Title: The Assignment
Author: Evangeline Anderson
Publisher: http://loose-id.com
Genre: Contemporary M/M, Suspense
Length: Novel (Print)
Rating: 5+ stars out of 5
Detectives Sean O’Brian and Nicholas Valenti have been partners and best friends for six years. They are total opposites in demeanour and looks – Valenti who is from a wealthy Italian family is tall, dark and repressed and O’Brian who is small statured, blond and good looking is very much the product of his outgoing affectionate large Irish family. They have supported and depended on each other through Valenti’s divorce and other disasters while on or off duty, and each knows that the other would take a bullet for him in a heartbeat.
Their latest assignment is to go undercover at the RamJack, a gay resort, posing as two gay men to catch a drug kingpin who is flooding the gay bars in the city with poison cocaine. While at the resort Valenti would be the ‘sugar daddy’ and O’Brian his ‘boy,’ a designation that Detective O’Brian abhors, and he complains bitterly that he is being type cast. Nick has his own reasons for not wanting the assignment. Lately he has been seeing his best friend in a totally different light and he is attracted to him in a sexual way; when Sean suffered a near-fatal injury in the line of duty several months ago he realized he was in love with him. Nick knows it will be extremely difficult to hide his feelings from Sean while they are undercover, sleeping in the same bedroom and pretending to everyone that they are a couple.
The assignment proves to be even more difficult than Nick anticipated as Sean proceeds to make his life miserable by touching him whenever possible in public and even in private under the guise of practising their role so that they would appear to be a genuine couple when they meet their ‘host’. In the middle of the danger all around them Sean seems to take a great deal of pleasure in tormenting Nick and upping the ante to get a rise out of him.
Their undercover assignment brings out feelings in Nick and Sean that they have kept buried and they can no longer hide their love for each other. Since they are both straight, this is a quandary that neither has any idea how to resolve and there is the added dimension of their job where being gay detectives is not something that is acceptable. The tension and the drama of the final take-down plays out very publicly and Nick and Sean are left to deal with the outcome and emotions they never anticipated having for each other.
The Assignment continues to be one of my favourite all time stories. It has everything, two great looking charismatic characters, heightened emotions which adds to the suspense, danger, a terrific story with excellent dialogue, wonderful pacing and a plot that held my interest until the very end. The first time I read this book eighteen months ago I loved the story and fell in love with the characters who were genuine and three dimensional. I thought that Sean O’Brian was so well drawn he could walk off the pages of the book and into real life and Nick Valenti was no slouch either. The two protagonists blew my mind – not only were they very much in love with each other, they genuinely liked and were sensitive to each other’s needs, even before they had sex which was so hot it seared the pages. Sean and Nick started out as long-time partners who were best friends and this history gave an added dimension to the love scenes in the book and made them seem very authentic and believable. The sex was tender, funny, affectionate as well as sensuous and there was great chemistry between them
I have no hesitation giving this book 5 stars and two thumbs up.
This is one of my all-time faves as well. It’s a favorite among fans of Butch and Vishous in the JR Ward BDB series. Did you notice all the parallels? Hot stuff. Thanks for the review!
Hi jenb
Thanks for visiting. Yes I did notice the parallels. Detectives O’Brien and Valenti can leave their shoes under my bed any time (but then they would want to leave their shoes under each other’s beds Damn)
Lol. Jesse I agree with everything you said! I love, love, love that story (as JenB could probably tell you :-DD) This was my introduction to M/M and I never quite found somethig that matched it. Perhaps if Butch and V had gotten their own story…
Great review. I browsed your site a little and you have a lot of interesting titles in there. This is going to become a good reference for whenever I want to buy new M/M books :).
Hi Mary
You’re in a club with a lot of members. I don’t know why Loose-id doesn’t release this title in print. I asked them once before when I first read the book and they gave me the ‘politically correct’ answer about numbers etc. Maybe we should start a petition LOL
Lol. By club are you talking about the Assignment fans or Vishous/Butch fans? 😀 I’m both. I created a B/V fanclub thread on a BDB discussion board and I pimped the Assignment to all of them, plus in the M/M forum there and on Amazon :-DDDD.
