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As many of you may know, our beloved sister hostess SHARON DONOVAN, tragically passed away on 11th April 2012. We who knew her, loved her, and were inspired by her courage and determination to face head on whatever life threw at her. When she could no longer see to paint she turned to writing and showed her amazing talent in the Inspirational Romance and Romantic Suspense genres, and her story 'Charade Of Hearts' was awarded the coveted Predators and Editors Award in January 2011.

This Blog was a source of great delight to her, she was one of the founder hostesses and she contributed to the fun and silliness in her own original way, and was kind enough to let her unique creation, the hunky butler 'Oliver' join us for our Friday romp and prepare 'virtual breakfast' for the guests on the following morning. It's beyond hard to have to go on without her, but we know that she would have been the first to insist that 'the show must go on.' She is, and will always be with us in spirit.
Sharon, dear friend, we will never forget you.
The Author Roast and Toast is part of the legacy you left us. Let's raise a Toast to you as well as all our guests.
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Friday, March 27, 2015

Welcome to our new hostess

Spring seems to have sprung here in the UK, and there are colourful spring flowers brightening up the landscape.
We don't have a Roast this weekend or next weekend, which is the Easter weekend
In the meantime we are delighted to announce  that we now have a new hostess.
Welcome DEBBY GRAHL

 Debby is the author of two romantic novels 'The Silver Crescent' and her latest release 'Rue Toulouse'. You can read more about her in her bio in the sidebar


Welcome Debby, we're so happy to have you on the team and look forward to partying with you.


Monday, March 23, 2015

Sharon Black's winner is...


CAROLINE CLEMMONS

Congratulations Caroline, your prize is on its way. 


Thanks to  Sharon Black for being such a wonderful  guest of honour, and to everyone who commented and made this Roast such fun!

The hostesses appear on-stage, holding hands, to take a bow
They hug each other and wave before leaving the stage.



"Just another Author Roast and Toast!"

We're taking a couple of weeks; break for Easter, but please make a date to join on the 10th April when Cindy Green  will be our special guest.

      

Friday, March 20, 2015

Sharon Black's Belated St. Patrick's Day Celebration of- Going Against Type




"Ah, Dublin. There's just something so romantic about this city." Lyn says as the hostesses walk along the River Liffey in the city centre.






"I hear Dublin is particularly stunning at night," LaVerne adds. "With the lights over Dublin bay; and the bridge over the river all lit up, it's the perfect setting for a romance."






"The scenery is gorgeous, but these Irish men with their sexy brogues are to die for," Lilly says as they walk past two men who are deep in conversation.

Mac nods her agreement. "I know. And Derry Cullinane, the hero in Sharon's book Going Against Type is Irish. So, I bet he sounds just as sexy."

"Aye, but he's takin',"Mary says, trying her best to sound Irish. Lyn and LaVerne groan.

"Please!" LaVerne says. "You Americans can barely fake a British accent. Don't even try an Irish accent."

"You got to admit; an Irish accent is sexy," Lilly says.


"Not coming out of Mary, " LaVerne says, laughing.

"I love Irish music," Lyn says as they turn the corner. "It's so lively; you can't help tapping your toes."

"It's definitely fun music," LaVerne agrees as they approach a bar.


 "Is this the place?" Mac asks. "It's got to be. It's huge."

Lyn confers with her phone before glancing up at the large, brick building trimmed in bright red. "Yes it is. And what better place to have a party just three short days after St. Patrick's Day than at an Irish Pub in Dublin?"

"Aye, and we are going to a ceilidh for a wee bit 'o Jameson and a meejum of ale," Mary says in a thick brogue that makes the other hostesses cringe.

"Stop it!" Lyn, LaVerne, and Mac squeal.

Lilly giggles. "You crack me up, Mary."

"That's an awful accent," Mac says.

"And you sound kind of manly when you talk like that," LaVerne adds.

Lilly snorts, looks at Mary, and says, "Manly yes, but I like it too."

