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Erica
Bestselling Author
Educator and Writer of Non-Fiction and Fiction
Travels from: Seattle, WA

“I am madly in love with this book. Erica Bauermeister has written a gloriously original celebration of fiction, and the ways it deepens our lives. Each story in this cycle stands alone, and at the same time carries the arc–not only through the novel that’s its central character, but a cast of recurring players who connect in the most unexpected and satisfying ways. With its beautiful parts that add up to a brilliant whole, No Two Persons made my reader’s heart sing.” ― Nina de Gramont, New York Times bestselling author of The Christie Affair

Erica Bauermeister is the NYT bestselling author of five novels, including No Two Persons, The Scent Keeper, and The School of Essential Ingredients. Her books have been published in 29 countries and chosen as a Reese’s Book Club pick, Indie Next Picks, and a Newsweek’s Best Books of 2023. She is also the author of a memoir, House Lessons: Renovating a Life, a Washington State Book Award finalist. Her writing has been called “gloriously original,” “beautiful and haunting,” and “delicious enough to devour.”

Before she began writing fiction, Erica had another life as an academic. She earned a PhD in literature from the University of Washington, taught there and at Antioch University, and co-authored two reader’s guides: 500 Great Books by Women and Let’s Hear it for the Girls (no one said a detour has to be short). All of this may have something to do with why her books tend to involve a lot of research on her part.

When describing her writing, Erica says: “I write about the things we don’t pay attention to—our sense of smell, the food we cook, the houses we live in, the way our filters affect our perceptions of the world. I write about those quiet spaces between words, and all that goes on in them. But most of all, I write about compassion—because that is what teaches us to see everything else.”

Erica's Featured Titles

No Two Persons

St. Martin’s Press |
Fiction

One book. Nine readers. Ten changed lives. New York Times bestselling author Erica Bauermeister’s No Two Persons is “a gloriously original celebration of fiction, and the ways it deepens our lives.”*

That was the beauty of books, wasn’t it? They took you places you didn’t know you needed to go…

Alice has always wanted to be a writer. Her talent is innate, but her stories remain safe and detached, until a devastating event breaks her heart open, and she creates a stunning debut novel. Her words, in turn, find their way to readers, from a teenager hiding her homelessness, to a free diver pushing himself beyond endurance, an artist furious at the world around her, a bookseller in search of love, a widower rent by grief. Each one is drawn into Alice’s novel; each one discovers something different that alters their perspective, and presents new pathways forward for their lives.

Together, their stories reveal how books can affect us in the most beautiful and unexpected of ways―and how we are all more closely connected to one another than we might think.

“With its beautiful parts that add up to a brilliant whole, No Two Persons made my reader’s heart sing.”―*Nina de Gramont, New York Times bestselling author of The Christie Affair

House Lessons: Renovating a Life

Sasquatch Books |
Memoir

From New York Times Bestselling Author Erica Bauermeister comes a memoir about the power of home and the transformative act of restoring one house in particular.

“I think anyone who saves an old house has to be a caretaker at heart, a believer in underdogs, someone whose imagination is inspired by limitations, not endless options.”

In this mesmerizing memoir-in-essays, Erica Bauermeister renovates a trash-filled house in eccentric Port Townsend, Washington, and in the process takes readers on a journey to discover the ways our spaces subliminally affect us. A personal, accessible, and literary exploration of the psychology of architecture, as well as a loving tribute to the connections we forge with the homes we care for and live in, this book is designed for anyone who’s ever fallen head over heels for a house. It is also a story of a marriage, of family, and of the kind of roots that settle deep into your heart. Discover what happens when a house has its own lessons to teach in this moving and insightful memoir that ultimately shows us how to make our own homes (and lives) better.

The Scent Keeper

St. Martin’s Griffin |
Fiction

Erica Bauermeister, the author of the February Reese’s Book Club pick The Scent Keeperpresents a moving and evocative novel about childhood stories, families lost and found, and how a fragrance conjures memories capable of shaping the course of our lives.

