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In Wild Lemon Groves, Out Today! Blog Tour Schedule and Giveaway!!

In Wild Lemon Groves is out today!

Follow the blog tour and win! I’m giving away: one signed copy of In Wild Lemon Groves; one signed copy of Stoker & Bash: The Fangs of Scavo, my M/M Victorian mystery romance; *and* a $25 USD gift certificate (or equivalent in your currency) to the vendor of your choice!

Three chances to win, an official excerpt of the book, five blog posts from me… won’t you join in the fun? Here’s the schedule. Links will be attached as the posts go live.

Feb 8th – The Novel Approach – Bella Italia

Feb 10th – Gay Book Reviews – When Real Life Turns Fictional

Feb 12th – M/M Good Book Reviews – Learning Haiku

Feb 14th – My Fiction Nook – Cinema Paradiso

Feb 16th – Love Bytes – Supporting Characters Always Have a Ball

And watch out for reviews at Hearts on Fire, Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words, Mirrigold, and Gay Book Reviews!

Blurb:

A telltale knock on a quiet winter night is a sound no husband wants to hear. 

Sébastien Osaki has spent the past three years surviving the loss of his beloved Henry. When Seb lands in Amalfi, Italy, for their would-have-been tenth-anniversary trip, he’s haunted by the memory of the man he loved. Following Henry’s notebook leads him to some breathtaking coastal views but also right back to his despair. Seb’s there to get his groove back, not let the past wrong-foot him at every turn.

Enter Andrea Sorrentino, chauffeur, part-time pet whisperer, a Bernini statue in a soccer tee and tight shorts. From the moment Andrea picks Seb up from the airport, he knows just how to soothe Seb’s case of the sulks. But Seb isn’t sure he’s ready for Mr. Right Now, let alone a potential Mr. Right, in a part of the world where all roads lead back to Henry.

Can sun, sea, and eating your weight in pasta mend a tragedy-stricken heart? Will wine-soaked Amalfi nights and long walks through lemon groves work their magic on Seb’s wounded soul? Or will he slink back into the shell of his grief once his grand Italian adventure is over?

Buy links:

Amazon ebook and print

Kobo

B&N

Books2Read Universal Buy Link

Libraries! The book is available on OverDrive and in print through Ingram and Create Space!

Bon voyage!

Selina

 

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In Wild Lemon Groves Cookbook: Secondi

In Italian restaurant, the main course is often divided in two. We covered Primi, the main pasta course, in my last cookbook post. Now we come to Secondi, better known as the meat course, i.e. the one a lot of people skip because they are already too full from the appetizers and pasta. But you really shouldn’t, since the simple but flavorful cooking techniques (baking, grilling) and the ripeness of the ingredients used on the Amalfi Coast is worth savoring.

Most of the big meals in my M/M contemporary romance, In Wild Lemon Groves, are inspired by dishes that I actually ate while in Amalfi, Italy. One such memorable evening is directly reproduced in the book. I’ll set the scene…

Two bottles of vino rosso and three sumptuous courses later, the laughter continued. Ceri had led them through a maze of back alleys to a picturesque square, with a small gated chapel at one end and a wood-faced trattoria at the other. Tables sprouted like toadstools in the center, corralled on three sides by ivy-woven trellises. Garlands of fairy lights competed with the glinting stars and the fat harvest moon above. Seb wouldn’t have been surprised if the waiter had twirled a wand and poofed their dinner into existence.

            He stifled a belch, scanned the detritus with a scavenger’s eye. The last spoonful of the lemon soufflé beckoned him like the arms of a new lover; even sated, he still craved more. From the luscious caprese salad to the fluffy paccheri stuffed with black truffles and burrata with seafood sauce to the grilled lamb with balsamic reduction, pillowy potatoes, and garlicky rapini, their orgy of food had ridden him hard and put him away wet.

Grilled Lamb with Balsamic Reduction

Roasted Lamb Chops on balsamic Sauce

Three marvelous ladies who I met on the trip brought me to the exact location described above, a hidden square behind a chapel with one amazing trattoria. We feasted on the most gorgeous lamb I’ve ever eaten, one of the three Secondi recipes I urge you to make for yourself to enjoy a taste of Italy. You can find a version of it here.

Baccala alla Napoletana

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I was familiar with baccala (cod) because my sister’s in-laws always serve it at Christmas. But their version is fried in a batter, calimari-style, which is the one I included in the book. Since writing In Wild Lemon Groves, I’ve discovered that the Amalfi version is a bit more like a seafood stew, and I think this enhances the fish beautifully. You can find an authentic recipe here.

