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A: I always have a busy holiday season. I go for a book tour for most of December, and I'm in a different city every day. I put up the tree during Thanksgiving, and I do some shopping while I'm traveling. But I don't have an enormous amount of time to shop; I sign about 2,000 books a day.
Q: When you're not on the road, what's your daily routine like?
A: I don't have a typical day anymore. Taping the (daily talk) show is different from (Food Network's) 30 Minute Meals. And if I'm writing for my magazine, then I spend all day at the computer with my dog at my feet. I work a long day because it feels good to me, and I do that no matter what my job is. I worked just as hard as a waitress and bartending.
Q: You've lent your name to lines of cookware, knives, furniture and olive oil. What's next?
A: We've expanded the pots and pans line and worked on some utensils, but just a few. I don't like a lot of junk in your drawer. We're working on sheets and textiles also, with a country version and city version -- because I live part time in the country and part time in the city. I'm very specific about what I want to put my name on and how I want it to look. I draw on a cocktail napkin or scrap paper and say things like, "How about an oval pot?"
Q: Now you're thinking about opening a restaurant. What's the concept and timing behind that?
A: I'm working on a healthy fast-food place (with an attached) nice kind of burger/supper club. The burgers could be made of anything -- from swordfish or salmon to tuna or chicken. Ground anything. It could open late next year. Opening a restaurant can be difficult. You have to be very careful with who is watching the store because I have nine other jobs. We have a long way to go.
Q: You recently married. What's your advice on fitting in both family and work time?
A: When you're trying to balance everything, you just have to be flexible. So you can't have dinner until around 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. If that's what it is, that's what it is. You can't have it all without sacrificing quite a bit. You can't be too rigid with things like what time you'll have dinner or when you'll take vacation.
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