Amanda Usen's Blog, page 16

Dirty Girl Mud Run a.k.a. Get Strong Or Eat Mud!

Triumphant Dirty Girls!

At 8:45 am in the driving rain, Jessica Topper and I, along with about 75 other Dirty Girls in our wave, began jogging up a ski hill at Kissing Bridge. Why? I don’t know why Jess was doing it, but I was braving rain, mud and unknown obstacles because I had decided it’s never too late to get strong. I admit it – having kids did a number on me, and it has taken me YEARS to get my mojo back. Postpartum hemorrhage, nursing, sleep deprivation, working nights to avoid paying day care, picking up part-time jobs when the economy crashed and deciding to become a writer and seek publication made me tired. Really freaking tired. And weak. And every time I tried to get back in shape something hurt – or broke – and I got even more discouraged.

Then I discovered yoga. I also remembered something I knew ten years ago and had forgotten – the only thing that is going to get my ass into the gym is a deadline. For me, that means if it’s not an exercise class, forget about it. However, yoga on Monday at 9? I’m there. Zumba on Wednesday at 10? You bet! Dirty Girl Mud Run in September? Sure! It’s good to have a goal, right? Get strong or eat mud. Yes, deadlines are very motivating. Plus, at least 2.5% of the registration fees for the Dirty Girl go to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. I love helping to fight breast cancer!

I didn’t do nearly enough training over the summer, but on the day of the Dirty Girl, Jess and I were standing at the starting line, ready to tackle whatever the course might bring. Icy rain. Mud. Hills. Walls. Cargo nets. And you know what we talked about as we ran? YOGA! Yup. Jess loves yoga, too, and it figures heavily into the plot of her new book. We brainstormed in the rain storm, taking time out to climb over or slog through whatever happened to be in front of us. And I felt strong.

As I lay on the floor during savasana at yoga yesterday morning, I pondered how getting stronger is a lot like writing a book (or reaching other intimidating goals). It happens in small bits, over a period of time. I’ve been doing yoga for a year. A YEAR. Sometimes once a week. Sometimes twice. Sometimes not at all when the kids are home during the summer. But I can now do poses that would have sent me into a week-long cramp last year. The writing journey has taken more than a year (more like 9) but I can now write a first draft in a month, and it doesn’t suck nearly as much as my first draft of Scrumptious. Small muscles develop over time. Start with the core. Start small. Get stronger. Keep showing up. And if you are like me, give yourself a goal or a deadline!

New Deadline.

My new deadline is the Tough Mudder next July. I watched my husband complete the course last April and it was one of the most inspiring things I have ever witnessed. The Tough Mudder course is reputed to be the toughest obstacle course on the planet. Am I tough enough? Probably not…but it’s a hell of a motivator! And I do love a deadline.

What about you? What gets you there? Where do you find motivation to tackle things that make you want to hide under the covers?

RWA 2012 Conference Highlights

Holy whirlwind, Batman! I’ve been home from the Romance Writers of America conference in Anaheim, CA for almost a week and yesterday was the first day I felt awake. Perhaps two cross-country trips, a blog tour and a release party were too much for this wee writer in one summer. I am knackered! Hazy. And completely limbo-ed. Yet through the jet lag fog, I remember glorious moments.

An actual, bona fide FAN came to find me at the Readers for Life Literacy Autographing! I captured her in a photo and I hope to keep her forever!

Alex in captivity!

There were over 400 authors signing donated books. I was signing Luscious and giving away Scrumptious cupcake cookies and Luscious bunch of grapes cookies. Since I was giving a cookie with each book purchase, I didn’t think I needed to have my name actually on the cookie. But I was wrong because I was also handing out cookies to random people just to be nice. (I love giving away cookies!) New York Times Bestselling Author Cherry Adair came over to yell at me. She told me when you have a giveaway as awesome as this:

you PUT YOUR NAME ON IT! Why? Because they might eat the cookie later, and you want them to have some way of remembering your book. Duh! I told her she was absolutely right and thanked her. She told me it was more fun when people argued with her. I will remember that lesson and the generous, hilarious woman who imparted it.

Another splendid moment at the literacy signing: my friend Kimberly Kincaid stopped by to tell me she just sold her foodie romances in a 3-book deal to Kensington! My excited shriek was so loud I think they heard me at the other end of the ballroom. Completely fabulous! I can’t wait until her books come out.

