Laura Florand's Blog, page 37

The Sylvain Marquis video, episode 1

Guys, you have got to see this!  I was trying to think of some way to do a fun video for the DABWAHA tournament campaigning, and my six-year-old got involved.

GILLES MARINI plays Sylvain Marquis in this nail-biting sequel to THE CHOCOLATE THIEF.  Check it out!

 

 

 

 

 

The video:

She’s got more episodes ready in her head.  Are you dying to see what happens next? Cause she’s got ideas!

Vote for TURNING UP THE HEAT Friday morning (midnight to 11:59 am).  Vote for THE CHOCOLATE THIEF, Friday afternoon (12 noon to 11:59 pm).  Here.  

If any of the future episodes wander down paths that would allow for certain characters wearing fairy wings and rainbow body paint, please keep in mind the age of the director.

THE CHOCOLATE TOUCH first chapter

I promised to post the first chapter of THE CHOCOLATE TOUCH if TURNING UP THE HEAT was nominated as a novella in the DABWAHA.

It’s up!  Thank you all again for your nomination.  I hope you enjoy!

A big THANKS for TURNING UP THE HEAT

AWESOME! Turning Up the Heat has just been announced as the reader nominee for the novella category for the DABWAHA. I am so super proud to have that voted in by readers. THANK YOU for your nominations. And I’ve put it at 0.99 for as long as it’s still in competition (on Amazon, BN, Kobo, etc.)

Now there’s THE CHOCOLATE THIEF in the contemporary category and TURNING UP THE HEAT in the novella category, so you will be hearing from me begging for votes soon, in a couple of days. Meanwhile, there’s lots of fun to be had also by readers picking their brackets etc. (think March Madness style). That will all start tomorrow (Sunday).

In honor of Pi Day ;)

I need to write out an actual recipe for this tarte!  A little excerpt from one of Philippe’s early encounters with Magalie, over “pie”, in THE CHOCOLATE KISS:

[Magalie] looked slowly toward him, as if waking from a pleasant dream.

And jerked, her spoon smearing chocolate over the edge of the pan.

“Allow me.”  Philippe couldn’t help himself.  The tarte was only one step from him.  He grabbed a tissue out of a box as the only thing in her kitchen remotely approximating a professional’s white towels, and he wiped the edge of her pan.  One clean sweep, all the way around, getting rid of not only the smear but also those damn crumbs.

He might have yielded to the urge to grab the spoon and smooth that chocolate out properly, except that she looked as if she might hit him with it.  He rubbed the dusting of greenish crumbs between his fingers and looked into her furious eyes.

All trace of her smile was gone.  She was practically hexing him with her gaze alone.  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

His step to the tarte had brought their bodies together:  his biceps to her shoulder, his hip to her ribs, his thigh to her hip.  There was no space for her to give him in this tiny kitchen.  He was pretty sure she wouldn’t have backed up a step even if there was.  It drove him mad with arousal, her inability to back up.

“Is that apricot?”  On an unlit burner behind the chocolat chaud was an orange mixture that looked and smelled suspiciously like fresh-made apricot jam.

Apricots.  The green crumbs of ground pistachios. She had made a pistachio crust. With an apricot filling.  The exact flavors in the Désir she had refused a week ago.

Had she been thinking about it?  A vindictive smile curled his mouth. Had she regretted what she had refused, until she tried to do something with those flavors herself?

If she had, she was outraged to have him discover it.  “What. Do. You. Think. You. Are. Doing—in my kitchen?  Get out!”

Excitement kicked through him.  He shouldn’t have interfered in her kitchen, that was unarguably true.  The most basic etiquette.  But now that he had, now that their bodies were touching and she was so mad, he felt an almost irresistible desire to crowd her some more and see what she would do.  It unfurled in him, prickling inside him with claws, taunting him into action…

 

Publication Schedule

For those asking about upcoming books, I’ve put up a book list that includes the future books for as far out as those are scheduled.  You’ll notice there are several more Chocolate books as well as a rough outline of when to expect the Provence series.

Thanks for asking!

The DABWAHA

Well, rats.  NO CHOCOLATE BRIBES ALLOWED for the great DABWAHA March Madness book contest.  Who makes up these rules?  You might want to have a word with Dear Author and SBTB, because, seriously, wouldn’t it be more fun it you could be bribed with chocolate?

