Thursday, December 3, 2009

Penny Watson's SWEET INSPIRATION!

Please welcome my friend Penny Watson. Her debut title SWEET INSPIRATION just came out, but she was kind enough to give me a sneak peek. When my little dog Susie died last month, Penny sent me a copy to cheer me up. That's just the kind of giving person she is.

More about Penny: She's a native Pittsburgher whose love of romance started at the age of twelve when she discovered Gone With The Wind in the middle school library. This resulted in numerous attempts at a first novel involving a young lady with windswept hair who lived in a treehouse.

A biologist by training, Penny has worked at various times as a dolphin trainer, science teacher, florist, and turfgrass researcher (don't ask). Through it all she was a compulsive reader and collector of romance novels. After taking time off to raise her two spirited children, she decided to rekindle her passion for storytelling with the support of a wonderful writer's group, The Quirky Ladies. Now she gets to incorporate her wide array of interests, including gardening, cooking and travel into her light paranormal stories. Penny lives outside of Boston with one fly-fishing crazed husband, two lively Filipino kids, and a wiener dog.

With all that background, you'd expect wildly creative stories from her and you won't be disappointed! Here's the blurb:

SWEET INSPIRATION:

What if the legend of Santa Claus is in fact, true? What if Santa has five big strapping sons who help him run his empire? Five single, sexy sons looking for romance...

Nicholas Klaus is a master pastry chef, a strict disciplinarian, and the eldest son of the legendary Santa Claus. One look at café owner Lucy Brewster sends him into an unexpected tailspin of lusty desires. When Lucy is injured, Nicholas makes a decision that catapults both of their lives into turmoil ....

Lucy Brewster, the free-spirited proprietor of Sweet Inspiration, has a flair for concocting sugary confections but no time for adventure. She gets more than she bargained for when she awakens in the North Pole...rambunctious elves, a fitness-obsessed Santa, and the man of her dreams. Does she have what it takes to become the next Mrs. Klaus?

EXCERPT FROM SWEET INSPIRATION:
Nicholas carefully folded his coat over the back of a café chair and watched Lucy giggle with the children, as the puppy (lucky bastard) licked her face like an ice cream cone. He could barely contain his irritation.

First of all, a dog had no place in a dining establishment. What the hell was the woman thinking? Secondly, if a customer attempted a last-minute order change, Nicholas would firmly instruct him that all orders were final five days prior to the gathering. How could one efficiently run a kitchen without rules? Thirdly, and most importantly, Nicholas could smell gingerbread. Cookies. And they were burning. Lucy was oblivious. And her young assistant with the nose ring was leaning over the front counter watching the puppy, utterly clueless about the impending culinary disaster.

Nicholas tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for someone to remember the cookies. He knew by the scent that the cookies were browning, probably a bit too dark around the edges. Still waiting. Now the assistant was snuggling with the puppy, and an old man was regaling Lucy with some ridiculous story. Oh, the hell with it.
Nicholas marched into the kitchen, which was surprisingly clean, found a pair of oven mitts shaped like Laurel and Hardy, and removed the cookies from the oven. He found wire racks in a cupboard and lined them up on the counter. Although the cookies were a tad dark, they were still salvageable. Thanks to him. Using a spatula, he carefully transferred each gingerbread man to cool on the racks. He washed and dried his hands at the sink, and turned around to find Lucy and her nose-pierced assistant staring at him in disbelief.

Lucy stepped up to him, hands on her hips. “Just what do you think you’re doing in my kitchen? I don’t remember inviting you in here!” Lucy asked him incredulously.

“Yeah!” added the assistant. Clearly not the brightest bulb on the planet.

“Since you and your assistant were too busy to tend to the kitchen, and an entire order of gingerbread was about to go up in smoke, I thought I would lend a helping hand. No need to thank me.” Nicholas smiled and raised his left eyebrow in a manner his brother Sven insisted was infuriating.

“Thank you? Kandy and I are more than capable of looking after the kitchen. We do not need your help, Mr....?”

“Klaus. Nicholas Sebastian Klaus. Is your assistant really named Candy? How... charming.”

“It’s Kandy Kane, with a K, not a C. I’m a performance artist.” The young woman gave him a rather lukewarm smile.

