appetite

Throwback Thursday: The Appetite series

Appetite is still going strong!

I should have been working on a prior commitment these past couple of months. I should have, but an Appetite story, Five Stars Rising, snuck its way into my heart, insisted to be written, and now I have 50k+ words completed and waiting for a cool-off session before I do a self-edit and find one last beta reader before submission. (And if you’re interested, by all means feel free to volunteer.)

Most recently, Boys on the Brink gave A Cut Above the Rest a lovely review and I certainly hope Jamie continues to read and enjoy the series.

Appetite is my tale of attraction, distrust, hot tempers and hotter guys in the kitchen. It goes from behind-the-scenes fine dining to competitive cooking and back again, as Alex and Nik battle for supremacy with their cuisine and their growing desires for one another.

There’s no better time to check out the series! Add any one of the books, or the Appetite compilation, to your cart at Less Than Three Press, enter “ANDOR” for your coupon code, and save 20%! But act now, because my featured author savings is good only through the end of this month.

Are you excited to hear about another installment of Appetite?

Giveaway, cover reveal, and more … oh my!

Tomorrow, at some point: the first volume of my Appetite series will be available as part of the Less Than Three Press five-year anniversary giveaway!

You’ll be able to grab a copy of this lovely e-book FOR FREE, during a very narrow window of opportunity. Keep an eye on the giveaway post or the Less Than Three tumblr or @LT3Press to see when the giveaway goes live.

Direct listing for A Cut Above the Rest is here.

Summary:

Alex always had it easy growing up, indulged by loving, but busy parents as he flitted from one interest to another without settling. Then he discovered the world of fine dining and became determined to be a chef capable of producing such magnificent meals. Despite the doubts of a father who limited his funds, and the difficulties of leaving Germany to live in the United States, Alex stuck to his new goal and graduated the Culinary Institute of America.

Fresh out of school, he is eager to begin work at the restaurant owned by a good friend of his father’s, a restaurant well known for the beautiful, innovative meals its chefs create. He is primed to join the ranks of those masterful chefs—until the day he starts, and learns that he is nothing more than kitchen lackey, lower in rank than even the dishwashers.

Worse, his boss is none other than Nik, the beautiful, infuriating, highly talented classmate that Alex could never best—or resist.

And now, the beautiful cover reveal you’ve all been waiting for… my next to-be-published novel, Klaxon at the Core:

Klaxon at the Core is the sequel to Signal to Noise.

After surviving alone on Noise for years, Bastian and Theo are exhilarated and terrified by the thriving chaos of Central. Even in the middle of civilization, they stand apart, bound together by their years of isolation. Central is their chance to change that, and to find the ordinary lives they never knew on Noise. Long, lonely days struggling to survive are firmly in their past.

But the present proves to hold conflicts of its own, and if Bastian and Theo hope to survive to enjoy their new lives, they may have to return to the hard lessons of their nightmarish past …

That’s enough for one post. More news soon to come, so keep checking back. ♥

Giveaway: Appetite paperback winner

The winner for the signed Appetite paperback is Macie Rae. Thanks, everyone, for participating!

Happy Release Day! And two new reviews.

First and foremost!

Are you ready for a rocking good time? Rocking Hard: Volume One is ready for you! My novella, Courage Wolf Never Sings the Gorram Blues, is sandwiched in between four other tales of music and love, the rhythms that move the world.

Cannot wait to hear what you all think!

Speaking of feedback, this week has been fruitful for The Competitive Edge, which netted 4.5 pants off over at Pants Off Reviews, and 4 kisses and an avowal to check out the other books in the Appetite series from Top2Bottom reviews.

At Pants Off Reviews, Darien Moya says, “If you are a cooking afficionado and like m/m romance this is a must read!” Check out the rest of the review here!

Over with Top2Bottom, Susan says, “A quite long read, this series is promising. The writing is captivating, and I was fully immersed into the story.” See what else she says here!

And in case you missed my Tweet, Top2Bottom also gave me a lovely spotlight review. Thanks to all the wonderful peeps at Less Than Three Press, too, for arranging the tour!

Giveaway: Appetite paperback!

