30 p.m., at Wild Ridge Golf Course! Tickets are $40 per person and tables of 8 are available for $320. You must reserve your tickets by Friday, April 13, to be part of this amazing event for a great cause.

We were treated to a sneak preview of some of the purses that have been donated to the auction. A recurring theme this year is entertainment. There are purses filled with tickets to The Doobie Brothers & Steely Dan concert on June 15 at the Xcel Energy Center and another with tickets to Rod Stewart & Cyndi Lauper on August 15 at the Xcel. There are also purses with tickets to the Frankie Ballard, Chris Lane, Cheap Trick, and Martina McBride concerts at this summer’s Northern Wisconsin State Fair. But there are many other purses filled with wine, massage and restaurant certificates, home décor, and more. All of these purses will be up for bid in the silent auction at the event.

We’re honored to be part of this event with our sponsorship and our donation of purses to the auction. We believe in this organization and this event so much, we want you to experience it too! Visit our Facebook page here and describe your favorite purse in 10 words or less. (Mine is a royal blue Coach messenger bag!) You could win two tickets to Purses with Purpose! We’ll choose one winner by random drawing on Tuesday, April 10, 2018.

Well? What are you waiting for? Go enter!

What Wine Goes with...

Do you celebrate Easter? Are you planning an Easter menu? Maybe you’re considering a honey baked ham with cheesy au gratin potatoes, fresh asparagus, and carrots. Or perhaps a leg of lamb with roasted red potatoes, scalloped corn, and rolls. No matter what type of meal you’re planning, you’ll need a good wine to go with it.

If you’re planning a traditional ham dinner, you’ll want to select a neutral wine that’s light and sweet. You can’t go wrong with a Riesling, and one of our favorites is Dr. Heidemanns-Bergweiler 2016 Riesling. This prototypical Riesling comes from the Mosel region of Germany. With its peach and apple flavors, it has the perfect balance of sweet and dry and will satisfy many palates. If you are serving asparagus, you know that asparagus can have an almost bitter taste and is notoriously difficult to pair with wine. This Riesling works well, because it balances the bitterness with the sweet. If you are having a vegetarian meal, Riesling’s light, crisp flavors will pair nicely with all your dishes.

If you are planning to serve lamb or a roast, you’ll need a robust red wine that stands up well to red meat. We recommend Howard Park 2014 Flint Rock Shiraz. When some people think of Shiraz, they think of the “critter” label wines. You know which ones I mean, all those cheap Australian wines with the brightly colored labels featuring kangaroos and other animals. Those wines are sweet, easy to drink, and have little character. Although it comes from western Australia, Howard Park is no critter label wine. It has a rich, dark purple color and a fragrant nose of blackberry, mocha, and vanilla oak. The taste will fill your palate with fruit, but this wine has a great structure and a long finish.

Are you hungry? We are!

We’re always talking about wine! Join the conversation on Facebook at facebook.com/itscriminalbwb/. You can also see what’s happening behind the scenes at It’s Criminal! on our Instagram account. Follow us at instagram.com/itscriminalbwb/.

Wine or Rum?

I can't believe it either, but I actually convinced the Chief Wine Officer to trade in wine for rum and sandy beaches for an entire week! Cell service in the Caribbean is notoriously unreliable, so we're taking the opportunity to really disconnect and relax. We'll be back with a new blog on Tuesday, March 27. In the meantime, the bar is open, and our staff is ready to help you with all your book and wine needs. Look out, Punta Cana! Here we come!

Where Words Leave Off, Music Begins

Music In Our Schools Month®
and MIOSM® are registered
trademarks of NAfME.

As the parents of two kids who lived for choir, show choir, and band, music education and the importance of music in our schools has long been a passion of ours. We supported our school district’s music program every way we could – by volunteering, attending concerts and fundraisers, donating money and items for silent auctions, and cheering the kids on at every opportunity. Singing, dancing, and playing an instrument are activities a person can do for their entire lifetime, and we believe kids should be provided opportunities to explore different types of music, and the arts in general, at a young age.

March is Music In Our Schools Month®. According to nafme.org, “the purpose of MIOSM® is to raise awareness of the importance of music education for all children – and to remind citizens that schools is where all children should have access to music."

So, this week, we encourage you to join us in celebrating Music In Our Schools. All week, we’ll have instore specials and feature products that showcase our love of music. On Friday, March 16, from 7-9 p.m., we’ll host performances by students from the Altoona High School Jazz Band, and we’ll also donate 10% of Friday’s sales to the Altoona Music Boosters. Many people in the Altoona School District were instrumental in fostering our kids’ love of music, and we want to ensure future generations have the same opportunities. After all, music connects us.

