All These Things That I Love - Drinks Edition - August 2018 & a COVER REVEAL

A monthly roundup of things that give me life...

I've got a very special drinks edition for you today!  A guest drinks edition brought to you by my British-American friend Julia Kelly to celebrate my new UK cover! 

First, let's look at my beautiful cover, then you can fix a very British drink to celebrate it! 

Isn't it fun?  I love seeing my book re-interpreted in different ways! So if you are in the United Kingdom, Australia, any part of the English speaking world that IS NOT North America, this is the cover you'll see for THE ROYAL RUNAWAY, my novel that is releasing 9 October 2018! (see how I used the right date format?)
 

Learn more about the book here and here!

And now please welcome my friend, author Julia Kelly. I asked her to tell us about a quintessential British summer cocktail. 

Author Julia Kelly and family. Probably role-playing scenes from THE ROYAL RUNAWAY.

Since moving to London, I’ve realized that there are a few reliable clues that summer is coming. People start wearing light jackets rather than heavy ones. Tennis players start thinking about dusting off their tennis whites. And the Pimms begins to flow.

If you aren’t familiar with Pimms, it’s an herbal-ish drink made from Pimm’s No. 1 Cup, lemonade, fruit, cucumber, and mint. Think British sangria, minus the wine.

In the UK, you can buy Pimm’s in cans, but that takes all of the romance out of the drink. Instead, break out your best water pitcher and mix up a batch. Just be careful. Depending on who’s mixing the drink and whether they add anything “special” to it (i.e. gin), it can be more potent than you think.

Julia’s Perfect Pimm’s

250ml Pimm’s No. 1 Cup

500ml British-style lemonade*

Orange, sliced

Strawberries, sliced

Cucumber, sliced

1 bunch mint leaves

Ice cubes

Slice your fruit and cucumber. (The beauty of Pimm’s is that you can customize how much fruit you really want). Place the fruit, mint, and ice into a large pitcher. Pour in your Pimm’s and lemonade over and stir. Pour out your Pimm’s and be sure to eat the liquor-soaked fruit when you reach the end of the jug. Enjoy with friends or (safely) by yourself. We won’t judge.

*British lemonade is not like American lemonade! It’s a slightly fizzy drink that’s more lightly sweet than sharp. In a pinch try flavoring sparkling water with a couple squeezes of fresh lemon.

Reserve your copy of THE ROYAL RUNAWAY at:
Amazon || BN.Com || Simon & Schuster ||  Apple Books  ||Amazon UK || Kobo

And Pre-Order Julia Kelly's next historical fiction novel, THE LIGHT OVER LONDON at:
Amazon || BN.Com || Simon & Schuster ||  Apple Books  ||Amazon UK || Kobo

All These Things That I Love - Romance-Adventure Movies - August 2018

A monthly roundup of things that give me life...

I'm not sure if I have explained - or could explain - the way that television and film influence my books. Sometimes it's the staccato dialogue from an episode of The West Wing or  Gilmore Girls that inspires me. Sometimes it's the tongue in cheek humor of Rogelio de la Vega on Jane the Virgin that gives me the urge to let my crazy humor fly. And sometimes it's Jamie Fraser from Outlander.

(Okay. A lot of times it's Jamie Fraser.)

I realized recently that The Royal Runaway, my book about the adventures of a princess and a spy had a lot in common with my favorite type of movie.

Romantic-Adventure movies! You didn't know that this was a specific sub-genre of movie, did you? Maybe it's not, but I realized that so many of the movies that I have watched over and over again have certain things in common. 

1. Romance/ Sexual tension
2. A quick pace
3. Banter
4. A plot that involves an adventure, mystery or quest. 

Sound good? Check out my all time favorites...

Some Like it Hot
Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe star in this Hollywood classic. Even though the movie was made in 1959, the jokes still crackle, the performances shine and it's still FUN. 

Charade, starring Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. You haven't seen it 1000 times? COME ON PEOPLE. 

I'll say it again: AUDREY HEPBURN. CARY GRANT. PARIS. COSTUMES. SHOWER SCENE. BAD GUYS. MISTAKEN IDENTITIES. CARY F'IN GRANT. 

Don't talk to me again until you've seen it. 

