Friday, May 31, 2013

Guaranteed Foodgasm-Shrimp & Tapenade Pasta

My in-laws were here this weekend, which gave me the excuse to try out a fancy new recipe from Bon Appetit. As usual, it did not disappoint. Major understatement. This shrimp & tapenade pasta is a guaranteed mouthgasm. And surprisingly quick and easy, too - which is why I had to share it with all of you.

Looks like the smarties at Bon Appetit snapped up the recipe from Nor'wester Steak & Seafood in Gold Beach, OR. Kudos to all for this seriously addictive yumminess.

Ingredients

Tapenade Butter

  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped red onion
  • 10 pitted Kalamata olives
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
  • 4 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained, plus 1 teaspoon oil from tin
  • 3/4 cup(1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons drained brined capers
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pasta

  • 1 pound fettuccine
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 pounds large uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined
  • 4 plum tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
  • 6lemon wedges

Preparation

Tapenade Butter

  • Purée first 6 ingredients in a food processor. Add butter; process until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in capers. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pasta

  • Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain.
  • Meanwhile, melt tapenade butter in a large heavy skillet over high heat. Add shrimp; simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and parsley. Bring to a simmer; cook, stirring often, until shrimp are cooked through, about 1 minute. Season with salt and a generous amount of pepper.
  • Add pasta to sauce; stir to coat. Divide among wide shallow bowls. Sprinkle with cheese and garnish with lemon wedges.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

South of Surrender Release Day Blitz Giveaway


I am thrilled to welcome Chrysander Notos and Laney Summerlyn to the world today, and to welcome back the whole Anemoi family, too! Chrys and Laney are the hero and heroine of South of Surrender, the third book in my Greek-mythology inspired Hearts of the Anemoi series. The Anemoi were wind gods the Greeks associated with controlling the wind, the weather, and the seasons, and as the summer god, Chrys is the hottest of them all! Passions and conflict between the Anemoi brothers heat way, way up in South of Surrender. Need more proof? Check out this tense excerpt as well as the giveaway that follows!

Aeolus stepped forward. “We are all expendable. It is not the god, but the wind he serves, that matters. So I ask each of you now. Are you prepared to stand and fight?”

The gods offered solemn agreement.

Aeolus moved to the center of the room. Anger and determination carved hard angles into his face. Thunder and lightning split the sky. “I say again. Are you prepared to stand and fight?”

A loud, fierce cheer of approval and commitment shook the room. Teddy fussed but didn’t cry, as if even his divine energy understood the threat they faced.

“Make no mistake. We are at war. We will not all come out of it alive. Sacrifices will be made.” He held up his maimed hand. “And you must understand the full extent of what you are up against. Eurus possesses the firestone ring. He has power over the winds, over each of you. This is my fault. I fully acknowledge it. And I stand ready to sacrifice myself to set this right.” Murmurs sounded from around the room.

This…this was the resignation he’d seen on Aeolus’s face. As many grievances as Chrys could voice against his father, he would fight to the last to prevent any of his family from dying. They’d lost enough. Had enough turmoil. For several lifetimes.

Aeolus continued. “Together, we are strong. Eurus cannot take us all at once. We must fight. To avenge the death of one of our own who has fallen this night. To avenge wrongs against others of our numbers in recent days, weeks, and months. To preserve and protect the human realm, as is our duty and purpose.”

Boreas pushed off the wall and stood tall. “In the name of the North Wind, I stand ready to fight.”

Zeph nodded. “In the name of the West Wind, I, too, stand ready to fight.”

“In the name of the South Wind, and in the name of vengeance for the Southeast Wind, I stand ready to kick some ass,” Chrys said. “So what’s our plan?”


GIVEAWAY!

Win 1 of 5 $50 gift cards to winners’ choice of Amazon/B&N/iTunes!

HOW TO ENTER?

Did you have a favorite line from the excerpt? Comment with your email address to enter to win! Open to international! Giveaway runs for one day and ends at midnight PST on May 28!

Visit more participating Blitz Day sites for more excerpts and more ways to win! And look out for the South of Surrender Blog Tour to start next week with more excerpts and giveaways! Check out the awesome early reviews coming in for the book, too!

 
Thanks for reading!

Laura

About South of Surrender:

She's the only one who can see through his golden boy façade to the broken god within...

Chrysander Notos, Supreme God of the South Wind and Summer, is on a mission: save Eurus from his death sentence and prove his troubled brother can be redeemed. But Eurus fights back, triggering vicious storms that threaten the mortal realm and dangerously drain Chrys.

