Winners of Bossypants and Scrumptious!

Thank you to everyone who entered these giveaways.
CONGRATULATIONS TO WINNERS!

Giveaways Ended January 20

Giveaway Print Copy of Bossypants

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Giveaway ARC Copy of Scrumptious

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WINNERS please fill in the Winner's Acceptance Form so I can mail the books out.  Please reply within 72 hours! 

Book Review and Giveaway: Scrumptious by Amanda Usen

The setting and the lively, unique characters create a steamy kettle of fun.

SCRUMPTIOUS

by Amanda Usen

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (January 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402259824
• ISBN-13: 978-1402259821

    Genre: Contemporary Romance
     My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Product Description
TALL DARK AND DELICIOUS
Joe Rafferty is just as mouthwatering as the food he cooks. But if he thinks he's going to waltz in and take over her kitchen, he's denser than a thick slice of chocolate ripple cheesecake. Marly has invested too much of her life in Chameleon to hand off the restaurant to someone else—especially a cocky-as-all-get-out superstar chef. But there's no denying the man knows how to light her fire. Question is: Can she have the sizzle without feeling the burn?

Review: The kitchen scenes reflect the relationship: fast, hot, fun and delectable.

Marly is a whiz around the kitchen even though she didn’t go to culinary school like her best friend and boss, Olivia. Marly had to move back to the bake room when Olivia married Keith and allowed him to be the main line Chef. Unfortunately Keith isn’t good in the kitchen and is bringing down the reputation of Chameleon.

When Olivia gives Keith the boot Marly hopes to get the Chef position back. But Olivia doesn’t see the dreams or appreciate the full talent of her friend. Instead Olivia asks her culinary school buddy, Joe Rafferty, to handle the line for a couple of weeks until she hires a new chef. 

Marly is a female heartbreaker and Joe is a one-night stand stud. Olivia is sure they will hit it off. Marly is willing but it turns out that Joe promised his dying mother that he would give up “sluts” and look for a sweet girl to settle down with. Marly not only has to suffer rejection for the first time but now she has to put up with the sexy Chef running the kitchen.

Joe has a hard time resisting vibrant Marly.  They work really well together on the prep and food lines even while they are taunting each other verbally and handling one sabotaging crisis after another. Is it possible that they can find in each other the love they have longed for all their lives?

I have to admit that I wasn’t impressed with the excessive and easily accepted  promiscuity. Marly and Joe both had reasons for their inability to commit, and they were honest rather than pretending to care, but that doesn’t really justify that type of loose behavior. I was able to get beyond the apparent shallowness of their sexual appetites because of the fast paced action in the storyline.

I don't know my way around a kitchen but the descriptions were detailed enough to portray the intensity required without being boring. There is good character interaction in the restaurant, a crazy visit to Joe's Kentucky father for a pig roast, and a high-stakes poker game at a mafia owned casino.  The latter might stretch credibility a bit but was fun nonetheless.  The characters are very likeable and I was really glad that they finally found each other.

Thank you to Sourcebooks  for this book to read and review.

MBS Where Are You Reading? Map link.

This also falls into my New Authors and ARC challenges for 2012.

TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY for the ARC Copy:
1. Visit the author's website and tell me something of interest you found there.  This is required for entry.

2.  Two extra entry for commenting on the Author Interview and one extra for answering her question.

3.  For an extra entry tell me which cover you like better. (I like the ARC one to the left although I bet some of you will like the naked chest of the final cover!)

4.  For an extra entry, become a follower or tell me if you are already a follower.

5.  For two entries, blog, facebook, tweet (any of those networks!) about this giveaway and tell me where you did.

It isn't necessary to use separate entries unless you want them in different chronological order.
(Eight total entries possible.)

* This contest is only open to residents of US and Canada.

* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on January 20, 2012.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.
The WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED on January 21. 
Winners will have 72 hours to respond by email or the winners form linked in the announcement.

Interview with Amanda Usen, Author of Scrumptious

Please help me welcome Amanda Usen for a visit today!

