And the winner is...

The Entertaining with Booze contest is officially closed and I have chosen a winner. But, before I tell you who it is, I want to explain how I chose this winner. Because I wanted it to be totally random and fair (and because I cannot at all be trusted to do so), I had to enlist the help of my assistant, Mr. Baz.

And he came up with a brilliant idea, so that I would not cheat.

Here's what we did: First, we took pieces of paper and cut them into squares. Then we wrote the names down of everyone who left a comment on the blog. Then, we wrote down all the names of the people who emailed their entry. (I mostly did this, while Mr. Baz invigilated the process).

Then, we went to Mr. Baz's treat cupboard, which is where he keeps all his snacks that he got from Santa. And we chose a bag of Temptations.

Then, we took one Temptation and put it on top of each square of paper and then folded the paper around the cat treat. Then, I was going to put all the treat papers into a fish bowl filled with water so that Mr. Baz could fish for one, as though each paper-wrapped fish-flavoured Temptation were really little fish...



...but then Mr. Baz reminded me that if we put the papers in water the ink would run and we wouldn't be able to read the winner. So instead, I hid the treat papers around the entire house and let Mr. Baz go to it. And the one he opened first was...

Cavan!

Congratulations, Cavan!

Now, my work is done, but Cavan, your work has just begun. What you need to do is send me an email to chantel (at) chantelsimmons.com, telling me who you want the book to be dedicated to or if you want any special message (or just want Ryan & David to write whatever their little boozy brains desire), and your mailing address. Then, Ryan & David will sign the book and their publicist will ship it off to you!

Thanks to:

-Whitecap Books for donating the books for the contest
-Meisner Publicity for arranging everything
-Everyone who entered
-Mr. Baz for randomly choosing a winner
-and of course, Ryan Jennings & David Steele, for writing the most fabulous hostess cookbook ever!

Holiday Giveaway!!

So the holiday bake shop is closed this year, because I am on a writing deadline (more on that in the new year!) and, as though reading my little Betty Crocker mind, my agent called the other day to say that she had not received my box of holiday baked goods yet, and that, if I had not baked them I should take off my oven mitts and return to my pink laptop.

So here I am, not baking, while visions of gingerbread men dance through my head. It is sad, because I love to bake, and I got the most adorable Martha Stewart boxes to give away my Christmas cookies...

Seriously. Could these be any cuter?

... but I will not be using them, because I have to learn that I cannot do it all and do it well. So there will be no gingerbread men running around my house. 

But perhaps YOU are not on a writing deadline and are looking for some inspiring new recipes to try out over the holidays! If so, then here's your chance to win a copy of my friend Ryan Jennings and his partner-in-the-kitchen David Steele's latest book, Entertaining with Booze.

Designer Drinks, Fabulous Food and Inspired Ideas for your Next Party

It's the followup to Cooking With Booze, which came out a couple of years ago and which I gave to everyone I knew because it's the perfect hostess, birthday or holiday gift. But now, I'm obsessed with Entertaining with Booze, because it's not just a book full o' recipes. Oh no. It's PARTY-THEMED!! That's right. Ryan and David have devised 31 soiree ideas–from the Spread The Cheese Party (my personal fave) to the It's All About Me evening–complete with menu and signature cocktail recipes. 

Want to win your very own copy so you can start planning your puppy's first birthday bash? 

I'm giving you a chance to win your very own copy, which Ryan and David will personally dedicate to you, your grandma or your pet turtle. 

I'll be giving away TWO copies of the book. For your first chance to win, send me an email to chantel (at) chantelsimmons.com or leave a message in the comments. For your second chance, head over to my new website, iheartintoronto.com for a sneak peek at Ryan's favourite recipe. Leave a comment, and you'll get another chance to win!

Happy Cocktail-Making!

Q&A with Vanessa Craft, author of Out of Character

I have to start by saying that I'm super envious of Vanessa's last name. I mean, Craft? And her website is http://www.craftyv.com/. Too cute.

Anyway... I read her debut novel, Out of Character a few months ago. If you haven't read it, it's well worth the read. But who cares what I think! Here's what Vanessa had to say about the book.

Q. How did you come up with the title for Out of Character?

VC: The title came from a brainstorming session with my agent. Acting "out of character" is something that definitely happens to the heroine Emma; Emma is obsessed with the characters in every book she reads; the book explores the true nature, or character of people, and how it is defined. It's a triple threat title.

