Serena Bell's Blog, page 5

Tuesday Tidbit: How I Choose Books & A Giveaway

I once chose books very differently from how I do now. Four or five years ago, I used to go to the bookstore, to the “new fiction” section, and look for books whose titles I’d heard of or whose authors I knew. These were mostly women’s fiction, sometimes literary fiction, “trade” paperbacks, which are the bigger paperbacks. I didn’t like to know too much about a book before I read it, so instead of reading the back cover copy, I’d read the first page or two, and if I was engaged after that, I’d buy the book.

Since then, practically everything about my reading habits has changed. I now read almost exclusively romance, with selections from women’s fiction, literary fiction, and—this is the part I wouldn’t have believed if you’d told me five years ago—science fiction, to add variety. And the way I choose books has also changed radically. These days, most of my books fall into one of these categories:

1) $.99 books on BookBub. I’m very picky about which of these I buy. If I’ve heard of the book or heard of the author, I’ll buy it at $.99. I probably buy about two of these a week, sometimes three. I just picked up Cora Cormack’s Losing It this way.

2) Books by people I know/have heard of that I’m curious about. I try to keep up to date on new/successful/bestselling writers, or writers I’ve met online or through other writer friends. Recent books I’ve read in this category include Sally Eggert’s In the Dark and Shari Slade’s The Opposite of Nothing, both of which I loved. I’ll read both authors again.

It’s actually, sadly, physically impossible for me to read books by everyone I encounter this way, so I often feel guilty about not having read a new friend’s book or checked out an author everyone is talking about.

3) Books I have to read for book club. As much as I resist these books, I’m glad they’re in my life, because they remind me that even books I wouldn’t have chosen for myself have something interesting to offer. I just finished The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd. I didn’t love it; in fact, I groused about it most of the way through. But I find myself talking about it a lot, especially, oddly enough, the material in the back of the book that was intended to provoke book club discussions. So, yeah, wouldn’t have chosen it, didn’t particularly love it, but feel smarter for having read it.

4) Free Kindle Prime book. Every month Amazon lets it Prime members choose one free about-to-be-released Kindle book. Last month mine was I Am Livia (women’s/lit about the wife of Octavius Caesar); this month it’s Marina Adair’s From the Moment We Met. These have been VERY hit or miss for me, but I have discovered some new authors–Catherine McKenzie, via her book Hidden, for example–that I will definitely seek out again.

5) Books by favorite, auto-read authors. Sometimes I just need a familiar old fix. These weekend I bought Kristan Higgins’ newest Blue Heron winery book, Waiting on You, and devoured it in a day.

6) Direct recommendations from trusted friends. For sci fi and lit/women’s fic especially, I want someone to tell me, “You’ll *love* this book” before I put in the time and effort. I have a sci-fri friend whose recommendations have been working really well for me–including Iain Banks and Hugh Howey. For lit/women’s fic, I like to wait ’til I’ve heard from several trusted reader friends that a book is worth the time.

Comment and tell me how you get most of your book recommendations. I’ll choose one randomly selected commenter to will win an ebook copy of Kristan Higgins’ Waiting on You. You must be 18+ to enter and able to receive an Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift (usually means US/Canada). Contest ends Thursday May 8, 11:59 p.m. PST.

Tuesday Tidbit: Escape Fantasies & Giveaway

I know some readers (and writers) love romance that’s a total fantasy, a complete escape from reality. My books tend to be a little more realistic—the happily ever after doesn’t necessarily mean getting to be queen of your own kingdom or to have all the money you’ve ever wanted, only that true, unending love will be yours forever. But I’ve been thinking a little more lately about fantasies, and I started to wonder about people’s escape fantasies.

My short-term escape fantasy is pretty conventional: When I think about getting away, leaving it all behind, I usually picture a beach location. It’s sunny all the time, but not hot-hot, so I can lie on a chaise and stare at the ocean and read. As much as I love my family, my kids are usually not in this fantasy (some kindly family member has presumably offered to care for them for several days—that’s the real fantasy element here. :-)) My husband is welcome to pull up a chaise beside me, especially if he plans to bring me glasses of water with cucumber and mint, tropical drinks, and chocolate snacks.

