Updated Covet Tour Schedule
Happy Monday, everyone!
I just wanted to share the updated schedule for the Covet book tour. Please let me know if you’re attending any of these events. I’d love to see you!
Happy Monday, everyone!
I just wanted to share the updated schedule for the Covet book tour. Please let me know if you’re attending any of these events. I’d love to see you!
UPDATE: Congratulations, Andrea Silva!! You are the winner of the roasted pineapple and habanero dip. I’m also sending you a copy of Covet. Please e-mail me at [email protected]. I need your postal mailing address.
Long-time readers of my blog know that I have a favorite recipe. It’s for something called crack dip and the name is self-explanatory.
I love me some crack dip. When you find out what’s in it, you might think it doesn’t sound that appealing. But trust me on this, it’s fantastic. It’s the perfect combination of sweet, smoky, and spicy. Recently I was gutted devastated dismayed to learn that one of the key ingredients is no longer being carried at SuperTarget (which was one of the only places you could buy it). When people first brought this to my attention I brushed it off. Certainly my SuperTarget would still be carrying it. Maybe a few random SuperTargets across the country are sold out or something, but I doubt it’s really gone.
Dudes. It’s gone.
Gone, gone, gone.
You will no longer be able to find THIS in SuperTarget stores. (I’m crying as I type this.) *
However, I am nothing if not resourceful. I have an Internet connection and a computer (and Google!). Plus I’m highly motivated. After a little searching I found THIS.
I found it on Amazon. You can buy it here.
Yes, it’s a little more expensive. Yes, that sucks. But it’s crack dip. CRACK DIP, Y’ALL!
So, for those of you who are not familiar with crack dip, here’s the recipe:
Dump the whole jar of the roasted pineapple and habanero dip into a medium-size bowl.
Next, add two packages of Philadelphia brand cream cheese. Leave the cream cheese out for a few hours so that it comes to room temperature and is very soft. Really mix this together well. You don’t want big chunks of cream cheese, and sometime it helps to use the back of a big spoon to smooth them out.
Use the reduced-fat cream cheese if you want (it won’t affect the awesomeness of the dip). Do not, under any circumstances, use the fat-free crap because I’ll be notified telepathically, my head will explode, and zombies will eat my brain. So don’t do that, okay?
After you’ve combined the cream cheese and the habanero and roasted pineapple dip, add an 8 ounce package of shredded Kraft sharp cheddar cheese. Mix well.
This next part is important. You’re going to add some diced red onion, but not too much (start with a few tablespoons and add from there). I once thought that if a little red onion was good, a whole lot would be better but all it did was overpower the dip and I had to throw it away and start over which made me cry. So be careful. You can always add a little more, but you can’t take it out once it’s in there. I’d say 1/4 of a small red onion is plenty.
Mix, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour. Serve the dip with Ritz crackers. Town House Toppers also work well (you really need a sturdy cracker).
No matter where you go, if you bring this dip people will love you. They’ll stand around the bowl raving about it and you’ll have to give everyone the recipe. A friend gave it to me back in 2008 and I’ve been making it ever since. Occasionally, someone will turn their nose up at crack dip when you tell them what’s in it, but after you force them to try it anyway, they’ll be the one parked next to the bowl shoveling in dip-covered crackers like it’s their job. I guarantee it.
And just to prove to you how much I love this stuff, one of you will win a jar of the roasted pineapple and habanero dip so you can make it at home and see what all the fuss is about.
As always, this giveaway is open to everyone. I don’t care where you live. If you win, I’ll ship it to you.
Tracey
*If they’re still carrying the roasted pineapple and habanero dip at your SuperTarget, buy every jar on the shelf.
I’m blown away by this trailer that Mollie at toughcriticbookreviews made for me.
It makes me ugly cry.
You should watch it, too.
Happy Monday, everyone!
I’m very excited to share the dates and cities of my upcoming book tour for Covet. I will also be creating a Facebook event for the signing at the West Des Moines Barnes & Noble. If you’re local, I would love it if you joined me!
Happy Monday, everyone!
I’m very excited to share the dates and cities of my upcoming book tour for Covet. I will also be creating a Facebook event for the signing at the West Des Moines Barnes & Noble. If you’re local, I would love it if you joined me!
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
7:00PM
BARNES AND NOBLE
The Shoppes at Three Fountains
4550 University Avenue
West Des Moines, IA 50266
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
7:00 PM
RAINY DAY BOOKS
2706 W 53rd St
Fairway, KS 66205-1705
(913) 384-3126
www.rainydaybooks.com
Thursday, September 19, 2013
6:00 PM
THE BOOKWORM
8702 Pacific Street
Omaha, NE 68114
(402) 392-2877
http://www.bookwormomaha.com/
Friday, September 20, 2103
7:00 PM
THE BOOKMARK
220 First Street
Neptune Beach, FL 32266
(904) 241-9026
http://www.bookmarkbeach.com/
Saturday, September 21, 2013
2:00 PM
THE BOOKSELLER AT LAURELWOOD
387 Perkins Road Extended
Memphis, TN 38117
(901) 683-9801
http://www.thebooksellersatlaurelwood.com/
Saturday, October 12, 2013
IOWA CITY BOOK FESTIVAL
More info to come
http://www.iowacitybookfestival.org/
I will post more information on dates and appearances as it becomes available. Have a great day!