I really wish they’d release that title in print too. I’d be first in line to buy it. I guess we’ll just keep pimping it so their “numbers” get high enough to justify a print release. Sigh. If Loose ID doesn’t move its ass I’m considering fashionning myself my own print copy :-D. Another print title I’d like to see is Jet Mykles’s GENESIS and the Heaven Sent shorts. I have the first 4 HS titles in print (2 per volume).
OMG…Mary…I forgot to tell you! I found this in print on Amazon a few weeks ago!!
http://www.amazon.com/Assignment-Evangeline-Anderson/dp/1596326727/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211987251&sr=1-1
(Hey Jesse, are you a member of my Yahoo group? We find a way to bring this group into our conversations at least once a week. LOL)
I just received your email. You are my friend for life. I ordered The Assignment right away on amazon. WOW.I was on amazon a couple of days ago and checked out Evangeline’s books and I didn’t see it – I must be going blind. Thank you again.
By the way, my name is the “Wave” in Jessewave. Jesse is my Doberman who died 3 years ago and I have his picture on the blog. A lot of people call me Jesse the first couple of times and I don’t mind but if we’re going to be leaving messages for each other I wanted you to know.
Thanks for clearing that up! I certainly don’t want to keep calling you by your dog’s name. 🙂
I need to find a few books to add to my Amazon order before I get THE ASSIGNMENT, but I do plan to buy it soon. I love that book.
No worries about the name – I loved that dog and answer to his name anyway LOL
I left you a message on your blog about your Yahoo site. Please email me the addy.
Looooool. Jen, so that’s why you just finally thought of telling us on the yahoogroup !!! And here I htought it was so ironic that I had discussed this here and that the day after on the yaghoogroup you announced the print copy was available :-D. My copy is in the Amazon cart, just waiting for another 30$ to shed so I can have the free shipping. Better do it quick because it’s one of those print-on-order books – those are identified as “shipping in 1 to 3 weeks” on Amazon.ca. I also sent a mail to Loose ID to ask why the print copy wasn’t listed on their site and why the 2nd short story (Fireworks) wasn’t included in the book. I’m hoping to receive an answer in the next two weeks.
Wave I’m glad you joined us on the yahoogroup! It’s a real fun place to be and a small one, so no one should be shy about speaking up.
Hi Mary
I was so happy when Jenb invited me to join. I guess she figured a fan of THE ASSIGNMENT can’t be all bad LOL
I just placed an order with amazon for $135 in books (including The Assignment) and the mailing cost was $55 on top of the order so don’t complain. Living in Canada it costs us a whole lot more to buy books from amazon.
I’m really looking forward to hearing everyone’s opinions about books so that I can spend even more money *grin*.
Hope you can visit my blog on Monday – Mychael Black and Shayne Carmichael are being interviewed by me and they are providing free downloads to 2 lucky visitors who leave messages on either the interview or the book review for THROUGH THE DARK their latest book.
Wave
Holy cow. 55$ of shipping?!??! Did you ask for express or did you place the order with Amazon.com instead of Amazon.ca? Since the US site raised his international shipping fees I stick to what Amazon.ca offers *grinds teeth*. What did you order? Interesting goodies?? Promising new M/M titles ?? *eager eyes*
Just think of all the books I could have bought for $55!!! I left a list of the books on the Yahoo Group site. I’m looking forward to reading three of the books and I’m sure you can guess which ones LOL
It’s finally in print?? WOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! Definitely one of my faves, too. 😀
Hi Myc
Yes, isn’t that great! I placed an order immediately and am looking forward to getting my hands on it after reading the ebook so many times.
I just received an answer from Loose ID and they truly put only one of the two short stories with Nick and Sean in the print version. It’s really frustrating, given that they would only have needed 20 more pages to add Fireworks and we would have gotten the full package. Oh well. Look at that not stopping me from buying the damn thing :-DD.
Hi Mary
I feel for you and I am with you 100% – like it would have cost any more for the publisher to include both short stories. I sent an email to Evangeline Anderson a few minutes ago but I’m sure there’s nothing she can do at this late stage since this is usually a decision the publishers make without consulting the author.