In a bigger sense, I do think my escape fantasies have to do with having enough money to get away from the drudge of day-to-day. In the abstract, I would love never to have to clean or do yardwork again. And I wouldn’t miss the grocery store or laundry, either. I might still choose to cook from time to time, and I would definitely still want to spend a lot of time with my kids. But I think I’d like a daily massage and a big house overlooking the sea. And I would love to never have to think hard about a book or clothing purchase again.

I don’t wish for glamor, though. If I could magically be transported into a world where I was hosting balls or chatting with the see-and-be seen world of a big city or Hollywood, I wouldn’t want it.

Unlimited gourmet food, though, I would take.

What about you? What’s your escape fantasy (or what is it not)?

Comment below and be entered to win one ebook you choose from among the following: Alexis Hall’s Glitterland, Colette Auclair’s Thrown, Rachel Grant’s Body of Evidence, or Lauren Layne’s Just One Night. You must be 18+ to enter and live somewhere where I can gift you an ebook from Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Contest ends Thursday May 1 11:59 p.m. PST.

Tuesday Tidbit: Virtual Book Swap & Giveaway

So … I have no idea if this will work, but I had the idea and I thought it might be fun. (Also, this is going up a day early, because, yeah, so technically it’s a Monday Tidbit, but that doesn’t sound that good.)

This is a virtual book swap. In the comments, tell me about a book (available as an ebook, please) you’ve LOVED in the last week (there’s some slack here, but it should be recent). Tell me title, author, genre/subgenre, and a quick synopsis, and a sentence about WHY you liked it so much.

I’ll draw one random commenter who can pick among any of the books mentioned in the comments.

You must be 18+ to enter, and the winner must be located somewhere I can gift an ebook from Barnes & Noble or Amazon. Requested ebook must cost You may enter more than once, but each entry must be its own separate book and its own separate comment. Limit 5 entries per person. You can’t choose an entry you wrote yourself. You can’t comment on a book you’ve written or stand to realize financial gain from. If I’ve forgotten any rules whose absence will result in my misery or financial ruin, I reserve the right to add them after the fact. Contest ends Thursday April 24, 11:59 p.m.

Tuesday Tidbit: Random Facts & Giveaway

Here are some random facts you may or may not already know about me:

I played violin for eight years, from fourth grade through my freshman year of college. I was pretty decent (concert master of the high school orchestra my senior year), and I really loved it, but man is violin a tough instrument to play well. I tried to pick it up again as an adult but I just didn’t have the time or energy to put into practicing regularly. I still regret this a little, but not enough to actually start again.
I do needlepoint and embroidery. I’ve definitely mentioned this on social media before. My grandmother, who was very serious about needlepoint (she’s still alive, she just doesn’t needlepoint any more) taught me when I was a kid, and she used to buy me all my canvases. I’m working on an embroidered bag as a welcome-to-the-world gift for my niece who is approaching a year old. Also, my dad did latch-hooking (rug-making) and so I know how to do that, too.
I’m a gigantic sucker for systems. I really like Flylady for household management, David Allen’s Getting Things Done for overall productivity, and Michael Hauge’s Story Mastery for plotting and character development. I just reread Getting Things Done and I’ve been more productive in the last few days than in the last two months combined. It probably won’t last, but still.
I met my husband in college, when I was a sophomore. I was nineteen! It was love at first sight—for him. I told my friend to tell him to stop harassing me on email. Luckily she didn’t listen. If you want to read a longer and more romantic version of this story, you can find it here.

Comment and tell me something most people don’t know about you. One random commenter will win the ebook version of David Allen’s Getting Things Done or, if you’d rather, an ebook of either Hard Time or Her Best Laid Plans by Cara McKenna, Beyond Repair by Charlotte Stein, or How to Say Goodbye by Amber Lin (all Wonkomance author releases this month). You must be 18+ to enter and based somewhere where I can gift an ebook from Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Contest ends 11:59 p.m. Thursday April 17.

The Open Road

Last week, my husband, my ten-year-old daughter, my eight-year-old son and I drove from our Seattle-area home to San Francisco and back. We covered 1,962 miles. Afterwards, my husband said he was seriously contemplating driving another 38 miles just to be able to round off the total.

