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I just got a couple of photos back from my cocktail demo at this year's Romantic Times Convention, so I wanted to share!
Here's me showing how to make the "Miranda" Cocktail--the one my heroine gets a little more than tipsy on in the first chapter of Can't Stand the Heat! It's a sweet, tart, bubbly concoction involving rose-petal infused vodka, sparkling wine, and raspberries...
Every guest at the demo had her own little shot of the rose vodka, a few ripe raspberries in a bowl, and a champagne flute. The mixing got a little mixed up (all my fault! I'll be more clear next time, I swear!) but the results were still delicious.
Then I asked for four volunteers from the crowd to c ome up and participate in a Sangria Off! The challenge: to take the ingredients I had provided and come up with the best version of sangria they could. We had two contestants making white sangria with Pinot Grigio, and two making red with Merlot. The other ingredients they were give were: Granny Smith apple Oranges Limes Lemons Grapes Strawberries Ginger beer Canned peaches Canned pineapple Cinnamon sticks Cloves Sugar Brandy Cointreau
I think that's it. I was on hand to help slice the fresh fruit and fetch and carry, but for the most part, the contestants were on their own--and I was so impressed with their results! Our three volunteer judges, also from the audience, proclaimed two w inners, one of the whites and one of the reds, and then we all got to taste the sangria. Delicious! They ranged from tart and fruity to sweet and fairly...ahem...alcohol forward. ; ) I loved them all, and was happy to be able to send all four contestants home with signature Recipe for Love aprons and signed copies of On the Steamy Side.  What a fantastic party. Well, I had fun, at least! I think everyone else did, too. In fact, it was so much fun that I'm already thinking about when I might be able to host another one...
I'm almost recovered from RT (short roundup: fabulous friends, fun times with readers, sold out of my books at the signing, and learned a lot from every panel I was on) and almost caught up with the household stuff my husband totally neglected while I was gone. Seriously, the kitchen looked like he'd hosted a frat party, or maybe had cooked a five-course dinner for ten. And sure, some of that was leftover from when I was scrambling to test the recipes for the back of JUST ONE TASTE before I left, but still!
Anyway, after the orgy of cleaning, I finally got down to my email and discovered this fabulous review has just been posted on Romance Reviews Today! ON THE STEAMY SIDE got a 'Perfect 10', the only rating they give, and only to a select handful of books every year. OtSS is now automatically entered in their Best Book of 2010 contest, and I'm in some truly fabulous company on that list. Holy cats. Check it out! I'm so unbelievably stoked. It's a huge thrill every time I read a review where someone totally "got" the book and what I was trying to do. A huge thank you to the reviewer, Allegra Allston--you are currently my favorite person in all the world! Don't be surprised if I name a heroine 'Allegra' sometime in the future. : )
I'm off to RT today! This year's conference looks to be bigger, badder, and more awesome than ever, and I can't wait to see my friends, meet some readers, and sign some books! Here's the conference website so you can check out all the cool parties and events, but if you'd like to stalk me in particular, here's where I'll be:
Thursday, April 29th
This is unofficial, but from about 6:00 on, I plan to be in the bar at the Hyatt Regency. : )
Friday, April 30th
10:00 - Save the Contemporary Panel with Smart Bitch Sarah, Jane from Dear Author, and a whole bunch of contemporary readers and writers! Just a gab fest about what we love, hate, want to see more of, in our favorite romance subgenre.
11:15 - Agent Expose with Deidre Knight, the other fabulous ladies of the Knight Agency, and some of their clients, talking about the agent/author relationship and how to have a good one.
12:00 - The View with Nancy Berland, in which I'll be featured in the last fifteen minutes or so, talking about book marketing, online PR, and how to get your name out there so people who will love your books can find them!
2:45 - The Contemporary Voice, a panel on writing contemporaries, and what makes that voice so special and different from other genres.
Saturday, May 1
11:00 - 2:00 THE RT BOOK FAIR! This is the big one, folks, and the only one you don't need to be registered at the conference to attend. Come one, come all, and meet some amazing romance writers (several of whom better watch out, because I plan to fangirl all over them when I see them.)
5:00 - As part of Women's Fiction Day, I'll be doing a cocktail demonstration, which includes free drinks, signature Recipe for Love champagne flutes to take home, and an interactive sangria-making lesson! Should be fun times, and we've already got about 100 people signed up. We're capping it at 120, so be there early if you want to get in.
7:00 - 9:00 Lady Jane's Salon, another chance to get one of those Recipe for Love champagne flutes, and hear some cool headline authors read from their latest books, mingle with other romance readers, and just generally be down and groovy. The Lady Jane's folks always put on a good party, so you don't want to miss this one.
My nails are candy pink, my hair is freshly highlighted, and by this time tomorrow, my skin will be glowing with a healthy faux tan. I must be on my way to the Romantic Times Convention in Orlando! Here's a look at the two parties I'm most excited about:
 The Game that's sweeping the nation! A toss of the dice may bring you luck as you roll for prizes and enjoy refreshments, fun, and friends!
Prizes for High Bunco, Bunco Barbie, Bunco Bar Fly, Bunco Nazi... You get the drift, what happens at Bunco stays at Bunco. Come join us for the parlor game that has a long and "dicey" history...
Hosted by: Maria Geraci
Thursday, April 23, 2009
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
AND...
The GODS OF MIDNIGHT party!
Everybody who's anybody is going to be at Deidre Knight's GODS OF MIDNIGHT PARTY. When is it taking place? At midnight of course! Duh! So if you've made plans to jet down to Orlando in April, make sure to put Deidre Knight's party on your must-do itinerary for Thursday night! I've heard there will be games, party favors, and a special appearance by some extremely hot cover models. So lace on your sandals and tie on your togas and head for the Citrus Ballrooms at midnight on Thursday, April 23rd!
Out of the blue, so fast I hardly know what's happening, I'm going to the Romantic Times BookLover's Convention! It's next week, I hadn't planned to, but there's just so much cool stuff going on that I couldn't resist. I RSVP'd to some parties, booked some tickets, begged a room, and burned a hole in my credit card shopping online. I'm as giddy as a kid going to Disney World! Which is appropriate, since RT is in Orlando this year. Yes, in classic Louisa fashion, I'm heading for sunny Florida just when the weather in Ohio turns gorgeous and springy. Why can't RT be in January? But I know you don't all want to hear about the weather. You want to know what I bought!
My favorite is probably this Grecian goddess-inspired dress from J.Crew. I got it in bright green! It will be perfect for Deidre Knight's fabulous Gods of Midnight party at midnight on Thursday, which I'm assured will be full of exciting surprises. Let's hope the dress fits! Also from J.Crew (what can I say, I need ed casual cotton pants and these dresses jumped into my virtual shopping cart!) is this cute little silvery gray silk chiffon number that could dress up or down, depending on accessories and shoes.
And speaking of shoes, my partners in crime Kristen Painter and Melissa Francis convinced me I needed these. They're a little outside my comfort zone but I'm excited to try them. Must remember to schedule pedicure for early next week...
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