Aven Ellis's Blog, page 7

Connectivity Bonus Scene #1

As you can see, readers, William and MK’s story might have ended in Connectivity but it has not ended here on my webiste. In honor of reaching 500 followers on Twitter (yay one milestone achieved, check!) I have a little treat for you this Friday. Warning: William and MK are in a spicy mood today. So Keep Calm and Read On….

 

I sigh happily as I snuggle up against William’s chest. The wind is howling against the windows of our penthouse, rain smattering against the glass. The normal view of the lights of London is completely obscured by the late October storm raging outside.

But inside—oh, inside it is completely glorious. William returned home from a business trip to Stockholm earlier this afternoon after being gone for a few days, and I’m relishing every moment with him. We started a fire in the fireplace, lit some vanilla and nutmeg scented candles, and now we are cuddled together on the couch, under a thick cream cashmere blanket, watching the storm and drinking a bottle of cabernet.

“Is that a happy sigh, Mary-Kate?” William asks, breaking the silence and kissing the top of my head.

I push myself up, looking at my sexy man. The candlelight in the room dances across his cheekbones. A lock of his wild, wavy hair has fallen across his forehead.

And I decide I’ve had enough snuggling on the sofa.

I slowly undo the top button on his crisp white dress shirt, my fingers lingering across the beautiful English skin revealed to me as the shirt is opened. “There is no sigh in the world that can express how happy I am that you are home, William,” I say slowly. “But there are other ways I can show you how eager I was for you to return.”

A slow smile spreads across William’s face. He puts his wineglass on the side table and slides me over so I’m straddled across his lap.

“I’m intrigued,” William says sexily. He removes the head band from my hair and tosses it on to the coffee table behind me. “Would you care to elaborate on how you plan to express your eagerness to see me?”

I grin wickedly at him as I undo a second button on his Prada shirt. “I have my ways.”

William’s hand slides up my leg, his fingertips skimming the bottom of my sequined mini skirt. “Ways.  That’s plural,” he says. “Shall I anticipate you showing me several different ways you missed me this evening?”

God I love this man.

“Mmmm,” I say as his other hand slides behind my neck, “Indeed.”

“I love you,” William whispers as he pulls my mouth to his.

I melt into him, savoring the feel of his familiar lips against mine. I taste the cabernet on his tongue, I smell his delicious pine scent, and indeed, he is truly home where he belongs. In London, in our home, in my arms.

“I love you, too,” I whisper between kisses. I slide both hands up to his hair, caressing his silky locks with my fingertips.

William breaks the kiss and looks at me, his blue eyes soft. “This weather reminds me of our first time. It was a night like this in Chicago.”

I smile happily as he presses his forehead to mine. “I’ll make you feel the same way tonight.”

“I have no doubt,” William says, his hand back on my tights, inching back up to the skirt. “Did you dress up for me, darling?”

“I did,” I say as we begin kissing again.

“This short sequined skirt,” William whispers as his hand moves up under my skirt, “is very hot.”

“Wait until you see what is under it, William Cumberland.”

Suddenly I see his eyes flicker. They are intense now. William claims my mouth with his. We are kissing passionately. Our clothes are coming off, our hands are all over each other, and we are too wound up to even make it to the bedroom. 

Afterwards we are entwined on the floor, in front of the fireplace, wrapped up in the cashmere blanket and finishing off the bottle of wine.

“My God, Mary-Kate, how did I get so lucky to have you agree to marry me?” William says, gently stroking the side of my face.

I feel tears in my eyes as I look at him. “I’m the lucky one,” I whisper honestly.

“I can’t wait to marry you,” William declares. “I would do it today if I could. I want you to be my wife.”

I feel my heart swell inside my chest, as I know he means it. “Me too.”

“But as long as I have you here with me now, I can be somewhat patient and wait until June.”

“I love my life here with you,” I say honestly. “You brought me home, William. This is where I am meant to be.”

William props himself up on his elbow so he can look down at me. “If you ever want to return to America, you know I will.”

I shake my head. “No. This is our home. I’m happy here.”

