Love, Art, and Other Obstacles By Sadira Stone
Give a warm welcome to Sadira Stone, author of Love, Art, and Other Obstacles. I see you’ve brought a couple of guests.
Yes, This is Elmer Byrne and Margot DePont of Love, Art, and Other Obstacles. Welcome all! Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Elmer, Margot and Sadira as well as Love, Art, and Other Obstacles!
Lets start with Elmer. Come on over here and have a seat.
Tells us about the real you—
Tell us three things we’d find if we looked under your bed? sketch pads, colored pencils, sci-fi paperbacks
……What makes you laugh out loud? The kids at the Rainbow Arts Center, where I teach ceramics. They tell it like it is.
……What makes you angry? Snooty people, users
What event in your past has left the most indelible impression on you? My foster parents taught me what real family love is, and that the best kind of family is the one you choose.
What do you most value? Connection
…..What do you sleep in at night? Nothing. That’s what blankets are for.
What is the type of woman you want to spend the rest of your life with? She has to be creative, funny, artistic, a free thinker. And she has to love sex, of course.
What do you consider most important in life? It’s a tie: creative self-expression, and love.
What is your biggest secret? Confidence: fake it until you feel it.
****
Okay Margot, your turn in the hot seat. LOL
Who are you really? I’m a rebel.
Tell us three things we’d find if we looked under your bed? Manga books, mismatched socks, dust
……What makes you laugh out loud? The little kids at the bookshop where I work. I love it when it’s my turn for story hour.
……What makes you angry? Snobs. Judgmental people who try to squash me, or anyone else, into a narrow box.
……What do you sleep in at night? My vintage Godzilla T-shirt.
Who were the biggest role models in your life? Maxie Schmidt, my 90-year-old surrogate grandmother. She sampled all of life’s pleasures and always followed her own path. And she accepts people as they are.
What kind of man do you want to spend the rest of your life with? Who says I want a forever partner? And who says it has to be a guy? But if I do commit to one person, they’d have to be open-minded, artistic, nerdy, and sexy.
(or if you don’t want romance – Why not?)
What kind of man would you never choose? A judgmental one who wants to clip my wings.
What is most important to you in life? Creative self-expression and independence.
What is your biggest fear? Having to hide who I am
Sadira, Tell us a little about writing this story. Was it fun or difficult? Do your characters always act as you expect? Are you a plotter, or fly (write) by the seat of your pants?
This story was great fun to write. I loved the chance to revisit the crew at Book Nirvana, the bookshop at the center of this series. Margot is an important secondary character in the first two books in the series, and readers told me they wanted to read her story. Elmer first appeared in book two, and he’s such a sexy flirt that I enjoyed giving him a story of his own. They’re quite the unlikely couple. At first, Margot’s turned off by Elmer’s cocky, flirtatious ways. Of course, there’s more that she suspected under his pretty surface.
Another facet I loved was developing the Rainbow Art Center, a youth arts program where both Elmer and Margot volunteer. The kid artists and Rainbow Center staff sort of emerged to tell their own story about the importance of art in their lives. If I had great piles of $$, I’d love to sponsor an arts center like this.
I’m definitely a plantser—I plot out the story, but new sprouts develop as I write. Some of them grow fruitful; others need to be trimmed or pruned as I revise.
A little about Love, Art, and Other Obstacles, if you please:
She’s a free spirit. He’s a one-woman man.
Rejected by her family for her bisexuality, graphic artist Margot DuPont yearns for a life with no fences, no limits, and no family ties. Between college, work at Book Nirvana, and an art competition, she barely has time for her part-time girlfriend, much less a flirtation with her competitor.
Dumped into the foster system at a young age, ceramics artist Elmer Byrne craves a big, loving family of the heart. His artist family almost fills that need, but something is missing…until Margot. But when he offers his heart, her thorny defenses shatter him.
Thrown together in an art competition that could jump-start one artist’s career, but not both, their irresistible attraction forces them to reconsider the meaning of success.
Buy Links: Psst…Love, Art, and Other Obstacles is on sale for $2.99 from May 15-29. After that it’s $5.99. If I were you, I’d snap up a copy!
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A sneak peek between the pages:
“Tell you what,” he said. “How about if we have drinks and talk about anything but the competition?”
“Because…why?”
“You’re a real hard-ass, aren’t you?” He rolled his eyes. “Because I like you, Margot.”
“Why?”
He leaned so close their foreheads almost touched, a challenge simmering in his smile. “Have a drink with me and find out.”
If there was one thing she couldn’t resist, it was a challenge. On the other hand, he might not like her so much if he knew about Darcy. Let that be the test, then. Let him prove he wasn’t one of those possessive, controlling guys Darcy warned her about.
“Okay. I will.” She stepped back. “But you should know, I’m sort of seeing someone.”