“Fascinating.” Nicholas turned to Lucy, who looked ready to murder him. Good going, Nick, how are you supposed to seduce her now?

“I run my own kitchen up north. I assumed you wouldn’t mind a little help, since you were...momentarily distracted. Have I told you that your sugar cookies are divine? They are, truly. I was wondering if we could discuss the subtle flavor profile...”

Lucy crossed her arms, glaring at him. “Mr. Klaus, while I appreciate your concern for my cookies, I can assure you I do not need any more help in my kitchen. Why don’t you sit down with a cup of cocoa, and I’ll bring you some gingerbread cookies. Nice and dark, just the way I like them.” And then Miss Lucy Anne Brewster raised her right eyebrow in an utterly patronizing manner. Nicholas simply could not help himself. He raised his eyebrow right back. Two can play at this game.

A young man rushed into the kitchen, grabbed the performance artist and began to thrust his oddly pierced tongue into her mouth.

“Oh Kandy, can you ever forgive me? Let’s get married right now. Vegas, baby, what do you say? I want our bambino to have a daddy.” Nicholas noted that in addition to his creatively pierced face, tongue-boy also sported a nice assortment of tattoos, all of candy. Peppermints, butterscotch balls, M-and-Ms, and of course, candy canes.

“Ray, I missed you.” Miss Kane began thrusting her tongue right back at him.

Nicholas turned to Lucy. “Ray? That’s not too original.”

Lucy shrugged. “Ray, as in Ray-of-Sunshine. They’re both performance artists.” Then she turned to her assistant and tapped her on the shoulder.

“Kandy, you are forbidden to leave me right now. It’s the middle of our busiest season, and I need you. You and Ray can get married after the new year...”

“But I don’t want to wait, Miss Brewster. I love him!”

Ray licked the side of his girlfriend’s face, and both Nicholas and Lucy shuddered. “Yeah, and I got tickets for us to see Celine Dion, your favorite, honey.”

Lucy watched in disbelief as her assistant bundled up in a parka, plopped on a red Santa hat, and flew out the door with the gangly boy. Nicholas bit his tongue to keep from laughing. Served the woman right for hiring such a flake in the first place.

Leaning down close to Lucy’s ear, he whispered, “Need a new assistant? I just happen to know the perfect gentleman for the job.”

Love it!

Emily: Your hero is captivated by your heroine's sugar cookies. What gave you the idea to give your love story that "food porn" twist? ;-)

Penny: Have you ever bitten into a cookie and been enraptured by a buttery, flaky, rich heaven? One of the great things about Christmas is the magic of holiday cookies. I knew as soon as I decided to write about Santa and his five sons that one of the sons would be a baker. I am addicted to Top Chef, Iron Chef, and every other cooking reality TV show. (My daughter and I love to watch the cake decorating competitions on the Food Network. She always picks the winner!). A master pastry chef must have two dueling components to his personality...a highly disciplined, detail-oriented side, and a passionate, artistic side. I think this is a fabulous combination for a hero. And thus, Nicholas Klaus, eldest son of Santa, was born.

Emily: Stop! You're making me hungry! Tell us a little about your writing process.

Penny: Total pantser. I have no clue what's going to happen until I start writing. I am now slightly revising that by making goals for each scene as I write it. I'm allowing myself free reign, but must accomplish certain objectives, too. For me, writing is all about fun and creativity.

Emily: I hear you. So, are there more Klaus brothers stories to come?

Penny: Of course! Five Klaus Brothers = Five Books! Next year I'm hoping to release the second of the Klaus Brothers Series, called Sweet Magik. It will be Oskar Klaus' story (he's the snow-boarding, green-haired, punky hunky youngest brother).

Emily: Where can my readers get a their own SWEET INSPIRATION?

Penny: Wild Rose Press!Thanks so much, Emily, for letting me visit today. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

If you'd like to learn more, visit Penny's website. (She has a recipe section!)

17 comments:

Katie O'Sullivan said...

What a fun excerpt! I agree that Christmas cookies are an essential ingredient to a good holiday season!

I can't wait to order my copy of your book! Good luck, Penny!
KatieO

Penny Watson said...

Thanks, Katie! Gingerbread cookies are the essential ingredient to a festive holiday season. :)

Jane L said...

Penny, I LOVE Gone With The Wind! I have an extensive collection of items from the movie, including my very prized original edition book, my wonderful husband gave me our first Christmas!