The hostess are all laughing when they enter the pub. Oliver meets them at the door with a tray filled with Guinness on tap and shots of Jamesons.

LaVerne and Mac reach for a shot. Lilly drops her shot in a tall glass of Guinness and shouts, "Boiler maker!"

Lyn shakes her head and laughs indulgently. "It's going to be a short night for you if you don't pace yourself, Lilly."

"Oh, but everything looks so good. The food. The drink."

"The men." Mac adds as she spies the guest of honor, Sharon, with Charlie and Derry, the heroine and hero from her book. "Derry is definitely my idea of tall, dark, and Irish."

"He's definitely a hunk," LaVerne agrees. "Maybe he can introduce us to some of these yummy Irish dishes, like the coddle."



"Ick! It sounds nasty," Lilly says, turning up her nose.

"I hear it's delicious," Mac says. "But I want to try the Stew and Bacon & Colcannon."

"Can't go wrong with bacon," Mary agrees.


LaVerne smacks her lips. "How about a Bailey's marble cheescake?"

"And Irish coffee," Lilly adds as Sharon, Charlie, and Derry approach.

"Everyone grab a drink," Mary says.
Lyn nods. "We have Guinness, Irish whiskey and Irish mineral water, Ballygowan."

"And Jameson," Lilly adds.

"To Sharon," Mac says.

LaVerne smiles. "To Charlie and Derry."


Lyn holds her glass high.



"May your neighbors respect you,
Troubles neglect you,
The angels protect you,
And Heaven accept you."

Today's skit written by Lilly Gayle.

GOING AGAINST TYPE: BLURB

Some would say Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Regan has it all. Beautiful, smart, athletic and a great job working as a journalist – in the almost exclusively male sports department. But Charlotte is not quite as sure as she seems. Recently split from her overbearing boyfriend, she escapes for weekends, surfing in the Atlantic, and spends her free nights watching sports, roaring at the TV.

Derry Cullinane is a fashion writer, gossip columnist and sophisticated man-about-town. The go-to guy for any woman seeking expert advice on what fabulous outfit to wear for any given occasion. He’s also tall, dark, good looking – and straight! So what’s the snag? He has a track record of dating glamorous, vain and shallow women.

Charlie gets an opportunity to write a new column under the pen name Side Swipe, but is soon drawn into a war of words and wit with a rival paper’s columnist The Squire – and their verbal fireworks get readers and editors talking. Yet neither Charlie nor Derry knows just whom the opponent is...

When Charlotte and Derry meet at the Races, the attraction is instant. As their relationship develops, so much more proves at stake, than protecting their alter egos. But a blunder puts Charlotte’s job in jeopardy just as Derry’s past makes front page, and Charlotte begins to doubt her feelings.

When Side Swipe and The Squire are finally forced to reveal themselves, will they revert to type – or confound everyone’s expectations?

EXCERPT

Charlotte glanced quickly about, hoping to engage with the other women, but to her  frustration she
found they'd drifted away. Leaving her with this egotistical...

'So as an experiment, do you think we'll work? Derry said, interrupting her thoughts.

‘Um, will what work?’

He shot her an arrogant smile.

‘Fiona’s matchmaking attempts. Either Cupid will be on target or we’ll end up throwing bread rolls at each other.’

Charlotte gritted her teeth.

‘I’m a crack shot with a bread roll.’ This guy was definitely making fun of her. What had Fiona been thinking? She’d kill her. She forced a polite smile.

‘You’re a journalist?’

He grinned wickedly, as if well aware of her struggle to be civil.

‘The Irish People. I’m a fashion writer.’

Charlotte hid her surprise. ‘I really only read the sports section. That sleaze The Squire put me off the whole paper. He had a go at a friend of mine, Miranda Greene.’

Derry frowned.

‘The socialite? She’s a friend of yours?’

‘We were in college together. The Squire wrecked her marriage. She and her husband were

trying to put a bad patch behind them and make things work. The Squire milked that model’s revelations for weeks.’ Charlotte stopped suddenly. ‘You probably know The Squire?’

