What's Going On In Watsonville

1. WATSON:

The name Watson means "powerful warrior." 

I can work with that. (See photo above)

2. HAGGIS (and other Scottish food):

You all know I'm working on a WIP about a Scottish chef. So, for research purposes I decided to check out The Haven (a Scottish restaurant) with some buddies. We made a pact. 

Anyone who ate the haggis would get a special badge.

First I had hot mulled wine with whisky-soaked apples. 

(Step one before eating haggis...drink alcohol!)

It was delicious!

Then I had an amazing soup--Cullen Skink, a rich creamy seafood and potato chowder. Divine!

 

And now the moment of truth...HAGGIS! This is lamb haggis, and it comes in its own cute little container made of...never mind about that. The important thing is...I ate some.

It tasted like mild liver. Not that horrible actually.

 

And so I earned this badge of courage.

Best part of the menu? Fantastic desserts.

If you live around the Boston area, I definitely recommend this place.

3. GRAEME

I was super lucky to see Graeme Simsion last night. He spoke at Wellesley Books.

What a great evening. He is funny, entertaining, and inspirational. 

The story of his life and how he became a published author is wonderful.

He also read from THE ROSIE EFFECT.

And then of course I went out to eat with my girlfriends and got sangria.

So...all-around perfect evening.

4. FLOWERS

I recently attended the Boston Flower Show. 

It was okay, not spectacular. 

(PET PEEVE: If you're gonna have a plant show, LABEL ALL THE PLANTS!)

 

But here are a few of my favorite things...

 

Helleborus...superb plant.

 

My favorite display was the cranberry bog. What an adorable idea.

They showed cranberry plants and had a flooded cranberry pool.

LOVE IT!

 

Who wants to wear this dress to prom? ME! ME! ME!

5. THANK YOU

Super big thanks to everyone who supported me in the DAB-ish contest.

HAPPY WEEKEND TO ALL!

P. Watson

Voting Round 2 (DING DING DING)!

I made it to Round 2 of the #DABWAHA contest...craziness!

Today APPLES SHOULD BE RED is up against JUST A LITTLE TASTE by Farrah Rochon.

If you're interested in voting, here's the website...

http://dabwaha.com/

Voting is open today (March 22) from noon to midnight.

I'm a HUGE underdog today, so I'll be humming this song...

THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Love,
Penny

Time to Vote! #DABWAHA

Voting for the first round of DABWAHA is open until noon today (March 19)...lots of good books on the list. Go check them out!

http://dabwaha.com/

APPLES SHOULD BE RED is the underdog, but it's doing pretty well so far!


BTW, I put the novella on SALE for 99 CENTS at Amazon, B/N, and Kobo to celebrate!



Penny

Monday Morning Updates!

A few things...

1. In completely unexpected news, APPLES SHOULD BE RED is on the novella list for the DABWAHA contest sponsored by Dear Author and Smart Bitches. I am shocked and thrilled and extremely thankful to all of the readers who nominated my book.

THANK YOU!

I have never played the game and I'm not exactly sure how it works. Since I'm not too keen on begging for votes, reviews, or other sorts of promotion from readers, I'm planning to post some joke images (see Mr. Lumberjack above) just for fun. If you are so inclined, and have figured out the rules of the game (unlike me!), here are some links to participate...a link to the nominees list, a link to an explanation for the bracket selection, and here's the bracket. If you have any questions about the contest, you could email DA or SB. Don't ask me...I still can't figure it out!

I am really humbled that my novella has been included in this year's contest. I don't have a street team or a publisher, and as a teeny tiny indie author, I'm expecting that APPLES is sort of the "underdog of the century." Hee hee!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who has supported my cuss-filled novella!

I LOVE YOU GUYS!

2. I am cranking away on my current WIP, A TASTE OF HEAVEN. Here is a fun Pinterest board I put together for inspiration. And here's a quickie snippet!

✯✯✯

Sophia was frozen. She heard the songbirds chirping and felt the warm sunshine on her face. It was one of those stunning Vermont days, when the sky was so blue and far away, it offered both comfort and bittersweet beauty. She watched the other contestants greedily snatch up grass-fed beef and dirt-clumped vegetables and organic chickens strung up by strands of coarse string.

One perfect bite.

She knew what she should do. The judges wanted a complex sauce. An extraordinary protein, expertly prepared. An array of textures.

One perfect bite.

Tart. And sweet. Like her life.

She smiled to herself. No one, absolutely no one, ever made a dessert for the amuse-bouche. Dessert was the kiss-of-death in a cooking competition. Dessert was the red-headed stepchild. Dessert was never the star of the show. Just the end of the show. And usually a hideous disappointment.

The Scot turned to her and bellowed. She'd forgotten he was still there. He rushed toward the kitchen.

May the best man win.

✯✯✯

3. Finally, as part of a continued effort to streamline my life, I decided to delete my other website and just keep this blog as the Penny Watson website. I will be updating my recommended reads section soon.

I have deleted some of my social media sites, too, but I still have Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, and my 12-year old daughter started an Instagram for me! I'm not exactly sure what she posts there. I think she might be my new agent. Uh oh.

Happy Almost Spring!

Penny

What Does Heaven Taste Like?

Happy Weekend!
Penny