Samantha Verant's Blog, page 10

Book Clubs, Blog Tours, and...Oh My!

Book clubs + red wine = Seven Letters from ParisI love, love, love all the photos people are sending me. Seriously! Thank you! I feel like I'm part of the party! Amazingly, things are going very well for Seven Letters from Paris so far! Not so shabby for a debut author who was once told her book wouldn't stand a chance at being published because she wasn't a celebrity! Again, just call me Seabiscuit-- because I found the right people who believed in me. Well, there is that, and you can never give up on your dreams. You have to push- harder, faster, stronger. The eye of the tiger! (And...then you can take a little break, but not for too long).

On that, please keep spreading the word about Seven Letters from Paris! If you tell two friends, and they tell two friends...and so on and so on and so on! (Am I aging myself here? Anybody else remember that commerical?)


The Blog Tour Continues...
Today, I'm featured on Kasia Dietz's site, LOVE IN THE CITY OF LIGHTS! Kasia, like me, is another expat living in France, and we connected many moons ago. She's another lovely soul I've been dying to meet. Once I get to Paris! In addition to being a beautiful writer, Kasia also has a line of wonderful handbags! You MUST check them out. Click here!


That's it for now -- more news tomorrow + a fabulous post by author Jessica Bell!
xox
Bisous from Toulouse
Samantha

Baby Got Book...

The Australian Edition of Seven Letters from Paris (Pink)
You'd have to be living under a rock if you haven't heard Nicki Minaj's remake of Sir Mix-a-Lot's Baby Got Back. Nicki's video is eye opening, to say the least. I just received a preview copy of the Australian edition of Seven Letters from Paris, thanks to my awesome editor over at Random House, Fiona!

Oh, My, God, Becky! Look at her book! It is soooo big.
I like big BOOKS
And I can not lie...
(I wrote a memoir).
Perhaps, a video? Maybe. One day. I'm full of crazy ideas! I think I have to find an anaconda, though.

The blog tour continues
Today, an awesome review on Write Meg! And a guest post, review + giveaway on Griperang's BookMarks!
Go! Go! Go!

Let them eat cake! (And save me a slice, too!)

How 'bout this cake?
I've been working diligently on the launch of Seven Letters from Paris, but it hasn't been all work and no play. This weekend, I hosted a dinner party of eight to celebrate the release. The witnesses to our wedding (my adoptive French family and in the book), Christian and Ghislaine, brought over this beautiful cake. It's very similar to the one they surprised us with on our wedding day on May 7th, 2010. Add two bottles of champagne, stir, and voila! A celebration!
In other party-type news, I received a PDF from my publisher on Friday. Seven Letters from Paris is the featured book club pick in the November issue of Woman's Day Magazine. Tell your book clubs! Spread the word! Thank you! Good karma will come your way! It will!

It's my book! In a national magazine! Holy Moly!

The blog tour continues!
Today, Seven Letters from Paris is featured on the Words and Peace Blog (book review + giveaway), brought to you by France Book Tours and the wonderful Emma!

Okay, it's definitely nap time.
xox

Launch Week Recap! In the wild!

A big bisous goes to Margie White, who sent me this photo of SEVEN LETTERS at a Barnes & Noble in Illinois!
One of the most exciting things about being a published author is seeing your book in a store for the very first time. Look, look, there it is! Or at least I can imagine the thrill. Unfortunately, though, I live in Toulouse, France and I know my book won't be found on the shelves...unless I put it there. (You should see the limited selection of books in English! It's seriously tiny!) Thankfully, a bunch of you have sent me pictures, or posted on Twitter and Instagram, capturing Seven Letters from Paris in the wild, spotting the book in stores across the US.
It's a dream come true!
 And I thank you from the bottom of my heart. 
I think it's time for a Moondance!
  (July 24th, 2010- the wedding dance!)


The blog tour continues!
I've been following Lindsey Tramuta's amazing site, LOST IN CHEESELAND, ever since I moved to France five years ago. It's been a wealth of information for me, and I also made a new 'virtual' friend! One day...I hope to meet her in Paris. (I'm working on that!) Today, I'm thrilled Lindsey has featured Seven Letters from Paris on her site with a sweet write up and a guest post, Seven Things I've Learned Living with a French Man, from yours truly. Plus, there's a book giveaway...
Jacqueline Brown of French Village Diaries has come back for blog tour round two! This past Wednesday, she wrote a lovely review of Seven Letters from Paris,  and, today, she's interviewed me.
Well, that's it on my end! It's been a truly exciting week. I'd like to thank everybody for their support! You've all gone above and beyond the call of duty! Have a great weekend!
Best wishes and bisous from Toulouse! 
xox

Launch day three: (or Ermagad...I'm tired!)

