Louisa Edwards's Blog, page 29

Launch Party Details

It's official--my launch party for Can't Stand the Heat will be at Blue Hill in Manhattan. I just got the contract and here's what we're planning:

A three-hour cocktail reception with one hour of passed savory hors d'oeuvres (minimum of six!), one hour with two passed small plates, one hour of passed desserts (don't worry, I already asked them to specify HOW many desserts), open bar (woo and hoo!), one red wine, one white wine, one sparkling wine and one specialty cocktail, coffee and tea service

America's Next Top Mute

Well, Cycle 13 is over now, and cute, weird little Allison lost to wind-in-the-face Teyona. I liked them both, but I will admit to liking Allison a scoche more. Her dark side made her interesting and she often reacted to drama in the house in such a familiar way, it was like watching myself. For instance, describing one of the other girls' impassioned speeches about what she'd been through as "a little bit too Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul" or when she got totally nonplussed by someone getti

Brainwave

Yesterday I woke up with a flash of brilliance that solved all the problems I've been having with my current book, On the Steamy Side (Spring '10). It was the best feeling! Pacing, chemistry, plot--it tightens and simplifies everything! I'm now as excited and energized to write as I was when I first started the manuscript. I've got that feeling you can get from a good revision letter, where you see the story opening up in front of you, bursting with possibilities and potential and the freedom to

Excerpt Monday - May 09

It's a brand new Excerpt Monday! I've been too sequestered in the Writing Cave (patent pending) to have noticed when it was time to send in excerpts, but I definitely plan to participate next month. It's such a cool idea and seems to be growing by leaps and bounds! Check it out here for some fabulous writing by a wide variety of published and soon-to-be-published authors. Too participate in next month's roundup, click on the guidelines link; tons of good information there.

Yay! I'm off to read...[image error]

Get in the Kitchen: Rhubarb

After some investigation, I have discovered several local outlets where I may purchase that most beloved of all spring produce: rhubarb! So, for this month's Get in the Kitchen, I'm going to ask you all to vote on one of the fabulous-looking rhubarb recipes currently featured in a slideshow at Gourmet.com. Of course, none of them stand much of a chance of being better than my family's favorite, Mrs. Schroeder's Rhubarb Pie, but this blog feature is all about pushing myself to try new things and

Dirty Minds

Dirtiest commercial ever. I'm not even kidding. Tell me I'm not just reading into it with my dirty mind! You see it too, right?



Effective, though. I now totally want a sandwich. Or maybe some gay porn, one or the other.[image error]

James Beard Awards

This year's James Beard Award winners were named, and guess what? Dan Barber at Blue Hill in New York City won the outstanding chef award! This is exciting because Blue Hill just so happens to be the restaurant where I'll be hosting my launch party for Can't Stand the Heat in September. I'm in the middle of looking over proofs of the invites now, so check out the Blue Hill website and imagine yourself there this fall!

Space is very limited (it's a small, intimate restaurant) so I'm going to have

In the Zone

I wrote 50 pages last week, which was great, but afterward my brain felt mushy like overcooked spinach and I ended up slacking off on the page count all weekend. I did a lot of thinking about the book, which is a huge part of my process, but still, when the time came to get my rear back in gear yesterday, I struggled to hit my stride.

Today? That's not an option. I must produce! So I'm heading into the zone (where there is no Twitter, no email, and in fact, no internet) and not coming back out un

Spring Awakening

I've got garden-fresh asparagus! Seriously, look at them. Dirt is still clinging to these bad boys. After a very successful, productive meeting for the nonprofit I'm on the board of, Veggie U, we lucky board members were given some uber-fresh spring asparagus to take home. And I don't care what else happens today (ten pages? what?) I'm cooking those pretty green spears for dinner tonight. Question is, how? I love asparagus raw in salads, grilled over an open flame, oven-roasted with olive oil, d

Ruth Reichl Goes Back Undercover!

Because Ruth Reichl is a cultural treasure and my own personal culinary idol, and because this video is hilarious. And also because I'd really like to write 15 pages today, so I don't have time for a real blog post. Enjoy!

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