William plays with my hair. “You really are happy here, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” I say, smiling at him. “I love London. I’m writing full-time, I’m blogging, I’m making new friends . . .and most of all, I’m here with you. “

“So the badass mogul makes it all worthwhile?” William quips, lifting an eyebrow.

I burst out laughing and snort, and that makes William laugh out loud, that rich, deep laugh that fills my heart with complete joy.

“Yes, your bad-assery does make it all worthwhile, William.”

Suddenly my phone beeps, alerting me that I have a text message.

“Sorry, I should have turned that off,” I say, biting my lip.

“You can check it,” William says, nodding. “Aren’t you getting together with Claire tomorrow to shoot your Thanksgiving feature? It might be her.”

I stare at him in amazement. “How you remember that in the midst of running your empire is beyond me.”

“I remember things that are important, and you, my love, are at the top of that list.”

Okay I know he’s my fiancé, and I know I should be used to him by now, but William still makes my heart absolutely flutter inside my chest.

“Besides, it gives me a chance to see you naked when you retrieve your mobile.  I’ll never give up that opportunity.”

“William!” I say, laughing.

I get up and walk over to the end table, where I left my phone. And I feel William’s appreciative eyes on me the whole time.

I see it is a message from Michelle.

I groan as I walk back over to William. “It’s Michelle. I’ll read it later.”

“Oh, please read it now. The Duchess of Milwaukee is such grand entertainment.”

I laugh and so does William. I slide back under the blanket next to him and hold up my phone, reading her message. And as I do, I am utterly shocked.

“Mary-Kate what’s wrong?” William quickly asks. “Is your family all right?”

I turn to William. “It’s her fiancé. Jason.”

“What?” William asks, his handsome face etched in concern. “What’s wrong.

“He’s called off the wedding.”

 

To Be Continued….

MK’s Autumn in England

In this flashback Wednesday post, my heroine, MK Grant from Connectivity, talks about her first autumn in London with her fiancee, William Cumberland, for her blog.  And she shares her favorite pumpkin bread recipe. Enjoy!

I absolutely love fall.

Wait–according to William, now that I’m living in the United Kingdom, I need to say “autumn.” So I shall correct myself right now before he does (and trust me, he will, LOL!) and say, “I absolutely love autumn.”

Now that we have distinguished the proper term for the season here in London, I have to give you my reasons for my obsession with this particular time of year.

It’s cozy.

That is the best way to describe it–the air is crisp, and usually brisk enough where you want a sweater–or jumper (see, William, I’m learning the lingo, ha!)–or warm coat to wear. The leaves on the trees are turning brilliant shades of orange, gold, red and brown. Thick blankets are brought out to keep one warm against the chill when watching TV. I love cozying up on the couch with a plush blanket and a cup of coffee, and lighting some pumpkin-scented candles to fill the air with that warm aromatic scent.

Which brings me to pumpkins.

I love pumpkin. LOVE IT. And this is the prime season for it! I went to the store last week and picked up a few–oh, hold on, William is reading over my shoulder and now wants to comment. But you expected that, didn’t you? Okay. Here’s William.

Hello, William here. Mary-Kate, do you consider filling our kitchen with 20 pumpkins from the supermarket ”a few?” It looked like a bloody pumpkin patch exploded in here when I got home from work.

MK: William, that is a complete exaggeration! Take it back!

William (I am laughing, now readers, just so you know.) No, it is not, and I only take things back I don’t mean. Everywhere I looked there was a pumpkin. Or a cut up pumpkin, or pumpkin in the food processor or oven…

MK: I was pureeing them. For my cooking projects.

William: You really are obsessed with pumpkins. Not only are they in our kitchen but in the living room–

MK: That is called autumn decor, William Cumberland!

William: So we have pumpkins exploding in the kitchen and they are on the fireplace. And in the dining room and on the balcony…Are those reserves, darling, in case you run out? Because apparently you have a mortal fear of not having enough pumpkin puree.

MK (Now I’m the one laughing, readers!) You didn’t seem to mind the pumpkin treats I made with all that pumpkin.

William: I do rather fancy your pumpkin bread.

MK: That is my favorite, too. William has been a very good sport and indulged my pumpkin madness. We’ve had pumpkin pasta, pancakes, waffles, pie, cookies, and bread.