We spent a full day under the redwoods in northern California. My daughter must have said, “This is the best day ever,” more than ten times. Even my son, who was dubious that there was a tree on earth that could impress him, was wowed by the scale.

It was pouring, but the canopy kept most of the rain off us, and my kids never complained. In fact, they didn’t complain the whole trip, not even when we walked 6.2 miles one day in San Francisco, including the daunting up-and-down stretch of Lombard Street from Coit tower to the Crookedest Street.

None of us complained. Not about the cars roaring by as we walked most of the way across the Golden Gate bridge, not about the lousy Mexican food we ate in Crescent City, Calif. Not about the haunted quality to the nearly abandoned hotel we stayed in. There was nothing to complain about, because all of it, everything, was part of the magic of going.

Road trips are contradictory for me. In general, I get stressed out by travel and packing, but I’m never stressed on a road trip. I like to know what’s going to happen next, but the best part about a road trip is never knowing where you’re going to eat or stay next. I get bored easily, but somehow, I am never, ever bored in the car.

It’s because of the going. If you are going somewhere, you are not anywhere in particular, and when you are not anywhere in particular, there is nothing else you are supposed to be doing. Because you aren’t anywhere and because—by extension—where you are means nothing—you don’t have to evaluate the success of it or judge it against any standards. It is just a thing to notice.

This experience of going is the essence of what we mean by the journey is everything. This is the essence of why writing a book is so much better than being about to write a book or just having finished writing a book. It’s why I love hiking and kayaking and swimming and all the ways you can be in motion.

My post-vacation resolution (I almost always make one): I am going to try to think more about going and less about where I am, in the hopes of bringing a little road trip magic into my every day life.

Comment below and tell me about a road trip you loved or one you’d love to take (or anything to do with road trips).

I will randomly select one winner (18+ and able to receive a gifted ebook, which usually means U.S. and Canada) who can choose one ebook from this list of my favorite road romances: Tessa Dare’s A Week to Be Wicked, Kristan Higgins’ My One & Only, Ruthie Knox’s Ride With Me, and Meg Maguire’s Caught on Camera. Contest ends 11:59 p.m. Thursday, April 10.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday Tidbit: Twitter Truths & Giveaway

I’ve seen a lot of information about how to use Twitter and what to say and not say on Twitter, but one thing I wish I’d had before I ever started tweeting was a guide to how not to let Twitter make you nuts. Here are some principles I find myself returning to again and again:

1. Someone is always celebrating a success, which is a very different thing from “everyone is constantly celebrating successes,” even if it sometimes feels the same. It will be your turn eventually.

2. There is enough to go around. Of everything. Especially, but not limited to, affection.

3. Even if you can’t see them, people are listening.

4. They can’t see you unless you tell them you’re there. They’re not leaving you out on purpose. (Ask and ye shall receive.)

5. Don’t compare your insides to their outsides. They are being their best selves. Also don’t compare their funniest to your right-this-second. Don’t compare at all.

6. It’s unusual to constantly “overhear” other people’s conversations, so if it occasionally makes you feel weird (in a slightly seventh-grade way), you’re normal.

7. Silence is silence. It carries no other information. Someone not talking or not talking to you is merely not talking or not talking to you, without malice or motive.

8. If you go on Twitter because you were feeling lonely (or bad in some other way), you are probably going to feel lonely (or bad in that same other way) on Twitter, too. It doesn’t mean you’re more lame than before you went on.

9. Sometimes when no one replies to a tweet you’ve posted, it’s because no one saw it, not because it was stupid. Sometimes, it’s because it was stupid, but statistically speaking, that’s going to happen eventually. You can’t sweat it.

Contribute a Twitter truth (or just your random thoughts about the world’s most awesome and emotionally complicated social media platform). I will randomly select up to five commenters and gift them ebook copies of Shari Slade’s awesome new adult novella, The Opposite of Nothing. You must be 18 or older and live in a location where I can easily gift you an ebook to win. Contest ends Thursday March 27, 11:59 p.m. EST.

Here’s what you need to know about The Opposite of Nothing (also, that Shari’s voice is gorgeous):

Callie Evans would rather hide out in her DJ sound booth than face the fact that she’s in love with her best friend, notorious campus hottie Tayber King.

