Sunday, October 23, 2016

Book Blitz & Review-Mixing It Up




BOOK BLURB
Born with a silver spoon in her mouth, Manhattan upper-cruster Cecily Sinclair now uses that pricey utensil to dish up fancy French fare on her cooking show, Serving Romance. When there’s an executive shake-up at the network, she’s not worried. Not much anyway. Her show’s a hitafter all. Why would the new CEO want to mess with success?
The driving force behind several buzzed-about networks, Devlin Hayes is considered to be a wunderkind in the television industry. Although his plans to rebrand CuisineTV and make Serving Romance more Millennial-friendly don’t thrill Cecily, her charming, blue-eyed boss is a hard man to say “no” to and she really wants to keep her jobeven if that means sharing screen time with a loathsome blast from her past.   
Mercurial Italian chef Dante Marchetti a.k.a. “Il Duce” was once Cecily’s boss, and she has the PTSD to prove it. Now the owner of one of the hottest restaurants in town, Dante’s egomania knows no bounds and his constant attempts to provoke and upstage Cecily make her want to conk him on the head with a sauté pan. She thinks they’re toxic together, but viewers love their chemistry and clamor for more. 
As Cecily battles to maintain the integrity of her show, she finds herself scheming and manipulating right along with Dante and Devlin. Is she fighting a lost cause? Does she really belong on TV, or would her culinary talent be better served elsewhere? And could one of the men who makes Cecily’s blood boil ignite a passion in her for something other than food?

MY THOUGHTS
I thought this was a delicious, fun read. Cecily is a determined lady who stands up for what she believes is right. Enter Devlin and Dante to stir things up personally and professionally. I loved the twists in the storyline. Hurry and get your copy!
5 stars from me



RELEASE WEEK GIVEAWAY
Purchase a copy of Mixing It Up between October 19th, 2016 and October 25th, 2016 and you could win this fantastic prize pack inspired by the book’s heroine and her love of French food!

This prize pack includes: 
Garnier-Thiebaut Oh, La LaChéri French-themed 4-piece Kitchen Linens Set 
(Apron, kitchen towel, pot holder, and oven mitt.)

Kate Spade Deco Dot Recipe Box with 8 tabbed dividers and 40 recipe cards 

The French Women Don’t Get Fat Cookbook by Mireille Guiliano




To enter this giveaway, simply e-mail the author at traciebanister@gmail.com with your proof of purchase. Entries will be accepted until midnight on October 26th, 2016 when a winner will be selected via random drawing. This is an international giveaway, so anyone who buys Mixing It Up within the allotted time frame is eligible to win. Good luck!




AUTHOR BIO
An avid reader and writer, Tracie Banister has been scribbling stories since she was a child, most of them featuring feisty heroines with complicated love lives like her favorite fictional protagonist Scarlett O'Hara. Her work was first seen on the stage of her elementary school, where her 4th grade class performed an original holiday play she penned. (Like all good divas-in-the-making, she also starred in and tried to direct the production.)
Tracie’s dreams of authorial success were put on the backburner when she reached adulthood and discovered that she needed a "real" job in order to pay her bills. Her career as personal assistant to a local entrepreneur lasted for 12 years. When it ended, she decided to follow her bliss and dedicate herself to writing full-time. Mixing It Up is her fourth Chick Lit release, and in it Tracie finally got to live out her fantasy of being a Cordon Bleu-trained chef. 

CONNECT WITH TRACIE
Author Newsletter – The Banister Buzz http://eepurl.com/by0VAv



Friday, October 14, 2016

TGIF!

It has been a long week (for a short week)! I am looking forward to a Saturday of not much planned (other than Halloween costume searching for Little Miss). I work on Sunday afternoon... (nuff said)


**Friday Randomness**


The leaves are falling from the trees pretty fast...


I am on the "hunt" for a pair of tall boots - still can't find any that I like (so many buckles...) or that fit right or in my price range


I have a book I need to finish this weekend for an upcoming blog post (stay tuned...)


I love hearing (via email/text/whatever) from family and friends


I am frustrated that I have no photo shoots or anything scheduled for the rest of the year. I have been editing some photos to sell as prints


I am sad one of my work friends is leaving where we work


The Cubs start the NLDS with the Dodgers tomorrow night


There have been a lot of fun blog posts this week. Keep them coming!




Have a great weekend all!

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

WILW - The Playoffs

Linking up with Rachel and friends for another week. Please join us!!!!


Yes, MLB playoffs! I know there are die hard "other team" fans that stop by and visit here. (AND GOOD!!!) My Cubbies beat the Giants last night. I am over the moon excited!
 (I am not a fan of this picture, but here I am...)

Bring on the Dodgers or Nationals...

Dear SF Giants,
You played hard and you made the Cubs work. I admire and commend that.
I know losses are hard, especially in the post season. Hold your heads high though, gentlemen - you played well and you beat a lot of teams to get there.
Cheers to a great 2016 season!

Dear Blue Jays & Indians,
A sweep from both of you?! SERIOUSLY!!!! That is crazy! May your AL Championship series be a good one (I can't wait to watch)

Dear Rangers & Red Sox,
I know it was tough to play against them. As I wrote to the Giants - hold your heads high! You both had great seasons!!!

Now on to Saturday night!
#FlytheW

Wednesday, October 05, 2016

What I'm Loving Wednesday


It's that time again! Happy Wednesday! I hope you'll join in and tell us what you're loving this week. Link up at Rachel's blog and say hi!

*MLB post season starts this week. Go Cubs!!!!

*Hearing from friends

*A photo challenge for the rest of this month (join in!)

Here is my "morning" photo


*When a celebrity photographer (as in she photographs celebrities) likes and comments on your instagram photo


I hope you are having a great week!