Q. What inspired the "dancer" aspect to the story?

VC: I knew a ballet dancer who began working the London clubs to make ends meet. I went to visit her at work one night and was blown away by the atmosphere I've always been fascinated by themes of identity and how they play themselves out in different settings. There is constant media attention on pole dancing these days, but most of it fails to explore the true nature of how identity is affected by power, money and sex, in particular in those environments. Also, I loved the idea of a woman becoming "addicted" to a character she has created. I'm fascinated - absolutely fascinated- by identity and the role it plays within our lives, especially when under the influence of family, or when it is corrupted by power or sex.

Q. You went undercover as a dancer yourself in a strip club. At what point in the writing process did you decide to do so, and what made you decide to do so?

VC: I had gone in to several clubs as an observer, but that was all that I was - an observer. To write a story like I wanted to write, it had to be truly authentic for it to work, and I wasn't getting a behind the scenes view of the dressing room, of the inner workings of the club, of the power games. I spoke to many girls, but no one was sharing their secrets with me. My friend suggested I come in to audition one night and even though the situation was beyond scary, my imagination and journalistic curiosity took over. I was really intrigued.

Q. How long did you work?

VC: On and off for about 3-4 months.

Q. What surprised you most?

VC. I was surprised by how many celebrities and high powered businessmen go to these places - it's like window shopping for them and they have no intention of 'buying' anything. Clubs like Platinum are very tame (women in full length dresses, no touching, no full nudity etc), and many of the men are just there to trump each other - who can spend the most, who can have the most expensive bottle of champagne, the best looking dancers at their table - that sort of thing. I was also quite surprised when I was asked to do a dance for a very famous British supermodel who has been in the press alot lately ;)I would say that like most women, I had a very real fear of strip club environments, and a hefty amount of judgement towards the women that work there. It was very freeing for me to embrace something I was so afraid of, and to discover the truths about the role sex plays in our psyche.I loved the idea of "disappearing" into a secret world, and got a real kick out of having this secret - meeting people at dinner parties or at social events and them having no idea about my pole skills! Another plus was learning how to carry myself with all the dancer secrets of body positioning, how to mask your physical flaws, and how to never take no for an answer. Very handy skills to have! At the same time, this was also the worst part about the experience - the secrecy, the judgement from others... I was ultimately in there as a tourist, so it's easy for me to pop in, look around and move on because I have other options. I think that world makes it very hard to have a 'normal' relationship with a man, and it is so hard to shake that lifestyle once you're in it.

Q. What made you decide to write a novel?

VC: I've been writing since i was a child and come from a family of writers. A novel was always on the cards as soon as I could get organised and focussed enough to do it!

Q. Why did you go undercover as a dancer rather than just imagining it for the story?

VC: I feel that certain emotions are transferable to all of us - we all know what it is like to love, to be betrayed, to hope for something - I didn't need to go outside of my own head for those things. But to have such a unique setting to play those emotions and themes out, when I had no idea about pole dancers would have been impossible. I guess I've always been a person who jumps into things with two feet and never looks back. I moved to London when I was a teenager, on my own with no family or friends, for example - it's my nature to be so nosy and curious about places and things I've never seen that I get myself into trouble!

Q. Emma has a unique relationship with her father, Jack. Is this based on any relationships you have?

VC: Jack is an amalgamation of the many Investment Bankers I met whilst selling my soul in office jobs as a starving artist. I found those men fascinating - they would literally give up 10+ years of their life to guarantee wealth and power. I always was curious as to what made them tick - didn't they have dreams once other than that? So, I wanted to write a character who defined himself through his earning power and match him up with the most challenging relationship he could have, with a daughter who didn't value those choices.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Q. Did you ever -- like Emma -- consider giving up writing the book and just working as a dancer instead?

VC: I was in my late twenties when I was in the club, and that is definitely a young woman's game! Not to mention, I was very focussed on my writing and I never truly was able to disconnect the 'real' me from the situation - plus I think Emma was in a precarious position to begin with - abandoned by her mother and father, uninspired, an outcast - she was ripe for an experience that would make her feel like she belonged, no matter how inappropriate that experience was. I do think many of us fantasize about "escaping" our lives sometimes, though, but few do. This was the opportunity that presented itself for Emma, and she was "desperate for a life worth writing about."