Ermagad, launching a book is tiring. My head is spinning. I'm beyond exhausted. I'm spent. But I'm also thrilled. Since day one (five years ago), I've been in this for the long-haul. Never quit! Never give up! Keep pushing forward! (Can't I take a long nap now? NOPE. No rest for the weary!!) Thankfully, there is a big pay off at the end! At least for now!

Five years later...and this! This makes the hard work worth it!

My book is in stores! Thank you to Teresa Rhyne, my pub sister and confidant,
for capturing Seven Letters in the wild! Barnes and Noble! Hello!Seven Letters is 84 in hor new releases! I'm competing with Amy Pohler, come on!
A #7 bestseller in France travel guides. ( I'm guiding people to love...)#1 in France Travel on Kindle!


#10 on Traveler and Explorer biographies (I explore love...)
#4 On Best Travelogues and Travel Europe!All of this is great. Fantastic. Stellar. Yay! But my work isn't over yet. In fact, it's only just beginning. I need to keep the buzz going! That's where you come in. You are my village people! Don't fight over who will be the Indian, the cop, or the policeman! Just spread the word about Seven Letters. Please! Tweet this post. FB it. And then we can all dance the YMCA together. (Jean-Luc says. "Never me Alive!" and we are going to ignore him!)

The book launch/ blog tour continues!
Today, the amazing Mardi Michel's from Eat. Live. Travel. Write, has a book review and a giveaway of Seven Letters from Paris! Huzzah! Mardi's site is amazing. Please check it out! You will leave it hungry. Very hungry! And, while you're at it, check out my new sister from another mister's post about Seven Letters on American Art Girls Art Club in Paris. (Margie and I were supposed to meet in person a few weeks ago. But I had book baby brain and we missed our connection! Thankfully, we we were able to Skype and share a glass of wine together!)

The support continues!
What can I say? Eloisa James has been an amazing friend...and we haven't even met! (Yet!)  I contacted her way back when to ask if she would be willing to support Seven Letters. And she's gone above and beyond the call of duty, posting about Seven Letters on her FB page to her thousand of followers and agreeing to giveaway her memoir during my launch. TALK ABOUT A CLASSY AUTHOR! I hope to follow in her footsteps! I loved her memoir Paris In Love and it's my hope you'll love it too!
Check it out! 

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Okay. Time for that nap! Gros bisous from Toulouse!!!
xox

Wednesday is more than all write! What a great book launch!

My book! In the wild! At Barnes & Noble!
Yesterday's book launch event went better than I'd anticipated! 300 people showed to support SEVEN LETTERS FROM PARIS! I'm so very grateful. And it seems a good time was had by all! People like the fact that I wasn't just pimping out my own book and were thrilled with the giveaways. (8 books total, including mine). A heartfelt thanks goes out to Ann Mah, Eloisa James, Jennifer L. Scott, and Sourcebooks for agreeing to my crazy idea to support other authors! We done good.
Jean-Luc came home with a bottle of champagne to celebrate the launch, so the party wasn't just virtual. (I'm so keeping him!)
My friend Sara tweeted the above photo from Barnes & Noble in Fairfax, VA. I was floored! My book is actually on shelves? It's surreal. Also surreal was becoming an Amazon category bestseller before the book was released! My jaw? It's still on the floor. I thought my mom, sister, and friends were the only people who pre-ordered the book. Apparently, more people did. THANK YOU!!!!
I'm sending all of you virtual kisses and hugs!


Come again? I should have taken a screen shot that morning!


Note: I just checked Amazon and they only have 14 paperback copies left in stock. Just sayin.'

Well, that, and I wouldn't have had a successful book launch without YOU!

More hugs. More kisses. I'm truly blessed with support. Again, I'm floored.