William: I am a brilliant sport if I do say so myself. But the pumpkin bread is my favorite. You need to share that recipe with your readers, darling.

MK: I think I will. So this post is a rather long way of saying, enjoy your ”fall” or “autumn” wherever you are…and make some pumpkin bread to savor the season!

 

MK’s Spiced Pumpkin Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1/8. tsp. ground allspice

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1 cup canned pumpkin puree or 1 cup fresh pumpkin puree

2 large eggs

1/4 cup canola oil

 

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease one loaf pan and set aside. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices. In a large bowl wisk together sugar, milk, pumpkin, eggs and oil. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture. Stir until moistened. Pour into baking pan and bake for 60 minutes. (Check it–if it is getting too brown on top before it is done cover with foil.) And insert knife in center to ensure it is done. Cool for 10 minutes on wire rack before removing from pan.

 

 

Emmy Fashion–The Top Five No, Just No, Dresses

Come on now–you might have liked the gorgeous dresses yesterday, but this is the blog post you have been waiting for. The “No, Just No” dresses of the evening. So here we go. The Top Five No, Just  No, Dresses that should be buried in the back of someone’s closet, never to be seen again.

1. Julianne Hough in Jenny Packham.

I LOVE JENNY PACKHAM. I do! She has done AMAZING dresses for the Duchess of Cambridge that I have been obsessed with, but this–No, Just No.

2. Heidi Klum in Versace.

 

This just looked hard to me. And she has gorgeous legs, I love to see them in a dress with a slit, like last year.

3. Zosia Mamet in Honor.

I am not a fan of this print, but the leather bra-like thing? No, Just No.

4. Aubrey Plaza in Marios Schwab.

She’s so pretty–no need to look so prim!

5. Lena Dunham in Prada.

I think this print would be really cute in a sheath dress-not in a full skirt. No, Just No.

And that is my Top Five No, Just No looks. So do tell–what are yours?

XO Aven

Top Five Emmy Fashions

So last night was the Emmys which means–since there was no BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH on the red carpet this year–that my attention was STRICTLY focused on fashion. And while I was not a fan of the sky high hair (ACK!) I was a fan of many of the fashions that walked the red carpet. Here are my Top Five choices for best dressed. (You will get my worst dressed this week as well so fret not–ugly frocks coming your way soon!) But for now, let’s focus on what was stunning, yes yes? PS–THIS WAS HARD. I saved at least 15 photos of “YES! I LOVE!” in my file for this article. But I somehow managed to make some decisions to bring you my Top Five.

1. Linda Cardellini in Donna Karan Atelier.

 This was a WOW! impact dress. I absolutely love it. Styling is perfect, too. Love!

2. Michelle Dockery in Prada.

     

THIS WAS MY FAVORITE DRESS OF THE NIGHT. Unexpected back, gorgeous, rich colors, perfect accessories and CHECK OUT THE SHOES GIRLS. Love love love.

3. Christina  Hendricks in Christian Siriano.

 She looks AMAZING in this dress which is so glam and plays up her curves.

4. Kaley Cuoco in Vera Wang

 This dress is so beautiful. I love corset-like sheer top on this ballgown. Her waves are nice, her make-up isn’t competing with the dress, and the bracelets are STUNNING. Love.

5. Kate Mara in J. Mendel

I thought this whole look was super chic. The dress is different and fits her perfectly. I love the hair and the make-up and the words “white hot” come to mind.

So there are my Top Five. What are yours?

XO Aven

Top Five TV Boyfriends

So I have been challenged by a lovely across the pond–Meghan In the Sunshine–to list my Top Five TV Boyfriends. Now, this is obviously a work that requires immense research and deep contemplation, but because Meghan is a friend, and just lovely, I *shhhh put work aside for a moment* to carefully develop my list. So here it goes:

 

1. Benedict Cumberbatch, BBC’s Sherlock.

   

Oh, Bendict, Benedict, Benedict. I was drawn to you and your Sherlock crazy waves, then I became utterly transfixed by your acting.  And the American Jag car ads are NOT THE SAME as the ones my lovelies in the UK get with your amazing VOICE. (Don’t get me started on the Jag ad with Benedict in it. I might pass out and smash my head on the keyboard.)*SOB*

2. Henry Cavill, The Tudors.

 

Yes, I know, I know, The Tudors are OVER but I can watch Henry OVER AND OVER AND OVER as Charles Brandon. Another love at first sight. *SIGH*

 3. Juan Pablo, The Bachelor (Reality Pick)

In breaking with the HOT BRITISH MEN theme, next up is a reality star–JUAN PABLO, the next Bachelor! He is gorgeous, former professional athlete, and has a crazy sexy accent. Sign me up!