Let’s pretend I have my arms wrapped around Amy Denim like a boa constrictor because that’s how nice it was to make a new foodie friend!

The next morning, I was sitting in Jane Porter’s “Pacing the Short Contemporary” workshop and overheard someone behind me talking about how she writes about chefs. Being the nosy type, I turned around and said, “I write about chefs, too!” We did a verbal fist bump and bonded with another woman sitting nearby who had chocolate in her book title. I turned back around to mind my own business (and find a pen) but couldn’t resist adding, “Louisa Edwards writes about chefs, too,” just in case she didn’t know about Louisa and wanted to add another author to her culinary romance love list. Then she said, “Yes! I love her! And Amanda Usen writes about chefs, too!” Jaw drop. Happy tears. I responded, “I’M AMANDA USEN!” She not only made my day by having heard of my books, she invited me to join her and her awesome Colorado Romance Writer friends at dinner before the Rita awards ceremony.

Most surreal moment: I was signing books at the Sourcebooks spotlight when my editor came up to me with John Charles, the Booklist reviewer who reviewed Luscious. I actually got to shake the hand of the man who said:

Usen expertly blends engaging characters with a swoon-worthy Italian setting right out of Under the Tuscan Sun (1996) and an abundance of delectably described Italian dishes to create an irresistible literary treat for fans of sizzling hot contemporary romances.

and thank him for his review in person. So wonderful!

You’ll have to imagine the stripper pole because I couldn’t get it in the picture!

Sourcebooks took their authors to Newport Beach for dinner at Mastro’s Ocean Club. Here’s a shot of us having a champagne toast on the limo bus! The food was fabulous and the beachfront setting was unforgettable. Since I had been dogged by a migraine for most of the conference, I thought a lemon and elderflower martini would be a safer choice than wine. Umm…hmm. I’ll rethink that choice in the future. My head felt fiiiiiiiine, but drinking an entire glass of vodka before dinner holds other dangers. Luckily, I was sitting next to my publicist, so if I said anything too nutty, she’s honor-bound to keep it quiet. I hope!

Since I was a romance reader long before I became a writer, some of my favorite moments involved being a squeeing fangirl. I volunteered to moderate Barbara O’Neal and Robin LaFevers workshop “Beyond the Hero’s Journey: Exploring Other Archetypes for Women.” I love Barbara O’Neal’s books – and the books she writes as Barbara Samuel – SO MUCH. She writes amazing characters, great food, gripping, emotional stories that won’t let me go. Probably ever. So I moderated her workshop just to be in the presence of the woman who wrote The Goddesses of Kitchen Avenue and No Place Like Home. I cheered in the audience last year when she won a Rita for The Lost Recipe For Happiness. This year she won her third Rita for a Novel With Strong Romantic Elements for How to Bake a Perfect Life and was inducted into the RWA Hall of Fame. It was awesome. Go, Barbara, go!

Another Rita win that thrilled me was Thea Harrison’s Dragon Bound. When Joyce Lamb asked me for a great beach read for the USA Today Happy Ever After blog, Harrison’s Dragon Bound was my pick. (Click here for some other great recs.) A sexy alpha dragon shifter and a smart heroine with secret powers who won’t take any crap from him? Yes. Just yes. You want to read Dragon Bound.

RWA 2012 was crazy fun – full of inspiring workshops and squeeing fangirl moments. I loved getting to talk to my wonderful agent, Nalini Akolekar, in person. It was exciting to see all of my “conference friends” again and to make new friends. If you ever attend a conference, I hope you’ll come find me. I’ll probably give you a cookie! Now that I’ve recovered, it’s back to word world for me. It’s time to put inspiration into action. Sexy chefs…coming right up!

Luscious Launch With Giveaways!

Luscious has hit the stands! If you want a chance to win a copy of the book, learn more about what inspired the story or get some great recipes, follow me on my blog tour! The links will become live when each post goes up and I’ll give a book away at every stop.

7/2/12 Luscious Food – Long and Short Reviews

7/3/12 True Love and Homegrown Tomatoes – Grilled Bruschetta with the Romance Bandits

7/5/12 Second Chance at Romance – Night Owl Reviews Hell hath no fury, right? Exactly.

7/5/12 Luscious Balsamic Vinaigrette – Stitch Read Cook

7/9/12 Luscious Launch Party! – Casablanca Authors Blog Good guys vs. Bad boys, you choose!

