Skip to main content

Lady Wynwood #7 early release Kickstarter

I worked on my first Kickstarter and it got approved! It’s for the Special Edition Hardcover of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer and the release of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7: Spinster. I contacted my graphic designer about the Special Edition Hardcover of vol. 1: Archer—it’s going to be SO beautiful! The Kickstarter focuses on the Special Edition Hardcover, but it’ll also include vol. 7: Spinster so that it’ll sort of be like a launch day for vol. 7, too. A third special thing that’ll be in the Kickstarter is Special Edition Paperbacks of all the books in the series. They won’t be available in stores, just in the Kickstarter (and later, from my website, and also in my Patreon book box tiers if I decide to do them). The Kickstarter is not live yet, but you can follow it to be alerted when it has launched. (You may need to create a free Kickstarter account.) Follow Camy’s Kickstarter

Interview with Allie Pleiter

Captain’s Log, Stardate 07.02.2007

Today I have an interview with chick lit author Allie Pleiter talking about her latest novel, The Perfect Blend.

Opening a Christian coffeehouse in Seattle—that was my dream. I wanted to call it Maggie Black's Higher Grounds.

So when banker William Grey III denied my loan, I was crushed. But then Mr. Grey (who's a tea drinker—figures!) explained that if I took his small-business course, the bank might reconsider my application. It would take the help of some of my fab coffee, but I was sure I could stay awake long enough to learn something. Besides, despite Grey's stuffy facade, his velvety British accent could make even financial analysis sound interesting.

Read an excerpt.


And now, here’s me and Allie!

How'd you come up with the idea for THE PERFECT BLEND?

I don’t know how I come up with any of my books. They show up in bits and pieces in a way I can’t really explain. BLEND started out with the concept of an “impossible dream”—one where the odds are so clearly against you. Like opening up a coffeehouse in a city already jam-packed with coffeehouses. That, and the fact that I was looking for an excuse to visit Seattle, coffee capital of the USA. I loved the idea of God planting a daunting idea in a risk-taker’s head, and her having to convince risk-averse people in order to make that idea happen. Will Grey is one of those characters that started out just as a banker, then grew into this wonderfully complex guy—and when he grew into a tea lover, (which of course made him British), then it all began to take on the fun quality of opposites attracting. Stir in my passion for good coffee, and you’ve got a book I had a grand time writing (or should I say brewing?).

What's your favorite scene from THE PERFECT BLEND?

Hands down, it’s the scene where Maggie explains and demonstrates the different types of coffee drinks to Will. That one made me laugh every time I worked on it, and I could see it so clearly in my head. Followed, as a close second, by Will’s tea rebuttal, which was a delightful research surprise. If I give away any more than that, I’ll ruin it—but I will tell you that lots of people have asked me about that tea scene, so it must be resonating with readers as well.

If Maggie were an ice cream flavor, what would she be and why? (And no cheating and saying coffee-flavored.)

But she EATS coffee ice cream in the book, so that’s not really cheating. Okay, I’ll play along here and come up with another flavor---I’d have to say butter pecan, because that feels artistic and vintage to me, and that’s one of Maggie’s characteristics. But she might also go for the textures of Rocky Road, too. She’s a complex gal. I’ll jump in here and put in a plug for my favorite flavor, Graeters Mint Chocolate Chip, found only at the astounding Graeter’s Ice Cream in Cincinnati Ohio. (They ship, you know…).

Do you drink coffee or tea, and what's your favorite way to take it?

I don’t just drink coffee, it’s a food group for me. I take my coffee VERY seriously and in large quantities. Daily coffee means a hazelnut blend with cream and sugar, drunk within minutes of my gaining consciousness. My “coffeebar” drink is the largest available size of Mocha Latte with skim milk (so I can load on the whip cream and not feel guilty). Readers might want to know that the whip cream trick in Chapter 14 really happened to me—so how could I not put something so delightful into a book! Now, aren’t you intrigued?

Curious readers want to know: What novel are you reading right now and how do you like it do far?

I just finished Isabelle Allende’s Zorro, because I’m working on a dual identity historical novel for my next book MASKED BY MOONLIGHT, coming out from Steeple Hill in June 2008. I loved Allende’s sense of the epic, and how human she made a figure familiar to all of us. She took a character we think we know all about and created a rich, authentic, and revealing backstory. She has a lyrical, lush narrative style I could never hope to duplicate.

You're off the hotseat! Any parting words?

“Go buy my book”—how’s that? Actually, I might broaden it out to “support your local author and your local bookseller” with a touch of “support your local coffeeseller, too!” God bless and thanks!

Camy here: Thanks, Allie!

Popular Posts

I sold to Steeple Hill!

Captain's Log, Supplemental Remember that romantic suspense proposal I blogged about earlier? Well, it just sold to Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired Suspense line! I am so jazzed! I am beyond jazzed! The story’s working title is Sinister Spa The story's title is Deadly Intent and here’s a blurb (but it’s probably not what will appear on the back of the book): Massage therapist Naomi Grant could use a massage herself. With her father at home recovering from a stroke, Naomi is put in charge of the family’s elite day spa in Sonoma county. The new responsibilities sit awkwardly on her shoulders, and things only get worse when handsome Dr. Devon Knightley breezes into the spa, demanding to see one of the female clients. And the woman is found dead in Naomi’s massage room. Suddenly, Naomi is a suspect and her family’s spa is shut down. How could God let this awful thing happen? Devon only needed to see his ex-wife about a family necklace she still hadn’t returned, but when she dies and...

I’m a Book of the Year winner!

