A Tempting Treat for Valentine’s Day

Welcome blog hoppers!

As Valentine’s Day approaches, it’s time once again to enter our kitchens and hit the bake pans, perhaps unused since the Christmas gorging. Today, I thought I’d share my favourite Valentine’s Day recipe...

Red Velvet cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1 stick of butter, softened

2 eggs

2 1/3 cups of cake flour

2 tablespoons of old fashioned cocoa powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 cup of buttermilk

1 1/2 tablespoons of red food coloring

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of distilled white vinegar

Directions:

Set the oven to preheat to 350°F. Beat the butter and sugar very well (for about 3 minutes with an electric mixer), until smooth and light. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is mixed in evenly. In a large batter bowl, sift he cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together, ensuring there are no lumps. In another bowl whisk the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla extract, and red food coloring together. Add a handful or two of the dry ingredients and mix, then add a bit of the wet. Repeat, wet/dry, until it’s all completely mixed. Scoop into a muffin tin lined with waxed cupcake papers, about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Rotate the pan after the first 15 minutes of baking to ensure even baking. Allow to cool in the pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. Top with your favourite cream cheese frosting, and some shaved dark chocolate and/or sprinkles. (Raspberries are also nice on top, if you prefer.)

For maximum wonderfulness, I enjoy my red velvet with a very milky cup of Chai tea, though hot chocolate, warm milk, coffee, or Irish cream works just as well.

Enjoy!

*

And now for a peek at V-Day, my erotic romantic comedy for Valentine’s Day:

It all started with a serenade…

A family like Daniel’s and the solitary pursuit of musical excellence is enough to make a young man crazy. No wonder all Daniel Vouks dreams of is getting away. He knows his violin will take him places in life, but the only place he really wants to be is next door. He’s been in love with his neighbor since he was fourteen, but can he ever make her see him as more than just a lovesick kid?

V-Day is the story of a Valentine's Day weekend Daniel fears he may regret, but will never, ever forget.

Excerpt:

Daniel retreated to the music room, thankful he didn’t have a class or a practice scheduled on campus today. He didn’t even have to give any lessons until next week. The weather really didn’t look all that welcoming and he was grateful he could huddle inside as his family bustled off to their various destinations. After school, his parents would be off for the weekend, dropping his sister and her flotilla of luggage off at Kayley’s so the girls could get ready to go to the dance together, which meant leaving Daniel officially on his own until at least Sunday afternoon. Glorious.

Allowing the noise of their departures to roll off him as he sat absently at the piano, he plucked out a few strains and watched the sun glint off the fresh snow in the backyard. It was really beautiful when you could view it from a cozy place.

Blah! Another Valentine’s Day. His nineteenth one as a single guy. And, he thought ruefully, his nineteenth year as a confirmed virgin.

Jesus, even his baby sister had more going on than he did. Selby, his girlfriend in tenth grade, had been about as close to any action as he’d ever gotten. Her pathological fear of pregnancy made it absolutely essential that he keep his pants on at all times. Other than that, any girl he’d ever liked had tossed him into the “friend” basket and never bothered to reassess him.

Kelly, his best friend, did that. After Daniel followed the cute redheaded soprano around for weeks like a puppy, she finally took pity on him and explained he was simply too nice to attract her. After that, they formed an easy relationship through which both had a pal, and a no-fuss “emergency date” when necessary.

Flipping open his phone, he hit Kelly’s number.

“This better be good,” she grumbled after the fifth ring.

“Hey early riser,” he chuckled.

“Well, if I had my mom bringing me my morning coffee in bed…”

“Okay, truce,” Daniel winced. “And my mom doesn’t let me drink coffee.”

“Why not? Afraid it'll stunt your growth, stretch?” Kelly asked with a crystal clear laugh despite having just woken up.

“Something like that,” he said, flecking a flower petal off the top of the piano. “Listen…You’re probably…I dunno…busy tonight, right?”

“Are you trying again, Danny?” she groaned.

“Well, no. I just thought if you weren’t, maybe we could do something.”

“I have a date.”

“Right,” he forced a chuckle. “Yeah, I figured you would.” He straightened in his chair. “Being Valentine’s and all. No problem, just wanted to check.”

“Ahhh, Danny,” she sighed. “What about you?”

“I got a hot date all weekend,” he said over a grimace. “With that friggin’ tango, I guess.”

“Danny, do yourself a favor,” she said firmly. “Go get yourself laid. I told you that’s what’s missing from your tango.”

“Well then,” he quipped. “Support the arts and break your date. I can be there in an hour.”