‘Not at all,’ Derry said, taking a sip of wine. ‘They don’t tell us who writes that. That’s a beautiful dress, it’s a Louise Kennedy, right?’

Charlotte glanced down at the dress. Dammit, she sounded like rent-a-rant. No wonder the guy was keen to change the subject.


You can find Going Against Type at tirpub.com/gatype.




SHARON BLACK grew up in Dublin. She studied history and politics at University College Dublin and then did post-graduate in journalism at Dublin City University.

She has worked for national newspapers, including The Evening Herald and The Irish Examiner. 
 She had short stories published in U Magazine and won the 2010 Dromineer Literary Festival short story competition.  

When she is not writing, she reads, walks and sees friends. She co-founded a local book club 14 years ago. She loves theatre, old Hollywood films, science fiction and good stand-up comedy.

She lives in Sandymount, Dublin, with her husband and their three children.
***GIVEAWAY***
To win a copy of Sharon 's book, all you have to do is just leave a comment and your e-mail address.
Contest ends on Sunday and everyone who comments is eligible.
(We reserve the right to waive the prize in any week when there are not enough contestants for a draw to be deemed fair and unbiased)

Friday, March 13, 2015

MYSTI'S WINNER IS...


  Jo-Ann Myers



Congratulations Jo-Ann, your prize is on its way. 


Thanks to  Mysti Baker for being such a wonderful  guest of honour, and to everyone who commented and made this Roast such fun!

The hostesses appear on-stage, holding hands, to take a bow
They hug each other and wave before leaving the stage.



"Just another Author Roast and Toast!"

There is no Roast this week but please make a date to join us next week,  on the
20th March, when Sharon Black  will be our special guest.

      

Friday, March 6, 2015

Mysti Parker celebrates The Roche Hotel

“Umm, are you sure you’ve got the right address, Lyn?” Mary eyes the building the taxi-cab has dropped the hostesses outside of, then swivels back around. “It hardly looks like a place to be celebrating in – more like commiserating. Just look at it!” Stretching a hand towards the brickwork, they all watch as a particularly worn piece crumbles under her palm.

“Appearances can be deceiving, haven’t you heard, sweetie.” Mac strides forward and pulls Mary’s hand away, tugging her towards the entrance after the others. “I’ve heard the new owners have the old building undergoing renovations.”
“Well, I for one can’t wait to see inside.” LaVerne gestures at the signage as she pulls the door open. “My mother’s maiden name was Roche. It must be all class.” She stops suddenly a few steps inside the lobby and covers her mouth, a strange strangled sound coming from it.
Lyn, close on her heels stumbles into her back. “Oof! Watch out, LaV…oh, my lord.”
“What is it?” the rest of the hostesses’ chorus together then as one their eyes widen.
“Wow,” Lilly finally pipes up. “It kinda smacks you between the eyes, doesn’t it?”
“Mmm. I’m not sure if I’d call it classy…but I like it,” grins Mac.
They all gaze appreciatively at the large nude statue of David which greets them, his groin area covered by what looks suspiciously like a scarf. Mary runs a hand over the defined abs then starts to lift the material.
Lyn smacks her hand and clears her throat, nodding towards the reception area. A couple walk towards them, gracious smiles on their faces.
“Welcome to The Roche Hotel. I’m Susan Smythe and this is my husband, Richard. We’re so excited to be celebrating the release of Mysti Parker’s serial book. The fact it’s set in our beloved hotel just thrills us!” Her gaze drifts past Mary’s shoulder to the statue and she frowns. “Oh, that woman!” Shaking her head, Susan strides up to the statue and pulls off the scarf. “I swear I’m removing some form of material from David at least a dozen times a day. Michelangelo created him to be enjoyed.”
“What woman is that?”
“Mrs. Roach, the wife of the previous owner of the hotel.” Richard answers Mac and removes the scarf from his wife’s hand. “She just has to know what’s going on and add her two cents worth to the changes we make.” He turns back to his wife. “I’ll find and return this to her if you like. Jane and Mysti are looking forward to meeting the ladies if you want to take them through to the party room.”


