Laura Florand's Blog, page 28

Chocolate Club for February & a special scene for newsletter subscribers

The Chocolate Club this month is a special Valentine’s treat! This is from a chocolatier I love, Christophe Paume, a third-generation French chocolatier who works in Charleston now (there’s a love story behind that!). He does the most beautiful chocolate hearts for Valentine’s, full of his luscious chocolates.

We’re going to do this Club slightly differently. I’m not quite happy with Rafflecopter, that I was using the past couple of months. So this time, ALL newsletter subscribers are automatically entered. And you can also enter by liking and commenting the contest post on Facebook.

ALSO for newsletter subscribers this month, we’re making available a special much-requested scene from THE CHOCOLATE TOUCH. There once was a scene where Dominique and the aunts from THE CHOCOLATE KISS had a little encounter, and it was cut from THE CHOCOLATE TOUCH because my editor feared that people who hadn’t read THE CHOCOLATE KISS would be totally confused by the aunts. (They’re quirky, I’ll admit.) But I think those of you who have read both might enjoy seeing Dom’s reaction to the aunts. Or their reaction to him.

If you are newly subscribing to the newsletter, you’ll receive an email of the scene when you subscribe. People already subscribed, check your inbox for the email on the print version of THE CHOCOLATE TEMPTATION. You can sign up for the newsletter here.

And fingers crossed for you for the Chocolate Club! Entries will be drawn for this particular Chocolate Club Saturday morning, so make sure to sign up for the newsletter by Friday midnight if you want a chance at the heart.

 

Crêpe Day!

Don’t forget it’s La Chandeleur today! Forget the Super Bowl and those groundhogs. For La Chandeleur, in France, the tradition is to make crêpes.

You flip them while holding a gold coin in one hand for good luck for the year. (Traditionally, this would be a louis d’or, but these now-very-expensive coins can be hard to find unless you’re in a family that has kept one primarily for Crêpe Day use, so these days most people use a euro.)

The round, golden crêpe is a sun symbol, so all these traditions such as Groundhog’s Day or Candlemas go back to the same roots, that hope for spring.

Best things to put on crêpes are debated, but honestly:

1) good butter and a little sprinkling of sugar, and fold it (in half, and then in half again) and eat your way all the way down to that buttery, sugary tip. The best!

2) Oddly, my husband and daughter prefer Nutella. (This will stun many, but I don’t like Nutella!)

3) My Québecois friends argue for really good maple syrup, a blending of American pancake traditions and their French roots that works very well, particularly if you have access to that high quality maple syrup.

4) Other toppings include: good honey, jam, nutella & bananas, butter with a sprinkling of sweetened ground chocolate while still hot so it melts, butter with a sprinkling of a mix of cocoa and sugar…or whatever you like, really. Have fun!

 

 

The Macaron Hall of Fame

Check out the newly created Macaron Hall of Fame on the website! Readers have just been going Deliciously Crazy for the Macaron lately, and I am all for it! Now if only some of those readers lived closer, so I could sink my teeth into these macarons and not just gaze longingly at them.

They’re giving Philippe a run for his money! Here’s just a sample. Click on the link above to go check out the full gallery. And if you’re making your own–I would love to see them!

[image error]

By Lenora, in honor of THE CHOCOLATE KISS for her book club LitChick Reading Between the Wines. The one in the center is her version of “Magalie’s” macaron, invented by Philippe in the book.

Friday (ahem) Book Club

Friday Book Club might have gotten a little distracted by the macarons people have been posting over on Facebook. AND THERE ARE MORE. It’s raining (snowing? sleeting?) macarons this weekend! (And that is a good kind of weather.) I’ll share some more photos later, of all the macarons adventurous culinary readers are learning to make, but in the meantime, what are you reading this weekend? I’m hoping to cozy up with this one against the cold. You all know how much I loved The Story Guy and Snowfall by new author Mary Ann Rivers, and this is her first full-length book, just out this week! I’ve already been hearing so many great things and can’t wait to see what she does with the longer length. What about you?