4. Matthew Settle, Band of Brothers

Yes, another series that is over, but it was on TV, and is always on reruns, and who is to deny the epic hotness of Matthew Settle as badass Captain Spiers?

5. Jensen Ackles, Supernatural.

I admit I do not watch this show. But Jensen is really hot. Do I need to explain this any further? Nah, I didn’t think so.

So there you have. Aven’s Top Five TV Boyfriends. Now do tell–who are yours?

XO Aven

Getting My Fall Fashion On

Confession: I absolutely LOVE fall fashions. LOVE THEM.

There are opaque tights, rich leather boots, glorious coats, cozy sweaters…What is not to love? There is something about fall clothes that makes me feel fashion forward and chic. Like I should be strolling around an outdoor mall, watching the autumn leaves blow by in a gust of wind, gripping a shopping bag in one hand and a pumpkin spice soy latte in the other while wearing my tall brown leather boots, tweed mini skirt, and cream cable knit sweater. Hmmm. I’m writing a book right now that takes place in autumn, maybe my girl Bree needs this outfit. *Must add it to her Pinterest board.*

That note aside,  I get happy thinking about my fall wardrobe. The first step is RESEARCH. I must make my list of fall fashion must haves. I purchase an obscene amount of fall fashion magazines and pour over them. I visit my favorite stores on line, eagerly clicking through pages of new items. After this, my wish list is compiled and sample outfits put together on paper. (See? I am serious about this people!)

But now that my research is complete,  I am ready to announce my Top Five Fall Fashion Essentials:

1. Smoking Slippers. I am so happy these are still in style from last season! They work with jeans, pants, pencil skirts with tights. I love the variety of patterns and textures they come in, too. I bought a pair of navy ones from Ann Taylor, and I wore them with winter white jeans and a navy Homeland T-shirt (my graphic T from last year) with a denim jacket thrown over the top.

http://www.anntaylor.com/candace-smoking-loafers/315520?colorExplode=false&skuId=14158070&catid=cat660018&productPageType=fullPriceProducts&defaultColor=1212

2. Faux Leather. Faux leather is very popular this season, and you can find it EVERYWHERE–in peplum tops to skirts to pants. I have a pair of black faux leather pants that I wear to work. Paired with a crisp white dress shirt, smoking slippers, and statement jewlery–with a cardigan thrown over the top–the look becomes chic and not hard.  This is a T-shirt with a faux leather trim. Simple, but elevates the classic white T-shirt a notch.

http://bananarepublic.gap.com/browse/product.do?vid=1&pid=558997002

3. Anything that is quilted. Quilting is showing up this season: on pants, on bags, and skirts. This little black skirt with quilting is so unexpected, and I love it!

http://www.anntaylor.com/quilted-skirt/309438?colorExplode=false&skuId=14692970&catid=cata000016&productPageType=fullPriceProducts&defaultColor=660

4. Oxblood. The color oxblood is so rich and luxurious. These boots with skinny jeans or leggings and an oversized black sweater? Glorious. Or paired with tights and a black skirt. I covet these.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/via-spiga-ibis-bootie/3477826?origin=keywordsearch-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=2375500&fashionColor=Oxblood%2F+Black+Calf&resultback=6135&cm_sp=personalizedsort-_-searchresults-_-undefined_16_C

5.Cream Cable Knits. And my final pick? A big cream cable knit sweater. Perfect for jeans; pairs well with a shorter skirt or faux leather pants. A timeless classic.

http://bananarepublic.gap.com/browse/product.do?vid=1&pid=688776002

And these are my essentials this season. So tell me, what are yours?

