In the immortal words of John Cusack's character in Grosse Pointe Blank, "You can never go home again. But I guess you can shop there." My little Virginia hometown looked and felt surreally different when I visited last weekend. A little more cosmopolitan than it used to be, a little more traffic. Some things were the same, though, among them the weekly farmers market downtown. Same beautiful bounty of produce, same friendly vendors willing and eager to offer a taste of their wares, same funny little place selling Filipino food. Unable to resist, and reveling in the fact that I was clever enough to bring a cooler in the car, we bought some gorgeous brioche and three different kinds of local goat cheese, including a brie-style cheese and one studded with dried cranberries, pecans, and candied ginger. But, above all, there were the ham biscuits. Oh, ham biscuits! How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. First of all, they're saltier than hell. Those who don't like salt should a) probably not be reading my blog and b) go for the chicken and waffles or something. Country ham, which I believe is called Virginia ham in places that are not Virginia, is salt cured, which gives it this lovely chewy texture and dark, almost smoky salt flavor. The best version of a ham biscuit involves a yeast-risen biscuit, not too fluffy or crumbly, slathered with mayonnaise and sandwiching thick slices of country ham and ripe, red tomato. Every bite yields a perfect combination of juicy, tart-sweet tomato, tangy mayo, buttery biscuit, and holy-GOD-salty ham.
Heaven. In my mouth. And wow, I'm suddenly dying for a glass of water.
I'm pretty pleased with the new 'do! I have managed to style it on my own a couple of times, which equals big win, and it's way cooler (in the sense of temperature) than my previous length, which was long enough to be on my neck but too short to throw back into a ponytail. So I'm happy! And Stinger is happy, too; he loves short hair on me. I'm not sure why I keep going through these cycles of growing it out again. Maybe just to torture him.
Anyway, here's the pic. Please ignore the insanely mess and disorganized garage in the background.It doesn't look exactly like this when I do it. I'm still working out how to best use the flat iron my stylist conned me into buying. But I'm having fun with it! And managed not to look like an idiot at my oldest friend's wedding over the weekend. So, bonus! More on the wedding and our trip to my old Virginia stomping grounds later this week. Got to get to work.
My sort of in-between-not-bob has been annoying me lately, and luckily, I have a haircut scheduled for this afternoon! I think something exciting may occur. Something along the lines of Alisan Lohman's short, sassy 'do:These are the pics I'm taking with me to the salon; not that my stylist, sweet as she is, has ever shown much aptitude for duplicating a hairstyle from an image, but I live in hope. We'll see what happens.
It's a big week for new releases! Jennifer Haymore's debut historical is out, and if you're an ebook reader, they're running a special $1.99 price on it at Amazon and Fictionwise (and with Fictionwise, you actually get an even lower price after the rebate.) It's a fabulous way to check out a new author; I definitely took advantage of it, myself!
A HINT OF WICKED by Jennifer Haymore
“A unique, heart-tugging story with sympathetic, larger-than-life characters, intriguing plot twists, and sensual love scenes make A HINT OF WICKED an impressive romance debut!”
– New York Times bestselling author Nicole Jordan
CAUGHT BETWEEN DUTY AND DESIRE . . .
Sophie, the Duchess of Calton, has finally moved on. After seven years mourning the loss of her husband, Garrett, at Waterloo, she has married his cousin and heir, Tristan. Sophie gives herself to him body and soul. . . until the day Garrett returns from the Continent, demanding his title, his lands-and his wife.
TORN BETWEEN TWO HUSBANDS . . .
Now Sophie must choose between her first love and her new love, knowing that no matter what, her choice will destroy one of the men she adores. Will it be Garrett, her childhood sweetheart, whose loss nearly destroyed her once already? Or will it be Tristan, beloved friend turned lover, who supported her through the last, dark years and introduced her to a passion she had never known? As her two husbands battle for her heart, Sophie finds herself immersed in a dangerous game-where the stakes are not only love . . . but life and death.
Read the beginning of A HINT OF WICKED here. Buy it at Barnes & Noble * Borders Also available in e-Book format
The second installment in Deidre Knight's hot new Gods of Midnight series, RED KISS is finally out! If you read the first one, RED FIRE, then you've been dancing on the same pins and needles I have waiting for River's story. These immortal Spartan warriors are all sexy and intriguing, but River was my favorite from the start.
And RED KISS totally delivers. River, an ex-slave who sacrificed himself to save his friends at the end of RED FIRE, is my favorite kind of hero; damaged and lost when he meets the heroine, who inspires him to strive to be a man she could love. Emma is that rarest of all heroines--a woman who is actually good enough for my beloved River! She is immediately drawn to him, and is protective of him without being a doormat. Their chemistry is ferocious and the final resolution...*sob* It's perfect. And now I'm panting after Ari...
Immortal warrior and Spartan slave River Kassandros has a special gift—the ability to transform into any weapon. But in a recent battle, he was trapped as a dagger, unable to become human again. His one hope of salvation is a mere mortal…
When Emma Lowery beaches her kayak on an uninhabited island off the coast of Savannah, an ancient dagger seems to call out to her. Compelled by dark forces, Emma draws blood with his blade, freeing River. Now he’s stronger, angrier—and exudes more sensuality than Emma can resist.
But a sinister power wants to claim River’s destiny, and his precarious freedom. The pair must join the Spartan warriors to fight Ares himself. But can they face sacrificing their love to protect humankind from the war god’s demonic plan?
**I have five copies of RED KISS to give away. Leave a comment below to enter the drawing!**
Today marks the official beginning of the Summer Reading Trail, a selection of fabulous free reads to help you discover new writers, check out new and upcoming books, and just generally keep you cool and happy in the hot months to come. For June's free reads, go here. New stories will appear every month, so be sure to check back!
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!
But, above all, there were the ham biscuits. Oh, ham biscuits! How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
First of all, they're saltier than hell. Those who don't like salt should a) probably not be reading my blog and b) go for the chicken and waffles or something. Country ham, which I believe is called Virginia ham in places that are not Virginia, is salt cured, which gives it this lovely chewy texture and dark, almost smoky salt flavor. The best version of a ham biscuit involves a yeast-risen biscuit, not too fluffy or crumbly, slathered with mayonnaise and sandwiching thick slices of country ham and ripe, red tomato. Every bite yields a perfect combination of juicy, tart-sweet tomato, tangy mayo, buttery biscuit, and holy-GOD-salty ham.
