Laura Chapman's Blog, page 32

book selfie - 'the last single girl'

After finishing my first read of 2015 during the day on Jan. 1, I needed another story to close out the first day of the new year. During the final days of 2014, I discovered I have a ridiculously high number of unread books hanging out on my Nook, Kindle, and bookshelves. Determined to resolve that, and in the market for a short, fun read, I turned to Caitie Quinn's romantic comedy novella, The Last Single Girl .

With the dregs of New Year's Eve champagne in my holiday wine glass sippy cuppy and my Christmas tree lights still stubbornly on, this seemed like the perfect set-up for a night curled up on the sofa.

One month. 

That's all Sarah has to find a date for the Big Night or earn the honor of being the last single girl in her inner circle. Actually, in all her circles. So with four weeks to find Mr. Right and a frienemy already counting her out, Sarah joins eLove.com hoping that - just like the perfect purse - the internet and online dating can help her find the perfect man. 

The problem is, love isn't always where you think you'll find it and Mr. Right may not be the one with the shiniest profile.

Fast-paced with a witty and concise writing, The Last Single Girl was everything I was looking for in a light evening read. Dropped into the story at precisely the right moment, I understood and related to Sarah's predicament, empathized with it (particularly the wenchy frenemy), and wanted to see how her attempts at finding a New Year's Eve date via online dating would go.

I was also quickly smitten with one of the men who comes across Sarah's path and found myself cheering for him almost as much as I was rooting on Sarah.

The "villain" of this story, who happens to be Sarah's frenemy, was also just irritating enough for me to want to slap a few times, but not bad enough that I couldn't understand why they were friends.

As a fellow last single girl, this was a particularly nice read to start my new year. It left me feeling like love really could be just around the corner, and maybe it's somewhere you wouldn't suspect immediately. That's not such a bad thought.


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movie monday: 'a novel romance'

Blogger's Note: It's no secret I devote much of December to following the latest (and past-time favorite) Hallmark movies. So I was thrilled to learn the channel would count down to Valentine's Day with a new movie each weekend leading up to the holiday. Naturally, I couldn't resist watching, live-tweeting, and ultimately blogging about my take on each new flick.


A Novel Romance
Original air date: Jan. 10
Starring Amy Acker, Dylan Bruce, and Charles S. Dutton

Romance novelist Liam Bradley (Dylan Bruce) has already found massive success with three books written under the pen name Gabriel August, but he's mysteriously unknown to his legions of readers. With his first book written as a way to heal after a broken relationship, Liam has slowly become disheartened with writing strictly for romantic fantasy, something evident to a sweet, but honest, journalist who reviews books, Sophie Atkinson (Amy Acker), whom he meets by chance on a plane. The two begin a tentative relationship in Sophie’s home town of Portland, Maine, where Liam has come to find inspiration for his newest entry. 

Liam’s agent puts him on the spot with a long-planned reveal of Gabriel August’s true identity, but Sophie doesn’t know of his public persona. The longer Liam avoids telling her the truth, the deeper a hole he digs for himself. Will their romance survive once his true identity comes to light?

Overall a cute story, A Novel Romance was missing a lot of the spark and humor I adored in last week's movie. More sweet than sparkling, the best part of the movie was the character development.

I particularly enjoyed Liam, an adorkable and shy man with a lot of history and a big secret. I'm a sucker for the guy who has it all going on, but needs a little push to realize how much potential he has.

This Nicholas Sparks-esque writer is pretty dishy in a smooth waters run deep kind of way. #ANovelRomance
— Laura Chapman (@lmchap) January 11, 2015

By comparison, his love interest, Sophie, drove me a little crazy. I imagine that was the point, but there were several moments of the movie when I wanted to flick her on the nose and tell her to get it together already.

Oh, girlfriend, spying and staging a "run-in" isn't very cute. #ANovelRomance
— Laura Chapman (@lmchap) January 11, 2015

I don't always like the supporting characters in these movies, but they were some of my favorite parts of this particular film From Sophie's BFFs who recently discovered that they were in love after years of friendship (a totally adorable back story for any character let alone supporting) to Liam's meddling literary agent, the supporting characters were a lot of fun to watch.