7/9/12 The Romance Reviews Sizzling Summer Reads Party- register with TRR and join the party! 400 prizes up for grabs and a grand prize of a $100 gift certificate!

Sign Up To Win Free Books!

7/11/12 The Inside Scoop on Luscious! – Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews And I do mean the inside scoop. These questions rocked!

7/11/12 USA Today Happy Ever After Blog

7/13/12 My Sexy Chefs – Sizzling Hot Book Reviews

7/17/12 Food and Romance, a Luscious Combination – Books-n-Kisses

7/18/12 Luscious Excerpt – Sia McKye’s Thoughts…Over Coffee

7/19/12 Fresh Fiction

7/20/12 Blackberry Smash Recipe – Cocktails and Books

7/23/12 Manga Maniac Cafe

7/25/12 Marriage Meltdown – Love, Romance, Passion

7/27/12 The Romance Reviews

7/31/12 Deb’s Book Bag

And last, but certainly not least, click on the paper airplane to sign up for my New Release Newsletter and I’ll put your name in the hat to win a $20 gift certificate to Amazon! Signing up for the newsletter means you’ll only get a notice when a new book comes out!

Click here to sign up for my New Release Newsletter and the chance to win a $20 gift card!

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Sizzling Summer Reads

A Luscious sight, indeed!

You may have heard…but Luscious is coming! In some stores, it’s already here! I went to a graduation party the other night, and my friend Molly had purchased a half-dozen copies of Luscious and was giving them to our friends. She had already packed her copy in her suitcase, so she wouldn’t be tempted to read it until she got to Aruba. I am touched on so many levels by her gesture. She not only believes the book would be good enough to give away, she is taking it on vacation. That means she thinks it’s going to be a fun book, the kind of book you read when you’re in a good mood and giving yourself a treat – the exact kind of book I try to write. Thank you, Molly!

Sign Up To Win Free Books!

Summer is always so busy, and I’m going to be extra busy this month. July is packed with a Luscious release party at Arrowhead Spring Vineyards, a book signing at B&N, a blog tour all over the place and the RWA national conference in Anaheim. All good stuff! I’m also participating in The Romance Reviews Sizzling Summer Reads Party – and you can too. TRR will be giving away hundreds of books in July, so sign up for a chance to win! I’m giving away a copy of Luscious at the party and for anyone who visits my site this month and signs up for my New Release Newsletter (click the paper airplane at the bottom of this page), I’ll enter your name in a giveaway for a $20 gift certificate to Amazon or B&N – winner’s choice! Signing up for my newsletter does not mean you will get tons of promo from me – just a short e-mail when a new book comes out. Giveaway runs from June 25th through July 31st. Winner will be announced in August. Have a Luscious July XOXO!

Click here to sign up for my New Release Newsletter and the chance to win free books!

How To Roast A Pig

Luscious is coming! July 2012!

If you’ve always wanted to know why there’s a pig roast scene in Scrumptious, this is why.

But first, a little housekeeping – Jessie won the mini-offset spatula, which is now winging it’s way to her. I hope she loves it! The Boat of Hope benefit, put on by Naturally Chiropractic, raised $5806 for the Dragon Boat Racing Team. That will buy a lot of gas to get that boat on the river! I had a wonderful time at the event handing out hors d’oeuvres and chatting about gluten-free cooking. All the recipes can be found here. Finally, Luscious is coming out in July! Hurray! It’s been getting good reviews, which delights me to no end. Here’s one of my favorites:

“Usen expertly blends engaging characters with a swoon-worthy Italian setting right out of Under the Tuscan Sun (1996) and an abundance of delectably described Italian dishes to create an irresistible literary treat for fans of sizzling hot contemporary romances.”

— John Charles, Booklist

John Charles, I think I love you.

If you want to Pre-order Luscious, go here. And thank you!

With that said, Pig Roast 2012 dawned a bit drizzly, which always drives my husband nutso. He begins weather-watching a solid month before the block party, driving ME nuts comparing Accuweather, WIVB, Weather Channel and more. He’s relentlessly optimistic, one of the things I love about him, and he believes it will burn off soon. Such is the power of his positive energy, the rain stopped when he turned on the rotisserie.