Tonight I’m doing two things: making braised beef short ribs, and the lingering aroma permeating our house is utterly divine; and bringing you an exclusive giveaway of the gorgeous, weighty paperback version of Appetite, the compilation volume of A Cut Above the Rest, The Competitive Edge, and Surfeit for the Senses.

Summary from the first novel:

Worse, his boss is none other than Nik, the beautiful, infuriating, highly talented classmate that Alex could never best—or resist.

You can find summaries and excerpts from all three books from the series page here. It’s also got a nice spread of Goodreads reviews here.

The Appetite series is near and dear to my heart, not only for all the amazing food but because presiding over the journey that Chef Alex and Chef Nik take over the course of the story is tremendously frustrating, certainly difficult, but ultimately satisfying.

The trade paperback is quite thick! And worth its weight.

The Giveaway:
I am offering this trade paperback to ONE lucky winner, chosen by a random number selected by random.org from the comments of this entry. I’ll autograph it however you like, and I will ship Appetite anywhere that accepts U.S. mail from me to you.

To enter, drop a comment (you MUST include an email or means of contact or I CANNOT count your entry). Comment between now and next Sunday, October 6th. Winners will be chosen Monday morning.

Tell me in your comment about your favorite dish, savory or sweet! I love to hear about what foods everyone regards as their favorite. That’s it–comment (and include your email or a way to contact you) and you are entered!

If you would like additional chances to enter, you may also do the following:

– Promote/share my Facebook post promoting Appetite’s print release.
– Post a comment on my/your Facebook about the novel.
– Reblog my Tumblr post promoting Appetite.
– Retweet my author tweet on Twitter regarding Appetite’s paperback.
– Become a fan on Goodreads.
– Make a comment or make a post promoting the novel on your own social venue (any and all – WordPress, LJ, DW, blogspot, just link me so I can verify)

Basically, spread the word in any possible fashion and you can get an additional chance (for each extra action) to win your own signed trade paperback copy of Appetite!

Thanks for your support! Good luck, bon Appetite, and have a great week!

Sales! Sales! Sales!

Are you looking for some great books to read? Would you like to score some sweet deals? Then Less Than Three Press has got a Labor Day weekend treat for you!

I have to get in a plug for my babies. Use code “foodie” to save 40% on my Appetite series, including the ebook bundle, and the print compilation. http://tinyurl.com/lt3Appetite

But that’s not all!

Use code “dragons” to save 30% on Dragon Slayer, The Dragon’s Hoard series, Sword of the King, & The Dragon’s Tamer. http://www.lessthanthreepress.com/books/ (Note: code will work for the individual Dragon’s Hoard books & the print volume.)

Use code “zombies” to save 30% on Zombie Rain, Zombie Wonderland, & Midnight http://www.lessthanthreepress.com/books/

Use code “Preorder” & save 15% on If Wishes Were Coffee, Piper, Alpha Trine & Goblins: Book 1. http://www.lessthanthreepress.com/books/

Use code LostGods to save 40% on Megan Derr’s Lost Gods series, the includes the ebook bundle. http://tinyurl.com/lt3LostGods (I’m going to use this myself, to pick up the other three Lost Gods books that I don’t have yet.)

Use code “AllTheLove” for 30% off poly titles including Jewels of Bangkok, Living Words, & Weld. Go here for more: https://www.facebook.com/lt3press/posts/10151566345845988

Use code “baileys” for 35% off @Jo_Lena’s picks, including Miles Cross, Finding King, & Opposite Day. The rest here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151566564450988&set=a.10150885262485988.395217.177721070987&type=1

Less Than Three Pres ‏@LT3Press 10h
Use code “wolves” to save 30% on Forest of Fenris, Bad Moon Rising, Mohegan, Highland Wolves & others: https://www.facebook.com/lt3press/posts/10151566792440988 …

Use code “amaretto” to save 35% on @amasour’s picks, including Heart of Water & Stone and The Gravemen. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151566866610988&set=p.10151566866610988&type=1 …

It’s a great weekend for sales, apparently. I myself went to the car dealership yesterday, and ended up driving home a beautiful cobalt blue Prius C.

She doesn’t have a name yet, but I love her!