Tayber turns hooking up into an art form–no drama, no commitment, no lies, and nobody gets hurt. Nobody but Callie, that is. When she sees an opportunity to explore his sexier side using a fake online profile, she grabs it. Now her uninhibited alter-ego ‘Sasha’ is steaming up the screen, and Callie is breaking all of Tayber’s rules.

As Callie and Tayber get closer, online and off, she knows she has to confess. And risk losing him forever.

**This 35,000 word New Adult novella is for mature readers. It contains strong language and adult situations.**

Tuesday Tidbit: Strangers on a Train & Giveaway

Strangers on a Train is out in paperback!

Today is release day for the paperback edition of Strangers on a Train. This collection was born when Ruthie Knox and Samantha Hunter started riffing on Twitter about a Tumblr featuring photos of unsuspecting sexy male commuters on trains. I joined in, we recruited Donna and Meg to join us, and none of us will ever look at Amtrak the same way again.

This is the first time all five stories have been available for purchase in one volume (it’s on sale right now at Samhain).

There’s an excerpt from Ticket Home below, and I’ll select one random commenter to win a digital ebook copy of any one of the five Strangers on a Train stories (You don’t have to pick Ticket Home—if you don’t, I’ll just assume you’ve already read and loved it :-)).

Contest is open to those 18 and up to whom I can gift an ebook via Amazon or Barnes & Noble (usually U.S. and Canada).

Romancing the rails…

Tight Quarters by Samantha Hunter

Reid isn’t happy about the mix-up that saddles him with a claustrophobic roommate on his New York train tour. Then his weekend with Brenna progresses to a weekend fling…

Ticket Home by Serena Bell

Encountering her workaholic ex on her commuter train is the surprise of Amy’s life. Especially since Jeff seems hell-bent on winning her back. A Dear Author Recommended Read.

Thank You for Riding by Meg Maguire

At the end of Caitlin’s commute, her extended flirtation with a handsome stranger finds them facing a frigid winter night locked in an unheated subway station.

Back on Track by Donna Cummings

A wine tour isn’t enough to take Matt’s mind off his baseball slump—until sexy, funny Allie plops into the adjacent seat and tells him three things about herself. One of them, she says, is a lie. Then Allie lets slip one truth too many…

Big Boy by Ruthie Knox

Mandy doesn’t want romance, but monthly role-playing dates with her stranger on a train—each to a different time period—become the erotic escape she desperately needs. And a soul connection she never expected.

 

Excerpt from Ticket Home

Copyright © 2012 Serena Bell

All rights reserved — a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. publication

“Is this seat taken?”

Amy had been dozing, her head lolling on the vinyl train seat, a victim of Metro-North’s gently rocking progress over the aging tracks on the way to Manhattan. The sweet shug of well-fitted metal on metal and the slight hitch in the train’s forward motion had soothed her to sleep like a fully He was waiting for her on the platform at the end of the day, leaning against a pillar, a study in male nonchalance.

Her insides got tangled as her heart tried to leap at the same time her stomach tried to sink, and then she knew half of her had hoped he’d go back to Seattle, while the other half had been hoping just as hard he’d be here, on the train again.

Stupid workaholic Jeff with his stupid phone.

As she stepped through the sliding doors, he pushed himself up off the pillar, an uncoiling of muscle, and closed the distance between them. Aligning himself at her side, matching her stride.

She sped up, ran for the train, and he chased her, bounding on behind her and following her up the aisle.

There was, of course, no place to go. No way to get away from him. Unless—

There was a conductor at the end of the car, and she started toward him, but Jeff caught her wrist again and spun her around to face him. He was very close, so close she could see the circles under his eyes and the pale brown stubble on his jaw. So close she could remember the exact feel of that well-formed lower lip.

“No more games.”

It was a command. It was a growl. She felt it, everywhere.

“Do you know what I spent my morning doing?”

She shook her head. From behind her, someone said, “Excuse me,” and he sat abruptly in an empty seat and tugged her down to sit beside him. A group of passengers went by and distributed themselves into the seats beyond.

She tried to get up, but he held her firm.

“Jeff,” she protested. “You’re hurting me.”

He released her instantly, and she rubbed the place where his fingers had dug into her.