Tracey
Trends are a normal part of the publishing cycle, and the market (in this case, the readers) creates a demand, which is readily met by the publishing industry. When a reader enjoys a book, they naturally seek out more of the same, so more of the same is published, which perpetuates the cycle. Self-publishing has allowed even more of what’s popular to hit the marketplace at lightning speed.
Hi, friends!
I have several things I want to mention and in the interest of efficiency I’ve decided to throw them all into one post.
1) First of all, a giant THANK YOU to everyone who downloaded Uncharted. It’s been almost two years since my last release day, and I must say that the butterflies were fluttering in my stomach when I woke up on July 2nd. It didn’t help that my husband and I decided to take the kids on an impromptu five-day vacation to Texas, and the Internet connection in our hotel was one of the weakest I’ve ever had (I’m looking at you, La Quinta). We visited Austin and San Antonio and had a wonderful time. I especially loved San Antonio’s River Walk. We had a nice dinner and took a boat tour afterward. I highly recommend it!
2) On behalf of myself and Penguin UK I want to offer my sincere apology regarding the e-book of Uncharted (UK version only). There was a slight mix-up and the three-chapter excerpt of Covet was not included at the back of the book (an excerpt of On the Island was included instead). I assure you that Penguin UK is working to rectify this and I’ll be giving further instructions soon on how anyone who purchased the edition with the missing excerpt can obtain it.
3) If you have a copy of On the Island and would like it signed, you can send it to P.O. Box 71694, Clive, Iowa, 50325. Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope and I’ll mail the book back to you ASAP.
4) Starting tomorrow, I’m going to be posting the first blog post in a series called “Let’s Talk About.” Tomorrow I want to talk about trends in fiction. In addition to trends I want to talk about heroes, heroines, genre, sex (in fiction), and whatever else I can come up with in regards to books. I’m hoping to post every Friday and I think it’ll be a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to some lively discussions!
5) Many of you have asked if I’m writing another book and the answer is, “Yes!” I’m still finishing up some research and have only just started on the first draft. I can’t tell you much about the new book right now because it’s way too early, but what I can tell you is that it’s very romantic (with a little suspense thrown in). I have a strong urge to create a love story along the lines of Anna and T.J. (although there is no significant age difference this time around, or a desert island for that matter). But I’ve got a hero and a heroine who will have to overcome some mighty big hurdles to be together, and there will be plenty of action. It’s a slow burn, though. No insta-love in this story. I’ll share more in the coming months.
6) I will have the tour schedule for Covet to share with you soon. I’m just waiting on a few details and then I’ll post it.
I think that’s it for now. Please join me tomorrow so we can talk about trends in fiction.
Tracey
Hello, everyone!
I’ve been waiting so long for the release of my second title and now it’s here (and I’ll get to do it again in less than three months when Covet comes out. Yay!).
During the last year, I’ve received lots of messages from readers asking me if there would ever be a sequel to On the Island. My answer was always, “No.” Anna and T.J. got their happily ever after. They worked hard for it and they deserved it. So to try and extend their story wouldn’t feel organic, and any new conflict they encountered would pale compared to what they’d already been through. I wouldn’t have enjoyed writing that story, and you may not have enjoyed reading it either.
But last summer my editor asked if there might be another character from On the Island that I could write about, and she wanted to know if I would be open to writing a short story from this character’s perspective. Penguin wanted to release this short story as an eSpecial, and would include the first three chapters of Covet at the end. I said I would be happy to do it because – coincidentally – another character from On the Island had begun to creep into my thoughts. I remember driving home after dropping my daughter off at zoo camp when I had a tiny spark of an idea:
Whatever happened to that guy who built the shack? What, exactly, was his story? I thought, wouldn’t it be kind of fun if I could write about his time on the island? Learn more about him? Discover whose bones were in that cave?
The answer was, “Yes.” It was fun to create the whole backstory of a character I never expected to meet.
So, what is Uncharted about, exactly? I don’t want to spoil anything, but I can tell you what Uncharted isn’t: It’s not a sequel to On the Island. It’s not a re-telling of the story from another character’s POV because Anna and T.J. already took turns telling it in On the Island. Uncharted is a prequel of sorts, and it should answer any lingering questions you might have had from On the Island.
And I hope you enjoy it.
Uncharted is available from the following retailers:
xoxo,
Tracey