I guess you will have to either:

1)  Be giddily delighted that THE CHOCOLATE THIEF is a finalist and stop being So Greedy.

2) Be giddily delighted, but STILL hope people will nominate TURNING UP THE HEAT for novella, too, out of the goodness of their hearts and because I love it, it’s my baby.  (ISBN: 9780988506503…just mentioning it.  Don’t want to make things hard for you!)

3) NOT bribe anyone with anything but perhaps, you never know, if someone were JOYOUS about succeeding in the first round, she might just feel inclined to distribute chocolate largess, kind of like Mardi Gras beads, you know.  No actual bribery involved.

4)  Think of some other way to get around this bribery rule.  Any ideas?

CHOCOLATE THIEF is a DABWAHA finalist–join the fun!

This is going to be fun!  I’m excited to announce that THE CHOCOLATE THIEF is a Dear Author / SBTB DABWAHA finalist for 2012.  Let the March Madness begin!

I believe we might quickly resort to chocolate bribery here for votes, so keep your eyes peeled.  When I bribe with chocolate, I bribe with the good stuff.  (Sylvain Marquis style good stuff.  If you’ve read THIEF, you know what I mean.)

MEANWHILE, are you seeing a favorite book missing from the different categories?  Like, oh, I don’t know, TURNING UP THE HEAT as a novella?  GO FORTH AND NOMINATE.  It’s your chance.  (Because I LOVE this novella and I heard it was SO CLOSE to being a finalist.  Clearly we need to push it that inch further.)

ISBN for TURNING UP THE HEAT is 9780988506503.  Just mentioning it.

Also just mentioning that if by any chance it gets nominated enough to make it into the rounds, chocolate will be awarded to one lucky person responsible for sending in a nomination.  (No, don’t judge me! That’s the way this contest works!  Seriously.  I’m not a bad person.  Politics corrupt.  And chocolate is really not that low to stoop.  You might even call it aiming high.)

Email laura AT lauraflorand DOT com to let me know you’ve nominated it and I will enter you into the drawing.  No, seriously, I will. Think that’s bad?  JUST WAIT UNTIL THE VOTING STARTS.  MORE CHOCOLATE COMING.

Yeah, if you’re against voter fraud, you might want to look away now.  BUT THEY DROVE ME TO IT.  Those other authors.  With their nefarious skullduggering ways.  I was so pure in my ideals until I found out what they were really like.  DON’T VOTE FOR THEM.

 

 

THE CHOCOLATE THIEF goes to Russia!

The (first) four books in the Amour et Chocolat series are going to be translated into Russian!  We are definitely embarking on an international career as a chocolate burglar at this point.  I hope no one calls Interpol.

As a language-lover, I confess to getting super excited about all the languages the Chocolate books are being translated into:  Italian, German, Polish, Indonesian, Portuguese (Brazil), and now Russian.  I love seeing the new covers and the different versions in each language.  Did I share the cover of the German release of the first book, THE CHOCOLATE THIEF, yet?  I can’t remember.  It’s due out this August, I believe.  I love the way the Eiffel Tower is set with my name–there’s something about that font and design that just strikes me as perfect.

February Contest Winners

Congratulations to Diane K, who won a signed copy of THE CHOCOLATE KISS plus a little chocolate surprise, in the February website contest.

And congratulations to Jackie D., who won the special chocolates of the stars (Zoe’s Chocolates, the chocolates that went to the Oscars last week), for the newsletter contest.

March contest coming soon!  Thank you to everyone for your interest and support.

THE CHOCOLATE KISS=March Book Club Pick for SBTB

I’m very flattered and honored to announce that THE CHOCOLATE KISS is the Sizzling Book Club Pick for March at Smart B*, Trashy Books.

Check out the SBTB announcement for a chance to win a copy and a promo code for half off the ebook on ARe (All Romance eBooks).

As part of the Book Club, there will be a reader-author chat March 28, at 9 p.m.  I’ll join the chat to answer questions and discuss at 10 p.m.  Sarah at SBTB has a Google calendar button, which I will try copying here for those of you who want a reminder.  If it doesn’t work, you can get it straight from her post.

There might be some chocolate given away during the chat.  Just saying…

I’m both thrilled and humbled to be selected for the Book Club, and want to say a big THANK you to Sarah , and also to all the book bloggers and all the other readers and reviewers who have been so generous in their praise of this book and helped spread the word.