We can rejoice that the book is now in print after 2 years and we can re-read the short stories in ebook format which is what I have to do unfortunately.
Hi guys,
Just wanted to stop by and say thanks so much for all your comments about The Assignment. This is one of my fav. books I have written which I why I broke my own rule about never doing sequals and wrote two short stories for Loose id with O’Brian and Valenti. (I would like to say here that I was not involved in the planning of the print book and I was surprised and pleased that I’ll be Hot for Christmas was included when I got my author copies. I don’t know why Fireworks was left out but it probably was some kind of cost consideration. Loose id has always been very good to me and in fact, I have a new M/M book out with them now called The Last Bite.
I also want to say that I am a big fan of JR Ward’s Brotherhood series and I love the Butch/V relationship. I only started reading the books about a year ago, however, so Butch and V while super hot, are not the inspiration for O’Brian and Valenti. The main similarity, I think, is that both relationships are between alpha males–which can be hard to write. When it’s done right, however, it’s really hot. I only wish JR Ward had been able to give us more of Butch and V and not so much of Jane, who I didn’t really care about. I guess because it’s a mainstream series, her publisher probably woudln’t let her have two of the brotherhood end up together instead of with females. But look how far M/M fiction has come–only a few years ago most of what you could find was just fanfic and now we have tons of e-books and even print books coming out. Maybe in another few years she or someone like her can write a mainstream series with alpha heroes that get each other in the end instead of getting the girl. We can all cross our fingers for that. : ) Ok, but I digress…
The positive response I got for The Assignment has inspired me to write a lot more M/M fiction becuase I realized there were a lot of women like me out there who really like to read it. In fact, I know some readers who won’t read anything else anymore. So let me tell you what’s coming up soon.
First, coming from Loose id I have a M/M sci-fi book called Slave Boy. I just turned in the first round of edits to my editor tonight so that should be out later this summer. I am also going to be writing a vampire M/M series for Loose id which will have at least three books in it. I am working on one called Blood Hustler right now and will be turning it in to my editor soon.
Also, coming soon from Ellora’s Cave, a sci-fi M/M book called Broken Boundaries. I really like this one because it’s set in an all boy’s school and the lead character truely belives that he isn’t gay. It’s up to his roommate to set him straight–uh, or not. : )
Anyway, thanks again for your interest in my writing. I may even have another Assignment story up my sleeve at some point. I love O’Brian and Valenti and they are easy guys to get reaquainted with.
Hugs to all, especially to Jessewave for posting about me in the first place.
EA
Wow, Wave, how lucky of you to have the M/M Goddess herself show up! Fabulous post, Ms. Anderson. After I first read THE ASSIGNMENT, I had to look up the publishing date to make sure it wasn’t Butch/V fanfic. I was thrilled to see that it was, in fact, completely original and unrelated. That only made me love the story more. THE ASSIGNMENT is the only e-book that has earned permanent residence in my handheld e-book reader. I re-read it on a regular basis.
The boys’ school book sounds fantastic. I can’t wait to try that one! You’re one of my auto-buy authors. I prefer your M/M titles, but I loved THE PLEASURE PALACE as well. Thanks for writing such good stuff, and giving us crazy fangirls something to squeal about. 🙂
Thanks for the info, Evangeline!
You’ve become an auto-buy for me, so I’ve got The Last Bite, just waiting for me to finish deadlines. LOL
Thanks to everyone who has me as an auto-buy. I think that’s the new standard for authors. Hugs again!
EA
Hi Evangeline
I’m so happy you’re still checking out what your fans (and especially fans of The Assignment hint! hint!) are saying. On many of the groups where I am a member people are still talking about this book 2 years after it was released. I was thinking maybe a sequel …….
Believe it or not, I actually have another short sequal about halfway written. I guess I’ll have to get back to it soon since you guys seem to want more of O’Brian and Valenti so much. : )
EA
Evangeline
That would be so cool. I’m really looking forward to it and I have to make sure I spread the word. I guess with your current schedule you won’t have the time to do a new book on the duo (novella length, maybe) *begging on bended knee*. I know, I have an idea – you could do what Josh has so ably proved is a great draw for fans of the Adrien English series, start a series with O’Brien and Valenti (with lots of sex). Damn, that would be hot!!
