Antoine’s
I’ve never actually been to Antoine's, but from what I've heard from the people I know, it’s a really nice restaurant. I love the history of it and the menu and the floor plan, and next time I’m back home in Louisiana, I plan on visiting.
The main dining room
But, since I’m writing this book from the other L.A., I can only visit it virtually and on the written page.
[And, just to make clear, there is no disrespect intended for this prized New Orleans treasure. I ...
Port of Call
I wrote a chapter-shaped love poem about Port of Call (Sir Chapter 13) in New Orleans. I've been to a lot of restaurants in New Orleans, most of them simply outstanding, but push-comes-to-shove, Port of Call is at the top of my favorites list.
First, it’s a damned good hamburger. And this is coming from someone who doesn’t really like hamburgers.
Second, baked potatoes piled obscenely high with cheese, butter, and sour cream. Need I say more?
Third <drumroll ...
Tori’s Cherry Pie
I am not a bigger baker, but my lovely friend Tira was kind enough to give me her fantastic cherry pie recipe!
The measurements for the filling are not in absolutes, more of "Do what tastes best to you".
(That's how I cook, too.)
Her crust recipe has been handed down in her family for generations. Isn't that fantastic?
Pie Crust
One cup of flour to one stick 1/4lb unsalted butter, softened but not super soft.
Pinch of salt
Ice water
Directions:
Combine the butter, salt, ...
Nate’s Tesla
The Tesla
I don’t know why, but I think Teslas and Elon Musk are cool.
In books, especially these kinds of books, it seems like everyone has these super-exotic awesome cars. And it’s a fantasy, so it makes sense.
I don’t know why, but in my head – and as I’m the one writing it, it’s the only head that matters at this point – Nate, for all that he’s filthy rich and likes nice things, has a strong practical streak in him. He knows what it’s like to be broke af. He knows ...
How SIR came to be (and why it ends on a cliffhanger). . .
I knew going into publishing Sir essentially what the main criticisms would be. Not to brag (but), I've been a professional writer -- not for books, but tomato/tomato -- long enough that I have a decent grasp of where my weaknesses lie and, with enough time, I can emotionally distance myself from my work product to have a general idea of what it's weaknesses are.
So I KNEW, when pressing the button to publish Sir, that people were going to think that it started slow with too much ...
The Finewhile Diner. . .
I love diners.
Particularly small-town, roadside diners. Diners that still look like they did when they were built in the heyday of highway travel, at a time before interstates were a thing.
Diners are going by the wayside, which makes me sad. Half the ones I’ve been to in the past decade since I moved to L.A. cook frozen food that they bought in bulk and call it “homemade”. (Maybe it says that on the box, but it sure as hell ain’t homemade!) Anyway, bad food, and bad diner food, ...
How did the picnic on the pier get set up? Answer: Meet Jack.
The picnic on the pier…
How did it get set up and taken down?
In my head canon, Nate has a minion. That minion’s name is Jack and in polite company, Jack is called Nate’s personal assistant.
Jack is a (no pun intended) jack-of-all-trades who grew up in the California foster system and got into UCLA's film school on talent and scholarship. Once he graduated, he needed a job, and applied to an anonymous ad on a Hollywood job search website for a personal assistant. Come to find ...
Drunk Brunch
I got an editor note back for Chapter 16 suggesting that I change “drunk brunch” to “hangover brunch”. And even though I’ve been friends with my editor for nearly 10 years, I guess I never mentioned drunk brunch to her. . . Oopsie.
I don’t know if it’s a Louisiana thing or a my-friends-from-college-in-Louisiana thing, but every Sunday (and some Saturdays) during college when we all lived in dorms, we would meet around 11 AM in the LSU Student Union for drunk brunch.
Somet...
Luca Paretti Rosé
The wine Nate uses to woo Tori in the final scene of Chapter Eighteen. . .
I'm sure you're shocked to learn this is not my photo. . .
I had a glass of this when I was at Catch LA for brunch for my cousin’s birthday in late July. Catch LA is a truly phenomenally rooftop garden restaurant in Hollywood. It takes weeks to get a reservation – like, you can’t even walk in without your name on the list – and the flowers alone were worth it.
My meal was meh. I really have to stop ...
What Does Brady Look Like?
I was doing one of my last sets of rewrites and I realized… I never described Brady!
*gasp!*
How could this happen?!?! I describe what brand of chapstick Tori wears but I don’t describe her ex???
What is wrong with me?
So I went man-shopping again. (What a burden, amirite?)
I went with Charlie Hunnam.
I know, I know. He’s too cute to be a douche like Brady. But we only know he’s a douche because of what Tori went through. He has to be cute and charming enough to have ...
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