I so enjoy baking cookies for Christmas, there is just something magical about them! Plus Christmas cookies can't be fatening right! LOL!
Best of luck with your book, can't wait to read it!

EmilyBryan said...

Jane-- You may want to rumble with me over this.

My DH agrees with Rhett. He frankly doesn't give a ****. In his not-very-humble opinion, Scarlett is the all time TSTL heroine.

And I have to admit, I sort of agree with him. What woman in her right mind would pass up the dashing Captain Butler for a milk-toast like Ashley Wilkes? (Even his name is a beta cry for help!)

Your thoughts?

Unknown said...

Hi :)
Thanks for sharing here today Penny and for the excellent excerpt. Thank you Emily for having her here.
All the best,
RKCharron
xoxo

Jane L said...

OH Emily! I do agree! But you see It is Rhett Butler that I adore in the story, he just reeks charisma to me! LOL!
I know Scarlett gets all the attention but oooooh, she is a flighty little thing! I just finished reading Vivian Leighs biography and it is so amazing how her and Scarletts personalities were so very much alike, she was a needy, confused woman, no wonder she played the part so well!!

Still I love the story, the concept and all! It was very well done for it's day!

Caroline said...

Penny, your books sounds delightful!! What a cute idea. I will be looking for it. Good Luck!!

~Caroline

Jane L said...

Emily I sent you a email through your site

Penny Watson said...

Let's get ready to rum-ble!!!!! Sorry, I get carried away when I meet folks who don't TOTALLY LOVE GONE WITH THE WIND!!!! Scarlett is great because she is real, with real flaws, she is selfish, but she is also strong and a survivor. OK, I'm done now. :)

Jane--so cool you have an original edition. Fantastic!

RKCharron and Jane--thanks for stopping by today.

Another favorite book from middle school was Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier! I just re-read that one recently...it is so wonderful.

Penny Watson said...

Hi Caroline! Hope you enjoy Sweet Inspiration!

Stacey Joy Netzel said...

OMG, this sounds like SO much FUN! My Christmas book list is growing! Thanks a lot, Emily. *grin*

EmilyBryan said...

Sorry, Penny. We have to agree to disagree on Miss Scarlett.

She's real all right. Real mean. She destroyed everyone around her, while being oblivious to the destruction. She used Melanie, idolized Ashley without reason and tormented Rhett because he was the one man she couldn't control.

Usually, I want to walk in the heroine's shoes. Not hers.

I waded through GONE WITH THE WIND when I was in high school. Never again.

Now, your Lucy Brewster, there's a heroine whose life I'd like to try on for a while (even though I can't cook worth shooting!) Warm-hearted Lucy beats Scarlett any day!

Penny Watson said...

Hi Emily! You are right that Lucy Brewster is much, much nicer than Scarlett! :) Have you ever watched the classic children's movie Santa Claus Is Coming To Town? Remember when Kris Kringle falls in love with the red-headed school teacher Jessica? That's why the future Mrs. Klaus in my story Sweet Inspiration is a red-head, too!

Michelle Picard said...

Oooh, Penny, I didn't know about the Gone With the Wind segment of your childhood. Why didn't I know that? Anyway, I'm solidly in the Scarlett camp with you. She's a bitch, I know, but who isn't some time? Ooops, have I given something away about myself. Anyway, I know everyone is going to fall in love with Nicholas and Lucy and their feats in and around the kitchen. Both baking and otherwise (wink). This story is fantastic and makes for a hot christmas. (People, be ready for the snow to start melting.) Congratulations on the release!

librarypat said...

What fun. Always wondered why there are no children mentioned when talking about the Claus family. I think I'd keep them a secret too. They certainly don't need women storming the North Pole trying to catch one of the sons.
It works, but a baker as your hunky romance hero - not the normal expectation. Sounds like a fun holiday read. Good luck with the release.

EmilyBryan said...

Michelle--Wonder if after Christmas I should do a blog about Scarlett? Bet the yea's and nay's are pretty evenly divided. Sort of like the Edward/ Jacob debate.

But honestly, don't you want to just slap her sometimes?

EmilyBryan said...

Pat--About baking heroes . . . I always tell my DH there's nothing sexier than a man who cooks!