The launch tour continues! 
Today, the lovely Jacqueline Brown, of French Village Diaries has posted a review of SEVEN LETTERS, and my pub sister Susan Blumberg-Kason, author of Good Chinese Wife, has posted a review/post. Susan received my book from our publisher and left a lovely review on Goodreads. I, of course, immediately asked my editor for her memoir! I received it about a week ago, started it (and am loving it--a fantastic read!!!), but got sidetracked by something called a book launch. I also had one read ahead of hers. You should see my TBR pile! And my checklist of things to do!

Good Chinese Wife is staring at me from my shelf right now, begging to be picked up. And that's exactly what I'm going to do once I finish this post! It's powerful and fantastic and honest! Don't believe me? Check out GCW for yourself!

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Phew! I'm looking forward to some reading time!
Bisous!

SEVEN LETTERS FROM PARIS Launch Day! Houston, we have lift off!

AVAILABLE NOW!!!Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository  | Indie Bound | Target | Walmart

It's here! It's here! Today, October 7th (there's my lucky number!), SEVEN LETTERS FROM PARIS is being released into the wild. Please stop by my virtual party on Facebook and help me celebrate! In addition to giving away signed copies of my book, introducing you to the "cast," and sharing a few scenes/notes cut from the manuscript, there will be some stellar giveaways throughout the day. Seven (there's my number again!) French-themed memoirs from seven (and again) supremely talented authors AND a subscription to Romantic Paris Magazine will be up for grabs. It's a true French affair! Click on the banner to join me!

Share the invite with this the link:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/1497709280475679/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming


What's a party without friends? 
Ann Mah, author of the delicious memoir Mastering the Art of French Eating, is helping me celebrate the release of Seven Letters from Paris by giving away a paperback edition of her book. Even better? It's open worldwide! Enter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please note: the paperback edition will not be released until October 28th, so the winner will receive the book sometime in early November.

The blog tour (and party) continues! Pop open the champagne!
Today, Vicki Lesage, author of the hilarious memoir Confessions of a Paris Party Girl has posted an INTERVIEW with yours truly, Amy Thomas, author of Paris, My Sweet has posted her thoughts on  SEVEN LETTERS , and the wonderful Nicole Meir of Have Tote Will Travel, has posted a review of SEVEN LETTERS .

In other news, I'd like to congratulate two AMAZING authors who endorsed SEVEN LETTERS FROM PARIS! 

“Seven Letters from Paris is the story of a sexy, passionate, whirlwind romance twenty years in the making...and worth the wait. Sam shows us all the power of second chances and following your heart.” ~ Teresa Rhyne, #1 New York Times bestselling author of T he Dog Lived (And So Will I) "A true story of long-lost passion found, but also a cautionary tale on the importance of small gestures and romance in everyday life." ~ Jennifer L. Scott, author of Lessons from Madame Chic


A big toast to my publishing sister, Teresa J. Rhyne (The Dogs Were Rescued- And So Was I), and to Jennifer L. Scott (At Home with Madame Chic) whose second installments also release today. Lucky number October 7! Also, Amy Thomas, mentioned above, will be giving birth to a baby girl tomorrow! Cheers and felicitations!
Today, and in keeping with the French theme, Jennifer has generously offered to give away a copy of At Home with Madame Chic, at my virtual launch event. (US only) And my publisher, Sourcebooks, is supplying a copy of Amy Thomas's Paris, My Sweet (US/CANADA) to one lucky winner.

Thank you, ladies. I'm here to support you, too! A gros bisous (big kiss) to all of you!

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LINKS TO ANN'S, VICKI'S, AMY'S, TERESA'S, AND JENNIFER'S  BOOKS

Add to Goodreads


Add to Goodreads

  Add to Goodreads

  Add to Goodreads
Add to Goodreads

It's Launch Week...and I'm Ready for Take-off (Don't let me crash...)

Me--launching. Photo credit: Karina Waters: Château de Gudanes
I can't believe it. Tomorrow, October 7th, SEVEN LETTERS FROM PARIS will be released into the wild. And I may roar. I'm bracing myself...perhaps with a glass of champagne? To celebrate, I'm having a virtual party on Facebook. You're invited! Please stop by and feel free to spread the word.  In addition to giving away signed copies of my book, introducing you to the "cast," and sharing a few scenes/notes cut from the manuscript, there will be some stellar giveaways throughout the day. Seven (there's my number) French-themed memoirs from seven supremely talented authors:

Paris Letters by Janice MacLeod-Lik
We’ll Always Have Paris by Jennifer Coburn
The French House by Don Wallace
Paris, My Sweet by Amy Thomas
Mastering the Art of French Eating by Ann Mah
At Home with Madame Chic by Jennifer L. Scott
Paris In Love by Eloisa James

Plus, a subscription to Romantic Paris Magazine will be up for grabs.