Ummm, well, I don’t know if I have a series in me per say, but I know I have a story or two left about those two. They’re so much fun to write. I’ll keep you posted.
: ) EA
Evangeline this is such great news!! I am overjoyed at the idea of seeing thsoe characters again :-D. O’Brian and Valenti were such a great pair.
Thanks Mary,
They are a lot of fun to write. In fact, it takes hardly any effort on my part–it’s like they write themselves.
: ) EA
Good, good. Since it’s easier for you, that just raises our odds of getting more Valenti & O’Brian soon!!! 😀 I can’t thank you enough for THE ASSIGNMENT and its characters, they’re the one who really made me discover M/M fiction ;).
Hi Mary
I know that Evangeline is really happy that we love the characters of O’Brian and Valenti and she has assured me that she is working as fast as she can to give the fans what they are craving, which is more of the same. But with a new baby she has other important pressures on her time so we have to be understanding about the timing of any new books about these characters.
I, too, am looking forward to a new story about the duo whenever she has the time to write it. Thanks Evangeline.
No problem about that Wave :). As much I’d like those new stories tomorrow (ok, make that yesterday :-D) I’m realistic and I totally understand that authors have a life outside writing :). I’m just going to be there to read those stories if or when they do come out, and check Evangeline’s other works in the meantime ;).
Hey guys,
I totally understand your feeling. I have favorite books and series and sometimes I wish I could go to those authors (JR Ward comes to mind) and say, “Can’t you write faster?” lol So I get the jones for more of your favorite thing. All I can say is that I write as much as I can with the time I have, which is much less now that I have a baby. Whew–nobody told me it was going to be so much work! I love my little guy so much though–just have to hand him over to the hubby sometimes and tell him to let me write. Now if anybody is up to babysitting duty maybe more books would come out faster…lol
EA
Evangeline
I do understand that you have other priorities now with the baby, as I tried to explain to my fellow bloggers. We know that you’ll do your best and that is all we can ask.
Thank you again for taking the time out of your very busy schedule to drop by and update us. It’s much appreciated.
No problem, Wave. And I’m looking forward to our upcoming interview. : ) Hugs to all,
EA
Evangeline
I, too, can’t wait. I know there are others who would love to add their own questions, so prepare yourself LOL
Just a quick note to congratulate Evangeline for the birth of her baby :). I don’t know how old she/he already is, but I’m sure that child is the new joy of your life. Blessings! 😀
Thank you Mary. Actually, Benjamin is 5 months old today and he is a joy and a delight even though motherhood is the hardest thing I have ever done.
: ) EA
Benjamin. Aww. I like that name :). Enjoy your time with your family and don’t worry, your readers will still be there when you get back to writing. 😉
Mary
Actually, Evangeline told me she is still writing away, only now time spent with her characters is between Benjamin’s naps LOL She has several books coming out soon.
Yup. I thought I would have to stop writing after the baby came out, mostly because I had the most horrible case of writer’s block when I was pregnant. But the minute Ben made his appearance, it felt like someone had flooded my head with ideas. I wrote a lot during my maternity leave and continue to do so now. In fact, I have a new book called Charlie’s Bargain coming out from EC this Wed. I know you guys are into M/M but I think you might like this as well. It’s about a girl who has to make an erotic bargain against her will and has some pretty intense sex scenes. SO check it out if you’re interested. And thanks for the congrats on Benjamin. He is already getting so big. : )
Hi Evangeline
So great of you to visit. I’ll spread the word about Charlie’s Bargain to the other members of my mmromance group. I just wanted to say that I do read other books – today I’m reading Reckless by Maya Banks which I’m reviewing for another site. Most of the books I read now are paranormal, mysteries or action adventure but the overriding genre is M/M LOL.
Thanks Wave. I appreciate it. Charlie’s Bargain has some sci-fi and paranormal elements in it. I don’t write much straight contemporary. Almost everything has some kind of multi-genre twist.
lol E
Evangeline, thanks for telling us about Charlie’s Bragain! I had seen it on your site I think last week, but I didn’t know what it was about exactly :). I do read a lot of books that are not M/M – actually, these days most of my reads aren’t M/M. I read just about everything, actually :D. I like the idea of an erotic bargain. I’ll check EC’s site again comes Wednesday! And I am glad Benjamin cured your writer’s block ;).