Emmeline lives on a remote island with her father, who teaches her about the natural world through her senses. What he won’t explain are the mysterious scents stored in glass bottles that line the walls of their cabin, or the origin of the machine that creates them. As Emmeline grows, however, so too does her curiosity, until one day the unforeseen happens, and Emmeline is vaulted out into the real world–a place of love, betrayal, ambition, and revenge. To understand her past, Emmeline must unlock the clues to her identity, a quest that challenges the limits of her heart and imagination.

Captivating and emotional, The Scent Keeper explores the provocative beauty of scent, the way it can reveal hidden truths, lead us to the person we seek, and even help us find our way back home.

The School of Essential Ingredients

Berkley |
Fiction

From the author of Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club pick The Scent Keeper comes a “heartbreakingly delicious” national bestseller about a chef, her students, and the evocative lessons that food teaches about life. 

Once a month on a Monday night, eight students gather in Lillian’s restaurant for a cooking class. Among them is Claire, a young woman coming to terms with her new identity as a mother; Tom, a lawyer whose life has been overturned by loss; Antonia, an Italian kitchen designer adapting to life in America; and Carl and Helen, a long-married couple whose union contains surprises the rest of the class would never suspect.

The students have come to learn the art behind Lillian’s soulful dishes, but it soon becomes clear that each seeks a recipe for something beyond the kitchen. And soon they are transformed by the aromas, flavors, and textures of what they create….

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No Two Persons Ever Read the Same Book

An exploration into the writing of No Two Persons, what it’s like to see the world through ten different points of view, and the important role of book clubs and community reads programs in an increasingly polarized world. Scheduling suggestion: can be done in conjunction with a craft workshop entitled Creating 3-D Characters.

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When a Novel is More Than a Novel

A deep dive into the writing of No Two Persons and an examination into how the novel structure has grown and evolved beyond the traditional hero’s journey into a wide range of formats (including multiple time frame and point of view, collage, and interconnected stories). How are these formats a response to cultural needs? And how does each one subliminally affect our reading experience? Scheduling suggestion: can be done in conjunction with 2-3 hour writing workshop entitled: “Using Structure to Support Your Story.”

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What A House Can Teach You

A talk about the twenty-year process of writing my memoir, House Lessons, and what it taught me about home, family, and the psychology of space. How does the design of your house affect the person you are or can be? How can we create stronger families, just through the lay-out of our homes? And what can you learn about your life, looking back at events twenty years after the fact Scheduling suggestion: can be done in conjunction with a 2-3 hour writing workshop entitled “Jump Start Your Memoir.”

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The Importance of Food

An exploration of the writing of The School of Essential Ingredients and the ways that cooking and eating together can change our lives for the better. How can food teach you about generosity, or grief, or resiliency? How can a book teach you about compassion? Scheduling suggestion: can be done in conjunction with 2-3 hour writing workshop entitled “Write Using All Your Senses.”

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Why Questions are Better Than Answers

A craft-based talk about the writing process and what I see as the 10 most important lessons a writer can learn.

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The Upside of Not Being Published Until You are Fifty

It took me twenty years to get my first novel published. This talk is about that process—what I learned, and why I’m glad it all took me as long as it did.

Other Works by Erica

Book Club Resources Link

Erica’s Events Link

Honors, Awards & Recognition

NYT bestseller list ― The School of Essential Ingredients and The Scent Keeper (also USA Today bestseller)
Reese’s Book Club pick ― The Scent Keeper
Costco Pennie’s pick ― The School of Essential Ingredients
Indie Next Picks: The School of Essential Ingredients, Joy for Beginners, Lost Art of Mixing, The Scent Keeper, No Two Persons
Newsweek’s Best Books of 2023 ― No Two Persons
Washington State Book Award Finalist ― House Lessons
Real Simple Best Books of 2020 ― House Lessons
Library Journal Top Ten Women’s Fiction ― Joy for Beginners

Media Kit

By clicking the link below you will be directed to a Google Docs Folder
where you can download author photos and cover images.

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