Louisa Edwards's Blog, page 11

Facebook Giveaway: The Boyfriend of the Month Club

I blogged about Maria Geraci's warm, fun, funny women's fiction novel The Boyfriend of the Month Club yesterday, and now's your chance to experience it for yourself! I'm giving away a copy to one lucky follower of my official Facebook fan page. To be entered in the drawing, comment on the Facebook post with the name of your very first boyfriend, and I'll pick one lucky winner! (You must be a fan of my official FB page, and a resident of the U.S. or Canada to win.) Good luck!

Here's the blurb for the book, in case you missed it: 


This sexy, funny new novel asks: Can a woman find a modern-day Mr. Darcy in Daytona Beach?

At thirty, Grace O'Bryan has dated every loser in Daytona Beach. After the ultimate date-from-hell, Grace decides to turn her dwindling book club into a Boyfriend of the Month Club, where women can discuss the eligible men in their community. Where are the real life twenty-first century versions of literary heroes such as Heathcliff and Mr. Darcy?

Could it be successful and handsome Brandon Farrell, who is willing to overlook his disastrous first date with Grace and offers financial help for her parents' failing Florida gift shop? Or maybe sexy dentist Joe Rosenblum, who's great with a smile but not so great at commitment? Unfortunately, like books, men cannot always be judged by their covers... 



"Romance readers will revel in the Austen-perfect happy ending and the warm friendship among members of the club." --Publishers Weekly

Fresh Apple Cake and a Fresh Book Pick!

If you want my grandmother's recipe for Fresh Apple Cake, check out my guest post today at Romancing the Book! This is a great cake for the holidays because it's one of those that actually gets better and better a few days after baking, so it's perfect to keep around the house for when those unexpected guests drop by.

And today, finally, my friend Maria Geraci's newest book is out! I can't wait to get my copy of The Boyfriend of the Month Club (and is that not the cutest title ever?) because Maria's a wonderful, funny, warm writer whose characters always stick with me long after I finish the book. Love the cover for this one, don't you? It looks like the perfect escape from all this cold winter weather! Head out to a bookstore or order it online right away. You don't want to miss this one!

I wanted to bring your attention to my fellow Knight Age...

I wanted to bring your attention to my fellow Knight Agency client, Bryan Andersen, who's up for a Rare Life Award. I've met Bryan, and he's not only got an inspiring story, he's adorable, charming, funny, and interesting to talk to. Take a second to vote for him! He definitely deserves to win. The info below is reposted with the permission of the TKA Blog:


Iraq war veteran and triple amputee Bryan Andersen's remarkable story of surviving and thriving after being severely wounded during his second tour of duty will be published in 2011. In the meantime, he continues to inspire thousands of people each year by sharing his message of perseverance and determination as spokesperson for both Pride Mobility and USA Cares, a non-profit organization that is focused on assisting post 9/11 veterans. He's also an avid sportsman, who loves snowboarding, skateboarding, archery, cycling, 4-wheeling and rock climbing  -- to name a few. And we do mean a few. There's nothing Bryan can't do if he puts his mind to it.








Recently, Bryan was nominated for a "Rare Life Award," which donates $10,000 to the charity of the winner's choice. The winner is determined by online voting. Please follow this link to show Bryan your support. It only takes a few seconds.





Click here to read our profile on Bryan earlier this year.

Late to the Party

I know I'm like the last person in America to start watching Glee, but that's how it goes sometimes. And I'm totally loving it! It's kind of nice that there aren't too many episodes to catch up on, although now I'm sad because the only one I haven't seen is the brand new one from last night.

It's hard to quantify exactly why I love the show. I mean, great writing, sharp dialogue, actors who breathe new life into characters who should be stereotypes, fun musical numbers, blah blah blah. Why do I care so much about what happens to Kurt? Why do I love every nasty, mean word out of Sue's mouth--and then cry when she talks to her sister in the very next scene?

I have to give the writers credit--they seem to have picked up on exactly the characters and situations I wanted to see more of, and highlighted them. It's like they can see inside my brain! They even gave me more Brittany, who is weirdly my favorite character. I just find her hysterical, and it weirds me out because the Dumb Blonde has to be one of the most boring, unoriginal stock characters out there--and yet, she makes it fresh and hilarious.

