11/19/19
10/15/19
Cover Reveal
Officially releasing Thursday, October 17!
This is the first novel in my new regency series -- "The School for Sophistication" -- featuring the intrepid Lady Caro, who featured throughout the Merry Widow series. Now widowed a third time (God, she can't marry and kill off another innocent man again), she's determined to find an occupation to keep her sanity. Miss Abigail Prescott of Boston is her first "test" pupil, and Viscount Montford is in for several surprises, most of which involve the violet-eyed redhead from Boston.
All links will be posted on Thursday -- preorders available
on Apple iBooks and Barnes & Noble at this time.
10/4/19
Free Romance!
In preparation for my new release coming out in mid-October, I wanted to run this sale so that readers could meet some of my favorite characters from my Merry Widow series who appear in the new series, The School for Sophistication!
Here's the link to the various vendors for the free ebook: https://books2read.com/u/3J0ewe
The first novel is The Viscount and the Virgin and I'm
so excited for my hero and heroine -- Commodore Gabriel Montford and
Miss Abigail Prescott. I'll post more information very soon, including the cover
reveal and a brief excerpt.
Unfortunately, Amazon does not allow freebies
unless they're in the Select/Unlimited program -- so sorry!
Happy Reading!
Claire H.
7/30/19
Summer Stress Relief
It's coming up on mid-summer, and you'd think that would be enough to keep me happy. Alas, that's not so. Not only have I hit a writing / revising slump for my new series, but life has sent another curve ball whizzing past my head. Although my children are adults, you never stop worrying, caring -- and when you throw a hospital and doctors into the mix, the strain and anxiety ratchets up 100-fold. So where does one escape, if only for a half-hour or so?
Oddly enough, for me it's been cookbooks.
Now you have to understand something about how I was brought up. My own mother's idea of a gourmet meal was a TV dinner in front of the television. The only time of the year when she outdid herself was Thanksgiving, but that's because my grandmother was there by her side, guiding her and sometimes taking over, especially for making the gravy.
I've always joked around that my favorite recipe was my American Express card, but within the past year I've found so many beautiful cookbooks, memoirs and foodie fiction that it's become my morning routine to sit with my first cups of coffee and read about food, cooking, international cuisine and more. And for those few hours, I am relatively stress-free.
I've also found the joy -- the adventure -- of food shopping. Walk into Trader Joe's or Whole Foods in the middle of winter and your senses are assailed with myriad scents and colors. Who knew that a simple lemon could smell so wonderful when there's two feet of snow outside?
Often the writing is wonderful -- sensuous (we romance writers appreciate that aspect), colorful and chock full of good humor. And the photography is simply amazing. If I could choose another career, I'd try food styling, I think. So far, I've accrued about twenty cookbooks and memoirs, plus a few novels over the past ten months or so.
Maybe while I was working full-time and commuting 2.5 hours each day, all this escaped me because I was too damned tired. Even now with the worry and stress of my child's health, to whip up a green smoothie or sip on an exotic tea blend for a few minutes is enough to take the edge off.
I hope to return to my writing soon, but that may have to wait a bit more. In the meantime, a refreshing bowl of pasta with lemon and basil pesto is just the thing to bring a momentary smile to my face. Now if I could only figure out a way to sneak it into the hospital, I'm sure recovery would follow shortly thereafter!
Here's a partial list of books, mostly the memoirs and novels because I found that these, especially Marlena DeBlasi's A Thousand Days in Venice, eased me into this "final frontier":
Memoirs with recipes:
My Kitchen Year by Ruth Reichl
A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena DeBlasi
A Thousand Days in Tuscany by M. DeBlasi
Mastering the Art of French Eating by Ann Mah
My Life in France by Julia Child
Keeping the Feast by Paula Butturini
My Table in Venice by Skye McAlpine
Novels about Cooking, Chefs and Food in general:
Pasta Wars by Elisa Lorello
The Coincidence of Coconut Cake by Amy Reichert
The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate
The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister
Bread Alone by Judith Hendricks
Oddly enough, for me it's been cookbooks.
