Welcome to the LIKE NO OTHER LOVER Book Shower!

(SPECIAL NOTE: to see ALL the posts, you need to click on the teeny arrow thing -- looks like this >> at the bottom of the blog!  It takes you through the pages of posts. Some folks were confused by why they could see the NUMBER of posts, but couldn't read all of them -- that's why! It took me a while to figure that out, too, once upon a time! LOL.)

1) (9:06 a.m. PST)  WINNER #1   is SHARI C!. She wins a set of signed books: from Eloisa James, Kayla Perrin, Sara Bennett and moi!

2) (10:39 a.m. PST) WINNER #2 is AMBER PACKARD! She wins the Tarot Reading from Tarot by Arwen!

3) (1:52 p.m., PST) WINNER #3 is APRIL FUNDERBURGH! She wins signed books from Karen Hawkins, Sophia Nash, Alexandra Benedict and MOI!!

4) (5:52 PST) WINNER #4 is LAURA EMERSON! She wins signed books by Julia Quinn, Toni Blake, Sylvia Day and moi!!

5) (8:18 p.m., PST) WINNER #5 is RACHEL JESSUP! She wins the pearl, garnet and 14k gold filled earrings from the LIKE NO OTHER LOVER collection by Circe Designs!! 

Hello, my kittens, and welcome to the LIKE NO OTHER LOVER Book Shower-your gift to me is showing up, and my gifts to you…well, that's where the showering comes in. I'll be showering you with prizes (well, I'm giving away five prizes) all day long! I'll talk about those in a second, but for now I’m just so delighted you could help me celebrate today. Have you selected your delicious Sexy Cyber-Waiter yet? (Excuse me while I accept a drink—a Mimosa, of course, as it’s morning here on the West Coast-—from the oh-so-handsome-and-attentive "Seth," he of the "oozing sensuality," warm green-gold eyes and lilting Irish accent.). You can switch your waiter selection throughout the day, too—these guys won’t mind a bit. It’s in fact your prerogative to be as fickle or demanding as you like today, because these men revel in seeing to your pleasure and comfort. :)

    So what’s it like here in our own personal party Pleasure Dome? Well, for starters, the air is as fresh and soft as the first day of spring and the carpet is sinfully plush, so kick off your shoes and wriggle your bare toes in it. Mingle with the other guests, sprawl on one of the generous velvet sofas as the sounds of a very accomplished string quartet softly waft over you, or avail yourself of one of the massage chairs on the perimeter—all of your waiters are versed in every imaginable kind of massage, from Shiatsu to Hot Stone, so all you need to do is ask. For those of you who like to blow off steam by kicking up your he els, the disco (it’s in the North Wing) is already full swing-and…hark! Is that Duran Duran I hear?? Isn’t it sweet of all our favorite 80’s bands to show up and play a few songs throughout the day to help celebrate the book release? Make a request in the comments below, and who knows, your favorite band—from any decade—might just show up, too.

     The buffet and the infinitely replenished chocolate bar are  over at the far end—see all the gleaming tureens and colorful platters? And all those chefs eager to help and answer your questions? So you can drop off your cyber-dishes over there. :) And as for me, I’ve brought coq au vin—a big vat of slow-cooked chicken, wine, pearl onions and mushrooms (yum!)—to share with everyone. Did anyone bring an interesting salad? A breakfast casserole?? A favorite main dish? I’ll post my practical recipe in the comments below.:) Holiday recipes are particularly welcome, since we’re teetering on the brink of that season. And may I point out that Like No Other Lover and The Perils of Pleasure look rather a lot like Christmas side by side? Give your friends a Pennyroyal Green starter kit this year! Hee!

The drink of the day is the Like No Other Lover, and I can’t divulge the ingredients, but I can tell you that it’s pale pink, a sparkly, silver mist hovers over the rim of the crystal goblet in which its served, and one sip makes you feel exactly the way your favorite memory makes you feel. Ask your waiter to fetch one for you!

       So, my lovelies, I’m thrilled about Like No Other Lover, because reviewers seem to be loving it. I hope you do, too! It’s in stores officially today, and some of you might already have it in your sweet little paws or on your nightstands, bless your hearts. It’s the story of Miles Redmond and Cynthia Brightly, and it’s the second book in the Pennyroyal Green series, which was launched by The Perils of Pleasure. I can’t wait to hear what you think of it! Feel free to ask any questions at all about the series or the book in the comments-it’ll be fun to talk about it.

Now, let me tell you about the prizes!

1. Three separate sets of FOUR signed books compiled from donations by such lovely and talented romance authors as Eloisa James, Anna Campbell, Kayla Perrin, Toni Blake, Julia Quinn, Alexandra Benedict, Christine Wells, Karen Hawkins, Sophia Nash, Sara Bennett, Sylvia Day and moi! Aren’t they sweet to bring gifts to the party to give to you??

2. A beautiful pair of handcrafted pearl, garnet and sterling silver earrings from the Like No Other Lover collection by Circe Designs, inspired by LNOL's lovely cover;

3. A Hero’s Journey or Life Path Tarot Card reading from Tarot by Arwen, from Stephanie Arwen Lynch, a professional reader and romance fan. Because in Like No Other Lover, our heroine, Cynthia Brightly (along with a few of her friends) visits a band of gypsies who regularly set up camp on the outskirts of Pennyroyal Green for dukkering, or fortune telling. A bit of chaos ensues before they get around to the card part, so this is where Arwen comes in.:) Sure to be very cool and enlightening .

