As I mentioned last week, August is the month of The Good Stuff around these parts. My main post each week will be focusing on all the moments that are worth celebrating in the publishing world: everything from stories about successful book deals, to writing inspiration, to the 6 moments you should celebrate on your publishing journey (coming next week!)…

So let’s talk book deals, and let’s talk cheesecake. (Mmmhmmm!) I’m excited to officially announce a new deal that’s been in the works—Cheesecake Love by Jocelyn Brubaker, the wonderfully talented blogger behind Inside BruCrew Life.

Here’s the official deal listing:

It’s so much fun to hit this stage in the publishing journey, because it’s the culmination of lots of hard work on the part of the author, editor, and agent. Jocelyn worked hard for years to build such a dedicated and loyal readership around her blog, and she’s such a pro at both sharing recipes and sharing stories with her readers.

One of the first things I always want to know when I’m considering signing a new author is their creation story. How did they get where they are? What got them started on blogging, or whatever other channel they use to build a platform?

Here’s a snippet of Jocelyn’s story, in her own words:

Six years ago, my youngest entered the first grade. After years of being a stay-at-home Mom, I had no idea what to do with myself now that all three of my kids were in school full-time. And I definitely didn’t want to clean house all day! So I began to search for a hobby, and I eventually stumbled upon this new thing called blogging. I figured, hey, why not start one and share photos of family life, crafts, and recipes, since I was doing all of those things anyway. After a few years, I realized that what I loved the very most—what made all the work of a blog worthwhile—was sharing my dessert recipes. And luckily, my dessert recipes were just as popular with my readers as they were with my family! So in 2012, I re-launched the site as a dessert blog…

I hear similar creation stories all the time—so often people start their blogs as a hobby and then quickly realize that they can turn it into a profitable business, and eventually, a book deal. But you need that special mix of a relatable writing voice, a platform built over years, and obviously, practical takeaways (in Jocelyn’s case, her recipes).

So that brings us to cheesecake. Because we’re all really here for dessert, aren’t we? Jocelyn is THE cheesecake queen—I’ve never seen someone light up so much at the thought of baking cheesecake all day. And here are the beauties that emerge from those baking sessions:

Cookie Dough Cheesecake Brownie Pie

I’ll take 32 slices, please! Click here for the recipe.

Cake Batter Cheesecake Brownies

Mind. BLOWN. Click here for the recipe.

Peach Pie Cheesecake Parfaits

Cute and delicious? Who can resist? Click here for the recipe.

Now imagine those incredible recipes, plus dozens more of them? I think that’s all that needs to be said about why we’re all so excited about this book.

If anything counts as The Good Stuff, it’s a success story topped off with a slice of cheesecake. If you’d like more Good Stuff, you can sign up to follow this month-long series below. I had a bit too much fun creating the lists and printables that are coming up next, so don’t miss out!