I love the meddling literary agent. I kind of want to be like her when I grow up. #ANovelRomance
— Laura Chapman (@lmchap) January 11, 2015

The production on this movie had me scratching my head a few times. Everything filmed outdoors was great, but whenever there was something with a background out the window (like a New York City skyline or a city street), it looked way too green screen. I wouldn't say it ruined the movie for me, but I did find it distracting.

I also had a bit of difficulty suspending my belief on a few components of the film, which I can't really share on here without being spoilery. They're parts that come from my history of having worked at a newspaper, maintaining a blog/website and being a writer. Again, it didn't ruin the movie for me, but it usually seemed a little too good to be true. (I suppose I'm just a cynic.)

Though not my favorite Hallmark movie ever, this one had a pretty big cute-factor going for it. Even with me rolling my eyes at Sophie a time or five, Liam's dishiness made up for it. It makes me wonder if I shouldn't have looked for books written by attractive, witty, single men back in my book reviewing days. Maybe I'd be hanging out on a boat in Portland right now instead of sitting on a couch wearing sweatpants. (It's the weekend as I'm writing this. Don't judge me.)

While I won't be adding this to my re-watch list, I enjoyed watching it this time well enough.

So #ANovelRomance is sponsored by McCormick. Now I'll have pumpkin pie spice and cumin on my mind for the rest of the movie.
— Laura Chapman (@lmchap) January 11, 2015

Who watched A Novel Romance? What did you think?

And in case you missed it, here's my look from last night's Golden Globes viewing. I naturally had to work the smokey eye, big hair and pouty look.

I'm also working the smokey-eye and big updo look with my PJs. #goldenglobes #whatareyouwearingA photo posted by @lmchap614 on Jan 11, 2015 at 3:48pm PST

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reading in the kitchen - oyster soup

Last year I set a goal for myself: make one recipe a month from Barbara M. Walker's The Little House Cookbook and revive the Reading in the Kitchen series I'd so enjoyed doing a couple of years ago. As way leads to way, that didn't happen, but I figure it's never too late for a second chance at meeting a goal.

So here we go. First up, oyster soup, which gets a shout-out in  On the Banks of Plum Creek  (when Pa stays alive on oyster crackers during a sudden blizzard) and By the Shores of Silver Lake , when Ma makes it for Christmas dinner.

I'll admit, I had reservations going into this dish. I love cream-based soups like this, and clam chowder is a personal favorite. I adore seafood. But oysters kind of freak me out. I know oysters on a half shell are supposed to be a delicacy (and an aphrodisiac), but the slimy texture grosses me out. I hoped this dish would prove me wrong.

The ingredients for this are pretty simple. (You can find the full list and detailed directions in the cookbook pages 29-30.)


I started by draining the liquid from the oyster cans into a measuring cup.


I poured the cup of oyster juice and a cup of water into a pot on the stove, which I set over a medium heat. While that warmed up, I crushed up some of the oyster crackers as finely as I could


I poured those and the butter into the pot and waited for it to boil.


And I stirred.


Once the pot was boiling, I dumped the oysters in. This was the point during cooking when I wondered if I'd actually be able to eat this dish. Those canned oysters just looked so slimy and gooey and gross. Blech.


I poured in the milk and only a fraction of the cream (because the soup already smelled good enough and the recipe book said the cream and butter might make it a little rich for the tummy).


While the pot returned to a boil I added some ground pepper, mace, and nutmeg.


After everything simmered together for a few minutes, I removed it from the heat and poured myself a serving. The recipe book says this will make six small servings. I found it yielded four portions that worked well as the main dish at lunch.


I'm happy to report that though the oysters looked gross going into the pot, and weren't exactly super appetizing to look like after cooking, the whole soup was delicious. It was actually pretty easy, too, so I may try this one again.


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a few of my favorite things day

It doesn't get much better than The Princess Bride
on TV and macaroni and cheese in a bowl. 
I'm fortunate to have a day job that gives me a week (or more) off at the end of the year. While I've approached each of these winter shutdowns with a plan to be super productive and change my world, that doesn't always pan out.