Step 1: Find a deli or grocery that will know what you are talking about when you say you want a whole pig. A 100-110 pig will feed at least 50 adults and various and sundry children. (Although we always get hot dogs too. The kids might have fun daring each other to eat the eyeballs, but they don’t actually want a pulled pork sandwich.) Ben orders his pig about a month ahead and tells them he wants it half-thawed. That means they’ll get it in the week before and let it sit in their walk-in to slowly defrost. Then Ben picks it up the day before the roast and lets it sit in our garage over night. It stays below 40 degrees, wrapped in plastic in a cardboard box. It’s easier to put a mostly thawed pig on the rotisserie than it is to try to winch a stiff pig into submission. He’s learned this through trial and error. This is the third pig he’s done for the block party, but he’s done a few in the backyard for friends too. That’s why we started to do them for the neighborhood – it takes a lot of people to eat a whole pig! (For those of you inferring we don’t have enough friends to eat a whole pig *snort!*)

My Pig In A Box (Eat your heart out, Justin Timberlake!)

Step 2: Pig goes on the rotisserie at 7 am for a 5:30 carve time. That’s about an hour for every 10 pounds for those of you who like math. Ben starts the coal ahead of time in a separate grill – one bag, about 20 pounds.

Get a friend to help you lift the pig. It’s unwieldy and it takes two to get it cranked down properly. Our roaster (rented) has a bar that goes through the middle of the pig and then a top rack and a bottom rack to crank down around the pig. As the pig cooks, you have to tighten the bolts because it shrinks as it cooks. It’s worth a little extra time spent making sure the pig is well-clasped between the racks. One year, the pig was a little too frozen to crank down tight and it fell off into the coals. Total pig party foul!

Put the hot coals in the roaster. (Be careful!) Ben offsets them to one side, toward the front of the roaster. He doesn’t put them right under the pig. I think that has something to do with dripping pig fat. I’ll go ask…even though Pigmaster Ben is righteously pissed about the continuing drizzle…I’m brave.

The report: Yup – dripping pig fat makes fire. You want steady heat, not fire. Also – a neighbor convinced Pigmaster Ben to have a beer at noon and he’s feeling more philosophical about the rain. Gonna have to remember that one for the future.

Step 3: Shut the lid. Add coals as needed to keep the temperature in the rotisserie at about 200-250 degrees. Cook the pig until a thermometer reads about 170 in the thickest part of the pig. The thickest part of this pig is the ham, so Ben stuck him repeatedly in the hip/thigh/buttock area. We ended up leaving the pig on until six o’clock, so it cooked for about eleven hours total. It really only takes about ten, but you have to take beer consumption, crowd control and the availability of trained pig carvers into consideration. The two guys helping Ben are neighbors, one guy’s grandfather was a butcher (so he’s grandfathered in *snort*) and the other guy is a helpful sort of bloke who is never too drunk when it’s time to carve. They take it off the rotisserie in about four pieces because it is difficult to lift a hundred pound 170 degree pig and carry it to the carving table. You’ll see in the last pig pic that I wasn’t paying attention and they started carving before I got my done pig picture.

Step 4: Carve the pig. You’re on your own here because Ben carried me through meat fab in culinary school. I call him an idiot savant with meat. When pressed, Ben said, “I just break it down into parts and then break it down into smaller parts.” See what I mean? Here’s a nice set of carving instructions with a helpful piggie diagram for the rest of us.

Step 5: Survive the hordes of hungry guests who will converge on the carving table. Make sure you get any leftover meat under refrigeration within 2 hours. You worked hard for that pig! Don’t lose the leftovers to spoilage and eat everything but the oink!

I Ate Los Angeles!

I just returned from a crazy weekend trip to L.A. to visit my high school best friend and celebrate our 40th birthdays in a glorious way that would have made our teenage selves proud! We stayed at  a boutique hotel on Venice Beach, shopped at The Grove and ate at rock star chef restaurants. We visited the Burbank farmers market, drank Intelligentsia coffee, ordered one too many cocktails and talked about everything and nothing for two solid days – a luxury we haven’t had since our children began constantly interrupting our cross-country phone calls.

Now I’m home – and I have a book to write, a Luscious release party to plan and a zillion other things to do. But before I dive into the usual, I’m going to enjoy my memories one more time with you…

Berry lust! I almost bought a flat to eat all by myself.

I snapped this one for my Heirloom lovin’ husband.