XO Aven

I have a spice addiction…and it’s not the Spice Girls

Although I do still find the song Wannabe kind of catchy…but I digress.

This weekend I took a trip to Central Market, and this aisle–the Great Wall of Spices, if you will–is one of my all-time freaking happy places. I love spices. LOVE THEM. Being someone who is passionate about cooking–and obsessively watches MasterChef and the Food Network–exotic spices are a MUST in the foodie pantry.

I remember the first time I saw The Great Wall of Spices. It was like the skies opened up, angels descended, harp music filled the air and the aisle glowed with magical light. I had found my spice home:

 

I eagerly looked them over, as I was used to the usual suspect assortment at the local supermarket. But these were chef spices! I was nearly giddy as my eyes skimmed the containers–Saffron! Cardamom! Herbs de Provence! My God, I really could pretend to be Giada with these spices in my pantry!

Thus was the beginning of the exploding spice situation at home. Soon my pantry was overrun with spices. I began stuffing them into baskets and other shelves. Because come on now, I HAD to have my own Great Spice Cabinet at home, didn’t I?

My latest treasured find? SMOKED BLACK PEPPER. This one can change the flavor of anything. You must try it. Trust me on this.

Here are my top five favorite spices:

1.  Smoked Black Pepper. Phenomenal. Seriously, I cannot rave about this one enough.

2. Cinnamon. I cannot have a pantry without this. It’s warm. Cozy. Comforting.

3. Cumin. This one I replenish all the time. I use it in every Mexican/Southwestern dish I make.

4.Sweet Smoked Spanish Paprika. Surprise, it’s not hot…and it tastes amazing in hummus. And I also blend it with butter and rub a chicken with it before roasting. YUM!

5.Herbs de Provence. This is a mixture of different herbs. I use it when roasting chicken or vegetables.

So foodie friends, do tell: what are your top five spices? After all, variety is the spice of life, is it not?

And for me, that variety can be found in one exploding pantry full of them.

XO Aven

 

Twitter…The Online Cocktail Party

I have come to the conclusion that getting involved in the Twittersphere is very much like attending a cocktail party.

Whenever I go to a cocktail party, I put on my little black dress. Heels. Check for lipstick on my teeth (don’t you HATE when you don’t catch that?)  Then I take a deep breath, walk into the room, and observe. I have to feel people out before I can even think about approaching someone for conversation. Do I see anyone I know? OK talk to them first–get a comfort level up.  Now you will start meeting people you don’t know. Here is where I ask the new person questions about themselves; try to say something funny or witty, share a story…and see where it falls. If the person is engaging you back–GOOD SIGN! If they smile politely, answer a few questions, and then head off to the cash bar for a refill? FAIL.

I have had this same experience on Twitter. First, building your profile is getting dressed for the party. Good picture? Does it reflect me? Have I written something interesting or entertaining in my description?

Once you have this down, you enter the party–or in this case, Twitter. At first I wasn’t sure what the rules were for participation. If someone throws a random 140 character comment out, is it OK if I respond to it? If two Twitter users are conversing, can I comment? Or is this interaction really just between the two people? But if they are putting it on Twitter for the world to read, doesn’t that open it up for comments since it is not private? GAH. I decided that Twitter was way harder to navigate than a cocktail party. WHERE ARE THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT FOR TWITTER DAMN IT?

Well, since no such guidebook exists, I threw caution to the wind and joined the Twitter party. Much to my surprise, most people were really nice and receptive. So I would comment on things that interested me–and I ended up meeting really lovely people from all over the world (I kid you not.) Who knew that commenting on a Henry Cavill tweet would lead me to Gemma in Northern Ireland? (Waving to Gemma! Hello Gemma!) She didn’t think it was crazy that a woman in Dallas started a dialogue with her about Henry. Now we are very good friends–all thanks to a simple tweet.

Other times, though, you can almost see the polite smiles behind the keyboard and feel the whole “time to get another glass of wine, see you around” kind of vibe. This can be in the form of an “unfollow” because your tweets are driving a follower insane (someone might not want a Twitter timeline crammed full with men in crisp white dress shirts or aviator sunglasses if they follow me–I know, I can’t believe that either, but it is true.)  Others will politely answer your question, but no further engagement beyond that. You know, because they had to leave the iPad to go get another glass of wine.