Laney Summerlyn refuses to give up her grandfather's horse farm, despite her deteriorating vision. More than ever, she needs the organized routine of her life at Summerlyn Stables, until a ferocious storm brings an impossible—and beautiful—creature crashing down from the heavens.

Injured while fighting Eurus, Chrys finds himself at the mercy of a mortal woman whose compassion and acceptance he can't resist. As they surrender to the passion flaring between them, immortal enemies close in, forcing Chrys to choose between his brother and the only woman who's ever loved the real him.

Buy at Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks

Add to your Goodreads Shelf!

 
About Laura Kaye:

Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.


Thursday, May 23, 2013

A Sexy Ghost Story - Altered Frequency Release!

What's better than a ghost story? Why, a sexy ghost story, of course! I'm thrilled to share you with the red-hot release of Altered Frequency by Joya Fields. It is book two in her series, so you might want to go back on catch up on book one, Hereafter. But be assured that both work as stand-alones. Just dive right in!
 
After losing her father and brother in the line of duty, Missy Prescott vows never to get involved with anyone who has a dangerous job. Blessed with a golden voice, she takes a job as a disc jockey with her own late-night lovelorn dedication show on a popular radio station in Baltimore.
   Blake Decker has never had a family. He has come to count on the only family he knows—his brothers on the police force. He’s a one-night-stand kind of guy when it comes to relationships.
   Betty McAllister, the caring woman who used to live in Missy’s apartment, is now a ghost. She refuses to cross over until Blake—whom she viewed as her own son—is happily in love. She thinks Missy is the perfect girl for him.
   Missy and Blake need to keep each other at a distance as they work together to help Betty find a way to cross over. But when danger lurks, will Missy and Blake lose everything?
 
And here's an excerpt to get you started:
A shadow moved from the other side of the hallway. Blake froze, and his fingers moved to his weapon. He blinked. Nothing there. He dug in his pocket for his keys and glanced at Missy’s doorway.
Betty—wearing her pink sweat suit and flamingo earrings—stood grinning at him. She winked, raised her hand, and then knocked three times on Missy’s door.
Blake’s mouth opened and then closed. Betty disappeared. He closed his eyes for a half a minute and then opened them when he heard Missy’s door open.
Missy stood in the doorway wearing the same clothes as earlier. A white T-shirt, a pair of jeans, and a simple necklace that hung between her breasts, spiraling the memory of her body to the forefront of his mind. He knew exactly how those curves felt under his hands and he craved the feel of them again.
“Hey. Thanks for stopping by the bookstore today.” Missy pocketed her hands in her jeans, pulling them down just enough for him to get a glimpse of her lower belly. He swallowed in order to concentrate.
“You—you should look out your peephole before you open your door.” There. He’d be the concerned policeman who lived across the hall. But how the hell had Betty…no, it couldn’t have been Betty. What was going on?
Missy frowned. “You feeling all right?”
“Yeah. Of course.”
“’Cause I did look out my peephole and I saw you.” She tilted her head. “I sort of thought it was okay to open up since it was my neighbor, the cop.”
How had he gotten in front of her door? He’d been several feet away when Betty…when…. Oh shit. He really needed that beer now. Time for a change of subject. He’d process the other stuff later.
Altered Frequency is now available at:
Decadent Publishing Amazon Barnes and Noble
Find Joya: Twitter: @joyafields
Facebook Goodreads GooglePlus
 


Monday, May 6, 2013

Pulse-Pounding Romantic Suspense You Need To Read!

I'm so excited to share this book with you. I raced through Jamie's debut, An Affair of Vengeance, last month, and loved how it transported me to the seedy squalor of Marseilles and the beautiful French countryside. Her strong, smart heroine almost stole the show from the sexy hero. So first, run out and catch up on book one. Then roll right into the sequel that just released. Here's all you need to know: An Affair of Deceit by Jamie Michele, Book Two in the Affair Sequence

A father’s sins. A daughter’s loyalty. A lover’s protection.
When a charming CIA agent shows up no her doorstep, lawyer Abigail Mason finds herself drawn into the search for a man she had written off long before--her estranged father. Her father’s caught in the agency’s crosshairs, and she’ll do all that she can to figure out just what he’s done.
Agent James Riley knew that the stubborn, tough-as-nails attorney would be a thorn in his side, but he never guessed that he’d feel an undeniable attraction to her. To keep Abigail from stumbling alone into a web of international espionage and danger, he’ll need to bring her into his search and keep her close. But when a madman singles her out as the one who should pay for her father’s sins, Riley will do all he can to protect the woman who’s claimed her heart.

