Foodie Friday -- $100 American Express Giveaway!

 

Welcome to the first Foodie Friday of 2013.

I hope you had a great, food-filled New Year's Eve, and that the coming year will be filled with peace and blessings.

 

Last week, I was recovering from a bug, yet I managed to cook junk food, think about design boo-boos,

 

and ponder all-white/neutral decor.  

Source: www.houzz.com

 

Thanks to everyone who offered emotional support and great ideas.
Your words meant the world to me.
 

 

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Last week's Foodie Friday "Showstopper" was

 

Dungeness Crab Stuffed Avocado with Seafood Remoulade

 

Cathy at Wives With Knives lives in the Pacific Northwest, and last week she brought

this elegant, classic dish to Foodie Friday

  Click to visit

Wives With Knives

 

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Would you like a chance to win
a $100 American Express gift card?
I'm giving away a card to celebrate next month's publication of Piper Maitland's new novel, HUNTING DAYLIGHT.

(Here's a little-known fact: I am Piper Maitland, but I also write Southern novels as Michael Lee West,
another little-known fact.)

 

I felt terrible today when my publicist called and gently reminded me that "Piper" hadn't Tweeted, Facebooked, or blogged in about a year. Yikes. Well, I didn't want to say anything, but it's been a rough 24-months, what with work and family illnesses.

I even forgot that I had two books coming out this winter!

Oh, Piper--you are bad! Bad!

Badness aside, I truly loved writing Hunting Daylight. Every day when I sat down to write, it was as if I'd opened a magical door and stepped into a place without worries (for me, anyway), a place where True Love and True Adventure existed. And vampires. Nice ones, handsome ones, and the kind that give chill bumps and nightmares. Such a change from my Southern, food-loving characters. A fun change.

source: Shutterstock

 

 Source: Shutterstock

 

 

You don't need to read the previous novel, Acquainted With the Night, to step into this world (though I hope you do). I put my medical background to good use, mixing science and vampirism. Luckily my "in-house" experts happen to be a biochemist and a physician! I don't always have fun when I'm writing, but I really had a blast with Caro, Jude, and Raphael. I hope you will have as much fun reading the book as I had writing it.

If you're a follower of this blog, your name will be automatically added to the drawing. For extra chances to win, you can Tweet this post, "pin" it at Pinterest, "like" the book at Amazon or Facebook.   You can find the links at the bottom of this post.  If you pre-order the book, your name will be entered TWENTY TIMES into the drawing. Just leave a comment and let me know.

The winner will be announced at next week's Foodie Friday. 

 

From the publisher:

Daylight is coming on February 5th

Piper Maitland returns with the hotly anticipated follow-up to Acquainted With the Night.

Hunting  Daylight

Out of the Shadows...

For more than a decade, Caro Barrett has had doubts about the death of her husband, Jude, who disappeared while looking for  tribe of day-walking vampires in an African rainforest. Now, their daughter Vivi is struggling through her teenage years without a father. Waiting in the wings is Raphael Della Rocca, an ancient vampire ready to possess Caro's heart--and to protect her and Vivi from harm. And, with Caro's husband declared legally dead, she feels it's finally time to move on . . . .

A hemisphere away in a windowless compound, an Ottoman vampire lies dying from a rare blood disease that has made him vulnerble to the faintest bit of light. Yet he is determined to vanquish its power over him--

to feel the sun on his face one last time.

And in Caro's darkest fears, he will be lifted into the light of day.

 

Early Praise:

"Picking up with events following last year's Acquainted With the Night, Hunting Daylight dives deep into the dangerous world of vampires and the obsession of one dangerous man.

 

Taut and engaging, this well-written novel is filled with sacrifice, loss and terror."

--Jill M. Smith, Romantic Times, **** Four stars

On Sale: February 5, 2013

Pre-Order: 

 

That Bookstore in Blytheville

Amazon 

Barnes and Noble  

Books-a-Million

Powells

Independent Bookstores

 

Piper's BLOG, Twitter, and Facebook Page

Praise for book one in the series,

Acquainted With the Night

"A roller coaster."

--Publishers Weekly

"A twisted and complex take on vampire lore and legends . . . If you're a fan of unusual vampire stories, this action-packed and fast-paced book will please you immensely."

-- Fresh Fiction

"This book is fantastic. A perfect blend of Dan Brown's religious intrigue, Michael Crichton's scientific thriller, and Anne Rice's vampire novels. The writing is wonderfully done, keeping the reader engaged, not letting go until the last page has turned. . .

excellent."

--Portland Book Review

"Edge-of-your-seat, otherworldly suspense laced with a wicked sense of humor."

--Lori Wilde, New York Times bestselling author

"Vampires and non stop sex!"

--Diana Gabaldon, New York Times bestselling author

 

"Maitland puts her more literary spin on the Urban Fantasy genre with this rich, compelling novel. She's a talented storyteller."

--Romantc Times Book Reviews (****)

Berkley Mass Market Paperback

560 pages, $9.99

Available in paperback and an e-book



 

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I can't wait to see what you've cooked up this week. I know you will have a great time visiting the blogs that have contributed recipes. If you'd like to add your recipe to the Foodie Friday linky party, locate the blue Inlinkz frog (below); add your permalink and select an image. It may take a few seconds for the entry to process. The Foodie Friday badge is located on the right-hand sidebar if you wish to add it to your FF post. If this is your first time to participate in Foodie Friday, a tutorial is available.



 

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