His thick auburn brows contracted. “Sort of?”
“A woman.”
His nostrils flared on a deep inhalation, but he held her gaze. “Is it serious?”
“Not really.” Might as well serve up the truth, raw and ungarnished. Might as well be honest with herself too. “She lives in Berkeley. I only see her every month or two.”
Holding her gaze, he nodded. “Okay then. Thanks for telling me.” The tense lines of his mouth relaxed into a casual grin. “So, drinks?”
Well I’ll be damned.
About the Author:
Ever since her first kiss, Sadira’s been spinning steamy tales in her head. After leaving her teaching career in Germany, she finally tried her hand at writing one. Now she’s a happy citizen of Romancelandia, penning contemporary romance from her new home in Washington State, U.S.A. When not writing, which is seldom, she explores the Pacific Northwest with her charming husband, enjoys the local music scene, plays darts (pretty well), plays guitar (badly), and gobbles all the books. Visit Sadira at www.sadirastone.com .
I’d love to hear from you! Please visit me on all the socials.
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Art World, Artist, Bisexual Heroine, Bookshop, Ceramics, Chosen Family, Contemporary Romance, Disapproving Family, Graphic Design, Love Art and Other Obstacles, New Adult Romance, Oregon, Redhead Hero, Rivals to Lovers, Sadira Stone, Steamy Romance, Tattoos by Tena Stetler with 7 comments.
Peggy Jaeger Talks Food & Passion’s Pallette
Give a warm welcome to Peggy Jaeger, author of Passion’s Palette, fifth book in the MacQuire Women series released today August 4th 2017! Happy release day Peggy!
Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a homemade Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate and let’s find out a little about Peggy Jaeger and Passion’s Pallett.
Peggy, I’ve read a few of your books. I love the large noisy families and cooking that seem to be a common theme in most the books I’ve read. Do you like to cook?
Food and family play such major roles in my writing. It doesn’t take endless hours on an analyst’s couch to figure out where those two themes hail from. I am the only child of divorced parents and as a child I was a latchkey kid, a term I don’t think is used any more. It meant I was all alone, on my own, every day after school. My parents worked and my mom couldn’t afford a babysitter after I turned 8. My mother and stepfather didn’t usually arrive home until after 7 each night, so I had to fend for myself if I got hungry. Back then, putting together a seven course meal wasn’t going to happen, so I learned how to open a box of macaroni and cheese and not burn the pot when I made it! A few years down the road I’d elevated to making spaghetti and hand rolled meatballs. In my teens, I started experimenting with sauces. So, you can see this was procession of learning skills. My love of cooking developed and grew as I did.
I hated being an only child (still do!). I always wanted brothers and sisters, people my age living in the same house with me. Siblings I could learn from, maybe even teach something to – like cooking – who’d be there to support and love me. People I had a connection – a DNA connection – to.
Didn’t happen.
Oh, I know exactly how you feel! I’m an only child too, raised by a single parent. Wasn’t much fun. Sorry for the interruption, go on.
So, I married a man with a big family and started writing my own romance stories centering around families, their relationships, and their lives. I have to admit, it’s been fun.
I also learned to cook really well. I would never flatter myself and say I’m a “chef” but if I ever find the time, I think I’d like to go to cooking school to better my skill set. Most of what I learned about cooking I learned, first from cookbooks, and recently from cooking shows. God bless the food and cooking channels! And You-Tube! This is just one bookcase in my home that houses some of my 120+ cookbooks. You’ll even see on the very top a cookbook by my favorite author, Nora Roberts.
Luckily, I have a husband who can eat anything and is always up for trying a new dish.
In PASSION’S PALETTE, the 5th book in my MacQuire Women series, I tell the story of artist Serena MacQuire and veterinarian Seamus Cleary. This is the second prequel in the series and it goes back a little in time to the beginning of their lifelong love affair. In the book, Serena has come back to her childhood home for a much-needed rest and to start planning a mural she has been commissioned for. Her old nursemaid and housekeeper, Addie O’Malley is worried about Serena. The girl looks so exhausted and she’s way too thin, so Addie makes Serena’s favorite dish, veal piccata. It’s a relatively easy dish to make and it just screams comfort food. Served with mashed sweet potatoes or rice, it’s a delicious meal that feeds the soul. Just the thought of it warms Serena’s heart and gets her taste buds watering. The thought of Seamus Cleary does that, too!
Food plays such a big role in my stories because I believe there’s nothing stronger that holds a family together as sitting around a dining room table, sharing a meal…or two…or ten. We all have such busy lives that sometimes we lose touch with those who mean the most to us. Sitting at the table, discussing your day, sharing a meal that’s been made with love and care, is a gift we should give ourselves every day. Every single day.