“Har har har,” she said and then laughed for real. “Seriously, go fall for someone. Preferably someone who will fall for you back.”

“Okay,” he agreed. “For you, I'll try my best.”

Daniel hung up and pounded out a few more notes on the keyboard in front of him, contemplating Kelly’s method music theory that said you could only sing or play what you’d experienced. If that were the case, his tango would remain a virginal one if his luck so far was any indication.

*

For more information about my adult (18+) Valentine’s Day erotic romantic comedy, V-Day, please see my holiday stories website: http://annehollyholiday.webs.com/valentinesdaytales.htm

GIVEAWAY!

Comment below, and tell us what your favourite Valentine’s Day treat is, and you will be entered to win any one of my currently-released titles in Amazon Kindle edition or PDF! One winner will be drawn at random, February 15, 2012. Contest is open only to adults, 18+.

Be sure to leave a comment, 

and then check out the other authors at:

http://thebloghopspot.com/event-page/

Anne Holly is a Canadian writer of romance and erotic-romance, as well as a mother and teacher. You may visit Anne at her blog or website, or find her on GoodReads, Facebook and Twitter  (@anneholly2010). Sign up for her newsletter here. Email: anneholly2010@gmail.com.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Wishing all my readers and fellow book people a wonderful Valentine's Day weekend.

Much love and warmth to you all.

Thursday 13: 13 Movies for Valentine's Day

Whether you're spending the night in with someone special, or you're going stag (in which case, you're still spending it with someone special), here's a few of my favourite romantic movies for Valentine's Day (I should have put it in order, but I didn't really)...

1. Better off Dead (1985) - I've heard that John Cusack hates this movie, but I always get a kick out of it. Now, suicide is not amusing, but that kick in the gut from lost love (and surviving it) can be - and is, in this movie. My preferred way of spending Valentine's Day - my little love note to the suckiness that is romance at times. If nothing else, you'll learn the invaluable rule: pay your damned paperboy on time.
2. Juno (2007) - While Twee Hipsters normally just make me want to vomit, these ones deserved a big hug.
3. French Kiss (1995) - Cheesy? Oh, oui! Certainement! Worth a good bowl of popcorn and a few hours? Oh, most definitely, yes! Kevin Kline is so oddly compelling in this film, I watch it over and over - and Meg Ryan? Well, she's just adorable.
4. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) - Yes, a teen comedy. But I fell for it! I feel no shame.
5. The Wedding Singer (1998) - I know, Adam Sandler isn't exactly the First Name in Romance, but this movie has me sighing every time - and if you're alone on Valentine's Day, his rendition of "Love Stinks" will have you jumping with glee on your sofa.
6. The Pelican Brief (1993) - Not a romance, you say? I guess not. But the chemistry kills me, and friendship, affection, partnership can all be better in the long run than the most sappy of proclamations, no?
7. Say Anything (1989) - I know, the second Cusack movie on the list, but come on! Lloyd Dobler is basically wonderful - a noble slacker, before slackers just became punks, and he's absolutely dedicated to one principle: I can love Diane Court better than anyone else in the world. Something of a men's liberation film, I think. And nothing will ever top that ghetto blaster scene, which could never be reproduced. (Imagine him holding up an iPod dock?)
8. John Adams (2008) - Yep, I mean the HBO miniseries. Has there ever been a screen couple as wonderful as John and Abigail Adams are in this series?
9. City Lights (1931) - Such perfection! So sublime, it isn't even really a movie. I don't know if that makes sense, at all, but my goodness... I don't know if this movie has a HEA ending or not, but the beauty of that last scene is transformative.
10. What's Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993) - Possibly one of the most stirring romances, ever, in my opinion. Love saves a drowning man, not because he's rich or swank, but because he's good and he deserves it. Really, how can you do better than that?
11. LA Confidential (1997) - A hooker with a heart of gold and some pretty seriously effective bromance - this one has something for everyone! Plus, Bud White - need I say more?
12. Notting Hill (1999) - In the late-90s and the early-00s, no one did romantic comedies like the Brits, and this one hooked me. I saw it in theaters at least three times, if I recall, and I still pull it out every now and then. So cute! And, yes, it was fairly fresh when it was new; that so many films have copied it since is no fault of Notting Hill's.
13. Pride and Prejudice (1995) - The Big Granddaddy of all that is wonderful.

Bonus: Bull Durham (1988), anyone? Yum!

So, what are some of your favourite romantic flicks?

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! And happy viewing!

Without Further Ado... My New RIP Covers!

These are the new covers for the short romantic erotica books, Good for the Goose and V-Day, that are being re-released by Rebel Ink Press in August. 