Since it's Freebie Friday, I've got one copy of Vanessa Craft's first novel, Out of Character, to give away! If you want to win it (with a personalized autograph from Vanessa), email me at chantel (at) chantelsimmons (dot) com and tell me a story about a time you pretended to be someone (or some age) you weren't. It could be the time when you were 10 and lied to the cute 15-year-old paperboy about your age so that he'd like you back. Or the time you pretended you actually had waitressing experience to get a job at Denny's when really, your only experience was clearing the meatloaf off the Sunday night dinner table at home. Or maybe you're super honest and have never pretended to be anything but yourself. In that case, just make something up to win the book!

Let it rain...

I went to the Canadian Open a few weeks ago, and at the sun protection booth, they were giving away Neutrogena SPF 55 sunscreen (nothing's getting through that!) and you could enter a contest. I have no idea what the prizes were, because as soon as the woman said "Would you like to enter--" I ripped the paper from her hand and filled out the form. I LOVE contests, and winning ANYTHING.

And I won!

A golf umbrella.

Now here's the thing. I golf, and I like umbrellas. In fact, I have quite a few umbrellas (because I'm constantly leaving them on the subway or losing them in a drawer at work or cupboard or closet at home). But golf and umbrellas don't really go together for me, because when it starts to rain and I'm on the golf course, it's time for a cocktail.

But I don't have a golf umbrella, and maybe if I did (and a cute caddy to hold it) and a million dollars at stake, I, like Tiger, would want to continue golfing in the rain.

Anyway, the point is that the golf umbrella is sitting and waiting for me to pick it up in Unionville. Between 8:30 and 4:30 Monday to Friday. Which is pretty much impossible for me to do since I work those same hours in downtown Toronto.

The woman who called to tell me I won was so sad when I said that I didn't think I could get there. "But it's so pretty!" she told me. "Don't you have anyone who can pick up the umbrella for you? Your mom? Your dad?"

I'm fairly certain that my dad is not going to drive to Unionville to pick up the umbrella for me. But that means that I'm giving to the umbrella away!

If you would like a golf umbrella, and can get to Unionville on a weekday to pick it up, email me at chantel (at) chantelsimmons.com and let me know and the umbrella is yours!

Born in the USA!

Mara is officially "Stuck in Downward Dog" in the US now! You can now buy the book at Target or Amazon.

If you've already bought the book, thank you so much! If you liked it, feel free to spread the word or leave a review here or here. Thanks to all the readers who have sent me emails or mail, like the yoga instructor in Winnipeg, who left me the sweetest voice mail last week telling me she loved the book. I was so flattered.

Thanks also to Laura Bowers, author of the super fun YA book Beauty Shop for Rent, who invited me into the beauty shop for a Shop Talk Tuesday session. PS Laura invites a different author every Tuesday, so you should check it out.

In other news, congratulations to Stella Lestiardi, winner of the bottle of the John Frieda Color Glaze from last week's Freebie Friday. I liked Stella's story:

Yesterday I was babysitting my neice (who's 4) and I asked her how old she was to see if she knew. She said "Four." Then she said to me "How old are you?" and I said "How old do you think I am?" (I'm 24) and she said "52?" I was like, "WHAAAAAAAAT?" And she said "You have grey hair. More than my mom." My sister's 35, but she also dyes her hair and I don't! But of course my neice couldn't understand that. Please, help me. If she thinks I'm 52, maybe that's why I can't get a boyfriend!

I also loved this email from Rory Brickells:

When I was just 15, I found my first grey hair. I was mortified, and plucked it out. But the hairs kept coming Fast and Furious (ps Paul Walker is totally my celebrity boyfriend). Then this guy in my class asked me to go to see a movie with him, I can't even remember what but I totally didn't want to see it but I really (I thought) liked him. Then after the movie he was playing with my hair and he saw a grey hair and he was totally disgusted and that was that. He told everyone I had grey hair and he never talked to me again. Now, I think that's so lame, and I don't really care about the grey hair that I have (I have a lot more now). I thought about colouring it, but I don't really mind them. Still, it would be cool to try a new product.