Case in point, this winter break I had every intention of spending my week and a half off:
Doing a round of edits on The Marrying Type (I did that)Having a conference call about TMT with my publisher (Also did that)Writing a holiday novella (Not even close, but I did make some nice notes)Taking a first read-through of Book 3 (I didn't even get through the first chapter)Stockpiling a bunch of blog posts (I was moderately successful with this, but only managed a fraction)Organizing and cleaning my apartment to get my life together in time for the New Year (That's where this post comes into play)
Though I had high hopes for essentially changing the world during my time off, I also approached this year's break with one overarching goal: Have a nice time and no regrets.

With that charge in mind, I took one day of last week and dubbed it, "Do a Few of My Favorite Things While Simultaneously Managing Some of My Not-So-Favorite Things Day." What does that mean? Basically, I watched a few of my favorite movies, ate a couple of my favorite foods, and essentially enjoyed myself while also doing some of the necessary evils, like taking down and packing up my Christmas decor, washing and sorting the laundry, and organizing and cleaning my apartment.

When I couldn't be near my TV to do things like organize my bedroom closet and clean the bathroom, I used the waiting TV to motivate me to work that much faster.

My favorite foods included hazelnut coffee and waffles for breakfast, macaroni and cheese for lunch, and more pasta for dinner. (I also ate a box of Milkduds, which probably wasn't necessary given the carbs I'd already consumed, but whatever.) My TV played some of my all-time favorite movies, including The Little Mermaid, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, and Beauty and the Beast. Then I finished off the night be reading through the first few chapters of my novel, which was due back to the editor over the weekend.

Bingley even got in on the laundry action.
I checked a lot of items off of my to-do list that day, had a nice time, and was able to greet the end of my vacation feeling like I'd achieved my main goal and enough of my secondary objectives.

What would go into your favorite/not so-favorite things day?


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happy release day to tracie banister and 'twin piques'

Congratulations to my friend Tracie Banister, who is releasing her third novel, Twin Piques, today. I had an opportunity to see an early copy of this novel, and it has a lot of intrigue and fun for fans of Chick Lit.

Twin Piques tells the story of Sloane and Willa, twins who look everything alike, but are nothing alike in personality. Told from both perspectives, I truly enjoyed being able to see what each sister was experiencing from her perspective. I'm a fan of Tracie's work (read my reviews here and here), and I'm looking forward to picking up the final version of this book now that it is available for sale.

In honor of Tracie's new book about sisters, I'm sharing five things I love most about the relationship I have with my sister, Sarah.


1. We have history. We have a whole lifetime of memories. We've seen the same movies and TV shows. We've been at the same family dinners. While we may not always have the same sense of humor or the same point of view on a topic, we're comfortable sharing our perspective with each other without having to worry about judgement. Also, between the two of us, one is usually bound to remember something that happened and the other forgot, which is pretty handy.


2. She listens to me. Whether it's complaining about the awful day I've had or dreaming about what I would like to be when I grow up, my sister is my best sounding board. She listens and offers good advice (even if I'm not sure I want it at the time, I always come to realize she made an excellent point). And she listens to the little things. Like when I said I wanted her to make me paper cutout pictures of the cats. Ultimately, they made it under the Christmas tree.


3. She indulges me and my schemes. Within reason. While I like planning and structure in my life, I also like some pockets of spontaneity. Whether I'm coming to Sarah with a long-term plan, like wanting to go ice skating on Christmas Eve or a short-term plan like wanting to build a snowman, my sister is usually game. Unless it's ridiculous. Then she's there to talk sense into me.


4. How proud I am of her. Sometimes I find myself looking at the amazing twenty-five-year-old woman my sister has become, and I remember helping her learn to tie her shoes as a tot. I was proud of her then, just like I was proud of her when she graduated high school and college. And I am proud of her now as she does things like hike the Grand Canyon rim to rim, volunteers at an orphanage in Haiti, or works two often thankless jobs with a resolve to do her best.


5. She's my best friend. That description says it all. You don't always get to pick your family, but in my case I totally lucked out.

Again, congrats on the new release, Tracie!

About the Book

Forensic accountant Sloane Tobin and kooky pet psychic Willa may have the same face, but that’s the only thing these identical twins have in common. 