Now you have to understand something about how I was brought up. My own mother's idea of a gourmet meal was a TV dinner in front of the television. The only time of the year when she outdid herself was Thanksgiving, but that's because my grandmother was there by her side, guiding her and sometimes taking over, especially for making the gravy.
I've always joked around that my favorite recipe was my American Express card, but within the past year I've found so many beautiful cookbooks, memoirs and foodie fiction that it's become my morning routine to sit with my first cups of coffee and read about food, cooking, international cuisine and more. And for those few hours, I am relatively stress-free.
I've also found the joy -- the adventure -- of food shopping. Walk into Trader Joe's or Whole Foods in the middle of winter and your senses are assailed with myriad scents and colors. Who knew that a simple lemon could smell so wonderful when there's two feet of snow outside?
Often the writing is wonderful -- sensuous (we romance writers appreciate that aspect), colorful and chock full of good humor. And the photography is simply amazing. If I could choose another career, I'd try food styling, I think. So far, I've accrued about twenty cookbooks and memoirs, plus a few novels over the past ten months or so.
Maybe while I was working full-time and commuting 2.5 hours each day, all this escaped me because I was too damned tired. Even now with the worry and stress of my child's health, to whip up a green smoothie or sip on an exotic tea blend for a few minutes is enough to take the edge off.
I hope to return to my writing soon, but that may have to wait a bit more. In the meantime, a refreshing bowl of pasta with lemon and basil pesto is just the thing to bring a momentary smile to my face. Now if I could only figure out a way to sneak it into the hospital, I'm sure recovery would follow shortly thereafter!
Here's a partial list of books, mostly the memoirs and novels because I found that these, especially Marlena DeBlasi's A Thousand Days in Venice, eased me into this "final frontier":
Memoirs with recipes:
My Kitchen Year by Ruth Reichl
A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena DeBlasi
A Thousand Days in Tuscany by M. DeBlasi
Mastering the Art of French Eating by Ann Mah
My Life in France by Julia Child
Keeping the Feast by Paula Butturini
My Table in Venice by Skye McAlpine
Novels about Cooking, Chefs and Food in general:
Pasta Wars by Elisa Lorello
The Coincidence of Coconut Cake by Amy Reichert
The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate
The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister
Bread Alone by Judith Hendricks
“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well,
if one has not dined well.”
Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own
2/28/19
Writer's Slump
Sometimes it's good to be reminded that writing is truly a 'job' -- not too much about it is glamorous or sexy. Yes, we writers have ideas (sometimes too many) and dreams of creating a good story that readers will fall in love with. But then there are those other times when procrastination, frustration and well, just all-around angst hit.
And what happens then?
Nothing.
Nada.
Rien.
Zilch.
What I've found over the years is that it's best to turn my back and walk away from the computer. Not forever, but certainly enough time to catch my breath, put the anxiety to rest and clear the mind. Easier said than done, 'tho.
Today is one of those days. Actually, it's been the past week or so. I guess I could blame it on the winter, a season I'm not particularly fond of. I tend to want to hibernate just like the bears -- crawl into a cave, pull the blankets over my head and sleep.
But life goes on -- family, work, bills to pay, a house to clean.
I think I need to read up on the Danish hygge thing -- find the good, simple pleasures of daily life, even in the dead of winter.
And to remind myself that writing is a job. Clock in, clock out; report for duty -- you name it. Work, write and make it happen. Thank you, Mr. Gaiman, for the above reminder.
I hope you'll stay with me, cut me a little slack until my creative engine is back in tune.
Plans? Heck, yes! Always.
It's just a matter of putting one's butt in the chair and hitting those keys.
And giving myself permission to play hookey for a bit!
". . . words, the brisk herbs of language, the fragrance
we think we sing." Eavan Boland, Poet
we think we sing." Eavan Boland, Poet
2/15/19
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