Stop the presses! I've got an author chat tonight over at the TKA website! I'm so excited, and this is my chance to finally get it right, considering my first solo author chat at Writerspace was a bit of a disaster, since I couldn't manage to actually get into the chatroom myself and had to have Roxanne St. Claire relay my responses to questions. Which she did beautifully, but it was frustrating, to say the least.
So. I've got something to prove at the chat tonight, and I plan to make it the best evah! We're giving away the gorgeous Can't Stand the Heat apron, a set of red spatulas, and a signed copy of the book, so you definitely don't want to miss it.
All the info you need to access the chat is HERE. It's tonight, 9 pm EST! Be there or be square.
The launch party--oh, man, where to begin? It was scrumptious, luscious, thrilling, exciting, heartwarming, and exhausting. Here's how you know I was having a ball: I have no pictures. None! Not to worry, though, there were several people snapping shot after shot of the packed Blue Hill dining room, and I'll supposedly be getting those pics sometime soon. I promise I'll share the ones that make me look gorgeous and poised! The ones that show me looking giddy and goofy will be deleted instantly.
My week in NYC was fabulous; I had dinner at the Bread Bar at Tabla with my gorgeous editor and fantastic agent, where we spent three hours drinking, eating, and brainstorming titles and plot ideas. EVERY brainstorming session should be just like that. I also reconnected with old friends, tried new restaurants and food I never could've imagined, like the insane tasting menu at Wylie Dufresne's famed molecular gastronomy playroom, WD-50, and doing research.
Then, two days after the party, we flew across the country to San Francisco for a week in Napa, where we're helping a friend celebrate her birthday. It's a rough job, I know, but someone has to do it. I'm spending the afternoon incorporating all my new culinary school knowledge into my existing manuscript for the third Recipe for Love novel.
It's finally here! Tonight is the night I officially kick off my new Recipe for Love series with a launch party at Blue Hill. The party guests will be friends, family, book bloggers, food bloggers, reviewers, publishing peeps, and some assorted media. There might be video cameras. I feel just a whiff of Cinderella coming on...
Pictures will be posted in the next few days--of the food, if nothing else. Here's the menu-in-progress Blue Hill's chefs drew up, based on what's available and looking good at the farmer's markets this week:
Passed Hors d’oeuvres Pork Belly Skewers House made Charcuterie Vegetables on the Fence Shots of Corn Soup and Blue Hill V8 Tomato Burgers Oysters and Tomatoes
Passed Small Plates Stone Barns Chicken Wings Marinated Cherry Tomatoes with tomato sorbet
Passed Sweets Flourless Chocolate Cake Cheesecake with berries Skewered Truffles Concord Grape Soup with yogurt sorbet
We'll also be featuring the two cocktails from Can't Stand the Heat: the "Miranda", champagne with raspberries and rose-infused vodka, and GINger Lemonade--recipes for both are in the back of the book, and I can't wait to reenact the first scene when everyone in the restaurant is tipsy on pink fizzy drinks!
And I absolutely CANNOT wait for the pork belly skewers, and to find out what makes those chicken wings all New York fancy...
I'm over at one of my favorite smarty pants book blogs today, Romancing the Blog, where I'm talking about The Happy Hero! As opposed to the dark, brooding, silently suffering hero. Come weigh in on your favorite romance heroes...
I've got lots to tell you (and many pictures to show) from our trip upstate to the Culinary Institute of America yesterday, but it's going to have to wait. The lovely Drey, of Drey's Library fame, interviewed me! Her questions were fun and insightful--check it out to see if my answers lived up to them. (Hint: they don't. But I tried!)
We're giving away a Can't Stand the Heat apron and spatula set, so check it out! There are multiple ways to win--comment for one entry, follow Drey for an extra, and share the post through Twitter or Facebook for two extra entries! Genius, no?
It's so good to be enjoying my favorite island getaway: Manhattan! Landed at LaGuardia last night and immediately ran into the longest cab line in the history of ever. But that's okay, because I'm home!
I slipped back into my city skin fairly easily; jumpstarted the process by taking the F train to West 4th. Oy. But it was all worth it to get to my fabulous sushi dinner at a hole-in-the-wall joint on West 23rd! I had chirashi so beautiful and succulent that I couldn't pause long enough to get a picture. The salmon was buttery and delicious, the toro tuna melted on my tongue, and the sushi rice was warm and tangy. My friend and I followed it up with a hike around Chelsea looking for the perfect Ben & Jerry's ice cream to take back to his apartment, where we discussed video games, comics, love, relationships, boys, and writing.
