Guest Blog and Giveaway with Louisa Edwards

Please join me in welcoming Louisa Edwards author of the Recipe for Love series. Louisa is promoting her new book, Just One Taste, which I will be reviewing tomorrow. Nancy Berland promotions has been kind enough to offer an autographed copy of Just One Taste, to a lucky follower. Please see the Giveaway Details at the end of this post. Louisa will also be joining us on Thursday, September 16 to respond to your comments, please stop buy and make her feel welcome.

The Possibilities Posed by Recipes... and Romance

I love recipes. They are all about possibilities! When I crack the spine on an untried cookbook, I get a rush of excitement and anticipation that rivals the thrill of getting dressed for a first date. That moment contains all the potential for joy and pleasure in the world.

Now, we all know that just the same way every first date doesn't pan out into the romance of the ages, every recipe won't yield the centerpiece of the meal of your life. But, the potential is there.

I read cookbooks like novels. Every recipe gets my imagination simmering with exciting flavor combinations, new tastes and textures, and the simple satisfaction of creating something that will nourish the people I love.

I write culinary romance for the same reason. A new story is like an empty bowl waiting to be filled with fresh, delicious components that will come together in sexy, funny, sometimes surprising ways. Because chemistry between characters is a strange thing - I never know exactly what's going to happen between my hero and heroine until I get them on the page!

For instance, in my latest Recipe for Love novel, Just One Taste, I wasn't sure what the result would be when I mixed a con-artist-turned chef with a food chemistry genius. All I knew was that I wanted to find out! And I'm so glad I did. Wes and Rosemary are some of my favorite characters I've ever written - their combination of bad boy charm and shy, nerdy brilliance sparkled with fun from page one. By the end of the book, I felt the same way I do after cooking an elaborate five-course meal - exhausted and ecstatic. And I couldn't wait to share their story with my readers! That's a wonderful feeling for sure.

But really, the potential is what I'm addicted to, in recipes and in romance. Because sometimes, every now and then and with the help of the imagination, the ingredients come together in a way that is pure magic.

Have you ever had an unusual set of circumstances, translate into an unexpected romance? Or a refrigerator of stray ingredients become a great dish? Answer the question for a chance to win an autographed copy of Just One Taste.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Louisa is giving away an autographed copy of Just One Taste. All you have to do are follow these few simple rules:

1.) You must answer one of Louisa's two questions at the end of the post.
2.) You must be a follower of this blog to participate.
3.) You must leave your e-mail address with your comment.
4.) U.S. entries only! (The publisher will be sending this one out.)
5.) The giveaway deadline is Midnight EST, September 27th.