“Your little stunt this morning with the conductor got me detained by the transit police for questioning. Apparently they take ‘See something, say something’ very seriously in the year of the tenth anniversary of September Eleventh.”

“Oh, God,” she said. “Oh, God.”

“It’s okay. It turns out I don’t have a police record or obvious links with terrorist organizations, and I haven’t traveled out of the country in the last couple of years.”

“Jeff, I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah, well. You can make it up to me by not running away again. Okay? Just talk to me.”

She felt terrible about siccing the MTA police on him, but that didn’t mean she wanted to be trapped here with him. It didn’t mean she wanted to rehash bits of their relationship better left behind. And it definitely didn’t mean she wanted his body a few inches from hers, tension rolling off him like fog off the early-morning Pacific Ocean. If she let her eyes flicker sideways, she could see that even his thigh was tensed, the big bulge of muscle straining the wool of his dress slacks.

“I’m not playing games,” she said. “I don’t want to talk. I don’t want to fix things up. I want you to get off the train and leave me alone. It’s over.”

“And I want you to come home with me.”

He said it so simply, it stopped her dead.

 

Tuesday Tidbit: My First Author Event & Giveaway

Last Thursday, I spoke, read, and signed as a published author for the first time (not counting my online video chat through Loveswept, which was super fun but felt very different than a real-world event).

I read at Eagle Harbor Books on Bainbridge Island, WA, which is a terrific local indie bookstore. One of the things I love about Eagle Harbor is that they’re totally open to the digital revolution, and incredibly supportive of digitally and indie/self-published authors. They distribute Kobos, sell e-books through their Web site, and on the night of the reading, they had giant QR codes available so people could claim our books digitally as well as buying them in print.

The event was called Cold January, Hot Night, and it featured a total of four romance authors—Charlene Teglia, Rachel S Grant, Sandra Hulstrom, and me. Charli and Rachel are local friends who I recruited to join me at the event; Sandra is another local self-pubbed author who had independently been asking Eagle Harbor to do a reading.

Our local candy shop, Bon-Bon Confectioners, donated dark and milk fudge tidbits, and Eagle supplied champagne and sparkling cider. The four authors spoke briefly, read for five minutes, and then took Q&A, which was really fun and lively (it included questions about whether men read and write romance (yes, though not as many as women), and whether we ever get shamed or denigrated as writers because we write romance (yes, but not as much as you might think)). Two of my publishers, Harlequin and Random House’s Loveswept, donated gift bags that we gave away to people who signed up for my mailing list (which, if you haven’t done so, you should, because there’s a lot of fun stuff happening this February—hint: It includes the words “free!” and “$.99″ and “new release!”—you can find the signup on the front page of this Web site, linked here).

There are more photos from the event on my Facebook page.

Here’s video of my talk, Why I Write Romance (about 5 1/2 minutes):

And here’s video of my reading from Still So Hot! which is about 4 1/12 minutes long:

Please feel free to share my photos or YouTube links directly!

Because it’s Tuesday and because Robin York’s DEEPER releases today (Robin York is the NA pen name of our beloved Ruthie Knox) and because I freaking LOVE this book and need everyone else in the world to love it with me, I’m giving away an ebook copy of DEEPER to a randomly selected someone who shares this post and comments on any of my photos or videos. This contest is open to anyone 18 or older I can gift an e-book to from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Here’s a description of DEEPER:

In this New Adult debut by Robin York, a college student is attacked online and must restore her name—and stay clear of a guy who’s wrong for her, but feels so right.

 

When Caroline Piasecki’s ex-boyfriend posts their sex pictures on the Internet, it destroys her reputation as a nice college girl. Suddenly her once-promising future doesn’t look so bright. Caroline tries to make the pictures disappear, hoping time will bury her shame. Then a guy she barely knows rises to her defense and punches her ex to the ground.

 

West Leavitt is the last person Caroline needs in her life. Everyone knows he’s shady. Still, Caroline is drawn to his confidence and swagger—even after promising her dad she’ll keep her distance. On late, sleepless nights, Caroline starts wandering into the bakery where West works.

 

They hang out, they talk, they listen. Though Caroline and West tell each other they’re “just friends,” their feelings intensify until it becomes impossible to pretend. The more complicated her relationship with West gets, the harder Caroline has to struggle to discover what she wants for herself—and the easier it becomes to find the courage she needs to fight back against the people who would judge her.

