A Chocolate is Announced

Finally have the advanced copies of A Chocolate is Announced!

Honestly it didn't take very long but you know how it is when you've ordered something and there's no tracking number.  The ferret is super cute on the front and the wrap around image is perfectly aligned.  Is should be by now since I've been doing this for years now.

Amber is going to be going back to Hawaii again next week cat sitting and doing a little more research for the new book she's been working on (not a Bean to Bar Mysteries book).

In every book she has a new animal she interacts with.  In book 1 it was her own bunny Knightley.  Since she's had goats, an octopus, a dog, a horse, a cat, and a cockatoo. We almost got a Miniature McCaw years ago but it just didn't pan out.  Of course we've had cats before and now our two new feline friends.  We've also had cockatiels and  parakeets but they didn't last long.

What are some of your favorite pets?  Is there an animal you'd like Amber to use in one of her upcoming Bean to Bar Mysteries books?  If we get any awesome ideas and use it you may just get a free copy of the book it shows up in.  Of course that probably means you've read some of the series already to get a good feel on how it would play in.

A Chocolate is Announced, Bean to Bar Mysteries No.7

Here's a glimpse into the next Bean to Bar Mystery, A Chocolate is Announced!

You can get your preorder on Amazon HERE.

It can be difficult to really get the sense of a thing sometimes when you can't see the whole picture.  This is merely a glimpse into the process of getting the cover art done for these books.  Everything you see in this image will not be the same on the final cover.  Text placement, art, and arrangement are all up in the air at this point.  This was a rough talking point sketch that gives some of the elements we're looking for, as well as the color scheme.

There have been two rounds since this and we're still hammering out what we want things to look like and where everything should go.  Can you tell what animal it is in the photo that Felicity is going to be interacting with in this book?  If you've read the other books in the Bean to Bar Mysteries series what other animal would you like to see her meet?

Fake Chocolate (Chocoverse Book 3)

Not that I would ever give anyone real fake chocolate...

Ok, that sounded odd but you know what I mean.  This is the final book in the Chocoverse Trillogy!  Which makes this another in the great sci-fi trillogies (wiki pages to follow shortly). If you head on over to her Youtube channel you can also see a video of her discussing how actual craft chocolate makers from all over have influenced her in her writing, not only her sci-fi work but also the cookbook she co-authored,  and appreciation of fine chocolate in general.

The Chocoverse trilogy ends April 14. Bo's going home!  Welcome to the Chocoverse: Funny Space Opera with a little sweet romance . . . and a lot of chocolate.

Bienvenido a El Chocoverse. Divertida ópera espacial con un poco de romance. . . y mucho chocolate. El libro 3 ya casi está aquí. Free Chocolate. Pure Chocolate. Fake Chocolate. ¡Para salvar la Tierra, salva el chocolate!

Chocoverse page on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/The-Chocoverse-2-Book-Series/dp/B085DZ5BVQ

Fake Chocolate on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Fake-Chocolate-Chocoverse-Book-III/dp/0991408349

Website: www.amberroyer.com

Free Chocolate Binging the Chocoverse

Ok, this was on my mind since everyone's been huddled in their homes.  It's the perfect excuse to go read those books you've been meaning to get to.  Of course I would suggest the chocoverse series.  Free Chocolate and Pure Chocolate are available now and Fake Chocolate will be coming out in just over a month.  Of course if you go to Netgalley you can get book three as well as other advanced copies and all they request is that you review them for others to know how you liked them.

Corgi in Chocolate Trailer

This last weekend we ran the film end of the book trailer for Fake Chocolate.  For anyone who doesn't already know, this is book three of the Chocoverse series, written by my amazing wife, Amber Royer.  The first two books were published by Angry Robot Books out of London, England.  The third book is being Indie published to complete the trilogy so the fans that are out there won't be left disappointed with being left unfinished.  Fake Chocolate will release on April 14 with a party at Four Corners Brewery in Dallas, Texas.

Emma was probably the biggest diva of the group.  She only had about two hours of filming but she was determined to be the spotlight as long as she was there.  It didn't hurt that she was the most adorable ball of fur ever.  We went out to River Legacy in Arlington for the footage with Emma. and of course she found the water as soon as she got near the grassy areas.  The real conflict for her came when she had to decide between the ball and going up to new people to say hi.  Unfortunately for those folks the ball won out.  She really likes to chase them.