Live (The Burnside Series): The Burnside Series

Giveaway & photos from signing

First of all, Ellie Reads Fiction is hosting a GIVEAWAY of THE CHOCOLATE HEART, for those of you looking for Summer and Luc’s story. (THE CHOCOLATE HEART and THE CHOCOLATE TEMPTATION overlap.) Hop on over to her blog to enter.

And a few photos from yesterday’s talk and signing at Southwest Library in Durham NC.

Lovely heart-shaped, chocolate-ganache filled macarons from Bonnie Lau of Miel Bon Bons, in honor of THE CHOCOLATE HEART and general Amour et Chocolat theme. (Durham residents, I believe she’ll have more of these in her shop close to Valentine’s Day. A perfect Valentine treat!)

Jennifer Lohmann (both a librarian and a critically acclaimed contemporary romance author in her own right) passing out macarons after the talk. I snatched the photo in the middle of signing, and alas, my photography skills leave something to be desired.

A little glimpse of me, as things wind down and I start clamoring for photographic attention. (“Me! Me! Take a picture of ME!”)

Seeing the way my h air looks, I now regret begging to be in a photo.

And LOOK. Seriously, Bonnie at Miel Bon Bons is the most incredibly generous chocolatier. She made all those macarons, which she provided at a very steep discount (very steep–essentially her cost), and then  she gave me this gorgeous box of chocolates as a present, in honor of the book releases. And then she kept throwing in extra macarons, to make sure there were enough, since it’s always so hard to calculate.

If you live in Durham NC or surrounding area, definitely check out Miel Bon Bons. Soooo good. And Bonnie is such a wonderful person.

I’m very lucky! It was lovely to see such a great turnout. Thank you for laughing at my jokes and for playing along with the culinary quiz games! And a big thanks to Jennifer Lohmann for organizing the event and making sure it ran smoothly, as well as to Nicki who volunteered with the event, and everyone else at Southwest.

And, of course, a huge thank you to Bonnie of Miel Bon Bons and to all of you who came!

 

Print of CHOCOLATE TEMPTATION & Talk/Signing Sun Jan 19

First, so everyone knows, the PRINT version of THE CHOCOLATE TEMPTATION is available, too. (On Amazon, and will probably take a little longer to show up on other vendors.)

And for North Carolinians, don’t forget, I’ll be at Southwest Library in Durham NC Sunday, Jan 19, 3 pm. I’ll be sharing a behind-the-scenes look at top Paris pastry kitchen, such as the one in which Luc Leroi (THE CHOCOLATE HEART) and Patrick Chevalier and Sarah Lin (THE CHOCOLATE TEMPTATION) work.

I’ll be signing copies of THE CHOCOLATE HEART. (Note, THE CHOCOLATE TEMPTATION will not be available at this signing. The print copies weren’t expected to be ready in time.)

AND…best news of all…Bonnie Lau of Miel Bon Bons is making some special chocolate heart macarons in honor of the book! If you live in Durham and haven’t been by Miel Bon Bons yet…why not?? But if not, this is your chance to try a special treat.

I hope to see you there!

Patrick’s story is here! THE CHOCOLATE TEMPTATION

I know everyone who read THE CHOCOLATE HEART has been asking for this story, and we made it live as fast as we could. Fortunately, I wrote it well before THE CHOCOLATE HEART came out. Because after Patrick finished stealing all his scenes in THE CHOCOLATE HEART, what was I supposed to do?

THE CHOCOLATE TEMPTATION. Patrick’s book is here!

The print version will probably not show up on Amazon until around the middle of next week. (I’ll post, but if you’re antsy and want to check yourself, I’d say somewhere around Jan 23. It will take longer to show up on other vendors, such as Barnes & Noble. It always does. But it’s available!)

The ebooks are just a click away. I so hope you enjoy this story! I think of this couple as a very sweet one. Even though they start out a little bit tense! (Click here to see the first chapter.)

She hated him. But he didn’t hate her. Now how to woo a cautious heart?