 

When all seems lost, sometimes the only place to go is deeper.

Tuesday Tidbit: Feed Me & Giveaway

Mary Ann Rivers’ Live releases today. It has food in it, which may not sound like an important distinguishing characteristic, since all characters have to eat to survive (although I did have to have it pointed out to me once by a critique partner that my characters had gone something like eight hours without stopping for a meal), but I have a THING for food in romance. Not, like, chocolate sauce and whipped cream, which I’ve always felt like didn’t belong with bedsheets, but ordinary, garden variety food—made magic.

Like here, in the scene in BET ME where Cal feeds Min the doughnut:

…he popped another piece of doughnut in her mouth and watched as her lips closed over the sweetness. Her face was beautifully blissful, her mouth soft and pouted, her full lower lip glazed with icing, and as she teased the last of the chocolate from her lip, Cal heard a rushing in his ears. The rush became became a whisper– THIS one – and he breathed deeper, and before she could open her eyes, he leaned in and kissed her, tasting the chocolate and the heat of her mouth, and she froze for a moment and then kissed him back, sweet and insistent, blanking out all coherent thought.

I also love this scene from Ruthie Knox’s TRULY (which debuted on Wattpad in serial but is now unavailble ’til it releases in August), where Ben feeds May tacos:

She opened her mouth. Steak juice ran over Ben’s fingers as he pushed the taco onto her tongue. She closed her lips and chewed.

The steak tasted different now—its grilled charcoal overtone perfectly balanced against the sweet caramelized mush of the onions and the creamy citrus taste of fresh guacamole. Mellow and satisfying, with the pop and crunch of chopped jalapeño making the whole thing lively and interesting, hotter than she’d been prepared for.

“Ogh muh gaad,” she said. It was the best thing she’d ever eaten. The best taco in the history of tacos.

Or maybe she was just hungrier than she’d thought.

“Good, huh?”

May nodded, eyes wide, and reached for her taco. Ben handed it over, another one of those almost-smiles flirting with the corner of his mouth.

So almost-attractive, when he almost-smiled. But it was hard for her to focus on whether that meant anything, because on the next bite she had to close her eyes to keep from moaning. It was so good.

So good that she wanted to savor it alone, without interruptions, forever. So good that it brought tears to her eyes. She kept them closed, not wanting Ben to see.

“Told you.”

May had nothing to say to that. She was too busy devouring her tacos. She kept eating until she’d plowed through all three, and then she stared wistfully at Ben’s fifth, which lay unclaimed on its plate. Beckoning to her.

The sight of that fifth taco filled her with a lust far greater than anything she’d felt for Dan in a very long time.

May lifted her glass to her lips and drank a sip of water, trying to be cool while simultaneously mourning all the steak tacos she would never get to eat.

When she raised her eyes, Ben was watching her intently.

“What?” she asked.

But of course she knew what. She’d just practically had sex with a tray full of tacos, and now the postcoital embarrassment set in. He saw me naked! With tacos!

“I was hungry,” she said sheepishly.

“You love food.”

And now we have a brand-new, totally hot, ordinary food scene from Mary Ann Rivers:

Des watched Hefin pour syrup on a huge stack of pancakes. The syrup container was huge, and he obviously had every intention of using it all. He lifted each pancake in the stack with his fork as he poured, to get the syrup over every surface, and the amber stream spilled over his thumb.

He was totally going to lick his thumb.

And then she was going to lick him.

Which, wasn’t true, but when she sat next to him like this, the wind from the lake making his disobedient hair stand on end and his long-sleeved t-shirt rub against the lean muscles in his chest and the hollows under his collarbones, it felt true. It felt really, really true. It felt so true that when he set the syrup container down and brought his thumb to his mouth, to tuck under that overblown upper lip, and drew his thumb in and sucked off the syrup she fisted her hand because she could sharply perceive that same suction bringing up the blood in her own thumb.

Bringing the blood up everywhere.