Salt-Baked Fish

salt baked fish

One of the major feasts in In Wild Lemon Groves is when Andrea invites Seb and his three lady friends to his mother’s house for traditional Sunday night dinner. The showcase dish of that meal is a salt-crusted, baked sea bass–although you can use this application for many other kinds of fish. It’s quite the showstopper, and Andrea is rewarded with a romantic dance under the starlight and a tryst in the lemon groves. You can find a basic recipe here.

Next week, the final installment of the In Wild Lemon Groves Cookbook showcases Amalfi’s biggest food export, limoncello!

In Wild Lemon Groves is available in ebook and print formats:

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In Wild Lemon Groves Cookbook – Pasta

Even though pasta was first invented by the Chinese and brought to Italy by Marco Polo, it has become the country’s signature dish. Each region in Italy has their own iconic type of pasta and sauce. It’s definitely a bucket list ambition of mine to try them all, and I certainly ticked a few off the list on my trip to Amalfi and the surrounding islands.

Here are a few that get mentioned in my new contemporary M/M romance, In Wild Lemon Groves, since the characters, as they say, live to eat. In this second instalment of the ‘cookbook’ series of blog posts, I’m sharing a couple of my favorites. None of these are particularly challenging to make–indeed, that’s one of the attractions of pasta to a novice cook. It’s almost impossible to get it wrong!

 

seafood-spaghetti-bowl-web

Seafood Spaghetti

First off is the classic seafood pasta, which Seb enjoys a few times in the book, most notably on his melancholy day in Positano before one of the big turning points in his Italian adventure. Here’s a classic version by Anna Barnett.

 

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Linguine with Lemon Cream Sauce

In an attempt to move on from his grief at losing husband Henry and ignore his growing attraction to Andrea, Seb spends the day at a swank hotel beach, where him and his lady friends enjoy linguine with lemon cream sauce with zucchini and bell peppers by the pool. One of the truly unique pasta experiences to be had in Amalfi because of their incredible lemon groves, this recipe from Delicious Italy may not taste exactly the same with your local lemons, but it’s still hella delicious. Don’t be shy to add extra veg to spice up the dish.

 

Genovese

Rigatoni Genovese

One of the first mentions of pasta in In Wild Lemon Groves comes on that first fateful car ride from the airport, where Seb meets Andrea for the first time. Inspired by the chauffeur who took me on the same wild ride–but who was no Andrea Sorrentino–Seb is given cards to the best local restaurants and told to try the pasta Genovese.

There are actually two kinds of Genovese, a pesto-based version native to Genoa and one they do in Naples, a beef and onion ragu. Here’s a recipe for the second version, from the blog Memori di Angelina.

So if you’re ever in the mood, enjoy a glass of Italian red, carb-load on one of these pastas, and read In Wild Lemon Groves, a romance that transports you to picturesque Amalfi, Italy!

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In Wild Lemon Groves Cookbook – Dolce

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Italy? The food, of course! When I was on my birthday trip to Amalfi that inspired my contemporary M/M romance In Wild Lemon Groves, I indulged to the max: pasta, pizza, gelato, and, of course, my beloved granita limone every day (sometimes twice).

To celebrate the recent release of In Wild Lemon Groves, and because there are so many food scenes in the book, I thought it would be fun to share some recipes based on the delectable meals that Seb eats alone, or shares with bello Andrea. If I could have made the book a scratch-and-sniff experience, or somehow had a box of Italian treats delivered with it, I would have, because everyone should get to experience authentic Italian cuisine at least once in their lives.

This is, fingers crossed, the next best thing, and I hope it inspires you to either get in the kitchen or seek out your local Italian bakery. And because Amalfi’s resident hunky chauffeur Andrea Sorrentino is a pretty sweet guy, we’re going to start with dessert!

Sfogliatelle

Sfogliatelle

Anyone who’s read In Wild Lemon Groves knows that one of the first things Seb samples–and fall in love with–in Amalfi is the sfogliatelle. A shell-like pastry filled with ricotta cream with a hint of orange or lemon, these babies are crunchy, creamy, perfect. Especially with an espresso.

You can find a recipe for sfogliatelle by the great Salvatore Elefante here.

torta-caprese

Torta Caprese

This delectable chocolate cake made from almond flour is Seb’s reward for working at Fabiana’s on the island Capri, a restaurant owned and operated by Andrea’s aunt. It also happens to be the cake I ask for every year for my birthday. Delizioso!

Here’s a video of the great Lidia Bastianich demonstrating how to make her version:

Gelato

What would a discussion of Italian desserts be without gelato? Omnipresent in Italy, I made a point of having one every day of my trip. My favorite was the torta caprese-flavored one–I mean, talk about decadent, smashing a cake into ice cream! Here is a photo of the double-scoop gelato I had on my last day…

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I was laughing as I was eating it because it looks like the Montreal Just for Laughs festival mascot Victor.