And here’s my gift to you: Serena’s favorite recipe, Addie O’Malley’s Veal Piccata.
Ingredients:
8 small veal culets, pounded flat
2 eggs, beaten slightly
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons REAL butter ( never margarine!)
½ cup dry Sherry
1 Teaspoon lemon juice – or the juice of one lemon that you squeeze yourself!
2 Tablespoons capers ( you can eliminate these if you don’t like their pungent taste)
1 cup chicken stock
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
Salt, to your taste
Ground white pepper, to your taste
Method:
- Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a shallow baking dish.
- In another baking dish, add the beaten eggs.
- Dredged the cutlets one at a time first thru the egg mixture, then the flour mixture, coating both sides with flour. The egg makes it stick to the cutlet
- Add the oil to a big sauté pan and heat until hot
- Cook the cutlets one or two at a time, 2-3 minutes per side until both sides are golden brown. Remove them from the pan and set them aside on an plate. Cover with aluminum foil to heel hot.
- For the SAUCE: add the chicken stock, Sherry, lemon juice and capers to the sauté pan and scrape off all the left over cutlet bits from the bottom of the pan into the mix.
- Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes or until the sauce has reduced by about a third. Add the butter and mix it into the sauce, then swirl the parsley through out right at the end. Add some salt and white pepper to you taste
- Place the cutlets on a large serving dish and pour the sauce over each piece, coating it.
- Serve and enjoy!
Tell us a about PASSION’S PALETTE
Talented and witty portrait artist Serena MacQuire is successful in everything but love. Her gift for capturing people on canvas is rivaled only by her fiery and legendary temper. A tragedy from the past keeps her heart securely locked away, preventing any man from getting close enough to claim it.
But Seamus Cleary isn’t just any man. After he left his professional football career to become a veterinarian, his bitter wife ended their marriage. Now, as he starts his life over in a new town, love is the last thing he’s looking for. The more he tends to Serena’s horses, though, the more he realizes her own heart needs tender care and healing as well.
Will he be the man who finally unlocks and claims her heart?
How about a sneak peek between the pages of Passion’s Palette?
With a hip resting against the tabletop, he browsed through her paints and brushes, lifting one color pot, then another. “So. You’re an artist.”
She nodded.
“What do you paint?”
As he opened and closed the pots, Serena observed his hands, silently assessing the length and width of his fingers. Her mind registered the dexterous movements of each action, the deliberate, studied way his hands performed each task.
“Portraits, mostly.”
His eyebrows rose. “This is pretty big equipment for a portrait. Where do your pictures hang? In castles?”
“Three do,” she told him, charmed when his neck reddened. “But this stuff is for a mural I’ve been commissioned to do for a hospital.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Impressive. You must be good.”
Allowing a smidgeon of playfulness to creep into her voice, Serena gave him a shrug that rivaled his own and repeated his words back to him. “Better than some. Not as good as others.”
He returned her smile with one of his own.
Serena’s heart giddyapped.
Buy Links
More about the Author:
Peggy Jaeger is a contemporary romance writer who writes about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can’t live without them.
Family and food play huge roles in Peggy’s stories because she believes there is nothing that holds a family structure together like sharing a meal…or two…or ten. Dotted with humor and characters that are as real as they are loving, Peggy brings all topics of daily life into her stories: life, death, sibling rivalry, illness and the desire for everyone to find their own happily ever after. Growing up the only child of divorced parents she longed for sisters, brothers and a family that vowed to stick together no matter what came their way. Through her books, she has created the families she wanted as that lonely child.
Tying into her love of families, her children’s book, THE KINDNESS TALES, was illustrated by her artist mother-in-law.
Peggy holds a master’s degree in Nursing Administration and first found publication with several articles she authored on Alzheimer’s Disease during her time running an Alzheimer’s in-patient care unit during the 1990s.
In 2013, she placed first in two categories in the Dixie Kane Memorial Contest: Single Title Contemporary Romance and Short/Long Contemporary Romance.
In 2017 she came in 3rd in the New England Reader’s Choice contest for A KISS UNDER THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS and is a finalist in the 2017 STILETTO contest for the same title.
A lifelong and avid romance reader and writer, she is a member of RWA and her local New Hampshire RWA Chapter.
Website/Blog: http://peggyjaeger.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/peggy_jaeger
Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00T8E5LN0
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peggy-Jaeger-Author/825914814095072?ref=bookmarks
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/peggyjaeger/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13478796.Peggy_Jaeger
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mmj122687/
I can’t tell you how many times I wondered while reading your books, if you were really from a big family. You answered so many of my questions, so glad you stopped in. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Passion’s Palette.
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Artist, Contemporary, Cooking, football, MacQuire Women series. Passion's Palette, Peggy Jaeger, Piccata, recipe, Romance, veterinarian by Tena Stetler with 23 comments.