How she can read the hearts and minds of animals has always been a mystery to Willa, and her rotten luck with men is equally baffling. Although she’s been looking for “The One” for what feels like forever (A teenage marriage to a French mime and dating a guy named Spider seemed like good ideas at the time!), optimistic Willa refuses to give up on love. When she meets Brody, the handsome rose expert hired to save her grandmother’s garden, she’s instantly smitten, but why does he keep sending her mixed signals? Does he return her feelings, or is their attraction all in her fanciful head? 

Unlike her twin, Sloane has zero interest in romance. Her passion is her job, where she uses her gift for numbers to take down slimy embezzlers and asset-hiding spouses. When she’s assigned two high profile cases, Sloane feels confident the promotion she’s been angling for is within her grasp. But will her plan to climb the corporate ladder be thwarted by difficult clients, her co-worker-with-benefits, or – most surprisingly of all – her own sister? And how’s she supposed to stay focused on the drama at work when her childhood friend, Gav, moves in next door and the spark between them becomes impossible to ignore? 

To get what they both want, can Willa and Sloane band together and rely on each other’s strengths? Or will their differences drive them apart once and for all?

Add the Book on Goodreads

Buy the Book
Amazon US
Amazon Global

About the Author
An avid reader and writer, Tracie Banister has been scribbling stories since she was a child, most of them featuring feisty heroines with complicated love lives like her favorite fictional protagonist Scarlett O’Hara. Her work was first seen on the stage of her elementary school, where her 4th grade class performed an original holiday play that she penned. (Like all good divas-in-the-making, she also starred in and tried to direct the production.)

Tracie’s dreams of authorial success were put on the backburner when she reached adulthood and discovered that she needed a “real” job in order to pay her bills. Her career as personal assistant to a local entrepreneur lasted for 12 years. When it ended, she decided to follow her bliss and dedicate herself to writing full-time. Twin Piques is her third Chick Lit release. The pet psychic character in this novel was inspired by Tracie’s rascally rescue dogs. She’d love to know what goes on in their heads!

Connect with Tracie
Website
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads


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book selfie - 'something in the heir'

My first read of 2015 came as a suggestion from my friend, fellow author Tracie Banister. Knowing my love for romantic comedy and royalty, she tipped me off on Something in the Heir , book one in the "It's Reigning Men" series by Jenny Gardiner. I loved the title of the book and series, I adored the premise, so naturally I had to give this one a try.

He’s a prince with a problem, she’s a commoner with a getaway plan.  

Modern-day Prince Adrian of Monaforte has a most old-fashioned problem: his demanding mother wants him wed to her best friend’s daughter, the hard-partying Serena. When his refusal falls on deaf ears, Adrian decides it’s time for him to slip away from his gilded cage and figure out his life, all on his own. As luck would have it, event photographer Emma Davison, weary of a revolving door of lost-cause men and tired of her outsider-looking-in career, is in need of her own escape clause, just in time to help a wayward prince in need. And she soon discovers that sometimes a girl’s gotta sweep a prince off his feet.  

For any girl that’s ever held out hope that some day her prince would come…or better yet, hoped that some day she’d come to him. 

Though I loved the premise for this book and series, I struggled to connect with either of the main characters, Emma and Adrian, or the supporting cast. There were aspects I liked about the leads. Emma is a self-sufficient and talented photographer. Adrian wants much more than his charmed, royal life. But I sometimes felt they were contradicting themselves.

Despite my difficulty understanding these particular characters, it was still a clever and fun premise. I would have liked to see more development with the royal angle, particularly what will really be expected from him (and his future wife should he take one) once he becomes king. This is the beginning of a series, though, so perhaps that is in order in the next book.

If you decide to read this book--or any with a royal theme--I highly encourage you to do it while wearing a tiara or crown. It does add a nice sense of occasion.



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movie monday: 'surprised by love'

Blogger's Note: It's no secret I devote much of December to following the latest (and past-time favorite) Hallmark movies. So I was thrilled to learn the channel would count down to Valentine's Day with a new movie each weekend leading up to the holiday. Naturally, I couldn't resist watching, live-tweeting, and ultimately blogging about my take on each new flick.