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Just me?

Feel like a food vacation of your own, but can’t afford a flight to Amalfi? Try out some of these recipes, or live vicariously by reading about Seb and Andrea’s adventures in In Wild Lemon Groves. 

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Next week – Pasta!

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In Wild Lemon Groves Amazon Giveaway!!!

US Friends!

You need a vacation. We all do. Want to escape the winter blahs and travel to Amalfi, Italy? I can’t buy you a plane ticket, but you could win a free copy of In Wild Lemon Groves, my new contemporary M/M. Click here to enter the Amazon giveaway. Contest ends on March 8th. US residents only.

Here’s the blurb:

A telltale knock on a quiet winter night is a sound no husband wants to hear.

Sébastien Osaki has spent the past three years surviving the loss of his beloved Henry. When Seb lands in Amalfi, Italy, for their would-have-been tenth-anniversary trip, he’s haunted by the memory of the man he loved. Following Henry’s notebook leads him to some breathtaking coastal views but also right back to his despair. Seb’s there to get his groove back, not let the past wrong-foot him at every turn.

Enter Andrea Sorrentino, chauffeur, part-time pet whisperer, a Bernini statue in a soccer tee and tight shorts. From the moment Andrea picks Seb up from the airport, he knows just how to soothe Seb’s case of the sulks. But Seb isn’t sure he’s ready for Mr. Right Now, let alone a potential Mr. Right, in a part of the world where all roads lead back to Henry.

Can sun, sea, and eating your weight in pasta mend a tragedy-stricken heart? Will wine-soaked Amalfi nights and long walks through lemon groves work their magic on Seb’s wounded soul? Or will he slink back into the shell of his grief once his grand Italian adventure is over?

More chances to win coming soon, so stay tuned to this blog!

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In Wild Lemon Groves, Now Available for Pre-Order

In Wild Lemon Groves HIGRES_FINAL

Greetings, friends!

Very excited to announce the imminent release of my new contemporary M/M romance set in Amalfi, Italy, In Wild Lemon Groves! For Valentine’s Day, why not escape the winter blahs for your very own Italian vacation! (In book form, alas.)

IWLG will be released on February 8th, with more details about the blog tour to come. The eBook version is now available for pre-order from the following vendors (beneath the blurb). Print will be released on the 8th! I can’t wait for you to fall in amore with Seb and Andrea…

Blurb:

A telltale knock on a quiet winter night is a sound no husband wants to hear. 

Sébastien Osaki has spent the past three years surviving the loss of his beloved Henry. When Seb lands in Amalfi, Italy, for their would-have-been tenth-anniversary trip, he’s haunted by the memory of the man he loved. Following Henry’s notebook leads him to some breathtaking coastal views but also right back to his despair. Seb’s there to get his groove back, not let the past wrong-foot him at every turn.

Enter Andrea Sorrentino, chauffeur, part-time pet whisperer, a Bernini statue in a soccer tee and tight shorts. From the moment Andrea picks Seb up from the airport, he knows just how to soothe Seb’s case of the sulks. But Seb isn’t sure he’s ready for Mr. Right Now, let alone a potential Mr. Right, in a part of the world where all roads lead back to Henry.

Can sun, sea, and eating your weight in pasta mend a tragedy-stricken heart? Will wine-soaked Amalfi nights and long walks through lemon groves work their magic on Seb’s wounded soul? Or will he slink back into the shell of his grief once his grand Italian adventure is over?

Buy links:

Amazon

Kobo

B&N

Also available on the Tolino, which I cannot link to as a Canadian. 😉

Apple iBooks (coming soon!)

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10 Great Things That Happened in 2017

I decided to change things up this year from my usual Best Of lists. 2017 was a challenging year for almost everyone and won’t go down in the history books as anybody’s favorite. But some wonderful things happened to me this year, in the midst of all the tumultuous world events and existential despair. So along with my usual roundup of pop culture I loved, I’ve added in a few personal anecdotes and observations on the state of the world. So, in no particular order, here are my 10 Great Things That Happened in 2017.

I Found an Amazing Team of Collaborators

One of the things that kept me from self-publishing for so long was my desire to not be in it alone. My biggest takeaway from having my first novel published by an indie was the need for some talented collaborators as committed to making the book a success as I was. Also, as someone with a full-time job who doesn’t have a partner, I am the only admiral of my fleet. I was daunted by the thought of adding such a time-consuming side hustle to my already heavy workload. Which is why I am so grateful for Nancy-Anne Davies, Lady Tiferet, Rachel Maybury from Signal Boost Productions, Liv Rancourt, Karen Wellsbury, Francesca Borzi, Day’s Lee, and Judie Troyansky, and all the reviewers who helped me get the word out. Love you all!