Today, Meg and I are heading upstate to the Culinary Institute of America, where I will pester culinary students with inane questions and sample their cooking at one of the CIA restaurants. Yay! Report tomorrow.
Side note: Meg, the best friend evah, just brought me a plum ginger scone from Two Little Red Hens bakery. Oh. My. God.
Some of my favorite writers in the world have gathered together to do a blog, and they call it Plot Monkeys. When Julie Leto asked me to guest post on their Saturday Craft blog, I was so excited! I thought about my post for weeks before writing it; I hope you enjoy the topic: secondary romances, or subplots. Come on over and talk about what you like, what you don't, and how you think they work to make a series pop! Plus, comment for a chance to win an apron, spatulas, and a signed copy of CStH!
Today's guest blog post is brought to you by Love Romances and More! Check it out, they asked me some tough, fascinating questions and I dished all over the place.
In other news, my revisions are IN for On the Steamy Side (yay!) and I'm about to head down to Columbus, OH for the COFW conference. If you're in the area, please stop by the huge multi-author book signing tomorrow night at 6:30 at the Holiday Inn Worthington. I'm looking forward to meeting some readers, hearing some wonderful speakers like Roxanne St. Claire, and hanging with my writing buddies. There *may* be wine and gossip involved. If you don't hear from me for a week, send out a search party...
I'm over at Romance Novel TV today talking about cooking, and why I write contemporary romance! (Short answer: Cuz I wanna.) For the long answer, check out my post. Leave a comment with a great fall recipe and/or a kitchen disaster story, and you'll be entered in the drawing for my Cool Culinary Gift pack: apron, spatulas, cookbook, oh my!
Come on, you know you've got some tale of culinary woe and misfortune to share. Even Julia Child occasionally burned the beurre noisette...
In case you need a smile today (Patrick Swayze *sob*) here's a fabulous, amazing, wonderful video of 905 nerds doing Thriller. I'm not kidding! Nearly 1,000 DragonCon attendees, in costumes from such varied fandoms I couldn't possibly name more than three, gathered together to attempt to break the Guiness world record for largest group of people doing Thriller. I hope to God they won, because they definitely deserve it. This is made of win!
I'm not running it, though, Jessica over at Racy Romance Reviews is. She's been nominated in the category of Best Romance Review Blog in the much-discussed Book Blogger Appreciation Week contest, and, to celebrate, she's giving away three cooking-themed romances. Including mine! As stoked as I am for one commenter to win a copy of Can't Stand the Heat along with Delicious by Sherry Thomas and Burning Up by Sarah Mayberry--honestly, I'm mainly giddy to be included with two such wonderful authors. I know. It's better to give than to receive. But still. Me! With Sherry Thomas! And Sarah Mayberry! Because Jessica loves all our books! Squee!
Also? Can't wait to read through the comment thread, because the way you enter the drawing is to leave your favorite recipe. Yay, recipe thread!!
You know you've got something you're dying to share, and you know you want a prize pack of books that will make you desperate to get in the kitchen and cook. So hop on over and enter to win!
Sorry, I know I've been MIA this week. Got to get my revisions for ON THE STEAMY SIDE done and off my desk! In the interests of keeping my body and mind limber, however, I did work out for an hour this morning while watching my DVRed season premier of America's Next Top Model.
Fabulous.
I don't know why I'm so obsessed with this show, and frankly, I've stopped questioning it. The addiction is a fact of my life now. I deal with it as best I can. One of the ways I deal with it is by blogging about it, so here goes.
Cycle 13 (The Short Girls) Random Thoughts and First Impressions:
Amber. Holy crazypants, thank the sweet Lord for whatever "personal issues" kept her out of the house. I was not going to be able to handle her particular brand of nutso for too long.
Bianca. Already driving me insane. Stop whining! Also, she's such a Nenna lookalike! Which brings me to my next point--all the girls are starting to look like girls from previous seasons. Courtney is plucky and adorable, but she looks just like Kim (the original ANTM lesbian). Erin reminds me of someone, can't think who--as does freaky Nicole. I'm starting to sympathize with modeling agencies. "Is there nothing fresh and exciting?! Get out, all of you!"
