Waiting

Saturday. The book has been with my editor for two days. Since we're backing into a hard deadline, I know he's looking at it. Last night I dreamed that he approved the proposal for book the eighth, which means he accepts book the seventh. I hope dreams come true.

Waiting is hard to do. Waiting for editorial notes on a book you've struggled with and know still has some issues is simply painful. No book is ever completely finished. We find ways to revise up until the moment it goes to print, and even after that. So this moment in time, when the book is done but not done, and you know a major revision is to come, is taxing.

I've tried to handle the things on my to do list, most especially Christmas related stuff. I had a party for my critique group Thursday night. While I didn't make the brilliant red wine butter peppercorn tenderloin I was planning, we did have tenderloin wrapped in bacon, and scallops wrapped in bacon, and other lovely nibbles. And wine. A lot of wine. There was a moment, when we were opening our prezzies, that I felt the ultimate gift--everyone was happy. Genuinely happy. The joy and love of good friends having fun is always worth striving for.

Things that made me happy this week:

Paige got a new puppy yesterday. Moonshadow. I've been singing Cat Stevens for 2 days.

Jeff's new book ADRENALINE is going to be featured on the CBS Sunday morning show

Louise Penny's blog. I met Louise at Bouchercon in Indianapolis. On an escalator. She said something ingeniously outrageous that slayed me, and I had that moment of Oh, I want to get to know this woman better. She's a brilliant writer, and the blog is a lovely bit of introspection

Jennifer is editing my short (short) story collection this weekend.

I dreamed Harlan Coben was giving me writing advice, and the dream itself gave me a good idea for a book.

When there is no sun, the cat uses my lap as a solar blanket. This makes writing difficult, because I can't refuse her, but it's always so nice to be wanted by a cat. Like you're The Chosen One.

Neil Gaiman had dog pictures.

We were gifted with a Santa Claus on a wine barrel, which is too precious for words, both because of the giver and because of the significance.

I started my 2011 goals and planning, which involves counting up all the words I wrote, fiction and non-fiction, in 2010. More to come on that later...

Having a Party? Try this...

I'm hosting my critique groups annual holiday party this year, and while I'd planned to take the easy way out, heading to Costco for a variety of tasty savories, this just popped in my Reeder. I think I'm going to have to try this as a main course for my girls.

WHOLE ROASTED BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH RED WINE BUTTER SAUCE

Recipe from Avec Eric: A Culinary Journey with Eric Ripert by Eric Ripert, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Says Ripert of this dish, "This is a beautiful recipe to prepare for a special occasion or dinner party. The butter sauce, made with red wine and shallots, is very Old World but never fails to elevate this exquisite cut of beef." He suggests serving it with herb-roasted fingerling potatoes and broccoli rabe sautéed with butter and garlic, recipes for which can also be found in Avec Eric.

• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 1 5-pound whole beef tenderloin, trimmed
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 12 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.

2. Boil the red wine, vinegar, shallot, peppercorns and thyme in a saucepan over high heat until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 10 minutes. Set the wine reduction aside.

3. Generously season the tenderloin on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large roasting pan over high heat. Carefully add the tenderloin to the roasting pan, then transfer the pan to the oven and roast the tenderloin, turning every 5 minutes, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer registers 120° F for medium-rare.

4. While the tenderloin is roasting, finish the sauce by gradually whisking the cold butter into the warm sauce until it is fully emulsified. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper; keep warm.

5. Remove the roasted tenderloin from the oven and let it rest for at least 5 minutes (the meat will continue cooking at this time). Transfer the rested tenderloin to a cutting board and slice it crosswise. Arrange the sliced tenderloin on a large platter. Pour any of the juices from the roasting pan into the butter sauce and serve immediately with the tenderloin.

Serves 6 to 8.

The whole article can be seen at Wine Spectator, including a great list of wines to pair this dish with. I would suggest the Casa Lapastolle, myself...

On a totally different but no less divine note, apparently it's going to snow in Nashville tomorrow night. As always, I'll believe it when I see it. But it would be a lovely capper to a hard week's work.

WHERE ALL THE DEAD LIE has been sent to my beta readers for comment, which means I should be delivering to New York early next week. I wrote a bunch about it for Murderati today. You can read an exhaustive look at the last eight days here, but suffice it to say, I am grateful that my Muse finally decided to descend from on high and bless me. Here's her picture:

One of the songs from the WHERE ALL THE DEAD LIE soundtrack is stuck in my head. It's a great song, by The Pretty Reckless, fittingly led by a chick named Taylor. Check it out here.

I hope your weekend is filled with blessings - and SNOW!

Bookreporter on The Immortals

I had to share this wonderful review of THE IMMORTALS from Joe Hartlaub at Bookreporter.com. He says some very nice things about both the book and the series.

Divine Au Gratin Potato Recipe

I tried this out for Thanksgiving, and it was was so delish - sorry, Rachael - that I've been bragging about it for days. Several people asked for the recipe, so here you go.

Sweet Onion Potatoes Au Gratin

(original by Rachael Ray, adaptation by moi)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter (plus 1 stick butter)
• 1 large or 2 medium sweet onions, such as Vidalia, thinly sliced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1 bay leaf, dried
• 48-52 oz Honey Gold fingerling potatoes
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (I prefer the four cheese blend from Publix with Asiago)
• 1/2 pound brick Gruyère, shredded

Preparation

Heat a small skillet with 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the onions and season with salt (I like course ground sea salt), the ground thyme and bay leaf and cook until very soft and sweet and lightly caramelized, 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and discard the bay leaf.

While the onions cook, put the potatoes (don't bother to skin) in a medium size pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then salt the water and cook until tender, 20 minutes. Drain and return the potatoes to the hot pot. Mash the potatoes with the cream and Parmigiano Reggiano and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add stick of butter for perfect creamy consistency.

Pre-heat the broiler.

Arrange the mashed potatoes in individual gratin dishes or one shallow casserole dish. Top the potatoes with the onions and Gruyère cheese. Place the dish(es) on a sheet pan and brown under a hot broiler until bubbly, about 2 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve hot.

Dancing With Myself

I'm so thrilled to have been included in Nigel Bird's fascinating series of interviews, Dancing with Myself, on his fabulous blog Sea Minor. The concept is simple - the author interviews themselves. Anything goes, but Nigel suggested that we work with questions not often asked, if ever, by readers and fans. There's an amazing list of authors who have participated, so give the site a look see once you're done with me. Cool folks!

Here's my self-indulgence. Enjoy!