I see that you have clearly incorporated your cooking experience in your writing so I don’t have to ask that question. So let’s start with some “craft questions.”

Q1. How did you develop your writing craft from poetry to romance??

            No matter what form I use, romance always creeps in. I think all good writing provokes thought or evokes emotion, whether it is poetry, fiction, non-fiction, song lyrics or blog posts. When I’m in poetry mode, I spend hours, days, sometimes weeks, choosing perfect words to convey meaning and emotion. Romance writing is certainly a more expanded form, but I’m still trying to do the same thing – evoke emotion. I’d write faster if I didn’t spend quite as much time looking for the perfect word, but I’m not sure that’s a skill I am able to develop!

Q2. Which authors have influenced you most how?

            I became a big Judith Krantz fan during my formative years. Her characters are bold, smart, creative, sexy and so much fun to read. I’m also a huge fan of Anne McCaffrey’s work. Her kick ass heroines and world-building definitely inspired me. I read for entertainment; it’s one of my favorite things to do. In writing this hot chef series I wanted to write books that would be fun to read, books like the keepers on my bookshelf.

Q3. What are some of the best tip you’ve received on writing?

            The old standbys work for me: write what you know, show - don’t tell, don’t write the boring parts, and cut the first (and maybe second and third) chapter. Nora Roberts once said, “I can fix a bad page, but I can’t fix a blank page.” I remind myself daily that some words are only necessary to get me to the right words. I may struggle for perfect words…but any words are better than no words!

Now some Questions related to Scrumptious specifically:

Q4. Is there an ancillary character you had the most fun with? 

            Olivia, the heroine’s best friend, gave me fits – so I gave her a sequel. In SCRUMPTIOUS, she’s hurtling through crisis after crisis but it isn’t her story. I enjoyed using her cautious personality as counterpoint to my impetuous, grand-standing heroine. Olivia is straight everywhere Marly is curvy, which made her an interesting challenge.

Q5. Please share one surprising thing about your experience writing this book, or about something else related to your career as a writer.

            I have leaned that my procrastination is born out of fear of failure. I always thought I was lazy! I really wish I had known this in college when I would wait until the day the paper was due to write it. *head desk* There are many things that keep me out of my writing chair and they all have something to do with fear. Mostly I’m afraid that I suck, but I also fear rejection, not doing justice to my characters, lack of conflict, lack of motivation, boring sex scenes, blowing deadlines and looking stupid.

The list of reasons not to write goes on forever. In SCRUMPTIOUS, Joe says to Marly, “If you don’t try, you don’t fail, huh?” I can’t go back and start my college papers earlier, but I can be aware of my fears and write anyway.

 Q6. How did you celebrate the sale of your first book? 

            With champagne! My husband and I will use almost any excuse to open a bottle of bubbly. And buy steaks, make chimichurri, and whip up a chocolate cheesecake. Trite, but true – we’re chefs and we celebrate everything with food and drink. We couldn’t quite afford Disney, so we took the kids to Splash Lagoon instead. We continued to celebrate there with rum drinks served in plastic coconut cups, necessary because it was freezing in February. That is the last time I put on a bathing suit in winter!

 And we’ll round out with some questions about you... more or less.

 Q7. Which word(s)(up to three)would you use to describe yourself and your personality?

           Funny! I think I’m hilarious. The only person I consistently crack up is my big sister, but one day…the world will know. J

Q8.  Do you have any other books in the works? Goals for future projects?

            In LUSCIOUS, the sequel to SCRUMPTIOUS, Olivia and her lawyer spend a romantic week in Italy discovering passion as well as a family secret. At the moment, I’m writing the third book (with its as-yet-unidentified ious-ending title) which will bring readers back into a smokin’ hot Western New York kitchen. Colin and Gia are scene stealers and I can’t wait to explore their story.

Q9.  If you could have readers finish a sentence what would it be? 

     I can’t resist…                                

Thank you so much for sharing!

Thanks for having me on your blog today! I had a great time answering your questions.

***See my review post for the Giveaway of the ARC copy.***