Surprised by Love
Original air date: Jan. 3
Starring Hilarie Burton, Paul Campbell, and Tim Conway

Josie Mayfield, a no-nonsense businesswoman working at her father’s successful cookware company, thinks her boyfriend Richard is the perfect man – handsome, successful and driven. The problem is that Josie’s parents, Joseph and Claire, do not agree. When Josie meets up with Gridley, an underachieving, old high school flame (who still has a crush on Josie), Richard dreams up a plan to make himself look good to Josie’s parents: Gridley will be Josie’s date at Joseph and Claire’s upcoming anniversary party. When Joseph and Claire see Josie with a “loser,” they’ll give anything to have Richard back in the picture. At least, that’s the plan. 

Over the anniversary party weekend, the plan goes awry in every way, and Josie must decide which direction her life – romantic and otherwise – is going to take.

With the last few glasses of champagne leftover from New Year's Eve, my sister and I curled up in front of the TV on Saturday night for the first of Hallmark's new romantic movies, Surprised by Love. Starring a female and male lead from movies of Hallmark Christmas past and a solid trailer, I went into this movie expecting to laugh a lot. And I wasn't disappointed.

I was instantly drawn to Josie who, though super Type A, is pretty nice at heart. She's driven, wants what's best for the people she cares about, and has a little warmth about her. Her boyfriend Richard was suitably irritating, which made the introduction of Gridley all the more welcome. Playing their parts well, I believed they were old school friends who were able to quickly reconnect like no time had passed. (I'm a total sucker for those kinds of movies.)

The first few minutes of the movie did set me down a quick path of wishful thinking for things that will probably never come to be...

I wish I could carry on a conversation while I was running. Mostly I just try not to die. #SurprisedbyLove
— Laura Chapman (@lmchap) January 4, 2015

I wish my high school dates magically turned into hunky bearded dudes selling art by the seashore. #SurprisedbyLove
— Laura Chapman (@lmchap) January 4, 2015

I wish my dad was the czar of a cheese empire. #SurprisedbyLove
— Laura Chapman (@lmchap) January 4, 2015

But there's no harm in dreaming, ey?

Perhaps my favorite part of watching this movie was the fact that my little sister (rolls her eyes and silently judges me while I watch Hallmark movies) actually smiled and laughed. She actually engaged with this story in a positive way.

"What a douche to say it in front of him. I mean, it's actually a good idea, but still." -- sister's commentary #SurprisedbyLove
— Laura Chapman (@lmchap) January 4, 2015

When I mentioned that fact to her, she acknowledged that this had a good story. We also both agreed that Paul Campbell's character was hilarious and made the movie enjoyable.

I also particularly liked the part Josie's grandfather played in the movie. He added even more laughs than Gridley alone.

All in all, this was a fast-paced, fun, and enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours. And like Sarah said, it's probably one of the better Hallmark movies I've seen.

Did any of you catch Surprised by Love? What were your thoughts?


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a new year, new goals

I'll forever be a fan of setting New Year's Resolutions. I know a lot of people roll their eyes or scoff at the idea of making them (because it's so easy to break them).

I like to look at the start of a new year as an opportunity to assess where I am now, where I would like to be, and how I can go about making those goals happen. Sure, like any goal, they never seem to go as planned, but it's a start.

In the interest of giving myself some motivation to keep my resolutions, I'm going to publicly share some of them here. You, my lovely blog readers, have officially become my accountability partners. Welcome and thank you. I'm sure you have your work cut out for you.

Rather than make a list of things to do, let's do this another way. Let's make a list of habits or traits or behaviors I'm going to tell to Go Fly a Kite.


1. Beating myself up if I don't reach a goal exactly as I planned or even at all. Life's too short for regret.

2. Worrying more about what other people think about my life and what I'm doing and caring more about how I feel. Within reason. This isn't an excuse to turn into a giant dick.

3. Which brings me to this: my language. I should probably stop calling people dicks, buttholes, jerks, buttheads, and a series of other four-letter words that aren't appropriate for my blog. Those words create even more negativity in the world, and it'd be nice to contain it.

4. Holding grudges. I still get upset thinking about things that happened when I was five. It's probably time to channel my inner Elsa and Let it Go . Forgiveness is one of the hardest things we're asked to do as humans, but it is also one of the most powerful (in my opinion).