“Of course. Follow me, everyone. Jane has done a beautiful job of decorating the room and pulling everything together. We were blessed the day she walked into our lives. I don’t know what we’d do without her.”


The hostesses file into a large room already filling up with guests. The decorations are muted and classy in silvers and cream, the centrepiece on the serving table a large but simple arrangement of white flowers and greenery, adding to the elegance of the space. A large, buffet warmer filled with what looks like chicken fried rice, eggrolls and an assortment of Chinese food stand ready. Standing before a large ornate fireplace on the other side of the room in conversation with another woman is Mysti. She catches Lyn’s eye and waved them over, a big smile on her face.


“Hi ladies! I’m so excited you’re here at last! This is Jane Seymour.”


While introductions are made and hugs exchanged, Oliver glides over, a tray of glasses filled with delicious looking punch in his hands. They relieve him of his burden with murmurs of appreciation.


“Henry will be here soon with some amazing donuts from Hermann’s Bakery if the Chinese food is not to your taste,” Jane offers. “I swear you’ve never tasted donuts like them. They are incredible.”



“Are you sure the fact its Henry delivering them isn’t the reason they’re so delicious,” teases Mysti and Jane’s cheeks turn pink as they all laugh good-naturedly.

LaVerne lifts her glass to her lips and takes a large gulp. “Wowzers!” Her face scrunches up and she shudders. “That is strong stuff! I wasn’t expecting that.”

Curious, Lilly takes a more cautious sip, her mouth pursing up in an indrawn whistle after downing it.

“Oh, no,” groans Jane. “Will you excuse me please, ladies. It seems the housekeeper, Mrs. Gonsalves is at it again. Last time she spiked the punch, Mrs. Roche got tipsy. She may have got a little bit too friendly with the male stripper who was here.” She rolled her eyes at the interested faces. “That’s another story you can read about in the book released today.”
“Well! You were right, Mac,” Mary exclaims with a big grin as they watch Jane rush off to the kitchen. “Appearances can be deceiving. This place sounds like my kind of place to party after all!” She holds her glass of spiked punch up in a toast and the others follow with giggles. “To Mysti and the quirky characters of The Roche Hotel. Congratulations on a wonderful read and may you entertain a million readers with laughter."

(Today's skit was written  by La Verne)

Blurb :



After her husband ditches her for a blonde actress wannabe, Jane Seymour needs a job that pays the rent. The struggling Roche Hotel needs a miracle. With the former owner’s wife butting her nose into the renovations and new owners who are in way over their heads, Jane may be the answer to their prayers. Sure, she can handle The Roche Hotel’s quirky staff. But, can this skittish divorcee keep it all together when handsome Henry the Donut Guy makes his first delivery? This collection of serial fiction stories is a Tudorific romantic comedy that will leave you laughing out loud and hungry for more.




EXCERPT
 My eyelids feel so heavy...

“Ahem.”

I’m startled awake and bump my coffee with my elbow. A brown pool of cold Folgers and congealed half-n-half flows across the audit sheets. “Crap.”

The man at the front desk laughs. “Sorry to startle you.”

“It’s fine,” I say, not bothering to look at him because I’m searching for paper towels instead. Finding none, I grab my sweater from the back of the chair and blot the papers.

“Need some tissues?” he asks.

“No, I’m fine.” Embarrassed for being such a klutz in front of a guest, I keep my head down and drag my sleepy self to the front desk. Finally, I look up and am met with a stunningly handsome smile. “Oh, how can I help you?”

“Where’s Jerry?” He holds up a small paper bag. There’s a stack of white boxes beside him.

“I don’t know. Would you like me to page him?”

“No need. I’ll just leave these here. Custard-filled. He loves those.”