We had fantastic pastries from Porto’s for breakfast – guava strudel, mango empanadas, meat pies and my favorite, potato balls. Think shepherds pie, deep-fried! For lunch, we went to Mozza, a restaurant partly owned by the great bread and pastry guru, Nancy Silverton. Unbelievable.

First, the deep-fried squash blossoms filled with ricotta. Crunchy batter. Salty, juicy cheese with the perfect kiss of nutmeg.

Next a pizza that was thin crusted yet wildly airy-crunchy around the edges, with guanciole, escarole, radicchio, and an egg – all bathed in anchovy oil. Salty-licious bliss!

Finished with a strawberry-rhubarb sundae. Must remember to make almond brittle for my desserts in the fall. My mouth is watering, remembering the luscious pleasure of the strawberry ice cream swirling with the tang of rhubarb. Mmmm.

After some beach walking, we were ready for a cocktail. Not just any cocktail. This:

Berries muddled with tequila, oregano tincture, lemon and my amazement. I had more than one. Who wouldn’t?

I didn’t take a picture of dinner but I’ll paint a picture in your mind: goat cheeseburger with tomato marmalade and bacon caramel. Oh yes, I did. We keeled over after that.

The next day we started with window shopping in Venice Beach and this:

It’s cappuccino. It’s art. It was accompanied by my indecision. I couldn’t decide whether to have a twice-baked hazelnut croissant, which I imagined would be like an almond croissant, but wicked, or a thyme comte croissant. The Intelligentsia barista told me I was having both. So I did. Both great. Hazelnut best.

Lunch at Surfa’s. Flowers in my salad! Shopping in Hollywood, then dinner at Red O, Rick Bayliss’ restaurant. I got the molé enchiladas because Gia is making mole in the book I’m writing now. Delicious! I was running out of room but it didn’t diminish my pleasure in the beauty of my corn and goat cheese tamales, my spicy pomegranate cocktail or the habanero salsa that blew our heads off. (And when I looked out the window, would you believe I saw that my childhood friend Hal Sparks was headlining at The Improv across the street?! Los Angeles is huge but the world is small.) The molé looks a lot simpler than it tastes.

Chocolate. Chili. Cinnamon. Mystery.

My dear friend of my heart showed me her city in food. We’ve known each other for more than half our lives now but most of those years have been spent apart – college, culinary school, living in different cities, marriage, children, jobs…life. It was amazing to catch up and be able to integrate our now-selves with our then-selves and carry our friendship into the next half of our lives. Shining our hearts forward. Living…learning…and eating!

Boat of Hope

Hope Chest Team

Every year my chiropractors at Naturally Chiropractic in WNY host a benefit for Hope Chest, a dragon boat racing team paddled by breast cancer survivors. Hope Chest exists for many reasons – to dispel the myth that breast cancer survivors should refrain from extensive and repetitive upper body exercise, to offer a free exercise program specifically designed to meet the needs of breast cancer survivors, to provide positive group support and a new perspective on surviving breast cancer and to provide the community with life saving information on breast cancer.

Initially, I came on board because Naturally Chiropractic had a big part in bringing me back to life after three rough pregnancies, three disastrous deliveries and three years breastfeeding. I wanted to give something back. So I offered to cook gluten-free foods at the Boat of Hope benefit. Later, when a friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer and a team member directed me to some wonderful resources for her, the cause became more personal.

At Boat of Hope, the amazing husband and wife team of Lori Milanovich and Brian Burford and the stupendous staff at Naturally Chiropractic work all day giving discount adjustments. There’s a huge Chinese auction, chair massages, free food and crafts for kids. All proceeds go to the Hope Chest Team. It’s a fabulous event and if you live in the WNY area, stop by and say hi! The members of the Hope Chest team would love to meet you, and I’ll be handing out samples of Marlene’s Mocha Rum Cheesecake from Scrumptious, Olivia’s Fennel Soup from Luscious and cooking up other goodies. Look for the purple balloons and the Dragon Boat in the parking lot. For more info on the Boat of Hope event click here.

To donate or for more information  on the Hope Chest Team click here.

Share in the Hope Chest credo: Paddle with a Purpose, Workout like a Woman and Empower Yourself!

Luscious Has A New Cover!