Thanks Mary, Actually, it’s out today. Check it out here: http://www.ellorascave.com/productpage.asp?ISBN=9781419916601
Blurb:
Charlie is just trying to survive. After losing her fortune she flees her home planet and hides from her bloodthirsty creditors on a mining colony so horrible its residents just call it Hole.
Lynx is a Xorn, one of a feared race of non-humans known for their savage lusts. From the first instant he sees Charlie, he knows she is the only woman who can satisfy him.
Charlie wants nothing to do with the huge, muscular man with golden eyes, but in order to survive on Hole she will have to overcome her fear and make a bargain with the fierce Xorn — a bargain of desire, pleasure and pain that will force her to see herself and Lynx in a whole new light.
And as for Benjamin curing my block–I think he *was* the block since I was only unable to write while I was pregnanty with him. lol
Evangeline
Hi Evangeline
Charlie’s Bargain is definitely on my “to buy now” list. I love sci-fi and am looking forward to reading it soon. I’ll email Mary to ensure that she sees your post.
Thanks Wave! Hope you enjoy it!
I like the summary. “Huge, muscular man with golden eyes”…that presses just the right buttons for me :-p. Thanks Evangeline! By the way, I received my print copy of THE ASSIGNMENT three days ago. That day I spent most of my spare time re-reading it :-DD. I love the new cover! Absolutely gorgeous.
Wave, 46 comments! Is that a record???
Hi Mary
Yes, 46 comments are definitely a record for me. The only sites I know that get many more comments on a particular post would be Josh Lanyon’s LJ and Lisabea’s blog LOL But then they have been blogging much longer.
Glad you liked the new cover on The Assigment and I should tell you that the quote on the front cover was taken from my very good friend Water Nymph’s review of the book on Literary Nymphs.
Evangeline has another book coming out in July (she’s such a prolific writer) called Slave Boy – you should see the cover OMG. I’m waiting for permission to post it – WOW
Hey Mary, Sorry it took me so long to get back. What a week I’m having between the baby and my sister being sick…ugh. Anyway, so glad you like the new cover which is by April Martinez. Incidentally, she also did the hot cover for Slave Boy that Wave was talking about. Wave, I’ll let you know as soon as you can post it. I haven’t got the OK yet but I abolutely love it and think readers will too.
: ) E
Hi Evangeline
I have to let Mary know that you left her a message and tell her how to get messages on this post 🙂 You should be able to talk to her in real time during your 3 days on the island.
I really hope that you get approval for the Slave Boy cover in time for the interview next week – maybe someone could give them a reminder LOL
Mary has dicovered the wonderful “follow this thread” function so now I’m informed of all the new developments!! 😀 A most useful function, although I found out you must be careful what posts you subscribe to; I did so only once in a Smart Bitches post and I had 160 messages in my mailbox the next morning. Never again.
Wave, it took me a while to understand what you meant about the “3 days on the island” 🙂 You’re talking DIK, I suppose? I always forget to check that site, but I’m sure you’ll remind us when it’s Evangeline’s turn 😀 I most certainly will be there!
Evangeline, I’m hoping you can have a small respite this weekend! You and Wave made me very curious about the cover of Slave Boy :-D. April Martinez does some excellent work too. Hell, I’ve kept The Assignment on the other half of my bed (I’m currently single 😀 so I keep half of my TBR pile to browse them at night when I need a new book to read) just so I could look at it and read a scene or two. 🙂
Sorry Mary. Sometimes I mistakenly believe that people can understand my twisted meanings 🙂
Yes that function of receiving follow up comments is really useful and you know that my site will never generate that kind of response to a post (I wish it did LOL). Btw Evangeline will be on the island July 3 – 5 and she’s doing a mini interview in addition to some giveaways so it should be fun.
