Melissa Francis : Bitchin' Fiction!

Thursday, November 13, 2008
fog and food

It was foggy outside today. But not in my head! I believe I have beaten this stupid cold into submission. I may even go running again today for the first time in a week. Whoot!

Last night, Fishdog and I were chatting away while watching Top Chef (3 cheers for Tom Colicchio!) Fishdog thinks it would be a great idea if we prepared a new dish from a different country each week to expand our palates and our cooking skills.

You know, in theory, this is a great damn idea. In reality, I am not Louisa Edwards. She and Stinger are chef-like entities. I'm closer to Ronald McDonald to their Gordon Ramsay.

Don't get me wrong, I can cook. I enjoy baking pies and roasting turkeys, and cooking big meals for dinner parties. Hell, I volunteer to host Thanksgiving every year. You don't do that if you can't cook. I have the skill, but it's not a bone-deep love like it is for Louisa and I'm not sure if I'm dedicated enough to trying something new every week because frankly, it just sounds like work. Cooking relaxes Louisa...but it wears me the hell out.

I also enjoy trying new things--especially if I'm the one who prepared the food (that way I know what I'm trying.) But if I'm going to go through the effort of fixing some new cuisine, I want everyone in the family to eat it. And where Rader is pretty much willing to try anything--Nemo? Meat and potatoes. Bacon and eggs. Spaghetti and meatballs. <--see a pattern? So I feel like my effort would be wasted because I have a kid who really won't give anything unknown a chance.

What do you think? Should I throw caution to the wind and start trying out simple dishes from other countries for something new? Or should I save that for special occasions and dinner parties? What do you suggest we try first?

ETA: stop by FatChicksRunning! today. I'm talking about how Size Does Matter...

Labels: cooking, fatchicks, food, louisa, opinions

posted by Mel Francis @ 8:14 AM | | links to this post

Thursday, October 30, 2008
The secret life of a Bunco Babe

As most of you know, I have two regular Critique Partners--Maria Geraci and Louisa Edwards. We actually call ourselves MeanBitches and we work together year around on plotting, critiquing and general hand holding as necessary.

This is a busy week for both Maria and LuLu because their books are due on Monday. In full. So right now, I'm reading Maria's follow up manuscript to BUNCO BABES TELL ALL (Berkley, May 2009) PRE-ORDER IT NOW!

The follow-up is currently titled BUNCO BABES GONE WILD and let me tell you, it is a hoot! What a great story to follow BBTA! I'm laughing at the antics of these Bunco Babes...and you will too....

PRE-ORDER IT NOW!

Next up is LuLu's sexy chef book titled CAN'T STAND THE HEAT (St. Martins, Fall 2009) This is a HOT and TASTY treat. I can't wait to dive back into the world of Adam and Miranda and see what sexy shenanigans they've been up to since page 100.

Once I'm finished reading this weekend, it's back to writing for me...AJ is up to some fang-banging business with a new character named Lex...or Sexy Lexy as I liked to call him. He's a tasty treat all on his own...

Don't forget to Pre-order BUNCO BABES TELL ALL

PRE-ORDER IT NOW!

Labels: bunco babes, louisa, maria geraci

posted by Mel Francis @ 9:22 AM | | links to this post

Wednesday, October 29, 2008
I'm a busy girl today

I'm blogging over at The Knight Agency blog today about Vampires and how it's ironic that I write YA Vampire stories when the one book that freaked me out more than anything was about vampires...

And Dana and I are into day three of our training at Fat Chicks Running. Pop over and see how we're doing.

In the writing world, I'm actually doing some reading. Both Maria and Louisa have Nov. 1 deadlines, so I'm going to be busy this weekend reading their manuscripts. Then it's back to writing, writing, writing. I guess it's a good thing that the only thing that doesn't really hurt on my body is my fingers, huh?

Labels: fatchicks, louisa, maria geraci, TKA

posted by Mel Francis @ 8:14 AM | | links to this post

Monday, July 07, 2008
we interrupt this regularly scheduled blog...

Okay, I did blog today. See post below.

However, I have been biting my tongue for a damn month to shout this from the bloody rooftops and now I can.

My CP, Louisa Edwards, signed a 4 book deal with St. Martins about a month ago. The announcement was in Publisher's Weekly today. I am so happy! I have been shouting on my inside parts trying to keep this secret...and it ain't been easy, let me tell ya.

Here's the announcement;

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6575879.html

Restaurant Romances
Rose Hilliard at St. Martin's Press preempted world rights to fourbooks by editor-turned-author Louisa Edwards via Deidre Knight. Setamid the New York restaurant scene, the first book in the series iscalled Can't Stand the Heat and is slated to launch in fall 2009, with subsequent titles to appear every six months. Knight is a romance author as well as agent, and Edwards was her first editor at NAL. WhenEdwards left New York publishing, Knight briefly worked with Hilliard,who subsequently left for SMP.

I've read the proposal and let me tell ya, it is an all you can eat buffet of awesome!!!

Here's to you, Louisa!!!