Yep! It's a true French affair! Click on the banner to join me!

 
If you'd like to share the invite, here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/1497709280475679/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming
Don't be stingy! Share it! Share it! I'm not Lena Dunham...or, god forbid, Snooki!
The blog tour for SEVEN LETTERS FROM PARIS is already in full swing. There's an interview with me on Rebecca Hall's LEAVING CAIRO, which was posted on October 2nd, and, yesterday, I spent the day answering questions about my life and book on WE LOVE MEMOIRS.
Today, I'm thrilled to be featured on CHICK LIT CENTRAL, with an amazing review of the book a book giveaway, and on Jan Moran and Janice MacLeod's sites. I love these ladies. And I love their books. Part of being a writer is supporting other authors. So here goes it...
You may remember my post on Janice's memoir, Paris Letters, a few months ago. If you haven't read it, check it out. We are pub sisters, share a similar title... and Janice used to work for my dad. (We knew nothing about this until recently...) Her book is awesome! You can find Paris Letters everywhere books are sold! You can find Janice here: http://www.janicemacleod.com/

Jan and I have been communicating for a few months. I just read her recent release FLAWLESS, a wonderful, heart-stomping, guilty pleasure -- in the vein of a Jackie Collins-- five-star read. But I'm really looking forward to the March 2015 release of Scent of Triumph! I can't wait! You can connect with Jan here: http://www.janmoranwrites.com/


I'm thrilled both of these authors are supporting SEVEN LETTERS FROM PARIS. And I wanted to share their books with you. What goes around comes around, or so they say...
Gros bisous from Toulouse!
Wish me luck! Tomorrow is a big day!!!

A Self-Proclaimed Princess in France cooks Les Moules (with a frog)...

For today's edition of Melting Pot Monday, where anything goes, we're cooking les moules à la marinière, or mussels in a white white sauce. See, mussels are in season now, according to the frog. He says the best time to eat them are in the 'bre months-- Septembre, Octobre, Novembre, and Decembre. The same goes for les huitres (oysters).

The frog taught me the basic recipe for les moules à la marinière, but I, of course, have some delicious add-ons. Watch this video...and then grab your wooden (and slotted) spoons.





Prep time: 10/15 minutes
Cooking time: 15/20 minutes

Ingredients:
1 pound of mussels for each person (try and find "ready to cook" mussels, or you'll have to de-beard 'em: HOW TO CLEAN MUSSELS) Important: cook the mussels the DAY you buy them. There is nothing worse than the smell of cooking mussels gone bad. On this...I know. 
1 bottle of white wine (I used a Sauvignon, but any white or rosé will do-- even a table/boxed wine!)
4-5 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
4-5 shallots, sliced thin
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped parsley
a healthy pinch of fleur de sel (or three pinches regular salt)
three pinches of herbs de provence (or a bit of crushed thyme, oregano, and rosemary)
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extras: 1 two inch piece of ginger sliced into small strips

other add-ins (not shown here): fennel, one sliced and simmered with the garlic, shallots, etc.

pimento or red jalapenos peppers (if you like spicy dishes) and parsley to garnish

ALTS: instead of white wine, use beer! 3 bottles of your favorite should suffice!

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Instructions: Watch the video!

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Cook for about 15-20 minutes (covered), tossing ingredients occasionally, on low/medium heat. Serve with les frites (French fries).

 
 Bon app!

Mastering the art of French Cooking...for a French Family

Here we go! My first VLOG... followed by a recipe. We'll see if this crazy idea continues...



Now, grab your wooden spoons. Here's a recipe for perfect rosemary potatoes...


Ingredients: Potatoes, sliced and diced. Olive oil. Fleur de del (salt). And fresh or dried Rosemary.
Cook on low/medium heat  for a half an hour, tossing occasionally.
The end result should look like this (crunchy and golden on the outside, tender inside).

Bon Appétit!