But I could only award one bottle. If I had more, I'd give one to everyone who wrote to me. Grey hair beauties unite!
Finally, this Friday, I'll be featuring a Q&A with Vanessa Craft, author of the newly released Out of Character, and as part of Freebie Friday, you could win a personalized copy! See you then!

Tuck Shop & Freebie Friday (combined!)

I know it's Friday and you're thinking about the weekend, but we have something very important to discuss: grey hair.

Myth: Pulling out one grey hair will result in two grey hairs growing back in the same spot.

So, I know what you're thinking: this is TOTALLY a myth. So maybe it's not totally true, but if you think you see two hairs growing back in the same place, it's not a coincidence. Here's the thing: apparently, if you try to pluck out a grey hair, chances are you're not going to actually pull it out at the root. Instead, you won't get the entire root, and instead, stress out the hair follicle, causing it to get all wiry and split into two so that when the hair pokes its ugly grey head through your scalp, it will grow in two strands.

Which would explain why in the two places that I've been plucking out greys since I was 21, there are now many, many greys. My hair USED to look like this:

Now, it looks like this:

There are just TOO many to spend my time plucking out.

The trouble is that I've been colour-free for five years now. I'm in full recovery from my addiction. I can't go back to colouring my hair. The time, the appointments, the money... I REALLY just can't go back.

Then I had an idea. What if I used John Frieda Luminous Color Glaze to cover my greys?

I asked a John Frieda expert, who claimed it just might work. I've used it in the past and loved the way it made my mousy brown hair richer in colour and texture, but I figure this time, I'm going to concentrate all the product, and my attention, on just the greys. I know it says it's supposed to enhance only your brown hair, so I'm not positive it's going to work on grey hair, but I figure it's worth a try.

It's not a hair dye, exactly, but when you put it on your hair in the shower you have to wash your hands immediately or the colour will stain your hands.

So here's the challenge. I'm going to use the Color Glaze every time I wash my hair (about 3 x a week) for a few months and see if it covers my greys.

If you're up for the challenge, too (and have brown hair since that's the colour of Hair Glaze I'm giving away) email me at chantel (at) chantelsimmons (dot) com and you could win a bottle to try for yourself!

That is, unless you are lucky enough not to have grey hair.

Sweet treats... for you!

Today, Sweetspot published an amazing review of Stuck in Downward Dog! I think the review was wittier and funnier than the actual book - so a big THANK YOU to Sweetspot for their support! And there's more... you can win a copy of the book if you follow the instructions after the review!

If you're too late (since I'm posting this in the afternoon), don't forget you can also win a free book by getting your book club to read Stuck in Downward Dog. For more details, go here.

The Super Duper Book Club Spectacular Bribe!

Are you in a book club? I'm not. I like book clubs. I think they're super cool. I've tried twice to be in a book club. The first was with a bunch of girlfriends. The trouble was, everyone in the book club had so much to talk about every time we got together, we never really got around to talking about the book. Which sort of defeats the purpose of calling it a book club. And because we didn't really get around to talking about the book, no one ever really read the book, except me and the girl who was organizing the book club. (That totally made me sound like a martyr, right? But actually, we only had 2 book club meetings so all that says is that I read 2 books. And one of them I chose). Then the book club disintegrated into shopping trips and afternoon tea.

The other book club that I joined was at the same time as the first one. Not the exact same time on the same day, but I mean, in the general, loose sense of the term, same time, as in that same summer I joined the first book club. This second book club was filled with fascinating people (I'm not saying my girlfriends aren't fascinating!) but these people were so diverse. There was a rabbi and a Buddhist and a business woman and an artist and a yogi and a student so when we would discuss a book, we all had such different backgrounds and experiences to draw upon and that really affected each of our views of the book. Unfortunately, I hated the books they chose to read and had so many other books I wanted to read. So I dropped out. How shameful, really, because isn't the point of a book club to read and discuss books you wouldn't normally read? To let others open your eyes to books you wouldn't have considered? This is likely true for me since I tend to read the same type of books over and over and never really branch out. And, I just realized, after this post, no one's going to invite me to be in a book club ever again!

All this to say that I really admire anyone who's in a book club and sticks to it, which is why I want to reward all your super book clubbers with a special present!

If you get your book club to read Stuck in Downward Dog, I'll send you a gift basket filled with “Mara-inspired” goodies, like this one!