Friday Book Club

What are you reading this weekend? I grabbed BITTER SPIRITS by Jenn Bennett: Bitter Spirits (Roaring Twenties) (amazon link). I’ve already discovered her fantastic Arcadia Bell paranormal series, so this book had me at “1920s” and “witty, strong couple with baggage”. My favorite kind. And I love the 1920s.

What about you? Any new to you authors yet this year? Any books you want to recommend us for this rainy Friday night?

And don’t forget, if you need some good cheer against the rain, the Chocolate Club is open for entries through Sunday. LA Burdick dark chocolate ganache snowmen & Christopher Elbow hot chocolate this month, in honor of the polar vortex. Good luck!

 

 

Chocolate Club! Snowmen & Hot Chocolate

I was debating and debating between so many delicious options which one to offer for the Chocolate Club this month, and then an email came in from Massachusetts-based chocolatier LA Burdick with the picture below, and it all came together.

What better combination for our polar vortex than this adorable box of snowmen filled with dark chocolate clementine ganache…

And some hot chocolate — or drinking chocolate as people are calling it in the US more and more, to evoke the idea of the European hot chocolate that is a bit closer to Magalie’s in THE CHOCOLATE KISS. This drinking chocolate from Christopher Elbow has a little kick of spice to it of which I think the aunts and Magalie might approve. For the right person drinking it.

It was first shared with me by reader Jan L., who sent me some samples as a generous present. Then she put me to the test. She said, “For you or to share with readers, it’s up to you.” This was a few months ago, and, ahem, I had to get a new can to share with you, let’s put it that way. I wanted to try it! (Would you consider that passing her test or failing it? )

But now’s the time to pass it on! As we pull ourselves out of the polar vortex.

Note again: This Chocolate Club is a way to say thank you to my fans and fellow chocolate lovers and to share a little bit of the real high-end chocolate that I write about so much, sometimes with people who may have never had it before. As such, there are extra entries possible for those who follow me on Facebook and entries possible for those who subscribe to the newsletter. I’ve left an open entry (by answering a question) however just because I know that there are many authors whose books I love to whose newsletters I don’t myself subscribe. There are all kinds of ways to offer support. And I just like sharing good chocolate. As long as I get some for myself.

(About the newsletter: I tend to use the term “newsletter” but it’s actually just an email that alerts when a new release is available. The next one to go out will alert people when THE CHOCOLATE TEMPTATION is available. No later than January 28! But maybe a little earlier if all goes well…)

And if you missed it, the first chapter of THE CHOCOLATE TEMPTATION is here.

Happy New Year! I hope some chocolate snowmen and hot chocolate will help get your 2014 off to a great start! Thanks as always for all the enthusiasm and support!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Snow-Kissed, a Romance Novels for Feminists Best of 2013: What are yours?

A big thank you to Jackie at Romance Novels for Feminists for honoring SNOW-KISSED as one of her Best Books of 2013. I really love Jackie’s scholarly and insightful look into texts, and so it’s a true honor to have another book chosen by her. (Last year it was THE CHOCOLATE KISS, which confused people about its year of release by being released Dec 24 — technically in December and officially, by publishing world terms, a “2013 release”.) I think most of you will agree that THE CHOCOLATE KISS and SNOW-KISSED are very different books! 

It’s also very interesting to me, because I don’t really try to write books that are feminist or not feminist, just imagine people interacting with each other (usually one vivid scene between two people starts me working on a book).

Here’s what Romance Novels for Feminists says in explaining the choice: “Florand has a true gift for penning romances with all the characteristics of gourmet chocolate: rich (emotionally), sweet but subtle, all often underlaid with a surprisingly strong bite of the unexpected. I thoroughly enjoyed all three of the full-length Paris-set romances she published this past year. But my top pick would have to be her novella, Snow-Kissed, which tells of an estranged wife and husband who struggle through their anger, passion, and grief in the wake of a series of devastating miscarriages to somehow find the courage to risk themselves one more time for love.”

Thank you so much, Jackie!

 

What about you? Have you read any of the other books on her list? There are some I’ve recommended to readers myself and some I am now interested to read. Are there any other books you would add to this list for the ways they explore a woman’s heart or life?