Good for the Goose focuses on Natasha, a successful professor and recent divorcee, and the unexpected love affair she has one Christmas break with a fiery pursuer - a Spanish grad student more than a decade younger than she! Good for the Goose is both strongly erotic and passionately romantic, dealing with issues of rejection, regrets, fear of living again, and the persistence of young men with their minds set on the lady of their choice.  

This cover centers on Raphael, the young lover who brings Natasha the magic of Christmas despite the chill, as well as the fireplace they share while snowed in. The cover's black satin feel evokes not only the story's sensuality, but the dark moments of grief pinpointed throughout Natasha's journey. Plus, the boy's pretty cute, too, which never hurts at all! 

A quirky romantic-comedy erotic story told from the male perspective, the Valentine's installment V-Day is a lot less intense in many ways. Young violinist Daniel dreams of winning first chair of his university orchestra, and of finding love. He crushes on the pretty physiotherapist who lives next door to his family home, where he lives with a mother who thinks Jello molds and sweaters are the height of cool and a father who has never been seen on the other side of a newspaper. He knows he wants his life to be different - passionate and creative. The trouble is, no girl has ever seen him as more than a friend, and the girl next door, Bronwyn, may never see him as anything other than the 14 year old peeking through her shrubs that he was when she moved in! One long Valentine's weekend, a serenade and a whim can change all that, but how can Daniel make it last more than three days?  

This cover uses the imagery of Valentine's Day via the flower, melded with Daniel's two loves - his violin and the girl next door. The colours and brightness of this cover echo the lighter feel to the book. 

Good for the Goose and V-Day will release in August 2011. They will be followed by a Hallowe'en romantic-comedy erotica with witchy overtones, a romantic erotica featuring Thanksgiving for the salt of the earth, and a no-holds-barred New Years Eve tale told among the rich and famous. Five stories from August through December - all featuring mismatched couples and mirroring the best qualities of their respective seasons. 


The exact release dates are TBA at the moment. I'll be sure to let you know when these two holiday erotica tales, as well as the next three in the series, become available.

Thanks go to the art department at Rebel Ink Press.

What's Up in Anne's World?

So, yes, these past four or five weeks, I admit the daily blog thing hasn't been happening. This term, I am teaching two courses, with a total of 160 students, so my time is tight - mixed with my actual writing, my son, my academic and freelance writing, several flus/colds, and general life stuff. Blogging seemed to be a low-maintenance victim to the need to sleep occasionally. I have some hope of things evening out now that a few projects have been beaten into submission, but there's always another project, right?

I very briefly considered getting out of blogging altogether - and, indeed, out of writing fiction for publication, since it (along with the required hours of promotion and networking) seemed to be a full time job in itself, which would make it my third full time gig.

However, I am still around. Actually, I have been fairly productive, just perhaps not in ways that are readily visible at the moment.

So, I would like to share with you some nice news - I have another release coming very soon; a Valentine's Day erotic-romance short, with heavy doses of comedy, called V-Day, which will be released by Wicked Nights on February 11! The cover looks pretty great (see above), and I have to give lots of kudos to the brave folks at Wicked for accepting a book that is... well... Non-traditional is one way to describe it. You'll see when you read it. It's not your common erotic-romance.

V-Day is told through the eyes of a lovesick young man, Daniel, who spends his life in pursuit of musical excellence, hemmed in by his nutty family, who could all use a bit of a break from each other. V-Day is the story of a Valentine's Day weekend he will never, ever forget, where he becomes decidedly un-Daniellike. And it all starts with an impromptu performance of one of my favourite pieces, Beethoven's Romance No 2 in F Major.

Even if I do say so myself, that scene is particularly sweet.

In other news, my novel, Strings Attached (Wild Horse Press) is still planned for release in May 2011, which is fast approaching, at long last - edits and such will continue, and I really hope you like it. Soon, I hope to have another full length ready to submit. And, with V-Day, I am continuing on my planned five story holiday themed series for Wicked, and am already formulating something really grand for St Patrick's Day.

I am also gearing up for some major website revamping over the next little while in anticipation of promoting my full length, so I will be sharing some news about that as the next month or so rolls along.

I also got a few good reviews recently, which really made my day, and I look forward to getting my work out there a bit more, and will really try to do some more guest blogging very soon. Unwrapping Scrooge (Decadent Publishing) got three cups from Coffee Time Romance, and reviewer Patrizia Murray at Manic Readers gave Good for the Goose 4.5 stars out of 5, calling the sexual buildup "mesmerizing" (which I think may be the nicest compliment my writing ever received). These were great boosts for me, and weighed positively in my decision to stay in the ring a bit longer.