It contains:

• White Chocolate Cupcake Mix & Raspberry Frosting Mix
• Tea
• Post-it Notes
• Nail polish
• One copy of Stuck in Downward Dog

And Stuck in Downward Dog bookmarks for your entire book club!

There are a limited number of gift boxes, so email me at chantel (at) chantelsimmons (dot) com with your name, address, the name of your book club and the number of members in your book club (so that I can send you the right number of bookmarks).

Book Club doesn't have a name? Don't worry, you can make one up. Here are some names I would give my own book club (you know, if I hadn't quit them all).

The "We Like To Talk About American Idol and Pretend We Read the Book" Book Club
The "Monday Night Chicks Who Need a Reason Not to Watch Hockey" Book Club
The "Montana Moms Who Need a Night Off the Baby" Book Club

If you live in the US, the book doesn't go on sale until July, but you can order it through Indigo.ca or amazon.ca and they'll ship it to you!

Now get back to reading the book you're supposed to be reading for this month's book club meeting!

Yoga Bag giveaway and the super duper Sewing Studio Spectacular!

So my friend, Sew-Cute Sewy Seamstress had a dream. She loved to sew and one day she decided to teach her friends how to sew (since they were very very bad seamstresses and didn't know a selvage from a serger but thought that Stitching in the Ditch sounded way cool). So she started to teach classes in her apartment. She set up tables and sewing machines...





and a big bowl of candy....



Mmmm...... candy.

Everyone loved the classes and learned how to make skirts and shirts and even curtains and pillows! (Unfortunately the candy bowl proved too distracting for one girl, who will remain nameless, and she didn't master the art of measuring, or um, patience, so most of her items were rather lopsided. But she always left the class happy, because she'd had fun -- and candy!). As more and more students learned to sew, they spread the word until one day Sew-Cute Sewy Seamstress had so many students she had to hire another instructor. And another. And another, until there were so many students and instructors in her little apartment but there were still girls lined up with their sewing machines, waiting to get in. Because they wanted to learn how to Stitch in the Ditch, too!

So Sew-Cute Sewing Seamstress decided it was time to move. Fast forward to this Wednesday, April 11. The new Sewing Studio is having a party to celebrate its grand opening, with more space, more sewing machines, more instructors, and most of all... more candy! (But take it from me, you should try to avoid the candy if you really want to learn how to sew).

There's going to be cupcakes, cocktails and lots of free stuff including...



this brand new yoga bag that I made especially for the event, which is going to packaged up all pretty with an advance reader copy of Stuck in Downward Dog. And you could win it!

I promise, this one has no loose threads on the inside, and is fully functioning. So if you win it, you can actually put your yoga bag in it and head off to a class, you dedicated yogi, you. Or, you can just fill it with candy at the event, and then sneak home and eat candy on the couch all evening. I won't tell. Really.

Measuring up

I hate measuring. In fact, I think it's safe to say that I like to wing it in all crafty projects. Which is odd, considering I'm such a planner in life and don't really like last-minute plans.

So this past weekend I decided I was going to make a yoga mat bag.

I found this excellent tutorial at Pink of Perfection. Looks simple, right? Huh.

I went to the fabric store.
I bought waaaaay more material than I needed. Just to be safe, because when you're a non-measurer, you can never have too much material.
I cut it waaaaaay bigger than I needed it to be. Again, just to be safe. I even sewed under the hems before sewing them together, just so it would look extra pretty.

Then, I forgot to attach the strap before I sewed up the seams. So then I had to redo the seams.

Then, as I was cutting the ribbon, I cut through the yoga bag because I was cutting the ribbon with the yoga bag on top. Why would I do that? Why, yoga gods, why?

So then I had to make the bag shorter (to cut off the cut part). But then it was too short. The top of the yoga bag was sticking out the top of the bag. So then I had to add a piece to the top. The result...



It's still cute, right? RIGHT? But well, this is the good side. The inside is full of threads and strings and so...this ISN'T the yoga mat bag that I'm going to be giving away with an advanced reader copy of Stuck in Downward Dog very, very soon at a special event that you won't want to miss...

Instead, I'm going to use this yoga mat bag for my own yoga mat. You know, for the next time I actually make it to a yoga class.

Stay tuned for the new and improved yoga mat bag and contest details...coming soon!

PS - Have YOU made a yoga mat bag? If so, email me the picture and I'll post them here.