Have a great weekend, everyone. We’re being supremely lazy today, making flatbread pizza and playing video games, but I hope to get in a few good hours of editing as well. The Fall Guide proceeds apace!

Intent vs Actual

My intent was to launch Topical Tuesday, but alas, I am fresh out of topic, and I used up the last of my willpower making myself exercise in 85-degree (F) weather. Instead, I bring you the Tuesday Update as slaved over by Less Than Three Press.

It’s here, it’s big enough to use as a bludgeon, and it’s absolutely beautiful. My four author copies came in a box the same size as the motorcycle boots I got for my birthday.

In short: Appetite is now available, both as an ebook compilation and as a gorgeous trade paperback. Pick up your copy now! I’ll be running a giveaway soon out of sheer delight.

Also, Surfeit for the Senses has netted its second blog review from Serena Yates at Rainbow Book Reviews, bestowing four stars and pleading very nicely for a “fourth” installment in the trilogy.

Serena says, “If you like stories full of professional cooking and food detail, challenges and successes, if you enjoy romantic tension interweaves nicely and seamlessly with an interesting plot, and if you’re looking for a read that will make you as hungry as it will make you want to see these guys finally acknowledge the full depth of their feelings for each other, then you will probably like this novel.”

As an added incentive – pick up any or all of the Appetite books through Less Than Three Press and through Wednesday, you can use code “d975c3d606” for 35% off, because they are awesome like that.

Now, alas, I have to scrape together my remaining willpower because the hallway is full of boxes that need to be broken down and hauled out to recycling, and despite my best efforts, I have not been able to train the cat to do it for me. See you on WIP Wednesday!

Tour de Foodie finale: The Hero’s Journey

Good morning, check out Megan Derr’s journal for The Hero’s Journey: Appetite from Beginning to End for the final stop on the tour, and reflection on the storytelling arc and what goes into it. It’s been a long road, but the last hurdles are to hand–and the ultimate rewards!

You can comment on the entry to get a final chance to win Surfeit for the Senses. Later today, I’ll be opening one final giveaway for A Cut Above the Rest to tempt your senses if you’re new to the series.

Although I go to restaurants for the amazing food that I could never, or would never cook, sometimes it’s the simple things we make at home that are so satisfying. And that goes for a tasty homemade breakfast, for sure. Here’s the poached egg over cheesy garlic grits with a side of smoked turkey kielbasa that I’m making for my lady for her birthday today:

Tour de Foodie: Five Tricks to Fine Dining’s (Sinfully) Delicious Food

Guten Abend, check out World of Diversity Fiction for my guest post, Five Tricks to Fine Dining’s (Sinfully) Delicious Food to learn what goes into the magic that makes everything taste too, too good. And glean some little tips for how to keep things on the lighter side, if you’re so inclined. Our skinny chefs don’t need to worry about that sort of thing, but most of us can’t eat a day’s worth of calories in one meal. Well. Can. But shouldn’t.

Also, please do comment on that entry, and you can score an additional chance to win Surfeit for the Senses. You can also sign up for my giveaway on my blog here, and The Competitive Edge giveaway too! With one more to go, if you’re new to the series you can net them ALL.

I would be remiss, covering a week of tempting and totally favorite foods, if I didn’t cover one of my guilty pleasures. Deep dish pizza, the way they can only make it in Chicago.

Tour de Foodie: What’s in a Name?

Good evening! Check out It’s Raining Men for my guest post, What’s in a Name? The Restaurants of Appetite for an exclusive peek at the reasons behind the restaurant names in A Cut Above the Rest and The Competitive Edge. I wanted to touch on all the guest judges’ restaurants, too, but didn’t want the entry to run long!

You can also comment on that entry for an additional chance to win Surfeit for the Senses. And don’t forget to sign up for my giveaway here, and The Competitive Edge giveaway that opened this morning!

I got a rec from a friend for what food cart to hit up for my birthday lunch before walking it off at the Oregon Zoo, and the one selling pork belly sandwich and poutine has my heart (and my cash) for sure. Now to lead out with a fond reminder of what I’ll be having for dinner, after the zoo…

Talya Andor

Author of QUILTBAG fiction