    I’ll be at the party by around 8:30 or 9 a.m. PST, but you can all come in and play anytime before then, too.:) I’ll give away the first prize the first hour I’m there, and give them away at random intervals to commenters chosen at random (using my magic Excel Randomizing macro!) throughout the day, just to keep things lively. :)

    So come on in! Let’s hang out, catch up—it’s been too long!-chatter about the weather and recipes, Like No other Lover, and anything at all we feel like, and just enjoy our decadent, indulgent, peaceful version of reality today.:) All you need to do to play is tell me what cyber-dish you brought to share.:) xo….julie

Comments

[Emilia P]

Big bucket of chocolate ice cream. It's been a really bad day. Perhaps the worst day ever, but I won't go into it.

It's makes me smile to be here at the end of it though! =0)

[Kathy K]

Yasmin, I was just re-reading through the recipies and oh my ~ your pork dish sounds heavenly!

And I need my Harry... Harry, be a love and please bring me another of the LNOL cocktails... and anything else lying around that looks look... like, say ~ Ethan?
*Oops.. did I actually say that out loud?*

Hmmm, maybe I better stay away from the luscious LNOLs... they're wicked dangerous! LOL

[Kathy K]

... and I can't speak clearly either. *sigh*

I did mean to say ~ anything that looks GOOD... ~ see what I mean?

[Ranurgis]

Congratulations on your latest novel, Julie Anne. It sounds like another winner.

[Julie Anne Long]

OK, chick peas, I think it's time to give away the final prize!! Let's let the macro do the work....and the winner is...

RACHEL JESSUP!!

Hurrah for Rachel-- she takes home the pearl, garnet, and 14k gold-filled earrings from the LIKE NO OTHER LOVER collection at Circe Designs!! Rachel, send me a note at julie@julieannelong.com so I can send it onto the designer, and she'll send them straight to you!!

[Kathy K]

Congratulations Rachel... what a way to end a celebration!

[ReadingIsSoMuchFun]

Congratulations to all the winners ty Julie for a fun & exciting party YaY! Congratulations to you.

Hugssss
LindaH

[Julie Anne Long]

Lareign -- that might actually be good news -- it's not on shelves yet!! LOL. That's a first. It's supposed to officially be on shelves TODAY, so we shall see! Bless the booksellers of the world for working so hard to make sure we readers get our romance fixes when we need them. ;) I had to laugh re your kitty -- seriously, one of my cat singed off half of his whiskers in a heater pilot light incident. :) according to the vet, it's a common San Francisco occurence.

We've given away the prizes, my kittens, and I think in about 15 minutes our Pleasure Dome will begin to blur around the edges and retreat into the ether, along with all of our cyberwaiters...until the next book release that is! Hee!! I've had MORE fun than I begin to tell you, and I'm so delighted and honored that you guys shared the LIKE NO OTHER Book Shower with me. :) The recipes have been truly amazing, and thank you for being so generous about sharing them - we should compile them in one place so we can share keep them! I'll think of ways to do that, but they'll always be here. I want to make sure everyone has their commemorative crystal goblets with their engraved initials in hand -- yes? You might want to toss back one more LNOL cocktail for the evening. :) Hold your good-smelling, firm and accommodating waiter in a long, appreciative hug, and promise him you'll see him again. Hee! And bring your hangovers over to Michelle Buonfiglio's blog tomorrow -- we can talk about parties in general, and just hang out a bit more -- I'd love to see you, because my schedule is just so nutty these days and I miss chatting with you guys. :) Here's the link again:

http://www.mylifetime.com/lifestyle/entertainment/romance-buy-the-book/blog%20

Thanks again, kids, and linger here as loooong as you want. I'll hang out for a while longer. I can't wait to hear what you think of LIKE NO OTHER LOVER -- I hope you enjoy it thoroughly. I'll keep poking my head back into the party to see who's about.:) xo.....julie

[Kathy K]

Well Julie you done good ~ again!

And I'll do my very best to drop in to the blog tomorrow ~ but I am going to miss... how did you say it?

"good-smelling, firm and accommodating waiter"

Now that almost sounds better than all the marvelous food that we were surrounded with... hmmm ~ fewer calories in one of those lovely waiters! LOL

It's been another excellent time Julie ~ but my pillow is calling my name... and I'm only too ready to answer.

Congratulations once again on the release of LNOL ~ it's fantastic!!

[Patricia Cochran]

Julie, just for you I am tossing in one more slow cooker recipe. It's one I plan to use
this weekend for a gathering. It serves eight, so I'm going to double it so as to
have enough!

Slow Cooker BBQ Short Ribs

4 lb beef short ribs
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 C flour
1 C BBQ sauce
1/4 C honey
1 T yellow mustard

1. Place ribs in slow cooker & top with
onions.
2. Mix remaining ingredients & pour over
ribs, then cover.
3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for
3-4 hours.
4. Remove ribs from cooker, keep covered
to retain warmth.
5. Skim excess fat from sauce. Return ribs
to sauce & stir gently to evenly coat.

Julie, thanks so much for the great party! You're still the hostess with the mostest!! Good night, Kevin!

Pat Cochran

[Rachel Jessup]

Sneaking back into the party room for a second, after I had to sneak out last night to take the kids to a Hallowe'en shindig at the zoo... First of all, that's awesome about the earrings-- thank-you!! :) :)

And a really belated note on the ginger biscuits: what goes wrong varies. One time, they burnt to a crisp within nine minutes, even though I had the oven set lower than the given temperature. Another time, they all ran together into a giant puddle of cookie goop, which then burnt on the bottom. I honestly don't recall each individual disaster, but I've tried them several times, and they've only come out a handful of those times. That's actually why I've tried so many other recipes, which have come out just fine; but none of them taste as good as these.

Maybe that particular recipe just has it out for me, lol. But they're soooooooo good when they do turn out, that I've passed the recipe around-- with a warning attached. ;)