Our Favorite Author

 As the owner of a mystery bookstore, I'm asked all the time who my favorite author is. Find out on our very first podcast!

Here's the link or you can choose SoundCloud in the Connect with Us section. 

We have more great podcasts planned, so if you like what you hear, follow us on SoundCloud.

Happy listening!

Kooky, Spooky, Ooky

“They're creepy and they're kooky, 

Mysterious and spooky, 

They're altogether ooky, 
The Addams Family.”

John Astin & Carolyn Jones
as Gomez & Morticia Addams

Wait…what’s The Addams Family, you say? Drawn by Charles Addams, this unusual family first appeared as a cartoon in The New Yorker. In the 1960s, the cartoon was the basis of a hit TV show starring John Astin as Gomez Addams and Carolyn Jones as his wife, Morticia. In 1991, The Addams Family was a hit movie starring Anjelica Huston and Christina Ricci. Now it’s been adapted into a Broadway musical comedy opening Friday night at the State Theatre in downtown Eau Claire. The show is being produced by the Eau Claire Children’s Theatre and features talented local performers in the roles of Gomez and Morticia, their daughter Wednesday, son Pugsley, Uncle Fester, and their butler Lurch.

We’re excited to see this show, so this week, we’re having some fun celebrating all things kooky, spooky, ooky.

We’ve turned over Wednesday’s Wine of the Week, fittingly, to Wednesday Addams, and we can’t wait to see what she’s chosen for us.

While you're here on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. for our book group discussion of Final Girls by Riley Sager, be sure to check out our display of spooky mystery books.

Now a hit Broadway musical

The Addams Family is playing at the State Theatre this weekend. Show times are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Reserved seating tickets are available online at www.ecct.org or by calling 715.839.8877. Show us your ticket stub this weekend, March 9-11, and we’ll take 10% off your total purchase and donate it to the Eau Claire Children’s Theatre.

“So get a witch's shawl on 

A broomstick you can crawl on 

We're gonna pay a call on 
The Addams Family.”

Snap! Snap!

The Addams Family theme song lyrics courtesy of Lyrics on Demand. 

Our First Promotional Commercial!

We're so proud of our first commercial promoting It's Criminal! Book & Wine Bar. Check it out and let us know what you think!

Mystery Madness Coming March 15!

We have amazing news to share with you! We’re thrilled to welcome Robert Zeller and Ann Franklin to It’s Criminal! Robert is a representative of Larkspur Press, and Ann represents Twisted Candle Publications, two of the world’s largest publishing houses. They’ll be visiting Eau Claire on Thursday, March 15, and their program will begin at 7:00 p.m.

During their visit, Robert and Ann will showcase some of the new mystery books scheduled for publication this spring. They’ll have lot of awesome goodies and giveaways for our book lovers, so this is one presentation you won’t want to miss. There will also be drawings for a gift basket filled with the latest mystery books, bottles of wine, and a $50 It’s Criminal! gift certificate.

You must be present to win, so bring your friends and join us for this special sneak preview of the spring catalog with Robert Zeller and Ann Franklin on Thursday, March 15, at 7:00 p.m. We're looking forward to seeing you there!

Washington, Jefferson, and Norton?

Photo Courtesy of
Wikimedia Commons.

With President's Day and George Washington's birthday this week, presidents are on our mind. Did you know that Thomas Jefferson is widely considered America's first connoisseur of gourmet food and wine? Presidents. They’re just like us!

George Washington tested new ways of farming and was a would-be grape grower and vintner. According to an article on www.mountvernon.org, Washington's favorite wine was Madeira (Thompson, n.d.), a port-style wine made from grapes grown on the Madeira Islands off the coast of Morocco. The main grape used in Madeira is Tinta Negra Mole, a cross between Grenache and Pinot Noir. Today, Madeira can be found in the U.S., but it is not a common wine.

Photo Courtesy of
Wikimedia Commons.

Thomas Jefferson, too, favored Madeira, but that changed when he was named Ambassador to France and travelled to Paris. There, he fell in love with French wines. According to www.monticello.org, he worked with an Italian winemaker to grow grapes found in France’s Burgundy and Bordeaux regions at his home in Virginia (Bear, 1984). Unfortunately, the climate was not conducive to the French grapes, and they did not thrive. His passion for wine and gourmet food did not subside, as James Gabler shares in Passions: The Wines & Travels of Thomas Jefferson, an excellent biography of Jefferson's five years travelling through France, England, Germany, Italy, and Holland.