Slave Boy is really cool – you’ll like him!! You really need a new hobby rather than going through your TBR pile at night 🙂
Hey Mary,
Now I’m wondering which scenes you are rereading. lol And the books on my bed are currently all by Dr. Seuse (sp?) I read to Benjamin a lot and like to be able to grab the book I want without searching around the room. Why hasn’t someone built a bookcase that fits on the bed yet? They should–I’d be first in line to buy.
: ) Evangeline
Lol. Wave, I might need a hubby more than a hobby ! But I’m going away on a three-month long trip very sono so it’s not the time to boyfriend-shop right now. So I’l lstick with my books for now. 🙂 And see? Evangeline understands me too :-D.
Evangeline, Dr Seuss is the one who wrote Grinch and Cat in the Hat, right? I don’t know the books, but I used to work in a video store so I know the movies 🙂 My mother used to read to me a lot and I’m sure it’s a big reason why I developed such love of reading.
Oh, and I did see the cover for Slave Boy! It was on the Coming Soon page at Loose ID earlier. I love the deisgn. It says Haven is Wren’s “master and mentor”, but since the sexual part seems to come only later, I’m not sure what it means.
Mary
Both Evangeline and I are going to miss you. Where are you going? To Paris or the South of France?
I guess you can boyfriend shop during the 3 months you’re away!
Glad you saw Slave Boy before you left on vacation. When do you leave?
Btw it’s 3.16 A.M. why are you awake LOL
Lol. I was awake because I have a fucked-up sleeping schedule 😀 And I have to point out that you’re no better :-DD
Since I was laid off, I still live at my parents and don’t have a boyfriend, I decided this summer was the perfect opportunity to travel abroad as I’ve wanted to do for ages. I’m not totally sure about my itinerary, but what I’d like is to leave in the 2nd or third week of July, to travel around in Czech republic, Austria and Switzerland for 2-3 weeks, visit my ex in Ischia (Italy) for a week or two and my former co-worker in Paris a few days, before heading to London to work for a month. I’d be back at the end of September.
…
I don’t know what are my odds of actually successding in doing all that without runnin out of money, but it’s what I’d like to do. I’m keeping my fingers crosse and doing lot of research about hotel prices and train/plane fares.
I promise I’ll try to check my e-mails and favorite blogs as often as possible while I’m away :*
Hi Mary
We have to stop meeting like this. This gives the words “the assignment” a whole new meaning LOL. Your trip sounds great – I did Europe decades ago and had a great time and if you’re willing to stay in student hostels and places where backpackers stay it shouldn’t cost you too much. Eat lots of fresh produce and fruit. Check out whether train fares that are booked ahead from here might be cheaper than in Europe.
Don’t forget to check out the interview on Monday to see whether Anne answered your questions.
Lol. Hey, I’m not complaining. For the first time of my life the word “Assignment” finally has a positive connotation :-D.
Thansk for the tips about eating fresh produce! I’ve been to Europe before, but never on my own and never for so long. So reducing cost is pretty essential. I’ll need to get the Youth Hostels member card before I leave. I lost the last one four years ago when I was in Thailand (don’t ask me why I even brought it there…). And aside from the train fares, I think I’ll check the bus ones. For long distances bus sucks, but they’re probably cheaper than train. I’ll see. *Sigh* I’m goign crazy with all the stuff I have to check.
And I sure will be there tomorrow for Anne’s interview!
Hey Mary,
I am so jealous of you, getting to go to Europe! Even if you’re going on a shoestring, at least you’re going. Hope you have a fabulous time.
As for Haven being Wren’s master, they are in a teacher/student relationship and have to go undercover and pretend they are in a Master/slave relationship instead–an important distinction and one that is hard on Wren since he actually has a past of sexual slavery and abuse. Haven bought him, took him away and promised him he would never have to go be sold or used sexually again and then he has to break his promise. It’s angsty and sweet and full of hot m/m sex. That’s the main thing, right? lol E.
Thanks for your good wishes about my trip, Evangeline! I love Europe. Such a long and rich history, and the monuments to prove it. I love old stones 😀 (and European chocolate and cooking, too :-DDD)
And I love that relationship between Haven and Wren! Such potential for anguish and conflict. I love situations that “trap” the characters together in circumstances that forces a change in their relationship. I can already see a parallel with The Assignment in that regard, except because of Wren’s past it’s going to be a much more sensitive issue.