As long as people are enjoying my writing, I am glad to keep doing it.

Anyway, so that is what's up around here. My son and I are starting to defeat the random colds and flus, and things are getting back on track. I am so grateful to all the authors who have visited the blog and kept it alive during my radio silence, and I hope you enjoyed meeting some writers, and continue to discover some new favourites through their posts on this blog.

I hope all is well out there, and please stay tuned for more from me as the weeks progress - including new excerpts, trailers and news!

Hugs and kisses,
Anne

A Preview of 2011

2010 was a pretty great year, with three shorts released and a full length excepted. The New Year brought a lot more work in other areas of my life, but writing is still in the works. So, what's up for me this year, writing-wise?

Holiday Shorts Series for Wicked Nights: Following up on my Christmas erotic romance, Good for the Goose, I hope to add four more sweet and spicy shorts to this collection, hitting Valentine's Day, St Patrick's Day, Halloween and Thanksgiving. My February one is in draft form now - a shy young man with unexpected romantic depths shares an unforgettable V'Day with the girl next door.

Fall 2010's Full Length: This contemporary romance, which was written in rough during NaNo, is the passionate, and at times awkward, story about a determined anti-romance single mom who unwillingly falls for an almost-too-goof-to-be-true single dad. Between her job and his teen daughter, the course of true love is not only not smooth but seems to lead right up the wall. (But, between you and me, I think they'll make it.) This manuscript is in editing right now, and will soon be ready for a beta reader. I have a publisher in mind, so I hope to submit it by spring. Your guess is as good as mine as far as release date, but I will certainly keep you posted.

Winter 2011's Full Length: This is a paranormal/contemporary romance - a school psychologist may have to come clean about her family's well-guarded secrets in order to help a young girl with a troubling stalker. One her stubborn and broken father doesn't even want to acknowledge. This book has been outlined and is in the process of a rough draft.

I also have a novella planned for Spring 2011, and full lengths for Summer 2011 and Fall 2011 (my next NaNo work!), but don't expect them released any time soon - except maybe the novella.

And, of course, my full length contemporary romance, Strings Attached, will be released in May 2011 from Wild Horse Press!

Stay tuned for the results of these efforts, as well as snippets from them as they roll out of my brain.

I hope to continue making love stories you will love!

The State of Things

I've been thinking about my WIPs schedule... I think I have decided to put the Valentine's Short I wanted to do this week on hold.

A major reason is that my schedule is kind of tight (that short at 7-12k, then a free short for my website at 2-4k, along with some academic stuff I have to, plus all my "real life" stuff, etc).

But most of all, I am feeling kind of tired of writing - since mid-Sept, I have produced a short paranormal erotic (9k), a short holiday romance (12k) and a short Xmas erotic (12k) - one of which is released, one soon be released and the other currently under consideration... I have also finished one short magazine article, and a rough draft of an academic chapter.

I feel like maybe my squid is out of ink for now and I might want to take a couple weeks off.

I am not the type to admit defeat, but I think I might on this one, and just reschedule things a bit. Three shorts and a full length this one term, I don't want to chuck in a super-short and a V'Day short and get all stale and lose the fun of writing. Not to mention ruin the quality!

The only thing that makes me hesitate on setting the Valentines short aside is that I was hoping to submit it for an anthology, and the deadline is looming. However, perhaps I could just publish it as a single short somewhere around January if I have to take a miss on the anthology.

The 2-4k free short is not a big burden, so I will do that, and I do want/need to do the academic piece... but I ask myself, why take on the Valentine's Day short right now? Do I need it? Perhaps I have been prolific enough for the time being. I don't have to throw it away entirely, but maybe save it until after my full length is written in November (poss for NaNoWriMo).

So, I think I might put it off until December, after WriMo, during the editing phase. My schedule now is finishing the academic chapter and the free read in October, do the full-length in November, and the V'Day short in December while I edit my NaNo project. I think that seems a bit more doable.

All I know is, if I over-reach too far, the writing might go blah... then what is the point?

Thanks for listening to me think out loud, folks.

Two New WIPs Added

I know... I am nuts.

I just dove into my holiday story (which I was slacking on), and now I just added two new WIPs to the pot.

One, I am hoping to get into an anthology somewhere for Valentine's Day. I won't share the plot yet, and it has no title right now, but I have an inkling of what it will be about, and it will likely be M/F contemporary sensual, and I hope it will be around 7,000 words.

The second is to be a short erotic holiday story, around 5,000 words.

I'll let you know how they progress.