 Here's a peek inside this hot, taut thriller:
With great effort, she cracked open her eyes.
Riley was climbing into bed beside her, trying in vain to be quiet. Her senses awoke as she breathed in distinctly French scents of lavender and rosemary, gloriously edible. He must have bought a new soap. She felt suddenly dirty and wished she’d taken a bath as well. There were few things as pleasurable as sliding into bed after a scalding rinse, and indeed, wet heat radiated from his body to hers.
His legs rustled under the thin cotton sheets. One of his feet connected with hers.
“Sorry,” he mumbled.
“No problem.”
Was his foot bare? Well, that seemed perfectly normal. She surmised that not everyone wore socks to bed, particularly in this warm climate. She opened one eye to see what else he wore—and struggled to keep from gasping.
He wore nothing, at least nothing on top. He was lying on his stomach, his face turned toward her, his pretty green eyes closed. One tanned arm propped up his head, and the other stretched out in front of him. A strong hand rested near her nose. Although his wavy brown curls were still wet, he looked asleep.
Abigail, on the other hand, was absolutely awake and a little angry. What nerve he had, coming to bed without a shirt!
Damn it, she was a prude. She wished she’d taken off more clothes.
No. She shouldn’t have taken off more clothes; he should have kept himself covered. It wasn’t on her to remove—it was on him to stay dressed, for crying out loud.
She wondered if he was wearing underpants.
What a thought! Her entire body shivered. He wouldn’t be so disrespectful. Would he?
Curiosity threatened to overwhelm her, but she refused to succumb. She would…not…look!
Instead, she tugged the sheets up in a big, decisive motion, but something went wrong: the ancient cotton billowed like a sail in full wind. In the seconds it took the musty cloth to settle back on their bodies, she saw with crystal clarity that Riley wore nothing but a pair of white boxer shorts. His long legs were tanned, toned, and naked, mere inches from hers.
Cool sweat materialized on her forehead. She closed her eyes but couldn’t forget the perfect curve of his muscular butt under the crisp fabric of his shorts.
How dare he? Was she so easy to resist that he could sleep nearly naked next to her without a wink of interest? Irritation welled inside her.
“Did you leave your pajamas at home, Dr. Riley?” she said, her voice loud and shrill in the nearly empty room.
“What?” he grumbled. “Oh, give me a break. This is how I sleep.”
“This is hardly a normal sleeping occasion.”
“Abigail, I’m tired. I’m not going to fight with you. And I’m not getting out of bed. You said I could share. Now deal with it.”
Fine.

Award-winning romance writer and former zookeeper Jamie Michele has wrestled a giant python, hand-captured a rogue vulture, and brushed the teeth of an alligator, but when she decided to write a novel, she did the unexpected: she didn’t write about animals. Instead, she indulged her long fascination with international espionage, merging it with her deep knowledge of the trials of love to produce An Affair of Vengeance (Montlake Romance 2012), winner of a prestigious Golden Heart from the Romance Writers of America. Now trapped in a very boring suburb, Jamie writes sexy, page-turning romances while managing her own little zoo, which consists of three cats and two exceedingly handsome great apes. An Affair of Deceit is her second novel.

Friday, May 3, 2013

If You're A Writer, You Need To Be A Joiner!

I was teaching my Advanced Fiction Writing class last week, or rather, waiting to start teaching. However, I fielded a barrage of questions from students for twenty minutes before class even began. They were starved for knowledge about not just craft, but the all the ins and outs of publishing. I realized that I'm it for them.

They don't have a trustworthy network. Trolling the Internet can yield conflicting, and sometimes just plain bad information. Or not the results you need. A publishing house might look great on paper, but your chapter mates are the ones who will tell you if they are decent to work with, or a hot mess of conflict. Trying to decide which of the eight zillion contests are worth giving up your hard-earned money? Your local writing chapter can tell you.

No matter how supportive your friends and family are, only fellow writers can truly commiserate after a rejection, or a bad review. We've all been there. We cheerlead for you on the miserable day you finally pound out a synopsis. We hound you to get your butt in gear and send out that query you've been sitting on for three months. Our collective knowledge and experience may very well be the most important writing resource you've got. Not to mention the opportunities for critique partners and networking and (last but far from least) lifelong friendships.

While yes, I'm a member of Romance Writers of America (and even president of my local Maryland chapter), this isn't a blanket plug for them. There are lots of great writing organizations out there: Mystery Writers of America, Science Fiction & Fantsy Writers of America, Horror Writers Association, Western Writers of America, Sisters in Crime...the list goes on. Seek them out. Become a joiner. Because people traveling the same path that you are already on-or hope to merge onto someday-are the only ones who can truly share and appreciate and warn about the joys and the pitfalls.