OMG I want to read that now. When does it come out?
Hey Mary
Yes, I love plots that trap the characters too. In fact, I almost never write a book where the characters actually have sex because they want to. They always have to be forced to do it. I must be twisted I think. lol.
And as for chocolate from Europe…mmm. gimme some. I am soooo jealous.
Lol. Then we’re both twisted. I’m trying to write both a fanfiction and the ouline for an original where the characters are trapped together. Of course, the trick is that they DO want each other, only they wouldn’t acknowledge it if they weren’t forced to, right? 😉
I don’t know if it’s actually worth bringing back chocolate from Europe. Most of it is available here, only more expensive. My favorite is Lindt. I am SO visiting their factory if I go to Switzerland! The one brand of candy I intend to bring back is Napoleon candies. Le bon bonbon Napoléon as it’s called in French. Hard Lemon candies with a sour center. Yum. I fell in love with them in Belgium 7 years ago, found some again in Spain two years later, then nada. Haven’t been able to find them anywhere since, and all the friends who who traveled abroad I comissioned to find some weren’t able to. Oh, and those raspberry candies with a soft center I found in Mykonos too. Last time I saw any was four years ago in Thailand. Yep, must look for those too.
Damn. I’m hungry.
Uh, now I’m hungry too. Why did you write a whole post about candy? That is just mean. lol And I am still jealous. Think how many good story ideas you’re going to get wandering around Europe. While I am stuck in Florida during hurricane season. : (
OK you guys enough with the candy. I can’t stand it.
I’m going to write a book about a spy who used an online blog to make assignments with other spies because that was the only way to do so without suspicion. I feel a novel – a best selling novel – on the way LOL
Lol sorry, didn’t want to be mean. I have a thing for food. My Facebook wall-to-wall with one of my friends is filled with descriptions of our last meals and discoveries :-DD I love cooking and I love eating and I have a sweet tooth, not so much for cake and pastries, but candies of all kinds, hell yes. Discovering new foods is one of my main pleasures on a trip. I’ll really have to watch myself if I want to last two months! And it might be a very good idea not to stay too long in France. Too bad it’s the easiest place for me to stay at.
Maybe I could start a travel blog while I’m abroad. Thoughs of a wandering (and hungry) soul. Lol. Yeah, I’m so not the disciplined type. Maybe writing articles for local publications could be a way for me to make some money while traveling though. Hmm.
I hope hurricane season isn’t too hard on you this year!!
I’m going to write a book about a spy who used an online blog to make assignments with other spies because that was the only way to do so without suspicion. I feel a novel – a best selling novel – on the way LOL
Lol. Great idea Wave. Spies must adapt to the modern world, after all. 😉
P.S. May I suggest a character? Gorgeous and clever female French spy. And you could make her dine in grand restaurants and travel around the world. Just a suggestion, mind you :-DD
Mary
I think a travel blog with one of your local newspapers in Quebec is a great idea. You could upload pictures from different parts of Europe “How to travel without busting your Budget …. and not go hungry”. I’m getting into this.
When do you leave?
And for my book about spies – you could be the traitor who betrayed our hero. I’m loving this LOL
Evangeline – when will Slave Boy be released and do you know when the ARC will be available?
Hey! Me no traitor! Can’t I me the heroine’s best friend or something? Oooh, better, the hero’s BOSS. Hehehe.
I’m not sure about newspapers, but maybe magazines, or travel sites. Target one issue in every big place I visit, or very week, that in relevant in the news or to the people in Quebec – no way I could do those articles in English, or I’d have to spend days on them. I already want to know how is the garbage situation in Naples and how it affects tourism. And I want to see if people in France have trouble in understanding me, and how much *I* can understand of the british accent.
Not sure about “how to travel without busting your budget”. I WILL bust my budget, at leats for the first part of my trip. I always do. I wouldn’t recognize a budget if it bit me in the ass. My only rule is not to spend money I don’t have yet. Except for that, I spend until I realize if I keep going like that I’ll have to go back home now. Lol.