Romancing the Stone starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. This film is a classic romantic adventure, with 80's sexiness (there's a lot of saxophones. That was code in the 80's for sexiness.) Kathleen Turner plays Joan Wilder, who is a romance novelist and her scenes with her editor, played by Holland Taylor are pretty much all I would need in a movie but then you add a treasure map, and Danny deVito as a comedic bad guy, and a heroic smuggler (think Han Solo but Michael Douglas) named JACK T. COLTON and it's just all the magic. 

The Mummy. The 1999 version please, with Brendan Fraser as the action-y guy and Rachel Weisz as the intrepid scholarly archaeological heroine. Some might call this horror or an action flick, but to me it's all foreplay while trying to avoid death by cursed Egyptian artifact.  

Thomas Crown Affair

Speaking of foreplay....Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo. Just look at them. They're so flipping gorgeous in this movie about a smart, sexy person in the prime of their life and another smart, sexy person in the prime of their life trying to out-think each other. There's some caper-y art theft in between the battle of the sexiness. I'm sorry, I have to stop there. It appears I can't find another word for SEXY. 

Tangled. Maybe it's not quite as sexy as some of these others, but I'll confess that I get a crush on Flynn Rider every time I watch this movie. Honestly, he's a lot like my hero in THE ROYAL RUNAWAY.  He's battle scarred and weary but when he crosses paths with a gutsy princess he can't help but fall for her.  

No celebrity endorsement implied. Just inspired to play around with a movie poster of my own.

I'd love to hear what romantic-adventure movies you love and what I need to add to my rainy day movie queues!

Reserve your copy of THE ROYAL RUNAWAY at:
Amazon || BN.Com || Simon & Schuster ||  Apple Books  ||Amazon UK || Kobo

All These Things That I Love - Drinks Edition - July 2018

A monthly roundup of things that give me life...

This summer, I've decided to focus on one of the most popular parts of this blog series... THE DRINKS. 

I do some version of this cocktail every summer by the pool. It's light, it's refreshing, it's pink.

Out by the husband's barbeque smoker...

It's my version of a paloma. There are many interpretations of this grapefruit-based cocktail from the super fancy to the easy. 

(Spoiler alert: I like easy.)

I'm also trying to cut carbs so I'm going to give you my preferred recipe and the lighter, sugar free options.

But you do you. Mix it up. Go all out on MORE SUGAR. Or not. 

My current recipe is: 
1 shot of a good vodka (also recommended, Deep Eddy Grapefruit Vodka for ultra grapefruit flavor)
1 shot of unsweetened grapefruit juice (if you're doing juice)
half a cup of ice
Fill to top w/ diet grapefruit soda. (I've been using these ICE drinks, but Fresca is also delicous)

This is a very refreshing drink, perfect for waiting by the pool for the brisket to finish. (HINT HINT Mr. EMORY. WHERE IS MY BRISKET!?)

What kind of cocktails are you enjoying this summer? And what do you think, should I rename this cocktail recipe... the Princess Theodora? They look good together, don't they?

Reserve your copy of THE ROYAL RUNAWAY at:
Amazon || BN.Com || Simon & Schuster ||  Apple Books  ||Amazon UK || Kobo

Best Books to Read Now: How to FIND GOOD BOOKS (on sale!)

Where do readers find books?

If you like to read, there’s a good chance that you’ve looked around and asked yourself, “where do other readers find good books?”  Or more importantly, “where do other readers find good books on sale?”

With the hibernation of the American brick and mortar bookstore, it can be hard to discover new authors and their new releases. I mean, you can’t just wander into Waldenbooks or Borders (or in some cases a convenient Barnes and Noble) anymore. And the selections at Target and Wal-Mart are great but they don’t usually cover all genres. You’d be hard pressed to find the latest science fiction series at Target, for example. And if you wanted the first 6 books in a series? Yeah, no. 

So you turn to the internet booksellers. And while Amazon might have every book ever written, that’s a little…. Overwhelming. And it may not solve your original problem. 

So how do I find the perfect book to read? 

1. Follow me! On both this blog and my podcast, WOMEN WITH BOOKS, I’m always giving recommendations and if I see those books on sale, I try to post them on my facebook page. 

