Thursday, August 25, 2011

Author Guest Post: Patricia Eimer and Giveaway!


Where Did That Idea Come From?

Ever since I nervously announced to the world at large that Entangled Publishing was taking a chance on me and publishing my first novel – Luck of the Devil—that has been the second most asked question I’ve received. We won’t even talk about the first question which is “can you introduce me to your agent?” Short answer: I don’t have one.

Anyway, back to the secret of where Luck of the Devil came from. What brilliant flash of lightening struck my brain and beamed Faith Bettincourt into my head fully formed like her own reverse version of a Greek Goddess? Okay, lean closer. Real close. Not that close.

Here is the secret I’ve never shared with anyone else. She came to me in the grocery store. Yep. Frozen Food Aisle 3 am frozen pizza run. There I am, middle of the frozen pizzas watching this young woman in nurses scrubs who looked completely frazzled, wandering the store and arguing with someone on her cell phone. I don’t mean to pry but its 3 am and I’m a writer. Prying into other people’s stories and then changing them slightly to make them funny is what I do. And I hear the words:

“I don’t know what the Hell I’m going to cook? Why am I doing the cooking? Satan is your mother after all. Why don’t you cook her something? Then it might be good enough.”

And it just sort of resonated in my head. Who hasn’t had the family reunion from Hell? Or had their in-laws show up at the doorstep with a big smile and a heart full of “you’re not good enough for my precious darling son?” I know I live through it at least once a year. More if my in laws are feeling particularly spiteful.

We’ve all been there. Even if we don’t want to admit it. And that is when Faith Bettincourt wiggled into my brain and said “oh sista you have no idea.” Which lead to me sort of stealthily following the young woman in mid breakdown through the store. Because at that point she was Faith Bettincourt for me. Frizzy hair falling out of its ponytail. Nurses scrubs covered in gunk. Totally flustered. The Devil’s youngest daughter in all her glory. Right there in the middle of the grocery store.

Shortly afterwards I went on vacation and had way too much free time on my hands. And up piped Faith. Before the vacation was over I was hip deep in her life and dying to know more. But it all started because of my love of pepperoni at 3 am and one very frazzled young nurse.

To be fair, I did give her my mother in law approved easy cheese cake recipe. Who knows if it worked for her but it always gives mine something to cram in her mouth so she’s too busy to criticize me. Here it is if you want to try it.

Patricia Eimer’s No Bake, No Fuss, No Muss Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients:

1 premade graham cracker crust

1 box cream cheese, left out to soften

1 container of Cool Whip (this can be flavored of you want to change it up a bit. I’ve used both chocolate and the French Vanilla before in different variations)

1 cup of sugar

2 tsp of vanilla

1 bag of strawberry glaze

Chocolate sauce to taste

Directions:

Cut the cream cheese into chunks once it’s softened and toss in a bowl. Add the sugar and the vanilla extract. Then add the Cool Whip and beat with a mixer until smooth. Once the mix is smooth, slowly start adding in the strawberry glaze and continue mixing. Then add chocolate sauce to taste still mixing. Once the whole mixture is consistently mixed together pour into premade pie shell and cover with that plastic lid thing they always give you. Put it in the fridge, pour yourself a glass of wine, and complain about how much work you had to put into making gourmet deserts for your guests. Hope your spouse is impressed with your efforts. Demand that they do the dishes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After a stint of “practical thinking” in her twenties where she earned degrees in Business and Economics, Patricia Eimer gave in and followed her passion for books. Her first novel, Luck of the Devil, is coming out August 2011 from Entangled Publishing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks Patricia for coming on the blog today! I actually think I could make that cheesecake! I don't have in laws, but there are some people *cough* I could stuff food in so there would be no criticizing! :)
So... does this whet your appetite for something fun to read? Well...
Giveaway!
I am able to give away one ebook of the Luck of the Devil to one lucky winner! Just comment below and give me your e-mail. Easy! I'll end the giveaway on the 31st! Good Luck!
Giveaway is over!

32 comments:

  1. I won't enter the giveaway as I've already read this book and LOVED it!! It was so much fun and great to read about the family from hell!! Just have to ask - please say there will be another Faith book?

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  2. I enter as usual. So what that I never win? Who is to say I can't enter? Just to prove how stubborn I am?

    portiabridget (at) yahoo (dot) co (dot) uk.

    I loved the recipe and I think I might like the book.

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  4. Entangled Publishing keeps popping up with these amazing books. I love everything about this from the cover to the premise. It sounds absolutely entertaining. I'd love to win a copy. What a great guest post. Its fascinating how such seemingly mundane events can inspire such an original story.

