Lindsey Smith has been a Taylor Swift fan for nearly 20 years.
Smith, of Lancaster city, has seen the pop star live more than half a dozen times, including three shows during the most recent Eras Tour. She remembers early internet fan pages, has studied her lyrics and knows to always be on the lookout for “Easter eggs.”
Now, the entrepreneur and writer is releasing not one, but two books based on “Tay-Tay,” punctuating a life of fandom.
The first book off the press is “Bake It Off,” a 50-recipe baking cookbook developed by Smith and Kristen Richards of Millersville bakery Front Porch Baking Co. Inspired by the life and music of Swift, the book features pun-tastic recipes like Bad Blood (Orange) Tart and Cruller Summer — Richards’ favorite. There’s also a Chai Cookie a la Taylor, inspired by Swift’s viral recipe. The book also includes vegan, gluten-free and nut-free options.
Published by Harvest, the book’s release date is Sept. 30. A launch party at Zoetropolis begins at 6:30 p.m. the same day.
“Lindsey is a friend and a customer. … She came up with (the idea, and) I came up with the recipes and filled in the blanks,” said Richards. “I learned a lot about Taylor Swift. There was a period where I feel like I was only listening to Taylor Swift to spark my brain and stay energized.”
IF YOU GO
What: “Bake it Off” launch party at Zoetropolis, hosted by Pocket Books.
Where: Zoetropolis, 112 N. Water St., Lancaster.
When: 6:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30.
Cost: $30, which includes a copy of the cookbook and a treat baked by Kristen Richards. $15 tickets without a copy of the book also available.
Details: Expect Taylor Swift trivia, friendship bracelets, signature cocktails and more.
More info: lanc.news/bakeitoff.
Smith’s other book, “Taylor Swift Chronicles,” hits bookshelves on Oct. 21 from publisher Insight Editions.
“It’s an oversized coffee table book,” said Smith, a Swiftie since 2006. “I know these are two different publishers and two different products, but being able to do both simultaneously really elevated both of them.”
Smith’s “Taylor Swift Chronicles” not only covers Swift’s life as a musician, but also as a businesswoman and philanthropist. The book is a color-filled tome, splashed with a whimsical layout, drifting from pull quotes in pastels to sky-blue sidebars dotting a consistent narrative of kindness running through the pop star’s career.
Despite the shimmering cover, marbled rainbow edges and simply being fun to look at, the 256-page volume is research-based. For the book, Smith dug deep into the archives of Taylor Swift history, paging through newspaper records, image collections and Internet archives, going back as far as MySpace and the singer’s early fan forum, Taylor Connect (which was shuttered in 2017).
Lancaster city author Lindsey Smith has penned two books about Taylor Swift.
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“I’ve been a fan for a really long time, so there are things I just remember,” Smith said. “I asked other fans, too, what they remembered.”
The book cites articles from magazines around the world, podcasts and newspaper articles. “Taylor Swift Chronicles” includes a complete and detailed discography, creative timelines (like Swift’s footwear through the decades) and images compiled from a myriad of sources, including fan collections.
“Insight (Editions) was really great about allowing me full reign on the content,” Smith said. “When I met with them, they had a vision … but let me (approach the project) like a fan.”
The creative department allowed Smith to provide unique, fan-oriented insight, especially when it came to Easter eggs.
Easter in October
For Swifties, few things are more exciting than searching for “Easter eggs,” hints about new projects appearing in music videos, tucked into song lyrics, or hidden in social media posts. Even album artwork and merch are fair game, with fonts, numbers and imagery often studied for deeper meaning.
For example, the announcement for Swift’s twelfth studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” came at 12:12 a.m. on Aug. 12. The album comes out Oct. 3.
Swift admits she enjoys weaving these puzzles into her art, turning the process of discovery into a game she shares with her fans. Over time, decoding Easter eggs has become a hallmark of the Swiftie experience, and “Taylor Swift Chronicles” follows suit.
“We have a lot of Easter eggs (in both books),” Smith said. “We really tried to make (them) something special.”
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One of a ‘kind’
“We used the lens of kindness throughout (“Taylor Swift Chronicles”),” said Smith. “I wanted people to see (Swift) has been this way since the beginning. She’s been a really kind person and has been giving back before she even had things to give back.”
Every chapter title in “Taylor Swift Chronicles” uses the word kind. Kindness appears 21 times throughout the text, including: “… glimmers of unprompted kindness and connection have kept Taylor’s fandom growing.”
The pop star’s generosity is well-documented. During her most recent tour, Swift gave over $55 million in bonuses to her touring staff; semi-truck drivers reportedly received $100,000 each. In 2019, a Toronto fan received monetary help from Swift to pay tuition and student debt.
“Her way of kindness has always been really inspiring to me,” Smith said.
Lindsey Smith has been a Taylor Swift fan for nearly two decades. Here, Smith is pictured at the July 6, 2013, Pittsburgh stop of the Red Tour.
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READ: How ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ won me over [Unscripted column]
The author as fan
While Swift may be a master of melody, it’s her lyrics that hooked Smith.
“I am a lyrics person, and I just dove straight into her albums,” Smith said. “She calls things out. Having that unapologetic voice in her art and creativity was inspiring to me.”
Smith grew up in Pittsburgh and got to see Taylor play Acrisure Stadium in May 2023 with 146,233 other fans. She has seen Swift live more than half a dozen times, including three shows during the most recent Eras Tour. Smith moved to Lancaster in 2021, not because it was closer to Swift’s childhood home, but simply because she loved visiting Lancaster County.
“I love music. I love the lyrics. I love writing,” Smith said. “I’m slightly older than her, but I feel like we grew up together. We are Pennsylvania girlies, and we both have creative careers.”
Smith’s career began in the health and wellness space when she published “Eat Your Feelings.” When not writing she is working as a literary agent; speaking about publishing, marketing, and mental health; or reading old American Girl magazines.
“I’ve been wanting to write Taylor Swift books forever,” Smith said.
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