To me, it's all about commitment. The reason Kurt and Sue and Brit are so effing funny and affecting at the same time is that, as over the top as they are, they don't come off as caricatures because the actors have completely committed to their roles. They're not hamming it up, they're really going for it, for the true core of who that person is underneath the wacky behavior. It's a great lesson in how to write comedy that matters.

So who's your favorite member of the Glee club?

Diving Deep

I'm going under, diving into my writing to get some progress made on this book before Thanksgiving. I'll try to check in and let you all know how it's going, but it might be sporadic! Internet, it turns out, is a BIG distraction for me. Who knew?

Try not to miss me too much. In the meantime, enjoy this brand spanking new My Chemical Romance song: My Chemical Romance at Myspace Music 

I'm already in love with it, and I'm hoping it'll keep me going as I attempt to bang out some chapters of Some Like it Hot...what music gets you moving and shaking?

Readers 'N Ritas Wrap Up

Historical romance author Jade Lee is trying to kill me! Okay, not really--my Recipe for Love spatulas are useful, but probably not sturdy enough to threaten a life. But she did her best at Readers 'N Ritas this weekend in Dallas! Check out Barbara Vey's PW blog for the full report--and a truly hilarious picture of me with Jade.Basically, it was a great time--really good ratio of readers to authors, the panels (at least the two I was on) were truly all reader oriented and focused, and I met so many funny, delightful women interested in discovering new-to-them authors. And I have to give props to the Hilton Garden Inn in Allen, TX--the food wasn't half bad, either! A big thank you to the Fresh Fiction ladies for including me, giving me the chance to talk to readers about contemporary romance, stay up late gabbing with authors Candace Havens, Jaye Wells, and Ann Aguirre (they told me ghost stories and nearly scared the pants off me!) and sell some books. If the timing works out, I'll definitely be back next year.

Happy Veterans Day!

I don't know about y'all, but my favorite way to celebrate our veterans is to read one of the many fabulous romances that feature military heroes and heroines. My perennial favorites are Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooters series. And she just posted an excerpt from the next in the series, Breaking the Rules ! How cool is that?

But right now I happen to be right in the middle of Roxanne St. Claire's newest, Edge of Sight, which has one of the hottest ex-Army heroes I've ever read. If you want a free preview of what the story is all about, check out her prequel novellita here. You will be hooked, guaranteed!

So your mission today, if you choose to accept it, is to go to the bookstore and find a fabulous romance read that pays homage to our real-life military heroes and heroines.

Facebook Giveaway: WINNER POSTED

Thank you so much to every single person who entered my Facebook giveaway yesterday! It was a lovely birthday gift to me to see so many friends commenting--I only wish I could share that bag of books I loved so much with every single one of you. But in the end, I had to choose a winner, and my random selection process came up with:

CATHY ESTABROOK PHILLIPS

So yay, congrats to Cathy, and thanks again to all the people who entered the drawing. Don't despair if you didn't win! I plan to do lots more of these, because the response was so phenomenal and fun. Keep checking back for more chances to win!

Facebook Giveaway!

Check out my official Facebook fan page today for a chance to win this adorable red canvas tote bag, packed to the brim with some of the best books I've read in the last few months, along with a signed copy of Just One Taste! The other books included in the prize are:

 
The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook
Trial by Desire by Courtney MilanSomething About You by Julie JamesTen Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord by Sarah MacLeanKiss of a Demon King by Kresley Coleand an autographed copy of Edge of Sight by Roxanne St. Claire!
All you have to do to enter the drawing is to go to my official Facebook fan page and answer the question I posted. You'll need to "Like" the page in order to be eligible to win—sorry, U.S./Canada residents only! Here's a pic of the cute bag o' books, to tantalize you…

It's My Party

And I'll decide who gets the gifts! This year for my birthday, I wanted to give something back to all my lovely readers out there who've been clamoring to know what happens next with tough pastry chef, Violet Porter, and her strong, quietly sexy organic farmer, Jonathan Wildman.

So without further ado, here it is! Simmer Down, the third installment in my continuing free read series, is posted on my website. It will definitely make more sense if you read the other two parts of the story, Spring Fever and Too Hot to Handle, first. And Simmer Down takes Violet and Jonathan to a whole new level in their relationship (hint: it's a very steamy new level!) so this particular segment of their saga is definitely not safe/appropriate to read, say, at the office.

If that hasn't hooked you, I don't know what will! Go forth and read, my lovelies...