Where both men tried and failed to grow grapes in Virginia, Dr. Daniel Norton succeeded in 1830 when he developed the hybrid Norton grape, which thrived in U.S. soils. In fact, during Abraham Lincoln's presidency, the first wines served at an official White House function featured local wines made with the Norton grape (Johnson, 2015). However, Norton's success was short lived. With Prohibition, vines were destroyed and Concord grapes, used for juices and jams, were planted in their place. Today, the area around the Potomac River is filled with vineyards who are producing wines made with the Norton grape. In fact, the largest single planting of Norton in the world is located at Chrysalis Vineyards in Middleburg, Virginia, less than two hours from Mount Vernon and Monticello (Norton (grape), n.d.). Washington and Jefferson would be proud!

Sources:

Bear, J. J. (1984). Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Inc. Retrieved from Article Courtesy of the Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia: https://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/wine

Johnson, R. (2015, February 16). Presidential Wine Trivia: 14 Fascinating Facts. Retrieved from Vinesse Wines: https://blog.vinesse.com/2015/02/16/presidential-wine-trivia-14-fascinating-facts/

Norton (grape). (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norton_(grape)

Thompson, M. V. (n.d.). Madeira. Retrieved from George Washington's Mount Vernon: http://www.mountvernon.org/digital-encyclopedia/article/madeira/

What are you reading this week?

I love to read. I dabble occasionally with fiction and non-fiction, and every once in a while, I’ll be tricked by a well-written blurb into reading a “romantic thriller.” It’s always good to mix it up, but my favorites are, and always have been, mysteries.

This love affair started when I was pretty young. My favorite cartoon? Scooby-Doo, Where are You! Then came Encyclopedia Brown. That boy WAS a genius! Not even the adults could fool him! In middle school, I met Nancy Drew. Nancy, with her titian hair, driving around River Heights in her blue roadster with her best friends Bess and George, putting herself in the most dangerous situations and solving the crime every time.

I’ve always been fortunate to have access to books and people willing to “talk books” with me. Now I’m excited to pay-it-forward and share some of the great books I’m reading with you. Each Monday, I’ll share “What I’m Reading” on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts. At the same time, I’m also excited to launch the “So Good, It’s Criminal” Book Group!

So, first, here’s “What I’m Reading” this week – Final Girls by Riley Sager. In Final Girls, we meet Quincy Carpenter, the lone survivor of a massacre that left five of her friends dead. It’s been ten years, and Riley has (mostly) put her life back together. She still needs her prescription for Xanax, has an almost-fiancé, and is the author of a popular baking blog. She’s connected with two other women the media have dubbed “Final Girls:” Lisa, who survived an attack in her sorority house, and Sam, who fought off the “Sack Man” at the Nightlight Inn. Although they’ve never met in person, their shared traumatic experience has bonded them together as a sort of support group. When Lisa is found dead with her wrists slit, Quincy can’t believe Lisa would commit suicide after everything she’d been through. Then Sam shows up at Quincy’s door, pushing Quincy into dangerous situations and into reliving the night of her attack. The more questions Quincy has, the more things don’t add up. Is Sam really who she says she is? Why is she so interested in what happened to Quincy that night?

Second, I'd like to invite you to join the discussion of Final Girls at the inaugural meeting of the So Good, It's Criminal! book group on Thursday, March 8, at 7:00 p.m. Book groups are a great way to connect with fellow mystery lovers, and of course, there'll be wine!

Happy Reading!

Here We Go!

The roaring fireplace

Hello! Welcome to the very first blogpost from It’s Criminal! Book & Wine Bar.

Sometimes, as we’re puttering around the bar, adding a new wall decoration there, moving the furniture around here, we can’t believe this dream has become a reality. The idea actually first came to us about 20 years ago. Picture, if you will, Me and Him, curled up on the couch by the fireplace.

Him: “Man, you have a lot of books.”

Me: “I know, almost all of them are mysteries.”

Him, drinking a rich merlot: “This wine is so good! You  know what I think?”

Me: “No, what?”

Him: “Wine's going to be the next big thing.”

Me: “You know what would be really awesome? A wine bar that sells mystery books.”

Him: “That would be so good, it’d almost be criminal!”

Both: Much laughter

You know how it goes. You were kind of half kidding, right? Then, all of a sudden, there are kids, and jobs, and house payments, and then kids’ activities, and the next thing you know, the kids are grown and on their own. But what’s really amazing is, in all that time, that little seed of an idea was still there, the passion for books and wine endured, and now, here we are!

We have so many wonderful things planned for you! In this space, we’ll talk about the great books I’m reading and the delicious wines he’s discovered. We’re big on community, especially the arts, and we have some fun partnerships in the works as well as awesome special events and promotions happening that we can’t talk to tell you about.

We’re thrilled that you’re coming along on this journey with us! Here we go!