I Read Some Exceptional Books… 

…but there wasn’t a ton of time for reading. See above for reasons why. I especially didn’t feel able to do a Best of Books list this year because my reading consumption was less than half of last year. I only had time for my faves and discovered very few new authors. This will hopefully change in 2018, #NewYearsResolution. But here are five faves my reading list.

Seven Summer Nights, Harper Fox

Spectred Isle, KJ Charles

Hexslayer, Jordan L. Hawk

Eagle’s Shadow, Aleks Voinov and Jordan Taylor

Ruin of a Rake, Cat Sebastian

Women Found Their Voices

Feminist rhetoric was everywhere this year, from the Women’s March back in January to the Silence Breakers this past fall. More people are speaking about women’s rights, and more men are aware of the incredible disparity between the genders than ever before. It’s been both emotionally crushing and exhilarating to live in such times. But this particular abscess needed to burst before it could be cleansed. There might be a lot more puss to come, but that’s the only way to heal.

I Finally Read Book 5 in the Adrien English Mystery Series

I figured since the apocalypse was nigh, it was about time to finish it before I no longer had the chance. Spoiler alert: it was amazing.

Those Committed to Change in the Romance Community

I love the romance community, especially my little niche of friends and followers. I don’t mean to go all Pollyanna on you, but the scandals always amaze me because 99% of the people I’ve met have been lovely. But those scandals can’t be ignored, and there is a huge need for change and inclusivity in terms of the acquisition and promotion of POC and LGBTQ+ authors. But there are so many authors, agents, readers, booksellers, and editors out there getting the word out and making the right choices when it comes to their own work. We absolutely need to do better. But I’m grateful for those giving it their all and for everything they’ve taught me. It’s rare you can say that something you participated in has improved you as a person.

I Watched Some Incredible Movies

Every year for the past few, I hear a lot of griping about how movies were “so bad this year”. All I can say to this is, you might want to do some research before going out to the movies because this year produced some gems I will treasure for the rest of my life. Here’s a list of my faves. And, seriously, hit me up on Twitter if you’re looking for something better to watch. Always happy to help. 😉

Get Out

Free Fire

Logan

Wonder Woman

The Beguiled

The Big Sick

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Atomic Blonde

Blade Runner 2049

Professor Marston and the Wonder Women

Thor: Ragnarok

Lady Bird

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

The Shape of Water

The Last Jedi

(I haven’t seen Call Me By Your Name yet, but there’s no way it doesn’t go on this list.)

This Four-Legged Wonder Survived Another Year With Me

#OfficialBlogMascot

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People Stepped Up, Fought Back, Resisted

Allow me to annoy you with a glass-half-full description of the year. Because we can’t lose focus of the good in the world and in people. Then we would truly be lost. I write in a genre that’s about the underdog getting the win. One that teaches you can’t lose hope. And while it’s easy to feel that we are in the darkest timeline, at least people are awake to reality. Organizations have mobilized. The Resistance is in motion and people are fighting back. In prosperous times, it’s easy for some of us (i.e. the white and the privileged) to forget. To shrug off the ills of the world. If we do that now, if we ever let ourselves do it again, then we are truly the villains of this narrative. Don’t be a villain. Wake up. Educate yourself. Give back. Progress.

TV Was My Coping Mechanism

Part of the reason I couldn’t commit to an official Best Of is that when it comes to TV, there’s just so much good. No end of good. Netflix is a one-stop shop of amazingness and creativity, and it only produces maybe two of my favorite shows. I’m someone who watches everything, and even I couldn’t keep up. It’s an embarrassment of riches. It took me an hour to whittle this list down. But here are a few of my fave seasons of TV of the year.

Legion

Fargo

Big Little Lies

Game of Thrones

The Handmaid’s Tale

Alias Grace

Broadchurch

Master of None

Insecure

The Marvelous Mrs Maisel

Riverdale

Howard’s End

Glow

Mindhunter

Crisis on Earth X – CW superhero crossover special

You Might Have Noticed I Self-Published a Book

There’s been enough said on this blog and elsewhere about Stoker & Bash, but its reception was without a doubt the highlight of my year. And that wouldn’t have happened without all of you. So thank you from the bottom of my heart, for reading, for playing along, for making my dream come true. This little hobby of mine is an oasis from all the ills of the world. Thank you for welcoming me into this heartening community. It means everything to me.

Have a safe and fun New Year’s Eve no matter how you’re celebrating, and wishing you all the love, happiness, and success for 2018!

Selina