    Donna @ The Happy Booker
    ahappybooker at gmail dot com

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  5. Sounds like a good book - please enter me.

    sgiden at verizon.net

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  6. Thanks everyone! And Mel, yes there will be at least two more books with Faith Bettincourt. The second one -- Devil May Care -- is currently with my wonderful editor Libby Murphy while she takes the Red Pen of Death to it and I'm plotting the third one now. I'm also starting to think of a spin off series (once Faith's story is done) involving her sister Hope.

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  7. (Not Entering)

    I actually bought the book because I suck at giveaways LOL

    That cheesecake sounds like something my dad would love! He has a big thing for strawberries and chocolate :)

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  8. I love cheesecake! Thanks for the recipe. :)

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  9. I love cheesecake as well - but I'm English and I guess that might explain why I have no clue what a graham cracker is!
    The book sounds wonderful - it's on my tbr list!

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  10. The cheesecake recipe sounds yummy! So does your book, Patricia. I'm excited to hear there will be more books in the series.

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  11. Please enter me in the draw!

    darlenesbooknook at gmail dot com

    Thanks for the giveaway!

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  12. LOVE IT! That poor frazzled nurse in the frozen food aisle, I wonder what she ended up cooking for Satan:) It's so much fun to get behind the scenes stories like this, fantastic guest post!

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  13. This sounds like a funny book that will for sure make me laugh! Thanks for the recipe!

    bwithbite (at) gmail (dot) com

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  14. I would love to win this! It looks like a great read! Thanks!

    Margaret
    singitm@hotmail.com

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  15. I'd love to win! I wonder if that nurse knows how she inspired this story, I don't know whether I'd be slightly offended or completely thrilled :)

    Email: aleon@Madeira.org

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  16. No need to enter me. I just wanted to drop in to say I'm almost done reading this book and it is awesome!!

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  17. OMG! That cheesecake sounds divine! I can't cook, but this finally may be something I could make! I will try this weekend and take pictures of my disaster. hehe

    And really, is there a more delicious way to get your in-laws to zip it?

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  18. Food cravings at 3 a.m. should never be ignored. It's true. I've heard of bad things happening. o_o Love this post, Melissa!

    Enter me!
    jtheuknown{at}gmail{dot}com

    Jen
    In the Closet With a Bibliophile

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  19. I hope everyone enjoys the recipe because I can say from experience if your mother in law is shoveling cheesecake into her mouth she's much less likely to criticize. And yes, I keep at least 3 in the icebox for when she comes to visit. That way she's got one to eat on the way home just to keep her feeling mellow.

    Nina, any sort of dry biscuit cookie without topping works for it. I IM'd a friend of mine in London and he's trying to figure out the closest equivalent to a graham cracker and thinks it might either be a digestive biscuit if you can get them in a cinnamon flavor or Vanilla Wafers.

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  20. LOL! Now that is just one awesome recipe :D

    )no need to enter me)

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  21. That was a great post, and I loved the cheesecake recipe. I'm looking forward to reading Luck of the Devil, it sounds like a fun read.

    Barbed1951 at aol dot com

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  22. Recipe sounds good. Don't enter me in the contest. I couldn't wait so I just purchased it. Ha!

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  23. Oh wow. That receipe sounds amazing. :) And wonderful post. :) Thank you for sharing. And best of luck with the book.

    (no need to enter me for the book as I don't have an ereader.)

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  24. I've read your book and loved it, so don't enter me in the give-away. So glad to hear there will be at least two more!

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  25. This sounds like a cute book. And any story that was inspired by frozen pizza has got to be good (I love the stuff). Though I don't do cheese cake. Combining cheese with cake is just unnatural.

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  26. Cheesecake... YUM!!!

    thebookishbrunette@gmail.com

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  27. Please enter me in contest. I would love to read this book. Tore923@aol.com

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  28. Count me in on this contest. This book sounds so original and I'm really looking forward to reading it.
    Thanks for the giveaway!

    jcross719(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  29. yummy, thanks for the recipe.
    vvb32 at yahoo.com

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  30. Thanks so much for the recipe! I'm not the baker in the family, but I forwarded it to my daughter, so fingers crossed I'll get some cheesecake soon!! Thanks for an awesome giveaway as well:)
    jwitt33 at live dot com

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  31. Mmmmm...cheesecake...

    Thanks!
    Cassie
    mccown629[at]gmail[dot]com
    www.gatheringleavesreviews.blogspot.com

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  32. Thanks for the awesome giveaway!!! (I hope I'm not too late!)

    kristen10horses[at]yahoo[dot]com

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Thanks for commenting! I ❤ comments!