5. Caving into the urge to buy a pair of fleece pants (or a graphic T-shirt or a sweater or anything else I don't really need) just because the price is right. I bought a ton of new clothing in 2014, and while I like most of it, I didn't always have a vision for how to wear it. As a result, I have several pieces of clothing just sitting around not being worn. From now on, no more impulse clothes shopping.

6. Eating out, because I'm bored or lazy. I know how to cook. I even enjoy cooking. And I really want to do a better job of saving money this year. Why go out to eat or pickup takeout when I could make the food at home? Instead of treating dining out as a convenience, it'd be nice to treat it the way we did when I was a kid: as a treat.

7. Skipping my daily workout because I'm too tired. Last year was the first time since high school I made a point to have a prolonged daily workout schedule. Unfortunately that only lasted for a few months, but now I know I can do it, so I should. Though it was irritating to discover this is true, the more you exercise, the more energy you have to want to keep exercising. That's a bit of a Catch 22 when you start out feeling tired, but I need to just push through that.

8. Comparing myself to other writers. Or people in general. This is my life. This is my journey. It's going to be different from everyone else. Making the comparisons only frustrates me more. That said, it never hurts to look to another person as a source of inspiration. But when that inspiration includes envy or irritation, it's probably best to shut it down.

9. Making excuses to explain why I haven't written, eaten healthy, worked out, or went on a buying binge. Sometimes these things happen. Rather than make excuses or send myself on a shame spiral, I should stop beating myself up and move on, resolving to do better the next day (or hour if the opportunity presents itself).

10. Stop living for tomorrows and dwelling on the yesterdays. The only moment we're guaranteed in this life is the present. I don't know about the rest of you, but 2014 had a lot of major bummer moments personally and for the world at large. I could hardly log onto Facebook without learning of some awful tragedy. It's easy to look at that and worry about how bad our world is and to fear it will never get better. Then again, it can also serve as a reminder to do your best and live every day as well as you can, being the best person you can. To make every day count. If I don't do anything else on this list, just living for the moment and striving to be kinder and more understanding and more charitable with my present would be enough for 2015.

And of course I want to lose weight, save more money, and write lots of books. These are New Year's Resolutions. ;)

Your turn: Are any of you setting any resolutions? What's on your list?


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see you next year

See that look. It's Bingley telling me to give the laptop a rest and get back to snuggling.

So with that, we'll be taking a short break until the new year. (Don't worry. It's only a few days away.) In addition to hanging out with the kittens I'll hopefully work on prepping books two and three for publication.

I already have some new series--and the return of a few classics--planned for 2015. Until then, enjoy the rest of 2014. Let's end it on a high note.


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grownup advent week four

I hope all of you who celebrate had a wonderful Christmas full of joy and wonderful memories with your family and friends.

Wednesday not only marked Christmas Eve, but the final day of my Grownup Advent Calendar. Overall, it was a wonderful experience and a great way to make a point to enjoy Christmas every day of the season. I also learned a few lessons about what worked best and which activities were a challenge (or kind of a dud).

Before I share a look at my final four days of this year's calendar, I invite you to join me in celebrating Christmas next season. I created Grownup Advent, a blog just for the occasion. Every day I will post a new activity or treat at the beginning of the day (6 a.m. UTC, which is 12 a.m. Central) to give you enough time to plan for the day. I've already created the schedule and most of the activities are free or can be enjoyed at whatever price you're able to pay. The point of this is to have fun--not break your bank.

So if you'll go ahead and sign up to receive updates, you'll be signed up to receive all updates from the site (including a daily email of the calendar item) for your convenience. I hope you'll have as much fun as I did this year.

With that, here's what I was up to for days 21-24.

Day 21: Drink a festive cocktail. #grownupadvent
Day 22: After inadvertently watching tonight's movie
on a previous date, I'm subbing falling asleep on the
couch with the lights (and a random Christmas movie) on.
Bonus points for wearing an ugly sweater. #grownupadvent
Day 23: Go see Christmas lights. ‪#‎grownupadvent‬
Day 24: Go ice skating. (I didn't fall!).
And that's a wrap for this year.
Merry Christmas! #grownupadvent
What was your favorite part of this holiday season?


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