2. Goodreads - Probably the largest social media/ website that’s centered around books, it can still be tough to find exactly the book you want to read. There are lists, there are contests, there are groups and you can browse all of them. Anyone can post ‘the top 200 books about cats in Quebec” and that’s awesome to have that space but it can be hard for a reader who’s specifically looking for something. 

My best advice? Follow the authors you already love. Start friending them  and others who like the same books you do. You’ll see what other people are reading and loving. For instance, if you friend me on Goodreads, you’ll be able to easily see what I’ve read for my GR reading challenge this year. 

Then sign up for the Goodreads newsletters for your preferred genre. They can still be incomplete, but you will start to see what’s coming out and what looks good and what’s on sale. 

Also -Amazon now owns Goodreads. So you never know what cool functionality (or sales updates) you’ll see between the two sites in the future. 

3. Bookbub - this is primarily still an e-mail newsletter that will notify you of sales on books in the genres that you select. But in the past year or so, Bookbub has added several new features that I really enjoy. You can follow your favorite authors and when they have a new release, Bookbub will e-mail you. Also, Bookbub will notify you if your favorite authors recommend books, and what they are. Interested? Sign up and try following me to see what happens to your TBR pile. 

4. Amazon - the behemoth of online booksellers also offers some of the same features as Bookbub. For instance, you can follow authors (my profile here) and Amazon says you’ll get a notification of their new book releases. When THE ROYAL RUNAWAY  went up on pre-order, a reader let me know that she learned about it from an Amazon e-mail - which is AWESOME. But I’ve heard other authors say that they’re not sure their readers are notified regularly. So if there’s an author that you absolutely can’t miss, best practice is probably to follow them at Goodreads, Bookbub and Amazon - a belt and suspenders approach, if you will. 

The other recommendation I have at Amazon would be to sign up for their Kindle Daily Deals e-mail. These sales can often be exclusive to Amazon, which means that Bookbub might not feature them. You have to act fast though - when Amazon puts books on sale, it might be a quick flash and then the deal is gone. 

So those are my best recommendations for finding awesome new books (on sale!) to read. I know it might sound like you have to sign up for everything, but I promise you, authors and booksellers are so excited to put the perfect book into a reader’s hands. I know nothing makes me happier. 

Reserve your copy of THE ROYAL RUNAWAY at:
Amazon || BN.Com || Simon & Schuster ||  Apple Books  ||Amazon UK || Kobo

You know what else makes me happy? When readers like you pre-order my latest book! Or add it to their Goodreads shelf! Or put it on their Amazon wishlist! All of these things help signal to my publisher and retailers that this is a book that people will love. 

And it is. Don’t you trust my judgment yet? 

All These Things That I Love - Drinks Edition - June 2018

A monthly roundup of things that give me life...

This summer, I've decided to focus on one of the most popular parts of this blog series... THE DRINKS. 

So... introducing The Drinks Edition. Sounds like a cover band in Omaha. Or a Harvard Law Review inside joke. 

ICED COFFEE!

As many of my readers know, coffee is one of my favorite things. In fact, lattes are practically a  character in my Sorority Sisters' mystery series. 

I'm not going to lie, as soon as summer temperatures hit 100 my usually delightful mug of hot coffee was so unappetizing. And as if THEY KNOW ME, the stores started stocking bottles of pre-made cold brew. 

Yes, I know you can make it yourself. But honey, I'm in deadline mode around these parts. 

I went and stocked up on my favorite sugar-free syrups and through several jittery trial-and-error days, I came up with MY perfect iced coffee recipe. 

It may not be yours, however. Every woman must listen to the siren call of her own cold brew desires. 

But my recipe is: 
2/3 cups of cold brew
1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2 tablespoons of mocha syrup
ice to full cup

This is a very sweet, delicious pick me up. And of course I'm toying with the idea of making it... ahem... an adult beverage in the evenings but I have other... preferences there (which I'll be sharing with you soon.)

How do you take your coffee? Venti triple-shot like Margot Blythe in SISTERHOOD IS DEADLY?  Or black, strong and in a Limoges cup like Princess Theodora in the upcoming THE ROYAL RUNAWAY?