Laura. Love! She castrates cows! And the comment, "Nobody cheats on me" totally cracked me up. She is definitely my early favorite.
Tyra. Looking hot! Girl, I would love to know how you slimmed down. And I like the darker hair, too. But the harem pants at panel? Not so much.
Chanel Iman. Cute. Seems nice. Not like a total airhead. But I miss Paulina! Couldn't they have scrapped the enormous bankable logo mailbox and kept La Porizkova?
Hmm, what else? Was weird to have makeovers in the very first episode, but I guess since no one got anything drastic done, it would've been hard to stretch it out. I think the right girl went home, and agreed with the Best Photo of the Week (for once.) Really, none of the photos sucked too badly--I think maybe they've started going easier on the girls in their early shoots. Remember the good old days when the fresh-off-the-bus modelettes would have to embody, like, disenfranchisement? That was a true trial by fire. I wonder if Tyra is letting her sympathy for the little'uns get in the way. Maybe she wants to give even the girls who flame out early a couple of nice shots for their portfolios.
Anyway, it's a darn good thing I didn't have two episodes DVRed, because I would totally be marathoning it! Can't wait till next Wednesday.
I know, I'm such a gaddabout! I promise, tomorrow I'll be right back here at home base, talking about what we had for dinner last night or something--but today! Today, I'm over at one of my favorite blogs, Murder She Writes, where such romantic suspense luminaries as Roxanne St. Claire, Allison Brennan, Debra Webb, and Toni McGee Causey come together to discuss life, love, and plotting. These ladies are sharp--I had to bring my 'A' game for this one! Come see.
And comment for a chance to win a CStH apron, spatulas, and a signed copy of the book!
Today I'm over at Borders True Romance! If you haven't gotten enough of me on video this week, stop by and visit--there's an interview with me and Borders romance expert Sue Grimshaw. The blog post answers several burning questions about Can't Stand the Heat. For instance, what kind of underpants does the hero wear? For this stunning reveal, and more, check out the Borders site!
Also, a comment on the Borders post enters you to win a very cool culinary-themed prize. Spatulas, apron, and a cookbook featuring some of my very own recipes alongside recipes from today's top chefs. Who doesn't need another apron? Especially one that says CAN'T STAND THE HEAT on it! You know you want it.
My very own Author Talk video! That's right, I was lucky enough to score an interview with the two hottest girls on the internet, Jill Monroe and Gena Showalter. "The Show Where Authors Talk to Other Authors" was filmed a few months ago--just long enough that I'd forgotten exactly how funny Gena and Jill were. Enjoy, and try not to choke yourself laughing, like I did!
I'm guest posting today over at TKA, and we're making Lamb Hash. This recipe, a frequent request at my house, is absolutely delicious and will take you through the fall. Come on over and check it out!
**The post also contains a chance to win a copy of my Recipe For Love Cookbook, which features a few of my own recipes alongside recipes from some of today's top chefs! Comment for a chance to win!!**
It's Release Day! At long last. Can't Stand the Heat hit bookshelves today. Pre-ordered copies have shipped. Very soon, almost instantaneously, you can have it in your hot little hands! I truly can't wait to hear what you all think of it. Well, the good stuff, anyway. Let's be honest, I could wait a while to hear that you hated it with the heat of a nova. But surely that won't happen! Everyone will love it!
I've realized publishing a book is a lot like sending your child off to school for the first time. The idea that someone might not adore it as much as you do (as much as your mom does, even) is painful. But that's life--no one and nothing is universally beloved. Except Can't Stand the Heat. Kidding! Seriously, give it to me straight. I've got more books to write after this one, I could use the constructive criticism. : )
Anyway, to celebrate the release of my very first novel, I'm giving away a whole bunch of wonderful books! Contest details are on my website, here. Enter to win a cute canvas tote filled with awesome recent releases, everything from Hunt Her Down by Roxanne St. Claire to Julia & Julia by Julie Powell to Surrender of a Siren by fellow debut author Tessa Dare. Good luck, and happy reading!
I grew up in Virginia, went to school in Philadelphia, spent five years in Manhattan, then moved to a teeny town in Ohio. Now I live in fabulous, funky, fun Austin, Texas, which is very inspiring...
Once an editor of romance novels, now I'm writing my own. My Recipe for Love series combines contemporary romance with my love of food, restaurants, and smokin' hot chefs!