And then she was imagining him sucking the ends of her fingers, maybe biting them. She could see him picking the second container of syrup up, and tearing her blouse open and yanking her bra down, and pouring the syrup all over her chest, and then licking her all over. Using his warm fingers to coat her nipples with syrup so he could lick those, too. Because she caught him looking down her blouse earlier, and he looked twice, so A-cups obviously didn’t bother him.

He picked up the second container of syrup, and she made a sound.

“Oh, shite, sorry. Sweet tooth, remember? Since I’m sharing, you probably want some pancake to go with your syrup.”

“No, it’s fine. I mean, you should fix them how you like.” Because her pancake-to-syrup ratio needs was absolutely why she grunted when he picked up the other syrup.

There is more, people. So much more. More pancakes, more fantasizing, a helping of auto-eroticism (sans syrup) … And that is just the very beginning of this scene, which is near the beginning of this amazing, lovely, book that you should go buy right now. And not to dissuade you at all from going and buying it right now, which you should do, but because I just love it and want to spread it around, I am going to give one e-copy of Live to a randomly chosen someone who comments on one of the following things:

—Your favorite (or just any memorable) sexy scene involving food. Can be a movie or book.

—Your opinion on whether food is, in fact, sexy.

—A food item you think is sexy.

—Whether, in fact, the Broncos deserved to beat the Patriots and/or the 49ers deserved to beat the Seahawks. No slams against Tom Brady’s or Russell Wilson’s characters will be considered eligible for a book win (but everything else is fair game).

You must be 18 or older to win the book and you must live somewhere I can gift an e-book from Barnes & Noble or Amazon. The contest runs ’til 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, January 23rd.

 

 

Tuesday Tidbit: “Right Thing” Moments & Giveaway

Even though I’ve realized a lifelong dream of becoming a published author, I don’t always feel like I know what I’m doing. In fact, I often feel quite lost.

This holiday season, I’ve been paying attention to when I don’t feel lost. And I’ve realized that there are quite a few of these moments. I think of them as “right thing” moments, those moments when suddenly I am aware that whatever I am doing is exactly what I’m meant to be doing, that there’s no disconnect between who I want to be and who I am.

The first of these came when I was addressing Christmas cards. Every year, I sent a Christmas card to an old friend of my late grandmother’s. I loved my grandmother so much, but she died when I was fourteen, and I never had the chance to know her as an adult. Writing to her friend each year makes me feel like I still have a connection to my grandmother. What’s more, my grandmother’s (now very elderly & widowed) friend is so deeply grateful for the card that she always sends me a thank you note. When I addressed my card to her this year, I suddenly had the sense that if I had done nothing else in 2013 that mattered, spiritually or cosmically, sending that card did.

The other night, one of my friends, who like me is new to town, celebrated her birthday. Her husband invited a few friends to get together, and we all went out to dinner. The dinner was over at nine, and the party started to break up, and I could see from her face that she desperately needed us to keep celebrating her birthday. My house was a mess, and I had nothing to serve, but I knew I had to keep the evening going for her. So I invited everybody over and made some cocktails and served them microwave popcorn and chocolate chip cookies. When they arrived, there was a giant pile of unfolded laundry on my armchair. Two of the women folded some of it for me. It almost made me cry. At the end of the evening my friend hugged me so hard it hurt.

Last night, my daughter was having a really hard time with her geometry homework. She didn’t seem to be able to actually see the angles. She couldn’t figure out how to name them with three letters, like ABC. She struggled and struggled, and she got more and more frustrated. I sat down with her, and we went over the entire assignment carefully, in detail, with me teaching her all the parts she didn’t know. It took more than an hour, and she wasn’t always nice to me. But she was really proud of herself when she finished that homework, and I knew she’d learned something.

I wish there were more of these moments, the ones where I know I’ve done something that matters. I wish I knew how to make more of them, and I wish I had the willpower and the time and the personal resources to make them happen all day every day. But I am so grateful for the ones that do happen, and I am so lucky to have those “right thing” moments in my life.

This weekend I read Kristin Higgins’ Catch of the Day. It made me laugh and cry. The hero is not someone who is constantly engaging in acts of random kindness, but twice in the book, he does the “right thing” when it matters, and it means so much to the heroine.

Comment on a “right thing” moment in your life, and you’ll be entered to win an ebook copy of Catch of the Day. You must be 18 or older to enter, and live in the US or Canada.