Captain's Log, Stardate 09.22.2008 I won first place in the Debut Author category of the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year awards! Here are all the winners! Debut Author Sushi for One? (Camy Tang) Zondervan, editor Sue Brower Bayou Justice (Robin Miller writing as Robin Caroll) In Between (Jenny B. Jones) Contemporary Novella Finally Home in Missouri Memories anthology (Deborah Raney) Barbour Publishing, editor Susan Downs Moonlight & Mistletoe in A Big Apple Christmas anthology (Carrie Turansky) Remaking of Moe McKenna in Race to the Altar anthology (Gloria Clover) Historical Novella Love Notes in Love Letters Anthology (Mary Davis) Barbour Publishing, editor Rebecca Germany Beyond the Memories in Missouri Memories anthology (DiAnn Mills) The Spinster & The Tycoon in The Spinster Brides of Cactus Corner anthology (Vickie McDonough) Lits Splitting Harriet (Tamara Leigh) Multnomah Books, editor Julee Schwarzb...

Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And...

New book idea a la Captain Caffeine

Captain's Log, Stardate 04.14.2009 So my husband, Captain Caffeine, had lunch with a few friends a few days ago. And they asked about my writing, and if I’d been on Oprah yet. (Yeah, right) They then discussed NYT bestselling books, and why can’t Camy write a NYT bestseller. (Sure, let me just open a vein over a blank page and it’ll come right out.) So Captain Caffeine came home with ideas for my new NYT bestselling novel. First it starts with vampires, because Twilight is so hot. But not just any vampires. This one’s an Amish vampire. And he’s not just an Amish vampire, he’s a cop in disguise, infiltrating the Amish community to protect a witness. (Hmm, that storyline sounds familiar ...) But wait! There’s more! To add more conflict and stick with my brand of Asian fiction, we introduce the Tibetan monk! Who joins the Amish community to get away from the pressures of monkhood. But in reality, he’s protecting the Chinese princess on the run, trying to escape from her father’s Hong...

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th...

I GOT A 3-BOOK CONTRACT WITH ZONDERVAN!

Captain's Log, Supplemental My agent called me today with the great news! Zondervan has contracted me for another three books! Right now, they’re all stand alone books—not a series. The first book is slated to release May 2010 and is tentatively titled The Year of the Dog (they’ll probably change it). It’s a women’s contemporary novel. Here’s the back cover blurb from my proposal: Tessa Ota, a professional dog trainer, is having a bad year. While moving ahead with renovation plans for her new dog kenneling and training facility, Tessa needs to move in with her disapproving mother and her antagonist sister. She convinces her ex-boyfriend to take her dog for a few months … but discovers that his brother is the irate engineer whose car she rammed a few weeks earlier. Charles Bretton has enough problems. His mama has just shown up on his doorstep all the way from Louisiana, and his brother has to move in with him after being kicked out of his apartment—with a dog in tow. And guess who...

Mon afghan

Captain's Log, Stardate 02.24.2009 I am extraordinarily proud of this. For Christmas, I wanted to knit something for my parents that would be really cool and personal, and sort of an heirloom. So I took the five family crests I had for my family (in Japanese, a family crest is called a “mon”) and graphed the designs on knitting graph paper so that I could knit intarsia panels of the mons. I knit 5 intarsia panels and 4 plain panels and then sewed them together to make an afghan. In Japan, family crests are carried by both male and female, so I used mons from both my parents' sides. Traditionally, mons are passed down from mother to daughter and from father to son, but there are sometimes cases of a son taking a mother’s mon or a husband taking his wife’s family’s mon and things like that. I know we have more than 5 family crests, but we’ve lost some of them. My mom tried to find them all several years ago, but could only find these five. The fans mon was actually...

Movie Quotes part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 05.27.2009 I had so much fun with this before that I decided to do it again! You guys are just too good! RULES: 1. Pick 15 of your favorite movies. Or movies that you have seen 2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie. 3. Post them here for everyone to GUESS (please don't Google it or do a search on IMDB--what's the fun in that?). 4. When someone guesses correctly, put who guessed it and the movie. 1. I do anything and everything Mr. Stark requires. Including occasionally taking out the trash. Will that be all? Ironman kalea_kane 2. Cassie, his heart will stop at the sight of you, or he doesn't deserve to live. And, yes, I am aware of the contradiction embodied in that sentence. 3. The code is more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl Ruth 4. I don't LIKE food. I LOVE it. If I don't love it, I don't SWALLOW. Ratatouille Danica/Dream and Charity Lane...

Got my books!

Captain's Log, Supplemental Okay, I'm still at the library and Captain Caffeine sent me these pics since I wasn't home when they arrived: MY AUTHOR COPIES ARRIVED! Wow, that's just so cool. And I'm so glad Captain Caffeine sent me pics!

Weddings and Wasabi available in both print and ebook

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.07.2011 I just found out (like a few days ago) that the ebook version of Weddings and Wasabi , is now available! This is the fourth book in my Sushi series . What's even better is that it's only $2.99! After finally graduating with a culinary degree, Jennifer Lim is pressured by her family to work at her control-freak aunty’s restaurant. But after a family dispute, Jenn is determined to no longer be a doormat and instead starts her own catering company. Her search for a wine merchant brings John into her life—a tall, dark, handsome biker in form-fitting black leather, who’s Hispanic to boot. It would be wonderfully wild to snag a man like that! Shy engineer Edward tentatively tries out his birthday present from his winery-owner uncle—a Harley-Davidson complete with the trimmings. Jennifer seems attracted to the rough, aggressive image, but it isn’t his real self. Is she latching onto him just to spite her horrified family? And if this spark...