Saturday, September 1, 2012

Coffee? Tea? Or A New Book By Deena Remiel? The Book Waitress

My apologies to Deena and the Tour Hosts.  I had this post set up to go live at 12:01 am today and Blogger ate the entire post.  I thought I was doing well by planning my post 2 days before it was supposed to go live.  I'll not do that again.  I've never lost a post before and this experience has taught me some valuable lessons.  So, to all the readers, followers, Tour Hosts and Deena, my apologies!

Ok, so now on to the fun stuff!!!!  Deena is serving up some evil deliciousness with The Book Waitress.  I am loving how Camille and Derek interact with each other in the beginning.  Fumbling geniuses when it comes to the opposite sex.  They crack me up!  The ending shocks you! The villain is fantastically evil! In summary:  Deena serves up a tale that has you laughing, actually takes your breath away and for a side of desert she delivers that amazing touch of evilness that has you wondering how Camille can ever get over it.
A little bit about The Book Waitress:  
Camille Dutton learned early in life Satan was not to be trifled with. Escaping his evil clutches as a child, he’s come back with a vengeance for her now. 
Derek Galloway’s inquisitive nature has led him to be an award-winning investigative reporter and straight into the path of pure evil. 
When a child vanishes from a sleepy island town, Camille, its subdued librarian, becomes embroiled in Derek’s investigation. A satanic cult has plans for the child, while Satan has plans for Camille and the rest of the world. Amidst evil of the most supernatural and human kind, Derek and Camille find a shred of light and goodness in the form of their budding relationship. 
First in the Book Waitress Series, the portal between Hell and Earth will be torn asunder, and it will take everything Camille and Derek have and then some to close it. Satan won’t go down easy, but nothing worth everything ever comes without a price. 
©DeenaRemiel2012
Now for the interview! I had so much fun with this.  Deena is one of my favorite people.  So let me share with you our interview.

Hi Deena! I’m so excited for the readers to get to know Camille and Derek.  Let’s get a handle on this interview shall we?  I mean, we can’t sit here and chit chat about all the little things happening in our lives and ignore everybody else.  Can we?  HAHA.  We do have a lot of catching up to do though.  Oh oh oh! Sorry, I’m off track again.  Seems I can’t stay on track for the life of me now days.

Ok, so, here we go.  Deena, please tell us where Camille and Derek came from.  I mean how did they come to you?  Have they always been there?  Did you wake up one morning with Derek or Camille knocking on your brain?  

Well, Kimberly, the storyline came knocking on my brain as I was pondering what kind of series I wanted to write. Then, these two quirky individuals coalesced before me. They literally came to life as I sat staring off into space, imagining who could pull off this great new storyline just the way I wanted it to. They bowled me over with their uniqueness and how strongly they represent Good.

How in the world did you make them so funny and so lovably nerdy at the same time?  I love the way they fumble their way around a conversation, both of them unable to say the right thing.  

Hahaha, yes! They are a hoot to listen to, aren’t they? It was important to all of us that we give our readers a bit of humor to balance the intense nature of the story. They each have reasons why they are so awkward, but in time, I think we’ll find they are able to communicate better with each other. With others? It’s always gonna be a battle to either keep their feet out of their mouths or keep random facts a bay…  

This is a question I’m sure a lot of your interviewers are going to ask.  Will we get to read more about the ghosts John and Betina?  I almost expected them (or at least Betina) to help out when Derek.....whoops.....no spoilers!  

We’ve only just begun our relationship with John and Betina. They will be recurring characters throughout the series and gain more prominence in books to come.

The drowning scenes you describe had my heart racing.  How did you know what you would feel? Think?  How you would panic while you were drowning?  

I must admit, this scene was probably the most exhausting to write. I spent a lot of time with my eyes closed, replacing Camille with me. I know what it is like to struggle for breath, as I am asthmatic and have had episodes of struggling. In fact, there is a commercial I can’t even watch on TV about whooping cough because it makes me stop breathing myself! But back to the drowning scene… So, what I tried to do was describe, as best I could, what I would be feeling going through the process of drowning. I used to play a game with my friends to see how long we could hold our breaths under water. I can recall the squeezing and burning of the lungs. I’ve also watched helplessly as my mother nearly drowned when I was a child, so I saw how her body reacted. It’s amazing where experience comes from…

Did you do any research on Satanism?  How did you know that they would have to “prepare” Camille in that manner, or is that just the way the story flowed? 

I did do research, and I want to mention that my incarnation of extreme Satanic worship is PURE FICTION. I used symbols that are recognized as Satanic symbols, but I used my warped imagination to create The Mission Satanic Cult and the rituals and ceremonies presented in the story.  

Now, for my last question, is there anything you want to share with the readers about the next book? Do you already know where Camille and Derek are headed next (or are they keeping that a secret until the book is finished)? 

Yes! Readers, hold onto your hats! Book 2, Devil Du Jour, is going to raise the tension, deepen the darkness, and show us a changed Camille. If you haven’t already, I’ll let you contemplate where my inspiration came from for this series, but please, share what you think with me! 

Well my friends, you heard it here! I can't wait for book 2, Devil Du Jour to come out.  I absolutely fell in love with Deena's characters (Betina is peeking my curiosity level!); Camille and Derek are absolutely adorable! The evil villains are absolutely delectably evil! 


I'm giving this book a 3 out of 4 cupcakes! 

You can find Deena and The Book Waitress here:

Book Waitress fan page link: https://www.facebook.com/TheBookWaitress  
Deena Remiel's Place: www.deenaremiel.com


I tried to find an awesome recipe for Devil's Food Cake made with Splenda (for those who are watching their sugar intake *wink*) and wasn't able to find one.  BUT I did find an amazing Chocolate Pudding Cake Recipe! I can tell you this one looks DELICIOUSLY EVIL! HA! And -- I'm sure it would be EVEN BETTER if you added a low-sugar Whipped Cream (or make your own with Splenda and Heavy Whipping Cream)!



INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup SPLENDA® Sugar Blend
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 pinch Pinch of ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup low-fat milk
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup packed SPLENDA® Brown Sugar Blend
  • 1 cup hot water

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 10-inch deep-dish pie pan with non-stick cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, 1/4 cup SPLENDA® Sugar Blend, 1/4 cup cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in milk, oil, and vanilla. (Batter will be thick.)
  3. Spread batter in prepared pan and sprinkle on SPLENDA® Brown Sugar Blend, remaining 1/4 cup SPLENDA® Sugar Blend, and remaining 1/4 cup cocoa. Pour hot water over top.
  4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until cake is set on top and pudding starts to bubble up through cake. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Spoon into bowls and serve.

NOTE

Serving Size: 1/2 cup (1/8 cake)

NUTRITION INFORMATION

NUTRITION FACTS
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Serving Size: 1/2 cup (1/8 cake).
Amount Per Serving
Calories:
230 
Calories from Fat:
70 
Total Fat:
8g 
Saturated Fat:
1g 
Cholesterol:
0mg 
Sodium:
280mg 
Total Carbs:
34g 
Dietary Fiber:
2g 
Sugars:
21g 
Protein:
3g 
This was taken directly from the Splenda website:  http://splenda.tastebook.com/recipes/1524085-Chocolate-Pudding-Cake

Now for the rest of the Blog Tour stuff -- Rafflcopter!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Again, my apologies to everybody for being so late! I hope you've had fun on The Book Waitress Tour so far!
Keep Reading Goddesses