But in all honesty, this is OK. When that person walks away at the cocktail party, you know in the future exchanges will be pleasant and limited…and I’m totally good with that. Not everyone you meet at a party will become a part of your social circle, and the same theory applies to Twitter.

But for every person that I didn’t develop a Twitter connection with (HA! I sound like I’m on The Bachelor now), I found many more that did want to develop that Twitter bond. And that makes the Twitter party all worthwhile, don’t you think?

Coffee and Characters

If you have spent approximately 2.5 seconds on my website, you will see I that I kind of sorta have a thing for coffee. As in ADDICTION. Now, I can go back and blame this on my Grandma Addie, who had a General Foods International Coffee every day at breakfast,  at 3PM (A TRUE COFFEE BREAK, YES?) and with dinner. Being that Grandma Addie was incredibly hip (the woman had red lipstick, designer clothes, and heels on every day…into her 80′s!), I had to try it, too. And I was hooked.

Coffee is such a part of our culture it only seems fitting that my characters in my books have their own coffee quirks too. Mary-Kate (MK) Grant in Connecitivty is very basic in her coffee–a Starbucks grande with cream. Simple and to the point. She’s a foodie–and appreicates the pure flavor of coffee enhanced with a splash of cream. (Yes, authors spend a lot of time with our characters,  and I know them down to the coffee they drink.)

Kylie Reed in Waiting For Prince Harry has the hideous task of ordering the coffees for her fellow employees at the boutique she works at. And her coworkers try to one up each other with varying degrees of difficult coffee drinks. I did research for this scene, and all of those drinks are actual beverages ordered by customers. And trust me, they are crazy ridiculous.

A cappuccino is the beverage of choice for Avery Andrews in Chronicles of a Lincon Park Fashionista.  Avery believes every outfit has the perfect accessory, and so does her coffee. And that accessory happens to be foamed milk.

I have a couple of favorite coffee drinks myself. For the most part–black coffee with Thin Mint flavored Coffee-mate. (Girl Scout Cookie flavored creamer is the best invention ever, I dare say.) Autumn is my FAVORITE coffee season, and I become a total latte slut at that time of year. Spiced Pumpkin? Gingerbread? YES AND YES please!

So do tell…how do you take your coffee? Who knows, your drink might just show up in my next book.

 

A Little Thing Called Connectivity…

When the idea for Connectivity first sprang into my head while watching Sherlock last spring, I never dreamed it would lead me where I am today.

It started out as any other story idea: I saw a hero, William Cumberland. Dashing. Dark-haired. British. Brilliant. Social media mogul. As fast as I could type these notes into my Blackberry, his image kept coming to me. Emotionally closed off, no time for relationships he didn’t want or didn’t need…until he met Mary-Kate Grant, the spirited American redhead who was only driven by her passion for her career…until she met William.

I had never seen characters so clearly before. I sketched the whole story from beginning to end, typing out page after detailed page of notes. And as I was doing it, I knew I had something special with William and MK. Sure, I had written many other stories, all stashed in big envelopes under my bed. But I could feel something magical was happening at the keyboard when I began to tell their story. The name of William’s social media site is Connectivity (for the connections people could make there) but there was also a strong connection forming between William and MK–another form of connectivity, if you will.

And I felt the connectivity between myself and this story–I couldn’t stop writing it, and when I wasn’t writing, I was thinking about when I could write it and reconnect with it. Something new formed in me as a writer with William and MK. I had a new confidence, a belief that other people would fall in love with these characters and this story as much as I did.

So I let some people read it, and their feedback confirmed the feeling I had when I was lost in the story. This story was fun, it was special, and readers wanted to see this couple find each other on this journey. And this is the book that I sold to Soul Mate Publishing this past spring.

And with the launch of this website, and this blog, I have a whole new journey as an author in front of me. Connectivity will be published on October 23. Waiting For Prince Harry is coming in 2014, as well as a romantic comedy in the New Adult genre.

All this is all thanks to a little thing called Connectivity.