"A sizzling second book in a new contemporary series featuring sexy chefs. Newly divorced chef Olivia Marconi is balanced on the knife-edge of a major meltdown. A week in Italy with Sean, her hot divorce attorney–not to mention the fantastic food and wine–sounds like the perfect getaway. If only she wasn't there to break her parents' hearts by quitting the family business. Sean's attention makes her feel brave, desirable, and adventurous again. But Sean is hiding something, and Olivia is short on trust these days. Can a romantic interlude in Italy turn into something more, or will it all go up in smoke?"

I can't wait for July 3rd!

No Spring Melt Down!

Straight-Up Fruit Tart. An irresistible classic!

This time last year I was about to lose my marbles. (You can read about it here.) It was a memorable experience, and I vowed not to repeat such idiocy this year. Nope, I wasn't going to teach an intermediate pastry class, plan a classical pastry class, edit Scrumptious and write 1000 words of Luscious each and every day. Nope – this year I was going to teach an intermediate pastry class, plan a classical pastry class and write a synopsis plus the first thirty pages of Book Three in my hot chef series. Whew! I'm so glad I learned from my mistakes last year…

Actually I did. Well, sort of. It was May before I pulled my head out of my tush last year. It's only March now, so let's call it a win.

How did I trick myself into thinking I wasn't making the same mistake again? I told

Luscious Tiramisu helps a lot. If this pic hits you where you live, the recipe is under Recipes, Luscious, Tiramisu on this very blog. I invented it when my Olive Garden Tiramisu habit exceeded my resources...

myself my classes were my first priority and anything I got done on Book Three was pure gravy…but then I worked obsessively on the synopsis every day before going downtown to teach my night class. I worked on weekends, too. I made tons of progress! Then I got bitchy and exhausted just like last year. My husband said, "No wonder – you are working sixteen hours a day." (He said it without a smirk, too, God love him.)

Head. Wall. Bang.

Redirect! You know what I'm doing? I'm teaching my students to make beautiful pastries this spring. Because I like my marbles. And I am going to keep them.

How about you? Are you an overachiever seeking to practice balance? A Zen in-the-momentizer with a truth to share? Do you have a secret for staying sane in your busy life? Share it in the comments below, and I'll put your name in a toque to win a four-inch mini offset spatula, my very favorite baking tool! (Just don't tell me you make the kids' school lunches the night before because you will make me feel inferior. I'll still put your name in the toque, but I might cry a little.) The winner of this international giveaway will be announced on May 14th. Be sure to leave your e-mail address in your comment, separated by spaces to fool the kaspammers. Help me, people. Right now, I have my priorities straight, but a backslide could happen any day…

I leave you with (from top to bottom): cream puffs filled with chocolate mousse and garnished with chocolate fences, cream puffs filled with passion fruit mousse and garnished with candied orange peel, and cream puffs filled with green tea caramel mousse and garnished with caramel doodles. All pastries in this post were student-made! I love my students.

 

Blog Tour!

With publishing a great novel comes great…BLOGGING!

Here are the stops on the SCRUMPTIOUS BLOG TOUR:

01/02/12 -  Dear Teen Me  I had a great time writing this letter to my younger, un-wiser self!

01/03/12  – RR@H Novel Thoughts and Book Talk It's hot in the kitchen!

01/04/12 – Books Like Breathing Interview (Favorite question: How did food inspire you while writing Scrumptious?)

01/05/12 – Casablanca Author Blog Launch party (with Excerpt!)

01/06/12 – Night Owl Reviews Rejection is just the beginning (with Excerpt!)

01/09/12 – USA Today Happily Ever After Interview by Pamela Clare (Favorite question: Is any of the heat Joe and Marly generate in the kitchen borrowed from real life? )

01/09/12 – My Book Addiction and More Interview (Favorite question: How hard is it to write a passionate scene, full of hot, steamy action?)

01/11/12 – Martha's Bookshelf Interview (Favorite question: What are some of the best tips you've received on writing?)

01/16/12 – Love Romance Passion Why is it so darn hot when commitment phobes make the commitment?

01/16/12 – Fresh Fiction Mother knows best: how a chef became a romance writer

01/20/12 – Urban Girl Reader Dessert and Romance – a perfect combination

01/23/12 – SOS Aloha Interview (Favorite question: Do you draw upon psychology and poetry to write romance?)

01/27/12 – Seductive Musings – A recipe for love: how a chef became an author

01/30/12 – Royal Reviews – Scrumptious inspiration

Somthing else I find inspiring! And, no, I couldn't flip the image. Even sideways it's... SCRUMPTIOUS!