I notice his shirt, embroidered with Hermann’s Bakery in a simple script font on the right pocket. His hair is a dusty brown and has that trendy bed-head look which I usually consider lazy, but on him, it’s rather adorable. He’s clean-shaven and reasonably tall.

His eyes crinkle when he smiles again. “I’m Henry. You new here?”

“Yes, it’s my first night.” I point to the temporary name tag with my name written in black sharpie. “I’m Jane.”

“Nice to meet you. They call me the ‘Donut Guy’.”

He offers his hand, and I take it. His grip is warm and strong, and jump-starts a few sleepy neurons. Henry. And Jane Seymour. The third wife of Henry VIII, as legend says, was reportedly the love of his life. Why does my mind have to venture there, of all places? I’m not ready to heal my broken heart over Nick with Henry the Donut Guy, no matter how Tudorific our names are.

I let go of his hand and take the paper bag. “I’ll be sure to give these to Jerry.”

“Would you like one?”

“I probably shouldn’t…” My stomach rumbles in disagreement.

“They’re complimentary. The hotel orders more than enough, trust me.”

“Oh, then I’ll take a donut with chocolate icing if you have one.”

“Sure do.”

He opens one of the boxes and holds it within my reach. I pick up a donut and take a bite. Still warm and melt-in-your-mouth good.

  “Mmm, this is delicious.”

Henry closes the box and takes a tissue from the Kleenex dispenser beside the wall. Why hadn’t I noticed those before I sacrificed my poor sweater? He reaches across the front desk and wipes the corner of my mouth. Warmth crawls up my cheeks.

“You had a little icing there,” he says with that knee-weakening smile.

Bio:

Mysti Parker is a wife, mother, and shameless chocoholic. While her first love is romance, including five published books and an award-winning historical coming this summer, she enjoys writing flash fiction (the weirder the better) and children’s stories. When she’s not writing, Mysti works as a freelance editor, serves as a mentor in a 7-week writing course (F2K) and reviews books for SQ Mag, an online speculative fiction magazine. She resides in Buckner, KY with her husband, three children and too many pets.



***GIVEAWAY***


*An audiobook download of The Roche Hotel, narrated by the fantastic Angie Hickman. You can hear a sample here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Roche-Hotel-Season-One/dp/B00SW21IWM


  To win $5 Dunkin Donuts e-Gift Card or audiobook*  all you have to do is just leave a comment and your e-mail address.
Contest ends on Sunday and everyone who comments is eligible.
(We reserve the right to waive the prize in any week when there are not enough contestants for a draw to be deemed fair and unbiased)

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Andrea's winner is ...


  Rebecca Booth


Congratulations Rebecca, your prize is on its way. 


Thanks to  Andrea Downing for being such a fantastic guest of honour, and to everyone who commented and made this Roast such fun!
The hostesses appear on-stage, holding hands, to take a bow
They hug each other and wave before leaving the stage.



"Just another Author Roast and Toast!"

Join us on the 6th March, when Misti Baker will be our special guest.
      

Lilly's Winners are


Diane O'key and  Grannymama



Congratulations, Diane  and Grannymama, your prize is on its way. 


Thanks to  our sister hostess Lilly Gayle for being such a great guest of honour, and for kindly awarding two prizes, and to everyone who commented and made this Roast such fun -  apologies for being a week late with this (can't get the staff these days!)

The hostesses appear on-stage, holding hands, to take a bow
They hug each other and wave before leaving the stage.



"Just another Author Roast and Toast!"

    

AUTHOR ROAST AND TOAST

AUTHOR ROAST AND TOAST
authorroast@btinternet.com
WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE OUR GUEST? DO YOU WANT TO PROMOTE YOUR NEW RELEASE OR EVEN AN OLDER ONE?IF YOU FANCY BEING GUEST OF HONOUR AT ONE OF OUR PARTIES JUST EMAIL US AT THE ADDRESS in 'OLIVER'S RULES'!(PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A 'G' RATED BLOG SO NOTHING HIGHER THAN THIS RATING, PLEASE.)