For those who haven't read the first two books yet, Emma was playing the part of Botas, the corgi Frank gets in the first book and the thing that helps you realize that maybe he's not such a bad guy after all.  Because how bad can a person be if he takes the time to make sure innocent pets don't get caught up in the mess us humans get ourselves into.  Botas also plays a role throughout the series in various ways.  Want to know more?  You can order the books from any convenient bookstore or if you can't wait then come to the launch party, there will be plenty of copies on hand.

Fake Chocolate (Chocoverse Book 3)

Book three of the Chocoverse Series is in the works and, for all the fans out there who have stuck by Bo and her friends through all of their adventures from Earth to Zant and beyond, Amber has decided to enlist your support to help make this a reality.

A lot goes into making books.  As you can see from the graphic, the book cover has to have some awesome art, something to make you go WOW.  This is after all book three where we get to wrap up a lot of what's going on with earth and how the impeding invasion turns out.

Of course the cover is what will catch your eye but even more goes into writing, editing, and proofing the manuscript to make sure this book is the best it can be and so you, the reader and supporter of the series can have the same captivating experience you've come to expect from the Chocoverse series.  There will be aliens, spaceships, drama, and of course Bodacious herself with all her  hopetastic optimism that everything is going to turn out just fine if only they can.....

And in case you're still not convinced.  We will find out how Chestla's love life fares.  Who does she end up choosing?  The friend from her past who shares her culture or the new flame that started in the rain forest?

As an added bonus there are lots of goodies for those who want to help even more.  Just go to Indiegogo through the link below to see how you can help.

https://t.co/3YTk3RPQLa

There Are Herbs In My Chocolate - Cover Reveal

My wife and I are releasing the new expanded and revised version of There Are Herbs In My Chocolate, a cookbook we originally made for supplementing her lectures aboard Royal Caribbean cruises.  Because even the Olympic athlete who was doing performances on stage had a workout video they were selling.

We're happy to have added about 30 recipes and have given it an updated feel.  We have included one of my favorites, a chocolate pear tart with sweet dough crust.  The crust was a recipe handed down from my grandmother and, when I was growing up, was used only for special occasions.  Of course I give ALL the correct ingredient amounts.

The book is available for preorder on any of the sites listed here and it will be coming out on May 7th. We hope you are as excited to try some of the recipes, all tested by us (one recipe didn't make it into the book, it was just bad).

Pure Chocolate Launch Party Today

Tonight at 7:30 at Bitter Sisters Brewery in Addison, Texas, my wife is having her book party for her second novel in the Chocoverse series, Pure Chocolate.

We just got the cake delivered to us and it's awesome!  (Didn't think to take a picture...)

She'll be there reading an excerpt from her novel as well as signing copies of her book which can be preordered through Interabang Books.

Yelibelly Chocolates will also be out there doing a hands on truffle rolling demonstration and helping to put together a chocolate and beer pairing, available at the bar.

Top it off with some free cake and you're sure to have a great time. Of course it's more a centerpiece than a cake but we'll eat it eventually.

Pure Chocolate Launch Party

Speaking of chocolate...

This coming Tuesday night at 7:30 at Bitter Sisters Brewery in Addison, Texas, my wife is having her book party for her second novel in the Chocoverse series, Pure Chocolate.

She'll be there reading an excerpt from her novel as well as signing copies of her book which can be preordered through Interabang Books.

Yelibelly Chocolates will also be out there doing a hands on truffle rolling demonstration and helping to put together a chocolate and beer pairing, available at the bar.

Top it off with some free cake and you're sure to have a great time.

Cacao Saplings

Well, it's been 7 months now and the cacao hasn't died on me yet.  It was a little iffy for a while when each plant only had one leaf for a while but they've pulled through that and are on their way to becoming the trees they should be.  The largest leaf is already about half as long as the plant itself and it's finally maturing.  The leaves grow fairly soft and limber until they're done growing.  At that point the get stiffer and pull up to join the rest of the leaves.

Of course everyone wants chocolate but it will be some time before these guys could support pods.  In the meantime you can always go get Amber's upcoming book Free Chocolate coming out June 5, 2018 from Angry Robot Books.  Or, if you're in the Dallas area, stop by Interabang Books on June 7, 2018 for the book launch starting at 7:00pm.  There WILL be chocolate.

A Walk Through Dandylyons Garden

We're going to be printing more copies of my wife's book soon. It's already sold out of the first print run and we already have more requests. We're going to do a small run to increase revenue for a much larger run after that.
The book is about using botanicals in everyday life. It contains some of her favorite crafts and has an entire section on teas.



You can see the complete table of contents and more about the book on her site Dandylyon's Garden.